allonlinenovel Chapter 397 You've Just Gained Weight
Chapter 397 You've Just Gained Weight
Lu Ran stretched, and a soreness came from his waist.
He sat up straight in the gaming chair, twisted his waist, and his bones cracked a few times.
"What time is it?" he asked.
Shen Yuege glanced at her phone: "It's a little past 2 PM. How long have we been playing?"
Lu Ran thought for a moment. They entered the internet cafe at around 10 a.m., and it was already 2 p.m. They had been playing for a full four hours.
"It's been four hours," he said. "No wonder my back hurts."
"Your back was already bad to begin with. Last time you broke your leg and spent so long recovering, the muscles in your back have atrophied."
"My back is perfectly fine. It's just that you're too weak; I can't carry you, and it's tiring."
"Say it again?" Shen Yuege glared at him.
Lu Ran wisely shut his mouth.
The two played two more rounds.
In the second game, Lu Ran chose Lee Sin, and Shen Yuege chose Ahri.
Lee Sin is also very strong in URF mode. His Q skill deals ridiculously high damage, his W skill's shield can be cast infinitely, and his R skill can kick someone from their own high ground to the enemy's high ground in one kick.
Lu Ran only got over thirty kills in this game because Lee Sin's gameplay is more complex than Master Yi's, and he hadn't fully mastered some of the combos yet.
In the third game, he picked Zed, a champion that is a true monster in URF mode.
The W skill's shadow can be cast infinitely, filling the entire screen with his clones, making it impossible for the opponent to distinguish which is real and which is fake.
He killed 52 people in this round, three more than in the first round.
After the third game, Lu Ran's back was in excruciating pain.
He stood up from his gaming chair, held his back, and took a few steps.
"I can't do it anymore, I can't fight anymore," he said. "If I keep fighting, my back will break."
"Didn't you say your back was perfectly fine?" Shen Yuege added sarcastically.
"That was just now. Now it's not good. People change."
Shen Yuege rolled her eyes, turned off the computer, and stood up to pack her things.
The two came out of the private room, and the young woman at the front desk smiled at them: "Did you have fun?"
"I'm so happy. My back hurts from all the happiness," Lu Ran said.
The receptionist was taken aback, unsure how to respond.
Shen Yuege pulled Lu Ran outside, only letting go after they were outside: "Can you please not say things like that in public?"
"I'm telling the truth. My back really hurts."
"It's okay if your back hurts, but don't put it so ambiguously."
"What's ambiguous about it? I said my back hurt, what are you thinking? Are you overthinking it?"
Shen Yuege blushed at his words, didn't reply, and quickly walked towards the elevator.
Lu Ran followed behind, a wide smile playing on his lips.
The two left the mall and found a noodle shop on the roadside.
The noodle shop is small, with about ten tables. A handwritten menu is posted on the wall, listing the names and prices of various noodles.
Lu Ran ordered a bowl of Dan Dan noodles, and Shen Yuege ordered a bowl of fatty intestine noodles.
When the noodles were served, Lu Ran's stomach rumbled as he smelled the spicy aroma.
He picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of noodles, and put it in his mouth. It was so spicy that he gasped for breath, but he didn't stop.
"Will your 'Unlimited Power' mode really be popular during the Lunar New Year?" Shen Yuege asked while eating noodles.
"It's not just going to be popular, it's already popular. Look at the data on TUTU, less than a day after URF was released, there were already tens of thousands of related posts. The level of player discussion is at least twice as high as when ARAM was first released."
"Why? Aren't ARAM and URF both fun game modes? Why is URF more popular?"
"While ARAM is fun, it still has rules. You have one lane, random champions, and you still have to decide whether to push towers or team fight. URF is different; URF has no rules. You can use skills freely, have unlimited mana, and play however you want. This sense of freedom is something ARAM can't provide."
Shen Yuege thought about it and felt that what he said made sense.
"Moreover, Infinite Firepower is time-limited," Lu Ran continued. "Time-limited means scarcity. Players know that this mode will only be available for one month and will be closed after the New Year, so they will cherish this month even more. They will log in every day to play a few games, and after finishing, they will want to play more, but they will not have time, so they will think about playing tomorrow. This psychology of 'the unattainable is always more alluring' is the most commonly used tactic in game operation."
"You're something else; you can even turn a game into a psychology exercise."
"It's not psychology, it's human nature. If you understand human nature, everything goes smoothly. If you don't understand human nature, everything is difficult."
