“Boss, I’d like a bowl of red date and white fungus porridge,” Zhou Wan said at the counter. “Thank you.”
Since Lu Xixiao was injured, Zhou Wan only dared to buy him something mild to eat.
This porridge shop was right in front of his house. They mainly sold porridge with some side dishes. The taste was quite good, and portions were generous and affordable, making it quite popular.
Zhou Wan sat waiting, playing with her phone to pass the time.
Opening WeChat Moments, the first post was from Jiang Yan—a photo of him with his father in the car.
Zhou Wan’s fingers paused. She opened the photo and zoomed in.
Her brows furrowed as she studied the photo carefully, becoming more certain: this was Lu Xixiao’s father whom she’d seen at the hospital.
Though that encounter had been from a distance, Lu Xixiao’s father wasn’t someone easily forgotten. He had strong, serious features, a powerful presence, and distinct bearing.
He was quite unlike Lu Xixiao’s casual personality—Lu Xixiao took more after his mother.
But why would Jiang Yan and Lu Xixiao share the same father?
“Young lady, your porridge is ready!” the owner called out.
Zhou Wan’s thoughts were interrupted. She quickly got up to take it, thanking him again.
The red date and white fungus porridge came in a hefty portion, the container feeling substantial in her hands.
…
When she returned, the door was still slightly ajar. Zhou Wan gently pushed it open, changed into the slippers, and went in.
Hearing the sound, Lu Xixiao turned his head and gave her a bland glance.
Zhou Wan helped him open the takeout container lid and pushed the porridge in front of him: “I don’t know what you like to eat, but since you’re injured, let’s have something mild today.”
Lu Xixiao asked: “Where’s yours?”
“What?”
“Dinner.”
Zhou Wan paused, realizing she had forgotten about her dinner.
“I’m not hungry, I’ll eat later.”
Lu Xixiao got up and went to the kitchen.
Zhou Wan heard running water, and soon Lu Xixiao came out with a bowl, not fully dried, water dripping onto the carpet.
He put the bowl on the table, chopsticks between his teeth, and wordlessly poured half the porridge into the bowl, steam rising.
He pushed the porridge toward Zhou Wan, tossing a spoon in front of her.
Lu Xixiao hadn’t said a word throughout. After finishing, he lowered his head and began eating large spoonfuls of porridge.
Zhou Wan pressed her lips together, holding the bowl with both hands: “Thank you.”
They occupied opposite corners of the coffee table, quietly eating porridge.
Zhou Wan ate slowly and attentively. After Lu Xixiao finished, he turned to stare at her.
Several times Zhou Wan felt uncomfortable under his gaze and looked back at him, but he continued staring without avoiding her eyes. He just wouldn’t say anything. Finally, Zhou Wan couldn’t take it anymore and asked: “Is something wrong?”
Lu Xixiao: “Thought you weren’t hungry.”
“…”
Zhou Wan paused, then said softly, “Shouldn’t waste food.”
He let out a contemptuous snort.
Zhou Wan quickened her pace to finish the porridge and took the bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash them. Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang.
“I’ll get it,” Zhou Wan said.
Probably Jiang Fan again.
Zhou Wan ran to open the door but froze when she saw who was standing there.
Not just Zhou Wan—the person outside was equally stunned.
“Zhou Wan?” Jiang Yan’s eyes widened. “Why are you here?”
The world is full of coincidences.
Some coincidences make things more beautiful, while others make things worse.
Lu Xixiao had appeared behind Zhou Wan at some point. He coldly regarded Jiang Yan, gripping Zhou Wan’s slender wrist and pulling her behind him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
Jiang Yan finally shifted his gaze from Zhou Wan: “Dad couldn’t reach you by phone. He asked me to come get you for dinner. The car’s downstairs.”
Lu Xixiao said nothing and moved to close the door.
Jiang Yan blocked it with his elbow. His face darkened, eyes deep, as he said in a low voice: “If you’re so capable, then never come back.”
Lu Xixiao suddenly laughed, as if he’d heard something particularly amusing. He tilted his head and asked Jiang Yan: “Do you know why I look down on you?”
“These should have been mine to begin with!” Jiang Yan rarely raised his voice. “Why do you get to have everything so easily while I have to work a thousand times harder!?”
“Fine then, hurry up and change your surname to Lu. No one’s stopping you.”
“Lu Xixiao, what right do you have to talk down to me like this?” Jiang Yan’s eyes burned as he glared fiercely at him. “Remember, if we’re going to talk about it, you’re the illegitimate child.”
Illegitimate child.
Zhou Wan’s mind went blank.
The next second, Lu Xixiao rushed forward and knocked Jiang Yan to the ground.
He grabbed Jiang Yan’s collar and slammed his fist into his face.
The glass frame broke, and his nose immediately swelled red.
“Lu Xixiao!” Zhou Wan snapped back to reality and rushed to break up the fight.
