Zhou Wan understood him all too well.
She could see through Lu Xixiao's vulnerability and loneliness, which was why she would watch fireworks and snow with him.
Similarly, she knew exactly how to make Lu Xixiao let go.
The moment she called him "brother," Lu Xixiao released her hand.
Zhou Wan didn't hesitate for even a second—she didn't dare—and immediately walked forward.
...
She kept her word.
From that day on, she never appeared in Lu Xixiao's world again.
Unlike breakups in TV dramas or movies, there was no snow, no illness. After that day, the weather grew increasingly hot—summer had truly arrived—and Lu Xixiao's body gradually recovered day by day.
Old Mr. Lu had thought that given his temperament, he would grow restless and demand to leave the hospital as soon as he felt slightly better. Unexpectedly, Lu Xixiao remained compliant and waited until the end of May, fully recovered, before being discharged.
The day he left the hospital was exceptionally hot. Lu Xixiao changed out of the blue-and-white striped patient gown and into his own short-sleeved shirt.
The nurse who had been taking care of him had grown quite familiar with him over the days. Catching a glimpse of the faint lettering peeking out below his collarbone, she paused and asked, "What's this?"
Lu Xixiao was taken aback for a moment, then glanced at the mirror opposite him.
His expression showed only a split second of surprise before returning to normal. "A tattoo of a name."
"Oh?" The nurse smiled suggestively. "Your girlfriend's?"
"Ex-girlfriend."
The nurse froze.
She thought of the girl who used to visit the hospital frequently but hadn't come for a month now.
"What are you going to do about the tattoo? Are you going to get it removed?" the nurse said. "Let me warn you first—the tattoo is close to your surgical wound. Even if you want to remove it, now is not the time."
"I'm not removing it."
The nurse raised an eyebrow. "Won't your future girlfriend be upset when she sees it?"
"If she gets upset, I'll just find another one," Lu Xixiao replied nonchalantly, pulling out a cigarette and clamping it between his teeth with a careless smile.
The nurse clicked her tongue. "What a player."
"After all, I've learned my lesson from doing something as foolish as getting a tattoo once in my life," Lu Xixiao said.
...
He didn't inform Old Mr. Lu about his discharge. After handling the procedures himself, he went downstairs, where Jiang Fan and Huang Ping happened to arrive at the hospital.
Lu Xixiao had been absent for so long that they had eventually learned about what happened that day.
Jiang Fan helped him with his belongings and asked, "Are you fully recovered? Really no need to stay a bit longer?"
"I've been stuck here for over a month already," Lu Xixiao said, slinging an arm over Jiang Fan's shoulder, his tone lazy and roguish.
Huang Ping directly snatched the cigarette from his hand. "Still smoking? Don't you value your life?"
Lu Xixiao just smiled and didn't argue.
Huang Ping had driven over in his beat-up Volkswagen, which looked like it was about to fall apart, with the upholstery peeling off the seats. "Where to?"
"School," Lu Xixiao said, leaning against the window from the back seat.
Both Huang Ping and Jiang Fan paused but said nothing.
When the car stopped at the school gate, Lu Xixiao got out, placed a hand on the roof, and bent down to nod at Huang Ping. "I'm off."
It was class time.
The school was quiet, with only the sound of students reciting lessons drifting from the classrooms.
Passing by the bulletin board, Lu Xixiao glanced sideways.
The monthly exam had recently concluded, and the results were posted on the board.
He scanned the list but didn't see that name.
Jiang Fan hesitated for a moment but finally said, "I heard she transferred schools."
In a place no one could see, Lu Xixiao's fingers stilled.
"Oh."Jiang Fan had no idea what exactly had happened between them. Just earlier when he called, they were still lovey-dovey, but suddenly they broke up. Breaking up wasn’t enough—she even transferred schools outright, as if determined to cut ties completely.
No matter how you looked at it, this had to be Lu Xixiao’s fault.
What on earth had he done to make Zhou Wan so angry that she transferred schools?
“A Xiao,” Jiang Fan paused, then tentatively asked, “Did you do something to wrong Zhou Wan? You made her this furious.”
Lu Xixiao tilted his head and scoffed.
His expression was terrifying, and Jiang Fan immediately raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I won’t ask.”
…
The entire school knew that Zhou Wan had transferred. The top two spots on the grade ranking had been replaced, and everyone also learned about his breakup with Zhou Wan.
No one was too surprised. Although Zhou Wan had indeed been the one who stayed with him the longest, this was Lu Xixiao, after all—someone so unrestrained and casual, treating life like a game. How could he possibly settle down with one girl at this age?
He returned to the classroom, didn’t listen to the lesson, and as soon as he arrived, he lay down to sleep.
After school, he hung out and fooled around with that group of troublemakers just like before, showing no signs of having gone through a breakup.
In the evening, they went out for a late-night snack at a street-side stall with plastic tables and chairs, surrounded by noisy chatter.
Not long after Lu Xixiao sat down, a girl came over to strike up a conversation.
He had been seriously ill and had lost weight, making him appear sharper and more mature. There was an indescribable sense of fragility and resilience about him, a contradictory mix that made him seem even more mysterious, compelling others to want to understand him and drawing them closer.
