HomeBe Passionately in LoveChapter 79: Reward · Gift

Chapter 79: Reward · Gift

It was November, not long after they had made their relationship official. The news had already spread like wildfire across campus. Xu Zhi knew gossip traveled fast, but she hadn’t expected it to be this quick. One afternoon, during a major-specific class, Zhu Yangqi sent her two WeChat messages, one of which was a screenshot.

Zhu Yangqi: [Tsk tsk, this is the third one this afternoon. Several girls from our high school came to ask me which high school you went to.]

Xu Zhi: [?]

Zhu Yangqi: [It’s normal when dating him. After all, so many girls had crushes on him in high school, but he never paid attention to anyone. Everyone thought he’d stay single at least until college graduation. Nobody expected him to start dating right after high school. It’s kind of breaking the hearts of the girls at our school. There will probably be quite a few people coming to ask about you these days. But don’t worry, he’s my bro, and I won’t gossip about your information. I told them you graduated from Fairy High School and that you’re incredibly beautiful.]

Xu Zhi: [The girls in his class seem to have met me before.]

Zhu Yangqi: [You’re thinking too small. Do you think only the girls in his class knew about Chen Luzhou at our high school? Every girl on our arts campus knew him. He hasn’t even posted on his Moments yet. The day he does, I bet my phone will explode.]

Xu Zhi: [Then how do they know now?]

Zhu Yangqi: [There are quite a few of our former high school classmates at your university. It seems one of the guys accidentally sent a message to our old high school competition group chat while looking for him, asking where he was. Then someone replied saying he was having dinner with you in the cafeteria. After that, I started getting messages from various sisters one after another. You’ll see when the winter break comes just how popular he was at our school. There will probably be no shortage of gatherings then.]

Chen Luzhou was playing basketball on the court at that time, his phone was left on a mat under the basketball hoop. When he came off the court, he sat on the ground, both hands propped behind him, intently watching a few people on the court working on their coordination. Someone noticed his phone lighting up several times and picked it up from the mat to hand it to him, “Cao, your phone.”

The phone slid down from his shoulder. Chen Luzhou was wearing a loose-fitting gray tracksuit and pants, with the zipper pulled up tight to the top, just covering half his chin. He sat lazily, reaching out one hand to catch the phone, casually pressing it to his chest without rushing to answer. He unhurriedly reminded the people on the court, “The shot clock’s running down, if you don’t shoot now you’ll get blocked.”

It was too late; as soon as he finished speaking.

“Bam—” The ball was swatted away from overhead, flying straight towards Chen Luzhou.

He predicted it accurately and reacted quickly, deftly tilting his head to avoid it. He used this to adjust his posture, sitting up cross-legged, and sighing as he looked down at his phone.

The person next to him was in awe of Chen Luzhou’s predictive ability, sincerely exclaiming, “Cao, your prediction skills are amazing!”

“Just a good angle,” Chen Luzhou only said, looking down at his phone and asking without raising his head, “What call?”

Upon closer inspection, it was WeChat, and the name looked a bit unfamiliar. It took him a while to remember it was the girl who had left their class in the first year of high school because she couldn’t handle the pressure.

Zhang Yu: [You didn’t go abroad?]

Cr: [No, something up?]

Zhang Yu: [Nothing, just saw them talking about you in the class group chat. I remembered hearing you went abroad before, didn’t expect you to still go to A University. Are Li Ke and the others there too? I’m at B University, want to have a meal together sometime?]

Cr: [We’ll see, busy lately.]

Zhang Yu: [All right.]

The next second, another message came in, not from Zhang Yu, but from a contact saved as “Racatsanddogs”.

Racatsanddogs: [Where are you?]

Cr: [Basketball court, class over?]

Racatsanddogs: [Not yet, a bit…]

Cr: [Hungry?]

Racatsanddogs: […missing you.]

In the first week after they started dating, their WeChat conversations were quite formal.

[Where are you?]

[Library.]

[Eat together later?]

