Chapter 208

【The Little Freshman Who Can't Stop Sneaking Glances:】

【I feel like time has flown since we started living together—before I knew it, it's already finals.】

【Looking back on this semester, it's been pretty interesting, at least much more so than my first year.】

【Especially our shared living arrangement—it feels more like moving into a new home than my renting last year, warm and comfortable.】

【I'm not sure how you feel, but whenever I'm with you, I always sense a deep sense of ease.】

【Whether we're talking or just interacting, it always gives me the illusion that I don't need to overthink—I can just move forward smoothly.】

【It's kind of magical.】

【As a reward, how about I hand over the president position of the Literature Club to you next year in Gao Er?】

【Ying Chanxi will probably become Student Union president—you wouldn't want her to also take on Literature Club president and get so busy she neglects her studies, right?】

【By the way, during winter break, Chanxi and Zhusheng are going abroad—it'll feel kind of boring.】

【I don't have many friends in class, and this year I'm glad I got to know them both—I originally thought we could hang out during vacation.】

But since that's not happening, you're my fallback option.

【So, wanna consider it?】

【If I reach out to you during winter break, don't turn me down, or I'll be really sad.】

【Oh, by the way, do you remember that book I recommended to you before?】

【It's an Online Novel—you guys probably love it. It's called I Am Really Not a Star.】

【When we all had lunch together during parent-teacher conference, we were just surprised when we found out Zhusheng's mom was Yuan Wanqing.】

【But later I realized the super popular song she's been singing recently was actually an original composition by the author of this book—and it's even included in the novel.】

【If you read the book, you'd probably recognize it, right?】

【It's still pretty interesting—I wonder if this counts as a crossover fusion between literature and music.】

【Especially this song in the book—used as the theme for a crappy xianxia drama—it somehow echoes the theme song of a real-life crappy drama. It's genuinely fascinating.】

【If you haven't read it yet, I strongly recommend you give it a try.】

【Other than that, there's not much else to say.】

【Anyway, remember to go out and have fun during winter break.】

【Also, I'll probably go home for a few days right after the break starts—once my parents get tired of me, I'll move back to Bihai Lanting.】

【I'll come back for New Year's Eve, haha~】

【If you miss me, you can just come over and find me then~】

【A guy and a girl alone in the same room—tsk tsk~ Should I buy some anti-harassment gear just in case?】

【But since I trust your character, I won't buy any of that stuff.】

【Oh, by the way, Shao Youpeng came to me yesterday and asked if I wanted to join your rock club's dinner.】

【I thought, why would your rock club invite me? He said it was to thank the Student Union president for supporting the club—I immediately suspected it was your excuse.】

【But he said Chanxi will be there too, so if I'm free tomorrow, I'll come crash the meal.】

【Huh? I accidentally wrote too much.】

【Alright, alright, I'll stop—I still have to write to Chanxi. That's all for now, bye.】

【—The All-Seeing, Penetrating Senior Sister】

After reading Xu Youyu's letter, Li Luo's lip twitched—he wondered what kind of nonsense "the little freshman who can't stop sneaking glances" was supposed to mean, and what the hell was up with that closing description?

But her style was as bold and open as ever, just like the Xu Youyu from his past life—maybe slightly more restrained.

After all, she was still just a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl; she couldn't possibly be as unrestrained as she'd be at twenty-five or twenty-six.

Besides, neither of them had revealed their author pseudonyms, so naturally they couldn't talk any deeper.

But why did he feel so at ease talking to her? Probably because his entire skill at chatting with girls had been trained by Xu Youyu.

Thinking back to his first encounter with Xu Youyu in his past life—when he'd bumped into her right outside the café—Li Luo let out a quiet laugh.

Now, starting high school, they were living under the same roof—it truly felt like fate.

After reading Xu Youyu's letter, Li Luo turned his head and glanced at Yan Zhusheng, who was staring fixedly at his face.

He instinctively touched his cheek and asked, "Why are you staring at me? Go do your homework."

"Curious," Yan Zhusheng said, looking from him to the letter in his hand. "You smiled while reading it."

"Did I?" Li Luo touched his lips. Had he really smiled? He hadn't noticed.

"Who's this letter from? Chanxi or the senior sister?" Yan Zhusheng asked curiously.

"The senior sister."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng nodded. Though she really wanted to ask what it said, out of politeness she held back and turned back to her homework.

Li Luo put the letter back in its envelope, then picked up Ying Chanxi's letter, carefully opened it, and unfolded the paper.

Unlike Xu Youyu's casual ballpoint pen, Ying Chanxi's fountain pen strokes had a noticeably better texture—softer, gentler, more comfortable to look at.

