Zhou Wan abruptly looked up at him.
Jiang Yan's gaze was calm. He had thought about this matter all night and all day, long past the initial shock of seeing Guo Xiangling.
Zhou Wan paused, then said softly, "You already know everything."
"So you knew all along that your mother is with him now." Jiang Yan's eyes widened in disbelief. "Then you and Lu Xixiao still..."
"He doesn't know."
Zhou Wan interrupted Jiang Yan. "Only I know. I'm the one who chose to be with Lu Xixiao despite knowing."
"Why?"
Zhou Wan lowered her eyes.
"Why, Zhou Wan?" Jiang Yan frowned deeply. "You're clearly not this kind of person."
"What kind of person do you think I am?"
All these days, she had been bearing this secret alone, and now it finally erupted. "Obedient, well-behaved, without temper? So even though Guo Xiangling betrayed my father, abandoned me, and watched my grandmother die without lifting a finger, I should just watch her live her happy life and do nothing?"
At this moment, Jiang Yan seemed not to recognize the Zhou Wan before him: "...You did it on purpose?"
"Yes."
Zhou Wan gripped the spine of her book tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. "I just can't stand seeing her get what she wants. That's why I deliberately approached Lu Xixiao, hoping to use this to make the Lu family drive her out. This is the kind of person I am. I've always been like this."
"But you've been with Lu Xixiao for some time now, how..." Jiang Yan paused, not finishing his sentence.
"Because..." Zhou Wan averted her eyes. "I don't want to hurt him."
Because Lu Xixiao liked her more than she had originally thought.
Jiang Yan was startled, then frowned. "You can't wrap fire in paper. Don't you know this principle? How could you possibly keep hiding it from him? Sooner or later, he will definitely find out."
Zhou Wan's heart felt like it was weighed down by a heavy stone, sinking continuously, as if about to fall into an endless dark place.
All these days, she had been deceiving herself, convincing herself that there must be a way to keep Lu Xixiao from finding out.
But ultimately, the onlookers see most clearly, and Jiang Yan had pointed it out for her in the most straightforward way.
"Jiang Yan." Zhou Wan looked at the darkening sky outside the window. "Did you tell Lu Zhongyue?"
"Of course not." He frowned. "I may not like Lu Xixiao, and I'm well aware that something like this would benefit me, but Zhou Wan, you're a very important friend to me."
"Thank you. Whatever happens next is what I deserve to bear."
No matter how angry Lu Xixiao might be, no matter how he might treat her.
Zhou Wan packed up her physics test papers, stood up, and said softly, "Let's go, it's time for class."
She hadn't contacted Lu Xixiao all day, and he hadn't come looking for her either. As the competition training was about to end, Zhou Wan sent Lu Xixiao a message.
[Zhou Wan: Are you still at school?]
[6: No, got some things to do.]
Zhou Wan lowered her gaze, looking at the few words Lu Xixiao had sent, her eyes involuntarily stinging.
So it's true that people are always insatiable.
After the training ended, Zhou Wan packed her backpack and left school. On the way, she called her grandmother to ask what she wanted to eat, bought it outside, and then returned home.
But in the end, Grandma still didn't eat much before putting down her chopsticks.
This had been going on for several days now.
At first, Zhou Wan had thought it was just loss of appetite, but after so many days, Grandma had barely eaten anything. She had become thin and haggard, her complexion growing worse.
"Grandma, after eating, let's go to the hospital," Zhou Wan said."Why go to the hospital?"
"You can't keep going without eating—your body will break down. Let's get checked to see what's really wrong."
As people age, hospital visits become more frequent.
Grandma truly didn't want to cause Zhou Wan more trouble, especially since she was about to compete in a tournament soon.
"Old age just comes with these things," Grandma said with a smile. "These checkups never find anything serious anyway."
But in the end, she couldn't resist Zhou Wan's insistence, and they went to the hospital together.
In a pitch-black alley, electrical wires crisscrossed overhead.
Lu Xixiao had his foot planted on Luo He's shoulder, his expression dark and detached as he looked down at him from above. A violent aura coiled around him.
Luo He's shoulder bone felt close to shattering under the pressure. Curled on the ground, he howled in pain.
