Chapter 365: Xixi

When Yan Zhusheng walked to Ying Chanxi's desk, all eyes in the class turned toward her.

Ying Chanxi had taken Yan Zhusheng's seat—everyone knew that.

But no one expected that Yan Zhusheng had just been on live broadcast at Lake Blue TV yesterday, appearing on Help Sing, and now, before noon today, she was already back.

Coming back was one thing, but she actually came back to school.

Legally, after taking leave, Saturday morning was all self-study; anyone else would have just skipped it entirely.

No one imagined Yan Zhusheng was this fond of studying.

Whether she loved studying or not was unknown, but anyone who had read I Am Really Not a Star and watched last night's live stream could tell: Yan Zhusheng's attitude toward their class monitor was truly extraordinary.

Now that she'd returned and seen her seat taken by the vice monitor, no one knew how she felt.

Especially Zhu Yufei and Zhang Guohuang, who had read the classics thoroughly, were immensely excited.

After all, Li Luo had never written any scene in the novel where two girls faced off directly—yet here it was, playing out in reality before the novel even reached it.

Maybe their monitor would take inspiration from this, and later include a showdown between Mo Qinghan and Shen Dongdong in the novel?

That would be incredibly thrilling.

Yet what stunned everyone was this:

After walking beside Ying Chanxi, Yan Zhusheng whispered something, took two books from her drawer, then patted Qiao Xinyan on the shoulder and asked her to move over slightly.

Then Yan Zhusheng shifted her steps, walked straight to Ying Chanxi's seat, and sat down with perfect ease.

This naturally disappointed many, yet beneath that disappointment was profound admiration for their own class monitor.

Li Luo hadn't even said a word yet, and Yan Zhusheng had already voluntarily given up her seat—no petty tantrum at all.

Even if she wasn't angry, shouldn't she at least reclaim her own seat?

Was she really just going to surrender it like that?

No one understood Yan Zhusheng's train of thought.

But Ying Chanxi did breathe a sigh of relief—sitting in Yan Zhusheng's seat, she felt heat spreading through her whole body, her cheeks flushed crimson.

After all, she had taken Zhusheng's seat, and been caught red-handed—it was undeniably awkward.

Ying Chanxi had already planned to give the seat back, but Yan Zhusheng had merely asked her to take two books—this was utterly unexpected.

Seeing that not even a verbal skirmish had broken out, many gradually withdrew their gazes and quietly began self-study.

But just as everyone thought there'd be no drama, Zhu Yufei and Zhang Guohuang, who had been sitting in the row behind the neighboring desk, felt renewed hope amid their disappointment.

They saw Yan Zhusheng place the two books on the desk, flip through them casually, then lean back against her chair.

Compared to Ying Chanxi, Yan Zhusheng's hair was much longer.

As Yan Zhusheng lightly swept her waist-length hair upward, when it fell back down, the majority of its ends lay draped across Li Luo's desk.

Li Luo had already finished all his weekend homework; reviewing held little meaning for him, given his Memory Palace.

Once homework was done, he began plotting storylines in his mind, using the Memory Palace's properties to draft outlines of what he'd write next.

Or he'd simply open memories from his past life, retrieve useful or interesting material, and download it mentally in advance.

For instance, the TV drama Little Joy had been downloaded during his free time.

Besides that, he had also downloaded the content of this year's Gaokao exam papers long ago.

But since he'd only taken the two elective exams and the final Chinese, Math, and English Gaokao in his past life, this year's elective content wouldn't help much.

The good news was that the first Gaokao reform elective exam was held together with the academic proficiency test.

In short, the academic proficiency test and the elective exam shared the same paper; students taking only the academic test simply completed the front section.

Those taking the elective exam completed the front section, then added the optional questions at the back.

Thus, Li Luo actually had the questions for this elective exam memorized.

In fact, after finishing the academic section in his past life, bored and idle, he had flipped through the elective questions in the exam hall.

But back then, a single glance left no impression at all.

This life, however, with his Memory Palace, he could forcibly download them into his mind.

So in his spare moments, Li Luo would slip some elective exam questions into the practice sets of his seven-member study group for discussion.

He'd tweak a few numbers and conditions, but the question types remained identical—essentially giving his group members a benefit.

He just didn't know whether his rebirth might alter the elective exam questions.

After all, a butterfly's wingbeat could change a chain of events—no one knew which action would trigger it.

Just as Li Luo began pondering these matters, his entire field of vision was suddenly filled with a stream of sleek, jet-black hair—he froze.

To be honest,

Ying Chanxi also liked leaning back and letting Li Luo play with her hair.

But when tied in a high ponytail, her braid could never lie entirely flat on the desk like Yan Zhusheng's.

At most, when Ying Chanxi tilted her head back, only the tips of her hair would brush the desk.

Seeing this magnificent sight, Li Luo was momentarily stunned, then chuckled.

Ying Chanxi, watching this, bit her lip.

