Chapter 616: Yan Zhusheng

The sun in early June had already demonstrated summer's power; even as evening approached, the 4:30 sunlight remained scorching.

Fortunately, Li Luo had parked the motorhome under a patch of shade, with a canopy already erected overhead.

Even so, once the charcoal beneath the grill ignited, all four of them were drenched in sweat.

Xu Youyu's physique was the most frail; by five or six o'clock, she was already drenched in perspiration and periodically sipped ice cola brought from the farmstay.

Li Luo stood behind the three girls, occasionally reaching out to casually wrap an arm around one and give a lesson.

Sometimes he opened his mouth to accept food offered by the three girls.

Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng would always exchange sharp barbs in conversation, then quietly set aside their differences under Xu Youyu's sneak attack, uniting first against the senior.

At such moments, Xu Youyu would chuckle and step back, pretending nothing had happened, swiftly retreating from the battlefield.

Only when the two sisters clashed again would she seize the right moment to strike from the side.

The farmstay owner's wife was slaughtering fish behind the courtyard; with a single clang of the knife's back, the fish's tail arched upward.

In barely a few minutes, the fish was gutted, cleaned, sliced into fillets, skewered, and delivered to Li Luo and the others.

"So you're sure you won't stay at our place?" the owner's wife glanced at their motorhome. "This vehicle isn't big—can four people fit inside?"

"We can fit," Xu Youyu replied with a smile, taking the skewered fish fillets from the owner's hand, thanking her as she said, "Your skill is amazing—these slices are so translucent."

The owner's wife was pleased to be praised, chatted for a while, then returned to her work; she felt no particular regret over failing to earn accommodation fees from these guests.

"Maybe you should still rent a room?" Li Luo thought for a moment and said to Xu Youyu. "If you're uncomfortable sleeping in the motorhome at night, you don't have to force it."

After all, the space inside the motorhome was still cramped.

Li Luo didn't mind, but the three girls might not sleep well.

Their indifference now might just be due to the novelty of the motorhome.

Xu Youyu considered it and realized Li Luo had a point—after all, a night's room here wasn't expensive.

Following Li Luo's suggestion, Xu Youyu walked toward the courtyard behind the farmstay and negotiated with the owner's wife.

When she heard Xu Youyu still planned to rent a king-size room, the owner's wife first laughed—she hadn't expected to fail at renting, only to have the situation turn around so quickly.

The owner's wife cheerfully arranged a king-size room for them; after Xu Youyu confirmed the room and received the key, she returned to continue eating barbecue.

By six o'clock in the evening, the sun finally learned to be gentler, hanging like a runny egg yolk atop the peak of Yanshan Mountain.

The wooden sign of the farmstay, bleached by the sun, hung crookedly; beneath it, an old orange cat lazily yawned—likely sensing mealtime—then ambled over to Li Luo's group, rubbing against their pant legs.

Ying Chanxi found it adorable and fed it a skewer of fish fillet.

The evening sunset dyed the entire fir forest red; the evening breeze swept through the mountain ravine, rustling the leaves with a swish-swish, accompanied by birdsong and cicadas, making the barbecue taste even richer.

Li Luo pulled out several tissues and wiped sweat from the girls' faces.

Among them, Xu Youyu, with the weakest physique, sweated the most.

She had changed into a white off-shoulder blouse, now soaked through with perspiration, clinging tightly to her back and outlining the alluring contours of the thin straps beneath.

Li Luo couldn't resist mischief—he reached out and tugged one strap, then instantly released it; a sharp *snap* echoed against Xu Youyu's back.

Xu Youyu's cheeks flushed slightly; she turned and glared at Li Luo, then her eyes darted as she reached for Yan Zhusheng's back, intending to frame someone.

But halfway there, Xu Youyu suddenly remembered something and helplessly retracted her hand.

Hmm… Zhusheng usually didn't wear this—just a tiny tank top, no straps to tug.

At this moment, Li Luo had already switched targets and repeated the trick on Ying Chanxi.

Feeling the thief's hand on her back, Ying Chanxi's cheeks flushed; she turned and puffed her lips, yet secretly delighted, wishing Li Luo would do it again.

Yan Zhusheng noticed both sisters turning back to look at Li Luo, unsure what they were watching, so she turned too.

"Why are you looking at me?" Li Luo noticed Yan Zhusheng's movement and asked, "Is there something you can't grill?"

Yan Zhusheng blinked, not understanding why both sisters kept glancing back, but following her instinct, she leaned backward into Li Luo's chest: "Nothing."