Shen Yuege finished the last bite of noodles, wiped her mouth, picked up her cup and took a sip of water: "So, where to next?"
"Qin Province," Lu Ran said. "Qin Province is located north of Sichuan Province."
What are some fun things to do in Qin Province?
"There are so many. The Terracotta Army, Huaqing Pool, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Bell Tower, the Muslim Quarter, Mount Hua. Which one do you want to visit?"
Shen Yuege thought for a moment: "I want to go to both. But we don't have that much time, do we?"
"Then let's pick a few places you most want to visit. The Terracotta Army is a must-see; coming to Shaanxi Province without visiting it is like not having come at all. Huaqing Pool is also nice; it's where Yang Guifei bathed. The Muslim Quarter has lots of food; I'm sure you'll like it."
How did you know I liked it?
"The first thing you do when you arrive in a new city is look for food. Do you think I don't know that?"
Shen Yuege was caught out by him, smiled embarrassedly, and didn't reply.
The two people came out of the noodle shop and got into the RV.
Lu Ran started the car and drove north.
The journey from Chengdu to Xi'an via expressway is about 700 kilometers and takes about seven or eight hours.
Lu Ran didn't plan to drive all the way in one day. He planned to find a place to stop for the night and then continue driving the next day.
Once you leave downtown Chengdu, the scenery on both sides of the road begins to change.
Sichuan Province is a basin with a plain in the middle and mountains on all sides.
Driving north from Chengdu, the terrain gradually rises, the plains become hills, and the hills become mountains.
The mountains aren't high, but they stretch out one after another, without end.
After driving for more than an hour, we arrived at the border between Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces. The two provinces are separated by a large mountain range—the Qinling Mountains.
The Qinling Mountains are the dividing line between the north and south of China.
It is said that the Qinling Mountains are actually the dragon vein of the Dragon Kingdom, and the most important mountain range in the Dragon Kingdom.
As for the reason, Lu Ran didn't know; perhaps he just happened to be in the very center of the Dragon Kingdom.
To the south lies Sichuan Province, with a humid climate and spring-like weather all year round.
To the north lies Qin Province, where the climate is dry and winters are bitterly cold.
Lu Ran drove his RV into the Qinling Mountains.
The road started to become steeper, with more bends, and the mountains on both sides became higher and the trees denser.
On both sides of the road, you can see some cliffs covered with moss and vines, which look quite old.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Shen Yuege looked out at the mountains and suddenly said, "Is this the 'Qinling Mountains'?"
"Yes. It's the Qinling Mountains."
"Will we reach Qin Province once we cross this mountain?"
"Yes. Once you cross this mountain, you'll be in Qin Province."
Shen Yuege paused for a moment, then said, "The difference between the two sides is huge. Sichuan Province is beautiful with its mountains and rivers, while Shaanxi Province... how should I put it, it looks more rugged."
"The Qinling Mountains are the dividing line. South of them is the South, and north of them is the North. The climate is different, the terrain is different, and the people's personalities are different too."
This time, Shen Yuege didn't ask, "How do you know everything?" She was already used to Lu Ran.
However, she also knew that Lu Ran must have done his homework before setting off.
After driving for more than two hours, we left the Qinling Mountains.
Suddenly, a clearing appeared before us, and a plain came into view.
The plains of Qin Province are different from those of Sichuan Province.
The plains of Sichuan Province are green, with rice paddies and bamboo forests everywhere.
The plains of Qin Province are yellow, and the crops in the fields have been harvested, leaving only bare land.
The village in the distance consists of rows of gray brick and tile houses, which is completely different from the white-walled and black-tiled houses of western Sichuan.
Shen Yuege peered out the car window for a while, then said, "The houses over here look really sturdy."
"Houses in the north are all like this. Thick walls, small windows, good insulation. Unlike in the south, where walls are thin, windows are large, good ventilation."
Lu Ran drove to a small county town at the foot of the Qinling Mountains and parked in a parking lot.
The county town is not big, with a main street running north to south, lined with all kinds of shops, selling food, clothes, hardware and sundries, you name it.
There weren't many people on the street. A few elderly people sat on the stone benches by the roadside, basking in the sun and chatting, speaking in the Qin dialect that Lu Ran couldn't quite understand.
Shen Yuege got out of the car, stretched, and took a deep breath: "The air here is so dry. My throat feels a little sore."
"That's how it is up north. The air is dry, so drink more water."
"Have you checked?"
