Chapter 326: Use Your Shoulder for a Moment

At around eight in the morning, Li Guohong drove with Lin Xiuhong to the entrance of Bihai Lanting community.

Before the car reached the building, Lin Xiuhong called Li Luo, telling him to pack up and get ready to come down.

After hanging up, Li Luo upstairs told Ying Chanxi, slung his backpack and pulled his suitcase to the door, and began changing shoes.

Ying Chanxi quickly followed, put on her shoes, and said, "I'll go with you to the high-speed rail station."

"Mm." Li Luo didn't refuse, nodded, finished putting on his shoes, and prepared to open the door and leave.

But just as he was about to step out, Ying Chanxi grabbed his sleeve, stopping him from leaving immediately.

Li Luo turned back in confusion to look at Ying Chanxi: "What's wrong?"

"That… " Ying Chanxi's cheeks flushed slightly, she glanced at Li Luo, then quickly lowered her head.

Then she shuffled awkwardly to stand right in front of Li Luo, so close their bodies nearly touched, fingers twisting nervously, whispering, "You're leaving soon—shouldn't we… shouldn't we… uh… just like last time when you saw me off at the airport…"

"Oh~" Li Luo realized, couldn't help but chuckle, and teased, "Shouldn't it be the person seeing you off who takes the initiative?"

Hearing that, Ying Chanxi's face turned even redder, but she gathered her courage, stepped half a pace forward, pressed fully against Li Luo, and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"Is this… is this just a farewell hug between good friends?" Ying Chanxi buried her face in Li Luo's chest and asked softly.

"Mm." Li Luo wrapped his arms tightly around Ying Chanxi's soft body, breathed in her hair's scent, and smiled gently.

To be honest, after so many hugs, Ying Chanxi had gradually grown accustomed to hugging Li Luo.

Though her cheeks still flushed and her heart still raced, it was already much better than before.

Now, clinging tightly like this, it gave her more a sense of happiness and warmth, as if wrapped in a pink bubble, her spirit floating light as air, yet her body held firmly, grounding her with a feeling of security.

To sink into this was truly hard to let go.

It wasn't until the sound of an elevator door opening echoed down the hallway that Li Luo and Ying Chanxi hastily pulled apart.

The next moment, Lin Xiuhong appeared in the hallway, puzzled, staring at the door of 1502, seeing Li Luo and Ying Chanxi just stepping out after changing shoes, and asked curiously:

"What's going on with you two? I called you to come down, and you took ten minutes to finally show up?"

"Cough." Li Luo rubbed his nose to hide his guilt, then stepped outside, dragging his suitcase to the elevator entrance, "Suddenly had a stomachache, went to the bathroom and got delayed."

"Alright then, hurry up, don't miss the train." Lin Xiuhong urged quickly.

"Relax, it's only seven-thirty," Li Luo said. "The train doesn't depart until after nine."

The three of them went downstairs, got into Li Guohong's car, and immediately headed to the high-speed rail station in the southern part of Yinjiang District.

Ying Chanxi sat in the backseat now, glanced at Li Luo beside her, still feeling a little startled.

Good thing she reacted fast—otherwise Lin Yi would've seen.

If Lin Yi found out she'd hugged Li Luo right before he left, Ying Chanxi felt her face would instantly turn into a ripe tomato.

She probably wouldn't even dare come down again.

"Is this your first time taking the high-speed train by yourself? When you get to the station, pay attention—anything you don't understand, ask the staff."

After getting in the car, Lin Xiuhong began nagging nonstop.

Previously, when Li Luo went alone to the symposium in downtown Yuhang City, since it was within the same city and reachable by subway, Lin Xiuhong hadn't worried much.

But now that Li Luo was leaving Yuhang City for neighboring Changning City, this mother's anxiety flared up again—she wanted to cram every single precaution into his head.

After all, Li Luo was still underage, and now he was traveling alone by high-speed train—of course Lin Xiuhong was worried.

But Li Luo had grown extremely mature and composed, handling things with order and calmness; if you didn't look at his still-boyish face, most people wouldn't think he was a minor.

He was even more mature and sensible than many adults.

That was why Lin Xiuhong felt comfortable letting him travel alone.

Otherwise, no matter what, she'd have made Li Guohong go with him, and she'd leave the next day with Xi Xi.

But since Li Luo said he could manage on his own, the parent gave him the freedom to choose, and chose to trust her son, no longer being the parent who shielded him from every wind and rain.

When Li Guohong drove to the entrance of the high-speed rail station and stopped, Li Luo got out, opened the trunk, and took out his luggage.

