Chapter 222: Couple

At around ten at night, Li Luo and the other two left the barbecue restaurant reeking of alcohol, heading toward the Quanjie Hotel.

Along the way, Qianzhou sighed from time to time: "Go straight to bed when you get back, don't go out again—otherwise if something happens, I won't know how to explain it to your parents."

"Relax, editor." After drinking, Xu Youyu threw an arm around Li Luo's shoulder, let out a satisfied burp, and patted Qianzhou on the back. "What time's the meeting tomorrow?"

"It starts at eight-thirty," Qianzhou said. "You'd better set an alarm for eight. Don't be late. There's free breakfast on the second floor—you can get in with your room key."

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

Back at the hotel, the three took the elevator upstairs.

Qianzhou had arrived early yesterday, so his room was on the eighth floor; as the elevator opened, he stepped out and gave them another reminder.

When the elevator doors closed again and they reached the ninth floor, Li Luo and Xu Youyu returned to their respective rooms.

Li Luo had assumed his day would end like this—he adjusted his mood over the exposed vest, sat at the desk, and began typing.

But after only about half an hour of writing, someone knocked on his door.

Li Luo didn't even need to open the door to know who it was.

After all, he only had two acquaintances in the entire hotel.

Qianzhou was sleeping downstairs, so it could only be the one next door.

Li Luo walked to the door, opened it, and there, as expected, was Xu Youyu.

But unlike earlier, when she'd been bundled in a down jacket, this Xu Youyu, freshly bathed, wore her own thin pajamas, her long hair still damp and draped over her shoulders, radiating a fresh, ethereal aura.

Seeing Li Luo open the door, Xu Youyu, clutching her laptop, stepped inside wearing the hotel's disposable slippers, her bare legs fully visible beneath the short pajama pants.

"What are you doing here?"

"Typing!" Xu Youyu slammed her laptop onto the desk, pulled up a chair beside Li Luo, and crossed her legs on the seat.

Seeing her determined to stay, Li Luo stared at her in disbelief: "Can't you type in your own room?"

"I'm running out of time—it's almost midnight, and I still need to write two thousand characters." Xu Youyu pointed to her damp hair. "Help me dry my hair, save me some time."

"..." Li Luo took a deep breath, half-laughing, half-exasperated. "So you're using me as free labor now, huh?"

"Aren't you always free labor for Chanxi at home?" Xu Youyu rolled her eyes. "Why can't I enjoy this? Hurry up, please—you've got so many drafts, you won't miss a few minutes."

Li Luo sighed and didn't refuse. He fetched the hotel's hairdryer from the bathroom and stood behind Xu Youyu.

They'd lived under the same roof for so long, but this was the first time he'd ever dried her hair.

Honestly, compared to drying Ying Chanxi's hair, the temptation here was far greater.

Especially since Xu Youyu, for comfort's sake, had bought loose pajamas—so when Li Luo stood behind her, looking down, it was nearly impossible to look away.

Fortunately, Li Luo had experience from his past life.

If you counted it properly, Xu Youyu was probably the first girl he'd ever dried hair for.

He'd just never done it in this life.

Thinking of this, Li Luo turned on the hairdryer, his left hand brushing through her shoulder-length hair, his gaze slipping into memory.

Recalling the steps Xu Youyu had taught him in his past life, he dried her hair meticulously.

Xu Youyu leaned back in her chair, fingers tapping the keyboard, feeling utterly comfortable.

Honestly, Li Luo's technique for drying girls' hair was remarkably skilled.

"No wonder you're always drying Chanxi's hair," Xu Youyu chuckled. "Feels so good—better than I do it myself."

"Hmph." Li Luo smiled inwardly, thinking: This isn't from practicing on Chanxi—it's from you teaching me in my past life.

But some things were destined to remain buried deep inside.

As Li Luo thought of this, his gaze softened.

After about ten minutes of drying her hair, he put the hairdryer back in the bathroom and sat beside her.

The two worked in silence, slipping into their typing zones.

Xu Youyu's typing style was unique.

Sitting cross-legged on the chair, once immersed in writing, she began muttering under her breath, occasionally mimicking the dialogue of her characters.

