After her birthday, Zhou Wan finally turned on her phone that had been dead and shut down for a long time.
Countless messages and missed calls flooded in all at once, causing the phone to lag for a while before returning to normal.
Zhou Wan went through them one by one, replying to each.
Scrolling to the bottom, she saw a message Lu Xixiao had sent her ten days ago.
She pursed her lips and asked, "Did you come to the airport to look for me last time?"
"Yeah."
"How long did you wait?"
Lu Xixiao didn’t hide it from her: "Until the next morning."
Zhou Wan froze, unable to imagine how Lu Xixiao—proud and self-assured in everyone’s eyes—could willingly wait for her all night. She lowered her head and whispered, "I’m sorry."
"If you know you’re sorry, then change," Lu Xixiao seized the opportunity. "Don’t do this again."
Zhou Wan nodded obediently and said, "Okay."
That evening, the sound of pattering rain echoed outside the window again—early spring always brought frequent drizzles.
Lu Xixiao sat on the sofa, wrapping his arms around Zhou Wan’s waist from behind, his tone slightly annoyed: "It’s raining again."
Zhou Wan turned her head: "Don’t you like rainy days?"
"No."
"It should clear up tomorrow," Zhou Wan said. After a pause, she called softly, "Lu Xixiao."
"Hmm?"
"Tomorrow, I want to go back to school."
He smiled and ruffled her hair: "Okay."
Zhou Wan hadn’t been to school for over ten days. During that time, various teachers, Gu Meng, and Jiang Yan had called and texted her multiple times, but since her phone was off, she hadn’t received any of them.
As soon as she stepped into the classroom in the morning, Gu Meng rushed over and hugged her tightly: "Wanwan, I was so worried about you! Later, Jiang Yan and I went to your place to look for you, but we couldn’t find you!"
Zhou Wan smiled and patted her back, speaking gently: "I’m sorry for making you worry."
Back at her seat, Jiang Yan also smiled: "You’re finally back."
"Yeah."
Even though Zhou Wan had been absent for so many days, her desk was still clean—likely tidied by Jiang Yan. In the upper left corner was a tall stack of blank test papers distributed during her absence.
So, over the next few days, Zhou Wan buried herself in catching up on assignments.
Although the physics teacher felt it was a pity that Zhou Wan hadn’t participated in the competition, given the circumstances, there was nothing to be done. In the end, he didn’t bring it up and only patted her shoulder, saying, "Don’t worry, your grades are excellent. You can get into the school you want even without bonus points."
After school, Lu Xixiao would wait for her outside her classroom, and they would go home together.
At first, some people gossiped about it, but after a couple of days, the chatter died down.
In the evenings, Zhou Wan would study in the living room, with Lu Xixiao sitting beside her, a book open in front of him as well.
She assigned him preview work, and after finishing her own homework, she would give him two corresponding questions to solve—basic ones that he always got right.
Occasionally, Jiang Fan would call, asking him to hang out.
Lu Xixiao flatly refused: "Not going."
"Are you hiding a beauty at home or what? Why are you cooped up inside every day?"
Lu Xixiao tossed out two words: "Studying."
Jiang Fan was stunned, thinking Lu Xixiao must be really desperate to come up with such a lame excuse just to avoid going out.
After hanging up, Lu Xixiao tossed his phone aside and continued reading.
Suddenly, he noticed Zhou Wan looking at him and turned to meet her gaze.
Zhou Wan rested her cheek in her hand and gave him a soft smile.
Her smile made his heart flutter. He raised an eyebrow: "What is it?""You like this—" Zhou Wan curved her eyes, tilting her head as she looked him up and down, saying, "you seem quite well-behaved."
"I've always been well-behaved."
He was practically the opposite of "well-behaved" in every way. Zhou Wan let out a soft "tsk."
"What's with the 'tsk'?" Lu Xixiao pinched her cheek and rubbed it. "Isn't your boyfriend well-behaved enough?"
"You have been pretty well-behaved lately." Zhou Wan let him pinch her cheek, smiling as she said, "If you keep studying like this, by senior year, you should be able to get into a decent university."
"Will you go to City B in the future?" Lu Xixiao asked.
"I don't know." Zhou Wan said, "I'm not sure if I can get in just with my raw scores."
"You definitely can." Lu Xixiao said, "So I have to study hard too, or else we'll end up in a long-distance relationship."
Zhou Wan froze for a moment, then turned her head and pursed her lips into a soft smile, saying nothing.
