He grabbed a smaller helmet from the side and was about to put it on Zhou Wan when he noticed the dried tears on her face. He jerked his chin: “Go wash your face.”
Zhou Wan went into the bathroom.
There was only cold water. She washed her face with it and came back out.
She allowed Lu Xixiao to put the helmet on her.
He looked into her eyes and asked: “You brave enough?”
Zhou Wan blinked: “Am I riding by myself?”
“You know how to ride?”
“…”
She shook her head.
Lu Xixiao laughed: “Sit behind me.”
Zhou Wan nodded.
Lu Xixiao pulled down her visor with a “click.”
It wasn’t until the motorcycle started that Zhou Wan understood why Lu Xixiao had asked if she was afraid.
In the past, Zhou Jun also rode a motorcycle, and Zhou Wan often rode with him. She would always urge him to go faster and faster, wanting to overtake the cars beside them.
But racing track bikes were nothing like street bikes.
The moment the bike shot forward, Zhou Wan reflexively wrapped her arms around Lu Xixiao’s waist, letting out a shriek. Her whole body tensed up as she pressed her forehead against his back and squeezed her eyes shut.
The track had many obstacles and sharp turns, and several times they leaned so far that they nearly touched the ground.
“Zhou Wan,” Lu Xixiao suddenly called her name.
She barely managed to respond through the rushing wind.
“Open your eyes.”
She didn’t dare, holding him even tighter, keeping her eyes firmly shut.
“I said open your eyes,” he said.
Zhou Wan’s voice trembled: “I’m scared.”
Of course, Lu Xixiao knew how to handle her, it was simple enough.
He pushed the throttle to its limit, the engine roaring, the wind hitting them even more fiercely.
Zhou Wan rarely raised her voice to him: “Lu Xixiao!”
He smiled mischievously, having achieved his goal: “Open your eyes, and I’ll slow down.”
Zhou Wan’s eyelashes fluttered rapidly before she slowly opened her eyes.
She saw Lu Xixiao’s smooth neck and prominent Adam’s apple, and the scenery rushing past around them.
Her head was tightly enclosed in the helmet, unable to feel the fierce wind, giving her a strange sense of security.
In all her years, she had always followed rules and routines, never experiencing anything out of the ordinary.
But now―
For some reason, Zhou Wan suddenly remembered what Dr. Chen had said to her today:
He wanted Wan Wan to become a free and carefree child, who would always have the courage to stride forward, and the confidence to start over.
She thought that Lu Xixiao might be exactly that kind of person.
Feeling her relaxed grip, Lu Xixiao knew she had opened her eyes, and deliberately teased her: “Holding so tight, you’re going to break my waist.”
Zhou Wan blushed, trying to let go.
But he suddenly accelerated again, causing Zhou Wan to fall back against him.
“Let go if you want to fall off,” he said.
Zhou Wan had no choice but to wrap her arms around his waist again, consciously using less force to avoid hurting him.
Lu Xixiao took her around the track once, then returned to the starting point and got off.
Zhou Wan tried to remove her helmet but couldn’t figure it out after fiddling with it for a while. Lu Xixiao looked down, raised his hand, pressed his fingers against her chin, undid the buckle, and removed the helmet for her.
Zhou Wan said softly: “Thank you.”
“Braver than I thought,” Lu Xixiao said.
Zhou Wan took off her gloves, and Lu Xixiao noticed her hands were red, with faint red spots visible on the back.
“What happened to your hands?”
“Oh, this.” Zhou Wan looked down at them, “My hands get like this easily when they touch cold water. I just washed my face with cold water, it’ll be fine in a while, nothing serious.”
Lu Xixiao’s brow furrowed imperceptibly: “Oh.”
Zhou Wan asked: “Are we leaving?”
“Mm.”