Chapter 204: Nights of Adventure and Friendship

Xu Chen cracked open a can of soda water and asked while taking a sip.

“Taking leave these days won’t mess up your training, will it?”

Xie Bingran: “Not really. No competitions coming up soon.”

Xie Bingran: “Plus, I have some training routines I can do on my own to keep in shape.”

Xu Chen: “You mentioned teaching me how to run before.”

Xie Bingran: “Sure, whenever you’re free in the next couple of days.”

Xu Chen: “Sounds good!”

Xie Bingran sat on the edge of the bed and took a sip of her orange juice:

“So, you’re not around tomorrow or the next day?”

Xu Chen: “Tomorrow shouldn’t take all day. If things go smoothly, I’ll wrap up by two or three and we can go out.”

Xie Bingran: “Oh.”

……

A knock echoed from the door.

Xu Chen got up to answer it and found Fang Jun standing there.

“Time to go. Wu Feifei and the others are downstairs.”

Fang Jun’s fair face was slightly flushed, probably from finishing that bottle of beer.

Yet, she seemed steady, not yet slipping into that chatty, obsessive drunken state.

Xu Chen glanced back and called to Xie Bingran:

“Let’s head out for that sand pot porridge.”

……

Downstairs, the Buick GL8 waited by the curb.

Xu Chen and the others climbed in, and Wu Feifei asked, “Where to, Xu?”

Xu Chen: “Just under the Tianhe Interchange. It’s really close.”

The driver chuckled and started the engine.

Wu Feifei: “You mentioned sand pot porridge earlier. What’s that?”

Xu Chen thought for a moment and described how it’s made with ingredients like preserved eggs, raw meat, fish, and shrimp boiled in porridge.

Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian pulled faces, struggling to imagine it.

“They cook stuff like preserved eggs, raw meat, fish, and shrimp in porridge? Is that actually tasty?”

Xu Chen smiled.

He couldn’t help but recall his past life, when he first arrived in Yangcheng and found these southern dishes confusing.

After all, northern porridge was usually just grains, maybe with dates or sugar—never raw meat or seafood.

For northerners, hearing about it was a shock at first.

Xu Chen added:

“And there’s a way to dip hot pot in porridge. Want to try that?”

Huang Qianqian: “Dipping hot pot in porridge?”

Wu Feifei: “That sounds gross…”

……

A few minutes later, the car dropped them off under the Tianhe Interchange.

It was only about a kilometer away, so Wu Feifei told the driver to go, saying they’d walk back.

Several sand pot porridge stalls lined up, and Xu Chen spotted the one he used to visit in his past life.

The owner shuffled out in flip-flops and a loose short-sleeved shirt, tossed a menu on the table, and wandered off.

Xu Chen noticed the owner looked younger than he remembered from before.

Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian peeked at the neighboring table and saw porridge with shrimp and crab, just as Xu Chen described, making them a bit uneasy.

Considering Xie Bingran couldn’t eat beef, lamb, or pork, Xu Chen ordered two pots separately.

One with shrimp, crab, and scallops; the other with beef and pork liver.

As he was about to signal the owner, Fang Jun said flatly:

“No drinks?”

Xu Chen: “……”

Huang Qianqian lit up with excitement:

“Yeah! Let’s get some booze!”

Xu Chen: “Are you even eighteen?”

Huang Qianqian and Wu Feifei both nodded.

Wu Feifei: “Want to see ID?”

Xu Chen chuckled, realizing Bing Ge was the youngest among them.

He glanced at Xie Bingran with a questioning look.

Xu Chen had seen Xie Bingran drink before—after training on the old middle school field in town, they ate braised beef, and while he had cola, she downed a beer effortlessly.

Xie Bingran shook her head: “I’m good.”

Xu Chen: “Alright, just two bottles then—one for you two to share, and one for Fang Jun.”

Wu Feifei laughed: “Perfect, we’ll just sip a bit. Don’t want to get wasted.”

Fang Jun said coolly: “I want two.”

Xu Chen: “……”

He looked at Xie Bingran and felt a twinge of sympathy.

Xu Chen had seen Fang Jun’s talkative drunken antics before, and with them sharing a room tonight, it might disrupt Xie Bingran.

But then he worried—if Xie Bingran got annoyed by the chatter, would she just knock Fang Jun out?

……

The freshly boiled sand pot porridge took a while to prepare.

Two large pots arrived, steaming hot.

They added cilantro and stirred it in, and a fresh aroma wafted up.

“I’m digging in! Watch out, it’s hot!”

Xu Chen grabbed a long spoon and served Xie Bingran a bowl of shrimp and crab porridge first.

“Champion, you’ve earned it—time to recharge!”

……

Once it cooled a bit, Huang Qianqian still hesitated to try it.

Curious, Wu Feifei scooped up some scallop porridge and took a bite.

Huang Qianqian: “Well?”

