Chapter 331: The Heart That Fluttered for Chanxi

The taxi arrived at the Junji Hotel's nearby Quanjie Hotel.

Li Luo escorted the three of them to check in, then brought their luggage to the room.

Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong shared a king-size room, while Ying Chanxi had a room to herself.

Li Luo stepped into Ying Chanxi's room and saw her setting down her suitcase as if to leave immediately—he grabbed her arm and said, "Why are you rushing off so fast?"

"I'm going to your place to take a look," Ying Chanxi said. "It's half past seven now; if we tour your room, we can head out to play."

"Alright, alright." Li Luo followed Ying Chanxi out of the room, called the two neighbors next door, and the group of four set off toward the Junji Hotel.

The two hotels were separated by just one street; Li Luo led them for a few minutes before entering the hotel lobby.

Standing before the poster displayed on the Writers' Salon signboard in the lobby, Li Luo paused and introduced to the three: "Look, this one—there's my signature right here."

Lin Xiuhong and the other two stopped and examined it curiously.

Ying Chanxi glanced at it; originally she hadn't noticed anything, but as she was about to look away, her expression suddenly stiffened. She asked, "'Sleeping early makes you grow taller'—I remember you know this one, right?"

Hearing Ying Chanxi suddenly mention Xu Youyu's pen name, Li Luo's brow twitched—he had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Ying Chanxi added, "I remember he gave you a Silver Alliance donation—ten thousand yuan."

"Oh my, that much?" Lin Xiuhong exclaimed. "What kind of relationship do you two have? He donated ten thousand yuan to you?"

"We were both releasing new books around the same time, and we write the same genre, so we got to know each other early," Li Luo coughed twice, trying to explain. "Later, since my performance was better, I recommended his book to my readers."

"Because many readers went to read his book, his performance improved too."

"So to thank me, he gave me a Silver Alliance."

"Hmm, this guy's got a good personality," Li Guohong nodded, satisfied. "He knows how to handle things."

"Yeah… I guess." Li Luo forced a smile, then led them onto the elevator, stopping at the fourth floor.

He showed them a quick look at Conference Room No. 1 and shared what he'd experienced during yesterday's afternoon meeting.

To stall for time, he deliberately summoned his Memory Palace, dredged up some publishable details to discuss, and even mentioned he himself was considering trying real-life-themed writing.

He went over everything he'd talked about with Xu Youyu yesterday, explaining it all to Ying Chanxi and the others.

"So if it's written well, it could even be turned into a TV drama?" Ying Chanxi asked curiously.

"Of course," Li Luo nodded, then chuckled. "But someone has to buy the rights first—so the quality still has to be solid."

"Let my dad buy it," Ying Chanxi said matter-of-factly. "Aren't they in that business anyway? Honestly, the TV dramas their company makes aren't that good—I think your books are way better."

"Cough… you'd better not say things like that," Li Luo checked the time—it was nearly eight in the morning.

Without further delay, he led them back onto the elevator and went upstairs.

Along the way, they occasionally passed a few familiar authors, who greeted Li Luo when they saw him.

Ying Chanxi studied these people curiously; when she noticed some of the female authors looked quite elderly, she nodded.

Honestly, under normal circumstances, anyone qualified to attend this kind of Writers' Salon was usually in their twenties or thirties.

Those under twenty were extremely rare, let alone children like Li Luo and Xu Youyu.

So if Ying Chanxi paid attention, she'd easily notice that all the female authors attending were much older than Li Luo.

And certainly not as pretty as her.

Once reassured, Ying Chanxi no longer felt so eager to go see Li Luo's room.

Following Li Luo all the way to the eighth floor, he pulled out his keycard and opened his door.

The room was already clean and tidy—the sheets and pillowcases had all been replaced by housekeeping, and the entire space had been thoroughly cleaned.

Seeing this, Li Luo let out a faint sigh of relief.

Ying Chanxi walked in and glanced around casually, saying nothing.

"There's a reason why it's expensive," Lin Xiuhong looked around, then nodded. "It looks nice. This desk is big too—if we were in our hotel, Li Luo's laptop wouldn't even fit."

"When did you buy this laptop?" Li Guohong glanced at the laptop on Li Luo's desk and asked curiously.

"Uh… this one's Ying Chanxi's."

"You little brat…" Li Guohong was speechless. "How much money have you made? How can you still be using someone else's computer? Aren't you ashamed?"

"No, no problem, Uncle Li," Ying Chanxi quickly said. "I don't use it much anyway. Letting him use it is perfect—it won't just gather dust at home."

"You're spoiling him too much, Ying Chanxi," Lin Xiuhong laughed and shook her head. "His room's laptop is yours, his notebook is yours, and even his clothes and pants—you bought those too, didn't you? I swear he's going to get spoiled rotten."

