Chapter 524

On the 20th, Xu Youyu passed Subject Three and rushed straight home, grabbing Li Luo to head to the 4S dealership to look at cars.

But Li Luo thought it best to wait until she had her driver's license, so Xu Youyu could test-drive directly at the dealership and judge which car suited her after handling it herself.

Xu Youyu found Li Luo's reasoning sound, so the next day she passed Subject Four and immediately received her license on the spot.

"See? See?" Xu Youyu returned home at noon, waving her license in front of Li Luo with a smug grin, hands on her hips, "Now I'm the only adult in this family with a license!"

"Isn't Uncle Xu able to drive?"

"I mean our family! Us! Our family!" Xu Youyu pointed at the floor, then the ceiling, then jabbed Li Luo hard on the forehead, "Idiot!"

Li Luo sat on the sofa and pretended to be shot dead, collapsing with a loud thump onto the cushions.

Xu Youyu laughed at him, then crouched down dramatically, checking his nose for breath and feeling his chest, "You okay? Need artificial respiration?"

"Who gets artificial respiration after being shot?" Li Luo opened his eyes, staring at her in disbelief.

"That was my One-Finger Zen," Xu Youyu chuckled. "You're suffering internal injuries—I need to examine you properly."

With that, she began fumbling at him.

Just then, Cui Suling stepped out of the kitchen, placing the dishes on the dining table, and saw the two wrestling on the sofa.

Li Luo noticed Aunt Cui and scrambled off the sofa, dodging Xu Youyu's groping hands.

"Dinner's ready," Cui Suling said. "Youyu, go call Chanxi and Zhusheng."

"Got it~"

Today was Sunday, so their seven-person study group was off for the weekend, meaning Zhao Rongjun and the other two weren't there.

Oh wait—since Xu Youyu finished the college entrance exam, it should now be called the six-person study group.

To finish their three elective subjects by October, Zhao Rongjun and the other three were now pushing full throttle, seriously attending every study group session.

In contrast, Li Luo and Ying Chanxi were far more relaxed; with all three electives at 100 points, they only needed to help Zhao Rongjun and the others with tough problems and fill knowledge gaps while handling their own Chinese, math, and English review.

As for Yan Zhusheng, though her three electives didn't total 300 points, as a music-track student she had no intention of retaking the elective exams.

She only needed to focus on the provincial unified exam at year's end and the entrance exams of universities next year.

Xu Youyu called out Ying Chanxi, who was reading in her bedroom, and Yan Zhusheng, who was practicing singing and piano in the music room, to come eat.

Lin Xiuhong also brought out the remaining dishes from the kitchen and called Li Luo and the others to the table.

At dinner, Xu Youyu brought up buying a car again.

Cui Suling had already heard about this—since Xu Rongsheng approved, she had no objections, only asked Li Luo to help check things out and advise, so Xu Youyu wouldn't get cheated.

So after lunch, around 1 p. m., Xu Youyu eagerly dragged Li Luo out the door and headed to a nearby 4S dealership.

"My budget is between 400,000 and 500,000 yuan—I want a bigger car, like the one your dad drives," Xu Youyu said as she and Li Luo got into the taxi.

Li Luo had already researched this, so he nodded: "Mercedes GLC, Audi Q5, or BMW X3—start with these three; the price ranges all fit."

"Great~" Xu Youyu beamed, bouncing excitedly in the backseat, humming a tune, and couldn't resist teasing Li Luo, "Jealous? I've got my license now—someone still doesn't even know when they'll be able to drive."

"I'll turn 18 by year's end—I'll get my license fast," Li Luo laughed. "Definitely done before New Year's Eve."

"You're sure?" Xu Youyu snorted. "New Year's Eve is late January—you think you can finish in just over a month? I took two months."

Xu Youyu finished the college entrance exam on June 8 and started her license tests on the 10th.

Even accounting for a week-long trip to Chongqing, she still spent over two months to get her license.

