Lu Fan and Zhao Zhichao became good friends, and his life became richer. He went with Zhao Zhichao to steal fruit, took Zhao Zhichao to the library, and watched her read intently from a corner. He discovered that this girl who loved to fight was genuinely studying, not like him, driven by fear to improve her grades.
Later, they had their own base, and Lu Fan gradually emerged from the psychological prison he had built. But this outcome didn't last long. Zhao Shicheng discovered their base and locked up Zhao Zhichao.
That time, Lu Fan was scared. He hid at home, trembling, afraid that Zhao Shicheng would tell his father. He knew his father wouldn't blame him, but what about his mother?
Just then, Lu Fan's mother pushed open the door. She washed some fruit, smiled at Lu Fan, and said, "Miss Zhao next door has been locked up."
"I know."
"Aren't you going to save her?"
"I… you…"
"Don't be afraid, Mom is fine. Mom doesn't need your protection. I'm not afraid of your father's actions; I'm protecting you."
"Protecting me?"
"Protection is a manifestation of love."
Lu Fan understood the meaning of protection. That day, he appeared before Zhao Zhichao with a brick, like a hero. From that day on, Lu Fan vowed to protect Zhao Zhichao for his entire life.
When Zhao Shicheng told Lu Fan the truth, Lu Fan wasn't surprised. He knew his father was a police officer to be admired, but he never thought his father was a good person. Good people never abused their wives.
However, Lu Fan had to do something for Zhao Zhichao. So, he decided to leave Zhao Zhichao to protect her.
...
This world is vast, and everyone needs to form emotional connections with others to survive. But Lu Fan didn't. Choosing to break up for Zhao Zhichao's safety, he lost the sunshine the world should have offered. He once again locked himself in his psychological prison. He had no friends, no lover, living like an isolated island.
When he graduated from university, Lu Fan's mother saw the long-lost loneliness in her son's eyes again. Her heart ached, and she persuaded Lu Fan, "Son, you're grown up now, it's time to find a girlfriend."
"I don't want to."
His mother smiled kindly, "I heard Miss Zhao next door is attending university in Yunnan. I got her address for you."
"I don't want to see her."
"How do you know if you want to see her if you don't even try?"
Lu Fan remained silent. His mother stroked his head and said seriously, "At dinner tonight, your father will tell you that he has pulled strings for you, and you will have a promising job at the procuratorate."
"Okay, I'll go."
"No, don't go. Tell your father that you want to leave this home and live in Beijing."
Hearing his mother say this, Lu Fan trembled in fear, "Are you crazy? That beast surnamed Lu will beat you to death."
"Mom is not afraid."
"If you're not afraid, why don't you get a divorce?"
"Mom has no education and no work experience. If I had divorced back then, I wouldn't have been able to provide you with a good education. Besides, your uncle relied on that man surnamed Lu, and your grandparents were also in poor health and needed care."
Hearing his mother's words, Lu Fan cried. He wanted to persuade his mother, but he also felt happy for her. Everything was done to protect the family. His grandparents had passed away, and his uncle's life was on track. And he had also graduated from university. At this time, his mother no longer had to live to protect anyone.
"After you leave Xi'an, I will divorce your father. You don't need to come back; go to Yunnan to find your Miss Zhao."
"Mom~"
Lu Fan, a grown man, hugged his mother and cried. He thought his mother would live a new life in the future because of her strength. But unexpectedly, as soon as he returned to his university in Beijing, he heard the devastating news of his mother's death from heart disease.
When Lu Fan returned to Xi'an, his mother's body had already been cremated. He couldn't prove that his mother's death was related to his father's violence, so he sought help from the forensic doctor who examined his mother. He knelt and cried, begging the forensic doctor, but the person ignored him. However, not long after, that forensic doctor died.
Lu Fan was terrified upon hearing this news. His father became a monster in his eyes. He fled Xi'an and went directly to Yunnan.
...
When he said this, Lu Fan's emotions were already unstable. Zhao Zhichao gently patted his back and softly said, "Let me say the rest!"
...
"Knowing that the final outcome is separation, yet choosing to be with him, waiting for that day to arrive."
Zhao Zhichao met Lu Fan at the entrance of a university in Yunnan. She clearly remembered that this "girly man" had become a strong and upright man, yet he was crying like a heartbroken maiden in front of her roommates.
