Be Passionately In Love

Chen Luzhou—this guy is hard to define.

Even Zhu Yangqi, who grew up with him, can't quite figure him out. He can be sunny and bright, or narcissistic to a fault. Call him a scumbag, and he’s every bit of one—because he knows exactly how to strike at a person’s weakest spot. Yet sometimes, he puts on a better front than anyone else. The bottom line? Don’t cross him, because he has no taboos. The reason the Chen family could adopt him was precisely because of his formidable destiny.

This is true. Zhu Yangqi’s destiny is weak—as a child, seeing "ghosts" was a regular occurrence. But after being around Chen Luzhou, he never encountered anything strange again. Even Chen Luzhou’s precious little brother, who used to cry incessantly at night after being born, stopped crying once Chen Luzhou moved in.

Chen Luzhou had no interest in listening to how people comforted their boyfriends. He planned to finish his cola and go inside to find a movie to watch. Just then, Zhu Yangqi’s sarcastic voice rang in his ears: "Isn’t that that bastard Tan Xu?"

Chen Luzhou glanced at him lazily. "Oh? You know him?"

"He used to be at No. 1 High," Zhu Yangqi said, squinting as he scrutinized Tan Xu. "Remember Feng Jin? My friend from junior high? He was forced to transfer schools because of him."

Because of his mother?

"Yeah, his mother forced it," Zhu Yangqi clarified with deliberate emphasis.

No. 1 High had been a mixed bag in earlier years, back when it still allowed direct enrollment from its affiliated middle school. Every year, there were those who scraped by with money and connections. Later, to boost its college admission rates, the school was divided into three campuses: Zongshan, Main, and Yulin. Zongshan housed the five elite classes—Chen Luzhou’s group—filled with the top of the top, gold medalists in major competitions. The Main campus was for ordinary high achievers like Tan Xu and Feng Jin, making up the majority. Yulin was exclusively for art students like Zhu Yangqi and Gu Yan, most of whom had come up through the affiliated middle school.

Chen Luzhou hadn’t come from the affiliated school, and his schedule was different from Zhu Yangqi’s. Zongshan classes ran Monday through Saturday, with half a day off on Sunday before evening self-study resumed. Even during winter and summer breaks, Chen Luzhou was usually away at competition training camps. Yulin, on the other hand, was practically left to its own devices. Because of this, there was an information gap between them throughout high school—otherwise, Zhu Yangqi wouldn’t have genuinely believed Chen Luzhou was dating Gu Yan.

So Chen Luzhou wasn’t too familiar with Feng Jin’s situation. But hearing Zhu Yangqi mention it, he did recall playing a game against Tan Xu once—and Tan Xu’s emotional control was indeed lacking.

It was during a freshman-year inter-school match: No. 1 High versus Lecheng High.

Both were provincial key schools, evenly matched in skill. But that year, No. 1 High had swept the competition awards, so Lecheng’s team was determined to take them down a peg on the court. Their playing style was notoriously aggressive and rough, and with the referees turning a blind eye that day, Lecheng’s players grew bolder, committing repeated malicious fouls. Chen Luzhou’s team endured it silently through the first half, trailing by a wide margin, with several players injured. The cheerleaders on the sidelines, hearts aching, shouted for them to just quit.

While the cheerleaders were practically at each other’s throats off-court, the players on the field remained oddly composed, completely ignoring the opponents’ taunts designed to provoke. During halftime, they focused solely on strategizing and adjusting their formation.The charm of No. 1 High School's students lies in this—despite their personal conflicts and rivalries, their collective pride is unshakable. At critical moments, they set aside the scramble for individual glory, trusting each other implicitly. Their tactics are seamless, with every pass covered no matter where the ball goes.

Tan Xu was fouled out after just half the game. Both Chen Luzhou and the team captain were nursing foot injuries, yet with Tan Xu benched, they only took ten-minute rotations, dragging the near-dead game back to life with sheer grit. In the end, they pulled off a stunning comeback, with Chen Luzhou sealing the league championship that year with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

It was a narrow victory, and the entire crowd erupted in tears of joy. But then, for reasons unknown, Tan Xu suddenly charged at the opposing captain and knocked him to the ground with a single punch. Chen Luzhou and the other players, who had just sat down to catch their breath, couldn’t stop him in time. The court was instantly drowned in a flood of roaring boys and shrieking girls.

That year, their league results were disqualified. Chen Luzhou and several teammates ended up with severe foot injuries, requiring casts for a month after the match. All because of Tan Xu’s impulsiveness, they didn’t even place in the rankings.

……

"Even now, no one’s sure if he did it on purpose. Feng Jin said Tan Xu loves the spotlight—getting fouled out meant all the glory went to you and the captain. He must’ve been bitter. Knowing full well a fight would get them disqualified, he still charged in. Either he’s stupid or just plain malicious. And if he hadn’t recklessly gone for that rebound, would your foot even be injured?"

Zhu Yangqi said this as they entered the apartment. After coming out of the bathroom, he rummaged around for a lighter while adamantly addressing Chen Luzhou.

