Chapter 759: Sister, Who Are You Trying to Annoy to Death?

October 22, Sunday.

In the secondary bedroom of Unit 401, Jincheng Community.

Ying Chanxi woke up drowsily from bed, rubbed her eyes after opening them, then stared at the ceiling.

After staring blankly for a while, Ying Chanxi gradually came to her senses, turned her head to look at Li Luo sleeping beside her, recalled what had happened last night, and couldn't help blushing slightly.

But as the shy emotion faded, it was replaced by a deep sense of happiness.

Ying Chanxi rolled onto her side, snuggled closer into Li Luo's arms, saw he was still asleep, and extended her small hand to gently stroke his face, tracing his nose bridge, finally touching his lips.

Feeling the sensation on her fingertips, Ying Chanxi couldn't resist, leaned in, and stole a quick kiss.

The moment she closed her eyes and finished kissing him, she opened them to find Li Luo smiling at her—she let out a startled "Ah!" and blushed furiously, burying her face under the covers.

"Stealing a kiss is fine, but not if someone sees?" Li Luo pulled Ying Chanxi into his arms, leaned close to her ear, and teased with a chuckle, "Why stop now?"

"When did you wake up?" Ying Chanxi mumbled into his chest, pouting and bumping her forehead against his shoulder, "You're terrible."

"I woke up when you touched my lips." Li Luo bent down and kissed her soft cheek, smiling, "I was just curious what you'd do—didn't expect someone so pure-looking would sneak a kiss."

"Don't say any more!" Ying Chanxi covered his mouth with her hand and huffed, "Didn't Zhusheng say she was going to Huanhuan's? Let's get up early."

"Mm, but she didn't say when." Li Luo said, "Let's get up first and go for a morning run downstairs."

"Then let's go." Ying Chanxi climbed onto Li Luo's body, wrapped her arms around his neck, and grinned, "Carry me to the bathroom~"

Li Luo sat up in one motion, lifting Ying Chanxi off the bed, turned sideways, and carried her out.

As Li Luo opened the door, Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong, who were sitting at the dining table eating breakfast, turned to look.

At that moment, Ying Chanxi, whose back was facing Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong while being carried, still clung tightly to Li Luo's neck, her legs wrapped around his waist, cheerfully saying: "If Zhusheng isn't here today, it'll just be the two of us running together."

"Yes, yes, yes." Li Luo suppressed his laughter and kept walking forward, passing by Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong as they ate.

The couple said nothing, just smiled warmly while watching them eat.

But when Ying Chanxi turned from facing away to facing them directly, her cheerful expression vanished instantly.

"Ah!"

After a short, startled cry, Ying Chanxi's face flushed crimson, and she buried her head into Li Luo's shoulder, refusing to look at Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong's teasing smiles.

At the table, Li Guohong saw Ying Chanxi's reaction and burst out laughing, whispering to Lin Xiuhong: "So that's what Xixi is like behind closed doors? Quite lively."

"Probably," Lin Xiuhong struggled to hold back her laughter, finding it oddly novel, "They're so clingy—looks like their feelings are truly strong."

As they spoke, the couple suddenly heard three knocks at the door, and both froze.

"Who could possibly come this early?" Lin Xiuhong asked, puzzled.

"Maybe a delivery?" Li Guohong rose as he asked, "Did you buy anything recently?"

"No…"

"I'll check who it is."

……

Meanwhile, in the bathroom.

After carrying Ying Chanxi inside, Li Luo set her down, suppressing his laughter.

The moment her feet touched the floor, she punched him twice hard, then slammed her head repeatedly against his chest.

"You're terrible! You're terrible! You're terrible!"

"Alright, alright, what's the big deal?" Li Luo laughed, hugging her and patting her back soothingly, "It's not like it's something shameful—don't you think Mom and Dad already know where you slept last night?"

"But—but…" Ying Chanxi's face flushed red as she whispered, "You carried me out in front of everyone, and I said that thing…"

"What thing?" Li Luo chuckled, "That Zhusheng isn't here, so you're happy?"

"No way!" Ying Chanxi denied loudly, "That makes me sound petty!"

"But you are."

"Hmph!" Ying Chanxi kicked him again, "Fine, I'm petty! If Zhusheng isn't here, I'm happy—I'll call her during the run and annoy her to death."

"Sister, who are you trying to annoy to death?"

Yan Zhusheng's voice suddenly came from outside the bathroom door.

The next second, the bathroom door was pushed open from outside.

Ying Chanxi turned to see Yan Zhusheng leaning against the doorway, and jumped in surprise: "Why are you here?"

"To join you for the morning run," Yan Zhusheng waved her car keys, "Li Luo bought a car—it should have some use."

Ying Chanxi: "…"

The little sister had driven all the way over just to run together—Ying Chanxi instantly lost her earlier energy, grumbled through brushing her teeth, sat down at the table, avoided looking at Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong on the sofa who had just finished breakfast, and ate silently.

"After breakfast, we'll go downstairs for a run, then head straight back to Bihai Lanting," Li Luo said while eating, addressing his parents, "What are your plans today?"

