Chapter 377

Approaching Li Guoru, Li Guohong, with a somewhat excited heart, glanced at the news report on it.

The most important part was that the railway construction in Yinjiang District would extend four additional subway stations beyond the original terminus, Yinjiangnan Station.

After confirming this, for some reason, Li Guohong's earlier excitement suddenly calmed down.

It was as if he had once been a small sailboat, violently rocked by even slight winds and waves.

Now Li Guohong had become a large ship in the sea, and such storms no longer stirred intense emotional fluctuations.

Still, Li Guohong curiously asked, "If this railway is built, how much will property prices around here rise?"

"At least double?" Li Guoru rubbed his chin and guessed, "Back when the subway was built near Nan Station, property prices there skyrocketed—more than doubled. How much did you pay for your storefront?"

"With the loan, about four million?" Li Guohong blinked, calculating in his mind.

At this, Li Guoru let out a laugh and shook his head: "Well then, you've pulled off a spectacular comeback—once the subway's done, your net worth is at least ten million, not counting the apartment you own in Bihai Lanting."

Hearing this, Li Guohong smiled broadly, but showed no trace of pride, for he knew very well who had brought all this about.

Li Guoru, of course, understood perfectly, and after speaking, couldn't help but sigh again: "You really raised an excellent son. All your hard work these past decades has finally paid off."

"But you've been looking out for me too."

"Hmph, now you're flattering me?" Li Guoru chuckled. "When you were young, I offered to take you into business, and you refused."

"I knew my limits," Li Guohong smiled wryly. "Even managing a single hotpot restaurant feels like a hassle now—I'm just not cut out for business."

After confirming this good news, the two brothers chatted idly in the office.

That night, Li Guohong was treated to another heavy feast of grilled meat and beer by Li Guoru.

The next morning, Lin Xiuhong woke Li Guohong up; after washing and preparing, they set off to attend Li Luo's parent-teacher meeting.

Oh no, it's Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng's parent-teacher meeting.

……

Early in the morning.

Li Luo slowly opened his eyes, staring at the bedroom ceiling, sensing the crowded atmosphere on the bed.

The alarm on his phone was ringing.

But the phone sat on the nightstand, too far for him to reach.

Still, he didn't need to worry about it.

The alarm rang only briefly before a pale, delicate arm, like a white lotus root, emerged from the blankets, groped for the phone on the nightstand, and turned off the alarm.

Then the arm's owner turned over, snuggling closer to Li Luo, seeking a more comfortable position.

Li Luo felt Yan Zhusheng's head nudging against his arm, so he helplessly lifted his hand, letting her rest her head on it, sliding his arm beneath her.

On the other side, under the sandwich-like pressure, Ying Chanxi hadn't stolen the covers during the night.

Especially since Xu Youyu had been hugging her like a plush pillow—she couldn't move at all.

Li Luo turned his head to look at Ying Chanxi and Xu Youyu, then chuckled.

At this moment, Ying Chanxi had also been woken by the alarm; a small hand emerged from the blankets, rubbing her eyes as she looked toward Li Luo.

Seeing Li Luo watching her, and realizing she had slept in the same bed with him again last night, Ying Chanxi's cheeks flushed slightly, then she quickly buried her face against Li Luo's side, too shy to maintain eye contact.

Seeing this, Li Luo simply lifted his arm again and pulled Ying Chanxi into his embrace.

Then he reached out and stroked both girls' hair, savoring the fullness of having two girls cuddled beside him, and softly said, "Time to get up and go for a morning run—we've got a parent-teacher meeting today."

"Mmm…" Ying Chanxi leaned against Li Luo's chest, savoring it a moment longer, then nodded obediently, lifting her head from his arms.

But as soon as she raised her head, Ying Chanxi saw Yan Zhusheng also nestled in Li Luo's arms, and immediately puffed out her cheeks, poking Yan Zhusheng's face: "Zhusheng, wake up, stop sleeping."

"Mmm…" Yan Zhusheng feigned sleepiness, blinked her eyes, looked at Ying Chanxi across from her, then rubbed her cheek against Li Luo's chest, adding, "Good morning, Xixi."

Ying Chanxi: "…"

"You, you get up already, or Li Luo won't be able to get up either."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng nodded, finally pulling away from Li Luo's arms, rolling out of bed, and looking at the two still lying there, "You two should get up too."

