Be Passionately In Love

If life is made up of many moments, then a shooting star must be one of those instances everyone wishes they could reach out and grasp.

At the moment Xu Zhi turned her head, against the vast, pitch-black night sky behind her, a meteor—bright as a flaming arrow—once again tore through the air, carrying people's wishes as it streaked abruptly past her.

……

Chen Luzhou had taken several photos, capturing almost every frame. He lowered his head to leisurely review them, flipping through the images like flipping pages of an animation—the shooting star and the instant Xu Zhi turned around replayed effortlessly under his fingertips. Xu Zhi’s high ponytail and the loose strands of hair at her forehead looked especially tousled under the starlight. The most frontal shot was slightly blurred, yet it inexplicably carried a lazy, hazy atmosphere—no need for artificial blurring.

Behind her, the sky was filled with countless twinkling stars. Beneath this celestial canopy, the girl wore a dazed expression, though her eyes held a rare softness.

Quite photogenic. Xu Zhi’s delicate features and clean, gentle contours gave her a completely non-threatening appearance—except for those sharp, clear eyes. At first glance, she seemed like the sweet, obedient girl next door, which was probably why Zhu Yangqi always called her "little sister."

But she was cooler than most "little sisters." She rarely smiled, rarely got angry, and it was hard to tell whether she was even upset—most of the time, she seemed devoid of any strong emotions.

Chen Luzhou had never met someone so indifferent.

Compared to the Perseid meteor shower, this one was much smaller. After a few sporadic streaks, no one bothered waiting anymore. Fortunately, the weather was good, allowing everyone to leave satisfied. The night sky regained its usual tranquil brilliance, and Mingling Mountain returned to silence, save for a lone bird perched on a treetop and the crisp rustling of leaves in the wind.

Perhaps because tonight’s sky was unusually breathtaking, none of them were in a hurry to leave. Cai Yingying, like Xu Zhi, was tinkering with the idea of grilling fish here.

"Were you taking pictures of me just now?" Xu Zhi asked belatedly.

Chen Luzhou had set up a tripod, intending to capture a panoramic shot of the night sky. He responded with a low hum, "The angle was better where you were standing."

"Then send me the photos. I want to post them on my feed," Xu Zhi said.

Chen Luzhou’s slender fingers cradled the camera as he adjusted the focus ring to infinity. He glanced down, deliberately provoking, "You post on your feed?"

Xu Zhi stared at the starry sky in his viewfinder—he really had an eye for angles—then gave him a puzzled look. "Why wouldn’t I?"

Because I checked.

Before Chen Luzhou could reply, Xu Zhi seemed to realize something. "Oh, you looked at my feed."

"Just casually. Didn’t mean anything by it."

"I know," Xu Zhi said, picking up the lens cap from the ground—the one she had knocked over earlier. "I post in groups. You probably can’t see them."

Chen Luzhou: "..."

No wonder a girl of eighteen or nineteen seemed so detached from worldly desires.

Xu Zhi pulled out her phone and said earnestly, "Want me to add you to the group now? Then you can send me the photos. I’ll credit you."

Chen Luzhou, who never posted in groups, couldn’t comprehend why anyone would bother with such a thing unless they were playing the field. He suspected she had a "fish pond" group but had no proof—so he scoffed in disdain."If you want to pull it, just pull it. Why ask me?" Chen Luzhou had been adjusting the focus for a while without success and decided to switch to a telephoto lens. He deftly removed the lens and reached out to her, his tone sharp. "Give me the lens cap."

Xu Zhi responded with an "Oh," squatting on the ground and obediently handing it over.

Cai Yingying had just finished washing the grill and returned excitedly to start barbecuing fish when she overheard their conversation. She shot Chen Luzhou an annoyed glare. "Why are you being mean to her again?"

Chen Luzhou pulled out a telephoto lens from his bag, removed the lens cap, and ignored Cai Yingying. As he effortlessly screwed it on, he feigned innocence and glanced down at Xu Zhi with a faint smirk. "Was I being mean to you?"

Xu Zhi nodded understandingly. "Yeah, you were a bit harsh just now. Was it because of the lens cap? Give me the model number, and I’ll replace it for you."

Chen Luzhou: "..."

