After working at the newspaper for a few days, Zhou Wan realized she genuinely preferred this kind of job. Though it was busier and more exhausting—often involving fieldwork and frequent overtime—she found the work meaningful.
Over the weekend, Zhou Wan and Lu Xixiao drove together to visit the grandma they had interviewed previously. On the way, Zhou Wan bought some meat, vegetables, and ready-to-eat meals.
Outside the courtyard, a little girl sat by the door. She looked about seven or eight years old, fair-skinned and adorable, though her clothes were ill-fitting and slightly oversized—likely hand-me-downs from neighbors.
"This must be the grandma's granddaughter," Zhou Wan said to Lu Xixiao.
"Mm," he replied, parking the car. "Let's go in and see."
Zhou Wan paused, leaning closer to whisper, "You can wait in the car if you'd like."
Although they had helped clean the house last time, it had gone uncleaned for so long that the ceiling and walls had darkened over the years, and there was an indescribable, unpleasant odor.
Though Lu Xixiao wasn't a germaphobe, he had never set foot in such a place before and might find it uncomfortable.
Lu Xixiao chuckled softly, ruffling her hair. "Do you think I'm made of paper?"
He got out of the car, opened the trunk, and retrieved the blankets, walking sticks, and other items they had brought.
Zhou Wan moved to help, but he stopped her, so she picked up a bag of groceries from the back seat instead.
Approaching the little girl, Zhou Wan bent down and smiled. "Little one, is your grandma inside?"
"Yes," the girl replied before turning and running inside, calling out loudly, "Grandma!"
The old woman remembered Zhou Wan. At the sight of her, she exclaimed, "Oh my!" and shuffled out with effort. "Young lady, why have you come again? It's such a long way to travel!"
"I came to check on you," Zhou Wan said, her eyes crinkling as she carried the groceries into the kitchen.
Touched to the point of tears, the old woman grasped Zhou Wan's hands, repeatedly thanking her and urging her not to bring so many things in the future, saying she felt guilty.
"If my own grandmother were still alive, she'd be about your age," Zhou Wan said. "Seeing you reminds me of her. Making your life a little more comfortable brings me peace."
The old woman patted Zhou Wan's hand. "My condolences, dear. With a heart as kind as yours, your grandmother must be smiling down from heaven."
Zhou Wan shook her head with a faint smile. "I hope so."
...
The little girl knew the older siblings were there to help. She tugged at Lu Xixiao's hand and guided him to sit on a stool by the door. "Brother, sit here for a while."
Lu Xixiao obediently sat down.
The wooden stool was low, and with his tall frame and long legs, he looked a bit cramped.
"How old are you?" he asked.
"Seven. I'm in first grade."
Noticing the Chinese textbook on a nearby stool, Lu Xixiao raised an eyebrow. "Do you do well in school?"
"Pretty well," the girl replied.
"Study hard. When you grow up and earn money, you can give your grandma a better life," Lu Xixiao said.
The girl paused. Crouching on the ground, she lowered her head and traced circles with her finger. "Grandma's health isn't good. I'm afraid... by the time I can earn money, she might be gone."
Lu Xixiao's eyelashes trembled slightly.
He thought of Zhou Wan, silently breaking down in that dim, gas-scented room.
Though still young, the girl—like many children from poor families—had matured early, carrying burdens beyond her years."I actually don't want to continue studying," the girl said. "It costs hundreds of yuan every semester, but Grandma won't even go to the hospital when she's sick. If only... my father hadn't picked me up back then."
"..."
"If Dad hadn't brought me home, he wouldn't have had to work so hard. Maybe he wouldn't have died from a cerebral hemorrhage, and Grandma wouldn't be left uncared for like this. Instead, she has to spend energy taking care of me."
As the little girl spoke, her eyes gradually reddened. "Brother, can you promise me one thing?"
