Be Passionately In Love

The screening room was unusually quiet, the dim arc of the movie's glow flickering across their faces, creating an atmosphere tinged with ambiguity—if not for the rather jarring narration.

"After relentless day-and-night investigations by the police, suspect Liang finally left a trace. He admitted to purchasing a Swiss Army knife at Weimin Supermarket, which he used to murder his wife before disposing of her body in a septic tank..."

The first case in the "Top Ten Bizarre Crimes" series was about a man who killed his wife for insurance money. Xu Zhi was engrossed, thinking that the knife was the key breakthrough—without it, Liang might have gotten away. What if the police hadn’t found the Swiss Army knife? Or what if Liang had stolen a knife from a friend’s house, and that friend was so absentminded they never even noticed it was missing? Without crucial evidence and with Liang’s airtight alibi, would the insurance scam have succeeded?

"You know..." she began.

Chen Luzhou, staring at the screen, cut her off flatly. "Illegal."

"No, I mean—"

"Death penalty."

Undeterred, Xu Zhi pressed on. "No, I’m saying—could there really be such a coincidence? Insurance bought in the morning, person gone by night..."

Chen Luzhou leaned back on the sofa, shooting her a glance. "Gone how? Suicide or accident? Let me put it this way—even if some guy were willing to die for you to make you rich, suicide voids the payout. And if some poor soul bought insurance in the morning and had an accident by night, you’d be the prime suspect. To get that money, you’d have to endure endless investigations. By the time you finally got it, you’d be mentally and physically drained. I doubt you’d even live long enough to enjoy it." He lifted an arm, draping it over the back of the sofa as he leaned slightly toward her. The overlapping glow from the screen blurred across their faces, his voice oddly hushed yet clear. "Ever seen this one movie?"

Xu Zhi perked up, all ears. "Do tell."

Amused by her exaggerated attentiveness, Chen Luzhou smirked. "Can’t remember if it was Korean or Japanese. It’s about a housewife whose husband took out a massive insurance policy on her. About a month later, he died—drowned in a reservoir while fishing with friends. When the police looked into it, they found the suspiciously timed insurance purchase. The wife became the focus of the investigation. They’d known each other since high school, dated in college, married soon after graduation—picture-perfect relationship. No motive for the wife, so the insurance company should’ve paid out. But the timing was too coincidental, and they dragged their feet. Then a neighbor gave a shaky testimony: ‘A week ago, I heard them arguing. Sounded like he hit her.’"

"...""With all the messy testimonies and suspicious points, the police delayed closing the case. The insurance company even hired a private investigator to follow her, causing immense distress to her life and mental state. She became paranoid, and by the time she finally received the insurance compensation, she was completely worn down. During this period, countless netizens analyzed online whether she could have murdered her husband. Some who claimed to be her high school or middle school classmates, along with friends from her daily life, came forward with revelations—saying it wasn’t impossible for her to do such a thing, that she had stolen from her desk mate in middle school, loved tattling to teachers, and even stole boyfriends from her close friends. They tried to lay out all her past, both glorious and inglorious, for public scrutiny."

Xu Zhi’s curiosity was piqued, and she unconsciously leaned forward, resting her arms on the back of the sofa just like him. Her sharp, clear eyes fixed intently on him: "So what’s the ending? Did she kill her husband or not? Did she get the compensation?"

Under the flickering, mottled light of the movie, her bright, shimmering eyes seemed to have butterflies fluttering within them, dancing lightly. There was also a naive eagerness, sparkling as she looked at him.

She was genuinely curious.

Chen Luzhou thought to himself, Unbelievable. She’s more interested in some random story than in me.

The young master’s temper flared. He turned his head away, staring coldly at the pale movie screen. "I’m not telling you. Go watch it yourself."

Xu Zhi pulled out her phone and opened her notes, ready to jot it down. "Fine, then just tell me the name."

Chen Luzhou thought for a moment, then glanced at her. "Praise me."

"..." Xu Zhi looked at him, bewildered, slowly scanning him from head to toe before stating the obvious, "You’re really handsome."

"Thanks," Chen Luzhou suppressed a smirk, "but I meant the movie’s name. Praise me."

Xu Zhi: "..."

Chen Luzhou stepped out to take a call midway. When he returned, he saw Xu Zhi engrossed in the movie, the bottle of alcohol nearly empty. He sat back down and asked, "Was it good?"