[Sure, do you have class this afternoon?]

[No, not sure if there’s a meeting. I’m craving crab.]

[Okay, I’ll take you later.]

And so on.

Later, as they got more familiar, their true natures emerged, and the dialogue began to become more straightforward. However, their directness was limited to saying things like “I miss you” or “I want you,” and nothing more.

Chen Luzhou was about to reply when Zhu Yangqi’s call came in. He had just argued with his roommate, and hearing Chen Luzhou’s breathless voice, he had an ominous feeling and went on the offensive: “Why are you panting? Are you out of breath again? Did your girlfriend hug you too tight again?”

Chen Luzhou laughed, “I’m playing basketball, no class this afternoon.”

Zhu Yangqi was just about to speak, relieved.

Chen Luzhou added, “But she just said she misses me terribly,” he leaned back, propping himself up on one elbow, and asked mischievously, “Hey, Zhu Yangqi, do you have a girlfriend?”

Zhu Yangqi almost choked, gritting his teeth as he cursed at him: “…Do you have any conscience?”

Chen Luzhou stopped laughing, his tone becoming serious: “What did you want?”

Zhu Yangqi, exhausted, said: “I really can’t stand the two weirdos in my dorm anymore, they argue every day. I’m planning to rent a place off-campus next semester. Do you want to share with me?”

Chen Luzhou sat up straight, changing his posture, one hand holding the phone, the other elbow casually resting on his bent knee as he said: “Our schools are so far apart, how can we share a place?”

Zhu Yangqi said: “I can take the hit, rent a place closer to your school. Anyway, we have fewer classes, just a few major courses a week.”

“It’s not… convenient,” Chen Luzhou tilted his head back, thinking it over, his Adam’s apple rolling slightly as he spoke slowly.

Zhu Yangqi knew he had a girlfriend and had reservations, but he had just been thoroughly annoyed by his roommates, had downed a bottle of Sprite, and his stomach was burning. He couldn’t hold back: “Are you considering Xu Zhi? I don’t mind living with you two…”

“You’re overthinking,” Chen Luzhou said, “Our school only allows commuting from second year. Li Ke is also thinking of moving out then. He plans to apply for a startup fund next semester, living off-campus is more convenient. I’ll share it with him. If you want to come over, I’ll ask him to find a place slightly closer to your school. If you can’t stand your dorm next semester, find a place to crash on your own first.”

“Isn’t Xu Zhi planning to move out with you? Quite a few couples at our school are already renting places together.”

Chen Luzhou sighed helplessly, looking at the active figures on the basketball court. This place was well-ventilated, with no sealed walls. He said, “Then who knows what rumors would spread at school. We can barely find a place to kiss seriously without circling half the teaching building, afraid of being caught.”

And Xu Zhi loved kissing so much.

Being caught would be troublesome, people might take photos, and then it would be all over social media, creating a bad influence. Zhu Yangqi understood completely. After all, they were at a double first-class university, and he had always been a person with a strong sense of propriety. “That’s true, after all, you’ve always been pure.”

Being in love always makes people a bit clingier, but Zhu Yangqi still hadn’t quite wrapped his head around what his pure, aloof friend was like in a relationship with a girlfriend.

In public, he definitely wouldn’t be showy, but in private, he must be very passionate.

Following that, Chen Luzhou asked on the phone, “Want to come over this weekend?”

Zhu Yangqi was immediately on guard, “What for? To feed me dog food?”

Chen Luzhou laughed, saying lazily: “It’s my birthday. I haven’t treated you and Li Ke to a meal since I started dating her. We can celebrate my birthday at the same time.”

“Aren’t you two celebrating your birthday alone?” Zhu Yangqi said, “If it were me, after being single for so many years, the first time I’m in a relationship and have a birthday, I’d want my girlfriend to prepare a nice surprise.”

Chen Luzhou had thought about this for a while, but in the end, felt it wasn’t necessary. He sighed and said: “Let’s not. I care about my girlfriend, preparing surprises is tiring, and she’s been busy lately.”

