Chapter 232
Coming out of the Forbidden City, Gu Ran didn't waste any words.
He hailed a cab and took the three of them straight to Nanluoguxiang.
As soon as they got out of the car, the heat wave mixed with the clamor of voices gave them a direct sonic baptism.
The old alleys with their blue bricks and gray tiles were already jam-packed.
The air was a mix of the charred aroma of roasted meat, the sweet richness of cheese, and the explosive scents of various spices.
It all boiled down to one word.
Crowded!
Holy crap! Look at this sea of people. Is this the prestige of the imperial capital?
Pei Susu complained about getting squeezed into a meat patty, but her body was very honest.
Her eyes had long been drawn away by the dazzling array of cultural and creative shops along the street.
She excitedly grabbed Ye Zhenzhen's arm.
Zhenzhen, look! That shop's decor is so retro, it's absolutely stunning!
Ye Zhenzhen's eyes curved into a smile as she pointed at a shop with red lanterns hanging not far away.
Her voice carried a touch of excitement.
Susu, look! There's another one over there!
Looking at the excited girls.
Gu Ran's lips curled up slightly. With one hand in his pocket, he strolled leisurely like an old master.
The four merged into the flow of people.
The two girls instantly turned into special forces, their combat power going off the charts.
One moment they were diving into an accessory shop to try on hairpins, and the next, they were posing with peace signs in front of an internet-famous wall.
Wenyu Cheese! It's on the must-eat list from the guides!
Pei Susu pointed at a signboard not far away, looking like Columbus discovering the New World.
A few minutes later, the four of them sat in the shop, each holding a bowl of original-flavor cheese.
The milk skin was rich and melted in the mouth.
The intense milky aroma instantly exploded in their mouths.
The icy-cool texture was like a clear spring, instantly extinguishing the heat from their journey.
Amazing!
Pei Susu scooped a large spoonful into her mouth, her cheeks bulging.
She mumbled indistinctly while giving a thumbs-up.
They didn't lie to me, this flavor is so authentic, it's the absolute best!
Ye Jinliang watched her eat bite after bite beside him, feeling a bit puzzled.
He tasted his and thought it was just okay.
Could it be... the one in Susu's bowl was sweeter than his?
After filling their dessert stomachs, their combat power for the main meal continued.
Zhajiangmian, rolling donkey glutinous rice rolls, quick-boiled tripe... The four of them swept through everything along the way, leaving nothing behind wherever they passed.
When passing by a tanghulu stall, Ye Zhenzhen's footsteps noticeably slowed down a beat.
The bright red hawthorns wrapped in crystal-clear sugar coating shone with an enticing luster under the setting sun.
She stared at it for two seconds, her throat moving slightly.
Want some?
Gu Ran's voice sounded timely in her ear, carrying a hint of a smile.
Ye Zhenzhen snapped back to reality. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she pinched the corner of her shirt and whispered.
A little...
Gu Ran didn't speak. He just raised an eyebrow at the Little Fatty who was still spacing out next to them, signaling with his eyes.
Pay up!
Ye Jinliang blinked, not understanding.
Gu Ran helplessly massaged his forehead, winking frantically to hint at him.
Go for it!
You don't even get this?
You deserve to be single!
Ye Jinliang finally realized, slapping his forehead in annoyance, and quickly rushed up to scan the code and pay.
Out of the four tanghulu skewers, two were stuffed into Gu Ran's hands.
Ye Jinliang held the remaining two skewers, his palms suddenly starting to sweat.
He took a deep breath and walked stiffly to Pei Susu.
Su... Sister Susu, for you.
Pei Susu, who was still calculating what to eat next, turned around.
Looking at the gleaming tanghulu in front of her, her eyes lit up and she broke into a bright smile.
This is a timely rain! I was just wanting to eat something sour to cut the grease.
Looking at the radiant smile in front of him, Ye Jinliang froze.
He heard his own heartbeat, thump-thump, like a beating drum!
His face turned beet red, unsure if it was from the heat or excitement.
On the other side.
Ye Zhenzhen took a bite. The crispy sugar coating shattered between her teeth, and the intertwined sweet and sour taste instantly healed her taste buds.
She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.
After eating half of it, she handed the remaining half skewer to Gu Ran's mouth.
These hawthorns are quite fresh, you should try some.
Gu Ran knew she couldn't eat anymore, but he didn't expose her.
