Chapter 673

Cheng Jinyan felt a little out of place.

It wasn't because Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng had ignored her during dinner.

On the contrary, although Yan Zhusheng wasn't good at chatting or socializing, Li Luo had no trouble at all in that regard.

During dinner, he occasionally brought up interesting topics and chatted with Cheng Jinyan for a while.

But the small, habitual interactions between the two across from her made Cheng Jinyan feel that, though she sat at the same table, she was completely shut out.

They didn't even need much communication—perhaps just a glance, or a simple hand movement, and they understood each other.

Li Luo would automatically reach for the dishes Yan Zhusheng liked, and Yan Zhusheng would already turn her body aside, waiting as soon as Li Luo lifted his chopsticks.

She never used her own bowl to catch the food—she'd just open her little mouth and let Li Luo feed her.

Sometimes it would be the other way around.

But Li Luo, bound by male pride, refused to be fed—until he finally gave in under Yan Zhusheng's expectant gaze.

Cheng Jinyan stared at the overwhelming dog food in front of her and sank into deep thought about whether she should have come at all.

Still, the atmosphere at the table was quite pleasant.

Li Luo asked Cheng Jinyan how she had met them, and she immediately began sharing enthusiastically.

"Actually, I knew Chongran long before I knew Zhusheng," Cheng Jinyan said with a grin. "Maybe during the summer after my first year of high school?"

"Back then, Sister Yuan was participating in that singing competition—I started watching from the very first episode."

"Sister Yuan didn't appear until episode six, but her song 'The Sky Has No Limits' immediately won the challenge—she absolutely stunned me."

"I'd never heard of this singer before, but after checking, I found out she had debuted over a decade ago."

"She retired early because of her heart condition, and now she's made a successful comeback—I thought she was amazing, and became a fan right away."

Cheng Jinyan chattered on about all this, back when she herself was still transitioning from Gao Yi to Gao Er.

After following all the way through Yuan Wanqing's singing journey—finally winning second place and completing the metamorphosis of her new album—Cheng Jinyan fell completely in love with the female singer Yuan Wanqing.

"Later, when I decided to pursue music, a big part of the reason was the strength I drew from Sister Yuan's story."

As Cheng Jinyan said this, her eyes shimmered with misty light, her hands clasped over her chest as she couldn't help but turn to Yan Zhusheng and say, "So when Sister Yuan dropped you off at the dorm today, I got so excited I felt like I was going to faint."

"Did you get her autograph?" Li Luo asked with a smile.

"Of course I did! Sister Yuan is so nice," Cheng Jinyan giggled foolishly. "I only dared to ask for one autograph in my notebook, but when she saw I'd bought the physical album and posters, she signed all of them too!"

"You haven't told us how you met Li Luo yet," Yan Zhusheng prompted, her face serious. "Don't talk so much about my mom."

She hadn't come here to hear that.

"Oh, right." Cheng Jinyan snapped back to attention and continued quickly. "I was such a big fan of Sister Yuan, so I looked up a ton of her info."

"Someone had even summarized the comparison between her two albums after her comeback, and their marketing strategies and stuff."

"The most crucial person in that was the songwriter and composer—Chongran!"

"Then I realized there was such an incredible person behind Sister Yuan, and out of curiosity, I followed that name."

"Turns out this guy also wrote novels, so I took a look."

Hearing this, Li Luo suddenly perked up: "You read my novels?"

"I did read them," Cheng Jinyan scratched her head, a little embarrassed. "But I'm not really into this kind of novel, so I gave up after a few chapters."

Li Luo exhaled in relief.

"You should read it again," Yan Zhusheng said seriously. "The opening heavenly queen in his book was based on me."

"Huh?!" Cheng Jinyan froze, surprised by this hidden connection—immediately captivated by Yan Zhusheng's words. "Then I'll read it when I get back!"

Li Luo: "..."

Why does Zhusheng always like to blab so much?

I'll have to give her a good spanking when we get back—she's not being good at all, always causing me trouble!

"Which of Li Luo's songs do you like the most?" Yan Zhusheng asked next.

"The most favorite..." Cheng Jinyan pondered, struggling. "That's hard to pick."

