The stairwell was dim and silent. The sound of firecrackers gradually faded away. Perhaps their heartbeats and emotions were too intense, automatically blocking out the external noise, leaving only the sound of each other’s breathing. As desperate fish returned to the sea, they embraced each other eagerly, relishing in the long-missed scent and warmth.
“Happy New Year, Chen Luzhou,” Xu Zhi couldn’t help but hug him tighter. Her eyes stung as an unfamiliar emotion welled up inside her. Not knowing how to handle it, she buried her face deeper into his embrace. The familiar scent of sage filled her nostrils, instantly calming and satisfying her heart.
There was so much to say, but Chen Luzhou knew he couldn’t stay long tonight. He could only choose the most important words. He comfortingly stroked her head and said softly, “I’m not very good at sweet talk because I know I have nothing right now. Anything I say might seem like empty promises—” He leaned down to her ear, “But we’ll have everything in the future. You can trust your boyfriend on that.”
“I understand,” Xu Zhi mimicked him.
He chuckled, “You little mimic.”
Teased, Xu Zhi, still buried in his embrace, pinched his waist hard to show her displeasure.
Chen Luzhou’s waist was lean but muscular, full of strength, and pleasant to touch. As Xu Zhi pinched, she took advantage of the darkness to slip her hand under his tracksuit—
Chen Luzhou looked down at her, sighing with a mix of helplessness and amusement. He caught her mischievous hand in time and asked with a smile, “What are you up to—”
The culprit, unrepentant, insisted on reaching in, “Copping a feel.”
“Stop that. I’ll let you have your fill tomorrow. I still need to go eat something with them. You should head up to bed early, okay?” Chen Luzhou said.
Xu Zhi finally rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him. Her eyes were still red, like a wrung-out towel that couldn’t squeeze out any more water, misty but just red. “I want to stay with you a bit longer.”
“Have you been crying? Why are your eyes so red?” He ran his fingers through her hair, brushing it gently. “Hmm?”
“I’m moved by you,” she said, rising slightly on her toes to get closer, “Do you see any tears?”
Chen Luzhou cupped her face and looked carefully, his thumb gently caressing under her eye. “No, there aren’t any. Don’t force it if you can’t cry. It’s not good for you.”
Xu Zhi let him hold her face as she finally took a moment to study his features. His jawline was even more defined, his lips thin and seemingly severe, giving him a strangely serious look. He seemed more mature than during the holiday break, though his touch remained gentle, and his sharp brow softened with a smile that couldn’t hide his fatigue. Only his eyes remained unchanged – black and white, clear and clean like grass growing fresh in a rainy day’s mud puddle.
“You’ve lost weight again. You’re not delicate at all anymore,” Xu Zhi said.
There weren’t many direct flights from Beijing to Qingyi. He had to transfer once and spent several hours at the airport. He’d been traveling almost the entire day and hadn’t had time to freshen up.
“Delicate my ass, I was never delicate—”
Before he could finish, a sudden pop-pop exploded beside them.
They were startled and turned to look. A voice floated over, “Chen Luzhou, I’m starving to death!”
“Wait a bit. If you’re hungry, go order first,” he called back without turning his head, still looking down at Xu Zhi.
Xu Zhi sighed and let go of him. “You should go with them. But are there even places open to eat on New Year’s Eve?”
“Mm, there are a few snack shops open near No. 1 High School. We’ll just grab a quick bite,” Chen Luzhou said, also releasing her. He thought for a moment and asked, “Can you go out this late? Want to come eat something?”
“Better not, it’s too late.”
“Alright, call me if you need anything—”
Before he could finish, another pop-pop exploded beside them unexpectedly. They were getting impatient.
Chen Luzhou, irritated, turned his back to the entrance and shouted without looking, “Can you stop being annoying?”
Immediately after, without a word, came another pop, this time a series of them. Two or three pop-pops exploded on the ground in rapid succession, almost hitting Chen Luzhou’s feet.
“You starving go—” Chen Luzhou turned around, extremely annoyed, but his voice suddenly changed mid-sentence. Xu Zhi had never heard him speak so obediently before, “…Dr. Xu.”
Xu Guangji stood at the entrance wearing a black leather jacket, holding pop-pops he had confiscated from somewhere. Chen Luzhou instinctively glanced back to see Zhu Yangqi and Cai Yingying desperately gesturing behind him, but it was too late. The stern father continued his sentence emotionlessly: “What’s this dead ghost doing here?”
Chen Luzhou coughed and obediently put his hands in his pockets, inconspicuously taking a step to the side.
“Uh, I was just bringing some things for Xu Zhi.”
