Chapter 657

While Li Luo was traveling to Changning City for a book signing, Lin Xiuhong and Cui Suling were lying down receiving beauty treatments at a salon in Yinjiang District, Yuhang City.

Lin Xiuhong had already finished her treatment and was waiting for Cui Suling while scrolling through her phone, watching the live stream of the "Little Joys" book signing.

She played the audio out loud so Cui Suling could hear it too.

The two began chatting casually about the book signing.

"Li Luo is really impressive," Cui Suling said, eyes closed, a face mask on her face. "I only knew he wrote online novels well, but then I heard he wrote a realistic fiction novel that even sold film and TV rights—I thought he was something special."

"Now his physical book is out, and he's already holding book signings."

"He's a real, bona fide big writer now."

The older generation wasn't particularly attuned to internet metrics; even though they knew Li Luo was already impressive, they still lacked a clear standard for just how far he'd gone.

Now, with a book signing held, he was on the same level as famous physical bestseller authors.

From their perspective, physical books clearly carried more prestige.

In short, it had class—it made you look good when you mentioned it.

"It's just three or five hundred people," Lin Xiuhong said modestly. "Don't keep praising him so much."

Even so, Lin Xiuhong secretly enjoyed hearing Cui Suling praise Li Luo.

If one day Cui Suling stopped, she'd feel unsettled.

But as she watched the live stream, seeing Li Luo sitting calmly on his chair speaking confidently, Lin Xiuhong felt a wave of daze.

Three years ago, when this boy was at his most rebellious, she never would've imagined her own son would grow into such a brilliant talent.

Yet just as she thought this, the live stream had moved into the Q&A segment.

After Li Luo interacted with Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi, Cui Suling, listening to the Q&A, furrowed her brow and asked, "Are Xi Xi and Zhu Sheng both sitting on stage?"

"Yes," Lin Xiuhong nodded. "They're both sitting there."

"Then what about You Yu?" Cui Suling pressed. "Wasn't she there too?"

"You Yu…?" Lin Xiuhong paused, then peered closely. "She's not on stage. Let me check… the girl in the middle of the first row—that's probably her."

Hearing this, Cui Suling felt exasperated—how could others like Xi Xi and Zhu Sheng know to cluster around Li Luo at a time like this?

Why are you so generous?

Is it comfortable sitting down there?

Don't you want to show off your claim on Li Luo in public?

But as Cui Suling thought this, Lin Xiuhong quietly exhaled in relief, grateful that Cui Suling couldn't see her phone.

Otherwise, if she saw the live stream's comments, who knew what expression she'd wear.

【Okay okay, you're gonna choke me? Showing off like this?】

【Let Zhu Sheng choke me—I'd die happy!】

【I'm more suitable than Mom~ Why does Zhu Sheng seem to be jealous of Qing Jie?】

【One writes songs, one sings them—perfect match, just get together already!】

【How do you know they're not already together behind the scenes? I suspect they've been dating for a while.】

【Look at Zhu Sheng's eyes—only when she looks at Ran Shen do they soften, like they're glowing.】

【You can even tell they're glowing? You're amazing.】

These were the comments after Li Luo's interaction with Yan Zhusheng.

When the third question came, and Li Luo and Ying Chanxi bantered playfully on stage, the comments shifted again.

【Holy shit! This pair is also so cute!】

【Ran Shen, what are you doing! How can you betray Zhu Sheng!】

【What betrayal? She's the real childhood sweetheart—grew up across the street from him!】

【They were even provincial top scorers together? That's insane.】

【Climbing the gaokao together as top scorers… even romantic novels wouldn't dare write this.】

【No wonder she looks familiar—weren't these two in the MVs of some of Ran Shen's songs? They appeared together too.】

【Damn it! You gave the protagonist a harem in the novel—now you're doing it in real life too?】

【That's probably not true—both girls seem so outstanding, how could they possibly share one guy?】

【I'm Team Zhu Sheng! One writes songs, one sings them—perfect match! I felt this way when I went to their concert!】

【I think the childhood sweetheart is better—they grew up together, studied together, even aced the provincial gaokao together. That bond is special.】

Lin Xiuhong watched these comments and was quite pleased.

