For a moment, Chen Luzhou regretted buying that new lens yesterday. The lens cap had been broken by Xu Zhi earlier, and he had been planning to replace it anyway, so he spent ten thousand yuan on a new one. Otherwise, given his nature, he might have transferred the five thousand yuan to her now.
Chen Luzhou was certain that Xu Zhi would have asked the driver to turn back, not because she was eager to kiss him, but for the five thousand yuan. He was quite self-aware now.
He laughed self-mockingly, looking at the growing ant hole on the ground. He glanced up, but it was already dark and nothing could be seen. Chen Luzhou still asked, “Did you bring an umbrella?”
Xu Zhi looked out the car window. The typhoon had just passed, leaving its lingering effects. The trees on both sides looked as if they were being pulled by a frenzied hand. As soon as he finished asking, Xu Zhi could see rapid raindrops falling on the windshield. She sighed, annoyed, “No, I didn’t. Are you a jinx? It started raining as soon as you mentioned it.”
Xu Zhi hated rainy days. The small southern city was always overcast and rainy, especially now during the plum rain season. This kind of weather always reminded her of visiting her grandmother’s house as a child – that small room with mold-stained walls, the fishy, damp smell that no amount of floral water could dispel, and the neighbor’s dog that would bark madly in the middle of the night.
At that time, Old Xu and Lin Qiudie were extremely busy, so she was temporarily sent to stay with her grandmother. Her grandmother had a deep prejudice against Old Xu, which extended to Xu Zhi, who never showed her a kind face. Every day, she was fed leftovers. Xu Zhi developed a rash daily, her neck covered in red spots. To save money, her grandmother applied some herbal water, resulting in Xu Zhi going into anaphylactic shock that night. The neighbor’s uncle carried her on his back without hesitation, transferring her from the village clinic to the county hospital. Even the doctor said with trepidation, “If you had been half an hour later, this beautiful little girl would have been gone.”
Old Xu, who had endured so much for so many years, confronted her grandmother for the first time. Her grandmother sat silently in the corner. For a long time after that, they didn’t return to their hometown. Xu Zhi knew her grandmother didn’t mean to harm her. During those days in the hospital, all she could think of was her grandmother’s kindness. Her grandmother was just stubborn. Knowing Xu Zhi liked the cleanliness and that she was coming to stay, her grandmother had cleaned the house inside and out. A 65-year-old woman with congenital spondylitis, widowed early, had single-handedly wiped the mold off the walls with a cloth. Eating leftovers was a deeply ingrained habit for the elderly; she had raised her children this way and couldn’t understand why children nowadays couldn’t eat them.
Her grandmother just had a sharp tongue. Xu Zhi knew she disliked Old Xu, not her. Before Old Xu and Ms. Lin Qiudie got married, there was reportedly a wealthy man from the city pursuing Lin Qiudie, offering several city apartments as a betrothal gift. They were almost at the point of discussing marriage when Lin Qiudie unexpectedly became pregnant with Old Xu’s child.
That unfortunate child was Xu Zhi. She had tried to probe the full story from Old Xu several times but never managed to get the complete picture. In the end, they got married. The old lady’s city apartments flew away, so she naturally vented all her anger on Old Xu. Xu Zhi could understand to some extent.
So the little Xu Zhi, lying on the emergency bed, life hanging by a thread, itching to the point of wishing for death, couldn’t hate her grandmother, couldn’t hate Old Xu, and couldn’t hate Ms. Lin Qiudie. She was on the verge of death and could only resolutely brainwash herself — I hate rainy days.
…
Unexpectedly, Chen Luzhou on the other end of the phone picked up on it, “You don’t like rainy days?”
The taxi was stuck in the traffic heading towards the city center, a string of red-orange taillights barely visible through the fine drizzle. The window was gradually covered with dense raindrops, and in an instant, thunder rumbled and rolled in the distance, followed by a downpour.
Xu Zhi held the phone, watching the rainwater form small rivers on the window, “You could say I hate it. If I had known it would rain today, I wouldn’t have wanted to go out. What about you?”
Chen Luzhou, perhaps intentionally contradicting her, laughed and said, “I love it. I especially love rainy days. I wouldn’t even go out if it weren’t raining.”
“…” Xu Zhi imagined, “Don’t tell me you also like walking in the rain, looking up at the sky at a 45-degree angle? That way, you can’t tell if it’s rain or tears, and you can’t feel the sadness in your heart, right? Poet Chen?”
The rain had been falling all the way, with gusty storms covering the suburban areas of the neighboring city. Chen Luzhou felt large, cool raindrops falling on his face. He looked up, pulled his hand back from the ground, dusted off his hands, and signaled to Yan Letong beside him with his eyes, ready to stand up and leave. Hearing Xu Zhi say this, he laughed out loud, his shoulders shaking, and asked pointedly from inside the cave, “What have you been through, Xu Zhi?”
Xu Zhi sighed, as if it were her experience, “Let’s not dwell on the past.”
