Chapter 373: Senior Sister as Secretary?

"Have all the press releases been collected?"

"If you haven't gathered them all by the time you're in Gao San, let me know."

"Oh right, isn't the 1500-meter race supposed to start this afternoon?"

On the podium, Ying Chanxi was busy working; she glanced at the time and suddenly remembered she had a race too.

At that moment, Li Luo's figure appeared at the stairwell, walking up from below, and immediately spotted Ying Chanxi.

"Stop for a moment," Li Luo waved to her. "The 1500-meter race—you need to report over at the gym."

"Coming!" Ying Chanxi nodded quickly, gave a few more instructions to those around her, then followed Li Luo down the stairs.

The podium was about two meters high; both sides of the stairs were walls, and below them lay a narrow grass passage between the stands and the track.

As Ying Chanxi followed Li Luo down the stairs, before reaching the grass, she tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to wait.

"What's wrong?" Li Luo asked, puzzled.

"That... before the race starts, can you... maybe encourage me a little?" Ying Chanxi's cheeks flushed faintly as she stood on the stair step, whispering softly.

At this moment, Li Luo was only one arm's length away from the lowest step.

Turning around, he looked up at Ying Chanxi, who stood one step higher, allowing them to meet eye to eye.

The ground of the two-meter-high podium was now roughly half a head's height above their heads.

The host who had just been reporting to Ying Chanxi, along with two other student union members, were still talking above them.

But if anyone walked over to the railing beside the stairs and looked down, they'd see two people standing there, apparently whispering.

Then the boy below let out a helpless smile, opened his arms, and gently pulled the stunningly beautiful girl into his embrace.

On this narrow staircase, anyone passing by could have seen them at a glance—but somehow, for those brief ten-plus seconds, no one interrupted them.

Feeling Li Luo's warm embrace, Ying Chanxi's cheeks flushed, her heartbeat quickened.

Especially here at school, among so many people, during the sports meet when everyone was moving around—she had just secretly hugged Li Luo.

Just imagining such a thing was already thrilling enough.

And yet, it had actually happened.

Thinking of it, Ying Chanxi felt her breath quicken; her small hand gripped the fabric of Li Luo's school uniform, her palm sweating with nervousness.

Fortunately, neither of them intended to hold the embrace for long.

After just a few seconds, they quickly pulled apart.

Li Luo savored for a moment the softness of her body and the faint, sweet scent of her, then coughed and said, "Let's go—don't keep the PE teacher waiting."

"Mm..." Ying Chanxi softly replied, clearly deeply satisfied; her cheeks still flushed, her lips twitching as if to smile, but she forced them down, then obediently walked beside Li Luo toward the gym.

When they arrived at the gym, Qiao Xinyan was already in line.

Seeing Ying Chanxi arrive, she immediately waved to her.

After checking in with the PE teacher, Ying Chanxi joined the line and walked with Qiao Xinyan toward the track.

Li Luo followed beside them, found Xu Youyu and Yan Zhusheng on the track, with Xu Yinghuan and Zhao Rongjun nearby.

Other classmates from Class Eight also gradually came down.

Since the girls' 1500-meter race was the final event of the afternoon, the restriction on the stands was lifted, and everyone could come down to watch.

So as the Gao Er girls' 1500-meter race was about to begin, many students from Gao Er classes had already rushed down to claim the best viewing spots.

Xu Youyu and the others had come down early; after wishing Ying Chanxi good luck, they hurried off to take positions at the finish line.

With the gunshot, over twenty girls immediately sprinted onto the track.

As last year, most of the girls who signed up for the 1500-meter were just filling spots.

Aside from the athlete leading the pack, everyone else was already left far behind after just one lap.

From the second lap onward, you could see runners scattered all over the track.

Under these conditions, Ying Chanxi surged ahead, unable to catch the lead athlete but firmly holding second place.

Soon, after three laps, Li Luo stayed beside the grass beside the track, accompanying Ying Chanxi until the final sprint.

