HomeFalling In LoveZhui Luo - Chapter 10

Zhui Luo – Chapter 10

Grandmother woke up around noon the next day. Zhou Wan was sitting beside her doing practice problems.

“Wan Wan.” Her voice was hoarse, calling out very weakly.

“Grandma.” Zhou Wan immediately got up and went to her, “Is there anywhere you’re feeling uncomfortable?”

Grandmother looked around: “How did I end up in the hospital?”

“Last night you suddenly had an irregular heartbeat and difficulty breathing. You just had surgery, and you’ll need to stay in the hospital for observation before being discharged.”

“Stay in the hospital?” Grandmother held her hand, “No need to stay, I’m fine, Wan Wan. Hospitalization costs too much money.”

Zhou Wan: “I’ve already paid for half a month’s hospital stay, Grandma, don’t worry about it. Just take this opportunity to get better.”

“Half a month? Where did you get that much money?”

“Mm.” After a pause, Zhou Wan told the truth, “A classmate lent me some money, I’ll pay him back when I have money later.”

Grandmother felt bad that her granddaughter had to work so hard to earn money and also felt guilty about her sickly body, but what’s done was done – saying more would only make her granddaughter sad.

Grandmother sighed silently: “Then you must thank that classmate properly. Is it that girlfriend of yours?”

“No, it’s—”

Before she could finish, the hospital room door opened, with two knocks on the door panel: “Zhou Wan.”

Lu Xixiao stood in the doorway.

Today he had changed from his usual all-black outfit, wearing a white shirt and jeans, looking clean and fresh.

“Lu Xixiao.” Zhou Wan blinked, feeling it wasn’t real, “Why are you here?”

He lifted the bag in his hand: “Was passing by.”

Inside was breakfast.

“Wan Wan, who is this?”

Zhou Wan: “Grandma, this is my classmate, Lu Xixiao. He’s the one who paid the medical bills yesterday.”

“Oh, I see.” Grandmother smiled kindly and said to Lu Xixiao, “Thank you. My health isn’t good, always causing trouble for our Wan Wan. Yesterday was fortunate to have you there, sorry for the trouble.”

Lu Xixiao smiled: “It’s nothing, I happened to be at the arcade where she works.”

His appearance now was very different from before.

He looked like a gentle spring breeze, showing no trace of someone who got into fights and caused trouble, instead appearing like a privileged, bright, and upright senior student.

Zhou Wan called the doctor in to examine her grandmother again, only finally relaxing after all indicators were normal.

Lu Xixiao had brought red date porridge for Grandmother and crab roe buns for Zhou Wan.

He didn’t stay long, leaving after receiving a call from Jiang Fan, truly seeming like he’d just stopped by on his way somewhere.

After finishing the porridge, Grandmother smiled at Zhou Wan: “Wan Wan, was that boy your desk-mate with the good grades?”

Grandmother had heard Zhou Wan mention Jiang Yan several times, knew he was always first in the grade, knew they were desk mates with a good relationship, and knew they would be participating in the physics competition together in a few days.

“No, he’s not from our class.” Zhou Wan told the truth, “I know him because he’s come to play games at the arcade a few times.”

“Is that so? I thought that young man looked quite handsome.”

Zhou Wan was peeling an apple, and looked up at her grandmother upon hearing this, smiling: “A lot of girls at our school do like him.”

“What about you?”

“Huh?” Zhou Wan was startled, “Grandma, what are you saying?”

Grandmother laughed: “What’s wrong with that? It’s normal to have someone you like at this age. We got married early back then – when I was your age, I was already married to your grandfather.”

“No, we’re just friends,” Zhou Wan said.

Grandmother tapped her forehead: “You haven’t awakened to these things yet.”

But really, were she and Lu Xixiao friends?

Her relationship with Lu Xixiao wasn’t exactly close, but it didn’t seem distant either.

They’d eaten noodles together a few times, he had stayed with her for so long last night, and today he even brought breakfast.

But Lu Xixiao stood out too much in a crowd, to the point where being his friend seemed to require his acknowledgment.

Zhou Wan wasn’t sure if Lu Xixiao considered her a friend.

After all, others didn’t even know they knew each other, and they wouldn’t greet each other when meeting at school.

