Be Passionately In Love

When Xu Zhi arrived at the tea room, Fu Yuqing was chatting casually with Chen Luzhou, who was seated in the same spot as last time, a drone resting by his feet. The room was filled with the curling smoke of sandalwood incense, a wisp of fragrance lingering between them. As Fu Yuqing poured tea, he asked offhandedly, "You're the same age as Xu Zhi, right?"

Chen Luzhou leaned back against the chair, surprisingly well-versed in tea etiquette. When Fu Yuqing poured for him, he knew to curl his fingers into a fist, palm facing down, and lightly tapped the table three times in thanks. Staring at his cup, he replied, "What year was she born?"

Fu Yuqing set down the teapot, thinking for a moment. "1997, I think. Early July, maybe. And you?"

Ah, a Cancer.

"She's a few months older. I was born in November," Chen Luzhou said, taking a small sip from his cup.

"Oh, so you should call her 'jie' (older sister)."

Chen Luzhou nearly choked, the tea catching in his throat. In his mind, he scoffed—what kind of sister was she?

"You're taking the college entrance exam this year too, right?" Fu Yuqing, unusually amiable, fiddled with walnuts in his hand and continued, "Where are you planning to go for university? Photography?"

Chen Luzhou instinctively glanced at the drone on the floor and chuckled. "No, just a hobby. I'm planning to study abroad."

"What's so great about going abroad? You youngsters these days have a bit of a blind admiration for foreign things," Fu Yuqing remarked, falling into the typical middle-aged habit of making sweeping judgments. Spotting Xu Zhi entering, he immediately called out, "Xu Zhi, perfect timing. Tell him how many good universities we have here in China."

Chen Luzhou thought to himself, Like I need her to tell me , before turning his head indifferently. Sure enough, there she was. He sighed inwardly— Why do I keep running into her? Finishing his tea without explanation, he said to Fu Yuqing, "If there's nothing else, I should head back. I need to edit the footage and will send it to you in a few days."

Fu Yuqing didn’t press him further, simply taking his cup. "Alright."

Once Chen Luzhou left, Fu Yuqing cut straight to the point with Xu Zhi. "I think that kid doesn’t like you much. He was chatting just fine with me earlier."

Xu Zhi, equally puzzled, glanced in the direction he’d gone and said, "Oh. We’re not close anyway. And studying abroad is a personal choice—you shouldn’t assume everyone’s blindly worshipping foreign things."

Fu Yuqing abruptly changed the subject. "What about you? Your dad said you did well on the exams. Have you decided where to go for university?"

Xu Zhi sighed. "Probably Qing University, unless something changes. I never really considered leaving the city—too much hassle. By the way, Uncle Fu, have you thought about trying livestreaming?"

"Livestreaming?"

"Yeah, it’s called 'village streaming' now—promoting rural development. You could livestream picking tea leaves, processing them, stuff like that. It’d help expand sales."

"Do I look like I’m short on money?" Fu Yuqing poured out the cooled tea and stuck a cigarette between his lips. "That little brain of yours is always thinking about making money. Can’t you focus on something else?"

"I just wanted to help you out," Xu Zhi said, reaching curiously for one of Fu Yuqing’s cigarettes, only to have her hand swiftly smacked away."Put in effort? You've got your eye on my business. You should learn more from Chen Luzhou. He's a young man with a much richer spirit and mind than you. How romantic he is, spending all day taking pictures of flowers, plants, chickens, and ducks—yet he never opens his mouth to ask me for money. At your age, you should be talking about dreams and the ocean, not rushing to discuss money with the boss."

"You just don’t want to pay him," Xu Zhi cut straight to the point. "That won’t do. He worked hard all day for you—you have to pay him."

"He didn’t even ask," Fu Yuqing deflected effortlessly, teasing Xu Zhi. "Why are you making such a fuss?"

**

Inside the room.

Chen Luzhou turned on his computer to start editing, but since he hadn’t brought his other laptop, this one could only handle rough cuts. He had to spend money on new software again. While waiting for the download, he leaned back in his chair to rest for a bit. Meanwhile, Chen Xingqi sat beside him, fuming so hard his face had turned green like a potted plant, refusing to leave no matter what.

Chen Luzhou sprawled lazily in his chair, legs wide, and watched him for a while. Seeing the boy’s eyes redden from suppressed anger, he finally reached out half-heartedly to pat the back of his head and placate him. "Alright, that’s enough. No matter how mad you get, it won’t change anything. There are only so many photos in my camera."

"Big liar!"

"Yeah, my bad," he said insincerely, typing in a password to open the software. "Go tell your mom and let her give me a good scolding."

He was fearless, knowing full well his parents wouldn’t do anything to him, so he bullied the kid relentlessly. Tears welled up in Chen Xingqi’s eyes, his whole body tense with frustration. "If you want to teach me a lesson, just hit me! I really thought you were being nice taking me out to take photos, but instead I got covered in mosquito bites on the mountain and almost got bitten by a snake!"

"Control your temper next time, and I won’t mess with you. And stop exaggerating," Chen Luzhou said lazily, crossing his arms. "I already told you—that wasn’t a snake, just its shed skin."

"Then what about all these mosquito bites? I’m itching to death!"

"You didn’t bring any medicine?"

"I only brought repellent! Who knew we’d be doing fieldwork? Damn, the mosquitoes in the tea fields are vicious—it’s like being hit with the Nine Yin White Bone Claw. I’m itching all over!" Chen Xingqi was nearly frantic.

