Chapter 668: Qianjiang University Enrollment Day

August 26, morning.

Two more days had passed since Yan Zhusheng's birthday.

Li Luo no longer sat in front of his computer from dawn till dusk, typing away thirty thousand words a day as he had before.

Instead, he relaxed a bit—wrote ten thousand words in the morning, rested in the afternoon, and wrote another ten thousand at night, treating it like health maintenance.

According to his plan, including his current drafts and the words he'd write during the upcoming military training after enrollment, he'd finish repaying all his overdue chapters by mid-September.

At the same time, he'd gradually reduce his daily output back to around eight thousand words.

Thus, "Night Watch of Great Qian" had smoothly entered its middle phase, steadily building up to the later climax of Volume Two.

Li Luo, already awake and staring at the ceiling, was thinking about these things.

When his alarm rang precisely at six, he woke up Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng beside him; the three of them got up together, washed up, and went downstairs for a morning run.

Today they jogged slowly west along Ningshan Avenue, passed through the southern gate of Qianjiang University, turned at Xijie, and circled the entire campus.

To be fair, although Fuyi Middle School and Qianjiang University were right next to each other, their land areas differed drastically.

Running one lap around Fuyi Middle School might take just a few minutes.

But running one lap around Qianjiang University took the three of them over forty minutes before they finally finished.

The entire campus covered about 5.8 square kilometers, essentially functioning like a small city.

Before the area north of Ningshan in Yinjiang District was developed, this stretch of Ningshan Avenue had been exclusively an internal road of Qianjiang University, with no outside vehicles permitted to enter or exit.

Only later, when Yinjiang District began developing its northern economic zone, did they carve out this road from within Qianjiang University's grounds.

Otherwise, with Ningshan to the south, Yinjiang to the north, and Qianjiang University blocking the middle, having only one riverside highway would have severely hampered traffic flow.

"Looks like registration hasn't started yet," Li Luo said, glancing at the nearly empty campus gate as they passed.

"It's only half past six—of course no one's here," Ying Chanxi replied. "Registration officially opens at eight-thirty."

"When we come to register later, should I take you to your dorm?" Li Luo grinned, raising an eyebrow. "I can even make your bed."

"Who cares?" Ying Chanxi huffed.

But Yan Zhusheng immediately nodded: "Sure! If you don't want him, Li Luo can come with me to my dorm."

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi panicked: "Wait… I never said I didn't want him!"

"You just said you didn't care."

"Saying I don't care doesn't mean I don't want him! I want him, I want him!"

Watching the sisters argue while jogging, Li Luo couldn't help laughing inwardly—he thought, this dish really tastes better when you fight over it.

That was truly wise advice.

Unfortunately, things rarely go as planned.

When the three of them returned slowly to Bihai Lanting 1502 after circling the campus, they opened the door to find Ying Zhicheng sitting on the living room sofa.

Sounds also came from the kitchen.

Yuan Wanqing peeked out and smiled upon seeing them return from their run: "Back already? Breakfast'll be ready soon."

"Dad? Auntie Yuan?" Ying Chanxi asked, surprised, after slipping on her slippers. "Didn't you say you weren't coming for enrollment?"

A few days earlier, Ying Chanxi had already asked Ying Zhicheng—since Qianjiang University was just a few steps away, it didn't matter whether they came or not, so she hadn't asked him to come see her enroll.

"Your Auntie Yuan just finished recording a show today, so she had nothing else to do," Ying Zhicheng said with a smile on the sofa. "So we figured we'd come over and witness your first day at university."

"Oh, I see," Ying Chanxi smiled brightly, rushing over to sit beside Ying Zhicheng.

Yet inside, she felt a small pang of disappointment.

She'd been hoping Li Luo would take her to her dorm.

Now that Ying Zhicheng was here to escort her, Li Luo had no reason to insist on coming along.

After entering, Yan Zhusheng greeted Ying Zhicheng, then walked curiously to the kitchen door; seeing Lin Xiuhong busy inside, she finally relaxed.

"Good morning, Lin Yi."

"Ah, good morning, Zhusheng," Lin Xiuhong chuckled. "It's still early—you can shower after your run, then come eat breakfast."

