When she first saw that news article and the comments below, Zhou Wan was indeed panicked, guilt-ridden, and filled with self-blame.
But through the rain-streaked window, she spotted the tattoo shop and suddenly thought of what birthday gift she could give Lu Xixiao.
Back on her 17th birthday, Lu Xixiao had tattooed her name on his collarbone.
Now, for his 27th birthday, Zhou Wan tattooed his name on her own collarbone.
Lu Xixiao had once said what finally made him agree to their breakup back then.
Because he had desperately rushed toward Zhou Wan, while from beginning to end, all she had thought about was how to leave him.
But now, after thousands of days and nights, Zhou Wan had finally taken Lu Xixiao's hand again, and also taken the hand of that youth who sat in the hospital on an early summer evening in May.
This time, what she said was no longer "Let's break up, ge."
Instead, it was: "I won't back away anymore, Lu Xixiao."
While you run toward me, I will also run toward you.
I will never leave you alone again.
I will also choose you without hesitation, with unwavering determination.
It has to be you.
Until death do us part.
When Lu Xixiao heard that answer, the tip of his nose tingled with emotion.
He had trekked across countless mountains and rivers, finally seeing that person walking toward him through the vast snowfall - that person who had been through countless twists and turns.
"Does it hurt?" he asked.
"A little," Zhou Wan answered truthfully, then deliberately joked to lighten the mood, "Last time I asked if it hurt, you said it didn't, tricking me into getting one too."
Lu Xixiao's fingertips gently traced over her collarbone repeatedly.
Unable to put it down yet heartachingly reluctant.
After a pause, he leaned down and pressed a burning kiss to her collarbone, exceptionally devout, as if bowing in submission.
Zhou Wan's eyelashes fluttered slightly. Sensing his emotions, she tightly grasped his hand: "Let's go home."
"Okay."
...
Neither of them brought up what had happened online.
Actually, this had been their way since they were seventeen or eighteen - this world was bustling and noisy, but their world stood isolated, containing only each other's voices.
Silent yet intense collisions.
Lu Xixiao had never cared about others' opinions and evaluations.
And as long as he didn't care, Zhou Wan could manage not to care either.
Returning home, Zhou Wan brought out the cake.
Several hours had passed since she picked up the cake, but fortunately she had been carefully tending to it, and it remained perfectly intact and exquisite.
She lit the candles and turned off the lights.
The dim room was illuminated only by candlelight.
"Lu Xixiao, make a wish," Zhou Wan said.
Looking at her, he whispered: "Stay with me forever."
"Okay." Zhou Wan's eyes curved into smiles, radiant and captivating, "I'll help make this wish come true."
For a lifetime.
Lu Xixiao leaned in to kiss her, their lips and tongues entwining. After a moment, he couldn't help biting her lip, using some force, as if venting frustration yet with inexplicable relief: "I waited eight years."
Zhou Wan flinched back from the bite: "Hmm?"
"Finally raised you to be sensible."
He smiled, pecking kisses at the corner of her mouth, murmuring, "Our Wanwan has grown up."
He knew how difficult Zhou Wan's transformation had been.
Those habitual evasions and self-loathing were shaped bit by bit through her upbringing, not easily changed or reversed, yet she still chose to stand by his side.
Throughout this process, she had struggled and tossed, but ultimately made the most resolute decision.
Zhou Wan chuckled lightly: "You talk as if you're much older than me."
"Even one year older is still older."Lu Xixiao lowered his gaze, his fingertips gently brushing beneath her eyes. "Wanwan, you've worked hard all these years."
Those times when she was utterly alone.
Those times filled with self-blame and guilt.
Those times when she despised herself.
She had endured it all.
Now that the bitterness had passed and sweetness had arrived, they could both stand openly under the sunlight, fearless of worldly judgments and unafraid of gossip.
Zhou Wan paused, suddenly feeling a sting in her nose.
From beginning to end, Lu Xixiao was the one who understood her best.
For a moment, she felt that Lu Xixiao wasn't just wiping away her tears at that moment, but also the tears of the younger Zhou Wan who had repeatedly scorned and despised herself.
"Lu Xixiao." Zhou Wan suppressed the tightness in her throat. "I'm glad I met you."
Because of you, I can forgive everything that happened to me.
"Me too, I'm glad I have you." Lu Xixiao said softly.