His wound reopened with the violent movement, fresh blood soaking through the bandage and running down his skin, but he seemed completely numb to the pain. His eyes were bloodshot as he landed punch after punch on Jiang Yan’s face.
Zhou Wan tried to pull his arm back but was pushed away by the force, falling to the side.
Dark clouds quickly covered the cold moon.
Even the last ray of light was withdrawn.
Zhou Wan had no time to tend to her palm’s bloody scrape before grabbing Lu Xixiao’s hand again.
“Stop fighting!” She used all her strength to hold his arm. “Stop it, Lu Xixiao!”
Lu Xixiao finally stopped, lowering his eyes to the blood and dirt on Zhou Wan’s snow-white palm, his rationality slowly returning.
He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing his anger and violence as he stood up.
He watched Zhou Wan help up Jiang Yan, whose face was covered in purple bruises. With his severe nearsightedness of 400-500 degrees and broken glasses, everything was a blur. Zhou Wan supported him as he struggled to sit up: “Jiang Yan, are you okay?”
Lu Xixiao’s eyes were cold enough to kill.
“Jiang Yan, if you dare talk nonsense again, I’ll kill you for sure.” His narrow eyes contracted, radiating sharp murderous intent. “Get out.”
Lu Xixiao turned and went inside, grabbed Zhou Wan’s backpack, and threw it in front of her. “You get out too.”
*
After the downpour, heavy fog shrouded the entire city early in the morning, dampness bringing an invasion of cold.
Autumn rain brings winter’s chill.
“Wan Wan.” Gu Meng turned around, leaning on Zhou Wan’s desk to ask quietly, “What happened to Jiang Yan? Did he get in a fight?”
Zhou Wan recalled yesterday’s argument.
Illegitimate child, and such things.
She shook her head to indicate she didn’t know, saying nothing.
Jiang Yan was the school’s most valued top student, not just destined for Tsinghua or Peking University, but even a potential candidate for direct admission.
When he came to school today with a beaten face, he was immediately called to the office by the homeroom teacher to explain.
He only returned just before math class was about to start.
The math teacher walked in right after, tapping the desk: “Alright, everyone back to your seats. Take out yesterday’s test papers.”
Zhou Wan took out her test paper and asked softly: “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Jiang Yan replied, then after a while asked, “Zhou Wan, how do you know Lu Xixiao?”
“Met him at the arcade I work at.”
Jiang Yan wasn’t so easily fooled. He frowned: “Then why were you at his house? Did you go straight there after getting back yesterday?”
Zhou Wan paused, then said: “Once before when my grandmother wasn’t feeling well at night, he helped accompany me to the hospital. Yesterday his friend said he was hurt, so I went to check on him.”
“He helped?” Jiang Yan asked incredulously, with contempt. “It’s good enough if he’s not causing trouble.”
Jiang Yan’s attitude made Zhou Wan inexplicably uncomfortable. She insisted: “It’s true.”
“Are you close with him?”
Zhou Wan remembered his final “You get out too,” his cold face and eyes, looking at her with extreme disgust.
Zhou Wan shook her head: “No.”
“Stay away from him. He’s not a good person.”
“Then you and him…” Zhou Wan paused, then asked, “Jiang Yan, what’s your relationship with him?”
Jiang Yan was silent for a while.
Just as Zhou Wan felt she had touched on his privacy and was about to apologize, Jiang Yan spoke: “My birthday is in March, his is in November. I’m older.”
“So when you said yesterday he was…”
Illegitimate child.
Zhou Wan couldn’t say the three words “illegitimate child” out loud—it felt like too heavy a label.
Jiang Yan: “Yes, we share the same father but different mothers. His mother was the mistress who stole everything that should have belonged to my mother and me.”
Zhou Wan remained silent.
“That’s why I have to work hard, I must succeed, I must trample him underfoot,” Jiang Yan said.
*
Lu Xixiao didn’t come to school for the next few days, though this was normal—no one found it strange.
Zhou Wan maintained her daily routine between four points: school, hospital, arcade, and home.
After her grandmother underwent a new series of tests and was confirmed to be fine, Zhou Wan processed her discharge.
The single room’s fees for the past half month had been paid by Lu Xixiao, but their WeChat conversation had remained frozen until ten days ago—when she was away for the competition and he had asked when she would return.
Zhou Wan calculated her available funds and realized she was still several thousand short of being able to repay Lu Xixiao. She sighed, planning to gather the full amount as quickly as possible to send to him.
Friday evening after school, Zhou Wan ran into Jiang Fan on her way to the bus stop.
“Little student!” he called out from far away.
With many people around, Zhou Wan’s face grew hot: “Don’t call me that.”
“Okay, okay, Zhou Wan,” Jiang Fan said. “Thanks for last time. I knew I had to turn to you for help.”
“How’s Lu Xixiao’s injury?”
