Chapter 634: Xixi, keep sleeping, nothing

Southwest of Qianjiang University, at the intersection of Ningshan Avenue and Xijie.

In the past two days, anyone passing by this Sichuan-Chongqing hot pot restaurant couldn't help but be drawn to it.

The classmates of Class Eight were no exception.

Following Ningshan Avenue straight from the entrance of Fuyi Middle School, they arrived at the restaurant's entrance in about seven or eight minutes.

Just as they were about to follow Li Luo inside, their eyes were immediately caught by the red banner above the door.

【Celebrating My Son's Gaokao Score of 735, Provincial Top Scorer!】

【During this summer vacation, all dishes at this restaurant are 20% off!】

"I didn't pass by here these past few days—I didn't even notice," Xu Youyu said, laughing as he patted Li Luo on the shoulder. "Isn't Uncle Li over the moon?"

"He was pretty calm when he saw the score," Li Luo chuckled. "But then he went and made this banner and hung it up. Still, this show-off move is smarter than Mom's WeChat Moments."

"You're here?" Li Guohong, who had been waiting inside, immediately stepped forward to greet Li Luo, then turned to greet Kong Junxiang behind him. "Teacher Kong, Teacher Ding! Welcome, welcome! I heard you're getting married—congratulations!"

"You're too kind, Uncle Li, thank you, thank you," Kong Junxiang smiled, shaking Li Guohong's hand. "We also owe you thanks for clearing out space in your restaurant for our class farewell dinner."

"Of course," Li Guohong beamed, waving to the rest of Class Eight. "Come in, come in! Just find your own seats. Tonight, Li Luo's treating you all—order whatever you want by scanning the code, it's all self-service!"

After admiring the banners at the door, the Class Eight students realized this restaurant was owned by Li Luo's father, and curiosity led them inside.

Li Luo stood in the center, arranging everyone's seating.

Although they were told to sit anywhere, the restaurant only had tables for four or six, so proper seating assignments were still needed.

It would be better for everyone to sit with those they were close to, rather than with classmates they barely knew or got along with.

As class monitor, Li Luo knew everyone's private relationships inside out, and with casual calls and instructions, he settled everyone's seats in just two or three minutes, ensuring everyone was comfortably placed.

Those who were usually quiet, shy, or reclusive were seated near windows or in corners.

Loud, energetic types like Zhu Yufei and Zhang Guohuang were placed at the center table, seated with the two teachers, so they wouldn't feel intimidated.

As for the restaurant's largest eight-person table, Li Luo naturally reserved it for himself.

Their seven-member study group rarely got to sit together, so they took seats beside Kong Junxiang's table.

After everyone was seated, under Li Luo's prompting, they all began scanning codes to place orders.

As orders came in, the ready staff immediately moved to serve drinks first.

Li Luo, unusually, ordered a bottle of beer, just like Xu Youyu.

Pulling the tab open on the beer, Li Luo stood up, smiled around at everyone, and when he saw most had opened their drinks, raised his bottle and called out loudly: "No more words for now—first, a drink! Graduation happiness!"

"Graduation happiness!"

The Class Eight students all raised their cups and shouted in unison.

Li Guohong stood behind the counter, unable to resist pulling out his phone. Watching his son stand proudly in the center of the room, he recorded the moment, his face filled with emotion.

Not long ago, he had already given up on his son, hoping only that the boy would work harder in the future and not be left behind by society.

But after the middle school exam, everything turned around. In just three years, his son had grown to a level ordinary people could never reach.

If someone had told him this three years ago, Li Guohong would never have dared dream it.

And now?

This kid made a fortune writing online novels, adapted them into TV dramas, and even personally composed songs that revived the career of retired singer Yuan Wanqing.

Now, after the Gaokao, he's earned the honor of provincial top scorer!

Out of a perfect 750, he lost only 15.

Although Li Guohong no longer understood the details of studying or exams, he knew exactly how extraordinary this was.

When Li Luo asked him two days ago if they could hold the farewell dinner at their own hot pot restaurant, Li Guohong immediately agreed.

Today's ingredients were all personally selected by him, accompanying the procurement master to the market, watching every item to ensure absolute freshness.

Soon, individual hot pots were carried to each table by the waitstaff.

At Li Luo's eight-person table, two large iron pots stood side by side—Li Luo and his three companions shared one, while Zhao Rongjun and his two companions shared the other.

But the hot pot water hadn't boiled yet.

Li Luo simply stood up, walked over to Li Guohong, picked up the guitar case placed there earlier, and took out his personal guitar.