Friends don’t act like that.

Moreover, her initial purpose in approaching Lu Xixiao hadn’t been pure.

Friendship shouldn’t be tainted.

She wasn’t worthy of being Lu Xixiao’s friend.

Zhou Wan lowered her eyes, remembering what Lu Xixiao had said sitting on the steps last night—

“Lu Xixiao, then if someone betrays you, what would you do?”

“I’d kill her.”

Zhou Wan switched shifts with someone to take care of her grandmother for a night, then went to the arcade early the next morning.

Business at the arcade was good during National Day, with many couples coming to play together.

Midway through, Jiang Yan called to ask how to solve the last question of the final practice paper. Zhou Wan photographed her solution process and sent it to him.

As the loading circle on the image spun round and round, just as it sent, the arcade door was pushed open and a noisy group walked in.

“Welcome.”

Zhou Wan looked up while speaking, and was startled to see who it was.

It was Lu Xixiao and his friends.

Jiang Fan hadn’t expected to see Zhou Wan here either, and spoke familiarly: “Hey, what a coincidence, why are you here?”

Lu Xixiao turned his head and gave him a faint glance, snorting with laughter.

“Hey, Ah Xiao.” Jiang Fan noticed his expression and immediately said, “I’ve already taken a knife for my brother and painfully given up, your attitude isn’t right.”

He raised his eyebrows: “Did I ask you to give up?”

“…”

Lu Xixiao walked to the counter, took out his arcade membership card from his wallet, and pulled out several hundred yuan bills.

Seeing this, the people around first froze, and then burst into successive teasing.

“Not bad, Brother Xiao, moving fast enough.” One of the boys said, “When did you secretly get a membership card without us knowing?”

These people had always been unrestrained in their speech, holding nothing back.

Zhou Wan couldn’t handle this, pursing her lips and quietly lowering her head to load the money onto the membership card.

“Done.”

Lu Xixiao made an “mm” sound and took the card.

Everyone walked toward the game machines, and Zhou Wan could hear their teasing and discussions.

“You know, Zhou Wan is quite pretty, the more you look at her the prettier she gets, so well-behaved, really fucking pure.”

“Dangerous words, dare to covet the girl Brother Xiao has his eye on?”

“Hahaha, no way, I wouldn’t dare. But is Ah Xiao changing his taste? I used to think Ah Xiao didn’t like this type.”

They had never seen Lu Xixiao take any girl seriously.

Every time it was the girls who threw themselves at him, insisting on being moths to the flame.

They had seen it so many times that they naturally didn’t take these girls seriously, not needing to worry about Lu Xixiao getting angry.

The group played Contra together online, pressing the buttons with rapid clicks, occasionally interjecting curses.

After several rounds, they switched to another game machine and continued.

The arcade became much livelier.

During this time, Zhou Wan glanced up at Lu Xixiao once.

He wasn’t playing games, leaning lazily to one side, looking down at his phone.

He was very sensitive to gazes around him, looking up toward Zhou Wan, openly raising his eyebrows, and silently posing a question.

Zhou Wan shook her head slightly, lowering her head to do problems.

After a long while, people in the arcade gradually thinned out.

Jiang Fan walked to Zhou Wan’s desk: “Little classmate.”

“Ah?”

Jiang Fan leaned over to see what she was writing: “As expected of a study god, are the papers in your Class 1 different from our class?”

Zhou Wan replied mildly: “They’re the same, this is just a competition paper.”

“Competition ah—” Jiang Fan clicked his tongue several times, “Chemistry?”

“…”

Zhou Wan suspected his eyesight had problems, “Physics.”

Lu Xixiao came over, putting a stack of prize tickets on the desk, mocking: “As if you even know what our class’s papers look like.”

“…”

Jiang Fan was dissatisfied, “You don’t know either.”

Lu Xixiao snorted lightly: “At least I can tell they’re physics problems.”

“…”

Zhou Wan voluntarily spoke up to smooth things over, hugging the heavy stack of prize tickets: “I’ll record these points first.”

Jiang Fan asked: “What are these used for?”

Zhou Wan: “You can exchange them for prizes.”

Jiang Fan looked at the prize wall behind her: “So how many points are there now?”

