Chapter 611

"We won't sleep together tonight."

After returning home and showering, Li Luo saw Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng still instinctively climbing onto his bed, and quickly said:

Although he'd grown somewhat used to sleeping with them, a little temptation late at night made his young, energetic body hard to control.

If he was exhausted during tomorrow's exam, it would definitely affect his performance.

"Go back to your own rooms and sleep. It's only for these two days anyway."

Hearing Li Luo say this, Ying Chanxi thought it made sense and nodded in agreement.

Seeing her sister agree, Yan Zhusheng could only obediently nod.

After escorting the two girls back to their rooms, Li Luo stretched, then returned to his bed and lay down.

He turned off the light, stared at the empty ceiling, and turned his head left and right, looking at the empty bed.

How to put it… he was unexpectedly unsettled.

After getting used to four people crammed onto one bed, now that no one was pressing against him, he couldn't fall asleep.

It wasn't even ten o'clock yet.

Xu Youyu was still typing; he didn't know if she'd come over later.

Just as Li Luo was thinking this, the bedroom door quietly opened a crack.

Li Luo heard the sound, lifted his head slightly, and looked toward the door—he saw a shadow slip in and tiptoe carefully to the bedside.

With the lights off, the room was too dark for Li Luo to make out who it was.

But since he didn't see any curves on the chest, it definitely wasn't Xu Youyu.

Li Luo thought this, then looked at the slender figure's legs.

Hmm… not particularly long.

So… is it Xixi?

Li Luo had thought it would be Zhusheng.

By the time he reached this conclusion, Ying Chanxi had already stealthily reached the bed and slipped into the covers with practiced ease.

Li Luo chuckled and shook his head, pulled her into his arms, pinned her down hard, gripped her chin, and without a word, tasted her lips first.

"Mmm…"

Ying Chanxi was about to speak, but Li Luo silenced her.

After a long while, Ying Chanxi finally drew in fresh air, breathing lightly in Li Luo's arms: "You're terrible… tomorrow's the college entrance exam, and you're still doing this…"

"Who's the terrible one?" Li Luo pinched her cheek. "You're the one who sneaked over yourself. We just agreed you'd sleep in your own room—why did you sneak out alone?"

"I can't sleep…" Ying Chanxi mumbled shyly, rubbing her toes against him. "I'm used to sleeping here. I get restless in my own room—my sleep quality gets worse if I go back there."

"You've got a whole set of excuses ready."

"I-I'm not making excuses!" Ying Chanxi's face flushed. "Besides, I just came to sleep—why did you kiss me for so long?"

"Really?" Li Luo raised an eyebrow. "I let go midway—whose arms were gripping my head and forcing me back? Your little tongue was more honest than you."

Ying Chanxi had no reply. She stammered for a long while, muttering incoherent, embarrassed little sounds, then snuggled into Li Luo's arms, found a comfortable position, and closed her eyes to sleep.

Thinking of how she'd pretended to agree with Li Luo, tricked her sister into returning to her room first, then sneaked over herself, Ying Chanxi secretly gave herself a mental thumbs-up.

She'd always been tricked by them before—now she'd gotten smarter!

As she thought this, her pride swelled, and she tightened her grip on Li Luo.

Tonight, Li Luo was hers alone.

But just as Ying Chanxi thought this, the bedroom door opened again.

Li Luo: "…"

Ying Chanxi: "…?"

A tall, slender shadow approached the bed and climbed in without a word.

Li Luo instantly recognized it as Yan Zhusheng; he was about to speak when he saw her climb onto the bed from Ying Chanxi's side.

The next moment, Ying Chanxi felt herself being hugged.

"Hm?"

Yan Zhusheng made a puzzled sound from under the covers.

The blanket was instantly thrown back.

"Sister…" Yan Zhusheng stared blankly at Ying Chanxi, who lay in Li Luo's arms. "Didn't we agree you'd sleep in your own room?"

"I…" Ying Chanxi, caught red-handed, felt a pang of guilt—but instantly regained her composure and shot back, "Then why are you here? Tomorrow's the college entrance exam—shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I just got up to use the restroom. I saw your door was open, so I came to check," Yan Zhusheng said.

