Chapter 304

Probably heard the commotion in the small outer corridor.

As Li Luo just ran past the bathroom door on the corridor, Yan Zhusheng suddenly opened the bathroom door and stuck out her head, causing Xu Youyu to skid to a sudden stop, barely avoiding a collision.

Upon hearing the door open behind him, Li Luo also turned his head and saw Yan Zhusheng's wet long hair draped over her snow-white shoulders, water droplets sliding from her fingertips resting on the doorframe, tracing down the smooth contours of her forearms and wrists to the floor.

Seeing Xu Youyu at the door, Yan Zhusheng turned her head toward Li Luo, standing north of the doorway, and asked with a puzzled expression: "What are you two doing?"

"Cough… nothing." Li Luo waved his hands frantically, his gaze fixed on Yan Zhusheng's rounded shoulder and slender neck exposed outside the door.

Her dripping wet hair cascaded down, paired with her pale, dew-kissed face—she looked like a fairy emerging from water, impossible to look away from.

But soon, Xu Youyu sighed helplessly and pushed Yan Zhusheng's shoulders back into the bathroom: "Zhusheng, aren't you afraid that when you open the door, Li Luo might be standing right outside?"

"I blocked it with a Mao Jin," came Yan Zhusheng's voice from behind the bathroom door, making Li Luo's eyelid twitch as vivid images flashed in his mind.

"... Is that even blocking?" Xu Youyu sighed, at a loss for words. "Just go back in and finish your shower, don't catch a cold."

"Okay." Yan Zhusheng obediently returned to the shower stall, and Xu Youyu stepped out, closing the bathroom door.

Turning to Li Luo, Xu Youyu chuckled: "You're not actually disappointed, are you? If you'd run slower, you might've seen quite the view."

Li Luo tugged at his lips, then said seriously: "Am I that kind of person? Don't talk nonsense."

"Hmph." Xu Youyu rolled her eyes at him. "Zhusheng might not have noticed, but I saw everything clearly."

Saying that, Xu Youyu leaned close to Li Luo, grinning as she whispered: "You were staring at her collarbone the whole time, weren't you? Isn't it beautiful?"

It really was… Li Luo guiltily averted his gaze.

Yan Zhusheng's collarbone was undeniably alluring.

Probably because of her slender, tall frame, compared to Xu Youyu and Ying Chanxi, Yan Zhusheng's collarbone was deeper and more prominent, yet not frail or bony due to her regular exercise.

In modern terms, you'd want to raise little goldfish in the hollow of it.

It made you unable to look away.

"She showed her shoulder—I couldn't help glancing a couple more times. That's normal."

"I never said it wasn't normal," Xu Youyu grinned. "Not looking twice would be weird. But…"

Here, Xu Youyu smiled sweetly: "I haven't settled the score with you about the wine glass yet."

Hearing this, Li Luo immediately turned tail and bolted for the bedroom.

Xu Youyu grabbed his shirt hem, but didn't expect him to run so hard—he nearly tore free.

In this chase-and-flight scenario, the two sprinted into Li Luo's bedroom.

Eventually, Li Luo had nowhere left to run; Xu Youyu pounced and pinned him onto the bed.

Lying face-down under Xu Youyu's weight, Li Luo heard the soft patter of water from the bathroom and quickly whispered: "Senior, stop messing around—Chanxi's showering. Don't let her find out."

"Now you're scared?" Xu Youyu leaned over his back, pressing close to his ear and whispering with a breathy laugh: "Didn't you run fast enough just now?"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Li Luo admitted defeat instantly. "The wine glass was meant for you to drink in your room—nobody else would see it."

"I thought just giving a wine glass wasn't meaningful enough, so I wanted to engrave a character. After thinking it over, I decided 'Literary Era' and your pen name held the most sentimental value."

"What do you think?"

"What? Does my name, Xu Youyu, have no sentimental value?" she huffed. "I think you're deliberately creating chances to expose my identity—your intentions are sinister!"

"I'm innocent, my lord Birthday Person!" Li Luo cried out. "My sincere devotion to you, my lord Birthday Person, is witnessed by heaven and earth—I have not a single corrupt thought!"

"Only a fool would believe you," Xu Youyu rolled her eyes.

But Li Luo continued: "Actually, the wine glass is only part of the gift—I planned to give you the rest on the 8th."