Zhou Wan estimated what she had in hand: “This is probably about twenty thousand, adding what’s stored on the card makes about sixty thousand.”

“That much?” Jiang Fan said in surprise, “What prizes can you get with that?”

“All of these can be exchanged,” Zhou Wan gestured with her hand, and remembering their time at the basketball court, added, “That basketball too.”

“These prizes are pretty good,” a boy nearby said, “It’s even a limited edition, I remember it costs several hundred.”

Zhou Wan glanced at Lu Xixiao, asking: “Want to exchange it?”

“No need,” Lu Xixiao said.

“Don’t be stingy, Brother Xiao.”

“Playing games and getting a limited edition basketball, isn’t that great?”

Jiang Fan asked curiously: “These points are useless if you don’t exchange them, what are you saving them for?”

Lu Xixiao looked at him.

Jiang Fan asked: “What do you want to exchange for?”

He lifted his chin, indicating the bicycle.

Jiang Fan was even more puzzled: “You complain about the racetrack being too slow, what do you want a bicycle for?”

Lu Xixiao couldn’t be bothered to explain, and Jiang Fan asked Zhou Wan: “Little classmate, do you know?”

Zhou Wan paused.

Remembering when Lu Xixiao had asked her which prize she wanted most.

Her mouth opened slightly, but before she could say anything, Lu Xixiao lazily said: “Don’t talk to this idiot.”

Instantly, the group’s teasing nearly brought the roof down.

“Nice one, Brother Xiao!”

“Hahaha damn, that’s how you do it.”

“I want to see if Brother Jiang still dares to keep calling her ‘little classmate’!”

Zhou Wan didn’t know how to react, staying silent.

Lu Xixiao raised his hand, his cool knuckles lightly brushing her cheek, his lips curling up, half-smiling, looking as mischievous as could be.

“Did you hear that?” he asked lazily.

Zhou Wan’s long black eyelashes trembled quickly, following his lead: “I heard.”

Laughter erupted around them.

And in this laughter, everyone subtly changed their view of Zhou Wan.

Not only was she different from previous girls in personality and appearance, but she seemed to be different in Lu Xixiao’s eyes too – before, Lu Xixiao never cared who those girls talked to.

But looking at Zhou Wan’s manner, they understood.

The young girl was pure and clean, all her thoughts revealed in her trembling eyelashes and careful breathing, her features delicate and small, without a single flaw.

Like fine porcelain, making people want to protect her instinctively.

Just then, several people suddenly entered through the door.

They didn’t look like good people.

“Lu Xixiao,” their leader called out.

Everyone turned at the sound, frowning, creating an awkward tension in the atmosphere. Jiang Fan frowned and spat, muttering impatiently: “Why is it them again.”

They weren’t friends.

Previously when Zhou Wan heard others mention Lu Xixiao, she always heard about him getting into fights.

He was too flamboyant, too arrogant, able to attract people but also draw hatred.

And now, he just stood there, unmoved by anything, looking down at them expressionlessly, radiating arrogant contempt.

After a moment, he smiled: “Shall we talk outside?”

Lu Xixiao put his hands in his pockets and walked out of the arcade amid the whispered discussions of others.

Zhou Wan watched their retreating figures, unable to help to furrow her brow.

Would there be a fight? Would he get hurt…

Zhou Wan remembered hearing Jiang Fan mention that person’s name on Lu Xixiao’s phone before – he was called Luo He.

It must have been the man who just called for Lu Xixiao. He looked older than Lu Xixiao, without any trace of student-like qualities, full of thuggish behavior, his eyes dark with violence.

Zhou Wan’s heart inexplicably began to panic, making her unable to focus on her test papers.

Zhou Wan tightened her palms, took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, trying to slow her heartbeat.

In the last hour and a half before closing time, Zhou Wan only completed two long problems.

She rubbed her eyes, feeling headache and dizzy, pressing her cold hands to her forehead to stay alert.

After turning off all the game machines, Zhou Wan left the arcade with her backpack.

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, the autumn night wind blowing through her thin clothes.

Zhou Wan shivered, wrapping her coat tighter, and walking with her head down.

Before her, a figure appeared in the direction of her feet.

“Lu Xixiao.”

He turned around, laughing softly: “Zhou Wan.”

