r18novel Chapter 39 Authentic Peking Duck
Chapter 39 Authentic Peking Duck
2009年1月6日，晚10:30。
Golden Fung Restaurant in New York's Chinatown.
As one of the most authentic Cantonese restaurants in New York, this place welcomed a special group of guests tonight.
Yao Ming, Li Xiangbei, and a burly man who seemed out of place here—Ron Artest.
Artest was wearing a hoodie pulled down low, looking quite reluctant.
He just got shot down by Li Xiangbei on the court and then blocked, and now he wants to have dinner with him? If Yao Ming hadn't pulled him away, he would have gone back to the hotel and smashed things long ago.
"Come on, Ron, try this."
Yao Ming skillfully spread out a thin, translucent lotus leaf pancake, picked up two pieces of roasted, glossy, dark red duck skin, dipped them in sweet bean sauce, added a few scallion shreds and cucumber strips, rolled them into a small roll, and handed it to Artest.
"What is this?" Artest frowned, as if looking at some kind of biological weapon. "There are vegetables in here? I don't eat vegetables."
"That's the rule," Yao Ming said with a smile. "In China, you haven't truly been to Beijing if you haven't eaten this... oh no, you haven't truly been to Chinatown."
Artest took the duck roll with some skepticism and stuffed it into his mouth.
I chewed it twice.
Suddenly, those eyes widened sharply.
The crispy duck skin, tender duck meat, salty-sweet sauce, and spicy scallions blend perfectly in your mouth, as if opening the door to a new world.
"Damn!!"
Artest let out a mumbled shout that nearly flipped the table.
"This is so delicious! It's a million times better than those burgers in Queens that only have lettuce in them! Yao, is this your secret to being so tall?!"
Sitting opposite him, Li Xiangbei couldn't help but laugh as he watched Artest's expression change instantly.
"Ron, this is nothing."
Li Xiangbei took out an inconspicuous glass bottle from under the table—Red Star Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).
"This is the real deal. Dare to give it a try?"
Artest glanced at the clear liquid: "Vodka? Hmph, I grew up drinking that."
Yao Ming poured a small cup for everyone.
"Cheers!"
The three of them drank it all in one gulp.
A burning sensation rushed down his throat and into his stomach. Artest choked so much that tears welled up in his eyes, but once the sensation subsided, he felt incredibly clear-headed.
After a few drinks, Artest completely let loose.
He grabbed Li Xiangbei's neck, and his arm, which was thicker than Li Xiangbei's thigh, almost strangled him.
"Lee!" Artest's face was flushed, and his tongue was practically slurring. "Even though you have a foul mouth, even though you were awful when you made that game-winning shot... you're a tough guy! Really!"
"From now on, if anyone in the league dares to bully you, just say my name, Ron! Except for Yao Ming, no one dares to touch my brother!"
Li Xiangbei struggled to break free, rubbed his neck, and felt both amused and exasperated.
"Alright, alright, from now on you'll be my bodyguard."
Yao Ming watched this scene and his eyes narrowed into slits with laughter.
"It seems that no matter how ferocious a wild beast is, only Chinese food and Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) can tame it."
……
The next morning.
Li Xiangbei was awakened by his phone vibrating.
He rubbed his slightly throbbing temples—although the system's enhancement could accelerate metabolism, those few cups of Erguotou last night were indeed a bit intoxicating.
When I opened Twitter, the overwhelming amount of messages almost crashed my phone.
the reason is simple.
Last night, media outlets captured a photo of Scarlett Johansson jumping up and cheering excitedly as Li Xiangbei hit the game-winning shot against Yao Ming. In the photo, Johansson is wearing a sexy low-cut dress, her eyes fixed on Li Xiangbei.
This clearly provoked a certain "sensitive young man" in Oklahoma.
Kevin Durant.
This future Grim Reaper, now a keyboard warrior, posted three tweets, each one laced with a strong sense of sourness.
@KevinDurant: "That game-winning shot was just luck. If I were in that position, I wouldn't even need to step back."
@KevinDurant: "I can score those kinds of goals too, and I scored 30 points, so why isn't anyone praising me? Does the media these days only like those attention-seeking types?"
@KevinDurant: "@ScarlettJohansson The night sky in Oklahoma is beautiful too, the stars are much brighter than in New York. Want to come and see? I can teach you how to shoot."
These three tweets instantly went viral online.
"KD broke down again?"
"The Oklahoma night sky? Hahaha, is this an invitation for Scarlett Johansson to come to the village and stargaze?"
"Durant: Why am I always the one who gets hurt?"
Li Xiangbei looked at these comments and shook his head helplessly. Why does this guy love seeking validation online so much?
He tapped his finger and retweeted Durant's tweet about the "Oklahoma City night sky".
@LiXiangbei replied to @KevinDurant:
"Kevin, stop tweeting. Even the brightest stars can't illuminate your defense."
"See you at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night. Remember to bring your keyboard, or... better yet, your ankle brace. Because I'm going to show you that the floor here is much harder than Twitter."
This reply instantly topped the trending search list.
#Li Xiangbei VS Durant#
#The War Between Villain and Backpack Du#
All eyes in the United States are once again focused on New York.
……
2:00 PM. Knicks' tactics room.
Although the online flame war was raging, the atmosphere in the tactics room was very serious.
D'Antoni pointed to the slender figure wearing the Thunder's number 35 jersey on the whiteboard.
"Don't be fooled by his online statements."
D'Antoni tapped the blackboard.
"Kevin Durant. Sophomore year, averaging 25 points per game. He is the future scoring champion of this league. He is 2.11 meters tall with a wingspan of 2.25 meters, yet he has the ball-handling and shooting touch of a guard."
"Li, this is a huge challenge for you." D'Antoni looked at Li Xiangbei. "He's too tall. No matter who guards him, it's a mismatch. If you don't guard him closely, he'll shoot right over your head; if you do guard him closely, he can blow past you in one step."
Besides Durant, the Thunder have another monster.
Russell Westbrook.
That rookie point guard who just entered the league had such abnormal physical abilities that he was like an alien; when he charged, he was like a bomb.
"And then there's this kid named Westbrook," the assistant coach added. "He's very aggressive, and although his shooting is inconsistent, he can knock you over."
The locker room was quiet. Although the Thunder's record wasn't good, a team overflowing with talent like this was unstoppable once they got going.
Li Xiangbei sat in a chair, toying with a basketball in his hand.
"Durant?"
Li Xiangbei looked up at the slender figure on the screen.
"He is indeed very tall, and his shooting accuracy is also very good."
Li Xiangbei stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and drew a line on Durant's waist.
"But he's too thin."
"I will show him that the NBA is not just a shooting game where you can shoot more accurately."
Li Xiangbei clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.
"This is still a wrestling ring."
"I will use physicality to shatter his fragile shooting rhythm."