Chapter 401: The Real Birthday Gift

After stepping out of the elevator, Li Luo and Xu Youyu held hands and quickly ran away from others' sight.

Only when the surroundings were nearly empty did Xu Youyu stop and pull Li Luo to a halt.

Watching Xu Youyu lean on her knees, panting, Li Luo stood aside and chuckled, "I thought you weren't the shy type."

"How was I supposed to know you'd dare respond in that situation?" Xu Youyu gave him a light smack, "I was so embarrassed."

Saying that, Xu Youyu stepped to the roadside, raised her hand to hail a taxi, and after pulling Li Luo inside, told the driver, "To Bihai Lanting, thank you."

Li Luo got in beside her, ignored the driver in front on this late night, and continued their earlier conversation: "It wasn't my fault—you started it. I just gave a little counterattack."

"Hmph, you're such a bad guy."

Xu Youyu said it, but still leaned into Li Luo's arms.

Li Luo naturally wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and the two nestled together on the backseat.

Until Li Luo looked up at the rearview mirror and met the driver's gaze—his body stiffened for an instant.

"What a coincidence," the driver clearly noticed Li Luo's stare and chuckled, "This is the third time we've met today."

"Y-yes…" Li Luo's back instantly prickled with sweat as he forced a awkward smile, "Driver, you're really hardworking—why are you still driving this late?"

"Gotta support my family," the driver glanced at Li Luo in the mirror and finally couldn't hold back, "But how busy are you? Dating three girls in one day—that's exhausting."

Li Luo sheepishly rubbed his nose, but beside him, Xu Youyu, after hearing their exchange, eagerly asked Li Luo, "The three girls the driver mentioned—the other two are Xi Xi and Zhusheng, right?"

"Yeah…"

"You know the other two too?" the driver asked, astonished.

"We all live together, of course we know each other," Xu Youyu grinned happily, still clutching Li Luo's arm, "He went out with me tonight only after getting approval from the other two."

Driver: "…?"

What?

What do you mean the other two approved of you two going on a date?

So all three of you know the others are going out with this guy?

And you all live together? What kind of setup is that?

The driver was utterly baffled by Xu Youyu's words, his logic stuck, nearly crashing from the overload.

Seeing the driver's expression in the rearview mirror, Li Luo also grimaced slightly and whispered to Xu Youyu's ear, "The driver's daughter is a sophomore at Qian University—don't say anything crazy."

"You knew that too?" Xu Youyu asked, surprised.

"Cough… we chatted a bit during the daytime ride."

"Oh come on, it's just joking around," Xu Youyu whispered with a grin, "We're not at Qian University now—what's there to worry about?"

Hearing that, Li Luo thought it made sense and let it go.

For the rest of the ride, the driver said nothing, silently processing the massive amount of information.

Once he finally sorted out what was going on, his gaze toward Li Luo grew complex.

This kid… on what basis?

When Li Luo and Xu Youyu got out at the entrance of Bihai Lanting, the driver's question remained unanswered.

Watching Li Luo and Xu Youyu walk hand-in-hand into the compound, the driver couldn't help but click his tongue, thinking he'd have to tell his daughter.

Can't let this guy fool her at school.

…

Back in the compound, Li Luo and Xu Youyu put the earlier incident behind them.

Walking hand-in-hand toward their building, Xu Youyu said, "We've seen the movie—what do you think about writing it into the novel?"

"Sure, give it a try," Li Luo nodded. "Just draft the outline later."

"Although 'My Slightly Secret Love' is a movie, I don't think Jiang Mingyue is right to play it," Xu Youyu added. "You could try assigning Shen Dongdong?"

Hearing this, Li Luo shook his head and smiled, "That won't work—the female lead must be Jiang Mingyue."

"Huh? Why?" Xu Youyu blinked, puzzled, then laughed, "Don't just be doing this because of me—trying to save the role for Jiang Mingyue."

"Of course not," Li Luo shook his head, smiling. "This concerns the development arcs of all three female leads—can't be vague."

"Although Jiang Mingyue debuted as a TV actress, after the protagonist Li Yang's first trial TV drama, she mostly shifted to films."

"As for Shen Dongdong, I've defined her path as strictly TV—no film involvement."

"Mo Qinghan is purely music-focused. Each female lead has her own domain—no crossover allowed."

"Otherwise, their roles get confused, damaging the entire novel's structure."

Xu Youyu nodded in agreement: "If that's the case, only Jiang Mingyue can play the film role—but wouldn't she be mismatched as Lin Zhenxin?"

"Why mismatched?"

"In your book, Jiang Mingyue is mainly portrayed as a sophisticated, mature woman—playing a high school student doesn't feel right, does it?"

"You've forgotten Jiang Mingyue's original setup," Li Luo chuckled. "I wrote her as a child star."

