Zhou Wan parked the electric scooter in an empty space near her home, locked it again, and paid four yuan.
"Thank you for taking me out today."
Standing before Lu Xixiao, she glanced at the sweatshirt she was wearing. "I'll return this to you after washing it."
"Mm."
Lu Xixiao responded absently, then noticed the gloves she wore and frowned slightly. "Forget it."
"What?"
"Don't bother washing it." His tone was flat. "I don't want it anymore."
Zhou Wan was taken aback. Pressing her lips together, she thought this made sense—she'd soiled his clothes while crying earlier. "...Then I'll buy you a new one."
"No need." Lu Xixiao yawned, looking thoroughly uninterested. He raised his hand casually. "Let's trade for this."
On his wrist was her hair tie that he'd taken off earlier.
Zhou Wan paused. "Huh?"
The value difference was enormous...
But Lu Xixiao seemed too lazy to dwell on the matter.
He didn't need money for a new sweatshirt, and pressing further would likely irritate him.
He raised an eyebrow. "Not going in yet?"
"I'm going."
Zhou Wan turned and ran into the residential building, leaving the damp chill behind.
Suddenly remembering something, she stopped and looked back.
Lu Xixiao remained where he was, the dim streetlights casting mottled circles of light on him and the ground. His expression was blank, detached and aloof.
He possessed two completely contrasting temperaments—one recklessly unconventional, the other transcendentally distant.
Zhou Wan stood still and waved at him again, saying "Goodbye."
Even though her voice was too soft for him to hear.
Lu Xixiao watched her, hands in his pockets, looking casual and languid.
Zhou Wan thought he wouldn't wave back.
But after two seconds, Lu Xixiao pulled a hand out, waved briefly, then tucked it back in—all without changing expression.
Grandma was already asleep when she got home. Zhou Wan decided not to mention the day's events, as it would only cause unnecessary worry.
Despite Lu Xixiao saying he didn't want the sweatshirt, Zhou Wan washed it anyway and hung it on the balcony.
The skin on her hands was extremely delicate—turning red at the touch of cold water, developing red spots in the wind, and breaking out in rashes from laundry detergent.
Looking at the rash on her hand, Zhou Wan put the gloves back on.
Sitting at the head of the bed, Dr. Chen's words from earlier began circling in her mind.
That strange yet familiar feeling washed over her again, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, coiling around her until she was completely submerged, sinking into darkness.
Zhou Wan closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She could never forgive Guo Xiangling.
Never before had she hated someone so intensely.
Even if she were to fall into the abyss, she would drag Guo Xiangling down with her.
Her father belonged in heaven, but Guo Xiangling did not.
As for Lu Xixiao—
Zhou Wan recalled how he'd looked when she visited his home.
Defeated and lonely, exploding at any mention of his mother.
Like a stress response from past wounds.
At his core, he probably lacked love.
Though many girls were drawn to him, he didn't need their affection.
So what did he need?
Zhou Wan reflected on past interactions and the mixed opinions people had of him.
She thought Lu Xixiao didn't truly enjoy solitude. Despite his innate aloofness, loneliness made him dwell on past pain. That's why he could tolerate noisy crowds and didn't reject relationships.
Not out of genuine fondness, but to seek temporary refuge—to escape and obscure the painful memories that haunted him when alone.Then she would stay by his side.
Without making a fuss or causing trouble, she would simply be there for him when he needed her, ensuring he didn’t feel lonely.
She would try her best to be good to him.
At least to make up for some of the guilt she felt from using him.
Zhou Wan thought that, given Lu Xixiao’s personality, if the two of them really ended up together, it wouldn’t be long after she used him to get back at Guo Xiangling that he would grow tired of her.
So, at least before that timeline arrived, she could be a little kinder to him.
Having made this silent resolution, she lowered her gaze and opened her phone. In the Moments section, she noticed Lu Xixiao’s black profile picture—he hardly ever posted anything.
Zhou Wan paused for a moment, then tapped on it.
Suddenly, her eyes widened slightly.
He had posted a photo of her.
In the picture, she was wearing a yellow helmet with a little antenna on top.
The surroundings showed an empty, deserted street, with a traffic light counting down in red.
After a moment of surprise, Zhou Wan gave the post a like.