Ying Chanxi and Lin Xiuhong also got out, walking with him all the way to the station entrance.

After another round of instructions, Lin Xiuhong finally let him go, watching as Li Luo, backpack on his back and suitcase in hand, walked into the station entrance—until his figure vanished inside the waiting hall, she finally lowered her gaze.

And beside her, Ying Chanxi did the same.

The two women, one older, one younger, nearly simultaneously lowered their eyes, then glanced at each other.

Lin Xiuhong smiled and patted Ying Chanxi's head: "Let's go, we should head back too."

"Mm."

After putting Ying Chanxi back in the car, Lin Xiuhong glanced at her in the rearview mirror and began planning: "Xi Xi."

"What is it, Lin Yi?"

"First, let's go back to Bihai Lanting—I'll help you pack your luggage," Lin Xiuhong said. "We'll have lunch, and since your uncle's going to check on the hotpot restaurant this afternoon, you can head to school."

"After class, we'll pick you up and take you straight home."

"That way, tomorrow morning we can wake up together—we won't have to keep running back and forth. We booked a seven o'clock train, so we'll probably have to get up at six."

"Mm-hmm." Ying Chanxi nodded quickly. "I'll do whatever Lin Yi says."

"Oh, by the way." Li Guohong, driving, turned to Ying Chanxi. "Your dad's going alone, right? He's not coming with us?"

"Mm." Ying Chanxi said. "Dad's on a business trip to Changning City—he won't come with us. His company has its own schedule."

"Alright then, just stick with us."

…

Meanwhile, inside the high-speed rail station.

After entering the waiting hall, Li Luo glanced around but didn't see Xu Youyu.

He sent her a QQ message, but got no reply.

Fortunately, the high-speed rail station in Yinjiang District wasn't large—only two ticket gates, unlike Yuhang East Station with its dozens of entrances.

Li Luo simply walked around the hall once and quickly spotted Xu Youyu's figure.

But when he saw her, Li Luo couldn't help but smile wryly.

Xu Youyu was leaning back in the seat beside him, her suitcase wedged between her legs, hands resting on top, head tilted slightly backward against the chairback.

She wore sunglasses and a mask, and at a glance, she looked merely like someone taking a normal rest.

But when Li Luo leaned closer and waved his hand in front of her, he realized she was asleep with her eyes closed.

As for how Li Luo recognized Xu Youyu…

It was mainly because he knew her appearance too well.

Just seeing that figure, paired with the huge anti-counterfeiting logo on her chest, was enough to identify her.

Even with sunglasses and a mask on, it made no difference.

"Senior," Li Luo sat down in the empty seat beside Xu Youyu, placed his own suitcase down, then chuckled and reached out to pat her face through the mask.

Because the posture was truly uncomfortable, Xu Youyu jolted awake at once, adjusted her sunglasses, sat upright, turned her head, and only then noticed Li Luo had arrived.

"Huh? You're here?" Xu Youyu took off her sunglasses, rubbed her slightly drowsy eyes, recognized Li Luo, then immediately put the sunglasses back on and glanced warily around, "No suspicious people following you, right?"

"You really think this is a secret underground party handshake?" Li Luo said, exasperated. "You're being way too cautious. And why are you out this early in the morning?"

"What do you know?" Xu Youyu rolled her eyes at him, then said seriously, "After last month's symposium crisis, I've trained myself to have excellent counter-surveillance awareness—I won't let any acquaintance discover my alias again."

As she spoke, she pointed to the gear on her face.

"Alright, alright," Li Luo brushed her off. "You're hiding well enough—I've almost been sold out by your dad."

"What do you mean?" Xu Youyu looked puzzled.

Li Luo sighed and twitched his lips, then recounted his meeting with Lawyer Tian and vented about it.

Hearing this, Xu Youyu burst into loud laughter: "You're going to kill me laughing—how could this be so coincidental? Now you're done for."

"What? I told them all to keep it secret."

"Who knows if they'll keep it?" Xu Youyu shook her head, clicking her tongue. "It's already written into your thesis, and Senior Jian Chun knows too—how can you be sure it won't spread like what happened in your class?"

Hearing this, Li Luo's face darkened as he warned her: "Don't you dare jinx me, or don't blame me for dragging you down with me."

"Cough, cough," Xu Youyu, now holding a lever over him, grew a bit more subdued, cleared her throat, and comforted him, "Actually, it's not that bad—maybe Senior Jian will keep quiet? The situation isn't that dire. But you've already started discussing the details of the Big God contract so early—does that mean you'll sign soon?"

