Chapter 654: Acceptance Letter

After one night passed.

The relationships among the few remained unchanged.

The only difference was that the interactions between Xu Yinghuan and Zhao Rongjun had become slightly more intimate.

Qiao Xinyan remained the reserved, smiling Miss, and Xu Yinghuan did not, just because she was now dating Zhao Rongjun, demand that he distance himself from Qiao Xinyan.

She even frequently pulled Qiao Xinyan along to shop and take photos, checking in at every scenic spot around Qiandao Lake.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was the day to return.

Qiao Xinyan, claiming she wanted to give them privacy, did not board Lin Xiuhong's motorhome, instead joining Ying Chanxi on Li Luo's side.

Xu Yinghuan didn't think much of it, blushing slightly as she pulled Zhao Rongjun into the other vehicle.

Thus, five people in one motorhome, four in the other, the two vehicles headed toward Yuhang City.

On the road, Ying Chanxi scrolled through her phone, then suddenly said, "Li Luo! Your physical copy of 'Little Joys' seems to have been released!"

"Really?" Li Luo, who was driving, remembered today was the fifteenth and nodded, "It's mid-month; it's definitely been released these past few days."

"Should I order a set?" Ying Chanxi was tempted.

After all, Li Luo had only given her the first volume, though he'd said nice things about her being the first girl he'd met.

But in truth, he'd just split the set into three parts.

If possible, Ying Chanxi still very much wanted to own a complete set for herself.

"Don't rush," Li Luo said. "Wenxue Group's operations department has already discussed a signing event with me."

"After we get home, the publisher will send me a batch of physical copies that need my signature."

"There will be 300 sets of deluxe signed editions with all three volumes signed, and 1,000 sets of regular signed editions with only one volume signed."

"When the time comes, if you want one, I'll give you a deluxe signed set."

"I remember the editor mentioning that when the physical book officially launches, there'll be a signing event and pre-orders for signed editions on Weibo."

"Really?" Ying Chanxi, hearing this, immediately opened Weibo and searched for "Little Joys" signing event.

Sure enough, Wenxue Group's official account had just posted the pre-order link for the "Little Joys" signing event.

The Qidian Chinese official account, the publisher's account, and all the actors who appeared in "Little Joys" had all reposted to promote it.

Anyone who clicked the link would be redirected to a pre-order page where they could fill in their personal information and confirm their reservation.

Since Li Luo had already promised each of them a deluxe signed set as a keepsake, Ying Chanxi didn't bother joining the rush.

Qiao Xinyan leaned over to take a look, then asked curiously, "A signing event next month? There's actually an arrangement like this? I've only ever heard of traditional authors doing signing events."

"This is also an experiment by Wenxue Group," Li Luo said. "A few other authors have done it before—I'm not the first."

"Why is the signing event still in Changning City?" Ying Chanxi asked again. "Didn't you say you'd try to hold it here?"

"The publisher insisted," Li Luo said, shrugging helplessly. "It's their first time organizing a signing event for an online novel author, and they're worried not enough people will show up."

"If the venue is nearly empty, it won't look good."

"Changning City is one of the four first-tier cities; holding it there might attract more fans willing to travel."

"What's the scale of the signing event?" Xu Youyu, in the front passenger seat, suddenly asked.

"Three to five hundred people?" Li Luo guessed.

Xu Youyu frowned: "But there are already 300 deluxe sets?"

"You can preorder online directly—no need to go to a physical location," Li Luo explained. "The signing event and the signed edition pre-orders are counted separately."

"Oh," Xu Youyu chuckled. "Then just shout it out at Fu Yi High School—you'd instantly gather a crowd. We're not far from Changning; the high-speed train takes an hour."

Li Luo smirked: "... That's completely unnecessary. Stop giving me such dumb ideas."

He was holding a physical book signing, not a high school alumni reunion.

On the way home, the group chatted about the release of Li Luo's physical book, then shifted to discussing the recent plot of "Little Joys."

As time reached mid-July, the updates to "Little Joys" had reached the latter half of the overall story.

Ying Chanxi particularly liked the recent plot, especially when the protagonist comforted his childhood friend and they embraced—only to be mistaken by their parents as secretly dating.

