After Grandma was discharged from the hospital, Zhou Wan no longer had to make daily trips there after school and went directly to the Arcade instead.
Zhou Wan had just finished her shift change and sat down when she heard a sweet, syrupy voice nearby praising someone, saying "so amazing," while enthusiastically clapping.
Most of the people who came to the Arcade were students or couples, so such sounds were common. Zhou Wan paid no attention and didn’t even glance in that direction.
Until she heard another voice: "Go play by yourself."
Magnetic, deep, and cold.
It perfectly blended a roguish, carefree attitude with an indifferent aloofness.
Lu Xixiao.
Ever since he got angry and told her to "get lost," he hadn’t been back.
The owner of that sweet, syrupy voice stood beside him, wearing a high-waisted skirt and tall boots, her face youthful yet heavily made up—exactly the type of appearance Lu Xixiao’s previous girlfriends had.
So, was this his new girlfriend?
Well, it made sense. It had been two months since he last had a girlfriend.
He’d never gone that long without one before.
The girl cooed, "Didn’t you promise you’d stay with me?"
Lu Xixiao clicked his tongue impatiently.
"Lu Xixiao," the girl tugged at his arm, bouncing up and down, "Come watch me dance, okay?"
Lu Xixiao raised his hand, pulled her grip loose, and walked with her to the dance machine.
The girl clearly had some dance experience. As soon as the prelude melody started, she moved fluidly on the dance platform, shining with confidence. With her slender waist and long legs, she drew quite a crowd.
Except for Lu Xixiao.
Midway through, he got a call and stepped aside.
Leaning lazily against the wall, he answered the phone while lighting a cigarette.
Jiang Fan: "A Xiao, my sister’s with you, right?"
He exhaled a puff of smoke: "You’ve got ten minutes to come get her. She’s annoying as hell."
"Fuck, I really can’t get away right now. Old Liu caught me," Jiang Fan sounded like he was about to lose it. "Just keep an eye on her for a bit, don’t let that lunatic run off somewhere."
Lu Xixiao clicked his tongue and hung up.
After the song ended, spontaneous applause broke out around them. Jiang Yun turned around but couldn’t find Lu Xixiao. Frowning, she finally spotted him sitting in a corner chair.
A cigarette dangling from his lips, he was playing on his phone.
Jiang Yun stomped over angrily: "You promised you’d watch me dance!"
Lu Xixiao stretched out his leg, hooked the coffee table, and dragged it sideways, blocking her path: "Stay there."
Unable to get past, Jiang Yun had to stand two meters away.
"If you keep making noise, I’ll throw you out," Lu Xixiao said impatiently.
Jiang Yun’s eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn’t believe he would say something so ungentlemanly and downright rude.
Jiang Yun was only a year younger than Jiang Fan and was now a freshman at Third High School. She’d seen a photo of Lu Xixiao at her brother’s place and thought he was handsome. She’d finally seized this opportunity today.
His face was a hundred times more handsome than in the photo, but his awful temper was truly infuriating!
Having been spoiled since childhood, Jiang Yun immediately stamped her foot, picked up a nearby magazine, and threw it at him: "Jerk, jerk, jerk!"
After venting, she turned away furiously and went back to playing by herself.
Lu Xixiao sat alone in the armchair, slouched against the backrest, his long legs sprawled casually. With his eyes downcast, he looked weary and indifferent.
Meanwhile, Zhou Wan sat on the other side, quietly working on her homework, serene and gentle—completely out of place in the noisy backdrop.
Lu Xixiao didn’t know when he had lifted his gaze to look at Zhou Wan.He only snapped back to reality when the cigarette butt burned his fingertip. Straightening up, he stubbed it out in the ashtray.
Jiang Fan had finished playing a round and ran over to Zhou Wan with the Arcade Tickets she had collected. "Little sister, can these be exchanged?"
Zhou Wan did look young and immature, so it was no wonder Jiang Fan called her "little sister."
"Yes, they can." Zhou Wan smiled faintly and pointed to the glass cabinet behind her. "With these Points, you can exchange for items in this section. Would you like to see which one you like?"
Jiang Fan leaned over the counter and examined them carefully. After a moment, she pointed with her index finger. "That keychain is quite cute!"
Zhou Wan’s fingers paused slightly.
She restrained herself from glancing at Lu Xixiao.
A keychain—Lu Xixiao had one too, a blue one.
"Would you like the pink one?" Zhou Wan asked softly.
"Mm."
Zhou Wan handed her one. Jiang Fan hooked the keychain with her index finger and lifted it to examine it. Smiling, she fished her keys out of her bag.
Just as she was about to attach it, a hand suddenly reached out from behind.
Lu Xixiao snatched the keychain from her and tossed it back in front of Zhou Wan.
With a "thud."
Jiang Fan’s grudge against him was now firmly set. "What are you doing?!"
Lu Xixiao raised an eyebrow. "Who said you could take it?"
"I won it myself!"
He reached out, took the game card from her hand with two fingers, and shook it. "My card."
"How can you be so stingy!" Jiang Fan was utterly incredulous. "A handsome guy being this stingy isn’t going to make anyone like him!"
