Chapter 575: An Unexpected Confrontation

Tianhe City in January isn't particularly cold.

As one of the southernmost cities in the country, daytime temperatures can still reach over ten degrees.

Even now, at night, around nine o'clock, the temperature is still about eight or nine degrees.

Li Luo and Ying Chanxi put on slightly thicker coats and felt no strength from the night breeze, strolling comfortably along the street.

The hotel wasn't far from the riverbank; the two walked hand in hand along the street and spotted the river-crossing bridge in less than ten minutes.

After walking a few more minutes, they reached the riverside pedestrian viewing platform, where one could stroll leisurely from this river-crossing bridge all the way to the other one.

At this time of year, not many tourists came to Tianhe City; those walking by the river were mostly locals.

Li Luo held Ying Chanxi's small hand as they walked through the not-too-crowded crowd, watching the rippling river and passing boats.

Ying Chanxi occasionally took out her camera to take photos of the two of them, or to capture the riverside night scenery.

With the Canton Tower across the river as the backdrop, every photo looked beautiful.

"You've always loved taking pictures since you were little," Li Luo recalled the past, looking at the girl beside him holding her camera, and couldn't help but sigh.

"What's wrong?" Ying Chanxi turned her head to look at him. "You haven't known me just one day."

"By the way, are all your photos still saved?"

"Of course they are."

"When we graduated elementary school, you dragged me around the school to take photos—those pictures are still there."

"They're all here!" Ying Chanxi huffed. "Someone refused to cooperate, so I didn't get many."

"But in junior high graduation, you were quite cooperative."

"I took a lot of photos then. If you want to see them, I'll bring them home for you."

"Alright." Li Luo leaned his arms on the riverside railing, his mind swirling with memories.

At least in this life, he hadn't let Ying Chanxi's junior high end with an imperfect conclusion.

"Suppose," Li Luo fell silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke, "that after I dumped you on the ground the day before the high school entrance exam, I never apologized. And then I didn't do well on the exam and went to another school—what would you have done?"

"Why are you asking such a question?" Ying Chanxi puffed out her cheeks, disliking Li Luo's hypothetical. "That kind of thing never happened."

From Ying Chanxi's perspective, Li Luo had quietly worked hard and reviewed secretly before the exam, which was why he stunned everyone on test day.

Even if they'd quarreled the day before the exam, as long as Li Luo got into Fuzhong No. 1, he would surely reconcile with her.

They weren't even fighting for the first time—Ying Chanxi didn't believe such a small thing would make her and Li Luo part ways.

But Li Luo, who knew another timeline, clearly didn't think so.

Seeing Ying Chanxi refused to entertain the idea, he just smiled and didn't press further, switching tactics instead.

"Suppose," Li Luo proposed, "that when I wrote Online Novels, my mom didn't agree to sign the contract with the platform, so I had to obediently go back to school. What do you think our lives would be like now?"

Hearing this question, Ying Chanxi involuntarily began to imagine.

Then she couldn't help but delve deeper.

After all, from her perspective, she didn't know the history between Li Luo and Xu Youyu or Yan Zhusheng.

So if Li Luo hadn't written Online Novels, he naturally wouldn't have crossed paths with Xu Youyu in that field.

Given Xu Youyu's personality, he would never have taken notice of Li Luo—or developed interest in him—just because they were roommates.

And if Li Luo hadn't written that entertainment novel, he naturally wouldn't have written songs in it.

Even if he'd sat next to Yan Zhusheng in Class Eight, there would've been no further interaction, let alone going to Yan Zhusheng's house to record songs!

Thinking of this, Ying Chanxi first showed a slightly happy expression, but quickly snapped back to reality, realizing these were all just hypotheticals.

She bit her lip, glancing resentfully at Li Luo beside her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Li Luo laughed.

"You know why." Ying Chanxi huffed, secretly feeling a little proud.

Because only she had loved him from start to finish simply because Li Luo was Li Luo.

Even if Li Luo hadn't earned millions from writing Online Novels, hadn't written songs that turned others into superstars, or hadn't topped the grade in academics, it wouldn't have changed Ying Chanxi's feelings for him.