As the one who’d suffered through a month in a cast, Young Master Chen wasn’t nearly as indignant. He single-handedly dragged a chair to the center of the living room, intending to replace the lamp he’d bought just days prior. But after a single glance from his precarious one-legged stance, he gave up. The lampshade was a graveyard of dead flies, and the metal screw caps along its rim were coated in greasy black tar—likely from the previous tenant’s heavy smoking. There was no way to even start.

The dim living room light flickered weakly, clinging to its last vestiges of life, ready to give out at any moment.

Chen Luzhou leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling in despair. Ancient wisdom held true—being a hero wasn’t easy. First and foremost, you couldn’t be a germaphobe.

"If your germaphobia’s this bad, just move back home," Zhu Yangqi mocked, washing his hands of the matter. "Don’t look at me—I can’t do it either. My germaphobia’s worse than yours."

"You’re a germaphobe and you still smoke?"

"Artists need inspiration, got it? Besides, my germaphobia only applies to other people."

Chen Luzhou asked earnestly, "Does Tan Xu have germaphobia?"

"Get lost."

"A real man knows when to bend and when to stand tall," Chen Luzhou lectured him with surprising seriousness. "You should at least bend a little."

"If you’d been born a hundred years earlier, I’d swear you were a traitor—the kind who’d just gaslight people. Why the hell should I bend for him?"

"Gaslight?" Chen Luzhou sprawled lazily on the sofa, eyeing him sideways.Zhu Yangqi said, "He and Feng Jin got along well at first, but later Feng Jin realized he had a tendency to emotionally manipulate girls, so they fell out. Anyway, he puts on this act of being like an autistic child wherever he goes, which easily stirs up sympathy and protective instincts in certain girls. This trick works every time, you know what I mean?"

"Then wouldn’t chopping off an arm like Yang Guo mean he could get married?" he joked shamelessly, pushing the absurdity further.

Zhu Yangqi ignored him. "Don’t you think that girl at his door looks exactly like the type who’s naive and easy to fool?"

Chen Luzhou found it amusing. "I don’t know about easy to fool, but ‘naive’ is just how she looks."

Zhu Yangqi clicked his tongue, giving him a look that said, So you’ve finally met your match. "This is just you lashing out because she used you to comfort her boyfriend, isn’t it? Feeling sour? Why don’t you just go after her then?"

Chen Luzhou grabbed the remote nearby, planning to find a movie to watch, and shot him a glance. "Do I look that bored?"

"Aren’t you pretty free these few months before going abroad?"

"Still not free enough to date."

"Did Gu Yan mess you up so bad you got PTSD or something?"

"Not that bad," he said, flipping to the movie channel where The Shawshank Redemption was playing—a film he’d seen at least ten times. It captured the themes of freedom and hope to perfection. He continued nonchalantly, "My mom’s strict. I promised her I’d get her approval before dating anyone. Besides, I’m leaving the country soon. What’s the point of chasing after her? Video calls every day? Long-distance isn’t impossible, but I’m broke right now. Maybe I’d consider it after my mom unfreezes my cards. Otherwise, if she wanted to see me, I wouldn’t even be able to afford a plane ticket."

"I was just throwing it out there. Why are you planning so far ahead? Seriously, you’ve already thought about this, haven’t you? Otherwise, your reasoning wouldn’t be so clear-cut." Zhu Yangqi knew him too well—this bastard had definitely entertained the idea.

"Yeah," Chen Luzhou actually had the nerve to nod, admitting it outright. "She used me as a cautionary tale to comfort her boyfriend. Can’t I at least think about it? Honestly, she’s more my type than Gu Yan."

About half an hour later.

The doorbell rang urgently. Zhu Yangqi, thinking it was his delivery, excitedly leaped up from the couch and sprinted to the door.

When the girl’s face appeared at the doorway, Zhu Yangqi felt like things might be spiraling out of control. "You—"

Xu Zhi got straight to the point. "Hey, buddy, do me a favor—call your friend over."

Zhu Yangqi stared at Xu Zhi, not even turning his head as he gripped the doorframe like a vengeful ghost and shouted every variation of Chen Luzhou’s name, his tone growing increasingly furious: "CY! Chen Luzhou! Fairy Grass! Scumbag!! Absolute trash!!!!"

The girl came to you herself!!!!!!

"Are you an idiot?" Chen Luzhou walked over, holding a freshly made cup of instant noodles, the fork dangling from his mouth. His brows were slightly furrowed as he gave Xu Zhi a cold look, his words unusually clear despite the fork. "What do you want?"

"Can I borrow the baseball bat in your yard?" Xu Zhi cut straight to the chase. "My necklace got stuck in the big tree by your door."

Chen Luzhou sized her up, then glanced at the towering tree outside. "You think you’ll reach it with a baseball bat?"Xu Zhi turned her head to glance back, then calmly turned around again. She first looked at Zhu Yangqi but quickly dismissed him, then turned her gaze to Chen Luzhou before finally lowering her eyes to the instant noodles in his hand and the spoon dangling from his mouth. "So, do you have time? I can wait until you finish eating."

Chen Luzhou: "..."

Zhu Yangqi: "......"

