As soon as a certain someone returned home, he flopped face-down on the bed, burying his entire face hopelessly into the pillow. He looked exhausted and desperate, refusing to lift his head no matter how Xu Zhi tried to coax him.
Xu Zhi sat on the edge of the bed, suppressing her laughter. Not daring to laugh out loud, she could only reach under the pillow to touch his face, gently pinching it as she softly comforted him, “Dad has already explained to them that you got injured while playing basketball. He told them you’re very healthy.”
“Really?” His voice was muffled by the pillow. “Then why did Wei Lin come to ask me?”
Xu Zhi feigned ignorance to tease him, “Oh? What did Wei Lin ask you?”
Just after dinner, when everyone else had left, Wei Lin quietly approached Chen Luzhou and asked, “Brother, are you… a quick shooter?”
Chen Luzhou was still finishing his meal and didn’t immediately grasp the meaning. “What quick shooter? I’ve never participated in that.”
Wei Lin bluntly clarified, “I mean, do you finish too quickly?”
Chen Luzhou nearly choked on his food.
…
He turned his head slightly, revealing half his face from the pillow. His features were clean and well-defined, his eyelids drooping lazily as he glanced at Xu Zhi without enthusiasm, asking, “Am I quick?”
*Come on, praise me. Hurry up and praise me.*
Xu Zhi was momentarily stunned before quickly responding, “No, you’re not quick at all.”
But he was hard to console. His gaze turned mischievous as he glanced at her, “Think carefully, has your boyfriend ever let you down?”
Xu Zhi pretended to ponder seriously before venturing, “Except for the first time?”
He naturally refused to acknowledge that, burying his head back into the pillow like an ostrich, grumbling, “That doesn’t count. That was as friends with benefits, not as boyfriend and girlfriend.”
Xu Zhi could barely contain her laughter. She lifted the blanket and slipped under, sliding her hand around his waist. The man remained motionless, lying flat against the bed like a dead fish, stubbornly refusing to look at her. His face remained firmly buried in the pillow as he warned her in all seriousness, “Don’t tease me. I’m fuming right now.”
Xu Zhi kissed his earlobe, trailing kisses down his shoulder and neck. “School’s starting soon, Chen Luzhou. Hmm?”
Chen Luzhou forcibly suppressed his rising emotions and turned over reluctantly, pulling her close. He buried his face in her neck, taking a deep, exhausted breath. He truly wasn’t in the mood, his voice muffled and hoarse as he said, “I’m tired. I want to sleep for a while.”
Seeing that he had indeed had a tough time at the boxing gym today, Xu Zhi didn’t have the heart to tease him further. She ran her fingers through his hair, gently stroking it as she softly coaxed, “All right then, you get some sleep. I’ll head back. Old Xu will probably need to use the bathroom soon. He drank quite a bit tonight.”
“Let him hold it,” came the petty retort.
Xu Zhi poked his forehead with her finger. “Chen Luzhou, you promised you’d love Old Xu, remember?”
“Can’t love him anymore,” he mumbled, completely inconsolable and thoroughly annoyed. “… I give up.”
Xu Zhi realized Chen Luzhou’s mood wasn’t likely to improve anytime soon.
“How about this – when school starts, let’s go back to Beijing separately. Otherwise, seeing me will just annoy you, and it’ll affect our relationship,” Xu Zhi suggested.
“Don’t you dare,” he said, still buried in the pillow. He lifted his weary eyelids to give her a lifeless glance, adding, “Look at our family – the only solid thing left is our relationship.”
Xu Zhi exclaimed, patting the bed frame, “Oh? Isn’t this bed still pretty sturdy?”
He was clearly out of patience. “Is your hearing not working properly, hm?” Without even opening his eyes, he lazily kicked the bed. “Did you hear that? Isn’t that creaky enough for you?”
“I didn’t hear it creaking when we were doing it.”
“That’s because you were louder than the bed.”
“Bullshit! Chen Luzhou!”
He chuckled, teasing shamelessly, “Seriously though, this bed can’t handle much more of our action.”
“… Well, we’re going back soon anyway.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Xu Zhi glanced at him. “So stop being upset.”
