Be Passionately In Love

"Bang, bang, bang—"

The night sky erupted in dazzling brilliance, as if stars had been shattered by countless bullets tearing through the darkness. The sparkling embers scattered and blazed midair, igniting something in these young hearts too. It was as though they'd glimpsed dawn ahead of schedule, foreseen their glorious futures. Hiding their trepidation, they let their youthful, reckless passion dominate the entire night.

They tried to overturn the darkness, to overthrow this light—

"God Li Ke, Road Grass Chen, one provincial top scorer, one raw score champion—fucking legendary!"

"We're all clocks walking alone, but we must also be clocks that strike hope!" someone shouted.

"Friend, mind the copyright—that's your Road Grass's essay line," came a pointed reminder from someone with good memory.

Xu Zhi simply gazed upward, vaguely thinking: We're all those apples under the vine trellis—almost ripe, recklessly charging forward.

Meanwhile, Chen Luzhou watched the fireworks with calm eyes, his mind echoing: Let bygones be bygones; what matters is the present.

Soon, the fiery lights gradually cooled and dissipated, vanishing silently into the night as tranquility returned.

This spot wasn't far from their gathering place—loud voices could still carry across—but being behind the public restrooms on this small hill, hardly anyone came here. Occasionally, rustling footsteps passed by as someone hurried to the toilet and left. No one imagined two people were hiding just beyond that wall.

When the fireworks exploded, Chen Luzhou couldn't hear Xu Zhi anymore, but reading her lips, he pieced together a reasonable interpretation.

"Because the school board chair is my mom?" Chen Luzhou leaned back on one hand, the air thick with firework residue. His cleanliness obsession acting up, he covered his nose with his sleeve, tilting his head until only his clear, sharp eyes remained visible—bearing that trademark "not easily fooled" glint as he stared at her. "Meaning?"

"...Never mind if you didn't hear," Xu Zhi sighed, changing subjects. "So you really had the highest raw score in the province?"

Chen Luzhou leisurely averted his gaze, waiting for the smell to fade before lowering his sleeve. Propping himself casually, he said, "Not sure. Li Ke said Teacher Jiang mentioned it."

"That suspected exam-leaking culprit?"

He laughed, somewhat defensive of Jiang Changwei. "You did well on his test too. Why keep calling him that? Teacher Jiang's decent—his classes are interesting. Not some stuffy old professor."

"Fine, sorry." Xu Zhi offered an utterly insincere apology.

Chen Luzhou smirked. "Yeah right. Now I see why your dad says you're the champion of surface compliance. You just look obedient."

Later, he'd realize how wrong he was—some people didn't even appear obedient on the surface.

The post-fireworks sky seemed particularly desolate. Glancing at her, Chen Luzhou fished out the can of Budweiser from his jacket pocket and shook it before her. "Want some?"

Xu Zhi's eyes instantly locked onto it, turning fully toward him. "You still have it?"

Suddenly face-to-face, those clear black eyes of his regarded her calmly. "I've been watching it all night. You think I'd lose it?"He ended up just stuffing it into the pocket of his tracksuit. Since zipping it up would make the bulge too obvious—someone was bound to come asking—he left the zipper open all night, letting it hang loosely on either side so no one would notice. But he miscalculated slightly: the can was heavier than expected, weighing down one shoulder until it ached, making it hard to even lift his elbow. The entire tracksuit was practically deformed from the pressure. Plus, the beer had been taken straight from the fridge, leaving the bag damp and still emitting a chilly mist. His jacket was pretty much ruined now.

The moonlight, perhaps scorched by the fireworks, cast a glow that carried lingering warmth over their heads—hot to the touch.

They sat cross-legged facing each other. The moment Xu Zhi reached out, Chen Luzhou deftly dodged. Tall and long-limbed, he only had to raise his hand slightly for her to fall short, leaving her staring helplessly. She considered whether to suddenly stand and snatch it, but Chen Luzhou’s alert gaze—sharp as a dog’s—followed her every move, leaving no room for surprise attacks.

“Want some?” Chen Luzhou held the can high, the loose sleeve of his tracksuit sliding down to reveal a lean, sinewy forearm, veins protruding like rugged mountain ridges, exuding an intimidating strength. Beneath the brim of his cap, his dark eyes were direct and piercing. “What was that earlier?”

