Chapter 729

October 1st, the first day of National Day.

Early in the morning, Lin Xiuhong and Li Guohong got up together, bought some ingredients at the market, and hurried straight to Bihai Lanting, Unit 1502.

At that moment, Li Luo was taking Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng out for a morning run and ran into Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong at the gated entrance of the community.

Li Guohong had parked his Mercedes—bought for him by Li Luo—at the community gate, rolled down his window, and called out to the three: "Don't eat breakfast outside—come back home for it!"

"Got it!" Li Luo replied, waving his hand to indicate they were off for their run.

"Is Youyu still asleep?" Lin Xiuhong greeted them as they passed by. "Didn't you say she started morning runs recently?"

"That's just a school requirement," Li Luo chuckled. "Now it's vacation—morning runs don't count. She won't get up."

"No wonder," Lin Xiuhong laughed along. "Then go run first—we'll go upstairs and make breakfast for you when you get back."

"Alright."

After parting ways with Li Guohong's Mercedes at the community gate, Li Luo led the two girls around Bihai Lanting for several laps.

Meanwhile, Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong went upstairs to Unit 1502, carried the ingredients into the kitchen, and got to work.

Midway, Lin Xiuhong went to the bathroom and noticed Xu Youyu's door was open; she peeked inside but didn't see Youyu sleeping.

She wasn't surprised—her gaze flicked toward Li Luo's room, as if this sort of thing had long become routine.

Back in the kitchen, Lin Xiuhong helped Li Guohong while gently nudging his lower back and whispering, "Youyu's sleeping on your son's bed again."

"What's there to say about this?" Li Guohong sighed. "Everyone already knows all four of them sleep on the same bed."

"Then tell me…" Lin Xiuhong asked, worried, "is that brat Li Luo doing something inappropriate?"

"What do you mean by 'inappropriate'?" Li Guohong smirked.

"What else could it be?" Lin Xiuhong snapped. "Men are all the same—sleeping in the same bed with three such beautiful girls—what else would he do?"

"It probably hasn't gone that far," Li Guohong coughed. "Li Luo's still level-headed. He wouldn't do anything reckless."

"Then what's your take?" Lin Xiuhong pressed. "Your son's become so successful he's overdone it—sleeping with three girls every night. What are you going to do about it?"

"What can we do?" Li Guohong sighed. "Aren't we going today to check on the villa renovation? They've all turned that place into home—they get along fine."

"If they're truly willing, then your son must've saved the world in his past life."

"Didn't you just say having three daughters-in-law was great?"

"I was just joking, thinking out loud—is that not allowed?" Lin Xiuhong clicked her tongue. "That brat Li Luo's got some nerve—how did he get all three of them to agree?"

"That's not our concern," Li Guohong glanced at his wife. "But can you handle Su Ling?"

At this, Lin Xiuhong's face stiffened, looking troubled. "Don't bring that up—I'm too embarrassed to even mention it when I go out with her."

"Isn't Su Ling quite pleased with Li Luo?" Li Guohong asked.

"She's very pleased," Lin Xiuhong rolled her eyes. "But what if she finds out this brat is juggling three girls? Would she still be pleased?"

"Then it's up to you, Mom," Li Guohong chuckled.

"Don't just blame me," Lin Xiuhong retorted. "What about Old Xu? Why don't you fix that side first?"

"You think Su Ling runs the house? When it comes to big family decisions, it's still Old Xu who makes the call."

"If you can convince Old Xu, then this whole thing might work."

"That's not easy," Li Guohong grimaced. "He's a professor at Qian University, Vice Dean of the College of Literature—his rank's too high. I can't even speak to him."

"Sigh… you're right," Lin Xiuhong sighed again. "What about Old Ying and Wanqing? Do you think there's a chance?"

Li Guohong: "…I'm afraid Old Ying will just grab a knife and kill your precious son."

"That's exaggerated," Lin Xiuhong coughed. "Li Luo's grown up under his eyes—he's helped Ying and Wanqing stabilize and expand their careers. He must at least approve of Li Luo, right?"

"That's true," Li Guohong said helplessly. "If it were just Chanxi or Zhusheng alone, Old Ying and Wanqing would wholeheartedly agree."

"But your son wants to take them all."

"They finally got together as a couple, and their daughters both approved of the match—finally, a family."

"And now Li Luo's snatched both their daughters away—where's the justice in that?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiuhong felt a twinge of embarrassment but still bluffed: "Chanxi and Zhusheng are both glued to Li Luo—they won't leave. As parents, we'll just have to accept it."

"You're talking from a position of comfort," Li Guohong rolled his eyes. "But honestly, if your son had more responsibility, we wouldn't be wasting time worrying about this."

"I don't care," Lin Xiuhong declared firmly. "I love all three of them. Now that things have come this far, why not take them all? I'm hoping Li Luo works even harder."

The couple chatted animatedly while preparing breakfast.

This wasn't the first time they'd discussed this topic—they'd worn themselves out worrying over their son.

Before, they worried about his studies, his future.

Now that his studies and career were settled, marriage had become a new source of worry—on an entirely different front.

And it wasn't that he couldn't find a partner—it was that he'd found too many, giving Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong a new kind of happy trouble.

"Smells delicious."

As Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong chatted, Li Luo returned home with Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng.

Ying Chanxi slipped on slippers and leaned toward the kitchen door. "Lin Yi, need help?"

"No, no—just wait a bit, breakfast'll be ready soon," Lin Xiuhong waved. "Go wake up Youyu."

"Alright," Ying Chanxi nodded obediently and turned toward the master bedroom.

But Li Luo already placed a hand on her shoulder: "You and Zhusheng wait in the living room—I'll go wake her. You won't be able to."

