Be Passionately In Love

Xu Zhi smiled and replied, ["Then I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."]

salt: ["You'd better pray the blizzard in Beijing traps your boyfriend, or he’ll come back to Qingyi and strangle you."]

Xu Zhi: ["You better mean that, Chen Jiaojiao."]

salt: ["I’d advise you not to provoke your neglected boyfriend in Beijing right now."]

Xu Zhi had been running around all day, and her eyelids were already heavy. On the plane, she had nearly been harassed—if it weren’t for the kind woman next to her who swapped seats, the guy beside her would have driven her crazy.

Xu Zhi: ["I’m really going to sleep now. I’m exhausted. It’s been a long day."]

It took a while for the other side to reply, clearly busy as well. By the time the message came through, Xu Zhi was already fast asleep, her phone tossed beside the bed, WeChat still open. Moonlight spilled softly through the window like a gauzy veil over the floor, the surroundings quiet and peaceful.

salt: ["Spend time with your dad first. Boyfriend takes a backseat for now."]

salt: ["Call me if you miss me. Any hour is fine."]

……

Truth be told, winter break wasn’t particularly eventful. Cai Yingying hadn’t started her vacation yet, so Xu Zhi spent those days helping Old Xu prepare for the New Year and visiting her grandmother in the countryside. By the time Cai Yingying was free, most of Xu Zhi’s break was already over.

After spending over half a month under the same roof with Old Xu, Xu Zhi deeply understood the philosophical truth that distance makes the heart grow fonder.

On the first day of break, Old Xu gently knocked on her door: ["Nannan, time to get up for breakfast. Do you want shrimp and peanut porridge?"]

On the second day, long before mealtime, Old Xu was still playing the doting parent: ["Nannan, what do you want for lunch? I’ll go buy it."]

On the third day, Old Xu: ["Making French butter-poached shrimp today. Didn’t you always say you missed it in Beijing?"]

On the fourth day, when mealtime rolled around, Xu Zhi found the kitchen empty. ["Dad, aren’t you cooking today?"]

Old Xu: ["Let’s order takeout. I have an outpatient appointment this afternoon."]

On the fifth day, Xu Zhi woke up early to go for a jog. Old Xu was lounging on the sofa, refreshed, reading the newspaper and sipping tea. ["Grab some breakfast on your way back. I’m craving Fengxiang’s steamed buns."]

……

On the n th day of break, Xu Zhi got up, showered, and blow-dried her hair, her stomach growling. She absentmindedly asked, ["Dad, what’s for food today?"]

Old Xu, engrossed in Soldiers Sortie , casually tossed back: ["Skipping one meal won’t kill you."]

On the n+1 th day, in the evening, Xu Zhi persisted. She had just sat down on the sofa: ["Dad, I—"]

Old Xu: ["When does your semester start?"]

Xu Zhi: ["……"]

It was at this moment that Xu Zhi began desperately missing her limited-edition boyfriend in Beijing. She quietly retreated to her room, closed the door, and sent him a WeChat message.

Xu Zhi: ["Little man, you there?"]

salt: ["……Little your ass man."]

Xu Zhi: ["Same as ‘Little Chen’—just a term of endearment."]

salt: ["Did your dad roast you again?"]

Xu Zhi: ["He actually asked when school starts. I think he’s been acting weird lately, coming home later and later."]

salt: ["Right now, you sound like someone who got hurt by a jerk and is seeking comfort from a backup."]

Xu Zhi ignored him. Hugging her phone, she chuckled against the headboard for a while, then pulled a pillow over and rested her chin on it, replaying the details of her recent interactions with Old Xu before typing a reply.Xu Zhi: [My dad really has issues. Last night, he got called away for an emergency case. What kind of emergency could there even be in andrology?]

salt: [There are some. Like restless, hot-blooded single guys who get too curious and play around too hard, ending up in the hospital. I know one such case firsthand.]

Xu Zhi: […That wild? Who?]

salt: [Don’t pry into such things. Look it up yourself—there’s plenty of news about it.]

Xu Zhi immediately searched on her phone and found it was true. Some even involved plastic bottles.

Her curiosity piqued, she video-called him to ask how a plastic bottle could even fit in there.

But Chen Luzhou didn’t pick up the first time. After a while, he leisurely sent a WeChat message.

salt: [Out having dinner.]

Xu Zhi: [Oh.]

salt: [Oh??]

Xu Zhi: [Huh?]

salt: [Your boyfriend’s only eating this late, and you’re not even asking why?]

salt: [If you don’t love me anymore, just say so.]

