Chapter 318: The Fake Identities Are Exploding

At around six in the evening, several male servers were busy on the small open space in front of the dining area.

First, they laid a layer of gravel on the ground, then placed a pile of dry grass and wood chips in the center.

Around the central pile of grass and wood, they brought in thick hardwood logs, each as thick as an adult's calf, and assembled a bonfire frame about one person's height.

The students of Class Eight gathered nearby, watching curiously.

Although Class One High School had held New Year's Eve bonfire parties before, most had never seen how a bonfire was built, so out of curiosity, they edged closer.

A few kind boys helped carry more wood over, and soon the bonfire frame was complete.

After that, the servers brought out seven or eight barbecue grills from the kitchen behind the dining area, placing them at a safe distance around the bonfire, forming a ring that enclosed the fire.

To prevent guests from getting too excited and getting too close, risking accidental burns.

Around the barbecue grills, rows of wooden tables and chairs were brought out and arranged in a layout that wouldn't obstruct movement.

Platters of freshly skewered, marinated barbecue ingredients were quickly brought up, making the students of Class Eight start to salivate.

Once everything was ready, the servers asked Li Guoru, who glanced at Li Luo, saw him nod, then told the servers: "Light the fire. We can begin."

Upon receiving the order, the servers walked to the bonfire and tossed in a fire starter.

Under everyone's gaze, the dry grass and wood chips at the base gradually caught fire, the small flames slowly growing until they formed a full bonfire.

As the fire grew stronger, the servers began adding larger fruitwood logs, placing them vertically into the flames.

Soon, the flames leapt to the top of the bonfire, blazing fiercely, casting a ruddy glow over everyone's faces.

"Who wants to try grilling?" Li Luo walked over to one of the barbecue grills, glanced at the glowing red coals beneath, then skillfully took a brush and coated the grill mesh with oil, followed by placing a dozen lamb skewers onto it.

Other students also gathered curiously around the other barbecue grills and, under the servers' guidance, began trying self-service grilling.

Even girls too timid to handle the grills themselves would lean in, watching curiously how their classmates cooked.

After watching the whole circle, everyone realized Li Luo's technique was by far the most skilled—whether brushing oil, flipping skewers, or sprinkling seasoning, he did it all with perfect form.

"Class monitor, you must've been a chef in your past life," Xu Yinghuan said with a grin, watching Li Luo's practiced technique, "You're amazing at this grilling."

Li Luo heard this and rolled his eyes, thinking: Your mouth really is blessed.

Yan Zhusheng stood quietly beside Li Luo, watching intently as he grilled, noticed sweat on his forehead, and pulled out a wet wipe to wipe it off for him.

Xu Yinghuan saw this and shook her head with a tut-tut, then glanced at the lamb skewers on the grill: "How long until they're ready?"

"Almost done," Li Luo said. "You can bring over anything else you want to grill."

"Two skewers of potato slices, can you make them crispy?" Xu Yinghuan asked, already drooling.

"No problem."

"What's this?" Yan Zhusheng picked up two round skewers, couldn't tell what they were, and brought them to Li Luo for inspection.

"These are lamb kidneys," Li Luo glanced and said.

"Never eaten them," Yan Zhusheng blinked, placed the lamb kidneys on the grill, "Let's try."

The students of Class Eight were grilling enthusiastically, while the parents sat in private rooms upstairs, enjoying the air conditioning.

It was still summer, and even though evenings were slightly cooler, standing near the bonfire made you sweat buckets.

These young kids were fired up and didn't mind the heat—they were having a blast—but the parents couldn't take it.

Luckily, one of the private rooms on the second floor faced the small square below, so sitting there eating, sipping wine, and watching the bonfire below was an ideal spot.

The parents and teachers sat together, eating, chatting about family matters, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.

But Kong Jun and Ding Xiang, though teachers, were only about twenty-six or twenty-seven—generationally younger than most of the parents.

Only because of their teacher status could they sit and converse normally.

Still, seeing Ding Xiang keep glancing down at the bonfire, Kong Jun smiled and said: "As a teacher, I'm still a bit uneasy. I've had enough to eat. Parents, please carry on—I'll go down with Teacher Ding to keep an eye on things."

Saying this, he took Ding Xiang's hand, raised his wine glass to the parents, then walked out of the room with her down the stairs.

"Why did you drag me out?" Ding Xiang whispered.

"Your eyes were about to fall into the bonfire downstairs," Kong Jun laughed. "Besides, I didn't really want to drink more—might as well come out."

"It's not that exaggerated," Ding Xiang blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, then softly said, "I just remembered last year's New Year's Eve party—you sang a song on stage."

"Oh, that thing," Kong Jun rubbed his nose. "I sang badly—it was just embarrassing."

"It was lovely," Ding Xiang smiled. "Didn't I promise you that night?"

