Chapter 324: Drink Your Milk Tea

I want to drink milk tea.

After lunch, Li Luo planned to go to Xijie with Li Guohong; Yan Zhusheng hurried after them, solemnly saying:

Seeing this, Ying Chanxi silently followed along: "Can I come along too?"

"Sure, I'll drive us over," Li Guohong chuckled. "What about Youyu?"

"Huh?" Xu Youyu blinked, then shook his head. "I won't go—I'm sleepy after eating, need to take a nap."

"If your uncle can make milk tea," Li Luo glanced at Xu Youyu, then added, "I'll bring you back a cup."

"Great," Xu Youyu gave an OK sign, then yawned and walked into his room.

Li Guohong took the three kids out and drove toward Xijie in the west.

Li Luo buckled his seatbelt in the front passenger seat and said to Li Guohong: "Dad, now we've bought the storefronts—when you've got time, can we get a new car?"

"You little spender," Li Guohong was tempted but laughed. "We just bought four storefronts—over two million in principal already sunk in."

"Add in the Bihai Lanting apartment, we're drowning in debt—over three million in loans to pay back."

"Let's think about replacing the car once we've cleared the loans."

Hearing this, Li Luo's expression turned strange. He glanced at his father and said: "Dad, haven't you noticed how much I've got in savings?"

"Huh?" Li Guohong paused, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Even after deducting the principal for the hot pot shop, I still have around two million left in the account," Li Luo coughed twice to emphasize. "I earn over half a million a month in royalties, plus I signed new contracts with Aunt Yuan for the album—made a lot more."

Back in March, Li Luo's savings were around 1.5 million.

Now it's late July—four more months of royalties have come in, totaling over two million.

Add the royalties from the three new songs on Yuan Wanqing's new album and the related contract deals, and Li Luo gained tens of millions in direct income.

This time, Li Luo also secured a very favorable share of the new album's future earnings.

If the new album explodes in success, this will become a continuous stream of income.

Even without counting future earnings, Li Luo's current cash flow—adding the 1.5 million from March—totals over four million.

After subtracting the two million-plus principal for the four storefronts, Li Luo still has roughly two million in liquid cash.

Their total household debt, including the Bihai Lanting apartment, is only around three million.

If Li Luo really wanted to pay it all off at once, he could do so in a few more months.

Hearing this, Li Guohong froze, then realized his son's earning speed was nearly like having a mini printing press at home.

In March, buying four storefronts felt overwhelming; by late July, it was effortless.

"My suggestion," Li Luo continued, "since the loan for the storefronts went through Lu Lu's connections, there's no need to pay it off early."

"But the one-million loan for the Bihai Lanting apartment—we should pay it off ahead of schedule."

"Then we'll still have about one million left on paper—we can buy Chongran Culture a slightly more prestigious car as a company vehicle, right? That's not too much, is it?"

Here, Li Luo winked at his father and grinned: "When you and Mom represent me in business meetings and contract talks, you can't keep using this little sedan, can you?"

If Li Guohong still couldn't pick up on this, it would be unreasonable.

"Hmm… you've got a point," Li Guohong nodded. "You're sixteen now, about to enter Gao Er, and in two years you'll take the college entrance exam."

"By eighteen, you can get your driver's license—you'll need a car to drive."

"A beginner driver shouldn't ruin a brand-new car with scratches and dents."

"Let's buy you a car two years early—I'll drive it first, then when you get your license, you can use this old one to practice."

"Once you're skilled, you can buy your own new car."

Listening to his father's twisted logic, Li Luo gave him a thumbs-up in admiration.

The father and son exchanged a glance and chuckled—car-buying plans were now officially on the agenda.

In the back seat:

Yan Zhusheng sat quietly, pretending not to hear the father-son conspiracy.

Ying Chanxi smiled helplessly, with no intention of telling Lin Xiuhong.

In fact, Ying Chanxi had gradually realized that Li Luo was increasingly taking on the demeanor of the family head.

Lin Xiuhong, who used to scold Li Luo constantly, frustrated by his lack of progress, now rarely lost her temper with him.

Even when she complained, it was just muttered grumbling—not the loud reprimands of before.

Even if the car scheme reached Lin Xiuhong, she'd likely just tacitly accept it.

After all, the Li family was no longer what it once was—a single car, not even a multi-million luxury sports car, was well within a modest budget they could easily handle.

A few minutes later, the car arrived at Xijie. Li Guohong pulled over and told the three kids: "I'll go talk to the landlord at the hot pot shop, get the owner's contact info—you three go check out the milk tea shop. I'll join you once I'm done."

