Chapter 225: Roll Call

As the only scenic spot in Yuhang City renowned nationwide, Xihu is usually open to the public free of charge, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists.

However, February in Xihu has entered a very cold season.

The crowd strolling by the lakeside has diminished significantly.

At three-thirty in the afternoon, two young people dressed in thick down jackets arrived together by the lake, exhaling white breath as they gazed toward the Mid-Lake Pavilion in the distance.

"The temperature seems to have dropped below zero today," Li Luo said, wearing the down jacket Ying Chanxi had picked for him, a sweater from Yan Zhusheng underneath, trousers chosen by Xu Youyu on his lower half, and a scarf hand-knitted by Ying Chanxi around his neck.

Beside him, Xu Youyu wore the light pink down jacket Li Luo had recommended, with the white scarf he had previously asked her to choose around her neck.

She now stretched out both hands, held them to her mouth, gently exhaled warm breath, and then said, "It's already below zero; why isn't it snowing? It would be wonderful to admire the Melting Snow on the Broken Bridge."

"I heard it might snow," Li Luo said, glancing at the gloomy sky. "But in our area, even when it snows, it's usually just a light dusting."

"Who cares? None of that matters." Xu Youyu waved her hand, then turned to look at Li Luo, pulled out her phone, shook it a few times, and said with a smile, "Junior, it's three-thirty now. From this moment on, you are my boyfriend for one timed hour."

"Even if you say so..." Li Luo sighed. "Since it's not real, how would you consider it research..."

Before he could finish the word "research," Li Luo suddenly felt something ice-cold slip into his pocket, where his hands were tucked inside his down jacket.

Turning his head, he discovered that Xu Youyu had already extended her left hand, stuffed it into his pocket, rummaged around chaotically, and then interlocked her fingers with his.

"How about this?" Xu Youyu no longer looked at him but stared straight ahead at the few small boats drifting in the center of the lake, her tone becoming light and airy. "Have you ever held hands with any other girl?"

Xu Youyu's hands were extremely slender and delicate; Li Luo had known this for a long time. Watching her type on a keyboard was like watching a pair of dexterous hands dance across the black and white keys of a piano.

As for holding hands, this wasn't exactly the first time...

Prompted by Xu Youyu's question, Li Luo, who possessed a Memory Palace, immediately recalled the scene from some time ago on the school playground's lawn, when Ying Chanxi had dragged him along to film the "Waiting for You After Class" music video.

Back then, in order to help him grasp the feeling, Ying Chanxi had also taken the initiative to hold his hand like this.

However, the weather hadn't been as cold as it was now; Ying Chanxi's hand was small, spreading out completely in Li Luo's palm, her fingertips reaching only to his first knuckle.

Holding Ying Chanxi's hand evoked a desire to protect and a sense of satisfaction, as if completely enveloping her, instantly triggering a man's instinct to cherish.

In comparison, Xu Youyu's palm was much larger.

Although still slightly smaller than Li Luo's hand, it was exceptionally slender and delicate, pressing ice-cold against his.

It felt somewhat bony when squeezed, with distinct knuckles, yet the skin was fine and the texture smooth, instantly leaving Li Luo stunned in place.

"Why aren't you speaking?" Xu Youyu extended her other hand and waved it curiously in front of Li Luo's face.

Li Luo came to his senses and subconsciously averted Xu Youyu's gaze. "Uh... nothing."

"Don't tell me you've never held hands with another girl before?"

"Strictly speaking, there was one time, but it was only a brief hold."

"Oh?" Xu Youyu raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess: was it Xixi, or Zhusheng?"

"Xixi."

"I see." Xu Youyu rolled her eyes and pressed further, "Then what about if we don't speak strictly? That would mean more than once, right?"

"Well..." Li Luo smiled awkwardly. "There was also one time with Zhusheng, though it didn't really count as holding hands."

On the day of the New Year's Gala, he had asked Yan Zhusheng to pick a few flowers from the flowerbed, but she had gotten her hands dirty, so Li Luo had taken her to the restroom to wash them.

Yan Zhusheng refused to wash them herself and insisted that he do it for her.

Although it truly wasn't holding hands, him gripping Yan Zhusheng's hand to manipulate and clean it involved even more contact than ordinary hand-holding.

"Sigh..." Xu Youyu sighed softly. "So I'm not even your second-hand experience? What should I do? I'm starting to feel a bit disgusted with you."

"It was your idea to gather material in the first place," Li Luo said, his face darkening as he complained speechlessly.

"But this is my first time holding hands," Xu Youyu said, turning to look at him, her smile blooming beautifully. Her hand in his pocket gently squeezed Li Luo's. "Of course, aside from my parents, you are the first boy my age."