"So what did you imagine?" Li Luo asked again.

"I imagined someone surrounded by two lovers." Ying Chanxi pinched Li Luo's waist, speaking sharply.

Though it didn't hurt at all, Li Luo still feigned a loud "Ouch!" then took hold of Ying Chanxi's small hand. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" Ying Chanxi snapped.

"I just mean that when things change, their impact on the future can be huge—even altering many people's lives." Li Luo spoke, his gaze fixed intently on Ying Chanxi, his expression unusually serious.

Seeing Li Luo's expression, Ying Chanxi's heart skipped a beat; she felt he was about to say something.

"Didn't I get first place in the grade on this final exam?" Li Luo murmured, stroking Ying Chanxi's small hand.

"Yeah, so what?" Ying Chanxi blinked, following his lead. "Have you already decided what you want me to do? Only one thing, and it has to be something I can actually do."

"I've already decided," Li Luo smiled. "And it's something you can do—though it might be hard for you."

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi fell silent, pressing her lips tightly together, lowering her head.

She had thought this rare chance to be alone with Li Luo—taking a walk, feeling the river breeze, taking photos—was wonderfully relaxing.

But Li Luo had come with an agenda.

What's the point…

Couldn't some things wait until later?

She'd already tried so hard not to think about them.

Why did he have to bring it up now?

You big idiot!

You know I'm easy to take advantage of.

Ying Chanxi clenched her fists silently, wanting to punch him hard—but ultimately couldn't bring herself to do it.

"I already guessed what you were going to say," Ying Chanxi said, her voice low with emotion.

"Huh?" Li Luo blinked, wondering if he'd shown any sign at all—how had Ying Chanxi figured it out? "You know?"

"It's this obvious—how could I not guess?" Ying Chanxi gave Li Luo a wounded glance, then bit her lip. "But why couldn't you wait until college to say this?"

"Isn't it still too early to talk about this now?"

"Can't you use the penalty for being top of the grade for something else?"

"Uh…" Li Luo scratched his head, then sighed. "I just felt that if I didn't clarify things now, it might hurt you too much. I don't want you to stay unhappy, and I especially don't want you to bury all this inside."

"You're so annoying," Ying Chanxi pressed her lips together, fighting back tears. She raised her hand and struck his chest, but with no strength—immediately, Li Luo caught her hand in his. Ying Chanxi threw herself into his arms, tears finally spilling over as she whispered, "I definitely don't want to share you with anyone."

"We've grown up together since we were kids. After Mom passed, you've always been by my side."

"We've been together for nearly eighteen years, while you've only known Senior and Zhusheng for a little over two."

"Why should it end up like this?"

"But Senior writes online novels—she shares your interests in that area."

"Zhusheng sings beautifully, and you write songs—you two have deep resonance there too."

"Sometimes I'm jealous, because I seem to have no talent in those areas—I can only selfishly drag you to shoot music videos."

"I just want to monopolize your time. I don't want anyone else to interfere."

"But… but…"

"I know… Senior is great, Zhusheng is great too—they're both wonderful people…"

"I'm afraid I can't compete with them…"

!

"Then… if I can't compete, maybe it's better just like this…"

"But you didn't have to say it out loud… I could've fooled myself… Why did you have to bring this up?"

Ying Chanxi cried with tears like pear blossoms in the rain; Li Luo held her tightly, gently wiping away her tears, heart aching.

But Ying Chanxi didn't want Li Luo to see her ugly, weeping face—she buried her head hard into his chest, rubbing all her tears onto his collar.

The two clung tightly by the riverbank, drawing glances from passersby.

Yet couples here weren't uncommon; people glanced and walked on, not stopping to stare.

The river water flowed slowly. After Ying Chanxi's sobs gradually subsided in his arms, Li Luo couldn't help but whisper softly, "Xixi."

"Mm?"

"I think we've been talking about two different things."

"... Huh?"

Ying Chanxi jerked her head up, staring at him in disbelief, her mind foggy. "Y-You what?"

