Chen Luzhou entered the police station, probably for the second time this summer. The first time was just after exams when he accompanied his grandfather to the bird and flower market. His grandfather mischievously lifted a girl’s skirt and was caught on video. The girl’s side demanded money, but the old man claimed she had asked him to retrieve something from under her skirt. Without evidence, and with irrefutable proof of the skirt-lifting, the situation escalated to the police station. Even if it was a scam, it wasn’t clear-cut. The old man refused to pay, insisting they were the scammers. Unable to reach Second Madam Lian Hui, and with his grandfather as stubborn as an ox, Chen Luzhou couldn’t persuade him and didn’t bother trying, so he spent the whole night at the station with him.
He never expected to be back so soon. Chen Luzhou felt that ever since he followed Zhu Yangqi’s advice to see a male doctor, he’d been encountering all sorts of strange situations. His mother’s saying about blessings and misfortunes being intertwined seemed to apply at any time. Indeed, one should never be complacent.
The incident occurred like this: The receptionist carelessly assigned him a room on a floor that wasn’t open to the public. Coincidentally, on the day Chen Luzhou checked in, the front desk received notice that several new actors would be staying, and they should open up some rooms on the ninth floor.
The receptionist, seeing that Chen Luzhou was more handsome than the lead actor, assumed he must be one of the actors and casually asked, “Are you with the crew?” At the time, Chen Luzhou was on the phone with Zhu Yangqi and, not hearing, thought she was asking if he was with Feng Jin’s group, so he just nodded.
The next day, when Chen Luzhou came down from the ninth floor for breakfast, the crew members didn’t suspect anything. They all thought this new actor was incredibly handsome and would surely become famous, secretly planning how to ask for his WeChat. However, they ran into the producer in the elevator, who immediately recognized that Chen Luzhou wasn’t part of the crew. Without hesitation, he called the front desk to come up and explain. Only then did they realize the big misunderstanding.
Normally, an explanation would have sufficed, as Chen Luzhou was about to check out anyway. But when they saw him carrying a camera and some professional equipment while checking out, they became suspicious. They thought he might be a paparazzi or a freelance photographer, so they found an excuse to detain him and demanded to check the contents of his camera. Chen Luzhou refused, but they insisted he had been taking unauthorized photos and called the police.
Thus, Chen Luzhou found himself at the police station again.
“I’ve explained many times, I’m just here to take photos for the racing team. My friends are on the sixth floor. Even if they have reasonable suspicion, they have no right to search my camera,” Chen Luzhou said.
The police officer called the hotel front desk to confirm. Indeed, his friends were on the sixth floor, and the names matched, but they had all checked out in the morning.
He still couldn’t reach them. Chen Luzhou figured Xu Zhi and the others probably got tired of waiting and left by chartered car. By now, his patience was exhausted, and his tone was far from pleasant as he said to the officer, “Can I have my phone back first?”
The officer taking notes was very nice, quite young with delicate features, and probably a new intern. Knowing this film crew’s reputation for being difficult, and seeing that Chen Luzhou was just a student, he didn’t give him too much trouble. After a couple of casual questions, he understood the situation. This crew called the police every other day, and they were used to it.
“I’ll ask my colleagues who took your phone,” the young officer said, barely touching his instant noodles before standing up to help find someone.
Seeing this, Chen Luzhou couldn’t help but sigh, finally resigned: “It’s okay, finish eating first.”
Just then, Chen Luzhou heard someone call his name from behind. He thought he was hearing things and turned around casually, only to see a familiar figure. He was surprised because Gu Yan was wearing a historical costume with her hair in a bun, apparently in the middle of filming.
“It is you,” Gu Yan walked over to him naturally, her eyes showing unexpected delight. “I saw someone who looked like you in the restaurant this morning but didn’t dare say hello. I thought it was just someone who resembled you. Later, when I heard they had taken someone to the police station, I realized it might be you.”
“Mm, what a coincidence,” he replied coldly.
Gu Yan played the third female lead in this drama, a small-budget web series. Chen Luzhou didn’t know why the producer was so paranoid, but Gu Yan did. The male lead and the second female lead were a real couple, and last night they had a secret, passionate encounter in their room, which was caught by their manager. Coincidentally, the second female lead’s room was right next to Chen Luzhou’s. With the male lead’s career on the rise, the manager was determined to resolve this issue, fearing someone might have secretly recorded them.
Seeing it was Chen Luzhou, Gu Yan knew it must be a misunderstanding. She called the producer to clear things up. “It’s a misunderstanding, Mr. Xu. Chen Luzhou was my classmate at No. 1 High School. He’s an excellent student, probably the top scorer in the college entrance exam. How could he be a paparazzi? Besides, his parents are well-known figures in our area. His mother is a producer at Qingyi City TV Station, and his father is a businessman. The title sponsor for that variety show Wang Qian participated in was his father’s company. His father runs a local enterprise with many investments. Yes, I understand.”
