Just as Xu Zhi was about to open her computer to continue working on the structural diagram, Xu Gongzhu inopportunely shouted, “I can’t do it! Is anyone willing to go to the library with me? I feel like I need to soak in the atmosphere of the academic elites.”
Liu Yisi wasn’t in the dorm. Du Qilan, busy writing the student union’s weekly work summary, waved her hand dismissively, “I’m not going.”
Xu Gongzhu turned her pitiful gaze towards Xu Zhi. After a moment’s consideration, Xu Zhi sighed, closed her laptop, and said, “Let’s go.”
*
At the library.
At Chen Luzhou’s table, which had about eight seats, only two spots next to him were empty. The girl from the Foreign Languages Department had a clear target. She entered without a moment’s hesitation and headed straight for him as if she knew he’d be there all along. Someone must have taken a photo and posted it on social media.
Li Ke was about to say, “There are empty seats at that other table. Why do you insist on sitting next to him?”
But Chen Luzhou, leaning back in his chair, remained utterly unperturbed. Without even lifting his eyelids, he continued to effortlessly derive several calculus formulas in his draft book. He coolly responded with a simple “Mm” and added, “It’s free.”
Li Ke was quite surprised. What happened to staying aloof? He suddenly wanted to call Xu Zhi and say, “Come quick and see, this dog is flirting again.”
Li Ke whispered in his ear, so quietly that others could barely hear, communicating almost entirely through lip-reading, “Damn, are you trying to see if Miss Xu gets jealous?”
Chen Luzhou ignored him and tossed the draft book over. “If you have time to gossip, hurry up and send me your teacher’s calculus PPT. I’ve nearly caught up, just two chapters left. Is this the answer to the inequality? Check it for me.”
He continued whispering, his voice very low, “Hey, damn, I have to say, you seem to have gotten worse. Do you need me to check this answer? Don’t you know if it’s right or not after you’ve calculated it? You weren’t like this before. You never needed to check answers.”
“It was just that one year in high school. High school knowledge is limited. We finished it all in our first year and spent the second year reviewing. We’ve solved hundreds of these problems. How could we not know them inside out? I’ve told you, I’m the hardworking type. You just refuse to believe it.”
Li Ke wanted to punch him. Just as he was about to speak, the girl from the Foreign Languages Department softly called out, “Chen Luzhou.”
Chen Luzhou turned his head casually, “Yes?”
“A senior from our club was asking if you’d be interested in joining the Photography Society. Your roommate mentioned you brought a drone. They were wondering if they could borrow it for a few days. There’s a basketball tournament coming up, and they’re short one drone.”
Chen Luzhou didn’t answer. Instead, he retrieved his draft book from Li Ke and asked nonchalantly, “Anything else? Just say it directly.”
The girl from the Foreign Languages Department, named Lin Jingwei, stared at him with unwavering eyes. Her expression was hesitant, unsure of his meaning, but her heart was somewhat eager. Chen Luzhou wasn’t the type to be unapproachable or excessively aloof. Whenever he visited their class, he would chat with the girls from their department.
The girls in their department had said that Chen Luzhou wasn’t easy to fool. If you tried to approach him under the guise of friendship, it wouldn’t work. He could tell at a glance which girls were interested in him, so he wouldn’t actively chat with those who fancied him. If you were genuinely focused on academics, he might talk to you a bit more. He was currently catching up on courses he had fallen behind in, so it was advised not to disturb him.
But she hadn’t listened. As soon as her roommate returned saying she’d seen Chen Luzhou in the library, she couldn’t resist coming over. “Shall we talk outside?” she suggested.
Chen Luzhou gave a cool “Mm” and stood up first. They hadn’t been particularly noticeable before, but as soon as the two stood up, they drew attention. Xu Gongzhu and Xu Zhi had just entered through the door. Hearing the sound of chairs being moved, they instinctively looked towards the source of the noise. Xu Gongzhu’s eyes lit up immediately, and she nudged Xu Zhi beside her, “Hey, it’s your school’s most handsome guy, your fellow townsman!” But there was also a beautiful girl standing next to him.
