Chapter 457: Yuan Wanqing Is Also Going to the Countryside?

In the evening, Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong eagerly took the elevator down first.

After hearing the news, Xu Youyu and the others followed Li Luo, taking another elevator down to join the Mercedes SUV.

At this moment, Li Guohong was still circling the car, peering here and there, reaching out to touch it, yet hesitating, afraid he might smudge its beautiful paint.

Lin Xiuhong also stood cautiously to the side, not daring to approach, thinking of its price of over a million, she dared not touch it.

When Li Luo and the others came downstairs and saw this scene, they couldn't help but smile.

Walking up to the car and watching his father's adoring gaze, Li Luo laughed and said, "Dad, get in and sit for a bit."

"Let me look a little longer, just a little longer."

Li Guohong chuckled awkwardly but still didn't hurry inside; instead, he stepped back two paces and carefully scanned the car from top to bottom, clearly still processing this sudden surprise.

This Mercedes SUV model, compared to ordinary sedans, had a much higher roof and a larger overall body, appearing very dignified without being as rugged as an off-road vehicle.

It carried a sense of heavy, restrained elegance.

From the front bumper to the roofline, Li Guohong found the curves more beautiful the longer he looked; then he examined the headlights, the rear end—no matter how he looked, it was perfect.

"Cough." Lin Xiufeng, who had followed them downstairs, stood nearby and couldn't help whispering, "Bro, hurry up and take a look—soon the food will get cold. Just get a quick feel for it; we'll have plenty of time after dinner."

"Exactly, exactly." Lin Xiuhong, who had actually wanted to get in, also urged, "Unlock the doors first!"

"Alright, alright." Li Guohong quickly pulled out the car keys from his pant pocket and pressed the unlock button.

The car's indicator lights flashed once, emitting a pleasant unlocking chime.

Lin Xiuhong, unable to wait, yanked open the front passenger door and slid inside.

At first she was cautious, but once her back fully pressed against the seat and her body stretched out comfortably in the passenger seat, even her legs extending fully forward, Lin Xiuhong finally relaxed completely.

"So spacious!" Lin Xiuhong couldn't help exclaiming. "In our old compact sedan, my legs couldn't even stretch out, and the backrest was rock-hard. This seat is truly comfortable."

Seeing Lin Xiuhong already seated inside, Li Guohong could no longer hold back—he quickly opened the driver's door, eagerly rubbed his hands together, and got in.

Gazing at the dashboard gauges and buttons, Li Guohong's expression was excited; he touched here, pressed there, like a child with a brand-new toy.

Li Luo watched this scene with a smile and opened the rear door, saying to the three girls beside him, "Ladies, would you like to get in and try it out?"

With Li Luo's invitation, Ying Chanxi and the others naturally didn't refuse.

Although Ying Chanxi had ridden in her father's BMW, it was still not this high-roofed SUV.

She sat in the backseat with curiosity and immediately realized just how spacious it was.

Yan Zhusheng followed behind, and finally Xu Youyu.

After the three girls squeezed in, they discovered there was still a bit of extra room left.

So Xu Youyu waved to Li Luo, smiling and patting the small space beside her: "This car is so big—come sit in and see, all four of us fit easily."

Li Luo looked at the three of them crammed together and couldn't help laughing: "What's there to squeeze for?"

"Oh come on, just try it! You talk too much." Xu Youyu grabbed Li Luo's hand and pulled him over.

Li Luo had no choice but to step into the car and squeeze in with the four girls in the back row.

Then Xu Youyu deliberately closed the door, making it even tighter.

Lin Xiuhong in the front passenger seat saw this through the rearview mirror, turned her head, and looked at them with amusement.

Li Luo was a bit speechless and couldn't help complaining: "We might as well just buy a bus next time—this is too cramped."

The six of them played around in the car for a while, chatting while watching Li Guohong fiddle with the driver's controls.

Only when Lin Xiufeng knocked on the car window outside, signaling they'd been inside too long, did they reluctantly get out.

Especially Li Guohong—he closed the door after getting out, his eyes still lingering on his beloved car.