"Okay." Yan Zhusheng nodded obediently, then turned to Ying Chanxi in the living room. "Sister, want to shower together?"

"Got it, coming," Ying Chanxi replied, rising from the sofa, telling Ying Zhicheng, then following Yan Zhusheng to the hallway bathroom.

Hearing Yan Zhusheng naturally call out "sister," Yuan Wanqing and Ying Zhicheng instinctively exchanged glances, both visibly surprised and pleased.

Clearly, the sisters' relationship was genuinely warm and affectionate.

Even showering together.

This bond was no ordinary thing.

Ying Zhicheng's face lit up with a relieved smile; his earlier worries about potential harm to Xixi from the blended family now eased, his mood lifting.

But Yuan Wanqing glanced at Li Luo, who had also greeted them and was now heading toward the master bathroom, watching his back with a complex expression.

Because the closeness between Zhusheng and Xixi might not just stem from their own harmony—it might very well be because Li Luo was the glue holding them together.

Especially after recalling what her daughter had privately told her during the promotion banquet… Yuan Wanqing's expression darkened, and she sighed softly.

"Why are you sighing?" Lin Xiuhong noticed and chuckled. "Is it really that profound?"

"Yes… yes it is…" Yuan Wanqing smiled awkwardly. "It's just… before we know it, they're off to university. Time really flies."

"That's true," Lin Xiuhong agreed with a laugh. "Remember when Li Luo and Xixi were just tiny kids—so adorable back then. Shame they're not fun anymore."

Lin Xiuhong shook her head with a sigh.

Yuan Wanqing nodded in agreement: "It's a pity I spent so little time with Zhusheng—I couldn't care for her properly. I'm grateful you've looked after her so often."

"Oh, don't mention it—I just drop by to cook now and then," Lin Xiuhong waved off. "It's really the kids themselves who are sensible and well-behaved—they take care of themselves without needing much supervision."

The two mothers exchanged humble words in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, in the master bedroom, Xu Youyu woke up to the sound of Li Luo showering, yawned in bed, and reached for her phone to check the time.

Remembering she had things to attend to at school today, she stopped lounging, stretched, got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and headed toward the bathroom.

I'm taking a shower.

"So what? I've seen it before." Xu Youyu pushed the door open and sat down on the toilet, closing his eyes in comfort.

After finishing, she stripped off her pajamas and stepped into the shower stall.

Hey... Xi Xi and Zhu Sheng are also home.

"They're probably showering outside," Xu Youyu pressed against Li Luo's back, rubbing lightly before effortlessly pinning him down. "They take forever in the shower—maybe even arguing while they wash. You just leave early, and you'll be fine."

"Then can you stop touching me? Otherwise, I can't guarantee what'll happen."

"Eee~ I'm so scared~" Xu Youyu giggled, then pulled a small item from the pocket of her discarded pajamas. "I'm not afraid of you—I brought body armor."

"On the battlefield, body armor alone is useless," Li Luo grabbed her arm and shoved her against the shower glass. "I'll give you a gun too."

Around eight in the morning, Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng finished showering, returned to their rooms, changed clothes, and packed their belongings.

Then Yan Zhusheng went to the living room to have breakfast.

Ying Chanxi first went to Li Luo's bedroom, saw him just dressed, heard the water running in the bathroom, and asked curiously, "Did Senior Sister wake up?"

"Mm." Li Luo nodded without changing expression, wrapped his arm around Ying Chanxi's shoulder, and walked out. "She just got up—she's showering now. Let's have breakfast first."

"Oh." Ying Chanxi didn't think much, only felt slightly surprised. "Why is Senior Sister up so early today?"

"She has something at school too, so she needs to wake up early. She'll go to campus with us later."

"No wonder."

The two walked into the living room.

At this time, Yuan Wanqing and Lin Xiuhong had already prepared breakfast, and everyone sat down to eat.

Not long after, Xu Youyu finished showering and came out to join them for breakfast.

By half past eight, everyone prepared to leave, just as Li Guohong arrived.

"Dad, why are you here?" Li Luo frowned. "I thought you weren't coming."

