Chapter 341: Couple Constellation? Best Friends Constellation!

The next morning, Li Luo's alarm rang on time.

When Li Luo was woken by the alarm and reached out to turn it off, he realized he seemed to be sealed in place.

At that moment, Yan Zhusheng half-lay atop Li Luo, half-asleep, opening her eyes and reaching out to grab his phone, then skillfully silenced the alarm.

Li Luo felt the smooth texture of her thigh beneath the blanket and sighed.

"Get up," Li Luo patted Yan Zhusheng's head. "Time for morning run. Go wake up Chanxi."

"Your alarm's way too early," Yan Zhusheng glanced at the time—just six in the morning—and closed her eyes again, snuggling into Li Luo's arms, finding a comfortable spot, muttering, "Don't we usually get up at seven during summer break?"

"It's your birthday—don't you want to enjoy a little extra sleep?"

"But if I go wake up Chanxi, and she joins us for the outing later, what then?"

"Uh… what are you suggesting?"

"Chanxi has class this afternoon. Let her rest a little longer."

"... You're the Birthday Person. Whatever you say is right."

"Fine," Yan Zhusheng thought for a moment, then got out of bed and walked obediently toward Ying Chanxi's bedroom. "I'll go wake up Chanxi."

Li Luo lay in bed, blinking, confused by Yan Zhusheng's sudden change of heart, watching her back disappear out the door.

Soon, he faintly heard the sound of the neighboring door opening down the hallway.

In the other bedroom.

Ying Chanxi was sleeping soundly.

Yan Zhusheng walked to the bed and gently shook her awake: "Chanxi, are you getting up? We're heading downstairs for the morning run."

Ying Chanxi had been sleeping peacefully, and being jolted awake at six in the morning, she frowned and forced her eyes open, still half-asleep.

Last night, she had read a novel she'd saved for over half a month, because before this, Li Luo had not only long-term built up Mo Qinghan's participation in "I Am a Singer," but also created short-term plotlines targeting Shen Dongdong's TV drama filming.

So when Ying Chanxi reached this part, she couldn't help reading longer, ending up staying up until dawn.

Especially after finishing Mo Qinghan's performance of "Empty Heart," the protagonist Li Yang wandered to the film set to continue shooting the TV drama starring Shen Dongdong, and another kissing scene arose—she became so excited she couldn't sleep.

But this kissing scene required specific locations and camera angles, so none of the surrounding staff could be fully cleared out.

Thus, under Shen Dongdong's shyness, Li Yang moved the kissing scene's filming to the very end.

This made Ying Chanxi furious—she felt like she was watching a fool.

So what if others see it? What's there to be shy about?

It's just a kiss! They've kissed before! She should want more people to watch, so everyone knows her place in Li Yang's heart!

She was practically dumb enough to die!

The more Ying Chanxi read, the more impatient she became, desperate to flip ahead to the next kissing scene.

But before she could flip twice, her phone screen popped up a message: "This is the latest chapter. Updates pending…"

That did it—Ying Chanxi nearly threw her phone across the room.

If she'd known this part wasn't finished, she wouldn't have read it.

She'd have been better off waiting a few more days.

Now, having read halfway and suddenly unable to see the next chapter, she couldn't sleep at all.

She remembered Li Luo might have saved-up drafts.

But it was already past two in the morning—Li Luo was surely asleep—and Ying Chanxi didn't dare wake him, so she lay in bed sighing, then pulled over her panda plush and bonked it twice.

And now, after barely four hours of sleep, Yan Zhusheng woke her—Ying Chanxi groaned "Hmm~" in bed, half-asleep, mumbling: "What time is it?"

"Six."

"... Isn't it usually seven? Let me sleep a little longer."

"Okay," Yan Zhusheng's eyes sparkled with delight, then she nodded, gently tucking the blanket around Ying Chanxi, turned, and quietly closed the bedroom door.

Li Luo was washing his face in the bathroom when he felt someone walk in and lightly bump his thigh with their butt.

"Chanxi or Zhusheng?"

"Guess."

"Where's Chanxi?" Li Luo immediately recognized the voice, felt around the sink for the towel but found nothing—then the person handed him the towel, and he wiped his face. "Did she get up?"

"No," Yan Zhusheng shook her head. "Chanxi says she's too tired. Let her sleep more."

Li Luo gave Yan Zhusheng a skeptical look, but remembered she was the Birthday Person today, so he didn't press further, nodded, and stepped aside from the sink.

