Chapter 923: Birthday

After the first family dinner following the revelation, Li Luo's life returned to its usual calm, once again highly regular.

He wakes up in the morning, wakes up the three girls, and the four of them go together to Qianjiang University for the sunshine long-distance run, taking Xu Youyu along to log his running count.

Afterward, they head to the Qingxi Dormitory cafeteria for breakfast, then Xu Youyu immediately returns to the dorm to nap.

If Li Luo and the other two have morning classes, they go to their respective lectures; if not, they go to the company.

Although Ying Chanxi can handle everything at the company on her own, since Li Luo once tried helping out, he fully understood how hard she worked.

So whenever he has free time, he voluntarily comes over to lend a hand.

Even something as simple as buying Ying Chanxi a milk tea, some fruit, or a small surprise is better than leaving her alone at the company all the time.

As for Yan Zhusheng, she's just tagging along for fun.

But she's now a minor celebrity, and when she visits the company, the staff are quite delighted.

Especially since Yan Zhusheng has no airs about her, treats the female employees kindly, and has collected plenty of photos with them.

Yuan Wanqing has officially flown to Qiongzhou City to spend her pregnancy there and will not appear in public again until after the baby is born.

Originally, Yuan Wanqing had planned to transfer some variety show resources to Yan Zhusheng for her to try.

But Yan Zhusheng had no interest in appearing on variety shows; seeing her lack of enthusiasm, Li Luo politely declined, thinking it was fine this way.

In fact, Li Luo originally never intended to give the new song to Yan Zhusheng—this was precisely his mindset: he didn't want her to become too famous, just keeping her at the level of a small internet celebrity was enough.

But plans change; what could he do? Yuan Wanqing got pregnant.

Fortunately, singing alone doesn't have much impact.

After all, most listeners don't really care who the singer is.

It's normal for the song to be more popular than the singer.

As for variety shows and such, Yan Zhusheng won't be participating.

On one hand, Yan Zhusheng herself isn't interested; on the other, they're afraid she might say something wrong.

But Yan Zhusheng isn't completely idle at the company—Ying Chanxi assigned her specific tasks, nothing difficult, just watching the new videos.

The company has dedicated staff assigned to cut weekly clips of Yan Zhusheng's livestreams, mainly focusing on singing segments and interesting interactions.

As the streamer herself, Yan Zhusheng reviews the clips, confirms they're accurate, and only then do the staff upload them to a dedicated small account for Yan Zhusheng's livestream clips.

This small account now has hundreds of thousands of followers; many fans who miss the live streams love coming here to catch up.

After finishing work at the company in the morning or attending classes, Li Luo and the others usually eat and hang out together with their roommates.

They attend afternoon classes.

When Li Luo has free time, he wanders over to Xu Rongsheng's office.

Sometimes he doesn't find Xu Rongsheng in his office, so he goes straight to the Research Center—he always finds him there.

The Research Center has been preliminarily established, but everything is still in its early stages.

To truly operate properly, it seems they'll have to wait until next semester.

Although the next Dean election is still two years away, it sounds like a long time, but in reality, it's quite urgent—Xu Rongsheng doesn't have much time left.

Other faculty members heard Xu Rongsheng started the Research Center; though surprised he only began now, they all think his chances are slim, and the other Vice Dean has higher priority for the election.

Li Luo isn't sure whether it will succeed—he can only do his best and leave the rest to fate.

Xu Rongsheng, however, remains calm; his mindset is peaceful, neither anxious nor impatient. When Li Luo visits, he always slowly puts down what he's doing and brews a pot of tea.

He pours a cup for Li Luo, another for himself, then sits down to chat casually with him.

Since their debate over marriage, for some reason, Li Luo has increasingly enjoyed seeking out Xu Rongsheng for conversation.

Talking with Xu Rongsheng is comfortable; no matter what he says, Xu Rongsheng always picks up the thread and finds surprising new angles, expanding his imagination and boundaries.

