Chapter 615: Try Mine

To be fair, Li Luo had imagined many possibilities, but he never expected Xu Youyu would actually bring back a motorhome.

But after recalling it in his Memory Palace, he realized Xu Youyu had indeed mentioned wanting to go on a motorhome trip before.

Back then, Li Luo had advised her not to act impulsively—she should at least rent one first, try it out, then decide whether to buy.

And yet she actually rented one…

If only exercise could have this same drive.

Li Luo shook his head with a wry smile at the C-shaped motorhome before him; seeing Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng leaning in with astonishment and curiosity, he followed them forward.

He vaguely remembered that in his past life, Xu Youyu had loved traveling.

Li Luo had even accompanied her to many places.

Later, Xu Youyu had also said she wanted to buy a motorhome for travel, but at that time Li Luo's Short Drama had failed, leaving him drowning in debt—he hadn't dared to see Xu Youyu again.

In the end, he could only occasionally see photos of her motorhome shared on her Moments.

"Senior," Ying Chanxi looked up at the massive vehicle beside her and couldn't help asking, "for your birthday, are you planning to take us on a trip?"

"Sort of, but we won't go far," Xu Youyu said, gripping the front of the vehicle. "I only rented it for one day—I have to return it tomorrow afternoon, so we can only tour around nearby."

"Today you're the Birthday Person, so we follow your lead."

Li Luo didn't mind either way—he'd follow Xu Youyu's arrangements regardless.

Experiencing a motorhome is better than playing Monopoly every year, isn't it?

"Come on, come on! Let me show you the interior layout!" Xu Youyu hurried to the rear door and waved them over. "I spent ages choosing—this one actually fits my needs."

After opening the door, Xu Youyu led the way, stepping up the stairs into the vehicle.

Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng followed closely, curious; Li Luo brought up the rear, boarding last.

The motorhome wasn't small, but neither was it large—especially once four people were crammed inside.

Once aboard, Xu Youyu walked straight to the rear and showed the others: "The very back is a cross bed that can sleep two people; in the middle is the bathroom."

The interior layout of this motorhome isn't the most common type with a left-side bed, right-side bathroom, and kitchen.

The entire rear section is taken up by the cross bed, followed by a left-right bathroom with dry and wet zones separated.

On the left is the sink and shower area; on the right is the toilet.

"When you close the two doors in the middle, the shower and toilet areas merge into one large bathroom—much bigger than a typical motorhome toilet," Xu Youyu explained while demonstrating, "it's like incorporating the floor space of the central corridor into the bathroom."

In his past life, because Xu Youyu had shared photos of her motorhome, Li Luo had idly watched videos about motorhomes.

The motorhome Xu Youyu rented did have some real quality—likely designed by the owner himself.

The central bathroom divides the cabin front and back; further ahead is the refrigerator and kitchen area.

After passing the entrance door, they entered the living area.

On either side of the central aisle were two opposing seats.

"Then you open this tabletop, and the two side tables merge into one large table," Xu Youyu pulled open the side panels and joined them together. "These four seats behind are just right for us."

After saying that, Xu Youyu folded up the table and went over to the forehead bed area: "Two people can sleep up here too, so all four of us can just fit sleeping in the RV."

"Actually, the tabletop in the living area can also be lowered—place a mattress on it, and this side can even sleep two more people."

"But we four don't need this."

Xu Youyu walked forward and sat in the driver's seat, then patted the passenger seat beside her.

Yan Zhusheng, walking ahead, took the passenger seat; Li Luo and Ying Chanxi stood behind.

"Now, besides Zhusheng, all three of us have driver's licenses," Xu Youyu said. "After Zhusheng gets her license post-birthday, we can take turns driving."

"Is this car hard to drive?" Ying Chanxi had only just gotten her license and hadn't driven more than a few times.

To tackle such a big vehicle right away felt a bit daunting.

"It should be fine," Xu Youyu nodded. "I drove it here this morning—just need a little getting used to."

"So where are you planning to go?" Li Luo asked, resting his left hand on the back of the seat. "With only one day, you can only tour the city."

"To Yin Mountain~" Xu Youyu grinned. "I plan to prepare in the afternoon, then head to the mid-slope of Yin Mountain—there are farm stays there, so we can buy ingredients and barbecue right here in the motorhome."

"And at night, I'll have to write—I'll stay overnight on the mid-slope."