"OK," Li Luo nodded, got out of the car, and waved to Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng as they headed toward the west gate of Qianjiang University.

At this moment, the milk tea shop beside the west gate had been completely renovated.

On the side near the west gate, the original milk tea shop had been split evenly.

The left side was the counter for takeout orders; the right side was the entrance.

To the right of the milk tea shop, where the breakfast shop used to be, the entrance had been completely sealed off with a large floor-to-ceiling glass window.

Looking inside, one could see two rows of neat tables and chairs with partitions; around each table, a circular curtain hung.

Whenever a customer wanted privacy, they could simply pull the curtain to turn the table into a small enclosed space.

As Li Luo peered through the glass window now, he saw one table's curtain had been pulled shut—perhaps a customer was resting inside.

Thinking this, Li Luo led Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi into the milk tea shop.

At the sound of the bell above the door, Lin Xiufeng, who had been napping on a recliner behind the counter, jolted awake, drowsily sitting up.

"Welcome! The menu's on the counter—please tell me what you'd like…" Lin Xiufeng rubbed his eyes, stood up, then froze when he saw them.

"Uncle!" Li Luo grinned and greeted him.

"Uncle!" Ying Chanxi followed suit.

Yan Zhusheng saw this and immediately followed: "Uncle, hello."

Lin Xiufeng: "... How did you two get here?"

"We came to see how your milk tea shop is doing," Li Luo said with a grin, his hands resting on the counter. "By the way, Uncle, when did you finish renovating?"

"It's been about half a month since it was done," Lin Xiufeng said. "Your mom said you were studying hard this summer, so I didn't rush to tell you."

"So it's open now?" Li Luo said. "Three milk teas, please?"

"Sure," Lin Xiufeng said, pointing to the menu on the counter. "Take a look—most of what's listed here, I can make."

"I'll have grass jelly."

"I'll have red bean," Ying Chanxi said.

Yan Zhusheng glanced at the menu a few times, then asked: "Can I get pearl milk tea without the pearls?"

"Huh?" Lin Xiufeng blinked. "I'd have to ask about that—I just follow the recipes on the menu."

Saying this, Lin Xiufeng called out toward the customer rest area: "Jian Chun! Come help me!"

Hearing Lin Xiufeng's voice, a girl rose from the rest area and walked over through the passage that had been opened between the milk tea shop and the breakfast shop, behind a curtain. She responded to Lin Xiufeng.

Li Luo's gaze landed on the girl, and he was slightly surprised.

The girl looked very quiet, exuding an air of scholarly elegance. She had long, smooth hair styled in a classical manner, with a hairpin inserted, giving her an overall impression of a classical beauty.

Her face wasn't particularly beautiful, yet she carried undeniable charm.

Even dressed in a simple short-sleeved top and long pants, her walk radiated the delicate grace unique to women from the Jiangnan region.

Jian Chun walked over from the rest area, glanced at the three of them, and showed a flicker of surprise—she hadn't expected the customers to be so handsome and pretty.

But the surprise vanished instantly; she walked gracefully behind the counter and asked softly: "Is there a problem?"

"Um… can you make pearl milk tea without the pearls?" Lin Xiufeng asked.

"Of course," Jian Chun nodded, then asked, "What about the other two customers?"

"One grass jelly, one red bean."

"Alright," Jian Chun picked up the ingredients on the counter. "I'll make them."

Watching Jian Chun skillfully prepare the milk teas, Li Luo raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Only after she finished the three drinks and returned to the rest area did Li Luo sip his milk tea, then wink and ask curiously: "Who is she? My aunt?"

"What are you thinking?" Lin Xiufeng scowled at him. "She's a top student from Qianjiang University—don't go spreading rumors like that."

"Then why is she here?" Li Luo asked, puzzled.

"She was the previous server," Lin Xiufeng said. "Didn't I tell you? The former owner gave me a contact list, and she was the only one still available to come over."

"Oh, I remember now," Li Luo nodded. "So she's our future senior?"

"You could say that," Lin Xiufeng nodded. "She was in her first year of graduate school; by this fall, she'll be in her second year. By the time you three get into Qianjiang University, she'll probably have already graduated."

"Graduated is good," Li Luo nodded. "Senior Jian is in her first year of grad school now—she must be twenty-three or twenty-four?"

"Stop thinking dirty thoughts," Lin Xiufeng laughed and scolded him. "Right now, I'm only saving up to buy a car—I'm not thinking about anything else."

"Besides, I'm nine years older than her. Don't go trying to set us up."