"If I had to say the one that moved me the most, it's definitely 'Mother and Daughter'—you wouldn't believe how my mom and I watched the competition together and both burst into tears."

"When my dad came home and saw us crying like that, he thought something terrible had happened."

"Then there's 'Don't Waste the Years'—I also really like that song," Cheng Jinyan added. "During the period before the college entrance exam, I listened to it almost every day."

"And the song you sang, 'Love Is a One-Person Thing'—that one's amazing! You sang it with so much feeling—I think it fits my expectations better than Sister Yuan's version."

After talking about her favorite songs, Cheng Jinyan eagerly moved on to how she later met Yan Zhusheng.

She first met her on the singing competition stage, when Yuan Wanqing brought her daughter onstage to perform 'Mother and Daughter,' marking Yan Zhusheng's debut before the public.

After that, until Gao San, Yan Zhusheng appeared again only at Yuan Wanqing's concert.

If Yan Zhusheng's appearance on the singing stage over a year ago had been a fleeting moment,

then Yuan Wanqing's subsequent concert tour completely launched Yan Zhusheng's fame.

Now, Yan Zhusheng's popularity in China's music scene rivals that of some second- or third-tier singers.

"Do you remember when you two performed 'Little Happiness'?" Cheng Jinyan said, excited and animated. "I was there in person! Watching you two interact on stage—I immediately thought you two were a couple! And now look—haha!"

By the end, Cheng Jinyan leaned back in her chair, stifling laughter, thrilled and touched as if her shipped couple had finally come true.

As Yan Zhusheng listened to these stories, she listened with unusual attentiveness, nodding in satisfaction—she loved hearing this.

Time quickly reached seven o'clock in the evening.

The three of them had already finished eating, but kept chatting.

Only after Cheng Jinyan finished sharing her experiences did Li Luo get up to pay the bill, then take them both and drive Cheng Jinyan back to her dorm.

"I still need to take her home to pick up some dorm supplies—why don't you get out and go back first?" Li Luo said as he drove.

"Oh, okay," Cheng Jinyan nodded in agreement, then asked curiously, "Is Yan Zhusheng's home close to campus?"

"Not that close—my place is more than twenty minutes by car," Yan Zhusheng shook her head. "But I stay at his place anyway, so we can just go straight to his house to get things—it's only ten minutes away."

"Huh?" Cheng Jinyan froze, stunned—after spending the whole day gossiping, was this gossip still not finished for her?

"You two…" Cheng Jinyan swallowed hard, glancing left and right in shock, then whispered, "Are you living together?"

"Yep." Yan Zhusheng nodded, admitting it with casual ease, "I've been living at his place since Gao Er—over two years now."

Whoa… living together since Gao Er?

So bold…

Cheng Jinyan felt pink bubbles swirling in her mind—what kind of romantic plot was this?

Don't either of their parents object?

Thinking of this, Cheng Jinyan fell silent.

On one side was Yan Zhusheng, a beautiful, outstanding girl—Li Luo's parents would surely have no objections.

On the other side was Chongran, a musical genius whose last two blockbuster albums were entirely his own work, every single song penned by him.

If Cheng Jinyan were in Yuan Wanqing's position, she'd probably object too.

She'd probably even hope her daughter would get together with Chongran.

Thinking of it, Cheng Jinyan couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

Aren't these two just born to star in a idol drama?

Even TV dramas aren't this sweet!

"We're here." Li Luo hadn't driven far—he'd just eaten dinner at a restaurant near Zhenjiang Dormitory, and within minutes they arrived at the gate of the residential compound. After showing his access documents, they were let in and pulled up smoothly beneath the dorm building.

Only then did Cheng Jinyan realize Li Luo's car could actually enter the dormitory grounds.

But she didn't ask further, assuming anyone could apply for the privilege, thanked him, got out, and waved goodbye as she headed upstairs.

Yan Zhusheng waved to her, then got in with Li Luo, crossed Yinjiang Bridge, returned to Ningshan Campus, and picked up Ying Chanxi from Zhu Luxuan.

Then, en route, they stopped at Qingxi Dormitory's entrance to pick up Xu Youyu.

"Are you going back too, Senior?" Ying Chanxi sat in the back seat, surprised to see Xu Youyu climb in. "What do you need to fetch?"

