Be Passionately In Love

The stairwell was dim and silent, the sound of firecrackers gradually fading in their ears. Perhaps their heartbeats and emotions were too fervent, automatically drowning out the noise of the outside world, leaving only each other's breaths—like fish on the brink of despair being released back into the sea, clinging to one another with desperate longing, savoring the long-missed scent and warmth.

"Happy New Year, Chen Luzhou," Xu Zhi murmured, tightening her embrace. Her eyes stung as an unfamiliar emotion surged in her chest, leaving her momentarily unsure how to handle it. Burying herself deeper into his arms, the familiar scent of sage drifted into her nose, bringing her an immediate sense of peace and contentment.

There were too many things she wanted to say, but Chen Luzhou knew they couldn’t stay together for long tonight. So he chose the most important words, soothingly ruffling her hair before whispering, "I'm not great at sweet talk because I know I don’t have anything to offer right now. Anything I say would just sound like empty promises—" He leaned closer, his lips brushing her ear. "But we’ll have it all someday. You can trust your boyfriend on that."

"Got it," Xu Zhi echoed him playfully.

He chuckled. "Copycat."

Mocked, Xu Zhi retaliated by burying her face against his chest and pinching his waist hard in protest.

Chen Luzhou’s waist was lean yet firm, his muscles taut and powerful, pleasant to the touch. Xu Zhi’s fingers lingered, then—taking advantage of the darkness—slipped under the hem of his sweatshirt to explore further.

Chen Luzhou glanced down at her, amused and exasperated. "Hey—" He caught her wandering hand with a laugh. "What are you doing?"

The little rogue persisted, determined to keep going. "Getting a feel."

"Stop messing around. I’ll let you have your fill tomorrow, alright? I still have to grab food with the others later. You should head up and get some sleep."

Only then did Xu Zhi rest her chin against his chest, tilting her head back to look at him. The redness in her eyes hadn’t faded, like a towel wrung dry yet still damp—hazy and flushed. "I just want to stay with you a little longer."

"Were you crying? Why are your eyes so red?" His fingers combed through her hair gently. "Hmm?"

"Moved by your words," she said, rising slightly on her toes to bring her face closer. "Any tears left?"

Chen Luzhou cupped her face, studying her carefully before brushing his thumb tenderly under her eye. "Nope. Don’t force it if you can’t cry—it’s not good for you."

Xu Zhi let him hold her face, taking the chance to study his features closely. His jawline seemed sharper, his lips thinner and almost stern, giving him an air of seriousness. He looked more mature than during the break, though his touch remained gentle. The sharp angles of his brows softened with a smile, but exhaustion lingered beneath. Only his eyes remained clear—black and white, like fresh grass stubbornly thriving in a rain-soaked swamp.

"You’ve lost weight. Not delicate at all anymore," Xu Zhi remarked.

There weren’t many direct flights from Beijing to Qingyi. He’d had to transfer, spending hours at the airport, nearly the entire day on the road with no time to freshen up.

"Delicate my ass. I was never delicate—"

Before he could finish, a firecracker suddenly exploded beside them.

Startled, they turned to look. A voice floated over lazily. "Chen Luzhou, I’m fucking starving!"

"Hold on. If you’re hungry, go order first," he called back without turning away, his gaze still fixed on Xu Zhi.Xu Zhi sighed and let go of him. "Go with them then. But are there even places open to eat during the New Year?"

"Yeah, a few snack shops near No.1 High are still open. We'll grab something simple," Chen Luzhou released her as well and thought to ask, "Can you go out this late? Want to come along?"

"Forget it, it's too late." "Alright, call me if you need anything—"

Before he could finish, another firecracker abruptly exploded beside them, clearly from someone growing impatient.

Chen Luzhou was annoyed now. With his back still turned to the stairwell entrance, he snapped without looking, "Are you done yet?"

Immediately, another one went off—no, a series of them. Two or three firecrackers burst in rapid succession like thunderclaps on the ground, nearly hitting Chen Luzhou's foot.

"You starving ghost reincarn—" Chen Luzhou turned his head halfway through the insult, only for the entire stairwell to fall into complete silence for two or three seconds. His tone suddenly shifted into something Xu Zhi had never heard from him before—docile, even meek. "...Dr. Xu."

Xu Guangji stood at the stairwell entrance in a black leather jacket, holding the confiscated firecrackers. Chen Luzhou instinctively glanced back and saw Zhu Yangqi and Cai Yingying frantically gesturing behind him, but it was too late. The stern father finished his sentence expressionlessly: "What the hell are you doing here, you deadbeat?"