Ying Chanxi, who had been hoping to linger a little longer, now felt too embarrassed to stay tucked away since Yan Zhusheng was watching them; she pushed herself up from Li Luo's arms and got up with him.

The three of them went to the bathroom together to wash up; Li Luo looked at the three of them standing side by side in the mirror and felt a deep sense of wonder.

Without realizing it, the number of times all four of them slept together had grown increasingly frequent.

Before, it might have happened once every few months.

Now it was almost every week, and everyone seemed to have gradually grown accustomed to it.

Even Ying Chanxi now barely minded sleeping together—so long as she could claim the spot beside Li Luo.

Yan Zhusheng, of course, didn't care at all.

As for Xu Youyu…

After washing his face, Li Luo stepped out of the bathroom and looked at Xu Youyu, still sleeping in.

Recalling last night—how Xu Youyu, pretending to hug Ying Chanxi, had secretly slipped her hands and feet under the covers to tease him—Li Luo couldn't help but smile helplessly.

It seemed the senior was genuinely enjoying herself.

"Senior, wake up," Li Luo walked to the bedside, gently tapping Xu Youyu's cheek as he leaned over, "There's a parent-teacher meeting today, and the student council has tasks—you can't be late."

"I know, I know," Xu Youyu wriggled under the blankets, then curled up again, mumbling softly on Li Luo's bed, "You guys go ahead—I'll come later."

Seeing the senior wasn't getting up yet, Li Luo let her be, leaving her to sleep on his bed.

After changing into their uniforms with Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng, the three headed to school first, ran a few laps around the track, ate breakfast in the cafeteria, left their backpacks in the classroom, then Li Luo and Ying Chanxi went to the school gate to meet up.

As student council president, Ying Chanxi had to arrive early at the school gate to direct council members and manage parent reception duties.

The school began morning self-study at seven, and parents entered at half past seven.

But some parents liked to arrive early and had to wait outside the gate.

Like Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong.

"Why are you two here so early again?"

When Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong walked to the school gate, Li Luo sighed helplessly: "It doesn't open until 7:30."

"It's just early morning, and there's nothing else to do," Lin Xiuhong said, stepping up to Li Luo and adjusting his collar.

Though they no longer ran the breakfast shop, the couple still kept their early-rising biological clock.

Though not as extreme as before—when they'd rise at three or four in the morning—they still got up around six.

This routine was regular and healthy, so Li Luo had nothing more to say, only chatting casually with his mother.

At this moment, Ying Chanxi walked over with tea, obediently handing it to Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong.

Lin Xiuhong took the tea, took a sip, then handed the cup to Li Luo to hold, turned around, leaned close to Ying Chanxi, and smilingly adjusted her collar too.

Feeling Lin Xiuhong's thoughtfulness and care, Ying Chanxi pressed her lips together, immersed in this warm, tender happiness, thoroughly enjoying such care from Lin Xiuhong.

It felt as if she truly had a mother who had come to attend parent-teacher conference for her.

"Today, I'm just in a good mood," Li Guohong said after taking the tea cup from Ying Chanxi, sipping lightly, then exhaling slowly. "There's big news—you probably haven't paid attention, so you likely don't know."

"What big news?" Li Luo raised an eyebrow, glanced at his mother, then asked suspiciously, "Am I getting a younger brother or sister?"

"What are you talking about?!" Li Guohong's face darkened. "Can't you think of something normal?"

"Then what else could be big news?" Li Luo asked, puzzled. "I can't think of anything."

"The subway! The subway!" Li Guohong sighed. "We've waited over a year—the official announcement has finally come!"

"Oh, it's out?" Li Luo blinked, slightly surprised, then returned to his usual calm. "What exactly does it say?"

"Why are you so unimpressed?" Li Guohong frowned at his son's calm reaction—even calmer than his own when he first heard the news. "It's boring talking to you."

"What else should I do?" Li Luo looked exasperated. "Dad, just tell me already."

"Just as we suspected," Li Guohong waved his hand listlessly. "The subway line extends from the South Station, ending at Qianjiang University."

"Though Bihai Lanting isn't right next to a subway entrance, it's only one street away, and the shops on Xijie are directly near the entrance."

"According to your uncle, just those three storefronts alone will be worth over ten million when the time comes."

