As dusk settled, the sky and earth blended into one color. In the twilight, the hazy neon lights blurred the outline of the entire city.
After pacifying Ms. Lian Hui, Chen Luzhou was called back to No. 1 High School by a friend to play basketball. However, he was kicked off the court with a middle finger after barely two minutes. “Were you out thieving last night? If you’re not in the mood to play, go sit on the sidelines. I’d rather throw the ball in the water; even dolphins would play with more enthusiasm.”
He thought to himself, “Weren’t you the one begging me to come?” But he couldn’t be bothered to stick around where he wasn’t wanted. He lazily bumped shoulders with the guy who’d given him the finger, signaling he was done playing, then bent down to pick up his ball. “I’m out.”
“Hey, are you leaving?” Chen Luzhou didn’t even look back, just waved his hand. So the guy, bouncing the ball, turned to the others, “What’s up with him?”
“Gu Yan went to his rented place today, and his mom caught them red-handed.”
“That’s intense! They weren’t caught in bed, were they?”
“I just asked him, but he wouldn’t say anything. He only asked where Zhu Yangqi was right now.”
“Well, Gu Yan is a big star after all. She’s going into the entertainment industry in the future.”
Meanwhile, Zhu Yangqi was in the art studio, leaning against the window chatting idly with some younger girls, bragging: “I got six certificates last year. I’ve been taking exams non-stop since the provincial joint exam. By the time I got the last certificate, it was already March or April. I probably only studied for the cultural courses for about two months. It wasn’t ideal, but I ranked 81st in the province for quick sketching—”
Just then, his phone, which he was holding, suddenly erupted with a series of WeChat notifications. Zhu Yangqi looked down and saw they were from Cy. Of course, that was his nickname for Chen Luzhou, whose WeChat name was simply—Cr.
[Cr: Downstairs.]
[Cr: Barbecue stall.]
[Cr: Waiting two minutes, very hungry.]
When Zhu Yangqi went downstairs, he found Chen Luzhou, unsurprisingly, leaning back in a chair at the barbecue stall, watching a movie with earphones in. Given his extensive movie-watching history, he could probably be a film blogger. He’d watch all sorts of bizarre, bottom-of-the-barrel films.
His father, or more accurately, his adoptive father, had opened a video rental store years ago. Later, when the government cracked down on pornography and illegal publications, he was forced to close shop. His adoptive father then tried various businesses, from pulling rickshaws to partnering in a cigarette factory. He finally made his fortune in Guangdong, returning home successfully and rising quickly. Now he owned several cinemas locally, though that was just one of his businesses. While other domineering CEO fathers collected fine wines and cigars, Chen Luzhou’s dad liked to collect rare videotapes. Those movies from years ago had unimaginably explicit content.
So, the first movie Chen Luzhou ever watched was a Category III film.
The barbecue stall was crowded. In front of him was a half-drunk iced latte. His long legs had nowhere to go under the table, so he sprawled them out carelessly, leaning to both sides. One earphone hung around his neck because a guy next to him was chatting him up, asking if the ball at his feet was last year’s limited edition championship ball and if the signature was real.
He looked up from his phone and glanced at the guy, asking back, “Whose signature does it look like?”
“Curry? Green?”
Chen Luzhou fast-forwarded the movie a few minutes, leaned back in his chair, and laughed, “What kind of logic is that, brother? How could Curry or Green sign in Chinese? You can at least see it’s three characters, right?”
Zhu Yangqi remembered that Chen Luzhou had once used this ball to trick his arrogant, non-blood-related younger brother into affectionately calling him “brother” for a whole day. When the kid learned the truth, he didn’t speak to Chen Luzhou for a month. The scoundrel felt quite innocent about it, leaning against the kid’s door and knocking a few times without any remorse, “I never said it was Curry’s, Green’s, Yao Ming’s, or Yi Jianlian’s signature.”
The little brat cried loudly, “Who would sign their name over a dozen times on their basketball? Narcissist!”
…
The guy was regretting striking up a conversation. What kind of person signs their name on a limited-edition championship basketball?
When Zhu Yangqi arrived, Chen Luzhou didn’t even look up. His ears were sharper than a dog’s. “Is the artist done?”
Ignoring his teasing, Zhu Yangqi cast a resentful glance around the packed barbecue stall. Even the seat opposite Chen Luzhou was taken. Zhu Yangqi glanced at the girl’s face, which was as unfamiliar as Guangdong lettuce. “Where am I supposed to sit?”
