Chapter 912: A Thousand Illusions, One Great Dream

Since all three girls returned home, Li Luo felt time passed quickly, yet also slowly.

It passed quickly because life was simply too beautiful—happy moments always feel fleeting.

It passed slowly because he had to deal with the three girls' exploitation; the pressure was truly immense.

The good news was that after half a month of targeted training under a fitness coach, Li Luo's physical endurance and bodily functions had been further enhanced.

Although he didn't look as muscular as the bodybuilders in gyms, this was mainly because Li Luo hadn't taken protein supplements or other fitness products to bulk up.

In reality, when stripped bare, his muscle definition looked exceptionally elegant—not with the brute force of bulk, but perfectly aligned with Ying Chanxi's aesthetic.

Fortunately, Ying Chanxi hadn't yet mustered the courage to seek Li Luo out for intimate acts in front of the others.

This allowed Li Luo to breathe a sigh of relief at night.

But the three girls always found opportunities to sneak in moments alone; one lapse in attention, and he'd be caught by them privately.

Especially Yan Zhusheng—no one knew if she'd been spurred on by that video Ying Chanxi showed that day, but she constantly dragged him off alone.

Especially when practicing piano—whenever Li Luo went upstairs to see her, she inevitably got handsy.

Fortunately, Li Luo had the Memory Palace, possessing the ability of one-time certification, permanent validity; once he found a sensitive point, neither Ying Chanxi nor the others could escape.

So now, whenever Li Luo wished, he could effortlessly send them soaring to the peaks.

But the bad news was that Ying Chanxi and the others seemed to be growing increasingly addicted—

"Whew————Finally finished~"

On the last day of the month.

In the afternoon, Xu Youyu leaned back in her study chair, lazily stretching, her face filled with relief and contentment as she let out a long sigh.

Looking at the "Completion Applied" text on her computer screen, and the over three million characters of "Gu Dao Changqing," Xu Youyu's expression turned reflective; then she couldn't help but poke Li Luo's stomach with her bare foot.

"I'm done already—don't you have any reaction?"

"I've already told Butler Liu to prepare a special dinner tonight to celebrate," Li Luo said, pausing his typing and grabbing her ankle to play with it gently. "Besides, I'm finishing today too."

"Oh right." Xu Youyu remembered Li Luo's plan and pressed further. "Didn't you finish writing long ago? Why not post your final chapter earlier today?"

"No rush," Li Luo chuckled. "Today is Saturday. Zhusheng is streaming tonight—I plan to finish right during her stream and simultaneously release our new album."

"Huh?" Xu Youyu blinked in surprise. "You two finished a new album in half a month?"

"Not quite," Li Luo shook his head. "The company's recording studio is still under renovation. I just squeezed in with Zhusheng to record one song at Aunt Yuan's studio for the debut."

"This new album, like my first album for Aunt Yuan, won't release all songs at once."

"We'll release one song every so often—it might work better, and it'll sync with 'The Beginning' promotion, keeping the album's momentum going through summer vacation."

After hearing this, Xu Youyu couldn't help but marvel: "You really know how to leverage every trend and traffic stream—writing books draws traffic, streaming draws traffic, and you even link up with songs and TV dramas."

"A hit usually arises from multiple factors—quality is just the baseline," Li Luo said. "It's the foundation for a work to become a hit, but certainly not the whole story."

"If you can't market, you can only wait for timing and seize opportunities."

"But if possible, it's better to actively seek or create opportunities."

Saying this, Li Luo pulled out his phone and gifted Xu Youyu's "Gu Dao Changqing" a Gold Alliance.

One hundred thousand yuan meant nothing to Li Luo now.

But a full day of Gold Alliance banners flooding the screen would bring substantial traffic to Xu Youyu's completed novel.

"Seriously————" Xu Youyu glanced at her backend, saw Li Luo's tip, and gave him a reproachful glare. "You'd better just transfer me the money directly—platform takes half if you tip."

