Chapter 235: Chanxi: I Never Heard About This?

At 7 p. m., Ying Chanxi, accompanied by Ying Zhicheng, flew from London and landed smoothly at an airport in Ohio.

After arriving in Cleveland by car, Ying Zhicheng arranged for her to stay at the city's best hotel.

"I'm going to meet a friend tonight," Ying Zhicheng said to Ying Chanxi before leaving. "If you're hungry, eat at the hotel restaurant, okay? I'll have Secretary Rong accompany you down for dinner."

"Oh, no problem," Ying Chanxi nodded, watching her father leave, then pulled out her phone and took several photos of the night view outside the hotel, eagerly sending them to him.

But after a long while, Li Luo still didn't respond.

So Ying Chanxi, unable to wait, called Li Luo.

After about ten seconds of waiting, the call was finally answered.

Li Luo's faint, muffled voice came through: "Hello? Who is it?"

"It's me. What are you doing?" Ying Chanxi asked. "Sleeping in?"

"Chanxi…" Li Luo mumbled twice, probably rubbing his eyes, barely waking up. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted to chat, but if you're still asleep, forget it. Go back to sleep."

"It's fine," Li Luo yawned, got out of bed, and walked into the bathroom to wash his face. "I'm up. Let's keep talking."

"Didn't you go help out at the shop today? It's already seven a. m. over there," Ying Chanxi rolled over on her bed, lying on her back, holding the phone to her ear.

She rubbed her feet hard against the bed, kicking off her shoes onto the floor, revealing a pair of small white-socked feet.

"Hmm… I stayed up late last night," Li Luo picked up a disposable toothbrush and toothpaste from the hotel bathroom, turned on speakerphone, and placed it aside as he began brushing his teeth.

After finishing his writing last night, he went out with Xu Youyu for late-night snacks and drank some beer.

He brought back some peanuts and sunflower seeds, and back at the room, kept drinking, sipping beer while cracking seeds, chatting all the while.

Because Xu Youyu had just written a plot segment she was extremely satisfied with, she dragged Li Luo into endless discussions about her novel.

They talked from midnight until past three a. m., and Li Luo, drawing from his past-life memories of the Literary Era, gave Xu Youyu some inspiration that often made her eyes light up, slapping her thigh and snatching up her notebook to jot down every idea immediately.

Later, both of them had drunk too much.

Then… then… what happened after that?

Li Luo couldn't quite remember.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the bathroom.

Li Luo looked up at the mirror and saw a blurry figure entering the bathroom doorway.

Xu Youyu rubbed her eyes, looking half-asleep, and mumbled as she stepped in: "You… uh!"

Barely had she uttered one syllable when she saw Li Luo lurch forward, instantly closing the distance between them.

Thud—he shoved her against the wall, clamping a hand over her mouth to silence her.

The sudden move jolted her fully awake; she struggled, whimpering.

Only when Li Luo whispered sharply into her ear: "Shh! I'm on the phone with Chanxi. Don't make a sound!"

Did Xu Youyu finally realize—she blinked, turned her head toward the sink, and saw the phone still connected.

"You scared me half to death," Xu Youyu pulled away from Li Luo's hand, muttering irritably. "I thought you were turning into a beast first thing in the morning."

Li Luo's face darkened. "It's all your fault. You drank so much last night you just passed out on my bed. I forgot all about it when I woke up."

"We were having fun," Xu Youyu grinned. "I don't mind. What are you afraid of? We've slept together before."

"Li Luo, what's going on?" Ying Chanxi's puzzled voice came through the phone. "Are you talking to someone?"

"Oh, nothing," Li Luo released Xu Youyu and hurried back to the sink, making up an excuse. "A delivery just arrived. I went to get it."

"Then why did I hear a thud? Like something hit something?"

"I was still half-asleep. I bumped into the bathroom door when I walked out."

"Oh? Are you okay? Did it hurt?"

"I'm fine."

Nearby, Xu Youyu heard Li Luo lying and rolled her eyes, then her gaze darted as she thought of something amusing.

While Li Luo chatted with Ying Chanxi and washed up, Xu Youyu quietly crept beside him and blew a breath into his ear.

Li Luo: "???"