Xu Zhi couldn’t stop laughing. She had been about to shower, but seeing this message, she figured she should humor him—someone was clearly sulking. So she leaned against the headboard and called him again.

This time, he answered after just one ring. But he didn’t speak, as if holding a grudge, silently staying on the line. Xu Zhi didn’t rush to talk either, quietly listening to the lively sounds from his end.

The background noise was chaotic and fragmented—he must still have been eating. The chatter around him, mixed with the sound of wind, was hard to make out, but the atmosphere was warm, filled with bursts of laughter.

Chen Luzhou barely spoke, perhaps still in a mood. While others talked animatedly, their excitement occasionally sparking roaring laughter that practically burst through the phone, he only gave a couple of short, perfunctory chuckles, so quiet they were almost just breaths.

Xu Zhi quite enjoyed this feeling of listening to his every move over the phone, the steady rhythm of his breathing inexplicably soothing. So she didn’t speak first, curious to see how long he could hold out.

Then she heard a girl’s voice, soft and gentle, speaking to someone: [Let’s order a few more dishes. Chen Luzhou just said the seafood here is good? I haven’t had seafood in ages. I really miss Qingyi’s crab.]

Only then did Xu Zhi ask, [Class reunion?]

[Just Li Ke and a couple of old classmates,] he replied, his tone unreadable. Then, sounding exhausted, he said to someone, [Don’t count me in. I’m leaving soon—Wang Yue’s waiting in the dorm for me to revise our math modeling paper.]

His voice was hoarse, clearly from too many late nights.

[You’re leaving already?] a girl asked.

He hummed in response.

[It’s so rare for everyone to get together. Forget the paper—revise it tomorrow.]

[Let Li Ke stay with you guys. Wang Yue’s been nagging me for days.]

[Hey, Zhang Yu, your deskmate’s leaving. Stop him!] someone teased.

The girl, understanding, chimed in, [Chen Luzhou’s been really busy with the math modeling competition lately. Don’t drag him into this.]

Xu Zhi heard Chen Luzhou snort over the phone, his tone laced with unmistakable irritation as he shot back, [Don’t make it sound like there’s something between me and Zhang Yu. My girlfriend’s still on the line—how am I supposed to explain this later?]The person on the other end chuckled a few times, "Checking up on me?"

He laughed but didn’t respond.

Xu Zhi seized the moment to say into the phone, "Chen Luzhou, I’m angry."

There was a pause on the other end. "Cut it out."

Xu Zhi: "I’m jealous."

Chen Luzhou: "Don’t turn this around on me. What’s there to be jealous about at a class reunion?"

Xu Zhi: "I really am jealous."

Before he could reply, Xu Zhi hung up, thinking she’d tease him a little and call back later to smooth things over.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Three sharp knocks sounded at the door. Xu Zhi went to open it and found Old Xu standing outside, hurriedly pulling on his jacket while stammering, "Uh… Nannan, Dad’s got an emergency… gotta go to the hospital."

Xu Zhi studied him for a moment before nodding. "Oh, okay. Just be careful driving at night."

Old Xu added, "I made you a bowl of wontons. Eat some if you get hungry."

Xu Zhi nodded obediently. "Alright."

At the time, Xu Zhi didn’t think much of it—just that there seemed to be a lot of hot-headed young men around lately.

Xu Guangji threw on his coat and rushed downstairs, speeding out of the neighborhood and straight to the hospital. By the time he reached the emergency entrance, several ambulances were already pulling into the emergency lane, and his colleagues were efficiently unloading patients one after another.

Xu Guangji and Cai Binhong arrived almost simultaneously. The situation tonight was complicated. As the top neurosurgeon, Cai had rushed to the hospital immediately after receiving the call, trying unsuccessfully to reach Xu Guangji several times along the way. The moment they met, without wasting words, Cai quickly briefed him.

"It’s a fire at a school dormitory on Yingzhi Road. The casualty count is still unclear. Nearby hospitals have all opened green channels, but the emergency department is probably overflowing already," Cai said, pushing him inside as he spoke. "Director Wei’s son is among them. Go check on him first."

The emergency hallway was packed. Patients kept pouring in, and distraught family members were grabbing at anyone in a white coat, dropping to their knees without hesitation. "Please, save my child!" The scene was completely out of control, chaos reigning supreme.

Thankfully, the nurses were well-trained and did their best to reassure everyone. "Please stay calm. We’ve opened a green channel. Everyone will be treated as soon as possible. Just give the doctors some time."

"My child has been lying there for two hours, and no one’s come to see him!"