"I made plans with Aunt Cui to play mahjong," Lin Xiuhong said, holding her phone. "You two take care of yourselves—I'll clean up after breakfast."

"I made plans with Uncle Xu to go fishing," Li Guohong pulled out a cigarette, raised it to his lips—Lin Xiuhong swatted it away impatiently, so he reluctantly put it back.

"If you want to smoke, go to the balcony," Lin Xiuhong said. "Don't you see the kids are here?"

"Alright, alright," Li Guohong sighed, got up, and went to the balcony to smoke.

After Li Luo and the others finished breakfast, they rose to leave, went downstairs for a run nearby, then drove back to Bihai Lanting to wake up Xu Youyu.

Since Li Luo hadn't been home last night, Yan Zhusheng had slept directly in Li Luo's room, so Xu Youyu had stayed in her own bedroom.

Back at Bihai Lanting, Yan Zhusheng knew Xu Youyu was hard to wake up, so she went straight to the piano room.

Ying Chanxi planned to take another shower and change clothes.

So Li Luo went to Xu Youyu's bedroom door, knocked, then pushed it open.

"Who is it?" Xu Youyu groggily woke up from the knocking but still refused to open her eyes, burrowed under the covers.

Li Luo walked to the bedside, bent down, and kissed her lips: "Who else could it be?"

"You finally remembered to come back?" Xu Youyu mumbled into the pillow, rolled over to face away from Li Luo, and let out a pitiful whimper, "You stayed out all night, found a new love, and forgot your old one—I think you should just stay away."

Li Luo: "... Stop acting. Get up already. Didn't Zhusheng tell you last night? Today we're going to Yinghuan's place."

"Fine, fine, I'll just keep sleeping. You go enjoy yourself with other women—leave me here alone."

"I think you're due for another scolding." Li Luo chuckled, climbing onto the bed, flipping Xu Youyu onto her back, and pressing down atop her.

"Ah~ What are you doing~?" Xu Youyu covered her chest with both hands, tears welling up, "Our relationship has reached this point—there's no need to go on any further. Get out! Get out!"

As Xu Youyu struggled and resisted, Li Luo had already pinned her beneath him and began to tease her.

Xu Youyu panted through her small mouth, her resistance weakening until all that remained were soft whimpers.

Only when Li Luo reached beneath the pillow and skillfully pulled out a plastic square did Xu Youyu turn pale with shock and beg frantically: "No no no! I'm sorry! I was just joking! Why are you actually doing this?!"

"Chanxi's in the shower. Zhusheng's still in the piano room." Li Luo chuckled, "Aren't you going to do some morning exercises? Otherwise someone will keep complaining I don't want her anymore."

"No no, how could you say that~" Xu Youyu quickly smiled, lightly plucking the plastic square from his hand and slipping it back under the pillow, "I'll get up right away—we still have to go to Yinghuan's, don't keep her waiting." Under Li Luo's threat, Xu Youyu finally scrambled out of bed, slippers clacking as she hurried into the bathroom to wash up.

After Ying Chanxi finished her shower and changed into fresh clothes, the others were also ready. The four of them got in the car and set off.

Since Xu Youyu wanted to drive, they chose her BMW. Once all four were seated, Xu Youyu drove toward Sky Ridge Elegant Residence.

At 8:30 a. m., Li Luo and the others arrived at the basement entrance of Xu Yinghuan's home.

Zhao Rongjun had already arrived, along with Ren Zheng.

But Qiao Xinyan seemed nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Xinyan?"

After entering the house, Ying Chanxi didn't see Qiao Xinyan and asked Xu Yinghuan in confusion.

"She said she made plans to go out today, so she couldn't come." Xu Yinghuan scratched her head, "I thought she was making plans with you, Chanxi."

"She didn't tell me anything." Ying Chanxi frowned. "What could she possibly have planned for the weekend? Before, she only went with me to help Li Luo's company with tasks and learning."

"Then I don't know. Maybe she made plans with friends from university to go out." Xu Yinghuan shook her head.

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi fell into deep thought, instantly forming a suspicion.

What university friends… Since starting college, Qiao Xinyan had almost always been with her, at most just eating meals with Lin Zhixia and Jiang Lai on campus.

But Lin Zhixia usually spent all her time in the library.

Jiang Lai was always busy—either selling things, tinkering with her TikTok, or going on dates with boys. How could she possibly have time to go out with Qiao Xinyan?

Thinking this, Ying Chanxi glanced at Xu Yinghuan, who was interacting intimately with Zhao Rongjun, and immediately dropped the idea of asking about Qiao Xinyan.

"You're just in time—I'm about to crack." Ren Zheng waved to Li Luo and the others from the living room sofa, barely holding back laughter. "Come quick and give them some advice—how should we film this ad?"

"So what kind of ad is this?" Li Luo followed Xu Yinghuan and Zhao Rongjun into the living room, immediately spotting two large boxes of cookies on the coffee table.

