Chapter 398: Xixi: Thank You, Zhusheng

Li Luo was still dazed from Yan Zhusheng's sudden surprise kiss.

The instrumental of "Little Luck" had already begun to build.

Yan Zhusheng slid off his thigh, her expression still steeped in the lingering sorrow of her rejected confession.

As she pressed her lips together, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, the song's rhythm reached the end of its intro.

When the on-screen lyrics began their countdown, Yan Zhusheng slowly lifted the microphone, pressed it to her lips, and sang softly:

"I hear raindrops falling on the green grass~"

"I hear the distant school bell ringing~"

"But I don't hear your voice~"

"Calling my name earnestly~"

The moment her voice began, Li Luo froze slightly.

Though he wasn't any kind of professional music critic.

Yet at this instant, as Yan Zhusheng's voice reached his ears, Li Luo instantly recognized how this rendition of "Little Luck" differed from the previous one.

How to put it…

The song had suddenly gained a soul.

Even though Yan Zhusheng had sung beautifully before, the moment Yuan Wanqing sang it, the difference was immediately clear.

But now, after this so-called emotional control, the feeling had changed entirely.

Thinking of this, Li Luo couldn't help but smile wryly.

He wondered: Is this trick really that effective?

Though he'd seen her use it once last year, that was for the classical "Nianlun," which didn't demand such intense emotion.

But "Little Luck"—if you truly want to convey the regret and preciousness of youth—requires far greater emotional control.

It's the kind of song anyone can sing, but once you hear Yuan Wanqing's level of emotional mastery, the gap becomes instantly obvious.

Yet when Yan Zhusheng sang, "You're the luck I most want to hold onto~ We were once so close to love~," Li Luo was instantly pulled into that scene.

Just like the director of "My Sassy Girl," who, upon hearing Yuan Wanqing sing this song, slammed his hand on the table and declared she was the only one for the role.

At that very moment, as the chorus peaked, Li Luo made an instinctive judgment in his heart.

No matter how she sang it before or after,

at least right now,

at this very moment,

as Yan Zhusheng closed her eyes and sang, this was the best version of "Little Luck" Li Luo had ever heard in his entire life—both past and present lives.

She perfectly embodied that fragile yet resilient feeling—the bittersweet ache of a beautiful, cherished memory that never reached its end, as if a true campus romance had once bloomed but faded too soon.

So much so that Li Luo momentarily forgot the shock of her earlier surprise kiss, fully immersed in the song's beauty.

Right after the first chorus ended, Yan Zhusheng slowly opened her eyes and turned to look at Li Luo.

Li Luo was already looking at her.

Their gazes met.

Yan Zhusheng slowly turned to face him fully, stepping directly into the second verse.

"Youth is a bumpy journey~"

"Bearing a beauty only realized in hindsight~"

"I never thanked you for giving me the courage~"

"To be myself again~"

With every line she sang, Yan Zhusheng took a step toward Li Luo, her eyes locked firmly on him.

"People naturally forget~"

"Who stood silently through wind and rain, never leaving their place~"

When she reached the final line of the verse, Yan Zhusheng stood right before Li Luo, her eyes brimming with emotion as she gazed at him.

As the second chorus erupted, her high notes swelling with feeling, no accompaniment was needed—she instantly dragged Li Luo into an emotional whirlwind.

Sitting on the sofa, Li Luo watched the girl before him, tears silently streaming down her cheeks yet still singing with deep feeling, and his heart pounded like a hammer—thump, thump, thump.

"I hope that beyond my sight~"

"You've spread your wings~"

"The one destined for you—oh, how lucky she'll be~"

By the final lines, Yan Zhusheng was weeping uncontrollably, completely overwhelmed by emotion.

As if she had truly been rejected by Li Luo.

As the song drew to its close, Li Luo, watching Yan Zhusheng's vision blurred by tears, reached out his arms and pulled her into his embrace, gently wiping away her tears with tender concern.

…

In Li Luo's view, Yan Zhusheng's singing style resembled the "method acting" approach.

She had to genuinely immerse herself in the song's emotional state to truly convey the feeling it demanded.

Otherwise, she was merely a skilled singer with a beautiful tone—a machine with technique but lacking deep emotion.

