Chapter 516: Do You Want to Buy a Swimsuit?

Li Luo had originally planned to follow Xu Youyu to school to witness her graduation ceremony up close.

But after discovering his intention, Xu Youyu firmly rejected his kindness and forced him to stay home.

The graduation ceremony ran from eight in the morning until around ten.

According to last year's pattern, senior students would return to their classrooms, then line up and gather in the gymnasium.

But unfortunately, the gymnasium had been demolished back in May this year, and now it was surrounded by tall temporary fences—there would be no sign of it for at least a year.

So the senior students had to carry their own chairs, line up, and sit on the playground.

As the top student in the senior humanities stream and the only student in the entire school to rank in the provincial top 50 on the college entrance exam, Xu Youyu naturally received a mountain of honors, multiple appearances on stage, and several speeches.

This should have been a deeply honorable moment.

Even under the blazing sun, as the central figure, she ought to have enjoyed it.

But Xu Youyu clearly did not feel that way.

She felt as if she had been thrust into a massive group Werewolf game.

Her own Class 16 was surely all loyal wolves!

But she had no idea whether students from other classes had read her novels.

Because when Li Luo had infiltrated those three suspicious QQ groups, he hadn't just spotted classmates from Class 16—there were also many students from other classes besides Class 8 of Gao Er.

Who knew what grade these people were even from?

And even…

Xu Youyu now dared not meet the eyes of her homeroom teacher or subject teachers.

She always felt their gazes at her were strange.

If the principal and teachers found out that the school's outstanding graduate—the only student in the entire school to rank in the provincial top 50 and the top student in her grade—secretly wrote that kind of novel…

Standing on the podium, Xu Youyu delivered her speech mechanically, sweat beading on her forehead under the scorching sun, yet she felt icy cold all over, convinced wolves circled her everywhere—truly terrifying.

After the ceremony ended, she briefly spoke with her teachers about her college plans; her homeroom teacher confirmed once more that she had no intention of attending Tsinghua or Peking University, tried to persuade her a few times without success, and finally let her go.

"Huh? Our outstanding graduate's back?" Li Luo sat on the sofa, unwrapping a small Buding, just bitten into it when he saw Xu Youyu return through the door, and teased with a grin.

Xu Youyu gave him a glare, quickly slipped off her shoes, then dashed to Li Luo's side, bent down, and bit the Buding with a loud "Ah-wu!"

"Holy shit! Are you a dog?" Li Luo tugged his hand, but couldn't pull the Buding free, "Here, take it, go ahead and eat it."

"Hmph!" Xu Youyu snatched the Buding, plopped down on the empty seat beside Li Luo, and sulkily devoured it.

"So how was it?" Li Luo chuckled. "How was the graduation ceremony?"

"Hmph, it was fine." Xu Youyu kicked him, "If you mention it again, I'll kick you to death!"

"Alright, alright." Li Luo raised his hands in surrender, then added, "Don't think university will solve everything."

"If you were going to Tsinghua or Peking, that'd be one thing, but Youyu, you're going to Qian University—won't there be plenty of alumni there too?"

"So about your novel-writing…"

"You're so annoying!" Xu Youyu couldn't take it anymore, lunged at Li Luo with flailing arms, and shoved the Buding straight into his mouth to shut him up.

"Hey!" Li Luo pulled the Buding out of his mouth, "You put something you've eaten into my mouth?"

"You bit it too, and I didn't complain," Xu Youyu narrowed her eyes at him, "What? Not tasty?"

"No, it's fine…" Li Luo glanced at the Buding in his hand—since Xu Youyu had been angry, she'd mostly bitten it without much saliva—so he lowered his head and took two more bites, only for Xu Youyu to snatch it back again.

The two of them split one small Buding, finished eating, and put the graduation ceremony behind them.

Xu Youyu stood on the sofa with her hands on her hips and let out a long sigh: "In two months, I'll be a college student."

"You can call yourself a prospective college student now," Li Luo reached out, wrapped his arms around her legs, and pulled her into his lap.

Xu Youyu startled, instinctively struggled a bit, then softened against his chest, still cooing, "I'm about to be a female college student, you know—does holding me now feel… different?"

"A thrill of rebellion?" Li Luo raised an eyebrow.

"But not as thrilling as 'sister-in-law.'"

