Chapter 883

On the third day of the New Year, February 18, early in the morning, Li Luo got out of bed, woke up Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng, then reluctantly dragged Xu Youyu out from under the covers, and all four went downstairs for a morning run.

Xu Youyu's whole body screamed reluctance, but to appease her mother's nagging, she got up under Li Luo's tugging.

To be fair, a semester of morning runs, plus Li Luo occasionally dragging her out for jogs, had slightly improved Xu Youyu's physical condition.

At least now she no longer panted after climbing stairs, though she still got thoroughly worn out in bed by Li Luo—she was no match for him yet.

After the morning run, the four returned to the second-floor living room, gulped down bowls of white porridge, and Xu Youyu, as usual, went back to her room to catch up on sleep.

Li Luo was called by his grandfather to the courtyard for a game of chess, and Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng followed to watch.

Unfortunately, Li Luo's grandfather saw through his deliberate letting-up and waved him off with a look of disgust, instead gesturing for Ying Chanxi to sit down.

Ying Chanxi knew how to play Xiangqi, but since she rarely played, her skill was average.

This time it was the grandfather's turn to hold back, yet the feeling of complete control clearly delighted the old man.

After most people woke up in the morning, Lin Xiuhong pulled Cui Suling and Yuan Wanqing into a mahjong game as usual, and also dragged Ying Chanxi along to fill the fourth seat.

So now it was Yan Zhusheng's turn to play chess with the grandfather, but Yan Zhusheng didn't know how—so Li Luo stood beside her and taught her.

Only when the grandfather grew tired of sitting did the chess game in the courtyard finally end.

For lunch, Li Guohong took charge of cooking; Li Luo went upstairs to help him, and Yan Zhusheng trotted after them, clumsily washing vegetables and passing bowls.

At lunch, everyone sat in a circle, and Ying Chanxi casually mentioned that Yan Zhusheng would be live-streaming that evening.

"Will you stream during the New Year?" Yuan Wanqing asked in confusion. "I know you stream every Sunday, but it's the holiday—couldn't you skip one day?"

"My sister's counting on me to make money for the company," Yan Zhusheng said, glancing at Ying Chanxi.

Ying Chanxi: "... Say that again?"

"Actually, I want to stream myself," Yan Zhusheng said, sobering up. "I've got nothing else to do, and streaming isn't tiring—but I don't really want to just stay in my room and stream."

"What do you mean?" Ying Chanxi asked again.

"Can I walk around while streaming?" Yan Zhusheng asked. "It's just a phone stream—can't I just wander around the house?"

"That's fine," Li Luo nodded.

"What do you mean 'fine'?" Ying Chanxi quickly warned. "If you wander around the house and accidentally film someone else, what then?"

"That shouldn't matter," Lin Xiuhong chuckled reassuringly. "We're not celebrities—only Wanqing might need to be careful, but appearing in her daughter's livestream doesn't seem like a problem?"

No one else objected. Seeing this, Ying Chanxi had no grounds to protest further, so she whispered to Yan Zhusheng: "Just don't do anything reckless, and absolutely no random talking."

"I'm very well-behaved," Yan Zhusheng nodded seriously.

Seeing her like this, Ying Chanxi was even more speechless: "I'd believe you if pigs could fly."

…

In the afternoon, as usual, Li Guohong called Li Luo to go fishing, and Yin Zhicheng and Xu Rongsheng joined them.

Lin Xiuhong and the two mothers kept playing mahjong.

Of the three girls, Xixi was dragged to the mahjong table to fill a seat; Xu Youyu and Yan Zhusheng, with nothing to do, went to the lake to fish.

This time, the four men returned empty-handed, while the two girls each caught a grass carp.

The fish soup for dinner was settled.

Back home, Xu Youyu and Yan Zhusheng excitedly dragged Li Luo into the kitchen, insisting on cooking the two grass carp themselves.

One made fish soup, the other braised it, and they cut off two tail pieces to steam—perfectly balanced.

Before dinner, Yan Zhusheng posted a livestream teaser on Douyin, notifying fans she'd go live at 6:30 p. m.

After dinner, they rested briefly; then Yan Zhusheng took her phone to the courtyard, timed it precisely, and clicked "Start Live" at 6:30 p. m.

【She actually went live?】

【So dedicated, Zhusheng—streaming during the New Year?】

【Why's it so dark? Aren't you at home?】

【You're not even inside—what's going on?】

Yan Zhusheng switched the camera to selfie mode, and everyone immediately saw her refined, authoritative face.

