The late autumn night was heavy with dew. Lu Xixiao took off his hoodie, leaving only a short-sleeved shirt underneath. He gestured for Zhou Wan to put it on.

Zhou Wan glanced at his thin clothes, shook her head, and took a step back in silent refusal.

Lu Xixiao paid her no mind, grabbing her arm and pulling her close. He pulled the hoodie straight over her head, the rough movement messing up Zhou Wan's hair.

He simply pulled off her hair tie and used his fingers as a comb to straighten her hair.

"Hands," Lu Xixiao said softly.

Zhou Wan pushed her hands through the sleeves.

The hoodie was so big on her it could be a dress, and her hands couldn't even poke out.

Like a small child who had secretly put on an adult's clothes.

The corners of Lu Xixiao's mouth lifted silently. He turned and continued walking.

Zhou Wan followed him past several traffic lights, tears long since dried on her face. During the last three seconds of a green light, she ran a few steps to catch up to Lu Xixiao's side.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Lu Xixiao glanced sideways at her. "Only thinking to ask now?"

“……”

He smiled. "Going to sell you."

“……”

The last bus of the night drove past, honking its horn.

Lu Xixiao took hold of Zhou Wan's wrist, his grip over the fabric of the hoodie.

Zhou Wan froze for a moment, her gaze falling to his hand. It was long and slender with pale skin, the blue veins beneath clearly visible.

The action seemed perfectly natural for him; he didn't even glance at her, just continued walking forward expressionlessly.

Sensing her gaze, Lu Xixiao glanced over, then followed her line of sight to her arm. He raised an eyebrow and said nonchalantly, "It's too late to run now."

“……”

Going to sell you.

It's too late to run now.

Zhou Wan said softly, "I wasn't trying to run."

Lu Xixiao laughed and praised her, "You're pretty brave, then."

"I'm not worth much if you sell me," Zhou Wan said.

Lu Xixiao looked her up and down and nodded in agreement. "True, little plank. You wouldn't sell for a high price."

“……”

He was too blunt, his gaze even more explicit. Zhou Wan lowered her head in shame.

Lu Xixiao squeezed her excessively thin wrist. "I'll fatten you up before selling you."

Zhou Wan followed Lu Xixiao around countless corners and through countless traffic lights, until the traffic thinned out and the intersections no longer even had traffic lights.

As they walked further, Zhou Wan heard the roar of a motorcycle engine.

The sound was a bit familiar.

After thinking for a few minutes, Zhou Wan remembered where she'd heard it before. This was the sound in the background when Lu Xixiao had called her yesterday.

He must come here often.

Finally, they reached a dilapidated residential complex, where a twenty-square-meter supermarket sat on a corner.

Lu Xixiao let go of her hand, pushed aside the door curtain, and went inside.

Zhou Wan hesitated for two seconds before following him in.

The incandescent light inside the supermarket was glaring, shining down harshly. Zhou Wan saw several thuggish-looking boys sitting inside.

The boys' gazes all snapped toward Zhou Wan.

Zhou Wan uneasily shifted to hide behind Lu Xixiao.

Lu Xixiao, however, nonchalantly took a step to the side, completely shielding Zhou Wan behind him. "What are you looking at?"

"What, can't we even look?" one of the boys teased with a laugh. "Who's this, your girlfriend? It's the first time we've seen you bring someone here."

Lu Xixiao just smiled, not bothering to explain. "Where's the bike?"

"In the back. You planning to ride today?"

"Yeah."

Lu Xixiao once again took hold of Zhou Wan, this time by the hand, and led her toward the back.

He lifted the rolling shutter door, revealing a dim but vast space inside, a whole different world.

On one side were a few gleaming, cool-looking motorcycles, and on the other was a racetrack.

He grabbed a smaller helmet from the side. Just as he was about to put it on Zhou Wan, he noticed the dried tear stains on her face. He jutted his chin. "Go wash your face."

Zhou Wan went into the bathroom.

There was only cold water, so she washed her face with it and went back out.

She let Lu Xixiao put the helmet on her.

He looked into her eyes and asked, "Do you dare?"

Zhou Wan blinked. "Am I riding it myself?"

"You know how?"

“……”

She shook her head.

Lu Xixiao chuckled. "Get on behind me."

Zhou Wan nodded.

Lu Xixiao pulled her visor down with a click.

The moment the motorcycle started, Zhou Wan finally understood why Lu Xixiao had asked if she was scared.

In the past, Zhou Jun had also ridden a motorcycle, and Zhou Wan had always ridden with him. She would always pester him to go faster, faster, needing to overtake the cars next to them.

But of course, a motorcycle for the racetrack and one for the road were not the same.

The moment the bike shot forward, Zhou Wan reflexively threw her arms around Lu Xixiao's waist and let out a scream. Her whole body was tense, and she pressed her forehead against his back, her eyes squeezed shut.

The track had many obstacles and sharp turns, and several times they tilted so far they were almost touching the ground.

"Zhou Wan," Lu Xixiao suddenly called her name.

She managed to answer with difficulty over the rushing wind.

"Open your eyes."

She didn't dare, hugging him even tighter with her eyes squeezed shut.

"I told you to open your eyes," he said.

Zhou Wan said in a trembling voice, "I don't dare."

Of course, Lu Xixiao had a way to deal with her. It was very simple.

He slammed the throttle all the way down. The engine roared, and the wind lashing against them grew more ferocious.

For once, Zhou Wan shouted loudly at him, "Lu Xixiao!"

He smirked triumphantly. "Open your eyes, and I'll slow down."

Zhou Wan's eyelashes fluttered rapidly, and she finally, slowly opened her eyes.

She saw the smooth line of Lu Xixiao's neck and his prominent Adam's apple, as well as the scenery flying past them.

With her head snugly enclosed in the helmet, she couldn't feel the fierce wind, which gave her a strange sense of security.

For more than a decade, she had always been conventional and followed the rules, never experiencing anything that went beyond the pale.

And now—

For some reason, Zhou Wan suddenly recalled what Doctor Chen had said to her today:

He wanted Wanwan to become a free and carefree child, to always have the courage to stride forward and the confidence to start over.

She thought, perhaps Lu Xixiao was that kind of person.

Feeling her grip loosen, Lu Xixiao knew she had opened her eyes. He deliberately teased her, "Hugging so tight, you're going to snap my waist in two."

Zhou Wan blushed and tried to loosen her grip.

Who knew he would suddenly accelerate again, making Zhou Wan 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, deliberately using less force so as not to hurt him.

Lu Xixiao took her for one lap around the track, finally returning to the starting point before getting off.

Zhou Wan tried to take off the helmet, but she fumbled with it and couldn't get it off. Lu Xixiao glanced down, raised a hand, and placed his fingers under her chin to unfasten the buckle, removing the helmet for her.

Zhou Wan said softly, "Thank you."

"You're a lot braver than I thought," Lu Xixiao said.

Zhou Wan took off the gloves, and Lu Xixiao noticed her hands were completely red, with faint red spots on the back.