Chapter 34 Part 1

A person is like their handwriting.

When Zhou Wan saw the handwriting on the paper, Lu Xixiao's image appeared in her mind.

The youth was dashing and unrestrained, treating life like a game, wild and untamable, just like a distant, unreachable star that one could never touch even by stretching out their arm.

Yet it was this very youth who had written on the paper—Wanwan.

Lu Xixiao had never called her that.

This was the first time.

Wanwan.

In the past, when her father pretended to be Santa Claus and prepared gifts for her, he would also write on paper, Wanwan.

Zhou Wan stared at the paper for a long time before, after a while, letting out a soft laugh.

After laughing for a moment, her nose suddenly stung, and an indescribable bitterness swept over her, nearly drowning her.

She stood rooted to the spot, head down, pressing the heels of her palms firmly against her eyelids.

Once her emotions calmed, the expression on her face returned to normal.

Pushing the bicycle into the house, Zhou Wan called Lu Xixiao.

It rang several times without an answer. Listening to the ringing on the other end, it took Zhou Wan a while to remember that Lu Xixiao had only just fallen asleep not long ago.

Just as she was about to hang up, the call was answered.

"Hello?" His voice was hoarse, clearly not yet awake, tinged with the grumpiness of being woken up.

"Did I wake you?" Zhou Wan asked softly.

He didn't answer, only asking, "What's up?"

"Nothing much." Zhou Wan's fingers rested on the bicycle handlebar, her fingertips tracing the outline of the bell back and forth. "Thank you for the gift. I like it a lot."

"So you saw it." He chuckled hoarsely. "I thought you wouldn't see it until tonight."

Zhou Wan was moved, but at this juncture, she didn't know what to say to express it.

Lu Xixiao sat up in bed, took a sip of water, and his throat finally felt a bit better.

"What, you don't think Santa Claus brought it for you this time?" he teased.

Zhou Wan pursed her lips. "I'm not stupid. I'm too old for that."

"Zhou Wan, there really is no Santa Claus in this world."

His voice was deep, yet it made the listener feel exceptionally at ease. "But I'm here."

I'm here, so I'll be the one to fulfill your wishes.

We are not in a fairytale, and we can no longer believe in fairytales.

But I am willing to create the illusion of a fairytale for you, so that for a moment, you can return to a carefree past.

In the following days, Zhou Wan would occasionally go home early to take care of her grandmother, and occasionally have dinner with Lu Xixiao.

His frequency of going to school increased quite a bit. Sometimes he would still sleep in and only come to school in the afternoon, leaving with Zhou Wan after her physics competition training ended.

Every day, Zhou Wan would find time to tutor him on the content she had taught before. When Lu Xixiao was sleepy, he would listen half-heartedly. When he wasn't sleepy, he was much more cooperative and would also do the homework Zhou Wan assigned him.

In the blink of an eye, it was December 31st.

The last day of the year.

It happened to be a Friday.

In the evening, the students had no mind for studying. They were all making plans on where to celebrate the New Year, saying a new hotpot place had opened somewhere and was especially delicious.

Gu Meng turned around. "Wanwan, they're saying they're going to Xi Qiao to watch fireworks tonight. Want to go together?"

"I have something to do today, so I can't go."

"What is it?" Gu Meng blinked. "Oh—are you going with Lu Xixiao?"

To the side, Jiang Yan's fingertips, holding a pen, paused.

Zhou Wan smiled. "No, I have to accompany my grandma to the hospital for a check-up."

"Alright then." Although Gu Meng was a little disappointed, she didn't say more. She then turned and asked, "Jiang Yan, are you going?"

"I'm not going either," Jiang Yan said. "I'm having dinner with my dad tonight."

Gu Meng pouted. "But it's New Year's Eve. What's so fun about eating with your dad?"

Gu Meng listlessly turned back. After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Wan tilted her head and asked softly, "Is it... Lu Zhongyue?"

"Yeah."

"Just the two of you?"

Jiang Yan was quiet for a moment, then said, "I don't know either."

Zhou Wan turned back, stared at the test paper on her desk for a while, then took out her phone to ask Lu Xixiao.

[Zhou Wan: Are you busy tonight?]

[6: Nope.]

[6: What's up?]

Lu Xixiao had previously asked what she was doing tonight, and Zhou Wan had told him she was accompanying her grandma to the hospital.

Zhou Wan pressed the side of her face against the cool desktop, closed her eyes, and let out a breath. She replied: [Nothing.]

Along with the New Year's Day holiday came piles of homework. Zhou Wan didn't have Lu Xixiao wait for her after school. After her physics competition training ended, she walked out with a heavy schoolbag alongside Jiang Yan.

Just as she walked out of the school building, she saw a black car parked at the entrance.

Her steps suddenly halted. "I'm going back to the classroom for a second."

Jiang Yan asked, "What's wrong?"

"I forgot a paper. I'll go grab it."

"Oh," Jiang Yan said. "I'll get going first then?"

"Mhm."

Zhou Wan turned and went back into the school building, watching as Jiang Yan walked to the black car.

Lu Zhongyue got out of the car, smilingly took Jiang Yan's schoolbag, and tilted his head to ask a few concerned questions, looking just like any other good father in the world.

But Zhou Wan found it ridiculous.

He had harmed his wife and young daughter, and his son had completely broken ties with him, yet here he was, pretending to be a good father.

If he genuinely cared about Jiang Yan, it would be one thing, but in reality, he didn't have the ability to let Jiang Yan return to the Lu Family at all.

Only after the car had driven far away did Zhou Wan come out.

Only her bicycle was left in the bicycle shed. Zhou Wan took out her bike and rode home.

...

In winter, the hospital was full of infants and children; the vast lobby was filled with the sound of their crying.

By the time Zhou Wan finished accompanying her grandma with the check-up, the sky was already completely dark.

Fortunately, the results showed nothing serious, and Zhou Wan was finally relieved.

"Grandma," Zhou Wan said, "what do you want to eat? I'll go buy some."

"Don't waste money like that. We can just eat whatever," Grandma said.

Zhou Wan smiled. "It's the last day of the year, we can eat a little better."

"Wanwan, do you want to eat dumplings?" Grandma said. "There are still some dumpling wrappers in the fridge. Shall we make dumplings?"

"Okay." Zhou Wan's eyes curved. "But can your body handle it?"

"It's not manual labor. I can make them while sitting. Besides, didn't the doctor say my constitution is pretty good?"

Zhou Wan had originally intended to go to the market by herself to buy some pork and cabbage for the filling, but Grandma insisted on going with her, saying that walking more would be good exercise.

So the two of them went to the market together and bought some meat and vegetables.

Back home, Zhou Wan minced the filling while Grandma prepared the dumpling wrappers.