Be Passionately In Love

As soon as he got home, someone flopped onto the bed, burying his face in the pillow with utter despair, looking completely worn out and hopeless. No matter how Xu Zhi coaxed him, he refused to lift his head.

Xu Zhi sat on the edge of the bed, stifling a laugh but not daring to actually laugh. She reached under the pillow to touch his face, gently pinching it as she softly coaxed, "Dad already explained to them, saying you got injured playing basketball and that you're perfectly healthy."

"Really?" His voice was muffled by the pillow. "Then why did Wei Lin still come ask me?"

Xu Zhi feigned ignorance, teasing him on purpose. "What did Wei Lin ask you?"

After dinner, when everyone else had left, Wei Lin had quietly sidled up to Chen Luzhou and asked, "Bro, are you a 'fast man'?"

Chen Luzhou had still been eating at the time—most everyone else had finished, and he was just polishing off the last bites—so he didn’t immediately catch on. "What 'fast man'? Never participated in that."

Wei Lin then spelled it out bluntly: "You know, like... finishing too quickly."

Chen Luzhou nearly choked on his food.

……

He turned his head slightly, revealing half his face from the pillow. His clean, sharp features were slack with exhaustion as he gave Xu Zhi a listless glance. "Am I fast?"

Praise me. Come on, praise me.

Xu Zhi paused for a second before catching on. "No, you're not fast at all. Not even a little."

But he was hard to appease. His eyes narrowed challengingly as he shot her a look. "Think carefully—has your boyfriend ever dropped the ball even once?"

Xu Zhi pretended to ponder deeply before tentatively offering, "Except for the first time?"

Naturally, he refused to acknowledge that. He buried his head back into the pillow like an ostrich, sulking. "That doesn’t count. That was just a hookup, not a boyfriend."

Xu Zhi couldn’t stop laughing. She slipped under the covers, wrapping an arm around his waist. The man lay stiff as a board, refusing to budge or even look at her, his face firmly planted in the pillow as he warned her in all seriousness, "Don’t mess with me. I’m still pissed."

Xu Zhi kissed his earlobe, trailing her lips down his neck. "School’s starting soon, Chen Luzhou. Hmm?"

Chen Luzhou forcefully swallowed back his frustration, turning over with a sigh to pull her into his arms. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, exhaling wearily—genuinely in no mood, his voice hoarse and drowsy. "Tired. Just wanna sleep for a bit."

Seems like he really had a rough time at the boxing gym today.

Xu Zhi didn’t have the heart to tease him further. She ran her fingers through his hair, gently stroking as she murmured, "Alright, get some sleep then. I should head back—Old Xu probably needs the bathroom soon. He drank a lot tonight."

"Let him hold it in," came the petty, vengeful reply.

Xu Zhi poked his forehead. "Chen Luzhou, what happened to 'I love Old Xu'?"

"Can’t love him anymore," he grumbled, thoroughly beyond consolation. The more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt. "...Unbelievable."

Xu Zhi realized this mood of his wasn’t going to pass anytime soon.

"Maybe we should go back to Beijing separately when school starts. Otherwise, seeing me will just annoy you, and it’ll affect our relationship," she suggested.

"Don’t you dare," he muttered, lifting his heavy eyelids to give her a dead-eyed stare. "Look at this family of ours—the only solid thing left is our relationship."

Xu Zhi blinked. "Oh?" She patted the bedframe. "Really? This bed seems pretty solid to me."He seemed to have lost all his temper. "Are you hard of hearing or something, huh?" Without even opening his eyes, he kicked out half-heartedly. "Did you hear that? Wasn’t the creaking loud enough?"

"I didn’t hear it when we were doing it."

"Because you were louder than it at the time."

"Bullshit! Chen Luzhou!"

He burst into laughter, shamelessly grinning. "Seriously though, this bed can’t handle the two of us for much longer."

"...We’re going back soon anyway."

"Yeah."

Xu Zhi glanced at him. "Then stop being mad."

"I’m not mad. Just speechless. Speechless. Speechless."

