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

Unsurprisingly, Xu Xi caught a cold the day after returning home from the aquarium.

She was wrapped in a thick blanket, huddled in bed, her nose red, sneezing loudly every now and then, her little brows furrowed, looking both pitiful and adorable.

However, this is not entirely a bad thing for her.

At least this way, she can legitimately stay at home and doesn't have to go out to "go to work" every day.

Even when she went to the company, she mostly played games and watched anime with Wen Yao, slacking off the whole time.

But it's always more pleasant to be able to openly and honestly slack off.

Xu Nian continued to work diligently, leaving early and returning late, studying hard at school every day.

On weekends, he would drive to Zhou Xiaoman's aquarium to learn from her how to improve his communication skills.

Zhou Xiaoman's way of teaching him was very simple and unpretentious; she simply arranged for him to serve as a temporary guide at her aquarium.

Every weekend and holiday, the aquarium is packed with visitors, and the staff is always short-staffed. Even the curator, Zhou Xiaoman, sometimes has to personally step in as a guide to answer visitors' questions and lead the tour.

Xu Nian followed behind her, diligently learning her tone and communication skills while also cramming on knowledge about various marine creatures and memorizing the key points of each venue's introduction.

As the days went by, he gradually shed his initial awkwardness and became able to stand on his own, receiving tourists and explaining exhibits.

His daily interactions with a large number of tourists and his responses to a wide variety of questions have visibly improved his communication skills.

From initially feeling stage fright and stuttering when being watched by many people, to later being able to handle a barrage of questions with ease and fluency, this progress surprised even himself.

But the price was not small; by the end of the day, his voice was terribly hoarse.

Xu Nian gave a wry smile, and couldn't help but recall the grueling daily training Long Teng had subjected him to in Hawaii. It was precisely that kind of pressure that had given him his formidable fighting prowess.

Indeed, people's potential is often brought out when they are forced to.

After a while, Xu Xi's cold finally healed, and she no longer had to whine and whimper every day with a runny nose and wrapped in a blanket.

Having been cooped up at home for a long time, she couldn't contain her restless heart any longer. Early in the morning, she grabbed Xu Nian's arm and chattered incessantly, insisting on going out for a stroll.

Xu Nian readily agreed, took her hand, and they went for a walk by the river.

Winter has passed and spring has arrived. The flowers are in bloom, and the willows on the riverbank are sprouting tender green buds. A gentle breeze blows, and the branches sway softly.

The earth is gradually recovering, new green shoots are emerging from the lawns, and colorful wildflowers are scattered among them, making the whole city vibrant and lush.

The two were walking slowly when a noisy commotion suddenly caught their attention.

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see a large crowd gathered not far away, chattering excitedly with expressions of amusement.

Xu Xi's eyes lit up instantly, her gossip instincts were activated, and realizing there might be some juicy gossip to hear, she grabbed Xu Nian's hand and quickly squeezed into the crowd.

It turned out to be a scene of a confession. A boy in a school uniform held a bouquet of bright red roses, his nervousness evident.

In front of him stood a girl, also dressed in a school uniform, covering her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief, her gaze filled with tension and anticipation.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people around him, the boy took a deep breath, held the flowers in his hands, slowly walked up to the girl, gently handed her the roses, and stammered out his words.

"Amin, I...I've liked you for a long time. From the first day of school, the first moment I saw you, I fell deeply in love with you. Would you...would you be my girlfriend?"

The atmosphere instantly reached a climax, with the surrounding crowd clapping and chanting in unison, "Together! Together!"

Xu Xi, who loves to join in the fun, clapped her hands and joined in the chant, "Together! Together!"

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes instantly. She raised her hand to wipe them away, nodded vigorously, hugged the boy tightly, and choked out, "I do!"

The onlookers witnessed this innocent yet sincere confession and immediately cheered and applauded.

Xu Xi was overjoyed, her eyebrows curved and her eyes sparkling. She clapped her hands vigorously, as if she were the one who had been confessed to and had received happiness.

Xu Nian, standing to the side, fell silent as she watched the happy young couple embracing.

In front of outsiders, he and Xu Xi always referred to themselves as an engaged couple, but they didn't seem to be even boyfriend and girlfriend. They had never had a real marriage proposal, or even a confession of love.

The only time he ever confessed his feelings, he was cruelly rejected by Xiaoxi, who was unaware of his own feelings for her.

He suddenly remembered that ten years ago, when Xiaoxi was lying in a hospital bed, she had asked him to confess his feelings to her after she recovered.

He agreed to the request, but more than a decade has passed and he still hasn't been able to fulfill the promise.

Xu Nian forced a self-deprecating smile, her heart filled with self-reproach.

He's such a terrible fiancé; he couldn't even give the girl he loves the most the most basic sense of ceremony in a relationship.

Fortunately, it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost; it's not too late to make amends now.

After returning home, Xu Nian immediately threw herself into planning her confession.

He considered that he and Xu Xi were both public figures, and this confession could not be done in front of a crowd like the student couple from before. It would be too ostentatious and easily attract unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, this confession must have a sufficient sense of ceremony, be worthy of Xu Xi's current status, and be worthy of her waiting for more than ten years.

He sat on the sofa, frowning and pondering repeatedly, from noon until dusk. The sunlight outside the window gradually faded, and night began to fall, but he still couldn't come up with a satisfactory solution.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud shout from downstairs.

"Boss, what's wrong with you? Is it serious? We've all come to see you!"

Xu Nian went to the window and looked outside.

Xu Nian stood up, walked to the window and looked out. He saw Long Teng and several of his brothers standing downstairs at the villa, waving and calling to him. Some of them were carrying fruit baskets.

Xu Nian was both amused and exasperated. She pushed open the window and shouted at them, "Who told you I was sick? I'm perfectly fine!"

"You're not sick?" Long Teng frowned, giving him a resentful glare. "Then why haven't you come to train with us for so many days? You said you were going out the day before yesterday, you said you were in class yesterday, and today you said you had something to do. Are you going to harvest the corn in the field tomorrow?"