16: Make friends

Zhao Xin got out of the car and started chatting with Jiang Yuan.

Meanwhile, Li Yu ran to their AMG C63, took out two beautifully packaged cartons of cigarettes from inside, and handed them to Jiang Yuan.

"Brother Jiang, we didn't bring any local specialties, so please take these to smoke for now. It's our local brand, and it's actually quite good."

Li Yu said, his tone carrying a touch of simplicity and enthusiasm.

However, Jiang Yuan did not intend to accept them; after all, the other party had only experienced his car.

"Hey, Sister-in-law, you take them for Brother Jiang. Just consider it a gift for meeting a friend!"

Seeing that Jiang Yuan wouldn't accept, Li Yu cleverly turned around and handed the cigarettes directly to Gu Xinyu, still affectionately calling her "Sister-in-law."

Hearing herself called "Sister-in-law" again, Gu Xinyu's cheeks instantly warmed up. She felt a bit embarrassed in her heart but didn't want to refute it directly for fear of making Jiang Yuan lose face. At the same time, she felt a little happy inside.

She didn't rashly take them, but subconsciously looked at Jiang Yuan's expression. Seeing this, Jiang Yuan smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, then I'll accept this kind gesture."

Only then did Gu Xinyu smile and put away the two cartons of cigarettes.

"Are you two planning to head back to the Northeast?" Jiang Yuan asked curiously.

"Yeah, we originally came to climb Mount Tai, but we didn't want to climb any further once we reached the Zhongtian Gate. We felt too tired, so we came back down overnight. I didn't expect to run into Brother Jiang on the way back. This fate is truly wonderful!" Zhao Xin replied, his tone carrying a touch of heartiness.

At the same time, he glanced at the "Ji" character on Jiang Yuan's license plate and continued to ask, "Is Brother Jiang also heading home?"

"Yeah, I'm going home to rest and recharge, and then I plan to go to Changbai Mountain for a trip." Jiang Yuan nodded in response.

"Oh wow, that's great, Brother Jiang! It's a real honor that you can come to our neck of the woods. I know Changbai Mountain like the back of my hand, I'll be your guide when the time comes!"

Upon hearing that Jiang Yuan was going to Changbai Mountain, Zhao Xin immediately became excited. He couldn't help but slip into his local dialect, his face overflowing with the characteristic warmth and hospitality of Northeasterners.

"How about we travel together? Since we're heading to Hebei, let me treat you two to a meal?" Jiang Yuan suggested.

He had always had a good impression of Northeasterners, finding them straightforward without beating around the bush, and exceptionally honest and loyal, which really suited his tastes.

Zhao Xin and Li Yu exchanged a look, and immediately, surprised smiles appeared on their faces; they hit it off right away.

"Whatever Brother Jiang says!" the two replied in unison.

Time passed unknowingly until noon, and they arrived in Hebei's Former name for Hebei region.

After dropping Gu Xinyu back at her company to handle some business, Jiang Yuan enthusiastically treated Zhao Xin and Li Yu to lunch.

He didn't deliberately look for any luxurious or grand restaurants; instead, relying on habit, he drove straight to a donkey meat flatbread shop he frequented. Although the shop was small, it was deeply loved by locals for its authentic taste and affordable prices.

Jiang Yuan didn't even look at the menu and familiarly said to the waiter nearby, "First, bring us six donkey meat flatbreads: three with intestine filling, and three with a mix of fat and lean meat. Also, three bowls of wonton soup, one serving of Governor Tofu, and one serving of shredded pork with garlic sauce."

"Coming right up!" The waiter nimbly and quickly noted down all the dishes, then called them out to the kitchen.

Although the restaurant's storefront wasn't large, it was the lunch hour, and there were an unusually large number of diners; it was almost packed. The three of them were quite lucky and happened to get a four-person table that had just opened up.

The shop was filled with the rich aroma of donkey meat, along with the rising and falling sounds of people chatting. The central air conditioning hummed, barely managing to suppress the heat inside the shop. The overall environment was still reasonably clean and tidy, carrying a sense of down-to-earth, bustling atmosphere.

Zhao Xin and Li Yu sat opposite Jiang Yuan, curiously looking around at the shop's environment and the coming and going diners.

