By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 127 Confessing to You [6.2 thousand words]

Over the next few days, Li Younan stayed at home and used his skills to check the water pipes and electrical circuits in the house one by one.

Overall, although the hydropower system is quite old, there are basically no hidden quality issues.

After a thorough inspection, Li Younan only found two minor problems and replaced two of the water pipes with better ones.

In addition, my mom said that the ceiling sometimes makes noises at night, and she suspects that mice have gotten inside.

Li Younan spent an afternoon opening up the ceiling panel to take a look. He didn't find any mice, but he did discover a small gap that a smaller mouse might be able to squeeze through.

So Li Younan bought the materials and completely sealed the small crack.

My mother watched with concern from below.

After Li Younan finished the task, his mother clapped excitedly, just like a child.

This wasn't a complicated matter, and Li Younan didn't find anything particularly special about it while doing it.

But when her mother looked down at Li Younan, she couldn't help but think of what Li Younan looked like when he was a child.

She is a woman who is particularly empathetic; even small or minor things can trigger a lot of thoughts in her mind.

Little Li Younan has suddenly grown up so much, he can even fix the ceiling at home, he's really grown into a real man...

Chen Rui arrived just as Li Younan was fixing the ceiling.

She brought a cake she made herself that day.

Chen Rui has been coming almost every day these past few days.

Her mother came with her a couple of days ago, but she's been coming alone for the last two days.

Every time he comes, he brings two small gifts. He usually comes around noon to visit Li Younan's house and stays for the whole afternoon.

During that time, she would also help with cooking and so on, and she didn't feel there was anything wrong with it.

After returning to China, especially back in her hometown, she didn't have many friends, and her mother was busy with work and couldn't always be with her, so she needed someone to chat with and pass the time.

It's obvious that Li Younan doesn't dislike her, and their mothers have such a good relationship, so what could be wrong with them coming over to play?

Li Younan never seemed to be idle whenever he came.

This guy knows a lot of things. Chen Rui has seen Li Younan inspecting electrical circuits and water pipes, and she has also seen him repainting the peeling paint on the wall by the door with a bucket of paint. Today, he was also seen carrying a tall ladder and standing on it to repair the ceiling.

He really is a science and engineering guy.

Besides these practical skills, she had enough time in the past few days to learn about many other interesting skills of Li Younan.

For example, yesterday in their room, Li Younan used a carving knife to carve a piece of agate stone, which he said was picked up from Inner Mongolia, into a cute little rabbit.

In addition, Li Younan also seems to be proficient in photography.

Chen Rui knows nothing about art and lighting, but that doesn't stop her from being able to understand a high-quality photograph.

Li Younan had just finished organizing the photos he had taken, and since Chen Rui happened to be over, he asked Chen Rui to help him with it.

The little girl hadn't seen much of the world, and when she saw some of the photos, she was so surprised that she kept babbling incessantly.

Chen Rui could feel the changes in herself.

The people she usually interacts with are either interesting but not to her interest, or they are classmates or professors with whom she can have a pleasant conversation about academic topics. However, once the topic of academic subjects is removed, nothing can arouse her interest.

The experience of being with Li Younan was different.

Li Younan could take a photo of a passerby and launch into a long, rambling story, full of his own personal experiences, which was very engaging and Chen Rui found very interesting.

My mood has become much calmer, and the barriers to communicating with others seem to be fading.

Li Younan jumped down from the ladder, and Chen Rui raised the cake in her hand and said, "I tried baking it several times this morning before I succeeded. Here, you can have a taste."

Li Younan casually said, "Just put it on the table." He didn't seem to mind at all.

Chen Rui had become somewhat accustomed to Li Younan's bluntness.

While Li Younan was washing his hands, Chen Rui opened the box, took out the cake inside, and gave one to Li Younan's mother.

When Li Younan came out, Chen Rui asked him, "By the way, you mentioned last time that the cruise ship in the Three Gorges has a swimming pool. Is the water in that swimming pool pumped directly from the river?"

Li Younan shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Chen Rui seemed very interested in his experiences and observations during his travels, and often asked Li Younan questions from unexpected angles.

Li Younan would only talk about what he knew, and would brush off the rest with a few words if he didn't know.

Afterwards, the three of them sat around the table and enjoyed the small cakes Chen Rui had made. They were homemade, without any frosting, and contained some red dates, giving them a strong date flavor.

Chen Rui said, "Red dates can replenish blood, Auntie, please try some."

Li Younan took a few bites and gave a fairly objective review, noting that the ratio of eggs to sugar could be further optimized and the baking time was a bit too long.

