Chapter 399

For day students, if they don't have to return to school for remedial classes in the afternoon, Sunday is no different from a holiday.

It's just returning to school at six-thirty in the evening, attending two evening self-study sessions, then heading home.

So when the time came to the end of the second evening self-study session.

Li Luo, Ying Chanxi, and Yan Zhusheng returned from their night run on the playground, picked up their packed backpacks, and descended the stairs together after the dismissal bell rang.

Classmates still in the classroom silently watched them leave, as if a switch had been flipped—many soon gathered together, eagerly whispering among themselves.

"So, did you guys really see the monitor go on a date with them?"

"Absolutely true, why would I lie to you?"

"In the morning it was with Xixi, in the afternoon with Zhusheng—we saw it all clearly."

"Will Xu Xuejie be there tonight too? Her novel, Literary Era, is pretty good."

"Maybe, since they're day students and class ends at just past eight, they've got plenty of time for an evening date."

"Damn, I really want to tail them and see."

"How does the monitor even manage this? Writing online novels, composing songs, running the literature club and the rock club, handling class and student council duties—"

"And still ranks among the top in grades! How is this even fair?"

"The kicker is, after doing all that, he still has enough energy to date three girls…"

"The monitor is such a bastard!"

"Do Ying Chanxi and the others even know about each other?"

"I doubt it—they all live together. If there were any clues, how could the others not notice?"

"So do all three girls actually agree to this?"

"All we can say is the monitor is truly amazing…"

"I feel like the monitor's novels are still too conservative—he's even weirder than his own protagonists."

Students in the class who knew gathered together, unable to resist talking about what had happened that day.

Li Luo remained unaware of all this; after bringing Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng downstairs, he met up with Xu Youyu on Houde Road, and the four of them walked home together.

Back home, Ying Chanxi needed to continue editing her video, so she planned to take a shower first, retrieved her laptop from Li Luo, and intended to return to her room that night to edit.

Yan Zhusheng had no intention of interrupting Li Luo and Xu Youyu's evening date; after dropping her backpack, she wandered into the piano room.

It was rare for Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng to be so considerate, and Xu Youyu was oddly unsettled by it.

She blinked in the living room, then turned to Li Luo and laughed. "Shall we go shopping?"

"Change your clothes," Li Luo said, setting down his backpack. "Don't wear your uniform."

"Why not?" Xu Youyu grinned at him, and while Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng weren't in the living room, she leaned close, wrapped her arms around his, pressed against him, and whispered in his ear, "Isn't it more fun wearing the uniform?"

Li Luo: "... I think it's safer to change out of the uniform."

"Fine~" Xu Youyu was just teasing him; she laughed and let go, turning back to her bedroom.

Seeing this, Li Luo quickly returned to his room, took off his uniform, and put on a winter outfit.

They met again in the living room; Xu Youyu glanced at Li Luo, slipped on her shoes beside him at the door, then took his arm.

Before Li Luo could say anything, he felt his hand pried open—then their fingers intertwined.

He turned to glance toward the piano room and Ying Chanxi's bedroom, looked down at Xu Youyu, gripped her hand tightly, and smiled. "Another couple's experience today?"

"Nope," Xu Youyu giggled, clinging to his arm, fingers locked as they stepped out the door. Once inside the elevator, she breathed softly into his ear, "Today is sister-in-law and little brother day."

Li Luo: "??? "

"Brother," Xu Youyu's right hand rested on Li Luo's chest, whispering close to him, "your brother's always too busy to care for me. I'm so glad you're here, willing to take your sister-in-law shopping—I'm really happy."

Li Luo: "... Academy senior, are you getting into character this fast?"

"You're the one who doesn't cooperate," Xu Youyu rolled her eyes. "Don't call me academy senior—call me sister-in-law, okay?"

"... Alright."

…

Xu Youyu's hand was different from the other two girls'.

Yan Zhusheng's fingers were longer and more bony; Ying Chanxi's were small and cute.

