Chapter 168: Can I Borrow Li Luo for a Bit?

On Sunday evening, before evening self-study at Fu No. 1 High School.

The classroom of Class Eight was unusually lively.

This Wednesday was the New Year's Eve party, and some students who lived on campus had already brought their instruments ahead of time.

Pipa, trumpet, wind organ, bamboo flute… all kinds of instruments were present.

Yan Zhusheng had brought five or six instruments, all small and convenient types.

Before evening self-study began, students who had brought instruments occasionally played them.

Zhang Guohuang was about to treat his trumpet like a suona, blowing while jumping up and down.

Because Li Luo was a day student, he didn't need to bring his guitar today, so he walked into the classroom with a light backpack, only to be called away to a student council meeting before class.

Xu Youyu, as student council president, reiterated the key points for the New Year's Eve party, confirmed the games and activities of each class and club, and verified the program list for the bonfire party.

"Your class's instrument guessing game," Gao Yuqin glanced at the other classes' mini-games and leaned over to ask Li Luo, "Are you going to perform too? I remember you can play guitar."

"I can. So what?" Li Luo glanced at her, slightly exasperated.

Gao Yuqin was already obsessed with Lu Wei from their class, and now she kept popping up near him.

Every time the student council met, she found some excuse to strike up a conversation, even though Li Luo always acted indifferent—she never grew tired of it.

But he probably didn't understand this kind of girl's mindset.

Originally, Li Luo thought that since he often hung out with beautiful girls like Yan Zhusheng, Ying Chanxi, and Xu Youyu, Gao Yuqin would feel inferior and stay away from him.

It worked at first, but recently she'd only gotten more aggressive.

Actually, this kind of girl just thinks differently.

In Gao Yuqin's view, Li Luo could get along harmoniously with so many beautiful girls.

Then.

If she could also spend time talking with Li Luo like those very beautiful girls did, and if he treated her more kindly because of it,

wouldn't that prove she was just as beautiful as those girls?

This logic was hard for most boys to understand.

But this was exactly how girls like Gao Yuqin thought.

It was like a fanboy giving her a bag worth thousands of yuan—she didn't think he was worthy of her, but that since someone gave her a bag worth thousands, it meant she was worthy of that price.

Then she could comfortably join the circle of girls who could afford such expensive bags.

Many fanboys spent a fortune yet never won their goddess's affection, and this was often why.

Because for these girls, they unconsciously seek an external anchor, then use the anchor's value to define their own worth.

As the anchor becomes more valuable or outstanding, they feel increasingly that they themselves are more outstanding and deserve better.

"So are you free on New Year's Eve?" Gao Yuqin asked. "I'll come find you to hang out."

"No need," Li Luo pointed at Ying Chanxi sitting ahead. "I already have plans."

In contrast, girls like Ying Chanxi were truly precious.

After the meeting, walking from the Gao Er building back to the classroom.

Ying Chanxi drifted over to Li Luo's side, feigning indifference as she asked, "What did that monitor from Class Seven want this time?"

"She asked if I was free on New Year's Eve to hang out with her."

"And then?" Ying Chanxi's expression didn't change, as if she didn't care at all.

"I told her I already had plans," Li Luo chuckled. "I made a promise to someone—I wouldn't break it."

"Oh, I see," Ying Chanxi nodded satisfied, then asked, "But what if I hadn't made plans with you first? Would you have said yes to her?"

"Then I'd ask Senior Xu," Li Luo smiled at Xu Youyu walking beside Ying Chanxi. "Senior Xu wouldn't mind, right?"

"Sure," Xu Youyu smiled sweetly. "I'll be patrolling all day—come help me check everything."

"Is the student council president that tired?"

"To keep every part running smoothly, there are always unexpected issues each year—I have to be ready to handle them anytime," Xu Youyu sighed. "I got to relax in first year; this year, I'm swamped."

"Next year it'll be Xi Xi's turn," Li Luo raised an eyebrow, looking at Ying Chanxi. "You'll inherit the president's position then."

"That's next year's problem," Ying Chanxi said. "This year, you're coming with me first."

"Then next year, lend me Li Luo," Xu Youyu grinned, looping her arm around Ying Chanxi's neck, her right hand resting on her shoulder. "Senior year's the last chance—I want to enjoy it too."

"W-what do you mean lend? … He's not my possession, and if you want someone to hang out with, you could just say the word and a dozen people would line up."

"Aren't you the same?" Xu Youyu smirked. "But we'll talk about that later—I'm heading back to class."