"We should thank Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng," Kong Jun chuckled.

"True," Ding Xiang's smile brightened further. "Yan Zhusheng suddenly handed me a bouquet—I was stunned."

"Turns out he'd just plucked it from the flowerbed," Kong Jun sighed with a smile.

As they talked, they arrived beside the bonfire downstairs.

At this point, Li Luo's lamb skewers were done; he handed two to Yan Zhusheng and distributed the rest to the surrounding students, then continued grilling the remaining skewers.

Yan Zhusheng blew gently on hers, took a bite, and her eyes instantly softened with pleasure.

Then she glanced at Li Luo, still busy, and quietly held her eaten skewer to his lips: "Li Luo, you eat too."

"Mm," Li Luo, facing the bonfire, couldn't see clearly in the glow, and bent down to bite.

After finishing the whole skewer, Li Luo noticed Yan Zhusheng handing him another full one—he froze, turned to look at her, and saw she'd just tossed away the wooden stick from the skewer she'd eaten.

"Why did you give me the same skewer?"

"What's wrong with that?" Yan Zhusheng tilted her head, puzzled. "At meals, we pick from the same dish—what's the difference?"

Li Luo tugged at his mouth, thinking: Her words are crude, but the logic holds.

But Xu Yinghuan, standing nearby, had heard enough—she quickly snatched the grilled potato slices from Li Luo's hand and slipped away.

Even though the sugar rush was sweet, she couldn't handle this high-frequency sugar drip!

A candy now and then was delightful, but shoving it into her mouth nonstop? She couldn't take it.

Just then, Kong Jun and Ding Xiang drifted over to Li Luo's side.

Seeing them approach, Li Luo handed them two freshly grilled skewers.

"You can do barbecue too?" Ding Xiang took the skewer and glanced at it curiously, noticing Li Luo was far more skilled than the other students, and exclaimed in surprise.

"How else would I be Professor Kong's personal class monitor?" Li Luo grinned, then turned to Kong Jun with curiosity. "By the way, Professor Kong, have the class assignments been finalized?"

"The official results aren't out yet, but the teachers have already determined everyone's classes," Kong Jun said while eating skewers. "I thought Teacher Sun would fight me for Ying Chanxi, but for some reason, he doesn't seem to care which class she ends up in."

"The first seven classes are confirmed as science classes; the last five are humanities classes."

"Classes eight through eleven, the four middle ones, are experimental classes—pilot classes for this college entrance exam reform."

"Classes eight and nine focus on science, with physics, chemistry, and geography as the main subjects."

"Classes ten and eleven focus on humanities, with politics, history, and chemistry as the main subjects."

Here, Kong Jun paused, glanced at Li Luo, and shook his head with a wry smile. "You three picked the weirdest combination of subjects—two humanities, but you only match history with the two humanities-focused classes."

"So you've been assigned to the two science-focused experimental classes."

"Luckily, I'm still the homeroom teacher for class eight, so I've just pulled you three over here."

"As for the other students, the final large-scale assignments are still pending—probably not finalized until August."

"It can work like this?" Li Luo was surprised.

Originally, his reason for choosing these subjects also included a backup plan: if the school came to talk to them about changing subjects, he could then propose that all three of them be placed in the same class.

Honestly, given Li Luo and Ying Chanxi's current grades, the school would easily accommodate such a private request.

But he hadn't expected that only three students in the entire school had chosen physics, history, and geography—and the request had actually been approved.

But now that this happened…

"Then how will classes work?" Li Luo asked curiously. "Even though we plan to take the first subject exam, we might not score full marks in all three—won't we still need to attend history class later?"

Class eight's three elective subjects were physics, chemistry, and geography—clearly, there was no history class.

It wasn't as if they could make the entire class, dozens of other students, sit through history just for the three of them.

"When your subjects differ from your homeroom class, you'll follow the rotating-class system," Kong Jun said. "You know how university classes work, right?"

"Each subject has a fixed classroom where the teacher stays, and students go to that classroom for each class. After finishing one subject, they move to the next teacher's classroom."

"You'll do the same—just simpler."

"When we have chemistry in our class, you three go to class sixteen for history."

"The schedules of both classes will be coordinated so that chemistry and history sessions align."

Hearing this, Li Luo suddenly understood.

Honestly, he'd never heard of this system in his previous life.

In his old ordinary high school, students were basically forced to choose either pure science or pure humanities. Only popular combinations like physics, chemistry, and geography got separate classes.

No one cared about minor combinations—you either changed subjects or transferred schools. There was no third option, and the school wouldn't bother setting up a rotating-class system just for you.

Their whole goal was convenience.

In this regard, Fuyi High School, while still hoping students would choose pure science or pure humanities, still respected students' personal choices enough.

