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

The suffering caused by bipolar disorder is an unimaginable torment for most people.

During the manic phase, it's as if you've been injected with a stimulant that lasts for months. Your body and emotions are extremely excited, as if you're out of control. You don't sleep or rest, and you seem happy and joyful, but in reality, you're filled with endless anxiety and restlessness.

The opposite is true of the depressive phase, where intense despair fills the brain, the body feels like it's filled with lead, and the heart aches as if it's being squeezed, which is almost indistinguishable from depression.

Immersed in a world that alternates between madness and despair, not knowing when the next episode will occur, it feels like a knife is hanging over my head that could fall at any moment.

Yet, in front of others, they still have to pretend to be nonchalant while also focusing on their career development.

Only Xu Xi herself knows the pain she has endured over the years.

Like a lone boat on a bitter sea, with towering waves ahead and the eye of a storm behind.

No one could understand her, and no one could lend her a helping hand.

Just then, a ray of light descended from the sky, tearing through the thick dark clouds and shining on her shoulder.

All the grievances she had accumulated over the years surged forth at this moment.

She cried very loudly, like a little girl who had been wronged at school, running home to her father's arms, sobbing and shedding tears.

Xu Nian gently patted her back, tears welling up in her eyes as well.

Through online information and Dr. Leng Huaqiu's descriptions, he gained some understanding of bipolar disorder.

It was precisely because he understood Xu Xi that he felt so much heartache for him.

Because all of this should have been borne by his little stream.

Xu Xi gradually stopped crying as the sun set.

Perhaps her pent-up emotions had been released, or perhaps she was simply too tired to cry anymore.

"How is it? Did crying make you feel better?"

Xu Nian said softly.

Xu Xi wiped away her tears and cleaned her cat-like face.

She tilted her head back and sobbed in a hoarse voice.

"I didn't cry. Who told you I cried?"

Xu Nian gave a wry smile and ruffled her silver hair.

"Okay, okay, you didn't cry, you didn't cry."

This girl is very concerned about her image.

He gently took off Xu Xi's military overcoat.

What are you doing?

Xu Xi immediately snatched the clothes back like a cat with its fur standing on end, and glared at the man warily.

Xu Nian pointed to the stains on the military overcoat.

"Look, these clothes are so dirty. Don't wear them anymore. I'll take them to wash."

Under the setting sun, the original military green coat had faded and turned gray.

After all, more than a decade has passed, and even he couldn't withstand the ravages of time, becoming a man with a stubble beard and a weathered face, let alone a military overcoat that wasn't expensive to begin with.

Furthermore, judging from the way the stain adheres...

This garment looks like it hasn't been washed in over a decade!

Xu Xi shook his head like a rattle drum, even the tuft of hair on the top of his head stood up high, presenting an exclamation mark warning, full of resistance from head to toe.

It was simply because this dress had a comforting quality about it.

If she throws it into the washing machine and it gets contaminated by the laundry detergent, she will no longer have the effective tranquilizer for her depressive episodes.

Xu Nian thought about it for a while and seemed to understand it.

He suddenly realized what was happening and quickly took off his gray pajama coat and put it on the girl.

"Wear this one, it's warmer."

He carefully helped Xu Xi fasten each button and straighten his collar.

However, the height difference between the two is too great. One is a tall man of 1.85 meters, while the other is a petite woman who is less than 1.6 meters tall even with her ahoge (cowlick).

The pajamas that fit Xu Nian perfectly would look like a floor-length dress on Xu Xi, covering her entire body except for her two delicate white feet.

The thick, plush pajamas carried the warmth of the man's body, and the scent around his neck still lingered, giving the girl a sense of security.

Xu Xi gradually lowered her head, and her small hands, which were tightly gripping the military overcoat, quietly loosened a little.

Taking advantage of the situation, Xu Nian took the general's coat.

He examined the garment closely; the stains had dried and even emitted a faint, unpleasant odor.

He remembered the last time he wore it was more than a decade ago, when he went on a trip with Xiaoxi after she gave up treatment.

The red oil stains on my cuffs were from an accidental spill while eating hot and sour noodles in Shuangliu City.

Sure enough, this garment hadn't been washed for over a decade.

In stark contrast, there were numerous stitches and patches on the clothes.

Each stitch has a rose pattern on it.

They are meticulously engraved on the military overcoat, like a vibrant sea of ​​flowers planted on this black soil.

"Did you sew this?"

Xu Nian pointed to the rose pattern on it.

"I don't have time for these boring things."

Xu Xi turned his head and said hoarsely.

Xu Nian smiled gently and pinched her proud little face.

He already had the answer in his mind before he even asked the question.

The reason is that the rose patterns on the clothes were made with both white and black thread.

This girl always appears aloof, but inside she has a lovely warmth, like a small flame in a snowy night.

"Let's go out. You've been hungry all day. I'll make you your favorite sweet and sour pork, okay, Little Flame?"

Xu Xi nodded slightly.

After a while, she seemed to realize something.

"Who are you calling 'Little Flame'?"

"You."

Xu Nian smiled slightly.

"I think this name suits you quite well."

"My name is Xu Xi, and she's also called Xiao Xi."

"Perfect, your name also contains the character for fire."

"Water and fire complement each other perfectly."

Xu Xi's expression immediately began to change rapidly.

"You...you've got some nerve, daring to give me a nickname?"

She pounced on the man and bit his arm with a loud yelp.

Xu Nian subconsciously tried to pull back, but unexpectedly found that it didn't hurt at all.

The girl's lips were soft and delicate, like fluffy marshmallows.

The warm, damp touch left a faint mark on his arm.

He smiled and gazed at the girl's feigned resentment in her eyes.

......