"If you can't grill anything, then don't grill," Ying Chanxi watched this, biting her lip slightly, then said, "Give me the skewers—I'll grill them."

Seeing her sister's envious and jealous gaze, Yan Zhusheng rubbed against Li Luo's chest again before turning toward the motorhome: "I'll go use the restroom—you guys keep going."

"I'll do it. You've had enough fun," Li Luo walked to the grill and gathered all the skewers from Xu Youyu and Ying Chanxi. "After finishing these, we'll be full."

Lamb skewers and pork belly skewers sizzled in Li Luo's hands as he expertly flipped them, occasionally pressing pork belly onto lamb skewers to let the fat render, and he even took time to brush oil onto the nearby corn skewers.

"Why use pork belly to touch the lamb skewers?"

"To brush oil," Li Luo smiled. "Lamb skewers naturally have fat, but they're mostly lean meat—normally you'd need to brush oil. With pork belly, you don't need to brush as much."

The lamb skewers, roasted over charcoal, gradually turned a tempting caramel brown.

The pork belly was also crisped at the edges, oozing savory juices.

Li Luo sprinkled barbecue seasoning on them, then placed them alongside the cooked corn on a nearby iron tray.

Just then, Yan Zhusheng returned from the restroom; all four of them took one skewer each of corn and meat, savoring them with relish.

At 6:40 p. m., the last ray of sunset faded from the farmstay's sign, finally disappearing.

At the entrance to the Dengshan trail nearby, several well-equipped tourists descended, hands on hips, breathing slightly hard—apparently drawn by the aroma, they walked into the farmstay.

Some paused as they passed the motorhome, unable to move, captivated by the sight of the three girls.

Unfortunately, Li Luo's group had already finished eating; they called the farmstay owner's wife over to clear the grill, then climbed into the motorhome to enjoy the air conditioning.

"Phew… I'm dying of heat," Xu Youyu sat on a chair in the living area, palms resting on the seat between her thighs, eyes closed as she faced the air vent, wearing a look of bliss.

"Any other activities planned for tonight?" Li Luo asked with a smile. "I should've bought you a birthday cake."

"Oh come on, I eat birthday cake every year—I'm sick of it," Xu Youyu waved her hand.

"At least you can make a wish."

"I'll make a wish tomorrow when we watch the sunrise on the mountain."

"Then write now?" Li Luo chuckled. "We rented a motorhome just to write inside? That'll make people laugh."

"You talk too much," Xu Youyu rolled her eyes; feeling her body had cooled enough, she pulled out her pajamas and headed for the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower first—then I'll write."

Watching Xu Youyu close both front and back doors of the bathroom corridor to form a shower stall, Li Luo stretched, pulled out his laptop, and folded together the left and right tabletops in the living area.

Ying Chanxi had nothing to do at the moment, leaning back in her chair scrolling through her phone, when she suddenly noticed Yan Zhusheng curiously climbing up to the front bunk bed—then a thought struck her.

"How are we going to sleep tonight?"

"What do you mean, how to sleep?" Xu Youyu's voice came from the shower room. "Two beds are perfect for four people."

"I mean…" Ying Chanxi sighed, pressing further, "Who sleeps with whom tonight?"

"Where do you want to sleep, Xixi?"

"I…" Ying Chanxi opened her mouth, her heart naturally wishing to sleep beside Li Luo.

But then she suddenly remembered today was Xu Youyu's Birthday Person, and if she insisted on sleeping with Li Luo, it would be rather impolite.

After much deliberation, Ying Chanxi bit her lip and finally said, "It's your birthday, Sister Xue, and you rented the Motorhome—whatever you decide about sleeping arrangements tonight, I'll follow."

"Then I'll sleep on the front bunk bed," Xu Youyu suddenly pushed open the bathroom door and stuck out her head, grinning. "There's a skylight over there—I'd really like to experience it."

"Sis—Sister Xue!" Ying Chanxi sat on the left chair of the Motorhome, angled toward the shower room—this view let her see Xu Youyu's body clearly. "Close the door!"

"What's wrong?" Li Luo turned his head in confusion, but before he could see anything, Ying Chanxi's hands shot out and covered his eyes.

Xu Youyu chuckled softly, then closed the door and pulled back inside: "Then it's settled—I'll sleep on the front bunk bed."

With that, the sleeping arrangements for the night were essentially decided.

