Chapter 636

5:30 a. m.

In Xu Youyu's bedroom, the alarm clock rang on time.

Li Luo barely opened his eyes, reached out, found the bedside, and turned off the alarm.

He forced his eyes open, letting his mind clear slightly, then stared at the ceiling, still dazed.

He turned his head to look at the peaceful face beside him.

Recalling last night, his heart trembled faintly.

Xu Youyu slept beside him; her sultry eyelids, now closed, had lost much of their allure.

With her lips slightly parted, she seemed cuter instead.

He rolled onto his side to admire her closely, his fingers gently tracing her cheek.

Then, without realizing it, his hand shifted direction.

"First thing in the morning, your hands are already misbehaving."

Xu Youyu had opened her eyes sometime earlier, squinting slightly, smiling at him.

"You like it that much?"

"A man's palm is naturally meant to fit a body like yours, Youyu."

Li Luo said seriously, "Look at the curve of my palm in its relaxed state—doesn't it match yours perfectly?"

"Is that so?" Xu Youyu chuckled, letting him ramble on, "Then what about Xixi and Zhusheng?"

"Xixi might barely fit in your palm."

"Zhusheng would be upset, though."

"Cough…" Li Luo cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment, then quickly shifted his hand to her firm buttocks, "See? The curve here matches too."

"Only you're so clever," Xu Youyu rolled her eyes, then slipped a hand under the covers and gripped him tightly, "You're misbehaving again first thing— you're poking me."

Stimulated by her touch, Li Luo, young and full of blood, couldn't hold back—he flipped her over and pinned her beneath him.

The blanket slid completely off their bodies.

The room was instantly filled with springtime warmth.

Li Luo's healthy bronze skin blended with the snow-white skin beneath him, forming a vivid, tense scene.

Xu Youyu pressed her hands against Li Luo's chest, pleading:

"No… it's almost six o'clock. Didn't we agree to get up early and go back to Xixi and the others?"

"There's still over twenty minutes."

Li Luo couldn't resist—he licked his lips, his breath growing heavier, then leaned down and bit her.

"No… no…"

Xu Youyu pushed him away, hurriedly scrambled out of bed, grabbed her pajamas, and ran toward the bedroom door, complaining as she went—

"We did it four times last night!"

"Are you an animal? I'm exhausted."

Just as she was about to escape, Li Luo yanked her back.

But seeing she was truly worn out, Li Luo didn't press further—instead, he pulled her into his arms: "Alright, alright, I'll hold back. Don't go."

"Hmph~" Hearing that, Xu Youyu finally leaned contentedly against his chest, but still reached out to reward him, "Just like this. Don't move."

"Alright, no moving," Li Luo checked his phone's time, then held Xu Youyu tightly, "We'll go back at fifty past."

Watching Li Luo, whom she'd devoured last night, seem even more fond of her after waking, Xu Youyu smiled.

Her small hand softly caressed him as she nestled against his chest, chatting idly with him, savoring the tenderness.

"By the way," Xu Youyu suddenly grinned mischievously, "your old novel's progress has always synced pretty closely with real life, right? When you update later, should you write the part where the protagonist and Jiang Ming… you know, 'that'?"

"That'll have to wait until after 'Little Joys' is released," Li Luo coughed. "I've already written over three hundred thousand words. If I'm going to write about the protagonist's little affairs, I'll have to wait a few more months."

"Your readers really have it rough," Xu Youyu giggled. "I'm much kinder to readers—I never delay progress on that front."

"Writing that kind of thing isn't worth much," Li Luo sighed. "At best, it'd only circulate in the reader group—publish it in the main text and it'd be banned immediately."

"You're just bad at it," Xu Youyu chuckled. "I've got tons of experience passing reviews. Want your sister to teach you?"

"Outsmarting censors isn't my hobby," Li Luo shook his head vigorously.

They chatted about other topics for a while.

Then Li Luo suddenly asked: "By the way, Youyu, where did that thing you used on me yesterday come from? Did you buy it ahead of time?"

"What thing?" Xu Youyu asked, puzzled.

"That one…" Li Luo wiggled his fingers in her palm, whispering into her ear, "This one."

Xu Youyu blushed slightly from his teasing, then laughed softly: "I didn't buy it on the spot—it's from Xixi."