Chen Luzhou coughed, obediently shoving his hands into his pockets and subtly sidestepping away.

"Uh, I was just bringing Xu Zhi some stuff."

Xu Guangji eyed his empty hands, narrowing his eyes behind his glasses. "What stuff?"

Without missing a beat or averting his gaze, Chen Luzhou replied, "Just some books. I borrowed them from her during summer break."

"A whole box of books?"

Chen Luzhou blinked. "Yeah, a whole box."

Xu Guangji smiled. "Great. Hand it over then. I'll carry it upstairs."

Chen Luzhou: "..."

Chen Luzhou shot Xu Zhi a look and coughed. She remained unmoved, leaving him no choice but to reluctantly push the box forward.

Xu Guangji hefted it. "Pretty heavy. What a studious kid."

The box contained hardly any books—just some clothes and drone equipment. At least it was locked.

"Uh, Dr. Xu... you'll have to return that box to me..." Chen Luzhou added reluctantly.

"No kidding," Xu Guangji said smugly, turning to head upstairs. He glanced at Xu Zhi. "What are you standing around for?"

Xu Zhi stifled a laugh. As Old Xu turned away, she mouthed silently to Chen Luzhou— I'm leaving now?

Helplessly watching his suitcase get dragged away, Chen Luzhou saw her not only refusing to rescue him but clearly enjoying the show. He couldn't resist pretending to strangle her neck playfully. Xu Zhi laughed and dodged, but just then, Old Xu remembered something and turned back. Chen Luzhou hastily dropped his hands, shoving them back into his pockets with forced nonchalance.

Xu Guangji called over his shoulder, "Cai Yingying, you come up too!"

"Wait a sec!"

Cai Yingying was having a blast with Zhu Yangqi and the others, competing to see who could throw firecrackers farther and louder. Just tossing them on the ground wasn't enough—they had to jump while throwing. None of the boys could match her wildness.

"Can you even play? These aren't as loud as my dad's farts."

Li Ke: "..."

Zhu Yangqi: "............"Once they got upstairs, fortunately, Xu Guangji didn’t ask to inspect the suitcase. He just carried it into Xu Zhi’s room and asked, “Are you two at the same school now?”

Xu Zhi hummed in agreement. “He didn’t go abroad. He got into our school through supplementary admissions.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Xu Guangji said nothing more, taking off his coat. “Go to bed early. We’re going back to Grandma’s tomorrow for New Year’s.”

Xu Zhi was taken aback. “Weren’t we supposed to go back on the third day?”

Xu Guangji replied, “I’m on duty that day. Let’s go earlier and spend a few days with Grandma.”

……

Chen Luzhou and the others grabbed a quick bite at a nearby Sha County snack shop near No. 1 High School. After the long, exhausting trip, the boys were starving. A few steamers of dumplings later, once they’d regained some energy, they finally started chatting casually.

“Wasn’t Xu Zhi from Rui Jun before? Was she classmates with Tan Xu? I kept saying her name sounded so familiar,” Jiang Cheng mumbled through a mouthful of dumplings. “Weren’t you two already kinda flirting back in the summer?”

If Jiang Cheng hadn’t driven to pick them up at the airport today, they probably wouldn’t have found a taxi anytime soon. As a friend, Jiang Cheng was solid. His parents worked in another province and only came back occasionally for New Year’s. If Hang Sui wasn’t around, he’d spend the holiday alone.

Zhu Yangqi said, “You were playing basketball with his rival back then. How could we have told you?”

Jiang Cheng burst out laughing. “Chen Luzhou, you really don’t trust me that much? There’s no way I’d side with Tan Xu over you. What a joke.”

Chen Luzhou just smiled without responding.

Zhu Yangqi added, “He just didn’t want to put you in an awkward position.”

Jiang Cheng said, “Tan Xu and I were classmates in freshman year. After the exams, he came to me saying he wanted to transfer back to No. 1 High’s repeat class. I was planning to repeat the year too, so we ended up playing basketball together a few times. Our relationship was just okay. After the college entrance exam results came out, I was surprised my scores were decent enough, so I didn’t bother repeating. Haven’t really kept in touch with him since.”

“Did Tan Xu ever mention Xu Zhi to you?” Chen Luzhou asked.

