Chapter 202: Winter Break Plans

At night, when the world was deep and silent.

Lin Xiuhong suddenly knocked and entered Li Luo's bedroom.

Li Luo had been typing on Yan Zhusheng's laptop, and now watched his mother walk in with a solemn expression.

"What's wrong, Mom?" Li Luo paused his typing and looked at Lin Xiuhong in confusion.

"Turn around," Lin Xiuhong sat on the edge of the bed, patted Li Luo, signaling him to face her, "I want to talk to you from the heart."

"Okay," Li Luo, seeing her serious and earnest expression, refrained from joking and obediently turned to listen attentively.

Seeing his attitude, Lin Xiuhong's face softened with satisfaction, then she said: "You're earning money now—better than your father and I. We're all happy."

"But we must understand that no money comes from the wind—it's your own hard-earned labor."

"Do you remember your cousin? That Wei Dongrong? He has another cousin whose family originally started with short-term profits."

"At first, it was nothing—earning a few million a year, living well—but their family failed to discipline their child, feeding him nothing but rich food every day."

"Later, the child turned spoiled, spending wildly, with no proper view of money—he wouldn't wear clothes under ten thousand yuan, and sneakers had to be limited editions."

"Then what happened? Later, their business collapsed due to changing market conditions, and income vanished overnight."

"If they'd saved even a fraction of those few million a year, they'd have lived comfortably."

"But their son's spending habits were deeply rooted, impossible to change—and within just a few years, the entire family was ruined."

"Li Luo, do you understand what I'm getting at?"

"Mm." Li Luo nodded seriously after listening, "Mom, don't worry—I don't waste money. I'm saving all of it."

Here, Li Luo felt a thought stir—he tried cautiously probing his mother's attitude, then added: "I was thinking—we bought a place in Bihai Lanting. If the subway ever extends there, will the property appreciate?"

"If I earn enough later, could I buy another place near the subway entrance?"

"Or buy a shop—like your breakfast stall—would that also be profitable in the future?"

"Whether I write novels or songs, I'm relying on talent and inspiration—and those can run out someday."

"But a shop? That brings real, stable income. Don't you think so, Mom?"

Li Luo's reminder left Lin Xiuhong stunned.

We were talking fine, and suddenly it turned to property investment and shops?

But then she reconsidered—her son's logic did make sense.

Money sitting idle is just money sitting idle.

According to Li Luo, this month's royalty would be even higher.

If there was a stable investment direction, it could serve as future security.

Still, Lin Xiuhong said: "Your main task now is to focus on your studies. As for writing novels and songs—I don't understand them. You figure it out yourself; I won't interfere."

"As for how to use the money you earn—whether to buy property—we'll need to discuss it further with your father."

"Also, keep this between family. Don't go blabbing to outsiders—you know the saying: don't flaunt your wealth?"

"Don't worry, Mom, I won't say anything." Li Luo nodded, "I just brought it up—you and Dad think it over. The final decision is yours."

"Alright, then let's leave it at that." Seeing how mature her son was, Lin Xiuhong smiled warmly, patted his shoulder, and stood up, "I won't disturb you anymore. Remember to sleep early."

…

On Sunday noon, after taking Ying Chanxi to the breakfast stall for lunch, they packed their bags and returned to Bihai Lanting.

At 1502, Li Luo prepared to continue typing in the afternoon, while Ying Chanxi had to go to school for her competition class.

Yesterday, to go out shopping with Li Luo, she'd asked her teacher for leave and skipped Saturday's competition session—today she had to make up yesterday's lessons.

But before Ying Chanxi left, Li Luo called her back and asked: "What color do you like?"

"Huh?" Ying Chanxi looked at him strangely, "Why are you asking that?"

"Just pick one," Li Luo added. "White, yellow, red—choose one."

"Oh… then red," Ying Chanxi said, glancing at the scarf she had knitted around Li Luo's neck.

"Alright," Li Luo said, then returned to his bedroom. Soon after, he came out holding a pale red scarf, draping it around Ying Chanxi's neck, "Wear it. It's a gift."

Ying Chanxi froze in place, staring at the scarf around her neck, momentarily moved: "Why did you think to give me this?"

"Ahem… my mom gave it to me," Li Luo admitted honestly. "How does it feel?"

"Very comfortable," Ying Chanxi touched the scarf, her lips pressed together, then slightly curled upward—if she had a tail, it would surely be twitching high in delight. "But how did you know I'd pick red?"

"It means we're in sync."

"Hmph," Ying Chanxi rolled her eyes, then slung her bag over her shoulder, put on her shoes, and stepped out with light steps, waving goodbye, "I'm off then."

