Chapter 446: Three Girls Getting Jealous Together

Li Luo and the others departed from their private villa at seven in the morning and arrived at the snorkeling club just before eight.

By the time the snorkeling instruction ended, it was already around nine in the morning.

Under Yu Xiaonan's guidance, they returned to the yacht and circled the private island, reaching a stretch of sea ideal for beginner snorkelers.

Yu Xiaonan stood on the deck, idly brushing her short hair aside, turned toward the open sea, and leaned against the railing to address everyone:

"It's nine-thirty now; we'll stay here for about half an hour."

"The water depth nearby is gentle, mostly around one meter, allowing you to stand firmly—it's relatively safe."

"Let's first get used to the sensation of snorkeling in the water here."

"Once everyone feels comfortable, we'll move to deeper areas."

At this moment, whether Li Luo, Ying Chanxi, or Lin Xiuhong and the others, all were experiencing this activity for the first time, each filled with anticipation and nervousness.

After Li Luo and the others re-donned their gear, Yu Xiaonan had already put on her snorkeling equipment and walked to the yacht's entry steps, unlatched the railing, and leapt into the water.

Turning to face those on the yacht, Yu Xiaonan said: "Come down now."

Li Luo walked first, stepped down the ladder, and was the first to jump into the water; after firmly planting his feet on the seabed rocks, he relaxed slightly and turned toward the yacht, waving to the others.

Yan Zhusheng immediately followed obediently, stepping down the ladder toward the water's edge.

Li Luo stood in the seawater, reached out, and took Yan Zhusheng's small hand, guiding her into the water.

Next came Xu Youyu and Ying Chanxi, whom Li Luo each took by the hand and helped down, settling them safely into the water and ensuring they stood firm.

Lin Xiuhong watched this scene from the yacht, her gaze fixed on her son's hand clasped with the young girl's, unable to suppress a silent click of her tongue, unsure what to say.

When Lin Xiuhong stepped down the ladder, Li Luo extended his hand as usual, intending to help his mother into the water.

But Lin Xiuhong gave him a glare, lightly swatted his hand away, and said: "I can manage myself."

Li Guohong and Xu Rongsheng behind her, of course, needed no help from Li Luo.

Yet when Cui Suling descended, Li Luo still politely extended his hand.

Cui Suling gladly accepted it and was helped into the water by Li Luo.

After everyone was in the water, Yu Xiaonan approached to carefully inspect everyone's equipment.

When she reached Li Luo, she thoroughly checked his gear, routinely touching his mask and snorkel.

But the three girls beside her, upon seeing this, each wore different expressions.

After all, Yu Xiaonan was genuinely beautiful—twenty-five or twenty-six, at that age when a woman is mature yet still retains a touch of youthfulness.

Coupled with the naturally cool, professional demeanor of a diving instructor, it was clear that not only Xu Youyu, but also Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng, upon seeing another beautiful woman near Li Luo, couldn't help but start overthinking.

Li Luo, however, didn't think this deeply—he wasn't some genuine playboy who'd try to claim every pretty girl he saw.

No matter how beautiful Yu Xiaonan was, she meant nothing to him; to him, this diving instructor's only value was ensuring no male instructor would get close to his three girls.

Although he'd just teased himself internally about Youyu's slightly strong possessiveness, in truth, the strongest possessiveness likely belonged to him.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered arranging a private beach at all.

Just as Li Luo was silently mocking himself, Yu Xiaonan finished her checks and announced they could begin snorkeling.

Hearing this, Li Luo eagerly dove into the water and began swimming freely, following the earlier instruction.

As someone with a Memory Palace, Li Luo learned things quickly; once in the water, he moved like a fish, instantly adapting to the sensation of snorkeling.

In contrast, the four parents adapted much more slowly, so Yu Xiaonan focused more attention on them to prevent accidents.

Yan Zhusheng had excellent motor skills and adapted rapidly, soon catching up to Li Luo's movements.

Ying Chanxi, by contrast, initially felt uncomfortable, but far better than the elders; after a little practice with Xu Youyu, she joined Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng.

The water here was shallow; snorkeling gave the illusion of swimming directly along the seabed.

Though the water was clear, there were no coral reefs or similar scenery—mostly rocks, shells, and seaweed; the seabed view was relatively monotonous.

Occasionally, a lone fish startled by their presence brought a small thrill; beyond that, the joy came mostly from simply snorkeling for the first time.

Of course, for Li Luo, watching the girls' graceful figures underwater was another kind of pleasure.

Ying Chanxi's slender, petite frame, Yan Zhusheng's long, straight legs, and Xu Youyu's noticeably fuller chest while swimming—all made Li Luo's gaze linger.

They say snorkeling lets you admire underwater scenery—beautiful coral reefs, schools of fish—but none compared to the three mermaids before him.

So while Ying Chanxi and the others eagerly dove to admire the seabed, they became the scenery in Li Luo's eyes.

"Li Luo." Yan Zhusheng surfaced, standing in the water with her upper body exposed, and looked at Li Luo as he also broke the surface.

"What's up?" Li Luo glanced at Ying Chanxi and Xu Youyu in the water, confirmed their snorkels weren't drifting far, then turned to Yan Zhusheng and asked, "Tired?"

"No." Yan Zhusheng shook her head. "You haven't looked at the seabed much—you've been staring at us."