The atmosphere was good, you’re both very humorous, but can I have my phone back? Feng Jin really couldn’t listen anymore, “Little Sister Xu, the phone is mine. You two hurry up…” He thought for a moment and added, “Never mind, just ask him what time he’s coming back.”
Xu Zhi suddenly remembered and said to the other end of the phone, “I’m giving the phone back to Feng Jin. He’s asking what time you’ll be done, and if you want to have a late-night snack together?”
“You still want a late-night snack in this downpour?”
“See, it’s probably just a shower, it’ll stop soon. It’s already lightening up now.”
Chen Luzhou made a sound of agreement, his voice turning cool, “We’ll see when I get back. Probably around eleven when I reach the hotel.”
“Okay, hanging up then.”
“Xu Zhi.” He called out again from the other end.
“Hm?”
“I put an umbrella in Feng Jin’s bag. Use it when you get out of the car. You have an injury on your head, don’t let it get rained on.” The rain was pouring down as Chen Luzhou and Yan Letong jogged toward the shelter.
Xu Zhi was a bit surprised by his thoughtfulness, “You knew it was going to rain?”
Chen Luzhou had noticed the weather looking off in the afternoon and figured it might rain in the evening. He asked Feng Jin if he had an umbrella, and when he didn’t, Chen Luzhou borrowed one from Yan Letong and had Feng Jin take it up first. But being his usual self, he couldn’t keep up the serious tone for more than three sentences, “I told you I don’t go out unless it rains, I didn’t lie to you. Hanging up now.”
After he hung up, Chen Luzhou transferred twenty yuan to Yan Letong. This umbrella probably wouldn’t be coming back. He was returning to Qingyi tomorrow and would be going abroad in a while. He probably wouldn’t be coming back to this neighboring city.
Yan Letong, like a child going to collect red envelopes during New Year, said he didn’t want it while quickly pocketing the money, grinning, “It’s no big deal, just an umbrella. You’re not leaving forever when you go abroad. Our two cities are just over an hour’s drive apart. We’ll see each other again.”
Indeed, despite the mountains between us, those we want to see, we’ll always meet again.
The photo studio was almost empty as people gradually left. The space became completely vacant. Despite just a few days of brief interaction, Yan Letong felt that Chen Luzhou was destined for a bright future. Just based on his personality, he was sure to do well. So he not only added him on WeChat but also gave him two of his motorcycle helmets as parting gifts, signed, confidently asking him to keep them safe, “Keep them well, they’ll be worth a lot in the future. Helmets of a future Grand Slam seed player, handsome guy, you’re very lucky.” He instructed, “Give the other one to Xu Zhi for me. Her cornering impressed me.”
Chen Luzhou smiled, tossed the helmets into the car, and said okay, I’ll give it to her. Yan Letong probably felt that parting with someone like Chen Luzhou stirred up some inexplicable excitement – a bit of “let’s each work hard and meet at the top” feeling. So, full of youthful spirit, he sat in the car, pressed two fingers to his temple in a salute, and with full enthusiasm and passion, instructed the driver: “Driver, let’s go!”
Behind him, Yan Lelin, who had just finished putting things in the trunk and hadn’t gotten into the car yet: “…”
**
Chen Luzhou arrived at the hotel exactly at eleven o’clock. He had just finished checking in when Zhu Yangqi’s call came through, asking when he was coming back, saying he was bored to death. Chen Luzhou was holding the phone with one hand and pushing his suitcase with the other, about to enter the elevator when he happened to run into Xu Zhi coming out alone.
Seeing that he was on the phone, Xu Zhi was about to leave without saying hello, just indicating with her eyes that she was going out to buy something.
As she passed by Chen Luzhou, her arm was suddenly grabbed. Xu Zhi was pulled to a stop. She was wearing short sleeves, exposing her slender, clean arms. The man’s large, warm palm pressed against her skin, creating an unfamiliar sensation. For a moment, it felt like when she was a child, curiously sticking her hand into an electrical socket and being unexpectedly struck by the current.
Chen Luzhou was still on the phone. It was an unconscious action, and he hadn’t considered whether it was inappropriate. Afraid that she would leave if he let go, he didn’t release her even though he felt it wasn’t quite right the moment he touched her. But now he was in a dilemma, thinking to himself how soft she was, yet worried that his grip might be too strong and hurt her. He didn’t dare adjust his hold; once he did, that kind of relaxed grip was something only couples would have, which would be even more offensive. So he could only maintain the initial tension, absent-mindedly saying to Zhu Yangqi on the phone, “Then what will you do when I go abroad? Keep a lonely vigil?” He then quickly hung up.
He put the phone in his pocket and gradually loosened his grip, looking down at her, “Where are you going?”
Xu Zhi said, “I’m going to buy some Huoxiang Zhengqi Water for Yingying. She seems to have a bit of heatstroke.”
“What about the ones we gave you at the studio?”