After all, Xu Youyu was the Birthday Person, and since Ying Chanxi didn't object, Yan Zhusheng wouldn't insist on squeezing in beside Li Luo.

Li Luo didn't care where he slept; right now, his back was to the shower room, and the sound of Xu Youyu bathing came through the thin door panel—crystal clear.

"Alright, alright, let go," Li Luo patted Ying Chanxi's arm, telling her to remove her hands.

Once his vision returned, Li Luo began typing furiously, the sound of Xu Youyu's shower fueling his flow—his pen moved as if guided by divine inspiration.

After Xu Youyu finished bathing and stepped out wearing her pajamas, it was Ying Chanxi's turn to enter.

But Yan Zhusheng also jumped down from the front bunk bed and slipped into the shower room.

"What are you doing, Zhusheng?"

"Let's wash together—I've been waiting so long."

"It's too cramped—we can't even stand properly. Go out and wait."

Yan Zhusheng emerged looking utterly innocent, her pants and clothes already discarded, and she hadn't bothered to put anything back on.

Barefoot, she walked over from the shower room, her long, pale legs fully exposed as they swayed before Li Luo.

Her upper body clad in a tiny white tank top that barely covered her abdomen, her entire frame glowed with whiteness.

"Don't just blow one spot," Xu Youyu complained while enjoying Li Luo's blow-dry service. "Your eyes are glued to Zhusheng's legs—I've been burned on my hair already."

"Cough…" Li Luo cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment, quickly waving the hairdryer—but his eyes kept glancing toward Yan Zhusheng.

Yan Zhusheng didn't mind at all; she actually hoped Li Luo would keep staring.

She sat on the chair opposite Li Luo's aisle, her bare feet planted right on his chair, her long legs fully exposed before him.

Xu Youyu, seated across from Li Luo at his desk, her back to him as she enjoyed the blow-dry, got burned again—she turned around with a look of utter disbelief.

"Zhusheng, are you doing this on purpose?"

"Huh?" Yan Zhusheng blinked innocently at Xu Youyu. "What are you talking about, Sister Xue?"

As she spoke, she rubbed her foot against Li Luo's thigh.

"Turn your head back," Li Luo reached out and pressed Xu Youyu's head into place, pretending Yan Zhusheng's foot didn't exist, his face stern as he focused intently on drying her hair.

Somehow, Yan Zhusheng had awakened some kind of awareness—lately, she always sneaked chances to tease him when Ying Chanxi or Xu Youyu weren't paying attention.

She found this sneaky little thrill addictive, and kept doing it more and more.

"Zhusheng, I forgot…"

At that moment, the shower room door suddenly cracked open—Ying Chanxi poked her head out, cheeks flushed, whispering softly.

But halfway through, she widened her eyes, watching Yan Zhusheng wriggling her long legs, her feet shoved into Li Luo's lap—she had no idea what was happening.

Because of the angle, Yan Zhusheng's feet were hidden behind Li Luo's back and chair—Ying Chanxi couldn't tell exactly where they were placed.

Even so, it sent a massive shock through her mind.

She had never dared to do anything like this herself—normally, she was the passive one, letting Li Luo play with her tiny feet.

"What's wrong, Sister?" Yan Zhusheng, caught in the act, showed no panic—only calmness, and deliberately pushed her foot further into Li Luo's waistband.

Li Luo held his breath, nearly dropping the hairdryer.

"I—I forgot my pajamas. Can you get them for me?" Ying Chanxi only wanted Yan Zhusheng to remove her feet immediately. "I'm almost done—get ready to come in and wash."

"Oh," Yan Zhusheng nodded obediently, agreeing—but didn't move.

Not until Ying Chanxi closed the door again and had nearly dried herself off did Yan Zhusheng finally pull her feet away and stand up to fetch the pajamas.

When Ying Chanxi stepped out of the shower room wearing a panda-patterned pajama set, fresh and adorable, she took over Xu Youyu's spot and received the premium blow-dry service from Li Tony Luo.

Now it was Yan Zhusheng's turn to shower.

After finishing her hair, Xu Youyu gave her spot to Ying Chanxi and took the seat Yan Zhusheng had just vacated, opening her laptop to start typing.

But soon, Li Luo felt a sudden weight on his thigh.

He looked down—following the soft, pale foot upward, his gaze landed on Xu Youyu, typing earnestly.

You're all… really not afraid I'll get athlete's foot?

Li Luo sighed, feeling that life after the college entrance exam would only grow harder.

(End of Chapter)