Chapter 292: The Senior

After the basketball game ended, many people were still savoring the thrilling, last-minute three-pointer that decided the match.

After comforting her own class's teammates, Ying Chanxi finally had a moment to spare, sprinted over to Li Luo, and barely stopped in front of him.

"Congratulations, you guys won!" Ying Chanxi slapped Li Luo's shoulder, her smile no longer restrained—fully blooming before him. "That last shot was amazing."

"So the earlier ones weren't amazing?" Li Luo raised an eyebrow, teasing.

"They were amazing too," Ying Chanxi nodded vigorously. "But how did you train for that? I saw Liu Shaowen and the others couldn't even defend it."

"Cough… I picked up a martial arts secret manual recently, and after practicing, this move is just a tiny fraction of what I've learned."

"Stop joking," Ying Chanxi rolled her eyes. "After school, let's celebrate?"

"Sure," Li Luo nodded. "Call Zhao Rongjun and the others—let's celebrate our table tennis and badminton champions too."

"Alright, I'll tell Xinyan."

When Ying Chanxi returned to the stands, the award ceremony had already begun on the court.

First came the two table tennis champions, then the badminton champions, and finally the basketball team from Class Eight.

Only the champions received a school-provided trophy and a certificate; all other top-eight athletes received only a certificate.

After the award ceremony ended, everyone filed out in order.

Back in the classroom, self-study lasted until 5:30 p. m., when Fuyi Middle School dismissed students on time.

Ying Chanxi packed her bag, brought Qiao Xinyan downstairs, and met up with Li Luo and the others, curiously leaning over his desk to look at the trophies on Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng's tables.

"Can I touch it?" Ying Chanxi pointed at the trophy in front of Li Luo.

"Go ahead," Li Luo said. "But we won't take the trophy or certificate home—Zhusheng, are you taking yours?"

Yan Zhusheng also shook his head: "Leave it in the classroom."

"Then put it on the podium," Li Luo took the trophy from Ying Chanxi's hand, picked up Yan Zhusheng's, and placed both on the podium.

The seven-member study group then easily reunited and headed toward Bihai Lanting together.

Since there were still many snacks left from their earlier purchase, the seven of them went straight to the market to buy groceries and returned together.

Ying Chanxi decisively claimed the apron, followed Li Luo into the kitchen to help, while the other five played cards in the living room.

While cooking, Ying Chanxi hummed a tune, her mood delightfully light.

Li Luo glanced at her and couldn't help laughing: "Someone who doesn't know might think your class won the game—you're so happy."

"Hmph," Ying Chanxi stuck her bare foot out of her slippers and stepped on his. "You idiot—if Class One had won, I wouldn't be this happy."

"You're happy because your own class lost?"

"Of course—I'm happy because you won!" Ying Chanxi bumped her head against him irritably. "You already know this! You're just pretending to tease me, aren't you?"

"Hey hey hey," Li Luo quickly washed his hands, dried them, and pinned Ying Chanxi's head down, laughing. "I get it, I get it—I won't tease you anymore."

Ying Chanxi slapped his hand away, bumped his head again, then returned to the cutting board to keep helping him chop vegetables.

Compared to Yan Zhusheng, who dawdled even washing vegetables, and Xu Youyu, who only washed vegetables, Ying Chanxi was far more useful in the kitchen.

Especially since last year, as they'd cooked together more often, Ying Chanxi had learned his prep habits and consciously matched her cutting to his rhythm.

A meal that usually took over two hours could now be done in about an hour and a half with Ying Chanxi's help.

By around 7 p. m., the two had carried the full table of dishes to the dining area and called the five on the sofa to eat.

To celebrate, Xu Youyu dragged out a case of beer from her bedroom and grinned at them.

Ying Chanxi blinked, helplessly asking: "Sis, when did you buy all this? I never noticed you had it."

"I usually buy several cases during holidays—you wouldn't know," Xu Youyu waved her hand. "It doesn't matter. Are you drinking tonight? Tomorrow's a holiday anyway—let's have some?"

Under Xu Youyu's enthusiastic invitation, everyone except Qiao Xinyan—who stuck to juice—poured themselves some beer.

At the table, Xu Youyu kept eating while enthusiastically recommending: "I've just come up with a new hide-and-seek game…"

"Stop!" Li Luo immediately raised his hand. "Calm down. It's already past eight after dinner—just play a bit, then let Qiao Xinyan and the others go home. Don't start anything else."

"Tsk." Stopped by Li Luo, Xu Youyu frowned slightly—her new hide-and-seek game couldn't launch, so she punished Li Luo under the table instead.

The next second, Li Luo, sitting across from Xu Youyu, stiffened, his expression turning serious, lips pressed shut, suddenly silent.