"After you finish your milk tea, go wherever you want."

Li Luo chuckled twice, just teasing—he didn't press his uncle further, and they moved on to other topics.

"So how's business been since opening?"

"What business can you have in summer?" Lin Xiufeng shook his head. "I sell a few cups a day on average—barely covers food and utility bills."

"No delivery orders at all?"

"Around here, besides Qianjiang University, it's mostly residential areas—hardly anyone orders milk tea," Lin Xiufeng said. "And the few cups I sell daily? Mostly delivery orders. Who's going to come out in this heat just to drink milk tea?"

"That makes sense," Li Luo nodded, then asked curiously, "So what's Jian Senior doing here now? Did you rehire her?"

"No," Lin Xiufeng shook his head. "With summer business this slow, why would I hire anyone? I'm barely busy enough to keep myself occupied."

"She just needed a quiet place to study. Qianjiang University's library is way up north, far from her dorm."

"My place is closer, and I offer free air conditioning and milk tea—so she teaches me how to make milk tea. It's mutually beneficial."

Li Luo listened and nodded—he thought it sounded quite nice.

He had no intention of pushing his uncle into a relationship; after this chat, he decided to go check out the rest area.

At that moment, Ying Chanxi whispered: "Is there a restroom here?"

"In the rest area," Lin Xiufeng said. "Go in, turn left, and walk all the way."

"Thanks, Uncle."

The three entered the rest area; Ying Chanxi hurried toward the restroom.

Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng walked to a four-seat table beside the floor-to-ceiling glass window.

Li Luo sat inside; Yan Zhusheng immediately sat beside him and pulled the curtain shut.

"We're not studying—why pull the curtain?" Li Luo whispered softly, afraid of disturbing Jian Chun.

"Just to experience it," Yan Zhusheng whispered back, then his gaze settled on Li Luo's grass jelly milk tea. "Is yours good?"

"What are you doing?" Li Luo instantly grew wary and clutched his milk tea protectively.

"I don't like milk tea with all kinds of toppings," Yan Zhusheng shook his head. "It feels weird to drink."

"Oh, I see," Li Luo relaxed slightly. "I don't really like them either—grass jelly's okay, though. Soft, like jelly."

But the moment he finished speaking, Yan Zhusheng leaned over, stuck his mouth to Li Luo's straw, and sucked hard.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Li Luo was too late to stop him—he could only watch as Yan Zhusheng gulped down a large mouthful of his grass jelly milk tea.

Then he saw Yan Zhusheng's cheeks puffing, looking up at him, a trace of milk tea still clinging to her lips.

"Who does that? Stealing a sip like that?" Li Luo stared, dumbfounded. "Didn't you say you don't like toppings?"

Yan Zhusheng slowly savored the taste in his mouth, then swallowed it all, flicking his tiny tongue around his lips to lick up the last traces of milk tea: "But didn't you say the grass jelly was fine? I just wanted to try it."

Li Luo: "..."

"It's delicious," Yan Zhusheng said. "Can I have another sip?"

"No."

"I'll let you drink mine," Yan Zhusheng said, holding out his milk tea to Li Luo's lips.

Ying Chanxi, having finished using the restroom, walked over and saw Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng had pulled the partition shut. She hurried over and yanked it open.

At this very moment.

Li Luo held his phone, idly scrolling through it.

Yan Zhusheng sat beside him, legs together, both hands cradling his milk tea, sipping it obediently.

Ying Chanxi saw nothing unusual and sat down opposite Li Luo, picking up her own red bean milk tea and taking a sip.

Meanwhile, Li Luo's eye twitched as he stared at the milk tea in Yan Zhusheng's hands, then glanced at his own plain pearl milk tea with no toppings—utterly at a loss for words.

Ying Chanxi had arrived too quickly; he hadn't had time to snatch back the grass jelly milk tea Yan Zhusheng had taken.

Startled, Li Luo quickly pulled out his phone to pretend to be busy, helplessly watching his milk tea being ruined by Yan Zhusheng.

"Why aren't you drinking?" Ying Chanxi asked, puzzled as she noticed his cup was still full while Yan Zhusheng's was nearly empty. "Is it not good?"

"No… I just ate a bit too much at lunch," Li Luo said, gritting his teeth and, under the watchful eyes of Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi, bit down on the straw and took a sip of his milk tea.

Hmm… it was indeed very sweet.

Li Luo, feeling guilty, avoided Ying Chanxi's gaze and met Yan Zhusheng's eyes instead.

