Chapter 515: Wanting to Die

After dinner, the parents gradually took their leave.

After communicating with his editor, Li Luo reached for his desk, hesitated for a moment, then simply picked up both water cups, went to the living room to pour himself a glass of water, and then poured a glass of juice.

Before summer vacation started, Li Luo kept Xu Youyu's water cup in his bedroom to use for drinking water while writing.

Ying Chanxi's cup, by contrast, was meant for school.

Now that summer vacation had begun, Ying Chanxi's cup had been brought back too, making the number of cups a bit excessive.

Li Luo sipped the juice and returned to his writing.

"I Am Really Not a Star" had been serialized for over two years, reaching five million characters.

Thanks to his strong daily water-writing foundation and the four career arcs he had planned early on, he had plenty left to write while fully stocked.

For a normal author, by this stage, they would almost certainly have entered a burnout phase.

They would experience a kind of "physiological aversion" just thinking about having to write later.

This symptom usually resolves when an old book ends and a new one begins.

In short, it's just novelty-seeking—people always feel passionate when facing a new love, but grow bored after being with it too long.

Li Luo was now maintaining his good writing state purely through the powerful function of his Memory Palace.

With his past-life online novel experience as a foundation, and aided by the Memory Palace this lifetime, he had refined and verified these five million characters.

Now, Li Luo had built a literary entertainment writing framework perfectly suited to himself.

Since "I Am Really Not a Star" went viral, many online authors had analyzed its success logic, deconstructed its framework and techniques, and tried to replicate it.

But Li Luo had self-awareness—his book's quality was, frankly, just average.

Or rather, an online novel's success didn't depend entirely on quality.

Once its quality reached a fairly high level, everything else depended entirely on the traffic it could attract.

Many popular books had zero attention at a few hundred thousand or one million characters, then suddenly exploded in popularity due to word-of-mouth after reaching two million.

The same book that once had a few hundred subscriptions later had tens of thousands of average subscriptions.

So it's hard to judge a book's quality purely by its performance.

"Li Luo."

As Li Luo was writing and thinking about these things, the master bedroom door opened.

Yan Zhusheng poked her head in and called out to him.

"What's up?" Li Luo stopped typing and turned to look at Yan Zhusheng, puzzled.

"I want to come in."

"Then be quiet—I'm still writing."

"Oh~"

Yan Zhusheng obediently entered from the doorway, closed the door behind her, and wandered over to sit on the bed, gazing at Li Luo's profile.

She admired Li Luo's focused writing for a while, then her gaze fell on the desk.

Seeing the two water cups side by side, Yan Zhusheng puffed out her cheeks, feeling a bit unhappy again.

But she said nothing, not wanting to disturb Li Luo, waiting until he finished writing.

Around ten o'clock, Li Luo ended his work for the day, stretched in his chair, then turned to look at Yan Zhusheng sitting by the bed.

Yan Zhusheng wore a nightgown; judging by the style, she'd probably copied it from Xu Youyu.

Too bad her chest couldn't fill it out—the upper half looked a bit lacking.

But her long, beautiful legs emerged from the hem, their cold-white skin like pure snow atop a mountain peak, making up for the earlier deficit.

Yan Zhusheng noticed his gaze and lifted her feet, placing them on Li Luo's thighs.

Instantly, the already short hem slid down along the height difference, and from Li Luo's angle, he could even glimpse a hint of adorable pure white.

"What are you doing?"

"My legs are tired," Yan Zhusheng wiggled her dazzlingly white long legs, tilting her head up to look at Li Luo. "Massage them."

Li Luo had no way to refuse, so he became her masseur, offering Young Lady Yan some massage service.

As Yan Zhusheng enjoyed Li Luo's warm hands, she lay back on his bed, then remembered the two water cups on the desk and asked: "Li Luo."

"Hmm?"

"When I turn eight in August, I want a water cup too."

Li Luo: "This thing isn't exactly necessary…"

"I want one," Yan Zhusheng stared at Li Luo earnestly, clearly not willing to back down.

Her legs on his thighs wiggled slightly, brushing against him and making him struggle to hold back.

