Chapter 419: Professor Yan, What Are You Doing?

Shopping with a woman is tiring; shopping with a middle-aged woman is even more of a torment.

But the good news is, today two middle-aged women were shopping together, so there was no need for Li Guohong and Xu Rongsheng to provide any emotional value.

Lin Xiuhong and Cui Suling browsed clothes in the store, helping each other pick outfits and giving feedback when trying them on.

The most they'd do was walk over to Li Guohong and Xu Rongsheng and ask how the clothes looked.

The two men would nod and say they looked nice, fulfill their duty, then sit back and chat idly.

Even with double pairing, accompanying women shopping was still exhausting.

After all, they didn't just stay in one store.

They'd peek in this shop, glance at that one, then circle back to stores they'd already visited.

Physically and mentally, it was far more draining for Li Guohong and Xu Rongsheng than their usual duties—watching over hotpot restaurants or working at Qian University.

"I should've just stayed home," Li Guohong pulled out a cigarette and offered one to Xu Rongsheng. "Look at them—they're having a great time. What difference does it make if we're here or not?"

"There is a difference," Xu Rongsheng lit his lighter, first lighting Li Guohong's cigarette, then his own. "Can your Xiuhong drive?"

"... No."

"Yeah, mine hasn't learned either," Xu Rongsheng said. "See? That's the difference."

"So we're just here to be drivers?"

"And porters too."

"You've got a good sense of humor, Lao Xu. You must be popular at school."

"Otherwise, how'd I ever get married?"

"Hah."

The two men were now very familiar with each other and spoke freely, without many formalities.

After Xu Rongsheng adapted to Li Guohong's usual conversational style, he no longer sounded like a literature professor.

Honestly, someone in his early forties becoming a professor at Qian University—and even Vice Dean of the College of Literature—could hardly be ordinary.

Though his father-in-law helped, his own abilities were certainly not negligible.

"I wonder how Li Luo and the others are doing," Xu Rongsheng said. "Does buying a swimsuit really take this long?"

As if on cue, four figures appeared outside the clothing store.

Li Guohong saw Ying Chanxi peeking in through the door and waved at them.

Soon, Li Luo led the three girls into the store.

"Done shopping?" Li Guohong asked.

"Done," Li Luo nodded, gesturing to the bags each of them held. "What about you?"

"Ask your mom."

"Mom, done yet?" Li Luo approached Lin Xiuhong, who was admiring herself in the mirror after changing, and asked.

"Almost, almost," Lin Xiuhong twirled in front of the mirror. "How does this look?"

"How many outfits did you buy tonight?"

"Your Aunt Cui and I each bought one," Lin Xiuhong replied, then added, "Answer my question—how does this look?"

"It's ugly," Li Luo said. "Brown makes you look too old. Brighter colors are better—something vivid."

"What about this one?" Lin Xiuhong pointed to another dress she'd liked earlier.

"Try it on. It's definitely better than the one you're wearing."

"I'll try it," Lin Xiuhong said, then saw Cui Suling step out of the fitting room. She immediately pulled her over to show Li Luo. "Those two men don't know anything—they just nod and pretend. Let Li Luo judge."

"Aunt Cui, this looks great," Li Luo smiled. "But I feel like something's missing."

Saying that, Li Luo glanced beside him, reached up, took a scarf from the rack, and draped it around Cui Suling's neck. "Auntie, look in the mirror—I think the scarf balances it. Without it, your neck looks bare and makes the lower part seem bulky."

"You're right... it really does look better," Cui Suling examined herself in the mirror, then took off the scarf and compared. She immediately beamed. "Perfect, perfect! Li Luo, your eye for style is amazing."

With Li Luo's help, Lin Xiuhong and Cui Suling changed clothes for another twenty minutes, bought two more outfits, and walked out of the store looking thoroughly satisfied.

Li Guohong and Xu Rongsheng exchanged a glance, dumbfounded.

"Your Li Luo is no ordinary kid," Xu Rongsheng said after a pause. "Not only did he help pick clothes—he actually cheered them up."

"I don't know where this kid suddenly got smart," Li Guohong clicked his tongue. "He never acted like this when shopping with his mom before."

"Maybe he just practiced?" Xu Rongsheng chuckled, his gaze drifting to the three girls beside him.

Li Guohong followed his gaze, saw the three girls clustered around Li Luo, and fell silent too.

Indeed.

With three girls practicing on him daily, his emotional-value skills were fully honed.

After helping Ying Chanxi and the others pick swimsuits, he still had energy to help Lin Xiuhong and Cui Suling choose clothes—youth really was something else.