Zhu Yangqi was a bit shocked, “Come on, aren’t you the sentimental type who cares most about rituals?”

“Xu Zhi’s major is different from others, it’s quite brain-intensive. The seniors in their department joke that they can only work healthily for the country for five to ten years at most. Sometimes when I see her staying up late working on drawings, I get quite annoyed. I want her to live longer,” Chen Luzhou said, frowning. “It’s only been a short while since the semester started, and she’s already had who knows how many cups of coffee.”

So, a few days ago, Chen Luzhou had repeatedly told her not to prepare anything for his birthday, saying it was enough for her to just spend the day with him.

Chen Luzhou’s official birthday on his ID is in March, but the few close friends around him know his real birthday is in November. Coincidentally, it’s on Singles’ Day. In high school, he didn’t celebrate it much. If it weren’t for Zhu Yangqi gathering a group of people every year to go out for drinks and karaoke, he would usually just stay at home and sleep in. Because this day wasn’t a good day for him.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng sent him a birthday gift this year, including several high school friends who might not even be considered close, who also sent him WeChat messages wishing him a happy birthday.

Chen Xingqi also sent him a message.

[Brother, happy birthday.]

After the court had awarded custody of Chen Xingqi to Chen Jishen, they hadn’t been in contact. The night he and Lian Hui were packing to move out of the villa, Chen Xingqi had clung to his neck like a koala, refusing to let go, crying and asking, “Brother, can I go with you? I don’t want to stay with them.”

Chen Luzhou was in an even worse state those days, his voice completely hoarse, almost inaudible when he spoke, “You can’t. I’ll be working part-time while studying, how can I take care of you?”

Chen Xingqi’s eyes were swollen from crying, but he still said quietly: “I’m very easy to take care of, just feed me and I’ll be fine.”

At that time, Chen Luzhou’s clothes were almost pulled off, and his shoulder was half exposed. He looked at Lian Hui, who was standing silently by the car door. In the end, he took Chen Xingqi down, comforting him with a few words, “Stay at home and be good, I’ll come back to see you when I have time.”

However, Chen Xingqi knew it was a lie and immediately exposed him, howling: “Liar! You and Mom will never come back!”

Chen Luzhou didn’t say anything.

In the end, Lian Hui silently came over and dragged Chen Xingqi into the house, and locked the door, ignoring Chen Xingqi’s heart-wrenching cries inside, frantically banging on the door like a little dog.

It was at that moment that Chen Luzhou seemed to see his younger self.

When Lian Hui first left him, she must have been more resolute than just now.

Later, after they got in the car and drove for a while in silence, Lian Hui asked the driver to pull over. She got out to smoke a cigarette. When she came back, she fished out a new house key from her bag and tossed it to him.

She stared out the window silently for a moment before saying: “If I had known he would send you to an orphanage, I wouldn’t have left you with him back then. At that time, I was having problems with him, and after we broke up, I found out I was pregnant. I originally wanted to abort you, but the night before I went to the hospital, I had a dream. I dreamed that you kept calling me ‘mom’, and the child in the dream looked a lot like you. I couldn’t bear to do it. But I had no feelings for him anymore. When he found out I was pregnant, he said he wanted to marry me. It was ridiculous.”

She paused for a moment, the memories seeming to pain her, her eyes crinkling: “You’ve never met him, you don’t know what kind of person he is. He’s full of lies, with a mess of romantic entanglements. When I was with him, he always supported me. After we broke up, I had no choice. I had no source of income, so I could only go to work with a big belly. That’s when I met Chen Jishen. At that time, Chen Jishen already had some money. He said he didn’t mind the child in my belly, that he would raise you after you were born. Later, that man found me and caused a big scene. It was very ugly, he even came to Chen Jishen’s company. He said if I wanted to marry him, I had to give you to him, that he wouldn’t let another man raise you. Although he’s a scumbag, his family has some money.”

