Chapter 561: Three Parts Divide the World

For Ying Chanxi and the other two girls, this clay craft workshop was not unfamiliar, especially for Li Luo, who had been here three times and possessed a Memory Palace.

The four of them followed Tan Huilin into the shop and sat down at the wooden table as if they were regulars.

Seeing this, Tan Huilin simply brought out the pre-prepared clay, giving each of the four a portion, then asked, "What do you want to make today?"

"Besides cups and bowls, is there anything else with more memorial value we can make?" Xu Youyu asked curiously.

"Anything with a specific shape can be made—just a matter of difficulty," Tan Huilin said, pointing to the display cabinet beside them. "Those items inside can all be tried—you just decide based on your own needs."

Ying Chanxi and the others followed Tan Huilin's finger to the cabinet, then got up and approached it, searching for the objects they liked.

Li Luo didn't look—he already had a preliminary idea in mind before arriving.

So while the three girls were choosing, Li Luo calmly picked up the clay, shaped what he intended to make, covered it with a cloth, and quietly passed it to Tan Huilin.

"You're done already?" Tan Huilin blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, just a simple little thing," Li Luo whispered. "But don't let them see it. After firing this afternoon, keep it covered until you give it to me."

"I can do that," Tan Huilin nodded, thoroughly familiar with this procedure.

In the past, some couples had wanted to surprise each other after the finished pieces were made, so they'd hoped to hide what they were crafting during the process.

Tan Huilin, experienced in this, picked up the tray with Li Luo's clay piece and carried it into the firing room to store.

Inside, she curiously lifted the cloth to peek—and froze, her expression turning blank, then utterly exasperated, her lips twitching involuntarily.

Seeing this object, if Li Luo ever again claimed these three girls were his cousins, Tan Huilin would only sneer in response.

"What is Li Luo making?" Yan Zhusheng had decided on her own project and returned to the wooden table, only to find Li Luo leisurely scrolling on his phone. "What's that?"

But Li Luo replied, "I'm already done. I gave it to the boss lady to put in the firing room."

"So fast?" Ying Chanxi exclaimed. "What did you make?"

"Secret," Li Luo smiled. "What are you three making?"

"I'm planning to…" Ying Chanxi began, then suddenly huffed and changed course. "You keep it secret? Then I will too. Boss Lady, can I use that other wooden table over there?"

Saying this, Ying Chanxi pointed to a vacant wooden table deeper in the room, determined to hide her creation from Li Luo.

Tan Huilin merely nodded, indifferent.

Seeing this, Yan Zhusheng and Xu Youyu imitated her, each finding a separate spot to work, keeping their projects hidden from Li Luo.

So Li Luo was left waiting on the sidelines.

Tan Huilin moved between the three girls, offering help when they struggled, demonstrating steps as needed.

This stage didn't take long—since all three girls already had some experience, and what they were making now didn't require spinning like cups, making it easier.

Near ten o'clock, all three finished, covered their works with cloth to hide them from Li Luo, and handed them to Tan Huilin for processing.

"That'll do for the morning," Li Luo stood up. "Let's go have lunch first. When the firing's done, Boss Lady, just let us know."

"Sure thing," Tan Huilin gave a thumbs-up, watching the four leave.

Watching their harmonious retreating figures, Tan Huilin stood at the shop entrance, lost in thought, trapped in an incomprehensible dilemma.

How on earth had Li Luo managed this?

…

Li Luo had no idea how much he'd shaken the boss lady's worldview.

At this moment, Xu Youyu was driving; before Li Luo even said where to eat, she had already pulled up to the entrance of the Golden Lake Bathhouse.

"Again here?" Li Luo stared, speechless.

"You've been here three times, but we've only been once," Xu Youyu grinned. "Besides, firing clay takes hours—we need something to do after lunch."

Saying this, Xu Youyu found a parking spot nearby, and the four got out and entered the bathhouse.

Li Luo went to the men's bath; Ying Chanxi and the other two entered the women's bath.

"It's been ages since we soaked together."

Soaking in the tub, Xu Youyu exhaled deeply, glancing at Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng beside her. "Last time was probably back in Qiongzhou City."

"Mm," Yan Zhusheng nodded, seemingly recalling something; her toes wiggled slightly, as if something was missing.

"By the way, what did each of you make?" Ying Chanxi asked curiously.

"What did Xi Xi make?"

"I'm not telling."

"Then neither am I."

The three girls splashed around in the tub, then rinsed off, changed into the bathhouse robes, and went upstairs to find Li Luo.

Li Luo was already waiting in the dining area, having ordered their favorite dishes in advance.

After Ying Chanxi and the others sat down, the dishes arrived one by one within minutes.

Just as Li Luo settled in to enjoy lunch, he felt something on his thigh.

He looked down—and his gaze locked onto Xu Youyu across the table, his face twisting into a helpless expression.

Xu Youyu had been eating seriously, her expression perfectly normal.

Only when she met his eyes did a sly glint appear in her gaze, and her toes began to misbehave.

But just as Li Luo thought that was it, his thigh suddenly grew heavier.

He looked down again—and his lip twitched as he turned to Yan Zhusheng on his right.

Yan Zhusheng's face remained calm; noticing his stare, she even picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it in his bowl.

Li Luo sighed helplessly and turned to Ying Chanxi on his left—she was eating heartily, chatting casually, utterly oblivious.

Of course, his Xi Xi was still the most well-behaved.

Unlike the other two, always causing trouble, never letting him rest.

Fortunately, Li Luo had chosen a private room before ordering—if anyone else had seen this, how embarrassing.

Couldn't they have waited until they got home?

After finally finishing lunch, the four of them went to play pool at the nearby table, then rented a mahjong room.

