In just a few words, Lu Xixiao understood how much change Zhou Wan had undergone.
Even though it was difficult for her to say, she was finally willing to tell him and rely on him.
She was also trying hard to change, wanting to make up for the regrets between them in the past.
Lu Xixiao’s nose tingled with emotion as he pulled Zhou Wan into his arms.
“Don’t be afraid, Wanwan,” he coaxed softly. “She can’t do anything. Even if she wants to cause trouble, it won’t affect us.”
Hearing his voice, Zhou Wan’s anxious heart gradually settled.
Guo Xiangling’s shadow over her was immense.
All the unpleasant memories of her childhood stemmed from Guo Xiangling, including the darkness and selfishness that Guo Xiangling had provoked in her.
The instability and displacement Zhou Wan experienced as a child were all caused by her.
So many years later, hearing her voice again, Zhou Wan’s first reaction was fear and unease, terrified that her current life would be disrupted once more.
It wasn’t until she heard Lu Xixiao’s words that she suddenly realized they were both adults now, and no external force could stand in their way anymore.
Guo Xiangling was just a middle-aged woman with little capability and no power to do anything extreme.
Lu Xixiao gently patted her shoulder, leaned down, and looked intently into her eyes, telling her slowly and deliberately, “Don’t be afraid. No matter what happens, I’ll be here to handle it.”
Zhou Wan sniffled and nodded.
He stood while she sat, her face pressed against his chest, her emotions still low. After a moment, she said, “I’m sorry.”
Lu Xixiao smiled. “What are you sorry for?”
“For always making you worry about my problems.”
“Wanwan, I’m happy that you’re willing to share your troubles with me,” Lu Xixiao said.
Zhou Wan pursed her lips, lifted her head, and leaned in to kiss him. “I won’t keep anything from you from now on.”
…
Over the weekend, Zhou Wan was busy preparing for the next round of her competition and had little time to think about Guo Xiangling. After blocking her, she could no longer harass her.
But on Tuesday afternoon, Zhou Wan received several more messages.
The phone number was a different one.
[Wanwan, it’s been so many years since we last saw each other. When are you free? Mom would like to see you again and apologize to you in person. Back then, I was blinded by money and did many things that hurt you. I’ve regretted it all these years. I’m old now, with no one by my side. When I think of the past at night, I can’t help but cry.]
[Wanwan, you’re working in City B now, right? I saw your interview video online, and so many people in the comments were praising you. You’ve always been a good student, and I always knew you’d achieve great things when you grew up.]
[In a while, when I have some free time and save up enough for the fare, I’ll come to City B to see you.]
When she read the last message, Zhou Wan’s fingers paused, and that feeling of disgust washed over her again.
She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to calm down.
She didn’t want to see Guo Xiangling at all.
Their relationship had long been severed. The bond between mother and daughter had been completely exhausted that year, leaving nothing behind. The right thing to do was for each to live their own life without disturbing the other.
If Guo Xiangling really came to City B, given her shameless nature, Zhou Wan could hardly imagine what she might do.
If it were just Zhou Wan alone, it wouldn’t matter. But now, she was connected to Lu Xixiao, and she didn’t want others to look at him through a distorted lens."Wanwan."
Ji Jie walked over and patted her shoulder. "Are you okay? You look so pale."
Zhou Wan snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head with a smile. "I'm fine."
Ji Jie examined her complexion, still concerned. "Is the competition schedule too tight? You look exhausted. Since we don't have interviews this afternoon, maybe you should ask the editor-in-chief if you can go home early to rest."
"Really, I'm fine. I'll just sit for a while." Zhou Wan thanked her again for her concern.
"Alright, call me if you need anything."
"Mm."
Zhou Wan sat alone at her desk, staring at the text message a few more times before finally getting up and walking to the deserted stairwell. She dialed the number she'd just received.
After two rings, Guo Xiangling's voice came through the receiver.
"Hello, Wanwan."
Zhou Wan closed her eyes briefly. "How did you get my number?"
"Oh, that. I saw your competition video online and asked around." Guo Xiangling said. "I just wanted to talk properly with you, to apologize."
"You don't need to apologize to me. Just don't disturb my life from now on."
After a moment of silence, Guo Xiangling seemed to sigh, her voice softening further. "Wanwan, we're still mother and daughter after all. Blood runs thicker than water."
Zhou Wan's chest tightened, feeling utterly disgusted.
She didn't understand how Guo Xiangling could say such things - abandoning her when she needed a mother most, only to disrupt her life now.