"This one," Xu Yinghuan pointed to the cookies. "They're actually pretty tasty, but hard to film well."

"Tell me more." Li Luo had plenty of time today and wasn't in a rush. He plopped onto the sofa; Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng quickly took positions on either side of him.

Xu Youyu paid no mind, strolled over to a single armchair, sat down, opened a pack of cookies, and took a bite: "Hmm, not bad."

"Right? Right?" Xu Yinghuan smiled. "Lately, several merchants have approached us, offering ad placements."

"But I remembered Li Luo's instructions and didn't blindly accept ads."

"Recently, I secretly bought products from those advertisers—this cookie brand stood out as the most reliable."

Li Luo nodded, understanding the background, then asked: "So what's the ad arrangement this time?"

"It's a soft ad inserted into the plot," Xu Yinghuan said. "Plus a voiceover segment."

"How much are they paying?"

"Five thousand!" At this, Xu Yinghuan grew slightly excited. "We only have twenty thousand followers—and we got a five-thousand-yuan deal? I was shocked."

"That's normal," Li Luo smiled. "Your followers seem highly engaged—your video comments and likes are probably high, right?"

"I haven't paid much attention, but I guess they're pretty high." Xu Yinghuan blinked, thinking back.

"Then just film it," Li Luo said. "Cookies are easy to insert into videos. What were you filming just now?"

"Just a short scene," Xu Yinghuan pulled Zhao Rongjun along. "I'm lounging on the sofa pretending to watch TV, then I ask Arjun if he has any tasty snacks, and he recommends this cookie."

"That's way too forced…" Li Luo sighed. "Didn't Brother Zhao look completely stiff while acting?"

"It wasn't just stiff," Ren Zheng laughed. "He looked like a zombie."

"Ren Zheng, what are you saying?" Xu Yinghuan pouted. "Arjun's been trying so hard!"

"Enough, enough." Li Luo waved his hand. "Just film it the way you normally do. Don't let this insert-style soft ad throw you off."

"Then what should we do?" Xu Yinghuan asked.

"Isn't it simple?" Li Luo grinned, beckoning Xu Yinghuan closer, whispering a few words to her.

Xu Yinghuan nodded eagerly, her eyes brightening: "That actually sounds pretty good?"

"Just a slight improvement—just play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses. Try to minimize Arjun's expressions and movements," Li Luo said casually. "The plot must be driven entirely by you."

"Got it, got it! Let's try again!" Xu Yinghuan immediately perked up, dragging Zhao Rongjun back to the sofa. "Everyone move over—make some space."

"So how do we act now?" Zhao Rongjun still looked confused.

"Just relax, you don't need to do anything special—just react naturally," Xu Yinghuan waved her hand, placing a pack of cookies on the coffee table between them, then told Zhao Rongjun, "Arjun, reach for the cookies, open them, and eat one yourself."

"Oh."

"Alright, let's begin," Ren Zheng picked up Xu Yinghuan's phone, switched to recording mode. "Action!"

Zhao Rongjun followed Xu Yinghuan's instructions, reached for the cookies, opened them, and ate one piece.

At that moment, Xu Yinghuan, pretending to watch TV, glanced at Zhao Rongjun's hand. Seeing him take another piece and shove it in his mouth, she immediately turned toward him, leaned over, and snatched half of it into her mouth.

"Mmm… you…" Zhao Rongjun's face flushed crimson from her move.

Especially with others watching, he grew even more embarrassed.

But Xu Yinghuan only focused on swallowing the cookie, licking her lips: "These cookies are pretty good. Arjun, do you have more?"

"Hmm…" Zhao Rongjun held out the remaining cookies toward her.

But Xu Yinghuan slapped his hand away, leaned down again, and pressed her lips directly onto his, stealing the remaining half from his mouth.

"It's really delicious," Xu Yinghuan said with a smile, reaching over to take the biscuit from Zhao Rongjun's hand, glancing at the brand, then turning to face the camera and introduce it.

After finishing the product pitch, Ren Zheng pressed the stop button.

Xu Yinghuan jumped up cheering, while Zhao Rongjun beside her let out a long breath.

The whole process was actually quite simple—Li Luo had merely asked Zhao Rongjun to reduce his acting, and everything was pure, genuine emotion.

But it was precisely this "authenticity" that most moved Douyin viewers.

Aside from that, everything else relied entirely on Xu Yinghuan to carry.

At this moment, Li Luo, watching Xu Yinghuan and Zhao Rongjun finish filming, fell into deep thought.

He thought of what Li Guoru had mentioned to him last night, and also of Xu Rongsheng's campaign for the position of Dean of the College of Literature.

A scholarship alone was certainly far from enough.

Then…

Li Luo's mind raced with many thoughts, but he still had only a faint lead.

Xu Youyu, beside him, noticing his pensive expression, curiously asked, "What are you thinking about? Didn't it turn out great?"

"Thinking about something else," Li Luo said, gazing out the window into the distance, then teasing Xu Youyu with a smile, "Thinking about how to bribe my father-in-law."

(End of Chapter)