Chapter 403

After Li Luo's birthday, the four of them returned to the ordinary rhythm of school life.

As December 21st arrived and a new week began, the student council became utterly swamped.

Because the First Attached High School's New Year's event was drawing ever closer.

As student council president, Ying Chanxi had even less free time for anything else.

Plans for filming the new MV were temporarily shelved due to recent busyness, leaving Ying Chanxi with a lingering sense of regret.

Ever since she'd kissed Li Luo, she'd developed a craving for it… After his birthday, she couldn't help sneaking glances at his lips, then feeling her body grow hot.

She simply couldn't control that thought.

But the student council was busy enough to keep her from doing anything else.

She had to review and approve New Year's games from each class, identifying which ones might be dangerous and requiring corresponding classes to revise them.

She also had to review club activities submitted for the afternoon New Year's event—every club in the school, except those established solely for competitions, had to organize an activity.

In addition, all applications for evening bonfire party performances required her personal review.

Especially the bonfire party performances, since school administrators and teachers would also attend.

Ying Chanxi also had to organize rehearsals for each performance to ensure there were no issues.

These performances came from classes as units, clubs as units, or individual teachers and students.

This was Ying Chanxi's first time managing such a large-scale project; for the following days, she had no time to stay by Li Luo's side, rushing endlessly around student council duties—far busier than when organizing club recruitment or the sports meet.

Xu Youyu, watching Ying Chanxi collapse onto the sofa the moment she got home late at night, chuckled: "Feeling how hard my year was now?"

"Why are there so many things to do?" Ying Chanxi groaned, scratching her head, then rolled over on the sofa. "How did you handle it last year, senior?"

"I was just as busy last year," Xu Youyu said, spreading her hands. "And the week before New Year's Eve is always the busiest, because everyone procrastinates—and studying is the school's main focus; many people don't take this seriously."

"So usually, everyone scrambles to rehearse performances only a week before New Year's."

"Class game lists and club activities all pile up at once. You'll get used to it—delegate small tasks to others, don't always do everything yourself."

"I can't help checking everything myself," Ying Chanxi said. "In the end, I'm still the busiest one."

"Then you need to learn a lesson," Xu Youyu grinned. "Sometimes being lazy leads to the best results—if you micromanage every project, you might not do well anyway."

"And what's the point of the New Year's event? It's mainly for everyone to relax and have fun for a day, forget about studying—students and teachers alike."

"Whether the class games are fun, the club activities interesting, or the evening performances entertaining—it doesn't really matter. Just hitting sixty percent is enough."

"We're not preparing for the Spring Festival Gala. Just go through the motions."

"What matters is playing together with familiar classmates—no matter what you do, everyone will find it enjoyable."

After listening to Xu Youyu's speech, Ying Chanxi nodded seriously, clearly learning a lot.

Mostly because Ying Chanxi was a serious person; since childhood, no matter what she did, she always strived to do her best.

Xu Youyu, by contrast, was more laid-back—except for studying, where she maintained outstanding grades to secure her mother's permission to move out.

At all other times, she took every opportunity to slack off.

This created a starkly different work style from Ying Chanxi's.

"President, you've worked hard," Li Luo said, taking off his shoes, putting his bag away, then walking over to the sofa, standing behind it with a smile. "Sit up—I'll give you a shoulder massage. How's that?"

"Mmm… a little lighter," Ying Chanxi closed her eyes, enjoying it, then couldn't help adding, "Actually, my legs are more tired—I've been running back and forth between the gym and classrooms organizing rehearsals, almost died."

"Alright, alright," Li Luo walked around the sofa, sat down, and let Ying Chanxi lie back.

Ying Chanxi placed both legs on Li Luo's thighs and began enjoying his leg massage.

Xu Youyu, just coming out of the fridge with a small pudding, stared at the scene on the sofa and clucked her tongue: "Why didn't I get this treatment when I was this busy last year?"

"Senior, you're better at slacking off—you weren't this tired this time last year, were you?"

"Oh, true," Xu Youyu nodded. "I delegated bonfire party rehearsal duties—two Gao Er student council members each handled one performance, only coming to me if there was a problem."

"Then you're definitely a master of slacking off."

"That's called trusting your people," Xu Youyu huffed. "Xixi, try it—you're aiming to be CEO of Chongran Culture someday, learning to delegate is crucial."

"I think it's because Xixi's been vice-class monitor too long," Li Luo chuckled. "Back in Class Eight, I had her doing everything herself—now in the student council, she can't shift that mindset."

"Don't you dare!" Ying Chanxi kicked him, annoyed—thinking of herself as student council president yet still just vice-class monitor in her own class made her furious.

"Stop it," Li Luo pressed firmly on the sole of her foot; Ying Chanxi gasped and collapsed onto the sofa, her face pouting as she glared at him.

But Li Luo just played with her tiny foot, making her blush, and she whispered softly: "It's dirty… don't touch my feet."

At this moment, Yan Zhusheng had already gone into the bathroom to shower. Xu Youyu watched the two playing on the sofa, sipped her pudding, and headed to her bedroom: "I'm going back to my room—Xixi, call me when you're done showering."