The incident escalated overnight, with numerous media outlets rushing to interview Guo Xiangling. It seemed she had falsely claimed to be ill, and netizens had been donating money to her.
Early the next morning, Lu Xixiao woke up first, followed shortly by Zhou Wan.
"Sleep a bit more." Lu Xixiao said. "Don't go to work today. Take a day off. I'll handle this matter."
"It's fine. This situation was caused by me, so I need to face it."
Lu Xixiao frowned, still worried she would face criticism.
When information is unequal, people tend to instinctively side with the perceived weaker party.
Zhou Wan took his hand. "Don't worry. This matter was taken out of context from the start. If I've done nothing wrong, I won't bear the blame."
She had worked hard to grow up independently, finally transforming from the disadvantaged to the strong, only to be falsely accused. There was no justice in that.
After a night's reflection, Zhou Wan had calmed down again, understanding that avoiding problems solves nothing.
"Alright." Lu Xixiao ruffled her hair. "Let me know if anything comes up."
"Okay."
After washing up, Lu Xixiao drove her to work.
She arrived early today, entering an empty office. After waiting a while, colleagues began trickling in.
Everyone had already heard about yesterday's incident, but no one knew how to broach the subject appropriately. Though they didn't want to believe Zhou Wan was that kind of person, they also didn't want to pry into private matters she might not wish to discuss.
Just then, the editor-in-chief walked in. "Zhou Wan, come with me."
Zhou Wan stood up and entered the chief's office.
"Chief, I'm sorry." She spoke first upon entering. "My personal matters have brought negative attention to the entire newspaper. I'm willing to accept any disciplinary action."
"Even termination?"
Zhou Wan pressed her lips together. "Yes."
The chief clicked his tongue. "That won't do. Unless you're planning to jump ship someday, I'm not letting talent like you go."
Zhou Wan looked up in surprise.
The chief smiled. "In my position, I've seen plenty of people and situations. I trust my judgment of character, and I know exactly what kind of person you are. Every family has its difficulties - I won't pressure you to share what you don't want to. The internet is like this nowadays. Just wait it out, the heat will naturally fade."
Zhou Wan's throat moved. "...Thank you, chief."
"No need for thanks. Staying true to yourself is what matters most."
"Yes, I understand."
The chief nodded. "Alright, get back to work.""There's one more thing I'd like to trouble you with," Zhou Wan said. "I can wait for myself, but in this matter—both past and present—my boyfriend has been completely innocent. I can endure the criticism, but he doesn't deserve to suffer from the bad reputation. So I want to step forward and clarify things, at least tell the truth, and let people judge what's right or wrong."
The editor-in-chief was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Alright."
She stood up and patted Zhou Wan's shoulder. "I'll go have A Ming prepare."
...
From interviewer to interviewee.
Zhou Wan sat in the chair, facing the camera on the tripod across from her, and slowly began: "Hello everyone, I'm Zhou Wan."
"The woman in that photo is indeed my biological mother. She came to find me because she owed loan sharks money. I refused to help her repay it and asked her not to harass me anymore. Beyond that, there are some stories from the past that people aren't aware of."
"When I was ten years old, my father fell ill. The treatment required a lot of money with no end in sight. My father couldn't bear to spend the money and didn't want to be treated, hoping the money could be saved for our future livelihood. She also agreed not to treat him. Not long after, my father passed away. Within a month, she took all the remaining money my father had left, abandoned me, and left. She left me and Grandma behind, relying on Grandma's pension to survive."
"But my Grandma has uremia and needs dialysis to sustain her life, requiring a sum of money every month. Since I was young, I've worked many part-time jobs—tutoring, shopkeeping, waiting tables... I've done them all. I worked extremely hard to earn money, but it still wasn't enough to live on. I didn't want to ask her for money—I just wanted to retrieve one portion of the money my father had left to treat Grandma's illness, but she refused."
Zhou Wan looked into the camera, laying bare those old stories and exposing them to the sunlight.
"I'm indeed not as good as everyone previously thought. I'm not pure or innocent. I hate her deeply—I hate her for betraying my father, for abandoning me, for leaving Grandma to die without help."
"There's an old saying: poverty breeds deceit, wealth nurtures conscience."
"I've always lived in fear of not having money, and I truly don't know how to become a pure, kind-hearted good person."