Cars drove past them one after another, their orange-red headlights alternating between near and far. At this point, Lian Hui gave a helpless smile and said, “At that time, I thought, if you were to come with me and marry Chen Jishen, I’d be in a vulnerable position. I’d have to rely on him for everything, even my job at the TV station was given by him. If Chen Jishen had his children in the future, you’d have to be mindful of others’ opinions. But if you stayed with him, no matter who he married later, you’d always be the eldest son. Do you understand? After all, he’s your biological father, and you’d have a share of his assets.”

“Why did he abandon me again?” Chen Luzhou was leaning back in the rear seat, his face expressionless as he stared out the window. His voice was devoid of any emotion, so hoarse that only fragments of words could be heard.

“In his younger days, he used to engage in street racing. He was young and reckless, offending many people. Later, he got into a car accident and was in a coma for three or four years. Right after that, because of his street racing, his father’s dirty dealings were exposed, and he was arrested. His mother had a bit of a mental breakdown and sent you to the orphanage. When he woke up, it probably took him a long time to remember he had a son. Later, he went looking for you, but he was such a scoundrel in his youth that he couldn’t even remember your birth date. Before the accident, you were mainly cared for by a nanny.”

“After three or four years, he couldn’t remember what you looked like at all. He was at his wit’s end when he found me, asking me to go to the orphanage to identify you. I was furious at the time, but I couldn’t hand you over to him again. Later, I lied to him, saying I had been adopted. Then I discussed it with Chen Jishen. He agreed, but he insisted that I send you abroad when you came of age. Only then did I realize how he could be so magnanimous and truly not mind.”

Chen Luzhou’s throat tightened, constricting. He couldn’t utter a word anymore. Days ago, he had already screamed himself hoarse. The extreme breakdown and despair had been exhausted on the day he learned the truth. Now, his heart felt like a dead pond, and he was like a wooden puppet. His eyes were equally calm, without a ripple of emotion. “So you used the birth date as an excuse and lied to him?”

Lian Hui’s throat was dry too. As she reached the end of her explanation, her voice choked up. She took a breath, but her words were fragmented, barely mustering the strength to continue: “No, Chen Xingqi was indeed constantly feverish at that time. I knew he was superstitious, so I let him consult a fortune teller. Sometimes things are destined, I suppose. The fortune teller said Chen Xingqi should have a godmother, but I disagreed. He then said having an older brother would work too, saying Chen Xingqi’s destiny included an older brother. At that time, both Chen Jishen and I knew the truth. When we went to the orphanage to handle the paperwork, you were six years old. You had no reservations at all, obediently calling us ‘Dad’ and ‘Mom’, and being very well-behaved. Suddenly, I couldn’t bear to tell you the truth. I was afraid you might resent me and also worried you wouldn’t be able to accept it right away. I thought I’d tell you when a suitable opportunity arose in the future.”

She lowered her head and gave a self-deprecating smile. Despite her good skincare, revealing smooth skin, the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes betrayed her age. “You’ve always been without any reservations towards us. When you were ten, I originally wanted to tell you, but you got along so well with Chen Jishen, just like his own son, even better than with Chen Xingqi. I didn’t dare to disrupt this balance, so I never found the right opportunity to tell you. But Chen Jishen is essentially an old-fashioned person. As his business grew bigger, he not only started to be wary of you but also of me. No matter how careful I was, he always felt that although I was good to Chen Xingqi, I secretly favored you. So that night when you called me late, I didn’t answer. I wasn’t really in a meeting at the station, it was because he was beside me.”

“Because just a moment before, I had hung up on Chen Xingqi. He had been clamoring about wanting to buy sneakers those days, and knowing it wasn’t anything important, I didn’t answer. Chen Jishen said I was being cold towards Chen Xingqi, and right after that, you called. Later, when you asked me why I insisted on sending you abroad, it was because the more determined my attitude was, the more reassured he would be. At that time, I always thought that no matter what, Chen Jishen was the only person we, mother and son, could rely on. We just needed to go along with him.”