At that moment, Xu Zhi didn’t think too much of it. After all, in such a large university, it was impossible for Chen Luzhou not to speak with girls. She always felt that, judging from their many kisses, Chen Luzhou wasn’t satisfied with mere physical pleasure. If he had been content with just physical enjoyment, they would have slept together long ago.
But he sought more than that. Of course, this wasn’t to say that the girl lacked spiritual depth. It was just that this kind of spiritual connection couldn’t be established in a day or two. Unless Chen Luzhou was in such a hurry that he’d connect their brains with an EEG machine to exchange neurons, it was unlikely to happen so quickly.
This couldn’t even be called a sense of crisis, let alone jealousy. It was like how she had never taken Jiang Yu seriously. She was content to focus on catching up with her studies because they both knew neither of them was a fool.
Xu Gongzhu’s eyes were still fixed in that direction. The two were now heading towards the library entrance. “Hey, I think that’s the beauty queen from the Foreign Languages Department. Beautiful girls and handsome guys do get to know each other quickly.”
Xu Zhi glanced at her, lazily holding her laptop, and said, “Want me to give you his WeChat?”
Just as she finished speaking, the two walked past them. Only then did Xu Zhi see the face of the so-called beauty queen from the Foreign Languages Department. She was indeed very tall, not appearing much shorter even when standing next to Chen Luzhou. Her face wasn’t as pretty as Gu Yan’s, but she had a good aura, with a dimple at the corner of her mouth when she smiled.
Xu Zhi and Lin Jingwei were both in the Photography Society, so they were somewhat acquainted. As they passed each other, Lin Jingwei nodded at her first, as a form of greeting. But Chen Luzhou didn’t see her nod, only hearing Xu Zhi respond with a “What a coincidence.”
Chen Luzhou: “…”
Feeling sour, aren’t you?
The two walked to the tree where Chen Luzhou had just taken the call. Before Lin Jingwei could speak, Chen Luzhou asked directly, “You like me, don’t you?”
Chen Luzhou knew her name and that she was from the Foreign Languages Department. She had come to the basketball court yesterday and given a bottle of water to each of the boys playing from his class, except him. She hadn’t said a word to him, only talking to the other boys from his class. With this approach, you knew her intentions, but she wasn’t giving you a chance to reject her outright.
Lin Jingwei’s heart was pounding like a drum, thumping like a little deer. She finally couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have a girlfriend?”
Chen Luzhou had his hands in his pockets, looking down at her from his height. His eyes, black and captivating, were too sharp and direct, making it hard to face him. “No, but I’m pursuing my ex-girlfriend.”
…
Lin Jingwei returned to her dorm room, throwing her bag and books on the desk in a heap. Her roommate had just finished washing clothes and came out, asking what was wrong. Didn’t you go to find Chen Luzhou?
“He had a girlfriend in high school,” Lin Jingwei said, sitting in her chair and grabbing a bag of chips to munch on.
Her roommate was shocked. “You couldn’t tell, could you? I thought he was the type who wouldn’t date anyone, like an unapproachable flower on a high cliff. The senior sisters all said he was the epitome of abstinence. Hilarious. So he had a girlfriend in high school? Then it’s very likely he’s not… you know.”
Lin Jingwei crunched on her chips, saying, “So what if he’s not? There aren’t many virgin handsome guys in our school anyway.”
“Did he say who it was?”
“No, I guess she’s not from our school,” Lin Jingwei painfully covered her face with the chip bag. “Chaochao, I just fall for his type. I think he’s so handsome. No wonder those people from Qingyi No.1 High School all called him a dog. I can imagine what he was like in high school now.”
**
Chen Luzhou returned to his seat and scanned the surroundings. Xu Zhi was sitting at the adjacent table, focused intently on drawing on her computer.