“I’m not upset. Just… exasperated. Exasperated. Exasperated.”
Xu Zhi could barely contain her amusement. She didn’t push further, and they both fell silent. The room grew quiet until she heard steady breathing beside her.
*Ah, finally lulled him to sleep.*
Xu Zhi was just about to get off the bed and go home when she heard movement beside her.
After a moment, he buried his entire head into the pillow again, utterly dejected and wishing he could find a hole to crawl into—
“… Can’t sleep. Exasperated. Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
Xu Zhi burst into laughter.
For the next few days, not only did Chen Luzhou not dare to face Xu Guangji, but even Old Xu felt awkward seeing Chen Luzhou. He wanted to be warm but feared that being overly enthusiastic might make him seem guilty. Fortunately, school was about to start. Xu Guangji was already eager to pack them off back to Beijing.
As Xu Zhi packed her luggage, she felt reluctant to leave. “Dad, don’t you miss me at all? I won’t be coming back for the summer break.”
Xu Guangji, still recovering from his sprained ankle and not yet back at work, had been spending a lot of time with his daughter lately. He was lounging on the sofa watching TV, his crutch tossed aside, peeling an orange as he mused incredulously, “I have to admire Chen Luzhou. You two spent the entire winter break together, and you’ll be together every day back in Beijing. Doesn’t he ever get tired of you? I’m already tired.”
Xu Zhi was stuffing a year’s worth of clothes into her suitcase, which was now bulging and difficult to close. She sat on top of it, trying to zip it up as she replied without looking up, “How could that be possible?”
It was more accurate to say that Chen Luzhou was exceptionally good at being in a relationship. She never got tired of being with him, even if they were just quietly reading together. She found it incredibly interesting. Now, the only time they behaved properly was during those few hours of reading; the rest of the time, they were always flirting and teasing each other.
Suddenly remembering something, Xu Guangji hobbled into the bedroom on his crutch and came out with two packages, tossing them onto her suitcase. “Take these back to Beijing to eat.”
Xu Zhi looked at the familiar packaging of the shortbread snacks and suddenly realized something. Her scalp tingled, and her throat tightened. After a long moment, she managed to ask in a choked voice, “Dad? Don’t tell me you went to Songbai Road that day to buy me shortbread?”
Xu Guangji, oblivious to his daughter’s thoughts, looked confused by her hesitation. He replied matter-of-factly, “Yes, didn’t you call earlier saying you missed the shortbread from home? That day, your old man remembered you were leaving soon, so I went to buy some for you after work.”
That evening, after having dinner with Zhu Yangqi and Li Ke, Xu Zhi and Chen Luzhou were walking home. Along the way, Xu Zhi couldn’t help but tell Chen Luzhou about this.
Chen Luzhou pinched her cheek. “Happy now?”
Xu Zhi smiled slightly. “It’s not that. I just feel that some things might need time to be accepted gradually. Knowing that my dad hasn’t rushed into another family so quickly makes me feel much better.”
Chen Luzhou felt the same way. Some things just needed time to be accepted slowly.
Time is the best executioner, but also the best medicine.
Xu Zhi remembered something and said, “My dad asked today if we’re tired of each other yet.”
They were walking along their usual route. Chen Luzhou held her hand in his pocket and looked down at her. “Tired?”
“No, my dad thinks we should be tired of each other by now.”
“Looks like Comrade Old Xu still has some issues with me,” he chuckled.
Xu Zhi laughed too, intertwining their fingers in his pocket. “Old Xu doesn’t have any issues with you. But my mom seems to have a problem with you.”
“Did you dream about your mom again?” Chen Luzhou stopped and looked at her.
Xu Zhi sighed, looking down at her toes. “Yeah, she was scolding me in my dream.”
“What did she scold you about?”
“About not studying hard enough, always fooling around with you. She said I’m not suited for architecture and that I shouldn’t waste my time. Just the same old phrases over and over.”