Lu Xixiao sneered. "Do I need your liking?"
Jiang Fan was furious.
She simply couldn’t understand how someone so good-looking could have such a sharp tongue!
Soon, her eyes reddened.
It wasn’t because she felt like crying out of grievance—she was just purely angry.
Jiang Fan had always been like this since she was a child; her eyes would redden whenever she got angry.
But to Zhou Wan, it seemed different.
After all, she had seen several girls reduced to tears by Lu Xixiao.
Pressing her lips together, she tried to mediate. She looked at Lu Xixiao and said softly, "Your card has tens of thousands of Points. The keychain only costs a little over 2000 Points. It won’t make a difference."
Lu Xixiao turned his head and looked at her.
His gaze was cold and sharp, filled with mockery, teasing, chill, and scrutiny.
Zhou Wan couldn’t withstand his stare and lowered her head.
Lu Xixiao chuckled lightly, his tone ambiguous. "You’re quite generous on my behalf."
Zhou Wan remembered what he had said to her before: Zhou Wan, who do you think you are?
Right, who did she think she was?
Jiang Fan stamped her foot, unable to bear it any longer, and turned to leave.
Lu Xixiao didn’t go after her. Instead, he took a pack of cigarettes from the shelf nearby, tossed it onto the counter, and pulled out a banknote.
Zhou Wan gave him 20 in change.
His phone vibrated again. Jiang Fan had sent a voice message. He tapped to play it—
"A Xiao, did you argue with my sister? She called me furiously and cursed you out."
Zhou Wan froze.
…Jiang Fan’s sister?
Lu Xixiao lowered his head to reply. "Why would I argue with her?"
Zhou Wan: "…"
It really wasn’t an argument—more like a one-sided suppression.
Jiang Fan sent another voice message, laughing, sounding particularly cheerful. "This is the first time I’ve heard a girl say she never wants to see you again."
Lu Xixiao snorted. "Good. I’ve never seen a girl as annoying as your sister."
Zhou Wan didn’t know what was so funny about that remark, but she lowered her head and curled the corner of her mouth upward before quickly restraining herself. When she looked up, Lu Xixiao was watching her.
Uncertain if he had noticed, she met his gaze expressionlessly.
Lu Xixiao slipped his phone back into his pocket, his eyes still fixed on her.Zhou Wan paused for a moment and asked, "Aren't you going after her?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you hear what Jiang Fan said?"
"Huh?"
"She's not my girlfriend. Why the hell would I chase after her?"
"...Oh."
A few seconds later, Zhou Wan felt his statement wasn't quite accurate and corrected, "Even if she were your girlfriend, you probably still wouldn't chase after her."
Lu Xixiao suddenly laughed—different from his previous laughter, this time it was a genuine smile.
He narrowed his eyes. "Zhou Wan, it's only been a few days, but you've grown some nerve."
Realizing her words had sounded like she was challenging him, Zhou Wan shrank back, retracting the leg that had crossed the invisible boundary between them, and shook her head. "No, I haven't."
Lu Xixiao seemed about to say something, but his phone rang again at that moment.
He lowered his gaze, frowning slightly, his eyes deepening with unreadable emotion.
Turning away, he walked outside to answer the call without speaking first.
Lu Zhongyue coughed lightly. "Where are you?"
Lu Xixiao curled his lip. "Since when do you care where I am?"
The relationship between father and son had reached such a pitiful state.
Lu Zhongyue couldn't bring himself to use the more affectionate "A Xiao," while Lu Xixiao's every word was barbed.
They should have been the closest of kin, yet they seemed determined to wound each other until blood was drawn.
Hearing his son's retort, Lu Zhongyue frowned but suppressed his anger. "Today is your grandfather's 70th birthday. He wants you to come back to the old residence for a family dinner."
Lu Xixiao frowned, his expression impatient, but he finally replied, "Got it."
Although Old Mr. Lu was already 70, he had very few white hairs and remained robust, full of vitality.
Lu Zhongyue wasn't an only child; he had an older sister, Lu Qilan.
Typically, family businesses in such prominent families were passed down to sons, but Old Mr. Lu was anything but conventional. He didn't adhere to such outdated customs and held his daughter in equally high regard.
In the current Lu Corporation, Lu Zhongyue served as general manager while his sister was vice president. However, they held equal shares and wielded comparable authority. Ultimately, who would inherit the Lu Corporation would be decided by Old Mr. Lu.
This was precisely why Lu Zhongyue couldn't legitimately bring Jiang Yan into the Lu family.
He still relied on Old Mr. Lu's favor and trust.
Lu Xixiao was the last to arrive at the old residence, the only one missing from the dinner table.
The birthday celebration wasn't grand—just a simple family meal.
"A Xiao, come here quickly." Old Mr. Lu beckoned to him. "Sit beside me."
After retiring, Old Mr. Lu had developed a passion for calligraphy and painting. Playing to his grandfather's interests, Lu Xixiao had prepared a high-quality wolf-hair brush as a birthday gift.
