Be Passionately In Love

Cr: Stop being so sarcastic. Are you coming in or not? I've already taken my clothes off—didn't you want to see?

Xu Zhi: ...If human curiosity could be exchanged for money, I’d be filthy rich by now. [sigh.jpg]

In the end, it was Zhu Yangqi who went in and dragged Chen Luzhou out. His hair had clearly been blow-dried, hanging limp and dry on his head, yet somehow still soft and fluffy. Xu Zhi thought his hair grew fast—back when they’d kissed at the door, it had been prickly like wild grass, but now it was as soft as a puppy’s fur.

Xu Zhi could clearly sense Gu Yan beside her tense up the moment Chen Luzhou walked out. Xu Zhi had a feeling—Gu Yan just wanted to sleep with him.

Xu Zhi and Chen Luzhou exchanged a slow glance. There was no space left to sit—even the coffee table was occupied by Dajun. The only open spot was on the three-seater sofa, where Gu Yan sat squarely in the middle while Xu Zhi perched on the armrest. Chen Luzhou walked over and casually flopped down beside her on the armrest, half-slouching as he lazily asked Zhu Yangqi, "What are we playing?"

Zhu Yangqi didn’t actually have a plan. Snatching the microphone from Dajun, he said, "Werewolf? Murder mystery? Truth or dare? Take your pick."

"Boring," Chen Luzhou leaned back against the armrest, glancing down at Xu Zhi to explain, "Playing anything with him is pointless. This guy can’t hide his emotions when he loses."

Xu Zhi, who hadn’t played much, asked, "What do you mean?"

"He throws tantrums when he loses," he said.

Zhu Yangqi, remembering the time he’d played a few rounds with their class of overachievers, couldn’t hold back. "Dude, that was because you and Li Ke teamed up against me! You two were in cahoots—you bastard, you faked being the Seer, and the two of you tricked all the townsfolk into voting me out. How the hell was I supposed to not get mad?"

Jiang Cheng tossed a microphone over and suggested, "How about you sing a song, Chen Luzhou? It’s been a while since we last heard you sing. That’ll definitely liven things up."

Otherwise, they were just sitting around awkwardly. Normally, it wouldn’t be a problem, but with two girls present, they couldn’t crack their usual jokes and had to stick to boring small talk—current events, gossip, sports—stuff that put everyone to sleep.

They’d all heard Chen Luzhou sing before, but he rarely did. Zhu Yangqi suspected he just liked showing off once and then never singing again. He’d only sung once or twice, always the same song, leaving everyone itching to hear more. But in reality, he might’ve only known that one song.

Zhu Yangqi immediately queued it up. Chen Luzhou took the mic and lazily glanced at Xu Zhi, as if asking, Want to hear it?

Xu Zhi shrugged. Up to you.

With Xu Zhi, Chen Luzhou could only ever half-ass his pretentiousness.

The two rarely spoke, but even a few exchanged glances were enough to convey their thoughts. Aside from Zhu Yangqi, no one else in the room gave much thought to their relationship—their aloof dynamic made them seem like strangers at best. Gu Yan had tried probing a couple of times, but Xu Zhi brushed her off.

As the song’s intro played, the room suddenly fell silent. Zhu Yangqi, the absolute clown, waved his phone’s flashlight like a glow stick, swinging his arms wildly.

Xu Zhi was in the middle of replying to Old Xu’s WeChat message.Xu Zhi: Dad, can I come home a little late tonight?

After being scammed out of eighty thousand, Old Xu had an epiphany. He'd just bought himself a new phone today and was probably fiddling with the input settings, replying at lightning speed.

Dad: How late is "a little late"? If it's too late, you might as well sleep over at his place. It's not safe traveling at night.

Xu Zhi: Really?

Dad: Do you think it's really okay? [Bloody knife.jpg]

Xu Zhi: ……

Dad: Have Chen Luzhou call me.

