Chapter 151: Future Son-in-Law

After recording until just after three in the afternoon, Li Luo went downstairs to cook in the kitchen.

Yan Zhusheng claimed he could help out, clattering down the stairs in his slippers and following Li Luo into the kitchen.

Only Yuan Wanqing and Luo Fei remained in the recording studio.

"How do you feel?" Yuan Wanqing turned on the player again, played back the recorded songs, listened to the melodies and lyrics, and asked her best friend.

Luo Fei hummed softly along with the melody, then her eyes took on a thoughtful expression: "How to put it? It feels kind of miraculous."

"What do you mean?"

"Because these four songs—if they were all laid out before me at once—I really wouldn't guess they came from the same person," Luo Fei smiled and explained.

"The melodies alone are decent, but these two songs—add in 'Wait for You After Class' and 'Annual Rings'—look at the lyrics."

"'Annual Rings' is standard gufeng style; the lyrics read like a woman's emotional pain."

"But 'Wait for You After Class' is told from a male perspective, describing a boy's quiet infatuation and pursuit of a girl, with the feel of a diary."

"Now these two: 'Chasing the Light' has lyrics that read more like poetry—rich in imagery, subtle, all expressions veiled in metaphors, nothing as direct as 'Wait for You After Class.'"

"And 'Light' is more of an inspirational, growth-oriented song—completely different narrative from the previous three."

"So you mean…" Yuan Wanqing frowned, "these songs weren't written by Li Luo?"

"Not at all," Luo Fei laughed. "Didn't you tell me his family is ordinary? His parents run a breakfast stall—how could they hire someone else to ghostwrite?"

"It just shows there really are geniuses in this world—he must be exceptionally skilled at composing."

"And from his demeanor, he's unusually mature—probably because of running the breakfast stall."

Yuan Wanqing nodded slightly: "Zhusheng mentioned Li Luo got full marks on his middle school Chinese composition."

"But someone who can write these four songs? I think they're far more impressive than a perfect composition," Luo Fei shook her head.

"'Annual Rings' still has a hint of needless whining; many lines feel forced just to rhyme, though they're passable when paired with xianxia drama."

"'Wait for You After Class' is overly blunt—every line is colloquial, like a diary jotted down casually."

"But with 'Chasing the Light'… compared to the first two, the improvement is enormous—the imagery in the lyrics isn't as stiff as in 'Annual Rings,' and the sentences aren't as direct as in 'Wait for You After Class.'"

"And with 'Light,' you can even glimpse his reflections on life."

"Especially this line."

"Only when I turn myself~"

"Can I reach the light~"

"The sun has always been right there~"

Luo Fei hummed the lines aloud, clearly fond of the melody and lyrics, then said:

"If an adult wrote these lines, I'd find it normal—but from a sixteen-year-old? It means he's genuinely thinking about things."

After listening, Yuan Wanqing couldn't help smiling: "You sound like you really admire him."

"What else?" Luo Fei hummed. "What were we doing at fifteen or sixteen? Li Luo already sold one song and made tens of thousands."

"Then what do you think…" Yuan Wanqing was intrigued, gazing at the lyric notebook before her, murmuring after a pause, "how would these two songs do in today's market?"

"It's hard to say," Luo Fei shook her head. "I can only judge based on melody and lyrics—but these days, whether a song goes viral isn't just about that."

"But I don't want to rely solely on the company to commission songs," Yuan Wanqing pursed her lips.

"You just released an album—you can't drop another one so soon."

"I know," Yuan Wanqing nodded. "I'm just asking your opinion first. Even if I do release a new album, it'll take at least a year to prepare—but good songs can be secured now."

"Hmm…" Luo Fei thought for a moment, Li Luo's recorded voice still playing in her ears, unsure how to advise, finally joking: "Why not just ask Li Luo himself if he can write you a few more?"

Yuan Wanqing rubbed her forehead: "That's a bit shameless."

"Who knows?" Luo Fei giggled. "Look at Li Luo—he's only been writing for two or three months, and already four songs."

"Give him a year to prepare, ten songs for an album? Easy."

"Besides, in five or six years, he might just be your son-in-law."

Hearing the last line, Yuan Wanqing shot her a sharp look: "What nonsense—you're both still kids, why are you thinking so far ahead?"

"I've never seen Zhusheng so attached to a boy," Luo Fei smirked. "He even cooks with him—doesn't even realize it himself."

"You're talking too much today."

"Haha~ Alright, I won't say more—I don't want you giving him the cold shoulder later."

Yuan Wanqing sighed: "You only say this to me privately—don't say anything foolish at dinner. They're still students; studies come first."

