Chapter 924

Hearing Xu Youyu mention this again, Li Luo couldn't help but wear a look of helpless amusement.

To be honest, even as a Reborn, even with a second chance, one cannot fully control every single thing.

Originally, Li Luo had thought that since he knew Xu Youyu wrote Online Novels, while Xu Youyu knew nothing about him, he'd secretly taken pride in having seized the initiative after his rebirth.

Especially when chatting with Xu Youyu on QQ, the thought that she didn't know who he was always amused him.

Who knew Xu Youyu had known his identity all along.

"I was genuinely stunned at the time," Xu Youyu said, clinging to Li Luo's arm as they stepped out of the elevator and walked toward the car, "because the opening of your book I Am Really Not a Star looked nothing like something a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old could write."

"I thought it must've been written by some thirty-something old man."

"Then I checked QQ and found it was the same person—I was completely baffled."

Li Luo rolled his eyes at her words: "How can you even say that? Your Literary Era wasn't any better, was it? Who'd ever guess it was written by a Gao Er girl?"

If anyone was truly bizarre, it was Xu Youyu.

After all, Li Luo was a Reborn; it was only natural he could write an opening like I Am Really Not a Star.

But Xu Youyu, so young, had created a work like Literary Era—it was utterly unimaginable.

Even in his past life, after graduating university and starting to write Online Novels, when he finally met Xu Youyu in person and discovered she was a stunning beauty, he'd long struggled to believe she was the author of those works.

Not to mention she was still in Gao Er at the time.

But now, Li Luo could fully understand it.

Especially after deep conversations with Xu Rongsheng, he realized that under Xu Rongsheng's educational philosophy, producing a girl as outstanding and independent as Xu Youyu was only natural.

"What does the Birthday Person want to eat today?" Li Luo sat in the driver's seat, fastened Xu Youyu's seatbelt, then started the car toward the market as he asked.

"Maple Tofu, Green Pepper Shredded Pork!"

These words came from Xu Youyu, but Li Luo spoke them at the exact same moment—their voices overlapped perfectly.

In that instant, Xu Youyu turned to look at Li Luo, just as he, waiting for the red light, turned to smile at her.

The next second, Xu Youyu burst into laughter and slapped his shoulder: "Seriously, you know already, so why ask me?"

"Just confirming," Li Luo smiled. "Anything else you want?"

"Just these two dishes. You pick the rest."

"Alright."

Li Luo drove Xu Youyu to the market; after she got out, she clung to his arm and strolled through the stalls.

The two of them acted like a real married couple—selecting vegetables, bargaining with vendors, even enjoying the banter.

Li Luo savored the warmth of her arm wrapped around his, occasionally glancing at her profile, unable to suppress a sigh.

At moments like this, he couldn't help imagining: if in his past life he hadn't chased Short Dramas, but had quietly kept writing Online Novels, accepted the reality of a strong woman and weak man—

Even if Cui Suling had resisted fiercely, if Xu Youyu truly loved him, Xu Rongsheng would've supported his daughter anyway.

Thinking of this, Li Luo couldn't help sighing.

As the saying goes, money gives a man courage—he couldn't blame his past self.

This life, with fame and success, had reshaped some of his character flaws, making him more confident, open, and witty.

If he truly returned to his past life's circumstances, the outcome wouldn't have changed.

"Why are you sighing?" Xu Youyu, chatting with the vendor auntie, turned to ask upon hearing his sigh.

"Just feeling reflective," Li Luo smiled and shook his head. "It's too happy—it feels like a dream."

Xu Youyu heard this and smirked, then grinned: "Is it really that happy? It's just grocery shopping."

"Like a married couple going out to buy groceries," Li Luo corrected.

"Not like," Xu Youyu corrected again, grinning. "It's exactly that."

They looked at each other and both laughed.

The vendor auntie watched this and sighed: "I'm just selling tofu—can't you two young kids take your affection home?"

