HomeFalling In LoveZhui Luo - Chapter 7

Zhui Luo – Chapter 7

Lu Xixiao didn’t particularly enjoy that noodle shop, but for some reason, he nodded and followed Zhou Wan back to the same place they’d visited yesterday.

“Three-delicacy noodles again?” Zhou Wan asked.

He’d just smoked a cigarette on the way, and his irritation had dissipated somewhat with the smoke, the aggressive aura around him finally becoming less oppressive.

“Mm,” he responded flatly.

Zhou Wan told Uncle Kang “Same as yesterday,” and then quickly pulled out her phone to pay for the noodles.

Since he wouldn’t accept yesterday’s money, Zhou Wan would treat him back, even though this amount probably meant nothing to Lu Xixiao – one pair of his shoes could probably cover several months of her living expenses.

Lu Xixiao wasn’t an unobservant person; he noticed her rushed movement to pay.

He turned his head, exhaling smoke: “Keeping such careful count?”

Zhou Wan pressed her lips together, responding in her gentle voice: “Money isn’t easy to earn.”

She had a quiet nature, didn’t talk much, and was never noisy. She answered questions one at a time, her voice soft and delicate, not cloying, with an exceptionally clean tone.

Lu Xixiao suddenly felt that having her nearby wasn’t annoying at all; rather, it brought a sense of calm.

“Why do you need to earn money?”

Lu Xixiao’s first time seeing her was when she was working part-time at the arcade.

“Grandmother is sick.”

He raised his eyebrows, showing neither excessive surprise nor sympathy, taking another drag of his cigarette before asking quietly: “What about your parents?”

“My father passed away when I was little.”

His hand holding the cigarette paused slightly: “Then what about your mother?”

Because of this question, Zhou Wan accidentally bit her tongue, a metallic taste of blood spreading in her mouth, but she showed no outward reaction.

Seeing her silence, Lu Xixiao didn’t ask further.

As they sat down with two bowls of three-delicacy noodles, Zhou Wan caught a glimpse of the wound on the back of his hand as he picked up his chopsticks. It looked several days old but had been poorly cared for, healing and breaking open again, leaving a red patch.

Zhou Wan withdrew her gaze and lowered her head to eat.

This time, Lu Xixiao showed some courtesy by eating several bites.

They ate their noodles in peaceful silence.

Zhou Wan finished first. She wiped her mouth with a napkin, then softly told Lu Xixiao: “I’ll step out for a moment.”

“Mm.”

There was a pharmacy near the noodle shop.

Zhou Wan returned with alcohol and gauze.

She pushed the bag in front of him, keeping her gaze lowered: “The wound on your hand needs disinfecting.”

Lu Xixiao raised an eyebrow.

Having been spoiled by all sorts of girls, he didn’t take this kind of concern seriously, responding dismissively: “No need.”

Zhou Wan paused briefly but wasn’t affected by his attitude, simply informing him of the consequences.

“If it’s not properly disinfected, it might get infected, which would be more troublesome.”

Grandmother had experienced that once before.

Lu Xixiao leaned back in his chair, chin slightly raised, giving her a cursory look before smiling.

He leaned forward, extending his hand to her, wordlessly.

Zhou Wan looked up in confusion.

Lu Xixiao smiled somewhat condescendingly: “I don’t know how.”

“…”

His mood seemed to have improved again.

Unpredictable.

Zhou Wan took out the disinfectant, dabbed some on a cotton swab, and helped clean his wound.

She kept her head down, completely focused, her hair falling forward across her chest, a few strands brushing against his fingertips, causing a slight tickle.

From this angle, Lu Xixiao could observe her well.

She had long eyelashes, an upturned nose, and youthful features. The only thing that didn’t match her cool appearance was probably those two tiger teeth – the reason Jiang Fan found her sweet.

Finally, Zhou Wan applied the gauze.

“Done.”

Lu Xixiao lowered his gaze to look, noting it was done quite properly.

“Going to the arcade?” he asked.

“Mm.”

“Let’s go,” Lu Xixiao stood up.

Zhou Wan followed him outside: “Are you going too?”

