Be Passionately In Love

The cafeteria was quiet, but being a top university in the country, there were still quite a few people having breakfast at this hour. One after another, people lifted the curtain at the entrance and walked in, immediately noticing the strikingly handsome guy and beautiful girl sitting in the corner with their cool, detached air. They couldn’t help but sigh—A University truly lived up to its reputation. Not only were the studious ones up early, but even those in relationships were this competitive, rising at such an ungodly hour.

Xu Zhi ignored him, lowering her head to sip her porridge. “Alright, two sentences done. Starting now, you can shut up.”

Chen Luzhou really didn’t open his mouth again, lounging lazily in his seat. He jutted his chin insistently toward the egg in her vinegar dipping dish, signaling her to eat it.

“You’re just having a glass of milk?” Xu Zhi looked at him sternly. “Permission to speak one more sentence.”

Chen Luzhou chuckled into his milk. “I already ate. Got up at four to wait for someone—you think I’d do that on an empty stomach? Everything else is manageable, but I can’t handle hunger. I get mean when I’m hungry.”

Chen Luzhou had indeed woken up at four—three-thirty, to be precise. Worried about disturbing his roommate, he moved a hundred times slower than usual, tiptoeing with unprecedented care. He had just flown in the day before and was immediately called into the advisor’s office upon arriving at school, busy with getting his ID card and textbooks. Their class advisor was a graduate student, a senior only slightly older than them. When Chen Luzhou arrived, he happened to run into the advisor and a few class representatives discussing the basketball tournament. The moment he walked in, his tall, striking figure caught their attention, and the class reps immediately pounced, insisting he join the team. To save time, Chen Luzhou filled out the registration form. Not long after, his WeChat buzzed with several friend requests—all from the female class reps who had just met him.

By the time he found his dorm and was about to drop off his things to look for Xu Zhi, he overheard the guy in the neighboring bunk on the phone: “Xu Zhi finally went to get her card? Alright, let’s grab a bite later.” Chen Luzhou casually asked a few questions and learned the person on the other end was Xu Zhi’s roommate—they were in that ambiguous, not-quite-dating phase. He casually asked for a copy of their department’s class schedule. The roommate was puzzled: “What do you need that for?” Chen Luzhou made up an excuse on the spot: “Just researching. Might transfer majors sophomore year.” The roommate promptly poured cold water on the idea: “Give up now. This school is packed with top students. Anyone wanting to transfer starts grinding from the first month. You’ve missed over a month—you think you can just waltz in and switch?” Chen Luzhou sighed. “Alright, my bad.” Still, before leaving, the roommate handed him the architecture department’s schedule.

Having traveled a long way, Chen Luzhou planned to eat, shower, and then go find her. But then he ran into Li Ke in the cafeteria. Li Ke’s shock was so intense his features practically stretched, his chopsticks clattering onto the table. It was then that Chen Luzhou belatedly realized—if even Li Ke reacted like this, Xu Zhi might not take it well. He had thought his sudden appearance would be a pleasant surprise, but now it seemed more likely to be a shock. Before he could figure out how to approach her, he spotted her in the cafeteria. In that moment, he truly thought—whatever she wanted, even if it was just to irresponsibly sleep with him, he’d take it.

……After a long silence, Chen Luzhou watched her eat while sipping milk and idly spinning his phone in his palm. Xu Zhi felt like there must be something wrong with her vision—for some reason, he seemed unbearably smug, as if everything was under his control. An inexplicable anger rose in her chest. "Was it fun messing with me?"

He coughed lightly and said seriously, "No, there was an unexpected situation."

"When did you submit your application?"

"It was during the second round of supplementary admissions. After we ran into that shooting incident abroad, my mom changed her mind and agreed to let me stay in the country. But my dad disagreed at the time, so they kept dragging it out. The original plan was to wait for his approval so I could retake the exams next year. But when I checked A University’s website, I saw they had supplementary admissions this year—two majors hadn’t filled their quotas because some students withdrew. One was the Electrical Engineering pilot program, the other was the Humanities pilot program. I didn’t overthink it, figured it was fate, and just applied on a whim."

At a STEM-focused university like A University, the Humanities pilot program wasn’t exactly a hot or prestigious major. It was a broad liberal arts track where specialization—literature, philosophy, natural sciences, etc.—only happened in the second year. When Chen Luzhou applied, he figured he could always transfer to another major later if needed.

Xu Zhi stared at him, her spoon stirring absently in the half-finished bowl of porridge. "Then why did you arrive so late?"

He took a sip of milk. "Something came up at home. I’ll explain later, okay? It’s complicated. The point is, I’m here now. I didn’t contact you because I was afraid I’d blurt it out before knowing for sure whether I could actually come."