Lu Xixiao released him, grabbing his face and forcing it upward. "If you dare say another word about Zhou Wan, I won't let you off."
Luo He's mouth was full of blood, his teeth stained a gruesome crimson. He was reckless to the core—even now, he refused to back down. Spitting a mouthful of blood, he rasped, "Never thought I'd see the day you'd turn into a lovesick fool."
Lu Xixiao stared at him without a word.
Luo He let out a near-hysterical laugh. "What's so special about her, huh? Is she that good in bed? Perfect—maybe I'll give her a try next time."
The moment the words left his mouth, Lu Xixiao exploded with rage. He lunged forward, pummeling Luo He's face with his fists.
His eyes were pitch-black, devoid of any concern for consequences. Luo He was beaten until blood sprayed from his mouth.
Seeing that it might turn fatal if this continued, Jiang Fan rushed over and wrapped his arms around Lu Xixiao's waist, using every ounce of strength to drag him away.
"Luo He," Lu Xixiao said coldly amid his fury, "if you dare lay a finger on her, I will end you."
Earlier, at the bar.
Lu Xixiao hadn't participated in these kinds of gatherings for a long time. Jiang Fan had wondered why he showed up, sensing only that he was in a foul mood.
He guessed they must have had a fight.
As luck would have it, Luo He was sitting in the booth next to them.
The guys there were shameless in their chatter, and eventually, the topic turned to Zhou Wan. The things they said were downright vile to anyone's ears.
Lu Xixiao grabbed a bottle and went straight for them.
Without a word, he smashed the bottle over Luo He's head, then dragged him out of the bar.
...
The chaos finally subsided.
Jiang Fan offered Lu Xixiao a cigarette. "Where's Zhou Wan?"
Lu Xixiao let out a cold laugh. "No idea."
"..."
So they really had fought.
Arguing with her, yet still going to extremes for her sake.
Lu Xixiao glanced at another guy's arm, where blood dripped from his fingertips. "What happened?"
The guy cursed and spat. "One of Luo He's lackeys pulled a dirty move—sliced me with a blade. It's not deep."
Lu Xixiao himself was covered in bruises, large and small. Though none were bleeding, his body would be a mess of dark marks if he took his clothes off—a sight too painful to look at.
He didn't care about himself, but his friend had gotten hurt because of him.
"Let's go to the hospital and get it checked," Lu Xixiao said, rising with a cigarette between his lips. "That cut doesn't look shallow."
When they got into a taxi, the driver was taken aback by their appearance—clearly troublemakers fresh from a fight, with bloodstains on their clothes. He was about to refuse the ride when Lu Xixiao pulled out his wallet and silently handed over a stack of bills.
The driver curled his lip. "Get in. Where to?"
"The hospital."Lu Xixiao sat in the passenger seat, rolling down the window. The howling wind tousled his hair, and the dried bloodstain on his face stretched into a long mark.
His mind was in disarray.
Amid the tangled threads of thoughts, only Zhou Wan emerged clearly.
Those things he had once avoided thinking about or caring about, once exposed and laid bare, could no longer be ignored.
He gazed indifferently at the night scenery outside the window, his eyes unfocused.
After a while, he pulled out his phone with extreme irritation and dialed Zhou Wan’s number.
Zhou Wan answered quickly: "Lu Xixiao."
Her voice was soft, yet it miraculously soothed some of the restlessness in his heart.
"Yeah." He lowered his eyes, his tone flat. "What are you doing?"
Grandma had just finished her check-up. All her indicators were relatively stable, but she hadn’t been eating much lately, leaving her body somewhat weak. She needed a nutrient injection.
Zhou Wan stood at the pharmacy counter. Since the examination was already over, she didn’t want to worry Lu Xixiao unnecessarily, so she smiled and said, "Nothing much. Are you outside?"
Just then, the taxi stopped outside the hospital, and the driver said, "We’re here."
Lu Xixiao got out of the car and closed the door. "Yeah."
The surrounding noise was a bit chaotic, and Zhou Wan assumed he was probably hanging out with his friends.
"Then go ahead and have fun," Zhou Wan said. "Don’t drink too much."