Not until past one in the afternoon did the shop owner send a message saying the firing was complete, whereupon the four went downstairs to change clothes and returned to the workshop.

Because Li Luo had initiated the confidentiality measures, each of them received their finished pieces and was assigned to a separate table, kept from others' view.

After meticulous carving and painting, by three in the afternoon, all four completed their work and handed them back to the shop owner for the final firing.

"You'll get your finished pieces around six tonight—I'll package them up for you then," Tan Huilin said. "Will you come pick them up at six?"

"Mm, we'll come get them," Ying Chanxi nodded. Though she was a well-behaved student who never skipped class for fun.

But today was Li Luo's birthday, so Ying Chanxi had broken precedent by taking leave from evening self-study—tonight was entirely for celebrating Li Luo's birthday.

"So where are we going now?" Li Luo asked, turning to Xu Youyu after settling into the front passenger seat.

"Don't ask me—ask Xixi," Xu Youyu said, gesturing behind her, then grinned. "Xixi, where's that shop you found?"

"I'll guide you," Ying Chanxi perked up at the mention, moving to the center of the back seat, pulling up navigation, and directing Xu Youyu.

Soon, Xu Youyu drove to a cake shop.

"So we just came to pick up a birthday cake?" Li Luo chuckled. "All this secrecy?"

"We didn't come just to pick up a cake," Xu Youyu said with a grin, unfastening her seatbelt and waving her hand. "Come on—get out!"

After stepping out, Li Luo followed the three girls into the cake shop and realized this place was different.

Inside, it was an open kitchen.

Ying Chanxi stepped forward first, spoke with the staff, and secured a work counter for herself.

!

Only then did Li Luo realize—they hadn't come to pick up a cake, but to make one themselves.

In his past life, Li Luo had been a chef, specializing in home-style dishes and large-scale Chinese restaurant fare—he'd rarely touched baked goods.

He could make them, but certainly not as well as professionals.

In his past life, he'd barely touched anything like this.

Probably inspired by Li Luo's choice of the handicraft workshop, Ying Chanxi had quietly found a place where customers could bake cakes themselves.

The shop provided ingredients; they could make a birthday cake from scratch to celebrate Li Luo's birthday.

"Should I help out?" Li Luo asked, watching the three girls put on aprons.

"Put yours on first," Ying Chanxi said, personally slipping the apron over his head.

As she moved to tie the strings behind him, Yan Zhusheng beat her to it.

"We're each taking charge of one-third of the cake," Xu Youyu said with a smile. "You can watch and give opinions—but whether we take them is up to us."

"Fine."

Li Luo didn't mind—he watched the girls' movements with interest.

The cake base had been pre-baked by the shop.

After receiving it, Ying Chanxi and the others sliced it into three layers.

The first layer was placed down; the three each marked off one-third of the surface with cream.

Ying Chanxi placed mango chunks on her section, Yan Zhusheng added strawberries, and Xu Youyu laid down apple slices.

"I like grapes better—why didn't you put any?" Li Luo reminded them.

"How's this?" Xu Youyu picked up two peeled grapes and placed them like a final touch in the center. "Here—two for you. No more."

Li Luo: "..."

He had the feeling Xu Youyu was driving, but with the other two girls present, he didn't know how to complain.

So he could only watch helplessly as the second layer was placed on top.

On this layer, Ying Chanxi sprinkled crushed white chocolate over her section.

Xu Youyu used chocolate sauce.

Yan Zhusheng, fond of strawberries, spread another layer of strawberry jam.

Li Luo watched and couldn't help saying, "If we eat this cake tonight and half is strawberry jam and half is chocolate, won't the taste be weird?"

"Weird?" Xu Youyu chuckled. "You'll probably love it."

Li Luo: "..."

Damn it!

You're definitely driving, Youyu-jie!

But Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng didn't catch it.

Only Li Luo, who'd read Xu Youyu's many novels in his past life, immediately understood her double meaning.

One could say her driving skill had reached perfection.

After finishing the second layer's filling, the top cake slice was placed down.

The three girls carefully covered the entire cake with cream, smoothed it, then decorated their own sections with patterns and ornaments.

Due to their differing tastes, the three sections on the cake were sharply divided—anyone could instantly tell which belonged to whom.

Just before completion, the girls received three chocolate figurines from the staff—each a cute girl—which they placed individually on their own sections.

Then another chocolate figurine was brought out, and Ying Chanxi personally placed it at the cake's exact center, at the junction of the three sections.

Thus, the birthday cake was complete.

But Li Luo stared at the figurine seated right at the cake's center and asked, "That's me?"

"Yes," Ying Chanxi nodded. "The three around it are me, Zhusheng, and Senior Xu."

"Hmm..."

Ying Chanxi's idea was quite thoughtful.

But Li Luo looked at the figurine of himself seated atop the cake and imagined how, when celebrating, he'd have to cut himself into pieces and hand them out to the three girls—and a chill ran down his spine.

But looking at the four little figures on the cake, Li Luo still smiled—he wished they could all squeeze together.

As he thought this, the cake was already wrapped, and the time neared six in the evening.

By the time Xu Youyu drove back to the workshop, Tan Huilin had just finished packaging all the finished products into small gift boxes.

Ying Chanxi took her own gift box, then glanced curiously at Li Luo; seeing his box was no larger than hers, her curiosity deepened—she wondered what he had made.

Li Luo clearly had no intention of saying anything; after slipping his gift box into his pocket, he took his leave of the shopkeeper.

The four of them got into the car and headed toward Bihai Lanting.

"We three will cook dinner," Ying Chanxi emphasized to Li Luo. "You just wait to eat."

"Alright, alright, just don't poison me."

(End of Chapter)