“I’ll walk you there.”

The arcade wasn’t far from the noodle shop, and Zhou Wan walked alongside Lu Xixiao. Midway, Lu Xixiao answered a phone call.

The voice on the other end was so loud that Zhou Wan could hear it: “Xiao! Fuck, someone’s causing trouble, they’re fighting!”

Lu Xixiao stopped walking: “Where?”

Zhou Wan couldn’t hear the address clearly, only catching that it was somewhere on the pedestrian street.

“Mm.” His voice remained calm, “I’ll head over now.”

After hanging up, Zhou Wan said: “You should go, I’m almost there, I can manage on my own.”

“Alright,” Lu Xixiao said, “Call me if you need anything.”

*

To be frank, Lu Xixiao’s temper wasn’t particularly bad; he was quite different from those thugs who would flare up at the slightest provocation. He never actively looked for trouble with others.

But he was stubborn and unyielding, never backing down to anyone.

When Lu Xixiao arrived, the scene was already chaotic, nearly finished.

He didn’t plan to join in, just ran a hand through his hair, sat down on the steps, lit a cigarette, and exhaled, the smoke making his face appear hazy.

It wasn’t completely dark yet, and the newly lit street lamps shone in the deep blue sky like bright stars.

Jiang Fan was nearly blinded by his sweat, and catching sight of Lu Xixiao sitting lazily to the side, he shouted: “Xiao! Since you’re here, why don’t you lend a hand!”

He let out a light laugh, flicking his cigarette ash: “Isn’t it almost over anyway?”

Such a scene easily labeled everyone involved as “thugs.”

And while Lu Xixiao hadn’t joined in, he was the one giving orders.

Black clothes, a sharp figure, a cigarette between his lips, expressionlessly raising his chin to look down on everyone, his features appearing even sharper in the mottled light.

It was at this moment that a flash of light suddenly appeared at someone’s waist.

No one else had noticed.

Lu Xixiao grabbed a rod, his eyes dark as ink.

He moved extremely fast, muscles tensing, raising the rod to strike hard at the person’s wrist, causing the sharp knife to clatter to the ground, accompanied by a cry of pain.

“If you want to play dirty,”

Lu Xixiao raised his hand in time to block the incoming punch, grabbed the person’s hair, and yanked it back hard, saying coldly, “Don’t get caught.”

His movements were swift.

The fight was over in no time.

Lu Xixiao casually dusted off his arm and walked to stand in front of someone who had fallen to the ground, looking down at them from above: “Go back and tell Luo He, next time come to me directly, no need to hide like this.”

Lu Xixiao and Luo He had been at odds for years.

Luo He was a few years older than him and couldn’t stand how arrogant he was while being so popular, wanting to seize any opportunity to suppress him and thereby consolidate his position.

Jiang Fan spat contemptuously to the side, then turned to ask: “What were you doing skipping class this afternoon? Haven’t seen you much lately.”

Lu Xixiao’s mind flashed to Zhou Wan’s face.

He tugged at the corner of his mouth: “Hospital.”

“What for?”

“Lu Zhongyue is sick.”

“How is he, nothing serious?” Jiang Fan asked.

Lu Xixiao let out a derisive laugh: “Who knows, he’s never short of people to take care of him.”

Jiang Fan knew about his family situation and also knew that Lu Zhongyue had recently found him a troublesome new stepmother, making Lu Xixiao particularly irritated lately.

He patted Lu Xixiao’s shoulder: “Alright, let’s go have some fun.”

The group went to a bar.

Someone called over some girls.

Lu Xixiao sat in the corner, his long, slender fingers holding a wine glass, his Adam’s apple moving up and down as he drank. He didn’t talk much, mostly listening to others, only occasionally speaking up.

Yet this very demeanor was what attracted girls the most.

Ye Chen made her way past the crowd to sit beside Lu Xixiao and clinked her wine glass with his.

Making a clear sound.

Lu Xixiao turned his head.

Ye Chen smiled at him: “Drinking alone? I’ll keep you company.”