"Guo Xiangling."
Zhou Wan struggled to steady herself. "You're the reason Grandma couldn't get her transplant surgery. You never cared for me. You were the one who said you didn't have a daughter like me. Don't you find your words ridiculous now?"
"I..."
Standing by the windowsill, Zhou Wan gripped the railing so tightly her knuckles turned white. "If you felt even an ounce of remorse, you wouldn't be making this call. I will never forgive you, and I don't want to see you again. Please don't harass me anymore."
After hanging up, Zhou Wan leaned against the railing, bending forward as she breathed heavily, her chest heaving.
Once calmer, she added the new number to her block list.
...
Over the following days, Guo Xiangling didn't contact her again.
Zhou Wan caught her breath and continued preparing for the hosting competition.
She proved to be a dark horse in the competition, far exceeding the editor-in-chief's initial expectations. Consequently, her regular workload was reassigned to allow her to focus entirely on the contest.
The day after the round narrowing contestants from 15 to 9, Lu Xixiao needed to travel for work.
That evening, Zhou Wan helped pack his luggage.
"You don't need to bring this much." Lu Xixiao took the overcoat from her hands. "It's not cold there, and I'll only be gone three days."
"I checked the weather forecast. A cold front is coming the day after tomorrow, with temperatures dropping 7-8 degrees." Zhou Wan stuffed the coat back into the suitcase.
Lu Xixiao chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Take care of yourself these three days. Let me know if anything comes up."
"Mm." After responding, Zhou Wan blinked and couldn't help laughing. "It's only three days. Do you think I can't take care of myself?"
She'd managed all those previous years on her own.
"What do you mean, 'only three days'?"
Lu Xixiao picked on her wording, pinching her chin and shaking it gently. "Other girlfriends can't bear to be apart for three days. How come it's 'only' for you?"
"..."It really was just three days.
Zhou Wan truly couldn't bear to part with him and was somewhat worried he wouldn't take good care of himself. But she wasn't the overly sentimental type. Since they would see each other again in three days, she didn't think it was a big deal.
No matter how reluctant she felt, it was only a matter of three days.
However, during the time she had been with Lu Xixiao, she had also figured out his temperament.
When he was unhappy, she needed to coax him quickly, or he would easily escalate the situation and end up unfairly blaming her.
He really was quite dramatic.
"No," Zhou Wan took the initiative to kiss him. "I'm also really reluctant to see you go."
Unfortunately, Lu Xixiao had also figured out her tactics.
He bit her lip and scoffed dismissively, "Stop pretending to be well-behaved."
"..."
Early the next morning, Zhou Wan took an hour off to accompany Lu Xixiao to the airport.
Outside the airport, Lu Xixiao held the luggage handle with one hand and his phone with the other, sending his secretary's number to Zhou Wan. "I have quite a few meetings over the next few days. If I don't hear your call, contact him first if it's urgent."
"Okay." Zhou Wan smiled and hugged him. "Hurry inside, or you'll miss your flight."
"Mm."
He leaned down again, his lips and tongue tangling with Zhou Wan's in a kiss.
The surroundings were bustling with people coming and going, but Lu Xixiao kissed her as if no one else was around.
In such an environment, Zhou Wan felt a bit uncomfortable and blushed as she pushed him away.
Just then, a couple who looked like college students were nearby—the girl was seeing the boy off, reluctant to part, her eyes red from crying as she held his hand, unwilling to let go. The boy hugged her and patiently comforted her, saying he would fly back to see her next month.
It seemed they were in a long-distance relationship.
Zhou Wan glanced in their direction and, when she looked back, noticed Lu Xixiao was also staring that way.
Then, he raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Wan's heart sank.
She felt as if she could see the words clearly written on his face: I—am—going—to—start—acting—up.
Sure enough, Lu Xixiao lowered his gaze to her and began to complain, "Look at them."
"..."
He continued, "I'm leaving, and you haven't shed a single tear?"
"..."
Zhou Wan remained silent, but inwardly she couldn't help but retort, It's only three days—it's not the same as their long-distance relationship.
After a moment of silence, Zhou Wan decided to join in his antics. In a slow, deliberate tone, she asked seriously, "You won't see me for three days either—why haven't you shed a single tear?"
"..."
Pausing briefly, Zhou Wan thought about how he usually acted up and added, "Is this any way to be a boyfriend?"
She was purely imitating Lu Xixiao, repeating his style without any inflection, dragging out her words in a listless tone.
"..."