Back at Bihai Lanting, Xu Youyu followed Li Luo into the kitchen, intending to help him.

Li Luo immediately said: "Today you're the Birthday Person—just relax in the living room. It won't take long."

"I'm the Birthday Person—I do what I want," Xu Youyu hummed a tune as she marched into the kitchen, refusing to leave, and even kindly tied an apron around Li Luo, then slipped one on herself too.

Hmm—this extra apron had been bought long ago by Ying Chanxi.

After moving to the new home and buying new aprons, this one had been left behind.

"Hurry up," Xu Youyu rubbed her hands eagerly. "After lunch, we still have to pick up the Motorhome."

"After picking up the Motorhome, what's the plan for tonight?" Li Luo took out the ingredients, handled them with Xu Youyu, and asked.

"Of course we drive the Motorhome out for a trip~" Xu Youyu chuckled. "Not far—just circle around nearby. Wherever we end up, we'll sleep in the Motorhome tonight!"

"Whatever you say," Li Luo smiled. Seeing her bright, eager expression, he continued cooking earnestly.

By just after twelve, a feast of four dishes and one soup was ready.

Xu Youyu and Li Luo sat down in the living room, exchanged a glance, then moved their chopsticks in perfect unison.

After slurping a bite of Maple Tofu, Xu Youyu immediately raised her thumb to Li Luo, signaling: this was the exact taste.

But the tofu was too hot—she couldn't speak for a moment.

After eating, Li Luo asked her to praise him again, but she was too busy enjoying the food to speak, so she simply stretched her foot onto his thigh and rubbed it around as a sign of approval.

Li Luo stared at her, speechless, and swatted her foot away: "Is that supposed to be praise?"

Xu Youyu just grinned, sneaked her foot back over, then buried her face in her food again, nodding happily as she savored every bite, utterly delighted.

After lunch, both were full, leaning back on the sofa. Xu Youyu curled up in Li Luo's arms, let out a burp, then pulled his hand into her shirt to feel her slightly swollen belly.

But Li Luo wasn't well-behaved either—his hand, while feeling her belly, slowly crept upward.

Xu Youyu lifted her head in his arms, gave him a look, but didn't stop him, letting him tease her, occasionally letting out a soft hum.

Unconsciously, the room grew warm.

The two didn't need to look at each other—they leaned in and kissed.

But after just a few moments, they pulled apart again.

"There's a smell of Maple Tofu—"

"You're disgusted with me now?" Xu Youyu gave him a look, then her eyes darted, and she reached for Li Luo's underwear, "Then how about—"

"Stop that!" Li Luo quickly moved her hand away, grumbling, "Let's just go brush our teeth."

They got up, straightened their clothes, brushed and rinsed in the bathroom, then Li Luo came behind Xu Youyu and hugged her, starting to misbehave again.

"Let me check if you brushed your teeth properly."

"How do you check?"

"Of course, like this."

"Mmm—"

After dawdling in the bathroom for ages, they finally stepped out.

After a quick tidy-up, they set off for the manufacturer's to pick up the Motorhome.

Since they'd need to drive the Motorhome later, Li Luo called Butler Liu to come over and drive them there.

That way, the two of them could drive off in the Motorhome directly, and Butler Liu could take the car back home.

Around two in the afternoon, Li Luo and Xu Youyu arrived at the manufacturer's factory, where, guided by the boss and other staff, they toured the newly assembled Motorhome.

Considering Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng's driving skills, Li Luo and Xu Youyu bought the most common-spec Motorhome—one that could be driven with a regular license.

If they'd chosen a large Motorhome, they'd have needed a new license, which would've been much more trouble.

In the future, if they wanted to switch to a new Motorhome, they could consider all of them getting licensed together, but for now, convenience came first.

Under the boss's guidance and explanation, Li Luo quickly memorized all the Motorhome's features.