Li Ke nudged his arm and whispered, “Did you run into her?”
Chen Luzhou sighed, “Mm, just happened to meet at the entrance.”
Li Ke: “What did she say?”
Chen Luzhou twirled a pen in one hand, the other in his pocket, looking at Li Ke with a somewhat smug expression. “What a coincidence. Don’t you think she sounded a bit sour?”
Li Ke: “Then why aren’t you going to comfort her?”
“Let her stew a bit longer. I’ll comfort her later.” He smiled and lowered his head to solve the remaining two calculus problems.
Soon, he wouldn’t be smiling anymore. Because Xu Zhi had been concentrating on her drawing the whole time. Midway through, perhaps sensing Chen Luzhou and Li Ke’s gaze, she turned to look at them, her expression very puzzled, as if to say, “Why are you staring at me?”
Li Ke couldn’t see any signs of jealousy. He sighed and patted Chen Luzhou’s shoulder, “Just do your homework. She’s not jealous of you.”
Chen Luzhou: “… She’s just pretending.”
They worked until about five or six o’clock. As people gradually left the library, the golden crow slowly descended in the west, spreading a crimson afterglow across the campus. Xu Zhi packed up her computer and took the initiative to ask Chen Luzhou, “Want to have dinner together?”
Chen Luzhou glanced at Li Ke, who was holding back laughter. Li Ke said to Xu Zhi, “He thought you wouldn’t take the initiative to ask him to dinner.”
Xu Zhi still looked puzzled, “Why not?”
Chen Luzhou coughed, flicked his pen back, closed his book, clipped the pen on it, and stood up unhurriedly, “Let’s go then.”
And so, the group of four walked along the campus paths bathed in the afterglow, one pair in front and one behind. Many golden leaves had fallen on the small path, and the wind tugged at the corners of the young people’s clothes. Each had their thoughts.
Xu Zhi and Xu Gongzhu walked in front, their shadows casting long to the side, reflecting the tall, slender figures of the two boys behind them. Xu Gongzhu glanced at the particularly striking shadow and couldn’t help saying to Xu Zhi, “Are you sure it’s okay to ask him for help?”
“I don’t know either, but I really can’t figure out this structural diagram anymore.”
Xu Gongzhu also sighed, “The structural diagram is driving me crazy too.”
Behind them, the two boys were chatting casually. Chen Luzhou had one hand hanging at his side holding his book, the other in his pocket. He was quite brazenly saying to Li Ke, “The calm before the storm.”
Li Ke couldn’t help laughing, “Come on, you got lucky and you’re still boasting? She’s not jealous at all. Have you ever seen what a jealous girl looks like? Let me tell you, although I haven’t had much serious dating experience, I do have some minimal experience. My instinct tells me, that jealousy doesn’t look like this.”
Chen Luzhou still didn’t believe it. When they reached the cafeteria, the familiar clanging of trays could be heard once again. Li Ke and Xu Gongzhu headed straight for the food service area. Xu Zhi and Chen Luzhou went to find seats. Just as Chen Luzhou put down his book, Xu Zhi smiled and took out her meal card, saying to Chen Luzhou, “What would you like to eat? It’s my treat today.”
Chen Luzhou glanced at her coolly and pushed her towards the food counter, “Stop pretending. If you’re upset, just tell me directly. What’s the point of this act?”
Xu Zhi let out an “Ah,” about to ask what he meant.
Xu Gongzhu had already returned with her tray. “There’s braised pork ribs. Xu Zhi, hurry up.”
Xu Zhi responded with an “Oh,” picked up the tray beside her, and looked at Chen Luzhou, asking, “Do you want braised pork ribs?”
Chen Luzhou didn’t have much appetite. Recently, his meals had become irregular due to his intense studying. Except for breakfast at 5 AM at the convenience store with her, where he’d have some oden, he ate whenever he remembered or when he got hungry after finishing his work. He had just eaten a bowl of noodles at 3 PM when he left the dorm, so he wasn’t very hungry now.
