Chapter 34: Xu Youyu

The next morning.

Xu Youyu was sound asleep in bed when she was woken by a knock at the door.

"Mmm… who is it?" Xu Youyu mumbled into her pillow, sounding annoyed.

"Senior, are you still asleep?" Ying Chanxi's voice came softly from outside. "Li Luo made breakfast—want to get up and eat some?"

"Huh?" Xu Youyu blinked sleepily open. "Breakfast?"

Since summer break started, she'd gone home for a few days, been scolded by her parents, then moved back to her rental, and hadn't eaten breakfast since—just slept in every day.

Who'd have thought renting a place would come with free breakfast?

She'd originally planned to refuse.

But then she remembered Li Luo's cooking from last night, and her mouth watered.

So after struggling for a while in bed, she called out to the door: "Got it, I'm coming."

"Okay!" Ying Chanxi said. "I already ate—I'm heading to school now. Senior, could you wash the dishes? I'll wash them for dinner."

"Sure, no problem." Xu Youyu wasn't lazy—eating someone else's breakfast meant washing a few dishes wasn't a big deal.

After replying to Ying Chanxi, Xu Youyu wrestled with the sheets for a long while longer.

In the middle of struggling, she fell asleep again.

When she woke once more, she heard voices outside again.

This time, it wasn't Ying Chanxi—it was Li Luo.

"Senior, is it convenient to open the door? I'll bring the breakfast in—you can eat right here."

"Mmm…" Xu Youyu rolled over in bed, feeling embarrassed that her junior was bringing food to her bedside.

But the thought of getting up made her feel like a hassle.

So laziness won over reason, and she gave a lazy nasal grunt from under the covers: "Yeah, come in."

The bedroom door opened.

Li Luo carried a tray, placed it on the desk first, pulled out a chair, moved it to the bedside, and expertly set the fried noodles on the chair, directly facing Xu Youyu's pillow.

He set down the chopsticks, then left the bedroom and returned with a glass of water, placing it on the nightstand.

Xu Youyu lay in bed, watching Li Luo perform all this with effortless familiarity, her expression dazed.

How did he know I eat like this…

Xu Youyu propped herself up slightly, lowering her head shyly at the fragrant fried noodles.

When she was home and couldn't get up to eat, her mother would bring the food to her room and set it on the desk.

Once her mother left, Xu Youyu would move the food onto the chair, pull it to the bed, and eat there.

That way, she could stay tucked under the covers while enjoying her meal.

But having someone place food directly on a chair beside her bed? She'd never experienced that before—even her mother didn't know this habit.

Xu Youyu glanced suspiciously at Li Luo.

Li Luo didn't notice—he picked up two empty beer cans beside the computer and said, "Senior, I'll throw these away for you."

"Ah…" Xu Youyu's face flushed when she saw the cans.

But Li Luo had already stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him: "Leave the dishes for you to clean—don't forget the ones on the dining table either."

With that, Li Luo shut the bedroom door.

Xu Youyu was left with her mouth slightly open, her right hand emerging from the covers, frozen in a gesture of protest.

Wait… junior… don't you want to hear me explain first?

Xu Youyu was now thoroughly flustered.

Her secret drinking had been discovered.

But why was her junior so utterly calm about it?

Of course, Xu Youyu wasn't a drunkard—she just drank a little when stuck on writing, to spark inspiration.

Over time, it became a habit.

Staring at the closed door, Xu Youyu lay silent for a moment, pushing the matter aside, then wriggled like a worm toward the edge of the bed.

Mmm… smells good.

Xu Youyu leaned close to the fried noodles, picked up the chopsticks, and slurped a bite.

Mmm~

Holy shit, this is so good?

Xu Youyu blinked, then buried her face in the dish, devouring it like a hamster lost in the lure of food.

…

Outside, Li Luo stood before the balcony window, stretching toward the morning sun.

He'd spent the whole summer helping at his parents' breakfast shop, and now that he was finally free, he had no idea what to do with himself in the early morning.

He couldn't just sit and write all day.

After thinking it over, he went downstairs and jogged several laps around the compound to exercise.

In his past life, after years of work, his weight shot up—he'd get knee pain just from jogging.

This life, while his body was still at its best, he should exercise more and try to build a lasting habit.

When he returned home from jogging, he glanced at the dining table—dishes and chopsticks were already cleaned.

Looks like Xu Youyu finished breakfast.

Li Luo had no intention of disturbing her—he took a shower in the master bedroom, then wandered to the piano room at the far north end.

Bored, he sat at the piano, placed his fingers on the keys, and recalled memories from his mind, clumsily playing "Two Tigers."

In his past life, he'd learned to play guitar, but never piano—he only knew two children's songs, and had never properly played one.

But just as he quietly played the piano to pass the time, the piano room door opened, and Xu Youyu's curious head peeked in.

Li Luo turned his head toward her: "What's wrong? Did I disturb you?"

"No no," Xu Youyu shook her head, then asked, "You can play the piano too?"

This junior's grades were excellent—he got into Fuyi High, scored full marks on his essays, cooked delicious meals, and wrote Online Novels better than she did.

Now he can play the piano too?

Isn't that a bit too incredible?

Seeing her ask like that, Li Luo immediately shook his head: "No, I only know 'Two Tigers' and 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.'"

"That's still pretty impressive," Xu Youyu sighed in relief, thinking it was good he wasn't that talented—or she'd feel inferior.

"But I know a few other things," Li Luo stood up, walked to the corner, and picked up the guitar Ying Chanxi had brought from home—Ying Zhicheng's guitar—"I'm fairly skilled with this."

Saying this, Li Luo sat down, cradled the guitar in his arms, and looked at Xu Youyu.

Watching Li Luo's effortless posture, Xu Youyu raised an eyebrow: "You can play this too?"

"Of course," Li Luo smiled, his gaze returning from Xu Youyu's full figure, lowered his head for a moment of thought, then swept his fingers across the strings.

"Once I dreamed of wandering the world with a sword~"

"To see the world's splendor~"

The moment these two lines of lyrics rang out, they struck Xu Youyu's heart.

Her breath caught; she dared not blink, the familiar melody and Li Luo's voice swirling in her mind, leaving her with a single question.

This guy.

He makes Maple Tofu—her favorite dish—writes Online Novels like she does in secret, places meals on chairs and brings them to her bedside, and now, he can play guitar too.

And yet.

Why does every song he casually sing turn out to be her absolute favorite?