"You're lying!" Ying Chanxi, no longer naive, immediately spotted the flaw. "I closed the door when I left!"

"And when you climbed into bed and hugged me, you looked completely surprised."

"That proves you didn't even suspect I was in here—you just wanted to sneak in and sleep with Li Luo!"

Yan Zhusheng: "…"

Seeing how much harder her sister had become to fool, Yan Zhusheng silently got out of bed, walked around to the other side, and climbed in beside Li Luo, refusing to explain further.

She was already here—there was no point leaving now.

She'd lie down first.

"Alright, alright," Li Luo said, exasperated but smiling, pulling both girls into his arms. "Just go to sleep."

…

Xu Youyu didn't come to Li Luo's bedroom last night.

She finished typing past eleven, thought tomorrow was the college entrance exam and Li Luo and the others were probably already asleep, so she didn't disturb them.

The next day, Xu Youyu surprisingly woke early—her alarm rang at six, and she got up promptly without sleeping in.

Just as he stepped out of the room, he saw Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong opening the door from outside and coming in.

"Huh?" Xu Youyu blinked his eyes. "Uncle Li, Aunt Lin, you're here?"

"Youyu, up so early today?" Lin Xiuhong smiled as she saw Xu Youyu stepping out of the room. "Why not sleep a little longer?"

"Today's special," Xu Youyu glanced at the ingredients in his uncle and aunt's hands, then followed them into the kitchen. "Are you making breakfast? Let me help too."

"No need, no need—just sit and wait."

"Aunt Lin, let me try," Xu Youyu pouted, clinging to Lin Xiuhong. "Today's Li Luo's college entrance exam—let me fry an egg or something. It's my way of supporting them."

"Alright, alright." Lin Xiuhong smiled, touched by his sincerity. "Then you can help out—later, try doing the simpler steps yourself."

"Got it~"

……

When Li Luo and the others woke up, it was already seven in the morning.

Since all three had slept in Li Luo's room, Xu Youyu volunteered to wake them up.

He pushed open the door and found all three already awake.

"Get up quickly," Xu Youyu whispered. "Aunt Lin and the others are here—making breakfast. You two hurry out."

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi sprang out of bed like a spring-loaded toy and dashed out of the room immediately.

Yan Zhusheng, however, remained calm and unhurried, showing no concern about being seen; while Ying Chanxi ran out, he took the chance to kiss Li Luo.

Following his sister's back out of the bedroom, Yan Zhusheng went with Ying Chanxi to the bathroom down the hall to wash up.

Li Luo stretched out on the bed, got up, washed up in the bathroom, and stepped out to find Xu Youyu holding a clean school uniform she had just brought in from the balcony.

"Here, put it on," Xu Youyu smiled.

"Aren't you going out?"

"I've seen it all before," Xu Youyu rolled her eyes, glancing down at little Li. "You've shown me everything—do you still get shy?"

Li Luo: "..."

Li Luo took off his pajamas, leaving only his underwear, then reached out to take the uniform from Xu Youyu's arms.

Before he could even put it on, Xu Youyu launched a surprise attack.

"Don't play around," Li Luo sighed, stepping back two steps, quickly pulling on his school pants, then slipping into the short-sleeved uniform. "Let's go—breakfast awaits."

"Don't rush," Xu Youyu watched the boy slip into his blue-and-white uniform, then pulled him onto the bed. "You look even better in your school uniform."

"Like an old ox nibbling tender grass?"

"You're calling me old?" Xu Youyu narrowed her eyes.

"I'm saying I'm old," Li Luo laughed, flipping over and pinning Xu Youyu beneath him.

Watching her hair spread like a bloom across the white sheets, Li Luo's gaze burned as he leaned down to claim a kiss.

To be fair, he was at least a thirty-something soul—calling himself an old ox nibbling tender grass wasn't unfair.

After savoring the morning's delicacy, Li Luo finally let Xu Youyu go, and they stepped out of the bedroom together.

At this point, Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong had already prepared breakfast and were waiting at the living room table.

After washing up, Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng changed into their uniforms and joined them, sitting down at the table.