As a gift, Li Younan wouldn't find fault with it, but every time Chen Rui brought something she made, she would ask very seriously how it was done. The constant praise made Li Younan feel like she was being perfunctory.

Having exhausted all other options, Li Younan finally opted for a slightly gentler approach, pointing out some of the more obvious problems.

Chen Rui fell into deep thought, her eyes filled with more doubt than anything else. She reviewed her baking methods with a hint of hesitation before asking Li Younan, "Could you demonstrate?"

It's the weekend, and Mom didn't have much to do. She's also very interested in making cakes, so she asked Li Younan to demonstrate.

Li Younan chuckled and said, "Alright then."

After that, I spent the afternoon making cakes.

The house is small, and the kitchen is even smaller; it feels cramped for three people to turn around.

The weather had already cooled down noticeably by late October, and the air was filled with the aroma of milk and sugar, making it feel warm.

As evening approached, Chen Rui left satisfied, and said to Li Younan, "I'll come see you again tomorrow."

This time, Li Younan didn't agree immediately. He thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow?"

Chen Rui's heart sank slightly: "What's wrong? Do you have any plans?"

Li Younan looked thoughtful: "I need to go to Chengdu."

Li Younan's mother also looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Li Younan smiled and said, "It's like this, I'm planning to buy a set of ski equipment at the end of this month, actually it's only a few days away. I'm going on a long trip to the Northeast."

Chen Rui nodded: "Oh, I see..."

Her tone was ambiguous, conveying neither disappointment nor anything else. She appeared calm, but her gaze darted around before she nodded after a moment: "Alright."

……

Li Younan's plan to go to Chengdu to buy ski equipment was certainly not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Previously, through the system's rewards, he had mastered the skill of skiing, specifically the rather difficult snowboarding, and had always wanted to find an opportunity to experience it.

It was still quite early then, and most ski resorts were not yet open.

It's almost November, and some large ski resorts have already started operating.

Besides that, it seems that Lan Yiyi's movie is almost finished filming. I told him that I would be free in November and he could go there to choose a foal.

This excited Li Younan; owning his own horse was certainly something to be happy about.

He has even planned to film this experience.

Lan Yiyi's home is not far from several ski resorts in Northeast China.

In addition, the archery video blogger named Batur sent him two private messages, inviting him to come and experience archery.

Li Younan found it somewhat amusing; he could roughly guess Batur's other intentions.

Batur has tens of thousands of followers, but his videos don't get much attention. Except for one pinned video with over 4 likes, most of his videos only get a few hundred likes.

Collaborating with a popular video blogger to boost their own traffic is a common tactic among online celebrities.

Of course, this was just Li Younan's own guess, and perhaps his thoughts were a bit too dark.

However, Li Younan didn't really care what the other party's mindset was.

Visiting the home of this internet celebrity named Batur, besides the archery range, there was also ancient armor, which looked pretty cool, and he was quite interested.

Therefore, a trip to Northeast China is a must.

This time, Li Younan is not sure how long he will be gone. The plan is to stay for more than two months and he will not be able to return until around New Year's Day.

Some preparations were necessary, but I didn't plan to drive there myself.

Last time, Huang Xiaoyang reminded Li Younan that renting a car upon arrival is often quite convenient, and different travel purposes require different modes of transportation.

Li Younan plans to visit the two largest autonomous regions in the west, which are vast uninhabited areas. He will definitely need a car then.

That evening, Mom told Li Younan that she wanted to eat the noodles she had made for Chen Rui the other day.

My mom has always been like this. She's not ashamed to ask what she wants from her children just because she's a mother. In fact, this makes her a more comfortable person to be with.

Li Younan had actually forgotten how to make that noodle dish; it was originally just the optimal solution for randomly combining whatever raw materials were available.

Li Younan went to the kitchen to check what ingredients were available and decided to make his mother a better bowl of noodles.

While doing these complicated and tedious things, Li Younan felt very satisfied.

Just as he was chopping vegetables, there was a knock on the door.

Li Younan heard her mother open the door, and then her mother's voice came from the living room: "Hey, Xiaorui, what's wrong? Did you forget something at home?"

Next came Chen Rui's voice: "Auntie, I'd like to look for Li Younan."

"He's in the kitchen."

"Okay, Auntie." Then, Li Younan heard a noise and saw that Chen Rui had already gone into the kitchen.

Li Younan turned his head in confusion, but his hands didn't stop. He was cutting fresh beef into cubes and asked, "What's wrong?"

Chen Rui took a deep breath and looked at Li Younan.

"I...I want to confess to you."

