Chapter 472: We

Three days before school started, after the entrance exam, the students of Fu No. 1 High School returned to their normal study routine.

When the Saturday entrance exam results came out, Ying Chanxi still firmly held the top spot in the grade, while Li Luo scored sixth, his performance now steadily within the school's top ten.

Qiao Xinyan scored seventeenth in the grade, also consistently stable.

Zhao Rongjun entered the top forty for the first time, ranking thirty-seventh—a significant improvement.

Li Luo reasonably suspected that the guy had finally become fully comfortable interacting with girls, so his study efficiency in the group had greatly increased, benefiting him immensely.

Yet watching him in class, he still rarely spoke to other girls; Li Luo wondered if he could only talk normally with Qiao Xinyan and her group.

Yan Zhusheng scored 142nd in the grade, still maintaining the top 160 level, though slightly down from his final exam results, likely due to not studying much during winter break.

Xu Yinghuan scored 177th in the grade, very close to the top 160 cutoff for the key class.

Clearly, she had worked hard during winter break, not just played around.

Rising from last year's three- or four-hundredth place all the way to 177th, Xu Yinghuan was arguably the biggest beneficiary of their seven-person study group.

Many classmates, upon learning they had a private study group, felt considerable envy.

Never mind Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng—even Xu Yinghuan and Qiao Xinyan were girls many boys secretly discussed.

It was normal they didn't match Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng, but among ordinary girls, Xu Yinghuan and Qiao Xinyan were undeniably popular with boys.

As for class monitor Li Luo, they no longer envied him—they couldn't even keep up with the envy.

But how could Zhao Rongjun, of all people, study with them?!

Oh, he's Li Luo's childhood friend?

Then it's fine.

Still, seeing Zhao Rongjun rise from his previous 60th–70th place all the way to the 30s–40s, many were quite envious.

Once you enter the top hundred, every ten ranks becomes a barrier.

Many students get stuck at a single rank and find it nearly impossible to move up.

Someone like Zhao Rongjun, who had hovered around 60th–70th all through freshman year, only to start climbing in sophomore year, was rare indeed.

Clearly, Li Luo's study group was incredibly effective.

After all, it included the grade's number one: Ying Chanxi.

Many boys imagined being gently tutored by Ying Chanxi at home, then thought of how Li Luo had enjoyed this since childhood—and immediately stopped imagining.

Some girls also fantasized about being taught by Li Luo, and a few even frequently came to him with questions.

As class monitor, Li Luo didn't mind; as long as someone genuinely didn't understand a problem, he patiently explained it to them.

But most girls had enough self-awareness—Li Luo sat in front of Ying Chanxi and beside Yan Zhusheng, so no one thought they had a chance.

At most, they'd casually joke with their best friends, teasing each other about "my boyfriend," "your boyfriend."

Unconsciously, Li Luo had long become the campus god to many girls at Fu No. 1 High.

Many school topics revolved around this exceptionally outstanding boy.

Yet perhaps because he'd never experienced such treatment in his past life, or because the three girls around him were already dazzling enough, Li Luo remained largely unaware of it.

"After school today, does the student council still have things to do?" Before the last class, Li Luo picked up his pen and poked Ying Chanxi's back.

"Mm." Ying Chanxi turned her head, nodded at Li Luo, then said, "We need to plan and arrange for this semester's first week, but there aren't many events this term—we'll be done quickly and can head home."

"I remember Gao Er has that Ningshan March activity, right?" Li Luo asked curiously. "Last year, Xu Youyu took part."

"Yes, there is one." Ying Chanxi recalled. "This year it's scheduled for late March, followed by the three-ball tournament in April."

"But the three-ball tournament is a freshman event; our student council mainly handles organization, planning, and order maintenance."

"Your rock club still has to handle the opening performance for the tournament finals—don't forget that."

After hearing this, Li Luo nodded and elbowed Yan Zhusheng beside him: "Hear that, rock club president?"