Though after over a year of connection and enriched life experiences, Yan Zhusheng had improved significantly in this regard, Yuan Wanqing was clearly far more mature.

Yet conversely, if Yan Zhusheng could truly enter that emotional state, her performance was every bit as powerful as Yuan Wanqing's.

The downside, however, was considerable.

Probably because she'd been too immersed, Yan Zhusheng had cried hard—now she was still trembling slightly, sobbing faintly in his arms.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's not real," Li Luo patted her back, thinking he should use this trick less often in the future.

"I'm fine…" Yan Zhusheng curled into his arms, slowly calming herself.

After a while, once she had fully returned to normal, she reverted to her old ways, nestling in Li Luo's arms and curiously asked, "How does kissing feel?"

"... It was too sudden just now. I didn't even react. How could I feel anything?"

"Oh, I see." Yan Zhusheng blinked, then, hearing Li Luo's reply, boldly cupped his head and pressed her lips firmly against his.

In that instant, Li Luo froze, his eyes widening as he felt something soft, faintly scented with mint.

To be honest.

If it had been Ying Chanxi, she would never have been so bold or forward.

Li Luo had been teasing and provoking Ying Chanxi these past two days, and he hadn't adjusted his behavior yet—so Yan Zhusheng just launched a full-scale attack.

But soon, Li Luo slowly closed his eyes.

Since it had already happened, he might as well enjoy it for now.

Unlike Ying Chanxi's lips, soft as cotton candy.

Yan Zhusheng's lips were thinner, lightly kissed, faintly mint-scented, like softened chewing gum.

Compared to Ying Chanxi's timidity and shyness, Yan Zhusheng was more proactive, kissing with greater force, delivering a stronger impact that felt entirely different to Li Luo.

If Ying Chanxi was like a gentle stream, Yan Zhusheng was like grabbing a handful of snow and shoving it straight into your clothes.

Long moments passed.

Following the method described in her senior's book, Yan Zhusheng savored the taste carefully before finally releasing Li Luo.

Then she blinked, cheeks flushed, and whispered to Li Luo, "Now? How does kissing feel?"

"... I'm not sure how to put it."

"It's fine, you don't have to say." Yan Zhusheng nodded generously, then added, "But next time, write it into your book—I want to read about Mo Qinghan and Li Yang kissing."

Li Luo: "... Was this part of your plan all along?"

"How can you call it a plan?" Yan Zhusheng declared solemnly. "I already said, pretending to be your girlfriend helps me control my emotions while singing."

"On the flip side, if Li Luo thinks of me as his girlfriend, it'll surely help with your novel material too."

"But in reality, we're still just good friends, right?"

"Hmm... you've got a point." After hearing Yan Zhusheng's words, Li Luo found himself unable to refute her.

Yet when his gaze fell upon Yan Zhusheng, his eyes involuntarily drifted to her thin lips.

He thought of the girl who had once sung on stage, who had performed before the entire nation, who had sung rock songs for all the teachers and students of Fu No. 1 High—her lips, now tasted by him.

That strange thrill, like a feather tickling his heart, occasionally brushed against it, making him shiver without reason.

His body still felt slightly numb.

When Yan Zhusheng noticed his gaze, she cheerfully asked, "Do you want to kiss again?"

"... I don't."

"If you want, you can come to me anytime for research," Yan Zhusheng urged eagerly. "We're good friends—we should help each other."

Li Luo: "..."

Though they still pretended to be just good friends, Li Luo felt this girl was growing increasingly reckless.

Her boldness had grown far greater than before.

She'd even reached out and touched him directly... he had no idea where she'd learned that... he'd never written anything like that in his book!

He couldn't tell who had corrupted her.

At exactly six p. m.

After leaving the KTV, Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng returned punctually to Bihai Lanting, Unit 1502.

As soon as they entered, Li Luo saw Xu Youyu sprawled on the sofa, her two pale, delicate feet propped up, scrolling on her phone.

Hearing the door, Xu Youyu turned her head, smiled, and said, "Back already? Had fun?"

"Mm-hmm." Yan Zhusheng nodded vigorously. "Very fun."

"What did you do?" Xu Youyu asked curiously.

