Chapter 448

The morning snorkeling activity lasted until just after eleven o'clock at noon.

At eleven o'clock, Butler Liu returned to the yacht on time.

By the time Li Luo and the others boarded the yacht from the sea, he had already changed into casual attire, donned an apron over his chest, and waited for them to remove their wetsuits, rinse off briefly in the bedroom bathroom, then led them up to the yacht's third floor.

What was called the third floor was in fact just an open-air platform.

Around the entire platform ran a railing, followed by a circle of sofas and chairs, enough to seat about ten people without feeling cramped.

The table in the center was foldable; when unfolded and the tabletop lifted, a barbecue grill and tray lay beneath.

Butler Liu had pre-lit the charcoal, and as Li Luo and the others took their seats, he laid aluminum foil over the grill and brushed it with oil.

On the side rack sat plate after plate of pre-skewered fresh meat and vegetables.

Butler Liu expertly picked up a large handful of skewers and placed them on the grill, then turned to Li Luo and the others with a smile: "This grill can also cook prepared foods—what would you like? We have all the basic ingredients."

Watching Butler Liu speak to them while simultaneously managing the skewers, Li Luo couldn't help asking: "Butler Liu, did you learn this too?"

"I hold a Level Two Chef's Certificate," Butler Liu replied humbly. "Though this grill isn't as convenient as a wok, preparing simple dishes is no problem."

"... Then go ahead as you see fit. We don't have any dietary restrictions."

"Understood, no problem."

Watching Butler Liu skillfully prepare the food, the delicious aroma of grilled skewers and other dishes rising, Li Luo couldn't help raising an eyebrow, feeling a sudden urge to try himself.

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So, midway through, when Li Luo felt less hungry, he walked over to Butler Liu's side and took over his work.

"Mr. Li Luo, what are you doing?" Butler Liu stared at him in surprise.

"I'm no professional," Li Luo chuckled, "but I do have some skill. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Sit down and have a bite—I'll show you something."

Butler Liu blinked, was guided to a nearby seat, and watched Li Luo's movements with practiced ease, falling into deep thought.

Isn't Li Luo a novelist?

That he could cook was understandable, but the professionalism of his barbecue technique surprised Butler Liu slightly.

"Butler Liu, how's my skill? Would it qualify me to apply as a butler?"

"Mr. Li, you're joking," Butler Liu chuckled. "If you came to work as a butler, where would I find my next meal? If there's a future, I'll be the one applying to you."

"Haha, Butler Liu, you're too skilled to be my butler—you'd be wasted."

On the open-air platform, everyone ate barbecue, chatted and teased each other, soaked in the sunlight, and felt warm and full.

Whether it was because the snorkeling instructor wouldn't join them for lunch—or for some other reason—

when they ate barbecue on the platform at noon, Yu Xiaonan didn't come up; she stayed in the living room and cooked herself something simple.

By the time they finished the barbecue, it was already past twelve noon.

Although snorkeling involved less physical exertion than swimming, the extended duration still drained considerable energy.

After playing so long in the morning and eating so well at noon, the elders grew drowsy, and Butler Liu arranged for them to go downstairs to nap in the bedrooms.

The young people had better stamina; even after so much activity, though slightly tired, they didn't yet need to nap.

Xu Youyu had only played in the water briefly, then returned to rest on the yacht—he wasn't exhausted at all.

Now the four of them lay on deck loungers, quietly enjoying the sea's tranquility, snacking on small fruits, utterly at ease.

At one in the afternoon, when Lin Xiuhong and the others woke up, the yacht set sail again toward another snorkeling spot near the island.

"The water here is about three to four meters deep—stay close to the yacht, don't swim too far."

Yu Xiaonan said at the water access steps, "This is the final snorkeling session today—it ends at three in the afternoon."

"Put on your gear now, one by one."

Undeniably, though all were underwater, each new location offered a different underwater scene.

With the deeper water this time, besides beautiful coral, there were now many schools of fish.

Each fish was no larger than a palm, some barely the size of a thumb, streaming past you in vast, shimmering masses.

And when you passed through the schools, they would skillfully dodge your body, then reunite in coordinated harmony.

For an hour and a half, Li Luo and the others swam freely underwater, resting on the yacht when tired, then diving again to admire the seabed once their strength returned.

Ying Chanxi used an underwater camera to record plenty of footage, planning to use it someday in a music video.

When the time reached three in the afternoon, the snorkeling activity finally ended.

Li Luo and the others boarded the yacht, returned to Qiongzhou City's private harbor, disembarked, then returned to the minibus, where Butler Liu drove them back to the private villa.

"I'm dead tired~"

After returning to the villa, Xu Youyu sighed deeply, heading upstairs as he said: "I'm going to my room for a nap—wake me when it's time for dinner."

"I need to rest too," Li Guohong rubbed his head. "I slept on the yacht earlier and got dizzy—I need to recover a bit."

"Go ahead," Lin Xiuhong said. "Chanxi, come here—let's play mahjong."

"Oh, okay," Ying Chanxi obediently followed, heading to the mahjong room on the second floor.

Seeing this, Yan Zhusheng immediately turned his eyes, pulled Li Luo away from the mahjong room, and said: "Li Luo, I want to play pool."

There were eight of them total: two went upstairs to rest, four went to play mahjong—now only the two of them were free.

Seeing Yan Zhusheng say this, Li Luo nodded and walked straight toward the pool table.

