Zhou Wan looked away, her emotions at that moment indescribable.

She couldn't remember what it felt like to have someone stand up for her.

There was only one time in her memory, back in elementary school. Back then, she still had baby fat on her face, and with her fair skin and big eyes, everyone who saw her said she looked like a doll.

There was a boy in her elementary school class who always bullied her to get attention. Zhou Wan had a good temper and didn't bother with him the first few times. Later, he became more aggressive. Once, during long jump in PE class, he intentionally stuck his foot out and tripped her, causing her to fall and her leg to bleed profusely.

Although she understood that a child might not know the safety risks of such an action and that it wasn't a particularly malicious act, that was the only time Zhou Wan had ever seen her father angry.

He refused to accept a simple settlement with the boy's parents and insisted that the boy be transferred to another class so he could no longer get near her or bully her.

Zhou Wan stood behind her father, his shoulders broad and providing an immense sense of security.

It was as if with her father there, she had nothing to fear.

But life was always full of turmoil, as if to prove that the world was unpredictable and full of ups and downs.

Zhou Wan didn't know when she had gotten used to providing her own security, to facing the storms alone. It never even occurred to her that she could tell someone when she was hurt or wronged.

Until Lu Xixiao, with that impatient, annoyed, and cold attitude, forced her to voice her grievances, forced her to admit her pain.

...

The car stopped in front of a street-side food stall.

Although the place was old and crowded, it was full of people.

The moment Lu Xixiao got out of the car, someone greeted him. Halfway through his sentence, he saw Zhou Wan behind him, paused, and nodded, calling out, "Sister-in-law."

Compared to the flippant teasing from before, this "Sister-in-law" was clearly much more serious.

Zhou Wan was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head slightly toward him. "You can just call me by my name, Zhou Wan."

"Yes, yes, Sister-in-law."

"..."

Lu Xixiao glanced at her indifferently and said nothing.

Walking into the private room, there were eleven or twelve people inside, all well-known troublemakers from Yangming High School. They had probably all received demerits and were regulars on the public criticism notices.

Zhou Wan had intended to sit near the door, but a boy inside stood up. "Sister-in-law, come sit inside."

Lu Xixiao looked down and said in a low voice, "Where do you want to sit?"

The table was too big, and there wasn't much room to move around in the private room. Getting to the inner seats would require many people to move. Zhou Wan didn't want to trouble others. "Here is fine."

"They need to serve dishes here," Lu Xixiao said. "Inside."

"..."

Everyone stood up to make way. Zhou Wan murmured "excuse me" as she walked inside, and Lu Xixiao sat down next to her.

As soon as he sat down, the boy next to him poured him a glass of alcohol.

Lu Xixiao glanced at the table. There were no non-alcoholic drinks. He turned his head. "What do you want to drink?"

"Plain water is fine."

He frowned slightly. "Do you want juice?"

"Anything is fine with me."

Just then, a waiter came in. Lu Xixiao said, "Another glass of watermelon juice."

The dishes were served one after another. The group ate and chatted, clinking their glasses constantly. Lu Xixiao also drank a lot. He drank quickly, half a glass at a time.

Zhou Wan turned her head to look at him. His face was still clear and pale, showing no signs of being drunk.

Noticing her gaze, Lu Xixiao turned his head and raised an eyebrow silently.

Zhou Wan shook her head. "It's nothing."

He leaned in close, bringing his lips to her ear, the cool scent of alcohol brushing against her earlobe. "I'm going down to pay the bill."

"Mm."

Just as Lu Xixiao left, Zhou Wan's phone rang. It was Doctor Chen.

Her brow twitched. Her grandma's test results must be out.

Zhou Wan went to the restroom to answer the phone. "Hello, Doctor Chen."

"Wanwan, your grandma's test results are out," Doctor Chen said. "I've looked at them. Some indicators are very unstable because of her age, so surgery might be a bit difficult."

Zhou Wan froze, feeling as if all the blood in her body was rushing downwards, her hands turning ice-cold.

"Why?" Zhou Wan struggled to steady her breathing and her voice. "Didn't you say last time that Grandma's physical condition was good and her age wasn't particularly old, so surgery wouldn't be a big problem?"

Doctor Chen paused for a moment, and it seemed difficult for him to speak. "There are a few new indicators in this check-up, and the data is not good."