"What's wrong?" Ying Chanxi asked, puzzled by his sudden silence. "Did you get a fish bone stuck?"

"No…" Li Luo forced a smile, then shot a subtle glare at Xu Youyu across the table and buried his face to shovel in two more mouthfuls of rice.

Feeling the foot circling his abdomen, Li Luo took a deep breath, reached under the table to retaliate—only for Xu Youyu to swiftly pull back.

As soon as he lifted his hand, she struck again—enemy advances, I retreat; enemy retreats, I harass—mastering guerrilla tactics perfectly, leaving Li Luo constantly on edge.

But she didn't insist on playing hide-and-seek—if Li Luo didn't want to play, she didn't push it.

After dinner, it was Ying Chanxi's turn to wash dishes; Qiao Xinyan voluntarily joined her in the kitchen to help her best friend.

Li Luo gathered the remaining people for cards, and as he passed Xu Youyu, he whispered a warning: "You almost got caught by Xixi—can't you be a little more careful?"

"But you weren't caught," Xu Youyu grinned. Then she leaned close to Li Luo's ear and whispered, "Besides… I think I accidentally touched something? Didn't break anything, did I?"

At Xu Youyu's words, Li Luo's face flushed crimson—he stammered, unable to speak.

Yan Zhusheng, watching, frowned in confusion: "Li Luo, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing," Li Luo hurriedly sat on the sofa, pulling out playing cards. "Let's play cards."

Xu Youyu sat beside Li Luo with a triumphant smirk, covering her mouth as she watched his reaction—she found it hilarious.

As a veteran driver in male-oriented Online Novels, though young, she had read widely and possessed deep knowledge, familiar with every driving technique.

She naturally didn't avoid such topics.

Especially with Li Luo, she had zero reservations—she could tease him with perfect composure.

After playing cards in the living room for a while, Ying Chanxi and Qiao Xinyan finished washing dishes and joined the game.

By nearly 9 p. m., Zhao Rongjun and the other two stood to leave and went home.

Xu Youyu had to write that night and returned to her bedroom first.

Ying Chanxi went to take a shower first.

Then only Yan Zhusheng and Li Luo remained in the living room.

When the sound of trickling water came from the bathroom, Li Luo's gaze met Yan Zhusheng's looking over—seeing her expression then, he knew exactly what the girl intended.

"Just a little while."

"Mm." Yan Zhusheng nodded, her eyes bright with delight; before Li Luo could rise, she straddled his thighs and sat down hard, hugging him tightly.

"Wait—"

"Wait for what?" Yan Zhusheng blinked, puzzled.

"I haven't stood up yet."

"It doesn't matter—you can stay seated."

"But—"

"Li Luo." Yan Zhusheng shifted her small buttocks and blinked again. "Something in your pocket is pressing against me—is it your phone?"

Saying this, Yan Zhusheng reached down to push aside Li Luo's phone.

Seeing this, Li Luo quickly grabbed her small hand and said seriously, "Forget the phone—hasn't this hug been long enough?"

"Mmm… I haven't congratulated you on winning the championship today."

"You already congratulated me right after the game ended," Li Luo reminded, squinting.

"I still need to congratulate you on that final buzzer-beater," Yan Zhusheng freed his hand, obeyed his words and stopped touching the phone, then hugged him again. "That three-pointer was so cool."

"Mm…" Li Luo returned the embrace, gently patting her back. "Now is it enough?"

"Wait."

"Wait for what?"

"I'm thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"Thinking what else we can celebrate."

"Alright, alright." Li Luo quickly rose from the sofa, still holding her, then let her stand upright, pried open her arms, and finally freed himself. "Isn't it time for music class? Professor Yan should be teaching me piano."

Yan Zhusheng, who had been reluctant to let go, immediately nodded at his words: "Mm, then Li Student, follow me."

…

Li Luo stayed with Yan Zhusheng in the piano room until half past nine, figured Ying Chanxi had finished her bath, ended the music lesson, and returned to his bedroom to write.

Yan Zhusheng, left in the living room, waited until Ying Chanxi emerged from the bathroom, then obediently went to bathe and prepared for bed.

After her bath, Ying Chanxi went straight to Li Luo's room, as usual, to have him dry her hair.

Li Luo held the hairdryer, drying her hair while watching her fiddle with her computer, and asked, "Why are you logged into QQ on my device?"

"Looking for someone," Ying Chanxi replied seriously, opened a QQ contact, sent a flurry of messages, and soon received several videos in return.

"What's this?"

"The basketball game footage," Ying Chanxi said. "The photography club students always record school events—I asked them for today's game video. Look."

Ying Chanxi pointed to six or seven videos received on QQ.