Lu Xixiao smiled slightly, said nothing, and tilted his head back to down the remaining half glass of wine. Ye Chen had heard how others described Lu Xixiao – nothing more than being frivolous and casual, changing girlfriends faster than changing clothes, a passionate iceberg.

And now his actions seemed to be encouraging Ye Chen.

In such an environment, even the slightest proximity could make things ambiguous.

Ye Chen’s heart was racing; she tentatively moved closer to Lu Xixiao, holding onto his arm.

He didn’t react.

So Ye Chen leaned against him more firmly, her elbow seeming to hit something. She looked down to see half a keychain with a blue plush ball protruding from his pocket.

It didn’t match Lu Xixiao’s style.

She curiously pulled it out – there were no keys on the keychain.

“Why aren’t there any keys on it?” she asked.

Lu Xixiao raised his eyebrows: “Did I say you could touch it?”

He was always like this, too direct with his words, showing no courtesy.

Ye Chen had never met a boy who wouldn’t show her courtesy like this, but she wasn’t angry. She raised the plush ball high with her index finger, leaning on his shoulder to look at it.

“You probably didn’t buy this yourself, right?” Ye Chen asked with a smile, “You don’t seem like someone who would like this kind of thing.”

“It was a gift,” Lu Xixiao said.

“It’s quite cute actually. Xiao-ge, can you give it to me?”

She knew Lu Xixiao’s family was wealthy, and had heard that he was generous with his girlfriends. Ye Chen didn’t want the keychain; she just wanted to create some connection with him through it.

Lu Xixiao took a drag of his cigarette, saying nothing.

Ye Chen shook his arm: “Please?”

He raised his chin: “Put it down.”

His voice was still lazy, but this time it carried an inexplicable warning.

Ye Chen heard it and placed the keychain on the coffee table.

Lu Xixiao leaned forward to pick it up, putting the keychain back in his pocket, and with this movement, Ye Chen saw the wound on his arm, which he’d gotten during the fight earlier, the blood already dried.

“Xiao-ge, your hand is hurt,” Ye Chen said. “Do you want to treat it?”

“Too lazy to go anywhere.”

The surrounding rock music was noisy, and Ye Chen brought her lips to his ear: “I know how. Want me to help?”

Lu Xixiao turned his head, and smiled, with an ambiguous meaning: “Oh? Where would we do it?”

Ye Chen looked at his profile and turned towards her in the mottled light, his high bridge nose, eyes carrying a smile, ambiguous tone, carefree and unrestrained appearance.

Ye Chen’s heart skipped another beat, her entire sensory perception easily led by him.

Just earlier she had been afraid of making him angry, but now she was captivated by him again.

It seemed that no matter how confident and outgoing a girl was, they tended to become timid in front of Lu Xixiao.

She gathered her courage to hold his hand: “Wherever you want to go.”

His nose was filled with the girl’s perfume.

Lu Xixiao was used to various perfumes from frequenting such environments but suddenly found it pungent.

He recalled the clean, fresh scent of fabric softener on Zhou Wan.

He tugged at the corner of his mouth, suddenly feeling completely disinterested, and stood up.

Jiang Fan called out to him: “Xiao, where are you going?”

He waved his hand behind him: “Leaving.”

*

Night had fallen deep, and Zhou Wan had unusually gone to bed before midnight today.

Half-asleep, her phone suddenly made a sound from beside her pillow.

She was a light sleeper, and drowsily opened her eyes, staring blankly at a spot on the white wall for a long while before her thoughts gradually returned, looking at the lit screen of her phone.

The light was harsh, and she squinted trying to see.

A message from [Lu Xixiao].

Zhou Wan froze, even thinking she must be dreaming.

She reached out to pinch her thigh – it hurt.

Not a dream.

Why would he message her?

It was already twelve-thirty.

Zhou Wan’s sleepiness had completely disappeared. She propped herself up on her elbow and opened WeChat.

He had sent a picture. Zhou Wan opened it and immediately recognized his hand.

He appeared to be sitting on some steps, his wrist resting on his knee, the back of his hand hanging naturally, and on his pale arm was a three-centimeter-long wound.

Then, her phone vibrated again.

He sent another message.

[Lu Xixiao: What should I do?]

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