With Li Luo's support, Ying Chanxi pushed hard; in the final half-lap, she gritted her teeth and sprinted, securing second place!

Amid the cheers and applause from the crowd, Ying Chanxi felt dizzy and collapsed into Li Luo's arms, gasping for breath, her cheeks blazing red.

But this time, it wasn't just from shyness—she was truly exhausted.

It was no surprise she'd built up her stamina, training every morning with Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng, and adding night runs since the new semester.

Though she still couldn't match Yan Zhusheng, she was definitely much stronger than someone like Xu Youyu.

But as Li Luo helped Ying Chanxi slowly walk and rest on the grass, she suddenly pressed a hand to her stomach, furrowed her brow, as if realizing something.

She turned to look at Li Luo, opened her mouth, then felt embarrassed; her gaze shifted, finally landing on Yan Zhusheng beside her.

"Zhusheng..."

"What's wrong?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Say it."

"It's like this," Ying Chanxi pulled Yan Zhusheng closer and whispered something quietly into her ear.

Then Li Luo watched Yan Zhusheng nod, and immediately sprint off toward the classroom building.

"What's going on?" Li Luo blinked, momentarily confused.

"Nothing, nothing," Ying Chanxi hurriedly said. "I just asked Zhusheng to get me something."

Ying Chanxi wouldn't say, but Xu Youyu beside her instantly figured it out and chuckled, "Did you get your period, Xixi? Good thing it wasn't during the run—now that you're done, it's fine."

"Mm... Senior, don't say that," Ying Chanxi blushed, lowering her head and whispering.

"Oh, this?" Li Luo nodded in sudden understanding.

But he had no curiosity about girls' periods—he'd bought them for Xu Youyu countless times in his past life.

Even Yan Zhusheng, he helped buy for her several times.

Ying Chanxi, being a little girl, felt rather embarrassed in front of Li Luo.

"Cough… now that we've finished running, let's just head straight back," Li Luo said, seeing her shyness. "Let's go back to the classroom first. I'll get you some hot water; rest up, then we'll go for dinner."

"Mm." Ying Chanxi nodded obediently and followed Li Luo toward the classroom.

Xu Youyu had no intention of watching the Gao San girls' 1500-meter race and trailed back with them.

On the other side, Qiao Xinyan struggled to finish the 1500 meters, falling behind Ying Chanxi by more than half a lap.

At this point, having completed the race, she stopped panting heavily, her chest heaving violently, breathing as if through a fan, her face flushed red.

Xu Yinghuan hurried over to steady Qiao Xinyan and pulled her along a few steps: "You worked hard, you worked hard—let's walk a bit, walk a bit, recover slowly."

"Are you… okay?" Zhao Rongjun stood nearby, watching helplessly, too awkward to offer physical support, so he gripped Qiao Xinyan's mineral water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and asked, "Want some water?"

"I'll drink later…" Qiao Xinyan pinched her waist, looking unwell. "Right now, I can't swallow."

"Alright, I'll hold it for you," Zhao Rongjun quickly screwed the cap back on. "Let me know when you want to drink."

In the Gao Er Class Eight classroom.

Yan Zhusheng had already pulled out from Ying Chanxi's backpack the sanitary napkin she carried with her, took one out, and rushed out of the classroom—just meeting the returning trio at the first-floor staircase.

Thus, under Yan Zhusheng's support, Ying Chanxi went first into the first-floor restroom, changed her sanitary napkin, and only then did the four of them return upstairs to rest in Class Eight.

At this point, Ying Chanxi had improved considerably, but still felt physically tired and had no appetite.

So the four sat down to rest.

Li Luo and the other two each took their own seats; Xu Youyu sat in Qiao Xinyan's seat, placing both hands on the desk and leaning back against the chairback to savor the moment.

"Come to think of it, I've never been inside your classroom before," Xu Youyu chuckled. "Perfect chance to experience it."

Saying this, Xu Youyu stood up from the seat, pulled Yan Zhusheng up, and plopped down into Yan Zhusheng's seat: "Zhusheng, let's switch."

