Chapter 402

Ying Chanxi really loves the song "Chasing Light."

Although she also likes all the other songs Li Luo wrote, if asked which one she loves most, Ying Chanxi would most likely choose "Chasing Light."

Especially the lyrics—every time she listens, they effortlessly stir her heartstrings, making her heart tremble in rhythm, as if the song were about her and Li Luo.

Just as the lyrics say, Li Luo truly did, during one dark period of her life, become a burst of fireworks, illuminating her.

And as they entered high school, Li Luo finally blossomed into his own brilliance.

Even though Ying Chanxi was top of her grade, now serving as student council president, and had earned an impressive result in the national math competition, she still felt she couldn't keep up with Li Luo's rapid progress.

The boy she had grown up with since childhood seemed, on some day she never noticed, to have suddenly grown up.

She had no time to react before she saw him becoming better day by day.

By the time she came to her senses, not only were all the girls in school talking about him, but other equally outstanding girls had also appeared around Li Luo—girls besides her.

And she herself was just like the one described in "Chasing Light"—

"I can follow behind you~"

"Like a shadow chasing light, wandering in dreams~"

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"I can wait here at this crossroad~"

"No matter whether you'll pass by~"

When she heard these lyrics sung by Li Luo in the video, Ying Chanxi, sitting sideways on his lap, clung to him even tighter.

As if holding a treasure she'd owned since childhood, unwilling to let go.

Li Luo sensed Ying Chanxi's emotions, watching the video playing on his laptop screen—the footage they had shot the previous morning.

Ying Chanxi stood alone at the crossroad, beside the traffic light flickering from red to green.

Pedestrians passed by her, but she simply stood there quietly, occasionally lifting her gaze to the sky, a single tear sliding from the corner of her eye.

When they filmed it, Li Luo hadn't felt much.

But when this image, paired with the lyrics, appeared before him, Li Luo suddenly felt as if a fine needle had gently pricked his heart.

Without thinking, he pulled Ying Chanxi closer.

Yet when the song reached its second half, and the second and third choruses began to play—

As Li Luo's voice in the video sang, "Some love is like a torrential downpour~ yet still~ believing in the rainbow~," the screen showed the two of them embracing.

Then a rainbow appeared above their heads, and the next instant, accompanied by the lyrics, Li Luo and Ying Chanxi kissed on camera.

Sitting sideways, Ying Chanxi stole a glance at this scene in the video, then couldn't help lifting her head slightly in Li Luo's arms to sneak a look at his expression.

But Li Luo happened to lower his head and look at her.

At that moment, a certain atmosphere that made hearts flutter quietly formed between them.

Li Luo looked at the blushing girl in his arms, her face flushed as she lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze, and reached out to pinch her delicate chin, lifting her face back up.

"W-what are you doing?"

Ying Chanxi heard the MV in the video nearing its end; her blush deepened like twilight spreading across the sky.

"Why are you hiding? Look at me," Li Luo smiled softly.

"I—I wasn't hiding… it's just… just…" Ying Chanxi glanced shyly at the notebook on her desk.

Soon after—

When the ending instrumental of "Chasing Light" faded out, the video's scene switched again.

Ying Chanxi's image reappeared on screen.

But the next second, Ying Chanxi quickly reached out, grabbed the mouse, and muted the video's volume.

So Li Luo could only see Ying Chanxi saying something on screen, reading her lips, but hearing no sound.

Ying Chanxi hadn't added subtitles to this blessing video, so Li Luo had no idea what she said at the very end.

"Alright, alright, the video's over," Ying Chanxi shut the video, snapped the laptop shut, and avoided looking at Li Luo, her face filled with guilt; she didn't dare leave immediately, afraid he might open the laptop again to watch the video's ending.

Seeing this, Li Luo paused for a few seconds, then smiled and pinched her cheek: "What did you say at the end? Why didn't you want me to see it?"

"W-what are you talking about? It was just a joke," Ying Chanxi hurriedly explained, "I suddenly thought it wasn't appropriate to say something like that on your birthday, so I turned it off."

"So what did you say?"

"Hmph! I won't tell you!"

Ying Chanxi shoved the laptop to the far end of the desk and jumped off Li Luo's lap.

Li Luo made no move to press further; he merely glanced at Ying Chanxi's laptop with an unreadable expression, then pressed his lips together.

He rose from the chair in front of Ying Chanxi's desk and walked toward the door of her bedroom.

When he reached the doorway, he said: "It's late already. We have school tomorrow. Let's go to sleep."

"Mm…" Ying Chanxi nodded, murmuring in agreement, but after watching Li Luo leave her bedroom, she followed him step by step all the way to the door of his bedroom.

As Li Luo reached for the handle to enter his room, noticing she was still behind him, he turned around with a soft laugh: "What now?"

"N-nothing," Ying Chanxi scratched her cheek nervously, avoiding his gaze, yet still standing behind him, whispering, "I just… I just forgot to ask."

"Ask what?"

As Li Luo spoke, he opened the bedroom door and stepped inside.

"I just wanted to ask… after watching the video, what do you think?" Ying Chanxi followed him into the room. "The video itself… and my MV, this birthday blessing—what do you think?"