Her roommate asked a male classmate to help Lu Fan arrange accommodation. Zhao Zhichao was flustered by Lu Fan's appearance and couldn't help but say to her roommate, "His mom told him to find Miss Zhao next door, so he came."
Her roommate rolled her eyes and looked at Zhao Zhichao, "Chao Jie, this doesn't match your wise and calm image. Why are you panicking?"
"Who's panicking? Why should I panic?"
Everyone knew Zhao Zhichao was saying one thing and meaning another. That night, Zhao Zhichao refused to meet Lu Fan and returned to the dormitory to watch TV. Her mind wasn't on the TV; she kept turning the remote on and off.
The other people in the dormitory watched her with smiles. After a long time, she noticed and added, "The remote's batteries are dead. I'm going to buy some."
Her roommate reminded her, "The dormitory closes at 10:30 PM."
...
Zhao Zhichao met a dejected Lu Fan on the sports field. Lu Fan was a head taller than her, his eyes filled with tears. "My mom is dead." After saying this, Lu Fan wanted to hug Zhao Zhichao and cry heartily, but Zhao Zhichao pushed him away.
"Auntie is dead? When? How did she die? Speak properly, don't be so whiny."
"I suspect my father beat her to death, but I have no evidence."
"I'll avenge you."
"What about me?"
"Go back to Beijing and study. Leave tomorrow. That's it~"
"Before I leave, can we chat for a while? I've missed you so much these past few years."
"No, Lu Fan, we broke up. Ah, no, we were never together. Forget it, I'm telling you, Lu Fan, the dormitory closes at 10:30 PM. It's 8:30 PM now."
Lu Fan watched Zhao Zhichao's retreating back and smiled, which was rare. They hadn't seen each other for nearly four years, but Zhao Zhichao was still the same Zhao Zhichao. Seeing her always swept away the gloom in his life.
...
Lu Fan didn't leave; he stayed to work near the university. Every day, he packed meals into cartoon lunchboxes and was responsible for Zhao Zhichao's three meals a day. Zhao Zhichao ate them all without thanking him. Her roommates advised Zhao Zhichao, "A man like this is rare. Why don't you marry him?"
"No way!"
One day, the restaurant was too busy, and Lu Fan didn't have time to deliver food to Zhao Zhichao. In the evening, he went to apologize to Zhao Zhichao, dragging his tired body. Zhao Zhichao accepted his apology with a calm demeanor and reached out, "Where's the food?"
"You haven't eaten dinner yet?"
"If you didn't deliver it, what would I eat?"
"What about lunch?"
Zhao Zhichao remained silent. Lu Fan became flustered.
They lived like this for only a few months before Zhao Zhichao graduated. Lu Fan also obtained his graduation certificate under the guise of an internship. Zhao Zhichao put on a backpack containing a few changes of clothes, the money she had saved over the years, and her graduation certificate and ID card.
"Let's go!" Zhao Zhichao said to Lu Fan at the entrance of the restaurant. This was the first time she had come to find Lu Fan at his workplace.
"Where are we going?"
"The Civil Affairs Bureau."
"What are we going to the Civil Affairs Bureau for?"
"Are you going or not?"
"Going!"
Just like that, Zhao Zhichao and Lu Fan got their marriage certificate. With a backpack each, they left the land of troubles. For two years, they traveled to many places: the Amazon, deserted islands in the Pacific, and desolate peaks in the Arctic.
Those two years were their happiest period, starting from the Civil Affairs Bureau and ending at the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Two years later, they returned to their starting point. The restaurant was no longer in business and had become a convenience store. Lu Fan bought two bottles of soda at the convenience store, handed one to Zhao Zhichao, and asked her, "Where to?"
Zhao Zhichao looked somewhat sad, "The Civil Affairs Bureau."
"What are we going to the Civil Affairs Bureau for?"
"Are you going or not?"
Lu Fan bit his lip until it bled. He hugged Zhao Zhichao tightly and asked seriously, "Is revenge that important?"
"Yes!"
"If…"
"There is no if."
"Chao, listen to me."
"I won't listen. I'm asking if you're going to the Civil Affairs Bureau?"
Lu Fan released Zhao Zhichao, held her shoulders, and looked at her gently, "Thank you for giving up two years for me. I'll go to the Civil Affairs Bureau with you now."