"Bed 9? He only has a fracture. There are several more critical cases in emergency—severe burns. Even our chief physician’s son is still waiting for a bed. He gave his up for others. Please try to understand."

As Xu Guangji and Cai walked through, the heart-wrenching cries grew increasingly agonizing. Even for those accustomed to such scenes, it was hard not to be moved.

After changing into their white coats in the emergency office, Xu Guangji asked, "Are the emergency beds all full? What’s the situation with Director Wei’s son? Why did he give up his bed?"“Her son jumped straight from the second floor and suffered a comminuted fracture near his hip. That kid’s got a tough temper. Seeing how aggressively the family was making a scene and his mom was wearing a white coat, he was afraid of gossip, so he gave up a bed, saying he could tough it out a little longer.”

“I’ll go take a look.”

Director Wei’s son was lying on a stretcher in the emergency ward hallway, dressed in his school uniform. His features were well-proportioned, but his forehead was drenched in sweat from the pain, gritting his teeth to endure it. A painkiller had been administered. Director Wei was probably too furious to speak. “Did your school not conduct proper fire drills? What were you thinking, jumping out? Everyone else managed to evacuate safely—who asked you to play the hero?”

Just then, a figure approached. Director Wei looked up. “Dr. Xu, you’re here too?”

Xu Guangji was somewhat shy, rubbing his hands before stuffing them into his coat pockets. “Old Cai called me. I came to see if I could help.”

Xu Zhi entered the emergency building just as Dean Cai was heading upstairs for a meeting. She was about to call out to him when she noticed his anxious expression and hurried steps as he entered the elevator with a few emergency department doctors. She turned toward the nurse’s station. “Excuse me, could you tell me where Dr. Xu Guangji is?”

The nurses, familiar with Xu Guangji’s close relationship with Cai Binhong, quickly scanned the area. “I think he went to the emergency ward just now.”

She pointed, and Xu Zhi caught sight of a familiar figure down the emergency ward hallway. Thanking the nurse, she headed straight over.

……

Director Wei asked, “Where’s your daughter?”

Xu Guangji replied, “At home.”

“Your son’s quite brave. I just heard about it from Old Cai.”

“He just likes to show off recklessly.”

“What do you mean, show off? My roommate was asleep inside. If I didn’t go back to wake him, he’d have burned to death,” the boy retorted weakly from his stretcher, still defiant.

“Right, and then you both could’ve jumped together.”

The boy suddenly looked at Old Xu and asked, “Dr. Xu, I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”

Xu Guangji smiled warmly. “No, you did well.”

Director Wei said to Xu Guangji, “Let’s step outside to talk.”

The boy cut in, “Say whatever you have to say in front of me. Don’t think I don’t know you two are dating.”

Xu Guangji’s face instantly turned awkward.

Director Wei was also taken aback. “…How did you know?”

“I just do. It’s fine, I won’t say anything about it.”

The two exchanged a glance, sharing an awkward chuckle. After a moment, Xu Guangji said, “When you’re discharged, I’ll get you a gift. A reward for your heroic rescue.”

The boy replied magnanimously, “Thanks, Dad Xu!”

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Director Wei scoffed lightly, then casually turned her head and spotted a slender figure standing not far away. She nudged Xu Guangji with her elbow. “Isn’t that your daughter?”

Xu Guangji turned around and froze completely.

Xu Zhi remembered when she was hospitalized as a child for allergies. Old Xu had coaxed her the same way: “When you’re discharged, Dad will get you a gift—a reward for our little Xu Zhi staying in such a fancy big house at such a young age!”

The scene was actually quite heartwarming. It had been a long time since she’d seen that shy smile on Old Xu’s face—the kind that comes from having one’s beliefs shattered, yet finding a sliver of warmth in the wreckage to cling to.It was something she had tried for so many years to free him from.

She also felt a bit incompetent. But Xu Zhi couldn't express the happiness in her heart, mixed with a pang of sorrow. Something seemed stuck in her throat—dry and suffocating, yet impossible to spit out.

They really did resemble a family. In the future, her father might no longer be hers alone.

Xu Guangji hadn’t realized it yet. "Xu Zhi, why did you follow me?"

Xu Zhi snapped back to reality, afraid her sudden appearance might stir unnecessary suspicion in the female doctor. Old Xu had finally mustered some courage, and she didn’t want to ruin it.

She smiled at the doctor with effortless warmth and friendliness—after spending so much time with Chen Luzhou, she had at least learned how to appear natural. Pulling out her phone from her pocket, she handed it over. "No, I wasn’t following you… I noticed you left your phone behind. Dean Cai called several times, so I thought it might be urgent and brought it to you."