When Lu Xixiao woke up, the room was pitch black.
He glanced at the clock—11 a.m.
The curtains were drawn, and it was raining outside, gloomy and overcast.
As he sat up, his head felt heavy, his nose was stuffy, and his throat was dry. Frowning, he reached for the glass of water on the bedside table and took a sip, but it didn’t help much.
He must have caught a chill last night.
He cleared his throat hoarsely, slipped on his slippers, and headed to the bathroom to shower and wash his face.
When he came out, he had a towel wrapped around his waist, his upper body bare. His muscles were well-defined, his waist tapered sharply, and his broad shoulders and narrow waist gave him the physique of a model or a clothes hanger.
Leaving the water droplets on his skin untouched, Lu Xixiao bent down and picked up his phone.
He hadn’t checked his phone since posting that Moment yesterday.
Truthfully, he didn’t even know why he had posted it—he just found it amusing and went ahead with it.
Now, there were plenty of comments and likes.
Most of the reactions were shock and teasing, since he had never posted about a girl before.
Lu Xixiao skimmed through them, his gaze lingering on one name in the likes section—Zhou Wan.
She had liked it too.
He smirked slightly, tapped on her name, and sent her a message: What are you doing?
Zhou Wan didn’t reply immediately, so Lu Xixiao tossed his phone aside and went back to sleep.
During the noon self-study period, Zhou Wan finished the assignments from her four morning classes. With fifteen minutes left before the end of the session, the classroom was unusually quiet, with everyone dozing off at their desks. The only sound was the rain tapping against the windowsill.
Zhou Wan took out her phone and noticed the message Lu Xixiao had sent an hour and a half earlier.
[6: What are you doing?]
Her fingers paused for a moment before she replied: [Doing homework.]
A short while later, she sent another message.
[Zhou Wan: Did you not come to school today?]
Five minutes later, Lu Xixiao replied.
[6: Sick.]
[Zhou Wan: What’s wrong?]
[6: Probably a cold.]
Zhou Wan thought of the sweatshirt.
Yesterday, she had been too upset to consider whether Lu Xixiao might catch a cold after giving her his clothes.
[Zhou Wan: Did you take any medicine?]
[6: No.]
[Zhou Wan: Do you have any at home?]
[6: Don’t know.]
Zhou Wan typed: Then order some cold medicine for delivery.
But after a moment’s hesitation, she deleted it and typed again.
[Zhou Wan: I’ll order some medicine for you and have it delivered to your place.]
[6: No.]
[6: Too lazy to get up and answer the door.]
“...”
He was acting like a stubborn, uncooperative child who refused to take his medicine.
Zhou Wan didn’t know what to do.
[6: Come over.]
[Zhou Wan: I’ll come after school.]
[6: Now.]"[Zhou Wan: I have competition class this afternoon, can't leave.]"
He didn't reply again.
When the lunch break ended, students gradually woke up.
Zhou Wan had her exercise book open in front of her, but her mind was occupied with Lu Xixiao's earlier message.
Just yesterday she had privately decided to be as good to him as possible from now on.
Besides, he caught a cold because of her.
Zhou Wan felt too guilty to sit still, and eventually got up and went to the teacher's office.
Using a hospital visit as an excuse, the homeroom teacher—aware of her family situation—quickly approved her leave request.
...
After leaving school, Zhou Wan first went to a pharmacy to buy 999 Cold Remedy, then took the bus to Lu Xixiao's apartment.
She stood at the door and rang the bell.
On the third ring, Lu Xixiao opened the door.
Wearing loose, clean loungewear, he looked down at her and raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Wan held up the bag in her hand. "Still feeling unwell?"
"Didn't you say you'd come after school?"
Meeting his gaze, she asked, "Are you angry?"
"Did you come now because you were afraid I'd be angry?" His voice was slightly hoarse.
"Yeah."
That was partly true.
She wanted him to feel better.
"Oh." He slipped off his house slippers and kicked them toward her, then turned back inside. "Then consider me angry."
Zhou Wan paused for a moment, stepped into the slippers, closed the door, and followed him inside.
Lu Xixiao lounged lazily on the sofa, hugging a cushion to his chest as he scrolled through his phone.
Zhou Wan took a glass from the coffee table, washed it, poured warm water, mixed in the Cold Remedy, stirred it well, and handed it to Lu Xixiao.
