Chapter 545: When You

After the plane landed, Li Luo and his group of seven collected their luggage and took a car to the Dongfang Junyue Hotel near Wang Fujing to check in.

Throughout the journey, Lin Xiuhong kept glancing left and right, occasionally murmuring "tsk tsk," filled with deep emotion.

Going back two years and more, Lin Xiuhong, who had to rise at three or four in the morning every day to work at a breakfast shop, would never have imagined her life would change so utterly in just two years.

Two years ago, with their family's circumstances, how could they have afforded or found the time to travel?

Even if they had gone on a trip, the absolute best they could manage was a quick stroll around Xihu in the city center—already considered quite nice.

But now, Lin Xiuhong had already been to Changning City, the nearest metropolis to Yuhang City, and seen the bustle of a big city.

She had also visited Qiongzhou City, an island, seen the sea, tried scuba diving, and soaked in hot springs.

This past summer, she had just been to Chongqing City, tasted its fiery hotpot and marveled at its 3D maze-like architecture.

And now, at this very moment, she had arrived at the very heart of our nation's capital.

Li Luo had planned this trip without consulting his parents on the specifics.

When Lin Xiuhong entered the hotel room, she realized it was far larger than any hotel room she had ever stayed in before.

Walking in, she couldn't even see the bed at first—her eyes met only a spacious living area with a sofa and an LCD television, and by the window stood a massive desk.

Only after passing through the living area could she see a soft, spacious bed; when she pulled back the curtains, she could see the full splendor of Wang Fujing, and in the distance, faintly make out the silhouette of the Forbidden City.

She placed the suitcase in the living area, stood by the window, and sighed again.

Li Guohong walked over, glanced at his wife, then chuckled: "Back when we were young, you said after we got married we'd come to the capital for a trip—now it's finally come true?"

"How can you even say that?" Lin Xiuhong rolled her eyes at him. "You're only here because of our son—if not for him, I'd still be suffering alongside you."

"But isn't our son the one we raised?" Li Guohong pulled her into a hug, grinning. "In the end, it's all our own doing."

"Get off, your chin's prickly," Lin Xiuhong pushed him away with a look of disgust, though her smiling lips betrayed her.

On the other side, Cui Suling opened her suitcase, took out the items she'd need, then turned to Xu Rongsheng, who was seated at the desk.

"Yuan Wan has been in university for over a month—how's she doing there?"

"Why don't you ask her directly?" Xu Rongsheng glanced at his wife. "I'm Vice Dean, not her class advisor—I wouldn't know all that."

"You don't even care about your own daughter," Cui Suling rolled her eyes. "Don't let her get bullied right under your nose."

"As long as she doesn't bully others, that's fine," Xu Rongsheng chuckled. "I heard from Old Li she often takes her roommates to his hotpot restaurant and never pays."

"That little brat!" Cui Suling snapped. "How can she be so shameless?"

"Old Li told his manager not to charge," Xu Rongsheng said calmly. "They're not short on money anymore—they've started seeking spiritual satisfaction."

"Previously, they only had a cooperation agreement with our college; later, they specifically sponsored some of our events."

"This semester, they've partnered with the Work-Study Department, offering several part-time server positions at the restaurant."

"Oh, by the way, your precious daughter's first sponsorship after joining the External Relations Department came from the milk tea shop run by Li Luo's uncle."

After hearing this, Cui Suling muttered under her breath: "This girl has no shame at all? And how come you know all this so clearly?"

"I heard it from Old Li during our casual meals—I don't have spare time to dig into these things," Xu Rongsheng waved his hand. "Point is, your daughter's living quite comfortably at school—stop worrying needlessly."

…

"This room is so big!" Xu Youyu entered the room, eyes brightening; she dropped her suitcase and rushed to the desk. "Perfect for writing at night."

"Senior, you're traveling and still writing?" Ying Chanxi asked, puzzled. "Don't you have any drafts saved?"

Xu Youyu: "... Don't say things like that—it hurts."

Before she started her novel, she'd barely saved over ten thousand words—but after half a month of constant writing, those drafts were long gone!

