Chapter 340

Seeing Yan Zhusheng's face—pretending to be serious while clearly smirking at having pulled off her scheme—Li Luo couldn't resist pinching her cheek.

"Your scheming thoughts are thicker than your hair."

"I'm not," Yan Zhusheng said, her cheek still pinched, tilting her face up to look at him and letting him keep holding it.

"Even if we're trading, I've only touched you once—tops, I'll let you read one chapter," Li Luo chuckled. "You touch me once and expect me to hand over hundreds of thousands of words of drafts? That's a bit unreasonable."

"Is that so?" Yan Zhusheng tilted her head. After Li Luo released her cheek, she flopped onto his bed, stretched out her long legs, and said to him, "Then I'll sleep here tonight. You keep touching me while I read—how's that?"

Li Luo: "... Only you could come up with that."

"I think it's fine," Yan Zhusheng blinked. "Maybe after a good night's sleep, you'll actually owe me hundreds of thousands of words."

"You're counting your coins so loudly," Li Luo rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, I still have to write. Stop bothering me. Go back to your room and rest."

Just as he said that.

There was a knock at Li Luo's door.

Ying Chanxi pushed the door open, towel in hand, drying her hair. When she saw Yan Zhusheng lying on the bed, her eyes narrowed instantly.

"Yan Zhusheng is here too?" Ying Chanxi sat down calmly on Li Luo's chair, shook her head, letting her wet hair cascade down, then asked casually, "What are you doing here?"

"Li Luo said he wanted to touch my leg," Yan Zhusheng admitted frankly. "So I lay down."

"...?" Li Luo's face darkened. "Don't make things up. I never said I wanted to touch you—you're the one who kept asking for the draft chapters."

Ying Chanxi's expression flickered slightly, then immediately returned to normal.

She knew Li Luo well—he'd never voluntarily say something like wanting to touch a leg.

Besides... if he really wanted to touch, he could ask her...

Thinking of this, Ying Chanxi's cheeks flushed slightly, and she whispered, "Zhusheng, don't joke like that. Li Luo, help me dry my hair."

"Coming." Li Luo replied.

But before he could pick up the hairdryer on the desk, Yan Zhusheng rolled off the bed, snatched the hairdryer, and said to Li Luo, "Aren't you supposed to be writing? I'll dry Xi Xi's hair for you."

Then she patted Ying Chanxi's shoulder. "Xi Xi, you don't want to delay Li Luo's writing, right?"

Ying Chanxi had originally not wanted Yan Zhusheng to do it, but hearing her say that, she bit her lip, stood up from Li Luo's chair, and sat reluctantly on the edge of the bed: "... Then I'll leave it to Zhusheng."

Seeing Ying Chanxi seated on the bed, Yan Zhusheng climbed back on without hesitation, knelt behind her, and handed the plug toward Li Luo: "Li Luo, plug it in. I'll dry Xi Xi's hair."

"Done." Li Luo plugged in the hairdryer and sat back at his computer. "Dry away. I'm going to write."

The hum of the hairdryer filled the bedroom, but with his Memory Palace, Li Luo was completely unaffected—even able to play music in his mind.

About ten minutes later, after Yan Zhusheng finished drying Ying Chanxi's hair, neither of them had anything to do—but neither showed any intention of leaving Li Luo's bedroom.

So after the hairdryer fell silent for a moment, Li Luo turned his head toward the two on the bed and saw that these two had no intention of getting up...

"Can't you two go back to your own rooms?"

"I don't feel sleepy yet," Ying Chanxi whispered. "I'll stay a bit longer. I'll leave when I'm tired."

"Me too," Yan Zhusheng nodded. "I want to read the draft."

"No."

"Xi Xi must want to read too, right?" Yan Zhusheng leaned close to Ying Chanxi, nudging her. "You already set up the plot with Shen Dongdong filming—there's no way you won't write about it later. You can't keep writing about 'I Am a Singer' forever; the story won't stretch until next Friday."

Prompted by Yan Zhusheng, Ying Chanxi suddenly remembered and reached out to Li Luo: "I want to read the draft too."

Li Luo: "... So now you've learned to form alliances, huh?"