……

Li Younan's brain did indeed freeze for a brief moment.

He slowly scraped the meat off the cleaver, smoothed the ingredients on the cutting board, the cleaver making a swishing sound, and said, "It's a bit scary, tell me more about it."

Li Younan looked up at Chen Rui and said, "What do you want to confess to me?"

Chen Rui sighed softly: "Coming to your house... was somewhat purposeful."

"Oh."

Li Younan lowered his head and took out a fresh scallion, then began to chop it.

Chen Rui said, "I have a bit of anxiety disorder. Do you know what anxiety disorder is?"

Li Younan honestly shook his head: "I'm not really sure, what are you anxious about?"

Chen Rui shrugged: "It's not anxiety about anything, well... how should I put it? Anxiety disorder. Anxiety is its name, but it's not the kind of anxiety that ordinary people understand. Specifically, it's easy to have difficulty concentrating, and I always feel that there is danger in unfamiliar places, and I always feel that there are things I haven't finished in a place I just left, which will affect my safety. For example, when I went out today, I called my mom several times to ask her to help me make sure that the charger in the room was unplugged."

Li Younan frowned slightly, but her hands didn't stop moving. She nodded and said, "I think I understand a little bit. It sounds like obsessive-compulsive disorder..."

Chen Rui nodded, without explaining in detail: "There's some connection..."

Li Younan had already chopped the scallions; with a gentle scrape of the knife, the scallions landed in the serving dish. He asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Chen Rui took a deep breath: "The doctor said that medication can only help control this disease; fundamentally, it's necessary to communicate with people more. I've felt quite comfortable spending time with you these past few days."

Li Younan blinked, then blurted out, "Oh, I see, they're using me as medicine!"

Chen Rui was taken aback for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle softly. With her head down, she said with some dissatisfaction, "So that's how you put it."

She sighed softly, feeling somewhat relieved.

I hesitated for a long time before coming here. Another characteristic of anxiety disorder is that you always suspect that something will hurt someone. This often develops into two extremes.

One extreme is that one always feels that they are the one being hurt, which gradually develops into paranoia; another extreme is that one always feels that they will hurt others, which leads to endless self-blame.

She belongs to the latter group, so her dilemma lies in the fact that she can't help but wonder if Li Younan will feel like she's being used after she tells him the truth.

This is something she doesn't want to see, and it makes her feel bad.

Li Younan's reaction was surprisingly calm.

At this moment, Li Younan added a spoonful of clear oil to the pot, turned on the fire, and the oil temperature gradually rose. Li Younan scooped a spoonful of fermented bean paste into the pot, and with a sizzle, the aroma came out.

Li Younan said slowly, "I thought it was something serious." He turned his head, looked at Chen Rui and smiled, "There's nothing to be honest about, you sounded really scary."

Chen Rui lowered her head deeply. This was certainly not what she really wanted to express, but now that things had come to this point, she had to continue.

She lowered her head, carefully considering her words, and thought... perhaps she could approach it from the angle of "our mother is a very good best friend".

While he was struggling with his decision, Li Younan pointed to a spot in the kitchen and said, "Bring me those garlic cloves over there."

Chen Rui was stunned for a moment, blinked, and said "Oh," feeling a little confused, but still obediently went over and did as she was told.

She held out the garlic cloves to Li Younan, who grabbed a handful and threw them into the pot. Then, seemingly out of the blue, he said, "I think I understand. I'll take you with me to Chengdu tomorrow."

Chen Rui blinked, then froze completely, letting out a soft "Ah".

Li Younan glanced at her with amusement: "You went to all this trouble to come here and chatter on and on with me, just so I'd take you with me, right?"

Having her secret exposed, Chen Rui was momentarily stunned, then her face flushed red. She stammered, "No...no, I...I just meant..." Her words lacked conviction, and she finally gave in, saying with a mixture of relief and dejection, "Yes...that's what I meant..."

Li Younan added seasonings one after another, and the broth was already very fragrant. He then added the beef and said, "Let's eat at my house later. I made noodles; my mom said she wanted some. It's different from the noodles I made the other day; this time it's beef. Oh, right..."

Li Younan's expression then turned serious, and Chen Rui was taken aback.

Li Younan said seriously, "No matter what, I'm several years older than you, so you have to call me brother."

Chen Rui's expression turned somewhat strange, and she gave a soft hum: "Let's forget about this."

With one worry gone, her mood brightened considerably. She glanced at the pot and finally smiled, "Then I'll go wait outside."

Li Younan turned to look at Chen Rui's retreating figure, a hint of displeasure in his voice: "She actually won't call me 'brother,' you little brat, pretending to be mature..."

