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

"Just telling the truth." Xu Nian ruffled the girl's hair and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, they happened to pass by the lingerie store they had just been in.

A saleswoman from an underwear store was chatting with a saleswoman from a clothing store next door at the store entrance. The two burst into laughter from time to time during their conversation.

When Xu Nian and Qi Yu passed by with Xu Xi and Zhao Lin, the lingerie store clerk's eyes lit up. She quickly pointed at them and said to the clothing store clerk next to her, "See them? See them? Ms. Coconut and Ms. Steamed Bun! I'm talking about them!"

The clothing store clerk burst into laughter upon seeing it: "Hahaha, you know what, it's so fitting!"

Their conversation was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to reach Xu Nian and Qi Yu's ears.

The two grown men stared at each other, so embarrassed they were practically digging their toes into the ground, wishing they could disappear into a crack in the floor.

"Ms. Coconut and Ms. Steamed Bun? What... does this mean?" Xu Xi and Zhao Lin exchanged a glance, both completely bewildered.

"Ahem!" Qi Yu held Zhao Lin's hand and said gently, "Lin, what they mean is that you're as sweet as a coconut."

Xu Nian finally came to her senses, put her hand on Xu Xi's fragrant shoulder, and gently squeezed it: "Xiao Xi, they say you are as delicate and cute as a steamed bun."

Upon hearing this, the two girls beamed with joy, their smiles radiant, showing no doubt about the truth of what they had said.

With her cute appearance and silver tongue, Xu Xi successfully persuaded the owner of a barbecue restaurant to grill her own food at their restaurant by paying a certain table fee.

The four of them quickly lit the stove, and Xu Nian took out the ingredients she had brought from her backpack and placed them on the table one by one.

Xu Xi borrowed a palm-leaf fan from the owner to cool off, and stood in front of the stove, fanning the sizzling meat skewers while smilingly calling out, "Authentic Xinjiang roasted lamb skewers, five yuan a skewer, or your money back!"

Zhao Lin leaned closer to her and teased, "Five yuan a skewer? Is your mutton made of gold, or are the bamboo skewers made of gold?"

Xu Xi pouted and retorted, "Look, where can you find lamb skewers now? These are all from sheep raised in greenhouses. You think they're too expensive, but I think they're too expensive too."

"Are your Xinjiang lamb skewers authentic? Boss, I don't hear any Xinjiang accent from you at all!"

"Do you want it? Do you want it?"

The girls' cheerful laughter drifted out of the shop. Several passersby who were still hesitating about what to eat for lunch saw two such beautiful young ladies dining in the shop, and their eyes lit up. They stopped agonizing and stepped into the shop.

In no time, the barbecue restaurant went from being deserted to being packed, with the kitchen bustling with activity.

The owner was all smiles, not only bringing Xu Xi and her group many drinks but also waiving their table fee.

Xu Xi smiled with her eyes crinkling. Although she was not short of money, after spending a long time with Xu Nian, she had been infected by him to some extent and picked up a personality that was very happy to take advantage of others.

She raised her little hand and waved it gently, like a lucky cat.

Besides being adorable, Xu Xi's cooking skills are also quite impressive. The grilled meat skewers she makes are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a rich aroma that makes everyone who eats them rave about them.

However, Xu Nian keenly sensed that Xu Xi seemed a little off.

She's always been a little foodie; she usually runs to the kitchen and clings to his arm to steal a bite before the food is even cooked. But today, she didn't touch a single bite, focusing instead on grilling meat for the three of them.

This unusual behavior made Xu Nian frown. "Xiao Xi, why aren't you eating?"

Hearing this, Xu Xi was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "It's okay, I'm not hungry yet. Let's talk about it after you've all eaten."

"I'm already full." Xu Nian put down the bamboo skewer and took the palm-leaf fan from Xu Xi. "I'll grill it. You haven't eaten anything since this morning, your stomach will be starving soon."

Xu Xi rubbed her tummy, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded obediently.

When it comes to barbecue, Xu Nian is also quite skilled, which is related to his experience working as a helper in a barbecue restaurant when he was a child.

He skillfully fanned the meat, flipped it over, poured oil and seasoning, and in no time, a fragrant skewer of meat was presented to Xu Xi.

"Little Creek, how about trying my cooking?"

Xu Xi picked up a meat skewer, held it to her nose and sniffed it gently, but then frowned slightly and gave a strange look.

Seeing her brother's expectant gaze, she hesitated for a moment before opening her small mouth and biting off a piece of meat.

The next second, the situation changed drastically. Her stomach suddenly churned, and she vomited uncontrollably into the nearby trash can.

But she hadn't eaten all day; apart from the two pieces of mutton she had just eaten, all she did was dry heave.

"Xiaoxi, what's wrong?" Xu Nian looked flustered and quickly came to Xu Xi's side, bent down, gently patted her back, and handed her a bottle of mineral water.

"Brother Xu, did you undercook these lamb skewers and turn them into a culinary disaster?" Qi Yu raised an eyebrow, took a lamb skewer from Xu Xi's plate, took a bite, chewed it, and after tasting it, he exclaimed in surprise, "It's fine, it tastes pretty good."

Zhao Lin also tried a piece and nodded, not noticing anything wrong with it.

Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the cooking time is just right. The taste is comparable to, or even better than, the delicious meat skewers grilled by Xu Xi.

After vomiting, Xu Xi sat weakly in a chair, her face pale.

Aside from gulping down water, she showed no interest in the dazzling array of food on the table.

Qi Yu frowned and pondered for a moment: "Could it be food poisoning?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lin shook her head: "Impossible. I personally processed all these ingredients and washed them very thoroughly. If there were any problems, we would have been infected long ago."

Xu Nian was extremely anxious, and the image of Xu Xi lying in the hospital bed once again appeared in his mind.

He involuntarily shuddered, fearing that Xu Xi might have contracted some serious illness again: "Xiao Xi, how are you feeling? Is something wrong with your body?"

Xu Xi closed her eyes and weakly shook her head: "It's nothing, I just... have no appetite."

Qi Yu's lips twitched, and he muttered under his breath, "Is Xu Xi going to turn into a ghoul? Kaneki lost all interest in human food after his surgery."

Zhao Lin rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "I think you're the vampire!"

Then, she turned to Xu Nian and said, "Xu Nian, I think we should take Xu Xi to the obstetrics and gynecology department of the hospital for a check-up."

……