Chapter 892

After the morning run, Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng parted ways with Xu Youyu at the intersection and returned to Sky Ridge Elegant Residence.

After a simple breakfast, Li Luo typed away for a while before the company opened.

At this time, Yan Zhusheng was well-behaved and didn't disturb Li Luo; she quietly went upstairs to the fourth-floor piano room to practice.

By nine o'clock, Li Luo headed to the office to handle routine matters, aiming to finish early so as not to delay dinner.

Yan Zhusheng finished her piano practice at a leisurely pace and, before lunch, wandered over to Xu Yinghuan's house to play with Huanhuan.

The day passed quickly.

With Ying Chanxi remotely managing the company, Li Luo's tasks were simple; after becoming familiar with them, he finished by three-thirty in the afternoon.

Checking the time, Li Luo left work early and went to Xu Yinghuan's house to check on Yan Zhusheng.

"Whoa————what are you two doing?" Li Luo rang the doorbell and was quickly let in; stepping into Xu Yinghuan's living room, he saw the two girls lounging on the sofa, watching TV while wearing face masks.

Two large black masks covered their faces, with two plates of small fruits beside them—quite a cozy little life.

"Li Luo, you're here?" Xu Yinghuan waved at him upon seeing him.

Li Luo sat down beside Yan Zhusheng and glanced curiously at her mask; Yan Zhusheng turned her head and asked, "You want one too? Should I ask Huanhuan to give you one?"

"Nah." Li Luo shook his head. "I'm going out for dinner soon. I just came by to check."

"Oh." Yan Zhusheng nodded. "Then I'll have dinner here with Huanhuan."

"Alright." Li Luo agreed, then turned to Xu Yinghuan. "By the way, where's Junge?"

"Him?" Xu Yinghuan sighed, swinging her legs. "Still in the countryside—he wants to spend more time with his grandparents. He'll probably be back in a few more days."

"I see your TikTok operation's going well?" Li Luo casually asked. "I saw the data summary for your account at the company today."

"Hehe, not bad." At this, Xu Yinghuan feigned modesty but couldn't hide a hint of pride.

Since Li Luo recommended she start on TikTok, their account's followers have steadily grown.

Especially after interacting with Yuan Wanqing and Yan Zhusheng recently, the follower growth accelerated significantly.

They now have over four hundred thousand followers.

In today's TikTok era, that's solidly mid-tier couple content creators.

Just from short video ads alone, they earn ten to twenty thousand per month.

If there's accompanying plot and smooth setup, the price can go even higher.

As Li Luo's acquaintance, although Xu Yinghuan and Zhao Rongjun signed with Chongran Culture, their commission rate is extremely low.

So most of this ad income goes directly into their own pockets.

With Xu Yinghuan posting a video every other day, they can secure at least three or four ad deals per month.

In the end, they net at least fifty to sixty thousand per month.

And given current trends, their account will only grow stronger; if they reach a few million followers, they'll essentially be earning money while lying down.

"But we really owe it to you," Xu Yinghuan thanked Li Luo. "If you hadn't given us timely advice, we wouldn't be this smooth now."

"Junge is so stubborn—he initially refused to split the earnings with me, insisting all the money came from me."

"I had to argue and persuade him for a long time before he finally agreed to treat the account's income as our dating fund."

"But many fans actually like his personality—I couldn't carry the account alone anyway."

"That's just how he is," Li Luo chuckled. "Get used to it. Some things take time—you have to change them slowly, bit by bit."

"True," Xu Yinghuan grinned. "I'm really enjoying the process of transforming him—I even made a whole series called 'Transforming My Boyfriend,' hahaha~ Fans love it!"

Seeing Xu Yinghuan had created her own video series, Li Luo felt genuinely satisfied.

Honestly, Xu Yinghuan isn't lacking in brains—she has countless odd, creative ideas; she was born for this line of work.

Paired with Zhao Rongjun's dull, slow-witted boyfriend persona, their videos create a striking contrast that's hugely popular among fans.

Their current success is well-deserved.

Li Luo sat for a while, chatted a bit, checked the time, then stood to take his leave and returned home to shower.

After tidying his hair and picking out suitable clothes, he confirmed the time again, went downstairs, started the car, and drove toward the Qianjiang University staff housing complex.

It was barely five in the afternoon.

Li Luo arrived at the entrance of the staff housing complex; since his license plate was registered in Qianjiang University's system, the guard let him through without issue.

He parked, took fruit from the trunk—freshly bought on the roadside—everything Xu Rongsheng and Cui Suling liked.

Not much, just a token of goodwill.

He walked up to the fourth floor, to Xu Youyu's door, and pressed the doorbell.

The door opened a crack soon after.

Xu Youyu peered out, her smile unmistakable, winking at him.

Li Luo smiled back.

"Let him in," Xu Rongsheng's voice came from inside.

"Oh." Xu Youyu stopped her playful glances, lowered her eyes, opened the door fully, took a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet, and placed them at Li Luo's feet.

After Li Luo slipped on the slippers, Xu Youyu picked up his shoes and neatly arranged them on the rack.

"Go help your mother," Xu Rongsheng told Xu Youyu, then turned to Li Luo. "They're starting to cook—come with me."

Saying this, Xu Rongsheng rose from the sofa and walked toward the balcony.

Xu Youyu blinked, looked at Li Luo; seeing him nod, she obediently went into the kitchen to help Cui Suling cook.

Li Luo placed the fruit on the dining table, then walked to the balcony.

Watching Xu Rongsheng close the sliding glass door, he gestured to the chair beside him; Li Luo nodded and sat down.

The cool breeze from the balcony instantly sharpened his mind.

Xu Rongsheng sat across from him, pulled out a cigarette.