Perhaps it was because the house had been too lively lately, disturbing Madam Lin Qiudie. For the past few days, Xu Zhi had been dreaming of her mother almost every night. In her dreams, they were always arguing. Xu Zhi would wake up startled in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back asleep. Sometimes she would message Chen Luzhou, and he always replied instantly. This amazed Xu Zhi; even at three or four in the morning, he would respond, sometimes calling to comfort her. She didn’t know then but later found out that after the incident in Beijing, he had muted all notifications on his phone at night except for her messages. He kept his phone on his pillow, with only her messages set to make a sound.
By then, the peach blossoms were almost in bloom, with a few buds swaying on the branches in the breeze. A faint fragrance lingered in the air, and occasional cars rolled by. The two walked slowly. The streetlights flickered, alternating between dim and bright.
Xu Zhi squeezed his hand. “My grandmother says there have been too many changes at home and we need to inform my mom. I’m going to offer some incense for her in a couple of days. Do you want to come with me?”
Xu Zhi had mentioned this to him a few days ago. Chen Luzhou nodded and said okay. He was about to offer some words of comfort when Xu Zhi smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. She looked up, pointing at the flickering streetlights above them, and said, “It’s okay, I’ve come to terms with it. Life, you see, always has its bright moments and its dark ones. When it’s bright, we boldly move forward. When it’s dark, we hold tight to each other’s hands.”
For once, they didn’t tease each other. Chen Luzhou couldn’t help but smile too.
Xu Zhi persisted in expressing her feelings: “I never felt this way before. It used to sound cliché, but after falling in love with you, I just wish for world peace. I especially hope that all love and hate in this world can be fulfilled—”
He leisurely came to a stop.
“Xu Zhi, do you know what’s the happiest thing in life?”
“What?”
“It’s when the whole street is full of single dogs, and we’re the only ones in a relationship. Isn’t that awesome?”
Chen Luzhou pointed at the scattered, solitary pedestrians along the road. Xu Zhi hadn’t even noticed that they were the only couple on this street.
Xu Zhi laughed, “Chen Luzhou, be human. If you’re not afraid of getting beaten up, you should talk less.”
He lazily added, “Then do you know what’s the most miserable thing in life?”
“What?”
“It’s when everyone else has an umbrella, and we’re the only ones without one,” As he spoke, Chen Luzhou put his hands in his pockets and walked backward a few steps, teasing her and laughing, “It’s raining, and you’re still talking about world peace. Aren’t you silly?”
Xu Zhi stopped laughing and looked up. Instantly, a few drops of moisture touched her forehead.
The next second, a muffled sound exploded across the sky. Spring thunder rumbled on the horizon. Spring seemed to come particularly early in Qingyi this year. Xu Zhi could even faintly hear the cicadas from last summer chirping in her ears.
**
The day before returning to Beijing, they all went to play on a small island off the coast of Qingyi.
Chen Luzhou brought Xu Zhi, Li Ke brought Zhang Yu, and Jiang Cheng brought Hang Sui, leaving Zhu Yangqi and Cai Yingying staring at each other awkwardly.
During those few days in Qingyi, spring had returned, and both the temperature and weather were nice. But the sea breeze was still cold and biting. Going into the sea was out of the question; at most, they could only dip their feet in the water at the beach.
The girls took off their shoes and ran excitedly to the shallow waters to paddle.
It was Zhang Yu’s first time meeting Xu Zhi, and she was indeed surprised by how beautiful Xu Zhi was. Although she knew Chen Luzhou’s taste wouldn’t be too bad, at first glance, she found this girl irresistibly beautiful. Despite her small face, it was round and tight, seemingly with a bit of baby fat, but just right, very pure. Her features were delicate, her skin fair, with pores invisible under the sunlight, as smooth as a freshly peeled lychee. Her apple cheeks were full, she wore light makeup, and her eyes were cool and clear, looking exceptionally clean and pretty. However, her figure was also quite sexy.
Hang Sui and Zhang Yu were both from No. 1 High School, so they naturally had topics to chat about. Holding their shoes, they waded through the water to her side. “I heard Chen Luzhou chased her for a long time. You couldn’t tell, could you? He used to be such an arrogant person in high school. We thought he was only interested in studying and playing basketball. I even told Jiang Cheng that Chen Luzhou probably hadn’t awakened to love yet. Jiang Cheng firmly told me that he had awakened long ago, just hadn’t met someone he liked.”
