After New Year's Day passed, they officially entered the final exam sprint period.
With the city-wide unified final exams approaching, teachers spared no effort in handing out and grading test papers.
While preparing for the final exams, Zhou Wan also had to study for the physics competition in March, keeping her extremely busy every day. She could only spare one hour after school to tutor Lu Xixiao.
Soon, it was late January—time for the final exams.
Because she had ranked first in the previous monthly exam, Zhou Wan was assigned the first seat in the first examination hall.
Meanwhile, Lu Xixiao hadn't taken the last exam at all, so he was placed in the last seat of the last examination hall.
Generally, unified exam papers weren't particularly difficult, but this year was an exception. Every subject was more challenging than usual, especially math—many students didn't even have time to read the final major question before they had to hand in their papers.
After two days of final exams, everyone slumped in their seats, groaning about how poorly they had done. They complained that they wouldn't be able to enjoy the New Year festivities and that their lucky money would surely shrink.
Before the official winter break began, there was a school-wide assembly for all teachers and students.
Hundreds of students gathered in the large auditorium, entering class by class.
By the time Class 1 entered, Class 7 had already taken their seats. Zhou Wan spotted Lu Xixiao sitting in a corner, his eyes half-closed, looking weary and impatient.
She couldn't help but lower her head and smile.
Once everyone was seated, the principal took the stage to speak.
He mainly reminded everyone of precautions and safety measures during the winter break, urging students not to neglect their studies even during the holidays since there would be entrance exams at the start of the next semester.
Amid the collective groans, the principal finally announced the end of the assembly and the start of the winter break.
Zhou Wan followed the crowd out of the auditorium when suddenly Lu Xixiao called her name from behind: "Zhou Wan."
She paused and turned around.
Classmates around them secretly glanced over, whispering among themselves.
The gossip was nothing new—mostly about how they had been together for quite some time and still hadn't broken up.
Zhou Wan stepped aside to wait for Lu Xixiao to come out. "What is it?"
"Are you busy later?"
"No, why?"
"It's Huang Mao's birthday. He asked me to invite you along."
Zhou Wan was taken aback. "The one from that supermarket...?"
"Yeah." Lu Xixiao said, "Do you want to go? If not, we don't have to."
"Sure, I can go." Zhou Wan smiled. "Should we head there directly?"
"Mm."
"Let me go back to the classroom to pack my things first."
Lu Xixiao curled his lips into a lazy smile and patted her head. "Take your time. No rush."
Zhou Wan wasn't used to such intimate gestures at school and instinctively stepped back, smoothing her hair as she said softly, "I'll go now."
"Mm."
...
Winter break homework was piled stack after stack, too much to fit in her backpack. Zhou Wan only packed some of it, carrying the rest in a paper bag.
She waved goodbye to her friends around her, wishing them a Happy New Year and saying she'd see them next year.
Just as she stepped out of the classroom, her homeroom teacher called out to her: "Zhou Wan, come here for a moment."
Zhou Wan followed the teacher to a quiet corner of the hallway.
"I've reminded you before—this is a critical period. You need to plan carefully for your future and understand what's important and what's not."
Zhou Wan's heart sank.
She realized the teacher must have seen her talking with Lu Xixiao earlier.Homeroom Teacher: "I know you're a good kid, which is why I haven't placed any special restrictions on you despite hearing those rumors at school. But this winter break is especially important for you. You must focus all your attention on the upcoming Physics National Competition. Do well, and your future will be bright."
The homeroom teacher was an open-minded educator.
Knowing that Zhou Wan approached everything with diligence and care, and that it truly hadn't affected her studies, the teacher only addressed the matter briefly.
"I understand, Teacher Chen," Zhou Wan said earnestly. "I'll prepare well."
Lu Xixiao stood outside the school gate. Spotting him from afar, Zhou Wan ran over. "How long have you been waiting?"
"Not long."
Lu Xixiao took her backpack and bag, raising an eyebrow. "All homework?"
"Yeah." Zhou Wan asked, "What about yours?"
"Didn't bring it."
"Winter break is almost a month long. If you don't do any problems, you'll forget everything," Zhou Wan advised.
Lu Xixiao curved his lips and said casually, "I'll come back to get it in a few days.Zhou Wan felt he was probably just perfunctorily responding to her to avoid listening to her nagging.
"Lu Xixiao, should we buy a gift?" Zhou Wan asked.
"No need to be so formal."
But Zhou Wan still felt awkward going empty-handed, so she went into a bakery they passed and selected a small cake.
They took a bus to the supermarket, and Zhou Wan followed Lu Xixiao inside.
