Be Passionately In Love

The next morning, Xu Zhi was having coffee with Fu Yuqing in the café next to the lobby. She showed him the paper rose Chen Luzhou had folded. "Do you think he likes doing crafts or not?"

Fu Yuqing, eyes closed, leisurely rolled walnuts in his hand. "Why are you studying him?"

Xu Zhi rested her chin on her hand, fiddling with the paper rose on the table. "Just curious."

Fu Yuqing: "Did that brat Chen Luzhou give this to you?"

Zhu Yangqi, who had been tormented by a bunch of kids all night, came down to buy two cups of coffee. Half-asleep, he thought he heard Chen Luzhou’s name and wondered if he was hallucinating. Yawning, he glanced around and froze when he spotted two familiar figures.

Xu Zhi, lost in thought about whether Chen Luzhou actually liked crafts, didn’t even hear Fu Yuqing’s question. She asked blankly, "Can you tell this is supposed to be a paper rose?"

Fu Yuqing finally opened his eyes and gave it a disdainful glance. For some reason, he always looked down on anything related to that kid. "Isn’t this a dinosaur? Look at that long tail."

Xu Zhi: "See? I told you it was a mess. Yingying insisted it was a paper rose!"

……

After buying his coffee, Zhu Yangqi returned to the room. Chen Luzhou was already awake, his broad shoulders bare, wearing only loose sweatpants as he lounged lazily against the headboard, one leg bent, completely absorbed in a CBA game.

The room was a standard twin, the two beds separated only by a square wooden nightstand. Zhu Yangqi walked over and placed the coffee on the nightstand. Chen Luzhou barely glanced at it, muttered a thanks, and immediately refocused on the game.

Zhu Yangqi rubbed his hands on his thighs, staring at him intently. After a long pause, he finally spoke with a forced smile. "So you finally made your move, huh?"

Chen Luzhou remained reclined, picking up the coffee. "Yeah, couldn’t hold back anymore."

Zhu Yangqi was momentarily speechless at his nonchalant attitude. So all his worrying had been for nothing. "What’s next then? Going straight for a home run? Or just fooling around?"

Chen Luzhou set the coffee back down and chuckled. "Home run? At most, Yi Jianlian’s gonna sink a few more three-pointers, okay?"

Zhu Yangqi’s expression vanished. "I’m talking about Xu Zhi! Who asked about Yi Jianlian?"

Chen Luzhou frowned at him, baffled, then jerked his chin toward the TV. "I meant the game. Yi Jianlian only started playing in the second half and scored eighteen points." Then he paused, silently grabbing the remote to lower the volume. "Why are you bringing her up?"

Zhu Yangqi: "She told Cai Yingying and Boss Fu that you folded a paper rose for her. You’re such a bastard—has she even broken up with her boyfriend yet? And here you are stirring up trouble."

Chen Luzhou sighed, that pained look creeping back onto his face as he lazily glanced at him with the remote. "Who was the one on the bus saying they’d help me steal her away?"

"Then at least give me a heads-up, damn it!" Zhu Yangqi grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him.

Chen Luzhou didn’t dodge. The pillow hit him square in the chest, but he barely reacted, picking it up and tossing it back. "Relax, it wasn’t a paper rose—it was a paper airplane. We were just waiting for some documents yesterday, and she was standing there, so I fiddled with something to pass the time. Otherwise, it would’ve been awkward. Besides, you know how bad I am at crafts. The only thing I’m decent at is basketball—everything else is a lost cause. Folding a paper airplane was hard enough."Returning paper roses? Dream on.

"I was just teasing her yesterday," he said, getting out of bed and pulling on a T-shirt, slowly tugging it down to cover his firm, slightly ridged abdomen. "By the way, is Cai Yingying here too?"

Zhu Yangqi: "Seems like she is."

"Then ask Cai Yingying if Xu Zhi is free."

"You're actually going to ask her out?"

Chen Luzhou was getting ready to shower but couldn't find any underwear after rummaging through his suitcase—turns out he might not have packed any. Hearing Zhu Yangqi's question, he irritably grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, his tone cold and exasperated: "If I don't ask her, who's going to go down the mountain to buy water for you guys?"

Chen Luzhou himself didn't care—water was water to him. Growing up in an orphanage, conditions weren't great, and he'd even drunk straight from the tap. His cleanliness habits were different from Zhu Yangqi's. His were cultivated later in life, while Zhu Yangqi and Chen Xingqi's were pathological—they had a thing about water purity.