Sometimes, to match each character's speech quirks, her face would shift expressions—now laughing, now pouting.

When she found the right feeling, her fingers danced across the keyboard, and vivid scenes unfolded on screen.

But if she couldn't find the right feeling, if her imitation fell flat, or if a plot point stalled and she had to choose how to express it, she'd freeze.

Only after long hesitation and prolonged stillness would her hands finally move a few clumsy keystrokes.

At such moments, she'd rest her elbows on her knees, sway back and forth, sometimes closing her eyes in thought, sometimes suddenly leaping up to pace the room.

Sometimes she'd stop by the window, staring at the endless night beyond, gazing at the distant night view of Xihu, letting her thoughts wander until she caught a fleeting spark of inspiration.

Then her expression would brighten; she'd yank open the chair, barely sit down before bending over to type furiously, rapidly outputting.

Only after finishing the passage would she pull the chair back, cross her legs again, and sigh with satisfaction.

Compared to Xu Youyu, Li Luo's typing was far quieter.

After all, he had a memory palace in his mind—he spent most of his time playing mental puzzles of arrangement and combination.

Based on his pre-planned outline and detailed notes, he filled in the text with the recombined plot elements.

Thus, his typing rarely paused—the steady, persistent sound of tapping echoed continuously in the room.

Xu Youyu started at ten-thirty and barely finished her two thousand characters by midnight.

In that same time, Li Luo had already written over eight thousand.

After uploading her latest chapter with a satisfied sigh, Xu Youyu leaned over to peek at Li Luo's screen, then froze in shock.

"Are you some kind of tentacle monster?! Eight thousand characters in this time? What kind of brain do you have?!"

"Calm down. Basic move." Li Luo waved his hand, saved his eight thousand words, then rubbed his wrist. "I'm going to shower. Shouldn't you head back to bed?"

"Why rush? I've got something to discuss with you." Xu Youyu plopped onto Li Luo's bed without a hint of caution, pointing toward the bathroom. "Go ahead and shower—I'll wait. We'll talk after you're done."

"Say it now. Say it and leave." Li Luo gestured toward the large floor-to-ceiling glass of the bathroom, his forehead twitching. "You don't plan to watch me shower, do you?"

"Aren't there curtains inside?" Xu Youyu gave him a look, "I don't mind, but you're embarrassed?"

"Get lost, get to the point." Li Luo looked unimpressed, "Finish talking and go back, then I'll take a shower."

"Fine." Xu Youyu patted the bed, signaling him to sit, then said, "Let's make three agreements."

"What three agreements?"

"Of course, about us writing novels." Xu Youyu's expression turned serious at the mention of it, "Now you know I sleep early to grow taller, and I know you're Chongran. Neither of us wants anyone else to know we're writing novels."

"So we're on the same side, right?"

"If that's the case, we naturally must stand together and help each other."

Hearing Xu Youyu say this, Li Luo understood and chuckled, "You just want me to keep your secret? I'm tight-lipped—I won't go blabbing around. Just mind your own mouth."

"If that were all, would I have specifically brought it up?" Xu Youyu gave him a look, "What I'm saying isn't just about keeping secrets—it includes other terms."

"Go ahead."

"Ahem." Xu Youyu cleared his throat, organized his thoughts, then continued.

"First, mutual secrecy: under no circumstances shall either of us disclose to a third party that the other is secretly writing novels without permission."

"Second, if you notice the other is at risk of exposure, you must actively cover for them and give timely warnings."

Third, under necessary circumstances, you may actively seek the other's help, including but not limited to cooperation, concealment, or white lies.

Listening to Xu Youyu lay out the three agreements in a methodical, logical manner, Li Luo's lips twitched.

"You're truly meticulous—I'm impressed."

"Hmph." Xu Youyu gave him a look, "We're now an alliance of mutual defense—we hold each other's secrets. You'd better take this seriously."

"I get it, bottom line is don't get exposed." Li Luo nodded noncommittally, "Any other business? If not, shouldn't you go back to sleep?"

"What's the rush? I haven't finished." Xu Youyu waved a hand, "Those were just the specific terms—now we need to confirm the actual situation."

"What actual situation?"

"Our respective levels of exposure," Xu Youyu said. "So far, no one in my family knows I write novels."