Lu Xixiao was truly unskilled at handling such situations. He lowered his gaze and softened his voice: "What is it?"
"Could you look after Grandma a little for me in the future?"
Lu Xixiao frowned slightly.
"I was always a discarded burden to begin with. I'll only hold others back wherever I go. If I leave, Grandma's life will become easier." The little girl's voice trembled with emotion.
Lu Xixiao was taken aback: "Where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere," the girl said. "Anyway, if my father hadn't picked me up, I might have frozen to death that winter long ago."
These words didn't sound like something such a young child would say.
But this was what she had been thinking about constantly since her father passed away two years ago. She didn't want to be seen as a burden, especially not Grandma's burden. Both her father and grandmother were her benefactors - she couldn't repay kindness with ingratitude.
The sunlight today was particularly harsh.
Squinting slightly, Lu Xixiao saw traces of Zhou Wan's past in this little girl.
After Zhou Jun died, Guo Xiangling saw her as nothing but a burden and nuisance, abandoning her to leave home alone. From then on, Zhou Wan had only her grandmother to rely on.
When Lu Xixiao met her, she was already working to earn money. But when Zhou Jun died, she was only ten years old. Like this girl, she had gone through a period of feeling utterly helpless. As her grandmother's health deteriorated day by day, she could do nothing about it, feeling like dead weight dragging her grandmother down, making it hard for her to even walk.
Suddenly, Lu Xixiao understood why Zhou Wan had become the person she was.
Why she always habitually chose to escape.
Why she had been able to leave so decisively back then.
Perhaps, for her, it wasn't even escape - it was sacrifice.
The young girl forced herself to use the most rational, mature approach to find the optimal solution. She saw herself as a burden, a nuisance, believing that only by removing herself from his life could he move forward unhindered.
Just like what Zhou Wan had told him that year at the City Eye.
She had faced those upheavals when she was far too young.
Lu Xixiao didn't know what Guo Xiangling had done to her during those years, or what cruel words she had said, that could make someone like Zhou Wan develop thoughts of revenge, that could shape her into the complicated person she was now.
An indescribable emotion welled up in Lu Xixiao's heart.
How he wished he could return to the past, meet Zhou Wan earlier, stand by her side sooner, and tell that young Zhou Wan: You were never a burden. You are my unique treasure.
The man's eyes stung from the bright sunlight, and he raised a hand to press against his eyelids.
He looked down again at the little girl crouching before him.
"That's not true," he said softly. "If you leave like this, Grandma will be truly alone. She would be heartbroken."The little girl looked up, her eyes large, clear and pure.
"Don't worry about school," Lu Xixiao said. "Grandma would be happy to see you studying well. I'll cover your tuition from now on."
The little girl froze for a moment, then quickly waved her hands. "No, that won't do, brother. You've already helped Grandma so much, you really don't need to do this for me."
"It's fine." Lu Xixiao gently ruffled her hair. "Consider it a loan from me. You can pay me back after you start earning money in the future."
...
After helping the old woman tidy up the house, Zhou Wan came out and saw this scene.
The sunlight was brilliant. Lu Xixiao sat on a low wooden stool, leaning forward slightly as he spoke to the little girl with a smile. His expression was gentle and patient, yet his eyes seemed to hold too many indescribable emotions.
Zhou Wan curved her lips and walked over. "Lu Xixiao."
"Hm." Lu Xixiao stood up.
As it was nearly mealtime, they didn't stay long at Grandma's house. After chatting for a few more minutes, they prepared to leave.
Zhou Wan got in the car and turned her head with a smile. "I never noticed before - do you like children?"
"I don't like most children."
Zhou Wan recalled when they had gone to the amusement park long ago, when Lu Xixiao had made a child cry while playing bumper cars.
Remembering the past, she couldn't help but laugh.
Lu Xixiao glanced at her. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing." Zhou Wan continued smiling and shook her head. "It seems you really hit it off with that little girl then."