Lu Xixiao’s face was cold as he curled his lips. "Got it."
After hanging up, Jiang Fan patted Lu Xixiao’s shoulder with a laugh. "What’s wrong? Did you and Zhou Wan have a fight?"
"No."
It really couldn’t be considered a fight.
With Zhou Wan’s personality, who could even start an argument with her?
"Then why the attitude?" Jiang Fan raised an eyebrow. "Weren’t things fine just a while ago?"
Even if he was tired of her, it shouldn’t be like this.
As they were talking, Lu Xixiao suddenly paused. Surprised, Jiang Fan looked up and followed his gaze, spotting Zhou Wan not far away, having just finished picking up her medicine.
Jiang Fan had been standing nearby during the call and had overheard most of the conversation.
When Lu Xixiao asked what she was doing, she had said, "Nothing much."
A companion, completely oblivious to the tension, excitedly raised his injured, bleeding hand upon seeing Zhou Wan and called out, "Sis-in-law!"
Hearing the voice, Zhou Wan instinctively turned to look.
She froze in her steps.
Then she noticed the bloodstains on Lu Xixiao’s clothes, the bruise on the bridge of his nose, and the cuts on the back of his hand.
Frowning, she ran over. "What happened to you?"
Lu Xixiao looked at her, his tone indifferent. "Why are you here?"
"I brought Grandma over." Zhou Wan paused briefly. "She’s fine now."
"Oh."
Zhou Wan carefully examined his injuries. "Lu Xixiao, were you in a fight?"
"It was Luo He," the companion chimed in, completely missing the awkward atmosphere and speaking loudly. "Damn coward! If he dares do it again, I’ll make sure he regrets it!"
Jiang Fan tried to smooth things over. "At the bar just now, A Xiao heard—"
"Jiang Fan," Lu Xixiao suddenly cut him off. "You guys go in first."
With that, he grabbed Zhou Wan’s arm and pulled her outside.
Zhou Wan stumbled from the tug, but her mind was entirely focused on his injuries. Staggering along, she tried to take his hand to get a better look at his wounds.
"Lu Xixiao…"
Zhou Wan’s voice trembled slightly, a mix of heartache and anger. "Why did you get into another fight?"
Lu Xixiao, already irritable to the point of fury, abruptly stopped and turned to face her. Looking down at her from his height, his eyes were filled with impatience and blazing anger."Whether I fight or not, is it any of your business?" Lu Xixiao scoffed lightly. "Zhou Wan, who do you think you are?"
Zhou Wan froze.
Her outstretched hand paused mid-air before slowly lowering.
The moment Lu Xixiao uttered those words, he immediately regretted them.
But seeing Zhou Wan's lowered hand, his expression turned cold again. Gritting his teeth, he demanded once more: "Tell me, who are you to me?"
"I'm sorry." Zhou Wan lowered her head. "But could you please go see a doctor first?"
Lu Xixiao turned his head and let out a cold laugh.
He would rather Zhou Wan lose her temper at him—hitting or scolding him would be fine.
But even after he said such harsh words, she could still speak to him gently and apologize.
Zhou Wan didn't truly regard him as her boyfriend at all.
She showed no temper, no emotion—it was more like she simply didn't care about him, so there was no need to get angry or waste emotions on him.
After all, they would separate eventually.
After all, she had long anticipated and accepted that outcome.
With that purest, most innocent face of hers, she did the most infuriating things.
As if she only sought momentary pleasure, only temporary enjoyment.
Perhaps it was retribution for all his past misdeeds, now visited upon him.
Lu Xixiao closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Zhou Wan."
She kept her head down. "Hmm."
"I asked what you were doing earlier. Why didn't you tell me you were at the hospital?"
Zhou Wan paused. "Because the check-up was already done by then, and nothing was wrong. I didn't want to say anything and make you worry."
Originally, this wasn't a serious matter.
But at this moment, this minor issue was magnified infinitely, continuously reinforcing the suspicion in Lu Xixiao's heart.