"We'll sleep early, then wake up around three a. m. to climb Yin Mountain and watch the sunrise from the summit."

After hearing Xu Youyu's plan, Li Luo had no objections—only surprise: "Is this actually a normal plan?"

"What do you mean?" Xu Youyu gave him a look. "Why do I feel you're being sarcastic?"

"I'm not!" Li Luo chuckled. "Let's go, what do we need to prepare?"

The four of them got out of the motorhome, went home first, and packed a set of spare clothes and pajamas.

"Even though the temperature is high now, it's better to bring an extra jacket," Ying Chanxi thought for a moment. "The night air will be cold when we climb the mountain—don't want to catch a chill."

"Should we change the sheets on the motorhome beds too?" Li Luo asked Xu Youyu.

"I already changed them," Xu Youyu replied. "I did it this morning."

"Alright," Li Luo nodded. "Since you're writing at night, I'll bring my laptop too—we can write together."

"Don't you have drafts saved?" Xu Youyu narrowed her eyes at him.

"What? You can write, but I can't?"

"You writing beside me puts me under huge pressure!" Xu Youyu complained. "All that constant clacking."

"You've changed, Youyu—before, when we went to year-end meetings or salons, you always ran to my room to write with me," Li Luo feigned sadness. "And wasn't the study in the villa supposed to be for both of us?"

At this point, Xu Youyu had been about to keep bantering with Li Luo.

But Ying Chanxi, who had been packing, suddenly interrupted, expressionless: "When you attended salons and year-end meetings, did Youyu often go to your room? Should we elaborate on that part?"

"Have we packed everything?" Li Luo pretended not to hear, grabbed his backpack, and headed out. "Let's go—don't waste time."

"Let's go, let's go!" Xu Youyu quickly hugged Ying Chanxi and pushed her toward the door. "Let's stop by the roadside supermarket for snacks—what do you want? Xi Xi, want some Little Pudding? There's a fridge in the motorhome."

Ying Chanxi mumbled a few times, realizing these two wouldn't elaborate, and dropped the matter.

But thinking of how these two had already been secretly involved, Ying Chanxi's jealousy became hard to hide.

So when Xu Youyu pushed her out the door, Ying Chanxi broke free, ran to her room to grab two things, then followed them out.

"What did you take this time?" Li Luo stepped into the elevator and glanced curiously at Ying Chanxi as she followed.

"Bring them along," Ying Chanxi held up her Pikachu and Doraemon plushes. "When I sleep at night, having them around helps me fall asleep easier."

…

Back in the Motorhome, the four of them put everything away in the cabinets, then prepared to depart.

"So why am I driving?" Li Luo asked helplessly as Xu Youyu shoved him into the driver's seat. "You're so eager for a Motorhome trip, yet you won't drive yourself?"

"I already drove this morning," Xu Youyu cheerfully sat in the front passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and raised her hand. "Now it's your turn to experience it! Let's go!"

"Everyone seated properly in the back?" Li Luo turned to ask, received replies from Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng, then started the vehicle and carefully drove out of Bihai Lanting.

Although C-type Motorhomes, like regular sedans, can be driven with a standard license.

But this thing is essentially a borderline small truck.

The driving feel is definitely quite different, requiring some time to adapt.

Li Luo didn't drive fast, constantly watching the road conditions, until he stopped at a parking lot near a large supermarket, following Xu Youyu's navigation.

After buying plenty of daily necessities and snacks at the supermarket, the four returned to the Motorhome around two in the afternoon.

Following Xu Youyu's navigation, Li Luo arrived at the southern entrance of Yinshan at half past three, climbed up the slope, and reached a small rural commercial base halfway up the mountain.

Yinshan is the main mountain range of the many small hills north of Yuhang City; Ningshan in Yinjiang District, where Li Luo lives, is just a minor western branch of Yinshan.

Even as the main range, the highest peak of Yinshan is only slightly over three hundred meters, and climbing to the summit takes about an hour.

Li Luo parked the Motorhome at a spot beside a rural guesthouse.

Xu Youyu had arranged this place in advance—the parking spot is free to use, and charging or refilling the Motorhome's water tank can be done anytime.

After Li Luo and the other two got out with Xu Youyu, they followed the host's usage guide and set up a semi-open canopy above the Motorhome's entrance.

After Li Luo finished setting up the canopy, he watched Xu Youyu call the two girls over to rent a barbecue grill, charcoal, and fresh ingredients from the guesthouse.