"Though she's had a longer career than the protagonist, she's only two years older than him."

"The protagonist is just a sophomore—Jiang Mingyue is barely a senior in college; playing Lin Zhenxin is perfectly fine."

"She's called a sophisticated woman, but she's not tall—what matters is styling and makeup."

"But that's actually part of the movie's theme: early on, Lin Zhenxin looks plain, but her foundation is excellent—she just doesn't know how to dress up."

"So casting Jiang Mingyue is flawless—she can even create contrast by being styled plainly, shocking the audience."

"Mm, that makes sense," Xu Youyu nodded, picking up his thread, "If the casting's fine, then it's settled."

"I originally thought simpler—I knew you were controlling the protagonists' career growth pace."

"So I figured a movie like 'My Slightly Secret Love'—low-budget, high-return, not a full-blown mega-hit—would be perfect for early accumulation."

"That way, you can control Jiang Mingyue's rise in the film industry while ensuring both commercial success and good reviews, without making the protagonist's directorial achievements stand out too fast."

Li Luo nodded; as she spoke, he added with a smile, "And the movie's theme song was written by me—we can do a song crossover—Jiang Qinghan sings it in the novel, and Zhusheng records a version outside."

The two of them chatted about online novel writing, growing more and more enthusiastic, talking all the way from the gated entrance of the compound to the door of 1502.

"By the way," Li Luo said as he fished out his key to unlock the door, turning to Xu Youyu, "Senior, you're taking the college entrance exam next year—will 'Literary Era' finish before the exam?"

"Probably," Xu Youyu said, stroking his chin in thought. "I've already started wrapping things up—should be another three or four months or so."

"Then after it ends, focus on preparing for the exam," Li Luo said with a smile. "After the exam, you'll start working on your next book?"

"Yeah," Xu Youyu chuckled. "I want to try that qi-revival writing style you mentioned."

"Then I'll be waiting."

Li Luo inserted the key into the lock, opened the door, and both fell into silent agreement to drop all discussion of online novels.

The piano room was quiet, and the living room was empty—Yan Zhusheng must have gone to bed.

Xu Youyu stretched lazily, showing no intention to do anything else; he was already perfectly satisfied with tonight's outing.

"I'm going to take a shower and sleep," Xu Youyu waved at Li Luo, then returned to his room to fetch his pajamas before heading into the bathroom.

At that moment.

Just as Li Luo was about to return to his room, he saw Ying Chanxi open her bedroom door and step out, stretching with obvious exhaustion.

Seeing Li Luo standing in the living room, Ying Chanxi paused slightly, then glanced at the wall clock: "You only got back now?"

"Yeah…" Li Luo looked at the time, nearly midnight, and gave a reluctant nod, acknowledging the truth.

Ying Chanxi narrowed her eyes slightly, wearing her cute panda pajamas and slippers, walking up to Li Luo with a suspicious look: "The Yintai Mall closes at ten at night—how did you two end up out so late?"

"We did something else."

"Did you watch a movie?" Ying Chanxi asked. "Only movie theaters stay open later."

"Yeah… we watched a movie."

"You didn't sit in the couple's seats, did you?" Ying Chanxi puckered her cute little nose, sounding slightly displeased.

"We sat in friends' seats," Li Luo corrected.

Ying Chanxi: "..."

Watching Ying Chanxi fall momentarily speechless, the next second Li Luo heard her huff in annoyance, feeling her head bumping lightly against his chest.

"Alright, alright—it's my birthday, so you both wanted to spend more time with me. I'm really grateful," Li Luo hugged Ying Chanxi and whispered softly into her ear, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"I'm not asking anymore," Ying Chanxi pouted, rubbing her face against his chest. "You only said you were going to buy clothes—I had no idea you'd go watch a movie too."

"But we're back now," Li Luo patted her back, then changed the subject. "Why are you still awake so late?"

"I was waiting for you to come back," Ying Chanxi lifted her head, blinked her eyes at Li Luo, and bit her lip. "I have a gift for you."

"What is it?"

"Let me drink some water first—I'm thirsty."

"I'll pour you some," Li Luo released Ying Chanxi, picked up the thermos from the coffee table, and poured her a cup of water.

Ying Chanxi stared at the cup Li Luo offered but made no move to take it; instead, she stepped closer and opened her mouth directly.

Seeing this, Li Luo chuckled, brought the cup to her lips, and carefully fed her two sips.

But he wasn't precise enough—some water still trickled down the corner of her mouth.

Li Luo quickly grabbed a tissue and wiped her mouth, making her lips look even redder, plumper, and more dewy—tempting enough to bite into and taste.

"Come with me."

After drinking, Ying Chanxi eagerly grabbed Li Luo's hand and pulled him toward her bedroom.