"If you could actually just ask for it directly, I'd transfer you a million right now," Li Luo shot her a glance and chuckled.

"Pfft, I was just joking—who wants your stinking money?" Xu Youyu huffed, pulling her foot back. "My film and TV rights are about to be sold—I'll be rich soon, okay?"

"After paying off your mortgage, how much will be left?" Li Luo propped his chin on his hand. "I think you'd better focus on preparing your next book."

"Don't say things that make me sad," Xu Youyu groaned, slumping onto the desk and pulling A Li onto her lap, burying her face in its fur and inhaling deeply. "Let me rest for a few months first—then we'll talk about the next book."

"When are you planning to release your next book?" Li Luo asked curiously. "Are you really going to take a six-month break?"

"What else?" Xu Youyu rolled her eyes. "It's late March now—half a year later is exactly National Day. I'll release it then."

"I can't stand how carefree you are," Li Luo clicked his tongue. "I still have to write every day—even after 'Night Watch of Great Qian' ends, I still have to run two series: 'I Am Really Not a Star' and 'The End of the Sequence.'"

"That's your own fault," Xu Youyu grinned. "But updating two books doesn't hurt you, right? I see you only write two or three hours a day."

"Those two or three hours already drain all my mental energy."

"Say that out loud and see if someone doesn't beat you up."

"If others beat me up, won't you care?"

"I'd be the first to hit you."

"Come on then—see if you dare hit me."

"Fine, I'll hit you!" Xu Youyu stood up, straddled Li Luo, and smirked. "Let's see how I'll deal with you."

"————Is that hitting?"

"Hitting is affection, scolding is love," Xu Youyu pecked his lips. "How isn't kissing you a hit?"

"Then I'll have to hit back."

"Ah!" Xu Youyu suddenly felt herself lifted into the air, then pinned onto the desk; books and clutter scattered as he pressed down on her. "What are you doing?"

"You tell me."

In the evening, after dinner, Yan Zhusheng went upstairs to prepare for her stream.

Ying Chanxi stretched, having worked all day; after dinner, she pulled Li Luo out for a walk around the neighborhood, then planned to return to the third floor for a bath.

Xu Youyu went to the second-floor study to play games. After accompanying Ying Chanxi, Li Luo returned to the second floor, played a few games with Xu Youyu, and at seven p. m., rose and went to the fourth-floor piano room.

At that moment, Yan Zhusheng had just started her stream on time and was greeting viewers.

Li Luo pulled out his phone and checked—it had just been updated: his and Yan Zhusheng's Douyin accounts had simultaneously posted a video announcing the new album.

This album would follow a free model.

It would be released simultaneously on Douyin, QQ Music, NetEase Cloud, and other music platforms.

Because they signed contracts with all these platforms, they earn a certain traffic subsidy every time someone clicks to listen to a song.

But this income is negligible for them, and Li Luo never intended to make money from it.

The first album was mainly to build recognition.

After all, whether Li Luo or Yan Zhusheng, even if they had some prior fame, they were still newcomers in the singer circle.

Compared to Yan Zhusheng, Li Luo was somewhat better, since he at least had the title of a gold-tier lyricist and composer.

But his actual ability still raised questions for many people.

【Just saw a new video posted, and the live stream opened too】

【Holy shit, is Zhusheng releasing a new album?】

【Apparently Chongran produced this new album—I'm excited】

【Of course, but I didn't expect this time it wasn't for Sister Qing】

【Mom's been enjoying it for so long—why can't the daughter have her turn?】

【Chongran's output is always top-tier, but why does he release only one song every so often? How long do we have to wait?】

【I saw Chongran also posted a new video—he's releasing a new album too】

【Huh?】

【Two new albums at once? That's interesting】

【Holy shit, Chongran isn't human—he's releasing two albums? That's over twenty songs?】

【Not every song can be a masterpiece—five or six good ones would be plenty】

【Bro, this is Chongran—don't judge him by normal standards】

【You should check out Sister Qing's two albums first before you talk】

As soon as the stream started, Yan Zhusheng's live chat exploded.