…
Mid-April midterm exams.
The day before the exam, the two studied at home as usual. At nine o'clock, Zhou Wan yawned, and Lu Xixiao turned his head: "Tired?"
"No." Zhou Wan rubbed her eyes, "Just a bit worn out from looking at problems."
"Then let's go out for a walk."
"Huh?"
Zhou Wan had already finished her review, but Lu Xixiao still had a lot left to cover.
He chuckled: "You can't become fat in one meal. Let's go out for a walk and clear our minds."
They put on the matching jackets in different colors that Lu Xixiao had bought at the mall—Zhou Wan in white, Lu Xixiao in black—and walked out of the house together.
Unconsciously, they passed by the street outside Zhou Wan's home. The cherry blossoms on both sides of the street were in full bloom, a sea of pink and white, with many petals blown to the ground by the wind, forming a beautiful carpet.
"Wait a moment." Zhou Wan said, "I want to get my bicycle."
The bicycle Lu Xixiao had redeemed for her at the arcade last Christmas.
"Okay."
Zhou Wan went upstairs, and when she returned home, a wave of sorrow washed over her. She lowered her eyes and silently pushed the bicycle out.
Lu Xixiao helped her carry the bicycle downstairs. Sensing her mood, he ruffled her hair and asked with a smile, "Where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere."
Lu Xixiao swung his long leg over the bike and rang the bell: "Then I'll take you for a ride to feel the wind."
The wind was strong that night, brushing over the blooming cherry blossom branches. Tiny petals scattered with the wind, a few landing on Zhou Wan and Lu Xixiao's heads.
She held onto Lu Xixiao's waist, sitting on the back of the bicycle, slightly tilting her head up to feel the wind against her face.
Lu Xixiao rode aimlessly through the quiet streets.
Before they knew it, they were near Huang Ping's supermarket.
"Want to go in?" Lu Xixiao asked.
"Okay."
He parked the bicycle at the entrance, lifted the curtain, and went inside.
Huang Ping didn't know about the things that had happened in Zhou Wan's family. As soon as he saw the two together, he smiled and said, "Oh, so you've made up?"
Zhou Wan froze for a moment, then smiled at him.
Huang Ping said, "Little sister, you have no idea how upset he was when you and Lu Xixiao had that falling out. He was all cold-faced and even gave me attitude."
Zhou Wan looked at Lu Xixiao. He showed no embarrassment at being exposed, just curled his lips into a scoff and sat to the side, lighting a cigarette.
"Come on, tell me, how did this jerk manage to win you back?" Huang Ping teased mischievously.
Before Zhou Wan could answer, Lu Xixiao said, "That's enough."
Having had his fun, Huang Ping felt satisfied and asked, "There are a few people playing inside. Do you want to go check it out?""No." Lu Xixiao exhaled a puff of smoke. "There's a young lady here."
Zhou Wan offered, "It's fine with me, you can go watch."
Huang Ping let out a long hiss: "No, little sister, have you forgotten the dating principles I taught you last time? You can't be this understanding—you have to mess with him, bother him, so he'll always be thinking about you."
"Don't you go corrupting her." Lu Xixiao grabbed a lighter from the shelf and threw it at Huang Ping.
In the end, Lu Xixiao didn't go in to watch either, just sat there chatting idly with Huang Ping about everything under the sun.
Zhou Wan got a serving of oden and sat nearby eating it, watching the rerun variety show playing on the small TV atop the refrigerator.
Midway through, Lu Xixiao got up and went to the restroom.
Huang Ping took a bite of the crab stick from his oden and said, "Hey, little sister."
"Hmm?"
"Don't judge A Xiao by how he acts now—he's actually the most devoted person. Once he's set on someone, it's probably for life." Huang Ping said. "All those awful things he did before were just because he never really cared about anyone. But you're different now—he genuinely likes you."
Zhou Wan froze.
Her fingertips unconsciously tightened, digging into her palm, leaving crescent-shaped marks.
"Last time you two argued, he was really upset. It's just that this guy, with that face of his, has been spoiled by girls over the years. Sometimes his temper is indeed bad, and he's not great at comforting people."
"But that time he told me he wanted to study seriously, to go to college in the same city as you later, and to be able to take care of you on his own. I mentioned before, right? He's always looked down on participating in street races, but he joined that one just to win the prize money for you, so you wouldn't have to work so hard at part-time jobs."
Zhou Wan's dark eyelashes trembled slightly.