This was a famous solo barbecue place in Yifeng Lane where people could share tables anytime. Seeing Zhu Yangqi’s expression of a slighted royal consort, the girl thought about offering to stand up—
Chen Luzhou, adopting a carefree attitude as if the east wind was merely blowing past a horse’s ear, was still fully engrossed in his movie. Without even lifting his eyelids, he said, “I never said I was treating you to dinner.”
Zhu Yangqi: “Then why did you send me those urgent WeChat messages? I thought you were starving to death!”
Chen Luzhou was the type who didn’t eat much, but he couldn’t stand being hungry. When hungry, he’d go crazy and do anything. Zhu Yangqi was already feeling guilty and didn’t dare to let him wait on an empty stomach after work.
**
Palm Lane was an old southern-style neighborhood. The alleys wound and crisscrossed, lined with a row of staggered, low buildings with carved flowers.
Cai Yingying set up the tripod and camera, changed into an oversized black women’s suit borrowed from who knows where, and then solemnly drew the curtains. The fortified room instantly darkened, falling into an eerie silence. Outside, the air conditioner was leaking, rhythmically tapping on the awning below with a “plop, plop” sound.
Xu Zhi sat cross-legged on the carpet, listlessly scrolling through her phone. She glanced up at Cai Yingying and said, “It’s just a hair dyeing tutorial. Why are you acting like you’re recording your last will?”
“I’ve got to be careful,” Cai Yingying said nervously as she adjusted the camera. “When my dad gets home tonight, this might be the last video of the beautiful Cai Yingying in this life.”
Xu Zhi looked at her, speechless: “Couldn’t you dye a color that would let you live?”
After adjusting the camera, Cai Yingying retreated to the sofa and sat down. With a resigned look, she put on gloves and held a small bowl in her arms, dumping all the hair dye and hydrogen peroxide into it at once. “Zhai Xiao said this is the most popular color at their school this year.”
“Did Zhai Xiao also tell you to hurry up and fix the air conditioner?” Xu Zhi knew she was a bit obsessed with Zhai Xiao. She casually flipped through Cai Yingying’s color palette book and said, “Otherwise, you won’t need to wait for your dad to do anything; you’ll be the first casualty.”
“Xu Zhi!” Cai Yingying glared at her affectedly. “Zhai Xiao has never been to my house, okay?”
Xu Zhi raised an eyebrow dramatically. “Wow, you’re amazing.”
Ignoring her, Cai Yingying continued, “Zhai Xiao told me that this time at No. 1 High, several top students didn’t do well. They came out of the exam room and immediately started preparing to repeat a year. Even—” She leaned in mysteriously to Xu Zhi’s ear and said, “‘You-know-who’ missed one subject.”
“You-know-who” was Zhai Xiao and Cai Yingying’s exclusive nickname for someone at No. 1 High. Xu Zhi didn’t even know who they were talking about. Maybe even Cai Yingying didn’t know the person’s name. Zhai Xiao never mentioned it and wouldn’t show Cai Yingying a photo, just saying he was a scoundrel who relied on his looks, but his grades were always first or second in No. 1 High’s experimental class.
If nothing unexpected happened, this year’s top scorer in Qingyi City would be either him or another top student. But Zhai Xiao had complex feelings about him, seeing him as an idol but also feeling resentful. After all, everyone at No. 1 High was exceptional. Plus, that guy rarely did anything normal. His mouth was so clever and eloquent that he could probably convince a zombie to take a couple of steps.
Xu Zhi was lying on the sofa, looking at Qing University’s score lines from previous years. She replied with a disinterested “Oh.”
“Do you know how handsome ‘You-know-who’ is?” Cai Yingying said as she put on a disposable cape. “And he’s super romantic. During their school’s centennial celebration, he used a drone to film a short video on behalf of their class. It was well shot, with great camera movement. Now it’s become their school’s promotional video and even trended online.”
“Impressive,” Xu Zhi said perfunctorily. “But have you seen him?”
“Well, no. I still don’t know who this ‘You-know-who’ is. Zhai Xiao just sent one photo, a blurry back view, but it was super cool.”
Xu Zhi was half skeptical, after all, Cai Yingying could cook up stories better than the cafeteria aunties could cook dishes. “Alright, stop embellishing. The juniors will soon have nothing left to eat.”
“Fine, don’t believe me,” Cai Yingying said as she sectioned her hair. Changing the subject, she asked, “Oh right, you mentioned earlier that you met a woman this afternoon whose voice was exactly like your mom’s?”
Xu Zhi finally put down her phone. “Yeah, do you think there are people in this world with voices that similar?”
And not just the voice, but her habits and catchphrases were exactly like Lin Qiudie’s.
“Where did you meet her?”
Strange, Xu Zhi’s mind echoed that cool, tense, and slightly sarcastic voice again.