Once inside her room, she led him to the desk, sat down in front of it, gripped the mouse, and began operating her laptop.

The opened folder contained several video files.

Ying Chanxi confirmed the file label, paused the mouse over one file, then glanced at the clock—three minutes remained until midnight.

She stood up and stepped aside, telling Li Luo: "Sit in the chair. Get ready."

"Ready for what?" Li Luo sat in Ying Chanxi's chair, reached for the mouse, and asked curiously.

"This one," Ying Chanxi pointed to the video file the mouse had hovered over, then immediately pressed down on Li Luo's right hand and whispered, "Not yet—you have to wait until midnight to click it."

"Oh," Li Luo nodded, glancing curiously at the video file—the listed duration was over ten minutes.

He'd originally thought it was just the MV for 'Chasing the Light,' but this length suggested otherwise?

That only made him more curious and eager.

Amid this anticipation, Ying Chanxi, standing beside him, blushed slightly, looking rather embarrassed.

When the clock ticked to 23:59, Ying Chanxi confirmed the time, hurried toward the door, and called over her shoulder: "When it hits midnight, remember to open it—I'll wait outside until you finish… ah!"

Before she could finish, Li Luo reached out and pulled her back, laughing: "It's just a video—why are you leaving me alone to watch it?"

Saying this, Li Luo wrapped his arms around her, letting Ying Chanxi plop down squarely onto his lap, facing the laptop with her slender waist held in his embrace.

As the clock struck exactly midnight, Ying Chanxi watched Li Luo reach for the mouse, about to click the video file—her face flushed crimson, squirming in his arms:

"N-No… you watch it alone, okay? I'll come back after you're done!"

"Is this video something shameful?" Li Luo laughed, still holding her tightly. "Be good, don't squirm—stay and watch it with me."

He gripped the mouse and clicked the video, immediately expanding it to full screen.

As the opening notes of 'Waiting for You After Class' began to play, Ying Chanxi finally accepted reality, settling quietly against Li Luo's chest, no longer struggling.

"It's just that MV we filmed together," Li Luo said, glancing at the opening. "Why are you so shy?"

"Ah… don't talk, just watch," Ying Chanxi mumbled, hiding her face against his chest.

Li Luo, puzzled, kept watching.

When the MV for 'Waiting for You After Class' ended, the video abruptly switched to a fixed shot.

"Hey, hey—can you hear me?"

In the frame, Ying Chanxi sat upright at the desk—the background clearly showed her own bedroom.

The Ying Chanxi on-screen waved at the camera, tested her voice, then began her message.

"Cough, cough." Ying Chanxi cleared her throat and said in the video, "When you see this video, if I managed to finish it on time, it should be your birthday right now?"

"We agreed to celebrate two days early, on Saturday."

"But I think celebrating on the actual birthday day holds more meaning."

"So… I prepared this video."

"Honestly, I didn't even know what to record—just wanted to talk a little, wish you a happy birthday and all that."

"Hmm… oh no, I'm so nervous, I don't know what to say anymore."

"Maybe I should sing instead? I'll sing 'Waiting for You After Class' and 'Chasing the Light.'"

With that, Ying Chanxi in the video began softly humming.

Though not as professional as Yan Zhusheng, her voice carried the innocence and purity befitting a girl her age.

A truly authentic voice.

Li Luo hugged Ying Chanxi tightly, resting his chin on her head and chuckling, "You sang beautifully—why are you so shy about it?"

"Don't say that," Ying Chanxi murmured, burying her face in his arms, cheeks flushed, refusing to look at him.

In the video, after finishing the two songs, Ying Chanxi began singing the birthday song.

When she finished, she looked seriously into the camera, forming a heart with both hands in front of her chest and winking at him: "Happy birthday, Li Luo~"

Seeing this, Li Luo couldn't help but laugh softly.

Even without watching the video, Ying Chanxi knew exactly what was playing just from the sound, and she let out a shy little whimper, tapping his chest with her small hand and whispering, "Y-You're not allowed to laugh."

"Alright, alright, I won't laugh," Li Luo held back his amusement, yet a warm current slowly flowed through his heart, tightening his arms around her.

After that, Li Luo watched as the video Ying Chanxi offered more birthday wishes, until finally she said, "And lastly, here's the result of our efforts these past two days—the MV for 'Chasing the Light.' Please enjoy~"

The next second, the screen switched.

The embarrassing content finally ended, and Ying Chanxi finally lifted her head from Li Luo's arms.

Li Luo settled her on his lap and smiled, "Shouldn't we watch the final MV together?"

"Mm." Ying Chanxi nodded softly, snuggling into his arms, gazing intently at the laptop screen beside him.

"If you're~"

"The fireworks over the sea~"

"I'm the foam of the waves~"

"At one moment~"

"Your light illuminated me~"