Though the characters weren't actually dating in the story, just the misunderstanding alone was enough to spark beautiful fantasies in Ying Chanxi's mind.

Especially when she thought that Li Luo himself had written this scene, she felt even happier.

At three in the afternoon, Li Luo first dropped Qiao Xinyan off at home, then drove straight back to Bihai Lanting.

On the other side, Lin Xiuhong dropped Zhao Rongjun and Xu Yinghuan off at their homes, then stopped by to buy some groceries.

She cooked dinner that evening, and after eating, she and Cui Suling bid farewell and left.

Finally back home, the three girls unusually gathered together in the bathroom to bathe, then headed to Li Luo's bedroom as a group.

After being apart from this large bed for over half a month, all three girls missed it dearly.

That night, when they went to bed, they could finally all lie together again—no more taking turns to sleep with him.

But the next day, Yan Zhusheng packed her luggage early in the morning and set off again to find Yuan Wanqing, attending a few rare concerts this month.

"You haven't even enrolled in the music college yet, but your stage performance experience already seems to surpass your teachers'," Li Luo said, driving Yan Zhusheng to the airport in the Audi A6 gifted by Yin Zhicheng. "Be careful on the road—call me when you arrive."

"Mm," Yan Zhusheng nodded obediently, got out with her luggage, then leaned over to the driver's window to kiss Li Luo goodbye.

The next second, the car behind honked.

The driver behind stared blankly at the two young lovers indulging in public affection, then honked repeatedly.

…

In the following days, the plot of "Little Joys" continued to progress.

When the story reached episode thirty-seven, Yan Zhusheng once again took the stage at Yuan Wanqing's concert, performing a new song for the audience at Nanshan Temple.

Daily viewers of "Little Joys" sharply noticed something different today.

【Why isn't the ending theme of "Little Joys" today the same as before?】

【This ending theme is so good too!】

Damn, that almost made me depressed.

Isn't it called "Under the Sea"? This song is absolutely perfect—it's tailor-made for depression.

I didn't feel much before, but after hearing this song, I suddenly felt so sorry for Qiao Yingzi.

But while many online viewers praised this song, other voices also emerged.

Because the recent plot of "Little Joy" involved Qiao Yingzi's depression.

Especially after the long-built-up storyline of a former Gaokao student who ultimately chose to jump to his death finally reached its conclusion, it sparked massive online discussion.

Students strongly resonated with it; many admitted they had once entertained suicidal thoughts during high school.

But some parents expressed disgust toward the plot, wondering if such content might negatively influence children.

As a result, "Little Joy" received numerous complaints and reports.

Fortunately, the impact wasn't significant.

When the evening of the 20th arrived, after Yan Zhusheng performed "Under the Sea" again, Yuan Wanqing unexpectedly performed "Under the Sea" once more.

But she didn't just sing it again verbatim—she completely rearranged the music and revised the lyrics.

It instantly transformed the song from its original ethereal yet gloomy and decadent atmosphere into one brimming with redemption.

Once Yuan Wanqing's performance video spread online, public opinion on the matter shifted completely.

Paired with Qiao Yingzi's moderate depression and her breakdown-leaping-into-the-sea plotline, "Little Joy" achieved a massive cultural breakout within just a few days.

It transformed from a mere TV drama into a huge social hotspot, drawing participation from nearly every other field and forming a massive traffic vortex.

…

"Aren't you going to the book signing tomorrow?" Xu Youyu asked, after finishing his writing for the night, showering, and lying down in Li Luo's bedroom.

"We leave for Changning City at ten tomorrow morning," Li Luo replied, nodding. "We'll have lunch there, then the signing in the afternoon."

"Can I come along for the fun?" Xu Youyu snuggled into Li Luo's arms, grinning. "Will Xi Xi come too?"

"I'm definitely going," Ying Chanxi nodded eagerly. "I don't have anything else to do."

"Zhusheng will be there too. After the signing, we'll all head back together," Li Luo said, hugging the two girls. "Oh, by the way, my dad said he's throwing a banquet in a couple days to celebrate my college admission."

