Jiang Yan: "Yes. We have the same father but different mothers. His mom was the third party who stole everything that should have belonged to my mother and me."

Zhou Wan fell silent.

"So, I must work very hard, I must succeed, and I must crush him under my heel," Jiang Yan said.

Lu Xixiao didn't come to school for the next few days, but this was normal, so no one found it strange.

Zhou Wan's days followed a four-point routine: school, hospital, arcade, home.

Her grandma underwent another series of tests. After confirming there were no problems, Zhou Wan processed her discharge.

Lu Xixiao had paid for the private room for the past half-month, but the chat window with him on WeChat had remained stagnant for ten days.

It was from when she went out of town for an exam, and Lu Xixiao had asked her when she would be back.

Zhou Wan calculated the money she had on hand. She was still several thousand yuan short of what she needed to pay Lu Xixiao back. She sighed, planning to gather the full amount as soon as possible and send it to him all at once.

On Friday evening after school, Zhou Wan ran into Jiang Fan on her way to the bus stop.

"Little Classmate!" he started yelling from afar.

There were many people around. Zhou Wan's face flushed. "Don't call me that."

"Alright, alright, Zhou Wan," Jiang Fan said. "Thanks for last time. I knew I had to ask you for help."

"How is Lu Xixiao's injury?"

Jiang Fan: "It should be almost healed by now. He's in good shape and recovers quickly."

Zhou Wan nodded. "That's good."

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Zhou Wan paused slightly and said, "He probably doesn't want to talk to me."

"Did you two have a fight?" Jiang Fan asked.

Zhou Wan didn't speak.

Jiang Fan had a look of understanding. "Ah Xiao is incredibly stubborn. He and his dad have been like fire and water for years. But really, as long as you don't cross his bottom line, he's fine. You just need to coax him a little."

'Better not,' Zhou Wan thought.

She and Lu Xixiao were not from the same world to begin with; they never should have met. Now, she should just pull back from the cliff's edge and return to her original path.

"But there's one thing, don't mention his mom in front of Ah Xiao. That's a fatal weak spot. The moment you bring it up, he'll explode," Jiang Fan added.

Zhou Wan paused. "I saw a picture of his mom at his house the other day. She looked very gentle and beautiful."

"Ah Xiao and I have known each other since we were kids. I met his mom when I went to his house back then. She really was exceptionally beautiful." Jiang Fan smiled. "Otherwise, she couldn't have had a son like Ah Xiao."

"How did his mom pass away?" Zhou Wan asked softly. "Was she sick?"

"No."

Jiang Fan glanced down at her, sighed, and said in a low voice, "Suicide. She jumped from a building."

The autumn wind howled, sweeping up withered leaves.

In early November, the results of the provincial physics competition were announced.

First thing in the morning, the physics teacher ran to the classroom to call Zhou Wan and Jiang Yan to his office—Zhou Wan could already guess from the expression on his face that they had both done well this time.

"You two have really made your teacher proud!"

His face crinkled into a smile as he clapped both of them on the shoulder. "Excellent, excellent! Both first prize! The school is already rushing to make a banner overnight."

Jiang Yan let out a breath as if a heavy burden had been lifted, a satisfied and relaxed smile on his face. He then asked, "So when is the national competition?"

"Next spring, estimated around March or April," the physics teacher said. "Don't worry about that, the school will soon arrange the next round of competition tutoring for you two."

After the first two classes in the morning, there was a flag-raising ceremony.

On the sports field, dozens of classes were lined up in neat formations.

The principal stood on the podium, beaming and triumphant, excitedly announcing our school's achievements in the recent physics competition.

Eight third-prize winners, three second-prize winners, and two first-prize winners.

Groups went up on stage one by one to receive their awards and have their pictures taken. Zhou Wan and Jiang Yan were last.

The two of them stood side-by-side under the flagpole, their school uniforms neat and proper, holding certificate-style awards in their hands.

The sun was nice today, a little dazzling.

The crowd below applauded.

Zhou Wan squinted slightly, holding her award and standing perfectly straight.

It was at this moment that the iron gate on one side of the sports field creaked open, and Lu Xixiao walked in.

He wasn't wearing his school uniform, just a simple short-sleeved shirt and black sweatpants. The hair on his temples was cut short, further accentuating his sharp bone structure. His expression was faint, and he frowned slightly in the sunlight.

As he walked over, his proportions were excellent—tall with long legs.

Zhou Wan's gaze fell on him.

The moment he appeared, he attracted the attention of many girls.

One group consisted of those who knew him, raising their hands to greet him. Another group were quiet onlookers, whispering in admiration.

Of course, he also attracted the attention of the principal on the stage.

"Lu Xixiao!" the principal reprimanded into the microphone. "What time is it? You're only just getting to school?!"

Lu Xixiao raised his eyes, his gaze first landing on Zhou Wan before calmly moving away.

A group of his mischievous friends beside him laughed gloatingly.

The principal had long been displeased with him. His eyes wide with anger, he said, "You, get up on the podium and stand there as punishment!"

Lu Xixiao was indifferent. He didn't argue and just walked towards the front of the podium.

Zhou Wan lowered her eyes, her lashes trembling slightly. As he passed by, she caught the scent of tobacco on him, which, mingled with the sunlight, gave off a sharp, biting chill.

He came to a stop diagonally behind Zhou Wan, still with that same lazy and careless demeanor.

The principal scolded him a few more times before remembering to have someone continue taking the award-winning photo of Zhou Wan and Jiang Yan.

The student in charge of taking photos was from the student council's publicity department and was also Zhou Wan's classmate.

At noon, she developed a few photos. She picked one to be posted on the school's bulletin board, and with the few remaining, she asked Zhou Wan if she wanted them as a keepsake.

There were three in total: a long shot, a close-up, and a solo close-up.

She pointed to the solo close-up photo. "I think you look especially beautiful in this one."

Zhou Wan looked at all of them carefully, then picked up the long shot. "Can I have this one?"

"This one? Why?"

Zhou Wan smiled and said, "In the future, when I see this photo, I'll be able to remember the event. The close-up is too tight, I might not remember."

"That's true," the girl nodded and smiled. "Then you can have this one."

Zhou Wan thanked her.

After she left, Zhou Wan looked down at the photo again.

The background included the entire podium.

It also included Lu Xixiao, who was standing diagonally behind her.

His chin was slightly raised, his expression free and unrestrained. The sunlight made the color of his pupils appear lighter, and his gaze fell carelessly on her back.