He was smiling as he said this, but his tone carried a cold amusement: “You’re quite heartless, knowing to come out now.”

She blinked, saying mildly: “Work’s over.”

“…”

Lu Xixiao snorted lightly.

Zhou Wan noticed the blood mark on his chin, like a scratch from fingernails, though he didn’t seem injured elsewhere.

Zhou Wan sensed his displeasure but didn’t understand why.

Was it because she hadn’t come out, making him lose face in front of his friends?

She stepped forward, explaining: “I thought you went somewhere else, so I didn’t come out.”

He didn’t speak, staying silent, looking down at her from above with lowered eyelids.

Zhou Wan looked up at his face, trying to appease him: “Lu Xixiao, your face is hurt.”

“Yeah.” An indifferent tone.

“There are bandages inside, let me dress it for you, okay?” Zhou Wan said softly.

“Zhou Wan.”

He suddenly leaned close, directly raising his hand to grip the back of her neck, forcefully lifting her head, his black eyes staring intently at her, his smile not reaching his eyes, as if trying to see into her heart.

“Why are you acting so well-behaved?” he said.

Zhou Wan froze.

She was best at pretending to be well-behaved and hiding her abilities. Everyone said she was obedient and well-behaved, but Lu Xixiao was the first person to see through her.

But he didn’t dwell on it, quickly losing interest, not bothering to pursue the matter.

He straightened up, letting out a faint snort, walking past Zhou Wan directly into the arcade.

Zhou Wan hurried after him.

Unlocking and turning on the lights again.

“Lu Xixiao, wait for me,” Zhou Wan said to his back, “I’ll get the bandages from the back room.”

He didn’t answer.

Zhou Wan found a small metal box in the back room, and took out a Yunnan Baiyao bandage, checking to make sure it hadn’t expired.

When Zhou Wan came out, Lu Xixiao was standing in front of the claw machine, controlling the claw.

He’d been to the arcade several times, but this was the first time she’d seen him play the claw machine.

The game machine emitted a pink light, falling on his face, outlining his sharp features. His bangs hung down his forehead, his gaze calm and indifferent, his long, bony fingers gripping the joystick.

Zhou Wan was about to say that these machines were set with probabilities, and since someone had just won two prizes, it would probably be very difficult to win now.

Just as she was about to speak, the claw firmly gripped a doll.

With a “plop” sound, he bent down and took out the doll.

Zhou Wan walked forward, handing him the bandage.

Lu Xixiao lowered his eyes, leaning forward, bringing his face closer.

Zhou Wan smelled the tobacco on him, unconsciously holding her breath, somewhat dazed.

He looked up, his gaze direct, his voice hoarse: “Weren’t you going to comfort me?”

He seemed to know her inner thoughts perfectly.

But he never asked why she was afraid of him being angry, why she pretended to be well-behaved in front of him, always maintaining that casual, carefree demeanor.

Zhou Wan bit her lip, forcing herself to control her trembling eyelashes as she opened the bandage and placed it on his chin.

Her fingertips accidentally touched the skin of his chin, slightly rough from stubble.

“Done.”

“Then let’s go,” he turned and walked away.

As usual, the two walked along the familiar quiet street.

There were more fallen leaves on the ground now, rustling.

“Lu Xixiao,” Zhou Wan said, “About the money you paid at the hospital, could I pay you back at the end of the year, with bank interest rates? Would that be okay?”

Lu Xixiao glanced at her, saying quietly: “No rush.”

“Thank you.”

Soon, they reached Zhou Wan’s door.

“I’ll go in then,” Zhou Wan waved to him, “Thank you for walking me back.”

“Mm.”

As Zhou Wan reached the door, Lu Xixiao suddenly spoke: “Zhou Wan.”

“What is it?”

“Here.” He held up the doll.

Zhou Wan was stunned for a moment, walking back to him, taking it and holding it in her arms, saying very seriously: “Thank you.”

Since Zhou Jun’s death, Zhou Wan hadn’t had any toys or dolls.

He smiled, with a hint of mischief in his voice: “It looks like you.”

Zhou Wan looked down, seeing through the dim light, the pink back.

She turned it over.

It was a Peach Butt Lord plushie with a big face, bean-sized eyes, red cheeks, and a flat nose.

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