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

"Xi Bao, you're finally back! It's raining so hard outside, I was about to call you..."

Wen Yao opened the door and saw Zhao Lin standing behind Xu Xi with her head down, looking disheveled. She was stunned for a moment, then frowned.

"Tsk, why did you bring back some trash?"

She gave Zhao Lin a cold look, her eyes filled with disgust.

Seeing Zhao Lin's disheveled appearance, Wen Yao knew that her guess had come true.

She had lost her former arrogance; all that remained were a bewildered look in her eyes and endless pain.

"Don't say that. I bought too much groceries, and the two of us can't finish them."

Xu Xi held up the vegetables in her hand and shook them.

Wen Yao hummed impatiently, then sighed.

"Fine, whatever makes you happy."

Xu Xi smiled and pulled Zhao Lin into the house.

Standing in a corner on the second floor, Zhao Lin's clothes were still dripping wet.

She unconsciously moved to the corner, trying to reduce the area of ​​the floor that was getting wet.

"Tsk, look at you, you pathetic sight."

Wen Yao came down from the third floor, pouted, and tossed Zhao Lin a towel with a bear pattern on it.

"Thanks."

Zhao Lin took the towel, took off her wet clothes on the spot, revealing her impressive assets.

We're all girls, there's nothing to be embarrassed about.

Wen Yao chuckled dismissively.

"I never expected you to say such polite things."

Her gaze unconsciously fell on Zhao Lin's breasts, then she looked down at her own.

Damn, comparing yourself to others is just plain frustrating.

Wen Yao gritted her teeth, then thought of Xu Xi and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, at least someone is there to protect me.

She walked to the window and pulled the curtains shut.

"Yaoyao, could you get me two packets of the base sauce?"

"Okay~"

Wen Yao went downstairs and found two packets of Sichuan-style beef tallow base on the shelf.

This is her favorite flavor. Xu Xi also loves spicy food, so she should like it too.

After thinking for a moment, she still found a packet of tomato seasoning on the shelf and took it upstairs with her.

"Xi Bao, this is very spicy. I don't know if you can handle it. Let's put in one and a half packets first, and you can add the remaining half after you've tried it and think it's okay."

"Okay~"

Xu Xi took the base ingredients and returned to the kitchen to continue processing the ingredients.

Wen Yao turned her head and saw that Zhao Lin had dried herself off and was standing naked in the same spot, motionless.

She rolled her eyes, went back to her room, and found a clean set of pajamas.

"What's the point of keeping your mouth open? Besides spouting a few harsh words, you can't even say what you want."

"Don't think I'll spoil you like you spoiled Song Jiayi. I can't figure out what a spoiled young lady like you is thinking, and I don't want to."

Zhao Lin carefully took the pajamas, put them on woodenly, and remained silent the whole time, like a robot obeying its master's orders.

The buttons on her chest were fastened tightly, as if they were about to burst open at any moment.

Wen Yao silently felt as if she had been hit with a thousand points of damage.

Considering Zhao Lin's figure, she has already found her largest pajamas.

At this moment, she really wanted to quote one of Xu Bowen's favorite sayings.

I'm so damn angry.

"Yaoyao, I can't move it, come help me!"

Xu Xi was carrying a pot full of water with difficulty, carefully walking towards the dining table.

"Here it comes!"

Wen Yao quickly stepped forward to take it and placed it on the induction cooker on the dining table.

Xu Xi tore open the packaging of the butter base and poured it into the pot.

As the induction cooker slowly heated up, white steam began to rise from the pot, heat waves surged, and a rich aroma instantly filled the entire room.

"Alright, it's ready to cook."

Xu Xi brought the washed vegetables and chopped beef to the table, smelled the aroma emanating from the pot, and showed a satisfied expression.

"Hehe, eating hot pot in winter is so comforting."

Wen Yao picked up a thin slice of beef and put it into the pot. Once it had completely changed color, she couldn't wait to put it in her mouth.

"It smells so good! Xi Bao, what kind of beef did you buy? It tastes much better than beef rolls."

"It's fresh beef. Beef rolls are too expensive, so I couldn't bring myself to buy them."

Xu Xi also tried it and nodded in satisfaction.

"My brother taught me a method for marinating beef. After cutting it, marinate it first, and then stir-fry or boil it. The taste will be amazing."

"I was a bit rushed today, so the marinade wasn't quite right. If it had been marinated the night before, it would have tasted even better!"

"Hehe, following you to eat and drink is definitely the right choice."

"Try my dipping sauce, Xi Bao. It's the best combination I've found after eating hot pot for many years. Both the elderly and children love it."

"Wuuuuu! It's sour and numbing, so delicious!"

......

The aroma of hot pot wafted into Zhao Lin's nose, and her stomach rumbled loudly.

She swallowed hard, glancing at the two people laughing and chatting at the table, her eyes filled with envy.

"Zhao Lin, why aren't you eating?"

Xu Xi wiped the red oil from the corner of her mouth and asked Zhao Lin, who was still standing dumbly in the corner.

Zhao Lin cast an inquiring glance at Wen Yao, then lowered her head guiltily.

"Tsk, what an idiot."

Wen Yao shook her head, glanced at Zhao Lin with some disdain, and said reluctantly.

"This is my home. The fact that I allowed you to come in speaks volumes, doesn't it?"

Seeing that Zhao Lin remained unmoved, Xu Xi walked up to her and used her chubby little hand to lead Zhao Lin to sit at the dining table.

"sorry..."

Zhao Lin apologized to Wen Yao with a hint of unease.

"Why are you apologizing to me?"

It would have been better if she hadn't brought it up; the moment she did, Wen Yao became even angrier.

"What do you take this school for? Your own villa? Your classmates are your servants, to be insulted and beaten whomever you want?"

"If you have a grudge, take it out on me. Why take it out on Xu Xi? She's so thin and weak, she could be blown away by a gust of wind. Was it really necessary to bring more than a dozen people to ambush her?"

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hit you, I just wanted to... scare you a little..."

Zhao Lin turned to face Xu Xi, and once again lowered her once proud head.

She gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with her fingers, her face filled with timidity.

Xu Xi did not accept her apology.

Before meeting her brother, her mother was the only light in her life.

She burned herself, shining her light on Xu Xi, who was deep in the dark reef, bringing her a precious glimmer of warmth and hope.

Now, she has completely vanished.

When others mentioned her mother again, they did so with such a mocking attitude, and Xu Xi felt a knot in her heart that she couldn't untie.

It's like driving a steel nail into a wooden board; even if you pull it out, it will leave an unsightly hole.

She doesn't bring it up simply because she doesn't want to remember it, not because she has already forgotten it.

Seeing that Xu Xi remained unmoved, Zhao Lin took a deep breath, raised her right hand, and slapped herself hard across the right cheek, making a crisp sound.

She used all her strength in that slap, and the right side of her face quickly swelled up, with faint traces of blood seeping out from the cuts made by her fingernails.

As she tried to raise her hand to repeat the action, Xu Xi quickly grabbed her arm.

"Don't do this! I don't need you to punish yourself to apologize to me!"

"I'm sorry... I also lost my mother at a young age."

"I know how much those words hurt you, who also lost your mother."

"I've wanted to apologize to you ever since, but I hesitated because I was too proud to do it."

"I feel very guilty that you helped me despite our past grievances, so please don't stop me. That way I can feel better."

After saying that, she broke free from Xu Xi and slapped her swollen cheek hard once again.