Holding the guitar, Li Luo walked around the restaurant and smiled. "Let's do some song requests—what do you want to hear?"

As Li Luo passed by, Shao Heqi muttered quietly at his table: "Play 'Empty Heart.'"

But Li Luo actually heard it. He strummed a chord and grinned. "Alright, let's start with 'Empty Heart'—dedicated to our classmate Shao Heqi."

Hearing this, Shao Heqi's face darkened instantly—he thought, You bastard, you're truly a piece of work!

You've got girls on both sides now, and still you can't resist rubbing salt in my wound.

Excessive!

Too excessive!

But as he listened to Li Luo singing "Empty Heart," those lyrics piercing straight to his heart, Shao Heqi couldn't help but be immersed.

Even though the lyrics had nothing to do with his situation, he was moved to tears, and as he ate, he grabbed the freshly served crispy pork and stuffed it into his mouth, devouring it fiercely.

He remembered this restaurant was owned by Li Luo's family… Thinking of that, his appetite surged—he vowed to eat even more, to make Li Luo pay a higher cost!

After finishing "Empty Heart," the hot pot finally began to boil.

But Li Luo had three girls serving him meat and vegetables, so he didn't need to lift a finger.

Still, he kept going, urging classmates to keep requesting songs.

When he grew tired from singing, he sat down, ate a few bites with Ying Chanxi, then just played guitar while letting Yan Zhusheng sing a few lines.

Sometimes, when he spotted a classmate quietly singing along at their seat, Li Luo would walk over, strumming his guitar and encouraging them to keep singing.

For shy classmates, he let them off the hook—but for Zhu Yufei and Zhang Guohuang, if he played, they'd sing without hesitation.

Their pitch was so off, even Li Luo couldn't bring it back.

By the time the atmosphere was fully warmed up, even students who usually didn't speak much were now caught up in it.

After three rounds of drinks, many had already eaten their fill and raised their cups to approach Kong Junxiang, toasting the teachers.

Kong Junxiang, equally moved, stood up and clinked glasses with his students, drinking one sip and speaking two words each time.

Words he had previously avoided out of concern for students' sensitivity now spilled out freely under the influence of alcohol, and he couldn't help adding a few more pieces of advice.

By the end of the graduation farewell dinner, everyone had long since left their seats.

Li Luo gently strummed his guitar while Yan Zhusheng hummed along beside him.

"I just want to hold onto fleeting years~"

"Say a proper goodbye~"

"Regret and gratitude~"

"We can't go back to yesterday~"

This chorus of humming repeated over and over.

As the other students listened, they began to hum along with Yan Zhusheng's voice.

Soon, the hotpot restaurant echoed with a group chorus.

"I only want to etch this moment~"

"The years we walked together~"

"Arrive~"

"To the place we promised~"

Some girls began to cry as they sang.

Some boys quietly grabbed a bottle of beer and gulped it down in one go.

Others gazed at another figure nearby, their eyes filled with regret and faint sorrow.

"I just want to hold onto fleeting years~ say a proper goodbye~"

"Carve your smiles in my heart~ watch meteors streak across the sky~"

"Make our wish~ let this moment become forever~"

"Forever~"

……

At around eight p. m., students in the blue-and-white uniforms of Fuyi High School began filing out of the hotpot restaurant.

Some who lived nearby simply left together with classmates heading the same way.

Others waited for their parents to arrive at the roadside, waved goodbye to Kong Junxiang and the others, then departed from the restaurant.

Qiao Xinyan and Zhao Rongjun lived on the same route home; seeing most classmates had already left, they also bid farewell to Li Luo and the others.

But just after stepping outside, they were caught up to by Xu Yinghuan.

"Jun-ge, um… could you do me a favor?" Xu Yinghuan asked, sounding shy as she caught up.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Rongjun asked in confusion.

Qiao Xinyan beside him also looked at Xu Yinghuan curiously: "Didn't your family come to pick you up?"

"I told my family I'd go home myself—it's just a few steps from the compound," Xu Yinghuan said, then turned to Zhao Rongjun and hesitated, "I think I left my graduation photo at school. Jun-ge, could you accompany me back to get it? I'm a little afraid to go to the classroom alone."

"I can go, sure," Zhao Rongjun nodded, then glanced awkwardly at Qiao Xinyan.

"You go with Yinghuan," Qiao Xinyan smiled. "I'll be fine going home by myself."

"Thank you, Xinyan!" Xu Yinghuan happily hugged Qiao Xinyan. "You're the best, Xinyan~"

"Alright, alright, hurry off," Qiao Xinyan laughed. "I'm heading home now. Bye."

