Rumors were spreading throughout the school that Lu Xixiao and Zhou Wan had broken up.
Lu Xixiao had always been overt about his relationships, never caring about others' opinions, but now when he saw Zhou Wan at school, he no longer actively approached her.
The school forum buzzed with activity again.
[I always said someone like Lu Xixiao could never truly reform. A breakup was inevitable.]
[But Zhou Wan stayed with him for quite a while, right? Seems like she lasted the longest.]
[Speaking of which, Zhou Wan really has backbone. After the breakup, she didn’t beg Lu Xixiao to get back together, unlike his previous girlfriends.]
[What’s the use of begging? Has begging Lu Xixiao ever worked? It only leads to humiliation.]
...
In the following days, Lu Xixiao didn’t even show up at school, reverting to his old ways.
Inside the bar, the dim lighting added to the ambiguous atmosphere.
He sat among the crowd but remained detached from the noisy, murky environment—aloof and out of place in the bar, yet he became the most captivating sight.
Before long, a girl approached with a glass in hand. "Mind if I join you here?"
No one could refuse a beautiful girl’s request.
The others promptly stood up and made room for her.
"Can I sit there?" The girl gestured to the spot beside Lu Xixiao, making her intentions clear.
Everyone hesitated briefly, but considering Zhou Wan hadn’t been around for days, they assumed the breakup was real and vacated the seat next to Lu Xixiao.
Only then did Lu Xixiao lift his eyes, his gaze lazy and indifferent as he glanced at the girl before looking away, continuing to drink by himself.
The girl rested her chin on her hand, her eyes seductive and her brows slightly raised. "Handsome, drinking alone isn’t any fun, is it?"
She held out her glass, gently clinking it against Lu Xixiao’s.
Lu Xixiao finished his drink, set the glass down on the table with a tap, and still ignored her.
Undeterred and unembarrassed, the girl pressed on, "Can I have your contact info?"
"Not interested."
These were the first words Lu Xixiao spoke to her, his voice magnetic and cold.
"Got a girlfriend?"
Lu Xixiao gritted his teeth slightly but didn’t respond.
The girl had seen too many people feigning aloofness in such pleasure-seeking venues—most were just there for fun. How many truly devoted lovers could there be? Especially a man like him, who clearly had plenty of experience.
She smiled, blinking at Lu Xixiao, her tone suggestive. "Whoever your girlfriend is must be really pretty. Compared to me, who’s prettier?"
She was indeed beautiful—striking and radiant, with captivating fox-like eyes.
"Compared to her—"
Lu Xixiao suddenly let out a low laugh.
It was hard to decipher his emotions, but it was the first time he’d smiled that night.
His smile made him even more attractive—rogueish and alluring, with sharp, clean lines from his profile down to his Adam’s apple. But the words that followed were far from pleasant.
"You’re not even close."
The girl froze.
Probably never having been rejected so bluntly before, her face darkened, all interest vanished, and she stood up and left without another word.
The others exchanged uneasy glances.
Jiang Fan asked, "A Xiao, you didn’t break up with Zhou Wan?"
Lu Xixiao looked up. "Who said we broke up?"
"Everyone’s saying it. I thought you two had a fight at the hospital the other day and called it quits."
"No."
"Then..."
Jiang Fan wanted to ask more, but Lu Xixiao had no interest in dissecting his love life in front of so many people. He stood up abruptly. "I’m out."
*After leaving the bar, Lu Xixiao walked alone on the neon-lit street. After a while, he couldn't resist picking up his phone and calling Zhou Wan.
After several rings,
A cold automated female voice announced that the number he dialed was temporarily unavailable.
Lu Xixiao's expression darkened further as he let out a cold laugh.
Zhou Wan really had backbone—she meant what she said.
If she said no contact, then there would be no contact.
Lu Xixiao hailed a taxi and went to Huang Ping's place.
As soon as he lifted the supermarket's rolling shutter, Huang Ping spotted him and immediately called out: "Our little sister's here!"