"I'm here to help," Xu Youyu smiled. "I've got nothing else to do tonight—if there's too much stuff, I can carry it up for you."

"Oh." Ying Chanxi nodded, watching the street scenery blur past the window, then suddenly remembered what Li Luo had told her today. She whipped her head around to Xu Youyu. "Senior, didn't you do something bad today?"

"Huh?" Xu Youyu blinked. "What bad thing?"

"Li Luo told me." Ying Chanxi huffed. "You told his roommates at lunch today that you're his girlfriend?"

At these words, Yan Zhusheng, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned sharply around, narrowing her eyes at Xu Youyu.

In that instant, the Motorhome Alliance seemed to crack with a subtle fracture.

"Cough, cough… well… I just said it without thinking, in the heat of the moment," Xu Youyu coughed, surprised Li Luo had betrayed her so quickly.

Caught out by her two good little sisters, she could only offer a weak excuse: "Besides, didn't we already agree? Once we get to college, Li Luo can be our shield. I'm just exercising my rights properly."

"That was only meant for when you needed him to shield you," Yan Zhusheng pierced the flaw in her logic. "Like when Li Luo comes to your place, you can tell your roommates and classmates he's your boyfriend. But you went straight to his roommates and declared it."

"Exactly!" Ying Chanxi nodded vigorously beside her.

"But you two can do it too!" Xu Youyu scratched her cheek, sounding guilty.

"How are we supposed to say it, now that you've already said it?" Ying Chanxi pouted angrily. "Everyone in his dorm already knows he has a girlfriend—do you want them to find out he's dating three people at once?"

"But it's true," Xu Youyu muttered under her breath.

"Still, you can't say it out loud!" Ying Chanxi widened her eyes, feeling a little hurt.

After all, secretly accepting this situation was already her absolute limit.

"Alright, alright." Xu Youyu saw her on the verge of tears, quickly hugged her and whispered soothing words, then her eyes darted. "Actually, there's another way."

"Alright, alright." Xu Youyu saw she was about to burst into tears and quickly hugged her, whispering soothing words; then his eyes rolled slightly as he said, "Actually, there's another way."

"Girlfriends can break up, you know," Xu Youyu grinned. "I'll just be his girlfriend for a few months, then publicly break up with him in front of his roommates—and then you can take over my place."

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi froze, her face going slack: "C-Can you even do that?"

"What about me?" Yan Zhusheng asked coldly. "You get a few months, I get a few months—does that mean I'll have to wait until next year?"

"Your music college is so far away from here—what's the difference?" Xu Youyu pulled Ying Chanxi into a temporary alliance. "When Li Luo goes to your place, he's your boyfriend, right, Xixi?"

"Mm-hmm!" Ying Chanxi, thrilled at the possibility of openly claiming Li Luo as her boyfriend, nodded eagerly, agreeing with Xu Youyu's plan. "Zhusheng, you're so far away—it doesn't matter!"

Yan Zhusheng listened to them, narrowed her eyes, scanned their faces, then said nothing—only gave Xu Youyu one last long look before turning back silently.

At this moment, the once-united Motorhome Alliance, barely two months old, now teetered on the brink.

And the new Ningshan Campus Alliance was rising.

"So, Senior, how many months do you plan to keep pretending to be Li Luo's girlfriend?" Ying Chanxi, seeing Yan Zhusheng had surrendered, finally turned to the matter of internal alliance division, whispering to Xu Youyu.

"Hmm…" Xu Youyu thought. "Since his roommates already know I'm his senior and from the same high school, breaking up too soon would raise suspicion."

"So how long do we have to wait?" Ying Chanxi asked eagerly.

"Um… at least until after National Day?" Xu Youyu guessed. "Take a holiday, come back, then break up—it'll give us a proper transition. What do you think?"

"Hmm…" Ying Chanxi secretly counted on her fingers—it was just over a month.

"Mmm..." Ying Chanxi quietly counted on her fingers—it was just over a month.

She could wait!

So Ying Chanxi nodded gently, sealing the girlfriend-transfer agreement: "It's a deal."

So Ying Chanxi nodded gently, and she and Xu Youyu reached an agreement to swap girlfriend statuses: "Then it's settled."

(End of Chapter)