Then, looking sideways, Xu Youyu grinned and winked at Li Luo: "Too bad I'm not in the same grade as you—if I were, we could all sit together in class."

"But if we all get into Qianjiang University later, maybe we can all pick the same general education course and actually end up in the same class."

"Thinking about it, I'm kind of looking forward to it."

Ying Chanxi, still resting nearby, wasn't particularly excited about the four of them attending class together.

But she still harbored a quiet fantasy about the possibility of attending class alone with Li Luo in the future.

So Ying Chanxi couldn't help turning her head and asking: "Li Luo, what major are you planning to apply for after you get into university?"

"I haven't decided yet," Li Luo blinked. "We'll see when the time comes."

He really hadn't decided what major to choose.

Mainly because, at present, universities seemingly have no major related to Online Novels.

And for the vast majority of university students, aside from a few truly research-driven talents, most attend university merely to secure a good job after graduation and support their families.

It's realistic, but also practical.

After all, everyone needs to eat, and beyond that, strive for a more comfortable and affluent life.

But for Li Luo now, whether he eats well or not is no longer a concern.

Therefore, regarding university, Li Luo's primary goal shifted from securing a good job to fully enjoying campus life.

At this stage, which major Li Luo chooses no longer seems so important.

"I already said it—go to the College of Literature," Xu Youyu grinned. "With my dad watching over me, everything will be easy."

After speaking, Xu Youyu turned to Ying Chanxi and asked curiously: "By the way, Xixi—what major are you thinking of applying for?"

"Me?" Ying Chanxi, asked this question, immediately bit her lip, her eyes involuntarily flicking toward Li Luo, then whispered, "I'll probably… uh… apply for something like Finance or Accounting, or maybe Business Administration?"

"Huh?" Li Luo, hearing this answer, froze for a moment.

Because in his memory, though in his past life he'd lost contact with Ying Chanxi after high school, he'd heard from Zhao Rongjun that Ying Chanxi later chose a different path.

After entering Qianjiang University, Ying Chanxi should have chosen a Computer Science-related major.

Why, then, was her current preference suddenly shifting to these humanities-oriented majors like Finance or Business Administration?

Was it because she was still in Gao Er, and her mind would change once she reached Gao San?

Or was it because of me?

Thinking of this, Li Luo suddenly recalled something, and his expression turned peculiar.

"Xixi."

"Mm?" Ying Chanxi blushed, lowering her head and not daring to look at Li Luo; hearing him call her nickname, she merely answered hesitantly.

"Do you remember the pen pal letter I wrote you?"

"I-I remember…"

"So is this major choice because of my letter?"

"…Don't be so self-important," Ying Chanxi's ears turned bright red at this, but she still insisted, "I already planned to choose these majors, and my dad supports me choosing them too."

"That way, after graduation, I can intern at his company."

"Then I'll have a job lined up."

"Exactly," Xu Youyu nodded with a smile. "And when Zhusheng graduates too, the musical prodigy from the Conservatory gets signed by Xixi—debuting nationwide instantly, both of you climbing to the peak of your careers."

Li Luo laughed at Xu Youyu's words: "What kind of wish-fulfillment novel are you writing here?"

"What's wrong? I think this plot is great," Xu Youyu lifted his chin proudly. "Behind the scenes, maybe some guy named Chongran is writing the music and lyrics—doesn't that sound perfectly logical?"

"Mm," Yan Zhusheng nodded, very satisfied with the plot. "I think it works."

Li Luo: "... You still lack imagination. Why not become nationwide-famous right from university?"

"Besides, Huayue isn't owned by Uncle Ying."

"Aunt Yuan already has her own studio—she's just affiliated with Huayue."

"Zhusheng could sign directly with Chongran Culture—why give someone else a cut of the profits?"

Hearing Li Luo say this, Yan Zhusheng nodded vigorously: "Yeah, I think this one's better than the last one."

