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

Xu Nian scratched his head, smiled sheepishly, and answered truthfully without hiding anything: "I was playing games with Xiao Chen in the dormitory. I got so engrossed in the game that I forgot about the time."

"Playing games?" Xu Xi raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing at the man beside her with a hint of surprise, her eyes full of curiosity. "Brother, you actually play games?"

"Yes, that's right." Xu Nian nodded. "Xiao Chen taught me how to play it. It's called 'Black Myth: Wukong,' and it's quite interesting."

Mentioning "Black Myth: Wukong," Xu Xi became interested, her petulant expression vanishing instantly. She blinked her big eyes and said, "I've played this game too! I played it with Wen Yao. Let me tell you, she's really bad at it. She spent an entire afternoon fighting a boss and still couldn't beat it. In the end, she had to beg me to help her."

"How long did it take you to finish?"

Xu Xi raised her head and proudly held up one finger: "Of course I got it right in one take!"

"Wow, that's amazing!" Xu Nian exclaimed in surprise.

Although the game is quite fun, it is still quite difficult for Xu Nian.

Even with Xiao Chen, an e-sports expert, guiding him, he still had to die an average of more than ten times to pass each boss.

"Of course, don't you know who I am?"

Xu Xi put her hands on her hips and gave a smug hum.

Judging from her proud demeanor, if she were a kitten with a long tail, she would probably be wagging her tail in the air.

Xu Nian couldn't help but gasp in amazement: "That's amazing. That big-headed doll at the beginning stumped me for a long time."

"Big-headed doll?" Xu Xi chuckled, her eyes crinkling. "Isn't that something anyone with hands can do? I got it right in one take too."

"Wow, that big-headed doll is really unreasonable!" Xu Nian frowned and complained bitterly, "It has a large attack range, high damage, and a skill that looks like a shockwave. I dodged far away, but it still killed me in one hit. I died many times before I figured out its pattern."

"That boss actually requires a lot of reaction speed." Xu Xi crossed her legs, tilted her head, and explained earnestly, "Its skills have very long wind-up animations. You just need to time it right and roll to dodge."

"However, its design is indeed a bit overpowered, making it quite difficult in the beginner village. After defeating the White-Robed Scholar, you'll encounter another version of it, which will be much easier. You'll see then."

......

We chatted about games all the way, and before we knew it, the car had entered the underground parking garage of Wanda Plaza.

Xu Nian turned off the car, got out with Xu Xi, and took the elevator to the Shuxiangyuan Hot Pot restaurant on the fourth floor.

This time, Xu Xi didn't deliberately prank Xu Nian. Instead, she obediently ordered a normal hot pot with two broths, one spicy and one tomato, which suited her own taste while also taking into account Xu Nian's inability to handle too much spice.

The two continued discussing game-related topics while enjoying hot pot.

After playing games together, they had much more to talk about, from the plot and combat techniques to the backstory, as if they could talk about anything.

During the journey, Xu Xi took advantage of Xu Nian's inattention and secretly picked up a piece of beef covered in red oil from the spicy hot pot and quickly stuffed it into Xu Nian's bowl.

Xu Nian was so engrossed in chatting with Xu Xi that she didn't notice her little actions at all. She picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of beef, and put it in her mouth without any warning. She was immediately so spicy that she stuck out her tongue.

Xu Xi looked at him, her eyebrows curved, and she covered her lower belly, letting out bursts of silvery laughter that made her laugh so hard she was shaking.

"You little rascal," Xu Nian said, pinching her cheek in annoyance. "You're teasing me again, aren't you?"

Xu Xi snorted, her ahoge (cowlick) bobbing slightly: "Hmph, who told my brother to be late picking me up today? This is called a gentleman's revenge, even after ten years."

Xu Nian was speechless. After all, he was indeed late today, causing Xiao Xi to stand alone in the rain for so long. He could only swallow his anger and look at the girl's smug expression with a depressed look.

After finishing their meal, the two held hands and walked together toward the underground parking garage.

As they passed a computer store on the fourth floor of the mall, a loud argument caught their attention.

They stopped and looked closely. It turned out that a mother and son were arguing in front of a computer store, and a crowd of onlookers had gathered around.

A little boy tugged at a middle-aged woman's sleeve, sobbing, "Mom, you promised me that if I got into the top 20 in my class in this monthly exam, you'd buy me that computer. I did! I got 18th place! Why won't you buy it for me? You broke your promise!"

The middle-aged woman's face was somewhat gloomy, her brows were tightly furrowed, and her face was full of impatience.

From the beginning, she had no intention of buying a computer for her son. Her casual remark was just a pie in the sky to motivate him to study hard.

Unexpectedly, this child actually worked hard and went from being at the bottom of the class to making it into the top 20, truly achieving the goal she had set for herself.

The middle-aged woman, however, didn't want to keep her promise, yet she also didn't want to lose her authority as an elder. So she put on a fierce expression, trying to hide the guilt in her eyes: "You brat! I always tell you to study hard, but you ignore me. The moment I mention computers, you study like crazy. Do you think I don't know you? If I buy you a computer, you'll become completely addicted, playing games all day and never studying again! What if your grades plummet?"

Her voice was loud and her tone was sharp, as if the wronged little boy had committed some unforgivable crime.

The little boy, sobbing, shook the middle-aged woman's arm and said pitifully, "But Mom, you promised me that if I got into the top 20 in my class, you'd buy me a computer, and I really did! I won't play games every day; I'll only play for a little while after I finish my homework, I promise!"

Faced with the growing crowd and the whispers of those around her, the middle-aged woman's eyes darted around. She dared not meet the boy's aggressive gaze, nor did she dare look at the strange looks from those around her. She felt somewhat embarrassed.

At this moment, a man who loved watching the drama unfold stepped forward and said to the boy's mother, "Sister, you should have just not agreed to the child's request. Since you agreed, you should have kept your word."

"As an elder, instead of setting a good example by teaching your child honesty, what's the point of saying all this nonsense?"

"That's right. Parents are the best teachers for their children. How can you teach your children to be good people if you break your promise like this? What kind of role model are you setting?" Another auntie watching nearby couldn't help but chime in.