Xu Zhi couldn’t help but laugh and didn’t provoke him further. For a while, neither spoke, and the room fell silent until steady breathing sounded beside her.

Finally, he’s asleep.

Just as Xu Zhi was about to get up and go home, movement came from beside her again.

After a long pause, the man buried his entire face into the pillow, utterly despairing, as if wishing he could vanish into thin air—

"...Can’t sleep. Speechless. Fuck fuck fuck."

Xu Zhi laughed hysterically.

For the next few days, not only did Chen Luzhou avoid Xu Guangji, even Old Xu felt awkward around him. He wanted to be warm but feared being overly friendly would seem suspicious. Thankfully, school was about to start. Xu Guangji couldn’t wait to pack them both off to Beijing.

Xu Zhi packed her luggage reluctantly. "Dad, aren’t you even a little sad to see me go? I won’t be back for summer break."

Xu Guangji, still recovering from his sprained ankle, hadn’t returned to work yet. After spending every day together, father and daughter were somewhat tired of each other. Leaning on the couch watching TV, his crutches discarded nearby, he peeled an orange and said incredulously, "I really admire Chen Luzhou. You two spent every day together this winter break, and you’ll still be together every day in Beijing. Hasn’t he gotten sick of you yet? I’m already sick of you."

Xu Zhi stuffed a year’s worth of clothes into her suitcase, which bulged so much it barely closed. She sat on it to zip it up, not looking up as she replied, "No way."

It was just that Chen Luzhou was too good at relationships. She never got tired of being with him—even if they did nothing but quietly read together, it felt incredibly fun. Nowadays, the only time they behaved was during those few hours of reading; the rest of the time was spent teasing each other.

Xu Guangji suddenly remembered something and hobbled into the bedroom on his crutches. He returned with two packages and tossed them onto her suitcase. "Take these back to Beijing with you."

Xu Zhi stared at the familiar snack packaging—crispy pastries—and realization dawned on her. Her scalp tingled, and her throat tightened as if blocked. After a long pause, she managed to choke out, "Dad? Don’t tell me you went to Songbai Road that day just to buy these pastries for me?"

Xu Guangji, oblivious to his daughter’s thoughts, looked puzzled by her hesitation. "Yeah, didn’t you call saying you wanted to eat the pastries from home? I remembered you were leaving soon, so I went to buy them after work."

That night, after dinner with Zhu Yangqi and Li Ke, Xu Zhi couldn’t resist telling Chen Luzhou about it on their way home.

Chen Luzhou pinched her cheek. "Happy now?"Xu Zhi smiled faintly. "Not exactly. It's just that some things take time to accept. Knowing my dad hasn’t rushed into another family so quickly does make me feel much better."

In truth, Chen Luzhou was the same—some things required time to gradually come to terms with.

Time was the best executioner, but also the best medicine.

Xu Zhi suddenly remembered and said, "My dad asked today if we’ve gotten tired of each other yet."

The two were walking along their usual path, Chen Luzhou holding her hand in his pocket. He glanced down at her. "Tired?"

"No, my dad thinks we should be tired by now."

"Seems Old Xu still has some issues with me," he chuckled.

Xu Zhi laughed too, threading her fingers through his in his pocket, clasping them tightly. "Old Xu really doesn’t have a problem with you. But my mom might."

"Dreamed about her again?" Chen Luzhou stopped to look at her.

Xu Zhi sighed, staring at her toes, her voice muffled. "Yeah. She was scolding me in the dream."

"What did she say?"

"The usual—that I’m not studying hard enough, that I’m wasting my time hanging around with you, that I’m not cut out for architecture, that I should stop wasting my life. Same old lectures."

Perhaps the recent liveliness at home had disturbed Madam Lin Qiudie, because Xu Zhi had been dreaming of her almost every night. In the dreams, they were always bickering, and Xu Zhi would wake up startled, unable to fall back asleep. Occasionally, she’d message Chen Luzhou, and he’d reply instantly every time.