But Yan Zhusheng had already given her the seat, so Ying Chanxi couldn't say much—she could only watch helplessly as Li Luo's hands touched Yan Zhusheng's long hair, pouting silently.

At that moment, Yan Zhusheng grabbed the hair tie of her high ponytail and pulled it off.

Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, completely covering Li Luo's entire desk—Zhu Yufei and Zhang Guohuang beside them gasped in awe, muttering how amazing Mo Qinghan was.

But Yan Zhusheng's motion was a bit too quick; her hand slipped as she removed the tie, and it flew out, landing on the floor.

Ying Chanxi saw the tie fly past her eyes and drop at her feet; she silently bent down, picked it up, and handed it back.

"Thank you, Xixi," Yan Zhusheng blinked, taking it from Ying Chanxi—but upon noticing it was dirty, she whispered softly, "Xixi, do you have any extra hair ties? Mine's dirty."

"Hmm…" Startled by the sudden question, Ying Chanxi pursed her lips, then finally pointed to her drawer, "There are some inside, in that small box—help yourself."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng nodded, and her long hair draped across the desk swayed with her movement.

To be honest, Yan Zhusheng usually tied her hair in a braid, and even after bathing when she let it down, Li Luo was used to it and didn't think much of it.

But now, with it completely spread out across the desk, it looked truly impressive at first glance.

For many people, the scene of a girl in front of them spreading her long hair across their desk was something they'd only ever seen in anime.

And right now, it was happening before Li Luo's eyes, utterly real.

"Li Luo." Yan Zhusheng shook her head slightly, then pulled a clean hair tie from Ying Chanxi's drawer, reached her right hand backward, and placed it directly in front of Li Luo.

She merely called out Li Luo's name—nothing more.

But Li Luo still understood perfectly, took the hair tie, and carefully gathered all her loose hair.

I have to say, compared to Xu Youyu, Yan Zhusheng's hair is really quite thick and lush.

Li Luo thought this, and something stirred in him—he didn't just tie it into a simple high ponytail.

Carefully dividing Yan Zhusheng's long hair into three strands, Li Luo slowly, yet with utmost care, braided it into a single plait.

When Li Luo finished the braid, Yan Zhusheng reached up to touch it, blinked her eyes, and felt something peculiar.

After all, this was likely the first time in her life she'd worn a braid.

Watching Yan Zhusheng turn her head, Li Luo looked at her new appearance and couldn't help laughing.

"Doesn't it look good?"

"It looks good."

Li Luo said with a smile.

The braid subdued Yan Zhusheng's outwardly cold demeanor, making her seem more approachable.

After growing accustomed to Yan Zhusheng's high ponytail, even Li Luo needed a moment to adjust to this new look.

But after a few more glances, it became clear: it truly looked beautiful.

Even with the braid, Yan Zhusheng still gave off a chilly impression.

Only when she looked at Li Luo did that coldness fade, revealing the small flame within.

Yet as Li Luo admired his work, Ying Chanxi beside him grew even more sullen.

But remembering that Li Luo had once braided her hair in class, her gloom eased slightly.

Moreover, Li Luo had just used his own hair tie to braid Yan Zhusheng's hair—Ying Chanxi looked at the hair tie now in Yan Zhusheng's hair and quietly consoled herself.

Fortunately, after letting Li Luo finish her hair, Yan Zhusheng made no further movements.

Bored, Ying Chanxi and Li Luo quietly played five-in-a-row in the back row again.

Ying Chanxi, who lost again, received her usual punishment—helping Li Luo fetch things in history class—and her mood improved slightly.

When the last self-study period ended and the bell rang, students in the classroom rose one by one to head to the cafeteria for lunch.

The six of them with Li Luo also walked together, met up with Xu Youyu on Houde Road, and the seven of them headed toward the cafeteria.

On the way,

Xu Yinghuan spotted Yan Zhusheng's braid and exclaimed in surprise: "Zhusheng, you changed your hairstyle?"

Immediately after asking, Xu Yinghuan guessed the truth and waved her hand, laughing: "Of course it was the monitor's doing—I knew it!"

"You're pretty sharp," Li Luo chuckled.

"I'm jealous," Xu Youyu reached out to touch Yan Zhusheng's braid, then sighed and rubbed her own hair, "Mine won't hold a braid—how do you even maintain yours?"

"Just wash it normally," Yan Zhusheng blinked.

"Don't blame your upkeep for a genetic issue," Li Luo said. "I think your dad's hair's the same way."

"You better not tell my dad that," Xu Youyu huffed.

"Oh right—you're not eating dinner with us today, right?" Li Luo asked curiously.

"Right, I'm going home after class," Xu Youyu nodded. "All because of someone—wrote a song that made my mom cry her eyes out."

"My mom was moved too," Qiao Xinyan smiled beside her. "She even called our dorm tonight, specifically telling me to come home for dinner."