The car fell silent for a couple of seconds. Chen Luzhou reached for the door, ready to get out. By now, his emotions had faded, but he didn’t know what to say to Lian Hui. Some things, once broken, are broken. No one can pretend everything is fine. After learning the truth, he felt as if he shouldn’t exist in this world at all.

He leaned back in the rear seat, first looking out the window, then pausing for two seconds before tilting his head to look at the car ceiling. With his head tilted back against the seat, Adam’s apple moved coldly a couple of times. His throat felt dry and tight, rolling with a scratchy, stinging pain. His whole being exuded weariness as he stared coldly at the car roof. Finally, he opened his mouth tiredly. Due to his throat condition, he could barely make a sound, like a jammed tape recorder that somehow managed to articulate clearly. He said self-mockingly, “Sometimes, people need to love something to keep on living.”

His words were still flippant, but he was like a fish on the verge of drying up, his heart as dead as ashes, having given up struggling. He let himself be battered by the rain like duckweed like banana leaves scattering. More despondent than ever before, yet with a hint of relentless determination.

Lian Hui, with a pale face, managed a smile and said, “Love is the most ethereal thing. More often than not, love, to some extent, is just a cheap emotional response and a mental illusion.”

Chen Luzhou just silently looked out the window, not responding to her.

**

Chen Luzhou called Chen Xingqi back.

The other end hung up and initiated a video call, but no head was visible, only piles of exam papers and workbooks. Several PSPs were scattered haphazardly on the desk. Chen Xingqi’s voice hadn’t broken yet, he was the latest in their class, still sounding like a child, “Brother!”

Chen Luzhou was in the dormitory. His roommate, hearing the voice, thought it was a ten-year-old. Seeing the mountain of homework on the desk, he couldn’t help but tease, “Elementary school kids sure have a lot of homework these days.”

“Middle school student, late voice change,” Chen Luzhou replied.

He was sitting in the chair with his legs spread, wearing only a t-shirt, his jacket hanging on the back of the chair, pressed by his back. His figure was still broad and tall but lean. As soon as Chen Xingqi saw his brother’s familiar broad shoulders and back, he felt a sense of security wash over him. He immediately recalled snuggling in his brother’s arms while playing games, longing to curl up in his embrace again. He looked enviously at his brother’s broad chest, “Brother, why are you still wearing a t-shirt? Shouldn’t it be snowing in Beijing? I saw that the Northeast is having heavy snow.”

Chen Luzhou rocked back and forth in his chair a couple of times, holding his phone towards himself, ignoring Chen Xingqi’s question, “What strange thing did I just see? Point the camera at yourself.”

When Chen Xingqi first opened the video call, he forgot to flip the camera, so his face was shown first. His brother had indeed noticed.

“You dyed your hair?” Chen Luzhou looked at the screen with a mix of emotions, “What color is that?”

Chen Xingqi said carelessly, “Yellowish-green.”

“What’s the idea behind this?” Chen Luzhou asked, perplexed.

“The idea is to piss off my dad.”

Chen Luzhou shook his head, not bothering to reason with him anymore, and asked teasingly, “Have you been out in public?”

“Yeah, it’s been dyed for several days now,” Chen Xingqi said, looking up at the video while playing his PSP.

“Didn’t anyone mistake you for a traffic light?”

Chen Xingqi said, “Now that you mention it, I remember my dad almost ran me over with his car yesterday. Do you think he mistook me for a traffic light?”

“He probably really wanted to run you over.”

“Whatever, I’m his only son now. If he kills me, there’ll be no one to take care of him in his old age.”

“Chen Xingqi,” Chen Luzhou finally called him seriously. Hearing this, the PSP on the other end was put down, and a rebellious teenage face looked at him, clearly not interested in being lectured. Of course, Chen Luzhou didn’t care whether he listened or not and directly pointed out, “It’s unnecessary. Live your life, study hard, and dye your hair back.”

