Chapter 741: Who is Chongran Culture

October 8, morning.

Li Luo woke up on schedule as usual, struggled out of the squeeze between Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi, grabbed his phone from the bedside, and checked the time.

Two minutes until six.

He put down his phone and looked left and right.

Even though Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng had pressed as close to his body as possible, Xu Youyu on the outer edge was still cramped.

With four people crammed onto one bed, space was still tight.

But this problem would be completely solved in another two or three months.

Thinking of the giant bed in the master bedroom of Sky Ridge Elegant Residence, Li Luo felt genuinely looking forward to it.

At least he wouldn't have to worry about rolling over at night and accidentally pushing Yan Zhusheng or Xu Youyu off the bed.

Holding two girls' soft bodies in his arms, Li Luo lay on the bed for another two minutes.

Only when his phone alarm rang did he pull Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng up to wash up.

He also called out to Xu Youyu.

"Youyu, want to get up and go for a morning run together?" Li Luo asked. "New week, aiming for a strong start?"

"No," Xu Youyu opened her eyes half-asleep and immediately refused, then glared at him and muttered, "Who was it last night, taking so long in the shower?"

"I was just strictly following Youryu's orders, fulfilling your wish," Li Luo said seriously, barely holding back a laugh. "And last night was even worse than last time—you only lasted two chapters."

"Were those two chapters even human movements? Huh?!" Xu Youyu got angry just recalling it, glared fiercely at Li Luo, and felt her waist still aching. "I nearly died."

"Then why did you write them into the book?" Li Luo glanced at her as he got up. "I thought you'd like them."

"I didn't like them at all!"

"You look pretty energetic now. Why not get up and come for a run?"

"No," Xu Youyu huffed, rolled over, pulled the blanket over her head, and went back to sleep. "Get out, get out."

Hearing Li Luo's footsteps heading to the bathroom, Xu Youyu turned her head to glance at his back, then turned back and recalled what had happened in the bathroom last night.

To be honest… the positions written in the book were definitely ones she found interesting.

The actual experience was indeed thrilling.

But it was too exhausting, required high flexibility, and if Xu Youyu hadn't been young and still reasonably supple, she truly couldn't have handled it.

Still, she only complained like that verbally—when it really mattered, she was always eager to play, never forced by Li Luo.

"We're off then. We'll bring back breakfast later," Li Luo said after washing up and changing into clothes Ying Chanxi had prepared for him, then headed out for the morning run with the two girls.

"Mmm~" Xu Youyu responded lazily from bed and went back to sleep.

Since the third week of last month's semester, Qianjiang University had introduced a dedicated morning running route, and Qianjiang students had completed fifteen morning runs so far.

For Li Luo and the other three who ran every day, the only difference was having to stop to scan their faces for check-in.

Otherwise, there was no difference at all.

But completing the school's morning run counted toward the Sunshine Run quota, and Li Luo and the others rarely had time to coordinate for regular Sunshine Runs outside these hours.

So they simply ran on campus every weekday to finish the semester's forty-eight required runs as soon as possible and aim for a perfect score.

"Lyu Yilan said we can sign the contract this afternoon," Ying Chanxi said casually while scanning her face. "I forgot to tell you last night—the terms are nearly settled. I think we should sign."

"If you think it's good, then fine," Li Luo nodded. "Show me the contract details at noon. I'll go with you to the company this afternoon."

"Okay," Ying Chanxi nodded happily.

"What about your mom?" Yan Zhusheng asked, having just finished scanning. "Didn't she send you the Douyin contract terms last night? What do you think?"

"I gave my feedback. Will Yuan Auntie's studio accept it?"

"What are you talking about?" Yan Zhusheng tilted her head. "Mom's studio has tons of your loyal fans. Everyone knows it was your songs that helped Mom make her successful comeback."

Yuan Wanqing's studio was gradually built after she returned from abroad.

Many of its members were veterans who had stuck with Yuan Wanqing since her first comeback album failed.

Including Xiao Wen, they'd all been with Yuan Wanqing for over three years.