Xu Guangji noticed his empty hands and narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. “What things?”
Chen Luzhou replied without blushing or avoiding eye contact, “Just some books I borrowed from her during the summer vacation.”
“A whole suitcase of books?” Xu Guangji asked.
Chen Luzhou responded without hesitation, “Yes, a suitcase of books.”
Xu Guangji smiled and said, “Alright, then give me the suitcase. I’ll take it up.”
Chen Luzhou: “…”
Chen Luzhou glanced at Xu Zhi and coughed. She remained unmoved, so he had no choice but to reluctantly push the suitcase over.
Xu Guangji picked it up, “Quite heavy. Good kid, loves to read.”
Chen Luzhou’s suitcase didn’t have many books, just a few clothes and drone equipment. Luckily, it was locked.
“Um, Dr. Xu, you’ll have to return the suitcase to me…” Chen Luzhou added reluctantly.
“Of course,” Xu Guangji said, satisfied as he prepared to go upstairs with the suitcase. He turned to look at Xu Zhi, “What are you standing there for?”
Xu Zhi held back her laughter. As Old Xu turned to go upstairs, she mouthed silently to Chen Luzhou — “I’m going, okay?”
Chen Luzhou watched helplessly as his suitcase was dragged away, seeing her abandon him and enjoy the show. He couldn’t resist playfully pretending to choke her, his hands gently squeezing her neck. Xu Zhi laughed and was about to dodge when Old Xu turned back, remembering something. Chen Luzhou quickly lowered his hands, pretending to casually put them back in his pockets.
Xu Guangji turned back and called out, “Cai Yingying, you come up too!”
“Wait a moment!” Cai Yingying called back.
Cai Yingying thoroughly enjoyed playing with pop-pops with Zhu Yangqi and the others, seeing who could throw them the farthest and make the loudest noise. Throwing them on flat ground wasn’t enough; she even jumped to throw them. She was wilder than any of the boys.
“Don’t you guys know how to play? These aren’t even as loud as my dad’s farts,” she taunted.
Li Ke: “…”
Zhu Yangqi: “……”
Once upstairs, fortunately, Xu Guangji didn’t demand to inspect the suitcase. He just placed it in Xu Zhi’s room and asked, “Are you two at the same school now?”
Xu Zhi nodded, “He didn’t go abroad. He got into our school through a supplementary application.”
“Oh, that’s good,” Xu Guangji said without further comment. He took off his jacket and added, “Get to bed early. We need to visit your grandmother’s house for New Year greetings tomorrow.”
Xu Zhi was surprised, “Weren’t we going on the third day of the New Year?”
Xu Guangji explained, “I have a shift on the third day. We’ll go earlier to spend a few days with your grandmother.”
…
Chen Luzhou and his friends grabbed a quick bite at a Shaxian snack shop near No. 1 High School. After their long journey, the boys were famished. After wolfing down several baskets of steamed dumplings and regaining some energy, they began to chat casually.
“Xu Zhi used to be from Ruijun, right? Wasn’t she classmates with Tan Xu? I kept thinking her name sounded familiar,” Jiang Cheng said, gulping down dumplings. “Were you two already flirting during the summer vacation?”
Today, if Jiang Cheng hadn’t offered to drive and pick them up from the airport, they probably wouldn’t have been able to get a taxi for quite some time. As a friend, Jiang Cheng was pretty reliable. His parents were working in another province, only returning once a year during Spring Festival. If Hang Sui wasn’t around, he’d spend it alone.
Zhu Yangqi said, “Back then, you were playing basketball with your love rival every day. How could we dare to tell you?”
Jiang Cheng burst out laughing, “Chen Luzhou, you don’t even have this little trust in me? How could I not help you instead of Tan Xu? You’re crazy.”
Chen Luzhou just smiled without saying anything.
Zhu Yangqi added, “He mainly didn’t want to put you in a difficult position.”
Jiang Cheng explained, “Tan Xu and I were classmates in our first year of high school. After the exams, he came to me saying he wanted to transfer back to First High for the repeat year. I was planning to repeat the year too, so we’d probably be in the same class. That’s why we played basketball a few times. Our relationship was just okay. Later, when the college entrance exam results came out, I didn’t expect my score to be quite good, so I didn’t bother repeating. After that, I hardly kept in touch with him.”
“Did Tan Xu ever mention Xu Zhi to you?” Chen Luzhou asked.