The old man beamed, unable to contain his delight. "I knew A Xiao would understand me best."
Lu Xixiao replied with his characteristic nonchalance, "Well, at this table, it's just you and me with time to spare."
Lu Zhongyue's voice deepened with warning. "A Xiao."
He used the intimate address he never uttered outside these walls.
Lu Xixiao's lips curved in a sarcastic smile.
Old Mr. Lu waved a dismissive hand. "It's fine, no harm done. I enjoy chatting with A Xiao the most."
Lu Qilan turned to him with a smile. "A Xiao, you're in your second year of high school now, right?"
"Yeah."
"Your studies will only get more demanding from here on out. Fortunately, you have someone to look after you now, so your aunt can rest easy." Lu Qilan said.
Around this table, everyone knew how to tailor their words—speaking pleasantly to some, deceptively to others.
Lu Qilan was well aware of Lu Xixiao's academic performance and knew perfectly well that he had long since moved out on his own. What "care" could she possibly be referring to?
Lu Qilan then turned to Lu Zhongyue. "By the way, Zhongyue, since it's Dad's birthday today, why didn't you bring Xiao Guo along? None of us have met her yet."Lu Zhongyue waved his hand with a laugh: "She's not good with words, let's skip it on a day like today."
"How old is she?"
"Four years younger than me."
This surprised Lu Qilan.
Given Lu Zhongyue's wealth and status, his new girlfriend shouldn't be a woman in her forties.
But then she realized - he could have many young and beautiful women, but the one he could openly acknowledge must be mindful of public perception and reputation.
And that Guo Xiangling must have her exceptional qualities to have reached this point.
"That's good. Older women are more steady and can take good care of A Xiao. By the way, does she have children?"
Lu Zhongyue: "Seems she has a daughter, but the child doesn't live with her. They're not in contact."
Lu Qilan smiled and turned her head: "A Xiao, how are you getting along with your stepmother?"
Lu Xixiao looked at her coldly.
The old man, having weathered many storms in his life, couldn't miss the implications in those words: "Enough, why talk about those people on my birthday? Let's all eat."
The old man understood his grandson's temperament perfectly. Speaking up now was to save face for Lu Qilan.
But Lu Xixiao had no intention of returning the favor.
He put down his chopsticks with a crisp sound and chuckled lightly: "Aunt, don't trouble yourself worrying about me. You should worry more about yourself when you have time."
Lu Qilan's face turned pale instantly.
Lu Xixiao looked at her with a provocative gaze: "After all the scheming it took to marry into the Mo family, if they found out about your affairs outside, the Mo family would surely demand your life."
Lu Xixiao had grown accustomed to seeing such things since childhood.
Hostility, framing, duplicity, and betrayal.
Zhou Wan finished her homework, put away her papers and pen, and watched the leaves swept down by the wind outside the window.
Her thoughts drifted far away, wandering through random musings.
Just then, her phone's vibration interrupted her thoughts.
She looked down and was momentarily stunned.
It was Lu Xixiao calling.
Why would he call?
Zhou Wan cleared her throat softly and answered: "Hello."
He didn't speak. She could only hear the howling wind and the roar of a motorcycle engine from his end.
"Lu Xixiao." Zhou Wan closed the window to make the room quieter and asked softly, "Have you been drinking?"
Lu Xixiao still didn't answer.
But his breathing was right by her ear. Zhou Wan knew he was listening, that it wasn't a wrong number.
Zhou Wan didn't know what to say, but felt it would be impolite to hang up. So she let the call continue as she packed her schoolbag, washed up, and climbed into bed.
Settling into the soft bedding, she said: "I'm going to sleep now, Lu Xixiao."
"..."
After a few more seconds, she said: "Good night."
"Zhou Wan."
Her fingers paused: "Hmm."
Lu Xixiao exhaled a puff of smoke: "Will you betray me?"
This time it was Zhou Wan's turn to be speechless.
She thought Lu Xixiao must have had too much to drink.
Otherwise he wouldn't call her so late at night, nor would he ask such a question.
He was Lu Xixiao, after all - free-spirited, unrestrained, flamboyant, with people constantly coming and going around him, always surrounded, always holding the reins of control.
Someone like him wouldn't care about such a question at all.
Not hearing Zhou Wan's response, Lu Xixiao instead laughed.
Many years later, Zhou Wan would often recall Lu Xixiao's laughter at this moment - casual, indifferent, ambiguous in meaning, but mostly gentle.
This was the first time Lu Xixiao had shown her genuine gentleness.
The gentleness unique to him.
Even though his words at this moment were hardly what one would call gentle—
"Never mind, it doesn't matter."
Lu Xixiao said calmly, "Just remember this - if you dare betray me, I'll kill you."There's a saying that youth always seems particularly beautiful because of its innocence.
But Zhou Wan, as an adult, wished countless times that she could change it.
If given another chance, she would realize that the relationship between them truly began to shift at this very moment.
Although Lu Xixiao remained sharp-tongued as ever, in reality, that boy who was like a deity in the hearts of countless girls had stepped down from his pedestal and slowly walked up to her.
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