— “It’s tiring to stand and listen to someone scold you.”
— “Didn’t you see her staring at me just now…”
Xu Zhi, scrolling through her phone absent-mindedly, said, “Downstairs from the apartment Tan Xu rents.”
“You went to see him?” Cai Yingying was indignant. “And you say you don’t like him. I think you’ve been manipulated by him.”
“I went to get my mom’s necklace, okay? Last time when you invited us to watch the meteor shower, he didn’t care about the meteors. He liked my necklace and thought the four-leaf clover was lucky, so he took it to the exam.”
The more Xu Zhi thought about it, the more she felt she and Tan Xu could only be friends. Although they had never defined their relationship, Tan Xu believed she had to follow him.
Cai Yingying had heard bits and pieces about Lin Qiudie since childhood. In various demonized versions, Lin Qiudie seemed to be a symbol of bad luck. It was best not to touch anything related to her, and it was better to have minimal contact with Xu Zhi’s family. Otherwise, Old Xu wouldn’t have developed severe social anxiety over these few years.
**
At the end of Yifeng Lane, there was an “8090” convenience store with a dusty pool table inside. Hardly anyone played on it. The students in the third-year review building didn’t even have time to buy a bottle of water from the store, let alone play pool.
The two of them lazily played a few games. Chen Luzhou remained silent, not particularly focused. Most of the time, he just leaned against the pool table, endlessly arguing with Zhu Yangqi about “lose one game, win one game,” all the while torturing Zhu Yangqi with a look that said, “Don’t you have anything to tell me?”
He knew how to torment people.
Damn.
“Thud—”
A nervous Zhu Yangqi once again pocketed the cue ball. Chen Luzhou leaned disinterestedly against the table, gesturing with his chin for Zhu to retrieve it, refusing to speak to him.
Zhu Yangqi fished out the ball and set it up in the best position for Chen, deciding to confess: “Gu Yan has been cornering me. She says people online are digging into her past and wants your help, otherwise she won’t be able to act anymore. But you keep refusing to add her on WeChat. When I heard that, I panicked and gave her your address.”
Young Master Chen was unappreciative. He replaced the ball on the break line, bending down to aim while saying emotionlessly: “Mm, and you didn’t think that because of her, I might never find a girlfriend?”
“Is it that serious?” Zhu Yangqi was stunned, belatedly realizing, “So that exposed account online really was hers? The love diary was fake? Or did you say you only like girls with big breasts, no brains, and… wetness?”
Chen Luzhou glanced at Zhu Yangqi, grabbing the chalk from the table with a cold laugh: “Have you ever seen me say a word to her when I come to your class to find you?”
Zhu Yangqi had lost interest in playing. He took out his phone and scrolled, finding that all blog posts about the love diary had been completely deleted, Gu Yan’s alt account was deactivated, and searching for Chen Luzhou on social media yielded nothing. Just a while ago, he could still see a related phrase that made even Zhu Yangqi’s forehead flush: “Gu Yan’s boyfriend Chen Luzhou says Gu Yan is very wet and seductive.”
“So she lied about dating you?”
No way, is Gu Yan fantasizing about Chen Luzhou? Zhu Yangqi felt his goddess filter shattering. Gu Yan usually seemed like a cold beauty.
Zhu Yangqi stammered: “Then what… what did she say to you?”
What else could she say? If Gu Yan hadn’t rashly come to his door, Chen Luzhou wouldn’t have known anything about it. He was in the middle of a shower when there was a sudden knock. Thinking it was the coffee he’d ordered, he didn’t even have time to put on underwear, just threw on some pants to open the door, only to find Gu Yan. Gu Yan had been on several hot searches, the most famous arts student at No. 1 High, with more buzz than some D-list celebrities. It would be too fake for Chen Luzhou to say he didn’t recognize her, especially since she was Zhu Yangqi’s classmate.
But he had just showered, his brain reacting half a beat slow, not having time to speak before Gu Yan started crying, tears streaming, looking utterly pitiful. So Chen Luzhou was forced to first take out his phone to check his gossip. After checking, he tossed his phone on the coffee table and asked Gu Yan what she wanted. Gu Yan, sobbing, asked if he was willing to be her boyfriend. Chen Luzhou directly said no. Gu Yan seemed not to have expected his refusal and persisted in asking why he had someone he liked.
Chen Luzhou was even more speechless. His hair still wet, he hung a black towel around his neck, slumped tiredly onto the sofa, and then casually turned on the TV to a sports channel. Without even looking at her, he said more bluntly and lazily, I don’t have any feelings for you.
This guy has always been terrifyingly direct.