"Let me see," Chen Luzhou pulled him closer and lifted his sleeve to inspect the bites. "Go take a shower first. I’ll ask around later if anyone has medicine." Chen Xingqi caught on immediately. "Are you just using this as an excuse to talk to that sister?"

Chen Luzhou shoved his hand away, leaned back in his chair, and tapped the keyboard to open the software. "Who I talk to is none of your business."

"You’re so shameless, bro. All you think about is dating."

"Looking for a beating, are you?"

Chen Luzhou rolled up his sleeve as if to hit him, but Chen Xingqi dodged fast, slipping out the door like greased lightning. The moment the door closed, it swung open again—Zhu Yangqi had returned. "You’re done shooting already?"

Chen Luzhou inserted the memory card into the computer and grunted in acknowledgment. "It’s not that big of a place. How long could it take? Where’ve you been?""Bored out of my mind, Cai Yingying just called me to play Landlord," Zhu Yangqi said, collapsing onto the bed in exhaustion. After spacing out for a moment, he kicked the back of Chen Luzhou's chair with his foot. "Oh yeah, Cai Yingying and the others asked if you want to go take photos tonight. They heard there’s supposed to be an Aries meteor shower around 11 p.m."

Using me as their personal photographer, huh? What’s so special about an Aries meteor shower? And why would a Cancer even care about it?

"Not going. I’m editing footage," Chen Luzhou replied.

Zhu Yangqi thought for a second. "Xu Zhi really wants to see it. Her mom was an Aries, and you know how they say every departed person becomes a shooting star? She wants to go make a wish."

"She actually believes that?" Chen Luzhou sounded skeptical.

Zhu Yangqi lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling and patting his belly. "Girls can be superstitious. If you’re not going, lend me your gear. I’ll take them up to shoot."

A long silence followed. Zhu Yangqi only heard the crisp clicks of a mouse—Chen Luzhou was absorbed in reviewing raw footage. Just as Zhu Yangqi was about to speak again, Chen Luzhou tossed out a question without turning around, "Ask her if she brought any anti-itch cream."

"Why don’t you ask her yourself?" Zhu Yangqi retorted, seizing the chance to tease him, legs crossed smugly. "She didn’t add me on WeChat separately."

Being needled like this, Chen Luzhou’s temper flared. "You’re so damn annoying," he snapped, slamming the mouse aside and grabbing his phone. He scrolled through his contacts with a cold expression. "Fine, Zhu Yangqi. Just don’t let me find out who you like in the future."

Zhu Yangqi clicked his tongue and shook his head. Getting riled up so easily—still so young.

When Xu Zhi received Chen Luzhou’s WeChat message, she was rummaging for shoes to wear for the meteor-watching trip. Her phone dinged on the nightstand: Did you bring any anti-itch cream? Coincidentally, while digging through her stuff, she’d unearthed her medicine pouch. She dumped it out, snapped a photo, and sent it to him.

Xu Zhi: Did you get bitten by mosquitos? This is all I have—my dad got it from Thailand. Smells kinda like menthol oil.

Cr: It’s for my brother.

Cr: Thanks. Should I come get it now, or are you bringing it tonight?

Xu Zhi: Tonight?

Cr: Aren’t you going to see the meteors?

Xu Zhi: Oh, right. But won’t your brother be miserable waiting? We won’t be back till midnight.

Cr: Free now, then?

Xu Zhi: Lobby in a bit.

As Chen Luzhou got ready to head downstairs, Zhu Yangqi fanned the flames. "See? Now you’ve got an excuse to meet her."

"Shut up," Chen Luzhou grumbled, bending to tie his shoes. He grabbed a couch pillow and hurled it at Zhu Yangqi. "Why don’t you go get it instead?"

"No way. I want you to see her—watching her ignore you is my idea of fun. If you’ve got the guts, just go win her over." Zhu Yangqi flopped onto the bed, flipping him off with a grin.

Chen Luzhou kept his head down, voice icy as he laced his shoes. "Win her over for what? Date for two months and break up? What’s the point? Two months isn’t even enough for a relationship trial card. Keep annoying me, and you’re on your own for the meteor photos.""Alright, alright, I'll shut up," Zhu Yangqi conceded. "Don't stand us up tonight. I still want to use your photo to show off on my Moments."

"Do you even need to pretend?"

"Not as much as you do."

"You're second place, I'm first," Chen Luzhou said, closing the door.

Zhu Yangqi realized he was still the same as when they were kids—always including himself when insulting others. What a childish brat.

The lobby was sparsely populated with a few people dragging their luggage to check in. Xu Zhi was also leaning against that colorful fish tank, waiting for him. Chen Luzhou noticed Xu Zhi really liked this fish tank; every time she passed through the lobby, she would stop to tease the fish. Indeed, vibrant things always stood out.

Chen Luzhou glanced down at himself—black shirt, black pants.

He'd have to cough for her to notice him.

"Ahem."

Xu Zhi turned immediately and handed him something. "This might not work as well as ointment, but it's all we have. Let Chen Xingqi make do with it for now. If it doesn't help, ask Uncle Fu later—he should have something."

"Thanks," Chen Luzhou said, feeling it would be too cold to just walk away, so he asked, "Had dinner yet?"

Xu Zhi replied casually, "Not yet. Want to grab some together?"

Chen Luzhou: "...Yeah."

Zhu Yangqi, see? I told you I just can't say no to her.