"Because she reminds me of you."
"Huh? Why?"
Lu Xixiao didn't explain further, speaking lightly, "After we return, I'll have someone coordinate with their village. I'll sponsor her education through university."
Zhou Wan was stunned, not expecting Lu Xixiao to do this.
She paused, warmth spreading through her heart.
Lu Xixiao was always cold on the outside but warm inside. His exterior often led people to misunderstand him, thinking he was cold-blooded and indifferent, but in truth, he had always been good.
"Yeah." Zhou Wan smiled, unable to resist saying, "Lu Xixiao, you're really good."
Lu Xixiao glanced at her. "Giving me a 'good person card'?"
"...No, I mean it sincerely."
He rolled down the window halfway, placed a cigarette between his lips, and rested his arm on the window frame. His demeanor was somewhat lazy, somewhat roguish. "Alright then, when do you plan to date this good person?"
"..."
Zhou Wan blinked at him in a daze, then shifted her gaze forward.
Red light.
The car slowly stopped before the crosswalk.
Lu Xixiao exhaled a puff of smoke and reached over with his right hand to grasp Zhou Wan's palm.
His fingertips were somewhat warm, slender and bony. His thumb gently traced her palm, unhurried, stopping at just the right point - easily making one's heartbeat accelerate.
Zhou Wan felt like even the air in the car had grown thin.
Her ears grew warm despite herself. She lowered her eyes and said softly, "Lu Xixiao, I'm not ready yet."
He continued holding her hand, gently squeezing her palm and fingertips, waiting patiently for her to continue without showing any expression.
"Actually, you don't need to chase me. You're so good and outstanding, you really don't need to pursue me. It's my problem."
Zhou Wan's voice was very soft. "I wasn't good enough before, so now I need to become at least a little better to deserve you, to not let you down."
Lu Xixiao chuckled and flicked his cigarette ash. "Alright." He agreed quickly.Zhou Wan couldn't get past the hurdle in her heart, so he waited, waiting for when she could cross over it.
At least, her first instinct was no longer to run away, and that was enough.
In the following days, both Zhou Wan and Lu Xixiao were very busy with work, and they rarely even had time to eat together.
Spring had arrived, and the weather was getting warmer day by day. There was a flowerbed downstairs in the newspaper office building, and many flowers had bloomed. Zhou Wan couldn't help but think of the flowers they had planted in Pingchuan City—had they bloomed too?
As if they shared a telepathic connection, Lu Xixiao sent her a photo in the afternoon.
Zhou Wan opened it and saw it was the small garden outside his house.
The flowers had all bloomed—some in full bloom, some still in bud—vibrant and full of life.
This was the first time Zhou Wan had seen the garden in full bloom, and she couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling.
[Zhou Wan: Where did you get this photo?]
[6: I hired someone to tidy it up for spring and asked them to take a photo while they were at it.]
In the years she had been away, Lu Xixiao had taken good care of the flowers she had planted.
Lu Xixiao wasn't the type to put effort into tending to plants and trees, nor did he usually think to do so. The garden his mother had once kept had gradually withered away over time.
She didn't know what mindset Lu Xixiao had been in when he first started tending to the garden.
He had clearly still resented her back then, yet he had taken such good care of the flowers she had planted, as if they were some kind of emotional anchor.
Zhou Wan felt a bittersweet warmth in her heart, a faint smile tugging at her lips as she set her phone aside.
Beside her, Ji Jie turned her head and caught sight of the contact name—6.
She asked in surprise, "Is that how you've saved your boyfriend's contact?"
"Ah, yes," Zhou Wan replied. "But actually, we're not together yet."
"What? But last time, I heard Uncle Ye say that he stood up for you when Huang Hui from Shengxing Media caused trouble. I thought you two were a couple. So, what's your relationship now?"
Of course, such a relationship couldn't stay hidden for long.
