Chapter 564: The Christmas of the Ring Finger

"What were you just doing?"

Yan Zhusheng finished practicing piano in the piano room and walked out to take a shower, only to see Li Luo and Ying Chanxi stepping out of Xixi's bedroom.

Ying Chanxi's cheeks still bore a faint blush, clearly up to no good.

"We shot some MV footage," Ying Chanxi whispered, her face flushed.

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng nodded. "Is Xixi going to shower?"

"I already showered," Ying Chanxi said, her left hand stroking her right wrist, then gliding over her fingers, her peripheral vision stealing a glance at Yan Zhusheng.

Seeing that Yan Zhusheng hadn't noticed the new thing on her finger, she exhaled in relief—yet secretly hoped she would.

"Then I'll go shower," Yan Zhusheng said without thinking, turning back to her bedroom to fetch clean clothes.

Li Luo returned to the master bedroom, sat at his desk, glanced at the photo frame of his first kiss beside his computer, then focused on typing.

……

In the days that followed, Ying Chanxi developed a strange compulsion: she couldn't go without touching her finger, or she'd feel restless all over.

As Ying Chanxi's desk partner, Qiao Xinyan was the first to notice her odd behavior; after careful observation, she realized something new had appeared on Ying Chanxi's finger.

"Xixi, what's this?" Qiao Xinyan leaned closer and saw a pure white ring on Ying Chanxi's right ring finger.

The ring wasn't large—about half a centimeter wide—and not from any luxury brand, just an ordinary clay-made piece.

Its pure white base, carved with a pair of large and small pandas, and the inscription "Ying Chanxi & Li Luo," all revealed its origin.

Ying Chanxi blushed as Qiao Xinyan held her hand to examine the ring; only when Qiao Xinyan had looked her fill did she pull her arm back.

Qiao Xinyan glanced at her best friend, then glanced behind her, spotting Li Luo braiding Yan Zhusheng's hair, and her eye twitched.

But she specifically checked Yan Zhusheng's fingers—and found she had no such ring, which surprised her slightly.

So she couldn't help whispering: "Did Li Luo give this only to you?"

"Yep," Ying Chanxi lifted her snow-white chin slightly, her tiny pride barely concealed.

Usually, few people deliberately checked if someone else had added something to their finger.

But Ying Chanxi was different.

She was already a school celebrity.

Though the boys in class all knew the ambiguous relationship between Ying Chanxi and Li Luo, humans are visual creatures—often unable to control their own eyes.

So many boys still couldn't help stealing glances at the two beautiful girls in the classroom corner.

Soon, everyone noticed the new ring on Ying Chanxi's finger.

Especially since it was worn on the ring finger.

Xie Shuchen even quietly approached Li Luo to ask if the ring was expensive—he wanted to get one for his girlfriend to add some romance.

When he learned it was just a cheap clay piece, Xie Shuchen immediately got excited.

As for Liu Shaowen… better not mention him.

That guy's heart was already dead.

Ying Chanxi was now very happy, happy yet tinged with a girl's shy blush.

Before, when she had nothing to do, she'd spin her pen.

Now, when idle, she loved to twist the ring between her fingers, savoring the friction between ring and skin.

After noticing the ring on Ying Chanxi's finger, Yan Zhusheng said nothing.

But her frequency of sulking and being jealous of Li Luo behind closed doors clearly increased.

Soon.

Time arrived at another weekend.

The New Year's Eve party was the coming Saturday.

So as director of the Gao San Class 8 skit, Ying Chanxi planned to gather the performers on Sunday to rehearse at school.

Yan Zhusheng, though her provincial exam was over, still had to attend private tutoring on weekends for the upcoming college entrance exams next spring.

While she was away, Xu Youyu caught Li Luo.

"Xixi and Zhusheng aren't here—today, just hang out with me for the holiday?" Xu Youyu, who woke up past ten, saw Li Luo typing in his bedroom, wrapped her arms around his back from behind, and pounced onto him with a grin.

"What holiday is today?"

"Christmas."

"Chinese don't celebrate foreign holidays," Li Luo said seriously.

"Really?" Xu Youyu blinked, her eyes darted once, then she chuckled twice, said nothing more, and turned back to her room.

A few minutes later, footsteps came again behind Li Luo.