Those eyes had hooks in them, and Xu Zhi felt waves crashing in her chest. Yeah, she thought, he’s not easy to fool.

She sighed. “I said, ‘Because Chen Luzhou, you’re a dog.’”

Sharp as ever, he wielded the Budweiser like a hostage, adopting the stance of “holding the emperor to command the lords.” His mind worked lightning-fast—no need to count on his fingers. With the can still raised high, he stared at her coolly and said, “Nine words. You only said eight earlier.”

Xu Zhi’s plan backfired. She had hoped to catch him off guard while he counted, but his brain was… annoyingly quick.

“Ten words. How are you counting?”

After the firework fumes completely dissipated, the faint scent of jasmine began drifting through the air. Chen Luzhou had always had a keen nose. The moment the fragrance hit him, he instinctively glanced around and noticed a jasmine tree right above them, its clusters of white blossoms hidden among the dense foliage. A few petals occasionally drifted down, disappearing into the lush green grass.

Seeing petals land on Xu Zhi’s head, Chen Luzhou figured his own hair was probably covered too, so he absentmindedly ran a hand through it. “Want to test my mental math?”

“Bring it. I was a champion at mental abacus as a kid, you know?” Xu Zhi said breezily, then had a sudden idea. “Here’s the deal—I’ll say a sentence, and you have to tell me how many words it is without counting on your fingers.”

“Fine.”

“Best of five. If you lose, hand over the beer.”

“Fine,” he agreed even more readily.

“Then put the beer in the middle. Aren’t your arms tired?”

Chen Luzhou had already anticipated that Xu Zhi would take it, but out of some meager trust, he set it down anyway. So when she snatched it, he wasn’t even surprised—just exasperated. He gave her a flat, unimpressed look. “Cheating now, Mental Abacus Champion?”

Xu Zhi: “Can I take a sip first?”

Chen Luzhou scoffed. “Why not just finish it? We can call it a friendly match.”Xu Zhi twisted open the bottle, taking a sip while her eyes rolled playfully as she looked at him. "Fine."

"Did you smoke the cigarette?" he suddenly asked.

Xu Zhi swallowed the alcohol, smacked her lips, and shook her head. "It's at home. Didn't you say to leave it for Zhu Yangqi? I just didn’t want to waste it that day."

So obedient. Bathed in the warm glow, Chen Luzhou lazily shifted his posture, his elbow resting on his bent knee as he plucked a blade of grass. His gaze wandered over the scattered pale white jasmine petals on the ground before he looked at her with a teasing glint in his eyes. "When you go to Beijing, will you go out drinking with others?"

"Don’t know. Probably," she said. "Otherwise, it’d be too boring."

He fiddled with the grass in his hand, lowering his head with a lazy hum, deliberately avoiding her gaze. Under the brim of his cap, his sharp, lean face remained composed as he coughed lightly, feigning nonchalance. For the first time, he spoke to her with genuine sincerity and bluntness: "Be careful. Men only ever think about one thing."

Xu Zhi kept drinking, her eyes never leaving him—even when she tilted her head back to gulp, she peeked at him through the bottle’s opening. Her gaze was bright with curiosity as she asked just as bluntly, "What about you?"

This wasn’t a topic meant to be explored further. But under Xu Zhi’s inquisitive, gleaming stare, Chen Luzhou yanked out the grass in his hand and tossed a strand at her head. "Why are you so nosy?"

"Actually, I have something even more curious to ask," Xu Zhi took another sip, suppressing her impulsive thoughts. "But I’m afraid you’ll hit me if I do."

Chen Luzhou could almost guess what she wanted to ask: "..."

He changed the subject. "Still playing?"

"Playing." Xu Zhi set the bottle down.

"Go ahead."

"My dad bought me a dress today. I really like it, but my grandma said the color doesn’t suit me. How many words?"

"Twenty-seven. What color?"

They fell into a back-and-forth rhythm. Xu Zhi answered honestly, "Purple."

"Tonight’s fireworks were beautiful. Congratulations on being the top scorer. Wishing you boundless success in the future. Remember to wear underwear. How many words?"

