Be Passionately In Love

How many fucking times is this now?

Zhu Yangqi was ready to throw in the towel right then and there, wanting to tell Chen Luzhou, "Just give in to her already." What kind of uniquely twisted fate was this? They really could run into each other anywhere.

Seriously, you two are made for each other.

However, Chen Luzhou didn't find this encounter particularly special. Qingyi was simply too small—mountains bordering the sea, with locals' summer activities limited to either boating or hiking. It was inevitable you'd bump into one or two people you'd rather avoid. Chen Luzhou automatically categorized Xu Zhi as someone he "wasn't particularly keen on running into." Why? Because she was dangerous.

How should he greet her?

"Hello?"

No, too awkward.

"What a coincidence?"

No, that sounds like a pickup line.

"What a coincidence," Xu Zhi spoke first.

See? She's trying to hit on me. Chen Luzhou wanted to say, "Cut the crap, did you stalk my schedule?" But when he looked up, Xu Zhi wasn't even looking at him—her gaze went straight past him to Zhu Yangqi behind him. "Running into you here—Zhu Yangwo."

Zhu Yangqi: ?

Chen Luzhou wasn't happy, and neither was Zhu Yangqi, the one who'd just been hit on.

Xu Zhi immediately realized her slip of the tongue and smoothly corrected herself, "Sorry, Zhu Qizuo—no, Zhu Yangqi."

Zhu Yangqi thought seriously about it and decided it was his own fault. That day, he'd introduced himself like this: "Hi, I'm Zhu Yangqi—as in 'yangwo' (supine) and 'qizuo' (sit-up), those two words."

......

Chen Luzhou shot him a glance.

Zhu Yangqi immediately raised an eyebrow—Don't fall for it, young master. She's just trying to get your attention. Classic playboy tactics. Then Zhu Yangqi coughed exaggeratedly and pointed at the kid beside him, "Yeah, what a coincidence. This is CY's little brother. What's going on here?"

Fu Yuqing had already taken off his little felt hat and placed it on the table. He spoke leisurely, "I'm the owner of this mountain resort. Here's the thing—your brother thinks there's something wrong with our water. Unfortunately, we don't provide bottled water here. If you won't drink our spring water, you'll have to go down the mountain to buy some. The shuttle buses don't run frequently, so going back and forth would be troublesome. I suggest you find another hotel."

Zhu Yangqi: "No delivery options?"

Fu Yuqing: "One delivery every two hours—who's going to haul it up the mountain for you? The spring water here is perfectly clean. All our guests drink it. If you can't accept that, then check out."

Hearing this, Xu Zhi realized Uncle Fu truly wasn't interested in keeping their business. Oh no, the duck was about to fly away.

"I can drive down the mountain to buy water for them," she said.

"Shut your mouth! Do you even have a driver's license?" Fu Yuqing glared at her like she was hopeless. "Want to go to jail? You've always had the audacity of the heavens. Didn't learn your lesson last time? Forget what the police told you?"

Xu Zhi apologized quickly: "Okay, sorry, my bad. I shouldn't test legal boundaries."

Zhu Yangqi: "..."

Chen Luzhou: "..."

Chen Xingqi and his little friends: "........"

Without even glancing at Xu Zhi, Chen Luzhou addressed Fu Yuqing directly: "Could you point out roughly where to buy water? Or do you have any vehicles for rent here? I can pay—bicycle, car, anything."

His tone was calm and polite.Xu Zhi thought Chen Luzhou was pretty impressive. Not everyone could handle Fu Yuqing’s temper—he had a bit of a childish streak. Though he looked like a gentle, refined uncle, he could argue with even a dog until its ancestors eighteen generations back were dragged into it. No wonder he was still single—no one could put up with his temper.

Zhu Yangqi had also heard before that the owner of Fu Yu Mountain Villa was notoriously hard to please. While others opened businesses to make money, he genuinely didn’t seem to care about profit—as if he just wanted to make like-minded friends. If you clicked with his temperament, he wouldn’t bat an eye at giving you free water bottles or even letting you stay for free. But if he ran into a picky young master like Chen Xingqi, he’d sarcastically suggest they find somewhere else to stay. And no one knew what kind of background Boss Fu had—no matter how many people he offended, his business kept running smoothly.

Fu Yuqing raised an eyebrow. “You have a driver’s license?”

Chen Luzhou nodded. “Yeah, got it last summer.”

Fu Yuqing didn’t have a bicycle, but he did have a car that he occasionally used to haul goods down the mountain. But after that brat had pissed him off earlier, he couldn’t be bothered to lend it. “Nope, figure it out yourself.” With that, he had the front desk clerk check them in, then leisurely scooped up his beloved dog from the floor. Turning to Xu Zhi, he jerked his head with enthusiasm. “Come on, let me show you the stones I’ve been polishing lately.”

Xu Zhi was blunt. “No.”

Fu Yuqing: “...”

Zhu Yangqi: “...”

Chen Luzhou: “...”

Fu Yuqing’s face darkened. “...Suit yourself!”

Seeing how unyielding Boss Fu was, Chen Xingqi pouted unhappily, looking like he was about to call his dad and tattle. But just as he pulled out his phone, his brother snatched it away and tossed it onto the front desk with a sharp, reprimanding thud. “Are you serious?”