"No need to check. It's common sense."
Shen Yuege glared at him, took a bottle of water from the car, and took a couple of sips.
The two of them took a stroll around the county town.
The main street of the county town is not long; it only takes about twenty minutes to walk from one end to the other.
Most of the shops on the street sell noodles: noodle shops, steamed bun shops, dumpling shops, and roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shops, one after another.
Lu Ran stood in front of a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) shop, smelling the aroma wafting from inside, and his stomach growled again.
"Are you hungry?" Shen Yuege asked.
"A little. I've already digested that bowl of noodles."
"Didn't you just finish eating not long ago?"
"I digest quickly. I have a good metabolism."
"Your back is killing you, and you still have the nerve to say you have a good metabolism?"
"Your waist and metabolism are two different things. Don't confuse them."
Lu Ran walked into the roujiamo shop and ordered two roujiamo, one with only lean meat and the other with both lean and fatty meat.
Shen Yuege ordered a pork and lean meat dish, and also two bowls of vermicelli soup.
When the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) was served, Lu Ran's eyes lit up.
The roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) in Qin Province is different from the one he ate in Shanghai.
The roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) in Shanghai is small, with a thin pancake and little meat.
The roujiamo (meat sandwich) from Qin Province is a size bigger, with a thicker bread and plenty of meat stuffed in; when you bite into it, the oil oozes out.
He picked one up and took a bite. The crust was crispy, and the meat inside was stewed until tender and flavorful. The marbled meat melted in his mouth, filling it with aroma.
"It's delicious," he said. "Much better than in Shanghai."
"Of course. Shaanxi Province is the birthplace of roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), how can they be the same?"
"You've checked?" Lu Ran asked suspiciously.
"No need to check. It's common sense."
...
Lu Ran was speechless after being retorted with the same words, but he smiled and continued eating his roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).
After the two finished eating, they found a hotel in the county town and stayed there for the night.
The hotel wasn't big, but it was clean and hygienic. The landlady was a woman in her fifties who spoke in a frighteningly loud voice, but she was very warm and welcoming.
The next morning, the two packed their things and continued driving north.
It takes more than three hours to drive from the small county town at the foot of the Qinling Mountains to Xi'an.
The road is straight and in good condition. The plains on both sides are planted with wheat and corn. Although the crops have been harvested this season, one can imagine the endless greenery in the summer.
Shen Yuege was flipping through a tourist guide for Qin Province in the passenger seat. When she got to the page about the Terracotta Army, she suddenly asked, "You said the Terracotta Army is Qin Shi Huang's tomb. Is there really mercury inside?"
"Yes. The Records of the Grand Historian states that 'mercury was used to represent the rivers, lakes, and seas.' Archaeologists have used modern technology to detect that the mercury content in the soil surrounding the tomb is indeed much higher than normal."
"Won't we get poisoned if we go in?"
"You can't get in. They haven't started excavation yet. You can only see the burial pits, the ones with the Terracotta Army. The main burial chamber is still under the earthen mound; no one has ever been inside."
Shen Yuege nodded and continued flipping through the guide.
As Lu Ran drove, something was on his mind.
He had been to Xi'an in his previous life and had eaten roujiamo (meat sandwich), liangpi (cold skin noodles), yangrou paomo (lamb stew with bread), saozi mian (noodles with minced meat sauce), youpo mian (oil-splashed noodles), and biangbiang noodles. Every single one of them was delicious.
During this trip to Qin Province, I must make sure Shen Yuege tries every single thing.
He looked out at the plains and a smile crept onto his face.
This road trip started from Shanghai and passed through Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan provinces. Now we've arrived in Shaanxi province.
I've traveled through most of China, and each stop has its own unique flavor.
Seafood from Zhejiang Province, fish balls from Fujian Province, sweet soups from Guangdong Province, rice noodles from Guangxi Province, mutton rice noodles from Guizhou Province, hot pot and dan dan noodles from Sichuan Province, and roujiamo (meat sandwich) and noodles from Shaanxi Province.
I ate a lot of delicious food on this trip.
He touched the fat on his stomach and realized he really should lose weight.
"What are you touching?" Shen Yuege asked, looking at him.
"My belly seems to have gotten bigger again."
"You're only just realizing that? You could still see your abs when you left, but you can't anymore."
"It's not that you can't see them, they're just covered by flesh. The abs are still there, they're just hidden quite well."
"You've just gained weight, don't make excuses."
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