The TV in the supermarket was broadcasting a typhoon warning. Qingyi was a typical Jiangnan area, where people were busy preparing for typhoons and floods every June, July, and August. After buying his items, Chen Luzhou walked out, watching people gradually taking down advertising boards and potted plants from balconies along the way. It was late at night, and the darkness of night spread unrestrained. The moonlight was like a smeared halo, casting its last glow on the desolate streets. The heavy rain was about to stop, neon lights blurred the outlines of buildings, and the sidewalks were covered with withered branches and leaves beaten down by the rain, a scene of complete desolation.
Chen Luzhou walked leisurely, holding a bottle of wine in one hand and the other in his pocket. The fallen leaves crackled under his feet.
Because the hottest part of summer hadn’t arrived yet, it was quite cold at night. After walking for a while, a thin layer of goosebumps appeared on his arms.
He was quite a boring person. He might seem carefree, but he had never done anything out of line. He was afraid of worrying his adoptive parents, disappointing their expectations, and most of all, afraid they wouldn’t see any value in him. Even his biological parents had abandoned him casually, let alone adoptive parents with no blood relation. This kind of security was something no one could give him.
So he didn’t dare to step out of line. He always tried to do his best within his capabilities in everything. This was his value. He learned photography because Madam Lian Hui liked taking photos and always complained about the photographers at the TV station. He watched movies and played with drones because Chen Jishen liked them. No one else in the family would discuss with him how Frank would be better as a screenwriter or how those tricky aerial shots were achieved.
He wasn’t romantic; he was just particularly good at reading people’s moods because he was dependent on others. Although his adoptive parents were indeed very good to him, it ultimately couldn’t compare to that special blood relationship. They hoped for the best for him but were also afraid he might become too good, surpassing Chen Xingqi and taking everything that belonged to Chen Xingqi. So they wanted to send him abroad, choosing a mediocre university that could be entered just by paying money, to study an average major, to smooth out all his edges and ambitions, then bring him back to docilely accept all their arrangements from then on?
He should have known long ago that there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Everything comes with strings attached.
There were no buses at this hour. Chen Luzhou sat for a while at the bus stop, holding his bottle of wine. Next to him knelt a disabled person, his short lower limbs exposed on the ground. A piece of paper and a QR code were pasted on the ground, stating “Father urgently needs treatment for leukemia.” He sighed, took out his phone, and scanned 50 yuan. Well, at least he was healthy, looked decent, wasn’t stupid, understood life, and still had time to appreciate the beauty of nature.
“Thank you.” Hearing the WeChat notification sound, the young man kneeling on the ground thanked him.
Chen Luzhou responded with a faint “Mm.” He thought he didn’t need to say “You’re welcome.” Their relationship was just that of giver and receiver. He should be the one saying thank you.
When he left, he called a Didi (ride-hailing service). Sitting in the car, he saw the young man kneeling straight, his eyes never lifting from the ground. He closed the car door and wondered, what is this world really like?
Is it an arena for the brave, or an exchange for sincere hearts?
After chatting with the driver for a while, Chen Luzhou fell silent. The driver probably found him interesting and talked non-stop about the get-rich-quick stories around him. “I just drive Didi at night. During the day, I work at a real estate company. My wife is pregnant, so I want to earn more. You might be too young to know, but after you get married, especially when you have kids, you need money for everything. Now everyone’s a slash youth. I have colleagues doing WeChat business, a young girl in the department who writes for WeChat official accounts to earn money after work, and people making short videos and live streaming in the company. If you want to make money nowadays, there are plenty of ways. In the neighborhood next to ours, there’s a kid who just graduated from university and has already bought two houses, all paid in full.”
Having financial acumen is quite impressive. Chen Luzhou thought while scrolling through his WeChat Moments. He saw that Xu Zhi had posted that photo in her Moments, tagging his name. So he casually clicked into her Moments.
It seemed Xu Zhi had put him in a certain group. He used to be able to see all her Moments.
…
Xu Zhi: “Looked at my cousin’s Chinese exam paper. For the cause of Lin Daiyu’s death, my cousin wrote an autopsy report showing she died from falling. I asked him how he knew, he said a little sister Lin fallen from the sky… I can’t tutor anymore.”