Zhang Yu laughed, “When I was his deskmate, I knew he was very much awakened. He understood a lot, probably just hadn’t taken a liking to any of the girls in our school.”
Hang Sui asked, “How did you figure that out?”
Zhang Yu said, “Back then, I liked Li Ke. The whole class didn’t know, but he figured it out.”
Hang Sui also laughed, “No wonder.”
Cai Yingying called out, “What are you two doing? There are seashells here. Do you want to listen to the story of the sea?”
Hang Sui waded through the water, “Coming, coming! Zhang Yu, hurry up.”
Zhang Yu: “Alright, coming.”
The girls searched for seashells along the shore, each tapping and knocking, putting them to their ears to listen, though it wasn’t clear what they were listening to. They were having a great time.
Hang Sui: “This one sounds good, it’s loud.”
Xu Zhi also picked one up and put it to her ear: “Isn’t this just the sound of putting a glass cup to your ear?”
Zhang Yu: “To be precise, it’s the same principle. Listening to seashells is just a hoax.”
Cai Yingying’s style was quite different. She was suspiciously tapping and knocking a seashell, muttering to herself: “Why does this sound like my dad’s intestinal noises?”
Xu Zhi: “…”
Zhang Yu: “…”
Hang Sui: “…”
Chen Luzhou and Jiang Cheng sat on nearby beach chairs, ordered a few drinks, played cards, and chatted casually. They occasionally glanced over to check if the girls were still in sight. Seeing Xu Zhi rolling her pants higher and getting more excited, with the seawater already past her knees.
He hunched over, elbows on his knees, carelessly shuffling the cards in his hands. Frowning, he called out, “Xu Zhi, why are you going so far?”
Xu Zhi didn’t respond, but she didn’t walk further either.
Zhu Yangqi clicked his tongue and threw down two cards. “Why don’t you just tie yourselves together? You won’t even let her walk away for a moment?”
Chen Luzhou took a sip of coconut juice. They were playing Red Five, the local Qingyi version, which was more intricate and brain-taxing. He looked down at the cards in his hand, slowly calculated a round, threw out two cards, and said, “Just play your cards. You’re the only single dog now.”
Li Ke coughed, showing a rare hint of embarrassment. “Strictly speaking, I’m not single yet, bro. We’re still in the mutual understanding stage.”
Zhu Yangqi said with anguish, “You two move out of my house as soon as you get back.”
Chen Luzhou: “As if we care.”
Li Ke: “Yeah, who cares.” As soon as he finished speaking, he scanned the cards on the table and immediately cursed, “Damn it, Zhu Yangqi, can’t you pay attention when you play? You’ve blocked me here, bro.”
Zhu Yangqi: “With your lousy hand, it’s better to be blocked.”
Li Ke looked at him in confusion: “Aren’t we on the same team, Brother Zhu?”
Zhu Yangqi: “Next round, I’m switching sides. I want to be with Chen Luzhou. He doesn’t talk so much nonsense when playing cards.”
Li Ke glanced at Chen Luzhou, “His mind is all calculating right now. If you team up with him, considering our Red Five skills are on par, while you and Jiang Cheng have a bit of a gap, our combination might be at a disadvantage.” He finished speaking and threw out a string of club cards.
Chen Luzhou laughed. Li Ke immediately sensed something was off. He watched as Chen Luzhou calmly drew a set of cards and threw them on the table, perfectly following suit. Li Ke exclaimed, “You’re out of clubs? You’re down to your last card?”
“I’ve been down to my last card for a while.”
“Damn, you tricked me. When Zhu Yangqi threw clubs earlier, you had that dog-like expression. I thought you still had some.”
“Do you play cards based on expressions?” Chen Luzhou couldn’t stop laughing, relaxed and casual. As he spoke, he habitually glanced towards Xu Zhi. “Don’t you count cards? I thought you had figured it out.”
Li Ke: “I got distracted by Zhu Yangqi earlier.”
