Chapter 517: Can Be Unused, But Cannot Be Without

In his previous life, Xu Youyu had just finished writing "Gu Dao Changqing" and planned to travel across the country while waiting for his new book to start.

Li Luo was invited by her to join the journey, and they visited many cities, including Yuzhong City.

Before this, Li Luo had never left Qianjiang Province, and his understanding of the outside world was limited to the internet.

That was his first time encountering Yuzhong City's so-called "yuan yang guo."

Just like right now.

When the waiter brought their yuan yang guo to the table, all eight people fell silent instantly.

"Is this really a yuan yang guo?" Xu Youyu widened her eyes, leaned in close, and stared again and again, still unable to see where the "mandarin ducks" were.

Ying Chanxi stared blankly at the pot, then after a long while, blurted out: "Isn't the tomato broth in the middle way too small?"

Yes, that's right.

Although Yuzhong City has many types of hot pot, including nine-grid styles, they're all available.

But the half-and-half yuan yang guo common in Yuhang City is indeed rare here in Yuzhong City.

As for the yuan yang guo the waiter mentioned, most are this type— the spicy broth forms a ring, tightly encircling the smaller inner pot.

The small tomato broth in the center is barely two fists in diameter— barely enough space for a few pieces of meat.

"Is this really mild spice?" Yan Zhusheng extended his chopsticks and gently stirred the spicy broth; it was full of chili peppers and other numbing spices.

"The mild spice here in Yuzhong City might be different from what we have in Yuhang City," Li Luo said with restrained amusement.

Honestly, Li Luo felt this "mild" spice here was even spicier than the "spicy" level in Yuhang City.

In his previous life, when he tried it for the first time, he ended up with diarrhea in his hotel room and didn't go out sightseeing at all.

This time, he was more cautious.

After the dishes arrived, Li Luo only tasted a little and mostly avoided the spicy pot entirely.

The others, thinking since they'd come all this way, still thoroughly sampled the spice level of the pot, sweating profusely.

"For the next two days, I and Youyu will be attending a salon event, and my lawyer will arrive tomorrow—I'll need extra time to discuss contracts with Wenxue Group."

Li Luo said to the others mid-meal, "After the salon is done, on the 11th, we'll have time to take you out. For now, just explore around here."

"Don't worry about us," Cui Suling said, her mouth numb from spice, pausing to wipe her lips and smile. "We've got plenty of time, and there aren't many attractions in the city center—we can always visit later."

"We'll just get familiar with the environment these two days," Xu Rongsheng added. "Whether we see the attractions doesn't matter much—I'm more interested in the local food."

Most urban attractions are now highly commercialized, even those with natural scenery.

Xu Rongsheng had no interest in checklist-style tourism; he preferred experiencing the local cultural environment firsthand.

Food, in particular, was indispensable.

On this point, Li Luo agreed wholeheartedly.

"We can definitely eat together," Li Luo smiled. "Except for the evening event on the 10th, we can explore nearby meals together—I'll ask local authors for recommendations."

After the hot pot, all eight were drenched in sweat, so they simply headed back to the hotel for showers.

The heat here in Yuzhong City was intense, no less than in Yuhang City.

Even at night, it remained stifling, like a giant steamer.

After showering, Cui Suling didn't know what else to do, so she dragged Xu Rongsheng and the couple next door to find a mahjong parlor nearby.

"We came on vacation, and now we're playing mahjong?" Lin Xiuhong exclaimed with a laugh upon realizing their destination.

Xu Rongsheng defended his wife: "Coming to Sichuan, you naturally have to experience the local customs—Sichuan mahjong is a specialty here; it's worth trying."

"But what about Li Luo and the others?" Li Guohong asked from the side.

"Why care about them?" Lin Xiuhong rolled her eyes. "With us around, they'd probably feel awkward—they'd probably be glad we left."

"Exactly!" Cui Suling agreed. "They're called kids, but they're all seventeen or eighteen—almost adults. And your Li Luo is so mature—he doesn't act like a child at all."

"You're exaggerating," Lin Xiuhong laughed, waving her hand modestly. "This boy used to be a real handful—you wouldn't believe…"

Here, Lin Xiuhong paused.

She wanted to say something, but found herself unable to speak.

Memories of her son's mischievous, disobedient childhood seemed at least two years in the past.

Since Li Luo got into Fuyi High School, he had, as if overnight, grown into an adult—no longer the troublesome child who needed constant watching.

"Actually, if you set aside his identity as a student and child, and think about it yourself, you'll understand," Xu Rongsheng said cheerfully as he rented a room at the mahjong parlor's front desk and led the three inside.

"Li Luo is now a very famous online novel author—he became a Grandmaster on Qidian Chinese Net last year, and this year he's about to sign a Platinum contract."

"You might not feel the weight of this title, but with it, if he wants, he can become a member of the board of the Qianjiang Province Online Writers Association, even potentially its chairperson."

"The provincial writers' association has already invited him to join; his nomination for the national association is a foregone conclusion—just a matter of time."

"With this status, if he ever chooses to act, many things will become much easier."

"Look at his other roles: besides online novels, he's also excellent at composing songs—doesn't your company get dozens of requests daily to commission songs from him?"

"The album he wrote for Yuan Wanqing is extremely valuable—on the digital album sales rankings, it should rank among the top three in history."

"Not to mention his songs were performed on the Spring Festival Gala."

"Even purely from an economic standpoint, he's already a millionaire with annual income."

"Know this: annual income of ten million and assets of ten million are two completely different things."

"A cash flow of tens of millions is treated as a priority case anywhere."

"Li Luo has already sold the film and television rights to one of his books, and Yin Zhicheng is pushing for a TV adaptation."

