Lu Xixiao's voice seemed to traverse countless mountains and rivers, taking root deep within her heart like a stabilizing pillar, finally bringing Zhou Wan's rationality back to some extent.
It wasn't the time to be at a loss yet.
Zhou Wan hastily wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and climbed into the ambulance with Lu Xixiao.
The nurse performed an emergency check and treatment on Grandma: "High fever, likely caused by the flu."
As the weather turned cold, a new wave of flu had once again swept through the city.
"What should we do? My grandma is elderly. Could a high fever be dangerous?" Zhou Wan asked, her voice choked with suppressed sobs.
"Don't worry, young lady. We'll be at the hospital soon. First, we need to conduct a comprehensive examination," the nurse reassured.
Lu Xixiao wrapped his arm around Zhou Wan's shoulder, pulling her close, and said in a low voice, "She'll be fine."
Zhou Wan's tears kept falling no matter how many times she wiped them away. "It's all my fault. I knew Grandma would endure discomfort without saying anything, yet I didn't even notice she had a high fever and was unwell."
...
Grandma was wheeled away for examination.
Zhou Wan sat outside, bewildered and helpless.
When she was nervous, she would unconsciously pick at her fingers. Now, the tips of her fingers were raw from her scratching. Lu Xixiao noticed, sat down beside her, and took her hand in his.
"Lu Xixiao," Zhou Wan's voice trembled, "today is Christmas Eve."
"Hmm," his voice was deep, "so your grandma will be fine."
Zhou Wan's mind was foggy, unable to think clearly. Suddenly, Lu Xixiao asked, "Are you thirsty?"
"What?"
She looked up into his dark, intense eyes and, after a moment, shook her head.
He raised his hand, brushing his knuckle across her dry lips. "You've bitten them until they're chapped." He quickly withdrew his hand and stood up. "I'll go buy some water."
After Lu Xixiao left, Zhou Wan was the only one left in the hallway.
She lost track of time, unsure how long had passed before the nurse finally emerged and said Grandma was not in critical condition. The inflammation was caused by a high fever and complications from uremia, and she needed to receive an IV at the hospital.
The tension in Zhou Wan's entire body finally eased, and she thanked the nurse.
Grandma was settled in an infusion room. Zhou Wan sat by the bed, holding her hand, and called out to her softly several times, but there was no response.
"Your grandma is probably asleep now. It's fine, let her rest," the nurse said. "Just press the call button when this IV bag is empty."
Zhou Wan nodded and thanked her again.
Grandma was getting older and had been tormented by various complications.
She often suffered from minor illnesses and pains, and to avoid worrying Zhou Wan, she would keep them to herself. If she could endure it, she would; if not, it would end up like today.
After sitting by the bedside for a while, Zhou Wan thought of Lu Xixiao.
She sent him a message saying she was in the infusion room but received no reply. Hesitating for a moment, she went out to look for him.
The convenience store was right across from the hospital.
As soon as Zhou Wan stepped out of the hospital entrance, she spotted Lu Xixiao's back. He was wearing his school uniform today, making his figure particularly noticeable.
Zhou Wan jogged a couple of steps forward and called out, "Lu Xixiao."
He turned around. "Hmm."
Only after stopping behind him did Zhou Wan notice a black car parked in front of him. The rear door was open, and an elderly man with white hair but a vigorous demeanor leaned out.
Lu Xixiao bent down to support his arm. "Take it slow."
Zhou Wan's eyelashes fluttered faintly as she vaguely understood—the elderly man before her was likely Old Mr. Lu.The elderly man studied Zhou Wan for a moment, his expression kindly yet exuding authority from his presence: "A Xiao, is this your classmate?"
Lu Xixiao replied flatly, "My girlfriend."
Zhou Wan froze.
Old Mr. Lu punched him on the shoulder, half-laughing, half-scolding, "You rascal."
Zhou Wan lowered her eyes and greeted him politely, "Hello, Grandpa."
"Ah, hello, hello." Old Mr. Lu chuckled warmly, then asked, "What brings you two to the hospital?"
Zhou Wan replied, "My grandma is sick."
"Oh, how is she now? Is there anything I can help with?"
