Chapter 345: High School Sophomore Year Begins: Fighting Over a Desk Partner

The atmosphere in the room was tense and strange.

Ying Zhicheng glanced at his daughter, then stole a look at Li Luo beside him, forcing a calm expression: "I just happened to have something to discuss with your Aunt Yuan—she's going to the city for an event after ten, so I'll give her a ride."

Probably because she was too surprised, Ying Chanxi immediately accepted this excuse and nodded.

"T-That's right? So Dad, are you leaving?"

"Yes." Ying Zhicheng nodded, then turned to Yuan Wanqing, "But you have guests at home—what about you?"

"You go ahead, General Ying," Yuan Wanqing smiled. "My event isn't urgent—I'll entertain them first before I leave."

"Alright, then I'll head out." Ying Zhicheng nodded, walking toward the elevator, patting Ying Chanxi's shoulder. "Have fun here—I'm off to the company."

"Oh, uh… okay…" Seeing that the conversation between Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing seemed perfectly normal, Ying Chanxi didn't dwell on it further. After bidding farewell to her father, she followed Li Luo inside, where Yuan Wanqing welcomed them in.

"How did the four of you end up together?" Yuan Wanqing asked, glancing between Yan Zhusheng and the other two, then at Luo Fei trailing behind, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Li Luo wrote a new song to record, and Zhusheng asked me to arrange it, so I just came over to think about it on-site," Luo Fei chuckled twice, then turned to Yan Zhusheng. "You three go upstairs and get ready—I'll chat with your mom for a bit and join you."

"Oh, alright." Yan Zhusheng nodded and led Li Luo and Ying Chanxi upstairs first.

Meanwhile, after watching Yan Zhusheng and the others enter the recording room, Luo Fei immediately pulled Yuan Wanqing into the first-floor guest bedroom, her face dark as she whispered sharply: "What's going on between you and General Ying?"

"W-What do you mean?" Yuan Wanqing's expression grew slightly unnatural; she instinctively avoided Luo Fei's gaze. "What are you talking about?"

"You can fool kids, but you really think you can fool me too?" Luo Fei said, exasperated. "What kind of business does the general manager of Huayue Film and Television possibly have to discuss at your home?"

"And at this time of morning! It's barely eight-thirty!"

"At the company, the morning meeting hasn't even ended yet!"

"Besides, General Ying usually lives in the city—why did he suddenly come back to Yinjiang District?"

Bombarded by Luo Fei's rapid-fire questions, Yuan Wanqing was thrown off-balance, stammering weakly: "I… I don't really know… General Ying just happened to be coming this way to discuss something…"

"Discuss what?"

"Hmm… something about the singer's upcoming program schedule…"

"What does that have to do with him? Aren't the details always coordinated between the music department, your studio, and the production team?" Luo Fei rolled her eyes, then sighed again.

She smoothed all expression from her face, gripped Yuan Wanqing's shoulders firmly, and said seriously: "Are we good friends?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me honestly—did General Ying force himself on you?" Luo Fei narrowed her eyes, her gaze dangerously sharp. "Don't hide anything. I know how hard this is for women to admit—but the more you hide, the more he'll push."

"I always thought General Ying had a good reputation at the company—he used to be your agent, didn't he?"

"Now he's using his position to touch you!"

"You can't just submit to this!"

"Think carefully—who's really relying on whom?"

"His title as general manager sounds impressive, but in recent years, during the company's transformation, what real achievements has he made? Just another tired trope from a fresh-faced idol drama?"

"Now everyone at the company says inviting you back to the music scene was a brilliant move—many secretly praise his decisiveness."

"But we all know how your comeback actually happened—it was entirely driven by the traffic from Li Luo's songs!"

"Li Luo wrote you nine songs in total! Do you think he did them because of General Ying's face?"

"It's all because of Zhusheng!"

"You don't need to bow to him at all right now—how could you let him take advantage of you?"

Hearing her best friend grow more and more agitated, Yuan Wanqing's expression turned strange, then she couldn't help laughing and shaking her head.

"Alright, alright—I shouldn't have hidden it from you, but you're imagining way too much…" Yuan Wanqing sighed, pressing her palm to her forehead, and whispered, "I'll tell you—but you must keep it secret, especially from Zhusheng."