She thought of the clothes Lu Xixiao had bought for her on her birthday.
"A Xiao lost his mom early, and he's practically cut ties with his dad. Back when I watched him gradually go down the wrong path, I had no grounds to persuade him otherwise. So when I heard him say he wanted to study properly, I was really happy."
Huang Ping said, "So, little sister, A Xiao only has you now. Be good to him."
The more Huang Ping spoke, the harder Zhou Wan's fingertips pressed into her palm, almost drawing blood.
"What are you telling her now?" Lu Xixiao emerged from the back room.
Huang Ping winked at Zhou Wan: "Teaching my little sister how to handle you in the future."
Lu Xixiao patted Zhou Wan's head: "How many times have I told you? Don't pay him much attention."
With midterms the next day, Lu Xixiao didn't stay long at Huang Ping's place. He rode his bicycle, carrying Zhou Wan back.
Zhou Wan wrapped her arms around his waist, her face pressed against his back, her mind filled with Huang Ping's words.
Somewhere along the way, things had already started moving in a direction she could no longer control.
She liked Lu Xixiao.
But she didn't want Lu Xixiao to like her too much.
The more Lu Xixiao liked her, the more she felt she didn't deserve his affection.
"Lu Xixiao."
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry." Zhou Wan suddenly said.
"Sorry for what?"
Zhou Wan opened her mouth, wanting to tell him the whole truth.
To tell him what a terrible, scheming girl she was, that all of this had been premeditated—that she wanted revenge on Guo Xiangling, his stepmother, her birth mother.
But the words stuck in her throat, impossible to utter.
Zhou Wan turned her face, resting her forehead against Lu Xixiao's back, her nose tingling with sourness, feeling both miserable and heartbroken.She didn't want to hurt Lu Xixiao, but no matter what, she would end up hurting him eventually—it was unavoidable.
Lu Xixiao tilted his head: "Zhou Wan?"
She silently wiped her moist eyes against his back: "Mm."
"Why are you suddenly apologizing to me?" Lu Xixiao chuckled carelessly.
"I'm always troubling you, making you worry about me." Zhou Wan let out a slow breath and said softly, "And I'm even making you give me a ride back."
He laughed lightly: "I'm happy to do it."
The midterm exams took place over the next two days.
The results came out the following day. For the first time, Lu Xixiao went to check the grade ranking posted on the bulletin board.
Second place: Zhou Wan.
When he saw this line, Lu Xixiao lowered his head and chuckled softly.
He continued looking further down until he found his own name on the fourth page of the ranking.
235th place: Lu Xixiao.
In recent days, Zhou Wan had briefly gone over the math, physics, and chemistry topics covered in the exam with him, so he did fairly well in those subjects. It was Chinese and English that dragged his overall score down.
Jiang Fan also spotted his name and gaped in disbelief: "Damn, you cheated, didn't you?"
Lu Xixiao scoffed.
"Wait, you've actually been studying these days?" Only then did Jiang Fan believe what Lu Xixiao had said before.
Lu Xixiao raised an eyebrow: "Yeah."
"Why?"
Lu Xixiao didn't need to study—he could effortlessly have everything without lifting a finger. His family background was enough to let him drift through life without a care.
Lu Xixiao glanced at Jiang Fan and said quietly, "Because I don't just want to date her."
I want to protect her, to shield her.
I want his girl to live without worries from now on, with nothing but happiness and joy in her life.
Jiang Fan was stunned.
He knew Zhou Wan was different, and he knew Lu Xixiao liked her, but this was the first time he truly understood just how serious Lu Xixiao was about her.
It's not the innocent entering the world that's fearsome—it's the playboy finally turning over a new leaf.
After school that day, Lu Xixiao took Zhou Wan out to eat to celebrate their good exam results.
He now wore his school uniform properly every day. Spring had arrived, and he had switched to the youthful blue-and-white spring uniform. As they walked, many girls turned to look at Lu Xixiao, whispering and gossiping.
Zhou Wan noticed and pouted, tugging his sleeve to whisper in his ear, "So many girls are looking at you."
Lu Xixiao was used to such attention and hadn't paid it much mind, but upon hearing this, he raised an eyebrow: "Jealous?"
Zhou Wan paused: "Not at all."
Lu Xixiao laughed: "Why won't you admit it?"
"..."
He used to find such unwarranted jealousy annoying, but with Zhou Wan, he found it amusing.
