Chapter 576

"So you and Zhusheng found out about Uncle Ying and Aunt Yuan during that summer trip to Chongqing?"

After returning to the room, the two took a shower and got into bed, and Li Luo asked again about the full story.

The outcome wasn't surprising to him at all.

It was just like Uncle Ying to be so careless.

You dared to sneak off to meet Aunt Yuan while everyone was on vacation together?

And right when everyone got separated.

That's a bit too bold.

But remembering how he and Xu Youyu had once stumbled upon Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing holding hands in a hotel elevator, Li Luo understood.

After all, although Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing had confirmed their relationship, their jobs left them little time to be together.

When they finally got a chance to meet, it was bound to be dry tinder and blazing fire.

Li Luo knew well that Ying Zhicheng had a healthy fitness routine; despite being a middle-aged man, his physical condition was far superior to Li Guohong's.

And although Yuan Wanqing had heart disease, she consistently followed her doctor's rehabilitation instructions.

As long as it wasn't intense exercise, she rarely had problems, and her physique was much better than average.

She wasn't much younger than Lin Xiuhong or Cui Suling, but if the three stood together, no one would think they were the same age.

"I was so heartbroken back then," Ying Chanxi murmured, buried against Li Luo's chest, "Zhusheng always teases me about it."

"Cough…" Li Luo couldn't quite keep a straight face.

Mainly because, according to his past life's understanding, Yan Zhusheng was clearly the one who resisted the most when Yuan Wanqing and Ying Zhicheng formed a new family.

Why did this life seem to have no resistance at all?

She even seemed delighted to see this scene.

"So why does Zhusheng look so supportive?" Li Luo asked, puzzled. "What's she really thinking?"

"Hmph, who knows what she's thinking," Ying Chanxi pouted. "I think she's sometimes mentally off."

Ying Chanxi felt her own personality was perfectly normal, yet whenever she faced Xu Youyu or Yan Zhusheng, she always ended up losing ground without realizing it.

She thought it must be due to the two sisters' unusual personalities.

Especially Yan Zhusheng—she always spoke bluntly, catching Ying Chanxi off guard and leaving her speechless.

"You're talking behind her back like that? I'll tell on you," Li Luo laughed.

"Go ahead and tell. If you do, I'll bite you," Ying Chanxi threatened fiercely.

But to Li Luo, it had no real threat—he flipped her over and pinned her to the bed, giving her a good scolding.

Only when he heard the sound of someone opening the door outside did he let Ying Chanxi go.

"You're terrible."

Ying Chanxi's face flushed red as she turned away, also hearing the movement outside. She quickly fixed her disheveled collar, shot Li Luo a shy glare, then buried her face in the quilt.

The next second, Xu Youyu pushed open the master bedroom door and glanced at the bed: "Hi~ I'm back~"

It was already past eleven at night. Seeing Ying Chanxi seemed asleep, Xu Youyu winked at Li Luo and raised an eyebrow: "Still writing tonight?"

"Didn't you finish writing this afternoon?" Li Luo sat up, rubbing his hair. "We're taking the high-speed train to Nanshan tomorrow."

"You didn't write today, did you?" Xu Youyu gave him a look. "I'll write with you for a bit."

Li Luo suddenly understood Xu Youyu's meaning, fell silent for a few seconds, then nodded: "Go take a shower first."

"Shower after I finish writing," Xu Youyu said. "You're so dumb."

"Oh, oh oh…"

Li Luo realized, nodded quickly, then leaned down and kissed Ying Chanxi's cheek, whispering for her to rest first before getting up and leaving the bedroom.

Ying Chanxi thought they were really going to write, so she didn't follow or disturb them, closing her eyes peacefully to sleep.

Outside in the living room, as soon as Li Luo stepped out and closed the door, Xu Youyu launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around him.

He lifted her by the buttocks and carried her to the sofa, sighing: "Can't you wait a little?"

"Well, it's not that urgent," Xu Youyu giggled in his arms. "What did you two do tonight?"

"I told her about Uncle Ying's situation."

