Chapter 481: This bastard really knows how to enjoy himself!

At the highest point of Ningshan, the elevation was roughly two hundred meters.

By the time Li Luo followed his class up the mountain path to the small square in front of Donglai Pavilion, the time was nearly eleven a. m.

He stood on the stone-paved ground of the small square, hands on his hips, exhaled deeply, unstrapped his backpack from his back and chest, set it on the ground, and stretched his limbs.

Beside him, Ying Chanxi was also tired, leaning on her knees as she panted; her backpack had long since been taken by Li Luo, or else she would have collapsed by now.

"I'm dead~" Xu Yinghuan gasped as she collapsed onto Yan Zhusheng's back, hugging her tightly.

On the other side, Zhao Rongjun imitated Li Luo, setting his two backpacks on the ground and catching his breath.

Next to him, Qiao Xinyan brushed back her damp hair and murmured softly, a hint of embarrassment in her voice: "Thank you."

"It's nothing." Zhao Rongjun shook his head and handed her one of the pink backpacks.

"Is the noon activity area just around here?" Li Luo twisted his waist, took a slight breath, felt his body recovering quickly, and turned to ask Ying Chanxi.

"Mm." Ying Chanxi nodded, looked up at Donglai Pavilion in the distance, then pointed toward it and said, "Behind Donglai Pavilion is a cherry blossom grove—we can have a picnic there."

As Ying Chanxi spoke, Kong Jun had already begun counting heads again; after confirming everything was in order, he gave instructions: "From noon until four p. m., everyone stays active in this area."

"Don't go toward the military base, don't descend the mountain—just stay around Donglai Pavilion, and watch your safety."

"At four p. m., gather precisely on this small square—Zhu Yufei will hold our Class Eight's red flag and stand right here. Everyone understand?"

After receiving weak, half-hearted responses from the group, Kong Jun smiled, waved his hand, and dismissed them.

Li Luo then called out to his Class Eight classmates and headed toward the cherry blossom grove Ying Chanxi had mentioned, circling around Donglai Pavilion to find a vast expanse of pink blossoms.

"Wow~" Ying Chanxi gasped in awe, her eyes brightening. "I've never come here in March or April before—this is my first time seeing the cherry blossoms in full bloom."

"We've got the whole afternoon—don't just stand there gawking. Let's go." Li Luo patted Ying Chanxi's shoulder and led the entire Class Eight into the grove, finding a relatively flat open patch. "Let's set up here."

Upon arrival, many girls pulled out pre-packed picnic cloths from their backpacks, spread them on the ground, and invited nearby classmates to sit down.

Ying Chanxi and Qiao Xinyan had also prepared theirs; they joined their two cloths together, and the six of them sat in a circle, admiring the cherry blossoms.

It was already past eleven a. m., and everyone was hungry; they all pulled out pre-packed snacks from their backpacks and began sharing.

After eating, they started playing cards.

Ying Chanxi had brought a camera along and got up to take photos everywhere.

Li Luo was dragged by Ying Chanxi to pose as a model, and before long, she led him inside Donglai Pavilion, taking the elevator all the way to the top floor.

Fortunately, there were still other students on the rooftop taking photos and sightseeing, so they couldn't do anything improper.

So Ying Chanxi pulled him around the rooftop, taking pictures of the scenery and secretly holding his hand.

But just as Ying Chanxi was fully focused, raising her camera to capture a set of photos of Class Eight's picnic spot beneath the cherry blossoms, she suddenly felt her cheek kissed.

She turned to look at Li Luo, eyes widening slightly, then quickly scanned around.

Seeing that nearby classmates were all gazing at the distant scenery, none paying attention to them, Ying Chanxi exhaled in relief, then playfully slapped Li Luo and pouted:

"What are you doing? What if someone saw?"

"You looked so cute when you were focused on taking photos."

"What kind of thing is that to say…" Ying Chanxi muttered softly, her face flushing red; she dared not look at him again, quickly raised her camera, pretending to take photos to hide her embarrassed face.

After descending from Donglai Pavilion, Li Luo and Ying Chanxi returned to the picnic cloth and sat down.

At that moment, Yan Zhusheng pulled out the harmonica Li Luo had once given her and sat on the cloth, gently playing.

It was "The Sun."

"I just want to be your sun~ your sun~" Li Luo softly hummed along with the music.

Yan Zhusheng opened her eyes to glance at him, then closed them again and kept playing.

Soon, the piece ended.

Yan Zhusheng handed the harmonica over; Li Luo looked down at it, puzzled, and asked: "What are you doing?"

"You play. I'll sing." Yan Zhusheng said.

Li Luo laughed and took it: "Then what are you going to sing? 'The Sky Has No Limits'?"

"Sure." Yan Zhusheng nodded.

"Then let's make it passionate—let the classmates enjoy it." Li Luo grinned, placed the harmonica to his lips, unbothered by the fact it had just been in Yan Zhusheng's mouth, and began playing immediately.

