Chapter 208: Jiyeon, can you win if you fight your 2013 self?

Since they had agreed to shower together, they naturally showered together.

It was just that as they showered, the direction became a bit... off.

Don't know who made the first move, don't know who let go first, anyway, a "workout" unfolded as naturally as water flowing.

The steam hadn't dissipated, and in the end, both of them were covered in a fine layer of sweat, even the clean bathrobes they had just put on were soaked.

So, helplessly, they had to shower again.

The water temperature for the second shower was lower than the first, but the two had just experienced a hearty "competition," and they were like a seamless pair of partners; even showering was filled with a silent tacit understanding and lingering affection.

When the two finally got ready and were prepared to leave, the time had quietly slipped to 1:30 PM.

As the Mercedes came to a steady stop downstairs at Pei Xiuzhi's apartment complex.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Pei Xiuzhi had already walked out of the elevator lobby, looking down at her watch while slightly stomping her feet.

She was exquisitely made up and dressed sharply, looking as bright and beautiful as ever, but judging by her furrowed brows, waiting too long had almost exhausted her patience.

But when the car door opened and she saw the Great Dragon Cub in the back seat, the "triple complaint" Pei Xiuzhi had prepared got stuck in her throat.

"Unnie~ what... what is this state you're in?"

She couldn't help but widen her eyes, almost thinking she was hallucinating.

The Great Dragon Cub, who had been disheveled and pale in the gym just a moment ago, seemed like a different person now.

Her skin glowed with a clear, hydrated luster, her brows and eyes were soft and carried a hint of lazy coquetry, and a casual smile hung on the corners of her mouth. Her entire aura was as if she had just come out of a rose-scented spa room, radiating an enviable glow of "having been pampered."

Look at Lin Xiuyuan again: his T-shirt had been replaced by a white shirt, his hair slightly curled from being damp, casual yet extremely atmospheric, his whole person refreshed, even his eyes revealing an irrepressible good mood.

"You two... didn't just take a shower, did you?"

Pei Xiuzhi narrowed her eyes, looking them up and down, her tone couldn't be more subtle.

"Yeah, we really just took a shower."

Lin Xiuyuan's expression was natural, his tone serious, with a hint of an innocent smile on his face.

"Yeah, otherwise what did you think happened?"

The Great Dragon Cub also followed up, stroking her long, flowing hair while blinking, smiling calmly and brightly.

"Can you two not be so vivid when you talk?"

Pei Xiuzhi held her forehead, sighing with a headache, "I haven't eaten yet, I don't want to lose my appetite."

"That's perfect, we're out looking for food too."

Lin Xiuyuan said while adjusting the navigation, "Hurry up and get in the car, any later and we'll only be able to eat leftovers at the restaurant."

Pei Xiuzhi pouted, complaining on the surface, but still silently sat in the back seat.

But as soon as the car door closed, she couldn't wait to lean into the Great Dragon Cub's ear and ask in a low voice, "Unnie, which trick of mine did you use? Coquetry? Shamelessness? Or gentleness?"

"Used them all." The Great Dragon Cub smiled slightly, her eyes filled with spring, "And added a bit of an upgraded playstyle."

"Did it succeed?"

"No."

The Great Dragon Cub blinked, but the corners of her mouth lifted in an undiscouraged smile.

Looking at that radiant face, Pei Xiuzhi glanced at Lin Xiuyuan driving in front, and a impulsive thought arose in her heart, wanting to ask how long they had actually showered.

However, in the end, the words reached her throat, and Pei Xiuzhi swallowed them back.

It wasn't that she didn't dare to ask, it was just that her relationship with Lin Xiuyuan and the Great Dragon Cub hadn't reached that level of intimacy yet.

Talking about everything under the sun was fine, but talking about love... it was still lacking a bit of heat.

The car slowly drove out of the apartment complex, the sunlight shining on the car windows, illuminating the ease and intimacy permeating the three of them.

The three finally sat down at a private kitchen restaurant in Cheongdam-dong.

This shop had extremely high privacy, a quiet environment, and the decor was a soft Japanese minimalist style, with wooden lattices paired with warm yellow lights. As soon as you walked in, you couldn't help but relax.

"This place is great..." Pei Xiuzhi stretched as soon as she sat down, "Quiet, comfortable, and most importantly, no one is secretly taking photos of me."

The Great Dragon Cub sitting beside her smiled lightly, "Xiuyuan's bistro is even more comfortable, the atmosphere is super great, the space is private, and outsiders can't even get through the door."

Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Still talking about it? Stop scolding me, Jiyeon~"

"Don't try that, don't I know?" Pei Xiuzhi rolled her eyes at the Great Dragon Cub, "You can't even get into his membership, why are you telling me this."

Then she looked at Lin Xiuyuan, "It's a treat, as agreed."

"Of course, no problem, order whatever you want from the menu." Lin Xiuyuan smiled and raised his hand to call the waiter.

The Great Dragon Cub sitting opposite him leaned lazily against the back of the chair, her eyes half-closed, but a smile remained on her lips.

Her current state was very good, so good that even the Great Dragon Cub herself was a bit surprised.

Even though they had just experienced a physical "great battle," she didn't feel any fatigue at all right now; her whole person felt as light as a feather, and her mood was unusually soft and happy.

This was a long-lost sense of relaxation, and the kind of true satisfaction that came with emotional response.

Thinking of this, the Great Dragon Cub subconsciously looked at Lin Xiuyuan. The boy opposite was looking down at the menu, his expression focused, the corners of his lips slightly upturned, and the faint, gentle smile made her smile along with him.

If she had known, she wouldn't have agreed to come out to eat with Xiuzhi; she could have stayed home with Xiuyuan for a while longer.

