The next morning, Zhou Wan accompanied Grandma to the hospital for a full-body check-up.

She sat alone on a chair in the corridor, spacing out for a while, when she suddenly remembered something.

She calculated the interest on the medical fees Lu Xixiao had paid for her last time using the bank's interest rate, rounded up the amount, then transferred the full sum to Lu Xixiao, thanking him again.

Lu Xixiao didn't reply immediately. It was only half past eight in the morning; he was probably still asleep.

Zhou Wan put away her phone, leaned her head back against the wall, and emptied her mind.

After an unknown amount of time, Grandma came out from her examination.

"Let's go, Wanwan."

Zhou Wan stood up and asked Doctor Chen when the check-up report would be ready.

"Next week. I'll call you then," Doctor Chen said.

"Okay." Zhou Wan thanked Doctor Chen and helped Grandma leave the hospital.

Grandma saw she was still carrying her schoolbag and asked, "What are you going to do in a bit?"

"I'm going to the library. I've arranged to do the new physics test paper with a classmate; it's a bit difficult."

"Okay." Grandma smiled. "Then you should hurry over. Grandma can go back by herself."

Zhou Wan didn't feel at ease and was reluctant to let Grandma go back alone, but since she insisted, Zhou Wan had to agree. After watching her walk to the bus stop across the street, she also turned and walked towards the library.

Zhou Wan didn't see that after she left, Grandma went back to the hospital.

"Old Madam, why are you back?" Doctor Chen asked in surprise when he saw her. "Did you forget something?"

"No, Doctor Chen, I came to ask you something," Grandma said. "This check-up that Wanwan had me do, is it for some surgery I'm supposed to have later?"

Doctor Chen was taken aback. Zhou Wan had told him not to tell Grandma about this.

After a moment's hesitation, he sighed, "How did you find out?"

"Wanwan's mother called me early this morning and told me."

Doctor Chen had no good impression of Zhou Wan's mother. He frowned, "What did she say to you?"

Grandma showed a helpless expression and sighed, "What else could she say? She thought I was the one who made Wanwan ask her for money and said a bunch of nasty things."

"Don't pay her any mind. Your health is what's important."

"I know." Grandma smiled. "I came to ask you a favor. No matter what the results are, please tell Wanwan that my body can't undergo surgery."

Doctor Chen paused.

"I understand that you doctors can't lie, but this is my body, and I'll decide whether to have the surgery or not," Grandma said. "Wanwan is still young, not yet an adult. It's such a large sum of money, I'm afraid she'll really give up everything to raise it. She's still young, with a long road ahead of her. She can't always be wasting her time on an old woman like me."

As Grandma spoke, her eyes reddened and her voice trembled. She gripped Doctor Chen's hand tightly, "So, Doctor Chen, I'm begging you. Just tell Wanwan that I can't have the surgery. As long as she can grow up well, I'll be content."

Her Wanwan was a child with a bitter fate.

Her father passed away early, and she was abandoned by her mother. The only person she could rely on, her grandma, was bedridden with a lingering illness.

Wanwan worked so hard to grow up, had excellent grades, and strived to earn money.

She didn't want to become her stumbling block.

Zhou Wan bought a roasted sweet potato for lunch and found Jiang Yan on the second floor of the library.

She sat down across from him, took out her test paper, and immediately settled down to start writing.

"Zhou Wan," Jiang Yan called her.

She looked up and lowered her voice, "What is it?"

"Do you like Lu Xixiao?"

He was still bothered by the fact that Zhou Wan had left with Lu Xixiao after school on Friday.

Zhou Wan froze, pursed her lips, and didn't speak.

Jiang Yan: "Have you thought about the future, Zhou Wan? After the college entrance exams, what university will you go to? And him? He'll have a hard time even getting into a university!"

He really detested Lu Xixiao, and his voice grew louder unconsciously, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet library.

"Keep your voice down." After saying this, Zhou Wan paused for a moment before speaking, "Jiang Yan, what do you think my future is like?"

"Getting into a prestigious university, graduating smoothly, and finding a very good job."

Zhou Wan lowered her eyes and chuckled softly, "You think too highly of me. I've never even thought about the things you mentioned. I'm different from you, Jiang Yan. None of those things are easy for me."

"You're different from me, so are you the same as Lu Xixiao?"

Zhou Wan still shook her head, "Actually, I quite envy him. He can live so purely and openly. If he likes something, he likes it; if he hates something, he hates it. Not a shred of pretense."

Jiang Yan was about to say more, but Zhou Wan interrupted him, "Let's do the problems."

She lowered her head and said softly, "Perhaps only after I get a good ranking in the national competition will I be qualified to talk about the future."

...

The test paper this time was especially difficult. By the time she finished, it was already five in the evening, time to go to the Arcade.

Zhou Wan packed her things and left the library. It was only when she took out her phone that she discovered Lu Xixiao had replied to her message a few hours ago.

[6: ?]

A single question mark.