Xu Youyu's hand wasn't as long and slender as Yan Zhusheng's, nor as tiny as Ying Chanxi's, which Li Luo could easily cradle in one palm—it was just a normal size.

When their fingers intertwined, it wasn't as prickly as Yan Zhusheng's; even when squeezed firmly, the touch felt comfortable.

Pretending to be sister-in-law and little brother, they took the elevator down, left the Jincheng Community, got into a taxi, and arrived at the Yintai Department Store.

It was already eight-thirty at night.

On this Sunday night, unless they were students who had to return to school for evening self-study, most people with weekend off chose to go out with friends.

In Yinjiang District, before the Nan Station Yintai City was built, this Yintai Department Store near Jincheng Community was one of the few shopping and entertainment centers nearby.

In Li Luo's memory, since he could remember, this Yintai Department Store had been the commercial center of Yinjiang District—the busiest place around.

It wasn't until he graduated high school, when the subway line opened and modern commercial complexes like Yintai City and Tianjie rose along the route, that the once-bustling Yintai Department Store gradually faded into obscurity.

Thinking of this, Li Luo stepped out of the taxi, hand in hand with Xu Youyu, watching the crowd on this Sunday night—busier than daytime—and felt a pang of nostalgia.

But Xu Youyu clearly didn't share this feeling; she eagerly pulled Li Luo inside, then turned to ask, "What clothes do you want to buy me?"

"Do you have anything in mind?" Li Luo asked. "Or should we go to the same store where I bought clothes for Xixi and Zhusheng today?"

"I do have an idea," Xu Youyu glanced at him, then reminded him, "Don't you remember? At the end of January, we have to attend the Wenxue Group's annual meeting."

"I know," Li Luo nodded. "But how does that relate to buying clothes?"

"You're so dumb," Xu Youyu tapped his head, then laughed. "At the meeting, they'll announce this year's Grand Masters. Your editor said you have to give a speech on stage, right? You can't show up in that down jacket."

"Uh…" Li Luo looked down at himself, unconcerned. "Actually, it's not that bad."

"Of course it's bad!" Xu Youyu slapped his shoulder, tugged his hand, and dragged him toward a men's formal wear store upstairs. "If you were just going as an audience member, fine—but you're a Grand Master! How can you show up looking so shabby?"

"What if all the other newly promoted Grand Masters show up in suits, and you're the only one in a down jacket? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

"And you're already the youngest one in there—if you don't wear a suit to balance out your youthful look, you'll look like a Husky mixed in with a pack of wolves."

Li Luo listened to Xu Youyu's words and imagined the scene.

But for him, if he walked onto the stage wearing a down jacket with his youthful face, surrounded by a crowd of men in sharp suits—

Thinking about it, it was actually… kind of cool.

After all, even if those guys dressed the most formal, when they were his age, they probably hadn't achieved what he had now.

But then he remembered he was just reborn and had taken advantage of that, so Li Luo no longer felt any pride in it.

He might as well just buy a proper suit to get through it.

Xu Youyu pulled him upstairs to a men's clothing store.

Xu Youyu picked through several suits for him, making him try on many.

Holding the gray suit in his hand and glancing at the blue one in hers, Li Luo couldn't help asking, "You don't seem to like black much?"

"Black suits always make you look like an insurance salesman," Xu Youyu waved her hand, smiling. "Gray looks more mature; blue highlights your youth. Try them both—I want to see how they look."

"Didn't we agree you were coming to buy clothes for yourself?"

"After I buy yours, I'll buy mine," Xu Youyu said. "I'm still deciding what to wear for the year-end party."

"A gown?" Li Luo thought for a moment, then said, "It'd look great on you."

"But I'm just going to be a spectator—I won't even go on stage. Wouldn't a gown be too flashy?" Xu Youyu frowned slightly.

"Let it be flashy," Li Luo smiled. "A female author with ten thousand subscribers on an online novel platform? You've earned the right to be flashy."

"Besides, if I'm in a suit and you're in casual clothes, walking together would look weird."

"Let's go find a nice evening gown for you after this."