As he walked toward the stairwell, he kept glancing back, as if he feared the car would be stolen if he didn't watch it.

By the time they finally returned to 1502 and sat down to eat, Li Guohong still had to walk to the balcony and glance down once more before feeling reassured enough to sit back and eat.

Watching his father's distracted state, Li Luo found it amusing.

But during dinner, Li Guohong said, "Next time you buy something this expensive, you should consult your mom and me first. How much did this car cost?"

"Just under a million," Li Luo said. "Uncle had some connections—he knows people at the 4S shop, so they gave us a small discount."

"A million… that's no small amount," Li Guohong sighed. "You need to think carefully before spending money in the future."

"Yes, I know," Li Luo nodded. "It's about my royalties for one or two months."

Li Guohong: "..."

This brat… he talks without any sense of propriety!

But if you actually did the math, it really was only about one or two months of Li Luo's royalties.

From August to October last year, because Yuan Wanqing appeared on a singing stage, all songs on her album were composed by Li Luo and included in I Am Really Not a Star, creating a synergy between reality and fiction.

As a result, the royalties for I Am Really Not a Star peaked during those months, reaching as high as a million per month.

After the singing variety show ended, the popularity gradually faded, and the royalties for I Am Really Not a Star began to decline, eventually stabilizing at around six to seven hundred thousand per month.

Although it didn't match the peak of a million, it was still higher than the previous level of four to five hundred thousand.

Within Wenxue Group, he was firmly in the top tier of authors.

Buying a Mercedes SUV like this was nothing for Li Luo—just a drop in the bucket.

But whenever people remembered he was just a Gao Er student, they still felt a bit dazed.

Even his closest parents were no exception.

What comforted and reassured Li Guohong was that despite earning so much, Li Luo hadn't become arrogant.

You might say he spends lavishly, but he doesn't have many extravagant expenses in daily life.

Yet if you say he's frugal, he went all out on his trip to Qiongzhou City—private villa, private beach, you name it.

Now he's bought his father a million-yuan car.

He himself hasn't spent much on himself, yet he's spent plenty on his family.

Thinking of this, even an old man like Li Guohong felt a pang in his heart, thinking his son was worth every penny he'd raised.

Does he like this car?

He definitely likes it.

But if he had to decide for himself, he wouldn't want to spend this much money on it.

In this regard, Li Luo is quite like his own father.

If buying a car for himself, Li Luo thought any affordable vehicle that got him around would do—he didn't care much for luxury cars.

But if buying something for his parents, even a car costing over a million, Li Luo would buy it happily.

Especially seeing Li Guohong's delighted expression, he felt the money was well spent.

……

After dinner.

Li Guohong couldn't wait to go downstairs again, planning to take the car out for a drive.

Lin Xiufeng took the keys to Li Guohong's compact car and drove it away for him.

After eating and resting a bit, Xu Youyu packed her luggage and had to return home for the New Year.

Li Luo stood up to see her downstairs.

The two took the elevator to the first floor, walked out of the residential complex, and Li Luo showed no intention of returning—he instead accompanied Xu Youyu all the way toward Qianjiang University's faculty housing area.

"You're seeing me off this far?" Xu Youyu smiled up at Li Luo. "Are you really that reluctant to let me go?"

"Yes, since we won't see each other again until after the New Year." Li Luo nodded.

"I thought you wouldn't admit it."

"I'm not Chanxi."

"Haha~ Daring to say that to Chanxi!" Xu Youyu laughed and playfully slapped him, then didn't pull her hand back—she quietly took Li Luo's hand in hers.

The two strolled slowly toward the faculty housing area, chatting and bantering, but moved at an excruciatingly slow pace.

When they reached the entrance of the faculty housing area, Li Luo walked her inside, all the way to the stairwell entrance, before finally stopping.

"By the way, when will you come back from the countryside?" Xu Youyu, also reluctant to part, stood at the stairwell entrance, not pressing the elevator button, but turning to throw herself into Li Luo's arms, resting her head against his chest, asking softly.

"Probably after the Lantern Festival," Li Luo hugged her. "After the 22nd."

"That's still over half a month away."

