Zhou Wang was not familiar with this voice, but the outfits of these people in front of him, combined with the keyword "Xiaoxi," finally stirred certain memories that had been deeply buried in his heart recently.

Ji Xiaoxi.

There were many girls around Zhou Wang, but only a few, like Ji Xiaoxi, gave him such a special feeling.

Perhaps it was because of her extreme contrast, or perhaps due to the presence of the "Hidden Round." When Zhou Wang personally guided her step by step into "degeneration," he himself simultaneously fell into that abyss of intertwined desires, unable to extricate himself.

So when he heard this name, Zhou Wang immediately turned his head, searching for that figure.

A bus with the church logo printed on it stopped by the roadside. Young girls dressed in nun attire were laughing and boarding the bus. From a roadside window, a round-faced girl with youthful exuberance poked her head out, waving and shouting at someone in the distance.

Following the direction of her gaze, he saw across the street, at a nearby flower shop, two girls in similar nun attire walking out hand in hand.

The girl on the right wasn’t particularly tall, and the loose nun’s clothing obscured her specific curves. Yet, the oval face that appeared, with its easily cheerful and charming expressions, seemed to drain all colors from the surroundings.

Her skin was flawless, her lips petal-shaped, small and round, with a straight yet soft nose. Her eyebrows curved like distant hills, her eyes clear and distinct, reflecting glimmers like a pool illuminated by starlight at night.

All the beautiful qualities of a maiden seemed to converge on her, transparent and pure... yet the small tear mole under her eye added a hint of alluring charm.

However, due to the etherealness of her expression, that hint of allure was well concealed.

Those who had seen her lost expression amidst struggle and indulgence, like Zhou Wang, knew how enchanting and beautiful it was when the flower fully bloomed...

Zhou Wang stared at her for several seconds, then his gaze shifted downward, seeing the small bouquet of White Roses she was holding, seemingly freshly purchased from the flower shop, still dotted with dew indicating freshness.

At that moment, Ji Xiaoxi was gazing at the White Roses in her arms, appearing somewhat distracted.

As far as Zhou Wang remembered, the flower meaning of White Roses was "innocence," "purity," and "humility," but they were also often used for "remembrance."

As if with some sort of telepathy, Zhou Wang immediately recognized the hidden expression in Ji Xiaoxi’s demeanor: "remembrance."

But what was she remembering?

Her former naive self, or perhaps...

Zhou Wang did not know; he just stood quietly across the street, watching her.

Upon hearing the calls from her companions, Ji Xiaoxi snapped back to reality and quickened her pace, joining her companion as they boarded the bus quickly.

"Xiaoxi, are you buying flowers again!"

The girl who previously called out to Ji Xiaoxi glanced at the White Roses in her arms, asking in puzzlement, "But you never properly take care of the flowers after buying them; you just leave them be. Why waste money like this?"

"Perhaps I just like them when they’re fresh..."

Ji Xiaoxi didn’t know how to explain this, so she vaguely replied.

However, this statement was at least half true.

The "trip" organized by the church school was clearly different from ordinary trips. Although they were running around everywhere, every station only allowed a day for sightseeing, while the rest required following the local church in practice.

Sometimes it involved volunteering, sometimes sitting all day in a church, or copying and learning the ecclesiastical texts.

Ji Xiaoxi didn’t find it boring, but frequently felt a sense of emptiness inside. She didn’t have other leisure activities, just liked to stare blankly at the flowers she bought during her free time.

She watched as those flowers gradually moved from fresh to withered, as if staring at her present self, seemingly still pure on the surface, yet already fundamentally corrupt from the roots, inescapably heading towards decay...

She had told Zhou Wang she wanted to see Qingshan, but having already been away for so long, from Beidou to Zangnan, then to Yunan Province, and all the way eastwards, passing through Guangdong and Guangxi to Hong Kong Island and Ao Island.

This was the final destination of the "trip," but Ji Xiaoxi had gone to so many places, yet found no "Qingshan" she desired.

Occasionally, amidst the vast and expansive surroundings, Ji Xiaoxi would briefly feel her mind empty, seemingly forget all the unbearable memories, and revert to her former carefree self, only thinking of cuisine and photography each day...

But Ji Xiaoxi understood this was merely an illusion, for whenever midnight came and the surroundings hushed, those images would surface in her mind.

In the mother-and-child room, she helplessly shrunk in a corner, head held by Zhou Wang, or in the Paris Hotel suite, she gingerly extended her feet tied with bells, or nestled on a white bed strewn with Luoshen Roses in Beidou, her whitish toes curled, tightly embracing Zhou Wang, softly whispering:

"Love it, I love it so much I’m going mad, please, don’t torment me anymore..."

Ji Xiaoxi recalled how, after initially being bullied by Zhou Wang, she often remembered these images at night, awakening each time to find the sheets wet—tears of self-loathing for her lack of resolve.