"About that," Li Luo nodded. "Although the Big God selection results won't come out until year-end, about half the slots are already locked in, and contracts are signed months ahead."

"I'm so envious," Xu Youyu couldn't help sighing. "Soon you'll be a Chongran Big God."

"You'll be one too—Early Sleep Big God."

"That nickname sounds weird—it doesn't have the same commanding presence as your pen name," Xu Youyu sneered. "Early Sleep Big God sounds like a street con artist."

"Looks like you still have some self-awareness."

"Looking for a beating, huh?"

The two chatted a while longer.

Xu Youyu then circled back to Xu Rongsheng and Jian Chun, speaking with great interest: "After I graduate high school next year, I'll probably apply to Qianjiang University's Chinese Language and Literature program—then I'll study under my dad and get a chance to meet Senior Jian."

"What's the point of meeting her?" Li Luo sneered. "Have her write another paper using 'Literary Era' as an example, exploring how web literature deconstructs and restructures the entertainment industry, and the author's reasonable extrapolation of ideal entertainment industry rules?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Xu Youyu's face darkened. "Keep cursing me and I won't let you off."

"So what? It's bound to happen someday," Li Luo chuckled.

"Then if that's the case," Xu Youyu rolled her eyes, then grinned too, "after your college entrance exam, will you also apply for Chinese Language and Literature?"

"Ha, do you think I'm stupid?" Li Luo refused firmly. "No way."

"Really not considering it?" Xu Youyu coaxed. "Remember, my dad's Vice Dean of the Literature College—unless it's something major, like being late or skipping class, with him watching over you, you can basically walk around the college like a king."

"Do I look like a bad student who's always late or skips class?" Li Luo said seriously.

But he couldn't deny he was somewhat tempted.

If he hadn't gone to college before, he wouldn't have cared much.

But in his past life, he'd at least attended junior college—some courses were truly watered-down and boring, their only value being the tiny handful of credits they offered.

For the current Li Luo, what major to choose or what knowledge to learn wasn't important at all.

He just wanted to properly make up for the youth and beauty he'd missed in his past life.

After getting into Fuyi High School this life, he realized how full of flaws his old high school had been in comparison.

So now, his greatest hope in entering Qianjiang University is to see how the campus life of China's top university differs from the miserable junior college life of his past.

As for which major to pick?

Just pick one where his Memory Palace could function easily, credits were easy to earn, and classes wouldn't be too tiring.

If that's the case, Chinese Language and Literature might actually be quite suitable.

"Alright, alright," Xu Youyu now patted Li Luo's shoulder. "Don't pick it if you don't want to—I was just joking."

In truth, she didn't really think Li Luo would choose Chinese Language and Literature.

Although she did secretly hope to be in the same major as him.

But thinking of Ying Chanxi's possessive nature, maybe Li Luo would soften and follow her into the same major—so Xu Youyu didn't push further.

"Ticket check."

Li Luo checked the time—the ticket inspector's voice rang out at the checkpoint.

Once ticket checking began, Li Luo stood up, joined Xu Youyu in line, passed through the checkpoint, took the elevator to the high-speed rail platform.

Watching the high-speed train whistle in from afar, slow down, and finally stop before them, Li Luo glanced at his ticket, then walked with Xu Youyu toward Car 8, easily finding their seats.

Since they'd selected seats together online, they were seated next to each other.

But after glancing at Li Luo's ticket, Xu Youyu said, "I want the window seat—can we switch?"

"Whatever," Li Luo said indifferently, picked up her suitcase, shoved it onto the overhead rack, then placed his own on top.

Xu Youyu watched Li Luo's gesture of helping her stow the suitcase, smiled faintly, and settled into the window seat.

Li Luo sat in the aisle seat, placed his backpack on his lap, lowered the table in front, and pulled out his laptop.

Xu Youyu had just sat down and saw Li Luo pull out a laptop, then she clicked her tongue: "No way—you're typing on the high-speed train?"

"What else am I supposed to do?" Li Luo replied. "It's over an hour—just sit there doing nothing?"

"Of course you sleep," Xu Youyu rolled her eyes. "I only got four hours last night, and I sneaked out this morning dragging my suitcase."

"So why did you come out so early?" Li Luo chuckled. "You could've waited until after Li and Chanxi left."

"What if I'm late? Better safe than sorry." After boarding the train, Xu Youyu took off her sunglasses and mask, exhaled deeply, then pulled an eye mask from her bag. "I'm sleeping now—wake me when we get there."

"Alright."