They didn't mind at all; after all, as outdoor enthusiasts who loved traveling and were often on the move, they had experienced almost every kind of environment, and they were actually more interested in these types of authentic little eateries.

"I've long heard that the Former name for Hebei region's donkey meat flatbread is the most delicious in the country. There's even a saying that 'no donkey can leave the Former name for Hebei region alive.' Is that true?" Zhao Xin asked Jiang Yuan, his eyes sparkling with a thirst for knowledge, looking very curious.

"Yeah, pretty much. That saying isn't an exaggeration at all." As a true local, once the topic came up, Jiang Yuan immediately opened up. "Even locals don't have enough to eat, especially now that there are more tourists. A single donkey meat flatbread can sell for sixteen yuan, which is considered quite expensive."

"However, there's a saying: 'Dragon meat in heaven, donkey meat on earth.' I've never eaten dragon meat, but donkey meat is truly fragrant. That taste—once you've eaten it, you won't be able to forget it."

"Then I'll have to eat a few more later!" Zhao Xin was very expectant. He hadn't eaten this kind of authentic donkey meat flatbread before; he had eaten some from other places, which were crispy and tasted pretty good, but unfortunately, they were cold.

"You can't eat too much at once, either. Donkey meat is very filling; eating too much at once is hard to digest and can easily cause gastrointestinal discomfort." Jiang Yuan explained considerately, sharing local experience.

Before long, plates of hot, fragrant donkey meat flatbread were served to the table, one for each of the three. Jiang Yuan picked one up and took a gentle bite. Immediately, his mouth was filled with savory juices; the crispy crust wrapped around the fresh, fragrant donkey meat, creating a rich and mellow flavor.

"Delicious, so delicious! I have to pack some to take with me when I leave!" Zhao Xin muttered while eating, his face beaming with a satisfied smile.

Li Yu, who was beside him, also nodded repeatedly in agreement, clearly full of praise for the taste of the donkey meat flatbread.

Afterward, they continued to taste the Former name for Hebei region version of shredded pork with garlic sauce and Governor Tofu. Every dish had Zhao Xin and Li Yu praising them endlessly.

Because the three of them hadn't eaten in the morning due to rushing on the road, their appetites were wide open, and they swept clean all the dishes on the table.

After the meal, Jiang Yuan booked two suites for them at a five-star hotel and thoughtfully packed fifty catties of vacuum-sealed donkey meat for them to take back so their friends and family could also have a taste.

These two brothers were truly tough guys; after coming down from Mount Tai, they only rested a little before driving non-stop directly to the Former name for Hebei region. This kind of vigorous energy made even Jiang Yuan feel a bit ashamed.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yuan drove the brabus g900 back to his rented place.

He rented a two-bedroom, one-living room, one-kitchen, one-bathroom apartment. In this kind of second-tier city, the monthly rent for such an apartment was only a little over a thousand yuan, which was insignificant to him now.

He lay exhausted on his bedroom bed, staring at the ceiling, his head still buzzing. Everything that had happened in the past few days felt like an unreal dream.

Only at this moment did he finally calm down completely and begin to process everything.

He opened TikTok and found that his video had gained dozens of likes, and there were even a few comments.

"This car is so handsome, what kind of car is this?" one of the comments seemed to be from an older user.

But what caught his attention more was a private message from a stranger on his messages page.

He reached out and clicked on it. The first thing that caught his eye was an extremely seductive photo: large patches of snowy white skin were exposed, wearing a sexy maid outfit, but it cleverly didn't reveal her face.

Below the photo was an suggestive message: "Brother, can I ride in your car for a spin?"

It was a cute pink-themed profile picture, and the username was "Xiaonan Doesn't Eat Cilantro."

Jiang Yuan opened her homepage and discovered she actually had over ten thousand followers. The video content was all borderline, faceless photos paired with various sexy poses and provocative text, which had attracted quite a few lechers.

Jiang Yuan shook his head dismissively, clicked on the details, and blocked and reported her in one go.

If it were in the past, he might have still had some interest in this type, but now that he had seen a high-quality woman like Gu Xinyu, who combined beauty, temperament, and wisdom, he really had no interest at all in those who purely relied on "borderline" content to attract attention.