This shocked Xu Zhi. Even at three or four in the morning, he’d respond, sometimes even calling to comfort her. Back then, she didn’t know—only later did she find out. After the incident in Beijing, he had set his phone to mute all notifications at night except for hers. Only her messages would chime, and he kept it right under his pillow.

The peach blossoms were about to bloom, a few buds already clinging to the branches in the breeze. The roadside was fragrant, and the occasional car rumbled past as they strolled leisurely. The streetlights flickered—some bright, some dim.

Xu Zhi tightened her grip on his hand. "My grandma says the changes at home are too big, so we should let Mom know. I’m going to pay my respects to her in a couple of days. Do you want to come with me?"

She had mentioned this to him a few days earlier. Chen Luzhou nodded and said, "Sure." He was about to offer some comfort when Xu Zhi rested her head against his shoulder and pointed at the flickering streetlights above.

"It’s okay," she said with a smile. "I’ve figured it out. Life—well, there are always bright moments and dark ones. When it’s bright, we walk forward boldly. When it’s dark, we just hold each other’s hands tighter."

For once, they weren’t bickering. Chen Luzhou couldn’t help but smile.

Xu Zhi, still in a sentimental mood, continued, "I never used to think this way—it felt cheesy. But after falling in love with you, I just want world peace. And I really wish all love and hate in this world could find their happy endings—"

He slowed to a stop.

"Xu Zhi, do you know what the happiest thing in life is?"

"What?"

"When the whole world is full of single people, and only we’re in love. Doesn’t that feel amazing?"

Chen Luzhou gestured at the scattered, solitary passersby along the street. Xu Zhi hadn’t noticed before, but now she saw—they were the only couple on the entire road.Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Chen Luzhou, be a decent human being. If you don't want to get beaten up, you'd better keep your mouth shut."

With a lazy expression, he added, "Do you know what the worst thing in life is?"

"What?"

"It's when everyone else has an umbrella except us," Chen Luzhou said, hands in his pockets, taking a couple of steps backward as he teased her, laughing uncontrollably. "It's raining, and here you are talking about world peace. How silly."

Xu Zhi stopped laughing and looked up, feeling a few drops of moisture land on her forehead.

The next second, a muffled boom echoed across the sky as spring thunder rumbled in the distance. Spring seemed to arrive unusually early in Qingyi, and Xu Zhi could almost hear the cicadas from last summer ringing in her ears.

**

The day before they were set to return to Beijing, the group went to a small island off the coast of Qingyi to have some fun.

Chen Luzhou brought Xu Zhi, Li Ke brought Zhang Yu, Jiang Cheng brought Hang Sui, leaving Zhu Yangqi and Cai Yingying staring at each other in awkward silence.

Those days in Qingyi were marked by the return of spring, with pleasant temperatures and weather, but the sea breeze remained bitingly cold. Going into the water was out of the question—at most, they could splash around a bit by the shore.

The girls took off their shoes and ran excitedly into the shallows to play in the water.

It was Zhang Yu's first time meeting Xu Zhi, and she hadn't expected her to be so stunning. She knew Chen Luzhou had good taste, but at first glance, Xu Zhi was breathtakingly beautiful. Her face was small and delicate, with a hint of baby fat that only added to her charm—pure and sweet. Her features were exquisite, her skin flawless, so fair that not a single pore was visible under the sunlight, smooth as freshly peeled lychee. Her cheeks were full, her makeup light, and her eyes carried a cool, distant allure, making her look effortlessly beautiful. And yet, her figure was undeniably hot.

Hang Sui and Zhang Yu both attended the same high school, so they naturally had plenty to talk about. Carrying their shoes, they waded through the water as Hang Sui said, "I heard Chen Luzhou chased her for a long time. Who would've thought? Back in high school, he was so aloof—I thought he only cared about studying and basketball. I even told Jiang Cheng that Chen Luzhou probably hadn't figured out romance yet. But Jiang Cheng insisted he'd been 'awake' for a long time—just hadn't met the right person."

Zhang Yu chuckled. "When I sat next to him in class, I could tell he was fully 'awake.' He just wasn't interested in any of the girls at our school."

