Chapter 526

August 24, morning.

Li Luo was sound asleep when he felt an itch on his nose, sneezed, and immediately realized his body felt unusually heavy.

He opened his eyes to see Yan Zhusheng lying atop him, holding a few strands of hair in her hand, staring at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"You sneezed right in my face," Yan Zhusheng accused first.

"How can you even say that to me?" Li Luo raised his hand and pinched her cheek, grumbling, "Can't you find another way to wake me up? Every time you tickle my nose."

"It's fun," Yan Zhusheng said. "Besides, I always start with your face, then your eyes and mouth, and only then your nose."

"You've got the nerve?" Li Luo slapped her firm little butt. "Get up."

Yan Zhusheng obediently sat up, slid off Li Luo's body, and quietly handed him clean clothes from beside the bed.

Li Luo looked down and saw it was new clothing.

"When did you buy this?"

"A few days ago," Yan Zhusheng's eyes sparkled. "Today's my birthday—wear this and accompany me."

"Whose birthday is it anyway—yours or mine?" Li Luo laughed, taking the new clothes. "I'm not the Birthday Person—why should I get gifts?"

"It's not a gift," Yan Zhusheng shook her head, watching as Li Luo stripped off his pajamas to reveal his toned upper body, then dressed in the new clothes, finally closing her eyes in satisfaction. "I'm dressing up my birthday present."

Li Luo: "..."

After changing, the two went to the bathroom to wash up together, then Li Luo asked curiously, "Where's Chanxi? Isn't she coming for the morning run?"

"She said she wants to keep sleeping—we two can go alone," Yan Zhusheng said seriously.

"Really?" Li Luo didn't believe it. After washing up, he still went to Ying Chanxi's room, knocked, and walked in.

Yan Zhusheng had done this several times before, claiming Ying Chanxi refused to come, when in fact she'd tricked him every time.

This time, Li Luo had learned—he'd better go himself, or Ying Chanxi would later lie there with half-closed eyes, dripping with jealousy.

But Ying Chanxi had been woken by his door opening; seeing him, she immediately turned her back, pulled the blanket over her head, and mumbled, "I already said I'm not going—why are you here?"

"So she really did ask you?" Li Luo looked astonished. "I thought she was lying to me again."

"What do you mean 'again'?" Yan Zhusheng, standing behind him, stared blankly. "I never lie to you."

"Today's Zhusheng's birthday—just spend it with her," Ying Chanxi mumbled on. "I still need to sleep. Don't bother me."

"Then we're leaving?" Li Luo tested, backing out of the room and pretending to close the door.

Ying Chanxi reached one hand out from under the covers and waved it at him—no invitation to stay.

But once Li Luo fully shut the door, Ying Chanxi lifted the blanket again, revealing a battered Pikachu inside, nearly unrecognizable from constant squeezing.

Its faded colors showed it had been loved—and abused—many times over.

Still, she truly didn't want to run this morning.

Today was Yan Zhusheng's birthday—she'd surely seize the chance to cling to Li Luo. Ying Chanxi was used to this, but if she could avoid seeing it even once more, she'd gladly close her eyes and ignore it.

So last night, after returning to her room, she hadn't slept at all—read novels until several hours past midnight.

Now she was exhausted; as soon as Li Luo left, she sank back into deep sleep.

Meanwhile, Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng stepped outside for their morning run, circling the neighborhood several times, then ate breakfast downstairs.

"Do we need to go home?" Yan Zhusheng looked up at Li Luo after finishing breakfast. "Can we go straight to the craft place?"

"You're too eager," Li Luo laughed. "Look at the time—it's not even seven yet. They don't open until eight."

"Fine," Yan Zhusheng pouted, impatient but obediently followed Li Luo back home after breakfast.

Li Luo bought two breakfasts and took them to Ying Chanxi and Xu Youyu.

Ying Chanxi swallowed two bites and went back to sleep; Xu Youyu, however, got up after eating—uncharacteristically.

Yan Zhusheng was surprised.

"Sis, aren't you sleeping in today?"

"Aren't you two going to do crafts later?" Xu Youyu asked in return.