…

On the second floor, inside the recording room.

Seeing that the two girls showed no particular reaction to the earlier incident, Li Luo abandoned his plan to make excuses for Ying Zhicheng.

He'd originally worried that if Ying Chanxi or Yan Zhusheng were suspicious, he'd need to patch things up—but now it seemed he'd overthought it.

After entering the recording room, Yan Zhusheng plugged Luo Fei's USB drive into the studio's backend and played the simplified arrangement.

After listening once to the rhythm, Yan Zhusheng felt it; on the second playthrough, she began singing along with the beat.

On the third playthrough, Li Luo joined in, and the two sang together, finding their groove.

Although Ying Chanxi could sing too, without karaoke assistance, she had no idea how to even begin.

Facing such a professional setting, Ying Chanxi quietly sat aside, watching them work.

Not long after, Luo Fei came in from outside and joined them, beginning to discuss arrangement suggestions with Yan Zhusheng.

At this point, Li Luo's expertise was insufficient—he barely understood their conversation and could only follow their instructions.

But during recording, Luo Fei occasionally glanced at Ying Chanxi, her expression peculiar.

Then she looked between Ying Chanxi and Li Luo's matching outfits, then between Yan Zhusheng and Li Luo's interactions, falling into deep thought.

These families are truly insane… Luo Fei decided she didn't want to meddle anymore.

…

The recording proceeded smoothly.

From Tuesday through Saturday morning.

Not only Li Luo's song "Sun" for Yan Zhusheng, but also his earlier song "Mo Jituo" sung for Xu Youyu, were arranged by Luo Fei.

After four days of work, they finalized a version they were satisfied with, and Yan Zhusheng asked Luo Fei to burn physical CDs.

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Not many—just a few copies.

Mostly for personal keepsakes among the group.

So on the last day before school reopened, under Li Luo's initiative, the seven-member study group gathered again before classes resumed.

In the afternoon, Li Luo instructed Xu Yinghuan and Qiao Xinyan to buy groceries at the market, while Zhao Rongjun carried the bags.

Li Luo took Ying Chanxi and the other two to the supermarket and bought a pile of snacks.

That night, they prepared a lavish meal; after enjoying the food, they ate snacks while watching the replay of last night's "I Am a Singer," watching Yuan Wanqing perform "Light" and securing third place overall.

Then Yan Zhusheng pulled out a CD recorded by Luo Fei and gave one to everyone present.

"What's on this CD?" Xu Yinghuan asked curiously as she took it.

"The audio of 'The Sun,'" Yan Zhusheng said. "That new song Li Luo sang at my birthday—I recorded three versions with him: two solos and one duet. All are on here."

"Wow~" Xu Yinghuan let out a delighted cry. "This is great! I love it! Can we listen now?"

"It plays under the TV—just slide it in," Li Luo said.

"I'll try!" Xu Yinghuan eagerly shoved the CD into the DVD player beneath the TV.

Soon, Yan Zhusheng's voice filled the living room.

Then came Li Luo's solo, followed by the duet version of Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng.

Ying Chanxi sat on the sofa listening, thinking that at least this had been recorded right under her nose, and her mood improved slightly.

But it would've been better if the CD contained only Li Luo's solo version.

Ying Chanxi held the CD in her hand, secretly thinking this in her heart.

After the song ended, everyone played cards on the living room sofa; once the snacks were nearly gone, Qiao Xinyan and the others went home.

After seeing off the guests, as the four of them cleaned the living room, Yan Zhusheng said, "After school starts, I'm applying for day student status—I'll come home to live every day."

Li Luo had expected this.

After class assignments, dorms would be reassigned anyway; it was simpler for Yan Zhusheng to move back home than to re-adjust to new roommates she barely knew.

But Ying Chanxi hadn't anticipated this and froze in place.

"Zhusheng… you're not staying on campus next semester?"

"Mm-hmm," Yan Zhusheng nodded. "Actually, I didn't want to stay last semester either, but Mom suggested I finish a full year. She just let me move here early so I could stay on weekends."

After hearing Yan Zhusheng's words, Ying Chanxi clenched her lips.