The girl lit a cigarette for him, and he cooperatively leaned in, cupping his hand to shield the flame from the wind.
It seemed like he had changed, yet it also seemed like nothing about him had changed—he had always been like this.
Jiang Fan glanced at the girl, taking in her appearance. She had a slender waist and long legs, with an excellent figure—exactly the type Lu Xixiao used to like.
The girl was charming and outgoing, quickly blending in with the rest of the group. Lu Xixiao let her sit beside him, occasionally leaning in as she whispered softly in his ear.
Someone curiously asked which school she was from. She raised an eyebrow and countered the question.
When they said they were from Yangming High School, the girl laughed in surprise. “You’re still in high school? I’m already in college, 19 years old.” She rested her chin on her hand, turned to Lu Xixiao, and asked, “How old are you?”
A guy next to him answered for him: 18.
“A year younger than me.” The girl’s eyes were enchanting when she smiled, as if they could unravel someone’s resolve. She looked at Lu Xixiao and said with a laugh, “Then I should call you ‘little brother.’”
Lu Xixiao’s hand, holding the glass, paused. He looked up, a faint smirk tugging at his lips, his tone half-warning, half-teasing. “Go ahead and try.”
The girl was perceptive and raised her hands in surrender. “No way, I wouldn’t dare.”
…
The girl added them on WeChat. Sometimes she would message Lu Xixiao, and he would occasionally reply. If he didn’t, she would contact his friends instead, so she often ended up hanging out with them and grew increasingly familiar with the group.
She felt the timing was about right. Every time Lu Xixiao showed up, it was like a lamb entering a wolf’s den. If she didn’t act quickly, someone else would beat her to it.
She arranged with the bar in advance to sing a song for Lu Xixiao.
A beautiful girl singing a love song to confess her feelings was always something worth hyping up.
The bar was filled with waves of noise and excitement. From amidst the waving hands, she looked toward Lu Xixiao, who was sitting in the corner.
He didn’t even look up, engrossed in his phone, his expression indifferent.
She didn’t know that this kind of public singing confession was nothing new to Lu Xixiao.She couldn't help but feel disappointed, yet she was most drawn to his careless, roguish demeanor.
As the song ended, she slowly descended the stage with the microphone, weaving through the crowd until she stood before Lu Xixiao. Smiling, she said, "Lu Xixiao, I like you. Will you be my boyfriend?"
Lu Xixiao was looking down at his phone—Zhou Wan had sent him a message, over a month after their breakup.
To be precise, it was a money transfer notification.
A few seconds later, another message came through: [Lu Xixiao, this is the money you spent on me over the past year. It might not be enough, but it's all I have for now. I'll pay back the rest later.]
Lu Xixiao's jaw tightened, and he gritted his teeth.
After a moment, he let out a cold laugh and directly confirmed the receipt.
He tossed his phone aside, looked up, and grinned with a roguish charm. "Sure."
...
In the following days, the girl often stayed by Lu Xixiao's side.
She had thought he was just slow to warm up and aloof, but it turned out he was simply unapproachable.
She accompanied Lu Xixiao and his friends to play cards. At one point, he got up to go downstairs for drinks. The girl sighed and asked, "Hey, is this how A Xiao acts in a relationship?"
Everyone paused for a moment.
For a split second, their expressions flickered with discomfort.
How to put it?
Most of the time, this was exactly how he behaved in relationships.
"...Pretty much."
"With looks like his, I thought he'd be great at dating."
"Let me give it to you straight—many of his ex-girlfriends couldn't stand his attitude. They'd make a scene, hoping he'd care more, but he'd get annoyed and break up with them."
"That's so toxic," the girl raised an eyebrow. "Was there ever an exception?"
This time, no one spoke.
Lu Xixiao pushed the door open, carrying drinks. He lit a cigarette, tossed the lighter aside, leaned back in his chair, and resumed playing cards.
The girl watched for a while longer but eventually grew bored and said she was leaving.
Lu Xixiao merely glanced at her. "Alright, be careful on your way."
...
Days passed like this, and when summer was in full swing, Lu Xixiao returned to school for the basketball tournament and took first place again.
Sweat drenched him, the veins on his arms prominent after the exertion. His girlfriend handed him water and held his clothes while his friends suggested going out to celebrate the victory.
"You guys go ahead," Lu Xixiao patted his pockets. "I left my phone behind."
His girlfriend said, "I'll go with you to get it."
Lu Xixiao didn't refuse. The sky was already half-dark as the two walked up the empty staircase of the teaching building.
He entered the classroom, retrieved his phone from the desk, and checked the time.
Suddenly, he paused, bending down to look inside the desk.
Since being discharged from the hospital, he had hardly been to school and never showed up for exams. It was only now that he noticed several notebooks in his desk that didn't belong to him—he never took notes, so they couldn't possibly be his.
Lu Xixiao pulled out the stack of notebooks and opened them.
His breath caught.
Inside, the handwriting was delicate and meticulous—Zhou Wan's writing.