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"Yeah."

The moment Li Luo finished speaking, he felt Xu Youyu rise onto her toes and press her soft lips to his.

They kissed for a long time, as if trying to make up for the half-month ahead.

Only when the elevator chimed open did Xu Youyu hastily pull away from Li Luo, blushing as she tidied her hair.

At that moment, an elderly woman stepped out of the elevator. Seeing Xu Youyu, she smiled warmly. "You're Youyu? Back home?"

"Aunt Yu~" Xu Youyu greeted her warmly. "Are you heading to the barbecue place?"

"Yes, my husband asked me to go," Aunt Yu smiled. "He's getting together with some friends for barbecue again."

"Then be careful on your way."

"Alright, you hurry home too—your mom's been nagging about you nonstop."

Aunt Yu passed by them, smiled and greeted Li Luo as well, asked no further questions, and walked out of the stairwell.

"Aunt Yu's husband is one of my dad's teachers—he's a professor at Qianjiang University," Xu Youyu turned to introduce to Li Luo, then stepped into the elevator. "I'll go up now."

"Mm." Li Luo nodded, watching the elevator doors close, lost in thought.

Aunt Yu, Li Luo was quite familiar with.

Because her husband loved barbecue and had even developed his own barbecue stall.

At first, it was just gatherings with friends, but gradually it gained some fame—many Qianjiang University regulars came to eat.

Over time, it became an old-established shop.

In his past life, when Xu Youyu and he met in person for the first time, she took him there once.

Missing the taste of that barbecue, Li Luo shook his head with a wistful smile and turned toward Bihai Lanting.

……

After returning to Bihai Lanting 1502, Li Guohong had just come back from his drive.

Lin Xiuhong had already washed the dishes, and the couple rested briefly in the living room.

"Remember to get up early tomorrow to buy New Year goods," Lin Xiuhong told Li Luo, then turned to Li Guohong. "What did Zhicheng say? He's coming back with us, right?"

"Yeah, he's coming back with us," Li Guohong nodded. "He should be home tonight, but…"

"But what?" Lin Xiuhong asked, puzzled.

"Tomorrow's the sixth, and the seventh is New Year's Eve," Li Guohong said. "Zhuseng's mother seems to have come with Zhicheng—she wants to accompany Zhuseng to our countryside first, to pay an early New Year visit."

"Then she has to leave tomorrow evening to catch a flight to the capital, since she needs to appear on the Spring Festival Gala."

"After the Gala, she'll return to pick up Zhuseng and take her abroad."

"Oh, that's nice," Lin Xiuhong smiled upon hearing Yuan Wanqing would be visiting. "We were just lamenting the other day during our trip to Qiongzhou that they couldn't come—now we'll get to gather again."

"But after the Gala, can't Wanqing stay here a few more days?"

"Could she stay until the fifth day of the New Year?"

"Why wait until the fifth?" Li Guohong looked confused. "She's going abroad for medical treatment and recuperation—she shouldn't delay."

"I'm just asking," Lin Xiuhong said. "I was just chatting with Suling—we're so close as families, we should definitely get together for the New Year."

"Suling said their family is free on the fifth—they can come to the countryside to pay a visit."

"I was thinking, if Zhicheng and Wanqing are also there, wouldn't it be even livelier?"

"I see," Li Guohong nodded thoughtfully. "I'll ask Zhicheng—if it really interferes with her schedule, then forget it."

"Alright, I just mentioned it."

Li Luo, listening to his parents' conversation, felt his heart flutter involuntarily—he wondered, was Aunt Yuan going to return to the countryside too?

To be honest, without Ying Chanxi's invitation to Yan Zhusheng, Ying Zhicheng probably wouldn't have taken Yuan Wanqing and Yan Zhusheng back.

After all, it would be too abrupt.

But this time, since Ying Chanxi had actively invited Yan Zhusheng to spend the New Year in the countryside, Ying Zhicheng simply went along with it and brought Yuan Wanqing back as well.

Just imagining that scene made Li Luo feel a thrill.

Uncle Ying really was bold… wouldn't he be afraid of giving something away?