The last bit of superiority she'd clung to vanished instantly.

Senior students are a year ahead; once Xu Youyu gets into university, she won't be able to come home with them every day after school.

That way, at least the walk home each day would be just her and Li Luo alone.

But now that Yan Zhusheng said she'd be a day student, that dream shattered into pieces.

But the good news was, with the new semester, Ying Chanxi would be in the same class as Li Luo!

Thinking of this, her mood lifted slightly; she already imagined what it would be like, after a year, sitting in the same classroom as Li Luo again.

And in the new semester, we could choose our own seats—what kind of teacher was Mr. Kong from Class Eight?

Would he assign seats, or let students pick?

Ying Chanxi wasn't sure, but if she could sit next to Li Luo, that would be perfect.

Thinking she might still sit beside Li Luo, Ying Chanxi couldn't help feeling excited; her heart beat a little faster.

After cleaning the living room, Li Luo returned to his room to shower.

After showering, he typed a bit, then blew-dried Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng's hair, sent them off, checked the time, listened to the sounds outside, then stood up, picked up a CD, went to Xu Youyu's door, and knocked.

At Xu Youyu's "Come in," Li Luo opened her door—rarely visiting her room so late at night.

Xu Youyu, typing, turned in surprise; seeing it was Li Luo, she raised an eyebrow: "The sun's rising in the west—you actually came to me voluntarily?"

"You make it sound like I've been neglecting you."

"Aren't you?" Xu Youyu rolled her eyes, then feigned a pitiful look. "I always have to come to your room to serve you. You never come to me unless I beg."

Li Luo's eye twitched: "... Act normal."

"So why are you here?" Xu Youyu asked cheerfully. "Don't tell me you came to give me a massage?"

"That's not out of the question."

"How?" Xu Youyu winked seductively, deliberately letting her nightgown strap slip, turning her side toward him and whispering softly, "Do you want to massage here, here, or… here?"

Li Luo took a deep breath, stepped back several paces, unable to bear her antics, and quickly handed her the CD on her desk: "Here. This is for you."

"Huh? Why suddenly give me a gift?" Xu Youyu asked, puzzled. "Didn't Zhusheng just give one? What's different? Did you add bonus tracks?"

"Sister, your knowledge is too extensive…" Li Luo's lip twitched, then explained, "This is another song. You should still remember it."

"Oh~ That one?"

"Yeah. That one."

"Let me listen~" Xu Youyu eagerly slid the CD into her computer's built-in drive, opened the audio, and played Li Luo's specially composed "Mo Jituo" through the speakers Ying Chanxi had given her.

But as the music began, Xu Youyu immediately pulled out the cup Li Luo had given her from her drawer, winked at him, and said: "You've got to share a drink with me while listening. You chased me out the other day—I was heartbroken for days."

"This time, just one cup," Li Luo held up one finger and warned. "We have to report for school tomorrow morning."

"Of course," Xu Youyu smiled sweetly, leaned close to Li Luo's ear, turned, and kissed him. "Reward for remembering to give me this CD—I'm really happy."

…

August 30, Sunday.

At 7:30 a. m.

Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong arrived punctually at the entrance of Bihai Lanting and picked up Li Luo and the other three.

Since they'd been informed ahead of time, neither Yin Zhicheng nor Yuan Wanqing came to see the children off on the first day of school.

As for Xu Youyu, she was used to independence and didn't ask her parents to come.

Li Luo had also thought that since they were in Gao Er, their parents didn't need to accompany them—but Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong had nothing to do at home, so they came early specifically to send the kids off.

To be honest, seeing the four children walk up to them while none of their own parents had come, Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong felt a strange illusion—as if these four kids were their own.

It was quite satisfying.

Thinking this, the group of six arrived at the school gate.

Passing through the school gate guarded by security, Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong escorted them through the Grade One teaching building to the staircase entrance of the Grade Two teaching building.

"You guys go ahead—I can walk on my own," Xu Youyu waved at them, then headed toward the Grade Three teaching building behind.

"You change classrooms every year, right?" Lin Xiuhong glanced at the building she'd never seen before, then followed Li Luo up to the third floor.