"Especially about the new album—don't mention it to Li Luo. Don't let him get the wrong idea and neglect his studies."

"His grades are excellent at school—if my affair causes them to drop, I won't know how to explain to his parents."

"Got it, got it," Luo Fei waved her hand. "I was just teasing you—I'm not that clueless."

"But…" Yuan Wanqing lowered her head, thought, then said, "We should secure these two songs by Li Luo—what do you think?"

"Whatever you say," Luo Fei replied. "If 'Wait for You After Class' hadn't been so mismatched with your style, I'd have recommended it too."

"Then it's settled."

Around four-thirty in the afternoon, Li Luo prepared four small dishes and carried them with Yan Zhusheng to the dining table.

Yan Zhusheng called down the two aunts upstairs for dinner, and Li Luo explained: "I didn't know you were coming, so I bought fewer ingredients."

"It's fine," Yuan Wanqing shook her head, sitting down at the table. "You're our guest, visiting our home—we should be the ones cooking for you."

"Smells amazing," Luo Fei sat beside her, leaning in to sniff. "I didn't believe Zhusheng at first, but now… maybe it really beats the cook's food."

Yan Zhusheng nodded, then immediately grabbed chopsticks, snatching a slice of eel and shoving it into his mouth, his eyes closing happily.

After tasting, Yuan Wanqing and Luo Fei praised it endlessly—never expecting Li Luo's cooking to be this good.

Originally, neither of them ate much for dinner—being older, their metabolism was slower; eating less kept their figures in check.

But after eating Li Luo's meal, both finished a full large bowl of rice each, completely stuffed.

Only after finishing did Yuan Wanqing remember the two songs.

So she wiped her mouth, looked at Li Luo sitting across from her, paused for a moment, then said to him: "Li Luo, Auntie wants to discuss something with you."

…

At five-thirty in the evening, Li Luo sat in Yuan Wanqing's chauffeur-driven car, being taken back to Bihai Lanting.

Because he had promised Ying Chanxi he would return for dinner in the evening, he had specifically cooked early at Yan Zhusheng's house so he could get back by half past five.

But he hadn't expected that his original plan—just to record the songs first, then ask Yan Zhusheng to submit them to her mother's company to see if anyone was interested—would work out this way.

Yet after just one meeting with Yuan Wanqing, the songs were sold outright…

Of course, only partial copyright of one song was sold.

But unlike "Nianlun," this time the sale primarily concerned album and performance rights.

Because "Nianlun" had already succeeded, and because they were acquaintances, Yuan Wanqing didn't lowball him—she offered standard market prices, never treating him like a kid.

Especially since the deal settled was a one-time royalty fee plus a revenue-sharing arrangement: if these two songs were included in Yuan Wanqing's album,

Li Luo would receive a share of the album's future earnings.

Of course, album earnings had declined sharply by now, but it was still Yuan Wanqing's gesture of goodwill.

To be treated as an equal by someone so established—that was already more than enough for Li Luo, a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy.

He hadn't expected that among the four songs, it was Jay Chou's that ended up unsold…

But then he remembered how Jay Chou himself had been rejected countless times in his youth, and Li Luo relaxed.

Judging whether a song would become popular before it was even released remained far too difficult for most people.

As he thought this, the chauffeur-driven car had already pulled up smoothly at the gated entrance of the community.

He thanked the driver, opened the door, stepped out, walked into the community, and soon returned to 1502.

As soon as he opened the door, Li Luo saw three girls sitting in the living room.

Probably because Lin Xiuhong was busy in the kitchen, Xu Youyu was unusually not sprawled on the sofa, but sitting upright instead.

Qiao Xinyan sat on the other side of the sofa, quietly watching the TV playing in the living room.

Ying Chanxi sat in the center, hugging the Pikachu plush toy—clearly she loved the gift Yan Zhusheng had given her.

"Why are you back so late?" Ying Chanxi asked when she saw Li Luo. "If you're any later, Lin Yi will have finished cooking."

"I was using someone else's recording studio," Li Luo said as he changed his shoes. "So I cooked them a meal as thanks, then hurried back."

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi squeezed Pikachu's head.

"Then go get me a little Pudding."

"Alright, alright, Young Lady Ying." Li Luo had just slipped on his slippers when he was ordered—he walked into the kitchen and pulled a little Pudding from the fridge.

The next second, Lin Xiuhong's voice came from the kitchen: "You little brat, you're about to eat dinner and you're eating Pudding? Put it back."

"It's for Ying Chanxi."

"Oh… then why aren't you taking it to her right away?"

Li Luo: "... You're really her biological mother."

"What are you complaining about? Take it to Xixi, then come help me out."