Seeing his earnest expression, Xu Zhi finally relented with an "Oh." "So your Humanities program splits in the second year? What are you planning to specialize in?"

"Haven’t decided. If it were up to you, what would you pick?"

Xu Zhi lowered her head to finish the porridge, then abruptly looked up, meeting his clear, bright eyes in confusion. "Huh?"

"I might transfer majors or do a double degree in my second year. I checked your department’s schedule—your classes are packed." He sighed dramatically, then added with deliberate temptation, "What if I transferred to Business & Economics, or did a double degree in it?"

Truthfully, Chen Luzhou had already considered these options when applying for the supplementary admission—either transfer to Business & Economics or pursue a double degree.

Coincidentally, Xu Zhi had also been thinking about minoring in Business & Economics, though a minor wasn’t the same as a full double degree. A minor only earned credits, while a double degree was a full-time commitment. In recent years, Business & Economics and Computer Science had been A University’s most competitive majors, with the highest demand for transfers but the fewest available spots. They were arguably the hardest programs to switch into, requiring at least a top 1% ranking in one’s current major to even apply.

"Big talk," Xu Zhi scoffed. "First, catch up on the month of classes you missed. I’m worried you’ll fail Professor Wang’s course. Good luck understanding anything in today’s lecture—you’ll be lost from the start."The cafeteria chairs were all backless stools. Chen Luzhou was sitting sideways, drinking his milk. Since he was almost done, he was about to stand up to toss the empty carton into the nearby trash bin, so half his body was already turned toward the door. Hearing her, he turned his head to look at her, lazily spinning his phone in his hand, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "Looks like you got my class schedule too."

Xu Zhi couldn’t be bothered to engage, merely lifting her eyelids. "Finished drinking?"

"Yeah," Chen Luzhou stood up, effortlessly picking up her tray with one hand. "Heading straight to class or back to the dorm first?"

Xu Zhi remained seated, tilting her head up to look at him with interest before suddenly asking, "For Professor Wang’s class later, are you sitting with your roommate?"

Chen Luzhou held her leftover tray in one hand while the other casually rested in his pocket, his jacket sleeve half-draped over his elbow, revealing the familiar, slightly protruding veins. He looked down at her, genuinely surprised, and teased, "What, you wanna sit with me?"

"Yeah," Xu Zhi nodded seriously, her expression earnest, though a rare glimmer of amusement flickered in her eyes. "Mainly, I just want to see how our city’s top academic genius looks completely lost in Professor Wang’s class."

Chen Luzhou could genuinely sense her delight—or maybe not exactly delight, but she certainly looked pleased. He carried the tray to the recycling area and shot her a resigned glance. "...Fine."

Professor Wang’s class was advanced mathematics. Compared to other departments, the humanities experimental class and architecture majors had relatively simpler math courses. But no matter how simple, it was still new material. Even though Chen Luzhou had once won first prize in a math competition, entering university meant leaving the past behind. And with a month’s worth of classes missed, there was no way he could improvise his way through today’s lesson.

There were only two classes in the morning, with Professor Wang’s being the second. Xu Zhi had probably never looked forward to Professor Wang’s class this much before. Even Xu Gongzhu noticed her excitement. "What’s up with you? Did you take some stimulants?"

Xu Zhi chuckled, saying it was nothing, and went back to taking notes. The thought of Chen Luzhou looking utterly bewildered later was just too amusing—her lips curled up and refused to come down. Then, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Cr: Thought about it seriously—I was too impulsive earlier. Let’s sit separately later. I can’t afford the embarrassment.

Xu Zhi: Chen Luzhou, you’re really no fun.

Cr: It’s my first time in class. Professor Wang will definitely call on me. If he’s feeling particularly ruthless and asks me a few questions, you’d just stand by and watch me die.

Xu Zhi: You have so little faith in our revolutionary friendship. If I knew the answers, I’d definitely tell you.

Cr: Fine.

Just as Xu Zhi put her phone down, Xu Gongzhu, scribbling notes beside her, excitedly whispered to Liu Yisi, "Professor Wang’s class is next. I’m telling you, the guy I saw in the cafeteria was insanely handsome. Bet you anything some girls will ask for his WeChat later."

"I know," Liu Yisi said. "Zhao Tianqi also mentioned a hot guy in their dorm, but he didn’t make it sound as exaggerated as you did."

"Zhao Tianqi’s just jealous," Xu Gongzhu sighed dramatically. "Poor hot guy. Coming a month late and being this good-looking—he’ll probably get isolated by his dormmates.""Don't talk nonsense, Zhao Tianqi isn't that kind of person."

"Oh really? Then why haven't you two made it official yet?" Xu Gongzhu cut straight to the point.