After all, she liked both Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng.

But since Cui Suling was lying right beside her, Lin Xiuhong dared not show her feelings too openly, afraid her best friend would spot her hidden ambitions.

At this moment, the Q&A continued.

The next fan stood up and asked:

"Master Chongran, I've heard that novelists often unconsciously project themselves onto their protagonists."

"So I'd like to ask—when you wrote 'Little Joys,' did you project any of your own traits onto the protagonist, Fang Yifan?"

"After all, we all know Fang Yifan is a poor student at school, but you're a provincial top scorer—doesn't that create a disconnect in your writing?"

Hearing this question, Li Luo paused longer than usual, then picked up the microphone and spoke slowly: "Actually, I'm quite similar to Fang Yifan—even in academic performance, there are parallels."

"You might not know, but in middle school, my grades were terrible—I almost didn't make it into regular high school."

"The person beside me, however, has always excelled academically, and by middle school, she firmly held the top spot in her grade."

Li Luo turned to look at Ying Chanxi, then chuckled helplessly: "She lives across the street from my house."

"And because her parents are always busy, my mom often invited her over for meals."

"Every time after exams, my mom would nag me: 'Look at Xi Xi—such great grades. Look at you—why don't you learn from her?'"

This made me dislike the guy for a while.

Ying Chanxi sat beside Li Luo as he recounted his story, initially smiling as he mentioned how often she had come to his house for meals since childhood.

But as he continued, her heart trembled, and a bitter taste filled her chest.

So this was why Li Luo had grown distant from me back then...

Ying Chanxi unconsciously bit her lip, never realizing how Li Luo had felt at the time.

She had even taken pride in Cui Suling's praise, believing that gaining her approval meant she could keep coming to Li Luo's house for meals without shame.

From Ying Chanxi's perspective, constantly mooching meals wasn't right, so she pushed herself to study hard, showing her value, and only dared to visit his house daily under the pretense of helping Li Luo with his lessons.

But this became Cui Suling's weapon to pressure her son, turning into a sharp dagger that wounded young Li Luo's self-respect.

"But later, I came to terms with it, and secretly studied hard before the high school entrance exam," Li Luo said, giving a self-deprecating smile.

In truth, there was no secret studying.

It was merely the soul of a thirty-five-year-old middle-aged office worker returning to a young body, accidentally granted rebirth.

As for rebirth, studying might not count, but it was roughly like previewing the next twenty years of life.

Returning to his younger self, Li Luo made choices entirely opposite to those he had made in his youth.

One can only say people grow.

But after hearing all this, besides the profound impact on Ying Chanxi, Lin Xiuhong in Yinjiang District sat frozen, unable to recover for a long time.

For the past three years, Lin Xiuhong had been delighted, as Li Luo continuously excelled in every aspect, making her believe her parenting methods had never been wrong.

Especially after attending several high school parent-teacher meetings and receiving admiration and flattery from other parents, this illusion only deepened.

Even when Li Luo did nothing, Lin Xiuhong would still instinctively say a few words.

For example, in first year of high school, when Li Luo ranked in the top forty of his grade, she told him to stay humble, to look at how Xixi was doing, and to try harder.

For example, before the college entrance exam, when Li Luo's admission to Qianjiang University was already guaranteed, she still scolded and nagged him as she had during his middle school years.

All of this was simply an extension of past habits.

Only now, hearing Li Luo's honest words, did Lin Xiuhong realize her past mistakes.

So this was how her son had truly felt?

Lin Xiuhong pressed her lips together, feeling shame for the first time.

Before this, she had even taken pride, thinking Li Luo's score as provincial top scorer might have been due to her relentless pressure.

But now it seemed, it had only been a burden.

If Li Luo hadn't awakened and matured, their family might now be entirely different.

"Xiuhong, what's wrong?" Cui Suling noticed she had fallen silent and asked.

"Nothing," Lin Xiuhong smiled awkwardly. "I just think this brat Li Luo spoke well."