Yan Zhusheng pulled out her toothbrush and cup from the other bathroom, handed him the toothbrush: "The Birthday Person needs toothpaste now."

"... Are you the Birthday Person? Or just a brat?" Li Luo laughed, squeezed toothpaste onto her brush. "Do I have to serve you like this?"

Yan Zhusheng said nothing, only smiled happily as she shoved the toothbrush into her mouth and began brushing.

Li Luo turned and left the bathroom, changed clothes, waited for Yan Zhusheng to finish washing up, then went to her room to change—both headed downstairs together for the morning run.

After circling Bihai Lanting's compound several times, both were slightly warm.

After over a year of morning runs, this level of exercise meant nothing to Li Luo anymore.

After all, when he was reborn, he was already at the peak age of his physical condition—and with consistent exercise, this peak clearly remained intact.

Unlike at thirty-five, when waking up left him weak and drained, sitting at the computer made his head foggy, eyes sore, back and waist aching.

Now, Li Luo felt his body's health and vitality—even after long hours at the computer, his mind stayed sharp, his back and legs pain-free, his spirit excellent.

His typing flowed clearly, and with his Memory Palace, he rarely hit a block.

Whenever Li Luo recalled his physical and mental state in his thirties and compared it to now, he always sighed inwardly.

Youth was truly wasted in those days!

At the peak of his physical and mental powers, his past life had squandered his youth on meaningless things.

But then he thought again—and let it go.

One cannot possess both youth and the awareness of youth at the same time.

Similarly, a person cannot, while recognizing the preciousness of youth, relive youth once more.

Li Luo simply had better luck—he received this miraculous miracle, and he shouldn't hold his past self to too high a standard.

"Li Luo, what are you thinking?" In the breakfast shop, Yan Zhusheng watched Li Luo suddenly zone out, holding a spoon to his lips, softly reminding him, "Ah~ Open your mouth."

Li Luo snapped back to reality, instinctively opening his mouth, then felt a spoonful shoved inside—he tasted a fragrant wonton.

His gaze then fell on the spoon before him, watching helplessly as Yan Zhusheng retrieved it, placed it back in the soup bowl, scooped up another wonton, and slowly blew on it before bringing it to her lips; his eyes grew distant.

"What's wrong? Want more?" Yan Zhusheng noticed him staring at her spoon and offered it again.

Seeing this, Li Luo quickly waved his hand: "No, you eat. I just suddenly thought of something."

"What did you think of?" Yan Zhusheng asked curiously.

Li Luo watched as Yan Zhusheng slipped the spoon that had just been in his mouth into her thin lips, paused for a moment, then laughed and shook his head: "Nothing. I just suddenly felt moved—I think I should cherish the present."

"Mm." Yan Zhusheng nodded lightly, pressing the spoon to her lips, savoring it slowly, "I'll cherish the present too."

Li Luo knew Yan Zhusheng hadn't fully grasped his meaning, but he didn't bother explaining further—some things are truly hard to understand until you reach that age.

Today's task was still to accompany Yan Zhusheng through her birthday, just to make her happy.

Looking at the girl before him, though her aura resembled that of the Yan Zhusheng from his past life, Li Luo could clearly sense a great difference between the two.

If the Yan Zhusheng of his past life had, at first meeting, been like a frozen lake atop a snowy mountain, perpetually unmelting,

then the Yan Zhusheng he met last year in this life was more like a river drifting down from the snowy peak—equally cold, yet capable of being warmed, not yet fully frozen into ice.

In his past life, Li Luo had never met Yan Zhusheng when he was young; though during over half a year of work together, he had clearly felt her growing kindness toward him.

But compared to now, the gap was vast.

With the help of the Memory Palace, Li Luo still clearly remembered their final meeting, hearing her speak calmly: "I've had a heart attack. I need to go abroad for treatment for a while."

"How long will you be gone?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe a year. Maybe ten."

"So I'm fired, then?"

"Mm… or I could hire you to go abroad? If you don't mind."

"Abroad? Never mind… I wish you a swift recovery."

"... Alright." Yan Zhusheng pressed her lips together. "This house is unoccupied for now. If you need it, you can keep living here—I'd otherwise have to hire someone to clean regularly."

"That… doesn't seem right."

"It's fine."

At that time, Lin Xiuhong was already ill and needed care.

So when faced with the invitation to go abroad, Li Luo naturally refused—he assumed it was just politeness, and he didn't take advantage.