"Bought clothes." Yan Zhusheng held up the bags, then pulled out two movie tickets. "Watched a movie, then went to the KTV."

At that moment, the door to Li Luo's bedroom opened.

Ying Chanxi walked out expressionlessly, glanced at Li Luo, then turned and entered her own room, carrying her backpack to the living room.

Seeing this, Li Luo felt a faint premonition of trouble—but fortunately, he had prepared in advance.

Yet before Li Luo could act, Yan Zhusheng had already dashed forward and hugged Ying Chanxi, nuzzling against her.

"Y-You... Zhusheng... what are you doing?" Ying Chanxi was bewildered by the sudden embrace.

But after hugging her, Yan Zhusheng waved at Li Luo.

Li Luo instantly understood and, with perfect unspoken coordination, handed over the two bags.

Yan Zhusheng took them and passed them to Ying Chanxi.

Ying Chanxi took the bags blankly, looked down, and asked in confusion, "W-What are these?"

"We bought you clothes. Zhusheng helped pick them out," Li Luo said. "We wanted to buy them this morning, but we spent too long filming the MV and then watched a movie, so I waited until the afternoon."

"This..." Ying Chanxi stared at the two bags, fell silent. "Then why didn't you call me this afternoon?"

"We saw you editing your video, so we didn't want to disturb you," Yan Zhusheng whispered, hugging Ying Chanxi's arm.

"Cough... anyway, take the clothes. Try them on later and see if they fit," Li Luo smiled. "If the size's wrong, we'll exchange them next weekend."

"Mm..." Ying Chanxi felt warmth in her chest. Hearing Li Luo's words, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

After all, Li Luo remembered to buy her clothes when he went out—but she had only been sulking.

She had even planned to ignore Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng all night long...

But she put herself in their place—if she went out shopping with Li Luo and he bought clothes for another girl, Ying Chanxi would definitely feel a little upset.

But Yan Zhusheng didn't seem to mind at all, which made Ying Chanxi feel petty, and she immediately warned herself inwardly.

Thinking of this, Ying Chanxi hugged Yan Zhusheng proactively, whispering, "Thank you, Zhusheng."

"You're welcome~"

From Ying Chanxi's perspective, she had only seen, while editing her video, that Ren Zheng and the others in the 【Little Empress Mo Qinghan Fan Club】 were talking about Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng going to the movies.

Although she learned that Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng sat in couple seats, she had already known they'd sat together during summer vacation, so Ying Chanxi was only slightly angry—why hadn't Li Luo told her before leaving in the afternoon?

But since it was to buy her clothes, maybe she could accept it a little more easily.

Yet because of this, all the questions Ying Chanxi had wanted to ask were suddenly blocked by Yan Zhusheng, and she couldn't bring herself to ask them anymore.

In this atmosphere, if she tried to question anything now, it would make her seem unreasonable.

Besides, she had received the new clothes Li Luo bought for her, and deep down, she was genuinely a little happy—so she no longer wanted to ask anything more.

After all, from her perspective, the only people who knew she and Li Luo had secretly kissed were those in 【Dongdong the Cutest in the World】.

She had no idea whether Yan Zhusheng was even in that group, and still thought Yan Zhusheng was completely in the dark.

She had taken Li Luo's first kiss, filmed the MV, watched the movie, bought Li Luo new clothes, and now had received new clothes from Li Luo as a gift.

Wasn't she winning big?

"So I don't get anything, right?" Xu Youyu, sprawled on the sofa, gave them a sarcastic grin, his face tinged with resentment, "Li Luo buys clothes only for Xixi and Zhusheng, but not for me?"

"Because the two of them already have too many clothes," Yan Zhusheng helped Li Luo explain, "Otherwise carrying three people's clothes to the movie later would be a hassle, so Li Luo said he'd take Senior Xu shopping for new clothes after evening self-study."

Ying Chanxi: "?"

Li Luo: "...?"

Li Luo glanced at Yan Zhusheng, wondering when he'd ever said that.

Although he had indeed bought clothes for Ying Chanxi out of a sense of compensation, he hadn't considered Senior Xu at the time.

But to directly arrange a late-night shopping trip with Xu Youyu was completely unexpected.