He only got a bowl of porridge and sat across from them. Li Ke knew he had been obsessed with studying lately. Xu Gongzhu thought this was just how handsome guys ate. Xu Zhi put a chicken leg in his bowl, saying, “Eat some meat. You’ve lost a lot of weight recently.”
Chen Luzhou and Li Ke exchanged glances. Shouldn’t the normal reaction be to take away his porridge too, telling him not to eat and to go eat with someone else?
Li Ke smiled.
It was only then that Xu Gongzhu realized the relationship between the two wasn’t as simple as ordinary friends. Her eyes darted back and forth between them several times, her mind racing. Her chopsticks trembled slightly as she looked at Li Ke with excitement, wondering if she had discovered a huge secret and if she would be silenced.
Li Ke looked at her calmly, his eyes seeming to say, “Calm down, girl. This is even more exciting than you think.”
The curtains in the cafeteria were occasionally lifted by people coming in, letting in gusts of wind, but it couldn’t dispel the strange atmosphere. The four ate with different thoughts on their minds. Xu Gongzhu could hardly focus on eating, forgetting to remove her chopsticks from her mouth as her eyes kept darting between Chen Luzhou and Xu Zhi. Xu Zhi was concentrating on gnawing on her pork ribs, completely oblivious. Chen Luzhou smiled and reminded her, “Your roommate has started chewing on her chopsticks.”
Xu Zhi turned to look at her. Xu Gongzhu was startled, hastily pulling the chopsticks from her mouth. “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. I just have good eyes. I tend to notice little things.”
Xu Zhi laughed, “What little things are there between him and me?”
“I think you weren’t lying to us that day. Lu Cao does like you a bit,” Xu Gongzhu said directly.
Chen Luzhou also laughed, “What do you mean by ‘a bit’?”
Xu Gongzhu recounted their conversation in the cafeteria that day. When talking about Xu Zhi, she habitually used the term “Youth League Secretary,” as she was used to calling her that. Chen Luzhou listened with his ear tilted, hearing her vivid description, but his eyes were looking meaningfully at Xu Zhi. In the end, while methodically picking out the spring onions from his bowl and tapping them off on the rim, he casually dropped a thought-provoking comment: “Then your Youth League Secretary isn’t being honest.”
Xu Gongzhu immediately felt that this handsome guy’s level of speech was quite high. Such a meaningful sentence left her pondering for a long time, completely forgetting her original purpose. Finally, Xu Zhi brought the topic back, saying to Chen Luzhou, “Hey, I need a favor from you.”
Chen Luzhou put down his chopsticks and finished the remaining porridge unhurriedly. “Go on.”
“Can we borrow your drone this weekend?” Xu Zhi said. “We have a troublesome structural assignment.”
Xu Gongzhu added, “Our structure professor is crazy. Our classmates are going mad. I heard she’ll be teaching us design structure in the sophomore year too. Some classmates are already planning to change majors.”
Chen Luzhou asked, “What do you need the drone for?”
Xu Zhi explained, “She said my form is too scattered, lacking basic structural spirit. She wants me to go out and take some photos of buildings to get a feel for it.”
“Don’t you have a department gathering this weekend?”
Xu Zhi looked at him and said, “Jiang Yu had a family matter, so it was canceled.”
“Alright.”
Seeing his tired expression, his brows still sharp but looking weary, Xu Zhi couldn’t help saying, “Don’t push yourself too hard. No matter how well you do on the exam, it’s not a problem. Even if you can’t change majors, I think studying literature suits you well. There’s no need to put so much pressure on yourself.”