He lowered his head and bit one off directly from her hand, smoothly taking over the remaining bamboo skewer, his fingertips lightly brushing across the back of her hand.
Mhm, it's indeed sweet.
Next to them, Pei Susu and Ye Jinliang, who were gnawing on their tanghulu.
The two noticed the commotion over here and froze in unison.
Pei Susu felt that the tanghulu in her hand was instantly no longer appetizing, so sour it set her teeth on edge.
With an expression of I can't bear to look, she winked and made faces at Ye Zhenzhen.
Oh my, you two, slaughtering single dogs in public is prohibited! I'm about to throw up the quick-boiled tripe I just ate! I can't stomach this dog food!
Ye Zhenzhen's cheeks instantly flushed completely red, looking exactly like the red hawthorns in her hand, and she stammered.
N-no we aren't, it was just convenient...
Did you see that?
Gu Ran chewed on the tanghulu while walking over to Ye Jinliang's side.
He patted his shoulder, teaching him with earnestness.
Learn from this, or you'll be squatting under a lemon tree for the rest of your life.
Ye Jinliang rolled his eyes, feeling so envious inside that his cells were undergoing plasmolysis.
I want to learn too!
But do I have the guts?
Do I have that kind of luck?
As time passed, the flow of people in Nanluoguxiang didn't decrease but actually increased.
When they reached the narrowest alley entrance, it was almost people pressing against people, making it difficult to even turn around.
Pei Susu wasn't very tall and was squeezed until she was stumbling all over.
Careful!
A warm, large hand suddenly reached over and firmly gripped her shoulder.
Ye Jinliang almost as an instinctive reaction took a step behind her.
Spreading his arms wide, he forcefully carved out a safe zone for her within the crowded tide of people.
Follow me.
Ye Jinliang's voice came from above her head, though carrying a slight pant.
But it sounded exceptionally deep and solid, inexplicably making one feel at ease.
Pei Susu's entire body was enveloped in his shadow.
At the tip of her nose was the faint scent of laundry detergent from his clothes, mixed with the unique heat of a young man, which wasn't unpleasant.
She subconsciously looked up, just in time to see Ye Jinliang's tense jawline and the fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.
Due to the exertion of force, the veins on his arms bulged slightly, making him look exceptionally powerful.
Pei Susu's heartbeat skipped a beat.
This blockhead...
Why does it suddenly feel like his boyfriend power is off the charts?
T-thanks.
Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito's hum, and the roots of her ears felt a little hot.
It's nothing, I should.
Ye Jinliang's body was as stiff as a wooden board. He didn't dare to look down at the person in his arms at all, terrified she would hear his thunderous heartbeat.
The two walking behind watching the show took in this entire scene.
Gu Ran raised his eyebrows, his eyes playful.
That's more like it. This kid finally figured it out.
Ye Zhenzhen, who knew exactly what kind of character her best friend had, almost instantly understood when she saw Pei Susu's girlish demeanor.
She was blushing!
These two... there's something going on!
In order to create more opportunities for these two to be close, Gu Ran deliberately slowed his pace.
He pulled the girl along, wandering leisurely in the back, acting like a completely hands-off boss.
In front, Ye Jinliang protected Pei Susu, although his posture was slightly stiff.
But that earnestness of his was indeed quite intoxicating.
It wasn't until they squeezed out of the crowd that the four let out a long breath, feeling as if they had fought a tough battle.
By this time, it was getting late, and the evening lights were just beginning to light up.
The night in the imperial capital was just beginning.
Gu Ran checked the time, snapped his fingers, and a meaningful arc hooked the corner of his mouth.
"Let's go. Next stop, Houhai Bar Street. We can walk off our meal."
"A bar?!"
The eyes of the other three instantly lit up like two-hundred-watt light bulbs, and they chimed in unison.
"We are totally down for that!"
But the moment the words left her mouth, Ye Zhenzhen regretted it.
Yikes...
Her alcohol tolerance was... well, pretty weak.
She glanced at the boy beside her, who looked completely unfazed.
For some reason, her mind was put at ease again.
They were out to have fun, and the most important thing was to be happy!
Besides, someone would be there to watch her back anyway.
What was there to be afraid of!
However, Gu Ran didn't quite see it that way.
Of course, he knew Ye Zhenzhen couldn't hold her liquor.
But if she didn't get drunk... how would he have an excuse to snatch her away from Pei Susu?
If he wanted to carry the little rabbit back to his den, the rabbit had to get a little dizzy first.
......
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