As soon as the rolling shutter was lifted, the rich aroma of hot pot filled the air. They had prepared a Yin-Yang pot themselves, simmering on an induction cooker.
Seeing her, Huang Mao stood up and greeted with a smile, "Little sister's here?"
This was Zhou Wan's third time meeting Huang Mao. She still didn't know his real name—Lu Xixiao always called him by his nickname, while he enthusiastically called her "little sister" every time.
Last time, he mentioned he was three years older than Lu Xixiao, which meant he was older than her too.
Out of politeness, Zhou Wan smiled back and said, "Happy birthday, brother."
Lu Xixiao paused mid-step, turned his head, and then pinched Zhou Wan's cheek, pulling it outward. His tone was unfriendly: "What are you calling him?"
During their relationship, Lu Xixiao had rarely lost his temper with her, except for that one time right after they started dating when someone tried to flirt with Zhou Wan.
When he spoke, it was usually either in a flat tone or with a smile.
Hearing this tone so abruptly, Zhou Wan was taken aback, blinking at him.
Beside them, Huang Mao was already doubled over with laughter.
The induction cooker was placed on a folding wooden table that wasn't very stable to begin with. With his hand resting on the table, his laughter made the table shake incessantly, nearly causing the hot pot broth to spill.
"I say, A Xiao," Huang Mao gasped between laughs, coughing as he spoke, "Have you ever seen anyone as petty as you?"
Zhou Wan belatedly realized it was the "brother" address that had annoyed him.
But aside from "brother," what else could she call him?
Huang Mao tried to smooth things over: "I'm four or five years older than our little sister here, what's wrong with her calling me brother? Back when you were more obedient, you used to call me brother too, tsk tsk, those were the days."
Lu Xixiao shot him a cold glare: "Get lost."
Huang Mao, enjoying the drama, added fuel to the fire: "Little sister, look at his terrible temper! Break up with him already!"
"..."
Zhou Wan felt like she hadn't done anything, yet she'd somehow incurred Lu Xixiao's misplaced anger.
She let Lu Xixiao continue pinching her cheek and reached out to hold his other hand hanging by his side.
Lu Xixiao didn't pull away, but he didn't hold her hand back either. His expression remained displeased, his voice cold: "Huang Ping."
"What?"
"His name."So it wasn't just the dyed yellow hair—he really was surnamed Huang.
Zhou Wan caught the implication and obediently corrected her address: "Brother Huang."
Huang Mao grinned. "Why does that sound a bit gangster-like? Not as nice as 'gege'."
Lu Xixiao looked down at her. "I told you to call him by his name."
"..."
Zhou Wan opened her mouth but still couldn't bring herself to say it. She felt it would be impolite to address him so directly.
She rose on her toes, leaning closer to whisper, "He's older than me. Calling him by his name would be rude."
"You're mine. Is calling another man 'brother' so proper?"
"...Shouldn't we address older people as 'brother'?" Zhou Wan couldn't help muttering.
"Exactly, exactly." Huang Mao continued fanning the flames, pointing a finger at Lu Xixiao. "You're the one with a dirty mind, yet you have the nerve to bully our little sister."
"..."
Zhou Wan practically wanted to cover Huang Mao's mouth to shut him up.
If Lu Xixiao really got angry, she'd be the one who had to coax him later.
Lu Xixiao let out a derisive snort, too lazy to engage. With a cold expression, he walked over and slammed the cake he was carrying onto the table. "Eat the cake and shut up."
Huang Mao exaggeratedly drawled, "Oho! This cake must've been bought by little sister, right?"
Zhou Wan said, "We bought it together."
"Cut the crap. He's never that considerate." Huang Mao spoke to Zhou Wan with grave concern. "Little sister, when it comes to men, you can't be such a pushover. You need to learn some tricks. As the saying goes, 'Since ancient times, strategy wins hearts.' You have to act up occasionally to keep him hooked."
Zhou Wan thought to herself, Lu Xixiao was already so difficult. If she started acting up too, they'd probably argue every day.
Lu Xixiao stood to the side, leaning against the chair back with crossed arms, watching coldly as Huang Mao poisoned Zhou Wan's mind with his nonsense.
Not daring to voice her thoughts, Zhou Wan merely curved her eyes into a smile and didn't actually respond.
The others came over carrying hotpot ingredients and greeted Zhou Wan one by one.
Though it was just a homemade induction cooker hotpot, the spread was lavish—there was sliced lamb, beef, shrimp, and all sorts of other ingredients.
The guys drank beer, while Zhou Wan picked a lemon-flavored drink from the supermarket shelf.
The cake had gotten mangled when Lu Xixiao threw it on the table. Zhou Wan did her best to slice it into portions with a knife and handed them out.