I can only whisper the cricket in my heart.

However, it's quite pitiful that this female academic star suffers from anxiety.

Can it be cured?
……

Li Younan drove Chen Rui to Chengdu.

To be honest, it's not easy to find good ski equipment in Chengdu.

The reason is easy to understand. For example, if you want to buy a surfboard, the best choice is to go to the beach, not the desert.

Although there are man-made ski resorts around Chengdu, they are somewhat laughable compared to the large ski resorts in Northeast China.

So Li Younan didn't plan to find any good skis this time; she mainly wanted to buy some clothes and protective gear for skiing. If she couldn't find anything, it wouldn't matter; she could just consider it a trip to relax.

On the way, Li Younan briefly described his plan to go skiing in Northeast China. Chen Rui fell silent once again.

Fortunately, this time, before Li Younan could even bring it up, she took the initiative to ask, "Can I come along?"

Then she said somewhat weakly, "Our mother is a very good best friend."

Li Younan chuckled and asked her in return, "My mom and Aunt Zhao are indeed very good friends, so I have an obligation to take care of you, right?"

Chen Rui seemed not to hear, and kept her head down as she picked out a pair of gloves.

Next comes the immersive selection process.

They didn't find any skis they liked at the Decathlon store.

When it came time to pay the bill, Li Younan originally wanted to pay for Chen Rui's purchase, as Chen Rui had bought a pair of gloves, which weren't particularly expensive. However, Chen Rui stubbornly insisted on paying for them herself.

When Chen Rui left Decathlon, she remained silent, just as she had been during her immersive shopping experience.

This silence continued until it was time to board the bus.

Li Younan said with a smile, "You're only buying one pair of gloves?"

Suddenly, Li Younan sensed something was wrong.

Chen Rui lowered her head, her shoulders suddenly trembled slightly, and then a crystal tear fell down her cheek.

Li Younan was stunned for a moment.

Chen Rui's voice trembled slightly as she said, "I...I know that Mom and the others are best friends, and it's not something worth talking about. I don't mean to use this relationship to impose any shackles on you. I'm...I'm sorry."

Chen Rui was mentally devastated. She knew she shouldn't cry and shouldn't have such strong emotions for no reason, but she just couldn't control her sadness.

I felt much better before, so why am I suddenly so sensitive again?

But for a long while, Li Younan did not respond.

He looked up with even more complicated emotions, only to see Li Younan peeling a lollipop.

Chen Rui opened her mouth.

The next moment, Li Younan suddenly handed over the lollipop: "Open your mouth."

Chen Rui was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously opened her mouth, and the lollipop was shoved into it.

Li Younan said slowly, "I heard you say before that you like this flavor of lollipop."

Chen Rui's mind went blank; this development was too strange.

Li Younan slowly shifted gears and said, "Okay, okay, I won't joke with you like that again."

Chen Rui didn't notice that her nose was running. Li Younan grabbed a tissue from the car and casually smeared it on Chen Rui's face, saying, "The lollipop will be salty in a bit."

Chen Rui's eyes widened in surprise; things had escalated far beyond her expectations.

But what's strange is that the emotions that were clearly on the verge of collapse were completely restored at this moment, leaving only surprise and embarrassment.

The image of Li Younan giving her a lollipop kept replaying in her mind.

Finally, she weakly took the lollipop out of her mouth and said, "You...you're bullying me."

Li Younan then became serious and said, "I'll tell Aunt Zhao when I go to the Northeast, and I'll take you with me."

After a pause, Li Younan continued, "However, I don't know how long you'll be staying in China. I'm planning to stay in Northeast China for one or two months, or even longer, so I can only accompany you for a while."

Chen Rui blinked: "Oh."

Li Younan shifted gears, and the car was ready to depart.

Then, with some dissatisfaction, he said, "There's one more thing. The joke I just made actually had a follow-up. In my mind, you would have refuted it then and there would have been some kind of reaction, and then I would have said something like, 'Since you call me brother, don't I have an obligation to take you under my wing?'"

He tapped his head lightly, looking somewhat troubled. "I didn't expect him to have absolutely no sense of humor."

Chen Rui lowered her head shyly, but still stubbornly said, "It's inexplicable. I just want to be someone's brother. It's a strange quirk. Anyway, I won't call you brother..."

Li Younan certainly didn't have the strange quirk of wanting to be someone else's older brother; he was just making two jokes on a whim.

Seeing that Chen Rui had recovered from her previous bad mood, I felt a little relieved and drove back with peace of mind.

(End of this chapter)