But for Li Luo, Subjects One and Four—given his current strength—even without the Memory Palace, he could finish quickly, let alone with the Memory Palace.

A single glance would lock in the knowledge; one day would be enough to pass the exam.

Subjects Two and Three were trivial for him—he'd driven in his past life—so just reviewing them briefly in the Memory Palace would make them effortless.

The only limit was the mandatory waiting period between registering for each subject.

If he could pull strings or cut corners, Li Luo might get his license in a single day.

So, counting it up, he'd only need four more months to get his license.

"Wanna bet?" Li Luo smiled, squinting. "Excluding registration and waiting periods, I'll pass Subjects One through Four on the very first try."

"What kind of nonsense is that?" Xu Youyu rolled her eyes, tapping his head. "Safety first, you know? I'm not betting on something like that."

Li Luo paused, then felt a warmth in his chest—he hadn't expected Xu Youyu to care about him even in such a small detail.

"By the way," Xu Youyu dropped the previous topic, noticing they still had a ways to go before the dealership, and turned to Li Luo again, "I've nearly finished my new novel—I'm thinking about when to start publishing."

Li Luo had already read the first draft opening Xu Youyu had written.

Honestly, the opening pace of her previous novel, *Gu Dao Changqing*, was indeed a bit slow.

But that was part of her writing style, so Li Luo didn't plan to interfere much—only offered minor suggestions to make the slow-paced opening more gripping.

But it was still late August, and Xu Youyu was about to start university military training at Qianjiang University; launching a new novel now might disrupt her writing rhythm during the critical early period.

So Li Luo said, "Didn't you say you'd start after military training?"

"I'm just itching to write—I can't hold back anymore," Xu Youyu rubbed her hands eagerly. "And your idea about spiritual energy revival? I think it's fresh—I feel it's better to launch early, at least get first dibs."

"Why the rush?" Li Luo shook his head. "First dibs aren't for whoever publishes first—they're for whoever turns this genre into a hit first."

Before Chen Dong's *Holy Land* came out, *Gu Dao Changqing* had already been published in his past life.

And before *Gu Dao Changqing*, there may have been other novels with similar themes.

But when people today mention spiritual energy revival, most immediately think of *Holy Land*.

Then come other popular hits.

As for who first proposed the concept? Which work was truly the first?

Nobody cares about that.

Online Novel has no shortage of ideas or gimmicks—the key is writing a compelling story.

"I got my admission letter," Xu Youyu said. "Then I joined the Literature Department's new student QQ group and asked my dad for our counselor's WeChat."

"And?" Li Luo raised an eyebrow.

"So I asked if there were any ways to slack off during military training," Xu Youyu grinned, winking at Li Luo. "Even university military training has slack-off posts like our High School Attached One."

During basic training, the squad leader sometimes has to attend meetings, so they don't need to stand at attention with the rest of the unit.

In university basic training, there's a temporary organization called the Political Work Group that requires first-year freshmen to join and handle promotional and organizational tasks.

Hearing her say that, Li Luo naturally knew what she was up to.

"So you're planning to sign up for the Political Work Group?"

"Mmm-hmm~" Xu Youyu grinned proudly. "Members of the Political Work Group only need to attend half a day of training each day; the rest of the time is spent doing assigned tasks like copywriting, promotion, photography, and so on."

"I've already asked my class assistant senior, and I've already built a good relationship with the counselor."

One word, one sentence, one detail—all correct!

"When it comes time to sign up for the Political Work Group, it's a sure thing."

Watching Xu Youyu pat her chest with smug satisfaction, Li Luo couldn't help but smile wryly.

"But with your level of stamina, even half a day of training each day will be enough to wear you out."

"So don't rush the new book—wait until after basic training to talk about it."

"Just focus on attending training during basic training. Joining the Political Work Group is fine too; half a day's intensity is about right for you."

"Alright." Xu Youyu nodded in agreement at his words, abandoning her haste.

When the taxi arrived at the 4S store, the two began looking at cars under the sales consultant's guidance.