"You're the only person besides my editor who knows my real identity."

"So, what about you?"

Asked this, Li Luo felt embarrassed—he realized his secrecy was pretty shoddy.

He sighed helplessly, "My parents know. Then they told my uncle, so his whole family knows too."

"As for other relatives, I don't know if my uncle mentioned it to them."

"Besides that, only Yan Zhusheng knows."

After hearing Li Luo's confession, Xu Youyu's face showed understanding, then flickered with confusion. "What about Chanxi? Doesn't Chanxi know?"

"Nope."

"Then why does Yan Zhusheng know?"

"Because of that song, 'Year Rings,'" Li Luo rolled his eyes. "I secretly asked her to record it for me."

But after I uploaded it online, a bunch of readers left comments, and they exposed me.

Yan Zhusheng saw those comments and traced them back to my novel.

Hearing this, Xu Youyu burst out laughing: "You're so stupid! Getting exposed like this? You're a genius."

"Hmph." Seeing her laugh so happily, Li Luo chuckled too, his smile cold and sarcastic. "So I've already been socially dead multiple times—I don't mind if it happens again. But for you, Senior, it might not be so easy."

Hearing this, Xu Youyu's expression changed slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing."

Watching Li Luo's smug expression, Xu Youyu didn't retort—instead, her face softened, eyes welling up with a pitiful, delicate look. She deliberately pulled down the shoulder of her pajamas, revealing her pale shoulder.

Then she bit her lip, blinked her eyes, and whined, "If you help me keep my secret… I'll… I'll do anything~"

"Damn!" Li Luo's arms broke out in goosebumps—he leapt off the bed and retreated all the way to the window. "Senior, stop scaring me! Act normal!"

"Huh?" Xu Youyu blinked, pulled her pajama shoulder back up, and asked curiously, "Don't all guys fall for this?"

"But you've got to consider skill compatibility," Li Luo rolled his eyes. "This scene happening to you? It's just weird."

"What do you mean?" Xu Youyu glared at him. "You're looking down on me? I acted it perfectly!"

"Someone who just downed four or five bottles of beer shouldn't say that."

"Pfft, that's just a stereotype," Xu Youyu huffed, dissatisfied. "Boring."

"Alright, alright, go back to your room. Get some sleep," Li Luo waved him off. "I still need to shower."

"Got it." Xu Youyu climbed off his bed, grabbed her laptop, then shuffled out of Li Luo's room in her slippers.

At the door, Xu Youyu turned back one last time to remind him: "Alliance of mutual defense—remember it!"

"I know, just go."

"Then…" Xu Youyu leaned against the doorframe, eyes soft and pleading, gazing at him with tender affection, whispering, "Li Luo, goodnight~"

Li Luo rubbed his forehead, head throbbing, hurried to the door, and pushed her out: "Goodnight, goodnight, see you tomorrow."

"You're so crude," Xu Youyu frowned slightly, murmuring reproachfully—clearly she'd gotten into character.

"If you keep this up, I'm calling your dad right now," Li Luo said flatly.

"Alright, alright," Xu Youyu chuckled, breaking character. "I'm just teasing you. Goodnight."

Saying that, Xu Youyu skipped happily to her own door, swiped her card, opened it, and waved back at Li Luo before stepping inside.

Watching Xu Youyu vanish around the corner of her door, Li Luo took a deep breath, then rushed back into his room and slammed the door shut.

He stripped naked, stepped into the shower, turned the water to cold, and let the icy stream cascade over his head, soaking his entire body.

Feeling the coolness on his skin, Li Luo slowly exhaled a long breath of stale air.

His once young, feverish body finally began to cool down.

What a headache…

Li Luo rubbed his temples and sighed wryly in his heart.

But after their two masks were exposed to each other, the invisible barrier between him and Xu Youyu seemed to vanish instantly.

Xu Youyu had always been cheerful and warm enough.

But once they both knew each other's true identities, Xu Youyu immediately became the person Li Luo had once known best.

Recalling Xu Youyu's earlier bedridden antics that had left him overwhelmed, Li Luo shook his head with a smile, and scene after scene from his past life surfaced in his mind.

He really hadn't changed at all.