Gu Yan was probably stunned by the sudden rejection, speaking incoherently about a lot of things – how she gets up at five in the morning to practice for her dream of being an actress, how her body is covered in injuries, not a single joint unscathed, how she’s a person with dreams, how all the teachers think highly of her, believing she could win awards for the country. Chen Luzhou, being clever, roughly understood her meaning from this rambling – can you keep quiet and not attack me online?
The basketball game on TV was exceptionally intense. Chen Luzhou’s attention was mostly diverted. Whatever Gu Yan said after, he barely heard, only replying flippantly with four words: depends on my mood.
He was mostly too lazy to deal with this matter. But having such a shit bucket inexplicably dumped on him put him in a bad mood.
…
“None of your damn business. Since you sold me out, stop pretending to care.”
Zhu Yangqi bit his lip, knowing Chen had been at the police station last night and probably hadn’t slept much due to Gu Yan’s harassment that day. He was likely full of anger, so Zhu bent down directly: “Are we still playing? If not, I’ll end this game.”
“Sink one and we’ll see.”
With a “bang,” the cue ball shot straight out, this stroke using almost full force.
It was a corner shot. Instead of the straightforward center pocket shot, he made a tricky angle shot to the corner.
Chen Luzhou applauded generously.
Zhu Yangqi wasn’t buying it, mostly out of embarrassment: “Get lost, stop mocking me. You’re the best at playing dumb to catch big fish! Do you know people outside are saying you gave up the exam for Gu Yan, calling you love-brained?”
Chen Luzhou went to pay, glancing at him indifferently, “Then why did you sell me out?”
Zhu Yangqi followed him eagerly, expressing his innocence: “When I found out about this, I thought you two were dating and having a spat. I even praised your secrecy, keeping it from even me.”
Chen Luzhou opened the refrigerator door, took out two bottles of cola, and tossed one to Zhu Yangqi, both speechless and amused, “I wrote love letters in elementary school. Do you think if I were dating, I’d keep it hidden?” Just as Zhu Yangqi was stunned, the rascal had already walked to the cashier, pretending to be heartbroken as he scanned the QR code, sighing while entering his password, “Ah, Zhu Yangqi, Zhu Yangqi, big brother is very disappointed in you.”
Zhu Yangqi caught the cola clumsily, pressing it to his chest, slowly reacting: “So, it’s true that the night before, your precious little brother accidentally mixed two sleeping pills into your milk, causing you to oversleep?”
“Mm.”
…
This was hard to explain. After all, his little brother was his parents’ biological child, while Chen Luzhou was picked up from a garbage bin. His mother definitely wouldn’t allow him to say that publicly.
Zhu Yangqi felt Chen Luzhou had been unlucky lately, with misfortune not just haunting him but seemingly setting up a mansion on him. If missing the elective module exam was karma for bullying his brother too much, the Gu Yan incident was truly an unwarranted disaster.
“But given your relationship with your precious little brother, are you sure it was an accident?”
Zhu Yangqi was very doubtful.
“Your perspective is quite bold,” Chen Luzhou lazily leaned against the convenience store’s freezer, sipping his cola casually, “But we can’t wrongly accuse him in this matter. He knows I’ve always had sleep issues. He did it out of kindness, seeing how tired I was from studying for the college entrance exam those few days. He took two of his mom’s sleeping pills, wanting me to get a good night’s sleep. He had no idea we still had an elective module exam on the third morning, thinking it all ended after two days.”
“The kid is still naive, actually treating you like a real brother,” Zhu Yangqi sighed.
Chen Luzhou laughed, very self-aware, “Come on, he’d treat you like a real brother before he’d treat me like one.”
This convenience store had a nostalgic feel. There was a faded poster of Maggie Cheung at the entrance. Not only did it have a pool table and claw machines, but it also sold snacks and drinks like Weilong spicy strips and Lay’s chips. Even the cola was still in the old glass bottle packaging. Zhu Yangqi opened it with his teeth and said, “My mom is pregnant again. I just hope it’s a girl. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get to hear you call me ‘big brother’.”
By this time, Chen Luzhou was leaning against the claw machine at the store entrance, bantering with the familiar old man selling turtles next door. The old man was trying to persuade him to buy a resilient turtle to raise. Chen lazily replied, “What’s so resilient about it? Is this the turtle from the tortoise and hare race?” The old man directly picked up a palm leaf fan from the ground and swatted him. Chen Luzhou dodged with a laugh. In the interval, hearing Zhu Yangqi’s words, he turned his head to glance at him puzzlingly.
Chen Luzhou:?