Lu Xixiao stared at her expression for a long moment before letting out an exasperated laugh. "Zhou Wan."
She pressed her lips together and fell silent again.
"Do you think I won't be able to deal with you once I'm gone?" Lu Xixiao asked.
"..."
Zhou Wan shrank her neck slightly and mumbled softly, "No."
"Apologize."
"Sorry," Zhou Wan said immediately.
Lu Xixiao ruffled her hair roughly, making a mess of it. "You and your attitude."
Zhou Wan let him "vent." Once he was done, she reminded him, "Hurry inside. Boarding will start soon."
"Kiss me."
Even as he said this, he didn't lower his head or bend down.
Left with no choice, Zhou Wan had to place both hands on his shoulders, stand on her tiptoes, and stretch her body to reach him.Lu Xixiao gave her lips another light bite and patted her bottom. "I'm off."
After watching Lu Xixiao pass through the security checkpoint, Zhou Wan waved goodbye one last time before leaving.
Truthfully, she felt somewhat glad about his three-day trip this time. He would return on the evening of November 18th—his birthday—giving her these few days to carefully consider what birthday gift to prepare for him.
Back at the newspaper office, everyone was currently focusing on a theme about families who had lost their only child. After preparing the topics for the next phase, Zhou Wan went with her colleagues to a nursing home in the afternoon for research and interviews.
During this time, Lu Xixiao sent a message saying he had landed.
Zhou Wan smiled at her phone, took a photo of the nursing home, and told him what she was doing.
By the time the research and interviews concluded, it was almost the end of the workday. Colleagues who had driven themselves went straight home, while the others took the company shuttle back to the office.
"Wanwan, isn't your boyfriend picking you up today?" Ji Jie asked.
Zhou Wan replied, "He's on a business trip."
Uncle Ye turned around. "How will you get back then? Want me to give you a ride since it's on my way?"
"It's fine." Zhou Wan smiled, her eyes curving. "The subway from work is very convenient."
Although she had obtained her driver's license, Zhou Wan disliked driving due to B City's constant traffic jams.
Lu Xixiao had initially told her to call his secretary after work for a ride, but Zhou Wan always felt too embarrassed to trouble others and preferred taking the subway.
Uncle Ye didn't insist further. "Alright then, be careful on your way."
The group returned to the newspaper office. Zhou Wan tidied up her workstation and went downstairs with Ji Jie.
She had been thinking all day about what birthday gift to buy for Lu Xixiao, but he lacked nothing. She wanted to give something meaningful but couldn't come up with any ideas.
"Xiao Jie," Zhou Wan asked, "do you know what kind of gifts guys usually like?"
"Hmm?" Ji Jie blinked. "Is it your boyfriend's birthday soon?"
"Yeah, the day he returns from his business trip is his birthday."
"Someone like President Lu can probably afford anything he wants." Ji Jie analyzed for her. "For such a gift, it has to really touch his heart. How about cooking him a romantic candlelit dinner yourself when he returns?"
"A candlelit dinner... wouldn't that be too little? It might seem insincere."
Ji Jie said, "I haven't finished. After dinner, you can give yourself to him. Buy a sexy nightgown and let him unwrap you as his gift."
"..."
Zhou Wan imagined the scene but didn't dare to continue the thought halfway.
It was truly... somewhat terrifying.
Ji Jie really had no sense of propriety.
Forget it, she would have to think of something herself.
As they chatted, they reached the building's entrance. Zhou Wan waved goodbye to her. "Be safe on your way, see you tomorrow."
"Bye bye bye."
The moment Zhou Wan turned around, a voice sounded by her ear—Guo Xiangling's voice: "Wanwan."
Her entire body stiffened. She turned her head to look.
Guo Xiangling was standing on the other side of the service road.
They hadn't seen each other for seven or eight years.
She had aged significantly, her face covered with wrinkles, crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, her skin sallow and dull, and the brightness gone from her pupils. She wore a short black down jacket with two sleeve covers on the arms.
This was vastly different from the Guo Xiangling in Zhou Wan's memory.
So much so that the moment she saw Guo Xiangling, she froze completely on the spot, her heart instantly flooded with mixed emotions.In her memory, Guo Xiangling had always dressed well. Even back when she and Zhou Jun were still married and didn’t have much spare money, she never hesitated to spend on her appearance.
Even if she had fallen on hard times, she would have made sure to keep herself refined and presentable.
For a moment, Zhou Wan wondered if she had deliberately dressed this way to evoke her pity.
But then she noticed the roughness of the skin on Guo Xiangling’s hands, already covered in chilblains in the November cold.
