Chapter 500: Just Get the Rice Cooked Already

"What's this?" Cui Suling asked curiously as Xu Youyu opened the package with a delighted expression. "Who sent you a letter?"

"Oh, you talk too much." Xu Youyu rose immediately upon seeing the letter in her hand, heading for the bedroom, then turned back halfway to pick up two meat buns and a cup of soy milk from the table before returning to her room.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Cui Suling stared at her, utterly baffled. "Why do you have to go into your room just to eat?"

"Let her be." Xu Rongsheng didn't know what was going on either, but remembering how Li Luo had personally asked Xu Youyu to open the door for the delivery, he naturally had his suspicions. "It's Gaokao today—let her have her way. Just don't let it delay the exam."

It was just some little romantic quirk among young people. Xu Rongsheng glanced at Li Luo, saw him calmly sipping his porridge, and smiled.

He recalled his own college days—back then, writing letters was still quite fashionable when dating.

But in this era of the internet and text messages, writing letters had become rare.

Thinking this, Xu Rongsheng remembered how, during winter break, they'd written such letters at the entrance of the mountain park in Qiongzhou City.

They could even schedule delivery dates, he recalled.

Xu Rongsheng reasonably suspected that this letter from Li Luo had been written back then.

But wasn't that place called "Love Post Office"?

Xu Rongsheng understood everything now. He looked from Li Luo to his daughter's room, remembering Xu Youyu's joyful expression earlier, then noticed Ying Chanxi's slightly envious expression across the table—and sighed helplessly.

Throughout history, how many beauties had brought ruin.

Yet this time, the ruin wasn't a beautiful woman.

Xu Rongsheng's gaze on Li Luo now carried a faintly amused tone.

He only hoped his daughter wouldn't get too deeply entangled.

Once she entered university, perhaps she'd meet someone even more outstanding—or someone who could attract her in other ways.

So for now, these youthful romantic feelings didn't trouble Xu Rongsheng much.

Meanwhile, as they ate breakfast at the table, Xu Youyu had already sat down at her desk.

She held a meat bun in her mouth, set the soy milk and the other bun aside, placed the envelope on the table, and carefully slit open the seal.

After finishing the meat bun, she wiped her hands with a tissue, then pulled out the letter from the envelope.

But as she pulled it out, a postcard slipped out with it—a photo of the ocean.

The sun hung high in the sky, blazing bright, the heavens clear and cloudless.

Just one glance broadened the spirit and lifted the heart.

On the back of the postcard was written a single sentence.

【Being with Youyu-jie is like this picture—sunny, passionate, and vast. That's why I chose this postcard as a blessing for your Gaokao.】

But Li Luo hadn't said everything.

Because it involved his past-life relationship with Xu Youyu.

If the postcard he gave Ying Chanxi had been a sunrise over the sea, symbolizing Li Luo's youthful days,

then this postcard of midday sun given to Xu Youyu symbolized their meeting in his past life—when Li Luo had entered society and his vital energy was at its peak.

Xu Youyu didn't know this, but it didn't stop her from loving the postcard.

She read the words on it over and over again before gently placing it on the desk, then turned her gaze to the letter.

She unfolded the folded paper, and the words leapt into her eyes.

【Youyu-jie:】

【I don't know if this letter will arrive on time, but if it does, I imagine you'll feel a little surprise upon reading it.】

【This letter was written in February in Qiongzhou City, and now, four months later, it's reached your hands from a thousand miles away.】

【I originally planned to set the delivery date for June 8th—your birthday.】

【But after thinking it over, I decided to set it for the day before.】

【Though this surprise might distract a Gaokao candidate, when I think of Youyu-jie, I feel this worry is unnecessary.】

【In short, with the Gaokao approaching, I hope Youyu-jie gives her best and achieves a great score.】

【Though our goal isn't Tsinghua or Peking University, if your score exceeds their cutoff but you still choose Qian University, wouldn't that be even more impressive?】

【I'm not incapable of getting into Tsinghua or Peking—I just don't want to go so far from home. Choosing Qian University is more convenient. Isn't that a smoother way to show off?】

At this point, Xu Youyu couldn't help but smile.

In truth, Xu Youyu herself wasn't nervous about the Gaokao because her only goal was Qian University.