Especially now, during the new book phase, her novel was still featured on the platform's recommendation list—she absolutely couldn't miss a single update.

So even during National Day holiday travel, Xu Youyu still had to grind out her writing.

Fortunately, her ideas were still clear during this new book phase, her outline was relatively complete, and the characters and plot hadn't fully unfolded yet—making it comparatively easier to write.

At four thousand words a day, if her thoughts flowed smoothly, two or three hours would be enough.

"Have you finished packing?"

As Ying Chanxi and Xu Youyu chatted while packing, Li Luo knocked on the door.

Ying Chanxi went to the door, opened it, and heard Li Luo say: "We're very close to Tiananmen—let's go for a walk this afternoon."

"Got it, wait a moment," Ying Chanxi invited Li Luo in, then turned to take out everything she needed from her suitcase and put it away.

After finishing, the three of them joined Lin Xiuhong's group; the seven of them left the hotel and strolled along the streets of Beijing, soon arriving at Tiananmen Gate.

It was National Day, so although not as crowded as during the morning flag-raising ceremony, Tiananmen Square was still packed shoulder to shoulder.

Xu Rongsheng had visited once in his youth, but everyone else present, except him, was seeing it for the first time.

Hmm… Li Luo was visiting for the second time—he'd come here in his past life with Xu Youyu, even staying up all night in line to watch the flag-raising ceremony.

But coming with his parents? This was his first time in both lifetimes.

Watching his parents gaze at Tiananmen Gate, Li Luo smiled, once again feeling the meaning of his rebirth.

Then he turned his gaze to Ying Chanxi and noticed a faint sadness in her eyes as she looked at Tiananmen; he quietly asked: "What's wrong? Unhappy?"

"I'm fine," Ying Chanxi shook her head gently, glanced at Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong, then at Xu Youyu's family of three, bit her lip, and finally whispered to Li Luo: "I wish Dad had come too."

"Cough… Uncle Ying is busy with something," Li Luo said, though he knew exactly where Ying Zhicheng was—he still tried to cover for his future father-in-law.

Unfortunately, Li Luo didn't know that Ying Chanxi already knew everything.

So upon hearing his words, Ying Chanxi merely gave a soft huff and dropped the subject, silently slipping her small hand into Li Luo's palm.

Standing behind the four parents, Li Luo gripped Ying Chanxi's hand tightly and whispered in her ear: "It's okay—I'll always be with you."

The seven of them wandered around Tiananmen, then returned to the Wang Fujing area in the evening to eat roast duck at Quanjude.

Whether due to brand prestige or not, the taste was decent.

Meanwhile, Ying Zhicheng, Yuan Wanqing, and Yan Zhusheng also came to have dinner together.

Ten people gathered at the table—the dinner atmosphere was quite pleasant.

After dinner, everyone strolled along Wang Fujing's commercial street to digest their food.

After returning to the hotel, Xu Youyu began typing furiously.

She not only had to finish today's four thousand words, but since tomorrow they'd visit the Forbidden City and watch Yuan Wanqing's concert at night, she also needed to finish tomorrow's four thousand words in advance.

Ying Chanxi didn't disturb Xu Youyu; after showering in her room, she grabbed her phone and ran out to Li Luo's room.

As for Yuan Wanqing and Yan Zhusheng, they had rehearsal in the evening and vanished again after dinner.

"You're writing too?"

After knocking, Ying Chanxi walked into Li Luo's room and saw the laptop she'd bought for him sitting on his desk.

"No," Li Luo shook his head. "I've taken a break from writing these past few days since we're out sightseeing. I'm just preparing some ideas for my new book."

"Oh right, I heard you talking about this with your senior this afternoon." Ying Chanxi sat on the edge of the bed, curiously staring at Li Luo. "You're going to write some ancient fantasy thing—why not write a modern setting?"

"Everything I wanted to write in a modern setting is already in I Am Really Not a Star," Li Luo said with a knowing smile.

Ying Chanxi blinked, guessed something, then huffed and turned away, burrowing into Li Luo's blanket.