"Okay, got it."

After massaging Ying Chanxi a bit longer on the sofa, Li Luo stood up: "I'll go shower too—I still have to write later."

"Mm, go ahead," Ying Chanxi nodded, rising and heading to the kitchen. "I'll cut you some fruit."

Li Luo pinched her cheek, thanked her, and turned back to his room.

When he came out of the shower, a plate of fruit sat on his desk, and his cup had been refilled with hot water—the cup's walls were still hot to the touch.

He plopped down at his desk, turned on his computer, logged into QQ and his author backend, opened his writing software, checked messages, then planned to keep writing.

At that moment, editor Qianzhou sent a message.

【Qianzhou】: Next Friday, New Year's Day, January 1st, your novel "Little Joys" will be launching.

【Qianzhou】: There will be corresponding promotional activities—get ready.

【Qianzhou】: Currently, your serial readership is around two thousand. If this were your official new novel, this would be a flop.

【Qianzhou】: But as a realistic-themed work, since this category was established, your serial readership is far ahead—the next best only has three or four hundred.

【Chongran】: I never expected great subscription numbers—take it slow. I've already finished writing it anyway.

【Qianzhou】: Alright, as long as it doesn't affect you.

Honestly, if you judged by Li Luo's current average subscription of fifty thousand for "I Am Really Not a Star," any normal urban-themed Online Novel he started would have decent initial numbers.

But "Little Joys" is different.

Readers come to Qidian to read for fun; who wants to read your high school family drama?

The protagonist has no cheat system, and the viewpoint frequently shifts between other supporting characters.

Even so, over two thousand readers still stuck with it; Li Luo thought that was already quite good.

It wasn't just Li Luo who thought it was good.

Even Qidian thought it was good.

When Qidian first created the "Reality" category, they only did it to satisfy upper management's demands.

It was purely for fulfilling a quota, going through the motions, to give the impression that "online novel platforms must also shoulder certain social responsibilities."

Could a blockbuster hit emerge from the Reality category?

Qidian never even considered it.

Now, Li Luo's "Little Joys" has appeared out of nowhere, drawing over two thousand followers during its debut period, and its content is more akin to physical novels, not the typical online novel style.

After going live, it might even reach the 3,000-average-subscription threshold for premium status.

For Qidian, this wasn't just about meeting expectations—it was a complete success, even an overachievement.

【Qianzhou】: Next month's year-end banquet is coming up; I'm reminding you again—don't forget.

【Chongran】: I remember; I even bought a whole suit.

【Qianzhou】: Haha, I forgot to mention that—you really do need one.

【Qianzhou】: After all, you'll have to go onstage; better dress formally.

After discussing future arrangements with the editor, Li Luo typed a few more words.

When it was nearly time to sleep, he opened the comments section of "I Am Really Not a Star" for a quick look.

To coincide with Ying Chanxi's newly completed MV release, Li Luo added some extra content to his updates these past two days.

It was Yang Li, in his spare time, filming an MV with Shen Dongdong, uploading a version sung by Yang Li as a side story subplot for Shen Dongdong's arc, with no major impact on the main plot.

But the comments section was buzzing with discussion about this scene.

【Okay okay okay, more reality crossover, huh?】

【Laughing so hard—the original singer is Mo Qinghan, but Yang Li and Shen Dongdong kiss in the MV? What kind of absurd plot is this?】

【Mo fans are gonna be furious!】

【So the real-life performers in the MV, Ying Chanxi and Li Luo—this Li Luo, Chongran said was his cousin before; now I suspect this damn guy is actually himself?!】

【So did they kiss or not? The camera angle facing away from the female lead makes it impossible to tell.】

【Isn't Ying Chanxi supposed to be his cousin?】

【I seriously doubt the cousin story is real—haven't you noticed? Early in the novel, Shen Dongdong claimed she was Yang Li's cousin.】

【Wait, but I saw that talent show—Yuan Wanqing's daughter was close to Chongran, even sat next to him!】

【This bastard isn't secretly dating two girls at once, is he? Holy shit! The implications are terrifying!】

【No! Don't tell me the novel is real! If it is, I don't want to live anymore! Tell me it's fake! Fake!】

【I think it's unlikely—didn't Yuan Wanqing's daughter say they're both still high schoolers?】

【You have no idea how wild some high schoolers can get.】

【How wild were you in high school?】

【Can't I just study hard in high school?!】

【We shouldn't call him Chongran anymore—we should call him Chongdog! Damn it! He's not really dating two beautiful girls, is he? I remember Yuan Wanqing's daughter is gorgeous!】

【Ying Chanxi is also insanely beautiful—so pure in the MV, so cute, perfectly matches my fantasy of Shen Dongdong.】

【I think Yuan Wanqing's daughter is named Yan Zhusheng, right? Her image also fits my vision of Mo Qinghan.】

【Is this bastard really writing his autobiography? Are all the female leads based on real people around him?】

【Wait, have you considered that this novel might have three heroines?】

【There's no way Jiang Ming has a real-life prototype—I don't believe it!】

【Impossible—dating three girls at once is sci-fi; it can't be real.】

The comments section buzzed with chatter; Li Luo glanced a few times, then smiled and closed the page.