This wasn’t something that could change overnight. It was clear as day—she had not been doing well over the years.
“Wanwan.”
Guo Xiangling called out again, stumbling forward quickly and gripping Zhou Wan’s wrist tightly.
Her voice trembled with genuine emotion, her eyes reddened, and tears traced the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes as she blinked, like a pitiful mother who had traveled over mountains and rivers to finally find her daughter.
“I’ve missed you so much all these years, Mom.”
Zhou Wan felt a chill run through her. When Guo Xiangling reached out to grab her sleeve again, she instinctively raised her arm to avoid the touch, then took a step back, her resistance unmistakable.
“Wanwan.”
Ji Jie had stopped walking the moment Guo Xiangling first called out, watching the scene unfold with surprise. She tentatively asked, “Are you okay?”
In this bustling, steel-and-concrete metropolis, with skyscrapers behind them and asphalt roads ahead, Zhou Wan stood out in her clean, tasteful clothes and delicate flats, radiantly beautiful. In stark contrast, Guo Xiangling appeared the opposite. Against such a backdrop, even the slightest step back could be misinterpreted as disdain.
Zhou Wan had long been pushed to the edge of a precarious cliff—the pinnacle of moral judgment.
Working in the news industry, she knew all too well how easily such a scene could be twisted.
But she had no desire to let others pry open the scars of her past and gawk.
“I’m fine.”
Zhou Wan smiled at Ji Jie, then used her ice-cold hand to firmly grasp Guo Xiangling’s and led her toward the subway station in the opposite direction.
“Wanwan…”
“Don’t speak right now,” Zhou Wan interrupted coldly, walking briskly. “And don’t call me that.”
Guo Xiangling opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing.
Zhou Wan bought her a subway ticket, and they boarded a train heading toward the suburbs.
Eventually, Zhou Wan found a sparsely populated café.
She ordered two coffees and sat with Guo Xiangling by the window.
As she took her seat, a sudden realization struck Zhou Wan, and she found the whole situation bitterly ironic.
She remembered a time in her second year of high school when she had sought out Guo Xiangling because of Grandma’s illness. They had also met at a café. When they left, it was pouring rain. Guo Xiangling had left in a car, while Zhou Wan had dashed through the rain to the bus stop. Under the shelter, she had glanced back at the car and saw it parked by the roadside, with Guo Xiangling leaning out to speak to Lu Xixiao.
“Why did you come looking for me so suddenly?” Zhou Wan got straight to the point.
“Wanwan, Mom just wanted to apologize. I know I was wrong before. Can you forgive me?”
“No.”
Zhou Wan looked at her, her voice soft but resolute. “Why should I forgive you? You had no hardships to blame—you simply abandoned me.”
Guo Xiangling began to cry again.
Tears fell drop by drop until she buried her face in her hands, sobbing.
The tissue box was right beside Zhou Wan, but she never reached for a single sheet to hand over.
“I will never forgive you in this lifetime. And I’ve ruined what should have been your peaceful, untroubled later years.”Zhou Wan watched her cry calmly. "So let's just hate and resent each other, and stop bothering one another."
A server brought two cups of coffee.
Zhou Wan picked up her cup and took a sip, then stood up and asked the staff to exchange five hundred yuan in cash for her.
She placed the cash in front of Guo Xiangling. "You probably can't buy a train ticket now. Find a hotel and use this money to go back tomorrow. You won't get anything else from me."
With that, Zhou Wan picked up her bag and turned to leave.
"Wanwan."
She didn't stop walking.
Guo Xiangling's voice was hoarse. "I have nowhere else to turn—"
Guo Xiangling didn't look back. Her entire body was hunched over, her back deeply curved, her dry hair streaked with white strands, and her shoulder blades protruding sharply beneath her sweater from how thin she had become.
"I opened a beauty salon myself later on, but business hasn't been good these past few years, and it went bankrupt," Guo Xiangling said. "I had no choice but to borrow money from someone. If I can't pay it back, they'll beat me to death..."
Zhou Wan's steps faltered. Her throat unconsciously tightened, and her legs felt as heavy as if filled with lead. She opened her mouth but couldn't make a sound, then whispered, "So you came to me hoping I'd help you pay back the debt?"
Guo Xiangling turned around, her eyes red. "I really have no other options. That year..."
Zhou Wan's eyelids burned fiercely, as if something scalding was about to surge out. But she held it back, forcing her eyes to turn bloodshot without shedding a single tear.