Nearby, Xu Yinghuan noticed this small detail and clucked her tongue, whispering to Qiao Xinyan.

Soon, Yan Zhusheng's voice filled the cherry blossom grove with piercing power.

Many classmates instantly fell silent, quietly savoring Yan Zhusheng's singing.

This was the voice of the rock club's lead singer—something you only heard during school-wide events.

Especially since it was Yan Zhusheng singing—this was something to cherish.

After the song ended, they entered a rest period.

Li Luo returned the harmonica to Yan Zhusheng, then simply lay down on the picnic cloth.

Seeing this, Ying Chanxi shifted her small buttocks over to near Li Luo's head, letting him rest against her thighs.

Li Luo didn't hesitate—he leaned against her legs, closed his eyes comfortably, and gazed up at the swirling sea of falling cherry blossoms.

A short distance away, Liu Shaowen saw this scene, clenched his teeth, but could do nothing—only silently look away.

His good friend Liao Hailin patted Liu Shaowen's shoulder and sighed: "Just give up, okay? I think it's hopeless. You'd be better off learning from Xie Shuchen—why cling to one tree?"

"What do you know?" Liu Shaowen whispered. "Li Luo's just being carefree now—who knows what'll happen later? Does he really think he can juggle multiple girls? Ying Chanxi would never allow it!"

"Look." Liao Hailin didn't even bother arguing further, simply pointed toward them.

Liu Shaowen turned again and saw Li Luo resting his head on Ying Chanxi's lap, while Yan Zhusheng peeled an orange and fed it to him—his face darkened instantly.

This bastard really knows how to enjoy himself!

He's way too brazen!

But Class Eight's classmates had long since grown used to it.

And students from other classes, their view blocked, didn't even notice what was happening here.

"Don't you know? It's Li Luo's novel." Liao Hailin whispered. "I heard that just this one novel earned him at least several million. These days, there are plenty of rich people even more outrageous than him."

"How can that be the same?" Liu Shaowen still wouldn't give up, snorting coldly. "If Li Luo runs into beautiful girls again in the future, won't he let them all slip through his fingers? The more he chases, the more Ying Chanxi will be utterly disappointed in him."

"Then you'll take advantage of the situation?" Liao Hailin looked utterly baffled. "Why bother with this?"

Li Luo had no idea what Liu Shaowen was thinking—he was currently enjoying Ying Chanxi's lap pillow and Yan Zhusheng's feeding, watching cherry blossom petals drift down above him.

At this moment, Ying Chanxi began chatting with him casually.

"I heard from my dad that besides signing the copyright contract, you also signed an investment agreement?"

"Mm." Li Luo nodded. "Signed just last weekend."

"How much did you invest?" Ying Chanxi asked, slightly worried.

"Five million."

"What? That much?" Ying Chanxi frowned. "The TV dramas produced by my dad's company don't seem very profitable."

"This one's based on my own novel—do you really have no faith in me?" Li Luo laughed.

"That's not it." Ying Chanxi puffed out her lips, murmuring softly. "But this isn't writing an Online Novel or a song—you can do it alone. I'm just afraid the people at his company will drag you down."

"Say that to Uncle Ying—he'll be furious."

"I'm only saying it to you." Ying Chanxi spoke softly, a little embarrassed. "But you really need to be careful."

"Mm, I know." Li Luo nodded. "I'm personally overseeing the script. I met the director last weekend—we got along well. Once the project gets approved, I expect preparations to begin next month."

"Will you have to join the filming crew then?" Ying Chanxi asked curiously. "Won't you need to take leave? Will you still come to school for classes?"

"It shouldn't interfere." Li Luo smiled. "I asked Uncle Xu—he said he could make some inquiries. I've already given him the director's contact info."

"If everything goes smoothly, they might even film at Fuyi High School."

"Other shooting locations can also rent nearby venues—it's all quite convenient."

"Huh?" Ying Chanxi's eyebrows shot up at this. "Will they hire our classmates as extras? Do I have a chance to play a minor supporting role?"

"No." Li Luo shook his head vigorously.

"Why not?" Ying Chanxi pouted, dissatisfied. "Do you look down on me?"

"I'm looking up to you too much." Li Luo grinned. "If you really act, you can only play the female lead—nothing else."

"Otherwise, when the drama airs and everyone sees—"

"Huh? Why is this supporting actress prettier than the lead?"

"That would steal the spotlight."

Flattered by Li Luo's roundabout compliment, Ying Chanxi's cheeks flushed red. She lightly hit him. "Don't talk nonsense—don't the actresses who play the lead look beautiful too?"

"No one compares to you."

"You're just saying that." Ying Chanxi murmured softly, then peeled a candy herself and slipped it into Li Luo's mouth.

Li Luo let the candy melt in his mouth—it was sweet.

But Ying Chanxi's heart at this moment was sweeter than his mouth.