【What are you doing?】

Li Luo mouthed the words, covering his tingling ear, glaring at Xu Youyu with wide eyes, silently demanding an answer.

【Mind your own business?】

Xu Youyu grinned triumphantly, picked up a fresh disposable toothbrush from the sink, and began brushing her teeth beside him.

Seeing this, Li Luo finished brushing, wiped his mouth, and quickly slipped out of the bathroom.

"I just arrived in the U. S. with my dad, but we didn't go to New York or San Francisco—we came to Ohio in the north."

Ying Chanxi, uninterested in the noises on his end, enthusiastically shared her itinerary. "My dad said he's meeting a friend, so he left me at the hotel for now."

"I see," Li Luo nodded, sat at his desk, and opened his laptop. "Have you eaten yet?"

While chatting with Ying Chanxi and having nothing else to do, he decided to write some novel outlines.

"Not yet. I'm about to go eat," Ying Chanxi said. "You should eat breakfast too, and don't stay up late—it's bad for your health."

"Got it. I'll listen to you."

"Good," Ying Chanxi happily rolled over, lifting her little feet into the air and swinging them. "But everything here tastes awful. Even the Chinese restaurant food is weird. I really miss your cooking."

"You'll have plenty of chances to eat it when you get back," Li Luo smiled. "Have you confirmed your return date?"

"Yeah, Dad said he already booked our flight for the 15th, but we'll probably get home late at night," Ying Chanxi said. "He already arranged with your parents—we're all going shopping for New Year goods on the 16th, then heading to the countryside together on the 17th."

"Alright. I'll wait for you."

"Mm-hmm~" Ying Chanxi nodded just as a knock came at the door—Secretary Rong had come to take her down for breakfast. She said into the phone, "I'm going to eat now. Don't forget breakfast. Bye~"

"Bye."

After Li Luo hung up, Xu Youyu had finished washing up, walked out of the bathroom, and plopped onto the bed, wrapping herself in the quilt: "Why did Chanxi call you so early? I was sleeping so soundly, and you woke me up."

"It's nighttime over there; there's a time difference between us." Li Luo set his phone aside and, now fully awake, decided to type a bit.

But Xu Youyu, hearing the sound of his typing from bed, groaned in protest: "Are you insane? Getting up this early to type? Can't you just sleep a little longer?"

"I suggest you hurry back to your own room if you're going to sleep," Li Luo retorted, fingers still flying over the keyboard. "What if your dad comes upstairs before lunch to call us down, and finds you in my room again? How are you going to explain that?"

"Ssshh…" At those words, Xu Youyu instantly leapt out of bed. "Why didn't you warn me sooner? I'm outta here."

Saying that, Xu Youyu jumped off the bed, grabbed his laptop, and headed back to his own room to catch some sleep.

But as he reached the door, he turned back to look at Li Luo and couldn't help laughing: "Hey, don't you think we look like we're having an affair? Like underground agents meeting in secret."

Li Luo rolled his eyes at that. "Go to sleep already."

"You're such a buzzkill, taking the fun out of inspiration," Xu Youyu muttered, opened the door, waved at him, and slipped back to his own room.

After Xu Youyu left, Li Luo typed for a while until nine in the morning, when his phone rang again.

Li Luo had assumed it was Ying Chanxi, having finished breakfast and reached out again.

But when he picked up the phone, he saw it was Yan Zhusheng calling.

"Hello?"

"Li Luo, are you busy?"

"You really like calling me while I'm typing."

"You're just too hardworking. It's still morning over there."

"The early bird catches the worm. If you want to earn more money, don't you have to get up early and work hard?"

"So are you going to keep typing?"

"If you really want to chat, I could take a short break."

"Then take a break," Yan Zhusheng said. "Mom went out to meet friends. I'm a little bored all by myself."

Hearing that, Li Luo froze for a moment.

Ying Zhicheng went out to meet friends? And Yuan Wanqing went out too?

What had Ying Chanxi said earlier… she and her dad had just arrived in Ohio, USA…

"By the way, you and your mom are in the U. S., right?"

"Yeah."

"Where in the U. S.?"

"Cleveland," Yan Zhusheng replied honestly. "Cleveland Medical Center. Their research and medical treatment for heart disease are world-class. My mom's heart condition was treated there."

