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

Half an hour later, Xu Xi, having finished dressing up, jogged downstairs with light steps.

Her youthful beauty, frozen in time at eighteen, was now accentuated by a fresh and adorable sailor uniform. Her long, black ponytail cascaded loosely down her back, adorned with a delicate pink tie. She exuded a youthful and lively charm, her eyes sweet and innocent, like a naive and untouched high school girl, pristine and unblemished.

Xu Nian had been waiting for a long time under the shade of the trees at the company entrance.

He changed into a simple Korean-style solid-color sweatshirt paired with black trousers, which made his figure look slender and upright.

He even went to the hair salon to get his hair permed with foil. From a distance, he looked less worldly and more like a young college student.

Xu Xi rushed up to him in a few quick steps, her bright eyes looking him up and down with a surprised expression: "Brother, you look so handsome today."

Xu Nian smiled confidently: "No matter how beautifully you dress up, you can only be an accessory in front of my Xiaoxi."

The tender words whispered in her ear, and Xu Xi's heart instantly fluttered with joy. She instinctively covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling with a smile, and a faint blush spread across her fair cheeks: "When did you become so eloquent, brother?"

"Just the honest truth from the bottom of my heart." Xu Nian raised an eyebrow and smiled. "My Xiaoxi is so beautiful, what would I do if I didn't dress up? I'd feel inferior standing next to you."

Xu Xi hummed softly, blushing as she scolded, "You're so naughty! Brother has been corrupted by Sister Xiaoman. You have so many flirtatious lines to say. You're so naughty."

Xu Nian hugged the girl from behind, a mischievous grin on his face, and asked, "So, do you like it?"

Xu Xi smiled shyly, her eyebrows curving into crescent moons. Her heart was filled with sweetness, but she still pouted her pink lips and turned her head away with feigned arrogance: "I don't like it, I don't like it at all."

"Oh, so you don't like it." Xu Nian shrugged, feigning disappointment. "Then I'll go tell another girl."

"You, you dare!" Xu Xi immediately bristled, fiercely grabbing the man's arm and biting it, leaving a shallow tooth mark. "If you dare to say sweet words to other girls, I'll tie you up and lock you in the basement."

But as she spoke, her voice gradually lowered, and her confidence quietly dissipated.

It's just that Xu Nian is no longer the same as before; his muscular physique is so impressive that even Sister Xi is no match for him.

In front of her current brother, she was like a little lamb. How could she possibly have the ability to manipulate him and do whatever she wanted to him as before?

Seeing her instantly deflated, Xu Nian couldn't help but burst into laughter, raising her hand to gently brush the tip of her resentful little nose.

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. From now on, all the sweet nothings will only be said to my Xiaoxi. I'll say them every day, every night, until your ears are calloused, until you'll never forget them for the rest of your life, okay?"

Xu Xi's face immediately turned hot. She turned her head away, pouted, and hummed softly, muttering, "That's more like it."

After spending some time together under the shade of the tree, the two got into the car next to them.

Xu Xi took out her small makeup mirror and touched up her smudged lipstick from their earlier intimate moment. While meticulously fixing her makeup, she asked curiously, "Brother, where are you taking me when you invited me out in your letter?"

Xu Nian fastened her seatbelt: "Let's go for a walk in the mountains, get some fresh air, and relax."

"Hiking?" Xu Xi's eyes lit up instantly, filled with excitement. She clapped her hands and cheered, "Yay! Let's go! Let's go!"

The car sped smoothly towards Shoushan Mountain on the outskirts of the city.

As early spring warms up and all things revive, the mountains have completely shed the desolation and bleakness of winter. Bare branches sprout new buds, and light green foliage dots the landscape.

Looking up, a thin, hazy mist lingers around the mountainside, and the rolling hills are hidden in the clouds, appearing and disappearing like a pipa player half-concealing her face.

Xu Nian parked the car, took Xu Xi's little hand and got out of the car together, and slowly walked up the winding mountain trail.

"So, brother," Xu Xi said affectionately, hugging the man's arm and resting her head slightly on his shoulder, her eyes crinkling with a sweet smile, "you've been working so hard to improve your communication skills just so you can write me love letters and whisper sweet nothings?"

Xu Nian pondered for a moment: "Not entirely. At first, I just wanted to improve my speaking skills so I wouldn't lose face when communicating with others. As for this aspect, it was just a side effect."

He turned his head and looked at the girl beside him, whose ears were flushed and whose face was full of shyness from his flirting. A sly smile flashed in his eyes: "But now it seems that the incidental effect is unexpectedly good."

"Hmph." Xu Xi pouted, gently pinched his arm with her small hand, and said coquettishly, "Brother has become naughty and is getting more and more unruly."

"Speaking of going astray," Xu Nian teased, ruffling the girl's hair, "you started doing it much earlier than me, didn't you?"

"Where, where is it?" A hint of panic flashed in Xu Xi's eyes as she stammered, her gaze darting around unconsciously. "I'm the most proper person; I never say such fancy things. I'm super simple-minded!"

"Oh, really?" Xu Nian coughed lightly, a mischievous grin on her face, and said in a high-pitched voice, mimicking Xu Xi's, "I hope my brother becomes a tax officer in the future and conducts major investigations..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xu Xi's entire face turned bright red, the blush spreading from her cheeks to her neck, and her ears burning hot.

She let out a short, sharp squeal, quickly raised her hand to cover Xu Nian's mouth, and tried her best to stop him from uttering the shameful words he was about to say.

Xu Nian was prepared. She slightly turned her body and nimbly dodged, then ran up the mountain path, turning back as she ran to make faces at her blushing face, and loudly shouting the love quotes that Xu Xi had once said to her.

"Ahhh, don't say it! Brother, don't say it!"

Xu Xi was so embarrassed and angry that her head was almost steaming. She covered her ears tightly with both hands, looking like she was "not listening to this bastard's ramblings." She tiptoed and quickly chased after him, waving her soft little pink fists, trying again and again to grab him and stop him from teasing her.

Xu Nian has been training every day, and his physical fitness far exceeds that of ordinary people, with a light and steady gait.

In contrast, Xu Xi was petite. Even if she ran with all her might on her short legs and was panting heavily, she could never catch up with him. She could only follow behind him, panting and feeling both ashamed and angry.

This can't go on.

Seeing that she couldn't catch up no matter how hard she tried, Xu Xi's eyes darted around, and a plan instantly came to her mind.

She immediately stopped in her tracks, her brows furrowing sharply. Her body swayed slightly, and she let out a soft cry of pain. She slowly squatted down on the stone steps, her fair forehead instantly covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, looking as if she was in excruciating pain.