This didn’t seem like something Lu Xixiao would write.
He had a bad temper and rarely showed patience for anyone or anything except Zhou Wan. He was particularly distant and cold toward strangers, and would never willingly share his stories or reveal his inner thoughts to them.
He was unwilling and thought it beneath him.
But he did it anyway.
He didn’t care about the outside world, only Zhou Wan.
His colleagues had all seen the article too.
In it, Lu Xixiao still hadn’t told the public about Zhou Wan’s past – that was her privacy, her pain.
Even as her boyfriend, he had no right to speak about those things on her behalf.
Moreover, Lu Xixiao clearly understood that Zhou Wan didn’t want others to know about that past; it was more like a nightmare to her.
It wasn’t an article meant to explain or clarify. Rather, it was more like a gentle yet firm love letter that rang true.
He responded to the public in his most rebellious, individualistic way.
It was him who stubbornly, obsessively loved her; it was him who insisted on being with her.
And as long as he was there, she wouldn’t need to go against her heart and suffer undeserved grievances.
Then he ended it most straightforwardly – if they wanted gossip for their idle chatter, they wouldn’t get it. If they wanted the truth, they’d have to wait for the final verdict.
This was more like Lu Xixiao’s style.
“Wan Wan,” the editorial team leader asked, “should we still release that video?”
The sight of Zhou Wan sitting alone before the camera, dissecting her past, was truly heartbreaking.
What schemes born of poverty, what conscience grown from wealth, what helplessness and pity?
If she had been purely bad, she might have found peace of mind, but she was caught between being forced by circumstances while having a kind soul – the two contradicted each other, tormenting her.
She had simply found a job that occasionally required appearing on camera before the public. Why should she have to explain her dark past to everyone?
Besides, with Zhou Wan’s abilities, she could have achieved success in any field, not just as a host.
Zhou Wan didn’t hesitate, saying softly: “Release it.”
Lu Xixiao was protecting her, and she was protecting Lu Xixiao too.
She didn’t want anyone to misunderstand him.
And that past, those momentary lapses in judgment, that darkness and malice – she needed to personally draw a line under it all.
Only then could she truly move forward.
Walk proudly under the sun, without any shadows.
*
By evening, when the newspaper’s official account released the video, the view count quickly skyrocketed.
After last night, Zhou Wan hadn’t checked the comments under the news again, unaware that since the fundraising channel for Guo Xiangling opened, some of the public opinion had already shifted.
Later, some people claiming to know Guo Xiangling or Zhou Wan came forward to share what they knew of the truth.
Although it was impossible to verify if these “truths” were real or false, by this point, the situation was no longer the one-sided criticism it had been at first.
After the video and article were released, public opinion completely turned around.
[How could there be such a mother? After carrying a child for ten months, how could she bear to treat her daughter this way?]
[As a girl who grew up in poverty, I relate to this. Sometimes I envy some friends who are carefree and purely kind-hearted, but the ones who can be like that are all from well-off families. It doesn’t matter if they get deceived, they have the means to make mistakes, and they can grow through hardships. But some people don’t even have the chance to make mistakes – one wrong step and there’s no turning back.]
[There was a line in a movie that said it’s not ‘being rich yet kind,’ but rather ‘kind because of being rich.’]
…
Before Zhou Wan had a chance to read the comments, Lu Xixiao called.
Zhou Wan went outside to answer: “Hello.”
“Why did you release that video?” Lu Xixiao asked softly, “You don’t have to talk about things you don’t want to. I would have handled everything.”
Zhou Wan stood by the window in the corridor. The early winter sunlight streamed through the windowpanes, falling on her, warm and comfortable.
She unconsciously narrowed her eyes, smiling: “At first I didn’t want to talk about it, but now that it’s all out, I feel lighter.”
People should face themselves openly to live openly.
Those parts of her past she hadn’t wanted to remember or acknowledge, now exposed before the camera without any shadows, were like sunlight penetrating a dark valley bottom, with even the dust being blown away by the wind.
She finally dared to straighten her back and look back at her past.
Look back at that not-so-good little Zhou Wan.