He sat slightly closer this time, right in the middle, just two fists’ distance away from Xu Zhi.

The third case was about a mother and son’s accidental killing. Xu Zhi was thoroughly absorbed, nodding absentmindedly. "Yeah, it’s good. Where’d you buy it? The label says it’s from Spain?"

Where else would I buy it? Did I fly to Spain overnight just for you? What are you thinking? Are you that important?

"That imported supermarket we went to last time," he said.

Xu Zhi turned to look at him, seemingly offhand, and suddenly asked, "Are you in a bad mood today?"

"How could you tell?" He gazed at her deeply, his heart inexplicably skipping a beat, as if a sparrow had lightly pecked at a grain of rice on his heartstrings.

So, she does feel something, doesn’t she?

"Wait, really?" Xu Zhi propped herself up on the edge of the sofa, turning to him with sudden realization. "I can’t explain it, but you just seem especially punchable today."

Chen Luzhou: "..."

I shouldn’t have expected anything from you.

"Let me ask you something," Chen Luzhou wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "Just casual talk, nothing else."

"Mm, what is it?"

"Have you ever thought about what kind of boyfriend you’d want?" he asked."I haven't really thought about it," Xu Zhi said bluntly. "It depends on the feeling, but I'm quite shallow—preferably someone smart who can also make money. If they're too dumb, no matter how handsome they are, it won't work for me. Communicating would be exhausting, and I don't have much patience."

"How can you tell if someone's dumb? Human intelligence is pretty similar, except for a rare few. Most people can't really be judged as higher or lower. Should we drag them to the hospital for an IQ test before dating?"

The topic shifted, and Xu Zhi continued, "That's why I said I'm shallow—for now, I can only go by feeling. But the college entrance exam is a pretty clear dividing line. Those who do well and those who don't naturally go their separate ways..." Only then did Xu Zhi suddenly realize—Chen Luzhou had actually done poorly on the exam, right? Otherwise, his mom wouldn't have sent him abroad. Worried she might have touched a sore spot, she quickly stopped talking.

"So, you're planning to find someone in college?" Chen Luzhou cut straight to the point. "Honestly, Qing University is just average."

He genuinely thought Qing University was mediocre, probably because no one in his class had gone there.

After all, what kind of level was Zongshan Experimental Class at No. 1 High? Out of thirty-five students, thirty-four should have gotten into either A or B University without issue—except for him, who went abroad. Of course, other schools were good too, but by Xu Zhi's logic, Qing University really was just average.

Xu Zhi thought he sounded a little bitter—couldn't get in himself, yet still acting sour. But she figured she could understand; people who did poorly on the exams were bound to be more sensitive. "Oh? Then which university do you think is good?"

"A and B University are both decent."

Ugh, how pretentious. A and B University?

Xu Zhi sighed inwardly. Such big dreams for someone so mediocre.

"Mhm, that's a nice thought."

Next time, don't think it.

This was how Chen Luzhou killed conversations. He forgot Xu Zhi wasn't one of his classmates, forgot she had no idea about the halo he'd carried since childhood, or that she might not even be familiar with No. 1 High—let alone what a competitive battleground Zongshan District was. He even forgot Xu Zhi was just an ordinary high school student, where only a handful from her school made it into A or B University each year. He had somehow grown accustomed to treating Xu Zhi like one of his top-student peers, which was why he spoke so bluntly.

**

After that night, the two of them didn't see or contact each other for two days—not even a WeChat message. Xu Zhi never reached out to Chen Luzhou, and neither did he. He'd been busy reshooting some aerial footage for Fu Yuqing and tutoring Chen Xingqi in his studies, his days packed from morning till night. But whenever he had a free moment, he'd unconsciously glance at his phone, checking for messages.

Xu Zhi didn't send him anything, though she did update her Moments.

Xu Zhi: "Thinking of buying a camera. Any recommendations?"

There was one reply underneath, from Zhu Yangqi ten minutes ago: "Ask Chen Luzhou. He's an expert in this, and he has a friend whose family is in the business—they're the biggest distributors in Qingyi City. He can help you negotiate the price."