"Hmm," Li Luo had just stepped into the bedroom when he heard the question and immediately turned around.

Ying Chanxi, walking behind him, didn't react in time and stumbled right into his arms.

Li Luo naturally opened his arms and pulled her close, whispering into her ear: "The video was beautiful, the MV was excellent—I loved it. Thanks for all your hard work, Director Ying."

"Mm… if you think it's good, then that's enough," Ying Chanxi leaned against him, her cheeks faintly flushed, her heart swelling with joy at his praise.

But the next second, she felt her chin pinched again, her blushing face lifted upward.

"Y-you're doing what?"

"Nothing." Li Luo looked down at Ying Chanxi's soft pink lips and whispered, "I just have a question for Instructor Ying—after this 'Chasing the Light' MV, will you keep filming MVs for other songs?"

"Of course! You have so many songs left—you definitely have to keep filming." Ying Chanxi dared not meet Li Luo's gaze, her eyes darting left and right, her heart pounding.

Then she heard Li Luo continue: "So… will there be kissing scenes in future MVs too?"

"Well…" Ying Chanxi's heart skipped a beat, as if she'd been completely exposed.

But remembering this was just a necessary sacrifice for filming, she suddenly mustered courage, straightened her small chest, tensed her face, and said seriously: "Of course—everything's for the MV. Kissing scenes… uh… are necessary elements."

"I see." Li Luo's finger brushed across Ying Chanxi's soft lips, gently tracing them. "Then… want to practice again?"

Hearing those words, Ying Chanxi's heart leapt. She couldn't hold back—her gaze swept to Li Luo's face, landed on his lips, and she unconsciously pressed her own small mouth together.

Xu Youyu was probably still in the bathroom; Yan Zhusheng had likely already fallen asleep.

A flood of thoughts flashed through Ying Chanxi's mind like lightning. Then she whispered: "I-I can't deal with you… kissing scenes really do need practice… since you said it like this, then… uh… mm!"

Before she could finish, Li Luo could no longer hold back—he leaned down and sealed her lips.

He hadn't expected it—Ying Chanxi, always so stubborn, had lips that were unexpectedly soft when kissed.

Along with those soft lips, her body, like her mouth, instantly melted into a limp heap in Li Luo's arms, entirely supported by his encircling hands.

Probably because she'd practiced for a long time with Yan Zhusheng in the KTV that afternoon, Li Luo's movements were still awkward, but surely better than Ying Chanxi's.

But neither of them had expected—

The water sound in the bathroom had long stopped.

And on Li Luo's bed, a figure who had dozed off for over an hour stirred awake at the noise by the door, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

A moment later—

The bathroom door down the hall opened.

Footsteps sounded behind Li Luo.

"Whoa~"

Xu Youyu's voice suddenly appeared behind Ying Chanxi. She instantly shoved Li Luo away, turned crimson, spun around, and stared wide-eyed at Xu Youyu.

Behind Li Luo came Yan Zhusheng's voice: "Good evening."

Hearing that voice, Li Luo instantly turned his head, then glanced sideways—and when he saw Yan Zhusheng standing in his bedroom, he asked in shock: "Why are you in my room?"

"After my bath, I thought you and Senior Ying would come back, so I waited in your room to wish you a happy birthday." Yan Zhusheng rubbed his eyes, still drowsy, and said to Li Luo, "But you two came back so late—I accidentally fell asleep on your bed."

Hearing Yan Zhusheng's voice from the bedroom, Ying Chanxi's heart pounded even faster. She covered her face and refused to look at either of them.

For Yan Zhusheng, who already knew Li Luo and Ying Chanxi had kissed, there was no reaction.

But Xu Youyu in the hallway smiled, and softly asked them: "Li Luo… you and Xixi… hmm?"

"Cough…" Li Luo cleared his throat, about to explain.

Beside him, Ying Chanxi blurted out frantically: "It's just MV practice! There are kissing scenes in the next MV, so I practiced with Li Luo… uh… just practice! Senior, don't overthink it!"

"Oh~ MV practice." Xu Youyu nodded knowingly, her expression one of sudden understanding—but her eyes kept flickering between Ying Chanxi and Li Luo's lips, as if thinking something unspoken. "So… have you two already kissed in the MVs these past two days?"

Ying Chanxi's face burned red. She barely nodded, her head nearly buried in her chest.

But Yan Zhusheng in the bedroom said: "Xixi, you said before it was just a misalignment."

"Th-this… this…" Ying Chanxi's face turned bright red. She hurriedly explained, "It's because… I was too embarrassed…"

"I understand, I understand." Xu Youyu chuckled, walked over to Ying Chanxi, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and pushed Li Luo—who stood at the door—into Li Luo's bedroom.

Then Xu Youyu said: "But why are you two practicing kissing scenes so late at night? Is the next MV shooting soon?"

"Uh… just practicing… but we'll keep filming MVs too." Ying Chanxi gave a vague response to Xu Youyu's questions, and without realizing it, was led by Xu Youyu onto Li Luo's bed.

On the other side, Yan Zhusheng pulled Li Luo to the bedside.