Lu Xixiao had known these guys for years, so their conversation was much more casual.
Zhou Wan wasn't sociable by nature and didn't join their topics, focusing instead on eating her cake. The cream was soft and not too sweet—just how she liked it—and she finished her slice quickly.
Lu Xixiao, holding a cigarette between his fingers, glanced down at her and slid his untouched portion toward her.
Zhou Wan turned her head, the plastic fork still in her mouth. "Aren't you going to eat it?"
Lu Xixiao looked at her for a moment. "No. It's too sweet."
"This one isn't very sweet."
"I don't like any kind of cake."
Zhou Wan scraped a bit of cream into her mouth. "If I finish both slices, I'll get fat."
"You should gain a little weight."
As he spoke, he leaned in slightly, his warm breath brushing her ear, carrying a faint mix of tobacco and alcohol that unconsciously raised the temperature around them by a few degrees.
Amid the crowd, his low voice speaking to her so intimately felt especially conspicuous.
Zhou Wan's ears burned. Feeling that if she kept talking to him she'd give herself away, she lowered her head and focused on eating the cake.
By nine in the evening, it was time to pack up.
Zhou Wan had eaten quite a bit of cake and was so full she could barely sit still."Not staying a bit longer?" Huang Mao asked.
"No." Lu Xixiao tilted his head toward Zhou Wan. "I'll take her home first."
Stepping out of the supermarket, a biting cold wind blew straight into their faces. Zhou Wan zipped up her jacket and pulled up the hood of her down coat, covering her ears.
Lu Xixiao glanced down and noticed a bit of cream still lingering at the corner of her mouth.
"On your mouth," he said, lifting his chin to indicate.
"What?"
Lu Xixiao didn't repeat himself. Instead, he reached out, the back of his index finger brushing across her lips, wiping away the cream.
Then, with utter naturalness, he brought it to his own mouth and licked it off.
Zhou Wan watched his actions, her eyes widening unconsciously before her face quickly heated up, flushing all the way down to her neck.
Lu Xixiao had done it without thinking.
Although he would never have done something like this before, in that moment, he hadn't really been thinking about anything.
Seeing Zhou Wan's reaction, Lu Xixiao laughed. "So easily embarrassed, and we haven't even kissed yet."
Zhou Wan averted her gaze, refusing to respond to his teasing.
Suddenly, Lu Xixiao leaned in close, examining her eyes up close.
His face was flawless, able to withstand any angle, and the closer he got, the more it stirred her heart into chaos.
Zhou Wan could hear the thumping of her own heartbeat.
"We've been together for almost two months now," Lu Xixiao said, lifting a hand to tilt her chin with his index finger, his gaze fixed boldly on her lips. "Still not letting me kiss you—isn't that a bit too stingy?"
"Who kisses after just two months..."
In Zhou Wan's eyes, kissing was an extremely intimate act—just thinking about it made her shy.
Lu Xixiao raised an eyebrow. "Go ask anyone if it's normal not to have kissed after two months."
Zhou Wan felt as if she couldn't move at all, completely under his control. Heat rose within her bit by bit, like small flames encircling her, making it hard to even breathe.
Lu Xixiao's fingers resting on her chin grew scorching hot, gently stroking, each touch carrying an ambiguous, intensely invasive feeling.
"Lu Xixiao," Zhou Wan's voice trembled slightly, "don't be like this."
He smirked. "I've noticed that every time you call me, you use my full name."
His index finger poked her dimple as he drawled, "Didn't you say you should call anyone older than you 'ge'? I'm older than you too, so why are you so rude when it comes to me?"
Zhou Wan tried to explain, "We're in the same grade, it's just that I started school earlier than you."
"Really not going to kiss?" he suddenly asked again, utterly confident.
"..."
Lu Xixiao's dark eyes stared straight at her lips, like a lion fixated on its prey. He drawled lazily, "Call me 'ge,' and I won't kiss you."
Call him 'ge.'
But in Zhou Wan's mind, Guo Xiangling's words suddenly flashed—
If we're being technical, you should call him 'ge.'
Zhou Wan, you're his stepsister! His sister!
Lu Xixiao really had a sister once, but she died. If he finds out you're also his sister, how angry would he be?
If you offend him, think about what future you'll have left.
...
Zhou Wan's face flushed even deeper, but this time it wasn't from shyness—it was from shame.
She couldn't bring herself to say it.
Lu Xixiao leaned in again, closing the distance between them, half-threatening, half-teasing, "Call me 'ge.'"