"Huh?" Yan Zhusheng blinked, still not processing it. "Then you handle it entirely."

Li Luo: "... You've got serious leadership potential."

…

School days were dull and monotonous, but for Li Luo, they were as enjoyable as winter break—each day full and satisfying.

On March 12th, another Saturday, after finishing student council duties at school, Ying Chanxi went to the gymnasium to watch the rock club's practice.

By three-thirty in the afternoon, the three of them returned together to Bihai Lanting.

Xu Youyu had come home at noon to sleep in.

Zhao Rongjun and the other two were also there; after Li Luo and the others returned, the seven of them threw Ying Chanxi a birthday party.

But after singing "Happy Birthday" in front of the cake at dusk, everyone else pulled out gifts they'd prepared for Ying Chanxi—Li Luo produced nothing.

"My gift will come later," Li Luo coughed, saying no more.

Qiao Xinyan, beside him, burst out laughing: "Did you plan some surprise for Xixi? So mysterious."

"It's not really a surprise—just can't give it now," Li Luo smiled at Ying Chanxi. "You'll know tomorrow."

"Fine, I'll forgive you—for now," Ying Chanxi huffed twice, her face unreadable, but her eyes already gleaming with anticipation.

Although the study group often ate together, since Lin Xiuhong and Cui Suling had been cooking for them regularly, the seven rarely dined together alone.

This time, Li Luo didn't ask Lin Xiuhong and the others to come—he told Xu Youyu and the rest to go out and buy groceries, preparing a full table of dishes for dinner.

After the birthday wishes ended and the candles were blown out, Ying Chanxi used a plastic knife to slice the cake for everyone; they then sat at the table and enjoyed the dishes cooked by Li Luo, the chef.

To be fair, Li Luo was truly professional—his cooking tasted slightly better than Lin Xiuhong's.

If Li Luo weren't so lazy about cooking, Xu Yinghuan and the others would gladly have him cook every day.

After dinner and cake, everyone gathered on the living room sofa to play games.

After a joyful evening, Xu Yinghuan was picked up by her family, and Zhao Rongjun and Qiao Xinyan left together.

Li Luo and the other three played around a bit longer before finally going to sleep.

The next morning, Li Luo and the other two woke up, left Xu Youyu at home, and went downstairs for a morning run.

After eating breakfast and returning home, Yan Zhusheng obediently went to the piano room to practice, willingly leaving Li Luo to Ying Chanxi, without either of them needing to say a word.

Seeing Yan Zhusheng voluntarily give up the time, Ying Chanxi felt a faint warmth in her heart, even a touch of embarrassment.

When Zhusheng's next birthday comes, should I also be more considerate?

As Ying Chanxi thought of this, she startled herself upon realizing she'd even entertained such a thought.

And she didn't think it was wrong.

Hmm… maybe it really isn't wrong?

Ying Chanxi pondered, troubled, still unable to sort out the logic, when Li Luo's hand waved before her eyes.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing." Ying Chanxi quickly shook her head, then asked curiously, "So what's this birthday gift you mentioned?"

"It's nothing much, just a little trinket." Li Luo smiled, still not revealing it outright, but instead took Ying Chanxi's small hand and led her out the door, downstairs, into a taxi to the commercial street beside Yintai Department Store.

Ying Chanxi, filled with quiet curiosity and anticipation, let Li Luo hold her hand as she followed beside him; after getting out of the taxi, they walked into a narrow alley.

After winding around, they finally stopped at the entrance of a shop.

Seeing Li Luo halt, Ying Chanxi tilted her head curiously to read the shop's sign.

DIY Clay Handcraft Experience Studio.

This small shop sat in a narrow alley beside Yintai's commercial street—unassuming at first glance, and the space itself was modest.

Yet, despite its small size, the glass door was decorated with all sorts of cute little trinkets.

As Li Luo pulled her inside, holding her hand, the interior revealed a hidden world, as if stepping into an exquisite garden.