"Cleveland… is that in Ohio?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Uh… nothing."

Li Luo blinked, a suspicion beginning to form in his mind.

Not long ago, he'd just learned that the film and television company Yuan Wanqing worked for was the same company Ying Zhicheng worked for.

In strict terms, they were even superior-subordinate?

To be fair, same company, both happened to be in the same place, both claimed they were going out to meet friends.

Li Luo didn't believe the world could be this coincidental.

Moreover, this made him think of something else.

He remembered that, back in his previous life when he first entered university, during a New Year's dinner, his father had casually mentioned that Ying Zhicheng had remarried.

But at the time, Li Luo hadn't been in contact with Ying Chanxi for years, so he hadn't cared much.

After all, Ying Zhicheng was an excellent match; remarriage would've been easy for him.

But now, after a moment of reflection, Li Luo's mind surfaced a startling possibility.

It couldn't possibly be that coincidental, could it?

Logically, given Ying Zhicheng's rank, negotiating endorsement contracts wouldn't require his personal involvement.

He'd only spent four or five days total in Paris and London—so easily sealed contracts—was it really necessary for Ying Zhicheng to go himself?

Today is the 9th, and they're in Ohio, a state dominated by agriculture, mining, and manufacturing—barely connected to entertainment, and not a famous tourist destination.

So Ying Zhicheng's trip to Ohio was purely to meet a friend.

What kind of friend requires meeting for five or six days straight? Why stay until the 15th?

…

In a private room of an upscale restaurant in Cleveland.

Ying Zhicheng, dressed in a crisp tailored suit, sat quietly by the window.

Only when his phone vibrated did he pull his gaze from the night outside and pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Arrived yet?"

"Alright, a server will bring you up."

"See you in a bit."

After hanging up, not long after, the door to the private room opened as the server pushed it open.

Following the server was Yuan Wanqing, dressed in a black dress.

Ying Zhicheng, who had been seated, stood up at once, picked up a bouquet of white violets prepared earlier from the side cabinet, and smiled as he offered them to Yuan Wanqing.

"Thank you, Director Ying," Yuan Wanqing smiled politely, accepted the flowers, and held them close to her chest.

"In private, you don't need to call me that."

"Zhicheng… let's sit down," Yuan Wanqing said, walking to the table with the flowers, lowering her head to inhale their fragrance. "Thank you for the flowers. I love them."

"Glad you like them. Put them aside for now," Ying Zhicheng said, pulling out her chair, taking the bouquet from her, and handing it to the nearby server to place in the pre-prepared vase. He then returned to his seat across from her. "We can start serving."

"You really didn't need to come all this way just to see me," Yuan Wanqing said with a helpless smile. "It's too much trouble."

"It's no problem," Ying Zhicheng shook his head. "I already planned to take my daughter out traveling—it's just that I took the chance to come see you."

"Just a coincidence?" Yuan Wanqing clasped her hands under her chin, gazing at him with smiling eyes.

"Alright," Ying Zhicheng admitted. "I came specifically to see you—but taking my daughter out traveling is also true."

"Thank you for your concern."

"It's only natural," Ying Zhicheng said. "How did the follow-up check-up go?"

"Everything's normal," Yuan Wanqing smiled. "As long as you avoid especially vigorous exercise or extreme emotional fluctuations, you're basically the same as a healthy person."

"That's good," Ying Zhicheng nodded, raising his glass of red wine. "We should celebrate."

"The doctor said it's best not to drink alcohol."

"Don't worry—your glass is plum juice."

"You really are thoughtful," Yuan Wanqing smiled faintly, lifting her glass to clink it against his. "But don't drink too much—you're getting older, better to drink less."

"Of course—I only drink a little when I'm happy."

They had a very pleasant meal.

The two ate and chatted together until past nine at night, when their figures finally emerged from the restaurant.

Ying Zhicheng lightly rested his right hand on Yuan Wanqing's shoulder and whispered in her ear: "Shall I take you home?"

Yuan Wanqing glanced at him and smiled softly. "Saying one thing but meaning another."

As she spoke, she leaned gently against his chest and whispered: "Let's go to your place."

"Alright."