Since Li Luo had previously bought a million-yuan Mercedes SUV, and the sales consultant was the same one from last time, there was no condescending treatment toward young people.

After test-driving the Mercedes at the 4S store, Li Luo took Xu Youyu to other 4S stores to test-drive the BMW X3 and Audi Q5.

Xu Youyu thought the Mercedes GLC's exterior was unappealing; she found the Audi Q5 quite attractive, but its interior was ugly and didn't match her taste.

In the end, they chose the BMW X3—it was in stock, and Xu Youyu didn't bother looking further, immediately signing the contract and paying in full.

The 4S store staff greeted them with smiles, rushed to serve them, and fully met Xu Youyu's demands.

Following Xu Youyu's idea, they added a Roman Red wrap film, turning the BMW X3 into a red one.

It suited Xu Youyu's personality perfectly.

They signed the contract and paid in full on the 21st; on the 23rd, Xu Youyu received the vehicle pickup notice and immediately dragged Li Luo back to the 4S store.

When she saw her car in person, Xu Youyu excitedly circled it several times, too reluctant to touch the paint.

Li Luo stood to the side, watching and smiling, arms crossed, waiting for Xu Youyu to test-drive it.

Only after the sales consultant finished explaining all the precautions did Xu Youyu finally open the door and wave to Li Luo: "Get in!"

Li Luo accepted the owner's invitation, entered through the front passenger door, sat in the passenger seat, and reached to fasten his seatbelt.

But just then, Xu Youyu, who had just slid into the driver's seat, leaned over to stop him, then chuckled as she crossed the center console to personally pull out and fasten Li Luo's seatbelt.

During this, Li Luo felt Xu Youyu's right chest press and deform against him; the faint scent in the confined space grew intimate.

After fastening his seatbelt, Xu Youyu patted her hands together, nodded with clear satisfaction, and said: "I've always wanted to try this, but wow, it's exhausting—I almost couldn't reach."

"Have you watched too many domineering CEO dramas?" Li Luo sighed in exasperation.

"Hmph. Woman, don't talk back," Xu Youyu said with a poker face, dead serious. "From now on, I'll only allow you to sit in the front passenger seat of this car."

"Looks like you're beyond help," Li Luo reached out and touched Xu Youyu's forehead. "Your symptoms—I'm starting to wonder whether I should even ride in your car."

"I was just playing!" Xu Youyu instantly returned to normal, rolled her eyes, then started the car, rubbed her hands together, and gripped the steering wheel.

Fortunately, Xu Youyu's driving tests for Parts Two and Three were legitimate—she could drive without issue.

After simply driving out of the 4S store, Xu Youyu headed toward Bihai Lanting.

But halfway, she took a detour, deliberately circling several intersections to savor the drive, and finally arrived at Bihai Lanting over twenty minutes later.

But after parking in the spot, Xu Youyu showed no intention of getting out.

Li Luo, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to look at Xu Youyu, who remained seated after turning off the engine, and smiled: "You're reluctant to leave? It's not like you won't drive it again after getting out."

"It's not that extreme," Xu Youyu ran her fingers over the leather steering wheel, then unfastened her seatbelt and turned her gaze to Li Luo. "I just thought of something fun."

"What kind of fun?"

"For example…" Xu Youyu rolled her eyes, then coaxed gently, "Do you know the button on the right side of your seat? It adjusts the backrest angle."

"I know," Li Luo's right hand automatically found the button, and the next second, his seatback began reclining backward.

"How far back can it go?" Xu Youyu glanced over and asked.

Li Luo experimented, lowering the backrest all the way until the rear edge touched the rear seat.

"Pretty comfortable," Li Luo lay back and tested it.

The next second, Xu Youyu climbed over from the driver's seat and straddled Li Luo.

"... What are you doing?"

"Isn't this exciting?" Xu Youyu blinked, then leaned down. "My windows don't have tint film yet—anyone outside can see inside if they get close."

"Then why… mm…"

(End of Chapter)