Lu Xixiao clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Huang Mao also noticed Zhou Wan wasn't with him today: "Where's little sister?"
"Who the hell is your little sister," he snapped irritably.
Seeing his expression, Huang Mao laughed: "What, had a fight?"
Lu Xixiao didn't respond, grabbing a pack of cigarettes from the shelf.
Huang Mao: "Did your rotten temper piss her off? Serves you right! This is exactly how you should be dealt with!"
"She wants to break up with me," Lu Xixiao suddenly said, his voice flat.
Hearing this, Huang Mao froze.
Although he'd never seen Lu Xixiao bring any other girls besides Zhou Wan here, he'd heard plenty about his romantic escapades—never had he seen him get dumped.
"Broke up?"
"No." After a pause, Lu Xixiao ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Don't know."
"..."
Lu Xixiao was simply used to being dominant in relationships—swimming like a fish in water, coming and going freely without constraints. Now that he'd encountered someone tough, he'd never learned how to lower his head or how to win someone back.
"So you had a fight?"
"Sort of."
"Why?"
Lu Xixiao lit another cigarette and briefly explained what happened that day.
"She was just afraid you'd worry," Huang Ping concluded. "It's not like she went out playing with some other guy and hid it from you. Since when have you become so petty? Don't tell me you used to report everything you did to her?"
Lu Xixiao scoffed: "I've never lied to her."
"This doesn't count as lying, it's... that thing." Huang Ping slapped the table. "A white lie!"
"Can't make you understand."
"..."
Huang Ping nearly laughed. "Seriously, if my girlfriend was as petty as you, always making a federal case out of everything, I'd want to break up with her too."
"That's not the only thing I'm angry about."
"Then what is it?"
Lu Xixiao lowered his gaze, exhaling smoke as he said quietly: "She's hiding something from me."
Huang Ping froze, recalling Zhou Wan's gentle and obedient demeanor. Somewhat surprised, he exclaimed: "Wow, didn't expect our little sister to be a sister with secrets."
Lu Xixiao gave him an expressionless look, and Huang Ping finally turned serious: "Hiding what from you?" As soon as he said it, he realized he'd asked another stupid question: "Oh, if you knew, it wouldn't be called hiding anymore."
"..."
Lu Xixiao leaned back in his chair, hands in his pockets, tilting his head wearily against the metal backrest. The fluorescent light above stung his eyes.
"If I wanted to know her secret, I definitely could," Lu Xixiao said softly. "But I don't dare."
"There's something you don't dare do?"
"Brother." Lu Xixiao suddenly addressed him this way.
Lu Xixiao had only called him that back when he was a kid, drifting around like a stray and mooching meals at his place. Once he grew up a bit, it was either "Huang Ping" or "Huang Mao."
Huang Ping was taken aback, finally becoming fully attentive: "Yeah."Lu Xixiao lay on his back gazing at the fluorescent light overhead, his voice faint and calm as if he had merely asked "Have you eaten?"
"I really did think about studying hard and going to the same city as her for university."
Huang Ping watched Lu Xixiao quietly for a long time.
It was as if he was seeing again that little boy who used to score perfect marks on every exam.
"But after learning her secret, can you really not be together?" Huang Ping frowned. "Is what she kept from you that serious?"
"I don't know."
Lu Xixiao tugged at the corner of his mouth in a faint smile. All the past signs surfaced in his mind, connecting into a blurred line. His smile faded. "Perhaps it is that serious."
"Then pretend you don't know. Wait until she wants to tell you herself."
Huang Ping said, "A Xiao, if you really like her that much, you can't keep drifting aimlessly like this. I know how smart you are. If you study properly, you'll definitely achieve great things in the future."
Lu Xixiao remained silent.
Huang Ping continued, "I also know you hate your family. But even though you've moved out now, you still can't escape them. If Zhou Wan stays with you, she'll also be constrained by your family. Do you want that kind of future for her?"
Lu Xixiao thought of his mother.