"So what exactly will your new book be about?" Ying Chanxi asked curiously.

"Where are we right now?" Li Luo pointed to his feet.

"In the hotel."

"I mean, which city?"

"Jingzhao City," Ying Chanxi said. "Our capital."

"Capital," Li Luo nodded. "Or Jingcheng—throughout history, many major events of every dynasty occurred in the nation's capital."

"My new book will revolve around Jingcheng, starting with a minor figure from a specialized agency under the Emperor, and slowly growing from there."

"But right now I still need to gather a lot of materials to flesh out the story."

"I roughly get it," Ying Chanxi nodded. "So will there be a female lead?"

"Of course there will."

"Multiple female leads?" Ying Chanxi narrowed her eyes.

"Well…" Li Luo paused, thinking. "I've considered copyright implications. Rather than calling them female leads, I'd call them red-ink confidantes."

A female character's charm often lies in her being unattained by the protagonist.

This unattainability can be purely physical, or spiritual and emotional.

When a female character fully and completely devotes herself to the protagonist, that's when her charm is entirely spent.

Li Luo preferred to highlight a female character's charm as a "supporting role," not merely her sexual appeal.

"So what exactly will the story be like?" Ying Chanxi asked again.

"The main plot will be the classic tale: overthrowing the old Emperor, installing a female sovereign, and ultimately saving all living beings," Li Luo said with a chuckle.

Then he walked to the bed, pulled back the blanket, and climbed in, pulling Ying Chanxi into his arms.

"What are you doing?" Ying Chanxi's cheeks flushed, she struggled slightly—but it was half-hearted, and she eventually leaned against Li Luo's chest.

"Let me explain some of my current ideas to you."

"Fine, explain—but why are you holding me?"

"Whispering into your ear like this, you'll listen more carefully," Li Luo hugged Ying Chanxi's soft body tightly, his hands growing restless.

After Ying Chanxi slapped his wandering hands away with a flushed face, Li Luo cleared his throat and continued: "I've been reading many ancient court cases lately—I plan to start from there."

"Court cases?"

"Unjust, false, or historically famous major cases," Li Luo slid his hand under Ying Chanxi's shirt, gently stroking her flat, smooth belly. "I'll treat the old Emperor as the final boss. Start with small cases, lay subtle foreshadowing bit by bit, and eventually weave a vast net that tightens at the climax."

In his past life, Li Luo often discussed online novel writing theories and techniques with Xu Youyu.

They talked extensively about secondary and tertiary structures.

What impressed Li Luo most was the simplified main plot framework known as "Kill the Emperor."

The Idle Husband, The Master of Mystery, and The Grand Vigilante all followed it.

In the early primary structure, the protagonist only participates in minor events, solving them and defeating minor bosses.

Though he notices something's off, his low status prevents him from digging deeper.

After several primary structures, a secondary structure reveals deeper conspiracies.

After several secondary structures are laid out, it's finally revealed that countless cases all conceal an invisible hand plotting something.

The ultimate culprits behind those unjust cases, the ones who caused mass suffering, turn out to be the ruler of the entire realm.

The long buildup of emotion, exploding at the final moment, becomes an unstoppable flood, driving the protagonist toward the ultimate climax: "Kill the Emperor."

The tertiary structure is complete.

It sounds simple to describe, but putting it into practice is full of difficulties.

Li Luo discussed these ideas with Ying Chanxi on the bed; she half-understood, occasionally responding.

As night deepened, Ying Chanxi felt her cheeks grow hotter, pressed her lips tightly shut, and her eyes gradually grew moist.

That wandering hand was no longer on her belly.

"In the end, the protagonist, sword in hand, carves a bloody path until he reaches the Wumen Gate, and in front of all the court officials, personally beheads the Emperor."

As Ying Chanxi listened to Li Luo's slow, whispered plot details, she could no longer hold back—her lips parted slightly, breath coming in gasps, soft whimpers escaping her.

"You… have you touched enough yet?" Ying Chanxi's face burned crimson, her eyes hazy, her whole body aflame.

Her head was spinning.

(End of Chapter)