Chapter 30: So Authentic (Please Follow, Thank You All, Grateful!)

Months of accumulated energy were completely drained.

The long-stagnant performance attribute surged by sixty points.

The next day.

Only when the sun was high did Li Luo wake from bed.

He stretched, joints cracking loudly.

Turning his head, he saw Xu Qing still asleep on her side, strands of hair falling across her face, her lips slightly curled in contentment and ease.

Her long legs pressed against the quilt, her chest compressed into a half-moon shape.

A perfect picture of a beauty sleeping in spring.

It was still late February, the outside air chilly, but inside the room it felt like spring or summer, so Li Luo Landechuanyifu and quietly slipped out of the bedroom without dressing.

In the living room, he first replenished his fluids.

Then he wandered to the kitchen and curiously opened the kitchen fridge.

Unlike the living room fridge.

Inside were all kinds of ingredients, likely purchased by Xu Qing’s assistant.

After rummaging for a while.

Li Luo whistled softly and went about preparing food with calm ease.

The eggs were fried golden and soft.

He pan-fried the bacon until lightly crisp on both sides, then sprinkled sesame seeds over it.

Finally, he took a large bag of toast slices, sliced off a piece of butter and dropped it into the pan; once melted, he placed each slice of toast in one by one, slow-frying them until golden and crispy.

Amid a sizzling sound, the bedroom door quietly opened.

Wrapped in an air-conditioning blanket, Xu Qing blinked sleepily and shuffled toward the scent.

Barefoot, she reached the kitchen doorway and, seeing the man focused on breakfast, felt a sudden sense of peace, leaning sideways against the doorframe.

With a flick of her wrist, the toast flipped over.

“Awake?”

Without thinking, Li Luo glanced back and raised an eyebrow: “Almost done. Go back to bed, I’ll bring it to you.”

The thin blanket was loosely wrapped around the woman.

Barely covering her chest.

Her smooth, delicate shoulders and the full curves below her collarbone were fully visible, marked with tiny floral imprints—battle scars left by warriors.

Because of her tilted posture, the blanket hung half-covered, half-exposed.

Li Luo’s gaze traveled upward along her long legs, and his whole body stirred with renewed vigor.

“No!”

Xu Qing’s eyes widened as she followed his gaze upward, then hastily pulled the blanket tight and dragged her aching legs back toward the bedroom: “We’ll eat in the dining room—I’ve got things to do today!”

“I can’t anymore~”

With those final words, the door slammed shut.

He looked down.

Li Luo shrugged and smiled as he placed the fried toast slices onto a porcelain plate.

When he carried all the breakfast to the table, Xu Qing limped out of the bedroom, fully dressed—her appearance made Li Luo burst out laughing.

Another barrage of feigned punches and kicks followed.

“Not bad.”

The breakfast, perfect in color, aroma, and taste, made Xu Qing’s eyes sparkle.

She kept lifting her chopsticks to the eggs.

After a night of exhaustion, everything tasted good—and for her, simple home-cooked dishes were especially precious.

“Today I’m verifying my school exam identity—I’ll go alone,” Li Luo shoved the toast into his mouth and chewed. “Stay home and rest. I won’t get lost.”

“Alright.”

After hesitating, Xu Qing picked up a greasy slice of toast: “Anyway, someone will guide me through the process.”

“We’ll eat out tonight—I’ll introduce you to two people.”

“Who?”

“You’ll find out tonight.”

“Oh.”

Li Luo casually lifted his cup and gulped down a large mouthful of orange juice.

…

After breakfast.

Xu Qing returned to her room to rest.

Li Luo, carrying the necessary documents, walked to North Film Academy; the formalities were quickly completed, and he wandered curiously through the school that had produced countless stars and famed directors.

Small. Extremely small.

He could tour the entire campus in just a few minutes.

He didn’t encounter any celebrities or actors he recognized, nor did he find the imagined sea of beauties and flood of handsome men.

But the chance of meeting handsome men or beauties was indeed much higher than outside.

Their demeanor was also more outstanding.

The demeanor here, Li Luo felt, was more about vitality—people today were bold enough to try anything, yet timid enough to still follow social norms.

The students at North Film Academy possessed a more advanced sense of freedom.

You could call it carefree and lax.

He didn’t know if it was due to education or family wealth, but those who came to study art rarely worried about daily survival.

Naturally, their mindset was better than most.

The cold wind howled like knives slicing through skin.

After two laps around, Li Luo hunched his shoulders and hurried back to Beiying Village—he’d need more time to adjust to this climate.

Tianfu Restaurant.

The black Mercedes G500 pulled smoothly into a parking spot.

He shut the car door.

Li Luo swung the key fob in his hand, satisfied—admittingly, driving this beast down the road was a real pleasure.

Interestingly, hardly anyone else on the road noticed his car.

The quality was simply outstanding.

He exchanged a glance with Xu Qing, then walked together toward the ancient-style entrance.

Led by a server, they headed straight to the private room.

Whenever in public.

The Beijing girls always wrapped themselves tightly—unless you were extremely close, you couldn’t tell who they were; yet their slender figures still drew many glances along the way.

The slow sway of their waists made the bald men beside them turn their necks.

Drool nearly dripped from their mouths.

“Real men.”

Li Luo silently gave them a thumbs-up.

“Slap.”

The next moment, a sharp slap rang out.

“Wife.”

The bald man was about to explode, but saw his wife glaring fiercely—he quickly forced a smile: “My neck’s just a little stiff!”

“Hey, wife, don’t leave!”

“Hey, sir, you haven’t paid yet!”

The three of them dashed out one after another, causing a small commotion—Li Luo chuckled quietly.

Arriving at the VIP private room.

Xu Qing removed her face covering and signaled the server to bring the menu: “Xiao Luo, take a look—what do you want to eat? Tianfu’s pork knuckle is excellent—rich, fragrant sauce, fatty but not greasy—it’s done so…”

“Authentic.”

Li Luo picked up her line, teasing: “From what I’ve seen in Beijing, there are no back alleys—just authenticity!”

Yesterday, when introducing hot pot lamb, he’d said the same thing.

He couldn’t resist teasing her.

“Pfft~”

The server couldn’t hold back a laugh, then quickly composed herself.

Though she recognized Xu Qing,

she showed no surprise—Tianfu Restaurant was a Beijing Laozihao , so celebrities appearing here was normal.

Xu Qing was fuming,

but with outsiders present, she could only kick him under the table.

“Just get the pork knuckle.”

Li Luo reluctantly closed the menu and handed it back: “I don’t know much else—you decide.”

In a setting like this, you must act according to the occasion.

Even though the other person will accept whatever you order, you still need to consider their tastes.

Xu Qing didn’t hold back.

He casually ordered a few more dishes with lighter flavors.

After the server left, Li Luo was about to ask who the guest was tonight when the private room door opened again, and a bright voice called out: “Qing-jie, what made you think of treating us to dinner today?”

“Xiao Qing.”

Immediately after came a deep male voice: “Rare indeed—I haven’t seen you in ages!”

A woman and a man entered the private room one after the other.

“Feihong.”

Xu Qing stood up, first embracing the elegant woman warmly, then shaking hands with the bald man in his fifties, smiling: “Teacher Huo, you know I just finished filming.”

Seeing this, Li Luo also stood up with a smile.

He had a rough idea of who they were.

He had a general sense of their status.