Chapter 11: Li Luo

Sitting in front of the computer in Ying Chanxi's study, Li Luo's expression was slightly resigned.

When he'd first planned to return to his old trade, he hadn't considered this—he'd forgotten that minors need guardian consent to sign contracts.

Although since the high school entrance exam ended, Li Luo had been helping at the shop every morning, greatly improving his rebellious image in his parents' eyes.

But since the change had been recent, he hadn't rushed to reveal he was trying to write online novels.

After all, tomorrow morning, his exam results would be released.

After his parents saw the score sheet, Li Luo believed his chances of getting their approval would be higher.

As for why he wanted to write a urban entertainment novel… naturally, because in his past life, he'd only ever written this genre.

Li Luo had considered simply using his Memory Palace to find a wildly popular online novel and copy it word-for-word to make easy money.

But after trying, Li Luo realized he'd been careless.

As everyone knows, online novels are typically read at a pace of ten lines per glance.

Sometimes, just reading the chapter title is enough to know what the author is padding with, and you skip it outright.

This meant… when Li Luo recalled the popular works he'd read, trying to mentally reconstruct them with brainpower and effort was truly self-inflicted suffering.

For the Memory Palace, the deeper his impression and the more carefully he'd studied something, the less mental energy it took to recall it.

But male-oriented novels often span millions of characters, and he'd originally skimmed them like swallowing food whole—even recalling just a few thousand characters daily would make his brain feel like it was about to explode.

But the good news was, his own skill level was decent.

Though he couldn't replicate every single word, as a former insider, he could easily handle many key plot points and narrative tropes.

Especially in 2014, the urban entertainment genre had very few standout works.

The ones that performed well were either set in Huayu entertainment or followed the current trend of Hallyu.

Fantasy alternate-world entertainment novels had yet to show much promise.

Within the都市题材, the most popular types right now were都市玄幻, similar to "Ex-Soldier Descends the Mountain" or "Miraculous Traditional Medicine"爽文, and those officialdom stories.

But Li Luo remembered clearly: this coming autumn, a legendary entertainment novel would suddenly emerge and dominate the entire internet for years afterward.

So Li Luo stopped overthinking and typed the title of his book onto the screen—《I Am Really Not a Star》.

He didn't expect to get rich.

As long as he could earn a little extra pocket money each month during high school, his life would be quite comfortable.

With this simple goal, Li Luo quickly received several editor signing offers, and one editor even added him as a QQ friend.

【Qianzhou】: So… how old are you now?

In Changning City, Qianzhou stared at his computer screen with the expression of an old man looking at a phone, deeply suspicious that the guy on the other end was pulling his leg.

【Chongran】: I'm fifteen this year; after my birthday in the fall, I'll be sixteen.

【Qianzhou】: Are you sure you're not joking?

【Chongran】: Absolutely true, Editor. Just give me a few more days—I should be able to convince my mom.

【Qianzhou】: Have you ever written a novel before?

【Chongran】: No.

【Qianzhou】: Then this opening, you wrote it yourself?

【Chongran】: I wrote it myself.

Qianzhou stared at the QQ chat log, falling into deep thought.

The plot and pacing of《I Am Really Not a Star》swirled endlessly in his mind.

Finally, he wondered: could it be that this world truly had prodigies?

Could a fifteen-year-old kid really write a protagonist with such worldly wisdom and behavior?

He'd believe it if a 35-year-old middle-aged man wrote it!

【Qianzhou】: If this is true, then have a proper talk with your mother.

【Qianzhou】: Either way, let me know whether she agrees or not.

【Qianzhou】: If your mother has any questions, she can contact me directly.

【Chongran】: Got it, thank you, Editor.

After dealing with the editor, Li Luo returned to typing.

His Memory Palace spun at high speed, supplying him with material and plot segments, and the novel poured out like flowing water.

After returning home and eating a few bites of dinner, he immediately went back to Ying Chanxi's study to keep writing.

He kept going until nearly eight-thirty in the evening.

The sound of a door opening came from the front entrance.

Ying Chanxi, backpack on her back and slippers on her feet, walked into the study and saw Li Luo fully absorbed in watching an anime.

"You didn't spend the whole day playing computer games at my house, did you?" Ying Chanxi dropped her backpack on the sofa, then walked into the study, sighing helplessly, "You just started studying again—best to use the summer to preview your high school textbooks."

Li Luo paused the anime, turned to look at Ying Chanxi, who'd just returned from the early-bird summer class at Fuyi Middle School, and chuckled: "Dear Young Lady Ying Chanxi, may I ask—what is the purpose of summer vacation?"

"Hmm…" Ying Chanxi was caught off guard; after hesitating, she said, "To give students time off to rest?"

"Exactly right." Li Luo snapped his fingers, stood up from his chair, and guided Ying Chanxi's shoulders down onto the living room sofa.

Then he walked behind the sofa and began massaging her shoulders, saying as he worked: "As the saying goes, work and rest go hand in hand. After the grueling final semester of junior high, summer is precisely when students should properly relax."

"How's the pressure?"

"Too hard or too light?"

"Mmm…" Ying Chanxi closed her eyes and enjoyed Li Luo's service for a moment, "Just right—but…"

Just as Ying Chanxi was about to rebut Li Luo, her stomach let out a loud gurgle.