"Then how about this—you cover my face with your hand so they can't see me," he drawled teasingly. "Or just lock me up at home so only you can look at me."
"..."
This guy never missed a chance to be improper.
Zhou Wan couldn't take it. Blushing, she actually raised her hand and covered his face, pushing him away before quickly walking ahead.
Lu Xixiao took a couple of steps back with the motion, then laughed heartily, his shoulders shaking. He jogged to catch up, slung an arm around Zhou Wan's shoulders, and leaned down to whisper in her ear with mock seriousness, "How could you hit me?"
"..."
The two found a restaurant in the mall and had dinner.
"Do you need to buy anything?" Lu Xixiao asked.
"No," Zhou Wan said. "How about you?"
"Then come with me to look at some clothes."Spring had arrived, and it was time to buy some spring clothes. Lu Xixiao decided to pick out a few outfits for Zhou Wan while he was at it.
Knowing she would refuse if he bought them directly for her, Lu Xixiao chose several unisex pieces that could be worn by anyone. When paying, he deliberately selected sizes one or two smaller than his own, planning to later claim they didn't fit him properly and give them to her.
Lu Xixiao was tall with long legs, blessed with both good bone structure and handsome features—anything he wore looked better on him than on the models.
As he changed into a white hoodie and adjusted it, Zhou Wan caught a glimpse of what seemed to be some kind of mark near his collarbone out of the corner of her eye.
Her gaze paused. "What's this?"
"Hm?"
She poked the spot just below his collarbone through the fabric. "Here."
Lu Xixiao raised an eyebrow. "Pull it down and see for yourself."
"..."
Zhou Wan froze, sensing the mischief in his tone. Too embarrassed to follow his suggestion, she muttered, "No way."
Lu Xixiao chuckled softly, in no particular hurry.
After all, the tattoo was meant to last a lifetime.
No matter how much time passed, those two characters would remain etched there.
He leaned in to kiss Zhou Wan's lips, then pinched her ear. "Then wait a few years. You'll see it then."
"Why?"
He laughed, bending close to her ear, his voice deliberately low and provocative. "By then, our Wanwan will have grown up. Shouldn't we be doing things adults do?"
Zhou Wan blinked in confusion.
"For example—" Lu Xixiao drawled leisurely, his tone teasing, "taking my clothes off."
His words were spoken just loud enough for those nearby to hear, including the sales assistant standing close by.
The young woman understood immediately and broke into a smile.
"…………"
Zhou Wan's face flushed bright red instantly.
How could he... how could he say such things so openly, in broad daylight...!
Unwilling to engage with him further, Zhou Wan took a step back, her face still red as she stiffened her neck, forcing composure. "I'm going to the restroom."
Pleased with his successful prank, Lu Xixiao laughed heartily. "Alright, I'll wait here for you."
Watching Zhou Wan walk away, Lu Xixiao chuckled again and asked the sales assistant to pack the clothes he had tried on earlier—all in women's sizes.
Zhou Wan entered the restroom and leaned against the partition wall, waiting for her racing heart to gradually calm down.
Lu Xixiao was really...
Compared to her limited experiences, his boldness was on another level.
During these days living at his place, he had always been proper—never crossing any boundaries in action or words—making her almost forget what kind of person he truly was at heart.
Although Lu Xixiao would never force her and would always respect her, his words alone were enough to make her blush and feel overwhelmed.
Covering her face with her hands, Zhou Wan felt both embarrassed and indignant.
In the moment, she had completely forgotten to wonder what exactly that mark on his collarbone was, assuming it was probably just a birthmark or something similar.
She stayed there for a long time until the heat in her face finally subsided. Just as she was about to leave, the sound of high heels echoed outside, and someone entered the adjacent stall.
Zhou Wan caught a whiff of a familiar perfume and frowned.
It wasn't until she walked out to wash her hands that she realized the scent was identical to the one Guo Xiangling wore.
At the same time, Guo Xiangling's voice came from the neighboring stall as she spoke on the phone.
"Yeah, that old woman finally kicked the bucket. Dragging out that illness for so many years—who knows how much money was wasted on her.""Before, she still wanted to undergo a transplant surgery. I really don’t know what she’s trying to achieve at such an old age. So afraid of death, not a bit considerate of the younger generation. Doesn’t she know that dying early at her age would lessen the burden on her precious granddaughter?"
It was unclear what was said on the other end of the phone, but Guo Xiangling let out a mocking laugh.