Zhu Yangqi immediately clarified: “Don’t. You’re just not as skilled. Even my dad, that old card shark, can’t beat Chen Luzhou at Red Five. Every New Year, he has to give him two red envelopes.”
Li Ke counted their points and turned pale: “We’re dead. We’re out this round.”
For several consecutive rounds, Li Ke and Zhu Yangqi never made it back to the table. Chen Luzhou and Jiang Cheng directly turned the tables, going from small twos to old kings, clearing the deck.
When Xu Zhi and the others returned, they had just finished a game, with Zhu Yangqi clamoring for another round.
“What are you playing?” Xu Zhi asked.
“Red Five. Want to join?” Chen Luzhou replied, pulling her over.
“Never mind, I’m not very good at it.”
After speaking, Xu Zhi naturally sat in his lap. Chen Luzhou sat back with his legs spread, making room for her in the middle. He rested his chin on her shoulder, unscrewed a drink from the table, and handed it to her.
“Hm?”
Xu Zhi took it, had a sip, and handed it back. She looked completely accustomed to being waited on. Comfortably leaning back, she nestled contentedly in Chen Luzhou’s arms, her head resting on his shoulder. She looked up and chatted with him casually about trivial things, such as:
“Paddling in the water was so much fun, and it wasn’t cold at all.”
“I just wrote your name and Old Xu’s name on the beach. Guess whose got washed away first?”
Chen Luzhou lowered his head to listen attentively, occasionally smiling, brushing her hair, and sometimes responding, “Aren’t you bored doing that?”
Zhu Yangqi: “I give up. These two’s honeymoon phase is longer than my entire puberty. Hey, Li Ke, Li Ke—”
No response. Zhu Yangqi turned around bewildered, only to see Li Ke motionless, completely ignoring him, eagerly offering a bottle of Want Want flavored milk to Zhang Yu, who had just returned from paddling:
“Would you like something to drink?”
Zhu Yangqi: “…”
In the evening, they all leaned back in beach chairs to watch the sunset, admiring the crimson glow falling on the sea surface, bathing the entire Qingyi city in a warm and passionate light. It was as if a palette of vibrant colors had been spilled, blending into a strange radiance and hue, merging sea and sky into one. The spectacular scene truly stirred one’s emotions.
A group of spirited youths laughed and joked freely by the sea, their voices carried by the unrestrained wind, blocked by the surrounding mountains. Their laughter faded with each ebb and flow of the tide until only rows of footprints of varying depths were left on the beach, gradually submerged by the relentless, rolling waves.
“It’s raining!”
“Quick, run!”
People around them scattered and fled, some running towards the hotel, some towards the road, some carrying their shoes to their cars, and a few silly romantics even ran towards the sea.
Chen Luzhou’s chin was still resting on her shoulder. Watching the ripples gradually forming on the sea surface, water splashing, he asked softly by her ear: “Want to run?”
The two were sitting on beach chairs under a sun canopy. Xu Zhi leaned back, her head resting against his shoulder, “No need to run. As long as you’re here, it doesn’t matter if it rains or not. We have the sun canopy anyway, we won’t get wet.”
In an instant, torrential rain poured down, pattering loudly on the sun canopy.
Under the canopy, there were no other sounds. They didn’t speak anymore, just kissed passionately.
**
Drenched in rain, Xu Zhi finished her shower and lay on the bed, idly playing with her phone for a while. Chen Luzhou was still in the shower, the sound of water hitting the floor echoing from the bathroom. Xu Zhi got up from the bed and wandered around his room for a bit. On the floor was a half-packed suitcase with just a few clothes and some camera lenses. The black baseball jacket he had just worn was thrown on top, seemingly to be taken back to Beijing.
There was a book pressed underneath. Xu Zhi curiously pulled it out to take a look.
— No. 1 High School Outstanding Essay Collection.
He still kept this kind of thing? As expected of the great poet Chen.
Xu Zhi laughed and casually flipped to the first page.
The first sentence caught her off guard. Xu Zhi’s smile faded slightly, and her heart suddenly jolted. The sentence was too familiar. The words seemed to dance like flames before her eyes. Xu Zhi had always felt that this sentence had greatly comforted her in some way, and because of this sentence, she had once developed a good impression of Tan Xu, thinking he was too mature, unlike other 18 or 19-year-old boys.