Including the kitchen at the rear, the bathroom in the middle partition, the living-dining area in the center, and the front driver's cabin.

And the overhead bed above the driver's cabin.

Finally, the boss demonstrated the Motorhome's expansion feature: pressing a button caused the roof to slowly rise.

A few minutes later, a second floor appeared out of nowhere.

From a ladder in the corner of the living-dining area, climbing up and passing through the roof entrance led to the second floor.

As long as bedding and mattresses were prepared here, closing the second floor wouldn't interfere.

When it was time to sleep at night, just a few minutes would turn the second floor into a bedroom.

The spacious area could easily accommodate all four of them—Li Luo and the others.

Xu Youyu pulled Li Luo up to try it out—she was clearly very satisfied.

After paying the final balance on the spot, Li Luo bid farewell to the boss and staff, gave Butler Liu a few instructions, then drove off with Xu Youyu in the Motorhome.

But Li Luo didn't need to drive—after all, this Motorhome was his birthday gift to Xu Youyu, so once delivery was complete, she eagerly took the driver's seat.

Driving her own Motorhome through the factory gates and onto the road, Xu Youyu happily hummed a tune.

"Remember to get the license plates before summer vacation," Li Luo reminded her. "I've had Butler Liu prepare the documents, but you'll still need to show up in person to complete the paperwork."

"Got it~ No problem." Xu Youyu gave a thumbs-up, then added, "Where should we go now?"

"There's not much left to see at this hour," Li Luo said, glancing at the time. They'd spent over an hour touring the Motorhome—it was already past three in the afternoon.

Driving one or two hours to somewhere far would just waste time on her birthday.

"Then let's go buy some ingredients first?" Xu Youyu suggested. "I want to eat barbecue tonight~"

"Fine," Li Luo nodded. "But where will we eat?"

"Let's not go far—just find a Campsite at the foot of Ningshan," Xu Youyu grinned. "I remember there's one there—I saw it when I did my research."

"Right by our own doorstep?" Li Luo asked, amused.

"So what? It's not like it's not allowed," Xu Youyu huffed. "Today I'm the Birthday Person—everything's my call."

"Alright, alright," Li Luo laughed, shaking his head. "Then let's go home first and pick up the bedding and stuff."

"OK~"

Around six in the evening, Xu Youyu drove the Motorhome to a Campsite at the northern foot of Ningshan.

At this time of year, hardly anyone came here to play.

After all, Yinjiang District wasn't a scenic spot, and Ningshan—though called a mountain—was barely two hundred meters high, not steep at all.

At this moment, their Motorhome was the only one in the Campsite; the other vehicles were parked in twos and threes, mostly belonging to people who ran businesses on or near the mountain.

Only people like Li Luo and Xu Youyu, with leisure to spare, would deliberately come here to camp overnight.

Xu Youyu didn't care at all—before arriving, the two had first gone home to load the Motorhome with all the gear she'd previously bought.

Then they'd gone together to the supermarket and stocked up on fresh ingredients.

Now, as the sun set, Xu Youyu stepped out and gazed at the western glow, lazily stretching her arms.

Li Luo had already swiftly opened the side support port of the Motorhome, took out the manufacturer-provided supports, unfolded them, and easily erected a canopy.

After lowering the fabric curtains on three sides, they formed a small enclosed space around the Motorhome's side.

Inside, whether cooking, barbecuing, or setting up a tent for overnight camping, everything was perfectly fine.

At this moment, Li Luo pulled open the front curtains on both sides, brought out the barbecue grill, set it up, took out the special barbecue coal he'd bought, and began lighting and preheating it.

Meanwhile, Xu Youyu came over, grunting as she helped, took out the pre-bought ingredients and carried them to the kitchen at the rear.

Li Luo told Xu Youyu to watch the coal, then went to the rear kitchen to prepare the ingredients, quickly threading all the skewers and bringing them outside.