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

"Come in, Mr. Xu." Zhou Xiaoman smiled and raised her hand, gesturing for him to enter.

Now that things had come to this, Xu Nian could no longer refuse Zhou Xiaoman's invitation, so she could only nod slightly and, steeling herself, follow Zhou Xiaoman inside.

He quietly reached into his pocket and turned on the recorder on his phone.

If Xiaoxi gets jealous when he gets back, he'll have some evidence to explain himself, so he won't be left speechless.

Stepping inside, the scene is completely different from the aquarium outside, a hidden paradise.

The first thing that catches the eye is a spacious and elegant reception room.

On the walnut sofa, there were soft, pearl-white cushions, and on the coffee table, a crystal vase held a bunch of vibrant violets, which complemented Zhou Xiaoman's hair color perfectly.

The warm-toned chandelier casts a cozy glow, reflecting the bouquet onto the solid wood floor beneath your feet.

On the wall to the side was a row of wooden bookshelves, filled with all kinds of books, among which Zhou Xiaoman's novel "Butterfly" was placed in the most conspicuous position.

Looking further inside, there was even a small bar in the corner, with bottles and barware neatly arranged on the shelves, a wide variety and a dazzling array of items.

"Is this your office?" Xu Nian looked around, her tone full of doubt.

This doesn't feel like an office at all; there's no office atmosphere at all. Instead, it feels like a warm and comfortable little home, exuding comfort and elegance everywhere you look.

Zhou Xiaoman smiled slightly, her tone slightly teasing: "That's right, this is my office. Mr. Xu, do you think Xiaoman's office isn't suitable for teaching?"

As she spoke, she gently lifted the silk curtain on the wall to reveal a small, low staircase. Then, she looked up and gave Xu Nian a flirtatious look, saying ambiguously, "If Mr. Xu is not satisfied, you can also come to Xiaoman's boudoir for lessons."

"Uh... never mind." Xu Nian immediately got goosebumps and quickly walked to the sofa to sit down, sitting up straight with her hands neatly placed on her thighs, not daring to even glance around.

Seeing his restrained and flustered appearance, Zhou Xiaoman was amused and smiled sweetly.

She turned and walked to the bar's cocktail counter, her fingers slowly tracing the bottles on the shelf. "Mr. Xu, what would you like to drink? Xiaoman has some fine whiskey and champagne here. Would you like a glass?"

"No, plain water is fine." Xu Nian quickly shook her head.

After all, Xiaoxi has a very sensitive nose. If she smells the alcohol on him, he'll be in big trouble.

Zhou Xiaoman smiled gently, opened the refrigerator next to her, took out a can of cola, poured it into a glass, added a few ice cubes, and placed it in front of Xu Nian.

"I almost forgot, Mr. Xu's family is very strict and doesn't allow drinking."

She sighed with slight disappointment, "Compared to Xiaoman, I still prefer the other little girl, Xiaoxi."

After saying that, she returned to the bar counter, picked out several bottles of liquor from the shelf, and poured them into cocktail bottles.

Immediately afterwards, she picked up the cocktail bottle with both hands and elegantly shook it up and down, her movements fluid and graceful.

As Xu Nian watched her engrossed expression, the image of Little Flame mixing drinks in front of him and Young Master Zoro involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

His expression, his movements, his posture—they were exactly the same as Zhou Xiaoman's, without the slightest difference.

It seems that during his ten years in prison, Xiaoxi and Xiaohuomiao must have had quite a bit of contact with Zhou Xiaoman.

This made Xu Nian even more confused. Their previous relationship could not be described as being like sisters; at the very least, it could be described as being irreconcilable.

But now, they get along so well that Xiaoxi even feels comfortable leaving him alone with Zhou Xiaoman.

It's like you enter a contest to draw Mickey Mouse, but you draw Talking Tom. The judges won't even give you a score of 0 because it's not Mickey Mouse at all. But what's even more infuriating is that you actually win because all the people who drew Mickey Mouse were arrested by Disney's legal department. It's as bizarre as that.

A moment later, Zhou Xiaoman stopped shaking the cocktail, opened the cocktail shaker, and slowly poured the brightly colored liquid into a stemmed glass next to her.

She took her wine glass, walked to the sofa, sat opposite Xu Nian, and smiled as she looked at him without saying a word.

Xu Nian didn't know what to say, and the two of them sat facing each other in an awkward silence.

Finally, Xu Nian spoke first, breaking the silence: "Um... could you teach me how to improve my communication skills?"

Zhou Xiaoman gently brushed a stray hair behind her ear and smiled gently: "Before that, shouldn't Mr. Xu first fulfill the promise you made back then?"

"What promise?"

Xu Nian was stunned for a moment before realizing that Zhou Xiaoman was referring to the promise he made to her two years ago: to tell her about his prison experiences and provide her with creative inspiration.

He chuckled to himself and sighed helplessly.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Xiaoman still couldn't forget about this incident.

"Aren't you supposed to be able to read minds? Otherwise, you could just guess," he tried to tease.

Zhou Xiaoman gently swirled the wine in her glass, a faint smile curving her lips.

"Mr. Xu is already sitting in front of me, why does Xiaoman still need to guess? Guessing what people are thinking is a very tiring thing."

As she spoke, she took out her notebook and looked intently at Xu Nian, waiting for him to speak.

Xu Nian smiled helplessly, then sighed heavily, slowly lowered her head, and fell into memories.

That wasn't something to be proud of; it was an ugly scar. He would never forget the cold stares he received from others when he was first released from prison because of his status as a released convict.

"Would you mind if I smoked a cigarette?"

Zhou Xiaoman nodded slightly, took out a cigarette from her bag, handed it to Xu Nian, and then took out a lighter to light it for him.

The smoke slowly entered Xu Nian's lungs, and the long-lost taste of nicotine made her lungs feel uncomfortable.

He couldn't help but cough a few times, closed his eyes, gathered his thoughts, and began to slowly recount the past events that he had buried deep in his heart.