Chapter 645: Yan Zhusheng: Dad

Another night had passed.

July 3rd, morning.

Ying Chanxi woke from sleep, barely stretched in the cramped bedding, turned her head to look at Li Luo beside her, smiled faintly, and rolled into his arms.

Li Luo woke at her movement, instinctively raised his arm; Ying Chanxi automatically lifted her head slightly so he could slip his arm beneath her neck, then settled comfortably against it.

"What time is it?" Li Luo curled his arm, easily pulling her into his embrace, and whispered warm breath against her ear.

"I don't know." Ying Chanxi thoroughly enjoyed being forcibly pulled into his arms, her cheek pressed to his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat thudding steadily; she replied softly, "The alarm hasn't gone off yet—probably not even six yet."

"Then let's sleep a bit longer." Li Luo fully rolled onto his side, wrapping her completely in his arms.

She was like a tiny doll—once held, she became a quiet, obedient doll, motionless, letting him hold her as he wished.

Li Luo bent down and lightly kissed Ying Chanxi's forehead; she closed her eyes, a happy smile on her face, and snuggled deeper into his arms to keep sleeping.

Not long after, the alarm clock set for six o'clock in Li Luo's phone rang.

Because she'd been constantly pressed against someone, Ying Chanxi hadn't slept well; hearing the alarm, she blushed slightly, sat up from bed, and obediently got up to go to the bathroom to wash up.

On the other side, Yan Zhusheng woke to the alarm but didn't get up immediately; instead, she reached out both arms toward Li Luo, her face still dazed from sleep, looking utterly innocent and adorable.

"Want a hug."

Li Luo picked her up from the bed and carried her toward the bathroom.

"Want a kiss."

Yan Zhusheng wrapped her arms around his neck, her long legs tightly coiled around his waist, lips pouting like a woodpecker, pecking several quick kisses on Li Luo's lips.

Ying Chanxi had just shoved her toothbrush into her mouth, turned her head, and saw this scene; she clenched her teeth so hard she nearly bit through the hotel's free disposable toothbrush: "Don't you have legs of your own? Even coming to the bathroom requires someone to carry you?"

"Sister's jealous." Yan Zhusheng shrank her shoulders, hugged Li Luo tighter, buried her head against his shoulder, and said flatly into his ear, "So scary."

You don't sound scared at all… Li Luo's lip twitched; he quickly set Yan Zhusheng down in front of the sink, then went back to fetch her slippers.

Ying Chanxi puffed out her cheeks and brushed her teeth furiously in the mirror.

Yan Zhusheng kindly reminded her: "Sister, brushing so hard—you'll make your gums bleed."

"Mind your own business." Ying Chanxi shot her a glare, but when Li Luo came to brush his teeth, she still handed him the toothbrush she'd pre-squeezed with paste.

…

As usual, the three of them went downstairs for a morning run, then returned to the room.

Sweaty, Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng took off their sportswear and stepped into the bathroom, planning a quick shower.

Li Luo had intended to sit by the desk, open his laptop, check for messages, and write a few lines.

But the moment he sat down, the bathroom door cracked open; Yan Zhusheng's head poked out and asked him: "Li Luo, Sister asked if you want to come in and shower with us?"

The moment she spoke, Yan Zhusheng was yanked back inside.

"What are you talking about?!"

"I'm not making it up," Yan Zhusheng said innocently. "You said to hurry up so Li Luo could get in sooner to shower—otherwise the sweat will dry. Isn't that the same as wanting him to come in and shower with us?"

"No, it's not!" Ying Chanxi retorted, then blushed furiously and poked her head out toward Li Luo: "D-Don't listen to Zhusheng's nonsense. Wait until we're done before you come in."

Li Luo nodded, understanding; he was used to the sisters' daily bickering and trickery, and waved her off to hurry up.

But Yan Zhusheng's interruption had unconsciously filled Li Luo's mind with various images.

Unfortunately, in his Memory Palace's collection, he still only had memories of showering with Xu Youyu.

He wondered when he'd ever gather all three girls.

Li Luo imagined it in his mind, then opened his laptop and logged into Weibo, glancing at trending topics.