Yan Zhusheng nodded.

"Then I'll drive you there," Xu Youyu waved her car keys, grinning. "Since school started, I haven't touched the car. With a few days free, I'll drive a bit more—today I'll be your driver."

"You're really bored..." Li Luo muttered. "It's just driving—how addictive can it be?"

"You who've never driven won't understand," Xu Youyu snorted. "Wait till you get your license—then you might be even more addicted than me."

"Hmph." Li Luo didn't respond.

Maybe if this were his first time touching a car in his past life, he might believe it.

But he was a veteran of two lifetimes—he'd never get addicted to driving.

"Then what will you do after dropping us off?" Li Luo asked.

"Drive back, of course," Xu Youyu said as if it were obvious, glancing at Li Luo with mild confusion. "I still need to nap. When you're done and ready to come back, just tell me—I'll come pick you up."

Li Luo: "... That's really kind of you."

As the three sat on the sofa chatting, preparing to leave, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Xu Youyu, closest to the door, instinctively stood to open it—but Li Luo grabbed her arm.

"Zhusheng, you open it," Li Luo said.

Xu Youyu sat back down, stunned, then suddenly understood, glancing thoughtfully at the door.

Yan Zhusheng didn't understand the situation, but since Li Luo told her to open it, she obediently got up and went to the door.

When she opened it, a deliveryman stood outside, holding a thin package: "Hello, are you Ms. Yan Zhusheng? You have a package—please sign here."

"What package?" Yan Zhusheng looked puzzled.

"It's from Qiongzhou City," the deliveryman said. "Probably documents or photos—I don't know the details."

The deliveryman had guessed from the package's size and shape; after Yan Zhusheng signed, he politely left.

Upon hearing it was from Qiongzhou City, Yan Zhusheng's eyes lit up instantly; she turned to look at Li Luo, as if something had just clicked.

After all, it had been a long time since the winter break, so it was normal that Yan Zhusheng hadn't thought of it right away.

But after the deliveryman reminded her, she immediately knew where this item came from.

"Looks like someone wrote letters to all three of us," Xu Youyu grumbled, not wanting to hear Yan Zhusheng read the letter, so he got up and headed back to the bedroom; before entering, he reminded her, "Call me when we're about to leave."

Li Luo rubbed his nose to hide his embarrassment, but soon he realized something else.

Ever since Xixi had become more accepting of Yan Zhusheng and Xu Youyu, Xu Youyu had grown even more jealous.

Or perhaps this was truly Xu Youyu's true nature?

Thinking of this, Li Luo felt a pang of guilt.

But soon, Yan Zhusheng pounced on him and knocked him onto the sofa.

"You read it first… don't crush me." "It doesn't hinder me from reading." Yan Zhusheng sat on Li Luo's stomach, refusing to move, wiggling her little butt as she opened the package and pulled out a letter.

She carefully opened the envelope, inside which lay a sheet of paper and a postcard.

She placed both the letter and envelope on Li Luo's chest, then picked up the postcard to look at it.

It showed a photo of sunset glow: the sea shimmered under warm golden and deep red twilight, extraordinarily beautiful.

Yan Zhusheng leaned closer and noticed the message written on it.

【Sunset holds special meaning. I think this postcard is perfect for you—I hope you like it.】

"What special meaning?" Yan Zhusheng tilted her head toward Li Luo, puzzled, not understanding.

"It's saying you're as beautiful as the sunset in the photo," Li Luo lied casually.

Fortunately, Yan Zhusheng was easy to fool; she nodded and believed him, put down the postcard, and picked up the letter.

But Li Luo smiled, knowing the photo on the postcard carried more than met the eye.

No mistake—a single word, a single line, a single detail—all mattered!

For him, the final year before his rebirth had truly been like sunset, as if darkness was about to descend.

And at that time, Yan Zhusheng had indeed been like a streak of twilight on the horizon—beautiful, but only something he could watch and admire from afar.

Yan Zhusheng naturally didn't understand the meaning; she simply opened the letter in her hand and began reading.