After planning his next steps, Li Luo browsed online news and searched for updates from Yinjiang District.

He found an official announcement: the expansion of Yinjiang District's subway line will begin construction on December 25.

The pace is surprisingly fast.

Li Luo took note, then recalled in his Memory Palace—he remembered the subway's opening date would be around the summer of 2018.

That means roughly two and a half years of construction.

That's quite fast.

After all, it's only adding four stations, unlike long-distance subway lines.

Seeing the news, Li Luo tapped his desk, deciding to check out the site over the weekend and drop by his uncle's bubble tea shop.

…

Time quickly arrived at Saturday.

Ying Chanxi was swamped with school duties, but thanks to Xu Youyu's lessons on delegation, her stress was somewhat eased.

Yet she didn't notice that classmates' glances toward her carried a strange edge.

Clearly,

Since the "Chasing the Light" MV dropped, our Student Council president has once again become the talk of the school.

Especially the two kissing scenes at the MV's end, triggering countless students' inner explosions and sparking heated discussions in every school QQ group.

Fortunately, members of "Dongdong Is Number One Cute" kept their mouths shut—even Zhang Guohuang didn't gossip outside.

So many still believed the kissing scenes were shot with clever editing.

But only Liu Shaowen, who had once investigated "Dongdong the Cutest in the World," knew just how much this hurt them.

Originally, Liu Shaowen had only joined the group "Little Queen Mo Qinghan's Fan Club" to support Yan Zhusheng and hurry Yan Zhusheng into winning over Li Luo.

But later he discovered that this group frequently shared interactions between Yan Zhusheng and Li Luo that had been witnessed by group members.

Thinking of this, Liu Shaowen couldn't resist applying again to join the QQ group "Dongdong the Cutest in the World," wanting to see what Li Luo and Ying Chanxi were really up to behind closed doors.

The result? Shortly after joining, he got hit with a massive blow—he was completely broken, and he quit the group at lightning speed.

Now that the "Chaser" music video had been released, his desk mate Liao Hailin was still trying to comfort him, saying it must've been a misaligned shot.

But Liu Shaowen knew clearly: he didn't know about the nighttime scene, but the kiss by the roadside during the day was definitely real!

And it lasted a long time!

Ren Zheng, Fang Chen, and the others in class had all seen it clearly with their own eyes!

Every time he thought of this, Liu Shaowen felt a sharp pang in his heart.

Especially when he imagined Li Luo, after kissing Ying Chanxi, still maintaining intimate interactions with Yan Zhusheng in class every day, Liu Shaowen's heart twisted with bitterness.

Finally, on Saturday, another former Class One student quietly tracked down Liu Shaowen and brought up the "Chaser" music video.

Liu Shaowen, unable to bear it any longer, clenched his teeth and walked straight toward the teachers' office on the fifth floor.

When Kong Junxiang heard the knock and said "Come in," he saw Liu Shaowen enter and blinked in slight surprise—he had no idea why he'd come.

But when Liu Shaowen reached Kong Junxiang's desk, he whispered a secret report: "Teacher Kong, Li Luo is secretly dating both Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng. Do you know about this?"

Kong Junxiang's expression turned strange as he glanced at Liu Shaowen: "Hmm… you shouldn't say things like that lightly."

"I'm not making it up!" Liu Shaowen grew anxious. "Teacher Kong, have you watched that music video? The one with Ying Chanxi and Li Luo—they kissed for real!"

"Cough… I watched it," Kong Junxiang waved his hand, signaling him to lower his voice. "It's just misaligned filming. How do you know it was real? They're just pursuing personal hobbies in their free time."

Liu Shaowen grew frantic and pulled out his phone from his pocket: "I'm telling the truth, Teacher Kong, look at this—"

"Hey hey hey!" Kong Junxiang immediately reached out and snatched the phone. "Phones are banned on campus—I'll hold onto it for now. Come get it after school."

Liu Shaowen: "...?"

"There, there," Kong Junxiang patted his shoulder. "I'll look into what you said. Go back now. Finals are coming up—don't let this affect your studies."

Liu Shaowen stood there stunned. Hearing Kong Junxiang say that, he couldn't press further, and finally shuffled out of the office, dejected.

Kong Junxiang glanced at the phone in his hand, casually shoved it into a drawer, and then ignored the matter entirely.

Li Luo… he was completely at ease about him.

His grades were fine, and he acted with restraint—why should he meddle so much?

Li Luo's parents had both attended parent-teacher meetings for Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng already; their family relationships were this close. As homeroom teacher, unless something major happened, he'd just turn a blind eye.

Liu Shaowen coming here to tattle was truly unnecessary.

Kong Junxiang recalled how Liu Shaowen had spoken just now, rubbed his forehead in mild headache, and wondered whether this might hurt the boy's grades.

After all, he was a promising student.

Thinking of this, Kong Junxiang let out a wry laugh—he couldn't help but think Li Luo really was hated by everyone, and he still didn't show any restraint.

Look at how worked up this poor boy had become.