The popularity of "Little Joy" continued to rise, even intensifying; what had seemed like the climax at premiere now felt like merely the beginning.

As the plot unfolded over these past two days, online discussions multiplied endlessly, topic after topic emerging, even rising to the level of education reform and college entrance exam changes.

There were also deeper, plot-based discussions, such as in Episode Three, when Qiao Yingzi's divorced parents both attended her motivational rally, and the teacher asked students to write their desired college entrance exam scores and target schools on balloons.

Qiao Yingzi's mother, Song Qian, wanted her to write Tsinghua or Peking University, but Qiao Yingzi secretly longed for aerospace, eager to write another school she admired.

The mother and daughter argued, and accidentally popped the balloon.

This scene carried intense dramatic tension, leaving many viewers heart-stricken.

Students who watched afterward all sighed: parental control is this strong.

Parents who watched, however, felt Song Qian's actions were understandable—if you can get into Tsinghua or Peking, why consider any other school? This girl is just too young, doesn't yet understand how hard life will be after graduation.

Online debates like this continued endlessly, keeping "Little Joy"'s popularity high; Qianjiang TV and Dongfang TV ratings both surpassed 1.5%, while Tencent Video and iQiyi view counts rapidly broke the billion mark.

Added to this, these days were precisely when college application forms were due; related topics exploded onto hot search lists. "Little Joy" rode the wave, becoming a summer phenomenon, crushing all other dramas airing simultaneously.

At the same time, Li Luo received good news from Ying Zhicheng.

After being reminded by that female author during the salon event two days ago, Li Luo specifically asked Ying Zhicheng, and quickly received his reply.

When "Little Joy" was first sold to Qianjiang TV and Dongfang TV, the total price was roughly seventy million.

For Tencent Video and iQiyi, it was around thirty to forty million, but with subsequent VIP membership and streaming revenue splits, given current trends, this portion alone would likely reach several tens of millions, with strong long-tail effects.

Moreover, thanks to "Little Joy"'s current explosive discussion, over the past few days, no fewer than ten local TV stations had inquired about second-run broadcast prices.

After all, "Little Joy" has forty-nine episodes total; by the end of July, it will be nearly finished airing.

If second-run broadcasts can be secured in August, there's still a chance to ride the summer wave and earn some extra profit.

Judging by current estimates, the second-run price won't be low—conservatively, it could still reach tens of millions.

Plus, soft ads already embedded into the plot during production, along with various mid-roll commercials, also generated tens of millions in revenue.

Adding it all up, Ying Zhicheng gave him a minimum estimate.

—250 million!

Based on Li Luo's roughly one-seventh share of the original investment cost, he stood to earn at least thirty-five million in returns!

And according to Ying Zhicheng, 250 million was still a conservative estimate; future gains depended on the team's next moves, whether they could extract more revenue from other avenues.

But for Li Luo, this was already more than enough of a surprise.

He was already thinking about how he should spend this money once the 35 million gradually arrived.

Part of it would go safely into the bank; he could chat with Chen Lu-jie and likely secure a very good interest rate.

The rest would stay in the stock market—this sum was a fortune to ordinary people, but in the stock market, it wouldn't even make a splash, so there was no worry of triggering any butterfly effect.

His monthly royalty payments would serve as pocket money—for buying houses, cars, pleasing girls, covering daily expenses—basically, he'd never run out.

Calculating it all, Li Luo even wanted to just lie down and do nothing.

But then he remembered the real estate tycoon he knew, who owned properties across the country, including Qiongzhou City, and he began to consider whether he should buy a small seaside villa in a place like Qiongzhou City too.

Yet he quickly reminded himself: be wary of consumerism; don't let yourself be corrupted.

With this spare money, it would be better to do more good deeds.

Thinking of this, Li Luo suddenly had a whim and made a note in the key section of his memory palace: he'd ask Butler Liu and his uncle later about the best way to arrange charitable donations.

He could also ask the teachers at Fu Yi Middle School—though Qianjiang Province was economically developed, some students still lived in poverty, and Li Luo could offer support there too.

