Be Passionately In Love

The college entrance exams left their aftereffects. Even now, Xu Zhi would instinctively turn on her phone’s audio player to play some English listening exercises every morning while having breakfast.

Old Xu turned off the player. Xu Zhi looked up blankly, only to see him sitting solemnly across from her, wiping his glasses as he said, “The exams are over. Don’t you want to go out and have some fun?”

Xu Zhi leaned back in her chair, trying to wake up. Now slightly more alert, she rubbed her face listlessly. “Where, though? There’s nowhere fun nearby. The results will be out in half a month, so I can’t go too far. Maybe Cai Cai and I can visit Uncle Fu tomorrow?”

Xu Guangji wasn’t really listening. His eyes were fixed on her neck—the necklace was still there. Old Cai must have been mistaken. There was no way Xu Zhi was dating anyone. She hadn’t even started to show any interest in romance yet. Absentmindedly, he muttered, “Sure, sure, whatever you want. Don’t worry about money. Dad’s got plenty—people still owe me a lot—”

Ah yes, Xu Guangji’s catchphrase: People still owe me five million, so spend freely—no need to save.

Xu Zhi: “Still haven’t won the lottery?”

Ignoring her, he picked up his briefcase. “Silly child, let me give you some wisdom,” he said earnestly while changing his shoes by the door. “In life, you’ve got to learn to see through things without saying them out loud. It’s like magic—you know there’s a plant in the audience, but you still clap for the act, don’t you?”

Only after Old Xu closed the door did Xu Zhi slump back in her chair, finally processing his words.

What nonsense.

Just as she was about to zone out, her phone lit up abruptly—a message from Cai Yingying.

Piece of Cake: Zhi, do you know why that big gold chain was in the tree yesterday? Turns out it was some uncle’s secret stash! His wife controls him too tightly, so he converted his money into a gold chain—wears it when he goes out and hides it in a bird’s nest when he gets home. I’m dying of laughter.

Gardenia Won’t Bloom: Huh? How’d you find out?

Piece of Cake: Zhu Yangqi told me this morning.

Gardenia Won’t Bloom: You have his WeChat?

Piece of Cake: Yeah, added him yesterday. And get this—when the uncle’s wife dragged him to claim the chain, Chen Luzhou made them show the purchase receipt. Turns out there were two chains on the receipt, so the other one got confiscated too. Now the uncle spits every time he passes Chen Luzhou’s door. Zhu Yangqi said Chen Luzhou’s been scrubbing the floor nonstop—HAHAHAHAHAHA.

Xu Zhi replied with a few ellipses. Her first thought was:

He really does have OCD.

She set her phone down, distractedly tossing her bowl into the sink. With the old lady away at the temple for a few days, the house was empty except for her. Leaning against the kitchen counter, Xu Zhi turned on the faucet and pulled out her phone, opening a social media app to seriously search:

How to successfully get a hot guy’s…

She paused, tilting her head thoughtfully, then quickly deleted hot guy and typed instead:

How to successfully get a narcissist’s WeChat.

Soon, a private message from a netizen popped up.Netizen Pipi: [If it's just an average confident guy, forget it. But if he's handsome, the way to get his attention is to first ignore him, then surpass or challenge him in his area of expertise. In short, figure out what his hobbies are first.]

Hobbies?

Basketball and drones were definitely out of her league. What about that utterly talentless drawing of his?

Xu Zhi picked up her bowl, lost in thought.

**

Before leaving, Chen Luzhou stuck a white note of surrender on the door.

—"The owner is away. Please refrain from spitting. If you absolutely must, kindly use the provided bucket."

Below it was a large red arrow pointing to a bucket he'd dutifully placed there.

Zhu Yangqi laughed so hard he pounded the wall: "What exactly happened with your dad? You'd rather put up with this than move back home?"

Chen Luzhou had just finished packing and was about to leave, his black sling bag hanging loosely across his shoulder. Taking some tape, he pressed the note firmly to the door with his slender, bony fingers. "What do you think of my dad?"

"He seems strict, but he's always been good to you. Just a bit superstitious and old-fashioned."

Chen Jishen was indeed superstitious, always accompanied by a feng shui master whose word was law. When Chen Xingqi was little, he cried constantly at night and had intermittent fevers for over a month. Doctors found nothing wrong, so the family turned to folk remedies. The master said Xingqi's birth chart was too weak—he'd face constant misfortune before turning fourteen. The solution? Find him a "mother" with a strong birth chart to absorb the bad luck. Ms. Lian Hui refused outright. The master then suggested an alternative: a strong-charted older brother could also serve as a shield. Thus, they adopted Chen Luzhou, who met all the requirements and was parentless at the time. The Chen couple, likely out of guilt, offered to formally adopt him.

Back then, Chen Luzhou himself was clueless about why this family had taken him in.