As soon as they began eating, Li Luo heard his mother start her usual nagging.

"Did you pack everything you need for the exam?"

"How's your mental state?"

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"Is the breakfast to your taste? These fried eggs were all made by Youyu—are they good?"

"Did you bring your admission ticket? Oh, it's with your teacher?"

"It's still early—eat slowly, don't overfill your stomach."

"Oh, by the way!"

Seeing the children nearly finish breakfast, Lin Xiuhong suddenly remembered something, hurriedly opened her handbag, and pulled out four small transparent bags containing red strings.

"What's this?" Li Luo reached out to take one, puzzled.

"I get one too?" Xu Youyu took a bag, surprised and delighted.

"Your grandmother has been chanting Buddha's name every day since the New Year, trading prayers at the temple for these red strings," Lin Xiuhong told them to unwrap and wear on their wrists. "Men on the left, women on the right—don't mix them up."

"They're said to protect your health and ensure smooth exams."

"Youyu, even though you already took the exam last year, wearing one won't hurt—it protects all of you, keeping you safe and lucky."

"Then thank you, Grandma," Xu Youyu smiled brightly.

Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng immediately followed with their thanks.

Watching the three girls each fasten the red strings on their wrists, Lin Xiuhong's face lit up with a smile, her heart swelling with quiet joy, her gaze growing ever warmer.

"We should go now," Li Luo wiped his mouth with a tissue and stood up. "We need to get to the classroom to collect our admission tickets from the teacher."

"Wait a moment," Li Guohong spoke up. "Your Uncle Ying..."

Before Li Guohong could finish, the doorbell rang.

Ying Chanxi immediately jumped up and opened the door to find Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing standing outside.

"Dad? Aunt Yuan?"

"Today's your and Zhusheng's exam, so we came to see you off," Ying Zhicheng smiled, reaching out to pat his daughter's head. "Are you about to leave?"

"Just getting ready," Li Guohong chuckled, rising. "We were just talking about you—and here you are."

"Then let's go, don't delay," Lin Xiuhong stood up. "Double-check everything you need to bring—don't forget anything."

After final preparations, the group finally stepped out of the house, strolling slowly from Bihai Lanting to the entrance of the First Affiliated High School.

The road before the school gate was already packed with vehicles.

Parents come to see their children off, filling every roadside parking spot; several traffic officers stand at the intersections on both sides, maintaining vehicle order.

"Xixi! Zhusheng! Li Luo!"

Just as they reached the school gate, Li Luo and the others heard the familiar call.

Xu Yinghuan got out of the car with high spirits, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and ran over to Yan Zhusheng, politely greeting Lin Xiuhong and the others.

Soon after, Xu Yinghuan's parents arrived and joined the other parents.

Standing at the gate of Fuyi High School, Li Luo gazed far across the school's teaching buildings and took a deep breath.

Three years had passed since his rebirth; finally, this moment had come.

Compared to his past life, he was far more composed facing the Gaokao this time.

His circumstances were entirely different.

Li Luo turned to look at the girls beside him and smiled.

"Let's go."

"Good luck!" Xu Youyu cheered them on at the gate.

Li Luo waved goodbye, leading Ying Chanxi and the others toward the school; after bidding farewell to the parents, they quickly arrived at the Gao San teaching building.

In Class Eight, Zhao Rongjun and Qiao Xinyan had arrived very early.

Other students gradually arrived at the classroom, each silent, heads bowed, flipping through the materials they had brought.

Before the Chinese exam, there was little left to prepare—just a final review of difficult phrases for memorization.

Kong Jun stood on the podium, watching the time on his watch; once all students arrived on time with no incidents, he finally exhaled deeply and began distributing admission tickets.

Students whose names were called stepped up one by one to collect theirs.

With time still remaining, Kong Jun couldn't help but repeat his advice once again, reiterating what he had said countless times before.

As time gradually passed, it reached 8:20 a. m.

Kong Jun confirmed the time, took a deep breath, and waved his hand: "Let's go—the exam hall awaits."

Facing the bright sunlight.

June 7, 2017.

Li Luo walked once again into the battlefield known as the Gaokao.

(End of Chapter)