Chapter 367: The Four-Person Bed Should Be Put on the Agenda

In the afternoon, on the way home.

After sensing the gazes from those around him, Li Luo felt utterly helpless.

Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng also noticed.

In the past, at times like these, the classmates' glances mostly focused on the two girls.

But now, Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng could clearly feel that far more eyes were fixed on Li Luo.

There was nothing to be done about it.

After details about Chongran were exposed, everyone learned that Li Luo, the class monitor of Class 8 in Grade 11, was none other than Chongran himself.

Of course, if Li Luo were simply walking alone on campus, most people wouldn't recognize him.

Many knew the name, but matching it to his face still posed some difficulty.

Even though Li Luo had performed on stage, for most classmates, it was only a distant glimpse—they hadn't formed a clear impression of his face.

But now, walking side by side with two girls of campus-diva status…

Ying Chanxi was the one who gave speeches every week beneath the flagpole.

Yan Zhusheng had just appeared on the big screen of a singing stage.

Everyone knew these two girls extremely well.

So when they saw a boy walking with them, no thought was needed—he had to be Li Luo.

To be fair.

If you attended this school and heard another class had a boy writing an Online Novel, you might just be curious or gossip about it, but you wouldn't actually read it.

If someone added that this person's novel was doing incredibly well online, you might feel slightly interested and ask for the title.

But if someone told you this guy was the class monitor of a certain class, also the president of the literature club, and had once performed on stage with Yan Zhusheng in the rock club…

Oh, by the way, Yan Zhusheng is the one who sang a duet with Yuan Wanqing on Singer last night—she's Yuan Wanqing's daughter—and Yan Zhusheng and this boy are desk partners!

At this point, the gossip flame would burn completely out of control.

Then someone else tells you this Online Novel writer also wrote an entire album's worth of new songs for Yuan Wanqing, and is suspected of including Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi in his novel.

What? You don't know Ying Chanxi?

Top student in Grade 11! You know the student council president? The girl who just got elected this year and gives speeches on the flagpole every week—super gorgeous!

At this point, if you still didn't peek at what I Am Really Not a Star was about, you'd truly deserve praise for your self-control.

Under these circumstances, almost every classmate who came into contact with this gossip couldn't possibly ignore it.

As a result, whenever Li Luo walked with Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi, he could hardly escape the strange stares.

"I'm really suffocating…" Li Luo returned to Bihai Lanting 1502 and collapsed onto the sofa as if just rescued from drowning, "I can't take this anymore."

Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng followed him inside, glanced at each other, and smiled as they saw Li Luo sprawled on the sofa.

"Didn't you say you were learning to enjoy this?" Ying Chanxi crouched beside the sofa, stroking Li Luo's head with a smile, "Why does it feel like you're not enjoying it at all?"

"I overestimated my own thick skin," Li Luo rolled onto his back, sighed at the ceiling, "My poor little heart can't handle this."

"Just imagine they're all watermelons," Ying Chanxi comforted him.

"Why do you sound like you're comforting a child?"

"Aren't you acting like one right now?" Ying Chanxi crouched and poked his cheek playfully, "It's just a novel—what's the big deal? Everyone will just think you're amazing."

"Look at your achievements—you wrote nine songs for Aunt Yuan, the new album sold over 1.5 million copies, your novel's average subscription is 45,000, and your monthly royalties start at hundreds of thousands."

"Hasn't this already surpassed 99% of ordinary people?"

"Sure, it's embarrassing that people found out about the novel, but if you offered these conditions to someone else in exchange for nothing more than social death, I think most would accept without hesitation."

"That's true," Li Luo sighed, his mood finally lifting slightly.

While the two chatted on the sofa, the front door was pushed open from outside again.

Lin Xiuhong and Cui Suling entered together, followed by Xu Youyu, each carrying several large plastic bags—clearly they'd bought a lot.

Seeing Xu Youyu and Cui Suling, Ying Chanxi was startled and asked in confusion, "Senior, Aunt Cui… why are you here too?"

"It's all because of someone," Xu Youyu rolled her eyes at her mother, "Last night on the phone she was all sweet and affectionate, and today she's back to her old self—can't keep it up for even a day."

"What are you talking about?" Cui Suling snapped, "You came home this afternoon and just lay on the bed without moving. Before, you at least had club activities and student council duties. Now? Nothing. You come home and just loaf around—you're worse off than if you'd stayed at school doing activities."

Hearing the mother-daughter bickering, Li Luo chuckled and shook his head, quickly rising from the sofa to take the plastic bags from Aunt Cui and follow Lin Xiuhong to the kitchen.

"Look at Li Luo," Cui Suling said, pointing at Xu Youyu, "He knows to help me carry things. What about you? You don't lift a finger at home."

"Coming home is for resting, okay?" Xu Youyu retorted. "School is exhausting enough—what's wrong with lying down for a bit when I get home?"

"Then don't come back."

"Who even wants to?" Xu Youyu huffed, then mimicked Cui Suling's voice, adding a teasing tone, "Youyu~ Mommy misses you~ Who said that, anyway?"