However, she never expected to find this sentence here.
“There is no true despair in the world, only prisoners trapped by their thoughts.”
Her eyes glanced down.
— Class 1, Zongshan High School, Chen Luzhou.
However, before Xu Zhi could react, a piece of paper slowly fell out from between the pages. She thought it was a bookmark or something similar and was about to put it back when she picked it up and realized it was a thin sheet of letter paper. The handwriting was familiar but more formal than his usual writing when doing homework. Each stroke was vigorous and powerful, pressing through the paper. The ink also seemed fresh, as if it had been written recently.
Thinking it might be his recent reading notes or something, Xu Zhi quickly glanced at it, intending to put it back.
However, the first three words nailed her in place. Her eyes, as if rusted iron, stared fixedly at the paper, unable to move. She couldn’t help but read it word by word.
Just reading the first line, Xu Zhi’s nose began to tingle. Her heart felt as if it had been grabbed and squeezed tightly. Tears that had long dried up suddenly welled up in her eyes. At first, she didn’t even notice herself, until the thin paper was soaked through. Xu Zhi couldn’t help but clench her fingers, her lips pressed tightly together, trying to hold back the tears. But the more she tried to hold them back, the more she couldn’t. The words in her vision had all blurred, but every character was so sincere it made her heartache.
“Madam Lin, hello. My name is Chen Luzhou, and I am Xu Zhi’s boyfriend.
Xu Zhi once said that you told her to break up with me in her dreams. Well, I was a bit worried, so I took the liberty of writing this letter. I hope it doesn’t disturb you.
During the time I’ve been with her, she has mentioned you to me many times. I can feel from her snippets that Xu Zhi has admired you greatly since childhood. After you left, it was a huge blow to her. First of all, I am very grateful that you raised such an excellent daughter, and I’m also very sorry that you couldn’t accompany her to the end of her life journey.
Secondly, Uncle Xu said that you and Xu Zhi often argued, but you loved her very much, you were just habitually strict with her. She has always wanted to gain your approval. She may not have had good grades before, but you might not know that she scored 738 points in the college entrance exam, ranking first in the school and getting admitted to A University. Now she’s a student in the Architecture Department of A University, with excellent grades.
The purpose of writing this letter is to tell you that Xu Zhi is outstanding and loves you very much. She says she rarely dreams of you, but every time she does, you always say some unpleasant things. I think you might be dissatisfied with me, perhaps because I haven’t formally greeted you.
Lastly, I love her very much and don’t want her to keep waking up from dreams of you at night.
She misses you too. If you appear in her dreams next time, could you tell her you love her?
— Chen Luzhou”
Upon reading the last line, the sourness in Xu Zhi’s chest almost burst forth. She broke into uncontrollable sobs, tears instantly flooding from the corners of her eyes.
Lin Qiudie and Old Xu expressed their love differently. People often say a father’s love is like a mountain, but in their family, it was the opposite—Madam Lin Qiudie’s motherly love felt heavier. Although Old Xu often teased her, he was never stingy with praise when it was due, always holding up the mountain of fatherly love, cheering her on.
“Nan’nan! You’re the best!”
“Nan’nan! Daddy loves you!”
“Our Nan’nan is like a fairy descended from heaven! How lucky am I to have such a precious daughter!”
Lin Qiudie’s mountain, on the other hand, remained unmoved. She rarely praised her daughter. In Xu Zhi’s memory, there was only her mother’s dissatisfaction and criticism.
“Xu Zhi, don’t you understand how to behave?”
“Xu Zhi, with these grades, who’s going to attend the parent-teacher meeting for you?”
“Xu Zhi, can’t you let your mother have some peace of mind?”
Ironically, while Madam Lin Qiudie was still alive, Xu Zhi’s repeated attempts to prove herself only led to extreme disappointment. Yet, shortly after her mother’s death, she unexpectedly gained admission to the country’s top university with outstanding results.
However, Madam Lin would never know. In her dying memory, her daughter remained a disappointment.
