Chapter 560: Four People on the Move

After the parent-teacher meeting ended.

Starting Thursday of the second week, Fuyi High School's new annual sports meet begins.

As this was the final sports meet of their high school years, the students of Class 8 treasured it deeply.

Events like long-distance running, which were usually ignored, suddenly had students scrambling to sign up—so much so that Li Luo didn't even need to compete; every event was already fully enrolled.

He was perfectly happy with this—being able to enjoy his last sports meet without lifting a finger was ideal.

On Thursday, Zhu Yufei and Yan Zhusheng, the two PE committee members, led the way, guiding Class 3-8 into the stadium and finding their designated spot on the field.

Then came performances by various clubs and speeches by school administrators.

In the end, the Rock Society took the stage, delivering a spectacular performance to open the sports meet.

The freshmen in Grade 1 clapped enthusiastically.

But the students in Grade 2 and Grade 3 clapped too, though their attention was half-hearted.

After two years of being accustomed to Yan Zhusheng's voice, his absence was undeniably disappointing.

The Rock Society now had two lead singers: one was a Grade 2 girl with a sweet voice.

The other was a Grade 1 boy who still needed polishing.

Today's performer was the Grade 2 girl; though her voice was pleasant, sweet tones felt mismatched for such a grand occasion.

If Yan Zhusheng had sung, his voice would have already shattered the stage.

"Aren't you and Zhusheng performing this time?" Ying Chanxi whispered to Li Luo, standing beside him.

"We should give newcomers a chance to grow," Li Luo stood relaxed, "Besides, Zhusheng's already on concert stages—no need to compete with underclassmen for this."

"What about you?" Ying Chanxi asked again, then added softly, "I'd really like to see you on stage."

"If I wanted to go up, I could anytime," Li Luo blinked, pointing toward Jiang Liuxian, the Student Union president at the edge of the podium, "Just tell my disciple—I can use the PA system anytime during the sports meet."

Ying Chanxi rolled her eyes: "Technically, non-PA club members aren't allowed to use school broadcasting equipment."

"I used it back in Grade 1—don't you remember?" Li Luo said, "Yu Jie even approved it. Don't be so rigid."

Ying Chanxi recalled the past two years—when she was about to compete, Li Luo sang to cheer her on—and a faint smile tugged at her lips, hard to suppress.

So she just huffed in response.

After the opening ceremony ended.

Everyone lined up in order and headed to the stands, preparing for the morning events.

This year, Li Luo didn't sign up for any events—he was purely an audience member.

The Student Union had volunteer duties, but Grade 3 members could freely choose whether to accept them; the main work fell to Grade 1 and Grade 2 students.

Li Luo was happy to do nothing, just asking his uncle to sneak in milk tea and snacks through the fence behind the stands.

Every time Li Luo stood up and waved behind him, Zhu Yufei and the other boys immediately jumped up, grinning and trotting after him—they'd become experts at it.

Classmates knew Li Luo had money to burn; after so many times, they stopped being polite.

Students from other classes watched Class 8 gobbling up snacks and felt intense envy, cursing their own class for not having a class president like Li Luo.

By Friday morning, the women's 100-meter final ended.

Li Luo stood at the entrance to the stands, waiting for Yan Zhusheng's return.

Yan Zhusheng, wearing a gold medal around her neck, climbed the steps, saw the milk tea in Li Luo's hand, took it without a word, and took a big sip.

"... That's mine," Li Luo coughed softly, reminding her, "Your drink's over at our seat."

"Oh," Yan Zhusheng paused, then drank even faster, finishing every last drop of Li Luo's half-full milk tea, "Then drink mine."

"Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome," Yan Zhusheng took off her gold medal and hung it around Li Luo's neck, "Hold it for me—I find it uncomfortable around my neck."

"How does it feel to win first place?" Li Luo asked with a smile.

"Happy," Yan Zhusheng said calmly.

"I can't tell you're happy."

"Then you just don't care enough to notice," Yan Zhusheng blinked at him.

