In the following period, when work at the newspaper wasn’t too busy, Zhou Wan took time to learn to drive.
Throughout her life, she had never feared any exam, yet somehow she failed the third section of the driver’s license test once, passing only on her second attempt, finally getting her license.
When she came out, Lu Xixiao was already there to pick her up.
“Passed?” he asked.
“Mm,” Zhou Wan said, “When my first chance came up, I got it wrong again, thought I’d have to take it a second time, scared me to death.”
Lu Xixiao laughed.
Zhou Wan turned her head to ask: “Did you have to take it twice back then?”
“No,” he raised his eyebrows.
Of course – Lu Xixiao used to race cars before.
Getting a driver’s license was too simple for him.
“Do you still race cars now?”
“Not anymore,” Lu Xixiao said casually. “Want to eat out tonight? To celebrate you getting your license.”
Zhou Wan smiled: “Sure.”
Lu Xixiao chose a restaurant.
He had always been picky about food, and the restaurants he chose were always delicious.
Zhou Wan ate some fish meat, biting the tip of her chopsticks, and asked Lu Xixiao: “Do you want to drink some alcohol?”
He raised his eyebrows: “Why?”
“You can drink a little,” Zhou Wan said. “Now that I can drive, you won’t need to call a designated driver after drinking, I can drive you back.”
Lu Xixiao gave a light laugh, raising his hand to have the server bring a bottle of wine.
In recent years, except for occasional business dinners and gatherings, Lu Xixiao didn’t drink much.
After dinner, Zhou Wan drove back.
Driving Lu Xixiao’s car was certainly much more advanced than the ones at driving school. Although she had watched Lu Xixiao drive many times and roughly knew the purpose of each button, suddenly sitting in the driver’s seat still made her nervous.
“It’s too late to be scared now,” Lu Xixiao said with a laugh. “I’ve already had some drinks.”
“I’m afraid of crashing.”
Lu Xixiao was very open-minded: “If you crash, you crash. Learning to drive means you’ll have to crash sometimes.”
“Repairing this car must be expensive.”
“Wan Wan,” he reminded her with a smile, “your boyfriend is quite wealthy now.”
“…”
Despite these words, Zhou Wan maintained a speed of 30 kilometers per hour back, crawling slowly on the spacious road.
Fortunately, Lu Xixiao’s car brand served as a protective charm, with surrounding vehicles consciously making way, giving Zhou Wan plenty of space to maneuver.
Driving home so cautiously, Zhou Wan was tense the whole way, only letting out a long breath after parking safely, feeling her right calf muscles sore from tension.
Lu Xixiao looked at her amusedly: “Tired from driving?”
“Let’s still call a designated driver in the future.”
Lu Xixiao laughed: “Then you learned to drive for nothing?”
Zhou Wan thought for a moment: “After I practice more and get more familiar, I can drive you.”
“Alright,” Lu Xixiao nodded, reaching out his hand, “Let me massage you.”
He suddenly leaned over, his body covering hers in the dim underground garage, Lu Xixiao’s body radiating heat and a faint smell of alcohol.
His hand slid down, gently massaging her calf, and then he bent down to kiss her lips.
Zhou Wan liked the feeling of kissing him, finding it intimate.
She tilted her head slightly, cooperating to make it more comfortable for him.
Noticing her movement, Lu Xixiao curved his lips, then suddenly seemed to think of something, pausing his movements and pulling back slightly, no longer touching her lips.
Zhou Wan opened her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering, giving a soft confused “Mm?”
“I’ve been drinking.”
Lu Xixiao’s lips gently brushed over hers, “Kissing you like this, will it make you allergic?”
“…”
It was just that tiny bit of almost negligible alcohol.
Zhou Wan was about to say “no” when she heard him continue in a hoarse voice: “Then let’s try somewhere else.”
The burning temperature moved downward.
Past her chin, neck, and lower.