When they reached the first floor of the Gao Er building, Xu Youyu waved to the two and turned into Class Sixteen's classroom.

"You seem a little upset."

"I'm not."

"Then smile for me?"

"Heh."

Nighttime.

Back home, after showering, Ying Chanxi lay on her bed, hugging Doraemon, and punched it twice.

…

In a flash.

Time quickly arrived at Wednesday.

Early that morning, Ying Chanxi knocked on Li Luo's door; when he didn't respond, she simply opened the door and walked in.

"Holy shit! I'm already up—what are you doing?"

Li Luo's room had the air conditioning set very high, so he'd taken off his shirt while sleeping.

He'd just woken up from the knock and was about to get up when he saw her push the door open and walk right in.

Li Luo quickly pulled up the blanket to cover his upper body: "Get out, I'm not wearing anything."

"I've seen it before, anyway," Ying Chanxi blinked her eyes, her cheeks slightly flushed—whether from the hot air conditioning or something else, no one could tell.

The room was filled with Li Luo's scent, which smelled nice.

"Is this the one?" Ying Chanxi walked to the bedside, tossed the sweater and school uniform hanging on the chairback onto the bed, then turned toward the bathroom inside the room, "I'll borrow the toilet—the one outside is taken by a senior."

Li Luo stared at Ying Chanxi's back as she entered the bathroom; only after the door shut did he scramble up, first pulling on his school pants, then picking up the sweater.

Just then, Xu Youyu walked in from outside, asking: "Li Luo, have you seen the clothesline outside on the balcony? I washed clothes yesterday and forgot to… oh…"

As soon as Xu Youyu stepped into the master bedroom, she saw Li Luo bare-chested, the sweater half-on, half-off.

But Li Luo quickly pulled the sweater over himself, hiding the view beneath it instantly.

"Don't just barge into my room like this," Li Luo said helplessly. "Guys have privacy too, you know."

"Alright, alright, I only saw a little," Xu Youyu rolled her eyes, not as shy as Ying Chanxi—she even grabbed her hem and started lifting it up. "I'll show you too, call it even?"

"Stop! Stop stop stop!" Li Luo raised his hand to halt her. "Fine, I give in! Take a few clothes hangers from my closet—they must've been put here by Chanxi when she tidied up."

"Oh, let me check," Xu Youyu walked to the closet, opened one of its doors, then froze as if turned to stone, motionless for a long while.

"What's wrong?" Li Luo, now sitting on the edge of the bed putting on socks, asked, seeing her motionless. "Isn't it in there?"

"It's not about whether it's there or not…" Xu Youyu's expression was hard to describe. She glanced at the contents inside the closet, then at Li Luo, and couldn't help saying, "I never thought you had this kind of habit."

"What?" Li Luo blinked, looked toward Xu Youyu, then realized she had opened the closet Ying Chanxi usually used—he hurriedly explained, "No, not that one! The one beside it!"

"The closet you opened contains all of Ying Chanxi's clothes."

"Her own closet is too small, so she just shoved the extras here."

"Ohhh, I see," Xu Youyu realized, then laughed. "She really trusts you, doesn't she? Doesn't worry you'll do something weird with her clothes?"

"Don't smear my reputation without cause," Li Luo's face darkened. "Do you really think I'm that kind of person?"

"Based on my observations, it's quite possible," Xu Youyu closed Ying Chanxi's closet, took several empty hangers from Li Luo's, "Just last week alone, I caught you at least ten times."

"That's just an instinctive appreciation of beauty—it's not the same thing," Li Luo said seriously.

"Hmph," Xu Youyu, hangers in hand, walked out of the bedroom, waving at him. "I'll take that as a compliment. Breakfast is on you today—I want fried noodles."

"Got it," Li Luo finished putting on his socks, slipped on his slippers, and walked to the bathroom door, knocking. "You done yet? I need to brush my teeth and wash my face."

"Almost, almost, don't rush me!"

After washing up with Ying Chanxi in the bathroom, Li Luo went to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Around six-thirty in the morning, the three of them were ready to leave.

Li Luo slung over his shoulder the guitar belonging to Yin Zhicheng, and set off for school with the two girls.

On the way, Li Luo suddenly remembered something and asked Ying Chanxi: "By the way, isn't this guitar of Uncle's pretty expensive? When you brought it, did you tell him?"

"Huh?" Ying Chanxi paused, then shook her head. "It's just a guitar. Dad won't mind."

"He never uses it. It's been gathering dust at home for years."

"It's just sitting there wasting space—take it and use it freely."