Chapter 711

September 15, Friday.

Li Luo woke up in bed that morning.

Turning his head, he saw Yan Zhusheng's peaceful sleeping face.

Unlike Ying Chanxi, Yan Zhusheng slept quietly, hardly moving at all, lying still as if frozen.

Like a sleeping beauty lost in deep dreams.

Li Luo admired her profile for a moment, then couldn't resist rolling over, leaning in, and kissing her delicate cheek.

The next second, Yan Zhusheng opened her eyes, blinking dazedly for a moment, then finally said to Li Luo: "I think I dreamed you stole a kiss from me."

"What if the dream was real?"

"I also dreamed you picked me up and carried me out of bed, took me to the bathroom to wash up, hugged me from behind while squeezing toothpaste onto my brush, and then…"

"Are you listing dishes now?" Li Luo grumbled, "I'm not a genie in a wishing pond."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng blinked innocently. "Then can my dream come true?"

"You've got quite a few demands just to get out of bed."

Li Luo sat up sharply, rolled off the bed, circled around to Yan Zhusheng's side, slipped his hands under her, and lifted her up in a bridal carry.

Yan Zhusheng instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning contentedly against his chest.

"Your legs are too long," Li Luo said, carrying her in his arms all the way to the bathroom and setting her down in front of the sink.

"Isn't longer better?" Yan Zhusheng grabbed his hand and placed it on her thigh.

Her pajama pants were short, barely covering her rounded buttocks, leaving her snow-white thighs fully exposed.

"It's not about better or worse," Li Luo smiled, running his hand over her thigh before turning her to face the sink and squeezing toothpaste onto her brush himself. "Open your mouth—it just feels different."

"What feels different?" Yan Zhusheng obediently opened her mouth to receive the toothbrush, brushing her teeth as she asked.

"No need to ask that."

Li Luo squeezed toothpaste onto his own brush and began brushing, his mind already comparing.

Yan Zhusheng was 1.72 meters tall—a very tall height for a girl.

Fortunately, in this life, Li Luo ate well and trained consistently, so he grew two centimeters taller than in his past life, now standing at 1.85 meters, making him no shorter beside her.

But if a boy around 1.75 meters stood beside Yan Zhusheng—even if he was actually taller—he'd still visually appear shorter than her.

This height gave her exceptionally long legs.

Combined with her snow-white skin, it was a perfect match.

Especially now, as Li Luo stood behind her, hugging her, peering down from her shoulders, he could see her straight, tightly pressed legs stretching all the way to her glistening toes.

The scene was beautiful.

But the proportions were off in a bridal carry.

If it were Ying Chanxi instead, tiny and delicate in his arms, it would feel entirely different.

Or if it were Xu Youyu—even without Ying Chanxi's petite charm—each step would reveal the undulating motion of her curves, offering a different kind of view.

"Let's go."

After washing up, they changed clothes; Li Luo took Yan Zhusheng's hand, drove downstairs, and headed toward Qingxi Dormitory. "Don't keep Xi Xi waiting."

At just past six in the morning, even a study fanatic like Bai Haoran rarely woke up this early.

A thin mist blanketed the dormitory compound, parted by Li Luo's Audi.

Li Luo parked beneath the dorm building, got out with Yan Zhusheng, and walked toward the adjacent Zhulu Pavilion.

They met Ying Chanxi at the entrance of Zhulu Pavilion, then began a slow jog around campus together.

They chatted along the way.

Li Luo said: "I'll accompany Xi Xi to club fairs this afternoon, and tomorrow I'll accompany Zhusheng."

"Is Zhusheng joining a club too?" Ying Chanxi had grown somewhat immune to this arrangement; her first reaction wasn't surprise, only curiosity. "Your campus is so far away—is there a separate club recruitment at the Music Academy?"

"No," Yan Zhusheng shook her head. "You can join clubs at the main campus too, as long as you can manage your time. Besides, I've been learning to drive lately—I'll definitely pass my test next month, so commuting will be easy."

"Oh." Ying Chanxi nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked Li Luo: "Didn't you say you wanted to invite my roommates to dinner? If you're spending tomorrow with Zhusheng, will you treat us the day after?"

"The day after works," Li Luo thought, then reconsidered. "Or ask them if tonight works? I can take you to dinner right after we finish touring the clubs."

"I'll have to check first," Ying Chanxi said. "If they're free, I'll message you."