Chen Xingqi stubbornly argued, “I didn’t know! The tap water at home is drinkable straight from the faucet! And the hotels I’ve stayed at with Mom and Dad are the same!”

“You drink our milk straight from the carton too,” Chen Luzhou shot back mercilessly. “But when we toured the dairy farm, you were perfectly rational—didn’t see you try to hug a cow and take a bite.”

Chen Xingqi: “I don’t care. I’m paying you eight hundred a day, and this is all you can do?”

Chen Luzhou roughly ruffled his hair. “If I’d known you’d be this much of a troublemaker, I wouldn’t have come even for eight thousand a day.”

Chen Xingqi felt genuinely rejected by his brother, simmering with frustration and anger. In a huff, he grabbed a random key card from the front desk and stormed toward the stairs—only to be blocked. With luggage piled around, he saw it was Xu Zhi in his way, and his temper flared even hotter. For some reason, he redirected all his anger at his brother onto her, shouting furiously, “You’re in my way! Move!”

Xu Zhi lazily replied, “Oh,” but didn’t budge.

Chen Xingqi was livid now. “Are you deaf?”

“Are you blind?” Xu Zhi calmly pointed at the key card in his hand. “—That’s my room key.”

She had come down earlier to find Uncle Fu and, seeing the tension, had casually placed her key card on the front desk. Who knew this brat would grab it without even looking?Chen Xingqi fell silent for a moment. He admitted his mistake quickly, perhaps also intimidated by her earlier remark about "testing legal boundaries." He obediently put the card back: "Okay, sorry!"

......

The check-in process took nearly an hour. Since they were all minors without parents present, two of the kids had issues with their identification documents. They needed a confirmation receipt faxed from the local police station; otherwise, they couldn’t check in. Fu Yuqing was unyielding with them, so Chen Luzhou had no choice but to let Zhu Yangqi take the two kids to his room to rest while he waited downstairs for the check-in to be completed.

This time of day was the laziest at Fu Yu Mountain Villa. In the afternoon, the sunlight stretched soft and lingering across the ground, the surroundings quiet as if everyone was napping. The sound of the front desk clerk typing on the keyboard was especially distinct.

Xu Zhi hadn’t left either, so Chen Luzhou felt a bit awkward, as if the two of them were the only living souls left in the world. Speaking up seemed inappropriate, but staying silent wasn’t quite right either.

Chen Luzhou: "Aren’t you going to watch Boss Fu polish his stones?"

"No," Xu Zhi said. "If he invites you, don’t go either. It’s boring."

Chen Luzhou sat hunched on the sofa, elbows resting on his knees, eyelids drooping lazily. At some point, he had picked up a flyer and was absentmindedly folding something out of it. "He probably wouldn’t invite me."

Xu Zhi thought for a moment. "Oh, right."

Chen Luzhou shot her a look that said, If you don’t know how to make conversation, just don’t.

In the center of the lobby was a rectangular fish tank with a few small, brightly colored tropical fish. Their vivid hues resembled ribbons weaving freely through sparse strands of seaweed. Xu Zhi leaned against it, looking down at Chen Luzhou. She realized he seemed even more handsome than before—probably because he’d tidied up before going out. His hair wasn’t as messy as it had been that night, sticking out in all directions. His strikingly sharp features gave him a somewhat aloof air. Under the daylight, he resembled a rain-drenched cedar—tall, lush, forever youthful, and forever too sharp-edged.

Xu Zhi: "You still haven’t told me what kind of movies you like."

"Why do you ask? Is there a cinema here?" Chen Luzhou kept his head down, still folding the paper.

Xu Zhi nodded. "There is. Behind the parking lot, there’s a small theater partnered with Global Cinemas. They show all the latest releases, just not many screenings. If there’s something you really want to watch, I can book tickets for you in advance."

Chen Luzhou kept his eyes lowered, expressionless, focused on his folding. Why so nice all of a sudden? Weren’t you pretending not to know me earlier?

"Mm, we’ll see," he said. "You’re close with Boss Fu?"

Xu Zhi said, "He’s a good friend of my dad’s. I used to call him godfather when I was little."

Chen Luzhou: "Oh. Doesn’t he have a wife?"

Xu Zhi: "Always been single."

Chen Luzhou: "What about a girlfriend?"

Xu Zhi thought for a moment. "Never seen him with one. As far as I can remember, he’s always been alone. Do you want to ask how he deals with his physical needs?"

Chen Luzhou: "......"After all the front desk procedures were completed, it was half past two. Abundant sunlight streamed through the glass doors, illuminating the entire lobby. The potted green plants shone with a glossy emerald hue, resembling a casually painted yet vividly colorful watercolor painting. Fu Yu Mountain Villa employed an entirely mortise-and-tenon structure, with not a single nail used in any of its buildings. From the entrance signs to every room and public facility, all featured exquisite original wood mortise-and-tenon designs—simple, clean, and modern in style.

Chen Luzhou had no intention of lingering with her any longer. He tossed the folded creation onto the coffee table and headed upstairs. Pausing by the fish tank, he glanced down at her leisurely.

"I just wanted to ask why his temper is so bad?"

With that, he left.

Xu Zhi responded with an "Oh," then turned to watch his retreating figure. Pointing at the item on the coffee table, she hurriedly asked, "Aren't you taking your paper airplane?"

Without turning back, Chen Luzhou replied in his usual lazy tone, "Are you a girl? That's a paper rose!"