He glanced at her, took the glass, and downed it in one go.
Zhou Wan stood in front of him. "You should go to your room and rest for a while. Cover yourself with the blanket and sweat it out—you'll feel better. Try not to smoke or drink these next couple of days."
Lu Xixiao looked up.
Zhou Wan cleaned up the Cold Remedy packaging from the table. "I should head back now."
"Stay put," Lu Xixiao said.
Zhou Wan halted and turned back.
Lu Xixiao tilted his chin toward the side.
Zhou Wan obediently sat down on the single sofa beside him.
"Leaving already?" He raised an eyebrow, his tone deliberately provoking. "So heartless. Who did I catch this cold for, anyway?"
Zhou Wan pressed her lips together. "Then I'll stay with you for a while."
Lu Xixiao ignored her after that, leaning back on the sofa with his phone. After a while, he tossed the phone aside and closed his eyes.
Zhou Wan found a blanket nearby and went over to cover him with it.
His eyelashes fluttered slightly, but he didn't open his eyes or say anything.
Sitting nearby, Zhou Wan regretted not bringing a book with her.
The room was quiet, and with nothing to do, Zhou Wan pulled out her phone and searched for past National Competition papers to review. The small screen strained her eyes, making them sore.
By three o'clock, she had finished reviewing last year's test. Rubbing her tired eyes, she received a message from Jiang Yan.
She hadn't realized her phone was on vibrate—it buzzed loudly.
Zhou Wan quickly muted it and glanced back at Lu Xixiao. Fortunately, he was still asleep and hadn't been disturbed.
After today, her impression of him had shifted a little. She had thought he disliked unreasonable girls the most, but now it seemed he was the unreasonable one.
If he had woken up, he probably would have complained about her.
[Jiang Yan: Competition class is about to start. Aren't you coming back?]
[Zhou Wan: I'm tied up with something right now. I might not make it back in time.]
[Jiang Yan: Try to come if you can. I heard today's lesson is pretty difficult—it's important.]Zhou Wan sighed silently, thinking that if she left without a word, Lu Xixiao would definitely be angry when he woke up.
[Zhou Wan: I probably won't make it in time. You should go to class.]
[Jiang Yan: Alright, I'll give you the notes tomorrow then.]
[Zhou Wan: Okay, thanks.]
[Jiang Yan: By the way, there's a problem I can't quite figure out. My solution works but it's really convoluted. You're better at this part than I am - could you take a look at it when you have time later?]
Then, Jiang Yan sent a screenshot of a physics problem.
Just as Zhou Wan was about to send an "Okay," a hand suddenly reached from behind her. Accompanied by the scent of tobacco on his fingers, it snatched her phone and tossed it onto the nearby sofa.
The phone bounced several times on the couch.
"You said you'd keep me company, but you seem quite busy," Lu Xixiao remarked lightly.
"..."
Knowing the complicated relationship between Jiang Yan and him, Zhou Wan inexplicably felt caught red-handed in this moment.
"I..." she trailed off, unable to continue.
Lu Xixiao pressed further: "You what, you?"
"..."
He was so self-righteous that Zhou Wan began to doubt herself, feeling as if she had genuinely done something wrong. She lowered her head, unsure of what to say.
"I caught a cold because of you, and you can't even keep me company properly," he said.
Zhou Wan asked: "What would count as proper?"
"Sharing weal and woe."
Zhou Wan didn't understand, her clear eyes looking at him, waiting for further explanation.
Lu Xixiao gazed into those eyes for three seconds before looking away.
After a few more seconds, he suddenly straightened up and leaned closer to her.
The distance between them instantly narrowed, and Zhou Wan's senses were filled with his scent - tobacco mixed with shower gel, outlining the sharp edges of a young man.
Zhou Wan held her breath.
Lu Xixiao blew a gentle breath toward her, pinched her chin to lift it higher, stretching her neck into a graceful, sacrificial curve.
He looked down at her, a playful smile curling his lips.
His thumb pressed against her lower lip, rubbing back and forth lightly.
With a casual smile on his face, completely at ease and unruffled by the situation, he raised an eyebrow after a moment and drawled lazily:
"As for sharing woe... I'll just pass this cold to you."
OpenNovel