There was only an old sycamore tree by the entrance, its branches dense and intertwined, leaves layered upon layers. It would be hard to spot anything even in broad daylight, let alone at night.

Chen Luzhou followed her outside to take a look. Leaning one hand against the rough tree trunk, he tilted his head up and stared silently for a moment before turning to her with a troubled expression. "How about this—I’ll just buy you another one—"

Xu Zhi froze for a second, then reacted swiftly: "That wouldn’t be appropriate."

Chen Luzhou looked at her without smiling. His eyes, seemingly born with a hook, were cold. He lazily gestured upward with his chin. "Why don’t you show me how you managed to hang it up there in the first place."

Xu Zhi: "..."

The moon hung solitary and aloof in the sky, much like the slender, handsome boy before her—difficult to handle yet brimming with promise. Young Master Chen had been the center of attention since childhood, untouchable because he feared nothing and no one could ever gain the upper hand with him.

"This necklace is expensive," she tried to persuade him.

"Is it?" He nodded sympathetically, offering a suggestion. "Why don’t you make a wish then? Don’t let it go to waste."

Xu Zhi: ?

......

"This was left to me by my mom," Xu Zhi finally said, looking straight at him.

Ms. Lin Qiudie had been mentioned unusually often today. Xu Zhi rarely thought of her, but perhaps it was the lady this afternoon—who shared Lin Qiudie’s same knack for witty remarks—that gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity with Chen Luzhou. Or maybe it was the necklace itself, as if reminding her of something.

Under the pale moonlight, their gazes met openly in the air. Unlike the "icy collision" from that afternoon, Chen Luzhou sensed something different—her eyes were much softer now, carrying a hint of pitiful pleading.

Honestly, having a boyfriend yet still batting her eyes at another guy didn’t leave a great impression. Chen Luzhou prided himself as a seasoned player in romance. Though he’d never been in a serious relationship, his emotional awareness had developed early. Long before Zhu Yangqi and the others even understood why they were so fixated on chasing after girls, Chen Luzhou already knew how to keep his distance.

As a child, he’d been caught red-handed writing love letters by his mom, so she always assumed he had a harem of girlfriends. But Chen Luzhou never thought he had any issues when it came to relationships with the opposite sex. Tonight, however, he suddenly felt he might be overstepping. Leaning back, he averted his gaze and his tone cooled. "Well, there’s nothing I can do. Maybe you should call the fire department?"

"You have a drone, don’t you? Could you fly it up there to take a look?" Xu Zhi, completely oblivious to having "batted her eyes," cautiously suggested, recalling the drone she’d seen at his doorstep earlier.

What, did she think this was flying a kite?

"Sharp eyes," Chen Luzhou nearly rolled his eyes. "My mom also has a plane. Would you like to take a ride?"

Xu Zhi: "..."

Cai Yingying, watching their back-and-forth from the side, felt her eyes were about to pop out from staring so hard. She thought this super-handsome guy was seriously something else.The atmosphere fell into a brief silence, the cicadas' drone muffled yet fervent, as if sprouting from the earth. Chen Luzhou was about to go check on his instant noodles when he straightened up and saw someone emerging sideways from the building entrance, carrying a long pole.

Chen Luzhou's face remained expressionless. "Zhu Yangqi, what are you doing?"

Zhu Yangqi, drenched in sweat, eagerly extended the contraption out the doorway. "Helping the young lady find her necklace."

The pole, a haphazard assembly three to four meters long, was bundled with every conceivable long tool that could be scavenged from Chen Luzhou's home—including but not limited to a baseball bat, tripod, clothes-drying pole, broom, and a wooden stick of unknown origin. What Chen Luzhou found most unacceptable was the cooking spoon tied to the very top.

"How about that? Pretty clever, huh?" Zhu Yangqi lifted his face, shamelessly seeking praise.

Chen Luzhou finally recognized the material of that wooden stick, and his face instantly darkened. "You dismantled my model?"

Before Chen Luzhou could react, Zhu Yangqi slithered past him like an eel, huffing and puffing as he vigorously shook the towering tree. The leaves rustled wildly, as if caught in a gale, startling the birds into flapping their wings in panic toward the boundless night.

"Well? Did you—"

There actually was.

Amid the thick dusk, a gleaming, oversized gold chain suddenly dropped right in front of Chen Luzhou with a "plop."

Holding his phone, Chen Luzhou questioned Xu Zhi's taste while simultaneously acknowledging her persistence.

Unexpectedly, Xu Zhi gave it a casual glance and said indifferently to Zhu Yangqi, "Not this one."

Zhu Yangqi: "..."

Chen Luzhou: "..."

Finally, just as the old tree was about to be stripped bare, Xu Zhi's four-leaf clover necklace was found. She calmly and politely said, "Thanks, this is the one."

However, the ever-resourceful Young Master Chen casually propped a hand on his hip, leaned against a nearby lamppost, and leisurely instructed Zhu Yangqi, "Hey, don’t stop yet. Shake it some more—see if there’s any gold bars or something."

Xu Zhi: "..."

Cai Yingying: "..."

Zhu Yangqi: "…………"