The next second, Xu Youyu's voice sounded at his ear: "What about now?"

Li Luo paused his typing and turned his head.

And he froze.

Before his eyes appeared a shade of red that quickened his heartbeat.

Xu Youyu wore a carefully chosen Christmas outfit.

The top was a matching strapless design, revealing her delicate collarbones, white neck, and a deep abyss that seemed to pull one in.

A red shawl with white fur trim draped over her shoulders, paired with antler decorations and her high ponytails, making her both playful and alluring.

The red mini-skirt hugged her slender waist, exposing a stretch of snow-white thigh.

Her calves to knees were wrapped in white stockings, finished off with a pair of high-heeled short boots.

The heels tapped the wooden floor like beats on the heart.

Li Luo swallowed hard, fell silent for a moment, then said: "I think our Huaxia civilization must embrace inclusiveness and vast tolerance—just celebrating a foreign holiday won't hurt."

"Haha~" Xu Youyu laughed happily, leaned down, pinched Li Luo's cheek, "You change your tune fast."

"So where are you planning to go?"

"Not decided yet," Xu Youyu said, turning back toward his bedroom. "I'll go change clothes first, then we'll head out~"

"Wait?" Li Luo couldn't help asking, "You're going to change out of that outfit?"

"What else?" Xu Youyu turned his head, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled, "Or do you want others to get a good look too?"

"Cough... never mind then." Li Luo immediately changed his tone, agreeing that changing clothes was fine. "It's cold outside now—wear more."

"Hmph."

Xu Youyu just smiled, then returned to his bedroom and came out wearing a down jacket, pulling Li Luo out for their date.

The two found a restaurant on Ningshan Avenue outside the south gate of Qianjiang University for lunch.

They ate while chatting casually.

"When will that subway line over there be finished?" Xu Youyu asked curiously. "Hasn't it been under construction for a year already?"

"Subways don't get built that fast," Li Luo replied with a smile. "The Shidai Tianjie commercial zone across the west gate will probably open first." In Li Luo's memory, the Shidai Tianjie commercial area had opened during the summer vacation of 2017.

That was precisely when Li Luo's cohort of Gao Zhongsheng finished their college entrance exams.

By spring 2018, the subway entrance beside Qianjiang University and Shidai Tianjie finally opened.

It took about two and a half years—already quite fast.

In another six or seven years, new subway lines will gradually open near the People's Square to the south and the roundabout to the east of the Jincheng Community where Li Luo's parents live.

But by then, the real estate market would already be in winter, and even the subway opening wouldn't boost property prices much.

Moreover, later on, to pay for Lin Xiuhong's illness, they sold the apartment in Jincheng Community.

But now, of course, things are different.

At this moment, property prices in Yuhang City are still rising.

Especially after the subway station at this intersection opens, property values for Bihai Lanting and the three shops on Xijie will rise along with it.

!

Yet now, Li Luo actually doesn't need to profit from rising property prices anymore.

His father seems genuinely happy running the hotpot restaurant, and his uncle has bought a new car with his milk tea shop—and even found himself an auntie.

Even if these shops' prices go up later, there's no real need for him to sell them.

As for Bihai Lanting, even if their family grows too large to fit and they need to move to a bigger villa, it will remain an unforgettable memory from their student days—there's no way they'll sell it.

"Once Shidai Tianjie is done, we won't have to keep going all the way to Yintai Department Store just to shop," Xu Youyu said while eating.

"Mm," Li Luo nodded, then added, "But in two years, there'll be another Yintai City opening near the south station, connected to the subway line. From here, it's only ten or so minutes by subway—very convenient."

The two chatted about all sorts of topics.

From commercial districts and subways, they moved on to new Online Novels, then to amusing stories from their respective schools.

"Ugh, I can't stand that guy Song Yu—he's always running whenever Jiang Feiya calls," Xu Youyu complained halfway through his meal. "But Jiang Feiya's still keeping in touch with several other guys and going on dates without skipping a beat."

"Some girls, once they realize their physical advantages, gradually learn to use them to get what they want," Li Luo said simply. "Others restrain themselves—that's the difference in upbringing."

"So you're complimenting my parents?" Xu Youyu chuckled. "They're not even here—why can't you just compliment me directly?"