"If you're happy, you should smile," Li Luo raised his hand, placing his index fingers on either side of her lips and gently lifting, "You look beautiful when you smile."

"Hey, can you two not block the aisle?" Xu Yinghuan, who finished last in the final, stood behind Yan Zhusheng with her hands on her hips, frowning, "If you want to show off, go back to your seat."

"Huanhuan, you're annoying," Yan Zhusheng turned her head, "Eighth place, don't talk."

Xu Yinghuan glared: "First place makes you better? You just have longer legs than me!"

The two girls bickered as they walked toward their seats, Li Luo following beside them, returning together.

Soon, the 200-meter final was about to begin.

Because class enrollment was so enthusiastic this sports meet, Yan Zhusheng had signed up only for the 100 meters.

The 200-meter event was taken by Ying Chanxi and Luo Jiajia.

Both made it to the final.

When the starting gun fired, Li Luo stood up shouting encouragement, watching Ying Chanxi's petite figure sprint across the finish line.

Unfortunately, she was slightly outclassed, finishing fourth; Luo Jiajia took second.

Still, it was quite impressive.

Ying Chanxi's natural athletic talent was indeed inferior to Yan Zhusheng's; she reached the final only because she consistently ran morning and evening.

After the race ended, Li Luo met Ying Chanxi again at the entrance.

She was still slightly breathless, her cheeks flushed, her youthful, adorable face drawing involuntary glances from many boys on the path.

But when they saw Ying Chanxi return to Li Luo's side, many quietly looked away.

After all, anyone familiar with Fuyi High's "Bible" knew this girl was one of its Three Holy Maidens—do not provoke.

Only admire from afar.

But when Ying Chanxi and Li Luo stand together, don't stare too long—you'll choke.

Of course, there were some dirty souls in school who secretly reported to the homeroom teacher or the discipline director.

They claimed Li Luo was dating someone, some even said he was dating two at once, corrupting morals and such.

But such things always fizzled out in the end.

Kong Jun merely privately warned Li Luo to behave more discreetly at school, and also informed the parents of Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng.

But the parents didn't care at all—so what did the school have to do?

One was top of the grade, another second, and the third a music and arts student—yet all three still ranked in the school's top hundred academically.

What was there to manage? "Hey!" Li Luo ignored the stares around him, watching Ying Chanxi climb onto the stands, then watched in silence as she snatched the milk tea from his hand, "... That's not my milk tea."

"Mine?" Ying Chanxi asked, sipping as she spoke.

"This one is Zhusheng's. Yours is on your seat."

Ying Chanxi: "...?"

"Why are you drinking Zhusheng's milk tea?"

"She just finished mine, so I had to drink hers," Li Luo said, reaching to take it back.

But Ying Chanxi sidestepped, drank even harder, and downed the remaining half-cup in one gulp.

"Wait... if you drank it all, what am I supposed to drink?"

"Drink mine," Ying Chanxi tossed the empty cup into the trash, "Didn't I still have mine?"

Li Luo: "..."

!

The final sports meet of high school soon reached its end.

After November passed, Yan Zhusheng faced the provincial unified exam for art candidates.

The New Year's Eve gala at Fu Yi High School also began preparations.

Ying Chanxi was no longer student council president, so she had nothing to do.

But classmates felt that since graduation was next year, this was their last New Year's Eve gala, and they wanted a class performance—so Li Luo wrote a short comedy script set in a classroom.

Thus, Ying Chanxi became director, using the little knowledge she'd picked up from the "Little Joy" set, organizing classmates to rehearse.

Though Li Luo had left the rock band, after Yan Zhusheng's provincial exam ended, he still frequently dragged her over to visit the rock club.

Occasionally, he secretly met up with Kong Junxiang, though no one knew what they were discussing.

"Next Wednesday is your birthday."

At home in the evening, Yan Zhusheng finished her bath and came to Li Luo's room to dry her hair.

While enjoying Li Luo's blow-dry service, Yan Zhusheng opened her phone calendar and told Li Luo.