"A college celebration banquet?" Xu Youyu nodded. "My family had one last year too—just a simple meal, not many guests."

"My dad will probably invite a lot of relatives," Li Luo rubbed his nose, slightly exasperated. "At least seven or eight tables."

"That many?" Xu Youyu blinked in surprise, then turned to Ying Chanxi. "What about you, Xi Xi? Won't your family throw one? You're the top scorer in the province, after all."

"We don't do that stuff," Ying Chanxi shook her head. "Dad's already busy. No need to trouble him. Besides, I can just piggyback on Li Luo's."

"You can do that?" Li Luo laughed. "What's your excuse for piggybacking?"

"Of course—the excuse is that we're both provincial top scorers," Ying Chanxi insisted stubbornly in Li Luo's arms.

After a brief chat about their plans for the coming weeks, the three fell asleep quickly.

The next morning, Li Luo and Ying Chanxi woke early, went for a morning run, had breakfast, then brought back a meal for Xu Youyu.

Just as they reached their front door, they saw a deliveryman knocking.

"Hello, I'm the resident here," Li Luo said as he opened the door. "What are you delivering?"

"Oh, hi hi," the deliveryman smiled and congratulated Li Luo. "I'm here to deliver admission letters—three from Qianjiang University, all addressed here. Please sign for them."

Li Luo raised an eyebrow, took the letters from the deliveryman, opened one, confirmed the name, then signed.

"This one's hers," Li Luo pointed to Ying Chanxi. "The last one's for someone who's traveling abroad—I'll hold onto it for her."

After signing and seeing off the deliveryman, Li Luo and Ying Chanxi returned to the living room with the letters.

Ying Chanxi happily spread her own admission letter on the desk, then grabbed Li Luo's, pulled out her phone, snapped a photo, and posted it to her Moments.

"Why not include Zhusheng's too?" Li Luo laughed at her petty behavior.

"I'll take one now—no rush," Ying Chanxi said after posting. She snapped a quick photo of Yan Zhusheng's letter and sent it alone to their four-person WeChat group, tagging Yan Zhusheng.

Moments later, Yan Zhusheng posted to her own Moments.

Curious, Ying Chanxi clicked to view it—and immediately darkened.

Li Luo noticed her expression, leaned over to look—and couldn't help but laugh.

Yan Zhusheng had stolen Ying Chanxi's photo, cut out Ying Chanxi's admission letter entirely, kept only Li Luo's, then merged her own letter with his.

Even when apart, these two sisters still found ways to attack each other—constantly, relentlessly.

"You two are so childish," Li Luo sighed, then took his own photo—showing all three admission letters—and posted it to Moments to celebrate.

…

Ten a. m.

Li Luo drove his Audi A6, carrying Ying Chanxi and Xu Youyu, toward Changning City.

The physical book signing for "Little Joy" was held at the Jing'an Exhibition Center in Changning City.

As Li Luo drove there, just before arriving, he called Yan Zhusheng.

"It's that restaurant next door, right?" Li Luo said, his eyes locking onto a slender figure by the roadside. "Alright, stay put—I see you."

He pulled over to the curb.

As he reached for the car door, a figure sprinted over, yanked it open, and launched herself into his arms.

"I missed you so much," Yan Zhusheng clung to him like a kitten, refusing to let go.

It had been over half a month since they last met.

In the passenger seat, Ying Chanxi squinted at the scene, then let out a soft huff, letting her little sister hug him as long as she wanted.

After enduring it for several minutes, Ying Chanxi finally snapped: "We still have to eat lunch. Can you stop hugging? I'm starving."

"You're so annoying," Yan Zhusheng lifted her head from Li Luo's chest. "Next time I'll make sure you don't see Li Luo for half a month—you'll learn your lesson."

"Who asked you to go to that concert?" Ying Chanxi rolled her eyes.

"I went to promote 'Little Joy' for Li Luo," Yan Zhusheng said seriously. "You want to help him with that—you don't even know how."

"You..." Ying Chanxi was left speechless at what she said, unable to find a retort.

Finally, Li Luo interrupted: "Enough, enough, let's get out and eat. We've got more to do soon."

(End of Chapter)