"Yesterday I asked what you were thinking about, and you said 'nothing.' Fine, if you didn't want to say, I didn't press. Today it's the same thing." Lu Xixiao spoke coldly. "Do you even consider me your boyfriend? You refuse to say anything, keeping everything buried in your heart where no one can reach. Zhou Wan, is this how you think a relationship works?"
Yesterday, Zhou Wan had sensed Lu Xixiao was upset, but she never expected it to escalate to this extent.
Her eyes red, she looked up at him.
The young man's gaze was lowered, his eyes filled with utterly disappointed coldness and irritation.
Someone like Lu Xixiao could easily win people's hearts.
And those who had once been treated gently by him—how could they not feel wronged seeing his current expression?
Her eyes were bloodshot red, the tip of her nose flushed crimson, her eyelashes damp.
Lu Xixiao was still irritated, but his heart softened at the sight of her like this. The fingers hanging by his side curled slightly.
He resigned himself: Fine, whatever she's thinking, as long as she stays by my side, that's enough. The rest, he couldn't be bothered to care about.
Just as he was about to lean down to wipe Zhou Wan's tears, she suddenly lowered her head and whispered, "Lu Xixiao, do you not want to be with me anymore?"
Lu Xixiao stiffened, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Zhou Wan didn't even dare to look up at him, afraid of seeing that cold, distant expression again.
She tried hard to steady her trembling voice: "If you want to break up with me, then we—"
"Zhou Wan."
Lu Xixiao didn't let her finish, cutting her off coldly.
But if Zhou Wan had been more observant then, she would have noticed his urgency—his fear that she might actually say that word, pushing them past the point of no return.
"Damn you."He was choked with anger and didn’t continue, suppressing his fury as he exhaled and turned his head away. “Forget it, do whatever you want.”
It was already half an hour later when Grandma finished her nutrient IV drip.
“Wanwan, are you cold?” Grandma asked at the hospital entrance.
“No,” Zhou Wan replied.
Grandma took her hand and exclaimed, “Oh dear, your hands are so icy and you still say you’re not cold? With exams coming up, you mustn’t catch a chill.”
Grandma immediately tucked Zhou Wan’s hands inside her own padded coat, rubbing the back of her hands repeatedly to warm them.
Zhou Wan’s dark eyelashes trembled slightly.
A sudden surge of bitterness welled up in her nose, and her heart ached sharply. She could only force her eyes wide open, stubbornly holding back the emotion.
“Grandma,” Zhou Wan said, “let’s go home.”
Back home, Zhou Wan took a shower and sat by the head of the bed.
Beside the bed sat the Butt-peach doll that Lu Xixiao had won for her at the arcade.
She stared at it for a while.
Recalling Lu Xixiao’s expression earlier.
After saying “forget it,” he had turned and walked away without looking back.
A tear fell without warning, finally shattering the calm facade she had struggled to maintain.
She pressed the heel of her palm hard against her eyes, but it couldn’t stop the tears. Scalding drops slid through her fingers.
Winter was always a season that broke hearts.
She didn’t even dare to cry aloud, clenching her teeth tightly. The trembling end of her sobs was stifled as soon as it emerged, leaving only fragmented, heart-wrenching whimpers of extreme sorrow.
That night, Zhou Wan couldn’t remember when she had fallen asleep.
She only remembered her pillow was soaked, her eyes sore and aching. Half-asleep, she drifted into a dream.
She dreamed of her childhood many years ago—when her father passed away, then of Guo Xiangling dragging her suitcase away from home, and Grandma collapsing from her first illness…
For some reason, since she was young, the things she cared about never stayed, always slipping away from her.
At the end of the dream, she was in the arcade.
The lighting was dim, the air filled with the sounds of game machines. Lu Xixiao pulled a pack of cigarettes from the shelf and tossed it onto the counter, glancing at her with a raised eyebrow. “What’s your name?”
He was bathed in the unique radiance of youth—vibrant, unrestrained, reckless, arrogant, and self-assured.
Like a summer thunderstorm.
Sudden and brief.
It drenched her completely, and just as she was getting used to it, the rain stopped, leaving only a desolate wind.
Leaving her alone, too ill to recover.
In the end, Lu Xixiao was just like that thunderstorm.
Winter had come, and she still couldn’t hold on to him.
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