"Hey, by the way." As Xu Youyu was about to put on the eye mask, her gaze landed on Li Luo's laptop, her eyes narrowing in curiosity. "Didn't you used to have a different one?"

"Oh, this one's Chanxi's," Li Luo said. "I used to use Zhusheng's, but Chanxi insisted I bring hers this time."

"Tsk tsk." Xu Youyu smiled, slipped on the eye mask, and patted Li Luo's shoulder. "Lend me your shoulder, okay?"

Then her head leaned against his shoulder.

"... How am I supposed to type like this?"

"I don't care."

Li Luo sighed, then placed his right hand on the keyboard and tried not to move it, letting his left hand handle most of the typing.

Soon, the high-speed train began moving.

As the scenery outside rolled backward, then accelerated to top speed, the train steadied.

Li Luo glanced at Xu Youyu, asleep against his shoulder, then out the window, typing while planning his schedule after arriving in Changning.

At that moment, a girl in the aisle beside them suddenly received a phone call.

Li Luo hadn't paid much attention—until he heard the ringtone's song.

"Lying on your school's playground, gazing at the stars~ The classroom lights are still on, and you haven't left~"

Hearing that familiar tune, Li Luo frowned slightly.

Because this wasn't his original version—it was a cover, turned into a ringtone.

Thinking of it, he suddenly remembered what Xu Yinghuan had mentioned last night.

Huayue Film and Television's summer drama, I Am Really Not a Star, had just premiered.

Li Luo opened Baidu, searched online, then browsed Weibo—his expression grew oddly uneasy.

This drama… how to put it.

It resembled the early-year hit How Me and the Violin, both starting from the protagonists' adult lives after entering the workforce, while weaving in flashbacks of their school days to explain their past emotional entanglements.

But the plot wasn't as polished as How Me and the Violin.

Overall, the reviews were terrible.

But the male lead was a member of a recently popular boy band, whose female fans were fiercely defensive, launching online battles on Weibo.

They also wildly praised the boy band member for his singing.

Yeah… he was singing Li Luo's "Wait for You After Class."

Since Li Luo had sold the TV broadcast rights and cover rights to Huayue Film and Television, they'd assigned this boy band member to perform it.

But… how to say it…

Li Luo listened briefly—the guy had solid technique, but his vocal style was truly unbearable.

It was a song about secret crush, yet he sang it like, "Me liking you is your privilege," with a smug, arrogant, awkward coolness.

It gave Li Luo goosebumps.

When he checked the QQ Music comments, he finally understood why "Wait for You After Class" had suddenly become popular again.

The boy band member's female fans had specifically gone to the original version's comment section to trash-talk, claiming the original singer wasn't as good as their idol.

The readers of I Am Really Not a Star saw this, went to listen to the cover version, got sick to their stomachs, and left a couple of sarcastic comments.

Both sides immediately started arguing.

The feud grew hotter.

As a result, I Am Really Not a Star, due to its weak plot, quietly faded into obscurity.

But "Wait for You After Class" suddenly surged onto the trending songs chart—both the original and cover versions rising together, a truly bizarre sight.

Li Luo stared, half-laughing, half-sighing, and decided not to bother with it.

He didn't need to get involved—let them run wild.

As he thought this, a QQ message popped up on his computer.

【Qianzhou】: You've boarded the train, right? How long until you arrive?

Li Luo checked the time and ticket.

【Chongran】: About forty to fifty minutes left.

【Qianzhou】: Alright, I'll meet you at the station exit, then take you to the hotel.

【Chongran】: Huh? You're giving us hotel pickup now? Do editors do that?

【Qianzhou】: What are you thinking…? You two are minors at this salon—what if something happens? I have to come pick you up.

【Chongran】: Okay, I'll message you when we arrive.

After chatting with the editor, Li Luo thought for a moment, then sent a message to Ying Chanxi.

【Li Luo】: The train has departed.

【Ying Chanxi】: Mm, I'm packing with Lin Yi—we'll go home with them tonight, then head to the station together tomorrow morning.

【Li Luo】: That's good.

【Ying Chanxi】: When you arrive at the station, tell me. And when you get to the hotel, let me know too.

【Ying Chanxi】: Lin Yi asked me to remind you.

【Li Luo】: Got it.

After reporting the itinerary.

Li Luo glanced again at Xu Youyu, who was leaning against his shoulder.

Xu Youyu slept soundly; seeing her so comfortable, Li Luo began to feel drowsy too.

So he set an alarm on his phone, closed his laptop, and drifted off into a drowsy sleep.