"Complimenting to someone's face is flattery. My private compliments are the real thing," Li Luo said seriously.

"Hmph~" Xu Youyu smirked and slid him a piece of fatty pork belly.

After lunch, the two went shopping at Yintai Department Store. Xu Youyu picked out two new outfits for Li Luo and also bought a Santa Claus cosplay suit.

"Why did you buy this?" Li Luo stared at the bright red bag in disbelief.

"For you to wear."

"Why do I have to wear this?"

"Tonight, I'll wear the reindeer suit, you wear the Santa suit—can't we?" Xu Youyu leaned close to Li Luo's ear, blowing warm air as he whispered, "You'll have to ride me to deliver gifts to people tonight."

"I remember Santa rides a sleigh," Li Luo reminded him. "You'd just be the one tied to the reins."

"Oh~" Xu Youyu hummed twice, giving him a knowing look. "So you like that kind of thing? Should I buy a rope to take home?"

Li Luo: "…That's really not necessary."

"You hesitated. You're not really tempted, are you?"

"Don't make things up."

…

In the evening, the two returned to Bihai Lanting carrying the groceries they'd just bought.

Xu Youyu went to organize his new clothes.

Li Luo headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Since today was Christmas, Li Luo decided to make a Western-style meal.

At this time, Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng were both at school for evening self-study; Li Luo had taken the day off.

Kong Jun had completely given him free rein—so long as he didn't cause any fatalities, he'd fulfill any other request.

So Li Luo had taken Sundays off for two weeks straight, and Kong Jun hadn't objected.

"Looks pretty professional."

After organizing his clothes, Xu Youyu wandered into the kitchen and watched Li Luo fry french fries, make chicken nuggets, roast chicken wings, sear steak, cook spaghetti, and fry eggs.

Finally, he garnished the meal with boiled broccoli and cherry tomatoes—a proper Western meal was complete.

As he told Xu Youyu to carry the dishes out, Li Luo also pulled out Xu Youyu's cocktail glass and mixed two glasses of ruby-red cocktails—visually identical to red wine, but smoother and easier to drink.

The two then sat down at the dining table.

But Xu Youyu wasn't satisfied—he insisted on changing outfits.

In the end, Xu Youyu put on the reindeer suit he'd shown Li Luo that morning.

Li Luo was forced to wear the Santa suit; the store had even kindly included a sack and two pairs of red socks.

"Hahaha~" Xu Youyu couldn't help laughing as he saw the thick white beard stuck to his face. "You don't need to wear a beard—how are you going to eat like that?"

Xu Youyu helped him remove the beard, then rummaged around and pulled out two candles, lighting them.

After turning off the living room lights, the two sat across from each other at the dining table, enjoying their candlelit dinner.

Halfway through the meal, Xu Youyu felt something was missing, so he went to the bedroom and fetched that DVD, inserting it into the living room TV to play Li Luo's performance of "Mojito."

After finishing dinner, Xu Youyu and Li Luo raised their glasses, drained the last drops of wine, then stood up, took hands, and began to dance slowly to the music.

"Dancing in this outfit looks kind of ridiculous," Xu Youyu couldn't help laughing.

"Then what?" Li Luo raised an eyebrow. "How about you get on all fours, and I ride you to deliver the gifts?"

"Hmph," Xu Youyu smirked. "Then where's my gift? Give me my gift first, then you can ride."

"Here," Li Luo reached into the sack and pulled out a red stocking, handing it to Xu Youyu. "Your gift."

"I bought this, you know," Xu Youyu rolled her eyes at him.

"You don't know?" Li Luo grinned. "Put the red stocking by the bed, and tomorrow you'll find a gift from Santa Claus inside."

"I'm not a three-year-old."

"Of course you're not—that's why I already put your gift inside."

"Really?" Xu Youyu took the red stocking skeptically and reached inside.

Nothing.

"Nothing?" Li Luo looked puzzled, took the stocking, and reached inside to feel around.

"Are you kidding me?" Xu Youyu thought Li Luo was teasing her.

But the next second, Li Luo pulled something out of the red stocking.

"See?" Li Luo smiled, took Xu Youyu's hand, and slipped it onto her ring finger. "Isn't there something?"

(End of Chapter)