"... Should I kneel right here on the spot to thank Senior Sister for your immense grace and virtue?"

"That won't be necessary, but..." Xu Youyu said with a laugh. "Since this is couple time, you are not allowed to call me 'Senior Sister' anymore."

"Then what should I call you?"

"What do you think? As my boyfriend, what should you call me?"

"Youyu?"

"Hmm?"

"Little Yu?"

"What do you say?"

"Let's stick with 'Senior Sister'," Li Luo said with a smile. "I think that has more charm."

"Oh~" Xu Youyu, enlightened by his words, immediately burst into laughter. "I remember now; you boys prefer this kind of role-playing sensation, don't you?"

"Something like that."

"Then you can even call me 'Mom'," Xu Youyu said with a chuckle, standing on her tiptoes to pat his head.

Hearing this, Li Luo's eye corner instantly twitched. "In your dreams."

"However," Xu Youyu said, having finished teasing him and now shifting topics, "since you aren't experiencing holding hands for the first time, I must take some other 'first' from you; otherwise, I'd be at a bit of a loss."

"What else do you want?"

"Well~" Xu Youyu looked at him with a beaming smile, making no visible move.

Yet Li Luo felt the slender palm in his pocket start moving wildly again; after spreading his entire hand open slightly, Xu Youyu opened her own hand as well.

Finger gaps interlocked perfectly with finger gaps, like a creation meticulously measured by God; the two hands fit together completely, leaving not a sliver of a gap.

"How about this?" Xu Youyu's eyes curved into crescents as she stared at Li Luo and teased, "Does this 'first' belong to me now?"

Li Luo felt the warm palm in his pocket, now thoroughly warmed by him, its fine and smooth skin pressing tightly against his.

He glanced at Xu Youyu, then silently inhaled, shifted his gaze to the lake scenery, and finally just nodded, emitting a soft "Mm."

"Alright, alright, getting shy now, are we?" Xu Youyu said, leading him by the hand and starting to stroll along the lakeside. "Keep me company for a walk around."

Li Luo nodded and followed Xu Youyu forward, their fingers remaining interlocked the entire time as they wandered along the winter shores of Xihu.

This scene, this moment, was utterly surreal.

He didn't know how, step by step, things had turned out this way.

So much so that when Xu Youyu pulled him to the boat shelter by the lakeside and dragged him onto a small skiff, the rocking and bumping on the lake water finally pulled him temporarily away from that illusory feeling.

Turning his head to look at Xu Youyu beside him, Li Luo felt a momentary daze.

It was as if he had returned to those scenes from his previous life, living day and night with her, traveling together as companions.

But returning to reality, he was truly, solidly living a second life.

Though their starting points were long different, by some strange twist of fate, they had arrived at a similar situation once again.

Fate truly was something difficult to put into words.

"Did the young lady come traveling with her boyfriend?" the boatman asked cheerfully, hailing Xu Youyu as he rowed the boat.

After all, Xu Youyu had been generous with money, never haggling with him, so the boatman was in an exceptionally good mood and even had the energy to chat with his guests.

Xu Youyu grinned, wrapped her arms tightly around Li Luo's arm, and pressed affectionately against him: "Yes, yes, Uncle, your eyesight is very sharp."

"Haha, what sharpness is needed? You two came over holding hands; I'm not blind," the boatman uncle laughed heartily. "Judging by your accent, you must be locals, right?"

"We came over from Yinjiang District to play."

"Oh, oh, from Yinjiang? I have relatives there."

Usually, Xu Youyu rarely chatted with strangers like this.

But in her state of gathering material, she was full of energy, chatting very enthusiastically with the boatman, occasionally pulling Li Luo along to show off their affection, looking nothing like she was acting.

Instead, it was Li Luo who sat upright and formal from start to finish, letting Xu Youyu hold and play with his hand as she pleased.

He felt somewhat unable to handle it.

"Your boyfriend seems a bit introverted; he hasn't said a word since getting on the boat."

"That's just his personality; please don't take offense. Although he speaks little now, he's usually very good to me," Xu Youyu giggled, turning her head to say to Li Luo, "Right, Brother~"

This single word "Brother" blew softly into Li Luo's ear, instantly sending a jolt through him.

Li Luo nodded with difficulty and offered an embarrassed smile to the boatman.

The boatman uncle could also see it; this young fellow was just shy, and paired with such a lively and cheerful girl, they complemented each other perfectly.

Meanwhile, Xu Youyu, sitting beside Li Luo, clearly felt his body tremble; instantly intrigued, she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "When I called you 'Brother,' you seemed to react, didn't you? As expected, guys fall for this kind of thing."

Li Luo helplessly turned his head away, pretending not to have heard.