“Feng Jin and I each drank a bottle.”
“Is your foot okay?” His gaze moved down, staring at her knee.
Chen Luzhou had noticed earlier that she was limping a bit when she left the set. He had asked Yan Letong to find someone to check on her. Luckily, there was a driver on the team who used to be an intern at an orthopedic hospital. He examined her and said she hadn’t injured the bone and would be fine with some rest. Chen Luzhou hadn’t bothered to go over and ask because when he found out about her bet with Lü Yang, he was a bit angry. He hadn’t mentioned it on the phone earlier and didn’t want to bring it up because he knew he might say something harsh. The reshoot only took a few minutes, but he had let Feng Jin take Xu Zhi and the others back first, not letting them wait because he wanted to calm himself down.
“Mm, it’s fine. It doesn’t seem to hurt now, just a bit of bruising.” Xu Zhi shook her leg.
“Let’s go up. Come to my room first,” Chen Luzhou jerked his chin towards the elevator. “I have Huoxiang Zhengqi Water in my suitcase. Perfect timing, I have something to give you too.”
**
Chen Luzhou was staying on the ninth floor. As soon as he opened the door, Xu Zhi looked around and said it seemed like a minor celebrity was staying on the floor. Chen Luzhou let her in first, then inserted the key card, turning on the lights while casually asking her, “Who?”
Even if Xu Zhi gave a name, Chen Luzhou might not know. He didn’t pay much attention to this kind of information, especially after entering his senior year of high school.
Xu Zhi didn’t dare to walk too far in, just standing properly by the door. The room had an open-plan bathroom design. Leaning against the sink, Xu Zhi said, “I just looked it up but forgot again. It’s a small web drama. Her rumored boyfriend is very famous. I can’t remember the name. It’s just strange, when we came to check in a few days ago, this entire floor was sealed off. We weren’t allowed to come up. Yingying and I squatted at the entrance for two days, just wanting to see a celebrity.”
There was also a famous 5A-level scenic spot in the neighboring city where many popular period dramas were filmed. The ninth floor of this hotel was specially reserved for film crews. So Chen Luzhou’s luck, in Xu Zhi’s opinion, was something. She said with a hint of envy, “How come you always have such good luck, like a koi fish?”
Chen Luzhou tossed his suitcase on the floor, not rushing to find the Huoxiang Zhengqi Water for her. He opened a bottle of water and, like her, leaned against the sink. While drinking, he glanced at her provocatively, “Jealous?”
“Of course.”
Chen Luzhou originally wanted to say, “Then don’t sleep with Cai Yingying, come sleep with me.” But the words were too crude, so he held back and didn’t tease her. He screwed the cap back on the water bottle, holding it by his fingers, his palm resting on the sink. He lowered his head with a smile and seriously threw out a line: “What’s there to be jealous of? My mom always told me that fortune and misfortune are interconnected. When I’m feeling smug, I should think of this saying. Who knows what might be waiting for me later, or if I encounter something I can’t get past, I should also think of this saying. For example, after a breakup, isn’t the next one usually sweeter?”
“Have you ever had a breakup?”
Chen Luzhou: “It’s just an example.”
“Oh.” Xu Zhi nodded thoughtfully, indicating she understood.
He leaned lazily against the sink, glancing at her, “Don’t ‘oh’ yet, we’re not done with our business.”
Xu Zhi: “What business? Do I owe you money?”
Joking, right? Weren’t you supposed to cheer me up? Chen Luzhou gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the butterfly fluttering in his heart. He didn’t speak again and stopped looking at her, averting his gaze to the window outside. His voice cooled, “If you’ve forgotten, then forget it. I’ll go find the Huoxiang Zhengqi Water for you.”
Chen Luzhou got up and dragged his suitcase over.
Xu Zhi looked down at him crouching on the ground, one hand on his knee, the other rummaging through the suitcase. Suddenly, she remembered their first meeting, when Chen Luzhou had crouched in front of her to tie his shoelaces. The hard lines of the young man’s back were like a mountain ridge in the fiery morning sun, giving one the desire to “climb to the top.” His hair was fluffy, soft like a puppy’s.
Chen Luzhou casually handed her a bottle of Yunnan Baiyao, along with the Huoxiang Zhengqi Water and Yan Letong’s helmet, in a lazy, business-like tone, “Use the Yunnan Baiyao to spray on your knee. I bought it on the way. No need to thank me. You can go now.”
Xu Zhi was about to ask what was wrong when Chen Luzhou assumed she was inquiring about money. He frowned with impatience, and lowered his head to look at his phone, preparing to find a movie to watch. Without even glancing at her, he coldly stated, “It’s not about money. If you bring it up again, let’s just pretend we never met.”
Xu Zhi, holding her helmet in frustration, replied, “Why are you angry again? Is your princess complex acting up? You need to pay attention to your health as you get older; otherwise, you might end up with breast cancer.”
Chen Luzhou: “……”