Yan Zhusheng glanced at Li Luo, who had just entered, and seeing he had no intention of stepping into the camera's view, she pretended he wasn't there.

"Good evening, everyone," Yan Zhusheng said to the camera. "Tonight I'm releasing my new album—please follow and save it."

"But there's only one new song for now; the rest are old tracks, including 'Not Wasting the Prime of Life,'"

"'Be Your Own Light,' 'Little Happiness,' and 'Under the Sea.'"

"For today's live stream, I'll sing the new song first."

"Oh, by the way, this new song is also the impression theme for Night Watch of Great Qian—the novel Li Luo wrote—it just ended today, so if you're interested, go check it out."

As Yan Zhusheng spoke, Li Luo pulled out his phone and checked twice, confirming the final chapter of his scheduled update had been posted, and he relaxed.

Qidian had already launched the official completion event for Night Watch of Great Qian and the pre-release announcement for The End of the Sequence.

In addition, the release of the theme song and impression song for Night Watch of Great Qian was also part of the completion event, freely available to readers.

Tonight, Chongran's presence appeared everywhere across Qidian's various sections.

【Amazing! I just listened to 'If Life Is a Dream'—Chongran is still too powerful, and Zhusheng sang it perfectly!】

【This kind of talent is damn unfair!】

【Is Night Watch of Great Qian finished? Then I'm going to devour it】

【The readers of this book really have it good—Chongran personally produced the theme and impression songs—is this even the treatment a web novel deserves?】

【Did they sell the film/TV rights? Will we get a drama adaptation?】

【Is Chongran here? Zhusheng, call him over—after you finish the impression song, have him sing the theme song】

【I just listened to the theme song—it's insane】

"I'll sing one song first, then go call Li Luo up," Yan Zhusheng said, glancing at the chat. "He just finished his novel today and came over to visit me—he promised he'd join my live stream."

【Okay okay, we're waiting right here】

【So this was planned all along?】

【Why does Li Luo drop by every day?】

【Doesn't he have his own live stream? Just start one already—why does he keep sneaking into our Shengbao's stream?】

【Brothers, stop being jealous—first check what these two bastards named their albums. Or should we just announce it outright?】

Prompted by the chat, many suddenly realized and took a moment to check the names of Yan Zhusheng and Li Luo's new albums.

Those who saw them immediately fell silent, then returned to the live stream to vent.

【So unfair—I feel like a stray dog that just got kicked hard】

【Just throw us some dog food already—don't act like you're being wronged after getting everything】

【So they're really together?】

【I'm sure they're secretly dating—just not going public】

【But what if it's just publicity? After all, Chongran wrote all the songs himself and produced both albums—linked album titles are normal】

【But think about it—they're a perfect match, brilliant and beautiful together】

Yan Zhusheng watched the chat flood by, silently distributed gift bags, reminded everyone to grab them, held back the urge to smile, yet her toes curled with joy.

She made no effort to stop the chat, merely continuing calmly: "I'll start singing now."

With that, she placed her hands on the piano keys and played a graceful prelude.

"Life is but a dream—how much joy can there be?"

"Wind stirs, rain falls—where does this heart find rest?"

"Sword rises, blade cuts—yet cannot sever this karmic thread."

"Look—the heavens and earth are all indifferent."

A clear, melodious voice filled the live stream, and the audience sank into Yan Zhusheng's performance.

"Past memories flow through your eyes."

"Forgetting while piecing together~"

"As I devoutly press my palms together~"

"May you find salvation~"

Li Luo leaned back against the sofa, quietly savoring Yan Zhusheng's singing, then opened his and Yan Zhusheng's album on his phone.

It displayed the album's title.

Yan Zhusheng — "A Thousand Worlds of the Floating Realm, Yet Only You"

Chongran — "A Single Great Dream, With You Is Enough"