That monthly income of nearly twenty thousand had been a lifeline for him.

He dared not ask for more.

But despite the temptation of free lodging, he accepted Yan Zhusheng's kindness.

No other reason—because to pay for Lin Xiuhong's treatment, Li Guohong had sold the family shop and mortgaged their house.

Having a temporary free place to live was genuinely important—it saved him rent money.

Yet Li Luo never imagined that after rebirth, he would meet Yan Zhusheng like this.

And that he'd turned her into this version of herself…

"Li Luo, eat."

Yan Zhusheng scooped another wonton for him, watching him with hopeful eyes.

Li Luo opened his mouth and accepted the Birthday Person's feeding, looking at Yan Zhusheng before him, unable to help smiling.

At least, compared to his past life, Yan Zhusheng was no longer so Bingshan—instead, she'd gradually gained a certain naivety, growing ever farther from the aloof beauty of her former self.

Thinking of this, Li Luo couldn't help asking curiously: "Zhusheng."

"Mm?"

"Do you think your current personality is better, or the one you had before meeting me?"

Yan Zhusheng froze, tilting her head in thought for a moment, then asked in return: "Which one do you like, Li Luo? Do you think I'm worse now?"

"Cough… don't think about me. I like whatever personality you have. I'm asking about your own feelings."

"What did you say?"

"I said—I'm asking about your own feelings."

"The previous sentence?"

"I like whatever personality you have?" Li Luo looked puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Yan Zhusheng ate the wonton, her face glowing with a smile, then cheerfully said, "This is fine. My old personality? I just didn't know how to interact with people."

"I kept making others angry, so I stopped interacting altogether—so I wouldn't hurt others, or hurt myself."

"But with you, or Chanxi, or Senior, or Huanhuan—they never made me feel that worry or discomfort."

"It's just… good."

Hearing Yan Zhusheng's answer, Li Luo's heart brightened.

"That's good."

After breakfast, the two stepped out of the shop.

Since it was barely past six-thirty, Yan Zhusheng suggested not buying breakfast to take home—it might disturb Ying Chanxi and Xu Youyu's sleep.

So they bought nothing and set off directly for shopping.

But at this early hour, normal shops hadn't opened yet.

Yet Yan Zhusheng didn't care—she quietly slipped her small hand into Li Luo's palm and, aimlessly, began strolling from the entrance of Bihai Lanting community down the street.

They passed Ningshan Avenue, walked past the entrance of Qianjiang University, went through the Ningshan Tunnel, and arrived at Qiu Shan Street.

Just then, the nearby Yinjiang Science and Technology Museum opened, so Li Luo took her inside for a look around.

By the time they came out again, it was nearly eight in the morning.

So the two of them wandered on to the Yintai Department Store, where Li Luo took her upstairs and browsed the women's clothing section.

Yan Zhusheng wasn't like other girls—she wasn't attached to buying clothes, and in summer she basically wore nothing but white T-shirts and three-quarter jeans.

When she used to go shopping with Ying Chanxi and Xu Youyu, while they carefully picked and compared items, Yan Zhusheng would stand by, casually grab a plain-colored outfit, and be done.

In Li Luo's memory, the Yan Zhusheng of his past life was much the same—she had no interest in clothing, like most boys, she just wanted something wearable.

But with her figure, as long as the style didn't require pronounced curves, she was practically a perfect mannequin—she looked good in anything.

So Li Luo, unusually proactive, helped her pick out clothes, tried on four or five sets, and finally chose two.

One was packed to take away; the other she put on right away.

Seeing Yan Zhusheng in the white floral sundress, Li Luo couldn't help but be struck by how stunning she looked.

To be honest, this was probably the first time in both his lives that he'd seen Yan Zhusheng in a dress.

Unlike some girls whose knees-length dresses make their legs look short, Yan Zhusheng, standing over one meter seventy, revealed long, slender calves in this floral dress, making her figure appear even taller.

Looking at the elegant line of her calves and her slender waist, Li Luo couldn't help but praise: "I should've bought you a dress sooner—you look absolutely beautiful."

"Better than pants?" Yan Zhusheng asked, blinking, still unfamiliar with the feeling, her legs pressed tightly together, walking with tiny steps as if any large stride might lift the hem.

Far less comfortable than pants.

Besides, when the wind blew, it sometimes brushed against her thighs beneath the dress—it felt strange.

But after hearing Li Luo's compliment, Yan Zhusheng decided the dress wasn't so bad, and tried hard to adjust.

