Chapter 271

March 14th, Saturday.

Early in the morning, Li Luo felt some movement beside his ear.

But he paid it no mind in his sleep, still sinking into drowsiness.

Until Li Luo suddenly felt a chill and instinctively opened his eyes, gazing blankly at the ceiling, then realized one thing.

His blanket was gone.

He turned his head and caught sight of a sleeping figure.

Li Luo: "..."

He checked the time—it was only 5:30 a. m.

Half an hour remained until his 6 a. m. wake-up time.

Li Luo was still sleepy and didn't care when the girl had slipped into his room; he reached out and snatched half the blanket back, pulling it over himself.

But soon after, the blanket on him began to shift again.

Li Luo had no way to stop her, so he simply shifted his whole body over, pressing against Ying Chanxi to sleep, barely keeping a shred of the blanket—and finally slept comfortably until exactly six.

His phone alarm rang.

Both woke up at once.

Then Li Luo looked at Ying Chanxi again and sighed: "So when did you come in?"

"... Around three?" Ying Chanxi was still drowsy; after being woken by the alarm, she lazily closed her eyes again and instinctively rolled toward Li Luo.

But they were too close—Ying Chanxi ended up fully nestled into Li Luo's arms.

Li Luo stiffened noticeably, then helplessly said: "Wake up, get up—we still need to go for a morning run."

"Okay..."

"Didn't we agree not to barge into each other's rooms? You didn't follow that rule."

"What day is it today?" Ying Chanxi opened her eyes in his arms, stared at him for a moment, then suddenly asked.

"Happy birthday."

"You already knew that," Ying Chanxi grinned foolishly, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder, "You answered fast enough."

"That still doesn't excuse you entering my room without permission."

"But today I'm the Birthday Person—you all have to listen to me. What's wrong with entering a room?" Ying Chanxi declared with full confidence.

Li Luo: "... Alright, you've got a point."

"Then, Birthday Person."

"What else do you command?"

"Go get my school uniform," Ying Chanxi said lazily, lying on his bed. "Oh, and socks—don't forget the socks."

"You're really giving orders now, aren't you?" Li Luo laughed in exasperation but got up anyway; before leaving the bed, he gave her butt a firm smack. "Wait there."

"Ah!" Ying Chanxi's butt jolted, her whole body trembling; she spun around and kicked out hard at Li Luo.

But Li Luo dodged quickly—she only kicked air. "Li Luo! You dare hit the Birthday Person—and then dodge?!"

Li Luo stuck out his tongue at her, then slipped out of the bedroom.

He took down a set of Ying Chanxi's dried school uniform from the balcony, grabbed a pair of white socks, and returned to the bedroom.

Ying Chanxi was still lounging on his bed, unwilling to get up.

So Li Luo walked over with a smile and asked: "Birthday Person, shall I help you dress?"

"You offer that kind of service?" Ying Chanxi blinked, blushing slightly, and even looked a little eager.

But Li Luo had already draped the uniform over her head: "Dream on—get dressed yourself. I'm going to wash up."

"Hmph!" Ying Chanxi pulled the uniform off her head; by the time she looked up, Li Luo had already stepped into the bathroom.

So Ying Chanxi had to undress her pajamas and underwear, revealing her slender, graceful teenage figure on Li Luo's bed, then picked up her uniform and obediently put it on.

After dressing, she went to the bathroom outside, grabbed her toothbrush, tooth cup, and Mao Jin, and walked into Li Luo's bathroom.

Li Luo was brushing his teeth; seeing her enter, he paused: "You really have to come to my bathroom to brush your teeth?"

"I'm the Birthday Person today," Ying Chanxi lifted her chin, wielding the universal formula like a solved problem. "Squeeze some toothpaste for me."

She extended her toothbrush.

Li Luo rolled his eyes but picked up the toothpaste and squeezed a bit onto her brush: "Satisfied? You don't expect me to brush your teeth for you, do you?"

"No need for that," Ying Chanxi shoved the brush into her mouth, stood beside Li Luo, and diligently brushed her teeth.

After Li Luo finished brushing and washing his face, Ying Chanxi also finished brushing and handed him the Mao Jin: "Help me get some hot water."

"Alright, alright," Li Luo chuckled and shook his head, fetched hot water for his beloved Birthday Person, soaked the Mao Jin, and even handed her the facial cleanser.

After she finished washing her face, they returned to the bedroom together.

Ying Chanxi sat on the bed and extended her feet: "Help me put on my socks."

"Are you the Birthday Person or a toddler?" Li Luo stared at her in disbelief.

"I've read all your novels—you even wrote a scene where the protagonist puts socks on Mo Qinghan," Ying Chanxi narrowed her eyes. "Hurry up—I want that too."

"You know that's just fiction, right?"

"I don't care. Today I—"

"—the Birthday Person, the Birthday Person, I know," Li Luo interrupted automatically.

He picked up Ying Chanxi's white socks, stood before her, and lifted one of her feet in his hand.

In Li Luo's view, whether hands or feet, Ying Chanxi's were the most beautiful among the three girls.

Her small hands and feet looked dainty and delicate.

Especially her feet—held in his palm, even up close, they appeared tiny, pink, and utterly clean.

Unlike Yan Zhusheng's cold, pale skin, Ying Chanxi's feet were pale with a rosy flush, plump and delicate, evoking an irresistible urge to cherish them.

Even the pressure of her grip would unconsciously lessen, afraid of hurting such a cute little foot.

After lifting Ying Chanxi's foot, Li Luo pressed his chest against the sole, then spread open the white sock's cuff and slid it down over her glistening, adorable toes.

After slipping the sock onto one foot, Ying Chanxi obediently rested her other foot against his chest, waiting for his service.