"Yeah, each grade has its own building, and we switch every year," Li Luo nodded. "The Grade Three building is closest to the cafeteria, and there's a direct corridor on the second floor leading to the cafeteria's second floor—it's the most convenient for meals."

This was also one of the conveniences the school provided for Grade Three students.

At least it saved time eating, leaving more time for studying.

The group of five climbed to the third floor, and due to Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng, they attracted many glances along the way.

Under the watchful eyes of onlookers, Li Luo and the other four arrived at the door of Class Eight, Grade Two.

Kong Junxiang, standing at the podium, spotted Li Luo and immediately stood up, smiling and waving at him.

Li Luo brought Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng forward and greeted Kong Junxiang.

Behind them, Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong quickly stepped forward to pay the tuition and hand over other required items for the three children.

Seeing this, Kong Junxiang paused in surprise: "Didn't their parents come?"

"They're friends' kids—their parents are busy with work, so we helped bring them over," Li Guohong said with a smile.

Earlier during the class assignment lottery, Li Guohong and his wife had become quite familiar with Kong Junxiang; after a few pleasantries, the couple took their leave.

Just as Li Luo and the other two were about to find seats, Kong Junxiang waved Li Luo over, signaling him to stay behind.

Yan Zhusheng seized the moment, immediately reaching out to Li Luo, taking his backpack off his shoulders as she said, "I'll carry it for you."

"Oh," Li Luo didn't think twice; he took off his backpack and handed it to Yan Zhusheng, then stayed at the podium to await Kong Junxiang's instructions.

Meanwhile, Ying Chanxi had already walked down from the podium, completely unaware of what had happened, glancing around as she pondered where to sit.

Turning to look at Li Luo, she realized he had stayed on the podium—this instantly disrupted her plan.

Logically, she should have walked ahead, found a seat, immediately called Li Luo over to sit beside her, and then the two of them could naturally become desk partners!

Even if Teacher Kong later rearranged seats, at least she'd secured the spot first.

But now that Li Luo had been held back, Ying Chanxi froze in place, looking between Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng, watching as Yan Zhusheng walked straight toward a familiar window-side corner.

Placing Li Luo's backpack on his favorite window seat, Yan Zhusheng sat down beside it, firmly establishing herself as Li Luo's desk partner.

Seeing this, Ying Chanxi opened her mouth but couldn't speak; she hurried over to Yan Zhusheng, glancing left and right, then finally looked at the seat in front of Li Luo.

"Liu Shaowen."

"W-what is it, monitor?" Liu Shaowen, seeing Ying Chanxi approach him, instinctively glanced at the empty seat beside him, his heart quickening.

Could it be…

"I'd really like to sit by the window—could you let me have your seat?" Ying Chanxi asked earnestly.

Though she hadn't asked to sit beside him, Liu Shaowen, hearing this, immediately stood up, grabbed his backpack, and stepped out: "Take it, take it—I picked this seat randomly anyway; switching is fine."

"Thank you," Ying Chanxi said, making Liu Shaowen's chest puff up as if he'd accomplished something extraordinary.

But just then, Qiao Xinyan, who had been sitting in front, suddenly rushed over with her backpack and plopped herself into the empty seat beside Ying Chanxi: "Why are you sitting so far back? I already claimed a seat up front."

"I-I don't mind," Ying Chanxi blushed slightly and whispered, "I just wanted to try sitting by the window sometimes."

"Really?" Qiao Xinyan frowned, then glanced behind her at Yan Zhusheng, then at the backpack on the empty seat beside her. "Zhusheng, who's beside you?"

"Li Luo."

"Oh," Qiao Xinyan rolled her eyes; beside her, Ying Chanxi guiltily turned her head away.

As for Liu Shaowen, after the empty seat beside Ying Chanxi was taken, he had no choice but to sit in the seat across the aisle—still, it was closer to Ying Chanxi.

After all, being in the same class as Ying Chanxi after Grade Two's class assignment was already a huge stroke of luck!

Thinking of this, Liu Shaowen's mood improved greatly, especially since he'd just given up his seat for Ying Chanxi—it filled him with satisfaction.

Doing something for Ying Chanxi on the first day of school? That was definitely a good omen.