By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 51 This is called professionalism
It's quite funny, Schelling has been here for over 10 years, but he's never actually visited any of the nearby attractions. As a long-time resident of Dongyang, the task of being a guide should have fallen to him, but at this moment he's somewhat at a loss.

Li Younan said slowly, "It's okay, I've done the planning. Today, everyone just needs to follow my lead and enjoy the sights."

Actually, coming here was a process of demystifying Hengdian. Hengdian's commercial elements are still too heavy; experiencing being an extra is more of a spiritual journey. But if you treat the film studio as a tourist attraction, it just feels like something's missing. Therefore, Li Younan already had his own plans for today's visit.

Lan Yiyi said excitedly, "Where should we go? Let's go to some famous places! I want to visit all the famous places in Dongyang City."

Li Younan said, "Famous places are the same all over the country. Today, just follow my lead."

Our first stop was the old town.

Deep in the alley, the cries of vendors echoed from near and far. Several elderly people were already seated around a few low bamboo tables, slowly sipping soy milk, with mung bean soup placed to the side, the bowls dripping with fine droplets of water, the coolness of which seemed to see through their eyes.

Li Younan ordered a bowl of chilled mung bean soup for each of the three of them.

The soup was clear and bright, the beans were soft and tender, and with one sip, there was a hint of the unique caramel aroma of local brown sugar. The morning heat was instantly dispelled by its sweetness. The stall owner said with a smile, "This mung bean soup recipe is an old flavor that people in Dongyang can't live without in the summer."

Dongyang City also has a few other key words: Lu Residence and wood carving.

As the sun rose higher, its blinding rays poured down, making the air scorching. The three of them sought refuge in the Lu residence. Stepping over the high threshold, a cool, damp atmosphere, carrying the scent of old wood and dust, enveloped them.

The wood carvings on the gate tower are layered and stacked, with lions, flowers, birds and figures all carved vividly.

Because Li Younan had mastered carving skills, which he could also apply to wood carving, he stopped with great interest in one wood carving after another, carefully admiring them.

Some things can only be understood by those in the know. Xie Lin couldn't understand them, and neither could Lan Yiyi, but they both followed Li Younan's rhythm, and their originally restless mood gradually calmed down.

Lan Yiyi asked curiously, "Are these wood carvings really that beautiful? You're looking at them so intently."

Li Younan smiled slightly: "There's a lot to learn here. If you look closely, you'll definitely be able to discern something."

Lan Yiyi listened, pondered for a moment, but couldn't quite grasp what she meant. Staring at Li Younan, she suddenly laughed and said, "You really are a strange person."

Lan Yiyi felt that in this superficial society, people like Li Younan were like rare treasures, and she had never seen anything like them before.

The sun was setting, but the heatwave persisted.

The three of them continued to wander aimlessly.

We turned into a narrow alley called Baigong Lane. The alley was narrow, with some inconspicuous little shops on both sides, and the sound of wood being chiseled could be heard from inside.

The master craftsman was engrossed in carving something, wood shavings dancing in the light and shadow. At the end of the alley, under the old camphor tree, the dense shade resembled a giant green umbrella.

Several local elderly men sat around a small square table, brewing strong tea, the color of which was as dark as soy sauce.

Li Younan suddenly became interested, found a local and asked for three bamboo chairs. He dragged one down and sat down, leaning back so that he was almost completely flat.

Lan Yiyi and Xie Lin exchanged a glance, and Lan Yiyi couldn't help but say, "You're lying down already? Aren't we going to shop anymore?"

Li Younan squinted comfortably and said, "Don't ask, just follow my rhythm."

Xie Lin thought for a moment, then sat down on the chair next to Li Younan. Lan Yiyi, feeling somewhat helpless, also lay down.

The people playing chess next to me slapped their pieces together with a "slap slap," their voices mingling with a few barely audible words of Dongyang dialect, all blending into the chirping of cicadas.

Squinting, I watched the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves of the camphor tree overhead dance on my eyelids, and the world seemed to consist only of this swaying green shade and the buzzing in my ears.

The bamboo chair creaked softly, and Li Younan, too lazy to move, drifted off to sleep again in the dappled light and shadow.

Lan Yiyi had never had such a travel experience before, but she suddenly felt the artistic conception that Li Younan was pursuing, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

……

They didn't rush to tourist attractions or join the crowds that day; they simply spent it at a leisurely pace.

However, they eventually returned to the bustling commercial district. When the three of them arrived back there, they felt as if they had stepped into another world. It was already close to lunchtime.

Lan Yiyi's original plan was to rush back before dinner time, because several members of the crew had made plans to have dinner together that night, and her assistant had already called twice, but she had brushed them off both times.