“Lu Xixiao,” she suddenly called his name softly after a pause.
“Mm?”
“I’m sorry for hurting you before,” Zhou Wan said. “If I had been braver, you wouldn’t have had to work so hard.”
“Wan Wan, let’s only talk about the future.”
“Mm, this is the last time I’ll say sorry to you.” Zhou Wan smiled lightly. “I’ll be very good to you from now on.”
In the sunlight, those two lonely boats finally reached shore.
…
Zhou Wan didn’t follow the aftermath of that incident.
Everything afterward was handled by Lu Xixiao, including dealing with Guo Xiangling – he didn’t allow her any chance to harass Zhou Wan again.
Just as Zhou Wan had said that day, she completely cut ties with Guo Xiangling.
By the end of the year, all the previous lawsuits had reached their conclusions.
Zhou Wan didn’t ask Lu Xixiao about the specifics, and he didn’t volunteer the information.
He silently handled everything, creating a clean slate for Zhou Wan.
What followed was the finals of the “Golden Microphone” hosting competition.
Only three contestants remained in the finals.
The competition was broadcast live that day, and Lu Xixiao came too, wearing a well-tailored suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, tall and long-legged, with an excellent figure.
Before the competition, Lu Xixiao went backstage to find Zhou Wan.
She was getting her makeup done.
Eyes closed, letting the makeup artist work on her face.
Her skin was already good, and with makeup, it became even more translucent and delicate, not a single pore visible.
Wearing a fitted evening gown, that tattoo was impossible to hide, but since tattoos couldn’t be shown on camera, it had to be temporarily concealed with the cover-up, though up close the text underneath was still faintly visible.
Lu Xixiao sat to the side, his gaze falling on her collarbone: “Nervous?”
“Not really.”
Zhou Wan smiled, “I never thought I’d make it to the top three, I’m satisfied with any placement.”
She had never been particularly ambitious.
Because of this, she didn’t have much attachment to winning or losing in competitions like this, just as when she was in school.
Lu Xixiao didn’t care what place she got either, just said: “After the competition, I’ll take you somewhere good to eat.”
She had lost so much weight preparing for this troublesome competition, feeling several pounds lighter when he held her.
The makeup artist listening to their conversation couldn’t help but comment: “You two have such a good relationship.”
Though not nervous, Zhou Wan took everything seriously and always gave her all, striving for perfection within her capabilities.
When the competition began, she stood under the hot spotlight in a pure white evening gown, her body emanating a soft glow.
She held the microphone, wearing a gentle smile, looking at the sea of people below, composed and confident, her words clear and flowing, unhurried.
Zhou Wan hadn’t changed, yet she had changed so much.
Like now, you could hardly see traces of her former self.
Lu Xixiao stood below the stage, watching Zhou Wan in the spotlight, suddenly filled with emotion.
His thoughts began to drift, like a movie playing backward in his mind, frame by frame.
New Year’s Eve, the crowded green train, snowflakes, an innocent kiss.
New Year, brilliant fireworks, cold dumplings, the young woman’s illuminated profile.
One winter night, that sentence full of meaning: “If I dated you, would you be happy?”
On her 18th birthday, when she said, “May you always dare to love and hate, and may everything go smoothly.”
…
Finally, back to that old, dim arcade.
The young woman, tender and soft, her fair slender fingers holding a pen, raising those clear doe eyes: “Zhou Wan, the ‘wan’ from ‘will draw a bow like the full moon.'”
Ten years had passed, and they had crossed thousands of miles together.
That contradictory, insecure girl could finally stand confidently in the spotlight, watched, applauded, and cheered by everyone.
*
The competition reached its end.
The final results were announced.
By the finals, everyone’s skill level was very high, and many segments became “godly battles” worthy of being replayed.
Finally, the host announced the competition results – Zhou Wan won second place.
Coincidentally, she had always been second in school, and now second in the competition.
But for someone without professional training to achieve this result, Zhou Wan was already very satisfied and sincerely admired the champion’s abilities.
Next, the host asked the top three to give their acceptance speeches.
Third place was a male contestant, and after he finished his speech, it was Zhou Wan’s turn.