Once both feet were dressed in white socks, Li Luo chuckled, pinched one of her feet, and tickled the sole a few times.

"Ah! No no no!" Ying Chanxi writhed on the bed, begging for mercy, "It's too ticklish~ Let go!"

Li Luo didn't tease her further; he released her and clapped his hands. "Alright, finish getting ready and get up—school's waiting."

"Wait a minute," Ying Chanxi pointed at the computer on the desk. "Didn't you forget something?"

"Oh right." Li Luo remembered—it was March 14th, not only Ying Chanxi's birthday, but also the release day of "Wait for You After Class."

Including the novel content for "Wait for You After Class," the song's audio upload, and the MV release.

Thinking of this, Li Luo immediately pulled out his chair, sat before the computer, and pressed the power button.

Ying Chanxi jumped off the bed, walked behind Li Luo, rested her hands on the chairback, and leaned forward to watch him operate.

Her soft, long hair fell beside Li Luo's ear as she leaned in; he turned on the computer and entered the password.

Ying Chanxi watched him type "0314," and her face broke into a sweet smile.

Then Li Luo uploaded about three chapters of saved drafts—all new plotlines he'd hastily added to his previous backlog these past few days.

After finishing that step, he uploaded the long-prepared song audio and MV to major music platforms, waiting for approval.

"Done." Li Luo patted Ying Chanxi's arm on his shoulder. "Let's go—don't keep Zhusheng waiting."

"Got it." Ying Chanxi stood straight, watched Li Luo rise from his chair, then immediately blocked him, grinning and opening her arms.

Li Luo froze for a moment, then, for reasons he couldn't explain, simply embraced her.

Ying Chanxi was stunned, silent for a long while before finally reacting: "Y-you…"

"What's wrong?" Li Luo released her and patted her head. "Didn't you open your arms for me to hug?"

"I—I…" Ying Chanxi's face flushed crimson, then quickly pointed at the school uniform jacket on the bed, whispering, "I just wanted you to help me put on my jacket… I didn't expect you to just hug me like that."

Li Luo: "…"

Now it was Li Luo's turn to feel embarrassed.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"How was I supposed to know you'd suddenly hug me?"

"You opened your arms toward me—what else was I supposed to think you meant?" Li Luo denied it.

"I think you just wanted to hug me." Ying Chanxi huffed, secretly delighted, and no longer asked him to put on her jacket—she picked up the coat and cheerfully walked out of the bedroom.

Watching Ying Chanxi's retreating back, Li Luo helplessly scratched his head, thinking he'd truly been brain-dead just now—his body had acted on instinct.

…

After finishing morning jogging on the school track and eating breakfast, Ying Chanxi bid farewell to Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng at the third-floor staircase, then made her way to Class One.

No sooner had she sat down than Qiao Xinyan handed her a small gift box, grinning: "Xixi, happy birthday."

"Thanks~ You're so sweet, Xinyan." Ying Chanxi accepted the gift in delight, tucked the box into her backpack. "Can I open it at home?"

"Of course." Qiao Xinyan nodded, then whispered slyly, "But I'm afraid your backpack won't fit everything."

"What do you mean?" Ying Chanxi asked, puzzled.

"You'll find out soon." Qiao Xinyan smirked, teasingly withholding the answer.

But soon, Ying Chanxi understood what she meant.

The morning self-study at Fuyi Middle School began precisely at 7 a. m.

She arrived at the classroom around 6:50, yet within just ten minutes, five or six birthday gifts had appeared on her desk.

All from boys in her class.

Fortunately, none of them went overboard—each gift was reasonably priced, so Ying Chanxi politely accepted them all.

But as time passed…

During the four morning self-study periods on Saturday, nearly every break between classes brought boys from her own or other classes to present her with gifts.

By lunchtime, Ying Chanxi stared at the pile of assorted gifts on and beside her desk, and couldn't help pressing her forehead in exhaustion.

"I should've refused them all from the start."

"It's just because you're so popular, Xixi," Qiao Xinyan giggled behind her hand. "Didn't you get this many gifts before?"

"In middle school, there were some, but not this crazy," Ying Chanxi sighed, scratching her head, then stood up to go downstairs and call for Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng.

Li Luo followed her upstairs, saw the gifts on her desk, and burst out laughing.

"You're laughing?!" Ying Chanxi swatted him. "Open your backpack—I need to stash these."

"I've got a plastic bag." Yan Zhusheng pulled an empty plastic bag from her backpack and handed it to Ying Chanxi.

"Thanks~" Ying Chanxi took the bag, gathered up a heap of small gifts, and stuffed the rest into Li Luo's backpack.

"No wonder you're the school's top-grade beauty—you're incredibly popular," Li Luo shook his head in amazement.

"You're such a joker," Ying Chanxi glared at him. "Let's go—home."

"You're coming this afternoon too, Xinyan?" Li Luo asked Qiao Xinyan. "Today's Xixi's birthday—let's celebrate together."

"Of course." Qiao Xinyan linked arms with Ying Chanxi and walked out of the classroom with her.

Li Luo went to Class Three to pick up Zhao Rongjun; Yan Zhusheng pulled in Xu Yinghuan; then the six met up with Xu Youyu, who had been waiting on Houde Road, and the seven of them marched out of the school gate toward Bihai Lanting.

On the way, Li Luo began assigning tasks.

"Sis, Zhusheng, and Yinghuan—you go to the market to buy groceries."

"Zhao Rongjun, you and Qiao Xinyan take a taxi to the bakery and pick up the cake I ordered."

"I'll accompany the Birthday Person today to the supermarket to buy snacks."

After assigning everyone's tasks, Li Luo dismissed them at the intersection beside the school, then walked with Ying Chanxi toward the nearby supermarket.