Hang Sui: "How could you tell?"

Zhang Yu: "Back then, I had a crush on Li Ke. No one else knew, but Chen Luzhou figured it out."

Hang Sui laughed. "No wonder."

Cai Yingying called out, "What are you two doing over there? There are seashells here—want to hear the ocean's stories?"

Hang Sui splashed her way over. "Coming! Zhang Yu, hurry up!"

Zhang Yu: "Yeah, coming!"

The girls scoured the shore for seashells, tapping each one and holding them up to their ears, though none of them really knew what they were listening for. They were having a blast regardless.

Hang Sui: "This one sounds nice—it's loud."

Xu Zhi picked one up and held it to her ear. "Doesn't this just sound like holding a glass cup to your ear?"

Zhang Yu: "Technically, that's exactly the principle. The 'sound of the ocean' in seashells is a myth."

Cai Yingying, however, was on a completely different wavelength. Suspiciously tapping a seashell, she muttered to herself, "Why does this sound like my dad's stomach growling?"

Xu Zhi: "..."

Zhang Yu: "..."

Hang Sui: "..."Chen Luzhou and Jiang Cheng sat on the nearby beach chairs, ordering a few drinks while playing cards and chatting. Their eyes occasionally flicked over to check that the others were still within sight. Watching Xu Zhi roll up her pant legs higher and higher, getting more into the fun as the seawater rose past her knees, Chen Luzhou hunched slightly, elbows resting on his knees as he absentmindedly shuffled the cards in his hands. Frowning, he called out, "Xu Zhi, why are you going so far out?"

Xu Zhi didn’t respond, but at least she stopped moving forward.

Zhu Yangqi clicked his tongue and tossed out two cards. "Just tie the two of you together already. Can’t even let her wander off for a bit?"

Chen Luzhou took a sip of coconut water. They were playing Hongwu, a local variant from Qingyi—a game that required both skill and strategy. He glanced at his hand, leisurely calculating his moves before throwing down two cards. "Mind your own game. You’re the only single dog here right now."

Li Ke coughed, an uncharacteristic hint of embarrassment crossing his face. "Technically, I’m not officially off the market yet. Still in the getting-to-know-each-other phase."

Zhu Yangqi groaned dramatically. "Both of you, move out of my place as soon as we get back."

Chen Luzhou scoffed. "Like I care."

Li Ke echoed, "Yeah, who cares?" But the moment he scanned the table’s card layout, he cursed, "Damn it, Zhu Yangqi, can’t you pay attention? You just blocked my play!"

Zhu Yangqi shot back, "With that garbage hand of yours, might as well stay blocked."

Li Ke blinked at him in confusion. "We’re on the same team, Zhu?"

Zhu Yangqi huffed. "Switching sides next round. I’m teaming up with Chen Luzhou—at least he doesn’t yap nonstop while playing."

Li Ke glanced at Chen Luzhou. "His head’s full of calculations right now. You really wanna be on his side? When it comes to Hongwu, I’m just as good as him. The real gap is between you and Jiang Cheng—our pairing’s at a disadvantage." With that, he laid down a sequence of clubs.

Chen Luzhou smirked. Li Ke immediately sensed trouble as Chen Luzhou casually tossed out a set of cards that perfectly matched the sequence. Li Ke gaped. "You had a missing club? You were baiting me?"

"Been baiting you for a while now."

"Damn it, you tricked me! When Zhu Yangqi threw down clubs earlier, your poker face made me think you still had some."

"Since when does poker face win games?" Chen Luzhou laughed, relaxed and carefree. Even as he spoke, his gaze instinctively drifted toward Xu Zhi. "You weren’t counting cards? Thought you’d have figured it out."

Li Ke grumbled, "Got distracted by Zhu Yangqi."

Zhu Yangqi quickly defended himself, "Nah, don’t blame me. You’re just outmatched. Even my dad, a seasoned card shark, can’t beat Chen Luzhou at Hongwu. Ends up giving him double red envelopes every New Year."