"Then…" Xu Youyu stroked his chin with a chuckle, "there's no need for Xixi to go to Uncle Ying's place—just become CEO of Chongran Culture directly. Your major fits perfectly. Perfect."

Li Luo clapped his hands and laughed in agreement: "Great! Then it's settled."

"When that happens, Senior Sister should join our company too."

"Then all four of us will still be together."

Ying Chanxi had been smiling until she heard this, then her expression darkened: "Why should Senior Sister come too? She's planning to major in literature in college. Don't distract her."

"Cough… you're right." Xu Youyu, fearing Li Luo might blurt out some embarrassing secret about him, quickly added, "Why would I go to your company? There's no position for me."

In reality, with Xu Youyu's future Online Novel earnings—several million yuan in royalties annually—she'd already be paying substantial taxes.

Signing directly under Chongran Culture could indeed reduce some tax burdens.

But Li Luo couldn't say that outright; instead, he teased: "Our CEO still needs a Secretary to the Board. Senior Sister might want to consider it."

"You think you're quite the dreamer, huh?" Xu Youyu snorted with amusement.

Ying Chanxi spat beside him: "Pervert! Always thinking about weird stuff."

But Yan Zhusheng thought carefully, then asked curiously: "What does a Secretary to the Board actually do? Could I do it?"

Hearing this, Li Luo turned and glanced at Yan Zhusheng's chest, imagining her in a professional secretary's outfit.

Then he replaced her image with Xu Youyu's in the same outfit.

Comparing the two, Li Luo shook his head regretfully: "You're a singer—taking this job would be a waste. Stick to your real profession."

Yan Zhusheng looked down at her thighs, then eyed Li Luo suspiciously: "Were you just staring at me?"

"When I'm talking to you, who else am I supposed to look at?" Li Luo patted her shoulder. "Just hope you become a big singer and don't forget us."

"I won't." Yan Zhusheng shook her head. "I'll help promote your novels."

"... That's really not necessary!"

The four of them chatted and joked around in the classroom until classmates who finished eating returned one by one; then they got up and headed to the cafeteria.

After dinner, Xu Youyu returned to her own class for evening self-study, while Li Luo and the other two went back the same way to Class Eight.

Ten minutes before the second evening self-study session ended, the three of them naturally headed to the playground.

But remembering Ying Chanxi had just gotten her period, they decided light exercise was better.

Though light jogging might be fine, she'd already run 1500 meters that afternoon, so Li Luo suggested a simple walk instead.

The three walked side by side across the night-lit playground, no earphones on, just chatting as they strolled.

They talked from daily trivialities to future plans, then Li Luo launched into his thoughts on international affairs.

Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng listened quietly, savoring the quiet peace of the moment.

After returning home, while Xu Youyu was busy in her bedroom and Yan Zhusheng was showering, Ying Chanxi slipped quietly into Li Luo's room.

Seeing her enter, Li Luo frowned in confusion as she unzipped her school uniform jacket and pulled out a silver medal, smiling at him: "I remember you had a silver medal too—from the 800 meters. Did you bring it back?"

"I did." Li Luo stood up, walked to his backpack, and pulled out the medal.

"Then put it on and take a few photos to commemorate it." Ying Chanxi pulled out the instant camera Li Luo had given her, waited for him to put on the medal, then eagerly stood beside him. "It's just silver, but since there are athletes involved, if we both have them, we're both champions."

"Yeah." Li Luo smiled, first standing side by side with her for one photo, then stepping behind her shoulder, raising his medal.

After that photo, he moved fully behind Ying Chanxi, smiling as he held the medal in his right hand, resting it on her shoulder, while leaning his head out from the other side.

Ying Chanxi blushed faintly and let him pose her.

After taking that photo, Li Luo reached out, removed his own silver medal, and hung it around her neck. Then he gently wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her head, and smiled: "How's this?"

"Mm…" Ying Chanxi bit her lip, her cheeks flushed crimson, and she leaned into Li Luo's broad chest, nodding softly. "I'm taking this one."