And since the reform had already begun, they had to gradually adapt to the new college entrance exam ecosystem; clinging stubbornly to old methods would only make teaching quality lag behind the reforms.

"So does that mean I'm Professor Kong's class monitor again?" Li Luo grinned.

"New semester, new atmosphere—everyone will be new faces, including elite students transferred from the key classes," Kong Jun smiled. "I'd love for you to stay as monitor, but it still depends on your own ability. There'll be a new election for class officers—do your best."

"That's too bad," Li Luo sighed. "Since I'll be in the same class as Ying Chanxi, I probably won't be able to beat her."

Hearing this, Kong Jun froze for a moment, suddenly realizing this detail.

But then he thought again: since Ying Chanxi was class monitor of class one, her capabilities were clearly strong. If Li Luo couldn't beat her, it didn't matter.

If they ended up as class monitor and vice-monitor respectively, it wouldn't be bad at all.

Thinking of this, Kong Jun smiled again.

Teacher Sun didn't fight him for Ying Chanxi—he'd gotten Li Luo, a treasure, back, and even got a free bonus: the top student in the entire school. Where else could he find such luck?

But hearing Kong Jun say Teacher Sun hadn't fought for Ying Chanxi, Li Luo suddenly understood why.

Probably because Ying Chanxi had clearly stated she wouldn't apply to Tsinghua or Peking University, and since Teacher Sun still managed the math competition class, he had no reason to compete for her in class assignments.

After finishing the discussion about class assignments with Kong Jun, the items Li Luo was grilling were mostly done.

Now that the class eight students had experienced the fun of barbecue, they now felt its labor and handed the grilling duties back to the nearby servers.

Li Luo also stepped aside and asked a nearby server to take over.

At this moment, kitchen staff from the dining area brought out tray after tray of barbecue.

These were roasted chicken and duck—only properly flavored in the kitchen's oven.

Now placed on wooden tables, they immediately drew class eight students over to enjoy the food.

But when they saw the rabbit meat, Lu Jiahao suddenly stopped, his lips trembling slightly.

"Li Luo."

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"These rabbit meats… and the roasted chicken and duck beside them…" Lu Jiahao fell silent for a moment, then couldn't help asking, "Were these the same ones I fed during the day?"

"What else?" Li Luo asked, puzzled. "We raised them to eat, didn't we?"

"…" Lu Jiahao opened his mouth, his face filled with sorrow. "If I'd known this, I'd have been better off not feeding them."

"You got attached to them?" Li Luo laughed, picked up some rabbit meat, and held it out to Lu Jiahao. "Try some?"

"No, thanks," Lu Jiahao glanced at it, sniffed the aroma, hesitated, then shook his head.

"You did feed them, after all," Li Luo urged. "Compared to being eaten by strangers, maybe they'd rather end up in your stomach?"

Hearing this, Lu Jiahao's heart stirred. Finally, he couldn't resist—he grabbed a few pieces of rabbit meat and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing slowly.

"Tasty?"

"…Tasty," Lu Jiahao nodded helplessly, then grabbed a few more pieces. "Very fragrant."

Li Luo chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Then eat more—don't waste their sacrifice."

After comforting Lu Jiahao, who had lost Chicken Brother, Duck Brother, and his adorable bunny, Li Luo picked up the guitar beside him and sat down on a chair near the bonfire.

A light strum of his fingers immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Is the monitor going to sing?" Zhu Yufei teased with a grin. "Got any new songs?"

"Dream big," Li Luo shot him a look, then turned to Yan Zhusheng beside him. "You sing?"

"What should I sing?" Yan Zhusheng tilted his head.

"Pick your own."

"Then let's start with 'The Sky Has No Limits,'" Yan Zhusheng said. "I'll warm up my voice."

"Alright," Li Luo smiled, then plucked the strings.

Yan Zhusheng didn't need a microphone—he sang along with the rhythm.

The classmates of Class Eight ate their barbecue while clapping and singing along to Yan Zhusheng and Li Luo. When the song ended, the entire crowd erupted in cheers and thunderous applause—the atmosphere was electric.

Midway, Li Luo grew a bit tired, so he gave his seat to Lin Yuan, letting the kid show off a little, while he wandered off to use the restroom.

But when Li Luo returned from the restroom, the bonfire's bright glow drew everyone's gaze to Lin Yuan, who was still singing and playing—no one noticed Li Luo walking up.

Several girls listened to the song while eating barbecue, whispering and giggling.

"Are the monitor and Yan Zhusheng really a couple? Right? Right? Didn't Ren Zheng say she saw them go into the same room together?"

"That's not enough detail. Rumor has it Yan Zhusheng pulled out the room key—that's on the first floor! It's the monitor's room!"

"But I read the monitor's novel—it has three heroines. The monitor's got quite the appetite."

"It's a novel. Most guys' novels have harem endings. Three heroines? The monitor's doing pretty well."