Zhou Wan quickly waved her hands, "No need, Grandpa. She's already on an IV drip, and everything's fine."
"Alright. Since you're A Xiao's classmate, if there's anything you need help with, just let me know."
Old Mr. Lu was different from what Zhou Wan had imagined. She had pictured the pillar of such a large family to be decisive, meticulous, serious, and rarely smiling. In reality, Old Mr. Lu carried no airs.
Zhou Wan didn't dare look at him, keeping her eyes downcast as she thanked him again.
Although she didn't resemble Guo Xiangling much, she felt guilty and feared that Old Mr. Lu's sharp eyes might detect something amiss.
"Alright, don't worry unnecessarily," Lu Xixiao said lazily. "Hurry upstairs."
"Aren't you coming with me?" Old Mr. Lu asked.
Lu Xixiao gave a faint "Mm."
Old Mr. Lu shot him a reproachful look but ultimately said nothing. No matter how one looked at it, the past incidents were his son's fault.
"A Xiao, when you have time, you should go home more often to spend time with your dad. There's no need for father and son to act like sworn enemies."
Lu Xixiao curled his lips slightly but said nothing.
Just then, the elevator across from them descended to the first floor, chiming as it opened.
Zhou Wan suddenly froze—Guo Xiangling stepped out of the elevator and hurried over, calling out warmly to Old Mr. Lu, "Dad."
Zhou Wan's reaction was too obvious. Lu Xixiao noticed and glanced at her sideways.
"What's wrong?"
Zhou Wan forced a strained smile and shook her head. "It's nothing."
At this moment, Old Mr. Lu was not as amiable as before. He gave a curt "Mm" and asked, "How is Zhongyue?"
"It's just this sudden drop in temperature—he caught a chill. Since Old Lu had surgery not long ago, his resistance is weaker, so he developed a fever," Guo Xiangling explained. "Dad, why are you at the hospital so late?"
"I scheduled a check-up and thought I'd stop by to see him," Old Mr. Lu said, then turned back to Zhou Wan. "The weather has indeed turned cold quickly lately, and many people are catching colds or fevers. By the way, young lady, what's your name?"
Following Old Mr. Lu's gaze, Guo Xiangling finally noticed Zhou Wan.
Her face instantly turned pale.
She naturally assumed that all of this was Zhou Wan's deliberate, calculated move, and her eyes flashed with venomous resentment.
Zhou Wan, still young, no longer wanted to be entangled in this mess.
She didn't know if Old Mr. Lu had investigated Guo Xiangling or if he knew her name. For a moment, she remained silent, afraid to answer.
Lu Xixiao thought she was still shaken from her grandmother's fainting spell earlier. He placed a hand on her shoulder and answered for her, "Zhou Wan."
Old Mr. Lu nodded and instructed Guo Xiangling to speak with the hospital staff later and ensure extra care for Zhou Wan's grandmother.
Guo Xiangling gritted her teeth, forced a smile, and replied, "Okay."
...After the group left, Lu Xixiao watched Zhou Wan for a moment before poking her cheek. "What are you spacing out for? Did you lose your soul?"
"No."
In a corner he couldn't see, Zhou Wan clenched her fists, forcing herself to calm down again. "Aren't you really going up to see him?"
"No."
"My grandma is fine now, she's getting an IV." Zhou Wan looked up at him. "Thank you for coming with me. It's getting late, you should go back and rest."
Lu Xixiao could clearly hear the change in Zhou Wan's tone.
It had suddenly become much more distant and rigid, like when they first met.
He raised an eyebrow, reached out to pinch her chin and lift it, his eyes drooping as he gave her a frivolous once-over before smiling. "Meeting my grandfather scared you stupid."
Zhou Wan's heart slowly settled back into place.
Earlier, after Lu Xixiao said her name, Old Mr. Lu's expression hadn't changed—he probably didn't know who she really was.
She pursed her lips. "Why did you directly tell your grandfather I'm your girlfriend?"
"Aren't you?" Lu Xixiao pinched her cheek. "He actually likes you quite a bit. Not easy to win over that old man."
His tone was reckless and shameless.
"Really?" Zhou Wan muttered.
