Lu Xixiao said coolly, "Not going."

"Are you really spending your birthday alone? Come on out, there's a bunch of us here."

"Spending my birthday with a bunch of guys like you? Am I crazy?"

Just then, someone playing a game nearby triggered some kind of bonus, and the machine played a cheerful sound. Jiang Fan heard it, paused for a second, and then understood, drawing out a long, "Ohhh—"

Jiang Fan's tone became teasing and ambiguous. "That wouldn't be appropriate. You're an adult now, it's time to do some adult things."

The pen in Zhou Wan's fingertips paused, and her eyelashes trembled.

Lu Xixiao glanced at her expression, clearly seeing the blush spread from her neck to her face.

He curled his lip, tossed out a "Get lost," and hung up the phone.

He didn't use that comment to tease Zhou Wan further. He took a game card and went to the side to play.

Zhou Wan breathed a sigh of relief and buried her head, continuing to do her problems.

For the next few hours, Lu Xixiao played games there.

Meanwhile, Zhou Wan finished two sets of test papers.

At eleven o'clock, Lu Xixiao brought over a thick stack of prize tickets for Zhou Wan to enter. He came to the Arcade intermittently, but he always won a lot of tickets. By now, he had accumulated nearly 100,000 points.

Zhou Wan glanced at the prizes redeemable for 100,000 points. They were mostly things like rice cookers and juicers, which Lu Xixiao definitely wouldn't use, so she didn't mention it, letting the points continue to accumulate.

It had gotten cold again today.

The air in winter was always not great, and there were few stars in the sky.

Every breath was a chill that made you shiver.

Zhou Wan put on the gloves she had gotten from Lu Xixiao's friend's supermarket last time, rubbed her hands together, and looked up at the sky.

"I wonder if it will snow this year," Zhou Wan said.

It hadn't snowed in Pingchuan City for two or three years.

Even when it did, it was just sleet that melted as soon as it hit the ground.

The memory of a sky full of snow was from her childhood, when her dad would build snowmen with her.

"It won't," Lu Xixiao said. "It's a warm winter."

The fallen leaves on the ground had been swept away. This road was lined with cherry blossom trees on both sides, but at this time of year, all the leaves had fallen, leaving only a tangle of bare trunks.

Zhou Wan sighed very lightly.

Lu Xixiao turned his head. "You like snow?"

"Yeah." Zhou Wan nodded. "Don't you like it?"

"Too noisy."

His description was strange, but Zhou Wan understood.

Snowy days were noisy. Every time it snowed in Pingchuan City, it would cause everyone to scream and cheer. There were also exceptionally more people on the streets on snowy days, and even social media feeds became busy.

Zhou Wan smiled. "I think it's very clean."

The world becomes pure white, very clean.

It's as if all the ugliness, darkness, cries, and pain no longer exist.

Even she herself seemed able to return to the childhood Zhou Wan who was especially happy and content just from having a snowball fight and building a snowman.

"Then let's go see the snow at the end of the year," Lu Xixiao said coolly.

"Didn't you say it won't snow this year?"

Lu Xixiao glanced at her, the corners of his eyes lifting slightly, his voice carrying a hint of a smile and a bit of youthful arrogance and recklessness. "If I say I can let you see it, then you'll naturally be able to see it."

Zhou Wan was taken aback.

She stared at Lu Xixiao in a daze for a moment before looking away.

'The end of the year,' she thought.

The New Year was in early February this year, a little over three months away.

If Lu Xixiao would still take her to see the snow at the end of the year, then their indescribable relationship could last for at least another three months.

In that case, her threat to Guo Xiangling to give her the remaining 150,000 yuan within the next three months could also be realized.

Grandma should have enough money for her surgery then.

As Zhou Wan thought this, in the next second, she felt a deep loathing for her own thoughts.

Lu Xixiao asked, "How old are you."

Noticing her absent-mindedness, Lu Xixiao lightly tugged her ponytail. "I'm asking you a question."

"What?"

"How old are you."

"16."

"And your birthday?"

"March 25th."

Lu Xixiao raised his eyebrows. "You started school early?"

"Yeah, my dad was a teacher. He arranged for me to start elementary school a little early."

This was the first time Lu Xixiao had heard her mention her parents.

They continued walking forward.

Lu Xixiao lit a cigarette. He noticed her spirits were low, as if she had something on her mind, which she didn't seem to have when they were in the Arcade just now.

He flicked the ash off his cigarette and asked casually, "What are you thinking about?"

Zhou Wan paused and looked up into his eyes.

His eyes were calm, yet knowing, as if he could see right through her and understand her emotions.

Sometimes, Lu Xixiao was indeed a very perceptive person. Although he rarely said much, he was keenly aware of many emotional changes.

The feeling was very strange.

Like another version of herself in this world.

In other words, like a soulmate.

But Zhou Wan just couldn't tell him what she was thinking.

She shook her head. "It's nothing."

Lu Xixiao didn't press her and didn't ask again.

He walked her to her door. Zhou Wan turned around, looked him seriously in the eyes, and said, "Lu Xixiao, happy 18th birthday."

Her tone was sincere and serious, as if she were baring her heart.

A muscle in Lu Xixiao's brow twitched, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"I hope you can always be free and unrestrained, do as you please, do the things you want to do, and become the person you want to be." Zhou Wan's voice was soft yet firm.

The wind blew gently.

Blowing away the last sentence.

"Always dare to love and hate, and may everything go your way."

'I hope you can find the girl you truly like.'

'And I hope you can hate me without reservation.'