Chapter 65: Three Days Apart

"Then I'll leave it to you."

After finishing the lyrics for the song "Wait for You After Class," Li Luo wrote down the lyrics for both songs and handed them to Yan Zhusheng, then stood up and said.

"Not at all." Yan Zhusheng shook his head.

"It's already past five." Li Luo glanced at the time and asked, "Want to come over for dinner at my place?"

"No need." Yan Zhusheng glanced at him, then looked back at the lyrics in her hand, "An aunt will come over to cook soon."

Li Luo recalled—he remembered it was indeed true.

In his past life, he'd been the one who cooked well, successfully replacing the cook and earning fifteen thousand yuan in high salary from Yan Zhusheng.

"Alright, then I'll be off." Li Luo bid farewell as he stepped out of the room, waving his hand, "See you at school tomorrow."

"Okay."

Yan Zhusheng didn't even rise to see him off—she was completely absorbed in the two songs, pondering how to arrange the music to suit their tone.

For Yan Zhusheng, making music was like playing a game—offering unique pleasure—and once immersed, it was hard to pull away.

Li Luo didn't mind; he walked to the door, put on his shoes, hailed a taxi at the gated entrance, and headed toward Bihai Lanting.

Midway, his phone vibrated. Li Luo pulled it out and answered—it was his mother calling.

"I've arrived at your place. I'll cook you a good dinner tonight," Lin Xiuhong said over the phone. "Where have you run off to?"

"I'm at a classmate's house," Li Luo replied. "I'm coming back right away."

"Then bring back a bottle of vinegar when you return," Lin Xiuhong instructed. "You're almost out."

"Alright."

Back at the Bihai Lanting gate, Li Luo got out of the taxi, bought a bottle of vinegar at the convenience store, and stepped out to bump into two familiar figures.

"Li Luo!" Ying Chanxi, just entering the compound, spotted him and waved enthusiastically.

Li Luo walked up, holding the vinegar, glanced at Qiao Xinyan beside Ying Chanxi, then asked, "You just got back?"

"Lin Yi called me, asking when I'd come home for dinner," Ying Chanxi said. "Since Xinyan's parents aren't home, I brought her along."

"I see." Li Luo nodded and walked into the compound.

At that moment, Ying Chanxi turned back and asked him, "Where did you go this afternoon? Did you play basketball with Zhao Rongjun?"

"No, I went to a classmate's house."

"Huh? Which classmate?"

"Yan Zhusheng," Li Luo said. "You know her."

"Ah?" Ying Chanxi froze, her face filled with suspicion. "Why did you go to a girl's house?"

"Oh, remember that song?" Li Luo reminded her. "Yan Zhusheng has a small recording studio, and she can arrange music—I asked her to help me record it when she had time."

"T-That's… really?" Ying Chanxi pursed her lips, a small pang of displeasure stirring inside her. "Didn't I say I could ask my dad for help?"

"Your dad's always busy," Li Luo shook his head. "No need to bother him over something this small. We can ask him when something truly difficult comes up."

"You've already asked someone else—what's left for me to say?" Ying Chanxi said petulantly, pulling Qiao Xinyan along faster, leaving Li Luo behind.

She's mad about this too?

Li Luo sighed helplessly, picked up the vinegar bottle, and trailed after them, strolling slowly back to 1502.

As soon as he stepped inside, he heard the sizzle of stir-frying from the kitchen, and the rich aroma of food drifting through the air.

He slipped on slippers and walked into the kitchen, placing the vinegar on the counter, only to find not just Lin Xiuhong, but also Xu Youyu helping out.

"Back already?" Lin Xiuhong glanced at Li Luo, then ordered, "Then come help me—let your senior rest."

"Lin Yi, I'll do it," Ying Chanxi walked into the kitchen, naturally took the apron from Xu Youyu, tied it on herself, and gently pushed her senior out. "Senior, you've worked hard."

"I wasn't even tired…" Xu Youyu blinked, and before she realized it, she was already outside the kitchen.

She'd only been washing vegetables, but when she turned to watch Ying Chanxi, she saw how seamlessly the two worked together—far more coordinated than she was.

"Does Ying Chanxi often help Lin Yi cook?" Xu Youyu asked Li Luo, who'd also been ushered out.

"Sort of," Li Luo shrugged helplessly.

At that moment, the front door opened again, and voices from outside—Li Guohong and Lin Xiufeng—entered.

Li Luo walked to the door and saw the two men carrying a long table, grunting as they hauled it inside.

"What are you two doing?" Li Luo stepped forward to help, moved the table into the living room, then asked, puzzled.

"Your mom told us to bring it," Li Guohong patted the tabletop. "It's a 2.4-meter table—put it in the living room. You can do homework together here."

"I have a desk in my room."

"Ying Chanxi doesn't," Li Guohong shot him a look. "And if you sit at your desk facing the computer, who knows if you're even thinking about homework."

"…Can't you have just a little more faith in your own son?"

"Why so many words?" Li Guohong slapped the table. "I've arranged everything—don't complain. Did you behave well at school? Didn't cause trouble during military training?"

"Dad, you should update your perception of your son," Li Luo wagged a finger, patted his chest. "The guy standing before you is the class monitor of Class 8, Grade 10."

"Huh?" Li Guohong blinked. "Seriously? You're the class monitor?"

"Ask Uncle. He knows."

"Ahem… yes, it's true," Lin Xiufeng chuckled. "During military training, he even asked me to bring drinks for his classmates."

"Then why didn't you tell us?" Li Guohong stared at Lin Xiufeng, dumbfounded.

"I thought you already knew," Lin Xiufeng looked equally baffled. "Didn't Li Luo tell you he became class monitor?"

"Ah, such a small thing—no need to announce it," Li Luo waved his hand. "Better to stay humble."

"Humble? What humility?" Lin Xiuhong called from the kitchen. "If you've got nothing to do, come in and carry out the dishes!"

Around six-thirty in the evening, seven people sat down to dinner.

Upon hearing Li Luo had become class monitor, Lin Xiuhong was stunned, studying her son up and down: "You? The class monitor?"

"…Can't you have just a little more confidence in your own son?" Li Luo sighed. "Ask Ying Chanxi—I might even be doing a better job than her."

"It's fine." Ying Chanxi glanced at Li Luo, then silently lowered her head to eat, offering only a half-hearted reply—still nettled by Li Luo's visit to Yan Zhusheng's home.

Beside her, Qiao Xinyan whispered, "Li Luo's quite popular at school now. Some girls even bring him drinks on their own."

"Oh?" Lin Xiuhong looked at Li Luo. She tended to trust students like Qiao Xinyan more. "But studying comes first—don't go meddling in nonsense."

"Don't worry—your son has no interest in early romance."