Zhu Yangqi: “Look, you’re romantic and rich, and also—” his gaze gradually lowered, “Not to mention, if she’s with you, my sister will at least be happy in one aspect.”
Chen Luzhou: “Are you even human?”
Yifeng Lane was quiet and dim, with layers of leaves piled up. The entire lane had a strong sense of bygone eras, with big-character posters from the 80s and 90s plastered everywhere. The street was lined with a dazzling array of small shops, reportedly one of Qingyi City’s characteristic vintage buildings, where many internet celebrities come to take photos. The two of them, carrying a turtle, walked towards the residential building deep in the alley amidst Zhu Yangqi’s noisy shouting—
“This place is so mosquito-infested, how can you, a pampered young master, live here? Holy shit, what did I just see? Something just zipped by, that, that… was it the legendary Jerry?”
Zhu Yangqi had never really seen a live mouse in his life.
Chen Luzhou laughed, hooking his arm around Zhu Yangqi’s neck, pulling him close, and pointing to a half-open rolling door nearby, “Yell a bit louder, that hard-of-hearing old lady is looking at you.”
“Why would she look at me?”
“She thinks you’re calling her ‘honey’.”
“…”
Zhu Yangqi cursed all the way.
The two arrived at the entrance of the third-year review building. Under the stark white streetlight, like figures in an ink painting standing on white paper, were three people – one male and two females, one of whom had shocking green hair.
Zhu Yangqi squinted his eyes, incredulously trying to focus: “What the hell is that? Did a parrot come to life?”
Chen Luzhou also heard a voice that had appeared quite frequently today. He stopped, drinking his cola and casually glancing in that direction.
“There’s no need. Why do you always think of things so negatively before the results are out, just because I solved the last two big questions in math and physics? Okay, I admit, that’s my fault.”
You could feel that the girl saying this genuinely wanted to comfort her, but unfortunately, she might be someone with low empathy, unable to even convince herself.
“…”
“…”
Zhu Yangqi nudged Chen Luzhou, with a tone of newfound kinship: “…Uh, this sister’s comforting skills are on par with yours.”
Under the yellow streetlight, fireflies clumsily fluttered about, round and round, tirelessly. These three had been talking here for who knows how long, with the boy’s expression remaining unmoved like a wooden stake stuck straight in the ground.
The clean, spring-like voice came again from that direction: “Even many students from the experimental class at No. 1 High didn’t do well this time. Even the expected top scorer missed an exam. Of course, I’m not cursing him, but if he doesn’t jump off a building, wouldn’t that be unfair to you wallowing in self-pity here?”
The “parrot” said quietly, “Yeah, after all, you were the one who approached Xu Zhi first.”
…
Zhu Yangqi never expected to hear gossip about his friend. He turned his head gleefully, saying, “They’re talking about you, the expected top scorer, right? Hey, why haven’t you jumped off a building yet?”
Chen Luzhou glanced at him.
Zhu Yangqi wore an expression of watching a good show: “But don’t they know you missed the elective module? They’re still using you to comfort her boyfriend?”
Although Zhu Yangqi didn’t fully understand, he had heard from their homeroom teacher that even without the elective module, Chen Luzhou should be fine for all schools except two domestic ones. Plus, he seemed to have some competition score reduction advantage. It was just his thoughtless mother who insisted on sending him abroad.
Chen Luzhou had one hand in his pocket, the other holding the unfinished bottle of cola. His arm was slender and fair, with faintly visible blue veins clear under the dim light. He spoke as if enjoying the drama: “Why don’t you go tell her?”
“Tell her what?”
“Our expected top scorer may have missed one exam, but he’s psychologically strong,” he casually hung the arm holding the cola bottle over Zhu Yangqi’s shoulder. “Not only does he not jump off buildings after bombing the exam, but he doesn’t need a girlfriend to comfort him either. Your boyfriend is too weak.”
Zhu Yangqi clicked his tongue twice, “Oh, rarely not playing the victim. Aren’t you the best at playing the victim?”
“When have I ever played the victim?”
“Just look at your WeChat name, solid evidence of playing the victim. ‘cr’,” Zhu Yangqi said, “Even though I only studied for two months, I know what it means.”
Cr, from the way it’s used at the end of bibliographies. Abandoned by his birth parents in childhood, not knowing where he came from, so there’s no suffix after it. That’s how Zhu Yangqi understood it.
“With such a vivid imagination, you should change your name to Stephen Copper,” Chen Luzhou looked down at him with an expression of utter exasperation. “cr is the name of a racing team in Crazy Racing, meaning ‘Crazy Undefeated Legend’. Idiot, read more books.”
Zhu Yangqi: “…”