If it were Tsinghua or Peking, even if she gave her all, she couldn't be certain—only that the odds were decent.

She'd originally planned to just take it easy, but after reading Li Luo's words, she suddenly felt eager to try harder.

【Now that I've talked about the Gaokao, let's talk about your birthday.】

【Though this letter arrives one day before your birthday, I still want to say it early: Happy Birthday.】

【After the exam on the 8th, you'll come home in the evening, and everyone will gather to celebrate you.】

【But the 9th is Sunday—so I'll take Youyu-jie out on a proper date then.】

"You thought of everything, didn't you?" Xu Youyu huffed, but her lips curled upward. She knew she shouldn't be distracted before the exam, yet she couldn't help but look forward to it—she just wanted to get the Gaokao over with.

【Unfortunately, after your Gaokao, you'll be on vacation, but we still have to wait until the end of the month for summer break.】

【While you're stuck at home, you could start brainstorming your next novel? I can chat with you when I get back in the evening.】

【But you don't have to rush to start the new book—take your time preparing. You can begin after university military training ends.】

【Of course, it's up to Youyu-jie's own schedule—I'm still looking forward to your new book.】

【Finally, finally…】

【I wish Youyu-jie all the best for the Gaokao.】

【Good luck on your exam!】

【—Li Luo】

After reading the letter, Xu Youyu read it again, then folded the paper, placed it back in the envelope with the postcard, and stored it safely.

After finishing the remaining meat buns and drinking the soy milk, Xu Youyu finally stepped out of the bedroom, her gaze landing on Li Luo.

The two exchanged a glance, and Li Luo saw the amusement in Xu Youyu's eyes, returning it with a smile.

The two silently avoided any conversation related to the letter; everything was understood without words.

After breakfast, it was only seven o'clock—still early before the Chinese exam at nine.

So Xu Youyu returned to her bedroom, reviewing the passages she needed to memorize and giving them a quick reinforcement.

At eight o'clock, she double-checked her exam supplies, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and was escorted to the exam center by Li Luo and the others.

Although Li Luo, Ying Chanxi, and Yan Zhusheng didn't need to take the college entrance exam, they still accompanied Xu Youyu out the door, joining Xu Rongsheng and Cui Suling to escort her to the First Affiliated High School.

Xu Youyu looked at the entourage and felt a little embarrassed: "Most kids only get their parents to drop them off—you five showing up together makes me feel like I'm some fragile child."

"We're just getting a feel for the Gaokao atmosphere," Li Luo laughed. "And we'll only do this once—after today, we won't come along anymore."

"Isn't more people better?" Cui Suling gave her daughter a look. "Hold your head high and do your best."

"Got it~" Xu Youyu replied. When they reached the school gate, she received her admission ticket from her homeroom teacher and, after security verification, walked smoothly inside.

After stepping through the school gate, Xu Youyu turned back and waved to them before disappearing around the corner of the teaching building.

"Alright, stop staring," Xu Rongsheng chuckled, patting Cui Suling's shoulder. "She's already in. Let's go home."

"At least wait until the exam starts," Cui Suling muttered.

"It won't make a difference," Xu Rongsheng reassured her. "Once she's inside, it's all up to her. Aren't you supposed to be cooking? Go home early and get started."

"True," Cui Suling reluctantly nodded. "Then I'll go buy groceries."

"Auntie Cui, I'll go with you," Li Luo said. "Xixi and Zhusheng can head home first."

"Fine," Cui Suling happily agreed, grabbing Li Luo's arm and heading toward the market. "Li Luo, you come with me."

She was different from Xu Rongsheng.

Xu Rongsheng thought the kids were still young, and some things didn't need to be decided too early.

But Cui Suling's views on love and marriage were different—once she set her sights on someone, she moved fast.

When she was young, she actively pursued Xu Rongsheng with this mindset, and managed to secure him before he even enrolled in university.

Now, after spending so much time together, the more she watched Li Luo, the more she liked him—this boy suited her perfectly in every way.

He was a good student, had a good character, and was thoughtful.

Talented, good at making money, achieved great success at a young age, yet never acted arrogant—on the contrary, he was humble and reserved.