"... That's not real," Li Luo stared at her in disbelief. "Why are you so obsessed with 'sister-in-law'?"

"Cough…" Xu Youyu, asked this, suddenly looked guilty, muttering softly, "I've seen it more often."

Li Luo: "What?"

"Nothing!" Xu Youyu quickly changed the subject, cheeks slightly flushed, then said, "I have to go to driving school this afternoon for the second test—what are we having for lunch?"

"Chanxi and Zhusheng went to buy groceries," Li Luo checked the time. "They should be back soon—I'm cooking today."

"Oh? That's nice?"

"Our moms went to play mahjong, won't be home for lunch, so we're on our own," Li Luo grinned. "I'm making Maple Tofu—your favorite."

"Yay~" Xu Youyu beamed, leaned over, and kissed him—sweet with the lingering taste of Buding—just as the front door opened.

Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng walked in carrying plastic bags, and immediately saw the two of them cuddling on the sofa, their eyes narrowing.

Xu Youyu heard the noise, instantly jumped off Li Luo's lap, and rushed to take the bags from them, carrying them into the kitchen.

Ying Chanxi slipped on her slippers and followed into the kitchen, then pushed Xu Youyu out: "Senior, you just finished the graduation ceremony and have your driving test this afternoon—just wait on the sofa for lunch."

Li Luo had already entered the kitchen; after pushing Xu Youyu out, Ying Chanxi closed the sliding door, then took down two aprons from the wall.

They faced each other, helping each other tie on the aprons, and Ying Chanxi immediately launched herself into Li Luo's arms for a kiss—her lips, still tinged with vinegar from earlier, quickly turned sweet.

"What were you two doing just now?" Ying Chanxi asked, washing vegetables at the sink, still not letting it go.

"Listening to her recount her social death at the graduation ceremony," Li Luo grinned. "She opened the letters her classmates wrote her—turns out every single one was an analysis of Literary Era. It completely broke her."

"Huh?" Ying Chanxi paused, then burst out laughing, her mood lifting instantly.

The two spent nearly two hours preparing a full table of lunch, and the four of them sat down to eat.

At the table, Li Luo said, "Do well on the second test—try to pass before the 8th, so we can head to Yuzhong City. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll forget how to drive after a trip."

"Who are you underestimating?!" Xu Youyu glared at him.

But at four-thirty in the afternoon, Xu Youyu returned home, head hung low—clearly, she had failed.

"How can there even be such a thing as parallel parking in this world!" Xu Youyu slammed her phone onto the sofa, raging helplessly.

"Didn't pass?" Li Luo, sitting on the single sofa across from her, glanced up from his phone, barely holding back a laugh.

"Didn't pass," Xu Youyu pouted. "I could do it fine during practice—today I was just nervous during the exam."

"Nervous twice already?" Li Luo chuckled. "Don't you get two attempts per exam?" "You're so nagging," Xu Youyu kicked him again.

Li Luo reacted swiftly, catching her foot with one palm, then said: "I think you've got a domestic violence tendency."

"Hmph," Xu Youyu sneered at that, closing in on Li Luo with clenched fists. "Let me show you what real domestic violence is!"

After a bout of roughhousing, they finally calmed down.

Though Xu Youyu could've skipped the wait thanks to Xu Rongsheng's connections, she could've simply returned to the driving school tomorrow for a retake.

But she disliked using such shortcuts, so for the next few days, she diligently practiced at the driving school, planning to tackle Subject Two after returning from her trip to Yuzhong City.

…

"Toothpaste, toothbrush, tooth cup—I've already packed them all in your bag."

July 8th, 1:00 p. m.

Ying Chanxi double-checked Li Luo's suitcase and added a few more items.

In one by one—

"It's really hot in Yuzhong City right now," Ying Chanxi looked up at Li Luo. "I only packed four outfits for you—after you shower and change at night, remember to wash them, or you'll have nothing to wear on the fifth day."

"The hotel has laundry and drying service, don't worry," Li Luo, still seated at his desk, typed a few more lines before departure. "Just don't forget anything yourself."

"I definitely didn't forget anything," Ying Chanxi said, having finished packing for him, then walked back to her bedroom to check—and realized she'd forgotten something.

