Chapter 715: The Most Thoughtful Zhu Sheng

Night.

Ying Chanxi lay in bed, covering her head with the blanket, the sound of Li Luo typing echoing in her ears.

As time passed, the body that had been teased by Li Luo in the bathroom finally calmed down, and her entire spirit relaxed.

After secretly pulling back the blanket to sneak two glances and seeing that Li Luo was fully immersed in writing, Ying Chanxi finally lifted the blanket to take a breath.

At this moment, Li Luo, having entered the flow state of writing through his Memory Palace, was completely absorbed in it—unless someone deliberately interrupted him, his hands would hardly stop.

This was also the reason he could maintain high-frequency updates despite spending every day with three girls and attending classes.

Now, Night Watch of Great Qian had resumed its daily update of eight thousand characters, twice a day.

Combined with I Am Really Not a Star still steadily updating four thousand characters daily, his total daily output remained twelve thousand characters.

Among these, I Am Really Not a Star had lost some of its earlier momentum after the summer surge.

Especially recently, Yuan Wanqing had gone quiet after finishing her nearly year-long nationwide concert tour and entered a brief break.

Aside from daily interviews and commercial shoots, she had barely appeared on screen for the past month.

As a result, I Am Really Not a Star's ranking on the bestseller list could no longer hold second place, hovering daily between fifth and second.

With over sixty thousand average subscriptions, even four thousand characters daily kept it at a high position.

Not to mention Night Watch of Great Qian, which still firmly held first place on both the monthly vote and bestseller charts.

Its average subscriptions were slowly and steadily climbing from eighty thousand.

Although the growth rate was no longer as dramatic as during summer, it showed no sign of stopping.

Especially as readers became more adept at using Chapter Comments, Night Watch of Great Qian's Chapter Comment interaction volume had become the undisputed number one on Qidian.

Even many readers who had previously read pirated copies couldn't resist switching to legitimate reading after discovering how delightful the Chapter Comments were.

This was one reason Li Luo's success continued to grow.

After all, in the piracy era, giving readers a reason to willingly pay for legitimate copies always required some incentive.

Otherwise, a website's subscription ceiling was essentially fixed—it wasn't something you could simply break through.

The increasing number of books reaching one hundred thousand average subscriptions in later years was also closely tied to later anti-piracy policies.

Li Luo remained noncommittal about this—it was purely a matter of perspective.

As an author, you wished there wasn't a single pirated copy anywhere in the world.

Even Li Luo, a popular writer now relying on copyright monetization to break through revenue limits, felt the same.

In the old days of wild, unregulated online novels, you could still use piracy data to deceive capital investors buying copyright.

But now, in this era, capital investors weren't fools…

Compared to piracy popularity, the legitimate subscription ratio and reader fan loyalty were far more valuable metrics.

But from a reader's perspective, if you could read for free, why pay?

So when Li Luo learned that Zhu Yufei, Zhang Guohuang, and others usually read pirated copies, he wasn't especially angry.

Students were spending their parents' money.

If they were willing to use their own pocket money to support legitimate copies, that was certainly good.

If they wanted to save money, reading pirated copies was fine too.

As long as they understood this was infringing on the author's rights, once they started working and earning their own income, with disposable money for entertainment, they could support legitimate copies then.

After finishing two chapters of Night Watch of Great Qian, Li Luo checked the backend average subscription data, thought about these things for a moment, then prepared to continue writing I Am Really Not a Star.

At this moment.

A pale, delicate hand reached out beside him, holding a fruit platter, placing it on his desk.

Li Luo finally snapped back to reality, realizing Ying Chanxi was no longer in bed—she had gotten up sometime and sliced fruit for him.

"Eat some fruit before you write," Ying Chanxi said beside him. "Shall I warm you some milk later?"

"Mm." Li Luo removed his hands from the keyboard, took a slice of apple, and leaned back in his chair to rest.

Seeing this, Ying Chanxi walked behind him and gently began massaging his shoulders with both small hands.