"Huh?" Xu Youyu paused, surprised he'd chosen this moment. She stopped her movements and asked curiously, "And then? How'd it go?"

"So far, it seems stabilized," Li Luo said helplessly. "I'll talk to Uncle Ying privately later and tell him to have a proper talk with Chanxi, clear everything up—it should be fine."

"Is that so?" Xu Youyu asked a few more questions, grasped the current situation, then stopped probing, straddled Li Luo's lap, and leaned down.

…

The next day, Li Luo woke up as usual.

But Xu Youyu, exhausted from the late-night ordeal, couldn't get up at all, sleeping under the covers like a lazy cat.

So Li Luo pulled Ying Chanxi downstairs for breakfast and went for a morning run.

After returning to the hotel room, he spent the morning writing.

At noon, he woke up Xu Youyu, packed their luggage, checked out, and the three of them took the high-speed train to Nanshan City.

After checking into the hotel arranged by Yuan Wanqing in the afternoon, they had lunch nearby, then Xu Youyu began typing away.

So she wouldn't have to rush back after the concert and face a life-or-death deadline.

Yuan Wanqing's concert had already been seen twice—both times in the front-row VIP seats—so none of the three felt the same excitement as the first time.

But the editors and authors who received Li Luo's complimentary tickets were still thrilled.

Qianzhou took advantage of the weekend off to come with his chief editor, along with three author friends: two big-name authors and one Platinum, all currently holding hot bestsellers.

At the concert venue that night, Chief Editor Hongdou took a moment to chat with Li Luo, revealing some internal group news.

Regarding I Am Really Not a Star, iQiyi had shown some interest in the film and television rights, and Wenxue Group's rights department was making preliminary contact.

Since it was only a tentative interest, they hadn't informed Li Luo yet, to avoid letting him get overly excited if it turned out to be a three-minute fad.

So the editor Hongdou made it clear when revealing it: Li Luo shouldn't have too high expectations; if there was something, it would be a pleasant surprise, if not, it was normal.

After all, works of this plagiarism-type are indeed hard to adapt.

Li Luo was well aware of this, nodded in understanding, then began enjoying the concert.

Yuan Wanqing's singing level remained as solid as ever.

Yan Zhusheng's appearance stunned Qianzhou.

The other people who came along didn't know that Yan Zhusheng was one of the family members who accompanied Li Luo to the annual meeting, since Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi rarely showed up at those gatherings.

But Qianzhou knew very well.

Watching Yan Zhusheng sing "Love Is a One-Person Thing" on stage, Qianzhou turned to look at Li Luo and couldn't help clicking his tongue.

This guy really deserves to die!

But thinking of this guy's current achievements, Qianzhou felt at peace.

Comparing people really drives you crazy.

……

After Yan Zhusheng's performance ended, Li Luo excused himself to use the restroom and went backstage to find her.

Xiao Wen was already used to this; she smiled and left the lounge, casually closing the door behind them, giving them privacy.

Seeing Li Luo, Yan Zhusheng hurried over in small steps and bumped her head against his chest.

After savoring Li Luo's scent for a while, listening to the beat of his heart, she looked up and asked, "How was that singing?"

"This song isn't really suited to you," Li Luo laughed. "Do you even know what it means to have a secret crush?"

"Of course I do," Yan Zhusheng said seriously. "Aren't I always secretly in love with you?"

"Whoever confesses their secret crush like that?" Li Luo pinched her upturned nose, half-laughing, half-exasperated.

To be fair, this song wasn't just unsuited to Yan Zhusheng—it was also unsuited to Yuan Wanqing. It fit better a girl with a slightly hoarse voice, still in her teens.

Only then could she convey the hidden emotion in the song.

But Yan Zhusheng and Yuan Wanqing's singing skills compensated well for this slight mismatch, so most people couldn't even notice.

After a little tender moment, Li Luo brought up the topic of Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing.

Since he already knew Yan Zhusheng's stance on this matter, he didn't need to tread carefully as he did when speaking to Ying Chanxi.

After listening to Li Luo, Yan Zhusheng's expression remained calm; she blinked and looked up. "How did you find out?"