"Cough…" Li Luo, caught red-handed, felt embarrassed, then said, "How do you know I've been staring at you?"

"Because I've been watching you." Yan Zhusheng tilted her head bluntly.

Li Luo: "... I was just worried about you, so I had to keep an eye out to make sure you didn't get hurt—and I'm wearing a mask; even if you stared at me, you couldn't tell what I was looking at."

"I guessed." Yan Zhusheng blinked. "Aren't you just admitting it now?"

Li Luo: "... Where did you learn this trick?"

"Learned it yesterday." Yan Zhusheng answered honestly.

Last night in bed, Xu Youyu had pulled off this move and effortlessly extracted from Ying Chanxi the details of what they'd done on the beach.

Yan Zhusheng clearly had strong learning ability in this area—she'd already put it into practice.

"Keep playing, get more practice." Li Luo told her. "When we go to deeper water, you won't be able to stand like this anymore."

"Okay."

…

Half an hour later, Yu Xiaonan gathered them near the yacht, gripped the railing of the entry steps, and climbed aboard first.

Then she bent down, reached out her hand, and pulled Li Luo onto the yacht first.

Seeing this—especially Li Luo's hand clasped in Yu Xiaonan's—the three girls immediately frowned, each looking slightly displeased.

When Ying Chanxi was also pulled onto the boat, she immediately walked over to Li Luo's side, glanced left and right, then as if confirming something, silently took hold of Li Luo's right hand.

"What are you doing?" Li Luo startled, quickly glancing toward his parents.

Fortunately, Li Guohong had just been pulled onto the boat by Coach Yu, and the other three elders were still soaking in the water, no one paying attention here.

But Li Luo still whispered, "Everyone's still here."

"I know," Ying Chanxi muttered, but refused to let go; instead, she extended her other hand and gripped Li Luo's large hand tightly, tracing every inch of it.

Only after Lin Xiuhong and the others had boarded did Ying Chanxi reluctantly seem satisfied, nodding and finally releasing Li Luo's hand.

"You're acting weird," Li Luo said, half-laughing, looking down at his hand and asking, "What exactly were you doing just now?"

"Nothing," Ying Chanxi huffed softly, but couldn't help leaning close to Li Luo's ear and whispering, "That hand of yours was just touched by Coach Yu."

Li Luo: "...?"

"Is she poisonous? Do you need to purify me?" Li Luo laughed, lifting his hand to pinch Ying Chanxi's cheek.

Ying Chanxi's cheeks visibly flushed, slightly embarrassed, yet she still whispered, "I just felt Coach Yu was looking at you in a strange way—did you two know each other before?"

"No," Li Luo shook his head.

"Then why does she keep staring at you?" As a woman, Ying Chanxi's intuition was sharp.

Li Luo was somewhat surprised—he hadn't paid much attention to Yu Xiaonan's gaze, yet Ying Chanxi had noticed it so closely.

"Maybe… she's read the book I wrote?" Li Luo speculated.

"How do you know she read your book?" Ying Chanxi was startled, then immediately narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Butler Liu told me—don't tell anyone else," Li Luo whispered. "Coach Yu isn't just a diving instructor; she's the boss's daughter who lent us the villa."

"She probably read my book before, then heard the author was coming here to vacation."

"When we planned to go diving, she volunteered to be our instructor—maybe she just wanted to see what the author of that book looked like."

After hearing Li Luo's explanation, Ying Chanxi didn't relax—instead, she felt an even stronger sense of lurking danger.

To be fair.

Yu Xiaonan was beautiful, and as a diving instructor, her professionalism and focus while teaching them carried a unique charm.

According to Butler Liu, Yu Xiaonan was the most popular instructor at the diving club.

No wonder Ying Chanxi felt threatened.

Although she didn't doubt Li Luo, she still couldn't help worrying.

Even the thought of Li Luo and Yu Xiaonan holding hands—even just helping him onto the boat—made Ying Chanxi uneasy.

"She's just an ordinary reader," Li Luo saw the hidden jealousy in Ying Chanxi's eyes, but couldn't fathom how many subtle thoughts girls had; he explained once and assumed the matter was settled.

After everyone returned to the yacht, Yu Xiaonan instructed the crew in the cockpit to steer toward another stretch of sea near the island.

"The next area has beautiful coral reefs, about two meters deep," Yu Xiaonan told everyone. "I brought underwater cameras—if you want to take photos, let me know."

"Do you have extra underwater cameras?" Li Luo asked. "Can I use one?"

"Sure," Yu Xiaonan nodded, looking at Li Luo. "But holding a camera underwater for the first time might make it hard to balance—I'll watch you closely."

"Give me the camera," Yan Zhusheng stepped forward, pulling Li Luo aside and saying to Yu Xiaonan, "I'll take the photos."

Li Luo glanced at Yan Zhusheng in surprise, then noticed Ying Chanxi and Xu Youyu whispering behind him, and raised an eyebrow.

"There are several underwater cameras," Yu Xiaonan said. "You two adapted quickly—try one each."

Saying this, Yu Xiaonan walked into the yacht to retrieve the cameras.

Li Luo turned to Ying Chanxi, helplessly saying, "Did you say something to them? Didn't I tell you not to tell anyone?"

"Are Yan Zhusheng and I 'anyone'?" Xu Youyu chuckled, squinting at Li Luo.

Li Luo fell silent: "... Alright, you're not."