"These four are the videos of each quarter of your game."

"This one is the cheerleading performance before the game started."

"This one is the award ceremony video."

"And this last one?" Li Luo glanced at the seventh video—it seemed only a few seconds long.

"This one…" Ying Chanxi bit her lip, blushing slightly as she whispered, "This is the clip of your final basket."

"They actually cut this out separately?" Li Luo asked in surprise.

He'd never seen the photography club release such clips anywhere on campus.

Maybe someday it might appear in some official school promotional video as background footage.

"Mmm…" Ying Chanxi's eyes darted, evasive and hesitant as she whispered, "She edited it herself… I just asked the photography club students for a copy."

As she spoke, another video arrived.

【Here's the highlight reel of Li Luo's final basket—I just edited it, watched it once, and realized it's actually super cool haha】

【Is Li Luo your cousin or older brother? Does he have a girlfriend? If not, set us up~】

Seeing this reply, Ying Chanxi's face instantly flushed red; she lunged forward, covering the screen with her hands so Li Luo couldn't see.

But Li Luo had been staring at the screen; though she blocked his view for only an instant, his extraordinary memory palace allowed him to clearly recall the exact message the girl had sent.

"Why are you flustered?" Li Luo chuckled. "What did she send?"

"N-nothing… just some private girl stuff, so it's not appropriate for you to see," Ying Chanxi stammered, cheeks flushed, still shielding the screen.

She also rapidly typed a stern message to the girl.

【Ying Chanxi】: Don't even think about him—he's still in high school. I promised his parents I'd watch over him and not let him fall into early romance and ruin his studies.

【Alright alright, I was just joking! A guy like Li Luo would never notice someone like me—only someone as cute and beautiful as Xixi deserves him. Too bad you two are relatives.】

【Ying Chanxi】: He's not nearly as good as you say—he's full of flaws, you just don't know them yet.

【Haha~ Only someone close to him would say that. Oh, by the way, here's a picture I'm sending you.】

As she spoke, another image arrived.

Ying Chanxi opened it curiously and found it was a side-shot of Yan Zhusheng running up to Li Luo after the game, hugging his jacket.

The angle was perfect—the sunlight from the gymnasium ceiling slanted down, illuminating the profiles of both boy and girl.

【This is my favorite photo from today's game—enjoy it! I think Li Luo and this girl look really good together. Aren't they partners in the rock band? You should show him.】

【Ying Chanxi】: Oh, thanks.

Seeing this, Ying Chanxi's expression darkened. She replied briefly, then clicked twice with her mouse, angrily closing QQ.

"Done?" Li Luo, seeing her return to her seat, resumed drying her hair.

"Mm." Ying Chanxi nodded reluctantly, then guiltily glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and asked softly, "Did you see anything just now?"

"No." Li Luo shook his head.

He'd only seen the first two lines—the rest of the conversation and the photos had been fully blocked by Ying Chanxi; he hadn't seen a thing.

Seeing his answer and reaction, Ying Chanxi felt slightly relieved. After Li Luo dried her hair, she obediently got up to let him have the seat, returned to her bedroom, and left Li Luo to focus on writing.

As for Ying Chanxi herself, the moment she returned to her bedroom, she couldn't resist pulling out her phone, opening QQ, and downloading every video from the chat history.

Then she eagerly opened the video of Li Luo's basketball highlights, hugged her panda plush, pressed her thighs together, and curled up under the covers to savor it slowly.

……

While Ying Chanxi was back in her room replaying Li Luo's brilliance on the court, Xu Youyu, having finished her writing, stretched in her bedroom, finished the beer beside her, and quietly got up to head toward Li Luo's room.

When the door behind him opened, Li Luo sighed—he didn't even need to guess; it was definitely Senior.

He felt like the three of them had made some kind of pact.

After dinner, it was Yan Zhusheng's music lesson time, then Ying Chanxi's hair-drying time after her bath, and finally, late-night Senior's reward time.

Then the next morning, it was Yan Zhusheng's turn to wake him up.

They were all punctual, one after another.

Li Luo felt like he was back in school, with an invisible timetable already formed.

These three really treated his original cohabitation rules like wind in one ear and out the other—completely ineffective, and now they were only getting worse.

"Little brother."

After the bedroom door closed.

Li Luo had just finished writing a paragraph when he felt someone hug him from behind.

Two pale, lotus-like arms wrapped around his neck from behind; warm, tickling breath brushed his ear, making Li Luo shiver all over.

"Senior… don't play around, let me finish this chapter."

"Why haven't you finished yet today?" Xu Youyu looked puzzled, then couldn't help complaining, "You've already got over two hundred thousand words in reserve—don't push yourself so hard, okay? How am I supposed to survive as a four-thousand-word-a-day writer?"