Even Zhu Yangqi, who happened to pass by them, couldn’t help but sigh heavily and give Chen Luzhou’s shoulder a firm pat. "Bro, this isn’t just a long and winding road for you—it’s a solid wall."

After Cai Yingying finished washing the grill, she realized there were no fish left in the spring. Uncle Fu used to bring them here for barbecues often. The spring wasn’t deep—just about knee-high if you stepped in—but now, after some idiot threw a coin into it, the whole pool was filled with coins. Unwilling to let her effort go to waste, Cai Yingying insisted on grilling something.

"I’ll go pick mushrooms," she declared.

Zhu Yangqi scoffed, "Do you even know how to identify mushrooms? And what if they’re poisonous?"

"Xu Zhi and I have been picking mushrooms in these mountains with Uncle Fu since we were kids. You think we can’t tell which ones are safe? If you’re too scared to eat, then don’t. I didn’t wash this grill for nothing." With that, she marched off toward the bushes.

Zhu Yangqi glanced at Chen Luzhou and wisely said, "I’ll see if there are any wild chickens around."

Now alone in the clearing, Xu Zhi thought, Maybe I should go pick mushrooms too. Just as she stood up, Chen Luzhou called out casually, "Come here. I’ll show you something."

"What is it?"

"Just caught a little shooting star."

Curious, Xu Zhi leaned in. "There was another one just now?"

"Yeah, freshly caught." Xu Zhi checked the time. "The meteor shower’s over, right? How’d this one slip through?"

Chen Luzhou hadn’t had time to record it. While photographing the night sky earlier, the shooting star had suddenly appeared right above her head, so he could only snap a few quick shots. He took the camera off the tripod and flipped through the photos for her.

His fingers moved swiftly, showing her the same angle and background—only the position of the shooting star changed. After flipping through a few, the sequence felt almost like watching a video, the tiny meteor vividly streaking across the dark sky right before her eyes.

"This feels even more intense than seeing it in person," Xu Zhi admitted honestly.

You even understand ‘feeling’ now?

"Of course. Who do you think took these?" Chen Luzhou actually preferred the dynamism in photos like these over videos. Atmosphere was something a camera could rarely capture properly.

From the bushes, Cai Yingying and the others were making a ruckus, clearly having a great time. Xu Zhi glanced back but didn’t pay much attention, continuing her chat with Chen Luzhou. "You really like photographing the stars, don’t you?"Chen Luzhou was packing up his camera, casually zipping up his backpack as he replied, "It's alright. I prefer photographing people."

Seeing her tilt her head as if seriously pondering what kind of people he liked to photograph, he worried she might misinterpret—given how straightforward she was, he had to be cautious. He quickly clarified, "Men, women, the elderly, children, even Africans—I photograph them all. Don’t get any weird ideas."

Xu Zhi let out an "Oh," and said, "I wasn’t thinking anything weird. I was just wondering if you might study photography abroad."

"Why are you so curious about what I’ll study?"

"Just wondering," Xu Zhi said. "You seem to be good at a lot of things, but I can’t tell what you really like."

After finishing packing, Chen Luzhou pulled out a bottle of sparkling water from his bag and handed it to her, then sat down beside her on the picnic mat.

Xu Zhi hugged her knees, while he stretched his legs out casually, leaning back on his hands. Under the dim moonlight, he studied her for a moment. Xu Zhi set the sparkling water aside, resting her chin on her knees as she looked back at him with genuine curiosity. Seemingly resigned, he said, "I’ll tell you later. Sometimes, what you like isn’t necessarily what you can pursue. Do you want to study architecture because you like it?" Xu Zhi nodded.

Chen Luzhou looked at her. "Then go for it. Don’t worry about what your relatives say."

Xu Zhi turned her head back toward the spring ahead. The faint ripples seemed to mirror her current state of mind. "But my dad doesn’t seem too supportive either. He thinks architecture is too tough for a girl. My mom studied architecture too—sometimes she even had to go to construction sites. I actually like visiting sites, seeing my designs come to life from blueprints. Isn’t that fulfilling?"

"Are you staying in the city because of your dad?" Chen Luzhou could sense that Xu Zhi relied heavily on her father.