He calculated they'd be staying in the mountains for over half a month. Chen Xingqi insisted on sketching here, saying the scenery was beautiful and the environment peaceful. The only downside was the grumpy boss, but that was tolerable. He absolutely refused to leave, suggesting their parents could send water. Chen Luzhou hated it when Chen Xingqi called their parents for help when things got tough outside. Besides, their mom really didn't have time for them now—Cultural and Natural Heritage Day was coming up, one of the biggest events at her TV station, given it was a cultural program. Otherwise, she wouldn't have asked Chen Luzhou to accompany Chen Xingqi—just to keep him from bothering her.

Yesterday, Chen Luzhou had searched around and found no food delivery options nearby. No wonder Boss Fu was so grumpy—he had a monopoly here. He decided to go down the mountain himself to buy water, making one trip a week—just two trips in total. But he'd need a guide and to borrow a car from Boss Fu. Chen Luzhou could guess with his toes that Boss Fu definitely had a car but just didn't want to lend it to him. Without Xu Zhi's help, he probably wouldn't even get the car.

Cai Yingying replied to Zhu Yangqi that Xu Zhi had agreed and they'd meet in the lobby downstairs later. Staring at the simple reply on his phone, Zhu Yangqi sighed sentimentally—this girl was so easy to ask out. Was she really that free all day, able to come out whenever? The players he used to know were always busy—asking them out on the same day was impossible. They considered it an insult.

Chen Luzhou didn't think Xu Zhi was that type, so he ignored Zhu Yangqi's comment. Just before leaving, while putting on his shoes, he casually asked, "Why did Tan Xu transfer schools later?"

Zhu Yangqi turned on his computer to play some games. Watching the slow boot-up screen, he lit a cigarette and said, "After that fight with the Lego guys, everyone felt pretty frustrated about how that match went. Even though our results were disqualified, a lot of girls still thought Tan Xu did something pretty badass. But Tan Xu kept getting cornered by the Lego guys afterward. Old Dog Feng—my buddy from middle school, actually a big fan of yours—helped him settle things."Feng Jin and Chen Luzhou had hardly ever met, but Feng Jin probably knew Chen Luzhou just as well—through Zhu Yangqi’s endless chatter. Especially Feng Jin, who had already heard Chen Luzhou’s name surrounded by an aura of prestige back when he was still at No. 1 High School. Chen Luzhou was the only student in their year who had skipped the high school entrance exam entirely, directly admitted to No. 1 High School on recommendation. Rumor had it that the vice principal had personally recruited him from another province. Back then, Chen Jishen’s business had expanded to other provinces, and Ms. Lian Hui, worried he might fool around outside, sent Chen Luzhou along—partly to keep an eye on him, but also because Chen Jishen couldn’t bear to be apart from his son. Moreover, the educational resources in that province were indeed better than in Qingyi, making it a top-tier region for academics. So, Chen Luzhou was transferred there.

However, when the college entrance exam policies in that province later changed—barring non-local students from taking the exam or imposing strict conditions—Chen Luzhou had no choice but to transfer back. The vice principal of No. 1 High School had a personal connection with Ms. Lian Hui and knew her eldest son had always been exceptional. Upon hearing of his return, he immediately reviewed Chen Luzhou’s middle school transcripts. Even in that elite province, at a top-tier middle school where only the best were admitted, his grades were consistently outstanding. Convinced, the vice principal rushed over with a generous offer to recruit him.

So, despite never having met him, Feng Jin had always thought Chen Luzhou was insanely impressive. But Chen Luzhou suspected Feng Jin’s fanboy status might have been exaggerated by Zhu Yangqi—who never cared whether his tall tales held up or not.

“And then?”

Chen Luzhou asked while absentmindedly standing by the bed, hands on his hips, debating whether to bring a bag. Girls always seemed to carry those tiny purses that couldn’t even fit a phone. The sun was blazing outside—maybe he should bring one to hold her umbrella.

“That bastard Tan Xu didn’t appreciate it at all. Even after getting beaten up like that, he refused to call the police and blamed Feng Jin for meddling,” Zhu Yangqi continued, oblivious to his internal struggle, taking a drag from his cigarette. “We were all baffled—how could someone be like that? Later, we found out just how ruthless he was. He secretly recorded videos of himself getting beaten up a few more times. About half a month later, he submitted a psychological evaluation report claiming depression, along with the videos, to Lego’s teacher. He also posted the videos on the school forum. Once the backlash spread, Lego’s principal took it seriously and expelled those students.”

“……”

“Later, by accident, Tan Xu let it slip to Feng Jin that his psychological report was actually fake. Feng Jin’s just too straightforward—he could’ve pretended not to know, but instead, he reported it to the teacher. Tan Xu’s mom then stormed into the school, insisting Feng Jin was slandering her son and that Tan Xu really did have depression. In the end, Feng Jin was forced to transfer. Not long after, Tan Xu somehow left too. To this day, many girls still think Tan Xu was wronged, but all us guys know he’s into manipulating girls with PUA tactics—he’s really good at playing the victim.”