“Can I come to Beijing to visit you then?”

“Get into No.1 High School, and I’ll show you around Beijing.”

“No.1 High School? I’m not you, brother. Brother, you’re so smart, what exactly did you eat growing up? Our teacher told us yesterday that with effort, most people can get into a good university, but to get into a top university, ordinary people really can’t manage it. You need some talent for studying. Then our teacher said that those who can get into your A University are all gifted but also extremely hardworking people. I can hardly imagine what a group of people like you talk about when you’re together. Do you discuss rocket launches?”

Chen Luzhou couldn’t be bothered to go on with this conversation, “We talk about everything. I don’t know about being gifted or not, but I do know that people here are indeed quite hardworking. You study hard too. If you really can’t keep up, I’ll find you a tutor, we should have classmates at Qing University. Don’t tell your parents, we’ll keep in touch privately from now on.”

After hanging up the phone, Chen Luzhou tossed his phone on the desk and turned to ask the roommate who had chimed in earlier, “Are the midterm results out yet?”

The midterms only covered a few basic courses, not including major-specific ones. They had exams in calculus, English, and such. The Humanities Experimental Class had more exams because their curriculum was more diverse.

Chen Luzhou scored 96 in calculus and a perfect score in English.

“You’re quite impressive, coming a month late and still scoring this well in calculus,” his roommate said.

But Li Ke was shocked, “You didn’t get a perfect score in calculus? That’s impossible. Isn’t your calculus the easiest? I just heard that someone in the Humanities Department got perfect scores in both English and calculus. I thought it must be you. Is dating affecting you?” The two were walking off campus at the time, with classmates passing by. Li Ke looked around and then leaned in close to whisper seriously, “I heard that, you know, after losing your virginity, both intelligence and energy levels decrease. Are you being too unrestrained?”

Chen Luzhou: “…”

The agreed dinner spot was at a large outdoor food stall across from the school. When they arrived, Zhu Yangqi was already there, tapping his bowl impatiently. Seeing only the two of them, he looked behind them and asked, “Where’s Xu Zhi?”

Chen Luzhou pulled out the chair opposite Zhu Yangqi and sat down, while Li Ke automatically sat next to Zhu Yangqi. Chen Luzhou leaned back in his chair, first taking the plastic-wrapped bowl and chopsticks from the empty seat next to him. As he unwrapped them, crumpling the plastic film in his palm, he said, “She’s in class at the Architecture Building. She’ll be here later.”

“Celebrating a birthday at a food stall, what were you thinking?” Zhu Yangqi said.

They were sitting by the roadside. He looked around; there weren’t many people, which was normal for this school. On Fridays, people were either out having fun or in the library.

“Why make it so grand? Don’t scare her. It’s just a birthday,” Chen Luzhou said nonchalantly, looking down with indifference. He spoke lightly, then set the chopsticks neatly for her before unwrapping his own.

“Fine, you’re the one who knows how to care for people,” Zhu Yangqi clicked his tongue.

This seafood food stall had been closed for a while recently but had reopened. He had heard from senior students that this place had a taste of their hometown. Xu Zhi hadn’t tried it before, so Chen Luzhou chose this place. There were two or three other tables nearby, seemingly occupied by graduate students taking a break from their labs. They had noticed Chen Luzhou’s table and couldn’t help but glance over a couple of times, sighing about the relentlessness of time, remembering how they too once had such clean, clear eyes like stars when they first arrived.

The food stall was playing a popular song in the background, “Mang” (Bewildered).

Zhu Yangqi didn’t like this song; it seemed to epitomize loneliness to the extreme. The lyrics were also quite heartbreaking, with lines like “Amidst the lights of ten thousand homes, not a single light is left for me.”

Li Ke returned with a few cans of cola, sliding one over to Chen Luzhou. He couldn’t help but bring up the topic again: “Hey, think about what I just told you, okay?”

“Think about what?” Zhu Yangqi asked curiously.