"Mm." Li Luo nodded, acknowledging. "Good."

"Boring," Li Guohong said, seeing his son's calm reaction, and waved him off. "Forget it, I'm not telling you anymore."

"It's predictable," Li Luo chuckled. "We already expected it."

"What's predictable? Those were just rumors before."

"It's different," Li Luo said. "Didn't we already hear? This September, Yuhang City was confirmed to host the 2022 Asian Games."

"But the Asian Games are still far off. More importantly, it should be this month—on the 16th."

"Yuhang City has officially been confirmed to host next year's G20 Summit."

"With these two major events—near and far—stacking up together, plus other policy development needs, our subway expansion was inevitable."

"You kid…" Li Guohong laughed, watching him speak so confidently. "You're talking like an expert."

As he said this, Li Guohong quietly memorized his son's words in his mind, planning to use them later to impress friends during casual chats.

At that moment, a red Audi drove past the school gate, found a parking spot, and Zhang Xuefen stepped out, carrying a designer handbag, wearing a designer coat, heels clicking as she approached from afar.

But when she saw Lin Xiuhong's family there, Zhang Xuefen's expression darkened, her mood souring.

Yet years of dominance over Lin Xiuhong made her unwilling to retreat; she walked straight up beside her, sizing her up.

"What are you doing?" Lin Xiuhong glanced at Zhang Xuefen, immediately stepping back two paces to put distance between them.

Seeing this, Zhang Xuefen thought Lin Xiuhong was afraid of her, and her confidence swelled. She sneered: "You've made some money from your son's novels—your complexion certainly looks different now."

Lin Xiuhong was in a good mood and didn't want to argue with such a person. She chuckled: "Yes, having a son to rely on is better than having no one."

"You!" Zhang Xuefen thought Lin Xiuhong was mocking her own son's inferiority to Li Luo. Anger flared. "What's so great? He wrote one book—can he write a second? Soon he'll be like that guy—Shang Chong Yong! Just a flash in the pan!"

"Auntie," Ying Chanxi, standing beside Lin Xiuhong, frowned after hearing Zhang Xuefen's words, then whispered softly, "That's Shang Zhong Yong."

Lin Xiuhong had been slightly annoyed, but hearing Ying Chanxi's correction, she burst into laughter, covering her mouth: "You've got elementary school credentials—stop showing off here! In front of a top student, how embarrassing!"

Zhang Xuefen's face flushed crimson under their teasing, but she forced herself to continue: "I heard your son made money writing books, so you closed your breakfast shop and bought storefronts on Xijie."

"That's why I say some people just aren't meant for wealth—have you ever thought about what Xijie even is?"

"But then again, you two have run breakfast shops for decades—you never had time to understand these things. Not knowing is normal."

"It's a pity your son worked so hard for this money—it's just wasted. You'd have been better off investing in my husband Wei's project—ten percent annual interest, better than your crappy storefronts."

"My husband Wei's project already paid its first-year dividends this summer—raised tens of millions."

"Once the buildings are finished, they'll be far more valuable than your few storefronts."

Lin Xiuhong frowned, ready to retort.

But at that moment, another figure stepped forward, smiling and extending a hand to Li Guohong.

"Guohong, long time no see."

"Oh, yeah, haven't seen you in a while," Li Guohong shook Li Angang's hand, smiling. "I almost forgot—your kid's at the First Affiliated High School too."

"Yes, yes," Li Angang adjusted his glasses and smiled. "But your family has really hit the jackpot now."

"Cough…keep a low profile, keep a low profile."

In front of outsiders, Li Guohong never boasted.

But Li Angang thought Li Guohong was no ordinary man—he'd boldly bought three storefronts before the subway expansion announcement, showing real guts.

Even Li Angang himself had only heard rumors; when the news broke that the new subway wouldn't include Yinjiang District, many potential buyers had already backed off.

"This subway expansion has given Xijie the first taste," Li Angang smiled. "If you hear any more news in the future, don't forget me—we can definitely collaborate."

"We'll talk about it later, we'll talk about it later," Li Guohong smiled vaguely, neither confirming nor denying, exchanging brief words with Li Angang.

On the other side, Zhang Xuefen had fallen silent.

After hearing the words "subway expansion," her mind went blank, still not processing it.

Just then, at exactly 7:30 a. m., the First Affiliated High School gates opened for parents.