"Oh, Wednesday?" Li Luo nodded. "Then we'll just eat a cake that night and call it done."

"No way!" Ying Chanxi, already lying on Li Luo's bed, sat up in protest. "We can celebrate a few days early—let's have your birthday this weekend."

"We could," Li Luo said, continuing to blow-dry Yan Zhusheng's hair, brushing through her soft long strands, "but how?"

"Monopoly!" Yan Zhusheng raised her tiny hand, serious as could be.

Slap!

Li Luo swatted her hand away: "Denied. Next idea."

"Why?" Yan Zhusheng pouted. "Isn't Monopoly fun?"

"Be good," Li Luo patted her head, calming her, then turned to Ying Chanxi. "Any suggestions, Xixi?"

"Mahjong?" Ying Chanxi tilted her head. "Aren't there mahjong machines at Senior's place? We could cook lunch and dinner ourselves."

"That's no different from usual," Li Luo said. "Just play normally."

"What's 'play normally'?" Xu Youyu, having just finished writing, wandered over and overheard Li Luo. She leaned in curiously.

"We're talking about what to do for Li Luo's birthday," Yan Zhusheng said, eyes lighting up at Xu Youyu. "I suggested Monopoly, but Li Luo said no. What about you, Senior?"

"Ah~" Xu Youyu grinned. "I just upgraded Monopoly—how about..."

"Denied," Li Luo rolled his eyes. "If you want to play, wait until your own birthday."

"Fine, fine," Xu Youyu sat beside Li Luo, dangling her feet. "Then let's go back to that craft shop. Making cups was fun last time."

"That works," Ying Chanxi nodded in agreement. "I wanted to make something else too—last time I only had time for the cup."

Yan Zhusheng still wanted Monopoly, but since both sisters agreed, she nodded too: "Then I'm coming too."

Seeing all three were eager, Li Luo nodded: "Alright, let's go."

Thinking this over, Li Luo had already dried Yan Zhusheng's hair. He pulled out his phone, found the shop owner's WeChat, and sent a message to book in advance.

December 18th, Sunday.

DIY pottery crafting experience studio.

Tan Huilin's mood today was complicated.

Because her old regular customer had booked Sunday again, saying they'd come to celebrate a birthday.

But Tan Huilin felt slightly relieved—this time Li Luo said four people would come.

Four people, celebrating a birthday—surely they were close friends, right?

It couldn't be another new lover.

Tan Huilin thought this as she prepared for the day, gathering enough clay and tools, waiting for customers to arrive.

Around eight o'clock, car sounds came from outside the shop.

A very familiar red BMW passed by the shop door and pulled into a parking spot beside it.

The moment Tan Huilin saw the car, a sense of unease suddenly rose in her heart.

When she walked to the door, she saw someone getting out of the BMW's front passenger seat—it was Li Luo.

At the same time, Xu Youyu in the driver's seat also got out; Tan Huilin had seen him before.

Then came two figures from the back seat…

Hmm… they also seemed familiar.

Tan Huilin watched silently as Li Luo led three familiar girls to the shop door, her mind momentarily muddled, unable to figure out exactly what relationship existed among these four.

According to her guess, Xu Youyu was his cousin, Yan Zhusheng his younger cousin, and Ying Chanxi his girlfriend?

But this guy secretly held hands intimately with his own cousins, even kissed them!

Last time, she had seen Yan Zhusheng kiss Li Luo on the cheek.

And now, not only did Li Luo bring a girl, he brought three all at once.

What did this mean?

Didn't they all know each other's relationship with Li Luo?

Tan Huilin looked at Li Luo, then at the other three girls, unsure how to greet them.

"Hello, Boss Lady~" Xu Youyu, however, was effortlessly familiar, smiling brightly as she greeted the boss, "We're bothering you again."

"Not a bother at all, I'm delighted you've come," Tan Huilin forced a smile and quickly led the four inside, "I've prepared everything for you."

She just prayed they wouldn't start fighting in her shop.

(End of Chapter)