The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

Xu Nian considered that the little guy now has his own social relationships and his horizons are gradually broadening.

But she was never too embarrassed to ask him for money other than for food.

Even when Xu Nian was with Qi Yu and Xu Hu, they would always end up buying each other a few packs of cigarettes and a few meals.

Xu Nian didn't want the little guy to always be stingy and miserly in front of his friends.

Such people will be ostracized.

Moreover, Xu Nian didn't know what Xu Xi liked, because she never said so herself.

Pretty dolls, stylish bags, cute decorations—Xu Xi had none of the things other girls had.

Therefore, Xu Nian planned to take this opportunity to give Xu Xi her own little savings.

Anyway, his income is enough to support two people, and he can even save some money.

Although leaving early and returning late is quite tiring, he has long been used to this kind of life.

"But..."

"There's no 'but' about it."

Xu Nian said, leaving no room for refusal.

"I'll still give you your weekly allowance as usual. Remember to eat well at school, don't be stingy with your friends, and don't owe anyone too many favors. Got it?"

Xu Xi nodded obediently, a warm feeling flowing into her heart.

That way, when I go out with Wen Yao in the future, I won't have to be fed by Wen Yao all by myself.

"So, brother, what's the good news you mentioned?"

Xu Nian took out a mysterious box that she had hidden in advance from the cupboard and handed it to Xu Xi.

"What is this?"

Xu Xi tapped the box with some confusion.

It appears to be hollow; when you shake it, there seems to be a cube-shaped object inside.

"Why don't you just open it up and see?"

Xu Nian tapped her nose.

Xu Xi quickly opened the box and found a brand new cell phone inside.

"Brother! Is this for me?"

Xu Nian nodded.

Last month's income, after deducting all living expenses, left me with about a thousand yuan.

After thinking it over, he decided to buy the little guy a cell phone.

In this information age, even beggars are posting QR codes for payment when they beg.

Without a cell phone, it's like being out of touch with the world.

When he was away, if he wanted to contact Xu Xi at home, he had to call Grandpa Deng upstairs to relay the message, which was extremely inconvenient.

"But don't get too caught up in it, your studies should come first."

Xu Xi played with her new phone, completely captivated by it.

The first thing she did after turning on her phone was to snuggle in her brother's arms, take a picture of the two of them together, and save it as her wallpaper.

"Why don't you just film yourself? Your brother isn't good-looking."

Xu Nian quickly tidied her messy hair. She had been quite busy lately and hadn't even shaved her beard for a few days.

"Nonsense, my brother is the most handsome."

Xu Xi tiptoed and gently placed a kiss on her brother's neck.

She then shyly fled back to her room.

"This girl..."

Xu Nian wiped her neck helplessly; a faint fragrance still lingered on it.

His phone vibrated twice.

A message popped up after I added Xu Xi's contact information.

"elder brother!"

"I love you~"

Below is a cute emoji.

Xu Nian smiled and replied.

"I love you too."

......

If there's any day more unbearable than the day before returning to work or school, it's definitely the first day back.

The streets were filled with a lingering sense of gloom early that morning.

The students and workers were all dejected, as if their souls had been ripped out.

Yang Jidong made a rare appearance in the classroom outside of moral education class time.

He came to inform everyone that Song Jiayi had dropped out of school.

Upon hearing this news, the students were quite surprised, but it also seemed to make sense.

Even if it's just a broken thighbone and he can go back to school after a short rest, Song Jiayi probably won't have the face to go back to school after this incident.

If he comes back to school, he will inevitably be pointed at and gossiped about.

Years later, the legend of him will still circulate in the high school.

"That guy who jumped off the building."

"That scumbag brother."

No one will remember that he was once ranked first in his grade for a whole year, and no one will bother to investigate why he turned out this way.

All that can be remembered is his heroic act of jumping out of the window.

"Oh, what a pity, Song Jiayi."

During lunch, Wen Yao sighed and couldn't help but discuss him with Xu Xi.

"His mother is too extreme. She only cares about grades and nothing else. She comes to the school and makes a scene because he didn't do well on a test. And she just happened to run into Zhao Lin and him getting into a physical altercation."

"But he deserved it. He didn't like Zhao Lin, but he didn't distance himself from her. He was greedy for the material things Zhao Lin brought him and even wanted to pursue you. In the end, he was ruined."

"Chase me?"

Xu Xi said in astonishment.

Wen Yao nodded in surprise: "You didn't know?"

Xu Xi shook her head in confusion.

"No way, how could that be? Isn't this just Zhao Lin misunderstanding me?"

Wen Yao tapped her forehead, somewhat speechless.

"Anyone with eyes can see it, how come you can't?"

Xu Xi blushed instantly.

"What? You like him too?"

"No, that's impossible."

Xu Xi quickly waved her hand.

"Then why are you blushing?"

Wen Yao teased.

Xu Xi lowered her head and stirred the noodles in the bowl with her chopsticks, feeling somewhat guilty.

"I'm wondering if Song Jiayi's grades have dropped because she likes me."

"If I had realized it sooner and clearly refused, perhaps this could have been avoided."

"That way, his mother won't come to the school and cause so much trouble."

"Silly girl, what's it to you?"

Wen Yao said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Don't overthink it. It's human nature to be attracted to beauty, and there are so many things in life where you can't have the one you love."

"I also like the guys with eight-pack abs in short videos. If I were to give up on myself just because I can't have them, I should have drowned myself in the Huangpu River long ago."

Xu Xi was still looking down, as if she felt indebted to Song Jiayi. Wen Yao sighed.

"Alright, alright, I'll take you to meet him after school. You can go and explain things to him, okay?"

Do you know where he lives?

Xu Xi looked up, puzzled.

"I don't know, but I have a way of finding out."

Wen Yao snapped her fingers and waved in a distant direction.

"What are you doing? Haha, oh dear, I promised I wouldn't mess with you anymore, so please let me go, okay?"

Xu Bowen walked to Wen Yao's side with a look of utter despair, deliberately keeping a distance from her and not daring to get too close.

Since he tried to trick Wen Yao and was beaten up by her, Xu Bowen was forced to sign a unilateral, unequal treaty.

The rules include: no teasing Wen Yao, no speaking ill of Wen Yao, and no inciting classmates to resist Wen Yao.

On the contrary, he was required to obey Wen Yao's orders unconditionally and be available whenever she called.

Xu Bowen was filled with deep regret.

If he had known Wen Yao was a black belt in Taekwondo, he wouldn't have dared to provoke this tigress even if he had eight times the courage.

Although he was a sports student and could outrun Wen Yao, once caught, he couldn't defeat her no matter how hard he tried.

"Do you know where Song Jiayi lives now?"

"Yes, I know. He was hospitalized, and his mother was admitted to a mental hospital."

"After school tonight, take us to find him."

"what?"