Chapter 279: I Just Missed You

"Why do I feel like you're not really in the mood to chat?"

In the classroom, Xu Yinghuan turned to her desk partner Jin Yuting and asked curiously, "Aren't you always the one who loves chatting about Xi Xi and Li Luo? This time they've both shot a music video."

"Mmm…" Jin Yuting forced a smile, her mind still occupied with something else.

Like Zhao Rongjun, her family had also heard about Li Luo's exploits during the New Year holidays, from Li Luo's aunts.

Not only did he ace the midterm exams at Fuyi's sophomore year, but he also wrote a novel and won a major prize—just the cash reward alone totaled fifty thousand yuan.

Originally, when Jin Yuting heard this, she assumed Li Luo had written some short story of a few thousand or ten thousand words, so she hadn't paid it much attention.

After a semester of exposure, Jin Yuting had already grown somewhat accustomed to Li Luo's excellence.

He had excellent grades, was class monitor of Class Eight, handled affairs with precision, spoke with wit and humor, and could play guitar and sing.

Since entering high school, Li Luo had completely transformed—utterly different from the troublemaker he'd been in junior high.

So adding "novel writer" to his list of strengths didn't surprise her at all; she barely gave it a second thought.

But this music video incident made Jin Yuting notice something unusual.

Like Zhao Rongjun, Jin Yuting knew well that Li Luo's cousin had already married and had children older than them, and was successful in his career.

How could he possibly have time to write Online Novels?

Combined with the stories Li Luo's aunts had told during the New Year, Jin Yuting developed a reasonable suspicion.

Could this novel, titled I Am Really Not a Star, actually be written by Li Luo himself?

Although her relationship with Li Luo had improved somewhat, it still wasn't close—just a faint sense of hometown kinship remained.

Since Li Luo had chosen to conceal this private matter, she couldn't possibly rush to expose it.

Moreover, even though she suspected it, she wasn't certain—especially since before coming to school that afternoon, she'd specifically read the novel.

The writing style and tone felt utterly impossible to associate with Li Luo.

But since it was Li Luo, anything happening to him seemed possible.

She just couldn't verify it right now.

But compared to Jin Yuting, Zhu Yufei had uncovered far more clues than she, who hadn't even read the book.

"What are you still looking at?" After returning to his seat, Zhang Guohuang glanced at Zhu Yufei, puzzled. "Aren't you done reading the latest chapter? What's so interesting in the comments?"

"You wouldn't understand," Zhu Yufei shot him a mysterious glance. "I think I've stumbled upon a huge secret."

"What?" Zhang Guohuang stared in surprise, leaning over to look at Zhu Yufei's phone screen.

"Don't tell anyone else—I'm only telling you," Zhu Yufei whispered. "Look at this: Shengsheng Buxi, Silver Alliance."

"Hmm, that's from way back," Zhang Guohuang nodded.

"Now look at this," Zhu Yufei exited Qidian, opened QQ Music, and searched for the earliest release of "Nianlun."

The singer listed was—Shengsheng Buxi.

The lyrics and composition were credited to Chongran.

"I hadn't noticed before, but now it hits me—could Shengsheng Buxi be Yan Zhusheng?" Zhu Yufei whispered. "They both have the character 'sheng'—would anyone really change 'shengsheng buxi' to 'sheng'? It's unnecessary."

"And listen to the voice," Zhu Yufei played the song, turned the volume down to minimum, then held the phone close to Zhang Guohuang's ear. "You didn't notice before, but now—doesn't it sound just like Yan Zhusheng singing?"

"Holy shit." Zhang Guohuang jolted at the reminder. "It really does!"

"You think," Zhu Yufei pulled back the phone and whispered, "would Yan Zhusheng really send a Silver Alliance to Li Luo's cousin? It makes more sense if it's to Li Luo himself."

Hearing Zhu Yufei's analysis, Zhang Guohuang suddenly perked up, as if a lightning bolt had struck his mind—he'd finally unlocked his Ren and Du meridians—and his face contorted in disbelief.

"You mean… our class monitor is Chongran himself???"

The guess slipped out, and Zhang Guohuang instinctively turned to look toward Li Luo.

But Zhu Yufei immediately grabbed his head and whispered, "Calm down, calm down—I haven't finished yet. Don't look over there, or we'll get caught."

"Oh, right, go on," Zhang Guohuang's face lit up with excitement, like a detective uncovering a case, savoring the thrill of piecing together the truth.

"Look at this one," Zhu Yufei pointed to another Silver Alliance account. "Xi Xi Bu Xixi—what name does that make you think of?"

"Who?"

"Who else?" Zhu Yufei rolled his eyes. "Ying Chanxi. Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng call her Xi Xi behind closed doors."

"Look at the MV—everyone says the female lead looks just like Shen Dongdong."

"Now look at the pinned comment from Xi Xi Bu Xixi—it explicitly supports Shen Dongdong."

"That's definitely Ying Chanxi herself."

Hearing Zhu Yufei's full analysis, Zhang Guohuang suddenly understood—and even extended the logic further. "If Ying Chanxi resembles Shen Dongdong, then… doesn't Yan Zhusheng remind you of Mo Qinghan? Both are great singers."

"Oh yeah!" Zhu Yufei slapped his thigh, eyes brightening, and gave Zhang Guohuang a thumbs-up. "You're right! I hadn't thought of that—but now you mention it, they really do seem like they came from the same mold."

"Then what about this other Silver Alliance?" Zhang Guohuang pointed to "Zao Shui Hui Zhang Gao." "Who else among the girls is close to the class monitor?"