"You!" Cui Suling's face flushed red, and she raised her hand to hit her.

Xu Youyu quickly ducked behind Li Luo, gripping his shoulders for cover: "Look! Look! My mom's like this—she can't win an argument so she resorts to violence. Who's as gentle and kind as Lin Yi?"

"Hey hey hey," Li Luo interrupted quickly, "Food can be eaten carelessly, but words can't be spoken recklessly—my mom's only nice to you two in front of you; behind closed doors, she's no better to me."

"You little rascal," Lin Xiuhong laughed scoldingly, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

But unlike Cui Suling, even with Li Luo's joke, Lin Xiuhong showed no sign of anger—she just smiled warmly, ushering Cui Suling into the kitchen and telling her not to take the child's words to heart.

In the past, Lin Xiuhong would have chased Li Luo down, yelling and hitting him just like Cui Suling.

Money truly changes people, especially when it's earned by one's own son.

Even now, Lin Xiuhong still largely held her old views on money and rarely spent anything.

But having money and having no money were completely different things.

Under these circumstances, Lin Xiuhong had gradually become more tolerant and gentle, rarely losing her temper at Li Luo anymore.

For dinner, Lin Xiuhong and Cui Suling cooked in the kitchen, while Li Luo returned to his bedroom to write down some of the novel content he'd thought through in his Memory Palace that morning.

Xu Youyu went to her bedroom to write, Yan Zhusheng headed to the piano room, and Ying Chanxi, with nothing to do, simply tied on an apron and went to help in the kitchen.

As evening approached, Li Guohong and Xu Rongsheng also arrived one after another.

Yuan Wanqing's work with the singer had just wrapped up; she had returned by plane that day with Yan Zhusheng and had nothing else to do.

So Yin Zhicheng drove her over to join for dinner.

For the second time since the first-half parent meeting, the four families gathered together; when dinner was ready, ten people sat around one table, enjoying the meal in warm harmony.

At the dinner table, the main conversation was among the adults.

The three girls listened quietly, bowing their heads to eat, rarely interjecting.

But Li Luo acted like a small adult, naturally joining the adults' conversation.

"There's new news about the subway planning," Yin Zhicheng said to Li Guohong. "This time it might be real—your several shops should have a chance to appreciate in value."

"Really?" Li Guohong raised an eyebrow, a look of delight crossing his face.

Even though his son no longer lacked money, if those shops could still appreciate, it was certainly good news—who wouldn't want more money?

At that moment, Li Luo nodded and added, "Last month, you might not have noticed the news, but Yuhang City has officially been confirmed to host the Asian Games in 2022; infrastructure will definitely keep expanding."

"You've studied this?" Yin Zhicheng was surprised.

"Ahem… Not much, just occasionally pay attention," Li Luo demurred, then added, "But the Asian Games are still far off—if anything else major gets held in Yuhang City, our subway project's progress should accelerate."

"Hmm, that makes sense," Yin Zhicheng nodded in agreement, though he wasn't particularly interested in the subway—he only mentioned it because it concerned Li Guohong. Now he was more curious about something else: "So, about that other novel you mentioned last summer—how's it going?"

When it came to "I Am Really Not a Star," Ying Chanxi had the floor.

Ying Chanxi, who had been quietly eating, quickly turned to Yin Zhicheng: "Li Luo's 'I Am Really Not a Star' has already reached over three hundred thousand words—it's super good!"

"Dad, when you adapt this book into a TV drama, I think it'll be better than all your company's previous dramas!"

Hearing his daughter say this, Yin Zhicheng grew curious: "Already written that much?"

"Mm." Li Luo nodded. "I'll register the copyright first, then send you the complete manuscript—you can show it to your film and TV department first."

"I'll also partner with Qidian to enter their realism-themed writing contest and see if I can rank high enough to get official support and resource allocation."

"As for the specific arrangements, Uncle Ying can take a look and decide afterward."

"Alright," Yin Zhicheng nodded, understanding, a quiet anticipation stirring in him.

A year ago, he would never have cared about any novel Li Luo wrote.

But after Yuan Wanqing's album "Sky Has No Limits," Yin Zhicheng's view had completely changed.

Especially since Li Luo writes online novels so well—what if this one, "I Am Really Not a Star," is actually quite good?

Yin Zhicheng still wouldn't dare to judge yet, but giving Li Luo a chance to prove himself wouldn't hurt.

After Huayue began transitioning into the film and television industry, aside from the initial success from the "little fresh meat" economy, their recent year of productions had all been disappointing.

According to the company's original plan, he had five years—now only about two remained.

If he couldn't produce any real results, he might not get fired outright, but he'd certainly be demoted.

After all, he was still just an employee—the pressure was real.

If not for Yuan Wanqing's success lifting things up, the board might already have been considering replacing him.

Now Yin Zhicheng was preparing two fronts.

One, continuing to push forward the company's current TV drama plans; two, seeing whether Li Luo could surprise him.

At this moment, Xu Rongsheng, hearing this, became interested and asked: "Li Luo, what's your 'I Am Really Not a Star' about? Can I read it later?"