Li Ke tallied their points and paled. "We’re done. This round’s a total loss."

Game after game, Li Ke and Zhu Yangqi couldn’t regain their footing. Chen Luzhou and Jiang Cheng turned the tables completely, climbing from lowly twos to kings, clearing their hands with ease.

By the time Xu Zhi and the others returned, they had just finished a round, with Zhu Yangqi clamoring for a rematch.

"What are you guys playing?" Xu Zhi asked.

"Hongwu. Wanna join?" Chen Luzhou replied, pulling her closer.

"Nah, I’m not really good at it."Xu Zhi finished speaking and naturally settled into his lap. Chen Luzhou had his legs spread apart, leaning back to make space for her in the middle. His chin rested on her shoulder as he unscrewed the cap of the drink on the table and handed it to her.

"Hmm?"

Xu Zhi took it, sipped, then passed it back, clearly accustomed to being waited on. She leaned back comfortably into Chen Luzhou’s embrace, her head resting against his shoulder, tilting her face up to chat idly with him. The conversation was light and trivial—

"Splashing in the water is so fun, and it’s not even cold."

"Earlier, I wrote your name and Old Xu’s in the sand. Guess whose got washed away first."

Chen Luzhou listened attentively, occasionally chuckling, brushing her hair aside, and responding now and then. "How childish can you be?"

Zhu Yangqi groaned, "Ugh, I give up. These two have been in their honeymoon phase longer than my entire puberty. Hey, Li Ke, Li Ke—"

No response. Zhu Yangqi turned back in confusion, only to see Li Ke standing motionless, completely ignoring him. Instead, Li was eagerly holding up a bottle of Wangzai Little Milk and asking Zhang Yu, who had just returned from splashing in the water:

"Want something to drink?"

Zhu Yangqi: "..."

By evening, the group lounged on beach chairs, watching the sunset. The crimson glow of twilight spilled over the sea, casting the entire city of Qingyi in a warm and vibrant light, as if a palette of colors had been overturned. The strange, mingling hues blended the sky and sea into one, a breathtaking sight that stirred the heart.

A group of spirited youths laughed and chattered freely by the roaring waves, their voices carried by the unrestrained wind, only to be blocked by the surrounding mountains. Their laughter faded with each ebb and flow of the tide, until only rows of footprints of varying depths remained on the sand, gradually swallowed by the ceaseless churn of the waves.

"It's raining!"

"Run!"

The crowd scattered in all directions—some fleeing toward the hotel, others dashing onto the road, a few lifting their shoes as they sprinted to their cars, and a couple of foolish romantics even running straight into the sea.

Chen Luzhou rested his chin on her shoulder, watching as ripples began to spread across the sea, the water splashing wildly. He leaned in and whispered by her ear, "Run?"

The two sat under the shade of a beach umbrella. Xu Zhi leaned back, the back of her head brushing against his shoulder. "No. You're here, so it doesn't matter if it rains. We have the umbrella—we won't get wet."

In an instant, the downpour came, pelting the umbrella with a relentless drumming.

Beneath the canopy, no other sounds remained. No more words were spoken—just the two of them lost in a passionate kiss.

**

Drenched from the rain, Xu Zhi lay idly on the bed after her shower, scrolling through her phone. Chen Luzhou was still in the shower, the sound of water crashing against the tiles filling the bathroom. Xu Zhi got up and wandered around his room, where a half-packed suitcase lay open on the floor. Inside were a few clothes and camera lenses, along with the black baseball jacket he had just worn, apparently to be taken back to Beijing.

Beneath it was a book. Curious, Xu Zhi pulled it out for a look.

— Qingyi No. 1 High School's Outstanding Essay Collection.

He still kept something like this? Typical Chen the Poet.

Xu Zhi smirked and flipped casually to the next page.

The first line leaped out at her unexpectedly. The smile on her lips faltered slightly as her heart gave a sudden jolt. The words were all too familiar, the phrasing like flickering flames reflected in her eyes. Xu Zhi had always felt that this sentence had, in some way, offered her great solace. It had even made her develop a fondness for Tan Xu at one point, thinking him unusually mature for a boy of eighteen or nineteen.