He himself took out the folding chairs from the Motorhome and placed them under the canopy.

After finishing everything, Li Luo pulled out his phone to check.

The class group was buzzing with activity.

Just after the exam, everyone felt like piglets finally released from a fence, all eager to head for the mountains.

Boys like Zhu Yufei and his group had already gone to an internet cafe together that afternoon to play games.

The girls were also discussing in the group where they wanted to travel during summer vacation.

Someone even @Li Luo, asking if he had any plans.

After all, many classmates still vividly remembered the class trip during the first-year summer vacation.

Seeing they'd @ed him, Li Luo picked up his phone, snapped a photo of Xu Youyu and the other three busy figures, and sent it.

The moment the photo appeared, the group fell silent for a moment.

【Zhu Yufei】:?

【Zhang Guohuang】:?

【Liu Shaowen】:?

【Ren Zheng】: Where are you guys?

【Li Luo】: At Yinshan. Our senior's birthday today, so we came out for barbecue.

【Hua Xiuxiu】: Why is there a Motorhome beside you? Is that really a Motorhome?

【Li Luo】: Rented it. Just for fun.

【Zhu Yufei】: I have a feeling I'll see a scene like this in I Am Really Not a Star.

【Zhang Guohuang】: The monitor's life is too comfortable. Everyone should use their connections to get him more top-student report cards so he'll update more.

【Li Luo】: I've got a hundred thousand words in reserve—why should I be afraid of that?

【Zhang Guohuang】: Fine fine! I'm screenshotting this—I'll post it in your comment section!

【Li Luo】: As long as my Gaokao ranking is high enough, you won't have many people to call on.

【Zhang Guohuang】: Didn't you forget? Even getting into a 985 university can make you update—even if it's not a hundred thousand words, a little is still better than nothing.

【Zhang Guohuang】: Suppose we get a hundred people to do it—you'd have to update a hundred chapters, two thousand words each—that's two hundred thousand words total.

【Li Luo】: How many top students even read my novel? You're imagining things.

After teasing his classmates, Li Luo pretended not to care, but inside he was still uneasy.

It seemed that after the Gaokao, he couldn't relax too much—he needed to stockpile more chapters to feel secure.

Even…

Li Luo suddenly remembered what Zhang Guohuang had just said, and a faint idea began forming in his mind.

"What are you thinking about?" Ying Chanxi waved her hand in front of him. "Let's start the barbecue. If we do it ourselves, it'll be slow—we should get going."

"You're underestimating me?" Li Luo snapped back to attention and smiled. "Leave the barbecue to me."

After all, in his past life, he'd been a chef—grilling was child's play.

But the three girls refused to be lazy; they insisted on grilling themselves.

So Li Luo had to act as their teacher, standing behind them, guiding each one step by step.

"For fatty meats, don't oil them right away—let them dry-roast a bit first, then add seasoning once the fat renders."

"Same with vegetables, especially watery ones—let them roast a little to dry out first. Wait until the enoki mushrooms turn slightly yellow before brushing on oil and seasoning."

Li Luo wrapped his arm around Ying Chanxi's slender waist, occasionally taking over to demonstrate, then handing it back to her.

Yan Zhusheng watched longingly, unable to wait any longer, and tugged at Li Luo's sleeve: "Li Luo, teach me too."

Seeing Li Luo being snatched away, Ying Chanxi pouted, then her eyes flickered—she picked up the grilled skewers she'd finished and held them to Li Luo's lips: "Try it—how's it taste?"

"Sister." Yan Zhusheng tiptoed and stood in front of Li Luo, opened her mouth and bit into the skewer Ying Chanxi offered, tore off a piece of meat, then said, "Li Luo still has to teach me—you wait a moment."

"It's not for you." Ying Chanxi glared at her sister and quickly pushed the skewer again toward Li Luo's lips.

But halfway, she remembered this was the skewer Yan Zhusheng had bitten into—if she gave it to Li Luo now, it would be like an indirect kiss.

Although she had accepted the fact that Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng kissed in private, Ying Chanxi could never accept actively creating a romantic moment for them.

So the next moment, she pulled the skewer back.

This left Li Luo, who had already opened his mouth, frozen in place.

Then Xu Youyu seized the opportunity, smiling broadly as he offered his own grilled skewer to Li Luo's lips: "Try mine."

(End of Chapter)