At this time, Pei Xiuzhi beside her suddenly propped her chin up, staring at the two of them meaningfully.

A little theater had already started in her mind: what kind of relationship are these two... exactly?

A couple? Friends?

F***... uh, it's not easy to define, probably more than friends, less than lovers?

When Pei Xiuzhi's gaze lingered a bit too long, Lin Xiuyuan looked up at her, and the Great Dragon Cub blinked.

Then Lin Xiuyuan said, "What are you looking at?"

"Your little golden hair looks pretty good." Pei Xiuzhi raised an eyebrow.

"It doesn't look good like this."

"Oh? Then when does it?" Pei Xiuzhi's eyes flashed, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry.

However, the Great Dragon Cub just suddenly chimed in, laughing lightly, but didn't finish the second half of the sentence.

She had originally wanted to say: It looks good when he's making fried chicken, the kitchen light hits his golden hair, it's a bit bright, a bit curly, plus the abs are congested from excessive exercise, outlining the lines, that's what you call...

But when the words reached her lips, she took them back.

After all, that kind of scene wasn't suitable to be stated clearly at the dinner table.

Pei Xiuzhi, who had been teased halfway, rolled her eyes fiercely and simply decided to give up on this "information war."

She ordered a few dishes hastily, and that was it. Lin Xiuyuan didn't have much interest in Japanese cuisine, so he ordered bibimbap and a few grilled items, then handed the menu to the Great Dragon Cub, who also ordered some similar dishes.

Before long, the meals were served one after another, steam rising and fragrance overflowing.

During the rest of the meal, the atmosphere among the three was relaxed and happy, with laughter and banter, like old friends reunited after a long time, or travel companions who had just started a new chapter, tacit yet with a touch of freshness.

Halfway through the meal, Pei Xiuzhi received a call and had some urgent business, so she excused herself early.

Before leaving, she leaned into the Great Dragon Cub's ear and whispered, "Unnie, if the tricks I taught you don't work, it's probably because the other party has eaten too many delicacies, you have to keep a close eye on him, don't let this little boy get snatched away by someone else."

After finishing, she raised an eyebrow and looked at Lin Xiuyuan, "Let's add each other, Xiuyuan~"

"Last time..."

Lin Xiuyuan looked at her strangely, because when they met last time, it seemed he had added her contact information.

As it turned out, Pei Xiuzhi pursed her lips and smiled, "That was a work number, I rarely hold it myself."

Lin Xiuyuan smiled and nodded, "Understood."

Then, under the Great Dragon Cub's gaze, the two added each other's private contact information and also added each other on Kakao.

With Xiuzhi gone, only the two of them were left at the dinner table.

Silence fell briefly, and the Great Dragon Cub suddenly put down her chopsticks, got up, and moved to sit beside Lin Xiuyuan, acting coquettishly in a soft voice.

"Xiuyuan~ really can't give me a membership? I really want to know, Enjing Unnie got in, didn't she?"

Lin Xiuyuan smiled, picked up a piece of food, and asked slowly, "Do you remember the conditions I mentioned before?"

"Down-and-out and rich, beautiful and sexy, someone who wants to keep tossing their life."

"So, Jiyeon, how many of those do you think you hit?"

Hearing this, the Great Dragon Cub grabbed Lin Xiuyuan, simply nestling her whole body into his arms, looking just like a couple in the heat of love.

Then she muttered softly, "Down-and-out and rich, isn't that me? Beautiful and sexy, I am too. Wanting to keep tossing life, this scope is too broad, Xiuyuan~ how did you set it? Is it like Enjing Unnie, the kind who keeps rolling and dying on the actor's path?"

"Something like that." Lin Xiuyuan nodded, his tone honest, "Need someone with courage for life."

Hearing this, the Great Dragon Cub immediately started the naming mode, "Then what about YoonA Unnie."

"She's still charging toward the Blue Dragon Film Award Best Actress, isn't that tossing enough?"

Hearing this answer, the Great Dragon Cub laughed directly, "I feel like you're scolding her."

Then she changed the name, "Then what about Taeyeon Unnie."

"Taeyeon, isn't this tossing? Tours, variety shows, the next single is already in preparation."

"Then what about Xiujing."

"Xiujing is even simpler. If it were me being shelved for so many years, I would have laid flat long ago. But she's still carrying on hard, isn't that qualified enough?"

The next second, the Great Dragon Cub looked up at Lin Xiuyuan, "So according to you, I need to break into that circle again to have a chance to enter your membership circle?"

"I didn't say that." Lin Xiuyuan shook his head with a smile, "I just think you're pretty good as you are now, comfortable, at ease, and you don't need to rely on those things to define yourself."

He paused, his voice suddenly dropping, his eyes so soft they seemed about to drip water.

"And to be honest, there's really nothing good in there, it doesn't help you at all... the only thing worth anything, haven't I already been eaten clean by you? Hmm?"

As Lin Xiuyuan said this, the air was silent for a moment, and the Great Dragon Cub nestled in his arms also continued to lower her head slightly, rubbing against his embrace, the corners of her lips curving into a moving smile.

"If you really don't like me getting in, then I won't get in."

Lin Xiuyuan blinked and suddenly said, "Let's not talk about getting in or not for now, I actually want to ask you a question first."

"What is it."

"Do you think the current you could win if you fought your 2013 self? What's the win rate?"

As the words fell, a ray of sunlight shone through the window onto her face, illuminating the small face filled with astonishment and confusion as she slowly looked up.

For a moment, there was silence.

(PS: One hour later, at 0:00 AM on August 1st, there will be a monthly ticket extra chapter. You have to vote on that chapter to see it. Everyone can cast their guaranteed August monthly tickets to read it.)

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 209 =====