"In short," Li Luo continued sharing his past in the livestream, "later, I performed exceptionally in the high school entrance exam, got into Fuyi High, and under the influence of a certain top student in my grade, I steadily improved, eventually catching up to her by the college entrance exam."

"As for Fang Yifan choosing the arts path in the college entrance exam…" Li Luo turned to Yan Zhusheng, stroking his chin with a grin, "I think if I'd taken the arts exam, someone's arts top scorer title might've changed hands."

"It's fine," Yan Zhusheng shook her head without a hint of annoyance. "That'd be better—you'd end up in the same college as me."

【You're telling me you two aren't together?】

【Zhusheng, be a little more reserved! Can't you be any more obvious?】

【Qingjie, are you watching? Control your daughter!】

【Qingjie's probably laughing behind the screen—go on, daughter, take Chongran! Then we won't ever lack songs again! Hahaha~】

At this point, it was the next reader's turn to ask:

"Teacher Chongran, I really like the character Qiao Yingzi and her relationship with Fang Yifan. Did they get together after college, or does Fang Yifan still pursue his goddess?"

"Well…" Li Luo heard the question and instinctively glanced left and right, immediately sensing danger.

Xu Youyu, seated below, watched the scene with a smile, propping his chin and curious to see how Li Luo would answer.

Finally, Li Luo cleared his throat: "After a story ends, the characters still have their own lives to live—that's not something the author can decide. Sometimes, leaving space is also a kind of beauty."

But remembering how clearly the sequel of "Little Joy" pointed to the couple, Li Luo helplessly glanced at Yan Zhusheng and added, "Statistically speaking, Fang Yifan and Qiao Yingzi are more likely to end up together."

Hearing this answer,

not only did the reader who asked the question smile in satisfaction,

but Ying Chanxi beside her also laughed happily, her gaze toward Li Luo glowing as if lit from within.

【I can't take it anymore… the childhood friend's look at him is melting】

【How the hell does this guy deserve this?!】

【Wait, I suddenly feel like the childhood friend resembles Shen Dongdong from "I Am Really Not a Star," and Yan Zhusheng could match Mo Qinghan…】

【If that's true, does Chongran have a Jiang Mingyue too? I don't believe it!】

【I heard Chongran is also close to Zao Shui—she's a female author, and reportedly very beautiful】

【Stop, I'm afraid I'll grab my kitchen knife】

"Now, let's invite our final reader to ask a question," the host checked the time and said, then called on the last person who had raised their hand.

The reader stood up, excitedly leaping forward, grabbed the microphone, and blurted out: "My question has nothing to do with 'Little Joy,' and it might be a bit bold, but I still want to ask—"

As he spoke, he pulled something from his backpack and showed it to Li Luo: "God of Burning, I'm your loyal reader—I love your 'Night Watch of Great Qian.'"

"This year, I got into Zhendan University in Changning City, and I just received my acceptance letter."

"So… your promise during your launch announcement—that if any reader got into a 985 university, you'd add an extra chapter—does it still stand?"

The audience burst into laughter, watching Li Luo like a show.

Li Luo himself was stunned—he hadn't expected a reader to carry their acceptance letter to the event—and couldn't help but laugh helplessly.

"Let me check," Li Luo stood up, walked over to the reader, and carefully examined the letter. "Good, good, good—Gong Ao, right? I'll remember you."

"Hehe," Gong Ao scratched his head and grinned proudly. "So, are you adding the extra chapter?"

"Add it, add it now." Li Luo chuckled and nodded, pulling out his phone, logging into his author backend, and immediately publishing a saved chapter, "Check your inbox."

Gong Ao froze, then quickly pulled out his phone and saw that "Night Watch of Great Qian" had indeed updated a new chapter—he gasped in shock, "You have saved drafts?!"

"Having saved drafts isn't normal?" Li Luo chuckled, then leaned over to glance at the guy's phone, "Hey hey hey, you've still got two monthly votes—being a loyal fan, you haven't even cast one?"

"Cast them! Right now!" Gong Ao immediately nodded, tapped the monthly vote button, and spent all his votes.

(End of chapter)