Jiang Cheng thought for a moment, “Yeah, I think so, just once or twice. So during that summer, I didn’t even realize it was the same Xu Zhi that Tan Xu talked about. The way he described her made her sound very manipulative, but in person, Xu Zhi seemed so innocent. I couldn’t connect the two at all—”
“Tan Xu’s Xu Zhi?” Chen Luzhou interrupted.
“Your Xu Zhi,” Jiang Cheng quickly corrected himself, half-jokingly adding, “Man, your possessiveness is still so strong. Hey, when you play basketball at school now, do you still write your name all over the ball?”
Chen Luzhou chuckled, “No, it’s not like that. She’s not a basketball that I can just carve my name on and claim as mine. She’s an independent and strong-willed person. She probably wouldn’t like hearing herself being categorized like an object.”
Everyone knew his possessiveness was so strong that he’d carve his name on everything.
But what they didn’t know was that despite this, he couldn’t bear the thought of Xu Zhi tattooing his name on herself.
Moreover, his girlfriend was inherently attractive; she didn’t need to borrow anyone’s light to shine.
By this time, Chen Luzhou was already quite tired and sitting rather casually, rarely crossing his legs and leaning back, looking quite cocky. He had completely forgotten about maintaining the image of an A University top student. Nevertheless, he mustered his energy to make his point clear.
“Li Ke and Zhu Yangqi both know that I’m serious about her. It’s not just dating for fun.”
Jiang Cheng seemed to be stunned, then slowly realized what these words meant.
Among guys, there was always some unspoken understanding. If a man wasn’t serious about his girlfriend, his friends naturally wouldn’t take her seriously either.
Jiang Cheng quickly understood Chen Luzhou’s meaning and nodded repeatedly, humbly saying, “Got it, got it. We’ll treat her like a queen, like a queen from now on.”
Zhu Yangqi glanced at Li Ke, who had been silent, “What are you doing?”
Li Ke’s eyes were darting around quickly: “I’m piecing together the timeline.”
Zhu Yangqi couldn’t help but curse, “Damn, this guy never stops analyzing. Can’t you give yourself a good break after the competition?”
Li Ke asked Chen Luzhou, “I just figured it out. So, from beginning to end, I was the last one to know about your relationship?”
Zhu Yangqi: “…”
Chen Luzhou: “……”
After they had eaten most of the food, Jiang Cheng asked, “Where are you going back to later? You’ve moved out of Yifeng Lane, right?”
Chen Luzhou’s suitcase had been confiscated, leaving him empty-handed. His jacket was tucked behind the chair. After the satisfying meal, he leaned back, stacking the empty steamer baskets together. He then took a napkin and wiped his eating area clean before saying, “I rented a new place.”
Zhu Yangqi wiped his mouth, “Didn’t your mom buy you an apartment by the river?”
“I need to rely on myself,” he thought for a moment, threw the napkin in the trash, and self-mockingly smiled, “If she gets upset with me one day and takes it back, I’d have to pack up and roll out of there again. Once is enough for that kind of experience.”
Everyone knew without thinking that being kicked out of the villa during the summer vacation must have been quite unpleasant for Chen Luzhou.
After finishing their meal and leaving the Shaxian restaurant, they went their separate ways.
Chen Luzhou walked back empty-handed. The street was empty, with only occasional cars speeding by. The white magnolia streetlights were adorned with small lanterns. The New Year atmosphere in Qingyi was quite strong, with every household decorated with lights and festive ornaments. Red lanterns hanging in windows symbolized family reunion and joy, and spring couplets were like strings of red blooming in the night.
The stronger the New Year atmosphere, the more it highlighted the loneliness of those without family support.
While walking, Chen Luzhou still made a call to Madam Lian Hui.
“You’re back?” Lian Hui’s voice was still joyful when she received the call.
Chen Luzhou had one hand in his pocket and the other holding the phone, walking leisurely. He could see Qingyi City’s landmark peeking out among the geometric-like high-rise buildings. “Mm, just arrived.”
“Mom! Is that Brother’s call?” A shrill but familiar voice came from the other end of the line.
Lian Hui quickly said, “I brought Chen Xingqi over for the New Year. His father is abroad these days. Do you want to come over? I’ll send you the address.”
The surroundings were quiet. The streetlight stretched his thin shadow long, so faint it seemed it could disappear at any moment.
“No need, I just got off the plane and haven’t unpacked yet,” Chen Luzhou paused for a moment, then said, “Happy New Year.”
Lian Hui responded after a beat: “Happy New Year, Lu Zhou.”
Since their divorce, Lian Hui rarely called him by his full name. Before he left, she had asked if he wanted to change his surname. At that time, Chen Luzhou had sarcastically asked, “Change to what? Change to Lian?”
