Be Passionately In Love

He thought Xu Zhi was concerned about him. Chen Luzhou found his desire to conquer Xu Zhi growing stronger by the day. He couldn’t help but wonder—what would a girl like her be like in a relationship? Would she get jealous? Would she lose her temper? Or would she be as unresponsive as a block of wood? But upon closer reflection, he realized Xu Zhi was fine just the way she was now—either blissfully unaware or subtly reeling him in without saying a word. This way, the two of them could shamelessly remain friends until he went abroad. If either of them lost control, that would be the real problem—how would they handle the aftermath?

Once again, he convinced himself and circled back to the old topic, shifting the blame to Lü Yang. "Next time, think about how your actions affect others. Today, I was the one who took you there. If something had happened while you were racing Lü Yang, how would I explain it to your dad and Boss Fu?"

"Is that all?" Xu Zhi met his gaze, as if searching for any hidden clues. "You’re overthinking it. If I got into trouble from racing, my dad would just say I deserved it. And you don’t need to worry about Uncle Fu. When I was little, he took me riding on Mingling Mountain. I misjudged a turn and flipped right off the mountain. Luckily, I got caught on a crooked tree."

That incident had scared Fu Yuqing out of his wits, and he never let her near a bike again. So when Xu Zhi suggested driving down the mountain to buy water for everyone at the villa, Fu Yuqing had lost his temper on the spot.

Xu Zhi propped herself against the sink, lifting her foot and casually bending her knee. The room was so quiet that the cracking sound of her bones was unmistakable. "Listen—this knee was wrecked back then. It makes this noise all the time. Sometimes, when it rains, it cracks loudly when I walk. That’s why I hate going out on rainy days."

Chen Luzhou’s emotions were a tangled mess. How could a girl be so bold? He couldn’t tell if she was pretending not to be delicate or if she genuinely wasn’t. His glare only grew sharper. "...And you’re proud of that, aren’t you?"

Xu Zhi chuckled. "No, but there was another time when I had an allergic reaction and had to be rushed to the hospital. The doctor said if I’d arrived half an hour later, I might’ve died. I guess those are the only two times I’ve brushed shoulders with death. The elders always say, 'What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.' I’ve had two close calls, so I must be destined for greatness."

Chen Luzhou ignored her, the frustration still lodged in his chest like a restless butterfly tied down with rope, making his heart race. Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, he tilted his head slightly and fixed her with a cold stare. "...What if you’d lost today?"

Xu Zhi froze, looking up at him.

Chen Luzhou’s voice wasn’t particularly cold—in fact, it was gentle, as if he was deliberately softening his tone to avoid sounding too harsh. But there was no warmth in it. "If you’d lost today, what were you planning to do? Sleep with him, is that it?"

It was like having a bucket of warm water poured over her. The water itself was soothing, but once it was gone, the chill that followed was sharper than if she’d been doused in ice water—lingering and relentless.

Xu Zhi didn’t get angry, even though his words were brutally blunt. She patiently explained, "No, I was about 70% sure I’d win. If I lost, I had a backup plan—I’d have Feng Jin call the police and report us for illegal street racing with money on the line. Then we’d both spend the night at the station. Wouldn’t that count as... keeping him company for the night?""...Playing smart, what if he comes out and harasses you? Do you think having a criminal record is fun? Do you still want to go to college?"

Xu Zhi chuckled, bantering with him, "Ah, but it was Feng Jin who said you could get the police to handle it, that's why I agreed. He mentioned Zhu Yangqi said your mom is really impressive."

"Oh, I see," Chen Luzhou caught on, giving her a meaningful sidelong glance, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "Still trying to meet my mom, huh."

"Can't I?" The girl's eyes sparkled.

Chen Luzhou looked at her for a moment before laughing. He slipped one hand into his pocket, casually brushing his shirt collar—though there was nothing to brush off—his tone deliberately nonchalant as he joked, "Sure. If you were my girlfriend, not only could you meet my mom, I'd even build you a ladder to see the Jade Emperor if you wanted."

Outside the window, the rain had long stopped. It was late at night, the air heavy with stillness. Leaves swayed lazily in the breeze as the lake's waves gently rocked the small boats back and forth.