On the way to the parking lot, Cui Suling glanced curiously at Xu Youyu's bag and peered inside. "You bought two swimsuits?"

"Yeah..." Xu Youyu subtly hid the bag, not letting her mother see clearly. "They looked nice, so I bought two."

"What style?"

"Just normal swimsuits. What other styles are there?"

As she spoke, Xu Youyu unconsciously glanced at Li Luo.

Coincidentally, Li Luo looked up at the same moment—their eyes met.

Thinking of the other swimsuits Li Luo had picked for her, Xu Youyu's cheeks flushed. She shot him a silent glare.

Li Luo immediately averted his gaze with a sheepish smile, but inside, he was eagerly counting down to the end of the month.

Why did this annual meeting have to be so far away?

Li Guohong and Xu Rongsheng drove the four kids home, then each parent returned to their own house.

After Li Luo and the other three entered the room upstairs, Ying Chanxi went to take a shower first, while Xu Youyu slipped back to his own bedroom to prepare for writing at night.

Naturally, Li Luo locked eyes with Yan Zhusheng, who remained in the living room.

Yan Zhusheng walked over to Li Luo's side, slipped her small hand into his palm, and pulled him toward the piano room.

"Teacher Yan, what are we learning today?"

"Music class."

"Still piano?"

"Mm." Yan Zhusheng pulled him into the piano room, shut the door, and immediately tugged Li Luo to sit before the piano.

Then Yan Zhusheng plopped down right onto Li Luo's thighs.

"Teacher Yan, this isn't appropriate," Li Luo said, though his face betrayed a smile he couldn't suppress, his arms already wrapped around her slender waist.

Normally, piano lessons meant the teacher sat beside the student.

But their teacher-student relationship was clearly anything but normal.

After settling on Li Luo's lap, Yan Zhusheng lifted the piano lid: "What's wrong with that?"

"Who ever sits on a student's lap?"

"Then you sit on mine?"

"Normally, you should sit beside me."

"You talk too much, Student Li." Yan Zhusheng turned her head and kissed him squarely on the lips. "Shut up."

"Why kiss me to make me shut up, Teacher Yan?"

"That's your punishment for not listening in class." Yan Zhusheng tightened her small face, speaking with perfect seriousness.

"Is that so?" Li Luo gripped her slender waist, breathing slightly faster, his hands inching unwillingly beneath her hem, soon touching the smooth, delicate skin of her waist.

Yan Zhusheng, tickled by his touch, felt her body grow faintly warm: "Don't move, I'm ticklish."

"Where's it ticklish? Let me scratch it for you, Teacher."

"Don't you dare." Yan Zhusheng pinned his wandering hand, puffed her cheeks, turned her head again, and kissed him once more. "Punishment."

This light, fleeting kiss only fanned the flames, making Li Luo's grip tighten further.

But Yan Zhusheng had already turned back, placed her fingers on the keys, and actually began playing the piano.

"If you're the fireworks over the sea, I'm the foam of the waves~"

As she played and sang softly, Li Luo could clearly feel the rhythm of her body moving against him.

But halfway through, Yan Zhusheng stopped, jumped off his lap, turned around, and straddled his thighs again.

"What are you doing now?"

"Checking your learning progress," Yan Zhusheng said seriously. "Now it's your turn to play."

"... How am I supposed to play with you sitting on me?"

"Your hands aren't blocked from the keys."

Li Luo: "..."

Sure, he could technically play like this—but who could concentrate on piano with a beautiful girl sitting on his lap?

Still, Li Luo placed his hands on the keys, activated his Memory Palace, and his fingers began playing according to memory.

Listening to Li Luo's accompaniment, Yan Zhusheng sat on his lap, hugged him tightly, leaned her head against his shoulder, and hummed softly into his ear.

"I can follow behind you, like a shadow chasing a light-dream."

But halfway through, Yan Zhusheng stopped again, lifted her head to look at Li Luo.

Thanks to his Memory Palace, Li Luo could play without visual obstruction.

So his fingers kept playing as he gazed at Yan Zhusheng before him and chuckled: "What's wrong?"

"I feel I'm not singing well enough," Yan Zhusheng said earnestly. "I need a little help from you."

"What kind of help does Teacher Yan need?"

"Just sit still, Student Li. Don't move."

Saying this, Yan Zhusheng cupped Li Luo's face and leaned down to kiss him without hesitation.

Her lips were thin; when she kissed him, he could easily envelop them.

Though Li Luo could still play the piano, by now his hands had long left the keys, tightly embracing her body.

Long moments passed. Yan Zhusheng opened her eyes, nestled in Li Luo's arms, breathing heavily, and couldn't help shifting her small hips slightly.