"I said, I think we've been talking about two different things," Li Luo awkwardly rubbed his nose. "I actually meant to tell you something else."

"What else could you possibly have to say?" Ying Chanxi widened her eyes, skeptical—she thought he was changing the subject.

But Li Luo said directly: "I actually wanted to talk to you about Uncle Ying and Aunt Yuan."

At these words, Ying Chanxi fell silent instantly.

Li Luo continued: "I'm sorry I overheard your conversation with Zhusheng—I only learned you already knew about this, so…"

"No! Don't say it!" Ying Chanxi's cheeks flushed crimson. "So… you really weren't going to tell me about Senior and Zhusheng just now?"

"... No."

Hearing Li Luo's firm answer, Ying Chanxi's cheeks burned even hotter. Thinking of how emotional she'd just been, she felt so ashamed she wanted to crawl into a hole.

But Li Luo had just said he wanted to talk about her father and Aunt Yuan.

So… did Li Luo know about their relationship too?

But… but…

Ying Chanxi's mind was a slurry of confusion, as if her head were about to melt.

The mix of social death, embarrassment, doubt, and utter helplessness overwhelmed her—she didn't know how to speak to Li Luo anymore.

Finally, she let out a soft whimper, unable to bear the atmosphere, and turned to run.

"Hey! Don't run off! Can't we finish talking?" Li Luo chased after her.

But Ying Chanxi had already spotted a taxi by the roadside, jumped in, and told the driver to drive off.

Li Luo immediately got into the taxi behind hers and followed all the way to the hotel.

A few minutes later.

Li Luo stepped off the elevator to the executive suite door and saw Ying Chanxi, cheeks flushed, fidgeting her small hands together, glancing up at him furtively before quickly looking away, clearly guilty.

"Why did you run off like that?" Li Luo walked over helplessly, ruffling her hair. "The keycard's with me—you can't get in."

The executive suite had two keycards—one with Xu Youyu. Ying Chanxi had forgotten, and only remembered when she reached the door, so she'd awkwardly waited for Li Luo to open it.

But compared to earlier, the atmosphere now was much calmer.

Li Luo swiped the card, opened the door, pulled Ying Chanxi to the living room sofa, sat her against his shoulder, and held her small hand as he resumed their earlier conversation.

Both subtly avoided Ying Chanxi's initial triggering topic, turning instead to discuss Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing.

"So when did you find out about Dad and Aunt Yuan?" Ying Chanxi asked.

"Uh… hmm… probably when we went to Changning City for the salon?" Li Luo hesitated. "I just happened to run into them."

"So you helped him keep it secret from me all this time?" Ying Chanxi frowned, giving him two light thumps on the chest.

"Uncle Ying asked me to. He said he wanted to wait until you got to college, afraid it would affect your college entrance exam."

"So you've been bringing Aunt Yuan home for Lunar New Year for two years straight?" Ying Chanxi snorted.

"So what's your real feeling?" Li Luo asked. "Do you dislike Aunt Yuan?"

"I don't dislike Aunt Yuan… I just…" Ying Chanxi bit her lip, unsure how to express herself.

"I know that suddenly letting another woman join your family, replacing your mother's place—it's impossible for anyone to accept right away," Li Luo said, patting Ying Chanxi's small hand to comfort her.

"Then why do you still want to use the penalty for top of the grade to make me accept it?" Ying Chanxi said unhappily, lowering her head. "You're just mean."

"I never said that."

"Then what do you mean?"

"What I mean is," Li Luo held her tightly and whispered in her ear, "I only hope you can stay rational, at least give Uncle Ying and Aunt Yuan a chance—a chance to sit down and talk openly and calmly."

"If Uncle Ying really comes to tell you about this, at least don't get angry and run off right away."

"Listen carefully to what Uncle Ying has to say, understand the journey he's been through, try to understand him."

"What do you think?"

Ying Chanxi buried her head in Li Luo's chest; somehow, she had already sat sideways on his lap.

She wrapped her arms tightly around Li Luo's neck and nodded lightly, then whispered, "Then, when the time comes, I want you to stay beside me."

"Of course."

(End of Chapter)