"Fine, fine, you want it, you want it," Li Luo surrendered quickly, pressing down on her legs to keep her still. "I'll take you to get one for your birthday—it's just a water cup."

After receiving Li Luo's definite answer, Yan Zhusheng finally smiled contentedly, her body relaxing completely as she lay on Li Luo's bed, continuing to enjoy his service.

This beautiful scene—Li Luo lifted Yan Zhusheng's legs, letting her lie fully on the bed, then pressed himself atop her and whispered in her ear: "Young Lady Yan, I feel like having a lesson."

…

Midway through the lesson, Ying Chanxi, freshly bathed, knocked and entered.

Seeing Yan Zhusheng curled up in Li Luo's arms, Ying Chanxi puffed out her cheeks, sat down on a chair with a small pout.

"Dry my hair."

"Coming."

Li Luo got off the bed and dried Ying Chanxi's wet long hair.

Whether because of that previous Monopoly game on Xu Youyu's birthday, Ying Chanxi now felt somewhat immune to seeing Li Luo being affectionate with Yan Zhusheng or Xu Youyu.

Though she still got jealous, she felt no other strong emotions—only thought, I want some too.

This subtle, gradual shift had ended up benefiting Li Luo.

At just after eleven at night, after tending to Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng and coaxing them back to their rooms to sleep, Li Luo went to Xu Youyu's bedroom door and gently knocked.

After receiving Xu Youyu's permission, Li Luo stepped inside and saw her crouched on a chair, staring intently at her computer screen.

The document was filled with dense text, detailing various settings for her new novel, appearing extremely complex.

Xu Youyu turned her head toward Li Luo as he entered, her face still flushed with excitement; she immediately waved him over to show off her recent preparations. Li Luo, patient as ever, sat on the edge of the bed and listened as she explained her ideas, cross-referencing them with his memory of the core works of the Qi Revival genre, then offering a few insights.

Though he spoke little, he always struck right at the heart of the matter, leaving Xu Youyu's eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Your current settings are already a bit redundant—don't get too lost in them," Li Luo warned. "The focus should still be on crafting a compelling main storyline within this framework."

For many Online Novel newcomers, their ability to design settings is strong—they often create impressive worldviews and progression systems.

But the core of an Online Novel is still the story.

No matter how good your settings are, they're nothing compared to a well-written story.

Without a brilliant main plot, even the finest settings will grow dull and lifeless.

Xu Youyu already had a novel with ten thousand subscriptions as a foundation; she wasn't a true Online Novel newcomer.

But her previous work was Entertainment Literature, which, like Qi Revival, shared a modern urban setting.

Yet the writing styles were entirely different.

In a one-by-one/

For Entertainment Literature, the main plot is simple: just pick the right historical moment, then focus on how the protagonist becomes a "star."

But genres like "Qi Revival" have immense scope—if you can't find a suitable main plot, the story easily becomes scattered, incoherent, and meaningless.

"I don't want to write something too big—I'll keep the map as small as possible. I won't write those stories that keep switching locations," Xu Youyu said, scrolling with her mouse. "Look at this."

Li Luo looked closely and saw three large characters: Mount Fenghuang.

"This is the initial setting I designed," Xu Youyu said. "The protagonist is a perfumer who lives at the foot of Mount Fenghuang—a tourist attraction."

"As the effects of Qi Revival spread, Mount Fenghuang was among the first places to show signs."

"I plan to center the main plot around Mount Fenghuang. By the middle of the story, it can become the protagonist's sect base, where he opens a school and takes on disciples."

The more Xu Youyu spoke, the more energized she became; under Li Luo's guidance, her imagination soared along the right path, and her previously vague main plot structure quickly became clear and defined.

But caught up in the excitement, Xu Youyu refused to let Li Luo leave, and they talked for hours, not stopping until two or three in the morning.

Eventually, Li Luo was so exhausted he fell asleep right on Xu Youyu's bed.

The next morning, Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng went to find Li Luo for their morning run but couldn't locate him; wordlessly, they walked to Xu Youyu's bedroom door, opened it, and saw his figure.