"Each has its own charm," Li Luo said. "I've just never seen you in a dress before—seeing you like this for the first time, I was genuinely surprised."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng happily slipped her small hand back into his. "Then I'll wear dresses for you often from now on."

"Only if you like them yourself."

"I like them."

"Good."

The two walked out of the women's clothing store. Li Luo checked the time—it was nearly nine. "Last night you said you wanted to watch a movie—shall I take you to the cinema upstairs?"

"Okay."

Hand in hand, they headed to the cinema on the fifth floor. When they reached the lobby, Li Luo let Yan Zhusheng choose what to watch.

He'd assumed she'd pick a romance, but she ended up choosing *Jurassic World*.

"Don't you want to see anything else?"

"I want to see dinosaurs," Yan Zhusheng said honestly. "Don't you want to see them, Li Luo?"

"I do."

Li Luo had seen this movie in his past life, but it had been nearly twenty years—he couldn't recall much unless he deliberately summoned his memory palace. Re-watching it wouldn't hurt.

So they went to the ticket counter.

But just as he was selecting tickets, his phone rang.

He pulled it out and saw it was Ying Chanxi calling.

Yan Zhusheng, beside him, saw the caller ID and kindly said, "I'll buy the tickets—you go ahead and answer Chanxi."

"Alright."

Li Luo stepped aside, handed the ticket task to Yan Zhusheng, and answered Ying Chanxi's call in a corner.

"Hello?"

"Li Luo, where are you?" Ying Chanxi was still dazed—she'd woken up past nine, looked into Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng's bedroom, and found them gone.

"Cough…" Li Luo cleared his throat. "This morning, Zhusheng tried to wake you, but you said you were too tired and wanted to sleep more, so we didn't wake you."

"It's her birthday today—you and the senior were both sleeping in, so I took her out alone."

"We'll finish playing with her and come back for lunch."

There was silence on the other end—she was processing the news, or trying to recall whether Yan Zhusheng had actually come to wake her that morning.

After a moment, Ying Chanxi asked: "So where are you now?"

"At the cinema."

"You're watching a movie together?!"

"Yeah…" Li Luo glanced at Yan Zhusheng, who had just finished buying tickets and was walking over to him, then replied into the phone, "We just bought the tickets—we're about to enter."

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi bit her lip, wanting to ask if she could still make it if she rushed over.

But then she realized she'd probably be too late, and showing up now would be awkward—it was Zhusheng's birthday after all. So she whispered: "Then… when will you be back?"

"The movie ends at 11:20," Li Luo said, glancing at the screen showing the movie time. "We won't get home until at least 11:30."

"... Alright." Ying Chanxi nodded dutifully, hugging her Pikachu tighter, took a deep breath, and said, "Ask Zhusheng what she wants for lunch—I'll go buy it."

"Ah? No need—I'll buy it with Zhusheng on the way back."

"It's fine," Ying Chanxi smiled. "It's Zhusheng's birthday—buying groceries is only right."

Hearing this, Li Luo named a few dishes—ones Yan Zhusheng liked—and told her to pick accordingly.

Then Ying Chanxi hung up, giving the rest of the time to Yan Zhusheng.

"Did Chanxi say anything?" Yan Zhusheng asked curiously.

"Nothing much—she just asked what you want for lunch, and said she'll go buy it."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng nodded. "Chanxi is so nice."

Li Luo smiled helplessly. "Tickets bought? Let's go."

"Mm."

Yan Zhusheng led Li Luo to the ticket gate, showed her ticket, passed inspection, and walked into Theater Six.

But Li Luo, following behind Yan Zhusheng, watched him walk all the way to the back row and couldn't help pausing, then quickly asked: "Didn't you get lost? Why did you pick such a back seat?"

"It's the very back," Yan Zhusheng said, blinking innocently without changing expression, then led Li Luo straight to the back row and found their seats.

Looking at the wide two-person sofa seat and the tall partition beside it, Li Luo fell silent.

"This thing… is called a couple's seat, right?" Li Luo tugged at his mouth, "Why did you pick such a spot?"

"The waiter said, during summer vacation, couple's seats are twenty percent off," Yan Zhusheng said seriously. "I think it's a great deal."

Li Luo: "…"

"Besides, I asked the waiter," Yan Zhusheng said with great seriousness. "I asked her, can friends also buy couple's seats? She said of course they can. So I think this can also be called a friend's seat."