“Ah Xiao, still want to go eat?” Jiang Fan asked.
“Eat what?” Lu Xixiao said impatiently, paused for a few seconds, then nodded towards Zhou Wan, “I’ll take her home first.”
Jiang Fan’s group left first, and Lu Xixiao called a taxi.
The taxi arrived quickly and stopped outside. Zhou Wan silently endured the increasingly unbearable pain in her ankle, limping as she followed Lu Xixiao into the car.
She didn’t know where they were going,
And didn’t dare ask.
Until the surrounding buildings became more familiar, and the car stopped at the noodle shop next to the arcade.
Lu Xixiao opened the car door and got out first.
Zhou Wan’s leg was hurting more and more. She struggled, bending over, using her hands to push hard against the seat back.
Lu Xixiao stood to the side, watching her for a while. He originally didn’t want to help her, but the more he watched, the more annoyed he became. He clicked his tongue, threw away his cigarette, quickly stepped to her side, leaned half his body into the car, and lifted her out directly.
After lifting her out, he didn’t put Zhou Wan down, but carried her straight into the noodle shop and set her on a chair.
Throughout it all, his expression was blank, his face frighteningly cold.
Uncle Kang, who had been cooking noodles, exclaimed, “Oh my! What happened?”
Zhou Wan gave him a slight smile: “Twisted my ankle.”
“Is it serious?”
“It’s nothing.”
“What would you like to eat?”
Lu Xixiao said: “Two bowls of three-delicacies noodles.”
The noodles came quickly. Zhou Wan lowered her head and concentrated on eating when suddenly Lu Xixiao put down his chopsticks and walked out of the noodle shop without a word.
Zhou Wan froze.
Uncle Kang asked with a smile: “Having a lovers’ quarrel?”
“I don’t know either.”
Zhou Wan said quietly. She didn’t even know what exactly Lu Xixiao was angry about – he’d been angry for so long now.
“Young men are hot-blooded, with quite a temper. Shouldn’t treat a young lady like this though,” Uncle Kang said with a smile.
Shortly after, Lu Xixiao returned with a bag in his hand.
He extended his leg, hooked Zhou Wan’s chair to turn her towards him, crouched down, and pulled up her pant leg.
Zhou Wan pulled her leg back slightly, but after one look from Lu Xixiao, she didn’t dare move again. Her ankle was cradled in his palm.
Seeing her injury again, Lu Xixiao’s brows furrowed tightly. He bit open the antiseptic bottle cap, spat it aside, and poured it directly onto her ankle.
The stinging pain seeped in from the open wound, spreading through her nerves to her whole body.
Zhou Wan’s whole body trembled, and she bit down hard on her lower lip, not making a sound.
Lu Xixiao efficiently finished disinfecting, placed the ice pack against her ankle, and secured it with gauze.
He looked up and saw that Zhou Wan had bitten a deep mark into her lower lip, her eyes bright red as she held back tears.
“When people bully you, you don’t say anything, when you’re in pain, you don’t say anything?” Lu Xixiao said flatly.
Zhou Wan kept her head down and said softly, “It’s not so bad.”
Lu Xixiao snorted, couldn’t be bothered with her anymore, and sat back down opposite her. But the noodles had gotten soggy and clumped together. Lu Xixiao stirred them a few times, then put down his chopsticks.
Zhou Wan said: “Let’s order another bowl.”
“Let’s go,” he stood up.
Zhou Wan hurriedly followed.
Outside the noodle shop, Lu Xixiao stood at the entrance, heard her footsteps coming out, turned his head to look, and then crouched down: “Get on.”
Zhou Wan’s footsteps halted. Her instincts told her it wasn’t wise to go against Lu Xixiao’s wishes right now.
She slowly shuffled to his back, then slowly, carefully climbed onto it.
Lu Xixiao’s hands wrapped around the backs of her knees, effortlessly lifting her.
Zhou Wan slightly held back her chest, controlling the distance, not completely leaning against his back, but even at this distance it was too close – she could smell the tobacco scent on him.
The wind made the bare tree branches creak loudly.
Lu Xixiao’s shadow stretched long.
“Lu Xixiao.”
Zhou Wan looked at his profile and asked softly, “Are you angry?”
He didn’t respond.
After a pause, Zhou Wan said: “I was wrong.”
“What were you wrong about?”