His fingers curled slightly as he opened each one.
There were notebooks for every subject, starting from the first required course, with complete and neatly organized notes covering everything from basic formulas to foundational problems and even challenging exercises.
All written by Zhou Wan.
He had no idea when these had been placed in his desk.
Nor did he know when Zhou Wan had started writing them."A Xiao." His girlfriend leaned against the doorframe and called out to him, "Couldn't find it?"
"Found it."
Lu Xixiao placed the notebook back into the drawer, picked up his phone, and walked out of the classroom.
...
Throughout the entire dinner later, while everyone else was chatting, laughing, and boasting, Lu Xixiao sat to the side, quietly drinking with a slight frown between his brows, as if lost in thought.
He drank one glass after another without stopping.
No matter how high his alcohol tolerance was, he should have been drunk by now.
But even when intoxicated, his face showed no trace of it—he looked almost the same as usual, except his entire aura was more relaxed, making him appear even more roguish and captivating.
After the meal, everyone wanted to go to a bar for a while longer, but Lu Xixiao said, "I'm heading back first."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just a bit tired." He replied, turning his head to ask his girlfriend beside him, "What about you?"
"Then I'll go back too."
"I'll walk you home."
His girlfriend paused for a moment, then smiled, "Alright."
The streets were quiet. His girlfriend's home was in the opposite direction from his, so Lu Xixiao accompanied her as they walked forward, a cigarette held between his fingers. He remained silent, occasionally responding with a few words.
When they reached her doorstep, his girlfriend suddenly asked, "Lu Xixiao, is there something you want to say to me?"
She had dated many boyfriends before, all kinds of them, and there were plenty of suitors around her.
But she had never been in a relationship like this. If it weren't for the fact that she was genuinely drawn to Lu Xixiao's roguish demeanor, she would have broken up with him ages ago.
Lu Xixiao paused and said, "Let's break up."
"Give me a reason."
She had guessed it but didn't understand why.
She had long seen through Lu Xixiao's indifference. Knowing he disliked trouble and noise, she had stayed by his side without causing any drama, thinking that with time, things would eventually change.
He exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "I want to focus on studying."
Hearing such a reason from Lu Xixiao's mouth was nothing short of a joke. His girlfriend let out a cold laugh, "Lu Xixiao, do you really need to use such an excuse to brush me off?"
"It's true."
Lu Xixiao wasn't angry, just calmly lowered his gaze to look at her. "We're about to enter our final year of high school. I want to get into a decent university. I'm sorry for these past few days."
"You know you should be sorry."
The girl was beautiful and had never been treated so dismissively in her life. She was angry and unwilling to let it go. "Was there even a single moment in these days when you liked me?"
Lu Xixiao said, "I'm sorry."
The girl turned and walked away, slamming the door with a deafening crash.
Lu Xixiao returned home.
He could feel the alcohol raging inside him, making him lose clarity. His entire body felt as if it were on fire, and he was somewhat out of control.
For the first time in the many days since Zhou Wan had left, he opened the door to that guest room.
The quilt was neatly folded, and the room was completely empty, with no trace that anyone had ever lived there before.
He pulled open the wardrobe and saw many clothes inside.
All of them were things he had bought for her under various excuses in the past.
She hadn't taken them with her.
Not a single piece.
Lu Xixiao closed the wardrobe again, walked to the living room, and sat on the sofa. He opened his phone's contact list but couldn't find Zhou Wan's number.
It was only then that he remembered—he had never saved her number with a name, but every time he saw that string of digits, he had known it was her.
Relying on his memory, he typed in the number and dialed.
It rang for half a minute before being hung up.
Lu Xixiao's Adam's apple bobbed.
The room was pitch black, illuminated only by the light from his phone screen. The young man, reeking of alcohol and burning with heat, remained silent, his expression dark, as he dialed the number again.
This time, it was hung up after just ten seconds.Lu Xixiao showed no reaction, his expression blank, as he persistently redialed the number.
Later, the calls were hung up as soon as they connected.
He didn’t mind, continuing to dial tirelessly.
Around the twentieth or thirtieth attempt, Zhou Wan finally answered.
The call duration on the screen showed—00:00.
Lu Xixiao froze.
Suddenly, he didn’t know what to say.
Neither of them spoke. Zhou Wan’s end was eerily quiet—no sound of wind, not even her breathing.
It was as if they were locked in a battle of wills, neither willing to speak first, yet neither hanging up either.
In a daze, Lu Xixiao recalled the early days of their acquaintance. Back then, during every call, he would never speak first. The first few seconds were always steeped in silence, until Zhou Wan broke it. She never said “hello” or anything else—just three crisp, clear words: “Lu Xixiao.”
He closed his eyes, lowered his head, and mustered the last shred of his dignity. “Zhou Wan, as long as you say you love me, I’ll forgive everything.”
His voice was cold and rigid, less a plea for affection and more a threat.
But the girl’s tone was icy as she called his name: “Lu Xixiao.”
Just those three words, and Lu Xixiao’s eyes reddened.
Then he heard her say, with chilling calmness, “I don’t love you. I’ve been deceiving you all along.”
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