The light from the second floor cast a soft glow on her face, giving it a hazy beauty unlike her usual livestreams.

"Good evening," Yan Zhusheng said to the camera, addressing her viewers. "Guess where I am right now? Correct guess gets a prize."

【Looks like a courtyard】

【Is this Qingjie's luxury villa?】

【Rural area? Did Zhusheng follow Qingjie back home for the New Year?】

【Wait, where's Qingjie from again?】

【It's pitch black—turn on a light, can't see anything】

"I'll give you time for one song," Yan Zhusheng said. "I'll sing first—what do you want to hear?"

A flood of song titles flooded the chat; finally, Yan Zhusheng chose "Misaligned Space-Time" and sang the same version Yuan Wanqing performed on the Spring Festival Gala.

After finishing, Yan Zhusheng said: "You guessed so much and got it wrong—time to reveal the answer."

She turned the phone camera, revealing Li Luo and his grandfather still playing chess.

A small desk lamp glowed on a nearby stool; under the evening sky, the grandfather and grandson sat facing each other in the courtyard, the scene uniquely charming.

"Who's this?" Yan Zhusheng turned the camera toward Li Luo, her tone lightening.

【Holy shit—how are you everywhere?】

【No way! Is my Zhusheng really Chongran's?】

【Why's Zhusheng at Re燃's house during the New Year?】

【Who's the old man beside him?】

After Li Luo appeared in the livestream, Yan Zhusheng stopped teasing and explained to viewers: "I came with my mom to visit Li Luo's family for the New Year."

"This is Li Luo's hometown—this old man beside me is his grandfather."

"Grandpa, aren't you going to greet everyone?"

Li Luo's grandfather had been frowning at the chessboard, but at Yan Zhusheng's words, he lifted his head and silently scattered the pieces: "Happy New Year, everyone. Zhusheng, why don't you sit over here and watch us play?"

"Sure." Yan Zhusheng sat beside Li Luo, fixing her gaze on the board. "How's the game going?"

"Cough… cough…" The old man gathered the pieces and returned them to their starting positions. "We just started."

"Grandpa, lying in front of so many viewers isn't good." Li Luo looked unimpressed. "I just checkmated you."

"Don't talk so much." The old man glared at him. "Hurry up—I'll let you move first, alright?"

Li Luo: "... Fine, fine, fine."

【The old man's got skills】

【Can Zhusheng play xiangqi?】

【This is hilarious—Re燃's grandpa's such a mischievous old man, just like mine—he refuses to admit he loses】

【Feels way more interesting than just singing live】

Li Luo played one game with his grandfather, then stepped aside so Yan Zhusheng could take his turn.

The live audience found it utterly captivating, with many viewers offering advice, each turning into a xiangqi master. Under the crowd's guidance, Yan Zhusheng lost the game smoothly.

"You guys are useless. I followed your instructions, so why didn't I win?" After the game, Yan Zhusheng blamed the viewers.

【That guy over there gave terrible advice—he clearly shouldn't have jumped the horse】

【Everyone else's skill is trash; only listen to me】

【Strongly suggest another round!】

With limited live time, Yan Zhusheng clearly couldn't continue playing chess, so after teasing the viewers, she stood and headed upstairs.

Li Luo walked beside her, still taking the opportunity to introduce to the audience: "This is my family's countryside home—my grandparents live here normally."

"The second floor is the living room and dining area. My mom and the others are probably playing mahjong right now."

As he spoke, Li Luo led Yan Zhusheng upstairs; once they reached the living room, the sound of the mahjong machine shuffling tiles grew clearly audible.

Following the angle of Yan Zhusheng's phone camera, viewers saw four people seated around the mahjong table.

The viewers didn't recognize the others, but the moment they saw Yuan Wanqing, they instantly recognized her.

【Holy shit! Qing-jie?!】

【This is hilarious—is Qing-jie really playing mahjong in private?】

【Go check—has Qing-jie won any money?】

【Doesn't Zhusheng play mahjong?】

【Wow! Who's that beautiful girl beside her?】

【She looks familiar—I feel like I've seen her somewhere】

【If she's pretty, you think you've seen her everywhere, right?】

Besides Yuan Wanqing, the mahjong players were naturally Lin Xiuhong and Cui Suling, plus the professional companion, Ying Chanxi.

