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

In the days that followed, Xu Nian never dared to deliver meals to the company again.

Instead, she gets up two hours earlier every day to busy herself in the kitchen, preparing a bento box for Xu Xi to take to the company as lunch.

In the evening, a large table of sumptuous dishes was prepared, waiting for Xu Xi to return home.

After dinner, Xu Xi would use the excuse that the food was bad to lock the man on the bed, stomp on his face with her stockings, and humiliate him severely.

Xu Nian outwardly showed disdain, but inwardly she felt a slight flutter of shame.

Her little feet were so small and soft.

Even after a long day out, there is no unpleasant smell at all.

Instead, it carries a delicate fragrance, like a rosebud about to bloom.

He could clearly feel that Xu Xi had become much gentler towards him.

But Xu Xi's shadow never reappeared on her.

This made Xu Nian very anxious.

Could it be that Xu Xi has truly been usurped by her derivative personality and can never return?

One month later, one night, after finishing her routine work, Xu Nian gently stroked the hair of the girl lying on top of her and said softly.

"Can I... talk to you about something?"

"There's no room for negotiation."

The girl's voice was as cold as ever.

The cold front, carrying a hint of winter snow, pierced the heart and throat.

However, she turned her head to the side, pricked up her ears, and made a listening gesture.

Seeing this, Xu Nian chuckled and hesitated before speaking.

"Look, I've been home... keeping you company for so long."

"Could you... let me go out for a moment?"

Upon hearing this, the aura around the girl instantly turned icy cold.

It was as if even the gentle breeze blowing slowly past the window would freeze solid.

She stared at the man's face, her eyes cold.

"Have I been too nice to you lately?"

"The price of taking advantage of someone's kindness is very high."

As she spoke, a pair of gleaming handcuffs appeared in her hand.

The man swallowed hard.

"No...no..."

"I don't want to go out alone, I just want to... take you out for a day."

Xu Xi frowned slightly, clearly doubting the veracity of those words.

"real!"

Xu Nian nodded affirmatively.

"You were working really hard a while ago. I noticed you've been less busy lately, so I thought I'd take you out to relax."

"No way."

Xu Xi resolutely refused.

"It's okay, go to a less crowded place, no one will notice you."

Xu Nian continued to comfort her.

He knew what Xu Xi was worried about.

As the leader of such a large corporation, and possessing such beauty, her every word and action attracts the attention of countless people.

Every day, countless posts and comments about her remarks are shared on short video platforms.

Therefore, whenever she is in the public eye, she has to put on a mask of a perfect persona, concealing her true self and not leaving any room for criticism.

Just like actors in the entertainment industry, even if they don't wash their hands before eating, it will be blown out of proportion by marketing media that will stop at nothing for traffic, and hyped up as a major stain.

Living under the constant scrutiny of a camera is exhausting.

Keep your little schemes to yourself, stay home obediently, and don't cause me any trouble.

Xu Xi said coldly, covering the man's mouth.

Seeing this, Xu Nian had no choice but to give up.

Three days later, one afternoon, Xu Nian was preparing dinner at home when she was interrupted by a series of urgent horn sounds.

He opened the window and looked out. He saw a black SUV parked outside. He slowly rolled down the window, revealing the figure of a cool and aloof girl in the driver's seat.

"Get in the car."

Her tone remained indifferent, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Xu Nian was overjoyed and quickly changed into her outdoor clothes before getting into the car.

This SUV has a simple yet sophisticated interior, with a faint leather scent still lingering on the seat cushions.

All the car windows were covered with black tint, so you couldn't see anything inside the car from the outside.

Unlike the extremely flashy sports car she usually drives, this car is understated and luxurious, with even the engine sound being very quiet.

"Where to?"

Xu Xi said coldly.

"Shoushan, there aren't many tourists there this season."

Xu Nian answered without hesitation.

Shoushan is the high mountain that he and Xu Xi once climbed together to watch the sunrise.

He wanted to take the opportunity of revisiting the old place to try to awaken the memory of Xu Xi's personality within her body.

Xu Xi nodded, stepped on the gas, and drove towards Shoushan.

The two remained silent throughout the journey, showing no trace of the joy one would expect from a trip.

Xu Nian wanted to start a conversation to break the silence, but she felt she didn't know where to begin.

After all, the two had a huge gap in experience and status, and apart from eating and sleeping, they had absolutely nothing in common.

In addition, Xu Xi's personality is inherently cold, and he would be speechless after just a few words.

He pondered for a long time, then steeled himself and said in a seemingly relaxed manner.

"By the way, why don't you hire a driver to drive you around?"

In short videos, it's often depicted that wealthy business owners are accompanied by a driver when they go out.

The boss himself only needs to lean back in the back seat of the car, close his eyes and rest. He will arrive at his destination in the blink of an eye.

Xu always drives himself when he travels, regardless of wind or rain.

He would never believe it if you told him it was to save money.

Given her net worth, the wages of one or two drivers are just a drop in the ocean.

Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask.

Sure enough, one sentence completely shut down the conversation.

Xu Nian gave a wry smile and turned her gaze to the scenery outside the window.

On the way from the villa to Shoushan, you will pass through two newly built urban areas.

What was once a muddy wasteland overgrown with weeds is now a place of towering buildings, bright lights, and wide, straight asphalt roads that stretch as far as the eye can see.

A modern residential complex, a huge shopping mall, and a school campus filled with the sound of students reading aloud.

Ten years have passed, as if it were a lifetime ago.

Xu Nian placed her hand on the car window, gazing blankly at everything outside.

Suddenly, the noise of an excavator at work caught his attention.

Following the sound, one could see a bustling construction site.

Workers wearing safety helmets carried cement and steel bars, wielding hammers and electric drills under the scorching sun, working diligently.

Turning my gaze, I saw a line of large characters printed on the steel plate house where the air conditioner outdoor unit was hanging.

Sinian Group Yuncheng Construction Co., Ltd. is undertaking the construction of Yuncheng Metro Line 5.

Summer came exceptionally early this year. Even though it's not May yet, the scorching sun has already baked the earth until it's deformed, with faint ripples visible on the surface.

Xu Nian looked at the workers sweating profusely, and a touch of emotion welled up in her eyes.

He used to be no different from these people.

Facing the dust and soil with their backs to the sky, they toiled under the harshest conditions to make a living and shoulder heavy responsibilities.

Xu Xi noticed his gaze and made a call via the car's Bluetooth to a contact person whose contact was labeled "Assistant Wang".

The call was connected in less than two seconds.

"Mr. Xu, what can I do for you?"

"Five million yuan will be allocated to urban construction, and the high-temperature subsidies for workers will be doubled this year."

She paused, then continued.

"Keep an eye on the new director. If he's like his predecessor, embezzling workers' benefits, don't report to me, just send him to Africa."

"Yes, Mr. Xu!"