Hearing Li Luo say that, Xu Youyu smiled happily: "Then I won't be polite—you go change first."

Following Xu Youyu's instructions, Li Luo tried on several suits and finally picked two, which he had the store mail to Bihai Lanting.

Then the two held hands and entered a women's dress shop, where rows of dresses filled the space—not ordinary short or long skirts, but evening gowns with full, flared skirts and elegant trains, adorned with distinctive embellishments.

Imagining Xu Youyu in one of these gowns, Li Luo couldn't help picturing it, his heart swelling with anticipation.

In his memory of his past life, he'd never seen Xu Youyu wear such an evening gown.

Now, in this life, he'd get to see it early—just to feast his eyes.

With this quiet thought, Li Luo wasn't in a hurry to buy her the gown—he began browsing carefully.

Whenever he saw one he thought suited her, he asked the salesperson to bring it out so Xu Youyu could try it on.

When Xu Youyu stepped out wearing a white, fitted long dress, Li Luo's eyes lit up.

The dress's skirt had a spiral flow; the cinched waist accentuated Xu Youyu's figure perfectly.

To be honest, this was the first time Xu Youyu had ever worn such a formal dress. Even though she was usually composed and confident, she couldn't help feeling slightly uneasy.

As she stepped out of the dressing room, her cheeks flushed slightly. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, glanced at Li Luo, then looked toward the full-length mirror, studying herself.

When Li Luo walked over to her side, she finally collected herself, turned to him, and smiled sweetly: "How does it look?"

"Beautiful," Li Luo said, standing behind her, watching her reflection. He couldn't resist wrapping his arms around her slender waist.

"This is a public place—you're bold," Xu Youyu whispered, feeling the warmth of his hands on her waist, leaning gently into his embrace. "Aren't you afraid your brother will find out?"

"He's too busy with work to show up here," Li Luo whispered into her ear, holding her tightly. "Sister-in-law, you look stunning."

"You're just sweet-talking."

The two admired themselves in the mirror for a while, then Xu Youyu took another gown and stepped back into the dressing room.

But just as Li Luo anticipated the effect of the black evening gown adorned with black goose feathers on her, the dressing room door cracked open.

Xu Youyu poked her head out and waved him over.

Li Luo, puzzled, walked to the door—only for Xu Youyu to immediately push it open and grab his hand, pulling him inside.

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing?" Li Luo, now inside as she shut the door, exclaimed in shock.

"Nothing much—the zipper won't close. Maybe it's stuck."

As she spoke, she turned her back to him, exposing her smooth, snow-white skin completely.

Seeing this sight, Li Luo's gaze fixed on the thin white straps on her back, and he unconsciously held his breath: "Why not ask a salesperson for help?"

"Why call a salesperson when you're here?" Xu Youyu glanced back at him, rolling her eyes—then noticed his stare and burst out laughing. "You're clearly peeking, yet you still manage to sound so noble?"

"If you want to look, just look—I'm not hiding it from you."

"Should I strip completely so you can look your fill?"

As soon as she said this, she made a motion to pull off the top of the dress—Li Luo instantly reached out and grabbed her shoulder straps.

Watching his flustered reaction, Xu Youyu couldn't help giggling: "Alright, alright—I'm not really going to take it off. Just teasing you. Help me zip it up."

"Cough…" Li Luo snapped back to himself and quickly zipped the dress for her.

But after she put on the black evening gown, she didn't move to leave. Instead, she turned back, pressed him against the wall, and wrapped herself tightly around him, close and intimate.

In the cramped space, Li Luo's breathing grew rapid.

But Xu Youyu held him only a moment before pulling away with a smile, opening the door and stepping out, glancing back with a teasing grin: "What are you daydreaming about in there?"

"We should finish shopping soon—we need to go home."

"Otherwise, if your brother comes back and finds us both gone, our secret might slip."

"Mm…" Li Luo lingered on the memory of the embrace, following Xu Youyu out of the dressing room. Watching her graceful figure ahead, his mind buzzed.

The thrill was just too intense.