……

When Xu Zhi came downstairs, Chen Luzhou was leaning against the lobby’s fish tank, phone pressed to his ear, his broad shoulders making the plump little fish seem like they were swimming around him. Not wanting to disturb him, she stood at a distance, waiting for him to hang up.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Chen Luzhou glanced over at her, still on the phone. He jerked his chin toward the exit— Let’s go, what’s taking you so long? Chen Luzhou hung up the phone and only then noticed Xu Zhi dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, devoid of any accessories except for her mother’s necklace. She didn’t even carry a bag or an umbrella—if possible, she probably wouldn’t have bothered with shoes either, as she was still wearing the disposable slippers from the resort.

Following Chen Luzhou’s gaze, Xu Zhi also glanced down at her feet and belatedly realized, “Ah, sorry, I forgot to change. I was playing cards with Cai Yingying earlier and came down as soon as I heard you were looking for me. Do you mind? If not, I can just go like this.”

Chen Luzhou thought to himself, Are you so used to being gaslit? Why would I care? As long as your feet don’t hurt.

“Let’s go,” he said quietly.

Fu Yuqing had just come down from the tea plantation. Chen Luzhou finally understood how Boss Fu made his money—it turned out he was in the tea business. Fu Yuqing had his own tea room, which resembled an old Chinese medicine cabinet, with an entire wall neatly lined with tea canisters.

Fu Yuqing, with his usual irreverence, perched sideways on the tea table, while Chen Luzhou and Xu Zhi sat on the sofa, watching him meticulously arrange five small teacups. He was absurdly particular—the spacing had to be uniform, the patterns had to match, with the characters facing forward and the chrysanthemum designs at the back, all perfectly aligned. His obsessive-compulsive tendencies were severe.

Chen Luzhou was tempted to ask, How long has this been going on? Maybe you should see a doctor.

Xu Zhi whispered to him, “There’s actually logic to this.”

What nonsense?

Xu Zhi explained, “One side has characters, the other has chrysanthemums. Uncle Fu says everything must follow the natural order of things—chrysanthemums belong at the back.”

Natural order of things… human anatomy…

“……” It took Chen Luzhou about three seconds to process this. Even while seated, he was a head taller than Xu Zhi. His legs were slightly apart, his hands resting loosely between them, his expression clearly exasperated as he gave her a long, deep look, as if to say, What kind of people do you surround yourself with?

Xu Zhi met his gaze. His eyes were striking—dark and bright, the perfect shape of peach blossom eyes, with clean, upturned corners that carried an effortless charm.

Their eyes locked without restraint, an indescribable feeling, like duckweed floating lightly on the water’s surface, natural yet clinging, as if an invisible current pulsed in the air between them.

At that moment, an inexplicable thought flashed through Chen Luzhou’s mind.

Why don’t you break up with him?

But what right did he have?

Were they even friends now?

Not really. At most, they just knew each other’s names.

Fu Yuqing, having finished his meticulous arrangement, turned to them and asked, “Do you know how to drink tea?” Clearly, the question was directed at Chen Luzhou.

Sure, a little. Aside from collecting somewhat questionable tapes, Chen Jishen’s other hobby was hoarding tea every year. His home had an even more extravagant tea room than this one. But judging by the setup of the entire room, Fu Yuqing was clearly a tea connoisseur, while Chen Jishen was probably just a nouveau riche trying to dabble in refined tastes.

Chen Luzhou wanted to say, I’m not here for tea—I came to borrow a car. But if you insist, I’ll drink some.

The two of them sat properly at the tea table. Fu Yuqing fiddled with the walnuts in his hand and suddenly asked a question that nearly made Chen Luzhou spit out his tea.

“Ever done any commercials?”Actually, he had been asked this quite often. Back when Chen Luzhou attended summer camp training, he would frequently get stopped at subway entrances with questions like—

"Hey handsome, ever done any commercials?"

"Hey handsome, interested in shooting an ad? Can I get your contact info?"

"Hey handsome, ever modeled nude? The pay's great."

And so on. The number of similar encounters was countless...

But Fu Yuqing, being the irreverent old man he was, made Chen Luzhou feel particularly offended when he asked. He refused bluntly, "I don't do that."

Fu Yuqing: "Why not? You clearly have the looks. I can pay you, even lend you my car."

Chen Luzhou first glanced silently at Xu Zhi, his eyes inexplicably carrying a restrained sense of grievance, before replying coldly to Fu Yuqing:

"I haven't fallen to the point where I need to make money with my body."

Fu Yuqing: "..."

Xu Zhi: "...Uncle Fu just wanted you to use your drone to shoot an aerial commercial for his tea plantation."