Ying Chanxi's expression changed, but since Yan Zhusheng had said it, she couldn't find a good reason to object.

After all, all four of them lived under the same roof and were this close.

Li Luo had bought clothes for Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng—he couldn't leave Xu Youyu out.

Wouldn't that be excluding her?

After all, it's not scarcity people fear, but unfairness—Ying Chanxi understood this principle well.

"Then, then be careful tonight," Ying Chanxi muttered softly, "I need to get back early to keep editing videos, so I won't go with you."

"I'm tired today too," Yan Zhusheng winked at Xu Youyu on the sofa, "I want to get back early tonight to bathe and sleep."

"So are we still going tonight?" Xu Youyu rolled over, smiling at Li Luo, "You really gonna take me shopping for new clothes?"

"Sure," Li Luo, seeing neither Ying Chanxi nor Yan Zhusheng objected, simply went along with it and nodded.

After all, Xu Youyu looked genuinely eager to go.

Thus, amid the harmonious atmosphere of the three girls, the four of them picked up their backpacks and set off together from Bihai Lanting 1502, chatting as they walked downstairs.

The three girls walked arm in arm ahead, while Li Luo strolled slowly behind them, heading together toward Fuyi High School.

……

Meanwhile, in the classroom of Class 8, Gao Er, Fuyi High School.

As evening approached six-thirty, just before the evening self-study bell rang, students clustered into small groups, chatting at their desks.

Some classmates talked loudly.

But others were secretive, huddled together whispering.

Yet when Li Luo appeared at the classroom door with Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng, those whispering instantly fell silent and returned to their seats.

Li Luo and the two girls walked calmly toward their own desks.

Liu Shaowen watched Ying Chanxi walk down from the podium, his eyes involuntarily darting to her lips, then to Li Luo behind her, and he clenched his fists unconsciously.

Just imagining the scene of Ying Chanxi kissing Li Luo made him feel unbearably miserable.

He was completely listless.

If before, Liu Shaowen had still harbored fantasies, now he had none left at all.

They were childhood friends, now lived together, went shopping and watched movies on weekends.

Even used the MV as an excuse to kiss.

At this point, how could anyone else possibly win?

Liu Shaowen's planned three-year high school companionship strategy had collapsed halfway through.

Ying Chanxi clearly noticed the classmates' glances, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

After all, she'd seen the messages in that group—she knew many classmates now knew about her kissing Li Luo.

Thinking of this, Ying Chanxi suddenly understood why Li Luo hadn't wanted anyone he knew in real life to know he wrote novels.

Hmm… indeed… it's so embarrassing!

Although many now knew about her kissing Li Luo, Ying Chanxi felt embarrassed yet also a little sweet inside.

But if she could choose, she'd still rather not have her classmates know.

Especially when she sat down and saw her desk partner Qiao Xinyan giving her a strangely knowing look—her cheeks burned even redder.

After all, while others didn't know, Qiao Xinyan, as the owner of 【Dongdong the Cutest in the World】, was fully aware that Ying Chanxi's alt account was lurking in the group.

"D-Don't look at me like that, Xinyan, stop looking," Ying Chanxi muttered.

"Alright, alright, I won't look," Qiao Xinyan grinned and nodded, then leaned close to Ying Chanxi's ear and gave her a thumbs-up, "But Xixi, you're amazing—this move gets a perfect score from me."

"Ahh~ Don't talk about this anymore!" Ying Chanxi blushed furiously and pushed Qiao Xinyan away, feeling overheated, as if every classmate was sneaking glances at her.

Qiao Xinyan didn't tease her further, but leaned in curiously, whispering to ask for more specific details, promising not to tell anyone else in the group.

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi was slightly tempted and couldn't help whispering to Qiao Xinyan about it.

After Li Luo sat down, he noticed the strange glances from his classmates and immediately felt a familiar sense of unease.

"I don't seem to have any other aliases left, do I?" Li Luo muttered under his breath. "Why does everyone look at me so weirdly?"

"I don't know," Yan Zhusheng said upon hearing Li Luo's question, naturally shaking his head and pretending ignorance, then quietly unlocking his phone to sneak a look at the messages from Ren Zheng and the others in the group chat, thoroughly engrossed.