"Hey hey hey," Li Luo interjected, annoyed. "Mom, you're making it sound like she's raising a pet. I buy stuff for her too, you know."

Ying Chanxi's face flushed red. She hurriedly said, "We've seen enough here—shall we go out and play?"

"Let's go."

The four of them quickly prepared and set off from the Junji Hotel.

Lin Xiuhong and Ying Chanxi had already planned their itinerary in advance and took a taxi straight to their destination.

Li Luo and Li Guohong became the designated entertainers, trailing behind the two ladies.

At tourist spots, they were cameras; in shops, they were shopping bags.

But when neither of them was being used, Li Luo walked behind and whispered to Li Guohong: "Dad, it's rare we get out like this—want to do something romantic?"

"What do you mean?" Li Guohong glanced at him, confused.

"I have an idea…" Li Luo leaned close to Li Guohong's ear, whispering while Lin Xiuhong and Ying Chanxi walked ahead.

…

Near noon, Li Luo took a taxi back to the hotel alone.

He sent a message to Xu Youyu—no reply.

So Li Luo took the elevator back to the eighth floor, went to Xu Youyu's door, and knocked.

After a moment, Xu Youyu opened the door, rubbing her eyes, still half-asleep. She glanced outside, confirmed it was Li Luo, then turned and walked back inside, letting him enter on his own.

Li Luo stepped in, closed the door, and watched as she flopped back onto the bed—he stared, dumbfounded: "You didn't sleep all morning again, did you?"

"You have the nerve to ask?" Xu Youyu yawned, still lying on the bed. "I was almost asleep after you left—then you texted me saying Ying Chanxi was coming to visit, and you scared me awake!"

"How was I supposed to know they'd insist on coming over?" Li Luo said helplessly. "Luckily, the cleaning lady here works fast."

"Isn't that because I pushed you?" Xu Youyu rolled her eyes, then added, "If I'd known this would happen, I should've just let you sleep here yesterday. You never take the initiative—you never come over on your own."

"Shouldn't the best solution be for the two of us to sleep separately?" Li Luo's mouth twitched. "Are you done sleeping? Let's go downstairs for lunch—the editor's here too."

"Got it~" Xu Youyu climbed out of bed and sighed. "Did you have fun playing with Xixi this morning?"

"It was great."

"I haven't even visited any of the attractions in Changning City yet."

"What are you suggesting?"

"If you get the chance someday, take me around too," Xu Youyu smiled, linking her arm through his. "This time's fine—just enjoy yourselves. I was already happy all day yesterday."

"Alright," Li Luo pressed his lips together and nodded. "Let's go eat first."

"Mm."

The two took the elevator down to the second-floor restaurant.

Qianzhou was already waiting by the elevator door. Seeing them emerge, he waved and grinned: "I came to crash your meal."

"Let's go," Li Luo laughed, slinging an arm over the editor's shoulder and leading him toward the restaurant. "Order whatever you want today—I'm treating you."

"Then I won't be polite."

As he said this, Qianzhou suddenly received a phone call.

He picked it up, spoke a few words, then frowned slightly. After hanging up, he sighed helplessly: "Something came up at the office—I have to go back."

"Huh?" Li Luo blinked. "It's Saturday—why would there be work?"

"What can you do?" Qianzhou sighed, waving his hand. "Guess we're not meant to eat together today. Next time—I'm off."

Watching Qianzhou leave, Li Luo thought for a moment, then asked: "What about tonight? I've got dinner with someone else, but we could still grab late-night snacks."

"Late-night snacks?" Qianzhou pressed the elevator button, thinking briefly. "That could work. Tonight?"

"Tonight. She'll come too," Li Luo pointed to Xu Youyu beside him. "The three of us hardly ever meet—we've got to have a proper meal."

The Wenxue Group office building wasn't far—just a ten-minute walk away.

Qianzhou gave them an OK gesture and hurried into the elevator to head down.

Li Luo walked with Xu Youyu into the restaurant, found a seat, ordered, then gazed out the window. He caught a glimpse of Qianzhou's retreating figure hurrying down the street, and sighed.

"What's wrong with you?" Xu Youyu asked, propping her chin on her hand.

"I just suddenly thought," Li Luo smiled wryly. "If I hadn't written this book, I'd probably be just like the editor—after graduation, a cog in society, struggling to earn enough to survive, yet still making less than some people's pocket change."

Xu Youyu sipped her drink, glanced at Li Luo, and couldn't help laughing. "You've got quite the imagination. You haven't even started university yet, and you're already picturing your post-grad life?"

With that, Li Luo finally snapped back to reality.

