Half an hour later, the group bought some local snacks from a street near the hotel to munch on.
Meng Qianyu clamored to try the "Love Tofu Pudding," and Su Yang bought it for her, but after one bite, she refused to eat any more.
In the end, Su Yang, unfazed, finished the half-eaten tofu pudding himself.
By the time Liu Bo and Ji Bo arrived, the ten of them followed their phone navigation toward Big Beard Sour Soup Beef Hotpot Restaurant.
At 5:30 PM, the city was in the throes of evening rush hour, and the streets were clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Fortunately, the restaurant Su Yang had chosen was only a few hundred meters from the hotel.
They quickly walked to the building where the restaurant was located—a second-floor spot above a street-side shop.
The group climbed up a narrow staircase nearby.
Su Yang led the way, pushing open the door, and the moment it swung open, a rich, tangy aroma of sour soup wafted into their noses.
"Wow, that smells amazing!"
"Mmm, just the scent alone tells me it’s gonna be good. Su Yang, did you pick this place?" Liu Bo asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"Great choice!"
Su Yang smiled faintly. "Originally, I booked another famous sour soup beef spot in Lincheng, but the hotel staff recommended this place as even better. Plus, it was close, so I went with it."
"Nice, nice. Let’s head in."
The ten of them walked into the bustling restaurant with bright smiles. The modestly sized space was already packed, nearly every table occupied.
On each table, a metal pot emitted translucent steam, filling the room with a lively, smoky atmosphere.
Su Yang showed a QR code at the front desk, and a server guided them through a maze of tables into a private room.
They settled around a large round table. Su Yang had pre-ordered a set meal online, but worried it might not be enough, he added five plates of marbled beef, five plates of beef with skin, and some side dishes.
Once the server left, the conversation flowed freely.
Liu Bo leaned back in his chair and asked Su Yang, "So, what’s the plan after dinner?"
"No idea. I’m not too familiar with Lincheng."
"Hey, we’ve been driving all day—my back’s killing me. How about hitting a bathhouse or massage parlor later?"
"Yeah, yeah, that sounds perfect," Ji Bo chimed in. "Ever heard this saying?"
Su Yang and the others turned to him. "What saying?"
"If you want to understand a city, start with its bathhouses."
"Huh?" The group blinked in confusion.
Su Yang raised an eyebrow. "Is that even a real saying? Or did you just make it up because you want to go?"
"No, no, I swear I’ve heard it somewhere. Maybe not exactly like that, but the gist is right."
"Wait, isn’t the bathhouse culture more of a Northeast thing? We’re in the Southwest now—is that even a local specialty here?" Meng Wenzhou chuckled.
Ji Bo scratched his head. "Uh... I dunno. Just popped into my head after Liu Bo mentioned it. Anyway, are we going or not?"
"Does that mean you’re treating?"
Ji Bo paused, then thumped his chest dramatically. "Fine, my treat! This trip’s all about sharing. Tang Ziyun already covered the hotel—I can spring for a massage, no big deal."
Meng Wenzhou nodded with a smile. "Sounds good. If you're treating, of course we’ll go~"
"Heh, alright, it's settled then. I’ll pick a place now~" Ji Bo said as he opened the Tuan Tuan app to browse.
The group exchanged amused glances before Liu Bo chimed in again, "But a bath and massage won’t take that long. What should we do after?"
"Go back to the hotel and rest, obviously. What else do you want to do? Didn’t you get enough exhaustion today?" Meng Wenzhou grabbed a bottle of water and twisted it open.
"I am a bit tired, but after a massage, we’ll be refreshed. Wouldn’t it be boring to just sleep the whole night away?"
Meng Wenzhou took a sip of water and grinned. "Just say what you want to do."
"I don’t know either. That’s why I’m asking everyone to brainstorm~"
Chu Qiunan tilted his head thoughtfully and suggested, "How about we go drinking? Check out the local bar scene in this new city."
"More drinking?" Meng Qianyu pouted, clearly reluctant.
"I also think drinking isn’t that fun. We’ve been doing it the past two days—I’m kind of over it," Tang Ziyun added.
"Then what do you guys want to do?"
The girls exchanged glances and quickly reached a consensus. Meng Qianyu spoke for them, "Go back to the hotel and sleep~"
"Then you girls head back. Us guys will go have some fun, okay?" Chu Qiunan turned to the other boys and winked.
Liu Bo pretended to hesitate. "But we came on this trip together. Wouldn’t it be bad if we went off without the girls?"
Pan Ning cut in, "Stop pretending. If you want to go, just go. You do your thing; we’ll rest at the hotel."
"Uh..." Liu Bo scratched his head and grinned. "Alright then. Since my sister gave the green light, let’s go unwind. The girls must be tired anyway. After the massage, we’ll escort them back to the hotel first, then find a nearby bar for a few drinks~"
Chu Qiunan and Zhang Ziming turned to Liu Bo and nodded approvingly.
Su Yang sat quietly in his chair without joining the discussion. He thought to himself, I don’t really feel like going, but for the sake of completing the system mission, I should tag along. I need to get out more if I want to finish those side quests.
Even if there’s no penalty for failing, the rewards are pretty good. Yeah, I should go.
After chatting for a while, the private dining room door opened, and two servers wheeled in carts.
One carried a pot of vibrant orange-red sour soup beef hotpot broth, while the other cart was loaded with an assortment of side dishes.
After setting everything up, the servers briefly explained the ideal cooking times for the different cuts of beef before leaving the room.
The group went to prepare their dipping sauces and returned to find the fragrant hotpot already bubbling.
"It smells amazing! Can we eat now?" Meng Qianyu was clearly a foodie at heart, her chopsticks poised as she stared intently at the spread.
Su Yang chuckled and started adding beef slices to the pot. "Just wait a bit for the meat to cook. Try the brown sugar glutinous rice cakes first—I heard they’re delicious."
Everyone picked up their chopsticks and took a bite of the sticky rice cakes dusted with roasted soybean flour and drizzled with brown sugar.
"Wow?? These are so good~"
"Right? I think so too~"
"Mhm, sis, you should try one."
Meng Wenzhou chuckled at the group’s awestruck expressions and said, “No offense, but this stuff is pretty common in Haicheng’s hot pot restaurants. Haven’t you guys tried it before?”
“No, no, it’s different! Their version is especially good—super soft and chewy. Here, Meng, try it first before judging,” Liu Bo said, picking up a piece and placing it in Meng Wenzhou’s bowl.
Meng Wenzhou took a bite and grinned. “Tastes about the same to me. I don’t get why you’re making such a big deal out of it. I thought it’d be way more amazing.”
“Guess you just don’t have good taste,” Liu Bo teased, popping another piece into his mouth.
“Alright, alright, I’ll stick to the beef then.”
Su Yang glanced at the plate of glutinous rice cakes, now empty, and turned to call a waiter to order two more servings.
“Oh, right! Yang, you haven’t even had any yet!” Ji Bo said with an awkward laugh.
Su Yang shrugged. “I just ordered more because you guys seem to love it. Personally, I’m more into the meat.”
Meng Wenzhou nodded. “Same here. Come on, try this beef—it’s seriously good!”
“You got it!”
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