[Zhou Wan: The medical fees.]

[6: Didn't you say at the end of the year.]

Zhou Wan lowered her eyes and replied: [The money my mother gave me]

Lu Xixiao didn't reply again, but he confirmed the transfer.

The bar was in an uproar. A dry ice machine shrouded the entire stage in a hazy fog, mixed with the heavy smell of smoke and alcohol. Laser lights and drum beats pulsed with the music.

Lu Xixiao sat on the inner side of the booth, his long, slender fingers holding a wine glass. A lazy smile was on his face, his gaze drifting lightly over the diverse crowd coming and going.

"Brother Xiao, is it your birthday tomorrow?" one of the girls asked. Her eyes were bright as she stared straight at Lu Xixiao across from her.

Lu Xixiao raised his eyes, an eyebrow cocked.

"What's the date tomorrow?"

"The 18th."

Jiang Fan said, "It really is Ah Xiao's birthday. So, how are you planning to celebrate this year?"

He scoffed lightly, "What's there to celebrate."

"That won't do. Our Brother Xiao's 18th birthday is a big deal, we have to celebrate it properly."

Lu Xixiao cursed with a laugh and kicked at him.

Another guy next to them said, "18 means you're an adult. Of course, you have to do some adult things, right, Brother Xiao?" He gave Lu Xixiao a suggestive wink.

These words reminded everyone of another matter.

Soon, someone brought up the post on the school's forum from yesterday.

They had long noticed the strange atmosphere between Lu Xixiao and Zhou Wan and would sometimes tease them, but it was mostly in jest, as the two really didn't seem like they were dating.

Which one of Lu Xixiao's previous girlfriends hadn't been incredibly clingy, afraid that if she looked away for a second, he'd be snatched away by some other vixen.

It was impossible for them not to follow him to a place like a bar.

But Zhou Wan, every time they'd seen her, it was Lu Xixiao who initiated contact.

After school yesterday was even more outrageous.

No one had ever seen Lu Xixiao wait specifically for anyone.

"Brother Xiao, how far have you gone with that little top student?" someone asked. "Have you kissed?"

Lu Xixiao took a sip of alcohol, his sharp Adam's apple bobbing.

"The way you said that, you're really looking down on our Brother Xiao..."

Seeing the teasing was about to get out of hand, Lu Xixiao leaned forward and set his glass down on the coffee table with a soft thud. "That's enough. I'm single."

"Single?" the guy asked in surprise. "You broke up?"

"Never dated her."

This time, everyone was even more surprised.

Lu Xixiao had little patience for his girlfriends, let alone any other girl.

So why was Zhou Wan the exception?

Jiang Fan, however, narrowed his eyes.

He had known Lu Xixiao the longest and was aware of more inside details, including the time Zhou Wan went to Lu Xixiao's house.

He knew even more clearly that Lu Xixiao was indeed special towards Zhou Wan.

Someone asked a very crucial question: "Is it that you haven't started dating yet, or you don't plan to?"

Lu Xixiao picked up his cigarette case, pushed it open with his index finger, and pulled out a cigarette, holding it between his teeth. He leaned back into the sofa, "Is it really necessary to date?"

It's the same whether we date or not.

Nothing would change.

Lu Xixiao felt that things were quite comfortable now, so he let the situation continue as it was.

But to those who were interested, it sounded like a veiled rejection.

The pretty girl sitting next to Lu Xixiao's disappointed expression recovered slightly.

The guys teased for a few more sentences before moving on to another topic.

The girl looked at Lu Xixiao's side profile, at the way he smoked, and her heart fluttered. After a moment, she couldn't help but move closer, "Brother Xiao."

Seeing his cigarette was still unlit, the girl proactively cupped her hand against the wind and pressed the lighter.

Lu Xixiao accepted gracefully, leaning in slightly to light his cigarette from the flame, then exhaled a puff of smoke.

The girl's heart was pounding non-stop.

"What are you doing for your birthday tomorrow?"

"Sleeping."

"Alone?"

It was only when Lu Xixiao's gaze swept over that the girl realized how ambiguous her words had been. She meant to ask if he was spending his birthday alone, not if he was sleeping alone.

His bone structure was superior, and his eyes were flirtatious, making him seem even more amorous under the mottled, dancing lights.

He tapped his cigarette ash, "Or what?"

The girl's face flushed crimson.

After a good while, the blush finally faded. She mustered her courage and leaned close to Lu Xixiao's ear amidst the noisy music.

"I was planning to wish you a happy birthday tomorrow, but it seems I won't be able to now," the girl said with a smile. "So I'll give you a song tonight, as an early happy birthday."

It wasn't late yet, the band hadn't arrived, and the microphone on the bar's stage was empty.

The girl went up on stage.

Waist-length hair, exquisite makeup, her eye makeup shimmering under the lights. The moment she said "Hello everyone," the crowd below turned to look, letting out a collective whistle.

Lu Xixiao glanced over indifferently.