"Earlier, Li Luo said if we wanted to read the draft, we had to let him touch our legs all night," Yan Zhusheng whispered in Ying Chanxi's ear. "We each let him touch one leg, and we read the draft together—how's that?"

"T-this... Zhusheng, how could you agree to something like that!" Ying Chanxi, far less open than Yan Zhusheng, blushed furiously at the condition and scolded, "Li Luo, you pervert!"

Letting him touch her leg once was one thing—but all night?

Who could take that?

And especially not both of them at the same time... How could that be allowed!

Not until after Zhusheng went back to her room... then maybe secretly...

"Don't listen to her nonsense," Li Luo rolled his eyes. "Keep acting up and I'll throw you both out."

"Just reading the draft won't hurt anything," Ying Chanxi muttered.

"The problem is, reading it now won't help," Li Luo sighed. "After Aunt Yuan's 'Hollow' airs, there'll be all kinds of public reactions."

"Even though I speculated while writing, after this, I'll adjust the details based on the real-world public opinion direction."

"So even if you read it now, the final version will still be different."

Hearing Li Luo say this, Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi stopped their childish antics.

But just before midnight, as Li Luo was thinking how to get these two girls back to their own rooms, there was another knock at his door.

Xu Youyu pushed the door open, peeked in, smiling—but when she saw the two girls lying on the bed, her expression froze, then she cleared her throat and said, "Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng are here too?"

Seeing Xu Youyu, Ying Chanxi—who had just decided to go back to her room—suddenly changed her mind and wanted to stay.

Yan Zhusheng was much the same, tilting her head curiously toward Xu Youyu, wondering what she wanted at this hour.

"Ahem..." Xu Youyu quietly slipped the two empty wine glasses behind her back, rolled her eyes, and fixed her gaze on Yan Zhusheng. At the doorway, she said, "I just remembered—it's Yan Zhusheng's birthday in two or three days. I came to ask Li Luo what gift he's preparing, so I can get some ideas."

"Oh right!" Ying Chanxi suddenly remembered, turning to Yan Zhusheng beside her. "When's your birthday? The 24th?"

"Mm," Yan Zhusheng nodded lightly. "August 24th."

"Thank goodness you reminded me, Sister Xu—I almost forgot to get a gift," Ying Chanxi thought hard, wondering what to buy Yan Zhusheng.

Meanwhile, Li Luo, still typing, nodded and said, "I've already prepared the gift."

"What is it?" Xu Youyu asked curiously.

"The birthday girl is right here—if I tell you, there'll be no surprise," Li Luo rolled his eyes. "Figure out your own gift."

"So, Zhusheng, any ideas?" Xu Youyu grinned at Yan Zhusheng. "Shall we play a new round of Monopoly?"

Li Luo: "... Can we try something new?"

"Sure," Xu Youyu nodded. "I've improved Monopoly—guaranteed new twists."

"I meant things other than Monopoly," Li Luo said, exasperated. "Why are you so obsessed with your Monopoly?"

"Then how about hide-and-seek?" Xu Youyu enthusiastically recommended. "We haven't played the brand-new version yet!"

"Forget it. You'd better not say anything," Li Luo sighed. "Let Zhusheng decide how to arrange his birthday. Don't meddle in it."

"Pfft." Xu Youyu pouted, then turned to head back to his room—but before leaving, he couldn't resist coaxing the Birthday Person one last time. "Zhusheng, think about it, okay~"

After watching Xu Youyu leave, Li Luo escorted Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng back to their rooms.

But as Li Luo pushed her into her bedroom, Yan Zhusheng turned and asked him, "Will everyone come on my birthday?"

"Of course," Li Luo nodded. "We'll buy you a birthday cake, do something fun during the day, and celebrate in the evening."

"But my birthday is on a Monday," Yan Zhusheng reminded him. "Aren't XiXi and the others going to school in the afternoon?"

"That's true. But we'll definitely be able to gather at night."

"If that's the case," Yan Zhusheng poked his stomach, whispering, "can we just be alone during the day?"

"Hm?"

"Just… stay with me. No one else," Yan Zhusheng blinked, looking at Li Luo with hopeful eyes. "Consider it my early birthday wish."

"Just during the day?"

"Yes, just the day."