…
Gu Yan, being in the entertainment industry, knew exactly how to handle these executives. If Chen Luzhou had known his father Chen Lao and Second Madam Lian Hui were such useful connections, he wouldn’t have sat there like an idiot waiting for them to search his camera.
After Chen Luzhou retrieved all his belongings, he didn’t rush to leave. He pulled his suitcase to the police station entrance and sat on it casually as if he had all the time in the world. His long legs rested on the ground as he lowered his head, carefully checking if any photos were missing from his camera.
As Chen Luzhou bent his head, the collar at the back of his neck lifted slightly, revealing a glimpse of his back. His spine was prominently defined, with clean, hard lines like a mysterious mountain range meticulously carved by nature. It made one want to touch it, even imagine how it might look when he was sweating.
Gu Yan looked at him and said, “Chen Luzhou, I helped you out, didn’t I?”
Chen Luzhou looked up at her, naturally not denying it. The next second, he lowered his head again, murmuring an “mm” before saying, “When you’re back in Qingyi, contact me. We’ll invite Zhu Yangqi and treat you to a meal.”
“Does it have to include Zhu Yangqi? Can’t it just be the two of us?” Gu Yan asked.
Chen Luzhou didn’t even look up, the lines of his neck still clearly visible. He was so thin yet in an attractive way. Still flipping through photos, he chuckled and replied with a certain, lazy “mm” followed by, “No, it can’t.”
“Why?” Gu Yan asked.
Chen Luzhou seemed not to hear because he had just come across the photos from the night they watched the meteor shower. There was one of Xu Zhi looking back, her face full of surprise and bewilderment, but with a kind of lazy, dreamy beauty. His finger paused slightly, but his face remained unchanged as he quickly flipped past it. However, in his heart, he cursed — those jerks, they didn’t even wait for him.
Gu Yan asked again, “Why, Chen Luzhou?”
Chen Luzhou thought to himself, if it were Xu Zhi, she wouldn’t ask “Why, Chen Luzhou?” She would just say “Oh.” All day long, besides “Oh,” she couldn’t squeeze any other words out of her mouth. Having just finished looking through the photos, Chen Luzhou casually scrolled through their chat history. Out of about fifty messages, half of them were just “Oh.”
Those jerks, they didn’t wait for him.
“I told you,” Chen Luzhou called a car, checked the license plate number, and then put his phone back in his pocket. Only then did he sit on his suitcase, calmly glancing at Gu Yan, blunt and cutting as always, “I don’t have feelings for you, and I’ve said, I don’t want to date right now.” He looked at her meaningfully, deliberately provoking her. He always knew where to hit people’s soft spots. “Or are you willing to give up your acting dreams and follow me to Liverpool? You can’t, right, Gu Yan? You wake up at five every morning to practice, it’s so hard on you. There’s not a single joint in your body that isn’t sore. Following me without any commitment would be such a loss for you. Just focus on your acting. If you can win an award and bring glory to our country, I’d admire you more. Don’t waste time sending these useless signals to me. It’s boring. Truly.”
These words sounded harsh, but Gu Yan knew that Chen Luzhou just had a sharp tongue. His social circle was very clean. Throughout three years of high school, he had never been ambiguous with any girl. Forget about girlfriends, if it weren’t for that incident with her, he wouldn’t even have had a rumored love interest. Or rather, he had never been seen particularly close to any girl. His circle consisted entirely of boys. He knew exactly how to keep his distance from girls — for instance, when a girl from the neighboring class liked him (she was quite pretty and studied bel canto), every time Chen Luzhou passed by their classroom to find Zhu Yangqi, the boys would tease him wildly. At first, he didn’t know why, but once he found out, he never passed by that classroom again.
Gu Yan remembered Zhu Yangqi once said that the main reason Chen Luzhou got scolded was because of his mouth that “could talk a zombie into taking a few steps,” and his utterly inhuman personality.
“Can you believe this dog?” Xu Guangji downed a shot of Jiangxiaobai baijiu. The peanuts were gone, and his insides were burning. He couldn’t hold it in anymore and felt like strangling that boy.
Cai Binhong had been listening to him ramble for nearly two hours while cracking sunflower seeds, driving away several waves of customers. He finally understood, “You’re saying Xu Zhi and Chen Luzhou are dating, and they’ve even… done that?”
The two sat at Sister Dan’s pan-fried bun shop in the alley, having a late-night snack. Xu Guangji’s cheekbones were flushed red. He wasn’t drunk, just prone to facial flushing when drinking. The Chen Luzhou situation had cured his social anxiety; he even dared to hand the empty plate to the shop owner for a refill of peanuts, something he’d never have done before. Then, he declared to Cai Binhong with gritted teeth, “They’re probably dating, but I don’t know if they’ve tasted the forbidden fruit. You know, we both have daughters. As a father, some things are just not as convenient to ask as a mother would.”
Cai Binhong popped a peanut in his mouth and asked, “What did Xu Zhi say?”