"I made a deal with Aunt Yuan—there's a crucial plot segment coming up that needs to sync with promotion, and it'll be a huge climax." Li Luo rubbed his forehead, leaned back, and ended up resting his head against a soft haven.

Realizing what it was, Li Luo immediately tried to lift his head.

But Xu Youyu had already smiled and pressed his head back down. "There, there—I don't mind. You might as well take a break."

As she spoke, she gently massaged his head, just like last time, and asked, "What's this big plot point? When you went back to Zhusheng's house to see Aunt Yuan, was that connected?"

"Mm." Li Luo, feeling the gentle, soothing touch on his head, slowly closed his eyes and began to enjoy it, answering casually, "Aunt Yuan's a singer—you know that, right?"

"Of course I do."

"Didn't I write a few songs before? I sold them to Aunt Yuan—she's planning to include them in her new album." Li Luo added, "Nine songs total—all written by me."

"Huh?" Xu Youyu froze mid-massage, then asked in surprise, "I knew you could write songs—'Year Rings' was yours too—but this… a whole album… does Aunt Yuan really trust you that much?"

"Can't it be because my songs are just that good?"

Although everyone says the early 2000s were the golden age of Mandopop.

That doesn't mean every new song after 2015 is garbage.

If you sift through them, there are still plenty of good ones.

It's just that the scene no longer blooms with variety—instead, it's constantly bombarded by TikTok viral hits.

"You're the only oddball to come out of Literary Era fiction," Xu Youyu covered her mouth and laughed. "You don't know how many authors writing Literary Era novels have been complaining in the group lately."

"Complaining about me?"

"Not directly about you—but you've got some of the credit," Xu Youyu continued smiling. "Because you originally wrote two songs in your novel, and the response has been great."

"Plus, your readers are numerous, and most of them are already Literary Era fans."

"So many readers who've read your book are now reading other authors' Literary Era novels too."

"And now some are complaining that the protagonists in those books only copy existing real-world songs—why can't the protagonist write original songs instead?"

"They've been griping about this in the group lately, joking that 'Burn God' set a bad precedent and raised the bar for all of us writing Literary Era fiction."

"If you could actually write a viral song, who'd bother writing Online Novels and suffer through it?"

Li Luo twitched his lips—he hadn't expected readers like this.

But he'd never actually written anything original—he just copied songs from the future into his novel, while others could only copy songs from the past.

And the real point was that his songs had become popular.

That was the most important thing.

Because for most readers of Literary Era novels, they want the protagonist to copy classic songs precisely because those songs have real-world success as proof.

So authors skip the middle step of proving these songs could actually succeed.

Everyone already knows these songs have succeeded once in reality.

So even if an author could write an original song, putting it in the novel would be useless—because it lacks real-world success as backing.

Li Luo's case was pure luck—"Year Rings" accidentally went viral thanks to the traffic from that terrible TV drama.

And since that song was originally just a minor subplot in his novel, with zero impact on the main plot,

it ended up gaining all these advantages and benefits.

But this upcoming segment tied to Yuan Wanqing's new album? This was Li Luo's first time trying to weave new songs directly into the main plot's climax.

Li Luo himself wasn't entirely confident.

But after learning Yuan Wanqing would appear on "I Am a Singer," his confidence grew a little.

"By the way," Li Luo suddenly remembered something and immediately opened Qidian Chinese, navigating to the 【Top Recommended】 section—among them, one book was exactly "Literary Era." "It's on recommendation? What's the average subscription count?"

"It hasn't increased much—still around seven thousand," Xu Youyu leaned over to look at the screen. "I wonder when it'll hit ten thousand."

"I remember your birthday is June 8th, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"How about we change the bet? Let's cancel the previous one," Li Luo said with a smile. "If I hit ten thousand subscriptions before June 8th, I win; if it happens after, you win. How's that?"

"Oh?" Xu Youyu raised an eyebrow. "Sure~ But..."

She leaned close to Li Luo's ear and whispered, "What's the stake?"

"Or rather... what do you want me to do for you? Hmm?"

Li Luo stiffened. "I haven't decided yet."

"I've already decided," Xu Youyu said cheerfully.

"So if you win, what do you want me to do?"

"You don't say, I won't say either," Xu Youyu hummed. "I'll tell you when I win."

"Why don't you go back to sleep? It's late, and I still have to write a few hundred words."

"What are you talking about?" Xu Youyu chuckled in his ear. "We were just talking about the ten-thousand-subscription bet, but I haven't given you your reward yet for winning the basketball game today."

"Wait... at least let me finish writing..."

"Just a few hundred words—write them tomorrow. Come here, good boy~"