"What do you want to do then?"

"I haven't decided," Yan Zhusheng shook her head. "We'll do whatever comes to mind then."

"You're the Birthday Person," Li Luo ruffled her hair, smiling helplessly. "Whatever you want."

…

On the late night of August 21st, Li Luo and the other three had each returned to their rooms to sleep.

But for many night owls, the discussion heat around this episode of I'm a Singer had gradually climbed to a new peak.

Yesterday, a series of interviews detailing Yuan Wanqing's past withdrawal from the industry and her current comeback had appeared on trending topics.

After tonight's broadcast, topics like "Yuan Wanqing 'Empty Heart'," "I'm a Singer Yuan Wanqing #1," and "Yuan Wanqing New Album Pre-sale" all rose onto the trending list.

Weibo's traffic immediately tilted toward Yuan Wanqing.

While this was undoubtedly aided by Huayue Film and Television, led by Ying Zhicheng, the sustained momentum also owed much to Yuan Wanqing's own flawless performance.

That night at Yuan Wanqing's home, Ying Zhicheng lay beside her, both scrolling through messages on their phones.

On Yuan Wanqing's side, many industry friends—including her best friend Luo Fei—sent congratulations.

On Ying Zhicheng's side, he continuously received company updates, analyzed current public sentiment, and steadily executed follow-up plans.

Several of these trending topics had been actively pushed by him, aiming to maximize exposure through the momentum of this challenge match.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself," Yuan Wanqing said, noticing his instinctive frown and gently smoothing his brow. "There's still plenty of time left, isn't there?"

"It's been five years, but the first three yielded no major achievements—the board has already voiced complaints," Ying Zhicheng sighed. "Thankfully, your success this time gives us something to show for it."

"But the company's overall direction still needs to focus on TV dramas. If this sector doesn't take off, people will keep bringing it up."

"Originally, we planned to use a few fresh-faced idols to open the market, but now it seems we were overly optimistic—the TV drama metrics have all been poor."

"The board has its own information channels—you can't fool them. If we don't produce results soon, I'm afraid I'll lose my position."

"Don't rush," Yuan Wanqing had no better solution, so she said, "At least this challenge match has been a great success. I think Li Luo's other songs also have potential to achieve similar results."

"You know, Li Luo—he writes successful Online Novels, and he composes hit songs."

"Didn't you say he planned to write a realistic novel suitable for film and TV adaptation? Maybe that's your next opportunity?"

Hearing this, Ying Zhicheng chuckled helplessly: "I can't possibly put all my hopes on this guy Li Luo, can I?"

"Not all of them," Yuan Wanqing smiled, covering her mouth. "But at least give him one chance?"

Because of last year's "Year Rings" and this time's "Empty Heart," Yuan Wanqing had gained unprecedented popularity and traffic.

Thus, her confidence in Li Luo now surpassed Ying Zhicheng's—even bordering on blind faith.

Especially after learning her daughter privately had a close relationship with Li Luo, Yuan Wanqing didn't obstruct it like most parents—she even tacitly approved.

Even when Yan Zhusheng wanted to go to Changning to see Li Luo, Yuan Wanqing readily agreed, conveniently allowing her to meet Ying Zhicheng as well.

Her professional success had led Yuan Wanqing to subconsciously feel Li Luo was her lucky star.

Though it sounded superstitious, given Li Luo's demonstrated talent, Yuan Wanqing believed it was worth trying to get Ying Zhicheng to believe in him once.

"I'll definitely keep following up on this," Ying Zhicheng nodded. "But specifics will wait until he finishes his new Online Novel. Right now, your side is more urgent."

As he spoke, Ying Zhicheng received another message. He glanced at it, then raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" Yuan Wanqing asked curiously.

"Nothing. You can open Weibo and take a look," Ying Zhicheng smiled. "It's a happy accident."

Yuan Wanqing didn't understand. She immediately opened her phone and checked Weibo—then saw the top trending topic.

——【Yuan Wanqing: I Am Really Not a Star】

Clicking into the topic, the most popular post briefly explained the relationship and collaboration between Yuan Wanqing and the Online Novel I Am Really Not a Star.

