The girl affectionately held his arm, acting coy: “I’ve been waiting for you so long!”
Lu Xixiao tugged at the corner of his mouth as a response, looking uninterested, and placed a hundred yuan on the counter.
With one arm held by the girl, he used his other hand to open a cigarette pack and put one between his lips, then took out a lighter.
A “ding” sound.
The flame rose but didn’t touch the cigarette.
His voice was a bit hoarse, nasal like he hadn’t fully woken up, casual and laid-back.
After a pause, as if remembering something, he asked: “Can I smoke here?”
Realizing he was talking to her, Zhou Wan answered: “Yes.”
She handed the card to the girl: “Here you go.”
“So I just need to swipe the card to play games, no need for coins?” the girl asked.
“Mm, that’s right.”
The girl nodded, her eyes bright when looking at Lu Xixiao: “Xiao, what do you want to play?”
He exhaled smoke: “Whatever.”
“Then let’s play basketball!”
Lu Xixiao wore all black, cigarette between his lips, his long fingers with distinct knuckles grabbing the basketball, shooting one after another. He shot very casually, unhurried, just playing around, but each shot went in.
A crowd gradually gathered behind them to watch.
This attention made Lu Xixiao’s girlfriend even more proud.
“Xiao.” The girl was practically clinging to him, “Can we play the two-player game next?”
“No.” He flicked ash into the trash can.
“Play with me.”
“Play by yourself.” Lu Xixiao grabbed the game card, swiped it, and directly pressed the start button for her.
New customers came, and Zhou Wan was registering a card for a couple when she suddenly heard the boy say: “Hey, what’s going on over there, are they fighting?”
Zhou Wan looked over.
Probably upset by Lu Xixiao’s attitude, the girl was frowning slightly, her eyes red, looking pitiful and wronged.
But Lu Xixiao just leaned to one side, looking down at her, showing no emotion, much less any sign of sympathy.
“Lu Xixiao, can’t you care about me a little more.” The girl complained, “I’m always the one finding you, and now you won’t even play games with me, is this how you date?”
“Xu Yixuan.” He looked down, his voice very faint.
Just these words and Xu Yixuan understood she couldn’t act coy with Lu Xixiao.
Lu Xixiao wouldn’t indulge her.
She’d gone too far.
He put out his cigarette, looking disinterested: “Let’s end it.”
She widened her eyes: “What?”
“Break up.”
Zhou Wan watched tears spill from Xu Yixuan’s eyes, such a beautiful and bright girl becoming so disheveled and pathetic in front of Lu Xixiao.
Many people were standing around, and Xu Yixuan couldn’t keep their face. Throwing out a tearful “jerk,” she turned and ran away.
This was just how Lu Xixiao was.
Everyone at school understood this since they could always see different girls standing by his side, but it still didn’t stop girls from pursuing him one after another.
Who knows what spell they were under?
After Xu Yixuan left, Lu Xixiao didn’t chase after her.
He went to the bathroom to wash his face, coming out with water droplets still hanging on his face, running down his sharp, clean-cut facial features.
He walked to Zhou Wan’s counter, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her desk: “How much?”
“Eighty.”
Lu Xixiao scanned the code to pay, glancing up at Zhou Wan with a pause in his gaze.
He seemed to find her somewhat familiar, carelessly asking: “Yangming High?”
Zhou Wan looked up: “Mm.”
He tore open the cigarette packaging, took out another one, lit it, and raised his eyebrows in the smoke: “What’s your name?”
“Zhou Wan.”
After a pause, she added, “The ‘Wan’ from ‘will draw a bow like the full moon.'”
Lu Xixiao raised his eyebrows, laughing meaningfully.
Under his laughter, Zhou Wan’s face began to heat up.
“Lu Xixiao,” he said.
“I know.”
He looked up.
Zhou Wan also looked up, meeting his gaze.
She had once read in a book that making eye contact twice with someone would make them remember you.
This was the second time.