"It's your first day at university—I have to come see you off," Li Guohong chuckled, then greeted Yin Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing.

The group then headed toward Qianjiang University.

Considering Ningshan Avenue might be congested today, Li Luo and the others decided not to drive—it wasn't far to walk anyway.

They didn't even bring bedding or clothes, nor washbasins or toothbrushes—each person only brought a bedsheet, planning to lay it down in the dorm first.

As for other toiletries or bedding like quilts and pillows, they planned to return home later that night, drive back to campus, and avoid traffic jams and spot competition with others.

The group set off light, walking along Ningshan Avenue.

Along the way, every road was filled with cars brought by parents dropping off their children for enrollment.

"By the way, when I passed your old junior high this morning, I saw your banners," Li Guohong suddenly remembered and laughed. "It said, 'Warmly Celebrating Outstanding Alumni Ying Chanxi and Li Luo as This Year's Provincial Top Scorer.'"

"There's that?" Li Luo raised an eyebrow, finding it novel.

To be honest, the same banner hung at Fuyi High School—but Li Luo had never attended Fuyi in his past life.

Yucai Middle School, however, was his junior high in his past life—he felt something different emotionally.

He wondered what expression his junior high teacher would wear upon learning that this former slacker had become provincial top scorer.

After all, back then, scoring 555 on the junior high entrance exam had already stunned his homeroom teacher.

Three years later, he hadn't declined—he'd climbed steadily, tying with Yucai's former top student, Ying Chanxi, to become provincial top scorer.

Honestly, it was genuinely inspiring.

Li Luo could even guess what his homeroom teacher, Zhang Wei, would tell his future students.

—You don't know, I once had a student whose grades were just like yours right now.

—Guess what? He just needed to work hard—half a semester of review in third year got him 555! And in the end, he became provincial top scorer in the college entrance exam!

—And yet, you still dare say you're hopeless? Get back to studying right now!

Thinking of this, Li Luo couldn't help but smile, his mood lifting slightly.

"I've sent you the script I gave you to the director," Yin Zhicheng walked beside Li Luo, bringing up the matter. "The board is also discussing it preliminarily."

"I'll let you know if there are any updates."

"Then you need to find someone to discuss copyright fees and project investment with."

"OK." Li Luo nodded. "I'll have Lawyer Tian follow up on it—you probably have his contact info too, Uncle Yin."

"Alright, I know."

As they chatted, the group arrived smoothly at the south gate of Qianjiang University.

It was no longer the empty, early-morning scene—dozens of blue tents had been erected, stretching along both sides of the gate.

Each college had assigned senior student volunteers to handle new student registration and campus guidance.

"Hey? Youyu?" A greeting came from the gate—Zhao Letian, wearing a volunteer uniform, waved at Xu Youyu with Xie Xiuying, then hurried over. "Isn't this Li Luo?"

"Hello, Senior Sisters," Li Luo smiled politely at them.

This left Xie Xiuying and Zhao Letian speechless.

After all, when they first met Li Luo, they'd assumed he was their senior.

Only later, from Jiang Feiya, did they learn that this guy was still in Gao San—and had only just been admitted to Qianjiang University, becoming their junior.

"Hi," Zhao Letian laughed. She glanced at Xu Youyu, then at the others, and asked, "What majors are you all in?"

"She's in the Music College, she's in the Zhu Institute," Li Luo pointed to Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi. "I'm in the same college as you."

"Oh, I see," Zhao Letian nodded, pointing to a nearby tent. "The Zhu Institute is over there. Music College registration is at the north gate—it's a separate category, not with our regular majors."

"I see, thanks so much, Senior Sister."

"No problem, no problem," Zhao Letian chuckled, waved again to Xu Youyu, then took Xie Xiuying to continue volunteering.

Yin Zhicheng then took Ying Chanxi to the Zhu Institute registration point, while Yuan Wanqing said goodbye and led Yan Zhusheng toward the north gate.

Meanwhile, Li Luo had successfully registered at the Department of Humanities under Xu Youyu's arrangements.

Without needing any senior students to guide them, Xu Youyu directly led him, Lin Xiuhong, and Li Guohong toward the dormitory complex across Ningshan Avenue.

(End of Chapter)