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

"You slut! Can't you be serious for once? If you keep acting like a slut, I'll lock you up in a mental hospital!"

Li Na rolled her eyes, kicked Hu Yu's butt hard, and said to Xu Xi with a face full of apology.

"I'm sorry, Xu Xi, that's just how she is. She was just joking, don't take it seriously."

"It's okay."

Xu Xi felt a little scared, but thought Li Na was a relatively trustworthy person, so she didn't say anything more.

Xu Xi spent the entire morning changing clothes and taking photos.

Li Na has a very keen eye; every outfit she puts on Xu Xi is a perfect fit for her style.

Although Hu Yu occasionally teased Xu Xi, she was very serious when taking photos, and the resulting photos were excellent.

By the afternoon, all the outfits suitable for Xu Xi's style had been photographed.

"Thank you for your hard work. You took 25 sets of photos today. Here is your payment."

Xu Xi took the money and counted it; it was exactly 125 yuan, no more, no less.

"Thank you, sister."

Xu Xi looked around the store and found that there were no other models' photos posted.

Even the photos taken last time were put away.

"Sister, why can't I see the photos I took last time?"

"Oh, this one."

Li Na took out her phone, opened a Taobao shop, and handed it to Xu Xi.

Several product promotional images had been replaced with photos of Xu Xi.

"This is our online store. The model photos are mainly used for online store promotion. As for the physical store, customers prefer to try on clothes in person."

Xu Xi suddenly realized.

"That's all for this week. If you're free, remember to come next week too."

Xu Xi nodded: "Okay."

Before leaving, Hu Yu even gave Xu Xi a flirty wink.

Xu Xi gave an awkward smile and quickly left the clothing store.

Instead of rushing to the market, she wandered around and eventually found a men's clothing store.

"Welcome! Who are you buying clothes for?"

The shop assistant came up to Xu Xi and asked her questions.

Xu Xi shook her head: "I'm just looking around."

"Okay, feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything."

Going up to the second floor to the suit section, Xu Xi stopped and selected suits one by one.

A dark gray suit caught her eye.

Xu Xi found its price tag.

299 yuan.

The timing should be just right, Xu Xi thought to herself.

When Xu Nian first showed her his ID card, she noticed her brother's birthday.

Late August, which is two weeks away.

I work as a model once a week, and the money I earn is just enough to buy this suit before my brother's birthday.

She had already put on clean clothes; she couldn't let her brother wear tattered clothes too.

"Welcome to visit us again!"

When I got home after buying groceries, it was already seven or eight o'clock in the evening.

Smoke rose from the chimneys of every household, as the elderly playing chess and the children playing outside had all returned home.

Her brother would be home in about an hour, so Xu Xi tied on her apron and started preparing dinner.

Although Xu Nian had told her that he would cook when he returned so that Xu Xi could rest more.

But Xu Xi always felt that her brother had worked hard all day, so she should do more for him.

Xu Xi picked out the greens one by one, soaked them in water, rolled up her sleeves, and carefully washed them in the water.

I don't know if it's because I walked too long today, but I feel a slight pain in my abdomen again.

Xu Xi gritted her teeth, took the washed vegetables out of the water, and placed them on the cutting board.

The pain intensified rapidly; before she could even finish chopping the vegetables, she was already in so much pain that she couldn't stand up straight.

......

"I'm back."

The door was pushed open, and Xu Nian's tired voice came from the doorway.

He was very upset today because he broke a case of beer and lost almost half a day's wages.

"Is your stomach upset again, Xiaoxi?"

Xu Xi slumped over the dining table, weakly clutching her abdomen.

There were uncut vegetables next to her.

Xu Nian stepped forward and gently massaged her stomach.

"Didn't I tell you I'd cook?"

He said it with a slightly reproachful tone.

Xu Xi remained silent, feeling a strange sense of grievance.

Xu Nian rummaged through the refrigerator and saw the groceries Xu Xi had bought today.

He frowned, revealing a displeased expression.

"If you're not feeling well, rest more and don't always go out."

"I'm not so weak that I need you to take care of me."

Hearing this, Xu Xi's eyes reddened.

"I'm sorry, brother, it's Xiaoxi who's holding you back."

After saying that, she stood up with difficulty and walked towards her room with a bent back.

Looking at the closed door, Xu Nian felt inexplicably irritated.

He angrily finished chopping the remaining vegetables, his brow furrowed with rage.

When I encounter unpleasant things at work, I say a few words to my disobedient younger sister after get off work, but it feels like I'm the one who said something wrong.

While cooking, Xu Nian seemed to see herself as a child.

"Xu Nian! How many times have I told you? Don't go into the kitchen! This is not a place for you."

"Mom, you work so hard... I want to cook for you so you can have less to worry about..."

"You're trying to help me? You've chopped the vegetables up, burned the pot, and now I have to clean it all up again!"

"If you really want me to have less work to do, then stop causing me trouble!"

......

Before I knew it, a burnt smell came from the pot.

Xu Nian came to her senses and realized that she had forgotten to stir-fry the food, and the dish in the pot had already burned.

He was silent.

Xu Xi wanted to help him more, but he said such hurtful things to her.

Looking at the piece of brown sugar torn off by the stove, Xu Nian remembered what the female clerk at the convenience store had told him yesterday.

"Girls are very emotionally sensitive during their periods, so it's especially important not to upset them at this time. It's like you're already hurt, and someone is rubbing salt into your wound – that's doubly damaging."

He felt a pang of guilt.

......

The sounds of children playing drifted in from outside the window, accompanied by the chirping of insects and a gentle breeze.

The room was pitch black, with only a few scattered moonlight near the window.

Xu Xi wrapped herself in the blanket, her face still wet with tears.

Her stomach was rumbling, and she was experiencing waves of pain in her abdomen.

Xu Xi didn't know why she was so sad, to the point that she couldn't suppress her emotions.

Her brother was right. She shouldn't have gone out when she was still feeling unwell, which made her feel even worse now.

I'm such a useless person, I can't help at all, I only cause trouble for my brother.

My brother works so hard, yet he still has to come home and take care of me.

She curled up, hugging her thighs tightly with her arms.

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

Xu Nian walked in carrying a bowl of brown sugar and egg soup, along with several plates of dishes.

Xu Xi sniffed the air; it smelled like her favorite stir-fried lotus root.

She lowered her head, not daring to meet Xu Nian's gaze.