"Hm?" Xu Youyu's attention shifted, intrigued. "What do you mean, only part? You have another gift for me?"

"It won't be fun if I tell you now," Li Luo shook his head. "Wait until you get back from school on the 8th—you'll find out then."

Intrigued by Li Luo's hint, Xu Youyu was about to ask more.

But then, Ying Chanxi's voice came from the bathroom.

"Li Luo, have you gone back to the bedroom?" Ying Chanxi had been showering, now wet-haired and turning off the water, having just lathered shampoo—she'd faintly heard voices from the bedroom and asked immediately: "What are you talking about? I didn't catch it."

"Nothing, nothing!" Li Luo shouted back, feeling Xu Youyu's butt pressing on his waist. "I was just asking how much longer you'll be."

"Oh, it'll take a while," Ying Chanxi replied through the bathroom door. "I just started washing my hair—wait at least fifteen minutes."

"At least fifteen minutes…" Xu Youyu grinned, still sprawled on his back, whispering teasingly: "Looks like we've got plenty of time."

"Plenty of what?" Li Luo grumbled. "Get off me—what if she finishes faster?"

"You don't understand," Xu Youyu chuckled. "After bathing, Chanxi always applies body lotion—I've helped her before. Her skin is so soft, still slippery right after the shower."

"Why are you telling me this?" Li Luo's face darkened. "Stop it, okay?"

"What am I doing?" Xu Youyu wiggled her hips on his waist, then continued: "We weren't finished with the gift topic—you said you had another gift for me?"

"That's for the 8th."

"Can't you tell me now?"

"I already said it's a surprise—do you have to know now?"

"Fine," Xu Youyu thought for a moment, deciding not to press further. Hearing footsteps in the corridor, she rolled off Li Luo.

As Xu Youyu stepped out of the bedroom, Yan Zhusheng's voice came from outside: "Senior, what are you and Li Luo doing?"

"Nothing," Xu Youyu smiled sweetly. "Thanking him for his birthday gift."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng nodded. "I'm done showering. Senior, you go now."

"Alright, I'm going."

Xu Youyu returned to her room to fetch clean clothes, then entered the bathroom.

Yan Zhusheng walked into Li Luo's main bedroom, glanced toward the bathroom where Ying Chanxi was still showering, then leaned close to the bed and whispered: "Li Luo, help me with something."

"What's wrong?" Li Luo rolled onto his back, looking up at Yan Zhusheng.

Yan Zhusheng now wore loose pajamas and very short shorts, revealing a pair of long, snow-white legs.

Standing beside the bed, hands braced on her knees, her dazzlingly white thighs made Li Luo's vision blur.

"Help me blow-dry my hair." Yan Zhusheng untied the towel wrapped around her head, and her wet black hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

Because she crouched with her knees bent, the longest strands nearly reached her ankles.

"Cough." After calculating how long Ying Chanxi had been bathing, Li Luo jumped off the bed, pulled out a hair dryer from the drawer, and dragged Yan Zhusheng toward the door, murmuring as they walked, "Let's go to your room to dry it."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng nodded obediently, following Li Luo as they slipped quietly out of the master bedroom, then entered Yan Zhusheng's room and kindly closed and locked the door.

Li Luo didn't notice she'd locked the door; he had her sit cross-legged on the bed, back to him, her long hair spilling down. He plugged in the hair dryer and began carefully drying her hair.

Compared to Xu Youyu, Yan Zhusheng was much quieter, never deliberately saying things to tease him.

As he dried her hair, Yan Zhusheng closed her eyes and silently savored the feeling of Li Luo's fingers moving through her strands.

After about ten minutes of blowing, Li Luo finally dried her smooth, long hair.

When done, Li Luo exhaled deeply, then unplugged the hair dryer: "I'll head out now. Go to sleep early."

"Wait." Yan Zhusheng turned around, grabbed his sleeve, and stopped him from leaving.

"What now?"

"Hug me."

"... Think clearly before you say that." Li Luo tugged at his lips. "Is there anything we need to celebrate lately?"

"Aren't we a couple?" Yan Zhusheng knelt on the edge of the bed, sat up straight, and wrapped her arms around Li Luo, burying her face in his chest. "Isn't it normal for couples to hug?"

"When did we become a couple?"

"During Monopoly."

"That was just a game, okay? And it's over now."