Shen Lan had been controlled by the Lu family from beginning to end - first restrained by Lu Zhongyue and the old master from getting a divorce, then bound hand and foot by the Lu family's two children, gradually breaking down until she met that final outcome.
Huang Ping said, "If you want to protect her, you need to become strong enough to stand in front of her. Then no matter how big that secret is, you'll be the one making decisions. As long as you love her, no one can separate you."
Zhou Wan had been running a fever since Friday night, her whole body burning and confused. She didn't know how many dreams she had, or how many times she woke up crying from those fragmented dreams.
It was like being trapped in that unusually stuffy rainy season.
She took medicine early and slept for a long time under thick blankets. When she woke up, she finally had some strength in her hands and feet.
Early in the morning, her physics teacher called to ask how she was doing.
Zhou Wan drank some water and cleared her throat: "Much better."
Her voice did sound much better - last night she could barely make a sound at all.
This high fever had come on fiercely, and at the worst possible time. She had to go to City B for the exam next Monday, and tomorrow morning the school would arrange for her and Jiang Yan to fly to City B first.
The physics teacher urged Zhou Wan to rest well, relax, and stop studying. Since she had prepared this much, she would definitely do well as long as she performed normally.
Zhou Wan responded with an "Mm."
After hanging up, Zhou Wan noticed there was a missed call from Lu Xixiao from last night on her phone.
Zhou Wan froze for a moment, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Her finger hovered over the screen for a long time, but she didn't call back.
Since that night, Lu Xixiao hadn't contacted her again.
Continuing to entangle with Lu Xixiao would only make things worse.
It would be better to break it off now.
Just like she had said before - if they ever broke up, they should never contact each other again.
She washed her face, her mind finally clearing up somewhat. When she changed clothes and walked out of the bedroom, she happened to see Grandma changing shoes at the door with a cloth bag in hand.
"Grandma?" Zhou Wan called out.
Grandma immediately hurried over: "How are you feeling? Are you more comfortable now?"
"Much better. After another night's sleep, I should be fine."Grandma felt Zhou Wan's forehead and confirmed the fever had indeed subsided, finally letting out a relieved sigh. "I made some porridge—it's in the pot. Remember to eat some later, and after taking your medicine, go back under the covers to sweat it out."
"Mm." Zhou Wan asked, "Are you going out?"
"I mentioned it to you before—I'm going to the temple to offer incense and pray for your exam the day after tomorrow." Grandma said, "I'll be back soon."
"It's such a long way—do you still have to go?"
"What's so far about it?" Grandma smiled. "For my Wanwan to have smooth sailing, this is nothing."
"Then be careful on the road, and call me when you get there."
"I know." Grandma ruffled Zhou Wan's hair, changed her shoes, and opened the door. Before closing it, she reminded her, "Remember to drink the porridge."
The room was quiet again, with only Zhou Wan left inside.
Wrapped in a heavy coat, she scooped a spoonful of porridge and sat alone at the dining table.
She had cried too much these past few days—now her eyes were dry and swollen, unable to shed more tears. At least she could blame it all on the fever, sparing herself the need to find excuses.
She quietly stared at the bowl of porridge before her, taking small, slow sips.
When she reached the bottom of the bowl, she suddenly lowered her head and pressed a hand over her heart.
Her eyes downcast, her eyelashes fluttered rapidly as she struggled to steady her ragged, hurried breaths.
She couldn't even cry anymore, so why did her heart still ache so much?
She bent forward, burying her face deep in the crook of her arm, and whispered softly to herself, "I'm sorry, Lu Xixiao... I'm sorry."
All of this was her fault.
She had brought it upon herself.
Lu Xixiao hadn't touched his phone all day.
The young man stood before the racetrack, dressed in a sleek, form-fitting racing suit in red and white that accentuated his spirited demeanor. His expression was indifferent as he stared blankly at the scene before him.
Lu Xixiao had always disdained participating in the various track races Huang Ping organized—this was his first time.
For no other reason than to win the first-place prize money.
He knew Zhou Wan needed money—Grandma's medical bills, school tuition, expenses were everywhere.