"Thankfully, I called the old woman that night, or else I would’ve been completely swindled by them. That little ingrate demanded 300,000 from me for her grandmother’s treatment, as if my money grows on trees."
"Fortunately, the old woman still had some sense and told the doctor herself that she wouldn’t go through with the surgery."
...
"Fifteen thousand it is, then. Consider it money to sever ties, so she won’t come extorting me every time she’s short on cash."
"Now it’s finally over. The only thing is, she’s still with that son of the Lu family. I can’t help but worry, afraid that this matter might somehow reach the Lu family’s ears."
...
Cold water splashed over Zhou Wan’s hands.
Her mind was filled with Guo Xiangling’s words from earlier.
Thankfully, I called the old woman that night, or else I would’ve been completely swindled by them.
...
What exactly did she say to Grandma?
Zhou Wan recalled what she had once overheard from the nurses—when her father was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Guo Xiangling had immediately agreed to discontinue treatment.
It was happening again.
It was happening again.
The same old trick.
After her father’s death, she had taken Grandma from her in the same way.
Zhou Wan braced her hands against the sink, her eyes gradually turning bloodshot.
She felt herself slowly losing control, breaking apart bit by bit. Those dark, venomous thoughts spread once more, consuming her entirely.
Like venomous snakes hissing, they coiled around her, bound her, and then dragged her down, piece by piece, into shattering.
If Lu Xixiao hadn’t been waiting for her outside at that moment.
If there had truly been a knife within her reach at that moment.
Zhou Wan wasn’t sure what she might have done.
But just then, her phone vibrated.
[6: It’s been so long, are you okay?]
Zhou Wan snapped out of the hysteria that had gripped her, breaking into a cold sweat all over.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably.
[Zhou Wan: Coming out now.]
She turned off the water and walked out of the restroom.
Lu Xixiao had been smiling, but the moment he saw her pale face, his expression turned serious. He quickly stepped forward, bending down slightly. "What’s wrong?"
"Suddenly felt a bit nauseous."
He reached out to feel her forehead. It wasn’t warm—instead, it was icy cold.
"Let’s go to the hospital now," Lu Xixiao said.
"It’s nothing." Zhou Wan shook her head. "Let’s go back. I’m a bit tired."
"Alright."
Lu Xixiao took her hand. Her hand was cold too. He looked down and saw red rashes had appeared again—he didn’t know how long she had been running her hands under cold water.
Lu Xixiao rubbed her hands between his, then brought them to his lips and breathed warm air onto them to help her warm up faster.
Zhou Wan’s mind was in chaos.
She truly didn’t want to be involved in those matters anymore, yet she was being dragged back into them, unable to escape.
Why did she have to suffer all of this?
Why did it have to be her?
As Lu Xixiao led her across the street, Zhou Wan couldn’t help but entertain a vicious thought—why couldn’t Guo Xiangling be hit by a car?
She had done so many terrible things, so why wasn’t she the one facing retribution?
Why wasn’t she dead yet?
...
When they returned home, Lu Xixiao rummaged through a cabinet and pulled out a thermometer, handing it to Zhou Wan. "Check your temperature."
Zhou Wan took it and placed the thermometer under her tongue.She sat quietly to the side, next to the clothes Lu Xixiao had just bought, while he was checking on his phone what to do about nausea and vomiting.
Zhou Wan aimlessly reached out and touched the clothes, suddenly catching sight of the tag on one of them.
Size S.
Her fingers paused, then she went to check the other tags.
Five or six pieces of clothing, all in size S.
Lu Xixiao obviously couldn't wear size S, and Zhou Wan didn't need to think twice to know exactly who these clothes were bought for.
Lu Xixiao glanced at the time. "It's about time." He picked up the thermometer and checked the reading—37 degrees, a normal body temperature.
He breathed a quiet sigh of relief and was about to urge Zhou Wan to go to bed when she suddenly leaned in.
Cool, slender arms wrapped around his neck, and without warning, Zhou Wan tilted her head up and pressed her lips to his.
The kiss carried a sense of desperation and recklessness.
Cold and trembling.
Zhou Wan had no technique to speak of, but her ragged breathing and deafening heartbeat were enough to bewitch anyone.
Lu Xixiao froze, feeling as if an electric current had surged through his nerves.
He cupped the back of her head with one hand and murmured softly between kisses, "Zhou Wan?"
Her eyes were closed, her eyelashes fluttering uncontrollably. She whispered, "I really, really like you."
I really, really like you.
But why, of all people, did it have to be you?
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