"If, and I say if, this TV series becomes as wildly popular as Yuan Wanqing's album, his future influence will be even more extraordinary."

"This isn't some child."

Xu Rongsheng spoke at length, his face filled with emotion.

After organizing it all, he sighed—this kid was truly unbelievable.

When he first met Li Luo at the symposium, he was just a moderately famous online novel author—earning tens of thousands a month, which was a lot, but gave off more of a nouveau riche vibe.

After all, it was sudden wealth; everyone knew a book couldn't last forever.

But back then, Xu Rongsheng never imagined Li Luo's growth rate would be so astonishing.

In the blink of two years, he hadn't even graduated high school yet, yet he had already grown into this magnificent form.

To put it bluntly, given Li Luo's current conditions, no matter how much Xu Rongsheng clings to his scholarly family background, his family is still climbing too high.

And the most crucial point is that Li Luo is simply too mature and calm.

His usual demeanor shows absolutely no sign of someone who suddenly became rich.

He earned so much money but never bought branded clothes, never bought himself watches or cars, never bought expensive computers or headphones.

Yet when he traveled to Qiongzhou City, he never hesitated to spend money when it came time to pay.

Such qualities are truly rare and precious.

In one look /p>

"Old Xu, stop praising him," Li Guohong said, waving his hand as Xu Rongsheng went on at length, "my wife and I still feel like it's not real—we need time to adjust."

Xu Rongsheng, an outsider, could have so many reflections; as Li Luo's parents, Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong were naturally the two who felt it most deeply.

But most of the time, that feeling was drowned out by the familiarity of "this kid is my son."

"Why talk so much?" Lin Xiuhong quickly cut off the topic. "Let's play mahjong. How do you play Sichuan mahjong?"

……

Just as the parents began playing mahjong, someone knocked on Li Luo's door.

He got up and opened it; as expected, it was Xu Youyu next door.

But she had changed into a conservative pajama set—long sleeves, long pants—and her hair was still damp. Seeing Li Luo open the door, she walked straight in and plopped down on the bed.

"Help me blow-dry it~"

"Sit still."

Li Luo picked up the hairdryer and began drying Xu Youyu's hair.

But halfway through, the door was knocked on again.

When he opened it again, he saw Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng standing gracefully in the hallway.

Both wore conservative pajamas and had outer coats draped over them. Seeing Li Luo open the door, they squeezed in from outside.

Then they saw Xu Youyu sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Have you dried your hair yet?"

Li Luo returned to the bed, picked up the hairdryer, and continued drying Xu Youyu's hair.

Ying Chanxi nodded: "Yuzhen and I dried each other's hair before coming."

"Then sit for a while," Li Luo said. "You've both showered, right? No going out tonight?"

"How about we play Flight Chess?" Xu Youyu rolled her eyes with a mischievous grin.

"Do you even have Flight Chess?" Li Luo's lip twitched.

"Of course I do!" Xu Youyu puffed out her chest, hands on her hips. "I brought it!"

"Why on earth did you bring Flight Chess on a trip?!"

"What's wrong with that? I even brought Monopoly—but we just played it, so I don't feel like it again." Xu Youyu counted on her fingers. "Playing Flight Chess alone won't do—we need snacks, some drinks, and maybe order takeout."

"And…" Xu Youyu said, stealthily slipping her foot out of her slipper, turning sideways, and rubbing it against Li Luo.

Li Luo was wearing pajama pants that exposed his calves and knees; when Xu Youyu's foot rubbed against him, he felt something was off.

He looked down and realized her foot was wrapped in black chocolate.

"Should I order takeout?" Yan Zhusheng had already climbed onto the bed and pulled out her phone. "What snacks do you want?"

Li Luo didn't care about snacks; he glanced instinctively at Yan Zhusheng's feet—and his expression hardened: "Zhusheng, you…"

"What?" Yan Zhusheng tilted her head, noticed his gaze, and extended her foot wrapped in white silk stockings. "Want to touch it?"

Li Luo slapped her foot away and continued drying Xu Youyu's hair, though his eyes couldn't help drifting toward Ying Chanxi's legs.

Zhusheng wore white silk… they shared a room…

If Ying Chanxi saw Yan Zhusheng in white silk, she'd surely feel compelled to outdo her—so…

"What are you staring at?" Ying Chanxi blushed under his gaze but obediently climbed onto the bed.

After she removed her slippers, Li Luo clearly saw her small feet tightly wrapped in white cotton socks.

Such a sight instantly brought back memories of his last birthday.

"You didn't plan this together, did you?" Li Luo couldn't help asking.

"I just asked them if they wanted to play Flight Chess later," Xu Youyu grinned, reaching out to touch Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng's feet, deliberately slipping her fingers into the legs of their pajamas. "I didn't tell them to wear this."

"But you're wearing them too," Yan Zhusheng narrowed her eyes and pinched the black silk-wrapped calf.

Ying Chanxi pulled her foot back, crawled behind Li Luo, and poked her head out to scold Xu Youyu: "You wore black silk yourself and didn't even warn us! If Zhusheng hadn't mentioned it, I never would've thought of it."

"Then where did your white silk and cotton socks come from?" Xu Youyu gave them a look. "You clearly sneaked them from home—you planned this before you even came."

"We don't have to wear them, but we can't not have them," Yan Zhusheng said seriously.

"Exactly," Ying Chanxi nodded vigorously. "That's right."

"I'll go get Flight Chess then. Zhusheng, order takeout—I want alcohol!" Xu Youyu finished drying her hair, got off the bed, and ran to the next room to fetch Flight Chess.

Li Luo watched Xu Youyu's retreating back, then looked at Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng whispering about what snacks to order—his expression grew dazed.

Without realizing it, had their relationship already reached this point?

It felt like a dream.

(End of Chapter)