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

Long Teng always keeps his word. Once Xiao Chen's foot had recovered to a fairly good extent and he could move around normally, he promptly started his daily self-discipline training with him.

At first, Xiao Chen was full of resistance to this behavior. Every day, he was chased by Long Teng, and his cries of pain could be heard throughout the entire playground. But after persisting for a while, he really lost a lot of fat and became much more energetic. Gradually, he accepted this "torture".

That afternoon, Xu Nian, Jiang Xun, Su Zhe, and Luo Chen sat on the steps by the rostrum on the playground, leaning lazily against the railing, enjoying the "famous scene" not far away.

On the track, a burly man wielding a leather whip was chasing a chubby, dark-skinned boy whose eyes were brimming with tears. The whip in the former's hand kept lashing out behind the latter, making a series of "whooshing" sounds as the latter begged for mercy while desperately trying to quicken his pace, fearing that the whip would really fall on him.

"Tsk tsk tsk, why does it look so much like a plantation in the American South in the last century?" Su Zhe couldn't help but laugh and tease.

Jiang Xun, with a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, glanced casually at the track and said nonchalantly, "That's different. Don't be fooled by Lao Xiao's grumbling and cursing at Tyrannosaurus Rex; he's probably quite grateful inside."

"Huh?" Luo Chen's lips twitched, and he exclaimed incredulously, "Has Old Xiao awakened some strange fetish? He's even more irritating than a black slave."

"No, that's not it." Jiang Xun shook his head with a smile. "After what happened at the school sports meet a while ago, a lot of girls have been looking at him differently, exchanging glances all the time. This dark-skinned fat guy is about to find love."

"Huh?" The other three were so shocked that their eyes widened, their jaws almost hitting the ground, their faces full of disbelief.

"Every cloud has a silver lining," Xu Nian said, looking at Xiao Chen, who was struggling yet trying his best on the track, with a wry smile.

"Of course." Jiang Xun shrugged. "I've noticed he's getting quite close to the school doctor in the infirmary, going there every few days. This virgin who's been single for 18 years is finally going to find a girlfriend, so he'd better pay attention to his image and lose a few dozen pounds."

"That can't be right, can it?" Su Zhe was still somewhat incredulous. "Old Xiao isn't fully recovered yet, and he keeps going to the school clinic. Shouldn't it be for routine follow-up appointments?"

Jiang Xun rolled his eyes and said sullenly, "When you first started dating Director Qin, didn't you go to her office every day for no reason?"

Upon hearing this, Su Zhe blushed with embarrassment, scratched his head, and laughed awkwardly, unable to utter a single rebuttal.

"See? That's the power of love. Old Xiao's probably still grateful to Tyrannosaurus Rex for urging him to lose weight." Jiang Xun laughed and patted Xu Nian's arm beside him. "Uncle Xu, any plans for this weekend? Want to join us for some activities for young people and relax?"

"Activities for young people?" Xu Nian raised an eyebrow. "What kind?"

Jiang Xun thought for a moment and said, "We haven't decided what to do yet, how about we go to a nightclub and have some fun? What do you think?"

Upon hearing the word "nightclub," Xu Nian's lips twitched. She quickly waved her hand and refused without hesitation: "Never mind, I just remembered that I made plans with your sister-in-law. I have something to do this weekend, so I won't be going with you."

"Oh, okay then." Jiang Xun slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing that it was indeed a bit inappropriate to invite a married man to a nightclub. He quickly smiled and said, "Uncle Xu, you go ahead and get busy. We can meet up again another time."

"Okay." Xu Nian nodded, said goodbye to the others, and left the school, heading towards the food street.

To be honest, he himself found it strange. He wondered if he was influenced by Luo Chen, a seasoned homebody, because his personality seemed to be becoming more and more of a homebody.

These days, he's not very interested in going out to play. Instead, he prefers to stay at home, hugging Xu Xi and Mai Mai, and playing video games together in front of the computer.

Having a beautiful wife who also loves playing games, a chubby and adorable kitten, an ever-flowing fridge full of drinks, and a luxurious gaming room—this is the ultimate dream for many men.

In Xu Nian's opinion, this was much more interesting than going to a brightly lit nightclub, jumping around on the dance floor like a general amidst the ear-piercing metal rock and clinking glasses.

He doesn't understand why young people like to go to nightclubs to dance, just like young people don't understand why their parents like to do square dancing.

To him, the noise of nightclubs is like the roar of machines in a factory, so loud it hurts his ears. He still prefers the quiet and comfortable environment at home.

When passing by a fruit shop on the street, he didn't forget to pick up some fresh fruit to prepare for the next two days of staying at home.

"I'm home." Pushing open the door, Xu Nian called out to the house as usual.

But the house was quiet, without any response. Even Mai Mai, who would usually wag her chubby little bottom and rush over to greet him as soon as she heard the door open, was nowhere to be seen.

Xu Nian let out a strange "Huh?" He remembered that Xu Xi didn't have class this afternoon and should have gotten home earlier than him. Why wasn't she home? Could she have gone out to buy groceries?

Just as he was wondering, a clear laugh came from the bedroom upstairs.

Her laughter was so pleasant, like the sound of wind chimes tinkling in the spring breeze by the window—fresh, ethereal, and melodious.

Xu Nian put down the fruit she had bought on the way, went upstairs, and gently pushed open the bedroom door. She saw Xu Xi laughing heartily, lying on the soft bed, wearing an adorable knitted nightgown. Her two delicate white feet were gently kicking on the blanket, and the tuft of hair on her head was swaying from side to side with her laughter, making her look lively and charming.

In front of her, Mai Mai sat obediently on the bed sheet, carefully holding a tablet playing anime with her four chubby little paws, effectively serving as a cat-shaped tablet stand.

The little guy's face was full of resentment, and he looked like he had no will to live.

It couldn't understand the Japanese in the anime, nor did it understand why its owner was laughing so happily. It just hoped that its owner would let it go to the windowsill to bask in the sun and have a good sleep.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Xu Xi belatedly turned around, her eyes lighting up as she smiled and said, "Oh, brother, you're back?"

Xu Nian glanced at the aggrieved-looking Mai Mai, and was immediately both amused and exasperated. She stepped forward and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Watching anime!" Xu Xi stretched out her little hand and gently poked Mai Mai's chubby belly, saying happily, "Brother, I've discovered that Mai Mai isn't just a lazy cat who only eats and sleeps. She's perfect as a tablet stand! It's stable, soft, and the angle is adjustable. It's much better than the tablet stand I bought a few days ago!"