"Later, she got together with a wealthy man, but I just couldn't stand to see her doing well. I stubbornly thought, why should someone like her deserve happiness? I was willing to do anything to ruin her life at that time."
"So I set my sights on that wealthy man's son. I thought that as long as I was with him, she wouldn't be able to continue living her luxurious life."
She exposed all those shameful, dark thoughts.
She spoke slowly, her voice heavy yet light, pouring out everything from the past.
Including how she genuinely liked Lu Xixiao.
She had liked him from the very beginning.
A liking for him that contained no ulterior motives or impurities.
They had also been like any ordinary couple—watching fireworks, seeing snow, going to amusement parks, experiencing happiness, jealousy, and arguments.
But fate played its tricks.
She learned that Grandma's passing was also inextricably linked to Guo Xiangling.
That was her only family, the person she depended on for survival.
In that moment, she was blinded by overwhelming hatred, unable to see anything. If there had been a knife within reach, she might even have directly killed Guo Xiangling.Everything that happened afterward was beyond her control, more like the turning gears of fate pushing her step by step toward a point of no return.
They broke up.
She left Pingshan City and came alone to an unfamiliar city.
From then on, she never contacted Guo Xiangling again.
Then, six and a half years later, in City B.
After much struggle, they finally compromised and got back together.
"In my life, I've never tasted much sweetness—always suffering misfortunes for various reasons. Only Lu Xixiao has consistently chosen me from beginning to end."
Even her own birth mother didn't want her.
Only Lu Xixiao treated her like a rare treasure.
"And in this entire matter, he has been passive and innocent. He shouldn't bear any blame because of me."
"Old grievances aren't buried with the passage of time—at least, all those lonely days and nights remind me I still remember. I still hate her and can't forgive what she did, but I don't want any further involvement with her. I only hope we never cross paths again until death."
"Some might not understand my actions, but I won't change. Whatever kindness I had that might have repaid evil with good was exhausted through repeated hardships and ordeals. Why should I set aside past grievances and complain nothing when she ignored me at my most vulnerable, only to seek me out now?"
Zhou Wan's eyes were slightly round, giving her a gentle, youthful appearance with no hint of aggression, yet she carried an innate, naive depth.
She sat by the window with her back to the light, facing the camera, and beyond it, her gathered colleagues.
Alone, her slender back straight, she exuded a tender stubbornness.
As if standing alone against the secular.
"Since things have come to this, I want to take this opportunity to tell Guo Xiangling—after all, from now on, we probably won't have another chance to speak."
Her voice remained soft, yet intertwined with crisp determination, each word deliberate and resonant, "Guo Xiangling, the bond between mother and daughter ended the year you abandoned me. From now on, I will have nothing to do with you. You don't love me, and I won't love you either. Everything about you from now on is none of my business."
With that, the filming concluded.
Zhou Wan stood up, returning to her usual demeanor, and bowed deeply to her colleagues standing before her: "I'm sorry for troubling everyone with my personal matters. Thank you for your hard work."
As she walked out, Ji Jie suddenly rushed toward her, spreading her arms wide and hugging her tightly.
Zhou Wan staggered back a few steps from the impact, barely managing to hold her.
"Wanwan," Ji Jie sniffled, "Why didn't you tell me any of this yesterday?"
Zhou Wan paused, then smiled, "Well, I've told you all now, haven't I?"
"Those people online spout nonsense without understanding anything—it's like aiding the villain," Ji Jie said. "Don't worry, if that woman dares to come again, I'll beat her away myself. How could anyone be such a mother? How dare she come looking for you? It's just too much."
Uncle Ye added from the side, "Don't worry, we're all on your side. Whatever happens, we'll face it together."
Other colleagues chimed in agreement.
Zhou Wan's eyes grew warm; besides thanking them, she didn't know how to express what she felt in that moment.
She had never experienced such an overwhelming wave of kindness and warmth before.She thought these words, though spoken with a clear conscience, might not necessarily be believed, but everyone trusted her without hesitation and stood by her side.
Even when everything was unclear, they never once spoke ill of her.
Zhou Wan genuinely felt that after she completely left her past behind, the people and events she encountered began to improve as well.
She was truly stepping out of the darkness, one step at a time, into the sunlight.
