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

As she gradually awoke from the anesthesia, the first thing she saw was the pale yellow liquid hanging above her head.

This is the fourth bottle this month.

She coughed weakly a few times, turned her head, and saw her beloved boy.

It's been a long time since I've seen him.

At this moment, he had a full head of white hair, graying temples, and a light-colored mask imprint on his face, the rest of his face covered with gray dust.

His clothes were tattered and soaked in stains, colorful and emitting a pungent odor.

His hands were covered in ugly scars and grime that could not be washed off.

A pair of disposable gloves were on his ugly, dirty hands, tightly gripping a clean, fair, but thin, slender hand that was almost just a skeleton.

Even when she couldn't resist the overwhelming drowsiness and took a short nap, she didn't want to touch the clean white sheets, for fear of soiling this pure and noble white rose.

A tear of blood slid down the girl's cheek.

Sensing the faint sound coming from beside his ear, the weathered boy slowly opened his cloudy eyes.

Their eyes met, as if a thousand words were unspoken.

"elder brother..."

The girl closed her eyes, her dry lips slightly parted.

Give me a kiss.

The boy nodded in agreement, leaned down, and placed a kiss on her thin lips.

"Cough cough cough..."

Just a moment of holding her breath, and the girl's lips turned purple.

She coughed violently, her chest heaving as she tried to relieve the feeling of suffocation.

"Ring ring..."

Just then, a jarring phone call shattered the tranquility.

The boy numbly pressed the answer button.

"Xu Nian, you owe us at KuaiDai.com 750,000 yuan, including principal and interest. When are you going to pay it back?"

"Didn't I only borrow 100,000? When did I accumulate such a large debt?"

"To correct you, you borrowed 500,000. After deducting handling fees, customer service fees, taxes, and processing fees, you received 100,000. The remaining 250,000 is interest."

"What a coincidence, I plan to return it to you in 250 years."

Before the other party could react, Xu Nian hung up the phone and added them to her blacklist.

"Xiaoxi, take care of yourself and get well soon. I'm leaving now. Call me if you need anything."

The boy stood up and swayed as he walked towards the door.

I only managed to get half a day off from the factory.

If I don't go back soon... I'll be marked absent without leave.

"elder brother..."

A weak shout stopped him.

The frail girl struggled to sit up and looked at the boy's back as he was about to collapse.

She took a few deep breaths and made an important decision.

"Brother, let's not get treatment."

These simple words were like a sharp blade, piercing the boy's heart.

"Xiaoxi, stop joking. I'll take care of the money, you don't need to worry."

"elder brother!"

That shout almost exhausted all of the girl's strength.

Xu Nian turned around tremblingly and saw her holding onto the bed railing, panting heavily, as if all her strength had been drained away.

"Brother... that medical institution in Europe has abandoned the research..."

"Impossible! How could this be! Don't talk nonsense!"

"I told you! I'll take care of the money; you just focus on getting better!"

Xu Nian took it as her sister joking.

When she learned that he was working three jobs a day to pay for her medical treatment, she spent almost every day in tears.

To avoid letting her see her haggard appearance, Xu Nian rarely came to stay with her at the hospital, instead sleeping outdoors at her workplace the next day.

The girl took the remote and turned on the TV screen.

When the host, in a cold and indifferent voice, broadcast that despairing news again, Xu Nian felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

"Impossible...impossible!"

He clutched his white hair, tearing it off handful after handful.

"It's alright...it's alright! Xiaoxi, even if you can't be cured, I'll still pay for your medicine! We'll continue treatment!"

He was completely distraught. He snatched the remote and turned off the TV, as if the host were the culprit who wanted to take his beloved girl away from him.

Giving up treatment? What a ridiculous phrase! How could he possibly allow such a word to be heard?

"I still have money... Yes! I still have money! We'll get treatment no matter how long it takes! I'm going to earn money right now!"

The girl's gaze grew colder, a resolute glint flashing in her eyes.

She grabbed a fruit knife from the bedside table and held the blade to her wrist.

"Brother, if you agree to give up treatment, I can see a few more glimpses of the world."

"If you don't agree, I'll cross it out right now."

Even before the news of the research being terminated aired, she began to reflect on life during her lucid moments.

From the moment of diagnosis, giving up treatment was already a foregone conclusion.

Even if drug resistance doesn't develop, the annual treatment cost of 1.2 million yuan would force her brother and friends to give up their lives and studies, focusing solely on making money to prolong her life.

She longed for a world where her brother existed, and let everyone revolve around her.

Even if a complete cure were found, seeking medical treatment abroad would undoubtedly cost an astronomical sum of money.

How many days has it been since my friends had a good night's sleep?

The boy she loved most had aged so much that she almost didn't recognize him anymore.

What's the point of living like this?

She hated herself for not coming to her senses sooner and giving up treatment.

That way, no one will be so tired.

Especially her beloved boy, who shouldn't be burdened with such a huge debt and living like a walking corpse.

Xu Nian stared at her determined gaze, and for a moment her body froze as if she had been electrocuted.

His dazed mind gradually cleared.

Yes, is there any hope of treatment left?

This month, 40.

In a few months, it might be 50, 60, 70...

How will I come up with this huge sum of money then?

After realizing the reality, he collapsed to the ground and burst into tears.

But...

How could I bear to watch my beloved white rose wither and die before my very eyes?

The girl, holding onto the railing, got off the bed and slowly walked to his side. She stretched out her slender hands and gently embraced the boy.

He let the dirt on his face be wiped onto his clean white clothes.

At this moment, Xu Nian disregarded his pride as a man, tightly hugged his beloved girl, and cried uncontrollably.

He didn't cry when he worked alone from dawn till dusk, day after day, month after month.

He didn't cry when he was choked by the corrosive gases from the chemical plant and couldn't eat for several days.

He worked three jobs a day, and even when he was sleeping on the streets, he didn't cry so as not to miss his next day's work.

He wasn't without tears, he just hid them in his eyes.

When he finally came to terms with reality, tears streamed down his face.

She's so thin, so very thin...

Everywhere my hands touched was hard bone.

Compared to the little girl he first met, who was like a weed and could be blown down by the wind, she was much thinner.

This year must have been very difficult for Xiaoxi.

"It's okay...it's okay..."

"In the future, the stream will become a star in the sky, guiding my brother on his way."