This regret could never be remedied. Xu Zhi had countless times wished she had worked harder earlier. Obsessed yet unable to let go, she could only pretend not to care, to the point where she became insensitive to emotional reactions. But she never imagined that one day, someone would keenly perceive her regret and even write such a childishly sincere letter to dispel the discontent in her heart.
When Chen Luzhou entered, Xu Zhi was sitting on the floor with his letter spread open on her lap, crying uncontrollably with tears and mucus streaming down her face. He sighed, picked her up, and placed her on the bed. With a towel still around his neck, he stood by the bed, reached for tissues from the bedside table, bent down to wipe her nose, and chuckled softly while looking into her eyes, “Seeing you cry like this, why am I a bit happy?”
Xu Zhi laughed inexplicably. After wiping her face, she buried it against his waist. Chen Luzhou’s upper body was bare, his abdominal muscles taut and evenly distributed, with sexy veins protruding near his Adonis belt. She pressed her forehead against him, face down, looking at her toes, and took a deep breath before saying, “Chen Luzhou, I just can’t accept it.”
“I know,” he said, looking down at her and stroking the top of her head, “Crying it out is good.”
“The day the college entrance exam results came out, I was quite upset. Of all people, I wanted her to know, but she was the only one who couldn’t.”
“Xu Zhi, sometimes fate is like that. The more you want something, the more it denies you. But when you use a little effort, it suddenly works in your favor.”
Xu Zhi pondered thoughtfully, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes. It made sense.
Chen Luzhou: “What are you thinking about?”
Xu Zhi had a sudden realization: “That makes sense. It’s kind of like how I managed to win you over.”
Chen Luzhou nearly choked, his hand still stroking her hair, eyes lowered as he glanced at her: “…Do you believe I’ll throw you out right now?”
Xu Zhi blinked: “I’m still crying.”
His arrogant demeanor resurfaced, “I’ll throw you out after you’re done crying.”
He didn’t throw her out all night. Xu Zhi watched him pack his luggage. He had much less than her, even though this guy changed outfits regularly at school. Somehow, he didn’t seem to have packed many clothes in his suitcase. Finally, Chen Luzhou sealed the suitcase, stood it up against the wall, and sat on it. Perhaps out of boredom, they silently looked at each other for a long while—one sitting on the suitcase with a black towel around his neck, the other cross-legged on the bed, their gazes stuck to each other like sticky rice cakes, impossible to tear away.
They looked for a while, smiled for a while, then looked again, and smiled again.
They had no idea what was so amusing, but they were fascinated by each other’s features, never tiring of the view. It was as if, in an unnoticed corner, they had built their castle and rose garden, no longer needing any other scenery, content with just gazing at each other.
Chen Luzhou lazily leaned against the wall, the suitcase beneath his feet still rolling gently. His toes touched the floor as he raised his hand, forming a gun shape with his index finger and thumb, and playfully fired an imaginary shot at her across the room.
“Bang!” He even added sound effects, completely boyish.
Xu Zhi laughed so hard she got a stitch. “Childish.”
“You’ve fallen in love with Chen Luzhou.”
“Bang!” He fired another shot, squinting one eye. “You love him so much, love upon love. Bang bang bang, you’re madly in love.”
Xu Zhi was in stitches. “You’re crazy, Chen Luzhou. Aren’t you being childish?”
“Not as childish as you, little puppy wagging its tail.”
Xu Zhi immediately pulled out her phone: “Hey, Chen Jiaojiao, I’ve downloaded a movie, ‘Miracle in Cell No. 7’. Whoever watches it will cry.”
He sat on the suitcase, his back against the wall, and clicked his tongue. “Ah, now you’re no fun.”
…
At that moment, Xu Zhi truly hoped that in this world, all love would be fulfilled, all hatred would dissipate, and neither stormy seas nor misty landscapes would approach him. No mountains or peaks would hinder him.
That day, spring returned to the earth, grass grew, and orioles flew. Flowers withered and bloomed anew. Another year had passed.
The cicadas of Qingyi’s summer buzzed as noisily as ever, and in Yifeng Lane, that young man always had the upper hand.
(End of main text)