Xu Zhi: “Got scolded by Old Xu. Because of that cousin from last time, he later asked me to tutor him again. I refused, saying I couldn’t tutor him anymore because it was making me go bald. I told him to ask his dad. My cousin said, ‘No way, my dad said every time after tutoring me, he goes to work in a daze and is about to lose his job.’ I said jobs are easy to find, baldness is hard to cure. This idiot used this line to talk back to his dad…”
Xu Zhi: “On the first day of turning 18, I wanted to give Old Xu a gift to thank him for bringing me into this world. Old Xu said no need, on the first day of your 18th birthday, I’ll give you a gift instead. He pulled out a drawing, a sketch I casually drew when I was little. I didn’t expect Old Xu to keep it for so long, I was quite touched. Then Old Xu said, ‘First, congratulations on becoming an adult. Welcome to our adult world. Being 18 means you’re no longer protected by the Minors Protection Law, you now have full capacity for civil conduct.’ I asked him what’s next, and he said, ‘Does this paper look familiar? It’s an authentic work by a certain master. Do you know how much his writings are worth on the market now? You scribbled on it carelessly when you were little. Now I can claim compensation from you. Start working, kid…'”
Xu Zhi: “A question: If I put leeches into my body, will I become a vampire—”
Chen Luzhou put down his phone and looked out the car window, unable to hold back a smile. He never expected Xu Zhi’s Moments to be of this style.
**
The typhoon was indeed coming. When Chen Luzhou got out of the car, he felt the wind had gotten stronger. Perhaps because of the many trees in the mountains, the wind whistled through the forest with a momentum that seemed about to uproot everything. As soon as he walked through the resort’s main gate, the howling was shut out behind him.
Chen Luzhou sat in his room for a while after returning, then opened his computer to start editing Fu Yuqing’s film. Just then, Zhu Yangqi called. He must have lost quite badly, his mouth was probably covered in white strips. When he spoke, it sounded like a sailboat setting sail, full of whooshing sounds. “Aren’t you coming over?”
Chen Luzhou thought to himself, why should I go? They didn’t invite me.
“Mm,” Chen Luzhou subconsciously glanced at the wine on the table, “Editing the film.”
Zhu Yangqi wanted to call him over to dominate the game and teach those two female demons a lesson. So he hurriedly handed the phone to Xu Zhi, “You tell him, his princess disease is acting up again.”
Xu Zhi’s face was relatively clean, with only two strips on her forehead, which were Cai Yingying’s doing. She held up the phone, seriously looking at the cards in her hand, and said, “Zhu Yangqi says your princess disease is acting up again. He’s asking if you need an eight-man sedan chair to come and fetch you.”
Chen Luzhou opened the folder on his desktop, exported the half-edited tea mountain video, snorted, and leaned back lazily in his chair, shamelessly clicking the mouse as he said, “Fine, you carry me over.”
Xu Zhi was quite troubled, “Well, let me think where to find a sedan chair.”
Chen Luzhou laughed, “Room number.”
Xu Zhi gave him a room number.
Chen Luzhou responded with an “Mm,” “Half an hour. I’ll finish editing the video, go to Boss Fu’s place, then come over.”
By the time he finished meeting with Boss Fu, Cai Yingying was already sleepy and refused to play with Zhu Yangqi anymore. Zhu Yangqi was in a frenzy, insisting that Chen Luzhou come over to reclaim his honor. Xu Zhi didn’t care either way, seeing that it was still early. While Cai Yingying and Zhu Yangqi were still arguing about whether to continue playing, she picked up her phone, slightly exasperated, ready to send Chen Luzhou a WeChat message to ask if he was done editing.
Xu Zhi: [Yingying is sleepy. Are you still coming?]