"The senior from Gao Er?" Zhu Yufei tapped his chin. "They seem to hang out a lot together—pretty close."

"But doesn't seem right?" Zhang Guohuang hesitated. "There's another female lead, Jiang Ming—both are older women, but their personalities seem quite different."

"True," Zhu Yufei nodded. "Senior Xu is student council president—she's not as… as… cough… Jiang Ming."

"But maybe it's just the class monitor's fantasy," Zhang Guohuang chuckled mischievously. "Kinda shady."

"Maybe we're overthinking it," Zhu Yufei shook his head. "But even just Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng are enough to confirm the class monitor is the real author."

"Then why did you stop me just now?" Zhang Guohuang rubbed his hands eagerly. "We were just mocking this book right in front of him—and now we find out the author's sitting right beside us."

"Mainly because there's no need, okay?" Zhu Yufei whispered. "If we go public, won't the class monitor be humiliated? What if he stops updating?"

"Oh…" Zhang Guohuang suddenly got it. "You're right."

"So I'm only telling you," Zhu Yufei whispered again. "Don't tell anyone else, got it?"

"OKOK," Zhang Guohuang gave a hand gesture and patted his chest. "I've got a tight mouth—you know."

…

The controversy surrounding Ying Chanxi and Li Luo's music video lasted only a few days in the first-year class of Fuyi High School before being quickly forgotten.

But this song-release spectacle sparked considerable ripples within the singer circle.

Although Yuan Wanqing has not yet regained her status as a top-tier singer, in terms of current exposure and traffic, she has barely managed to secure a position among the second- and third-tier artists.

Relying on a few classic songs from the early 2000s that regained popularity, paired with high-quality lead singles from her new album and the massive traffic generated by "Year Rings," Yuan Wanqing has steadily and solidly carved out her place in the industry.

In just about half a year, despite some setbacks, she has successfully returned to the public eye.

After all, she was a well-known singer from the early 2000s; even after retiring for over a decade, many still remember her upon her return.

For instance, Li Luo's father, Li Guohong.

But for today's younger generation, memories of Yuan Wanqing remain hazy at best, limited to faint recollections of a few of her old songs.

Under these circumstances, "Year Rings" introduced her to the younger audience—a feat of immense significance.

Listeners and fans may not care who wrote "Year Rings."

But insiders naturally took notice.

When they learned the song was written by an unknown Online Novel author, everyone was somewhat astonished.

Yet, though surprised, the event had occurred months ago, and no one paid it special attention.

But these past two days, a new song called "Waiting for You After Class" suddenly went viral online—its fresh, upbeat style, catchy chorus melody, and lyrics that resonated with young people spread rapidly across the internet.

Singers who released new songs in March were all baffled, watching as "Waiting for You After Class" climbed from the top ten on the new song chart on day one, to the top five on day two, and broke into the top three by day three.

After all, the industry is neither too small nor too large; insiders always hear rumors about which singers are releasing new music soon.

Then, out of nowhere, a Cheng Yaojin emerged from the bushes.

Caught many off guard.

But when they checked, they discovered it was again that Online Novel author.

Yuan Wanqing had even retweeted his Weibo.

Yet, solely through that retweet and the reader base of the Online Novel itself, this new song was forcibly pushed to the top of the new song chart.

It truly stunned everyone.

After reviewing the data report and analysis submitted by his secretary, Ying Zhicheng finally approved Yuan Wanqing's decision and finalized plans for her next album's preparation and promotion.

"I thought I already held you in high regard," Ying Zhicheng said, staring at the data report, shaking his head with a wry smile. "Turns out I still underestimated you."

"Boss Ying," Secretary Rong asked, "should we call a meeting to notify everyone?"

"Yes," Ying Zhicheng said, tossing the report onto the desk. "Hold a meeting at two this afternoon. Gather everyone from the music department. Also, send someone from the film and television department to listen in."

"Send people from the film and television department? Specifically?" Secretary Rong asked, puzzled.

"Didn't the promotion of 'Year Rings' paired with the TV drama work well?" Ying Zhicheng said. "In this new era, a song's viral success isn't just about its quality—it's not enough to work in silos. Departments must communicate more."

"Isn't 'Waiting for You After Class' perfect for that?"

"Isn't your recent film and television project, 'My Life With You,' a perfect fit for this song?"

"I understand," Secretary Rong nodded and turned to notify both departments.

After watching the secretary leave, Ying Zhicheng pulled out his phone and checked his WeChat chat history with Yuan Wanqing.

【Yuan Wanqing】: Li Luo's new song fits your new drama perfectly.

Ying Zhicheng typed a message, thought better of it, deleted it, then called Yuan Wanqing.

"Hello? What's up?" Yuan Wanqing's voice came through the phone.

"I checked your schedule," Ying Zhicheng said with a smile. "You'll be back tonight, right?"

"I have an ad shoot tomorrow morning," Yuan Wanqing said, exasperated. "You still want to bother me?"

"I just miss you. Let's have dinner together," Ying Zhicheng chuckled, then assured her, "Nothing else."

"I'm afraid that if I see you, I won't be able to resist doing something else," Yuan Wanqing teased with a smile. "Come to my place tonight."

"Huh? Today's Saturday—your daughter…"

"She's staying with Li Luo and Chanxi," Yuan Wanqing said. "Didn't Chanxi tell you?" "No one else is home this weekend."

"Is that so?" Ying Zhicheng paused, surprised—he hadn't known. "Alright, see you tonight."