However, she didn't tell Li Younan and Xie Lin about the excuse she gave.

The sole purpose of coming to the shopping street was to buy cosmetics for Xie Lin's girlfriend. Lan Yiyi declared herself an expert, saying, "You've come to the right person by bringing me along."

When they arrived at the cosmetics counter, Lan Yiyi chattered on and on, asking Xie Lin questions like, "How does your girlfriend usually do her makeup? What shade of lipstick does she use?" Xie Lin felt a little embarrassed and didn't know how to respond.

Li Younan slowly interrupted Lan Yiyi, saying, "His girlfriend is naturally beautiful and has never worn makeup before."

Lan Yiyi said "Oh". At this moment, her eyes lit up when she saw a set of cosmetics she was using at the counter. She said excitedly, "Come and see this. This is perfect for young girls like us. Your girlfriend shouldn't be very old, right? She'll definitely have no problem using this set."

Seeing this, the sales assistant also started to enthusiastically recommend the products.

Lan Yiyi did not notice the... difficulty hidden in Xie Lin's expression.

This set of cosmetics is very expensive.

Li Younan smiled and continued, "This set is indeed quite famous. The core of the series recommended by Lan Yiyi is that it relies on the deep-sea purification ingredient to conquer the market?" He turned to the sales assistant and confirmed in a calm tone.

The other party paused for a moment, probably not expecting Li Younan to know this, then smiled professionally and nodded: "Yes, yes, sir, you're an expert! That's right, it's our brand's patent, the effect is undeniable!"

"Yes, the main mechanism of this ingredient is to stimulate collagen regeneration and provide powerful antioxidant protection against free radical damage, thereby achieving a firming and brightening effect. That's how it works in theory."

Li Younan explained to Xie Lin and Lan Yiyi in a low but clear voice, as if he were reviewing a knowledge point they had both studied together.

Lan Yiyi paused, her gaze shifting from the product to Li Younan's face, questioning him. The sales assistant's smile also froze for a moment, revealing a hint of inquiry.

Xie Lin didn't speak; he couldn't understand, but he vaguely felt that Li Younan was trying to help him out of a predicament.

“Actually,” Li Younan picked up the essence from the sample and examined its texture against the light, “to achieve the core triple effects of ‘repair, firming, and brightening,’ the Vitality Revitalizing series from Huayan Wuyu has a very solid formula and its effects are in no way inferior.”

"Oh?" The sales assistant raised her eyebrows, her smile carrying a hint of "let's see what kind of nonsense you can come up with."

Li Younan turned to Lan Yiyi and Xie Lin, speaking slowly as if explaining something to them: "Look, the core ingredients of this essence, in the Vitality Essence of Flower Beauty, use the same combination of acetyl hexapeptide-8 and ergothioneine with the same efficacy pathway."

"Acetyl hexapeptide-8 is specifically designed to target dynamic wrinkles and its collagen-boosting effect is supported by a large body of literature. Ergothioneine is a recognized powerful antioxidant that can effectively combat photoaging. Moreover, the effective concentrations of both in this Flower Story serum meet the standards for effectiveness, even surpassing some major brands' basic lines."

The sales assistant was completely stunned. Huh? What kind of spell was he chanting?
I didn't understand a single word.

"Furthermore, its emphasis on deep repair," Li Younan picked up the luxurious face cream next to her, "is due to the ceramide complex and panthenol inside, which are the golden combination for repairing the skin barrier. In this respect, the face cream in the same series of Huayan Wuyu uses a combination of triple ceramides and panthenol, with a scientific ratio, which is particularly effective in strengthening the skin barrier and improving dryness and roughness. The formula logic is very clear and direct."

Then, Li Younan looked at the sales clerk and said with a smile, "So, actually, the effect of buying this set and this set isn't that different, right?"

The sales assistant chuckled awkwardly, "Ah, yes, yes... right, right, right."

Xie Lin was excited because the set recommended by Li Younan was less than one-sixth the price of the set recommended by Lan Yiyi.

Lan Yiyi was stunned: "You...you know about this?"

Li Younan was looking at the ingredients of Xie Lin's cosmetics set: "I studied computer science, which is a science major, and cosmetics were originally made by a group of male science students..."

"So I understand this...it makes perfect sense." Li Younan raised his head and spoke nonsense with a straight face.

Schelling nodded repeatedly, "That's what you call professional!"

Lan Yiyi didn't understand, but she thought Li Younan was incredibly amazing, and by extension, she thought all the science students were also fantastic!

Today, out of sheer boredom, I reread "My Reborn Self: All I Want Is to Focus on Studying," and some parts brought tears to my eyes. Damn, how could I have been so brilliant back then, able to write such compelling plots? (tears welling up)

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(End of this chapter)