Chen Luzhou was in Fu Yuqing’s tea room. Fu Yuqing had just roasted some new tea today and was still working on the packaging. He wanted to invite him to taste it, thinking this young man knew a bit about tea ceremony, even knowing about mulberry leaf tea. “The taste is a bit like rice fragrance. Southerners drink it more. There’s been a lot of rain this year, so the tea doesn’t taste as good as in previous years. That’s why I haven’t sold it outside, just sent a few packs to relatives. Xu Zhi’s father particularly loves this kind of tea. Every year he sends it to the leaders in their unit.”
Chen Luzhou sighed while replying to Xu Zhi’s WeChat message. Isn’t Fu Yuqing stupid? How could he say such things to him? Can just anyone talk about gift-giving?
Cr: [At Boss Fu’s place. Do you still want to play?]
Xu Zhi: [To be honest? No. Zhu Yangqi’s luck is terrible. I’m getting tired of winning.]
Cr: [Taking advantage and still acting smug?]
Xu Zhi: [Did you buy wine?]
Cr: [Yes.]
Xu Zhi: [How about we meet at the bar downstairs? Without those two.]
Cr: [Okay.]
**
The bar didn’t allow outside alcohol, and even though it was Fu Yuqing’s resort, they couldn’t do as they pleased. So, Chen Luzhou got two glasses from the bartender and asked Xu Zhi if she wanted to watch a movie. There were private rooms in the entertainment city, to be precise, couple’s rooms, but they couldn’t watch the latest cinema releases there, only movies they had sources for, like those private screening rooms, but with purchased copyrights.
The room was particularly simple, with just a double sofa and a large projection screen, nothing else. To be honest, Xu Zhi felt a bit strange, but seeing Chen Luzhou sit there calmly, texting someone on his phone, she relaxed, thinking it was probably just watching a movie.
Chen Luzhou was replying to Zhu Yangqi’s WeChat message.
Cr: [I told you, it couldn’t be more platonic. Just watching a movie.]
Zhu Yangqi: [What movie?]
Cr: [Don’t know, waiting for her to choose. Seems like there are only romance movies here.]
Indeed, apart from art-house romance films, there were only some passionate love stories. Probably because it was a couple’s room.
Zhu Yangqi: [Beast, you still say you don’t want to pursue her. You are pursuing her.]
Cr: [Are my pursuit skills that poor? Just inviting someone to watch a free movie?]
Zhu Yangqi: [True, you’d remember to buy several hamburgers even if you were chasing a dog on the street. How could you just invite a girl to watch a free movie, right?]
Cr: [Right, last time I chased you with three hamburgers and you turned around.]
Zhu Yangqi: [Get lost. Sometimes, Chen Doggy, you don’t understand. Let your brother teach you. When you like a girl, you can let her know a little bit. You don’t have to wait for her to approach you actively, nor do you have to make her promise you anything or force you two to be together. Sometimes, one person’s liking can make them very happy.]
Chen Luzhou didn’t reply. He locked his phone and put it aside, leaning back on the sofa with his neck supported, thinking to himself, these things depend on the atmosphere, right? Who would confess right from the start? But tonight was indeed a good atmosphere, with wine, a private room, and romantic, scenic love movies.
His heart felt like it was being scratched by a kitten again, inexplicably tightening, even his Adam’s apple.
So he couldn’t help but swallow.
…
Xu Zhi didn’t know what Chen Luzhou wanted to watch, but because the atmosphere was too weird, and just now when the screen jumped to a seemingly erotic movie cover, he even swallowed. No, no, this guy is not okay.
So she skipped all the romance movies, leaving only a few comedies. Xu Zhi had seen all of those, and they weren’t very funny. There were also a few passionate scenes in them, which weren’t okay either.
“What do you want to watch?” Xu Zhi still symbolically and politely asked for his opinion.
They each occupied one end of the sofa as if separated by a wide river, like the boundary between Chu and Han. They both consciously stuck to their end, like disciplined soldiers firmly guarding their camp. Chen Luzhou had one hand on the sofa armrest, picked up his phone again, and without looking at her, casually said, “Whatever.”
“Then I’ll just put on anything, okay?”
“Mm.”
So, Xu Zhi, with a serious expression, looked at the screen and slowly clicked on the last straggler—
“Today’s Law—Top Ten Unbelievable Case Summaries”
Chen Luzhou: “…”