"Alright," Li Luo nodded. "That seafood buffet place I told you about—I'll drive you there. If tonight doesn't work, we'll go Sunday."

"Got it."

After the morning run, the three had breakfast, and Ying Chanxi returned to her dorm.

Li Luo drove Yan Zhusheng to the opposite campus, then, upon returning, drove straight to the classroom building.

Today was Friday—two morning classes, and that was the end of the week's lessons.

During class, Wen Zexuan kept pulling out his phone to reply to messages, clearly in the thick of a hot romance.

"Bro Wen, how's it going with her?" Cheng Xin couldn't help asking during the mid-class break.

"There were a few small hiccups, but overall it's going smoothly," Wen Zexuan said, stroking his chin. "But this girl's level is a bit high—I doubt I can fully control her."

"Huh?" Cheng Xin blinked. "There are girls you can't control?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Wen Zexuan rolled his eyes. "Know your limits. There are so many girls in the world—some are just harder to handle."

"I usually just cast a wide net, catch a bunch of fish, then pick the easiest ones to win over."

"If a girl turns out to be too hard to pursue, there's no point wasting time on her."

"Of course, if you're looking to get married, that's different."

Cheng Xin pondered: "So if you're aiming for marriage, you have to reverse the strategy?"

"It's not that absolute," Wen Zexuan shook his head. "Some girls are easy to win over, but they're genuinely good."

"Some are hard to win over because they come from good families or have strong backgrounds—they're just naturally high-quality, or maybe they're just picky and like to hold out for better offers."

"You have to judge during the process—this thing can't be handled with a one-size-fits-all approach."

After hearing this, Cheng Xin suddenly understood, feeling he had learned something new.

At that moment, Wen Zexuan's phone vibrated a few times—clearly another new message had arrived.

He opened his phone while picking up the water cup on the desk, taking a sip as he read the message.

But halfway through the sip, he spat the water out with a snorting sound.

Fortunately, Bai Haoran always sat in the front row, so no one was in front of Wen Zexuan, but the student beside him, Cheng Xin, still asked worriedly: "Are you okay?"

"Cough... cough... I'm fine..." Wen Zexuan coughed hard several times, then shut off his phone and tapped his chest.

Just then, the class bell rang, and the teacher resumed the lecture.

After catching his breath, Wen Zexuan reopened his phone, carefully reading the message, then gave Li Luo, seated to his right, a strange look.

At that moment, Li Luo hadn't noticed Wen Zexuan's odd expression; seeing he'd just choked on water, he paid it no mind. Just then, Ying Chanxi sent a message, so Li Luo pulled out his phone to reply.

【Ying Chanxi】: I've already confirmed with my roommate—this evening, Lin Zhixia and Xin Yan are both fine.

【Li Luo】: But what about the other one? What about Jiang Lai?

【Ying Chanxi】: She's fine too, but she already had plans with her boyfriend today, so she wants to ask if you can bring her boyfriend along too.

【Li Luo】: Sure, but with so many people, my car won't fit everyone.

【Ying Chanxi】: No problem—I'll just borrow a car from a senior.

【Li Luo】: Alright, then I'll reserve a table at the restaurant first.

【Ying Chanxi】: Okay~ See you this afternoon then.

【Li Luo】: Mm, after lunch, should I come pick you up or what?

【Ying Chanxi】: There are too many people at the Cultural Plaza—let's meet by Qiu Zhen Lake, at that little pavilion we visited before.

【Li Luo】: Okay.

After finishing the chat, Li Luo put down his phone and resumed listening intently. Occasionally turning his head, he saw Wen Zexuan staring at him, and he frowned in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Wen Zexuan shook his head, then suddenly asked, "Your high school classmate Jiang Lai's roommate—the one you mentioned before—is she really that ugly?"

"Oh, you mean her?" Li Luo gave a strange look. "Why all of a sudden ask that?"

"No reason, just thought of it." Wen Zexuan coughed, then added, "I was thinking you've got a lot of high school classmates who got into Qian University—any of them pretty enough to introduce to our little Cheng Xin?"

"That's going to be tough."

"Hey..." Cheng Xin, hearing this, immediately looked heartbroken. "Don't be like that, Brother Luo—your words hurt."

"I mean you're just too outstanding—I doubt any of my classmates would catch your eye."

"You're joking." Cheng Xin muttered quietly. "I don't have your high standards. I don't even need someone like Xu Xuejie—just one-tenth as good would be enough."