Hmm… maybe he should just ask Teacher Kong?

And as for Xu Rongsheng—if the College of Literature needed funds, Li Luo wouldn't mind providing financial aid to impoverished students; it would be a nice gesture to his future father-in-law.

As he drifted through these idle thoughts, Li Luo idly scrolled through comments on Weibo, soon waiting until Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng finished bathing, then rose and stepped into the bathroom for a quick rinse.

At just after seven in the morning, Xu Youyu was woken by Li Luo, groggily climbed out of bed, and followed them downstairs for breakfast, still half-asleep.

After packing their luggage, the six of them returned to the Motorhome, did a quick tidy-up, and officially set off from the hotel parking lot toward Taihu in Suzhou.

"Wuhu!" Xu Youyu, sitting in the front passenger seat, shed her earlier post-sleep lethargy and raised both hands in enthusiastic cheer, "We're off! This is our real Motorhome trip now!"

"Oh~" Yan Zhusheng gave a half-hearted, token cheer, lifting her hands with no real enthusiasm.

Ying Chanxi turned to Li Luo behind the wheel and said in advance, "It'll take over two hours to reach the destination—if you get tired along the way, just say so; I or Senior Xu can take over."

"Got it." Li Luo nodded, then smiled at Yan Zhusheng in the rearview mirror, "So, where's the guitar? Bring it out."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng nodded obediently, cradling the guitar—originally given to Yin Zhicheng by Yuan Wanqing, then passed on by Ying Chanxi to Li Luo—and asked the others, "What song should I play?"

"Ask my mom." Xu Youyu lifted her phone, which had just received a WeChat video call from Cui Suling; she tapped to answer.

"Who's driving?" Cui Suling sat in the front passenger seat of the second Motorhome, asking Xu Youyu.

"There." Xu Youyu didn't answer directly; instead, she flipped her phone around, pointing the camera toward Li Luo for her mom to see.

"Oh, Li Luo," Cui Suling nodded on the screen, "Take it slow—we've got plenty of time. Just make sure we arrive before noon, no rush."

"Understood, Auntie Cui. Don't worry—I drive very steadily."

"Of course I trust you," Cui Suling chuckled. "If you get tired later, let Youyu take over—don't let her sit idle."

"Like I don't do anything," Xu Youyu couldn't help complaining. "Do you really have to say that?"

"I'm talking to Li Luo—why are you butting in?" Cui Suling gave her daughter a disapproving look. "Look how well-behaved Xi Xi and Zhusheng are. Learn from them, okay?"

Xu Youyu chuckled, too lazy to argue with her mom—she knew full well that the two little sisters were secretly learning from her.

"What song should we play?" Yan Zhusheng had been holding the guitar for a while, now gently plucking a string as she asked Xu Youyu.

"What are you doing?"

"Live song requests," Xu Youyu told her mom. "What song do you want? I'll have Zhusheng sing it."

"Then play 'Mother and Daughter,'" Cui Suling said without hesitation, immediately picking her favorite song.

But Yan Zhusheng paused, then said, "This song is meant for two voices, but one person can sing it too."

"No problem—I'll sing with you," Li Luo, still driving, chuckled, then began softly humming.

"My child~"

"I don't know if I've done well enough~"

"I'm a first-time father~"

Yan Zhusheng matched his voice, her fingers quickly brushing across the guitar strings in harmony.

But when she heard him sing the third line, her fingers paused involuntarily.

Xu Youyu burst out laughing: "What are you doing? Taking advantage of Zhusheng?"

"I'm male, aren't I?" Li Luo protested. "What's wrong with changing a few lyrics?"

"It's fine—it's just lyrics," Yan Zhusheng said, strangely not offended at all; in fact, she felt a quiet anticipation, continuing to strum and softly hum along.

"Dear father~"

"I don't know if I've done well enough~"

"I'm a first-time daughter~"

The song reached Li Luo's ears and stirred something deep within him; strange, sensual images surfaced unbidden in his mind.

With the singing inside the cars, the two Motorhomes rolled onto the highway, gradually fading into the distance, heading toward Taihu in Suzhou.

(End of Chapter)