Chapter 159: Lin Yun'er's Counterproductive Move (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

Sunlight spilled in through the decorative windows outside the Small Tavern, spreading diagonally across the wooden floor and casting a soft, golden halo.

The afternoon hours were unrealistically quiet, and the air was filled with the faint fragrance of wood, mixed with a hint of lemon wine.

Lin Xiuyuan adjusted the last pendant lamp to the most suitable brightness and looked back at the sofa area; Li Juli, who had almost startled him just a moment ago, was already sitting there.

Her pink shirt appeared exceptionally soft amidst the interplay of light and shadow, and she seemed to blend naturally into the space.

Noticing Lin Xiuyuan's gaze, Li Juli chuckled and patted the sofa beside her, "What are you looking at? Come over and sit."

Soon, Lin Xiuyuan walked over, holding a bottle of chilled Sparkling Wine, and sat down opposite her with a very natural movement.

He first poured half a glass for her, then casually poured some for himself.

However, he didn't hand it to her right away; instead, he let his gaze fall on Li Juli and asked again, "Are you really drinking? It's the middle of the day."

Li Juli ignored his somewhat perfunctory reminder, reached out to take the glass herself, and took a light sip.

The sweet and sour liquid exploded on her lips and teeth, the icy chill carrying a refreshing crispness.

She then narrowed her eyes, her shoulders lifting unconsciously, "It's delicious~."

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan laughed, raised his glass, and gently tapped the rim of hers.

"Clink—" a crisp sound echoed in the air.

In that instant, the wind outside the window stirred the leaves, lifting a fine, fragmented light and shadow through the gaps in the curtains, like the sound of time brushing quietly past one's ears.

The two sat quietly opposite each other like this, neither in a hurry to speak, as if the few probing, weightless sentences exchanged upon entering had never happened.

It wasn't until a while later that Li Juli slowly set down her glass, her palms resting on her knees, one finger tapping the fabric nonchalantly, her beautiful eyes scanning Lin Xiuyuan as the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

Beside her, seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan felt inexplicably flustered; the conversation at the dinner table last night had given him much to think about, so he quickly spoke up, "Juli, if you have something you need my help with, just say it. Looking at me like that makes me a bit nervous."

Li Juli glanced at him, her eyes appearing hesitant, yet also as if she had already decided what to say.

But she didn't answer immediately; instead, she raised her hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, then slowly uttered a sentence, "It's not that I necessarily need your help, it's probably just to confirm one thing."

"What thing?" Lin Xiuyuan frowned slightly, but subconsciously sat up straight.

As he said it, his heart sank: *It's over, could she have really seen through something? *

But Li Juli wasn't in a hurry to reveal the answer; she just lowered her eyes to stare at the half-glass of wine on the table, as if weighing or brewing something.

Finally, she looked up, her eyes shimmering, her tone soft yet piercing to the heart, "Guess."

"I can't guess," Lin Xiuyuan shook his head, answering flatly.

Regarding this answer, Li Juli rolled her eyes at the young man, somewhat dissatisfied, "Can you not be so perfunctory with me? Answering without even thinking."

"Then you have to give me a hint, right? How am I supposed to guess? It's like looking for a needle in a haystack," Lin Xiuyuan responded with a shrug.

"A hint, huh... forget it, I'll just say it directly."

After murmuring to herself, Li Juli had the face of Dalongzai appear in her mind, then she looked up at Lin Xiuyuan before her, "Actually, it's nothing, I just wanted you to help me find a Birthday Cake."

"Birthday Cake? What kind?" Lin Xiuyuan was stunned; he had thought of many answers, but this was the only one he hadn't.

"Hmm, I like the one we had at Zhiyan's birthday party," Li Juli smiled slightly.

Then Lin Xiuyuan froze in place.

The voice in his ears continued, "Although it's still a while until my birthday, I really want to taste that cake again, so help me find it."

Pausing, she lowered her head and downed the remaining wine in her glass, "Otherwise, I can only..."

Just as Li Juli hadn't finished her sentence, the sound of the electronic lock came from the door of the Small Tavern, and someone pushed it open to enter.