For some reason, these were things she had never discussed with Tan Xu, yet tonight, she found herself opening up to Chen Luzhou. "Partly. I’m an only child, and our relatives can be a handful. My dad can’t say no—he once cosigned loans for a few relatives, and when they passed away, he was left with all the debt. He likes acting like a big shot in front of us, but he’s actually socially awkward, can’t win an argument, and doesn’t even dare post online. Plus, studying out of town would cost a lot more than staying local. After my mom passed, I gave up on the idea. But what you said the other day really got to me. I started wondering if I could aim for a better school."

"Just a suggestion," Chen Luzhou said lazily, stretching his legs. "The choice is yours. Like today—you’re waiting for the stars, while I’m waiting for the autumn breeze. Some people stubbornly wait for flowers to bloom in the desert. Everyone has their own path, their own scenery."

Xu Zhi asked, "Is it always 'scenery'?"

Chen Luzhou leaned back on his hands, half-reclined, and chuckled. "What are you doubting? Our future is our own scenery. No one else gets to decide—only we do."

Xu Zhi gazed at the spring ahead. The ripples seemed to grow more turbulent, dizzying her vision until she had to look away. She plucked a blade of foxtail grass. "Did you know you can catch crabs with foxtail grass?""I don't know, and I don't want to know," Chen Luzhou clearly had no interest in the topic. "But even though I said that earlier, from your father's perspective, he probably wouldn't want you choosing Qingda University just because of him."

"So I want to earn some money myself first," Xu Zhi said, swaying a foxtail grass. "To be honest, that chatting-for-money project of yours doesn't seem very proper. Maybe you should consider other options, like selling fish with me on the street."

"Are you trying to get startup funding from me here?"

"Can't help it. We don't have a rich younger brother to earn such easy first capital," Xu Zhi joked, which was rare for her.

"Not just any rich younger brother," Chen Luzhou added, "You need a rich and dumb younger brother. Alright, time to settle the bill."

Xu Zhi was taken aback, the foxtail grass now somehow in her mouth. Bewildered, she asked, "What bill?"

Chen Luzhou casually withdrew a hand from behind him, glancing at his watch with mock seriousness as he teased her, "For the chat. The one you think isn't proper. Fifty per minute, and we've talked for about ten minutes. Friends discount—half off, so two fifty?"

Realizing he was joking, Xu Zhi retorted, "You're the two fifty here!" (Note: "250" is Chinese slang meaning "idiot")

The mountain breeze blew gently as their silhouettes fell upon the quiet spring water. The ripples seemed like an unyielding wall, swaying lightly with the wind. The moon was bright, the breeze refreshing, and the youth unguarded.

Chen Luzhou laughed so hard his shoulders shook. Leaning forward with one hand propped behind him, he plucked the foxtail grass from her mouth. "Isn't that dirty? Don't just put anything in your mouth."

Xu Zhi: "I even ate them when I was little."

"Oh, is eating grass something to be proud of?" He gave her a sidelong glance. "Want me to pull some for your breakfast? That patch over there is good—Zhu Yangqi just peed on it earlier."

Xu Zhi: "..."

All the way until they got in the car, Xu Zhi felt nauseous, her face pale.

Zhu Yangqi, looking at the rearview mirror, felt an inexplicable chill at her expression. "What's wrong with Xu Zhi? Why does she look so upset?"

Cai Yingying, unusually, said to Chen Luzhou, "Wow, you actually managed to piss her off!"

It had been years since Xu Zhi last got angry. Ever since her mother passed away, she had been emotionally detached.

Xu Zhi ignored them both, giving Chen Luzhou an uncharacteristically resentful look. "Drive slower. I might really throw up."

Chen Luzhou remained silent as he drove, not responding, making Cai Yingying wonder if they had argued earlier. The atmosphere turned oddly tense, like that of a quarreling couple.

Chen Luzhou felt this might be the first time his joking had gone too far. His usually lazy, indifferent voice carried an uncharacteristic gentleness as he said, "Sorry."

Zhu Yangqi perked up his ears, thinking, Now that's more like human speech.

"Should I make Zhu Yangqi get out of the car?" Chen Luzhou added.

Zhu Yangqi: "???"

Zhu Yangqi: "..."