Zhou Wan didn't speak. Her mind was a complete blank.

Doctor Chen tried to comfort her in a gentle voice, "Wanwan, Grandma's condition has always been quite stable. Surgery also has its risks. In fact, continuing with the current treatment is also a safe option."

Zhou Wan's body went limp. She slid down the wall she was leaning against and squatted on the floor.

She could no longer hold back her sobs. Large tears rolled down her face. She raised her hands to cover her eyes. "But with just this treatment, how many more years can Grandma stay with me?"

This time, Doctor Chen didn't speak.

Uremia in its late stages could lead to many syndromes. No one could say for sure how long someone could live.

The call ended. The phone fell to the floor. Zhou Wan hugged her knees, buried her face deep in her arms, and cried her heart out.

Because Doctor Chen had told her before that her grandma's constitution was good, and there was a high chance she could be cured with a transplant surgery.

Zhou Wan had prematurely believed that her grandma could really have the surgery.

But only at this moment did she understand that the scariest thing in a predicament wasn't an endless series of obstacles, but a spark of hope that was extinguished in an instant.

She really thought she had seen hope, really thought her grandma could live healthily for many more years. She had even planned to take her grandma with her to a new city after she went to university.

At this moment, all these hopes were completely shattered.

And she had even asked Guo Xiangling for money, and received 150,000.

For this nonexistent hope, she had already fallen, had already become a bad person.

She had become the person she least wanted to be. Before, she could still convince herself that it was all for her grandma.

But now, with hope extinguished, she had fallen squarely into that filthy mire, the mark of sin deeply branded on her, with no way to start over.

All her meticulous planning, her hypocritical calculations these past days, had all been in vain.

She no longer needed the remaining 150,000, nor did she need to rack her brains to get Lu Xixiao's attention and affection.

*

When Zhou Wan returned to the private room, she had reverted to her old self, showing no trace of having cried, but her entire being felt heavy, so heavy.

Lu Xixiao hadn't returned yet.

Zhou Wan returned to her seat. As she sat down, she accidentally bumped her glass, spilling the remaining half of her watermelon juice and wetting her pants.

She muttered a soft "I'm sorry" and frantically tried to clean up.

"It's okay, it's okay." The boy next to her helped her right the glass and quickly pulled out several tissues. "Sister-in-law, should I order you another glass of watermelon juice?"

"No, thank you," Zhou Wan said, swallowing the lump of sourness in her throat.

Coincidentally, they were pouring alcohol. When they got to Zhou Wan, the boy smiled and asked, "Want to try something else?"

Zhou Wan looked up at him.

The boy meant nothing by it, just a casual question.

Now that everyone saw her and Lu Xixiao as a couple, no one would dare to do anything to her.

Zhou Wan took the glass and moved it closer to the mouth of the liquor bottle.

"You're really drinking?" the boy asked, surprised.

Zhou Wan lowered her eyes. "Mm."

She had never drunk alcohol before, but she felt so terrible right now.

So much so that she wanted to rely on the saying "drown one's sorrows in wine."

The group of boys didn't notice Zhou Wan's low spirits, probably because she was usually this quiet. They all started hooting, "Our Sister-in-law has guts."

They poured a full glass, and Zhou Wan took a sip.

It wasn't as bad as she had imagined. It had a slight bitterness, which suited her current state of mind.

*

Lu Xixiao returned after a quarter of an hour.

When he came back, he was tinged with the sharp scent of tobacco. He had probably gone out for a smoke after paying the bill.

He sat back down, glanced at Zhou Wan, who was propping her face up with her hand, hiding most of it. But the bit of her cheek that was visible was flushed an unnatural red.

Lu Xixiao looked at her glass.

He grabbed Zhou Wan's arm and moved it away. "You've been drinking?"

Zhou Wan blinked slowly, her reaction clearly sluggish. "Mm."

Lu Xixiao frowned. "Who poured her a drink?"

The boy who had poured the drink was incredibly tactless. He even winked suggestively at Lu Xixiao. "I didn't realize Sister-in-law could drink so well. She had several glasses. Now that she's drunk, it'll be easier for you to take her home and get things done."

Lu Xixiao looked up, staring at the person without a word.

There was fire in his eyes, and he was extremely impatient. For a moment, no one dared to make a sound.