"I've known for a long time," Li Luo coughed lightly. "I just mentioned it to Xixi last night." He gave a brief explanation.

Yan Zhusheng nodded, then frowned. "So what's the problem?"

"Uh… what's your opinion on this?" Li Luo asked, holding Yan Zhusheng. "Like how Xixi reacted…"

Yan Zhusheng immediately shook her head, her reaction calm. "What's the issue? Mom just found someone she likes and wants to be with them."

"Just like I like Li Luo, so I want to be with you."

"If I can, why can't Mom?"

Yan Zhusheng had always lacked the concept of a "father," so she was naturally untroubled by this.

But Li Luo had originally thought that in his past life, Yan Zhusheng might have felt abandoned by her mother because of Yuan Wanqing's remarriage, which made her resist this so strongly?

But now it seemed… maybe it wasn't like that at all?

Wait…

As Li Luo thought this, a sudden suspicion flashed in his mind. He lowered his gaze to Yan Zhusheng, staring at her face for a long while.

"What's wrong?" Yan Zhusheng looked at him curiously, thinking he might kiss her, so she tiptoed closer.

Watching Yan Zhusheng's intimate gesture, Li Luo suddenly realized something.

Could it be that because he appeared earlier in this life, he had filled the void of paternal love in Yan Zhusheng?

Or perhaps, because Yan Zhusheng now had him as her emotional anchor, Yuan Wanqing was no longer her sole emotional outlet.

That's why she reacted so generously to Yuan Wanqing's remarriage?

Thinking of this, feeling the faint, fragrant pressure of her lips brushing his, Li Luo leaned down and hugged the girl in his arms tighter.

"Boss Yan, you're really adorable."

"Why call me Boss?"

"You misheard—I said wife."

"Then say it again, I didn't hear clearly… mmm…"

……

After the concert ended.

Yan Zhusheng's unexpected appearance delighted the fans.

Especially hearing the daughter's version of "Love Is a One-Person Thing," many felt the ticket price was worth it.

It has to be said that Yan Zhusheng is still quite popular among Yuan Wanqing's fan base.

Even someone gave her the nickname "Future Little Diva."

Because of her stunning looks, photos of her performing were turned into memes and spread wildly in QQ groups.

Many people might not even know who Yan Zhusheng was, but they all recognized this cold, exquisite girl in the memes.

After Yan Zhusheng appeared again at the concert, fans began treating Yuan Wanqing's concerts like blind boxes.

No one knew when Yan Zhusheng would show up at which concert.

Just as online discussions flared up again, Yan Zhusheng had already quietly boarded a plane with Li Luo and returned to Yuhang City.

Yuan Wanqing, however, would continue to Qiongzhou City for her next concert.

After that concert ended, she had no other performances scheduled before the New Year—only minor tasks remained: magazine interviews and brand sponsorship ads.

So after confirming Yuan Wanqing's schedule, Xu Yinghuan set the dinner gathering for the 16th of this month, inviting the study group members and their parents to her home.

But before the meal day arrived, the study group continued to maintain its organization after Li Luo and the others returned to Yinjiang District, holding study sessions every day.

"Only three days left~"

Xu Yinghuan, lying on the living room desk, glanced at the date and let out a long sigh.

Yan Zhusheng, who was solving problems beside her, picked up his pen and gently tapped her forehead: "Keep writing."

"Ah, Zhusheng, you're so annoying."

"If you don't work hard, you won't get into Qian University."

"I know, I know," Xu Yinghuan sighed, propping herself up and refocusing on her problems.

The others were also diligently reviewing, except Li Luo.

He had the Memory Palace within him—there was simply nothing left to review.

So he got up, went to the kitchen to slice some fruit for everyone, poured them some juice, then sat at the desk, opened his Memory Palace in his mind, and admired the scenery in his collection area for a while.

Finally unable to sit still, he went to Xu Youyu's bedroom to have a deep chat with Youyu about her new book.

And as these study sessions passed day by day, the meal day finally arrived.

(End of Chapter)