"To be safe, I took two."

"Here's another one."

As she spoke, she reached under the pillow and pulled out another.

"From Xixi?"

"Yes. Before her birthday, didn't I buy her a whole box?"

"You didn't steal it, did you?" Li Luo's lip twitched. "Does Xixi know?"

"You don't know this," Xu Youyu grinned. "A few days ago, didn't I buy Xixi a maid outfit?"

"Before I bought it, I teased her: 'Put on the maid outfit and call me master, master~'"

"Then my birthday gift to her would be perfectly useful."

"I didn't expect she'd mess it up."

Li Luo: "... But how does that relate to you stealing this?"

"It's not stealing—I got permission," Xu Youyu smirked. "Xixi said she'd never use it with you, so I told her, if you won't use it, then I'll take it."

"She said I could use it however I wanted, and she put the whole box in her bedroom drawer."

"Whoever wants to use it, can use it."

"You-you're such a troublemaker, Youyu," Li Luo said, unable to suppress a wry smile after hearing this.

"Xixi just won't put in the effort—what can I do?" Xu Youyu sighed. "I don't care about first times or not—I just wanted her to go first."

"Who knew she was so useless?"

"Really wastes my good intentions."

Li Luo: "Then how did you… last night?"

"I just thought you'd graduated, so I'd give you a little reward," Xu Youyu said, slightly embarrassed. "But I accidentally ended up going all the way—I couldn't hold back halfway."

"Is it because I'm better?" Li Luo's hand wandered again, restless.

Xu Youyu rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Who's the one who, when it's actually real, only lasts a few minutes total?"

"B-But that's not the same!?" Li Luo panicked, flipping over to prove himself. "Do it again! Last night I was just too excited—if…"

"Alright, alright," Xu Youyu laughed heartily, finding his reaction utterly adorable. She hugged him tightly to soothe him. "I get it, don't go wild. I'll give you another chance next time—prove yourself then, okay?"

"When's next time?" Li Luo's gaze burned with intensity; his young, blood-filled body demanded a concrete answer.

"I need at least two days to rest," Xu Youyu sighed. "My waist feels worn out, my mouth and arms are sore—I slept but still haven't fully recovered."

"Then when will it be?"

"How long did you go without in high school? A few more days won't kill you," Xu Youyu chuckled. "We can use other methods for now—or you could go find Xixi or Zhusheng."

"Cough… Zhusheng's birthday hasn't even passed yet," Li Luo whispered.

"Then Xixi?"

"I want to see her take the initiative," Li Luo blinked, still remembering last time's maid outfit.

"Greedy," Xu Youyu poked his forehead with a finger. "Then wait two days."

"But in two days we're going on a motorhome trip," Li Luo said, frowning. "Won't that be inconvenient?"

"Hmm…" Xu Youyu blinked, then images flashed in her mind—her lips curled slightly. "Actually… it might not be impossible."

"Huh?"

…

Six o'clock sharp in the morning.

Li Luo and Xu Youyu slipped quietly back into the master bedroom without raising suspicion.

After Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng woke up, Xu Youyu collapsed onto Li Luo's bed and went back to sleep.

Li Luo accompanied Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng through their morning routines, then went downstairs for their daily run.

But when they passed a nearby small park, Li Luo stopped them, found an open patch of ground, and added several new exercises as supplementary training beyond jogging.

"Why the sudden interest in fitness?" Ying Chanxi asked, puzzled.

Li Luo, deep in a squat, replied solemnly: "Online novel writers sit too long writing—they easily develop sub-health issues. I need to take this seriously early."

In truth, he'd simply been provoked by Xu Youyu's words.

He'd had no experience in his past life; hearing her say that, he'd begun doubting himself.

All this daily exercise—could he really be… inadequate?

Impossible!

I'm a healthy, strong young man—I've got three girlfriends to pamper in the future.

How could I have problems here?!

"If you want to get fit," Yan Zhusheng said beside him, "my mom knows some professional trainers—want to try one?"

"Oh right!" Ying Chanxi suddenly remembered. She turned to Li Luo. "My dad works out regularly—he's still in great shape. Should I ask him for recommendations?"

"Really?" Li Luo's eyebrows lifted, instantly intrigued. "You two ask for me—perfect, I've got summer vacation free. Let's start training after the trip!"