Saying that, Li Luo walked into the bedroom, stepped to the bed, and patted Xu Youyu's cheek: "Youyu, wake up—breakfast's ready."

"Mmm…" Youyu blinked sleepily, glanced at Li Luo's hand, then asked, "Where's breakfast?"

"Outside."

"Did you forget?" Li Luo said. "This morning I made plans with my parents to go check out the villa—they're already there."

"Didn't you forget?" Li Luo said. "Today we promised your dad and mom we'd go check on the villa. They're already here."

"Huh? So early?" Youyu groaned from the bed, mumbling. "I'm still so sleepy."

【61】 "You can't make your dad and mom wait," Li Luo smiled. "They made your favorite breakfast."

"Aww... I know, I know." Xu Youyu stretched lazily in bed, then extended both arms toward Li Luo, "Then pick me up~"

Li Luo had no choice but to extend his arms, scooping her up in a bridal carry, lifting her straight out of the blankets and carrying her all the way to the bathroom.

He set her down in front of the sink, wrapped his arms around her plump figure from behind, and casually squeezed toothpaste onto her brush.

Once Xu Youyu began brushing her teeth, his hands started getting restless.

"Your uncle and aunt are right outside—how dare you touch me like this?" Xu Youyu mumbled through her toothpaste foam, "All you think about is doing bad things."

Though she spoke that way, Xu Youyu offered no resistance; instead, she found Li Luo's touches pleasant and let him roam freely beneath her clothes.

"I'm just giving you a massage to help you wake up faster," Li Luo said with a grin, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"Cheeky," Xu Youyu shot him a look, finished brushing, and moved on to washing her face.

When everything was done, Xu Youyu leaned back, thrusting her hips slightly, then gave Li Luo a suggestive wink before slipping out of the bathroom.

Li Luo followed behind, walking with Xu Youyu to the living room table.

At this moment, Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng had already brought out breakfast.

The six of them sat down harmoniously, eating breakfast and chatting casually.

"How's school going?" Lin Xiuhong asked the four children. "I heard from Aunt Cui that the music academy moved across the river this year—has Zhusheng adjusted well?"

"Fine," Yan Zhusheng nodded. "It's just a bit farther from Li Luo and the others, so I've been learning to drive—I'll be able to commute on my own once I get my license."

"Learning to drive is good," Lin Xiuhong smiled. "But you haven't bought a car yet, have you?"

"Mom has one," Yan Zhusheng said.

"Keep that car for Aunt Yuan," Li Luo interrupted. "Once you finish learning, I'll take you to buy one."

Yan Zhusheng didn't respond immediately, stealing a glance at Lin Xiuhong.

Seeing that she showed no objection, she nodded obediently: "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."

"Then Chanxi should pick another one too," Li Luo added.

"Huh?" Ying Chanxi blinked in surprise. "I—I don't need one. Didn't we already buy one before?"

"That car's for my mom to use," Li Luo winked at Ying Chanxi. "I've noticed she drives it quite comfortably."

Ying Chanxi caught Li Luo's signal and immediately understood his meaning. Before Lin Xiuhong could speak, she volunteered: "Then... then if you're buying one for Zhusheng, I'll pick one too."

Hearing Ying Chanxi say that, Lin Xiuhong swallowed the words she'd been about to say.

Though the family was now very wealthy, her lifelong habit of frugality still made her cautious and conservative when faced with large expenditures.

But then she thought: this boy now earns hundreds of thousands—or even over a million—each month. She really didn't need to worry about this.

Besides, this wasn't Li Luo squandering money on himself—he was spending it on his future daughters-in-law. Thinking of that, Lin Xiuhong said nothing more.

At this point, Li Luo turned to Xu Youyu and chuckled: "If Aunt Cui likes your car, you might as well pick a new one too."

"Sure," Xu Youyu smiled sweetly in agreement.

By her usual nature, Xu Youyu would likely have refused.

After all, she earned money writing novels—her royalties were substantial.

But since Yan Zhusheng and Ying Chanxi had both agreed, she went along with it, not wanting to defy Li Luo in front of Li Guohong and Lin Xiuhong.

Watching her son openly showing affection in front of her, Lin Xiuhong felt speechless and quickly shifted the topic: "We were just talking about school—now you've steered it off track."

"If Zhusheng's doing well at the music academy, how about you, Chanxi?"

"How's Chanxi doing at Zhu Academy? Has she adjusted well?"

"Very well," Ying Chanxi replied with a smile. "Don't worry, Lin Yi—the studies at Zhu Academy are relaxed. Everyone can choose what they want to learn, with fewer rigid constraints—it suits me perfectly."

"Good," Lin Xiuhong nodded in relief. "And how about you, Li Luo?"

"What could possibly be wrong with me?" Li Luo grinned. "One of my classes is taught by Uncle Xu—it's actually quite interesting."

"Oh? Really?" Lin Xiuhong was surprised.

"It's true," Li Guohong nodded with a smile. "When I went fishing with Old Xu, he joked with me—he said he made Li Luo the class representative and makes him take attendance every class."

"I even got him to sign up for an elective on Online Novels," Xu Youyu added cheerfully. "Lin Yi, you wouldn't believe it—our teacher, Professor Si, actually uses Li Luo's novels as case studies in class. None of them know the author's sitting right there."

"You two took the same elective?" Ying Chanxi was startled—she hadn't known about this.

"Aren't you taking an astronomy elective with Li Luo too?" Xu Youyu chuckled.

Hearing this, Yan Zhusheng narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression turning a little sour.

"Let's head out after breakfast," Li Luo, oblivious to Yan Zhusheng's look, wiped his mouth and said. "Butler Liu is already waiting there."

(End of Chapter)