Xu Zhi immediately handed her phone to Chen Luzhou. Just then, the song's intro ended. Chen Luzhou seamlessly caught the beat while taking the phone from her, softly humming—

"Everyone lacks something, that's why we lose happiness so quickly. Innocence is hard, burdens are many—"

It was Yoga Lin's "Desire for Freedom." The moment the first line flowed out, the atmosphere in the room instantly heated up, as if they were at a concert. Everyone was cheering wildly, acting like they were hearing a superstar sing—the enthusiasm was overwhelming.

Xu Zhi thought his voice sounded deeper and more magnetic than expected. Perhaps because she hadn't anticipated it being this good, she was pleasantly surprised. It really was beautiful. Zhu Yangqi and the others went crazy, as if struck by Cupid's arrow. Clutching their pounding hearts, they dramatically collapsed onto the floor.

"Holy shit, I'm dead—"

"I'm moved by this bastard's singing again. I could listen to this song a hundred times and never get tired."

Xu Zhi looked up at him. Chen Luzhou held her phone in one hand and the microphone in the other, glancing down at her. His gaze was like that of a wild animal in a zoo—all its fangs removed, yet its eyes still sharp. Only she had seen him at his most docile.

"Only you understand me, like a beast trapped in a skyscraper, longing for freedom..."

By this point, everyone was drawn into the song. Even Zhu Yangqi and the others stopped their exaggerated cheering, quietly swaying their heads as they listened.

His singing voice was similar to his speaking voice, just deeper—a clean, crisp kind of magnetism. Every word slipped into her ears like a smooth, slippery little fish, gently bumping against her heart.

In the flickering light, he looked down at her deeply. The colorful lights from the music video reflected in his clear eyes, as if witnessing the neon glow of a mirage—brilliant yet lonely.

"I can't bear to give up this moment for the uncertainties of the future. Maybe only you understand me, so you didn't escape. While crying, you held me tight, whispering how much you love me..."

When he finished singing, for some reason, no one spoke. The mood grew even heavier. Everyone silently stared at the TV screen, drinking quietly. By the time they snapped out of it, the atmosphere had shifted, and no one noticed two people had disappeared.

"I used to hate school, but now I suddenly think it wasn't so bad. I really hate goodbyes. During those three years Chen Luzhou was out of province, no one reminded me to wear my uniform on Mondays, and no one told me Feng Jin actually plays cards with his left hand—all the bombs are on the far left."

"Damn, he hasn't even left yet, and I already miss him. What's up with that?"

"Somehow, I feel like our story just stops here. It's going to be hard to meet again after this, isn't it?"That night, there was a group of teenagers who seemed to be trying, again and again, to understand youth and life amidst the endless chirping of cicadas, only to have their own answers refuted time after time.

"Dajun, have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"

"I just hope that my paintings can sell for a million each while I'm still alive."

"Then I hope that by then, I can casually buy paintings worth a million each! Achieve painting-buying freedom!"

That night, they talked recklessly and passionately outside—about dreams, about futures, about beliefs, about their glorious tomorrows.

In the bedroom, separated only by a wall, someone was kissing—a fierce, lingering embrace. The room was dark, lit only by a single yellow floor lamp that cast light on their feet. The girl’s bare toes, clean and delicate, seemed unable to bear it, gripping the floor tightly as if enduring wave after wave surging through her body.

Xu Zhi couldn’t remember how long they kissed that day. It felt like they spent the entire night at it, until they were both breathless, their lungs starved for air, their heartbeats refusing to calm down. The soft, relentless sound of their kisses seemed to go on endlessly in the quiet, empty night.

But the cicadas’ song that year seemed to come to an abrupt halt that very day.

Author’s Note: I’m afraid you won’t be able to sleep, so I’ll stop here for now.

Red envelopes for everyone in this chapter.

The first volume isn’t finished yet—there’s another chapter tomorrow. Just a heads-up: this is a sweet story, but there has to be a transition.

(I’m so excited I want to stay up and finish writing, but I really can’t hold on any longer. I’ll try to update earlier tomorrow, maybe even in the afternoon if possible!

Alright, thank you all for staying up late with me again, dear readers.