"One of the heroines even looks a lot like Ying Chanxi from Class One—the girl who walks home with the monitor every night through the back gate."

"Aren't they relatives?"

"They say they're not. No one knows if it's true. Some say they're cousins. Someone from Class One says they're cousin brother and sister. But Xu Yinghuan went to middle school with them and says they're just neighbors."

"Could the monitor really have something going on with Ying Chanxi? No way? But he and Yan Zhusheng seem so sweet together."

"But there's still a third heroine. Who's the last one?"

"No clue. Zhang Guohuang says it might be the Gao Er senior Xu, but after reading the novel, I don't think so."

Li Luo had just walked behind Zhu Huiyan and Chen Zhongqi when he overheard this conversation—his face instantly turned pale.

He listened, grim-faced, from start to finish, his eyelid twitching, his heart surging with shock and disbelief—he simply couldn't figure out who had leaked the secret!

Was it the senior?

Impossible.

He still had leverage over her—she'd never do something like this.

Could it be Yan Zhusheng or Xixi?

Also unlikely.

If they'd found out this secret, they'd never tell other girls.

Then could it be Zhao Rongjun?

Unlikely too.

Li Luo knew Zhao Rongjun's character. He wouldn't guarantee secrecy for everyone, but any secret told to Zhao Rongjun was buried deeper than a tomb.

On this point, Li Luo had full confidence in Zhao Rongjun.

So what the hell was going on?

Li Luo frowned, his expression shifting between dark and uncertain.

Meanwhile, Zhu Huiyan and Chen Zhongqi were chatting. Chen Zhongqi turned to grab more barbecue—and froze when she saw Li Luo's figure. "M-Monitor?! How did you get here?!"

"Holy shit!" Zhu Huiyan spun around, startled by Li Luo standing in the shadows, stepping back in alarm. "Monitor, you scared the hell out of us!"

"Uh…" Shi Yanran, seeing Li Luo, grew awkward. She whispered to the two girls, "Did we just say all that out loud?"

Hearing this, Li Luo gave a hollow laugh, walked slowly to the three of them, and asked in a low voice: "Where did you hear about my novel?"

"I-I heard it from Zhu Huiyan!" Chen Zhongqi quickly whispered. "Ask her."

"Xu Guangtao! It's all Xu Guangtao!" Zhu Huiyan, seeing Li Luo's expression, immediately pointed at Xu Guangtao nearby. "He told me secretly!"

Xu Guangtao, mid-bite, paused. Hearing his name called, he turned—and saw Li Luo walking over with a smile, gripping his shoulder. "Who told you I wrote a novel?"

Seeing Zhu Huiyan winking frantically at him, Xu Guangtao shuddered and immediately named the real culprit: "It was all Zhang Guohuang! Monitor, go ask him!"

At this point, the commotion had drawn most people's attention.

Zhang Guohuang saw Li Luo approaching and his heart dropped. Seeing Xu Guangtao's frantic eye signals, he bolted.

"Zhang Guohuang! Why are you running?!" Li Luo shouted, chasing after him. "You've got guts—don't run!"

"Monitor, don't chase me! I didn't even guess it myself!" Zhang Guohuang, seeing Li Luo coming, knew his secret was exposed—he didn't dare stop.

As he ran circles around the bonfire, he yelled: "It was Zhu Yufei! All Zhu Yufei! He figured out the book was yours! I didn't even know until now!"

"Holy shit!" Zhu Yufei, hearing this, saw Li Luo glaring at him—and immediately took off running, shouting back, "You bastard, Zhang Guohuang!"

"You're the one who's a big mouth!"

"I told you in secret—I begged you not to tell anyone—and now the whole class knows!"

"You two have the nerve to complain!" Li Luo's anger flared. "Stop right there!"

Watching the three—Li Luo chasing two fleeing boys—the other Class Eight students burst into laughter.

The scene was instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere.

At that moment, Ding Xiang had not yet returned from the restroom, and Kong Jun was alone nearby. Seeing this chaos, he was baffled and asked Xu Yinghuan beside him: "What's this about Li Luo writing a novel?"

"Huh?" Xu Yinghuan blinked, equally confused. "I don't know."

"Didn't they say the whole class knows?"

"Yeah," Xu Yinghuan scratched her head, turning to Ren Zheng and Hua Xiuxiu beside her. "Do you guys know what's going on?"

"I know." Ren Zheng nodded. "Fang Chen told me privately."

Hua Xiuxiu also gave a slight nod: "Mm, Lin Yuan told me."

"What the heck!" Xu Yinghuan was speechless. "We're in the same dorm—why didn't you two tell me?"

"We thought you already knew," Ren Zheng looked at her in surprise. "You're so close with Yan Zhusheng and Li Luo—we assumed you were the first to find out."

Xu Yinghuan: "???"