"I told you not to call me that!"
Her emotions suddenly erupted as she stared intently at the woman who had aged so rapidly. "You don't want to die now, but did my dad and Grandma want to back then? What did you do at that time?"
"How could you do this to me? You took my dad and Grandma from me. How can you still make such a request of me now?"
Zhou Wan held no expectations for Guo Xiangling.
She knew that given Guo Xiangling's nature, her sudden visit couldn't possibly be genuine repentance.
Yet, in this moment, she still felt overwhelmingly sad and wronged.
After reuniting with Lu Xixiao in City B, she had met many good people and thought her streak of bad luck was finally turning around. But Guo Xiangling's appearance had dragged her back into the depths once more.
Why did her biological mother have to be like this?
Why did she have to endure all of this?
Zhou Wan lowered her gaze. In the end, she couldn't hold back that tear, and it fell to the ground.
"Why did you even give birth to me back then? If you never loved me at all, why did you have me? Why do you always show up just when I think my suffering is finally over?"
"After Dad passed away, I begged you not to abandon me. I knelt on the ground, clutching your clothes, begging you not to leave. But you still left. So why are you coming back now?"
"Am I just a dog to you? You leave when you want and expect me to wag my tail when you beckon? There's no fairness in that."
Guo Xiangling: "Mom knows..."
"I won't give you money, and I certainly won't pay your debts for you."
Zhou Wan said with reddened eyes, "Whether you live or die has nothing to do with me. If you harass me again, I'll call the police."
Guo Xiangling was stunned.
She seemed provoked by these heartless words, her gaze turning cold and disbelieving.
"I carried you for ten months and went through the pain of childbirth to bring you into this world. Even if I've done nothing else, I've suffered for you! Now you won't lift a finger to save me and even threaten to call the police on me!?"Guo Xiangling's pretenses were all exposed, and she shrieked, "We're related by blood and registered under the same household! What you're doing now is abandonment!"
Such words couldn't frighten Zhou Wan.
She realized she was still accustomed to this version of Guo Xiangling.
She even curled her lips in a self-mocking smile: "After all, we share blood ties. The way I am now is just like how you abandoned me back then."
...
Returning home, Zhou Wan took a shower and lay down on the bed.
After meeting Guo Xiangling, she felt utterly exhausted—physically and emotionally. She tried to clear her mind, but the image of Guo Xiangling and her words kept lingering in her thoughts.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't forget them.
She raised her arm, resting it over her eyes, and let out a soft sigh.
At that moment, her phone rang.
It was Lu Xixiao.
Zhou Wan paused, not wanting him to detect her low spirits. She cleared her throat and answered, "Hello?"
"What are you up to?"
"Lying down, not doing anything."
He chuckled softly. "Not preparing for the competition today?"
"I looked at it during the day." Her voice was slightly hoarse from what had just happened. "I'm a bit tired, so I thought I'd lie down for a while before checking again."
"If you're tired, rest early. You can look at it tomorrow."
After a moment's pause, Lu Xixiao seemed to sense something off about her and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"No."
"Let's video call. I want to see you."
Zhou Wan was taken aback.
The next second, Lu Xixiao initiated a video call.
She quickly wiped her eyes, dimmed the lights, and tucked her chin under the blanket.
It wasn't that she wanted to hide it from him, but he was away on a business trip with a lot on his plate. She didn't want to add to his worries—at least not right now.
She accepted the call.
The screen flickered, revealing Lu Xixiao's face.
He was already back at the hotel, wearing a hotel bathrobe. He had probably just finished showering, his dark hair slightly damp, his features appearing especially sharp and profound under the overhead light.
"Why are you hiding your face?"
His voice carried a low, husky warmth, softened with tenderness. "Let me see you."
Zhou Wan lifted her chin slightly and murmured softly, "I'm not unwell."
"Then why do you seem so listless?" Lu Xixiao frowned, glancing at the wall clock. "Should I fly back right now?"
Zhou Wan blinked.
She gazed at the man on the screen. His features and contours were inherently sharp, but at this moment, all that sharpness seemed to melt away, replaced by unmistakable gentleness.
That gentleness seemed to transcend the screen, mingling with Lu Xixiao's unique presence, soothing the grievances and unease in Zhou Wan's heart.
"No need."
She curved her eyes into a smile, holding back the sting in her nose. "I just... miss you a little."
She nuzzled her cheek against the pillow, her voice soft and drawn-out as she called his name: "Lu Xixiao."
"Hmm?"
"Can you come back quickly once you're done with your work?"
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