They had witnessed every step of Yuan Wanqing's journey—from failed comeback to perfect stardom on stage.

Outsiders might not fully understand the details, but studio members knew them all too well.

Without Chongran, there would be no Yuan Wanqing today.

For a singer, landing just one hit song in a lifetime is already remarkable.

But Li Luo kept producing songs of equal caliber—and gave them all to Yuan Wanqing.

For a singer, finding a lyricist-composer like him was an incredible stroke of luck.

"Then let's go back to Huayue Film and Television this afternoon and borrow their conference room," Li Luo said. "We can chat with Yuan Auntie and the studio team, and Ruan Lin's signing can happen there too."

"OK," Ying Chanxi nodded. "I'll let Lyu Yilan and Lawyer Tian know."

"I'll tell my mom too," Yan Zhusheng said.

"By the way," Ying Chanxi added, "Ruan Lin will be Chongran Culture's first signed artist."

Ying Chanxi spoke it as a simple observation.

She never imagined that the guy who once made her slightly wary would now be contributing to their company.

But when Yan Zhusheng heard it, she felt her sister was provoking her—and immediately narrowed her eyes.

"What's Ruan Lin's contract like?" Yan Zhusheng asked. "I want to sign one too."

Ying Chanxi: "?"

"Why the rush? You haven't even debuted yet," Ying Chanxi said. "You can sign anytime when you have free time."

"But I'm the first artist to sign with Chongran Culture," Yan Zhusheng said seriously.

Ying Chanxi: "..."

Li Luo: "..."

Okay.

So that's why.

"You're so childish, Zhusheng," Ying Chanxi couldn't help but tease.

But Li Luo thought this version of Yan Zhusheng was the most adorable, so he reached out and pinched Yan Zhusheng's cheek, grinning: "Then I'll sign your contract first this afternoon."

"But we can't use Ruan Lin's contract template—I'll have Lawyer Tian draft a personalized one for you." "If there's no time, Ruan Lin's version can wait two more days."

"Okay!" Yan Zhusheng nodded happily.

Ying Chanxi, standing aside, rolled her eyes: "What good is signing now?"

"It can help Li Luo make money," Yan Zhusheng said. "Mom got the cooperation terms from Douyin—they said if I join Douyin with Mom, I can get three million in signing fees."

"If we split it fifty-fifty, I can earn Li Luo one point five million."

"Can you do it, Xixi?"

At this, Ying Chanxi fell silent, furious and speechless, secretly a little envious.

Li Luo cleared his throat and quickly pulled both of them along: "Stop chatting. Your three million hasn't even materialized yet—negotiations with Douyin won't wrap up in less than a couple months."

"Instead of debating this, why not think about what new car to buy?"

"Isn't your driver's license coming out soon, Zhusheng?"

"Then we'll go pick one out together—you can start checking out models and specs now."

"Really buying one?" Ying Chanxi asked.

"It's for the company's development," Li Luo patted Ying Chanxi's head. "You're going to be CEO of Chongran Culture—you need to drive a luxury car when meeting clients, or they won't take you seriously. We can't let the company's face be lost."

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi found it more acceptable—and even thought it made sense: "Then… fine… but I don't really know car brands. You'll have to recommend something for me."

"Alright."

…

After the morning run, Li Luo and the two girls brought breakfast to Xu Youyu, then Li Luo dropped each girl off at their classrooms before heading to Xu Rongsheng's class.

During a mid-class break, Cheng Xin whispered to Wen Zexuan: "How'd it go yesterday?"

"What 'yesterday'?" Li Luo asked curiously.

"Cough… I went on a date with a girl yesterday. She waited for me downstairs in the dorm building—this guy saw her." Wen Zexuan chuckled. "Petite and sweet type—probably right up your alley."

"Don't make stuff up," Cheng Xin muttered. "I just saw that girl before, when I went to the library with Haogeo."

"So what happened?" Li Luo asked.

"Naturally, it went well," Wen Zexuan snapped his fingers and grinned. "I've already got her."