【Zhusheng:】

【By the time you read this letter, more than half a year will have passed since I wrote it.】

【I'm not sure if this Love Post Office is reliable, but it says the longest-delivered letter was from twenty years ago, so a half-year delay should be no problem.】

【First, happy birthday to you.】

【We've known each other for nearly two years now.】

【Unfortunately, our first meeting was already at the start of Gao Yi, and you'd just barely passed your birthday then.】

【This is the second birthday we've celebrated together since we met, but it won't be the last.】

【I have full confidence in myself—I'll make sure your next birthday is a joyful one.】

【Soon comes Gao San; though the Gaokao is still a year away, art students must take the provincial exam by the end of this year.】

【I wish you success in your exam—after a year, we can go to Qianjiang University together.】

【It's a pity we won't be desk partners anymore then, haha.】

【If you were in another college, we might still choose the same elective, but the Music College's curriculum is completely isolated from others.】

【So for the rest of this high school year, we must cherish every moment.】

【In short, I'm glad to have met you, Zhusheng.】

【I hope you'll always stay in my world.】

【—Li Luo】

After reading the letter, Yan Zhusheng's eyes crinkled with joy; she looked extremely happy, her bare feet bouncing up and down on the sofa.

Poor Li Luo, pinned beneath her the whole time.

"Still not done?" Li Luo asked helplessly. "I didn't write that much, remember?"

"Don't interrupt," Yan Zhusheng covered Li Luo's mouth with her hand. "I'm reading it for the third time."

"It's just one letter—why read it so many times?"

"Fine, I won't read it," Yan Zhusheng set the letter aside, then leaned down and sealed his lips with hers.

In the bedroom, Xu Youyu waited and waited, but Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng never called her to leave.

As it neared eight o'clock, she could no longer hold back; she quietly opened the bedroom door and walked toward the living room—only to see the couple on the sofa, passionately kissing.

Xu Youyu sighed: "... Hey, can you check the time? Don't keep the owner of the craft experience studio waiting."

…

Craft Experience Studio.

Tan Huilin's mood today was complicated.

Not because she was on her period—purely because that familiar customer had booked again.

Ever since she'd seen the girl claiming to be his sister holding hands with Li Luo on the street, her impression of Li Luo had soured.

But she didn't know whether he was cheating on two girls, or had simply broken up with the first and found another.

She first met Li Luo in March, then again in June.

Now it was late August—nearly three months again.

Could this guy have found a new girlfriend again?

Tan Huilin muttered these thoughts to herself as she carried a trash bag toward the shop door to throw it out.

Just after tossing the trash, she saw a red BMW X3 pull up to her shop's entrance.

The passenger-side window rolled down, revealing the driver's silhouette.

"Hi, Boss Lady~ Long time no see."

Tan Huilin looked at the girl in the driver's seat and immediately broke into a delighted smile: "It's you! Long time no see!"

The moment she saw Xu Youyu, the shop owner sighed in relief, thinking that Li Luo was still reliable—not one of those jerks who changed girlfriends every three months.

This was still pretty lasting.

At least she wouldn't have to face the awkwardness of the same customer bringing a different girl to the shop again.

But this joyful mood didn't last long—Tan Huilin's smile quickly froze.

Because after the back door opened, not only did Li Luo step out, but another girl followed, whose beauty was no less than Xu Youyu's.

Moreover, this Miss was tall and slender, her long, elegant legs drawing immediate attention—she had the figure of a model.

What surprised Tan Huilin even more was that Xu Youyu had driven them here, dropped them off, exchanged a greeting, and then left.

Left?!

Just like that?!

Wait… sister… you just let your boyfriend come here with another girl to do crafts?!

And you personally picked them up and dropped them off?!

Tan Huilin felt her mind glitch—she couldn't process it at all.

"This is my sister," Li Luo coughed and explained.

"Oh… I see… uh…" Tan Huilin forced a stiff smile, barely accepting Li Luo's explanation.

After all, if she weren't his sister, his girlfriend wouldn't have come to pick them up and drop them off herself.

Thinking this, Tan Huilin relaxed and quickly invited them in: "Come with me—the materials are all ready."

(End of Chapter)