"Huh?" Xu Yinghuan paused. "So we're not going to Li Luo's place to study today?"

"Let's skip today," Li Luo waved. "Just come tomorrow morning."

With this arranged, the seven of them got their meals, found seats, and sat down.

"So, what about the club activities this afternoon?" Xu Youyu asked while eating, turning to Li Luo. "National Day's over—your turn as president now. I've officially retired."

"Sis, you've got nothing else to do this afternoon—going home just means sleeping. Why not keep shining in the Literature Club? I'll let you rule from behind the curtain—you'll be the Empress Dowager of the Literature Club," Li Luo said boldly.

Xu Youyu: "... Don't be so shameless. Don't you dare dump all the work on me."

"What's dumping work? The Literature Club doesn't even have regular activities," Li Luo waved. "We just chat and swap pen-pal letters—nothing happens even if I'm not there."

"Aren't you going to the Literature Club today?" Ying Chanxi asked, puzzled.

"Zhusheng just came back from the singing show—I need to go with her to the Rock Club first," Li Luo coughed.

"Then go to the Rock Club first," Ying Chanxi nodded understandingly. "After you're done there, come over to the Literature Club."

"We're rehearsing a performance—our schedule might not allow it," Yan Zhusheng blinked.

"But Li Luo plays guitar, right?" Ying Chanxi countered. "I remember your Rock Club recruited three first-year guitarists—can't you just let them take over?"

"It's normal for a band to have two guitarists onstage," Yan Zhusheng said. "Li Luo can gradually shift toward being a guitarist and lead vocalist to share some of my burden—but that'll take a lot of rehearsal."

"But Li Luo's also the Literature Club president. Sis just stepped down—he's supposed to lead the first meeting. If he's absent now, it'll look bad," Ying Chanxi frowned. "He also has to appoint two vice-presidents from the first-years—he must be there."

"Alright, alright," Li Luo interrupted, seeing they were about to argue. "I'll go to the Rock Club first, help with rehearsal, and once the other three guitarists can handle it, I'll head to the Literature Club. In the meantime, Chanxi, you manage things for me."

"Oh," Yan Zhusheng immediately nodded obediently and stopped arguing with Ying Chanxi.

Ying Chanxi also fell silent, gave a slight nod, and returned to her meal.

Zhao Rongjun, beside them, dared not even look up.

Qiao Xinyan and Xu Yinghuan exchanged glances, clearly enjoying the show, eating their food with delight.

Especially Xu Yinghuan—her expression nearly cracked, barely holding back a giggle.

After finishing dinner, the seven of them disbanded at the cafeteria entrance.

Because it was the first club activity after National Day, involving a series of new semester matters such as the president handover.

Teacher Sun, who oversaw the competition class, also had to go to the math club to oversee work, so there were no competition class lessons this afternoon.

Ying Chanxi went alone to the literature club, Zhao Rongjun went to the basketball club, and Xu Yinghuan and Qiao Xinyan went together to the badminton club.

Xu Youyu accompanied Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng to the gym entrance, then waved cheerfully at the two and prepared to head straight home.

The activity room on the second floor of the gym.

At this moment, Lin Suifeng and the others had already arrived here, practicing their sheet music with their instruments.

But everyone was a bit distracted right now.

Because Lin Suifeng had said upon entering that today the club president would return.

Who is the president of the rock club?

Although Yan Zhusheng had personally announced on the show that Teacher Chongran was their rock club president.

But Lin Suifeng and the others naturally knew what was really going on.

Thinking that their president had still been shining on the singer stage last night, yet would appear today in their own club's activity room, the first-year freshmen all felt a slight emotional oddity.

How to put it?

It was the feeling of seeing someone you could only ever watch on TV, now standing right in front of you in person.

Strange.

Even a little exciting.

So when Yan Zhusheng and Li Luo walked in together through the door, every eye in the activity room snapped toward them.

In an instant, a cascade of information flashed through everyone's minds.

On the left: Yan Zhusheng, daughter of the popular singer Yuan Wanqing, who had performed alongside Yuan Wanqing on the top-tier music show "Helping Singers" in the duet "Mother and Daughter."

On the right: Teacher Chongran, who had crafted the divine album "The Sky Has No Limits" for Yuan Wanqing, and also the author of the hit online novel I Am Really Not a Star.

Thinking of this, they suddenly realized.

Although this was just a casual rock club at a key high school.

But this lineup was damn impressive.

Thinking of this, even though none of them had ever performed once at Fuyi High, they all straightened their backs, feeling a sense of pride.

Seeing the admiration—and even reverence—in the freshmen's eyes, Li Luo smiled and said nothing more, simply urging everyone to begin rehearsal.

Under the immense aura of the president and acting president, everyone behaved like little kittens, doing whatever they were told.

After a smooth rehearsal, Li Luo told the three guitarists to practice well, then greeted Yan Zhusheng and went off to the literature club to find Ying Chanxi.