Conversely, Xu Rongsheng also enjoys chatting with Li Luo, because he's noticed Li Luo's progress is astonishingly rapid.

And every time he casually mentions a book or material to Li Luo, by their next meeting, Li Luo can recite it flawlessly.

This gives Xu Rongsheng a strong sense of accomplishment, as if he's mentoring an exceptionally gifted student.

As a result, their conversations feel less like father-in-law and son-in-law, and more like friends across generations—easily and naturally connected.

Generally, if there are no afternoon classes, Li Luo either drinks tea with Xu Rongsheng or goes to the company to see Ying Chanxi.

By evening, they return home and have dinner together with the three girls.

After dinner, it's the four of them's leisure time.

They play mahjong, sing songs, or watch a movie together.

If they pre-instruct Butler Liu to prepare the rooftop pool, the four can host an open-air party up there.

Sometimes, on a whim, they play an intense and exciting game of flight chess in the first-floor living room.

Or they simply sit together, watching TV—it's fine too.

Occasionally, Xu Youyu invites Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng to the study, each with a computer, and they play a fun game together.

After the game, they sit on chairs, or on the sofa, or even lie on the floor, petting cats, chatting, teasing each other.

Until around nine at night, it's Li Luo and Xu Youyu's work time.

Li Luo writes, while Xu Youyu prepares his new book.

Since fully escaping the later depths of "Gu Dao Changqing," these past few months have been Xu Youyu's most comfortable period.

Preparing a new book is precisely the happiest stage for any author.

In this phase, the author can freely let their imagination run wild, continuously brainstorming all sorts of plot ideas they find interesting.

Don't worry about whether it's reasonable or logical—just make it as fun as possible.

Once enough material and inspiration have been scattered, they begin to carefully unravel and piece together the main storyline and framework.

Little by little, they outline the book's shape, solidify its theme, then officially begin polishing its opening.

Xu Youyu is the type of writer who thrives on inspiration—he loves this state of emptying his mind and letting it wander freely.

When a flash of inspiration strikes, he quickly records it, then continues drifting through the boundless sea of emptiness.

Many times, Xu Youyu was really just entertaining herself—watching anime, movies, and playing games.

But now, the anime, movies, and even games she chose were the ones she usually wasn't interested in.

She only took the time to look at them because these works might contain content she needed, something she could use later.

Li Luo understood this perfectly.

After all, in her past life, Xu Youyu had talked to him about this very thing.

For such matters, Xu Youyu was still willing to give them a try.

Because often, though certain works initially bored her, after sticking with them for a few episodes, she'd become completely immersed.

Only after finishing them did she realize it wasn't that she disliked them—she'd just disliked the information conveyed by their packaging when she first saw them.

So when creating her own works, she needed to pay special attention to this point.

A work needs not only excellent quality but also clear positioning, understanding of its audience, and careful packaging and promotion that doesn't send the audience misleading signals.

Otherwise, it would greatly reduce the work's potential.

One can only say that successful people all have their own reasons for success.

In her past life, Xu Youyu became a Grandmaster based solely on her talent—clearly because she was simply outstanding.

Yet even while preparing her new book, Xu Youyu still loved slacking off.

She kept slacking until just before midnight, when Li Luo finished writing, then took her upstairs to bathe, returned to bed, and slept soundly to welcome a brand-new day.

But today was slightly different.

"Tomorrow's your birthday," Li Luo said, stretching after finishing his writing, turning to Xu Youyu beside him. "The dealership said you can pick up the motorhome this afternoon. After you get it, anything you want to do?"

"When Xi Xi had her birthday, you spent a whole day alone with her, right?" Xu Youyu, who had been sitting cross-legged, now propped her hands on her shins, turned her head, and smiled at him. "My request is simple too."

"Spending a whole day alone with you?"

"Exactly~" Xu Youyu hummed. "And you have to spend it alone with me—in the motorhome."