"Don't overthink it," Li Luo said. "You'd be better off checking out the club recruitment this afternoon—join a few clubs with lots of girls."

"That's true." Cheng Xin was swayed, so he turned to Bai Haoran. "Hao Ge, are you going to club recruitment this afternoon?"

"I'll go take a look," Bai Haoran nodded.

"Then shall we four go together this afternoon?" Cheng Xin turned back, excitedly asking.

"No, I have plans," Wen Zexuan shook his head.

"I have plans too. You and Hao Ge go," Li Luo also shook his head.

Cheng Xin: "..."

The last class of the morning ended.

Li Luo had planned to go eat lunch with his three roommates.

But then he received a call from Xu Youyu.

"Are you over at East Building One?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I just finished class at East Building Two—come eat with me."

"Alright," Li Luo nodded. "My roommates are here too."

"No," Xu Youyu said. "I want to eat alone with you."

"Fine," Li Luo hung up, waved to his roommates. "My girlfriend called—I'm off. You guys eat without me."

Wen Zexuan glanced at Li Luo, instinctively opening his mouth to ask something, but closed it again, watching Li Luo's back walk away.

Noon.

Li Luo met Xu Youyu at the cafeteria entrance, and they went upstairs together, bought a duck rice and a braised chicken rice, and sat down at a corner table.

"Club recruitment starts this afternoon—will you go with Chanxi and Zhusheng to check it out?" Xu Youyu asked, eating her duck rice while taking braised chicken from Li Luo's plate.

"Mm," Li Luo nodded. "I'll go with Chanxi this afternoon, and Zhusheng tomorrow."

"Then be careful," Xu Youyu chuckled. "Club recruitment is packed—running into someone you know could be trouble."

"I'll keep it low-key," Li Luo coughed. "Aren't you going?"

"I'm not interested in clubs," Xu Youyu shook her head. "I didn't join last year, and I definitely won't this year."

"Some clubs seem pretty interesting," Li Luo asked curiously. "Why not join a couple? Didn't you join the literature club in high school?"

"Nah, I'm already busy enough—no time for club fun," Xu Youyu waved her hand. "I have to write and update every day, plus I'm busy with the External Relations Department. Clubs aren't necessary... but..."

"But what?"

"I don't think I ever told you?" Xu Youyu thought back. "I didn't join any clubs, but there's one thing related to them."

"Hm?"

"It's like this..." Xu Youyu paused to choose her words, then continued. "A few years ago, a senior from our External Relations Department noticed there were a lot of stray cats around the dorms, and many girls would stop by to feed them."

"But if you feed them like this, the stray cats will only keep increasing."

"So she applied for a club quota and recruited members over at Qingxi Dormitory—basically volunteers."

"The goal is to scientifically manage the stray cats within Qingxi Dormitory's area: set up files, designate feeding spots, perform precise sterilizations, and tag them for adoption."

"At the time, it was affiliated with our College of Literature; funding was approved through the Student Union, with review also passing through our External Relations Department."

"I'd help out whenever I had free time. Earlier, the stray cat management group was short on funds, so I even paid out of my own pocket for the sterilization of a few stray cats."

"Oh, by the way, a new female cat showed up pregnant and gave birth to a litter—no one knows if they'll find homes."

Hearing Xu Youyu talk about this, Li Luo's expression instantly leapt back to his previous life.

Two adorable cat figures surfaced in his mind.

One was a Ragdoll named Cotton Candy, which Xu Youyu usually called Tangtang.

The other was a tortoiseshell cat named Ali; every time Xu Youyu opened the door to come home, Ali would escape, only to be hooked back by a single kick.

Li Luo fell silent for a moment, then asked: "What breed is the mother cat?"

"She's just an ordinary tortoiseshell cat—had a litter of five," Xu Youyu said, counting on her fingers: "One black, one black-and-gray mottled, one orange, one silver-white, and one brown tabby."

"Oh, I see," Li Luo nodded understandingly, thinking that the last one must be Ali. "If they're up for adoption, aren't you planning to take one? Our villa's almost done renovating."

"Huh? Really?" Hearing Li Luo say this, Xu Youyu's eyes lit up instantly, her interest stirred.

"Why not?" Li Luo laughed. "Our new home is so big—having a cat would make it livelier."

"You said that, remember?"

"Mm, I said it," Li Luo smiled, looking at Xu Youyu's expectant face, recalling scene after scene from his previous life. "As long as you like it."

(End of Chapter)