Leaning side by side against the sink, she tilted her head and gave him the same meaningful look, mimicking his earlier sarcastic tone as she mused, "I see."

Chen Luzhou hadn’t realized she was copying him at first, but it amused him nonetheless. He flicked her forehead lightly with his knuckle. "What do you even 'see'?" Then he crouched down, rummaging through the suitcase sprawled on the floor for a band-aid. As he peeled off the wrapper, he said, "Come here, let me see your head."

Xu Zhi finally noticed the scrape on her forehead in the mirror. "Huh? That wasn’t there earlier. Did you do this?"

Chen Luzhou, still focused on unwrapping the band-aid, couldn’t help but laugh at her accusation. He played along, "Fine, fine, my fault. I made you go racing, I made you fall. Blame me for everything, happy now?"

"So, are you still mad?" Xu Zhi brushed the stray hairs away from her forehead, watching him.

Chen Luzhou leaned against the sink, carefully applying the band-aid with practiced precision, making sure not to touch her again. "If I’m mad, it’s at myself, not you. Don’t worry about it." He crumpled the wrapper into a ball and tossed it into the nearby trash can.

"No way," Xu Zhi said with unwavering loyalty. "You took me out to have fun, and I ended up upsetting you. That’s something to remember."

Remember what? What could you possibly give me?

Unexpectedly, Xu Zhi declared grandly, "I owe you two jokes now."

He paused, then chuckled. "...How generous."

"Hey, want to hear the first one now?" For some reason, looking at Chen Luzhou sparked inspiration in her, reminding her of something Old Xu had complained about the other day.

The room had a special supply of fresh fruit, probably reserved for the film crew—Xu Zhi’s floor didn’t have any. Chen Luzhou picked up an apple and offered it to her, but she shook her head. Who eats apples this late? Unfazed, he took a bite himself, chewing lazily with one hand in his pocket, the crisp sound echoing as he feigned disinterest. "Go on."Xu Zhi got the approval and immediately started, "It's not exactly a joke, but it's pretty fresh and might serve as a heads-up for you. The other day, my dad mentioned that a really handsome guy came to their department. Like, seriously good-looking, but apparently, he wasn't quite up to par in that department. He kept insisting he was fine, but couldn’t even complete the test. My dad said a lot of young guys these days have this issue—staying up late, smoking, drinking. Apparently, many college students have sperm survival rates as low as thirty percent. But you seem pretty disciplined, so I doubt you have that problem."

Chen Luzhou: "..."

Actually, Xu Guangji's original words were more subtle—perhaps to warn her or make her wary of scumbags. "Zhi, let me tell you something," he'd said. "Some guys out there might look decent, but their behavior is anything but. Like this high school graduate who just came to my department—who knows what he’s been up to? And he’s well-versed in the art of gift-giving, even slipped me a red envelope before leaving. So, if you ever get a boyfriend, the first thing you should do is bring him to me for a checkup. Don’t be shy—it’s perfectly normal."

"Out there"—the phrasing made it sound like human trafficking.

Chen Luzhou froze mid-bite of his apple, instinctively glancing down at his lower half before hurriedly swallowing the half-chewed piece. His throat bobbed heavily, and before he could think, the words tumbled out: "Your dad’s surname is Xu?"

Xu Zhi: "No shit."

"No, I mean—" Chen Luzhou snapped back to reality, clearing his throat. "So, your dad’s a urologist?"

Xu Zhi, oblivious to the implications, nodded. "Yeah. Last time you asked, I was too embarrassed to say."

Chen Luzhou: "..."

If you’d told me earlier, I would’ve never listened to Zhu Yangqi!

For the first time, Chen Luzhou felt utterly mortified. No wonder Dr. Xu had given him that weird look at the department—he was Xu Zhi’s dad. Xu Zhi had posted his name on her social media that day, so of course he recognized it.

No wonder he’d asked, "So you’re Chen Luzhou?"

He’d assumed it was just another parent of some classmate. Growing up, he’d always been the golden child everyone compared their kids to. Random aunts and uncles who didn’t even know him would react the same way: "Oh, so you’re Chen Luzhou! My son/daughter is in your class."

Xu Zhi noticed his distant expression. "What’s wrong?"