After seeing Ying Chanxi off, Li Luo returned to his bedroom, glanced at the backend data—average subscription now at 13,000—and his expression grew distant.

He had to admit: before writing this book, he'd fantasized about such success—but once the first-subscription numbers came out, he'd grounded himself.

His skill was only enough for an average beginner novel; the quality came purely from mature use of future experience and tropes.

Yet Li Luo never imagined that his accidental song, "Nianlun," would have such a massive impact.

It directly altered the future trajectory of this book.

At this time, on Qidian's main site, only about twenty to thirty ongoing novels had reached ten thousand subscriptions.

A quick glance showed they were all masters.

Li Luo was now like a Husky混入 a pack of wolves—thanks to a surge at month's start, he'd held the monthly vote ranking at number one for a long time.

But his numbers still couldn't compete with the big-name Platinum authors; the bestseller ranking held first place for only three days after month's start, then slowly dropped, finally settling at seventh overall.

Reaching ten thousand subscriptions was beyond Li Luo's original plan.

His intention was simply to earn a little extra money to make high school life more comfortable.

He'd planned to attempt serious earnings only in university.

Yet by accident, thanks to "Nianlun," Yan Zhusheng's connections, and Yuan Wanqing's mediation, he'd pulled off this dazzling traffic bonanza.

Sometimes, fate is simply that miraculous—when luck arrives, you can't stop it.

The only thing Li Luo found regrettable was that his book was a cultural entertainment novel; though set in an alternate world, it still plagiarized many real-world entertainment works that already existed.

Added to that, it was a都市 novel with multiple female leads—selling the copyright would probably be difficult.

It would just earn him subscription revenue.

But Li Luo was content with this; with the startup capital from this book and his song sales, if he could buy one or two storefronts before the subway entrance was finalized,

his future安稳 little life would be fully secured.

Thinking of this, Li Luo smiled with relief.

Just as he had been typing for two or three hours, the sound of someone unlocking the door came from outside.

Xu Youyu was back.

"Li Luo! What are we having for dinner?" Xu Youyu knocked on the bedroom door, then opened it and poked her head in, eagerly asking, "What ingredients do we need? I'll buy them at the market."

"Buy whatever you want to eat," Li Luo said, closing his typing software and standing up. "What do you feel like today?"

"Chicken wings, and beef brisket."

"Then go buy them early—the beef brisket takes a long time to cook."

"Ask Zhusheng what she wants to eat too. Invite her over this afternoon—we'll have dinner together," Xu Youyu said. "But if we do that, you'll have to come with me to buy groceries—I can't carry it all alone."

"Oh, got it. I'll call her on the way," Li Luo said, then suddenly asked, "Senior, which do you prefer—white or orange?"

"White, why?" Xu Youyu was heading toward her bedroom to put down her bag, then turned to ask, "Out of the blue asking me to pick a color… let me guess—you want to buy me clothes?"

"You're clever, but unfortunately, you're wrong," Li Luo shook his finger, then pulled out a white scarf. "Here. For you."

"Wow~" Xu Youyu raised her eyebrows, surprised. "Do you know what it means when you give a girl a scarf?"

"It means good friends."

"Heh, then thank you, my good friend," Xu Youyu covered her mouth and laughed softly, but didn't reach out to take it—instead, she tilted her head slightly forward. "Help me put it on. My hands are full."

At that moment, Xu Youyu was holding her bag in both hands—she truly couldn't manage it easily.

So Li Luo helped her put on the scarf.

The white scarf matched well with her newly bought warm yellow down jacket.

Especially with the white scarf resting just above her chest, it accentuated her graceful silhouette, making it hard to look away.

"It suits you perfectly," Xu Youyu looked down, then smiled. "You're thoughtful—actually knew to give me this."

"After all, you gave me pants yesterday. Returning the gift is only right."

"But where did you buy this?" Xu Youyu curiously touched the scarf. "It feels so comfortable—great quality."

"My mom knitted it herself."

"Eh?" Xu Youyu froze, suddenly embarrassed. "T-this? Auntie's really skillful… um… I—I'll just go to the bathroom first."

After putting her bag back in the bedroom, Xu Youyu slipped into the bathroom.

After closing the door, Xu Youyu stared at her reflection in the mirror and couldn't help but pat her slightly flushed cheeks.

"Seriously… you didn't even say it was your mom's handmade scarf when you gave it to me," Xu Youyu looked at the white scarf around her neck and laughed softly, shaking her head.

Then she touched the scarf's warm texture again, a faint smile forming on her lips: "It's such a strange feeling."

Hmm… maybe I can write this into my book someday.

It's a rare chance for inspiration.