But Xu Youyu gently shook his arm and, in a voice too soft for the boatman uncle to hear, spoke in a coquettish, gentle tone: "Husband~ Say something~"

"Senior Sister..." Li Luo jolted all over again, quickly turning his head back. "You've gone too far; we're a couple now, not husband and wife."

"But such forms of address between couples should be quite common, right?" Xu Youyu tilted her head and said so.

"... Senior Sister, please just be normal; I'm scared."

"Haha~" Xu Youyu laughed triumphantly. "Where has that calm, composed, and self-possessed junior brother gone? Why are you so easily teased now?"

Hearing this, Li Luo's face immediately darkened, thinking, With several of your ultimate moves slamming down like this, what man could withstand it?

Fortunately, Xu Youyu didn't keep teasing him; after sitting on the boat enjoying the scenery for a while, about forty or fifty minutes, the small boat docked again.

After the two of them went ashore, with perfect tacit understanding, they continued holding hands, fingers interlaced, walking along the lakeside.

Along the way, craving a snack, Xu Youyu bought each of them a hot dog and a cup of milk tea, only then separating their hands.

But for the sake of gathering material, Xu Youyu naturally would not let such an opportunity slip by.

Seeing that only the last bite remained of the hot dog in Li Luo's hand, she suddenly grabbed his hand and made as if to bite it.

"Hey!" Li Luo's hand twitched, and he watched helplessly as Xu Youyu ate the last bite of his leftover hot dog.

Looking at her tempting appearance with grease on the corner of her mouth, and thinking that what she was eating was his own hot dog, Li Luo momentarily froze, a strange emotion surging in the bottom of his heart.

"What does it feel like?" Xu Youyu raised her hand and poked Li Luo's chest. "You must record this carefully; you can write it into the book next time."

Li Luo pressed his lips together, his gaze subconsciously falling on the hot dog in Xu Youyu's hand.

Noticing Li Luo's line of sight, Xu Youyu immediately broke into a smile and, without the slightest hesitation, held her own hot dog out to his lips: "Here, have a taste."

"Is it okay?"

"We are lovers; how could I find you disgusting?" Xu Youyu smiled brilliantly, bringing the hot dog in her hand even closer to Li Luo's lips. "Open up, Ah~"

Following the atmosphere of the moment, Li Luo gently opened his lips and took a bite.

Actually, the taste was no different.

But he always felt it was a little sweeter than the one he had eaten just before.

Xu Youyu looked at her hot dog, now bitten once, her eyes staring blankly for a moment; then she silently took a bite herself, chewing and swallowing slowly, while a strange feeling also rose in the bottom of her heart.

Glancing at Li Luo beside her, Xu Youyu smiled happily, thinking that today truly was a great harvest of inspiration.

She felt there were many more daily details she could write into her book.

Starting from half past three, the two of them walked and stopped along Xihu, then took a boat to admire the beautiful scenery on Xihu.

Then they walked back along the lakeside.

Going and coming back, it took more than two hours.

Although it was said to be a one-hour couple game, in reality, it was not until six o'clock in the evening, when they left the side of Xihu, that Li Luo and Xu Youyu finally let go of their hands.

"Alright." Xu Youyu clapped her hands and said with a grin, "Today's couple material-gathering journey has come to a successful conclusion. Although it was a bit overtime, the harvest was full. What does Junior Brother think?"

"... It was fine."

"What's with this perfunctory attitude?"

"After all, we're not a couple anymore; being a bit perfunctory shouldn't matter, right?"

"Good, good, good. Once the couple status is dissolved, your mouth immediately becomes sharp, doesn't it?"

"After all, Senior Sister wouldn't want her family to know you're writing novels, right? So I advise you to be a bit more honest."

"You're being a bit too arrogant."

"I'm hungry. What do you want to eat?" Li Luo smiled and asked, "As I mentioned before, it's my treat."

"Is there a restaurant suitable for couples? How about we go gather material again?" Xu Youyu suggested with a beaming smile.

"Vetoed."

"Tch, stingy."

"It's you, Senior Sister, who are too greedy."

"You seemed quite happy while gathering material just now."

"... Did I? I only felt it was pure torment."

"Junior Brother, speaking like that will hurt my feelings."

"Just don't make me look at your wounds in public."

"If you want to see... after we return to the room, it's not impossible~ Brother~"

"Shut up! You scared me!"

"Damn! You truly don't understand how to enjoy life; others don't get this treatment! You should cherish it a bit more."

"I'm afraid I'm not blessed enough to enjoy it; please just act normal."

"Hmph! I want Western food! Steak! Pick the most expensive one! Watch me eat you into poverty!"

"As long as you're happy."

"Husband, you're so good~"

"You damn... speak properly!"