It was now the tail end of summer, and Zhou Wan was only wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt. He pulled down her collar, and before the cool air from the car’s air conditioning could reach her, an even hotter temperature covered her skin. Zhou Wan unconsciously widened her eyes, letting out a whimper, her hands pushing against Lu Xixiao’s shoulders: “Lu Xixiao, someone might see…”
“They won’t, they can’t see inside.”
“…”
The temperature in the car continued to rise.
Finally, he fixed Zhou Wan’s clothes, and deliberately took a tissue to wipe his fingers clean, his voice somewhat hoarse, mumbling to himself: “Next time need to keep some protection in the car.”
“…”
They hadn’t gone all the way, but it felt like they had done everything.
Zhou Wan’s face was burning hot, and his words made her even more embarrassed and angry. She directly opened the car door, her legs still weak, barely managing to stand steady, and slammed the door shut with a “bang” before walking toward the elevator.
Lu Xixiao watched her behavior, couldn’t help laughing, following her out of the car, calling from behind: “Wan Wan.”
She didn’t stop.
Lu Xixiao caught up, wrapped his arm around her neck, and pulled her into his embrace: “Are you angry?”
Zhou Wan wouldn’t look at him: “Don’t talk to me.”
“Angry, huh.” Lu Xixiao leaned in to kiss her cheek, “I just couldn’t help myself for a moment, I was wrong.”
Though apologizing, he didn’t sound sincere at all.
Zhou Wan ultimately couldn’t bear to stay truly angry with him, though she was still awkward, not wanting to think about what had just happened, her face reddening again and again. Her steps had slowed, but she still didn’t want to talk to him.
“Not speaking to me?”
Lu Xixiao held her waist, saying seriously, “I think you were lying to me before.”
Hearing this, Zhou Wan finally looked at him: “What?”
“About liking me since first year of high school.” Lu Xixiao counted on his fingers shamelessly, “That means you’ve liked me for eight or nine years, yet you’re still giving me the cold shoulder.”
He was again acting like a thief crying “Stop thief,” wrongly accusing her.
Zhou Wan puffed her cheeks: “Who told you to be like that.”
“I just saw you work so hard driving me home, wanted to reward you a bit,” he said lazily, drawing out his words, his tone mischievous and naughty, “Wasn’t it good?”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“But you still…”
Zhou Wan stopped walking, cutting off what he was about to say: “Lu Xixiao!”
His laughter made his chest vibrate, his long eyes curving slightly: “Yes?”
“If you keep this up, tonight I’ll–“
“You’ll what?”
“I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“…”
He’d seen girlfriends angry and making their boyfriends sleep on the couch, but never one threatening to sleep there herself.
Teasing Zhou Wan was an interesting thing; Lu Xixiao had liked teasing her since their school days, and even after so many years, it was still the same.
“Fine,” Lu Xixiao nodded, “Then let’s try it on the couch.”
“…”
Zhou Wan had been patient with him for half the day, holding back again and again, but at this point, she really couldn’t take it anymore.
How could someone be so provoking?
His mind is full of nothing but inappropriate thoughts all day long.
“Lu Xixiao,” she said seriously with a red face.
“Mm?”
“From now until tomorrow night, let’s not talk anymore.”
“…”
*
In the following period, both Zhou Wan and Lu Xixiao were very busy with work.
Zhou Wan had become the most representative interviewer and host at the newspaper, often appearing on camera, and occasionally being sent to collaborate with television station events.
She had gradually received many olive branches from other newspapers or television stations, but Zhou Wan refused them all.
She wasn’t particularly career-driven, to begin with, and she liked her current work content and environment, getting along particularly well with her colleagues, so she was too lazy to switch to a new environment.
The editor-in-chief particularly valued her, even giving her several pay raises.
By early October, during National Day, they finally got a seven-day holiday.
Zhou Wan and Lu Xixiao bought plane tickets in advance, deciding to go traveling.
This was their first long-distance trip together, and Zhou Wan was both eager and excited, packing her luggage early, and waking up early the next morning to go to the airport with Lu Xixiao. Sitting on the plane, Lu Xixiao turned his head to look at her: “So happy?”