Yet, she never expected to find it here.

"There is no true despair in this world—only prisoners trapped by their own thoughts."

Her gaze dropped lower.

—Class 1, Zongshan. Chen Luzhou.

Before Xu Zhi could fully process this, a sheet of paper slipped slowly from the book. Assuming it was a bookmark or something similar, she paid it little mind and was about to tuck it back in. But when she picked it up, she realized it was a thin sheet of letter paper. The handwriting was familiar, though more deliberate than his usual scribbled notes—each stroke firm and forceful, the ink fresh, as if written recently.

Thinking it might be some reading notes he had just jotted down, Xu Zhi gave it a quick glance before preparing to return it.However, the first three words pinned her in place. Her eyes, like rusted iron, remained fixed on the paper, unable to move as she couldn’t help but read word by word.

Just the first line made Xu Zhi’s nose sting, her heart gripped as if someone had seized it tightly. The long-dried tears instantly surged from her eyes. At first, she didn’t even notice until the thin paper was soaked through. Xu Zhi clenched her fingers, pressing her lips together, trying to hold back the tears. But the more she resisted, the harder it became. The words in her vision blurred completely, yet each one was so sincere it ached in her chest.

"Dear Ms. Lin,

My name is Chen Luzhou, Xu Zhi’s boyfriend.

Xu Zhi once mentioned that in her dreams, you told her to break up with me. Well, I was a little worried, so I took the liberty of writing this letter. I hope it doesn’t disturb you.

During our time together, she has often spoken of you. From her fragmented words, I could sense that Xu Zhi has always admired you deeply. Your passing hit her very hard. First, I want to thank you for raising such an outstanding daughter. And I deeply regret that you couldn’t accompany her to the end of her journey.

Second, Uncle Xu said you and Xu Zhi often bickered, but you truly loved her—you were just strict with her by habit. She has always longed for your approval. She might not have been the best student before, but perhaps you didn’t know—she scored 738 in the college entrance exam, ranking first in her school to enter A University. Now, she’s an architecture student there, excelling in her studies.

The purpose of this letter is to tell you that Xu Zhi is truly remarkable and loves you very much. She said she rarely dreams of you, but whenever she does, you always say hurtful things. I think maybe you’re dissatisfied with me—perhaps because I never formally introduced myself to you.

Lastly, I love her dearly, and I don’t want her to wake up in tears after dreaming of you.

She misses you so much. If you appear in her dreams again, could you tell her you love her?

—Chen Luzhou"

By the last line, the unbearable ache in Xu Zhi’s chest threatened to burst out. She broke down completely, tears flooding from her eyes.

Lin Qiudie and Old Xu expressed love differently. People often say a father’s love is as steady as a mountain, but in their family, it was the opposite—Ms. Lin Qiudie’s maternal love was the heavier one. Old Xu might tease her often, but he never hesitated to praise her when she deserved it, always lifting the mountain of his love high, cheering her on.

"Nannan! You’re the best!"

"Nannan! Daddy loves you!"

"Our Nannan is practically a fairy descended from heaven! How did I get so lucky to have such a treasure!"

But Lin Qiudie’s mountain never moved. Words of praise from her were rare. In Xu Zhi’s memories, there were only her dissatisfaction and criticism.

"Xu Zhi, do you even understand anything?"

"Xu Zhi, who’s going to parent-teacher meetings with grades like these?"

"Xu Zhi, can’t you give your mother a break?"

The cruel irony was that while Ms. Lin Qiudie was still alive, Xu Zhi had repeatedly tried to prove herself, only to disappoint her time and again. Yet, not long after her death, Xu Zhi became the dark horse who got into the nation’s top university.