Zhou Wan stiffened, her mind suddenly thrown into chaos.Looking back from today, her original plans had long since gone awry. One misstep led to another, and when she first told Lu Xixiao "My name is Zhou Wan," she never imagined things would come to this.
She was driven to the edge of a cliff—youthful palpitations before her, an abyss behind.
She didn't want this.
The more Lu Xixiao pressured her, the more she felt she had made a mistake.
A terrible, irreparable mistake.
It was already too late to rein in at the brink.
Suddenly, Zhou Wan lowered her head, her voice barely audible: "I don't want to."
That form of address made her feel ashamed and humiliated, as if she were being nailed to a pillar of disgrace.
Lu Xixiao didn't actually care whether she used it or not.
Though he disliked her using it for others, he had no particular preference for it himself and was still accustomed to Zhou Wan calling him by his full name—it sounded just fine to him.
So he merely chuckled softly, took a step forward, and leaned down.
Just as he was about to touch her lips, Lu Xixiao caught sight of the tears on her face.
He paused, lifting her chin.
The girl was quietly shedding tears, drop by drop, looking as pitiful as one could possibly be.
"What's wrong?" Lu Xixiao asked.
Zhou Wan's voice was choked, delicate as a kitten's. "Don't pressure me like this."
Lu Xixiao felt he had been teasing her more than pressuring her.
Besides, before they were together, he had said plenty of outrageous things to Zhou Wan, and at most she would blush—never to the point of crying.
But seeing the girl before him crying so miserably, his mind went blank, and he didn't bother tracing causes or consequences.
"I was wrong." Lu Xixiao cupped her face, wiping her tears with his thumb. "I won't do it again, alright?"
Yet the gentler he was, the more upset Zhou Wan felt, and the more she believed she was utterly terrible.
She sobbed, her tears falling even harder.
Lu Xixiao didn't know how to comfort her—he had never comforted a girl before.
He simply pulled Zhou Wan into his arms, whispering softly by her ear, "I'm the jerk, don't cry."
Zhou Wan sniffled, struggling to suppress her sobs, and nestled in Lu Xixiao's embrace for a while before pulling away.
Lu Xixiao watched her expression closely.
The girl's nose and eyes were red from crying. After a few more sniffles, she couldn't hold back a yawn.
He deliberately teased her: "Tired from crying? How about I carry you back?"
As he spoke, he turned around and crouched in front of her. "Hop on."
"I can walk by myself," Zhou Wan said softly.
Lu Xixiao directly lifted her by the thighs onto his back, jostling her slightly before turning his head to ask, "Shall I carry you home?"
"It's too far," Zhou Wan murmured softly. "It'll be too tiring."
Lu Xixiao chuckled. "Then do you want to take the bus or a taxi?"
"The bus."
He carried her toward the bus stop.
Zhou Wan rested her face against his neck, the surroundings so quiet that only the fierce wind could be heard.
"Lu Xixiao." Zhou Wan whispered his name by his ear.
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry."
She knew Lu Xixiao hated it most when girls cried in front of him. Moreover, he hadn't been at fault at all, yet he had borne the brunt of her emotions.
"Sorry for what?"
Zhou Wan hesitated. "Is dating me... boring?"
Resisting intimacy, having a dull personality, unable to be lively.
Lu Xixiao raised an eyebrow and smiled. "It's passable."
"Will we... break up someday?" Zhou Wan asked softly.Lu Xixiao was no stranger to such questions from girls. Many women around him often grew insecure and asked him similar things.
Usually, when a girlfriend posed such questions, boys would casually promise "of course not," spouting a string of unrealistic vows.
But Lu Xixiao never gave such assurances.
He couldn't make promises.
Life was long and full of variables—who could predict what the future held?
The only constant in this world was that everything was constantly changing.
So even though Lu Xixiao knew very well that his feelings for Zhou Wan were different from those he'd had for previous girls, at this moment, he still couldn't offer a definitive answer.
He smiled faintly and said, "I don't know."
"Then if we ever part ways someday."
Zhou Wan's voice was calm, unlike the reactions of his previous girlfriends upon hearing his answer. Her tranquility seemed to suggest she had long anticipated that future day.
This feeling made Lu Xixiao frown uncomfortably.
"Let's never contact each other again, okay?" Zhou Wan said.
Never contact each other again.
I will disappear from your life from then on.
If we're lucky, you'll never learn that secret, never be hurt or enraged because of it.
Lu Xixiao's hand, resting on the bend of Zhou Wan's knee, stilled. His frown deepened, but Zhou Wan didn't notice.
For some reason, her "understanding" and "non-clinginess" didn't bring him relief but instead made him increasingly irritable.
He gritted his teeth lightly, his tone detached like a stranger's: "Fine."
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