"Got… got her?" Cheng Xin stammered. "Already? That fast?"

"What nonsense are you talking?" Wen Zexuan gave Cheng Xin a strange look. "I dated her on the fourth—three days already. 'Got her' means I've got her."

Saying that, Wen Zexuan extended his palm, then clenched it tightly, raising an eyebrow at Cheng Xin: "Don't let her cute looks fool you—she's actually quite forward. Didn't see that coming."

Cheng Xin: "..."

"Don't talk anymore," Bai Haoran glanced at him and warned kindly. "Earlier he asked me if I wanted to get her WeChat—and he never even dared to ask."

"Huh?" Wen Zexuan froze. "You're interested in her? Why didn't you say so earlier? I'd have let you try first."

Cheng Xin covered his face and sighed deeply: "... Don't… don't say any more. I wish you both happiness."

"It's not that big a deal," Wen Zexuan poked Cheng Xin's shoulder. "Don't be fooled by girls' appearances—they're all pretty much the same."

"Girls can be even more forward than you imagine—everyone just pretends to be proper."

"Dating is like peeling an onion—you slowly peel back their heart with your own moves."

"Who peels faster controls the initiative and easily manipulates their emotions."

"So do you think I can do it?" Cheng Xin asked gloomily.

"You? You're not even an onion," Wen Zexuan said. "You're more like a cherry tomato—just drop it in hot water, the skin peels right off. Your intentions are too easy to read—you'll get easily controlled by girls."

"Don't discourage him," Li Luo said from beside him. "Did you only date one girl during National Day?"

"Not just one," Wen Zexuan waved his hand. "I went out with four or five girls in the first few days—only two were worth focusing on."

"Too bad… I actually preferred the dominatrix type."

"Sigh..."

"Dominatrix type?" Cheng Xin's curiosity flared again. "You never told me about her—why didn't it work out?"

"She dressed and made up like a mature woman," Wen Zexuan looked exasperated. "But just as I was about to take her to a hotel, she told me she'd never done it."

"Usually, that's just a girl playing hard to get."

"But I have my own way of judging—and after testing her, I confirmed she was really a virgin."

"So what's the point? Move on to the next one."

"You really won't even touch a virgin?" Bai Haoran exclaimed.

"Don't believe me?" Wen Zexuan chuckled. "If you want to be a playboy your whole life, you've got to manage risks—you can't plant landmines for momentary thrills."

"You've got a whole system," Cheng Xin muttered. "Isn't a virgin better? I'm still a virgin myself."

"White paper finds white paper, newspaper finds newspaper—get it?" Wen Zexuan slapped Cheng Xin's shoulder. "When you find a girlfriend later, I'll vet her for you. I'll know in one test if she's a virgin."

"Uh… really?" Cheng Xin blinked, curious.

Bai Haoran, beside him, was speechless: "You're the guy who's too scared to ask for a WeChat—stop fantasizing about finding a girlfriend."

"Can't I just dream?" Cheng Xin protested.

The four of them joked around, then Wen Zexuan turned to Li Luo: "What about you, Luo-ge? Where'd you take your girlfriends for National Day?"

As he spoke, Wen Zexuan emphasized the word "girls," clearly envious and resentful of this guy's two-timing.

Li Luo shook his head: "I went out to negotiate some business, then checked out the renovation of my new home and bought some furniture."

"New home?"

"Hmm, I bought a small villa," Li Luo said. "Once it's ready to move into, I'll invite you all over next time."

"Damn! I almost forgot—you're still a damn rich guy." Wen Zexuan said enviously. "You've got a villa now."

Li Luo wasn't particularly interested in showing off, so he just mentioned it to his roommates.

After the morning classes ended, Li Luo picked up Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi, and soon arrived at Huayue Film and Television.

After meeting with Lawyer Tian, the four of them had lunch together.

"This is the contract I rushed together," Lawyer Tian handed over a document at the table. "It's for Yan Zhusheng—take a look and see if it's suitable."

(End of Chapter)