“Mm,” Zhou Wan’s eyes were curved and sparkling, “I haven’t traveled in so long, and now it’s with you.”
Since Zhou Jun passed away, Zhou Wan hadn’t properly traveled.
She was still young then, and now looking back, the memories were blurry, she couldn’t even clearly remember where they had gone.
Lu Xixiao paused, holding her hand: “We’ll travel every year from now on.”
“Yes,” she smiled.
…
They chose a small southern city as their destination, a coastal tourist city with blue skies and white clouds, particularly beautiful scenery. Today the sun wasn’t too hot, and the wind brought just the right warmth.
They put their luggage at the hotel and went out to find food.
They went to the snack street recommended online by everyone, walking the entire street and eating quite a bit, filling their stomachs.
“Want to go to the beach?” Lu Xixiao asked.
“Mm.”
It was just evening time, with the sunset falling.
Warm orange sunlight reflected on the horizon, looking along the sea into the distance, a huge sun hung in mid-air, partially hidden by clouds, only half visible, dreamlike as a scene from a manga.
There were many people on the beach, both couples and families.
Lu Xixiao wore a casual white shirt and black pants, his figure tall and straight. The sunset reflected on his profile, making him look sharp yet graceful like he had returned to his youth.
Zhou Wan looked at him, her heart unconsciously beating faster, and took out her phone to take a photo of him.
Hearing the sound, he turned his head, raising an eyebrow: “What?”
Zhou Wan showed him the photo.
Lu Xixiao smiled, took out his phone, and opened the front camera, taking a selfie with Zhou Wan.
The background of their photo was the beach and ocean.
The light had dimmed further, showing the misty purple of dusk.
Zhou Wan inexplicably thought of that blue sea in California.
“Lu Xixiao,” she looked at him and said softly, “I guess we’ve seen the sea together now too.”
“Mm.”
He understood what she was thinking about, his voice gentle, “We still have decades ahead, we’ll see all the scenery together, those few years apart don’t matter, everything will be made up for.”
Zhou Wan slowly blinked.
Because of his words, that small gap in her heart seemed to be filled with something again, and the slight melancholy from before dissipated like smoke.
The sky gradually darkened.
As they were preparing to leave the beach, they saw many people gathered on a bridge not far away.
“Want to go look?” Lu Xixiao asked.
“Mm.”
Only when they got closer did they see the words “Lovers’ Bridge” carved on a stone at one end of the bridge.
Many couples were gathered there, with locks and heart-shaped wooden cards hanging densely on the bridge’s iron mesh.
Many places had such attractions.
Usually, people would think it was a tourist trap, something meaningless, but when you actually had someone you liked and came to such a place together, you couldn’t help but do these things you once thought were stupid.
Zhou Wan and Lu Xixiao also bought a lock and two wooden cards.
Zhou Wan picked up the pen, thought for a moment, and wrote on the card: 2013.8.15, Lu Xixiao, dreams come true.
On August 15, 2013, in that blazing summer, she first saw Lu Xixiao, thinking it would be a dream known only to herself, never imagining that one day, the dream would come true.
Lu Xixiao strung both cards through the lock ring, threading them through, and securing them.
Zhou Wan crouched down, turning on her phone’s flashlight, wanting to see what Lu Xixiao had written.
His handwriting was flowing, somewhat cursive, but each stroke was written very heavily, with clear strokes.
–Zhou Wan, spend every year, every day with me from now on.
Zhou Wan’s eyes grew hot.
Then she heard a splash, the sound of something falling into the water.
She looked up to see Lu Xixiao had thrown the key into the sea.
He looked down at her, his pupils illuminated by the yellowish light, his expression both gentle and determined: “No one will ever be able to open this lock now.” Zhou Wan swallowed silently, saying softly but seriously: “Okay.”
Lu Xixiao looked into her eyes, instantly understanding which sentence this “okay” was answering.
–Zhou Wan, spend every year, every day with me from now on.
–Okay.
The words she hadn’t dared to respond to before, she finally gave her answer now.