“She said it wasn’t voluntary, that Chen Luzhou tricked her.”
“What the hell!” Cai Binhong couldn’t sit still. “Why haven’t you called the police? Xu Zhi is just a kid!”
“Right? I grabbed a knife from the kitchen, ready to chop that boy up,” Xu Guangji took another swig of baijiu, the fiery sensation spreading to his stomach before he slowly added, “But Xu Zhi said Chen Luzhou tricked her into worshipping the Child-Giving Guanyin. Can you believe how unscrupulous that boy is?”
“Can you not give me a heart attack like that?” Cai Binhong sighed, his old heart settling back down. “It’s not what we thought, but aren’t they getting a bit too close?”
“Why else would I suspect that boy?” Xu Guangji said. “My daughter usually tells me everything, but lately, whenever you mention Chen Luzhou, she smoothly changes the subject.”
Dean Cai said, “That is suspicious. If they’re dating, you need to be careful. Young boys these days have no boundaries. It’s one thing if they just want money, but if you encounter one who wants both money and… well, you’ll have nowhere to cry. You’ve raised your daughter to be so beautiful; you need to guard against those wolves out there.”
“How do I guard against them? I can’t follow Xu Zhi around all the time, can I?”
Dean Cai offered a suggestion, “You fool, you can start with Chen Luzhou. Isn’t he coming to your clinic for regular check-ups? Just keep an eye on him there.”
“That’s true,” Xu Guangji thought it was a good idea. Suddenly, he remembered, “The exam results are coming out soon. Did you get your blood pressure medication? Keep some on hand. I’m not planning to remarry, so you’re my only comrade now.”
Dean Cai was nonchalant, “If you don’t have expectations, you won’t be disappointed. I’ve already told Cai Yingying that I won’t be angry no matter what her score is. She can go to whichever university she wants. I’m not going to interfere. What about Xu Zhi?”
“Xu Zhi says she wants to go to Beijing. It’s the first time she’s mentioned wanting to leave town. She never thought like this before. Although I know I can’t keep her by my side forever, I feel like time has flown by. It seems like just yesterday she was this tiny thing, crying non-stop over the smallest things, like a faucet you couldn’t turn off.”
“Xu Zhi wants to leave? Didn’t she always want to stay with you?” Dean Cai was shocked too. Seeing Xu Guangji’s gloomy face, he quickly comforted him, “Well, the kids are growing up. They’ll have their ideas.”
“No, Xu Zhi started changing after meeting this Chen Luzhou. You should have seen her these past few days, so absent-minded, always on her phone. I don’t know what she’s thinking about, probably that boy,” Xu Guangji paused, then picked up the bottle of Jiangxiaobai and downed it in one go, speaking as if chewing through bloody gums, “If he’s serious about my daughter, fine, let them date. But if he dares to toy with my daughter’s feelings, I’ll kill him!”
…
Xu Guangji’s alcohol tolerance was average. After finishing the second bottle of Jiangxiaobai, he nearly made the local news. His face was redder than a pig’s liver. The next day, he woke up with a throbbing headache, still not fully alert. So when he saw Chen Luzhou at the clinic entrance, he didn’t react at first, thinking it might be a hallucination. It wasn’t until the boy sat down brazenly in front of him, his handsome face clear as day, that Xu Guangji snapped out of it. This was no hallucination; the little wolf had delivered himself to the door.
Xu Guangji took his medical record, confirming the name. It was indeed that Chen Luzhou.
“Recovered?”
“Mm, I’m here for… a test.” For some reason, the boy looked more agreeable today, his gaze much more docile than before. Unlike that day when he was cocky as hell, not fine but insisting he was.
Xu Guangji asked routinely, glancing at him: “How have you been feeling these past few days? Any sexual activity?”
“No,” Chen Luzhou coughed, obviously neither of them intended to address the elephant in the room. But Chen Luzhou knew Xu Guangji must have recognized him, otherwise, his attitude wouldn’t have been so hostile. After all, he was a male friend of his precious daughter; he could understand the old father’s mindset. Thinking he should emphasize it, he casually added, “I’m a virgin.”
“… Did I ask you that?” Xu Guangji wanted to smack the medical record on his face, feeling he had over-emphasized. “It’s the 21st century, who cares if you’re a virgin or not? Why are you so old-fashioned? Or do you have some kind of complex about this?”
Chen Luzhou was at a loss for words. Leaning back in his chair, he couldn’t react for a moment. It was his first time meeting the parents, and he was stunned by that one sentence. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily as he laughed awkwardly, “… No, I mean, I’m still… of course, it doesn’t matter to me if others are or not, and I don’t mind at all if my girlfriend is or isn’t.”
So, Xu Guangji casually asked, “What’s your view on premarital sex?”
Chen Luzhou sat up straight and declared righteously, “Absolutely against it!”
Author’s Note:
Chen Luzhou: I almost lost it…
Xu Zhi: To be honest, I’m not against it at all.
Chen Luzhou: … Don’t mess with me.