"...Thirty-two. Thanks." Chen Luzhou remained impeccably polite and well-mannered.

"I’ve told you before, right? My dad’s a urologist. If you ever have any… embarrassing issues, go see him instead of blindly searching online. How many words?"

Chen Luzhou: "..."

He stopped playing, joining the fallen jasmine petals in a silent protest.

Xu Zhi watched him quietly in the night, sighed, and finally surrendered. "Alright, alright, I’m sorry. Let’s play properly."

"Last round. If you say anything weird again, I’m leaving."

"Fine. Because the puppy is wagging its tail. How many words?"

"Eight," Chen Luzhou answered, then paused. "That’s it?"

"Yep."

"What does it mean?"

"Exactly what it says." She sounded lazy.

Just as Xu Zhi reached for the bottle again, Chen Luzhou snatched it away first, tilting it threateningly toward her. "Are you going to talk properly or not?"

Thinking she’d drunk a lot, he held the bottle loosely. But Xu Zhi hadn’t actually had much—and from the way he was holding it, the next second would see the contents spilling over his own head. Without hesitation, she lunged forward to adjust the angle.

"Hey, don’t spill it!"Chen Luzhou immediately felt the weight of the beer as he lifted it, quickly adjusting the angle to hold it steady in his hand. But the moment Xu Zhi lunged forward, he staggered, and she crashed right into his arms. The Budweiser was knocked away without warning, the beer splashing everywhere, pouring down over their heads unexpectedly. Both of them were drenched, though Chen Luzhou had it worse—the can tumbled down his body, spewing beer from head to toe. Instinctively, he pushed Xu Zhi aside, so she only got a few scattered splashes.

Before Chen Luzhou could even stand, Xu Zhi pressed him firmly to the ground. Half-kneeling, she clung to his shoulder, still shaken, completely unaware of how close they were. Her attention was fixed on the beer bottle rolling noisily across the floor. Even with Chen Luzhou’s breath warm against her ear, she mistook the heat in her ears and the blur in her vision for the effects of alcohol. It didn’t occur to her that if someone saw them like this, they might think they were kissing.

“Chen Luzhou, I barely had two sips! Why did you have to move like that while talking?”

Xu Zhi yelled, then looked down to meet his face. Since Chen Luzhou was sitting and she was leaning over his shoulder, his hands hovered politely in the air, not touching her at all.

The air was thick with dizzying alcohol fumes. This was the first time Xu Zhi had seen his face up close, magnified to such a degree that she could count every eyelash—only making him look even more refined. But this face… truly, every glance was one less. Would she ever see anyone as good-looking as him again? Maybe, but definitely not as interesting.

His eyes, perhaps dampened by the beer, gleamed like they were soaked in water. The temperature in the air seemed to spike suddenly, as if the lingering fireworks had reignited. From the bathroom area came rustling sounds—their classmates had already started a lively game of Werewolf.

“The Seer’s leading the charge well. 69 is definitely a wolf. If nothing else, vote out 6, and the Witch can poison 9 tonight.”

“What were you wolves even doing at night? Kissing? You still haven’t managed to kill a single special role.”

“…”

Xu Zhi held onto him, her eyes burning, her heart burning. She knew his hands were still frozen midair, but an inexplicable current surged up her spine. A voice in her head urged—since things had already gone this far, why not go all the way? Just one kiss. After this, they’d never see each other again anyway. He was leaving soon.

Tonight, the moon hung high, fireworks soared—the best she’d ever seen.

We are all reckless roses.

So she lowered her head, following the scent of alcohol, slowly leaning toward him. The familiar aroma of sage, more intense than ever, filled her nose—Chen Luzhou’s scent, even from his jacket, always carried that faint, crisp freshness.

Alcohol, heat, all mixed together. The secrets and hesitations of youth tangled in these undefined emotions. Their breaths drew closer, their gazes scorching, as if deliberately stirring chaos in the air. Their eyes, tracing the damp bridge of each other’s noses, lingered with curiosity and anticipation—finally settling on each other’s lips.Author's Note: What is past is dead and gone; what is present is being born anew today. — Lessons from Liao Fan.

The phrase "reckless apple" is from a poem by Neruda.