"Tomorrow you're going with Zhu Sheng to check out club recruitment, right?" Ying Chanxi asked.

"Mm." Li Luo replied, then asked, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I'm going to see Senior Meng," Ying Chanxi said. "Handling some secretary office matters, and also asking about tips for choosing sub-specialties after the ZHU Institute."

"Don't overwork yourself."

"I know," Ying Chanxi whispered. "No one works harder than someone."

"Why does that sound a little sarcastic?"

"What? Hmph." Ying Chanxi pressed harder with her hands, then softened her touch slightly upon hearing Li Luo's hiss.

But it was all an act.

Even when Ying Chanxi increased pressure, her touch remained light and gentle—never painful.

"After morning run tomorrow, I'll probably go home with Zhu Sheng first," Li Luo planned his schedule. "Write a bit, have lunch, then accompany her to check out clubs."

"We already spent an entire afternoon browsing yesterday—no need to linger too long."

"Oh, by the way, there's a Hundred Clubs Night performance tomorrow evening—will you and Youyu come too?"

"Really?" Ying Chanxi hesitated. "Today your roommates already found out—if anyone else…"

"It's fine," Li Luo lifted his hand and gently patted her wrist. "I already said—so what if people find out? At the end of the day, we're just good friends. What's wrong with good friends watching a show together?"

"Is that so?" Ying Chanxi gave a light huff. "So even bathing together counts as being good friends, right?"

"Exactly, exactly—we're even helpful, supportive good friends," Li Luo grinned mischievously.

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi's face flushed slightly, recalling the scene in the bathroom where Li Luo had teased her—her legs felt weak again.

"Alright, go back to writing—I won't bother you anymore," Ying Chanxi, flustered, released her hands and hurried back to bed.

Li Luo had nearly finished the fruit; he clapped his hands and got back to work, the keyboard clacking away again.

After finishing the content of I Am Really Not a Star, Ying Chanxi warmed two cups of milk for the two of them to help them sleep.

After drinking them, she snuggled into Li Luo's arms and drifted sweetly into sleep.

……

The next morning.

When Li Luo woke up and opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling, he felt a heavy weight on his stomach.

Turning his head, he saw Ying Chanxi hanging on him like a little sloth.

Unlike Yan Zhusheng, who slept peacefully, Ying Chanxi was restless in sleep—completely opposite to her awake demeanor.

Though the four of them had shared a bed for so long that Ying Chanxi no longer stole the blankets, she still kept her habit of fidgeting with things while asleep.

But the places she fidgeted with were… strange…

Li Luo's expression twisted as he pressed down on her small hand, wondering whether he should move it.

After thinking it over, he turned his head to look at the sleeping Ying Chanxi and softly called out a few times: "Xixi, Xixi, wake up."

"Mmm…" Ying Chanxi stirred drowsily, opened her eyes, and looked at Li Luo. "You're awake?"

"Mm." Li Luo nodded, then asked with a suppressed grin, "So… do you like it?"

"Huh? What?" Ying Chanxi looked utterly confused, not yet catching on.

"Your hand. You've been holding it this whole time."

At those words, Ying Chanxi froze for a moment, then realized her small hand had been resting on something decidedly inappropriate.

The next instant, her face flushed crimson, and she yanked her hand back quickly.

"Y-you…" Ying Chanxi buried her face in the quilt, then muttered softly, "You must've moved there while I was asleep—trying to tease me, right?"

"You're imagining things. I'm not that cruel." Li Luo chuckled. "I woke up and found myself held captive—I didn't dare move a muscle, afraid you'd break me."

"You're lying…" Ying Chanxi bumped her head against him under the quilt, refusing to admit to such an embarrassing act.

The two wrestled around on the bed for a while before finally getting up to wash up in the bathroom.

Dressed in sportswear, they went downstairs and met Yan Zhusheng waiting at the Qingxi Dormitory entrance.

The three of them jogged once around Qianjiang University, then returned to the breakfast stall at the entrance of Bihai Lanting to eat.

After breakfast, Ying Chanxi went to school, leaving Li Luo with Yan Zhusheng.