Ying Chanxi, already inside the mahjong room, turned around and noticed Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng were gone—her face instantly went blank, and she hurried to the doorway to peek out.

Seeing Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng at the pool table in the second-floor living room, apparently planning to play a bit of pool, she finally relaxed.

But as soon as the sound of mahjong began inside the room, Yan Zhusheng picked up the cue, aimed at the back of the white ball—and missed entirely.

"Li Luo."

"What's wrong? If you missed, try again."

"I can't play well," Yan Zhusheng looked at him with innocent eyes. "Teach me."

Li Luo was now accustomed to this person's tricks; seeing her pure, guileless expression, he couldn't help but laugh and sigh, yet still walked behind Yan Zhusheng.

"Shall I teach you?" Li Luo patted Yan Zhusheng on the back, and she obediently bent over the pool table, repositioning the cue.

Seeing this, Li Luo also bent down, wrapping his arms around Yan Zhusheng's body, one hand gripping her small hand on the cue, the other steadying her hand resting on the pool table.

"Watch the ball, not me," Li Luo turned his head to glance at the girl, seeing her constantly staring at him, and couldn't help laughing. "How can you hit the ball if you're looking at me?"

"I think I need some encouragement," Yan Zhusheng said seriously.

"What kind of encouragement?"

"Like this." Yan Zhusheng leaned her head forward, lightly brushing her lips against Li Luo's, then turned her head back, finally focusing intently on the white ball.

Stirred by Yan Zhusheng's touch, Li Luo took a deep breath, but still missed the shot entirely when guiding her cue.

"Li Luo, how did you get so bad?"

"... Try thinking about whose fault that is."

"Is the encouragement not enough?" Yan Zhusheng asked, her expression earnest.

Looking at the thin, rosy crescent of her lips, Li Luo leaned close to Yan Zhusheng, pinning her against the pool table and holding her slender waist. "Then what kind of encouragement do you think you need?"

"I already taught you just now."

Knock knock knock.

At five-thirty in the evening, Xu Youyu's door was knocked on.

Yan Zhusheng pushed the door open and entered, shaking awake Xu Youyu, who was asleep in bed.

"Senior, wake up, it's dinner time."

"Mmm..." Xu Youyu struggled in bed, stretched lazily, and half-awake opened her eyes to see Yan Zhusheng beside her. She rubbed her eyes in confusion. "Zhusheng, why are your lips so red?"

"Senior, you just woke up, you're seeing things," Yan Zhusheng pressed her lips together. "I thought your eyes looked a bit red from sleep."

"Really?" Xu Youyu, still half-asleep and not thinking clearly, didn't dwell on it. She got out of bed with Yan Zhusheng, tidied up briefly, and the two headed together to the first-floor dining room.

After dinner, Lin Xiuhong leaned back in her chair, comfortably rubbing her stomach, then suddenly remembered something and said to Cui Suling: "I remember there's a hot spring on the second floor. I've been swimming all day and I'm exhausted—let's soak in it later to relax?"

"Sure," Cui Suling nodded, turning to Xu Youyu. "Didn't you two soak in it yesterday? How was it?"

"It was great," Xu Youyu nodded. "Shall we soak together tonight?"

"Alright," Cui Suling said. "Let's do it at nine. After soaking, rest a bit, then it'll be time to sleep. Are we going to watch the sunrise tomorrow?"

"Yes," Li Luo nodded. "We have to get up at four a. m. tomorrow, head to the mountain-top park to watch the sunrise, and stroll around there all morning."

"In the afternoon, we'll visit the Coconut Dream Promenade and watch the sunset by the sea."

"At night, we'll come back and rest."

"Mm, we'll come back at night," Cui Suling said, nodding. Her gaze subtly flickered toward her daughter, a faint smile curling at her lips—as if she'd just thought of something.

Xu Youyu noticed her mother's gaze and asked in confusion, "Mom, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing," Cui Suling turned her gaze away, then said to Lin Xiuhong, "Let's get a massage first? Then we'll go soak in the hot spring."

"Alright," Lin Xiuhong nodded and stood up, following Cui Suling upstairs.

Li Guohong and Xu Rongsheng went upstairs to play pool.

So Li Luo took the three girls to the mahjong room to pass the time with a game.

"Lose a round, take off one piece of clothing?" Xu Youyu sat down and immediately raised an eyebrow.

Li Luo: "... Are you obsessed with taking off clothes? My dad and Xu Rongsheng are still playing pool in the living room!"

"I locked the door," Yan Zhusheng said, her face serious and voice low.

"Huh?" Ying Chanxi, hearing this, froze. "R-Really? We're actually gonna take off clothes?"

"Take off your damn clothes!" Li Luo snapped. "The loser does five push-ups!"

"You want me to die?" Xu Youyu widened her eyes in strong protest.

"At least that's more sensible than taking off clothes."

"Is taking off clothes not sensible?" Xu Youyu glanced at Yan Zhusheng.

Yan Zhusheng nodded.

Xu Youyu looked at Ying Chanxi.

Ying Chanxi lowered her head, silent.

So Xu Youyu turned back to Li Luo and raised an eyebrow at him.

Li Luo was speechless, thinking: What even is this?

"After one round, the loser takes off one piece," Li Luo stepped back slightly, reluctantly agreeing. "We're soaking at nine—there's still two hours. Fifty chips each. Only take off clothes after you've lost all your chips."

"Fine," Xu Youyu had wanted something more thrilling, but since Li Luo had said that, she nodded in agreement.