Someone like this was one in ten thousand—how much luck did it take to meet him?

So Cui Suling's view was completely opposite to her husband's.

With such an excellent son-in-law candidate right here, why wait? Why not strike first?

After all, Li Luo would be entering university in a year.

The two kids got along well, and privately, they exchanged glances full of meaning—Cui Suling had even caught Xu Youyu secretly wearing those kinds of clothes in bed.

If everything went smoothly, maybe Xu Youyu could even give birth while in university—then she could become a grandmother sooner, right?

Cui Suling was a little traditional in this regard, but not overly so.

The only thing that worried her was that besides her own daughter Xu Youyu, Li Luo had two other exceptionally talented rivals.

One was Ying Chanxi—not only Li Luo's childhood friend, but someone who had grown up with him, and whose families were already well acquainted.

Ying Zhi Cheng himself was impressive—he ran a film and television company and could even help Li Luo sell the film and TV rights to "Little Joys."

With such career support, plus the close relationship between the two families, if they eventually became in-laws, it would be a beautiful story.

And on the other side:

One was Yan Zhusheng—not only Li Luo's classmate and desk partner, but also a musical genius like him, sharing deep common ground.

Moreover, Yan Zhusheng's mother was the current pop star Yuan Wanqing, and even Yuan Wanqing's successful comeback album had been entirely produced by Li Luo himself, making her shine on stage.

With such deep ties, if Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng ended up together, wouldn't that also be a beautiful story?

In comparison, although Li Luo and Xu Youyu shared common ground as online novel authors, Xu Youyu was a year older—already at a disadvantage.

After entering university, they wouldn't even be in the same school.

Their advantage was that, although they couldn't offer Li Luo the massive career support that Ying Zhi Cheng and Yuan Wanqing could, they were closer to the Li family in daily life.

Li Guohong's hotpot restaurant had firmly established itself near Qianjiang University, thanks largely to Xu Rongsheng's recommendations at school.

Recently, the two families traveled to Qiongzhou, where Li Guohong developed a fondness for fishing—and now often invited Xu Rongsheng out for a few casts.

As for Cui Suling, she regularly came with Lin Xiuhong every week to cook for Li Luo's seven-member study group.

On ordinary days, they'd even get together to play mahjong, dance in the square, and do beauty treatments.

The relationship between the two sets of parents was extremely close.

"Li Luo, you like pork ribs—should we buy some?"

"Buy some tofu—Xu Youyu loves Maple Tofu."

"That works, but I'm not good at making it. When she used to beg for it, we always ate out."

"No problem—I'll cook lunch today," Li Luo smiled. "Let Auntie Cui taste my cooking?"

"You're going to cook?" Cui Suling was surprised.

She'd heard from Xu Youyu that Li Luo could cook—even that he cooked better than her.

Cui Suling had dismissed it as love-blinded bias and hadn't paid much attention.

But now, seeing Li Luo's determination, was he really planning to cook himself?

"Auntie Cui, don't worry—my cooking's pretty good," Li Luo smiled. "When you and my mom didn't come over to cook, I'd sometimes cook for myself."

Cui Suling hadn't expected Li Luo could actually cook—when they returned to Bihai Lanting 1502 and saw him in the kitchen, expertly chopping with his knife—she knew this boy was extraordinary.

Just that clean, precise knife work was far superior to her own as a homemaker.

"Where did you learn this?" Cui Suling asked, helping him out, curious.

"When I was little, I helped out at my family's breakfast shop, so I picked up a bit," Li Luo said with a smile. "Today I'm showing off."

"Don't say that," Cui Suling waved her hand, watching Li Luo move with fluid ease in the kitchen, momentarily lost in thought.

Academically outstanding, successful in his career, steady and mature in character—and yet he can cook.

Where do you find a son-in-law like this?

Cui Suling watched, her eyes burning with longing, wishing she could help her own daughter snap up Li Luo right away.

Maybe after Li Luo enters university, I should have a private chat with Youyu?

Getting the rice cooked before it's even steamed isn't a bad idea—it could also discourage Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng. A two-for-one deal.

Cui Suling's mind churned with unorthodox ideas; if Li Luo found out, he'd be utterly shocked.

Is this really the Cui Suling he knew in his past life?