By now, their colleagues at the newspaper office already knew about her and Lu Xixiao. Fortunately, everyone was quite decent. Though some were curious and often pulled her aside to dig for details, they treated her no differently from anyone else.
Zhou Wan thought for a moment about how to describe her relationship with Lu Xixiao: "We've known each other for a long time. We dated for a while in high school."
"Wow! A second-chance romance!" Ji Jie, a hopeless romantic with a girlish heart, exclaimed. "That's so romantic! So why haven't you gotten back together yet?"
"Because the reasons we broke up were a bit complicated. We need some time to sort things out. Besides, we've been apart for several years. I want to take my time getting to know him again and treat him a little better this time."
Ji Jie nodded, though not entirely understanding. "But the contact name you gave him is pretty strange too, '6'? Is it because his surname is Lu?"
"Mm."
"When I was in school, I had a crush on our student council president, Huo Jian. After I got his WeChat, I didn't dare save his real name, so I secretly changed it to a little rocket emoji. Only I knew it was him."
Ji Jie laughed. "Your contact name kind of has that vibe of a girl with a secret crush. Speaking of which, did you have a crush on him first when you first met?"
Zhou Wan paused.
Her thoughts drifted back to a very, very distant past. Those memories had yellowed with time, peeling away like fragments of a faded photograph.She lowered her head and pursed her lips slightly. "You could say that."
...
It was a rare slow day at work. A male colleague nicknamed "Fang Xiaosa" had been scrolling through his phone on the other side when he suddenly cursed aloud and sat bolt upright.
"What's wrong?" someone asked.
"S University just broke a news story—a violent homicide in a dormitory. The police are already outside the building."
"Homicide?!"
"No one knows the exact cause yet. Reading the comments, it seems even the students on campus are in shock."
Everyone sprang into action, grabbing their equipment bags, snatching up notepads and pens, and rushing downstairs.
The road was congested, especially near S University, where traffic had come to a complete standstill. Police were setting up barricades outside.
"Just stop here, driver," Uncle Ye said. "We'll walk the rest of the way."
Zhou Wan followed the group toward the dormitory complex where the incident had occurred.
The dormitory entrance was already sealed off, crowded with students buzzing with discussions. An ambulance had arrived, but it was reportedly too late—the wound was too deep, and the victim had already lost too much blood.
Zhou Wan tied up her hair, pulled out her notepad and pen, and began interviewing students nearby.
Various accounts emerged, and Zhou Wan diligently recorded each one.
It wasn't until evening that the group pieced together the sequence of events.
The victim and the perpetrator were roommates, studying under the same advisor. Tensions had been simmering due to disputes over credit for research results, and during an argument that day, emotions boiled over. The perpetrator yanked the victim down from the upper bunk, causing him to hit his forehead on the corner of a desk and knock over a flowerpot. As he fell, the back of his head struck shards of glass on the floor—a case of involuntary manslaughter.
When the young man was led out by the police, he was weeping uncontrollably, his legs trembling so violently he could barely walk.
Journalism often exposed the unpredictability of life and the complexities of human nature—both good and evil.
On the ride back, everyone sighed in regret.
Both had been promising graduate students at a prestigious university, on the verge of graduation, only to be caught in such a tragedy.
Zhou Wan sat by the window, scrolling through her phone. Photos of the incident had already flooded the internet, including images of the bloodied victim being carried out, captured by fellow students.
The sight of all that blood was jarring, making Zhou Wan frown and feel uneasy.
No one ever knows what the next moment will bring.
Now older and somewhat wiser, looking back on past events, Zhou Wan could still feel a cold sweat break out.
Her umbrella ribs piercing Luo He's shoulder.
And Luo He's knife plunging into Lu Xixiao's chest.
They, too, had nearly faced irreversible consequences.
Just then, a notification popped up on her phone—a news headline.
—26-Year-Old Physics Prodigy Jiang Yan Wins Top Physics Award!
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