Having been so busy with the competition content, she had never thought about what to say afterward, making it completely improvised.
Zhou Wan looked at the dense crowd below, and Lu Xixiao sitting in the middle of the front row watching her.
She thought about what people usually say in acceptance speeches.
After a pause, Zhou Wan began with a gentle smile: “I’m very happy and honored to receive this award. This will be a milestone, a medal, and a starting point in my life. At this moment, standing here, I want to thank my editor-in-chief, and my colleagues, they’ve all given me so much help and support, and also, I want to thank-“
She looked through the crowd at Lu Xixiao.
Their eyes met.
Her smile deepened involuntarily: “I want to thank my boyfriend, Lu Xixiao.”
“He once said that without me, there wouldn’t be who he is today. It’s the same for me – without him, there wouldn’t be the Zhou Wan of today.”
“Thank you for staying with me, thank you for being willing to love me at any time, thank you for never giving up on me.”
That helpless, cowardly Zhou Wan.
That unknown Zhou Wan.
That not-so-kind Zhou Wan.
Thank you for loving that Zhou Wan.
Now I can finally stand in the spotlight, confident and gentle, no longer obsessing over my past self, insecure about others’ gazes, and truly reconciled with myself.
“We are friends, lovers, family, comrades standing shoulder to shoulder. Thank you for accompanying me through the darkest times, thank you for growing with me.”
Around her was the noise of screams and shouts.
But Zhou Wan’s heart was extraordinarily quiet, everything around her became blurred and receded, leaving only Lu Xixiao before her.
His features were deep-set, his gaze steady, like a swamp pulling her deeper and deeper, willingly.
“This lesson of growth, I once wrote it with difficulty and pain, even thought about giving up, but standing here now, I think-“
Zhou Wan looked at him as he slightly curved his lips, his eyes bright, “I think I’ve finally written an answer I’m satisfied with.”
After the previous incident, everyone understood and knew about Zhou Wan’s past.
They could particularly understand what she was saying now.
As soon as she finished speaking, applause erupted, surging like a tsunami.
She was lifted high by the lights and applause, fine rays of light wrapping around her body, bursting forth from within, dazzling, brilliant to the extreme.
In the thunderous applause, she saw Lu Xixiao sitting there, clapping for her.
Applauding for her growth.
He had changed from a participant in her growth to an observer, wearing a gentle yet casual smile, sincerely cheering for her.
Suddenly, an indescribable impulse surged in her heart.
Most of the time, Zhou Wan was calm and reserved, but the current impulse almost numbed all her nerves, making her act purely on instinct.
She hadn’t spoken for a long time.
Even the host and lighting technician thought her acceptance speech was over.
The light on her dimmed.
But at this moment–
“Lu Xixiao,” she suddenly spoke.
The lights came back on.
The background music stopped, and the venue was quiet except for that piercing light.
Zhou Wan looked toward where the light was pointing, her heart beating faster and faster.
“Lu Xixiao,” she called again.
She saw Lu Xixiao in the audience open his mouth and say: “Mm.”
“If– I proposed to you,” Zhou Wan said softly, “would you be happy?”
As soon as the words fell, deafening screams erupted in the venue.
Nothing else could be heard.
But in that instant, Lu Xixiao seemed to see the 16-year-old Zhou Wan.
Back then she stood under a street lamp, light also falling from above, wearing a blue and white school uniform, her hair slightly messy in the wind.
“Want to date, with me?”
“If I dated you, would you be happy?”
“Probably.”
“Okay.”
…
The scene fast-forwarded frame by frame, constantly accelerating–
The dim street lamp above her head became a hot spotlight, her school uniform became a beautiful evening gown.
Asking him, if I proposed to you, would you be happy?
…
Zhou Wan’s heart beat faster and faster.
Amid cheers and shouts, she could only hear her thundering heartbeat.
Then she saw Lu Xixiao, after his initial shock, lower his eyes and smile.
As if receiving an answer, Zhou Wan smiled too.
Her hand tightened on the microphone, her cheeks flushing.
“Lu Xixiao.”
She looked at him seriously and solemnly, asking word by word, “Will you marry me?”