When Ying Chanxi finally came to her senses, all four of them were already lying on the bed.

"Xixi," Yan Zhusheng, lying beside her, propped herself up on Li Luo's chest and leaned over to ask Ying Chanxi curiously, "So… what's it like when you kiss?"

"Huh?" Ying Chanxi was embarrassed by the question, murmuring softly into Xu Youyu's arms: "Is… is this something you can talk about?"

"Of course." Yan Zhusheng nodded. "Think of it as helping Li Luo with research. I felt my heart racing, my head spinning when I kissed—what about you, Xixi?"

"For me… my mind went blank, like my whole body was wrapped up, my lips felt… wait!" Ying Chanxi, blushing, said this—then suddenly realized something, her eyes snapping wide open as she stared at Yan Zhusheng: "Y-you just said what?"

"What?" Yan Zhusheng tilted her head, puzzled.

"Zhusheng," Xu Youyu, still holding Ying Chanxi, now looked sharply at Yan Zhusheng on the other side, voicing Ying Chanxi's unspoken question: "How do you know what kissing feels like?"

"I helped Li Luo with research this afternoon too," Yan Zhusheng said without hesitation, blinking innocently, her tone utterly guileless. "What's wrong?"

"What?!" Ying Chanxi's eyes widened, staring fixedly at Yan Zhusheng's face, then turning to Li Luo, who lay stunned and awkward on the bed, then back to Yan Zhusheng: "Y-you… you two…"

"Oh~" Xu Youyu narrowed her eyes, a faint, dangerous smile curling at her lips. "So you helped Li Luo with research too."

"Cough…" Li Luo quietly raised his right hand and murmured, "It's very late. Shouldn't we go to sleep?"

"Shut up," Ying Chanxi snapped, slapping her hand over Li Luo's mouth, then turned to Yan Zhusheng: "When did you do the research?"

"At the KTV," Yan Zhusheng said. "When did you and Li Luo film the kissing scene? The night before last, or yesterday morning?"

"Mm…" Seeing Yan Zhusheng answer so directly, Ying Chanxi hesitated, then stammered: "The night before last… and yesterday morning… uh… also… it was all just for the MV."

"I did it for singing too," Yan Zhusheng nodded.

"What singing needs kissing?" Ying Chanxi glared. "Didn't you just say it was research?"

"Right," Yan Zhusheng nodded. "Li Luo wrote a song called 'Little Luck'—originally for me to sing. But the producer said I didn't sing it with as much feeling as Mom, so they cut me."

"But if I kissed Li Luo, I'd feel that emotion while singing—it made me sing with way more feeling."

"Ask Li Luo—wasn't it much better than the previous version?"

"Mmm," Li Luo, lying on the bed, pointed at his mouth still covered by Ying Chanxi's hand, and nodded in agreement.

"But you still can't just…." Ying Chanxi began, but her voice grew quieter—because she realized she had no solid ground or reason to scold Yan Zhusheng.

Yet the thought that Li Luo had kissed Yan Zhusheng that afternoon made her heart ache terribly.

Then Ying Chanxi couldn't help asking, "So, have you two ever taken material like this before?"

"I have," Yan Zhusheng nodded.

"You have?!" Ying Chanxi cried in disbelief, suddenly looking down at Li Luo.

But the next moment, Yan Zhusheng added, "Though kissing to take material is still new."

At these words, Ying Chanxi's heart, which had already risen to her throat, suddenly dropped back down: "This… so that's how it is?"

Somehow, she could now accept it a little more.

At least…

Li Luo's first kiss still belonged to her.

She should have felt a little hurt seeing Li Luo kiss other girls.

But she herself was only using the excuse of filming the MV to kiss Li Luo.

Just like Yan Zhusheng was using singing and taking material as an excuse.

Ying Chanxi couldn't think of anything else to say; finally, she just sulked, pulling herself into the quilt and burying her head in Li Luo's arms, silent.

Li Luo held Ying Chanxi in the quilt, glancing left at the innocent-looking Yan Zhusheng, then right at the smiling Xu Youyu, and let out an awkward laugh.

But since Ying Chanxi said nothing more, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He had originally thought the timing wasn't right, that he needed to wait longer.

Yet now it seemed Ying Chanxi was slowly beginning to accept this kind of thing?

He didn't know if it was because the four of them had played the flying chess game too wildly during his birthday…

Xu Youyu, watching Li Luo with one arm around each girl, rolled her eyes at him, her lips moving slightly, but she ultimately said nothing, laid her head down, and leaned against the pillow.

Seeing Xu Youyu ask no more questions, Li Luo exhaled deeply and turned to look at the original instigator, Yan Zhusheng.

But Yan Zhusheng only blinked innocently at him, glanced at Ying Chanxi, who had already buried her head and closed her eyes to sleep, then boldly leaned forward and lightly kissed Li Luo's lips.

Li Luo's eyes widened in shock as he stared at her.

"I just took material," Yan Zhusheng whispered into Li Luo's ear, "Next time, I want to film the scene where Li Yang and Mo Qinghan sneak a kiss while Shen Dongdong and Mo Qinghan are both present—what do you think, Li Luo?"