Honestly, a kid Li Luo's age—unless he'd grown up in poverty—rarely thought about his future at this stage.

In Li Luo's memory, at sixteen in his past life, he'd been the type to nap in class, skip school to play basketball with friends, or head straight to the internet cafe to game.

He'd never once imagined what his future might hold.

To Xu Youyu, this already seemed unusual.

But now, Li Luo didn't need to worry about such things—he was merely struck by how Qianzhou had to abandon their meal over a single phone call, and felt a quiet pang of sympathy.

Once burdened by life, one often becomes powerless.

Even someone with Li Luo's current income and status still has to sit there and write, doesn't he?

Fortunately, he actually enjoys writing novels—he takes pleasure in crafting plots—so his job feels effortless.

After lunch with Xu Youyu, Li Luo followed her up to the fourth floor. The No. 1 conference hall, where they'd met yesterday afternoon, had now been transformed into the author salon venue.

Compared to yesterday's relatively formal setting, today's salon was much more relaxed.

By early afternoon, when all attendees had arrived—nearly a hundred invited authors gathered—the CEO of Wenxue Group appeared, gave a brief speech, then invited several renowned masters in the industry to take the stage and share their experiences and anecdotes.

During the event, Wenxue Group's staff mentioned the newly announced realist-themed writing contest several times, recommending it to the authors present.

Clearly, Wenxue Group took this contest seriously.

Still, Li Luo was more interested in the behind-the-scenes gossip the authors shared among themselves.

After the sharing session ended, free mingling began.

Everyone wandered around the venue, chatting, making connections. Afternoon tea was served, and the atmosphere was utterly relaxed.

Li Luo had originally planned to slip away early, but surprisingly, many people came up to talk to him.

Some even read Xu Youyu's works, which delighted the young girl.

He'd thought they'd come to discuss something serious—but several big-name authors approached him… to beg for updates. Li Luo didn't hesitate to fire back: You guys are all worse than me at delaying—how dare you come nagging me?

…

While Li Luo and Xu Youyu attended the author salon, Ying Chanxi followed Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong to the streets outside Yuyuan Garden in Changning City.

As they passed a hairpin experience shop, Li Guohong glanced twice at the storefront. The staff inside smiled warmly and called out: "Would you like to try on hairpins and Hanfu?"

"Let's check it out?" Li Guohong suggested.

Hairpins—ornaments worn by women—were displayed in various designs at the shop's entrance. Ying Chanxi and Lin Xiuhong took just a couple of glances, then couldn't move on.

At Li Guohong's suggestion, the three stepped inside and tried a few pieces.

Lin Xiuhong, being older, was given a hairpin adorned with pearls, featuring pale purple plum blossoms—elegant and dignified.

Her outfit was a cream-colored wide-sleeved robe paired with a pale blue horse-face skirt, clean and fresh, making her look years younger.

Ying Chanxi chose a hairpin made of pink peach blossoms, dotted with tiny golden-yellow and pale red buds—youthful and adorable.

Her outfit was a pink-and-blue chest-high ruqun, matching her hairpin perfectly, enhancing her lively, charming appearance.

As for Li Guohong, he changed into a dark green round-collar robe. After checking himself in the mirror, he looked every bit the dignified official.

Lin Xiuhong and Ying Chanxi had assumed it was just a trial—but Li Guohong waved his hand and bought all three outfits outright.

"Did the sun rise in the west?" Lin Xiuhong glanced at him in surprise, though her face beamed with delight.

After all, since the two got married, Li Guohong had rarely bought her new clothes himself, let alone hanfu and hairpins meant for entertainment.

"Traveling is all about having fun," Li Guohong coughed twice, then bought them tickets and led them into Yuyuan Garden.

I have to say, wearing modern clothes versus changing into Hanfu while strolling through this ancient courtyard really gives a completely different feeling.

【123】 It had to be said—walking through this ancient courtyard in modern clothes versus hanfu felt distinctly different.

As they walked along Yuyuan's corridors and narrow paths, people kept approaching them, wanting to take photos, mistaking them for staff members specially dressed as ancient figures.

Ying Chanxi and Lin Xiuhong were especially delighted, pausing frequently whenever they spotted a beautiful view, stopping to take several pretty photos.

What could have been toured in two or three hours stretched into an entire afternoon, and only when they exited did the three leave reluctantly.

"What a pity," Ying Chanxi glanced at the photos in her camera and sighed softly.

"What's so pitiful?" Lin Xiuhong asked, puzzled.

"It's a pity Li Luo didn't come," Ying Chanxi whispered, "If he'd worn something similar to Uncle Li's outfit, and we took photos together, it would've looked wonderful."