But the address was anything but gentle.

【You Idiot:】

【Time flies so fast—I didn't even notice, and suddenly finals are over.】

【But thinking about how I'll be traveling abroad with Dad this winter break and won't see you during that time, I feel like time will drag.】

【Of course, that's not because I miss you—it's just that I've gotten used to living with you and the senior sister, and suddenly being away feels awkward.】

【Dad's always so busy with work, and now he finally has time to take me on a trip—I really need to cherish this time with him.】

【Come to think of it, though this semester felt short, a lot actually happened.】

【I still clearly remember how things were at the start of the term.】

【You know, when Uncle and Aunt first invited me to live with you in Bihai Lanting, I was genuinely happy.】

I originally thought that since I was in Class One and you were in the parallel class, even if we got into the same high school, we wouldn't have much time to meet or chat normally.

If that had been the case, I was worried we might slowly lose common ground and our relationship would just fade away.

Fortunately, we can still live together, so that worry turned out to be unnecessary.

Later, when you ranked in the top 40 in the school midterm exam, I felt thrilled for you—even happier than if I'd gotten first place myself.

After all, if you could just maintain this performance, maybe we could both smoothly get into Qianjiang University together.

After that, parent-teacher meetings, sports day, New Year's Eve party… so many things seemed to happen.

I originally thought high school life was all about competitions and the college entrance exam, and would probably be dull and tedious.

But with you in high school, everything suddenly became colorful, with no sense of hardship—instead, I found myself immersed in and enjoying it.

Still, it would be nice if you, me, and Zhusheng could all be in the same class.

Speaking of which, I wonder if your homeroom teacher has mentioned this to you?

Teacher Sun told me privately that there might be reforms to this year's college entrance exam; details are still unclear, but the division between liberal arts and science might change.

I'll also ask my dad to look into it more—he might hear something ahead of time, so we can prepare early.

All this really comes down to one thing: when we get divided into classes in Gao Er, I want to be in the same class as you.

You must feel the same way, right? Don't you dare say no, or I'll kill you.

(A crude drawing: a blade dripping blood.)

According to Teacher Sun, when the division changes, we won't be split into liberal arts and science anymore—instead, we'll choose three subjects from seven electives.

If Zhusheng has three subjects she's confident in, we can align with her, since our current scores don't drag us down in any elective—so what we pick won't matter much.

What we should really consider is how subject choices affect future major options, since some majors will definitely require specific electives.

But it's still too early to discuss this—we'll wait for more concrete information later.

As for winter break, don't go running off anywhere, okay? You should go play basketball with Zhao Rongjun more often.

At home, listen to Lin Yi and don't make her angry.

I know Lin Yi always uses me as an example to scold you—I think that's not good, but I can't say it to her face.

If Lin Yi brings me up again, just pretend you didn't hear it.

I believe everyone has their own unique qualities; judging everything solely by grades is definitely unfair.

At least in my view, Li Luo is a wonderful person, even if his grades aren't that great.

So sometimes, you shouldn't take too seriously what Lin Yi says.

This winter break, I asked my dad—he's flying out on the 4th and returning on the 15th, so those ten days you must behave yourself and don't get into trouble again.

Of course, you're much more mature now than in middle school—you probably don't even need me to say this.

Oh, one more thing: since we're flying out on the 4th, my dad says we can have dinner together on the 3rd—remind your dad and mom too.

Dad said he's going to cook… maybe you should help him? His cooking is really not something I'd trust.

It's fine if I taste it myself, but if we treat your dad and mom poorly, that would be bad.

But if you ever ask me again, "Is Dad's food any good?" I'll break your legs.

Lastly, is there anything you'd really like as a gift from abroad?

Or I can take photos and send them to you, and you can tell me what you like—I'll bring it back for you.

In short, this is now the 16th year since we became good friends.

I hope this number will one day become 61, or even longer.

Alright, I've written too much—I still have to write a letter to my senior, so I'll stop here.

—Ying Chanxi

After reading Ying Chanxi's letter, Li Luo's face broke into a faint smile.

He'd thought his senior's letter was long enough, but Ying Chanxi's was even weightier.

He read the letter from start to finish, then read it again, until Yan Zhusheng poked his arm—he finally snapped back to reality.

"Huh? What's up?"

"Running," Yan Zhusheng said. "You've been staring at that letter for at least fifteen minutes."

"Cough… Got it, let's go." Li Luo carefully placed the letter back into its envelope, then stood up and walked with Yan Zhusheng toward the track.

This was the final night run of the semester—better cherish it.

And in a place Li Luo didn't notice, a half-finished letter lay quietly in Yan Zhusheng's drawer.