"Of course," Li Luo immediately nodded. "It's about three families and their stories revolving around the college entrance exam—I'll send it to Uncle Xu once I finish."

As for "I Am Really Not a Star," Li Luo wouldn't even dare recommend it to acquaintances.

But for "I Am Really Not a Star" of this type, he had zero psychological pressure recommending it.

"Oh?" Xu Rongsheng raised an eyebrow. "About the college entrance exam? That's actually interesting—this topic is quite good, and it fits your personal experience."

Although Li Luo hadn't taken the college entrance exam yet, he was in Gao Er, and with the new exam reforms, the first elective exams coming up were essentially part of the college entrance exam.

Xu Rongsheng found Li Luo's topic quite intriguing.

"Dad," Xu Youyu chimed in with a grin, "after you read it, remember to write a paper about it."

Li Luo: "..."

"Speaking of which," reminded by his daughter, Xu Rongsheng suddenly remembered: "That paper where I listed you as second author—it's been published. Want to take a look? I can bring it to you."

Li Luo had wanted to refuse, but then remembered this was the first time in his two lifetimes that a paper had been published—so he nodded: "Then I'd be grateful, Uncle Xu."

"Hehe," Xu Rongsheng laughed. "You're famous now—I teach an elective on popular literature, and last time I did a casual survey, nearly half the class had read your books."

"Cough…" Hearing this, Li Luo's face darkened. "Uncle Xu, you didn't say anything in class, right?"

"No, don't worry."

Honestly, students at Fuyi High School did know the truth now.

But internet users still didn't.

Although Weibo was buzzing, Yin Zhicheng had arranged online trolls to muddy the waters—most people still couldn't figure out who Chongran really was.

Sure, some claimed Chongran was a student from Fuyi High School in Yinjiang District, Yuhang City—but after the trolls stirred things up, it's hard to tell truth from falsehood, and no one could say for sure.

So for now, unless someone directly encountered gossip from Fuyi High School, they couldn't possibly know Li Luo and Chongran were the same person.

But as time passed and the rumors continued to spread and ferment, who could say?

…

After dinner, the parents gradually left, leaving only the four kids.

Xu Youyu returned to his room to write; the other three lounged on the sofa.

Seeing Ying Chanxi take out paper and pen from her bag and sit at the desk sketching, Li Luo asked curiously: "What are you doing?"

"Listing the student council's upcoming tasks and responsibilities," Ying Chanxi said, her two pale, delicate feet resting on the chair's edge, toes curled outward—adorable.

"Right, you're student council president now," Li Luo chuckled, walking over to pat her shoulder, massaging her neck and back. "You're working so hard."

"A bit lighter," Ying Chanxi closed her eyes, savoring Li Luo's touch, then added, "Higher up—yes, there."

Yan Zhusheng also sidled over from the sofa, glanced at the paper on the table, then said: "The elective exam is from November 2nd to 4th, the sports meet from the 12th to the 14th, the parent-teacher meeting on November 28th, and Li Luo's birthday on December 21st?"

"Ah!" Ying Chanxi's eyes snapped open when she heard Yan Zhusheng mention the last item; her cheeks flushed red as she reached out to cover the paper. "Zhusheng, stop reading!"

"Does the student council's business have anything to do with Li Luo's birthday?" Yan Zhusheng blinked, her expression innocent and naive.

"Besides student council matters, I also noted down a few important things…"

"I wouldn't have remembered if you hadn't said it." Li Luo chuckled. "Isn't my birthday this year on a Monday? Not much reason to celebrate."

"That won't do," Ying Chanxi said seriously. "If it's on a Monday, we'll celebrate on the weekend instead. There's no way we skip it."

"Then I'll leave it to you two to arrange—I don't mind either way."

"What? What?" Xu Youyu emerged from the study holding a small pudding, hearing their talk about birthdays; she hurried over with a mischievous grin. "Li Luo's birthday? It's not even two months away! Should we play my upgraded Monopoly then?"

"Sorry," Li Luo pressed his hand against her head and shoved her away. "Application denied."

"What's so special about the upgraded version?" Yan Zhusheng asked, eyes gleaming.

"Of course it's more thrilling, more exciting… mmmph!"

Xu Youyu was shoved into the study with Li Luo's hand clamped over her mouth; after closing the door, Li Luo returned to the desk. "Birthday plans can wait—we're not in a hurry."

"I'm going back to my room to write. You all should shower and sleep early too."

"We still have less than a month until the elective exam—we can't slack off."

…

At just past eleven at night, after finishing his writing, Li Luo went to the bathroom to shower.

When he stepped out, wearing a giant Doraemon boxers and a bulging pouch strapped to his waist, towel drying his hair, he froze in long silence upon seeing the three girls lying on the bed, watching a movie.

"Wait… what's the program tonight? Didn't you just finish watching Singers yesterday?"

"Li Luo," Yan Zhusheng shifted slightly on the bed, offering no answer, only patting the mattress. "Come here."

We really need to get that four-person bed scheduled…