"Thank you, everyone," she said with a smile, tears welling in her eyes. "Really, thank you."
"No need for thanks."
The editor-in-chief patted her shoulder. "How about something more practical? Treat everyone to coffee this afternoon."
Zhou Wan smiled. "Okay."
...
That afternoon.
Zhou Wan ordered coffee for everyone in the newspaper office.
And everyone temporarily set aside their work to collectively handle the video she had recorded that morning—editing, adding subtitles, writing copy, and selecting images—all to release the clarification video before the end of the workday.
Zhou Wan felt too embarrassed and went out again to buy some cakes to share with everyone.
Working against the clock, they finally finished the video and the written content just before the end of the workday.
The editor sent the final version to Zhou Wan: "Take a look and see if this works, or if there's anything that needs to be added or revised."
Zhou Wan reviewed it carefully.
In addition to the video she had recorded, the text section also outlined a timeline of all the past events between her and Guo Xiangling, presenting each piece of evidence one by one, explaining everything thoroughly.
It was clear that a lot of effort had been put into it.
Zhou Wan replied, "It's perfect, thank you, Sister Xuan."
Just as they were about to publish it, Lu Xixiao's company officially released a lengthy Weibo post.
In it was a photo—a hastily taken snapshot of Zhou Wan, with low resolution and unclear pixels.
The background was an arcade, dimly lit with the red glow of game machines intertwining. Zhou Wan stood in front of it, wearing a clean school uniform short-sleeve, looking young and innocent. Her expression was slightly dazed, clearly caught off guard when the photo was taken.
Zhou Wan looked at it for a while and recognized it.
This was the first photo Lu Xixiao had taken of her.
It was his birthday that day, and she had given him a photo frame.
Her gaze paused briefly before she continued reading the text—
I am Lu Xixiao, Zhou Wan's boyfriend.
This photo was taken of Zhou Wan on my 18th birthday. At the time, she was working part-time at the arcade. That's where we met, and that's where our story began.
Back then, Zhou Wan was academically outstanding, intelligent, and exceptional, while I was living a mess of a life. For a long time, I willingly let myself sink into depravity, drifting through relationships and connections without commitment.
It was she who firmly took my hand and led me out of the dead end I had trapped myself in.
It was she who showed me the meaning of life and the value of living.
It was she who made me pick up my textbooks again, start studying anew, and stop drifting aimlessly through my days.
Without her, I would not be the person I am today.
I have loved her since I was 18.
I have seen her shed tears because of Guo Xiangling, and I have seen her despise herself. Guo Xiangling forced her to be someone who couldn't remain entirely kind and flawless, while her true self stood on the moral high ground, constantly criticizing and looking down on herself.
On the day her Grandma passed away, it coincided with the Physics Competition. She didn't attend and disappeared for many days. When I found her, the gas at home was left on, and an accident nearly happened.
And from beginning to end, Guo Xiangling never showed up.At that time, we were like two solitary islands, drifting aimlessly through the world, only able to depend on each other and offer mutual solace, thus supporting one another step by step to keep moving forward.
Zhou Wan and I were not just lovers, but also the closest of kin and comrades fighting side by side.
Long before Guo Xiangling got together with my father, Zhou Wan had already liked me; and before I knew about it, I had already liked her too.
If one must say our relationship was abnormal or immoral, it originated with me and had nothing to do with her.
After Zhou Wan left, it was I who couldn't forget her; it was I who insisted on bringing her home after reuniting with her in City B; it was I who clung to her and asked her to stay with me.
We are not saints.
Nor do I love saints.
From the very beginning, I saw through her sharp edges and intensity.
I love her radiance, and I love her scars.
All of these together form the vivid Zhou Wan. I don't need her to be kind and innocent; I only want her to be free and happy, bold in love and hate, open and pure.
In the end, she is my Zhou Wan, not everyone's Zhou Wan.
She doesn't need to live up to the expectations of the masses; she is herself, not responsible for public preferences, nor obliged to tear open old wounds to satisfy their curiosity—as long as she has a clear conscience.
As for the aftermath of this matter, I have sued all the media that took statements out of context to report and frame us, as well as Guo Xiangling for her lies and slander against Zhou Wan. We can await the court's verdict.
…
At the very bottom were attached several images: the notice of lawsuit.
And Lu Xixiao's handwritten signature.
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