“Nothing, we’re planning to participate in the mathematical modeling competition, but his recent state isn’t great. I think dating has somewhat affected him,” Li Ke asked curiously, “Hey, do you know how long the honeymoon phase usually lasts?”

“Three months, I guess?” Zhu Yangqi said, “It depends on the person. With this guy, it’s hard to say. It might not end even after a year. He’s a bit of a romantic.”

“That won’t work. The American Mathematical Contest in Modeling will be over by then.”

Chen Luzhou chuckled, sighed, opened his cola, and returned to the previous topic, frankly admitting, “Overall, it’s not as abundant as in high school. Energy-wise, I’m bound to be a bit distracted.”

“Distracted by what?” The chair beside them was pulled out, and Xu Zhi sat down, asking curiously.

The two were dressed quite complementarily. Chen Luzhou wore a gray sweater over a white t-shirt, showing a bit of white at the bottom, making his entire figure look clean and sharp. Xu Zhi was also in black and gray, a black wool coat, black skinny pants, and a gray sweater underneath, her lines softer.

Originally, Chen Luzhou sitting there alone looked quite handsome but lonely, and it was hard to imagine who could sit beside him. However, when Xu Zhi sat down, the picture became complete. Beside them was a double first-class university, the street lamps gently illuminating the old, yellowing streets. The orange-red car lights on the road nearby spilled like a river. In this chaotic scene, perhaps due to the hard and beautiful lines of their bodies, the two stood out particularly clearly, looking sober, independent, gentle, and determined.

Chen Luzhou leaned back in his chair, one arm casually hanging over the back, the other resting on the table. He had a black elastic band around his wrist, and his index finger tapped idly. He turned to look at her, examining her from top to bottom as if unraveling her, finally letting his gaze fall meaningfully on the bag behind her, drawling, “It’s your boyfriend’s birthday, and you came empty-handed?”

There was a white railing by the roadside, and their table was right next to it. Beijing had already entered winter, and it happened to be Singles’ Day. Several delivery trucks were parked at the school gate, unloading goods. Xu Zhi glanced absent-mindedly in that direction, then turned back to look at him with a smile, her gaze falling on his thin, pale wrist: “Didn’t you say not to prepare anything?”

“All right.”

He fell silent. Li Ke and Zhu Yangqi stared blankly at the two of them, but Chen Luzhou still leaned back casually, his gaze fixed on her for a good while. He lazily gestured with his chin towards the bag she had placed behind her, “Is it in your bag? Come on, take it out.” He looked as if he believed she couldn’t possibly have come unprepared.

Xu Zhi couldn’t help but laugh, picking up his cola and taking a sip, but still saying, “Really, I didn’t bring anything.”

“Really nothing?”

“Nothing.”

Chen Luzhou didn’t seem angry, just a bit disappointed. But he knew Xu Zhi had been busy lately, staying up late for several days to finish her midterm assignments for her major courses. The architecture department was known for having no weekends, and after submitting her assignments, she slept for a day and a night in her dorm to catch up on rest.

He leaned back, sighed, and lowered his head to think. After all, they were in the honeymoon phase, and he could understand. But to prevent himself from arguing with her about this in the future, he tried hard to convince himself. He raised his chin slightly, looking past the dense, flickering orange-red car lights and the busy couriers unloading parcels, giving himself a way out. He looked around and noticed only a basketball store nearby. His tone was both arrogant and cold: “Go buy me a random basketball, don’t buy Spalding or those, nothing too expensive. Just consider it a birthday gift. If I ever argue with you about this in the future, you can hit me with it.”

Xu Zhi lowered her head and smiled. Chen Jiaojiao was still Chen Jiaojiao. Without a word, she obediently stood up and left.

When she returned, the dishes had just been served, and everyone was discussing their midterm results. Chen Luzhou pulled out a chair for her, extending his hand. Xu Zhi placed a basketball keychain in his palm, from the Spalding custom series, probably not cheaper than a regular basketball. He was taken aback, put down his chopsticks, and looked up at her suspiciously.