Jiang Fan: “Should be mostly healed by now. He has a good constitution, and recovers quickly.”
Zhou Wan nodded: “That’s good.”
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
Zhou Wan paused slightly, saying: “He probably doesn’t want to talk to me.”
“Did you two fight?” Jiang Fan asked.
Zhou Wan didn’t respond.
Jiang Fan wore a knowing expression: “Xiao is stubborn—he’s been at odds with his dad for years. But, as long as you don’t cross his bottom line, he won’t do anything. Just coax him a bit and it’ll be fine.”
Zhou Wan thought it was better to let it be.
She and Lu Xixiao weren’t meant to be in each other’s lives, and shouldn’t have met in the first place. Better to pull back now and return to their separate paths.
“But one thing—don’t mention his mother in front of Xiao. That’s a deadly trigger, he’ll explode instantly,” Jiang Fan added.
Zhou Wan hesitated: “I saw his mother’s photo at his house that day. She looked gentle and beautiful.”
“I’ve known Xiao since we were little. I met his mother when I visited his house as a kid—she was incredibly beautiful,” Jiang Fan smiled. “Otherwise she couldn’t have given birth to someone like Xiao.”
“How did his mother pass away?” Zhou Wan asked softly. “Was she sick?”
“No.”
Jiang Fan lowered his eyes to look at her, sighed, and said quietly, “Suicide. She jumped from a building.”
The autumn wind howled past, carrying dead leaves.
*
The provincial physics competition results came out in early November.
The physics teacher rushed to the classroom first thing in the morning to call Zhou Wan and Jiang Yan to his office—Zhou Wan could already guess from his expression that they both had done well.
“You two have made your teacher so proud!”
His face creased with smiles as he patted their shoulders vigorously. “Excellent, excellent! Both first prizes! The school is already rushing to make banners overnight.”
Jiang Yan let out a relieved breath, showing a satisfied and relaxed smile, and then asked: “When is the national competition?”
“Early next year, expected around March or April,” the physics teacher said. “Don’t worry, the school will quickly arrange the next round of competition tutoring for you two.”
After the first two morning classes came the flag-raising ceremony.
Dozens of classes stood in neat formations on the playground.
The principal stood on the platform, beaming with pride and excitement as he announced the school’s achievements in this physics competition. Eight third prizes, three-second prizes, and two first prizes.
Group after group went up to receive awards and take photos, with Zhou Wan and Jiang Yan last.
The two stood side by side under the flagpole in neat school uniforms, holding certificate-style award papers.
The sun was nice today, though a bit glaring.
The crowd below applauded.
Zhou Wan squinted slightly, standing straight with her award.
Just then, the iron gate at the side of the playground creaked open, and Lu Xixiao walked in.
He wasn’t wearing his school uniform, just a simple T-shirt and black athletic pants. His hair was cut short at the temples, emphasizing his sharp features. His expression was bland as he squinted slightly in the sunlight.
As he walked, his tall figure showed perfect proportions.
Zhou Wan’s gaze fell on him.
His appearance attracted the attention of many female students.
Some who knew him waved in greeting, while others were quiet observers, whispering in admiration.
Of course, he also caught the principal’s attention.
“Lu Xixiao!” the principal scolded through the microphone. “What time do you call this to be coming to school?!”
Lu Xixiao looked up, his gaze first landing on Zhou Wan before calmly shifting away.
A group of friends nearby laughed gleefully at his misfortune.
The principal had disliked him for a long time and glared with round eyes: “Come up to the platform for punishment!”
Lu Xixiao was indifferent, offering no defense as he walked toward the platform.
Zhou Wan lowered her eyes, her lashes trembling slightly. As he passed by, she caught the scent of tobacco on him, which took on a sharp, spicy edge when wrapped in sunlight.
He stood still at an angle behind Zhou Wan, maintaining that same casual, careless demeanor.
After the principal berated him for a few more sentences, he finally remembered to have someone continue taking award photos of Zhou Wan and Jiang Yan.
*
The student in charge of photography was from the student council’s publicity department and also Zhou Wan’s classmate.
At noon, she developed several photos, choosing one for the school bulletin board. With a few remaining, she asked Zhou Wan if she wanted to keep them.
There were three in total—a long shot, a close-up, and an individual portrait.
She pointed to the portrait: “I think this one captured you well.”
Zhou Wan looked at them all carefully before picking up the long shot: “Can I have this one?”
“This one? Why?”
Zhou Wan smiled and said: “Looking at this photo later will help me remember what happened. The close-up is too tight to recall the context.”
“That’s true,” the girl nodded and smiled. “Then this one’s yours.”
Zhou Wan thanked her.
After she left, Zhou Wan looked down at the photo again.
The background encompassed the entire platform.
Including Lu Xixiao standing at an angle behind her.
His chin was slightly raised in that free-spirited manner, his eyes lightened by the sunlight as his gaze fell carelessly on her back.