"Stay home this morning," Li Luo said. "I'll write some words first; we'll visit the campus clubs in the afternoon."

"Okay." Yan Zhusheng nodded obediently. "I'll practice piano then."

"What do you want for lunch?" Li Luo asked. "I'll cook today."

"I want eel and spicy chicken."

Had Li Luo not known that Yan Zhusheng's favorite dishes were exactly these two, he'd have suspected the girl was teasing him again.

"Send a message to Youyu and Xixi and ask if they're coming back for lunch," Li Luo said. "We'll go buy groceries first."

"Okay."

Xu Youyu didn't reply—probably still sleeping in her dorm.

Ying Chanxi had already made plans with Senior Meng for lunch and wouldn't be coming home.

So Li Luo took Yan Zhusheng to the market, bought eel and chicken, plus tofu, green peppers, and pork tenderloin.

Back home, Li Luo resumed writing, and Yan Zhusheng quietly went to practice piano.

……

Time quickly reached noon.

Li Luo had received a message from Xu Youyu saying she couldn't get up.

He glanced at the message and replied.

【Li Luo】: Today's lunch has Maple Tofu and Green Pepper Shredded Pork.

【Xu Youyu】: What the heck!?

【Xu Youyu】: I'm coming back right now!

【Xu Youyu】: Wait for me! Don't start eating without me!

【Li Luo】: I haven't started cooking yet—don't rush.

Li Luo, effortlessly controlling Xu Youyu, stood up, stretched, and headed to the kitchen to cook.

Halfway through cooking, he heard the front door open.

Xu Youyu, drawn by the aroma, walked straight to the kitchen door, peeked in at Li Luo cooking, and grinned: "Smells amazing."

"Just a little longer and it'll be ready."

"Need help?"

"Just don't mess things up."

"Don't act like I'm useless—I've helped before."

"Then set out the bowls and chopsticks."

"okok~"

Xu Youyu got busy, and Li Luo finished up the lunch.

When done, he carried the four dishes to the dining table, then returned to take off his apron.

But Xu Youyu pressed against him, gently unfastened the apron from his waist with her own hands, and hung it on the wall: "You worked hard."

"So thoughtful?"

"What? Like I'm never thoughtful?"

"Well, you're not really," Li Luo pulled her into his arms and squeezed tightly. "Zhusheng is more thoughtful."

"You dare say that?" Xu Youyu chuckled. "Go tell Zhusheng that and see if she catches the meaning."

Don't underestimate her—she's been corrupted by you now.

What do you mean corrupted by me? I'm clearly helping her improve too.

The two of them dawdled in the kitchen for a while, then Li Luo went to the piano room door, knocked, and called out for Yan Zhusheng to come out for dinner.

Among the three girls, Yan Zhusheng was the most considerate; she walked out from inside, washed her hands obediently, sat down at the dining table, and picked up her chopsticks only after Li Luo and Xu Youyu had taken their seats.

"By the way, you went to check out the club recruitment this afternoon, and tonight you're going to the Hundred Clubs Night, right?" Xu Youyu asked while eating Maple Tofu. "Xixi told me you're going together?"

"Mm." Li Luo nodded. "Aren't you coming too, Youyu?"

"If you're going, then I'll go too," Xu Youyu smiled. "Also, after today's club recruitment is done, tomorrow—Sunday—should be free, right?"

"Probably."

"Then how about coming with me to see the cats?" Xu Youyu asked eagerly. "That litter of kittens is just over a week old—they've opened their eyes already."

"Cats?" Yan Zhusheng, who was eating, looked up in confusion. "What cats?"

"The stray cats near Qingxi Dormitory," Xu Youyu explained, seeing Yan Zhusheng's confusion.

After hearing this, Yan Zhusheng nodded in understanding and even grew slightly interested: "Can I come see them too?"

"Of course," Xu Youyu nodded happily, then added, "We can bring Xixi along too—because if we really plan to adopt them, we'll have to keep them at the villa, and we'll need both of your approvals."

(End of Chapter)