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

Looking at Xu Xi's pleading eyes, Xu Nian hesitated for a moment.

These past few days, Xu Xi has been trying to sneak into his bed with various excuses.

At first, he thought Xu Xi was just insecure and acquiesced.

But Xu Xi's sleeping posture at night is always very restless; she always keeps rubbing against him while half-asleep.

Sometimes, she would even slip her soft little hands inside his clothes.

Every morning when Xu Nian wakes up, she feels a strong reaction in a certain part of her body.

So later on, he insisted that Xu Xi sleep alone.

But today, looking at Xu Xi's pitiful eyes, Xu Nian's heart softened, and she agreed.

He lay down with his back to Xu Xi: "Go to sleep. When you're better, your brother will take you out for something delicious."

Xu Xi nodded obediently and slowly closed her eyes.

A moment later, Xu Nian felt her hand being gently tugged.

"Brother, could you rub it for me again?"

Xu Nian turned around and gently placed her hand on Xu Xi's pajamas around her waist.

But Xu Xi's little hand tugged at him and slipped inside her clothes.

"Brother, this is warmer."

Xu Nian rubbed her head with her other hand and said with a hint of helplessness.

"Don't you know that your brother is a boy? You can't let boys touch your body like that?"

Xu Xi pouted, and soon after, her eyes welled up with tears.

"But...but it really hurts so much..."

Xu Nian sighed and could only stroke Xu Xi's smooth belly repeatedly, conveying the warmth of her palm to her.

Compared to when she first brought Xu Xi home, Xu Xi has started to gain some weight around her stomach.

It no longer feels like it's all skin and bones to the touch.

Soon, I heard the sound of even breathing.

Xu Nian breathed a sigh of relief, finally managing to coax the little one to sleep.

He gently withdrew his hand, preparing to get out of bed and leave Xu Xi's room.

But just then, a pair of slender little hands hugged him.

Xu Nian turned around and saw Xu Xi hugging him, her cheek gently rubbing against his back.

He stopped moving as if he had been electrocuted, afraid of waking her up again.

With a wry smile, Xu Nian shook her head and resignedly lay back down, taking on the role of a human-shaped pillow.

The evening breeze blew in through the window, brushing against their cheeks.

A strand of hair was blown onto Xu Nian's face, making her feel itchy.

Xu Nian could clearly smell the shampoo in her hair.

Before she knew it, Xu Nian felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her.

The kitten hugged her human-shaped dried fish and drifted off to sleep.

......

When I woke up, it was already noon.

Xu Xi stretched and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

My brother had already gotten up early and left for work, leaving only wrinkles on the sheets beside him.

Xu Xi lay down on that wrinkle and sniffed it.

The scent of my brother still lingers.

After a night's rest, Xu Xi felt much better.

Although I still don't have much strength, thankfully the sharp pain in my abdomen has stopped.

She got out of bed and started fixing her hair in front of the mirror.

Her slender little hands moved nimbly, and in no time, two pretty braids hung behind her head.

Xu Xi nodded in satisfaction.

My brother said that Xiaoxi looks great with this hairstyle.

For some reason, there was a single, sharp strand of hair on the top of her head that she couldn't get down.

It's like the ahoge (cowlick) in Japanese anime.

Xu Xi combed it vigorously with a comb, but the single stray hair still stood there firmly.

She pouted, looking somewhat dejected.

Oh no, my hair is messed up. What if my brother doesn't like it?

After several unsuccessful attempts, she sighed and had no choice but to put the newly bought hair clip on her head.

The weather outside is great, with clear blue skies.

Xu Xi picked up her shopping basket, changed into clean clothes, and prepared to go out.

"Little Xu, going out to buy groceries?"

Grandpa Deng, who was playing chess in the pavilion, saw Xu Xi and greeted her.

Xu Xi nodded to Grandpa Deng: "Yes, good afternoon, Grandpa Deng."

"Your Grandma Deng just came back from grocery shopping this morning. The fish stalls at the fish market next door were having a sale, and the fish was two yuan cheaper per pound than usual."

"Okay, thank you, Grandpa Deng!"

"Old Deng, where's that little girl before? When did she move here?"

"I've been renting Xiao Deng's house to him and his sister for a while now."

Good afternoon, Grandpa Liu.

Grandpa Liu was on the early shift today, sitting under the guard post, reading the newspaper under a parasol.

"Good afternoon, Xu girl. It's quite hot today, remember to walk in the shade."

Xu Xi smiled and nodded.

After spending some time together, many people in the neighborhood got to know Xu Nian and her brother.

There will be no more incidents of being stopped by security guards outside the community.

The sky was cloudless, the scorching sun beat down on the earth, and the streets were sparsely populated.

Arriving at the clothing store where she had previously bought clothes, Xu Xi hesitated for a moment before deciding to go inside.

Welcome!

Upon seeing a customer, the saleswoman quickly stood up to greet them.

"It's you, little beauty."

Xu Xi waved to her.

"Sister, is your promise about becoming a model still valid?"

The saleswoman showed a delighted expression.

"Of course it counts. Let's come in and talk."

She pulled Xu Xi into the store.

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Li Na, and I am the acting store manager of this store."

"My name is Xu Xi."

Li Na narrowed her eyes and sized up Xu Xi for a while.

She was very slender and had very fair skin.

Add to that the double braids that cascade down her shoulders, and she's practically a clothes hanger tailor-made for a pure and cute style.

"We receive a new batch of styles every week, about 20 sets. You can come once a week to try them on and have your photos taken, at a price of five yuan per set. How does that sound?"

Xu Xi thought about it and realized that she could earn as much money as her brother could earn in a day by just taking some photos, which was still a good deal.

"Sure, Sister Na."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Li Na picked up her phone and made a call. A short while later, a woman carrying a video camera arrived at the store.

"Oh, Nana, it's such a hot day, and you came right away with just one phone call. Aren't I your true love?"

"Get out of here. You've been a hands-off manager for so long. If you keep getting cocky, you'll have to run the shop yourself."

Li Na rolled her eyes and introduced Xu Xi.

"Xu Xi, this is our store manager. Hu Yu is a professional photographer; she will take your photos."

"Hello, Sister Hu Yu!"

Xu Xi looked Hu Yu up and down. Hu Yu had golden wavy hair and was dressed in very trendy clothes.

Her nails were very long and had been done in red, making them look like a flamboyant red rose from a distance.

Hu Yu was also squinting at Xu Xi, her lips slightly parted in a charming smile.

"Oh, what a pretty little girl! How about being my bed partner?"