He knew Li Luo didn't smoke, so he didn't offer one—but Li Luo smiled and reached out his hand anyway.

Xu Rongsheng looked puzzled but still handed him a cigarette; Li Luo didn't light it, only held it between his lips, inhaling the tobacco's scent.

"I thought you didn't smoke."

"Mm, I don't." Li Luo shook his head, then smiled, "I just think it creates a better atmosphere when two people both have cigarettes in their mouths while talking."

"Hmph." Xu Rongsheng chuckled softly, lit his own cigarette, took a slow drag, exhaled a wisp of white smoke, then said, "This little balcony is one of the places I often stay at home."

"Because Aunt Cui doesn't allow smoking inside the house, so I always have to come out here for a smoke."

"From here, you can see most of Qianjiang University, and farther out, you can even spot your Sky Ridge Elegant Residence neighborhood."

"True." Li Luo gazed into the distance, faintly catching sight of the foothill where Sky Ridge Elegant Residence stood, "It's nice to read a book here, cultivate one's spirit—it's quite pleasant."

As he spoke, Li Luo's gaze turned to the back of Xu Rongsheng, where a small bookshelf stood against the balcony wall.

It held many casual books, their covers worn, clearly well-read, not mere decorations.

"Yeah," Xu Rongsheng turned sideways, plucked a book at random, "When I smoke and don't know what else to do, I'll take down a book and read."

"Before I know it, the cigarette's gone, but I can't put the book down."

"Before I realize it, I've finished it."

Li Luo looked at the book Xu Rongsheng was turning in his hands: "Uncle Xu must have read a lot of books?"

"Yes," Xu Rongsheng nodded, then returned the book to the shelf and looked at Li Luo, "What about you?"

"Me? I don't really like reading." Li Luo smiled, "But I read the two books you gave me—carefully, cover to cover."

"Really?" Xu Rongsheng murmured, then fell silent for a long while before adding, "After reading them, what did you think?"

"'The Versions of Us' tells how the male and female leads, due to different choices, end up in three entirely different outcomes across three parallel worlds."

Li Luo said simply, "It emphasizes the importance of choices."

"Often, a seemingly insignificant choice can lead to a devastating impact."

"For example, someone might just want to sleep in one morning, and thus miss the rare chance of running into a girl during an early jog."

"The partner who could have spent their whole life with him slipped away because of one lazy day."

"Mm." Xu Rongsheng nodded lightly, took another drag, gazed out the window, then said, "I remember this book was the birthday gift I picked for you when you were in Gao Er."

"Yes."

"Back then, you were still living in Bihai Lanting," Xu Rongsheng's expression softened with memory, "I could see how Youyu felt about you."

"Since childhood, many boys have shown interest in her, but she rarely grew close to any of them."

"That's partly my fault—because I've always been around her, she matured earlier than most, and boys her own age seemed too childish to her."

"But you seemed different."

Here, Xu Rongsheng paused, then continued, "Unfortunately, there were two other girls living under the same roof as you."

"Compared to Youyu, those two girls' feelings for you were far more obvious."

"That's why I gave you that book."

Girls as outstanding as Youyu are rare, but before the even more outstanding Li Luo, three equally outstanding girls stood side by side.

So the choice lay in Li Luo's hands.

Li Luo fell silent, then brought up another book: "The other book you gave me was interesting too."

"'The Little Prince' is full of imagination, yet reflects many truths of the real world."

"Read it several times, and you learn a lot from it."

Xu Rongsheng smiled as he heard Li Luo change the subject: "That book was the birthday gift I gave you recently."

"In the story, the Little Prince has a unique rose on his home planet."

"At the end, the Little Prince realizes many truths and chooses to return to his planet, back to his rose."

"Li Luo, where is your rose?"

Li Luo listened, then smiled: "Uncle Xu, isn't the answer already obvious?"

"On my planet, there are exactly three roses."

"I can't do without any one of them."

Xu Rongsheng looked out the window, silent for a long while; when he turned back, he said, "The Little Prince saw thousands of roses on Earth—indistinguishable from his own."

"How can you be sure you won't get lost among a garden of roses in the future?"

"No matter how beautiful your three roses are, they can't compare to the dazzling variety of a whole rose garden."

Li Luo replied simply: "The answer is already clear in 'The Little Prince,' Uncle Xu."

"Only when you invest time and effort, only when you give something, does the rose have meaning to me."

"No matter how dazzling the roses in the garden are, they are just flowers unrelated to me."

Xu Rongsheng looked at him: "How do you prove it?"

"I can't prove it," Li Luo shook his head, "Only time can prove everything."

"Like in 'The Versions of Us'—if the author hadn't written it, who would ever know that a tiny, insignificant choice could lead to such enormous differences?"

"Life's choices are more like gambling—no one can foresee everything."

"So when faced with choices, I only pick the one I'll least regret."

Xu Rongsheng listened to Li Luo's words, then turned to look at the mother and daughter bustling in the kitchen.

After a long silence, seeing Li Luo had said no more, Xu Rongsheng asked, "Don't you have anything else to say?"

"Everything I wanted to say has been said."

"Really?" Xu Rongsheng fell silent again, then gazed toward Qianjiang University and sighed deeply, "You not saying anything makes it even harder for me."

"Are you talking about the School of Literature?" Li Luo chuckled, "When I chose to openly reveal my stance to you, it already meant I wouldn't use any other matters as leverage."

"Of course," Xu Rongsheng said, resigned, "That's precisely what I admire most about you."

With that, Xu Rongsheng stood up, pushed open the balcony's glass door, and said to Li Luo, "Alright, let's end here—dinner's ready."

"Good."

"Later, when Aunt Cui is at the table, no matter what she says, just treat it as entertainment."

"Huh?"