Chen Luzhou ignored her, mechanically taking another bite of his apple as he leaned against the sink. A competitive fire burned inside him—he had to get that sperm test done. Not just done, but done by Xu Guangji, and done flawlessly .

Xu Zhi asked again.

Chen Luzhou sighed, tossing the apple core into the trash before mumbling sheepishly, "I’m tired."

Xu Zhi nodded understandingly. "I’ll head out then. Are you coming back with us tomorrow?"

Chen Luzhou thought, I was planning to. Not so sure now. He couldn’t even bear to recall his conversation with Xu Guangji.

"Depends. I’ll decide after I wake up. If you can’t wait, just go ahead," he added listlessly, "Haven’t slept well these past few days in the studio."

"Alright."Chen Luzhou went to open the door for her and glanced at her knees. "Take the medicine with you, and remember to spray the Yunnan Baiyao. Otherwise, it’ll crack even louder later. I’m telling you, shouldn’t you see a doctor about this issue? You might end up lame in the future."

"I’ve seen plenty of doctors. There’s no cure—it’s an old problem from childhood. Even if I do go lame, it can’t be helped. Besides, there’s always wheelchairs, right?"

"Come on, when you’re eighty, everyone else will be strolling hand-in-hand with their partners, and you’ll be racing wheelchairs with yours?" Chen Luzhou leaned against the doorframe, teasing her half-jokingly.

Xu Zhi noticed he looked wide awake, not sleepy at all. "You don’t seem the least bit tired. How about we chat a little longer?" Chen Luzhou let out a helpless laugh. "Seriously treating me like a paid companion now? Pay up first."

"I have money now," Xu Zhi said, itching to slap the five thousand right in his face. "Don’t provoke me."

Chen Luzhou surrendered completely. "Alright, my bad. I really am tired."

Xu Zhi finally relented. "Fine. Contact me when you wake up tomorrow. Yingying and I are planning to visit the morning market nearby for half the day. Maybe we’ll still be there when you’re up."

Chen Luzhou must have been genuinely exhausted. His lean face pressed against the edge of the door, his slightly overgrown bangs partially covering his brows and eyes. His gaze at her was unusually docile and unresisting, like a little puppy, as he nodded heavily and earnestly.

"Mm, got it."

But it lasted only a second. The next moment, he was back to his usual insufferable self, leaning against the door with a seemingly earnest expression as he offered advice—though it was more like setting a trap. "But I’d suggest skipping the morning market nearby. It’s pretty much the same as the food street—nothing special. If you really want to go out, there’s a Nanyin Temple next door. Heard it’s super effective. Since the college entrance exam results are coming out soon, you might as well go pray."

Xu Zhi thought about it—the results really were due soon. It wouldn’t hurt to pray.

So the next day, she and Cai Yingying got up early and went to Nanyin Temple. They burned incense, offered tributes, and even donated two hundred yuan, kneeling with utmost piety beside an equally devout middle-aged woman. The constant stream of worshippers suggested the temple was indeed powerful. Filled with hope, Xu Zhi looked up at the Bodhisattva’s compassionate gaze and silently made her wish— Please let me get into my dream university.

The young monk nearby couldn’t bear to watch and finally spoke up—

"Little sister, while Buddhism seeks to deliver all beings, I should still remind you—this is the Goddess of Childbearing. She’s very effective."

Xu Zhi: "..."

So on her way home, Xu Zhi pondered the issue of the Goddess of Childbeing’s efficacy the entire time. She had basic common sense, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit of virginal fear. After all, as a kid, she’d watched Legend of the White Snake countless times with Old Xu, and the Goddess of Childbearing never missed when handing out babies. Her grandmother was also superstitious, claiming that metaphysics trumped science. Uneasy, she decided to ask Old Xu: "Dad, if someone accidentally prays to the Goddess of Childbearing, will anything bad happen?"

Xu Guangji had just picked up his bowl to eat, chopsticks poised, when the question made him drop them in shock. Blood rushed uncontrollably to his head, and in a fury, he turned and stormed into the kitchen, emerging with a cleaver.

"Where the hell is that dog Chen Luzhou?"Xu Zhi was even more astonished. How did her dad know it was Chen Luzhou who tricked her into going to the Child-Giving Guanyin Hall? She said in disbelief, "Dad, how did you know it was him?!"