Yan Zhusheng's eyes curled into crescents as he smiled happily at him, then right before his face, took another long, slow suck from the grass jelly milk tea he'd seized.

Fortunately, Yan Zhusheng held the cup firmly with both hands, so Ying Chanxi didn't notice the grass jelly inside.

But watching Yan Zhusheng's brazenness, Li Luo's eye twitched again—he thought this kid really needed a good scolding, even wanted to pin him down and spank him hard.

Just then, Yan Zhusheng suddenly turned to Ying Chanxi across from them and pushed his milk tea toward her. "Chanxi, want to try mine?"

"Huh?" Ying Chanxi paused, then shook her head politely. "No thanks, I'll stick with mine."

As she spoke, she glanced at Li Luo's milk tea across the table.

She wondered—if Li Luo had asked her this, and no one else were around… she might have…

Thinking this, Ying Chanxi's cheeks flushed slightly, and she bit her straw, refusing to let the thought go further.

At the end of July, Li Guohong officially bought the storefront for the hot pot restaurant and contacted its former owner, purchasing all the equipment the man had planned to gradually sell off.

He also rehired the waitstaff he had previously laid off—who hadn't yet found new jobs—and reinstated the Sichuan-Chongqing Old Hot Pot brand.

The original owner was a genuine Sichuan-Chongqing native, but as the new owner who had revived the old hot pot, why must he be from Sichuan-Chongqing?

Anyway, Li Guohong was quite pleased after taking over the restaurant.

After all, he had spent half his life dealing with food through his breakfast shop.

Now that Li Luo had founded Chongran Culture, a company that looked impressively prestigious, Li Guohong was happy—but he still felt uncomfortable taking on a managerial position like general manager.

Becoming the owner of this hot pot restaurant, however, reignited some of his passion.

And under these circumstances, the summer month of July slipped away quietly, giving way to the even hotter August.

In early August, Yin Zhicheng welcomed and hosted the publicity and copyright departments of Wenxue Group, who had come from Changning, accompanied by the head of Huayue Film and Television's publicity department and their staff.

Meanwhile, under Xu Rongsheng's introduction, Li Luo met Tian Lawyer, a graduate of Qianjiang University, at Lin Xiu's milk tea shop.

Upon meeting, the forty-something Tian Lawyer immediately stood up to greet Li Luo, smiling warmly: "I've long admired your name, Master Chongran—I'm a fan of your book. After we finish talking, could you sign something for me?"

At these words, Li Luo froze, turning to look at Xu Rongsheng beside him.

"Cough…" Xu Rongsheng cleared his throat and explained, "I asked a law professor about his students, and this Mr. Tian happened to specialize in copyright contracts. He volunteered to come, so I invited him."

This was Li Luo's first time meeting a reader fan more than twice his age—he felt strangely uneasy.

But after shaking hands and greeting, the Tian Lawyer immediately became serious, engaging Li Luo in detailed discussion.

After some conversation, they confirmed the details for the upcoming contract negotiations, and the business matters were settled.

Looking at the young boy before him, Tian Lawyer couldn't help but sigh: "To be honest, when my professor first asked me if I'd help Master Chongran with copyright, I thought, 'Oh my god! Isn't that the author of my favorite book right now?'"

"I assumed the author was probably around my age, or at most ten years younger."

"But when Professor Xu mentioned your age, I was stunned."

"Still, it made me even more curious about Master Chongran—I absolutely had to come meet you."

Listening to Tian Lawyer's words, Li Luo's lips twitched. He thanked him for his support, then quietly asked Xu Rongsheng beside him.

"Uncle Xu, have you told anyone else about me besides Mr. Tian?"

"Nope," Xu Rongsheng shook his head. "Don't worry—I only assigned a few research topics to my students, one of which was about your book. I didn't mention anything else."

But the moment he finished speaking,

the partition beside them suddenly slid open.

Jian Chun pulled off her headphones, stood up, glanced over, and exclaimed in surprise: "Teacher, I thought your voice sounded familiar—turns out it really is you."

After speaking, Jian Chun's gaze settled on Li Luo, her expression unreadable.

But Li Luo clearly saw a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Uncle Xu…" Li Luo felt his mouth go dry. He whispered nervously, "What's this senior's research topic?"

"Uh… cough… cough…" Xu Rongsheng coughed twice, equally embarrassed.

Jian Chun, meanwhile, sighed with a wry smile and pointed to the documents on her table: "Using 'I Am Really Not a Star' as a case study, exploring how online literature inherits and innovates its creative techniques under the characteristics of the internet age."

Li Luo: "..."