"Ding-ling~"

The familiar sound of the wind chime rang out, and in the sunlight, Lin Yun'er stepped into the tavern with the tipsy aura of the afternoon.

A pretty, fair face, fully displaying charm and beauty in the sunlight, not to mention that intoxicating smile, "Oh, Xiuyuan, Unnie, why are you here?"

As soon as she finished speaking, another small head poked out from behind her.

It was Kim Taeyeon, who had just parted ways with Lin Xiuyuan, "Huh~ Xiuyuan, Unnie, why did you two meet here?"

This sudden interruption extinguished the little bit of emotion Li Juli had just ignited, and she slowly swallowed the large gulp of wine she had just taken.

After her gaze lingered on Kim Taeyeon for a moment, she stood up and smiled at Lin Yun'er, "Long time no see, YoonA. And Taeyeon, I didn't expect such a coincidence. I originally wanted to chat with Xiuyuan about something; if I had known you were coming, we could have come together."

Then Kim Taeyeon also gave a very reasonable explanation.

"This really is a coincidence, because I was looking for Xiuyuan and YoonA this time to invite them to my concert. It's just that YoonA was busy at noon, so we planned to sit here at the tavern in the afternoon."

At this moment, Lin Yun'er, who had already reached Lin Xiuyuan's side, looked at the somewhat stiff young man and pursed her lips in a smile, thinking of how Kim Taeyeon had called her in a rush earlier, saying someone was trying to "steal her home."

So she had quietly turned on the location sharing feature on a certain Apple phone—something Lin Yun'er had set up the night someone was asleep while doing Bread Making—not to monitor Lin Xiuyuan, but just out of worry that he might get lost sometimes.

Then, after checking the direction of his route, she smiled and sent the destination address to Kim Taeyeon, and drove over herself.

Now it seemed, she hadn't arrived too early or too late, just in time.

Lin Xiuyuan stood up and left, "Don't stand there chatting, sit down first. I'll get you all something to drink, no alcohol this time."

"No drinking, we're driving," Kim Taeyeon nodded, then she and Lin Yun'er sat down on either side of Li Juli.

However, Kim Taeyeon noticed that Li Juli's gaze wasn't looking at her at all, but was instead fixed on Lin Yun'er beside her.

That gaze held no hostility, but was exceptionally earnest, even revealing a hint of excitement.

And Li Juli wasn't appraising Lin Yun'er's clothing, nor was she looking at her expression, but was staring at her face.

To be precise, it was that bright and translucent face, that delicate, lustrous skin, and the vitality and vigor that naturally radiated when she walked in.

This familiar yet strange scene made Li Juli feel as if she had been suddenly frozen in her chair.

Although there was a smile on her lips, her eyes held complex emotions that were hard to conceal, even carrying a faint, imperceptible tremor.

At this moment, she knew too well what she was seeing.

That was not an effect that could be piled on with skincare products.

Li Juli blinked, and even subconsciously looked down at the back of her own hand; feeling the subtle dryness and slight blemishes near her knuckles, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

It wasn't that she was old, nor was it that she couldn't afford to lose.

It was that she knew YoonA had also once had a period of being exhausted and having a dull complexion.

Even if outsiders aren't clear about it, there is more or less an exchange of news between idols, especially when they share the same makeup artists; the topics for gossip are truly endless.

But right now, this Lin Yun'er sitting beside her, who could shine even without makeup, was in a state of complexion so unrealistically good it was as if she had just finished soaking in a Hot Spring and drank three bowls of ginseng soup.

Consequently, that thought of Li Juli's, which had just ignited only to be helplessly suppressed, once again churned fiercely in the bottom of her heart at this moment, and then she sat up completely straight, a flash of unprecedented determination and anticipation appearing in her eyes.

She slowly turned her head to look at Lin Xiuyuan behind the bar, that gaze carrying an inexplicable request, as well as an increasingly clear resolve.

Noticing all of this, YoonA couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat.

Damn it, it seems like I've been too clever by half and ended up with a blunder.

She... she clearly just wanted to come over to "save someone."

(End of this chapter)