Xu Youyu wasn't here—he'd gone to the neighboring room to write after dinner.

Unfortunately, Yan Zhusheng didn't introduce much—she merely pointed out which one was Li Luo's mother, then sat beside Yuan Wanqing to show the audience how she played.

Yuan Wanqing glanced at Yan Zhusheng's phone and said, "Live streaming?"

"Yeah." Yan Zhusheng nodded. "Mom, want to say hi to the viewers?"

"Hmm. Good evening, everyone." Yuan Wanqing smiled at the camera. "I didn't want her to stream, but Zhusheng insisted she streams every Sunday—and she already promised you all."

【Yes yes yes! Zhusheng is a trustworthy, honest kid!】

【Happy New Year, Qing-jie!】

【When will Qing-jie start streaming herself? It's been so long since last time】

Yan Zhusheng read the comments aloud to Yuan Wanqing, who continued playing mahjong while smiling back: "Why not just let Zhusheng stream? When she streams and I'm there, you'll see me anyway."

Chatting with the live audience, Yuan Wanqing naturally lost the round.

Then another comment asked who the beautiful girl beside her was, but Yan Zhusheng pretended not to see it and deliberately changed the subject.

After watching Yuan Wanqing play two rounds, Yan Zhusheng stood again and said to Li Luo, "Is there a quieter place?"

"Yes, follow me." Li Luo stood and led Yan Zhusheng upstairs.

"Where's up there?" Yan Zhusheng feigned ignorance, asking Li Luo.

"Didn't you want somewhere quiet?" Li Luo said. "The third floor is all bedrooms—my room is very quiet."

【???】

【You kid, what are you thinking?!】

【What what what? Why are you taking her to your room?!】

【Chongran! What's your plan?!】

【No! Zhusheng, don't go! Boys' rooms aren't for just anyone to enter!】

Yan Zhusheng glanced at the comments, a faint smile curling her lips, then said to Li Luo, "The chat says boys' bedrooms aren't for just anyone to enter."

"That's true." Li Luo reached the bedroom door, turned back to Yan Zhusheng, and said, "So wait right here—I need to go in and tidy up."

With that, Li Luo opened the door, stepped inside, closed it, and after a moment reopened it to invite Yan Zhusheng in.

"Alright, come in."

Yan Zhusheng nodded, her expression curious as she stepped into Li Luo's bedroom.

The floor mats that had been laid out were now neatly folded away; the bedcovers were arranged tidily.

The desk had been cleaned and looked orderly and clean.

【Was it really messy before? Probably had socks and clothes just tossed around】

【The blankets definitely wouldn't be this neat!】

【Yan Zhusheng can go through his drawer—maybe there's some secret he's hiding.】

Li Luo leaned over to Yan Zhusheng's side, glanced at the live comments, then chuckled.

His room didn't have clothes or socks lying around carelessly; even if there were, they were just the pajamas the girls had taken off.

And the long hairs on the bed.

Besides putting away the sleeping mat, Li Luo had mainly gathered up the girls' long hairs.

Otherwise, if sharp-eyed viewers spotted them, it would be trouble.

"Can I sit on the edge of the bed?" Yan Zhusheng asked. After receiving Li Luo's approval, she walked over and sat down.

Then she held up her phone and gave a 360-degree tour, showing everyone Li Luo's bedroom.

"I'll only livestream for an hour—there's still about ten minutes left, so let me sing two more songs."

Saying that, Yan Zhusheng picked two songs from the live comments and hummed them once in Li Luo's bedroom.

Ten minutes passed quickly like that.

When Yan Zhusheng said she was going to end the stream, every single comment begged her to leave immediately.

【Can you leave first before ending the stream?】

【No, don't end the stream in Ran Shen's damn room—once you do, I can't even imagine what'll happen next.】

【Chongran is so evil—he's got a knack for tricking girls.】

【Are you two actually that kind of couple? Dammit! Did Ran Shen actually get to eat her?】

【Be a good girl, Yan Zhusheng—let's go downstairs and play mahjong instead?】

【We could play xiangqi too.】

Yan Zhusheng glanced at the comments, didn't care much, politely said goodbye, and tapped to end the livestream.

Then she tossed her phone aside and said to Li Luo: "Alright, the senior is writing, my sister is playing mahjong—only the two of us are left here."

Li Luo: "... What do you want?"

"I want~"