Li Ke finally chimed in, “Actually, it’s because exams are coming up soon. Everyone’s getting back into the high school entrance exam mindset. How should I put it? There’s a bit of silent competition. Since the difficulty of test papers varies across regions, everyone thinks their province’s papers are the hardest. There’s a sense of rivalry between regions. If we don’t do well, we feel like we’re letting the school down. Plus, our school is nationally renowned, so everyone’s watching. Don’t be fooled by how we play Werewolf in our dorm all the time. We’re all studying until two or three in the morning.”
Xu Gongzhi and Xu Zhi exchanged a silent glance, indicating that they didn’t understand the world of these top students.
So, on the first weekend, they each went about their own business. Chen Luzhou gave her the drone. Xu Zhi had just joined the photography club and had learned a bit from helping seniors carry equipment. She could operate it somewhat, albeit clumsily. Chen Luzhou was indeed busy lately, and she didn’t want to disturb him.
It was mid to late October, with midterm exams the following week. As the first exams drew nearer, the campus atmosphere became tenser. By five or six o’clock, there were already a few people moving about on campus.
They continued their routine – attending classes, going to the library, and meeting at the convenience store downstairs at 5 AM for breakfast. Chen Luzhou had somewhat returned to his high school state during this period. He didn’t pay much attention to his appearance, wearing the same few pieces of clothing repeatedly. People probably suspected he hadn’t washed his clothes recently. He would come downstairs with messy bed hair.
He was the type who looked good no matter what, so when he looked presentable, he’d come down directly. When he didn’t look so good, he’d wear a mask. As he opened the cabinet to get yogurt, he saw Xu Zhi just coming in, wearing a hoodie with the hood up, coincidentally in the same gray color scheme as his own. They shared a knowing smile. He picked up the fresh milk she usually drank and grabbed a triangle rice ball from the nearby shelf before going to check out.
Xu Zhi was unusually drowsy today. She yawned as she entered, heading straight for the table they usually sat at, then leaned back in the chair with her eyes closed to wake up.
Chen Luzhou came over after paying, putting the straw in the milk and holding it to her mouth. “Haven’t finished your assignment yet?”
With her hands still in her pockets, Xu Zhi closed her eyes and bit the straw, taking a couple of sips before mumbling an “Mm” and saying, “It’s due tomorrow. If she says my form is scattered again, I’m out of ideas.”
Chen Luzhou put the milk on the table. He hadn’t started eating yet and went to unwrap her rice ball. Leaning back in his chair, he slowly pulled at the plastic seal of the rice ball, half-jokingly saying, “It’s her vision that’s scattered. You should suggest she get a pair of glasses. She might have 300 degrees of astigmatism.”
Xu Zhi opened her eyes, pondering, “That’s quite possible.” Suddenly noticing his loose gray hoodie, she asked, “Why are you still wearing this? It’s been a week, hasn’t it?”
Chen Luzhou laughed, pushing the rice ball into her mouth. “Just eat. I only wear it when I come downstairs in the morning. It’s convenient when I get up. I’ll change clothes when I go back.”
Xu Zhi made an “Oh” sound, biting into the rice ball. “Have you caught up with your courses? Exams are next week, you know.”
Chen Luzhou crumpled up the rice ball wrapper, holding it in his hand as there was nowhere to throw it. After feeding her, he finally started unwrapping his breakfast. “Mm, pretty much. I’ve finished learning calculus.”
Xu Zhi’s mouth, still chewing the rice ball, froze. “…You’ve already finished?”
Chen Luzhou made an affirmative sound. “More or less. It should be easier from here on out.”
But it wasn’t that easy. After all, the atmosphere at this school was like this – everyone was working hard, especially the top students from various provinces.
Friday was Xu Gongzhu’s birthday. Originally, a few dormmates and some girls from their department had planned to have dinner together. Du Qilan had a student union business and suddenly left. Xu Gongzhu had booked a private room near the school, and a spot suddenly opened up. She asked Xu Zhi to invite Chen Luzhou.
Chen Luzhou had a bit more free time recently. He was playing basketball on the court when he received Xu Zhi’s call and agreed. “I’ll change clothes at the dorm. Send me the address.”