After that, Lian Hui never mentioned it again.
*
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, as soon as Xu Zhi woke up, she was mercilessly dragged back to her hometown by Old Xu. Chen Luzhou’s suitcase was still locked at her home. She groggily sat in the passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt while sending a WeChat message to Chen Luzhou.
Xu Zhi: [Boyfriend, I’ve been dragged back to my hometown by Old Xu.]
A reply came back quickly.
salt: [???]
Salt: [What should I do then?]
Xu Zhi: [Bear with it, I’ll be back the day after tomorrow.]
Salt: [Bear what? I’m talking about my suitcase.]
Xu Zhi: [Ah, don’t you miss me?]
Salt: [I do, but right now I miss my suitcase more.]
Xu Zhi: [Is there something important in it?]
It took a while for him to reply.
salt: [Underwear.]
Xu Zhi: [You’re not… going commando now, are you?]
Salt: [Of course not, do I have any to wear?]
Xu Zhi: [Why don’t you go out and buy a couple?]
Salt: [How can I go out? Hm??]
Xu Zhi: [Order delivery?]
Salt: [Who’s going to deliver on New Year’s Day?]
Xu Zhi: [What about Zhu Yangqi?]
Salt: [He’d laugh me to death.]
Xu Zhi: [What’s more important, your face or your underwear?]
salt: [My face.]
Xu Zhi couldn’t be bothered to persuade him anymore. [Then go commando. It’s not like it’s your first time anyway.]
salt: […]
Salt: [Can you come back tomorrow? I can manage one more day at most.]
Xu Zhi: [It depends on my dad. If he doesn’t want to go back, I can’t just run back by myself, can I?]
Salt: [I see now, your dad is doing this on purpose.]
After replying to the WeChat message, Chen Luzhou tossed his phone onto the bedside table. It was still early morning, the curtains were tightly drawn with a faint golden glow floating around them, only letting in a bit of light through the corner cracks. The entire room was dim and pitch black. He was sleeping face down, with most of his body buried in the blanket. Drowsily, he buried his head back into the pillow and let out a deep sigh.
The bed, sofa, and coffee table were all newly bought by Xu Zhi. When he rented the place, the landlord had told him it was newly renovated and hadn’t been rented before. Some soft furnishings hadn’t been bought yet. There was only a folding camp bed in the bedroom. If he rented it like that, it would be cheaper. At the time, Chen Luzhou just wanted to find a place to stay and probably wouldn’t live there long, so he just rented it for a year.
Xu Zhi moved quickly. When he came in last night, he found that the sofa and bed were all in place. There were some fresh green vines by the window, some small decorations in the cabinets, and a few paintings hung on the wall. Suddenly, it felt like home, very cozy.
He slept more soundly last night than any other day before.
This coziness lasted until the afternoon. Chen Luzhou rarely slept until the afternoon before getting up. After washing his face, feeling bored, he sat on the sofa and started cracking walnuts.
“Bang—” With one hammer strike, the wooden coffee table unexpectedly cracked open. Then, uncontrollably, it started to fall apart with a “pitter-patter” sound. Chen Luzhou tried to hold it but couldn’t, not knowing where to start. The coffee table instantly collapsed, as if split by a demon’s hand, lying on the ground in pieces.
Chen Luzhou could hardly believe it. He was stunned, holding the hammer frozen in mid-air. He looked up at the hammer, then at the “corpse” on the ground, taking a long time to come to his senses. If it weren’t for his eyes blinking in confusion and radiating innocent bewilderment, the scene would have looked completely frozen—
Was his strength too much?
Damn?
Xu Zhi would cry, wouldn’t she?
Just then, the phone on the sofa lit up. He absent-mindedly picked it up.
Xu Zhi: [Oh, Chen Jiaojiao, I forgot to remind you. The coffee table was made by me, so be careful when using it. It might not be very sturdy. Don’t hit it at all!]
Then why put a bag of walnuts on the table?
Chen Luzhou: “…”
Just as he was in a daze, there was a sudden, unexpected dull pain in his head. The painting hanging on the sofa seemed to have been affected by the “aftershock” of the coffee table’s collapse and fell directly on his head.
Chen Luzhou immediately bent over in pain, his head lowered, letting out several painful cries. When he recovered, he held his head with one hand, looking at the mess on the ground with a bewildered expression.
He couldn’t understand how this home had fallen apart so easily.
The phone rang again.
Xu Zhi: [By the way, when you have time, could you nail the painting on the wall again? I didn’t know if the landlord allowed nails, so I just used something to stick it up temporarily.]
Chen Luzhou: “…”