Every corner of the shop overflowed with the owner's thoughtful design and decoration; her eyes were filled with countless handmade ornaments, too many to take in at once.

"Hello, I made a reservation for the handcraft session."

While Ying Chanxi admired the shop, Li Luo had already begun chatting with the shop owner at the counter.

The handcraft experience studio was still obscure now—this offline experiential model hadn't yet become popular.

But in Li Luo's memory, after the commercial street was renovated and expanded in the coming years, this shop grew quite large; he'd even been dragged here by Xu Youyu under the pretense of "collecting material."

For Ying Chanxi's birthday this time, Li Luo hadn't decided what gift to give, so he simply brought her here to experience it.

"Mm, you're Mr. Li, right?"

"Yes."

"Alright, follow me this way." The shop owner, no older than early thirties, looked gentle and smiled warmly as she led the young couple to the crafting area.

Ying Chanxi kept her curious expression, obediently staying beside Li Luo; after sitting down, her gaze landed on the spinning wheel before her.

"When you reserved, I recommended making two mugs," the owner said, handing out two aprons to Li Luo and Ying Chanxi, then putting one on herself. "But we can also make plates or bowls—though some designs are more difficult, not recommended for beginners."

"Let's do mugs," Li Luo turned to Ying Chanxi and asked, "You're the Birthday Person—what do you say?"

"I'll follow your lead," Ying Chanxi replied obediently.

She'd never done this kind of handcraft before—it felt wonderfully novel. She glanced around, touched things here and there, had no preference for what to make, and left all decisions to Li Luo.

The owner, watching the two of them so affectionate, was in high spirits.

Especially with the girl being beautiful and adorable, and the boy handsome and reliable—the owner, having just met them, had already begun secretly shipping them.

Watching them carefully tie each other's aprons made the owner's smile widen even more.

"Let's get straight to it," the owner clapped her hands and began introducing the basic tools beside them. "This is the scraper, the carving knife… and this most important spinning wheel."

"Mugs are relatively simple—once you master the spinning wheel, you won't need many other tools."

"You have plenty of time this morning. You can start experimenting—I'll teach you slowly."

As she spoke, the owner picked up a pre-prepared lump of clay from beside her and tossed it onto the spinning wheel.

As the wheel spun rapidly, the clay in her hands quickly reshaped, gradually forming the rim of a cup.

"Now, try it yourselves," the owner smiled. "Gently press your fingers against it, feel the clay's texture in your hands. Don't worry about ruining the shape—you have plenty of time. Take it slow."

Listening to the owner's patient instructions, Ying Chanxi tentatively reached out—yet the moment her fingers touched the cup's wall, it immediately collapsed.

"Ah!" Ying Chanxi cried out, quickly pulling her hand back, cheeks flushed as she instinctively scratched her cheek.

Her fingers, still coated in clay, left a smudge on her face.

"Don't move," Li Luo chuckled beside her, picked up a tissue, and gently wiped her clean. "Your fingers are covered in clay—don't touch anything else."

Feeling the soft touch on her face, Ying Chanxi noticed the owner's smiling gaze and blushed deeply.

"You two have such a sweet relationship," the owner chatted casually, curious. "How long have you been together?"

"N-no… it's not…" Ying Chanxi's face flushed crimson as she waved her hands frantically. "It's not what you think! We're just… classmates!"

"Oh~" The owner glanced at Li Luo, then at Ying Chanxi's shy expression, and chose not to correct her. "My mistake—I just thought you two looked like a couple at first glance. You're perfectly matched."

"R-really…?" Ying Chanxi was delighted but dared not show it, lowering her head shyly, avoiding the owner's and Li Luo's eyes.

Though she hadn't yet received Li Luo's gift, and the clay hadn't taken shape yet, simply experiencing this much had already made her very happy.

"Alright, I've prepared clay for both of you—I'll bring it over." The owner thoroughly enjoyed the teaching process, brought them the clay, and continued patiently instructing.