But they treated him as their own from the start—not as some publicity stunt for their model entrepreneur image, but with genuine affection. While Xingqi got the rod often growing up, Luzhou never once felt the feather duster. In most families with two boys, the younger one's mischief gets overlooked while the elder is told to yield. Not Chen Jishen—he'd whack Xingqi without question, warning him to stop bothering his brother. So Xingqi's feelings toward Luzhou were always a mix of love and resentment.

Chen Jishen spoiled Luzhou unconditionally, whereas Ms. Lian Hui was stricter and had actual expectations. For his part, Luzhou, though sharp-tongued, always knew his limits—which jokes crossed the line.

In the early days when Chen Jishen's business was smaller, well-meaning aunties and uncles would tease at dinners: "Luzhou's so handsome, why bother studying? Just marry into the richest family in town—your dad could retire decades early!"Hearing such remarks once or twice was tolerable, but when people frequently joked about it, Chen Luzhou grew annoyed. Chen Jishen was so furious he almost flipped the table on the spot, ready to cut ties with these people. But back then, Chen Jishen had just joined the Entrepreneurs' Guild and needed to build connections everywhere. Worried he might offend someone, Chen Luzhou smoothed things over. He knew the tycoon looked down on their family, so while peeling crab for Chen Xingqi, he casually deflected with a playful yet polite remark: "Alright, then I’ll trouble you to pass the message to my future father-in-law. I’ll wait for his betrothal gifts."

The comment sounded flippant but was courteous enough, effectively shutting down the conversation. No one dared to actually bring it up—after all, Chen Jishen’s career was just taking off, and the tycoon wouldn’t have considered their family worthy. After that, Chen Jishen doted on him even more.

In a way, Chen Luzhou’s childhood wasn’t lacking in love. Before six, the orphanage director and caretakers favored him. After six, the Chen couple showered him with care—he was a child soaked in honey, nurtured by love.

It wasn’t until recently, when he rented a place near school for exam prep, that he returned to the villa the night before the college entrance exam to fetch clothes and overheard Chen Jishen and Ms. Lian Hui arguing loudly in their bedroom. Only then did he learn the real reason he’d been adopted.

Yet, even so, Chen Luzhou didn’t mind. The years of unwavering kindness outweighed the initial, less-than-pure motive. He could forgive that.

He’d always been easy to appease. Compared to ambiguous words from others, he trusted his own feelings—the love and protection over the years weren’t an act.

Chen Xingqi stood behind him then, cautiously calling out, "Brother," afraid he’d be upset. To his surprise, Chen Luzhou leaned against the hallway wall in the dark, ruffling his hair gently before saying softly, "You’ll be fourteen next month, right? It’s okay, it’ll pass. I wish you smooth sailing ahead."

Chen Xingqi’s eyes reddened. Then, fragmented voices drifted out—Chen Jishen’s: "Didn’t you promise when we adopted him that we’d send him abroad after his exams? I know Luzhou’s always been sensible, but don’t you think he’s too sharp now? If he stays for university, I’m afraid he’ll compete with Xingqi for the family assets later."

Chen Luzhou had forgotten one thing: Chen Jishen was, at heart, a conservative, traditional father.

When his career was still budding, this hadn’t crossed his mind. But as his business flourished, the deep-rooted, outdated beliefs—like rot festering in gums—began to stink.

...

"He hit you?" Zhu Yangqi couldn’t believe the usually mild-mannered Chen Jishen would resort to violence.

"Yeah," Chen Luzhou replied flatly, not looking up. He tore off a strip of tape with his teeth, his voice cool and eyelids drooping indifferently. "I said I’d write him a pledge—even sign a contract if he didn’t trust me. He claimed that wasn’t his point. So I said, ‘Don’t worry, after all these years you’ve raised me, I’ll still take care of you in your old age.’ He thought I was cursing him to die."

"Old Chen really lacks vision.""But I do understand him. After finally making something of himself, of course he wants to leave everything to his biological son. Honestly, I don’t blame him. What I’m angry about is myself—being nineteen and still not knowing how to earn my own damn money."

"So now you’re scamming your dumb little brother for cash?"

"Watch your mouth," Chen Luzhou shot him a glance. "Show some respect to my boss."

"..." Zhu Yangqi was about to reply when his WeChat chimed again.

Chen Luzhou knew it was Cai Yingying. He tore off a piece of tape and pressed it onto the last corner, his voice turning cold. "That’s a bit much. You won’t let me talk to Xu Zhi, but you two are chatting away?"

Zhu Yangqi: "I was just updating her on the progress of this gold chain, so she doesn’t think we’ve pocketed it. Hey, why does your tone sound so sarcastic?"

As they were talking, Chen Luzhou was about to close the door when he heard a loud slam from upstairs, followed by hurried footsteps descending. At that moment, he realized men could have a sixth sense too—for some reason, he instinctively felt it might be Tan Xu. Sure enough, the lean, wiry figure appeared at the stairwell corner in the next second.