Li Luo felt her movement and immediately gripped her waist, whispering: "Don't move."

"You're poking me," Yan Zhusheng whispered.

"This thing... I can't control it," Li Luo inhaled deeply into her hair. "You'll have to get used to it."

"I can help you," Yan Zhusheng lifted her head in his arms, gazing at him with innocent eyes. "Last time for your birthday, you didn't..."

"Cough... You kissed me already—aren't you going to keep singing?" Li Luo cut her off quickly, afraid he'd lose control.

"Sing." Yan Zhusheng nodded, then pulled his head down and kissed him again. "But I still feel it's not enough—emotion's lacking."

She then pressed her lips firmly against his.

Knock knock knock.

The piano room door was knocked on.

Ying Chanxi pushed the door open from outside and saw Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng sitting side by side before the piano.

Li Luo was playing the piano; Yan Zhusheng was singing.

Seeing Ying Chanxi enter, both paused and turned to look at her.

"Zhusheng, I'm done showering. Your turn."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng pursed her lips, as if still savoring it, then got up obediently and walked out of the piano room, went to take a shower after cleaning up completely.

Li Luo also got up and went with Ying Chanxi to the master bedroom, picked up the hair dryer, and helped her dry her hair.

Sitting on Li Luo's seat, she glanced at the backpack beside her that had yet to be opened, and asked, "Haven't you read the letter yet?"

"Yeah, I haven't had time yet," Li Luo said. "I planned to read it before bed— or do you want me to read it sooner?"

"No, I'm just reminding you," Ying Chanxi shook her head. "You're still writing tonight, right? Just don't forget to read it before you sleep."

"I've got it memorized. I won't forget."

After drying her hair, Ying Chanxi returned to her own bedroom, pulled out the pen-pal letter Li Luo had written for her that afternoon, and opened it.

Carefully and gently unfolding it, she turned on her desk lamp, spread the letter flat on the table, and read it attentively.

【To the director who loves kissing scenes:】

Seeing the opening address of the letter, Ying Chanxi's face instantly flushed red. She puffed out her cheeks and kicked the panda plush on the bed, huffed, then continued reading.

【I'm honored to have been the lead in your MV and to have filmed with you ever since.】

【I hope future music videos can always be filmed with you.】

【I don't know why, but time has flown so fast—it's already been a year and a half.】

【This semester has gone smoothly, especially after the elective exams, when both of us scored a perfect 300. The next year and a half will surely be much easier.】

【After all, our goal is only Qianjiang University. Hmm… this might sound a bit arrogant if said aloud, but for us, it's truly the case.】

【Even though we're only halfway through Gao Er, I've already started looking forward to university life.】

【And not just university life—afterward too. I believe that by then, we'll still be together.】

【Maybe by then you'll already be the CEO of Chongran Culture? Haha~】

【But I actually hope you'll choose a major you truly like, rather than picking one just for my sake.】

【Unfortunately, Qianjiang University doesn't seem to have a dedicated photography major? We're not even in the film academy.】

【I just want you to enjoy university happily, without any pressure.】

【By the way, this semester has still been joyful—being in the same class as you again, and having you become my vice-class monitor.】

【I was also very happy on my birthday, with the surprise you prepared for me—even now, I still remember it vividly.】

【During winter break, we still need to travel to Qiongzhou City—I hope we'll have a great time.】

【There are many years ahead. Let's walk together, and encourage each other.】

【—Your coerced MV lead】

Seeing the final paragraph of the letter, Ying Chanxi's heart still felt warm, deeply moved.

But when she saw the signature, her face instantly darkened. She huffed angrily, thinking: I wouldn't let anyone coerce me into this!

Besides, she wasn't the only one adding drama—Li Luo himself clearly loved randomly kissing her too.

Though she herself didn't resist at all… even secretly looked forward to it.

After finishing the letter, Ying Chanxi carefully put it away, placing it inside the box she kept exclusively for Li Luo's pen-pal letters.

Then she got into bed obediently, grabbed Pikachu and Doraemon, and gave them each two solid punches.

After completing her routine, Ying Chanxi thought again about what Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng had been doing in the piano room earlier.

So she gave Pikachu two more punches.

Only after finishing did she lie back down, pull the panda plush close, roll onto her side, wrap her legs around it, and drift sweetly into sleep.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

After finishing his writing for the night, Li Luo stretched, then went to take a shower in the bathroom.

When he returned to bed, he remembered he hadn't read the letter yet, so he opened his backpack and pulled out Ying Chanxi's pen-pal letter to him.

【My exclusive male lead:】

Seeing this address, Li Luo smiled warmly, leaning against the headboard, then turned to read the letter's content.