"True," Lin Xiuhong nodded, then smiled, "But we bought these outfits anyway, and we're free tomorrow too."

"That's right," Ying Chanxi smiled happily, beginning to look forward to it.

Especially now, dressed in this outfit, she wondered what expression Li Luo would wear when he saw her tonight.

"There's an evening sightseeing cruise leaving soon," Li Guohong checked his watch and said, "After the cruise, it'll be exactly seven—perfect for dinner with Zhicheng."

"Alright, let's go," Lin Xiuhong adjusted the hairpin on her head, thoroughly satisfied with today's itinerary.

Even if her own son had something important and couldn't come along, wasn't there still Ying Chanxi, who was more like a daughter than her own daughter?

Especially since Ying Chanxi was excellent at taking photos—far more useful than Li Luo.

Thinking this, the three arrived at the Huangpu Riverbank, barely making it in time to board the evening sightseeing cruise.

As the cruise's engine hummed to life, Ying Chanxi sat with Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong on the open-air deck downstairs, admiring the riverside scenery on both sides.

Li Guohong gazed at the towering buildings on either bank and couldn't help remarking, "This is far more prosperous than our Yinjiang—only the Qianjiang banks in Yuhang City's downtown could compare."

"What's the point of sighing so much?" Lin Xiuhong rolled her eyes, then pulled Ying Chanxi to the railing by the boat's edge, posing for photos and calling out to Li Guohong, "Take our picture!"

Li Guohong, acting as photographer, glanced left and right, his face filled with confusion.

As the sightseeing cruise slowly glided across the river, the sky over Changning City gradually darkened.

The crimson sun sank toward the horizon, its deep red afterglow spreading across the river like golden-red dragon scales, turning the winding Huangpu River into a long, glowing dragon.

Ying Chanxi stood at the railing, hand pressed to her hat, watching the white foam churned by the stern, gilded by the setting sun like spilled gold.

She looked at the breathtaking scene with slight regret—unfortunately, the person she wanted beside her wasn't there.

But the next second, a familiar voice reached her ears.

"Could you take a photo with me and this beautiful lady?"

As she heard it, Ying Chanxi felt a hand wrap around her shoulder.

In an instant, she spun around—and when she saw Li Luo's grinning profile, her delight burst free uncontrollably: "Y-you came when?"

"Hm?" Li Luo tilted his head, puzzled. "Can we take a photo first? Or are you unwilling?"

"Willing! Of course I'm willing!" Ying Chanxi nodded rapidly, immediately leaning into Li Luo's arms and raising her cute scissors gesture.

Li Luo wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave a big "V" toward Li Guohong.

Li Guohong chuckled as he snapped their photo; beside him, Lin Xiuhong noticed his utterly unshocked expression—and then looked at Li Luo's black, ancient-style martial attire—and frowned suspiciously: "Did you two plan this together?"

"It's a surprise," Li Guohong chuckled. "Isn't Chanxi happy?"

"You two are something else," Lin Xiuhong sighed with a smile—but seeing the radiant joy on Ying Chanxi's face, she decided it was worth it.

"Where did you get this outfit?" Ying Chanxi touched the fabric, then noticed the sword at his waist and pulled it out curiously: "Is this a real sword?"

"Fake, fake—it's not sharpened," Li Luo shoved the sword back into its scabbard and coughed twice. "Just for the look—no other purpose."

"Hmph, you secretly changed into this outfit and followed us, and didn't even tell me?" Ying Chanxi lightly punched his chest.

"If I told you, would it still be a surprise? Just tell me—did you feel your heart skip a beat just now?"

"I didn't!" Ying Chanxi insisted—but her heartbeat hadn't slowed since, and the blush on her cheeks hadn't faded either.

"Hmph," Li Luo stroked her head, then leaned closer to examine the hairpin. "Mm, this outfit suits you perfectly—very beautiful."

"Was I prettier this morning, or now, wearing this?"

"You were already the most beautiful when I saw you this morning—but as time passed, you grew more beautiful by the second, so now you're even more beautiful," Li Luo pinched her cheek, then extended his hand. "Let me give this spot to my parents—my seat's on the second deck. Would this lady do me the honor of joining me for a bit of wind?"

Ying Chanxi glanced at Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong; they were still admiring the view at the railing, paying no attention to them.

So she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, blushing slightly, and gently placed her small hand in Li Luo's palm: "Fine… I'll humor you."

Li Luo smiled, took her soft, jade-like hand, and led her up to the second deck, standing at a spot where Xu Youyu would likely feel quite familiar, facing the direction of the cruise's advance.

"Li Luo…"

"Hmm?"

"I'm so happy today," Ying Chanxi gripped Li Luo's hand tightly, facing the setting sun, and bit her lip. "So, so happy!"