But because the topic title was so misleading, many passersby who had just developed interest in Yuan Wanqing as a singer clicked into it instinctively.

After all, Yuan Wanqing had returned to public view after her withdrawal—yet now she declared "I Am Really Not a Star," which seemed overly modest, bordering on pretentious.

But once people were lured in, they realized it had nothing to do with what they expected.

And with the massive traffic generated by Yuan Wanqing tonight, this unusual topic rapidly surged to #1 on the trending list.

Seeing this, Ying Zhicheng immediately ordered his team to maintain the organic post's popularity.

Thus, by a twist of fate,

When Li Luo woke up the next morning, a trending topic on Weibo—"Who is Chongran?"—had quietly climbed into the top thirty.

Li Luo had originally woken early, jogged with Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng, eaten breakfast, fed his senior, then returned to his room and opened his author backend to check last night's results.

But as soon as he logged into QQ, several authors in his groups @ed him.

Li Luo clicked in and saw that he had made the trending list.

He had originally paid it no mind, thinking it was just because of Yuan Wanqing, and someone had casually mentioned the author of I Am Really Not a Star—nothing serious.

But when he saw someone in the Qidian Premium Authors group tag him, asking if Chongran was really a high school student, Li Luo suddenly realized something was off, and hurried online to check the trending list.

Under the trending topic "Who is Chongran?", many people had already posted comments.

Most of them only knew Chongran was the author of I Am Really Not a Star, serializing online novels on Qidian, and also writing songs for Yuan Wanqing, possessing original songwriting ability.

But under this level of attention, some authors who had met Li Luo at roundtables and writer salons had clearly noticed this trending topic.

Added to the fact that most of these authors were night owls, and upon accidentally seeing a fellow writer trending on Weibo, some couldn't resist their urge to express and share, introducing to everyone what Chongran was like in person.

When people learned that Chongran was actually an underage high school student, public opinion erupted in shock.

The public opinion trend that had been entirely focused on Yuan Wanqing last night had, by this morning, shifted at least half its attention to the online novel author Chongran.

"Underage," "online novel author," "original songwriter," "annual income of a million," "high school student"

These keywords, which should have been completely unrelated, when pieced together, formed a massive public opinion tornado.

So much so that when Ying Zhicheng woke up the next day, his subordinates reported to him that there was absolutely no need for them to artificially maintain the popularity anymore… this thing's popularity simply wouldn't drop!

By noon, the two topics "Yuan Wanqing: I Am Really Not a Star" and "Who is Chongran?" were swapping positions between #1 and #2 on the trending list.

Yuan Wanqing's "Empty Heart" topped the QQ Music New Songs Chart, Hot Songs Chart, and Surge Chart all at once.

Li Luo's I Am Really Not a Star also reached #1 on Qidian's monthly vote and sales charts, with data across all major platforms turning red—remarkable results.

Especially Li Luo's three chapters from last night: Qidian's main backend showed subscription numbers that had tripled from the previous baseline, reaching a full 50,000 subscriptions!

Clearly, many people hadn't read his earlier chapters—they simply came to check out the episodes tied to I Am a Singer.

Judging by this momentum, I Am Really Not a Star breaking through the 30,000 average subscription mark was already a done deal.

The crossover between I Am Really Not a Star and Yuan Wanqing's new album was also widely discussed online.

The production team of I Am a Singer, for their part, welcomed this outcome—even though Yuan Wanqing's side had borrowed traffic to ignite the popularity.

But the longer Yuan Wanqing-related topics lasted, the better it was for the production team—only benefits, no drawbacks.

Everything was developing in the best possible direction.

Except for the trending topic "Who is Chongran!"

Li Luo, watching the "Who is Chongran?" topic repeatedly jump to #1 on Weibo's trending list, couldn't help but feel a toothache.

Fortunately, the major authors who knew him had no idea which school he attended; otherwise, Li Luo truly feared his attendance at Fu No. 1 High School might be leaked.

Fortunately, his classmates in Class 8 had strong confidentiality awareness—even if they might privately gossip about this with acquaintances.

But no one actually went online to expose it.

After confirming his real identity hadn't been exposed, Li Luo let out a long breath.

As for Chongran going viral online?

What did that have to do with Li Luo?