"He just likes well-behaved little girls." Lu Xixiao said carelessly. "Fooled by your appearance."
Zhou Wan turned her head away without speaking.
Back in the IV room.
Lu Xixiao placed the bag in his hand on the nearby table, took out a bottle of water, unscrewed it, and handed it to Zhou Wan.
She thanked him, took it and drank some water.
Lu Xixiao stayed with her for a while, then took out his cigarette case, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "Going out for a smoke."
"Okay."
The current IV bag for Grandma was small and nearly empty now. Zhou Wan looked up at the IV bag, waited a moment, then stood up to find a nurse.
But as she pushed the door open, someone crashed into her head-on.
Zhou Wan gasped softly, stumbling backward before barely managing to steady herself. Hot vegetable soup had splashed on her—fortunately only on her jacket, not burning her skin.
The person had bought fast food outside and was trying to come in to eat. They immediately pulled out napkins, apologizing while trying to wipe Zhou Wan clean.
"It's fine, it's fine." Zhou Wan said. "I'll just go wash it later."
Zhou Wan called a nurse to change the IV bag, then took off her stained school jacket. Suddenly, she noticed that besides water, there was also a pack of sanitary pads in the convenience store bag Lu Xixiao had bought earlier.
Her gaze dropped, looking at it for a moment. Her face felt slightly warm, and the corners of her mouth lifted faintly.
She opened it, took one out, and went to the restroom.
Coming out of the restroom stall, Zhou Wan stood in front of the sink.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror—the corners of her eyes were still slightly red, and the fatigue had deepened the creases of her double eyelids.
Leaning her arms on the marble counter, she let out a soft sigh, then bent down to wash her face.
After shaking the water off her hands, just as she was about to turn and leave, a force suddenly pushed her from behind.
"Zhou Wan!" Guo Xiangling glared at her viciously, pointing a pale pink manicured finger at her. "What did you promise me back then? I gave you 150,000, and you said you wouldn't let the Lu family find out!"
Zhou Wan was already feeling dizzy and nearly fell to the ground from the push.
Her face pale, she braced her hands against the sink behind her. "Today was an accident. I didn't expect to run into his grandfather."
"You think some little girl like you can fool the old man?!"Guo Xiangling gritted her teeth, clearly driven mad with rage by today's events. "Now he knows we pretended not to recognize each other. If he ever finds out you're my daughter, neither of us will know how we died! How dare you deceive him—do you have a death wish?"
Zhou Wan clenched her fists, struggling to sort through the chaos in her mind.
She looked up, meeting Guo Xiangling's gaze squarely without flinching, and enunciated each word deliberately: "If you know that's the case, you shouldn't have come to see me now. Aren't you afraid someone might see us?"
Guo Xiangling stepped forward in her high heels, grabbing Zhou Wan by the collar, and whispered, "Zhou Wan, don't think your petty tricks can control me. I've seen far more of the world than you have."
Zhou Wan's expression remained unchanged; she even let out a faint, light laugh.
For a fleeting moment, Guo Xiangling seemed to see Lu Xixiao's shadow in her own daughter.
Zhou Wan's voice was soft, devoid of any pressure, as she murmured, "Whether I can or not isn't for you to decide—after all, I am your daughter."
Guo Xiangling narrowed her eyes. "You like Lu Xixiao, don't you?"
Zhou Wan clenched her jaw and said nothing.
"Since you like him," Guo Xiangling released her collar and dusted off her hands, "would you really be willing to tell him the truth? To let him know you're his stepsister?"
"Do you like Lu Zhongyue?" Zhou Wan asked, looking straight at her.
Guo Xiangling froze.
Zhou Wan said, "I told you, I'm your daughter. Naturally, I take after you."
Zhou Wan washed her hands again, dried them meticulously, and calmly met Guo Xiangling's gaze, her tone indifferent. "I've told you before—I won't go looking for Lu Zhongyue, as long as you stay away from me and Grandma. Otherwise, even if it means tearing everything apart and dying with you, I will destroy you."
...
Suddenly, a voice came from not far away—
"Zhou Wan."
A young man stood there, his brow furrowed, his eyes cold and menacing, glaring in their direction.
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