Li Guohong excused himself from Li Angang and walked with Lin Xiuhong toward Class 8, Grade 2, where Li Luo was.

Zhang Xuefen snapped out of her daze, immediately trailed after Li Angang's figure, and boldly asked, "Brother Li, I'm Wei Dongrong's wife—we met at the parent-teacher meeting earlier this year."

"I heard you just talking—what's this about subway expansion?"

"Where did this rumor come from?"

Li Angang frowned at Zhang Xuefen; he did recall her, so he just waved his hand and said, "It's an official announcement from the government website—what rumor? It was just released yesterday. The subway's final stop will be at Xijie near Qianjiang University. Go check it online when you get home."

With that, Li Angang walked off quickly, leaving Zhang Xuefen standing frozen in place, stunned and disbelieving.

Subway?

Xijie is the terminal station?

Didn't Lin Xiuhong's family just buy three storefronts over there a while ago?!

This…

If the subway gets built, how much will their properties be worth?!

Sure, just now Zhang Xuefen kept talking about how her husband Wei had raised tens of millions.

But that money was meant for real estate investment—and technically, it wasn't even their money; it was all debt!

With interest! They'll have to pay it all back!

But in Zhang Xuefen's eyes, once the properties were built, repaying those tens of millions would be a breeze.

The value of a single building would be far more than tens of millions!

How could Lin Xiuhong's family compare?

Could that kid Li Luo possibly earn more from writing some crappy book?

Thinking of this, Zhang Xuefen finally calmed down, comforted herself mentally, and walked toward her son Wei Chun's classroom.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong arrived at Class 8 of Grade 2 and were warmly welcomed by their homeroom teacher, Kong Junxiang.

But when he saw both of Li Luo's parents present, Kong Junxiang paused slightly.

Usually, only one parent attended parent-teacher meetings—otherwise, the classroom seats wouldn't be enough.

Still, they were here, and they were the parents of his star student Li Luo. Kong Junxiang was just pondering how to seat them when the couple walked together toward Yan Zhusheng's side.

Yan Zhusheng saw Uncle and Auntie approaching, immediately stood up, took Lin Xiuhong's hand, showed her where Ying Chanxi's seat was, then guided Li Guohong to sit in her own seat.

"Chanxi sits right in front of Li Luo?" Lin Xiuhong greeted her desk-mate Qiao Xinyan, smiled around the room, and began chatting with Qiao Xinyan and Yan Zhusheng.

As a member of the seven-student study group, Qiao Xinyan was quite familiar with Lin Xiuhong and obediently chatted with her.

Yan Zhusheng poured water for both Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong.

She had no intention of leaving; she simply sat down in Li Luo's empty seat.

Normally, after parents arrived, students could leave the classroom—to go to the rooftop self-study room or to club activities.

But if there were empty seats, no one was forced to leave.

Still, when Kong Junxiang saw the couple not sitting in Li Luo's seat but instead taking the seats of Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng, his expression turned peculiar.

"Um… Li Luo's dad and mom," Kong Junxiang stepped closer, carefully choosing his words, "you're… uh… Li Luo's seat is over here, right?"

"Oh, this?" Lin Xiuhong laughed and said, "I forgot to tell you, Teacher Kong."

"Chanxi's dad and Zhusheng's mom are close friends of ours."

"They've both been busy with work lately, so they asked us to attend the parent-teacher meeting for the kids."

"I'm here for Chanxi, and my husband Li is here for Zhusheng."

Kong Junxiang stared, bewildered; it took him a while to untangle the logic. Then he looked at Yan Zhusheng, sitting in Li Luo's seat, who gave him a solemn nod. He could only chuckle helplessly.

"Hmm… I understand now. My mistake—I didn't ask clearly enough," Kong Junxiang cleared his throat, confirmed everything was fine, and turned back to the podium.

But at this moment, the glances from the surrounding classmates were distinctly odd.

It had only been a few minutes past 7:30; many parents hadn't arrived yet, so the students of Class 8 were still in the classroom, waiting for their own parents.

Instead of waiting for their own, they'd just witnessed a scene that left them utterly baffled.

Li Luo's parents came to attend the parent-teacher meeting for Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng?

Had the class monitor secretly brought home two fiancées?

This was something even novels wouldn't dare write!