"Sure," Li Luo chuckled. "But where do you want to go? You can't get far in one day."

"That doesn't matter," Xu Youyu shook her head. "Even if we just park on a highway, it's fine."

"Then it's up to the Birthday Person," Li Luo pointed at the clock. "It's already midnight. Happy birthday."

»

"The Birthday Person is tired and doesn't want to walk," Xu Youyu turned off her computer, stretched her arms and legs out on the chair, and coaxed Li Luo. "Hurry up and carry me upstairs to bathe."

"Got it," Li Luo walked over and easily lifted her into his arms. "Any other orders for the Birthday Person?"

"I feel like soaking in a hot spring," Xu Youyu wrapped her legs tightly around Li Luo, grinning. "Soak in hot water, eat fruit, and if I could have a cocktail too, that'd be perfect."

"No problem," Li Luo said, carrying Xu Youyu to the master bathroom, turning on the hot spring water, then letting her shower first.

He went downstairs to prepare fruit and mix a cocktail.

When he returned to the third-floor bathroom, he placed the drinks beside the hot spring pool, then stepped into the shower with her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"Does the Birthday Person need a back rub?"

"Sure."

"What about here?"

"Mmm~ y-yes… also…"

"What about here?"

"Mmm————"

After the shower left her limp, the hot spring water was nearly full.

Li Luo lifted Xu Youyu and sat her astride the hot spring pool, then pressed a button on the wall. A small platform slowly rose from the center.

This design was copied from the villa in Qiongzhou City.

Placing the prepared fruit and cocktail on the platform now was undeniably practical.

"Perfect, perfect, hehe~" Xu Youyu leaned contentedly against the edge, soaking in the hot spring, lifting a grape to her mouth.

The two lingered in the hot spring for a long while, finishing the fruit and the cocktail, before finally stepping out, rinsing off briefly, and returning to bed.

The next morning, after finishing her morning run, Xu Youyu unusually didn't go back to her room to nap.

With a cheerful smile, she reported to her two good sisters, Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng, then drove off with Li Luo's arm in hers.

——

"So, where are we going first?" Xu Youyu asked.

"Home first."

"Huh?"

"Not Sky Ridge Elegant Residence."

Li Luo smiled and took Xu Youyu back to Bihai Lanting.

He pulled out the key to unit 1201, took her hand, and opened the door.

Because Butler Liu had always arranged for cleaning staff to come by, Bihai Lanting remained spotlessly clean.

Xu Youyu followed Li Luo inside. After months away, the place felt unfamiliar—but seeing the familiar furnishings unchanged, she quickly felt at home again.

"Why did you think of coming here?" Xu Youyu asked cheerfully.

"It's where we spent three wonderful years together," Li Luo said, holding her hand as he led her to her room. "And it holds some of our most precious memories."

Hearing this, Xu Youyu blushed faintly for once, recalling that sensual night, her lips curling into a smile.

"Let's sleep first and recharge," Li Luo gave her firm buttock a light pat. "Or you'll be too tired to drive the motorhome this afternoon."

"I know, I know~" Xu Youyu said, but didn't let go of his hand—instead, she pulled him onto the bed with her. "Sleep with me."

"Mm," Li Luo didn't refuse. He lay beside her, gazing at the ceiling—slightly unfamiliar yet profoundly familiar—and soon fell asleep.

When he woke again, it was already ten in the morning.

Li Luo accompanied Xu Youyu downstairs to buy groceries at the nearby market, planning to cook for the Birthday Person himself.

As they went downstairs, Xu Youyu smiled and said, "Do you remember? Our first meeting was probably at the gate of this community, wasn't it?"

"Back then, I was meeting Chanxi inside, while you and Zhao Rongjun went to school to play basketball, and Chanxi called you back to buy groceries together."

"That's when I took the chance while you were cooking to ask Chanxi for your QQ number—and found it was the same as the one the editor gave me for Chongran. I was stunned."