"Mm-hmm, bye~"

"Be careful on the way."

"Got it."

……

After seeing off all the other students, Kong Junxiang looked at the mess in the restaurant and sighed to Li Guohong: "You've really gone through so much trouble."

"No problem—as long as everyone enjoyed themselves," Li Guohong chuckled. "The teachers worked hard too—go home and rest early."

"Alright, then we'll be off," Kong Junxiang said without further politeness, nodded, and left the restaurant with Ding Xiang.

Li Luo and the three girls saw them off at the door, then turned to Li Guohong: "We're heading home too."

"Head home?" Li Guohong chuckled, slapping the bill down on Li Luo's table with a snap. "Pay up."

Li Luo: "... You're really going to make your own son pay?"

"You rented the whole place to treat the whole class to the farewell dinner," Li Guohong said. "It wasn't me who paid."

Li Luo rolled his eyes, pulled out his phone, and scanned the QR code to pay.

After seeing off Kong Junxiang and Ding Xiang at the door, Li Luo returned with Ying Chanxi and the other two to Bihai Lanting 1502.

Taking off his shoes and slipping into slippers, Li Luo collapsed onto the sofa and let out a long breath:

"Finally… graduated~"

Ying Chanxi, too, felt a pang of emptiness, but quickly recovered and asked Xu Youyu: "Senior, are we leaving for Changning City on the 1st? In the motorhome?"

"Yes," Xu Youyu smiled. "I've already rented the motorhome—same one as last time."

"Remember to plan the route and campsites in advance," Li Luo said. "I've checked with the Changning City salon hotel—they said the outdoor parking lot is available for us."

"Got it. I'll handle all the planning," Xu Youyu gave a thumbs-up. "Chanxi, you'll check it over for me, right?"

"Sure thing," Ying Chanxi nodded.

"After the salon in Changning City, we're going to Suzhou, right?" Yan Zhusheng suddenly asked.

"Yes, why?" Xu Youyu nodded.

"Hmm… Can you stay in Suzhou until the 7th?" Yan Zhusheng asked. "Mom has a concert there too, so I might as well go along."

"That's no problem," Xu Youyu nodded. "But we've already planned to meet Huanhuan and the others at Thousand Island Lake on the 10th, so we'll cut our stay in Huxing City by two days."

After briefly discussing the upcoming summer motorhome trip, Xu Youyu returned to her room to write.

Li Luo also went back to the master bedroom to work.

Yan Zhusheng went to the piano room to play casually.

Ying Chanxi had nothing to do, so she transformed again into a little maid, pouring water and slicing fruit for the three of them, then took a shower and went early to lie down on Li Luo's bed.

After playing the piano for a while, Yan Zhusheng also took a shower and joined Ying Chanxi in bed.

Whether because they were truly tired today or not, the two sisters drifted off to sleep by around ten at night.

Later, Li Luo took a shower, then wrote until eleven at night, by which time the two women on the bed were already fast asleep.

At that moment, Li Luo received a message from Xu Youyu.

【SleepEarlyGrowTall】: Finished writing?

【Chongran】: Just finished. What's up?

【SleepEarlyGrowTall】: I've got a plot issue. Come over for a sec.

【Chongran】: Okay.

Li Luo didn't think much of it and got up to head toward Xu Youyu's bedroom.

He knocked on the door, then opened it—and the next second, Xu Youyu yanked him inside.

"Huh? Why did you change into pajamas?" Xu Youyu had just pinned Li Luo against the wall when she noticed he'd already showered and changed clothes. She frowned. "That's not right."

Li Luo stared at Xu Youyu in confusion. She was still wearing her blue-and-white school uniform—and even had the jacket on. He didn't understand.

"Nope. Do it again." Xu Youyu shoved him out. "Go put on your school uniform and come back."

"Aren't we supposed to discuss the plot?"

"Of course," Xu Youyu said, as if it were obvious. "Discussing the plot is studying. You need to wear your uniform for maximum efficiency."

Li Luo decided to humor her once. He returned to his room and fetched a clean school uniform.

At that moment, Ying Chanxi woke up from Li Luo's movements and mumbled from bed: "Why are you holding your school uniform?"

"Uh…" Li Luo figured Xu Youyu was up to something new. To avoid being interrupted mid-task, he made up an excuse: "It's just the one I took off. I'm taking it to wash. Go back to sleep."

"Oh…" Ying Chanxi believed him, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep, completely unaware of what Li Luo and Xu Youyu were about to do late at night.

(End of Chapter)