"Who was it yesterday that told us to go back to our own rooms?" Ying Chanxi walked to the bed and shook Li Luo awake, irritable. "You said it was a waste to leave all four bedrooms unused, so you left the master bedroom empty?"

Li Luo was still half-asleep, blinking drowsily, when Ying Chanxi's accusation hit him full force.

With no mental clarity left, he acted on instinct, pulling Ying Chanxi into his arms and hugging her tightly: "So tired… let me sleep a little longer."

Ying Chanxi, suddenly embraced, blushed deeply; she struggled briefly on the surface, yet didn't truly want to break free.

Then, standing beside them, Yan Zhusheng suddenly spoke: "Chanxi, do you want to sleep too?"

"I—I don't!" Ying Chanxi finally broke free, glancing at Li Luo's still-drowsy face, and asked, "What time did you two go to sleep last night?"

"Youyu was preparing her new novel and dragged me into a whole night of talking," Li Luo rubbed his forehead, slightly pained. "I didn't fall asleep until past three. I won't join you for the morning run today—you two go, and bring back breakfast."

"Fine," Ying Chanxi didn't press further, but glanced at Xu Youyu, still sound asleep on the other side of the bed, and added, "Why don't you go back to your own room?"

"Too much trouble… I'll just make do here."

"Hmph," Ying Chanxi huffed, pulling Yan Zhusheng along as they headed downstairs for their run.

At half past six, they returned with breakfast.

Li Luo had already gotten out of bed, ate a quick bite, then pulled Xu Youyu up to join him for breakfast.

"You've got your graduation ceremony today, right?" Li Luo reminded her. "You're the top liberal arts student in our school—you still need to prepare your speech."

At this, Xu Youyu, who had been trying to linger in bed, finally woke up. She mumbled a few complaints but got up and put on the school uniform Li Luo handed her.

The Gao San graduation ceremony at Fuyi High School was scheduled for eight in the morning, so they needed to be in the classroom by half past seven.

After eating breakfast, Xu Youyu still had some spare time.

Though still drowsy, she didn't have enough time for a nap, so she sat at her desk, thinking, and took out the letters her classmates had given her.

"What's this?" Li Luo asked curiously.

"It's what the class suggested earlier," Xu Youyu said. "We mimicked the literature club's tradition—writing letters to people we wanted to say something to. These are the letters I received."

"We agreed to open them only after the college entrance exam."

"But I forgot about them on my birthday—I just remembered now."

"So many people wrote you letters?" Li Luo was surprised, then smirked. "Are they all bold love confessions?"

"What are you imagining?" Xu Youyu rolled her eyes. "At least half of them are from girls, okay?"

"That means Youyu-jie is into everyone."

"Get lost," Xu Youyu chuckled. "Don't bother me while I read."

Saying that, Xu Youyu casually opened one letter.

Out of respect for privacy, Li Luo averted his gaze as she opened it and pulled out his phone to check.

But within seconds, he heard the sound of another letter being torn open—and then another, faster and faster.

Li Luo looked up and saw Xu Youyu's face flushed crimson, frantically opening letter after letter, glancing at each one, then angrily tossing it onto the desk before opening the next, repeating the cycle.

Finally, Xu Youyu let out a wail, collapsing onto her desk, screaming "Aaaah!" as if she'd been beaten dozens of times.

"What's wrong?" Li Luo was baffled, and finally couldn't resist picking up one of the letters and glancing at it.

The next second, he burst out laughing.

"You're laughing too!" Xu Youyu burst into tears, pummeling Li Luo's chest with her tiny fists, utterly humiliated.

"I think it's fine—it's kind of a graduation surprise," Li Luo held back his laughter, letting Xu Youyu vent.

As for the letter's content—it was, of course, the Gao San Class 16 students' critiques of their class president's masterpiece.

It had to be said, the students from the liberal arts class really had excellent writing skills, praising in such a well-organized and methodical way.

But the more earnestly they praised her, the more mortified Xu Youyu felt, wishing she could just die of embarrassment.

Li Luo held Xu Youyu, who was whimpering in his arms, and couldn't resist adding a jab by her ear: "Sister Youyu, don't forget—you still have to go on stage to give your speech today."

"Shut up!"

(End of chapter)