Xu Zhi’s skin was naturally fair, and the dry Beijing wind made her entire face taut, her features round and delicate, her skin fine and almost flawless. Her black hair, half-curled, scattered behind her back. As she sat down, she naturally took the elastic band from Chen Luzhou’s wrist and loosely tied her hair, saying, “I asked the shopkeeper which ball wouldn’t hurt if thrown, and he said probably only the keychain wouldn’t hurt. You get angry so easily, I thought this would be safer. Is this the one from summer?”

He nodded, “It fell at my bedroom door.”

“Not angry anymore?” Xu Zhi said, “Can I make a request then?”

Chen Luzhou laughed, one hand casually resting on the back of her chair, turning his head to look at her, “Getting cocky now?”

Xu Zhi felt it wasn’t appropriate to say this in front of the other two, so she took out her phone from her bag and quickly sent him a WeChat message.

Racatsanddogs: Can we stay out tonight?

As soon as Xu Zhi’s message went through with a whoosh, Chen Luzhou’s phone was on the table immediately followed by a ding.

Zhu Yangqi and Li Ke: “…”

Could you two be any more obvious?

Chen Luzhou didn’t respond. Li Ke was still discussing the mathematical modeling competition with him, getting to the exciting part, painting a grand picture for Chen Luzhou, speaking eloquently. This attracted frequent glances from the nearby senior graduate students, who thought these young people were too arrogant and didn’t know their limits. But it was precisely this passionate spirit that seemed familiar, wasn’t it just like they used to be?

Li Ke: “I asked, even if we don’t participate in the national competition, our school can directly participate in the American Mathematical Contest in Modeling. Winning prizes in the mathematical modeling competition can secure a spot for postgraduate studies. We’ve been doing competitions for three years in high school, this should be our forte, right? But it’s a bit different from math competitions, I think mathematical modeling is more interesting.”

“I’ll think about it,” Chen Luzhou said after pondering for a moment.

Then Xu Zhi said, “I signed up for the national math competition, calculus. The preliminary round is at the end of the month.”

Li Ke: “Oh, you signed up? That’s great. Let your girlfriend take on the math competition, and you come with me for the mathematical modeling competition. Have you done competitions before?”

Xu Zhi said, “Never, so I was hoping to get some tips from you guys.”

Li Ke said with a smile, “Your boyfriend is the expert here. He got first place in the national math competition and was on the training team. If it weren’t for the special period of educational reform in our province last year, which canceled all recommendations and only gave extra points, he would have been recommended for admission long ago.”

The person next to them, whether out of pride or something else, started humming a song, low and deep, enunciating clearly. It sounded very nice, because the food stall was playing this song, and his voice blended in with the melody, particularly clear.

“Without my romance, what romance do they have, you can only embrace regret…”

Chen Luzhou might not have realized it himself, but he had unconsciously started humming along with the melody, chewing on a crab leg while listening to their conversation.

When the conversation died down, he realized that everyone at the table was looking at him. Chen Luzhou tossed a peeled crab leg into Xu Zhi’s bowl, coughed, and said, “Why are you all looking at me? Is singing against the law?”

Xu Zhi asked him with a smile, “Did you see the WeChat message?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Is it okay? I have a gift I want to give you.”

Chen Luzhou still had one arm hanging over Xu Zhi’s chair. He was wearing gloves, tossing peeled crab legs one by one into her bowl. His expression was quite indifferent as he glanced at her meaningfully and said, “Giving a gift?”

“Want a reward, don’t you?” he added with a half-smile.

Author’s note: “Without my romance…” by Shen Yicheng

The next chapter will be Jiaojiao’s birthday celebration, which happens to be his birthday tomorrow.

This chapter has quite a lot of plot, the next chapter will start to get sweet.

Due to my health not being particularly good, I might update for four days and rest for one day in the future. The story should be completed by the end of the month.

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