Li Luo raised an eyebrow and burst out laughing: "See? That's what happens when you don't rest properly—your stomach got hungry from studying."

Ying Chanxi's face flushed red; she clutched her stomach and insisted, "I'm not hungry."

"Want some fried noodles?" Li Luo paused his movements, walked into the kitchen, glanced at the ingredients in the fridge, then asked.

"It's so late already; it wouldn't be right to trouble your dad again," Ying Chanxi quickly shook her head. "I'll just eat a slice of bread to fill my stomach."

"You're questioning my cooking skills?" Li Luo pulled out ingredients from the fridge and winked at Ying Chanxi. "A simple plate of fried noodles? Does my dad even need to lift a finger?"

"You're making it yourself?" Ying Chanxi's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Can you even do it?"

"You're challenging a man's bottom line." Li Luo let out a dry chuckle, slammed the fridge door shut. "Wait in the living room."

With that, he pulled the kitchen's sliding door shut.

Ying Chanxi blinked, still a little stunned.

But soon after, the crisp, rhythmic thudding of a chef's knife on the cutting board echoed from the kitchen.

Then came the sizzling, rustling sound of fried noodles flipping in the iron wok.

Less than ten minutes later, Li Luo carried out two steaming, fragrant bowls of fried noodles.

Ying Chanxi sat at the dining table, staring at the steaming, aromatic bowl before her, momentarily speechless.

"Eat," Li Luo handed her chopsticks, sat down opposite her, and didn't bother with politeness—he immediately buried his face in his bowl, chewing loudly. "Taste my cooking. It's definitely no worse than my dad's."

"Mm," Ying Chanxi picked up her chopsticks, instinctively looked up at Li Luo, then glanced around the room.

The empty living room held no one else. Her father's bedroom had been dark for over half a month.

The study light was on, lit by Li Luo. The kitchen light still glowed.

No family sat beside her—but…

A mix of loneliness and quiet comfort settled over her. Ying Chanxi's gaze returned to Li Luo, then she lowered her head and took a small bite of the noodles.

They were truly delicious.

"Even better than your uncle's," Ying Chanxi tucked her bare feet onto the chair's crossbar, quietly savoring the late-night snack, and whispered to Li Luo.

"You've got some taste, then," Li Luo chuckled proudly. "But don't you dare tell my dad that."

"Hahaha~" Ying Chanxi laughed at him. "Afraid your uncle will get jealous?"

"Afraid he'll find out his skills are worse than his son's—and his Dao heart might shatter."

"Just praise you a little and you're already puffing up," Ying Chanxi rolled her eyes. "But when did you learn to make fried noodles? I've never seen you cook before."

"You haven't seen a lot of things," Li Luo finished his bowl quickly, stood up, and stretched. "I made the noodles. You wash the dishes. I'm going to play on the computer."

"Got it," Ying Chanxi nodded, then reminded him. "Only until ten o'clock, okay?"

"OKOK."

After eating, Ying Chanxi stood up, cleared the bowls, washed them in the kitchen, then went to take a shower.

Originally, she planned to study a bit more after the shower, but remembering Li Luo's words, she hesitated, then set aside the idea and walked into the study.

She pulled over a stool and sat beside Li Luo, watching the anime on his screen, then asked: "Tomorrow's the 28th. The high school entrance exam results will be out at ten a. m. Aren't you nervous?"

"Nervous about what?" Li Luo countered. "Just wait for me at Fuyi High."

Seeing him still so utterly confident right before the results, Ying Chanxi grew even more suspicious. "Didn't you start getting Zhao Rongjun to tutor you way earlier? Are you really sure you'll get into Fuyi High?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

Hearing Li Luo say this even now, Ying Chanxi—who had never expected much from him—suddenly felt her heart quicken.

Could it be… that in high school, she and Li Luo might actually attend the same school?

The thought made her tense—and quietly, she began to look forward to tomorrow's exam results.

"How about playing a game?" Li Luo closed the anime, opened a webpage, and searched for "4399 mini-games." "Forest Fire and Ice—still know how to play?"

"You're underestimating me," Ying Chanxi slid her stool closer to Li Luo, their arms brushing together. "I just don't play often—I'm not incapable."

"Why aren't you studying tonight? Why come play computer games with me?"

"Didn't someone say we need to balance work and rest? A little relaxation is fine."

"No wonder you're the top scholar of Yucai. You learn fast."

They bantered back and forth, quickly diving into the game.

Midway through, Ying Chanxi's hands trembled several times, and her Ice Girl character vaporized in a sea of lava.

"Can you even play?" Li Luo looked at her skeptically.

"Shut up," Ying Chanxi puffed out her cheeks. "It's all your fault—talking about getting into Fuyi High. My whole mind is filled with your exam results. I'm so nervous."

"Why are you nervous about my scores?"

"If you get in, we'll be at the same school again," Ying Chanxi widened her eyes, staring at Li Luo seriously. "If you work hard in high school, maybe we can even both get into Qianjiang University?"

"You've got a lot of faith in me," Li Luo laughed. "Qianjiang University—even for Fuyi High students—only the top fifty in the whole school even have a shot at the threshold."

"Everyone needs dreams," Ying Chanxi's eyes sparkled as she fixed her gaze on Li Luo. "If you really get into Fuyi High, I think Qianjiang University isn't out of reach."

"You seem more confident than I am."