Liu Yisi, frantically taking notes, pressed her pen so hard it tore the paper. "He brought it up, but I didn’t agree."

Xu Gongzhu had warned her multiple times before, but Liu Yisi refused to believe it—Zhao Tianqi was nothing but a player. He had charmed half the girls during military training with just one song. At first, Xu Gongzhu had even liked him, but after hearing some rumors, she started dropping hints to Liu Yisi. Now, losing patience, she laid it out bluntly: "Liu Yisi, I really did see Zhao Tianqi eating in the cafeteria with another girl."

Liu Yisi stayed silent.

Xu Zhi, trying to diffuse the tension, chimed in with a neutral tone, "Alright, Xu Gongzhu, we’re in class."

Xu Gongzhu pouted. The moment class ended, Liu Yisi packed up and left without waiting for them. Xu Zhi sighed and glanced at Xu Gongzhu, who pouted again. "I just don’t want her to get hurt."

Xu Zhi had washed her hair after breakfast and left it loose—she had natural waves and a lot of baby hair, so even when pulled back, her hairline didn’t look high. Now, with her hair down, her face looked soft and full. She wore an open cardigan over a tank top and wide-leg pants, her figure slender and well-proportioned. As she packed her things without looking up, she said, "I know, but sometimes phrasing things differently makes them easier to accept. Here’s a crude analogy—if you see someone struggling financially and notice a hole in their clothes, shoving a needle and thread in their face to fix it isn’t as kind as quietly mending it for them later."

Xu Zhi usually avoided these kinds of conversations with her roommates, but after a month together, she’d figured them out. None of them had bad intentions—Xu Gongzhu was just blunt and impulsive, often speaking without considering others’ feelings, while Liu Yisi was soft-spoken and bottled everything up, which was why Xu Gongzhu’s words often made her cry. Du, their senior, played the peacemaker, always laughing things off with everyone but never getting too close.

After the little spat, Liu Yisi stayed outside crying for a while. When Professor Wang arrived, she still refused to come in. Xu Zhi had no choice but to ask for half the class off, claiming period pains and a trip to the infirmary. It took her half the lecture to finally coax Liu Yisi back inside.

Professor Wang’s class was a large lecture with nearly a hundred students from two different classes. When Xu Zhi slipped back in, she realized that even a top-tier heartthrob would be hard to spot in such a packed auditorium. Just as she was about to think, Chen Luzhou, you’re not all that , her traitorous eyes landed on his striking, aloof face. Damn, Chen Luzhou, sitting in the front row even though you don’t understand a word.

Chen Luzhou happened to be looking at her too, arms crossed as he leaned back in his seat. He nodded toward the empty spot beside him.Xu Zhi had crouched slightly as she walked over, wearing a cardigan and a tank top. Subconsciously, she covered her chest with her hand. As soon as she sat down, Chen Luzhou, arms crossed, gave her a sidelong glance and casually asked Professor Wang, "Where'd she go?"

Xu Zhi opened her book, pretending to listen attentively while exchanging an earnest look with Professor Wang. Biting her teeth, she smiled at him with an expression that said, "Your lecture is great, I totally get it," then turned to Chen Luzhou and asked, "I heard your dormmate Zhao Tianqi is a player?"

Perhaps because her eye contact with Professor Wang was too enthusiastic, the professor immediately picked up on it. With a look of approval, he tapped the multifunctional blackboard and kindly said to Xu Zhi, "Seems like someone knows how to solve this. You there, the girl in the far corner of the first row, why don’t you come up and solve this calculus problem using the method I just explained?"

Xu Zhi’s smile froze on her face: "..."

Wait, didn’t you just see me walk in?

"He had his back turned writing on the board when you came in," Chen Luzhou picked up his pen, laughing so hard he had to lower his head. The smugness in his eyes was downright infuriating, yet he looked so spirited and carefree. Then he wrote an answer in his notebook, drew a checkmark next to it, and said with a grin, "Out of revolutionary friendship, I’ll give you the answer. You can figure out the steps yourself when you go up."

Xu Zhi: "..."

What a jerk.

Author’s Note: Xu Zhi: How does he even know this?

200 red envelopes.

P.S.: The banter between these two is really hard to write. I practically have to rewrite every chapter twice. Today’s chapter took three drafts, with many revisions, so updates might be a bit late. From now on, just check after 9 p.m.

(Just a heads-up, this story is a slice-of-life romance about two people falling in love—nothing too dramatic, just pure fluff.

(Also, regarding the math-related questions some readers brought up: architecture is a special case. They study basic calculus, similar to what liberal arts students take. One of my seniors had architecture and law students in the same calculus class. Though architecture is technically a science, it’s more design-oriented. Since this is a fictional setting, some details are customized, so don’t compare it to real-life institutions.