"But we didn't break up when it ended." Yan Zhusheng lifted her face, gazing at him with pure, innocent eyes. "You don't want to break up with me, do you?"

Li Luo: "...?"

Wait... how did the issue suddenly jump to whether he wanted to break up?

Li Luo froze for a moment, but Yan Zhusheng had already pressed herself fully into his arms, rubbing her cheek against his chest.

"Wait..." Li Luo gripped her shoulders. "We need to clarify this. Can you stop hugging for a second?"

"Clarify what?" Yan Zhusheng's face showed confusion.

"Don't pretend you don't know." Li Luo's expression tightened as he pinched her cheek. "A game is a game. Don't take it seriously."

"Oh..." Yan Zhusheng pouted, then said, "Then let's call it a celebration."

"Celebrating what?"

"Celebrating Senior's birthday?"

"Then go hug Senior. Why hug me?"

"Then celebrate your victory in Monopoly." Yan Zhusheng's eyes lit up with a brilliant excuse, and she clung tightly to Li Luo. "Congratulations."

Li Luo: "..."

As Li Luo stood there speechless, amazed by Yan Zhusheng's cunning angle, footsteps sounded outside the door.

Then Ying Chanxi's voice echoed down the hallway.

"Zhusheng." A knock came from the adjacent bathroom, followed by Ying Chanxi's puzzled question: "Have you seen Li Luo? He was just in the bedroom, but now he's gone."

"It's me taking a shower, not Zhusheng," Xu Youyu's voice came from inside the bathroom. "Zhusheng already finished bathing. She seemed to have something to ask Li Luo—go check her room."

"Oh, okay." Ying Chanxi nodded quickly and headed toward Yan Zhusheng's bedroom.

Hearing this, Li Luo immediately let go of Yan Zhusheng, grabbed the hair dryer, and rushed to the door—only to find he couldn't open it. He froze, then realized the door had been locked.

At that moment, Ying Chanxi arrived at the door.

Perhaps due to urgency, she knocked and then grasped the doorknob from outside.

As she turned it slightly, she discovered the door was locked. Her heart skipped a beat, and she called out urgently: "Li Luo? Li Luo? Are you in there? Is Zhusheng in there too?"

Li Luo quickly unlocked the door and opened it, stepping out holding the hair dryer: "I'm here."

"What were you two doing in there?" Ying Chanxi narrowed her eyes, deeply suspicious.

"Her hair is long, so she asked me to help dry it." Li Luo held up the hair dryer to explain.

"Oh, really?" Ying Chanxi looked doubtful. "Then why did you lock the door?"

"I'm used to locking my door." Yan Zhusheng, kneeling on the bed, blinked innocently. "Has Xi Xi finished showering? Let Li Luo dry your hair too."

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi was momentarily speechless. She muttered under her breath: "Who... who wants him to dry my hair..."

"Alright, alright, I'll dry yours too." Li Luo quickly pressed his hand on Ying Chanxi's shoulder and guided her toward her bedroom.

Pushed into her own room, Ying Chanxi half-resisted, half-relented, sat on the bed cross-legged in the same posture as Yan Zhusheng, and let Li Luo plug in the hair dryer to dry her hair.

But unlike Yan Zhusheng, Ying Chanxi talked more.

"Just now in Zhusheng's room, were you really only drying her hair?"

"What else could we have done?" Li Luo said without blinking. "I didn't even know she locked the door—she probably just locked it out of habit."

"Oh." Ying Chanxi reluctantly accepted that, then added, "Can you hand me the Pikachu from my nightstand?"

"Huh? This one?" Li Luo picked up Pikachu and handed it to her.

Ying Chanxi nodded, then silently hugged Pikachu to her chest. Out of Li Luo's sight, she angrily squeezed Pikachu's head several times.

After a while, as if remembering something, she suddenly said: "Bring me Doraemon too."

"Oh." Li Luo didn't ask why—assuming she was bored while her hair dried—and placed Doraemon in her arms as well.

Now both companions rested in Ying Chanxi's lap, staring at each other in silent despair.

Then Doraemon's head was also pinched.

Compared to Yan Zhusheng's waist-length hair, Ying Chanxi's was slightly shorter—falling just past her shoulders, ending at the upper back near her shoulder blades.

If tied into a high ponytail, the tail would land exactly at shoulder height, looking neat and cute.