After swallowing, Wu Feifei said:

“It’s weirdly delicious!”

From then on, Xu Chen watched as those two kept going back for more bowls of sand pot porridge.

“I thought it’d be fishy with the pork liver and shrimp, but it’s not at all!”

“Is that shredded ginger at the bottom? That and the cilantro must cut the fishiness.”

“Dipping hot pot in porridge—sounds like this. I really want to try it.”

……

Xu Chen headed to the next stall and ordered fried oysters and a dozen grilled oysters to go with it.

That amped up Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian’s enjoyment even more.

Xu Chen found it amusing as he quietly ate his pork liver porridge.

Huang Qianqian said:

“Xu Chen, you’ve been to Yangcheng during breaks—how do you know this place so well?”

Wu Feifei:

“Yeah, it’s not like you just looked it up online!”

Xu Chen couldn’t mention rebirth, so he brushed it off:

“Oh, I came here one summer…”

Fang Jun was slurring a bit:

“You’re lying. Your dad said it was his first time in Yangcheng…”

“You came for summer camp?”

Xu Chen rolled his eyes and poured Fang Jun another beer:

“Fine, I joined a summer program and visited some universities here…”

……

After half an hour, the two pots of porridge were gone.

Those young women had quite the appetite.

Xu Chen glanced at Xie Bingran, who was holding a beer bottle and pouring for Fang Jun.

Xu Chen: “?”

Fang Jun had already polished off her two bottles.

Now she was drinking from the one meant for Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian.

Fang Jun finished the last gulp, looked up at Xie Bingran, and grinned.

Xu Chen: “?!”

……

It was past eleven, and the stalls under the Tianhe Interchange were just getting lively.

Xu Chen checked the time and saw Fang Jun was still manageable, so he said:

“Let’s wrap up. I’ve got work early tomorrow.”

Wu Feifei smiled: “Give us a list of fun spots and food— we’ll take Bing Ge around tomorrow!”

Xu Chen looked at Xie Bingran, who just pursed her lips without a word.

“You go with them first tomorrow. I’ll join once I’m done.”

“Oh.”

……

They paid and started walking back to the hotel.

Fang Jun wobbled a little, so Xie Bingran offered her arm for support.

Fang Jun tilted her head up at Xie Bingran, looking secretly pleased.

Xu Chen dropped Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian off at the Hilton, then headed back to Tianhe Tower with Xie Bingran and Fang Jun.

They took the elevator to the eighth floor, and Xu Chen opened their room door.

He inserted the card to turn on the lights.

Xie Bingran guided the tipsy Fang Jun inside slowly.

Xu Chen smiled: “Goodnight.”

“Mm.”

……

Back in his room, Xu Chen took a hot shower.

He’d worked up a sweat from the outing.

After changing into clean shorts, a knock came at the door.

He wondered who it could be at nearly midnight.

Peering through the peephole, he saw Xie Bingran.

He called through the door: “Hang on, I’m grabbing a shirt.”

He slipped on a loose white T-shirt and opened the door.

Xie Bingran frowned slightly:

“Fang Jun’s had too much—she’s talking nonstop and won’t stop.”

Xu Chen chuckled:

“That’s just how she gets with alcohol.”

He paused, then added:

“I’ll check on her and get some warm water in her; that should help.”

Xie Bingran: “I already gave her some.”

Xu Chen hesitated, unsure of the situation.

Xie Bingran looked down and said after a moment:

“It’s too noisy for me to sleep. Can I stay here?”

Xu Chen: “Ah?”

Xie Bingran: “You have two beds, right?”

Xu Chen: “……”

Xie Bingran: “I’ll head back early tomorrow before Fang Jun wakes up—no one will know.”

……

No wonder she’d been pouring drinks for Fang Jun—it was all planned.

Xu Chen hesitated briefly but stepped aside to let her in.

Xie Bingran walked in without a word and snuck a smile when her back was turned.

Xu Chen followed, feeling a bit awkward.

Xie Bingran: “What’s up with you?”

Xu Chen: “Nothing… just nothing.”

She glanced around the room.

There were two beds—one Xu Chen had slept in last night, the other piled with clothes.

Xie Bingran pointed to one:

“I want this one!”

Xu Chen: “That one’s mine from last night. Why not take the clean one?”

Xie Bingran: “I want this one!”

Xu Chen: “Oh…”

……

……

A short while later, after a quick freshen-up, they each settled into a bed.

The AC blew a bit too strong—even at 24 degrees, it felt chilly.

Pulling on the thin blanket helped.

“I’m turning off the lights,” Xu Chen said.

“Okay.”

With a click, the room went dark.

City lights filtered in through the window.

Xu Chen lay on his back.

He turned and saw Xie Bingran lying on her side, facing him, wrapped in her blanket with wide eyes fixed on him.

In the dim light, Xie Bingran whispered:

“Xu Chen, I just want to spend a little more time with you.”

“I know, you silly girl…”