She probably hadn't seen it yet, which was why she hadn't reached out. But even after a day passed, his phone remained silent—Xu Zhi still hadn't contacted him.Chen Luzhou opened that WeChat Moments post and took a look. She hadn't deleted it, and Zhu Yangqi's comment was still there. Two more replies had appeared below—one from Cai Yingying and another from Xu Zhi replying to Cai Yingying. She hadn't responded to Zhu Yangqi.

Cai Yingying: "How about I ask my cousin for you? He used to be a Canon agent and has plenty of cheap cameras."

Xu Zhi replied to Cai Yingying: "Okay."

When Zhu Yangqi saw Xu Zhi's reply, he came out of the bathroom, phone in hand, and walked up to Chen Luzhou with a tsk-tsk. "I really don't get it. There's a bigger and better option right in front of them, yet they go ask some cousin. Did you piss her off?"

Chen Luzhou found it somewhat amusing. "She gets angry?"

"Then why haven't you two been in touch much lately? You don’t even go out drinking at night anymore?" Zhu Yangqi asked.

Chen Luzhou was leaning against the headboard reading a book, one leg propped up on the bed and the other lazily resting on the floor. He chuckled self-deprecatingly, flipping a page without looking. "Come on, she’s got her own connections. Why would she need me?"

If she gets scammed, it serves her right.

As if his words had jinxed it, Xu Zhi did end up getting scammed—she bought a refurbished camera. Cai Yingying’s cousin said he wasn’t in the agent business anymore and recommended a WeChat contact. Xu Zhi added them, checked everything she could, and thought it seemed fine. Besides, the camera wasn’t even for her—it was for her cousin. Old Xu had asked her to help find a reliable source. Trusting Cai Yingying’s cousin, she didn’t ask too many questions and just passed along the contact. Who knew? When her cousin got the camera and checked it using online methods, it turned out to be refurbished.

"Nikon D810?"

The camera was with her cousin, who sent a few photos to Chen Luzhou. Without even scrolling through them all, Chen Luzhou recognized it at a glance. Still casually flipping through the photos, he remarked, "Why even bother checking? It’s obviously refurbished. There are no new D810s left—they’re all secondhand. How much did you pay?"

They were sitting at the bar, the same spot as last time. Chen Luzhou was perched on a barstool, one foot tapping the ground, while Xu Zhi sat beside him with a cocktail. She sighed. "Just under seven thousand?"

He nodded, smirking. "That’s the price of a used one. A new kit would cost twenty grand. You didn’t get scammed."

Xu Zhi, not too familiar with cameras, took a sip of her drink. "Should I call him and let you explain?"

"Sure."

As soon as the call connected—on speaker—her cousin eagerly blurted out, "So? What does the expert say?"

Chen Luzhou, still engrossed in examining the photo details, glanced at Xu Zhi at the word "expert." Tsk. What kind of hype has she been spreading about me?

Xu Zhi coughed. "I’ll let him explain."

Chen Luzhou took the phone and clarified first that he wasn’t an expert. "You probably misunderstood from the start. What you bought was a used camera. Refurbished ones have seals—yours doesn’t even have one. The seller must’ve told you it was secondhand. I can’t confirm anything just from photos. Keep everything as is, and when your sister and I come down the mountain, show me the actual thing."

"Bro, are you a photographer? You’re Chen Luzhou, right? I saw the photos you took in my sister’s Moments."Chen Luzhou didn't expect that he'd already become something of a celebrity in Xu Zhi's household, though he wasn't aware that the extent of his fame might differ slightly from what he imagined. Hearing his cousin ask like this, he glanced at Xu Zhi, smiled, and said into the phone, "Yeah, I'm Chen Luzhou."

The conversation sounded perfectly ordinary, but the ease with which he answered—as if it were completely routine—made it seem like people around him were constantly in awe of his reputation, utterly admiring him.

"Wow, so you're the legendary Chen Luzhou?"

"Yeah, I'm Chen Luzhou."

That was the kind of swaggering vibe he gave off.

But what Chen Luzhou probably didn't know was that the reason his cousin asked like this was simply because Old Xu had declared him Public Enemy No. 1 at home.

—"So that's the kid, huh? That Chen Luzhou kid! The reason Xu Zhi refused to come down from the mountain for so long was all because of that Chen Luzhou kid! Just wait till I get my hands on him!"

Of course, Xu Zhi didn't know either.