As Li Luo spoke, he mused: no wonder Ying Zhicheng and Yuan Wanqing—both around forty—still had energy for romance despite their busy jobs.

So they'd been working out and taking care of themselves all along.

I should learn from my future in-laws.

Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng assumed Li Luo simply wanted to get fit—no deeper thoughts crossed their minds.

After exercising a while in the park, the three jogged back to the residential complex and had breakfast.

"Zhusheng, take breakfast up to Youyu," Li Luo said after thinking. "Xixi, come with me to the market—we'll buy groceries and I'll cook lunch."

"Aren't you cooking today?" Ying Chanxi asked, puzzled.

"'Little Joy' comes out tomorrow—let's relax these two days," Li Luo offered a casual excuse, then took Ying Chanxi to the market.

Buy an old hen, stew a soup to replenish Xu Youyu's energy.

Hmm… also buy some oysters, some leeks, and a slice of kidney—ask the vendor to slice it properly.

Seeing these ingredients, Ying Chanxi asked curiously: "You don't usually cook these kinds of dishes."

"I just thought of them suddenly—wanted to try the flavor," Li Luo said, unfazed. "Don't you like them?"

"Not at all—I think they're fine," Ying Chanxi shook her head. "Changing flavors occasionally is nice."

The two wandered through the market, then returned home with plastic bags full of groceries.

Li Luo began preparing the old hen first, putting the broth to simmer.

He marinated the kidney slices to remove the fishy smell.

Then he poured the oysters into a basin, added clean water and sea salt, letting them expel the sand.

After finishing, Li Luo took off his apron, stretched, and stepped out of the kitchen—only to see Ying Chanxi hanging laundry on the balcony.

Noticing Li Luo had finished, Ying Chanxi turned and asked: "Where's your senior's school uniform? Didn't she wash it yesterday?"

"Probably hasn't been washed yet…" Li Luo replied, feeling a bit guilty.

In fact, not only had Xu Youyu's clothes not been washed, but the new set Li Luo had taken from the closet yesterday also hadn't been washed—both lay scattered all over Xu Youyu's bedroom floor, untouched and unsorted!

Fortunately, Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng never entered others' rooms casually—oh, wait, except Li Luo's room.

In short, they definitely wouldn't just walk into Xu Youyu's room, especially since Xu Youyu was still asleep in Li Luo's bed.

Thinking of this, Li Luo felt slightly relieved.

When it neared noon, he returned to the kitchen again to continue cooking.

For lunch: a slow-simmered chicken soup made with an old hen, stir-fried eggs with leeks, spicy stir-fried pork kidneys, and steamed vermicelli with garlic oysters.

After each dish was ready, Li Luo went to his room, gently tapped Xu Youyu's cheek, and softly said, "Youyu, wake up—time to eat."

"Mmm… hold me…" Xu Youyu wriggled on the bed, reaching out her arms toward Li Luo.

Li Luo smiled, pulled back the covers, lifted her up, and carried her all the way to the bathroom to wash up.

"How do you feel?" Li Luo asked quietly.

"Fine, after sleeping, I don't feel anything anymore," Xu Youyu replied, shaking her head while brushing her teeth.

"Then… do we still need to wait two more days?" Li Luo whispered, pressing against her lower back.

"Th-this…" Xu Youyu suddenly grew flustered and quickly corrected herself, "Well, I still feel a little uncomfortable, just not as extreme as online says—at least walking's no problem."

After saying that, Xu Youyu found Li Luo's expression amusing and lightly hit him: "Why do you suddenly seem so eager?"

After teasing him, Xu Youyu finished washing up and followed Li Luo to the dining table to sit down.

Seeing the dishes on the table, Xu Youyu's expression turned strange, and she couldn't help but glance at Li Luo several times.

"Eat," Li Luo said calmly, pretending not to notice her odd gaze. He stood up and ladled a bowl of chicken soup for each of the three girls. "Drink while it's hot—see how it tastes."

"Mm," Xu Youyu blew gently on the steam, took a small sip, and winked at Li Luo. "It's delicious—no fishy smell at all."

Li Luo: "..."

What do you mean "no fishy smell"?

What are you implying, Xu Youyu?!

Even drinking soup, you're teasing him.

(End of Chapter)