But Ms. Lin would never know. In her memories until the very end, her daughter remained a failure.This kind of regret could never be made up for. Xu Zhi had regretted countless times why she couldn’t have worked harder sooner. Haunted by it yet unable to let go, she could only pretend not to care about anything, to the point where she became numb to emotional reactions later on. But she had never imagined that one day, someone would keenly sense her regret and even write such a childish yet earnest letter to dispel the unwillingness in her heart.

When Chen Luzhou walked in, Xu Zhi was sitting on the floor, his letter spread open in her lap, crying so hard she was a complete mess—snot and tears streaming down her face. He sighed, walked over, picked her up, and placed her on the bed. With a towel still draped around his neck, he stood by the bed, reached for a tissue from the bedside table, and bent down to wipe her nose while chuckling softly at her tear-streaked face. "Seeing you cry like this—why do I feel a little happy?"

Xu Zhi inexplicably laughed too. After wiping her face, she buried it against his bare torso. Chen Luzhou’s upper body was unclothed, his abs firm and evenly defined, the veins near his Adonis belt standing out temptingly against his skin. Pressing her forehead against him, she looked down at her toes, took a deep breath, and said, "Chen Luzhou, I’m just… unwilling."

"I know," he murmured, looking down at her as he stroked her hair. "Crying it out helps."

"When the college entrance exam results came out, I was really upset. Out of everyone in the world, I just wanted her to know—but she was the only one who didn’t."

"Xu Zhi, sometimes fate works like this. The more you want something, the more it denies you. But when you least expect it, it hands you success effortlessly."

Xu Zhi pondered this, tear tracks still glistening at the corners of her eyes. It did make sense.

Chen Luzhou: "What’re you thinking about?"

Xu Zhi nodded as if suddenly enlightened. "That’s so true. I think that’s how I managed to win you over."

Chen Luzhou nearly choked. His hand still in her hair, he lowered his eyelids and glared down at her. "...Do you believe I’ll throw you out right now?"

Xu Zhi blinked. "I’m still crying."

The domineering act was back. "I’ll throw you out after you finish crying."

But she wasn’t thrown out all night. Xu Zhi watched as he packed his luggage—his belongings were much fewer than hers. Odd, considering how often he changed outfits at school, yet his suitcase barely held any clothes. Finally, Chen Luzhou zipped it up, stood it upright against the wall, and sat atop it. Perhaps out of boredom, they silently gazed at each other for a long while—one perched on the suitcase with a black towel still around his neck, the other cross-legged on the bed, their eyes glued to each other like sticky rice cakes.

They’d look, laugh, look again, laugh again.

No idea what was so amusing, yet they studied each other’s features with endless fascination, never tiring of it. It was as if, in their own secluded corner, they had built a castle and rose garden just for themselves. No other scenery was needed—just this was enough to keep them endlessly entertained.

Chen Luzhou leaned lazily against the wall, the suitcase beneath him rolling slightly as he pressed his toes against the floor. Raising a hand, he formed a gun with his fingers and playfully "shot" her from across the room.

"Bang!" He even added sound effects, every bit the carefree boy.

Xu Zhi laughed until she was breathless. "So childish."

"You’ve fallen for Chen Luzhou.""Bang!" Another shot was fired, one eye squinted shut. "You love him so much, over and over. Bang bang bang, you're head over heels."

Xu Zhi was laughing hysterically. "You're insane, Chen Luzhou. How childish can you be?"

"Not as childish as you, wagging your tail like a puppy."

Without another word, Xu Zhi pulled out her phone. "Hey, Chen Jiaojiao, I downloaded a movie—'Miracle in Cell No. 7.' Guaranteed to make anyone cry."

He sat on the suitcase, his back against the wall, and clicked his tongue. "Well, now you're just being boring."

...

But at that moment, Xu Zhi truly wished that in this world, all love would be fulfilled, all hatred would dissipate. Whether it was towering waves or drifting mist, nothing should come near him. Let no mountain or peak stand in his way.

That day, spring returned to the earth, grass grew and orioles sang, flowers bloomed and withered—another year had passed.

The cicadas of Qingyi's summer were as noisy as ever, and the boy from Yifeng Alley would always have the upper hand.

(The End)