Jiang Cheng thought for a moment. “Yeah, once or twice. That’s why I didn’t connect the dots back in the summer. The way Tan Xu talked about ‘his Xu Zhi,’ she sounded like some master manipulator, but Xu Zhi herself seems so innocent—totally didn’t match up—”

“‘His Xu Zhi’?”

“Your Xu Zhi,” Jiang Cheng quickly corrected, half-joking. “Damn, your possessiveness is still this strong. Hey, when you play basketball at school now, do you still write your name a dozen times on the ball?”

Chen Luzhou chuckled. “No, she’s not a basketball. I can’t just carve my name on her and call her mine. She’s independent and strong-willed—she wouldn’t like hearing herself categorized like some object.”

Everyone knew his possessiveness ran so deep that he’d engrave his name on everything.

But no one knew that, despite this, he couldn’t bear the thought of Xu Zhi tattooing his name on her body.

Besides, his girlfriend was captivating enough on her own—she didn’t need to borrow anyone’s spotlight.

By then, Chen Luzhou was so exhausted he’d slumped into an uncharacteristically casual posture, legs crossed, leaning back with an air of effortless arrogance—far from the image of a top-tier university student. Still, he mustered the energy to set the record straight.

“Li Ke and Zhu Yangqi both know—I’m serious about her. This isn’t just some casual fling.”Jiang Cheng seemed stunned for a moment before slowly realizing what those words meant.

There was always an unspoken understanding among guys. Since he himself wasn’t serious about his girlfriend, his friends naturally wouldn’t take her seriously either.

Jiang Cheng quickly grasped Chen Luzhou’s implication and nodded repeatedly, adopting a humble tone. “Got it, got it. I’ll treat her like royalty from now on, I swear.”

Zhu Yangqi glanced at Li Ke, who had been silent the whole time. “What’s up with you?”

Li Ke’s eyes darted around rapidly. “I’m piecing together the timeline.”

Zhu Yangqi couldn’t help but curse. “Damn, this guy just won’t stop grinding. Can’t you give yourself a proper break after the competition?”

Li Ke turned to Chen Luzhou. “So, after sorting it out, I’m the last one to find out about you two?”

Zhu Yangqi: “…”

Chen Luzhou: “……”

When they were nearly done eating, Jiang Cheng asked, “Where are you heading later? Did you give up the place in Yifeng Alley?”

Chen Luzhou’s luggage had been confiscated, leaving him with nothing but the clothes on his back. His jacket was draped over the chair as he leaned back, full and satisfied. He stacked the empty bamboo steamers, wiped the spot in front of him with a napkin, and said, “I rented a new place.”

Zhu Yangqi wiped his mouth. “Didn’t your mom buy you an apartment by the river?”

“I should stand on my own feet,” Chen Luzhou replied, tossing the napkin into the trash. He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “If she ever gets fed up with me and takes it back, I’d have to pack up and leave. Once was enough for that kind of feeling.”

The others didn’t need to think hard to imagine how unpleasant it must have been for Chen Luzhou to be kicked out of the villa during summer break.

After finishing their meal, the group left the restaurant and went their separate ways.

Chen Luzhou walked back alone, hands empty, along the quiet streets. The occasional car sped past, and the magnolia-shaped lampposts were adorned with rows of red lanterns. Qingyi’s festive atmosphere was strong—every household was decorated, their windows glowing with the warm red of reunion and celebration. The spring couplets stood out like strings of crimson blossoms against the night.

The stronger the festive spirit, the lonelier those without a home to return to felt.

As he walked, Chen Luzhou still ended up calling Ms. Lian Hui.

“You’re back?” Lian Hui’s voice was bright with joy when she answered.

One hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone, Chen Luzhou strolled leisurely, catching a glimpse of Qingyi’s landmark peeking above the geometric skyline. “Yeah, just got in.”

“Mom! Is that Ge on the phone?” A sharp, familiar voice cut in from the other end.

Lian Hui quickly said, “I brought Chen Xingqi over for New Year’s. His dad’s abroad these days. Do you want to come? I’ll send you the address.”

The surroundings were quiet, the streetlights stretching his thin shadow long and faint, as if it might disappear at any moment.

“No need. I just got off the plane and haven’t settled in yet,” Chen Luzhou paused, then added, “Happy New Year.”

Lian Hui was a beat slow. “Happy New Year, Luzhou.”

Ever since their divorce, Lian Hui rarely called him by his full name. Before she left, she had even asked if he wanted to change his surname. At the time, Chen Luzhou had mocked the idea— Change it to what? Lian?

After that, she never brought it up again.

