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

"Brother, is something bothering you lately?"

Inside the restaurant, Xu Xi blinked her beautiful big eyes, looking at the boy's sullen face again and again.

These days, my brother always seems listless and uninterested in doing anything.

The most obvious feeling is that the dishes I made all had a slightly bitter taste.

"It's nothing."

Xu Nian shook her head.

After a long pause, he stammered again.

"Xiaoxi... I've been thinking, how about I learn to drive?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xi pouted and frowned.

"No!"

She puffed out her cheeks angrily, like a swollen pufferfish.

"You've already suffered such serious injuries from cycling, do you still want to drive on dangerous roads?"

Xu Nian lowered her head, rubbing her hands together in front of her like a child who had done something wrong.

He just wanted to have some skills to rely on, so that he wouldn't feel like a burden standing next to his dazzling sister.

Seeing her brother's low spirits, Xu Xi's tone softened a bit.

She thought to herself that her brother must have been cooped up at home for too long and was getting bored.

So she knelt down and took her brother's hand.

"Brother, let's go out and play together tomorrow."

"Hmm? Aren't you very busy lately?"

"Work-life balance is important. If I keep working like this, I won't be able to handle it."

Xu Xi smiled faintly.

"It just so happens that Yao Yao and the others are both free tomorrow, so I'll invite them all over, and we can eat, drink, and have fun together."

Seeing this, Xu Nian nodded.

His younger sister wanted to go out and play, so naturally, he, as her older brother, had to accompany her.

That evening, Xu Xi was busier than usual.

Having a day off doesn't mean the workload will be reduced by a day.

It will only pile up into a small mountain, and if it is not dug up soon, it will eventually crush her when it reaches an endless length.

"Brother, could you please take these documents to the restaurant owners in the food street and have them sign them?"

Xu Xi handed a stack of documents to her brother, who was sitting at the door in a daze.

"What is this?"

Xu Nian took the document and glanced at it briefly.

"Business registration forms. It's the end of the year, and every self-employed individual has to file a tax return with the tax bureau. Many of the older folks don't understand these things, so I did it for them."

Xu Xi rubbed her slightly sore shoulders and gave instructions.

"Remember to sign the document with the store name on it."

"Okay, I understand."

Xu Nian carefully carried the documents and left the restaurant.

As the year draws to a close, every household hangs up red lanterns.

In the bleak, cold wind, it adds a touch of warmth and vibrancy to this quiet, cold winter.

Several restaurant owners, having nothing to do, gathered together to eat hot pot, play cards, and reminisce about past experiences and their hopes for the coming year.

"Hey! Brother Xu Nian, you're here!"

The sushi restaurant owner greeted Xu Nian warmly.

"Come sit down, come sit down, Old Wang, bring me another pair of chopsticks."

"No, I've already had dinner."

Xu Nian smiled slightly and waved her hand.

"Uncle Wang, Aunt Li, Brother Dai, Uncle Guo, my sister asked me to bring these documents over. Could you please sign them?"

"Oh, don't say it's a bother. We're the ones who should be troubling Boss Xu. Please give her our thanks."

"Yes, not only did they help us support our families, but they also took care of so many complicated procedures for us."

"The year before last, I was fined several thousand dollars by the tax bureau for missing a bunch of reports. I didn't make any money and even lost a lot of money. Can you believe it?"

The group took the documents, barely glanced at them, and hastily signed their names.

Although some business owners had reservations about Xu Xi's exorbitant asking prices, most people still trusted him from the bottom of their hearts.

After all, Xu Xi really did make them money.

"Hey? Xu, speaking of which, does your sister have a boyfriend?"

Aunt Li from the barbecue restaurant gossiped.

"no."

Xu Nian shook her head.

"Haha, that's normal. Boss Xu is so busy with work, he doesn't have time to deal with these lovey-dovey things."

"Young people nowadays marry and have children later in life, unlike us back then, when we got married and had kids at eighteen or nineteen."

"Tell me, what an outstanding boy a girl like Boss Xu will marry in the future?"

"Yeah, I think this girl has a bright future ahead of her, and not many boys can keep her in check."

"Did you guys see the TV the other day? Boss Xu was on the news, a role model for youth in Yuncheng City!"

Aunt Li held Xu Nian's hand and said with a smile.

"Xiao Xu, I have an old classmate's son who just graduated with a PhD and recently returned from the US. He's working at a research institute now. How about I play matchmaker and arrange a blind date for him with your sister?"

Xu Nian frowned, her heart tightening.

He remained silent, his face growing increasingly grim.

"Hey! Don't listen to your Aunt Li's nonsense."

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Brother Dai quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Your Aunt Li is fine, she just loves to play matchmaker."

"If my wife and I didn't already have a child, she would definitely have found me a rich woman."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone except Xu Nian burst into laughter.

"So you're just a kept man? What kind of man lives off a woman? Isn't that shameful?"

Aunt Li laughed and scolded.

"Hey, it was just a joke."

Brother Dai smiled and patted Xu Nian on the shoulder.

"Brother Xu, although your Aunt Li likes to play matchmaker, she only wants what's best for your sister."

"Such an outstanding young lady, if she gets a boyfriend in the future, you, as her older brother, will have to keep a close eye on her."

"In marriage, the groom must be better off than the bride."

"We can't let just any Tom, Dick, or Harry marry your sister. He has to be more educated than her and earn more money than her."

Uncle Guo interjected.

"Also, he must be a handsome young man known throughout the surrounding area; only a dashing young man is worthy of a beautiful young woman."

......

After all the restaurant owners had signed their names, Xu Nian did not return to the restaurant immediately.

He found a deserted path, sat down against a corner of the wall, and took out a cigarette from his pocket.

"rub!"

The dim starlight illuminated the dark alleyway.

Xu Nian leaned against the cold stone wall, a sense of inexplicable melancholy rising in her heart.

Aunt Li and the others are right. Xiaoxi is a genius, one in a million. She is beautiful, intelligent, and has achieved so much at such a young age.

If she were to get married in the future, she would definitely marry a boy who is far more outstanding than her.

That's what he thought too.

But why do I feel this inexplicable sadness?

The thick fog he exhaled was just like his cloudy eyes.