She had temporarily quit her job at the arcade because of the Physics Competition, and after the competition ended, she would surely need to find another part-time job.
Lu Xixiao wasn't short on money, but that money belonged to the Lu family.
Zhou Wan would never accept his money, so at the very least, he could give her what he earned himself.
At seventeen or eighteen, Lu Xixiao truly lacked the ability to protect Zhou Wan from all harm, as Huang Ping had said.
But at the very least, he could make her life a little easier, a little happier.
Huang Ping walked over from behind and clapped Lu Xixiao on the shoulder. "Haven't gone to see our little sister yet?"
"I'll wait until she finishes her exams and comes back."
Lu Xixiao gazed into the distance and said softly, "When she returns, I'll have won first place. At least let her know that I can earn money on my own too."
With a blast of the whistle, the race preparations began.
Tall and long-legged, Lu Xixiao looked even more striking and handsome in his racing suit.
He swung onto the bike, pulled down his helmet, and stared ahead with silent calm.
As a long "beep—" sounded, several racers shot out from the starting line.
The wind roared past his ears as Lu Xixiao took the lead.
He thought to himself, once Zhou Wan returned, once the race was over, he would go to her.
Whether to beg her to stay or to plead for forgiveness.
To tell her how much he liked her.
To tell her that from now on, he would listen, study, take the college entrance exams, and go to university with her.
To tell her that he didn't care about anything else anymore—from now on, it would be just the two of them.……
The racetrack was filled with the roar of engines and the sharp screech of tires.
A similar screech echoed in a pitch-black alley—
A man delivering food on a motorcycle spotted an elderly woman with white hair collapsed by the roadside from afar. He parked his bike and hurried over.
A puddle of water soaked the ground, and the old woman’s face was submerged in it, her hair and collar stained with grime.
“Ma’am?” The man gently shook her shoulder. “Are you okay? Wake up!”
But the woman’s face was pale, and she showed no response.
Flustered, the man dialed 120, his hands trembling as he encountered such a scene for the first time. “Hello, is this 120? There’s an elderly woman who’s fainted by the roadside…”
On Sunday morning, Pingchuan Airport bustled with crowds.
Jiang Yan stood outside the security checkpoint, pulling his luggage, while the physics teacher anxiously tried calling Zhou Wan’s phone, but it just wouldn’t connect.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he stamped his foot in frustration. “Why isn’t she answering at a time like this? The plane’s about to take off.”
The physics teacher turned to Jiang Yan and said, “Jiang Yan, you go ahead inside. I’ll keep trying to reach her.”
Jiang Yan frowned. “Could something have happened on the way?”
“Don’t worry about that. Just go in.” The physics teacher nudged him toward the security checkpoint, waving urgently for him to hurry. “Don’t worry, even if Zhou Wan is late, she can reschedule her flight. You go ahead.”
After watching Jiang Yan disappear into the checkpoint, the physics teacher dialed the homeroom teacher’s number, asking if they had contact information for Zhou Wan’s parents.
“I’ll give you her grandma’s number,” the homeroom teacher replied, equally anxious.
The physics teacher quickly responded, “I already have her grandma’s number—I tried it, and no one answered either!”
“Hold on a moment.” The homeroom teacher swiftly pulled up the student records. “Zhou Wan’s mother’s number is on file, but her parents divorced a long time ago, and she doesn’t live with her mother.”
“Just give it to me anyway. We have to try everything at this point.”
The physics teacher obtained Guo Xiangling’s number and immediately called. “Hello, is this Zhou Wan’s mother?”
Guo Xiangling paused.
Lately, she had been troubled by this very issue, afraid of any slip-ups. Without hesitation, she replied, “No,” and hung up.
Years later, Zhou Wan looked back on the past.
The turning points of her life.
One was at the arcade, when she told Lu Xixiao, “Zhou Wan—the ‘Wan’ from ‘draw a carved bow to the full like the moon.’”
The other was this day.
It set her on a path that diverged from the one she was meant to take, leading her further and further away.
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