There were about six or seven people in the private room. Except for Liu Yisi and Xu Zhi, they were all girls from the architecture department who got along well with them. There were no outsiders. When they heard Chen Luzhou was coming, they all got excited, their eyes gleaming, occasionally glancing towards the door.
“Is the handsome guy coming?”
“Lu Cao? I just saw him playing basketball on the court.”
Xu Zhi found it puzzling: “Do you all know him?”
“If you ask Class Monitor Xuemei, she doesn’t know him. Her daily schedule doesn’t include men. But I guess most people know about him. The campus heartthrob is worth paying attention to.”
But these girls were nice and could take a joke. When they heard Xu Zhi had invited him, their knowing looks said it all.
They didn’t believe Xu Zhi when she said they were just from the same hometown. Only the simple-minded Xu Gongzhu believed her. These girls were all shrewd, smiling and saying, “No need to explain. We understand. He’s pursuing you, right?”
So, when Chen Luzhou entered, he was greeted with a chorus of knowing looks and motherly smiles from the girls.
They were having a hot pot. The whole room was filled with steam. Amidst the boiling red oil, the table was covered with lettuce and vegetable leaves. Under a table full of eager greetings, Xu Zhi felt like she and Chen Luzhou were like stir-fried meat slices, about to be eaten as a snack with drinks.
After a few rounds of drinks, someone suggested playing a game. They decided to play “Catch the Ghost.” Whoever caught the ghost could designate two people to do something. For example, “Now I’m the ghost, and I designate Old K and Little J to exchange jackets,” Xu Gongzhu shouted.
Xu Zhi and Chen Luzhou had been watching from the sidelines, neither participating nor commenting. Everyone automatically excluded them, thinking it wouldn’t be right to ask Chen Luzhou to do anything, as it would make it hard to play freely. Naturally, they didn’t include Xu Zhi either. At first, everyone thought the game was childish, but as they played on, they couldn’t stop because there were so many variations. It went on until two girls hugged and kissed. Chen Luzhou remarked that the girls in their department were quite bold.
…
After the noisy dinner, the group struggled back to school. Xu Zhi and Chen Luzhou walked at the back. Xu Gongzhu was a bit drunk, stumbling as she walked, still singing “Happy Birthday” to herself. Liu Yisi, afraid she might fall, had to carefully guard her from behind. “Be careful!”
The other girls from the department who had also drunk quite a bit were walking unsteadily. Looking up at the dark sky, thinking about the structural assignment they had just submitted, they were full of bitterness. One of them let out a long howl, “What did I do in my past life to deserve studying architecture in this life? I regret it! I want to change majors!”
A deafening thunderclap rolled across the sky, and suddenly, large raindrops began to fall.
“Damn, it’s raining.”
“Crap, I haven’t brought in my quilt! Hurry, hurry!”
The group gradually quickened their pace, hurrying back to the dorms. No one noticed that two people were missing from the back.
Passing by the pitch-black teaching building, they exchanged a glance. Just then, a few raindrops fell from the sky. Xu Zhi thought it was water from an air conditioner at first. She reached out her hand to catch it, and when she looked up, she saw the vast open sky above. It was indeed raining. Before they could react, in an instant, the round raindrops fell densely from above, immediately soaking their heads.
The teaching building was pitch black. If you didn’t look carefully, you wouldn’t notice two people pressed against the wall.
Chen Luzhou silently pressed her against the wall of the stairwell in the teaching building and kissed her. Their hot breaths intertwined between their noses. Both of their hair was wet, but their heartbeats were frantic and burning, dispelling the chill on each other’s bodies. Chen Luzhou had one hand on the back of her head, while the other casually and ascetically supported him against the wall. Xu Zhi was enclosed by him against the stairwell wall, her arms around his waist, eyes closed, head tilted back, kissing him intensely and fervently.