If not for what happened last night, even if Tan Xu had greeted him first, Chen Luzhou might not have recognized him as someone he’d once played basketball with. But now, Chen Luzhou felt there must be something wrong with him. As Tan Xu came downstairs and their eyes were about to meet, he instinctively turned his head away, stepped inside, and reemerged with a black backpack slung over one shoulder.

Even Zhu Yangqi noticed something was off. Once Tan Xu’s figure had completely disappeared down the hallway, he asked, "Why are you avoiding him?"

When had Chen Luzhou ever been this cowardly? At their high school, he practically owned the place—most people knew him, even if he didn’t know them, and he carried himself with an air of arrogance. So what was this? Why was he dodging Tan Xu?

Chen Luzhou ignored him. Even after they boarded the bus heading up the mountain, Zhu Yangqi wasn’t about to let it go. "What’s your deal, honestly? And I’m gonna say something kinda messed up—you’re my brother. If you’ve really got feelings for Xu Zhi and want to steal her away, you think I’d just stand by? I’d scour the earth for a shovel to help you dig. So what was that cowardly act earlier?"

"I just think his girlfriend might be a little too interested in me, so I’m trying to avoid direct confrontation with him out of respect, okay?"

Yeah, Chen Luzhou figured that must’ve been the reason for his instinctive reaction.

Zhu Yangqi: "Nah, you looked like the side piece running into the main squeeze."

Chen Luzhou wordlessly put on his headphones. "Then you must be delusional."

**

Fu Yu Mountain Villa was nestled halfway up Mingling Mountain. Originally a private estate, Uncle Fu had been reluctant to open it to the public. It was only after years of persuasion from Old Xu and Old Cai that he gradually began accepting guests, though he still maintained many rules. Yet, there were always wealthy elites who ate it up, often booking stays for ten days to half a month at a time. Urbanites, especially young men and women, loved coming here to unwind—the place was teeming with youth and romantic opportunities, and the villa’s amenities were incredibly comprehensive, offering just about every form of entertainment imaginable.

Xu Zhi had just gotten off the bus. After dropping her luggage in her room, she dashed downstairs to find Fu Yuqing. "Uncle Fu! Uncle Fu!"At that moment, Fu Yuqing was leaning against the front desk with a cup of coffee in hand, exuding an air of irritation. He held a dog in his arms, wearing a loud floral shirt half-tucked into his belt. Well-maintained and refined, the only thing out of place was the small felt hat on his head—likely just back from searching for stones up the mountain. Spotting Xu Zhi, his face lit up with delight. "Boss Zhi, perfect timing! I’m about to be driven mad by these little brats. They’re damn hard to please."

Xu Zhi then noticed the group of thirteen or fourteen-year-olds gathered around the front desk, their attitudes downright aggressive. Just as she was about to ask what was going on, the kids reacted immediately to Fu Yuqing’s words.

"Who are you calling hard to please? It’s true—your water tastes weird, and you won’t even let us complain about it!"

Fu Yuqing: "That’s tap water! Who told you to drink it without boiling it first? How many times do I have to say it? The water here is mountain spring water—it needs to be boiled before drinking. If you want bottled water, go buy it yourselves down the mountain!"

"I don’t get it! The tap water at my house is fine straight from the faucet! Why can’t yours be the same?"

Xu Zhi hesitated, wondering how to explain to these "young masters" that what they had at home was probably filtered drinking water, not regular tap water.

Fu Yuqing had clearly run out of patience. Setting down his coffee, he stroked the dog and said, "Is there anyone here who can actually communicate like a normal person?"

The kids exploded again. "Who are you calling abnormal?!"

"Hey, little buddy, calm down a bit," Xu Zhi quickly interjected. "What this uncle means is—do you have any adults with you?"

"My brother and his friend are almost here. They just got out of the car and should be walking over in about five minutes."

Chen Xingqi, seeing that the "uncle" had been replaced by a young woman, immediately puffed up with arrogance and dialed a video call without hesitation. Whether it was out of a need for adult backup or sheer confidence in his brother’s charm—since childhood, any girl who encountered Chen Luzhou became inexplicably agreeable—in his mind, his brother’s face was second only to cash in terms of effectiveness.

However, the call was mercilessly rejected.

A few seconds later, the tranquil lobby of the villa was abruptly pierced by the cold, robotic greeting: "Welcome to Fu Yu Mountain Villa."

Everyone turned to look. Two tall figures strode in through the revolving door. Before Xu Zhi could get a proper look, a familiar, impatient voice rang out. "Chen Xingqi, is there anything you can do besides spamming me with video calls? I told you not to call me. Are you trying to annoy me to death?"

Xu Zhi’s eyes instantly sparkled with amusement as she grinned.

Well, well! Someone just delivered themselves right to her doorstep!

Chen Xingqi swept a triumphant, proud gaze over the five or six friends he’d brought along, his face practically screaming—

See? Told you my brother’s the best.

Fu Yuqing: "..."