After spending seven or eight minutes drying her hair and chatting with her, Li Luo turned off the hair dryer and said: "I need to shower now. Go to sleep early."

"Mm." After enjoying Li Luo's service, Ying Chanxi had vented most of her anger and released the fellow sufferer in her arms.

Watching Li Luo leave the bedroom, Ying Chanxi lay down on the bed and let out a faint sigh, then recalled the moment today when she'd been pinned against the wall by Li Luo during the Monopoly game—her cheeks instantly flushed.

She grabbed the panda plush beside her, clamped her legs around it, then pulled out her phone and scrolled through Li Luo's novel to find the chapters she'd bookmarked.

All of them were sweet interaction scenes between the protagonist Li Yang and Shen Dongdong.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side.

After a quick shower, Li Luo was about to sit down at his computer and write a bit when the door opened again.

Feeling a waft of fragrance behind him and a soft touch against the back of his head, Li Luo sighed: "Sis, done with your shower?"

"Yep," Xu Youyu said with a grin. "Bro, tired? If you're not, could you blow-dry my hair too?"

Li Luo sighed again, wondering if he should start charging for this hair-drying service.

In half an hour, he'd blown three people's hair—he was turning into a professional hair-dryer technician.

But under the tyranny of the Birthday Person, Li Luo still got up and offered his seat; once Xu Youyu sat down, he turned on the hairdryer and dried her hair too.

Compared to the previous two, Xu Youyu's hair was even shorter, hanging just past her shoulders.

Probably due to long-term online novel writing, her hair was relatively thin—it dried in just a few minutes.

Meanwhile, Xu Youyu sat at the computer, idly logging into her author backend on Li Luo's machine and cross-legged, glanced at her average subscription data.

She'd only intended to take a quick peek and tease him about their bet.

But the moment she looked, she froze.

"What's going on?!" Xu Youyu gasped, leaning forward to scrutinize the screen, certain she hadn't misread: "How did it jump to 9,900 average subscriptions?! It was only 9,800 this morning!"

Given the recent pace of twenty to thirty subscriptions per day, even without updating tonight, the increase shouldn't have been this steep.

If it kept rising this fast, wouldn't she hit ten thousand subscriptions by the 8th?

Thinking of this, Xu Youyu began searching for the reason.

But the reason was easy to find.

Because…

【You received a 1,000,000 Qidian Coins tip from "Chongran" for "Literary Era"】

This notification appeared in the reader tipping log section of the backend.

Checking the timestamp, the tip had been sent in the evening—had this guy secretly done this while playing Monopoly?

Xu Youyu gritted her teeth and logged into the Qidian app—right at the top, a banner popped up.

【Chongran supported "Literary Era" with a Silver Chest, becoming this work's Silver Grand Patron!】

Seeing this, Xu Youyu's face darkened. She turned and shot Li Luo an irritated glare.

"You've been waiting for this all along? Was this really necessary?"

In this era, Silver Patrons were still rare—sometimes you wouldn't see one in a whole month.

A Silver Patron's support at this point would give a novel excellent promotional momentum.

No wonder the average subscriptions had surged so sharply.

But that's still ten thousand yuan.

This guy Li Luo, to win the bet, really doesn't care what he does.

"Cough…" Li Luo, realizing his trick had been exposed, cleared his throat. "All's fair in love and war. No rule said it wasn't allowed."

"Hmph," Xu Youyu stormed to her feet and marched straight out the door.

Seeing this, Li Luo called out: "Where are you going, sis? Won't you sit a while longer?"

"Sit? I'm going back to write!"

"No, no," Li Luo chuckled. "It's your birthday—why write? Didn't you already submit your leave request?"

"It's all your fault," Xu Youyu shot him a glare over her shoulder. "Wait till I win—I'll make you regret it!"

"Too late," Li Luo laughed. "Silver Patron effects are strong—I bet you'll hit ten thousand tomorrow."

"The outcome isn't decided yet. Don't get too cocky," Xu Youyu narrowed her eyes, her fighting spirit flaring for the first time. She spun around and rushed back to the bedroom, opened her writing software, and got to work.

Watching her determined expression, Li Luo felt a pang of unease—could he still lose?

Although each new chapter would slightly reduce the average subscription count due to increased chapter count, slowing the growth rate…

With Xu Youyu's writing speed, it should've been impossible to catch up.

Thinking this, Li Luo felt slightly reassured.