*Xu Zhi had just woken up on the first day of the Lunar New Year when Old Xu unceremoniously dragged her back to their hometown. Chen Luzhou's suitcase was still locked in her house. Drowsy, she got into the passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt while sending Chen Luzhou a WeChat message.

Xu Zhi: [Boyfriend, I’ve been hauled back to our hometown by Old Xu.]

A reply came swiftly.

salt: [???]

salt: [What am I supposed to do then?]

Xu Zhi: [Endure it. I’ll be back the day after tomorrow.]

salt: [Endure what? I’m talking about my suitcase.]

Xu Zhi: [Oh, weren’t you missing me?]

salt: [I do, but right now I miss my suitcase more.]

Xu Zhi: [Is there something important inside?]

The reply took a while.

salt: [Underwear.]

Xu Zhi: [Are you… going commando right now?]

salt: [Obviously. Do I have anything to wear?]

Xu Zhi: [Why don’t you go buy a couple?]

salt: [How am I supposed to go out? Huh??]

Xu Zhi: [Delivery?]

salt: [Who’s gonna deliver on New Year’s Day?]

Xu Zhi: [What about Zhu Yangqi?]

salt: [He’d laugh at me to death.]

Xu Zhi: [Which is more important, dignity or underwear?]

salt: [Dignity.]

Xu Zhi gave up trying to persuade him. [Then just go commando. It’s not like it’s your first time anyway.]

salt: […]

salt: [Can you come back tomorrow? I can only hold out for one more day.]

Xu Zhi: [Depends on my dad. If he doesn’t want to go back, I can’t just run off on my own.]

salt: [I see. Your dad’s doing this on purpose.]

After replying, Chen Luzhou tossed his phone onto the bedside table. It was still early morning, the curtains tightly drawn, casting a faint golden glow. Only a sliver of light seeped through the cracks in the corners, leaving the room dim and shadowy. He lay face down, most of his body buried under the blankets, drowsily burying his head back into the pillow with a heavy sigh.

The bed, sofa, and coffee table were all newly bought by Xu Zhi. When he rented the place, the landlord had mentioned it was newly renovated and hadn’t been rented out before. Some of the furnishings were missing—the bedroom only had a foldable camp bed. The landlord offered a discount if he rented it as-is. At the time, Chen Luzhou just needed a temporary place to stay and didn’t plan to live there long, so he signed a one-year lease.

Xu Zhi worked fast. When he arrived last night, he found the sofa and bed already set up. Fresh green vines adorned the windowsill, small decorations dotted the shelves, and a few paintings hung on the walls. Suddenly, the place felt like home—warm and cozy.

He had slept more soundly last night than ever before.

This warmth lasted until the afternoon. Chen Luzhou, who rarely slept in, woke up late. After washing his face, bored out of his mind, he sat on the sofa and started cracking walnuts to eat.

Thud! With one strike, the wooden coffee table unexpectedly split apart, then uncontrollably began to collapse with a series of cracks. Chen Luzhou tried to steady it but didn’t know where to start. The table instantly crumbled, as if cleaved by a demon’s hand, lying in pieces on the floor.Chen Luzhou was utterly stunned, frozen in place with the hammer still raised mid-air. He looked up at the hammer, then down at the "corpse" on the floor, unable to process what had just happened. If not for his eyes blinking in bewildered innocence, the scene would have appeared completely still—

Did I hit it too hard?

Damn?

Xu Zhi's probably going to cry.

Just then, his phone on the sofa lit up. Distractedly, he grabbed it.

Xu Zhi: [Hey, Chen Jiaojiao, I forgot to mention—I made that coffee table myself. Be careful when using it, it might not be very sturdy yet. Whatever you do, don’t hammer anything on it!]

Then why was there a bag of walnuts on it?

Chen Luzhou: "..."

As he stood there dumbfounded, a sudden, unexpected thud of pain struck his head. The painting hanging above the sofa, as if affected by the "aftershock" of the coffee table's collapse, landed squarely on his skull.

Chen Luzhou immediately doubled over in pain, his head hanging low as he let out a few pained groans. After the initial shock subsided, he clutched his head with one hand, staring blankly at the mess on the floor.

He couldn't understand no matter how hard he tried—how had their home fallen apart so easily?

His phone buzzed again.

Xu Zhi: [Oh, by the way, if you have time, could you rehang the painting on the wall? I wasn't sure if the landlord allows nails, so I just stuck it up with something temporarily.]

Chen Luzhou: "..."