She grabbed the Pikachu and Doraemon figurines left on her nightstand, shoved them into the suitcase, clapped her hands, and nodded in satisfaction.

At that moment, Li Guohong and Xu Rongsheng arrived by car.

Except for Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing, who would arrive a few days later, all eight others were ready and fully prepared.

The two cars drove straight to the airport; the eight of them, each with their luggage, passed security and headed calmly to the departure lounge.

Thanks to their previous trip to Qiongzhou City, none of them felt nervous.

None of them were first-time flyers; they looked utterly calm.

But the girls were excited, chattering nonstop along the way.

Most of the talking came from Xu Youyu and Ying Chanxi, while Yan Zhusheng listened quietly, occasionally interjecting.

Li Luo trailed behind, making sure the three of them didn't get lost.

When they boarded the plane, Xu Youyu sat with Xu Rongsheng and Cui Suling in one row.

Li Luo was sandwiched between Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng.

After flying for over two hours, they arrived in Yuzhong City from Yuhang City, took a taxi from the airport, and reached the entrance of the Guomao Grand Hotel, provided by the Wenxue Group.

Technically, authors could bring family members and book an extra room.

But Li Luo was too lazy to bother—he'd already booked rooms directly for Ying Chanxi and the others.

The group went to the hotel front desk to check in; since Li Luo and Xu Youyu's rooms were provided directly by the Wenxue Group, they were assigned to the 6th floor.

This time, both the 6th and 7th floors were reserved for authors—no extra rooms available.

So Ying Chanxi and the other six were assigned to rooms on the 8th floor.

Each couple got their own room; Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng shared one room together.

Yan Zhusheng had originally wanted a single room, but after seeing the price of the single rooms, Ying Chanxi pulled her into the double.

"Hey," Xu Youyu and Li Luo went up to the 6th floor alone, each entering their own room. Soon after, Xu Youyu came knocking on Li Luo's door. "There's a bathtub here."

"So what about the bathtub?" Li Luo had just opened his suitcase and placed his laptop on the desk; he turned to face Xu Youyu's suggestive grin. "What are you thinking?"

"Should we buy a swimsuit?" Xu Youyu winked at him.

The moment she said it, Li Luo's memory instantly flashed back to last winter break, when the two of them had spent time together in a hotel in Qiongzhou City.

Even now, recalling it with the aid of his Memory Palace, every detail felt vividly real to him.

But it could only remain a thought—he couldn't touch it.

Now, with Xu Youyu teasing him like this, Li Luo couldn't help but feel stirred.

"Is there anywhere nearby to buy a swimsuit?"

"Probably," Xu Youyu pulled out her phone. "Let me check later."

"But this bathtub's much smaller than the one in Qiongzhou City—I bet it'd be too cramped for two people to soak together."

"Your legs probably can't even stretch out straight."

Li Luo looked down at his legs: "At least I can stretch one leg straight."

Hearing that, Xu Youyu—with her extensive driving experience—understood instantly. She glanced at his lower body and chuckled. "Show me then—how exactly do you stretch it?"

Saying that, she leaned in, like a female ruffian.

But just then, a knock came at the door.

Ying Chanxi's voice came from outside.

"Li Luo, is Senior Sister with you?" Ying Chanxi asked through the door. "Zhusheng knocked on her door but got no answer."

Li Luo rushed to open the door; Xu Youyu peered out from behind him.

Ying Chanxi saw this and puffed out her cheeks, but immediately said: "Let's go have dinner once you're ready—or do you authors have some group dinner planned?"

"No, we don't," Li Luo shook his head. "The main group of authors arrives tomorrow afternoon; tonight there's just a salon meet-and-greet."

"The official salon event is on the afternoon of the 10th."

"Let's just have dinner tonight and stroll around the area."

After finalizing the plan, the eight of them headed downstairs.

The hotel was located near the famous Liberation Monument in Yuzhong City, surrounded entirely by local culinary specialties.

Rarely coming to Yuzhong City, they naturally wanted to try the local specialty hot pot first.

"Let's get a split pot—do you have split pots here?" Lin Xiuhong asked the server.

"We do," the server nodded, confirming the split pot was no problem.

Beside her, Li Luo heard this and twitched his mouth, recalling his past life's first trip to Yuzhong City with Xu Youyu.

(End of Chapter)