Chapter 826

At this moment, Ying Chanxi's face was flushed red, her hands tightly clutching the down jacket over her chest.

The hem of the down jacket was long, covering her knees entirely, revealing only a pair of soft, pale little legs.

Unlike Yan Zhusheng's slender, delicate legs, Ying Chanxi's calves had a faint, tender plumpness that made one want to gently squeeze them.

Xu Youyu's calves, by contrast, were fuller still—not enough to just squeeze lightly; Li Luo preferred to suddenly grip hard, for better texture.

"Um…" Ying Chanxi didn't immediately take off her down jacket for Li Luo, instead walking over to the barbecue grill.

She took out from the nearby fridge the various skewers Butler Liu had already prepared, placing them down as she said, "Butler Liu said he left the cleaning lady at the rooftop entrance."

"If you need anything, just call her over to help."

"If you need more ingredients or drinks, just have her inform him."

As an experienced butler, Butler Liu still had considerable expertise in such matters.

Even if the master, Li Luo, didn't mind, he would still voluntarily avoid special occasions like hot springs or swimming pools, so Li Luo could enjoy himself fully.

Yan Zhusheng, listening nearby, tilted her head and asked, "Sister, are you shy? Why aren't you coming in yet?"

"I—I'm just helping you two with the barbecue…" Ying Chanxi muttered softly.

"The grill's right beside the pool—we can grill from inside too," Yan Zhusheng said. "If you don't come in soon, Li Luo's mine and Senior's."

Hearing this, Xu Youyu didn't hesitate—she leaned over and kissed Li Luo squarely, grinning as she said, "Then maybe Xixi can just stay up here and grill for us."

At these words, Ying Chanxi could no longer stand still. She immediately dropped the skewers in her hands and hurried over to the entrance steps.

Li Luo watched as she bit her lip, slipped off her down jacket, and finally saw the swimsuit Ying Chanxi was wearing.

Hmm… as expected.

It really was that dead-kushui swimsuit he'd bought her back then.

Her upper body, tightly wrapped in a solid deep-blue swimsuit, formed a cute, pouch-like curve, while her bare, pale legs were utterly exposed—like a work of art.

Never boring to look at.

Ying Chanxi wouldn't let Li Luo stare that long—after shedding her jacket, she leapt into the pool, submerging her entire body.

After all four were in the water, Li Luo went to the barbecue grill and began cooking, arranging the skewers as Ying Chanxi had laid them out.

Then, quietly, Ying Chanxi nudged beside him, her head barely above water, and poked his side with her foot beneath the surface.

Li Luo kept grilling, turned his head, and chuckled, "Why are you poking me?"

"What were you doing here before I came?" Ying Chanxi asked suspiciously.

Li Luo didn't need to answer—Yan Zhusheng immediately leaned over and blurted, "Li Luo was sniffing our feet."

Ying Chanxi: "???"

"If you can't speak properly, don't talk nonsense," Li Luo grumbled, tapping Yan Zhusheng's head.

But Xu Youyu, beside her, covered her mouth and giggled, "Well, he didn't sniff, but it was pretty much the same."

"What do you mean 'pretty much'?" Li Luo's face darkened. "It's nothing like that—I just guessed who you were."

"He just pinched my foot and knew it was me," Xu Youyu whispered to Ying Chanxi, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and leaning close to her ear. "He even said your feet were the softest to touch—after he touched mine, he felt it wasn't as nice, so he knew it wasn't you."

Hearing this, Ying Chanxi didn't want to be happy—but a tiny spark of delight still crept into her heart.

She could only force her lips to stay still, muttering softly, "Pervert."

At that moment, Xu Youyu walked over to the fridge, opened it, and pulled out a cocktail drink.

"What do you want to drink?" Xu Youyu said, already popping the cap and taking a long sip.

After Li Luo and the others named their drinks, Xu Youyu fetched them all and placed them on the poolside platform.

Li Luo had just finished grilling the pork belly. Ying Chanxi reached out first—but didn't eat herself. Instead, she handed the skewers to Yan Zhusheng and Xu Youyu.

Once the two had taken them and started eating, Ying Chanxi quickly moved the remaining pork belly onto a nearby metal tray as Li Luo reached for more.

"Aren't you eating?" Li Luo asked, puzzled.

"Mmm…" Ying Chanxi lowered her head shyly, her fingers secretly poking his side twice beneath the water, whispering close to his ear, "First, kiss me."

Li Luo burst out laughing, turned his body, pulled Ying Chanxi into his arms, tilted her soft chin upward, and kissed her deeply.

Yan Zhusheng, happily munching, saw this and leaned over, squinting: "Sister, you're so sneaky—handing us skewers first, then sneaking off to kiss Li Luo while we're eating. So unfair."

Ying Chanxi's ears burned red from the teasing. She tried to pull away—but Li Luo pressed her firmly against the pool's edge.

Dazed from the kiss, Ying Chanxi forgot Yan Zhusheng's complaint, her arms instinctively wrapping around Li Luo's neck.

"You're going to burn everything!" Xu Youyu finished her pork belly and hurried over to flip the other skewers, exasperated. "Calm down—you've got all day to kiss. Can't you fill your stomach first?"

Hearing this, Li Luo finally let Ying Chanxi go, continuing to grill as he teased, "She was the one who secretly asked for a kiss—I couldn't refuse."

"D-Don't say that out loud…" Ying Chanxi's face flushed crimson, and beneath the water, she punched Li Luo twice hard.

Li Luo now handed her the last pork belly skewer: "Stop punching. Open your mouth~ Yeah, good girl."

Ying Chanxi obediently opened her mouth and took a bite; then Li Luo swallowed the rest of the pork belly in one go.

Butler Liu had prepared an abundance of ingredients—the entire fridge was packed; anything you wanted was right there.

The three of them grilled, played, and splashed in the pool, having a blast.

When they'd eaten enough, Li Luo leaned against the opposite edge of the pool, comfortably belched, and looked down at his belly.

Below lay their backyard; from this angle, he could even see the golden-red koi swimming in the garden pond.

"Happy?" Xu Youyu leaned beside Li Luo, turning to ask. "Is the Birthday Person satisfied?"

"The Birthday Person had to cook lunch himself—hardly qualifies as satisfied," Li Luo teased with a grin.

"Now you're being picky," Xu Youyu rolled her eyes, but seeing the smile on his lips, she knew he was delighted.

But Xu Youyu's eyes flickered, and a sly smile curled her lips. She glanced at Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng, still munching potato slices, then quietly unfastened the strap at the back of her neck.

While Li Luo wasn't looking, she slipped behind him and hugged him from the back.

Li Luo had been admiring the backyard and the distant Ningshan when suddenly—Xu Youyu crashed into him, underwater, like a tackle.

The sudden impact sent a wave of pressure against his back—soft yet immense, rolling in successive waves, overwhelming him.

Just by this scale, Li Luo knew it must be Xu Youyu causing trouble again.

But he had to admit, before this, he had never experienced such treatment before.