Chapter 371: 【You aren't thinking of running out on the bill, are you~】 (Seeking subscriptions and monthly tickets)

A moment later, Park Hyomin, having composed her emotions, felt the shock on her face slowly recede, replaced by a deeper sense of confusion.

Her originally straight back relaxed slightly, and her gaze locked sharply onto Lin Xiuyuan's face, as if trying to find some flaw in the corners of his smiling mouth or his eyes.

Then, she took a slight breath and, instead of answering the question directly, asked in return, "How did you know, Xiuyuan?"

Her tone carried obvious suspicion, "Did Zhiyan and the others tell you?"

But the moment the words left her lips, she frowned, falling into a brief moment of self-doubt.

Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the slender stem of her wine glass as she muttered to herself, "That's not right. I don't think I've ever specifically told Zhiyan and the others about this, have I? In my memory, I felt so embarrassed after that night that I never really mentioned it in detail—"

Opposite her, Lin Xiuyuan calmly used his fork to roll up another piece of sliced beef, leisurely brought it to his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

Only after swallowing did he lift his eyes to meet Park Hyomin's scrutinizing gaze, saying in a relaxed tone, "If I said I guessed it, would you believe me?"

Clearly, this answer had no persuasive power whatsoever.

So, Park Hyomin was so annoyed by his near-shameless explanation that she laughed; the previous shock was completely replaced by speechlessness, and she rolled her eyes and pursed her lips in irritation.

"Why don't you say you were reborn? If you said that, I might actually believe you more."

Now it was Lin Xiuyuan's turn to be amused by her remark; he smiled and corrected her with a straight face, "Are you silly? If I were reborn, the timeline should be over a decade ago, right? The logic of appearing here, appearing by your side, doesn't fit. You'd have to say I traveled from the future for that to be correct."

After rolling her eyes at Lin Xiuyuan again, Park Hyomin didn't let him derail the topic; instead, she straightened her face, leaned forward, and rested her hands crossed on the edge of the table, putting on a serious posture.

"Don't try to distract me. You still haven't told me how you actually know about this. I've thought about it carefully, and I really haven't told Zhiyan and the others. So don't tell me it was Zhiyan or Juli Unnie who said it; I definitely won't believe that."

Watching Park Hyomin's "I won't give up" expression, Lin Xiuyuan deliberately paused for a few seconds, as if keeping her in suspense.

Only then did he slowly toss out a name she had completely not expected.

"What if I said it was Shun Gui who told me?"

"Sunny??"

Park Hyomin almost exclaimed; although her voice wasn't loud, it still sounded somewhat abrupt in the quiet lounge.

She hurriedly covered her mouth subconsciously, but her eyes widened even further, filled with a chaotic sense of disbelief.

This answer was completely beyond her expectations.

However, Lin Xiuyuan was quite satisfied with her reaction, and at the same time, he did not continue to dwell on this topic, nor did he offer any further explanation.

He simply reached out on his own to pick up the decanter on the table, gracefully topping off Park Hyomin's half-empty glass with red wine, then poured himself a generous glass.

The deep red liquid swayed gently in the crystal glass, reflecting the soft light from above.

Raising his own glass, Lin Xiuyuan gestured toward the still-dazed Park Hyomin, his face returning to that relaxed and casual smile, "Come on, have a drink first. The wine has breathed enough; if we leave it any longer, the taste will change."

Park Hyomin, once again plunged into a whirlpool of shock and confusion, felt her mind was indeed a bit of a mess.

Countless questions popped up: Did Sunny really say it? But when did I ever tell her?? Was it when we were drinking together? Did I ramble on because I was drunk?

Thinking these things, Park Hyomin, faced with Lin Xiuyuan's gesture of raising his glass, subconsciously picked up her own and mechanically clinked it lightly against his.

The cold glass rims collided with a crisp "ding," pulling her drifting thoughts back a little.

The two of them each took a small sip.

The mellow wine slid down her throat, bringing a complex taste that was slightly astringent followed by a sweet aftertaste, which also helped Park Hyomin's mood settle down a bit.

So, just as she put the glass back on the table, before she could organize her thoughts to continue questioning him, Lin Xiuyuan opposite her acted as if nothing had happened and steered the topic back.

With a tone of curiosity and follow-up, he brought up the old subject again, "Xiaomin, you still haven't told me. How did you actually get away that time? Or was it that you didn't actually escape?"

Hearing this, Park Hyomin raised her eyes and glared at Lin Xiuyuan in annoyance.

But she still answered his question, "How else could I run? I called people to come and help. The scene was a bit chaotic at the time, and my phone was broken, so my friends couldn't find me at all.

It wasn't until later that I saw them and took the initiative to go meet them, then left the bar in a hurry, ending that drinking session."

Although Park Hyomin omitted many details, these few words were enough to outline the helplessness and danger of that moment in this space-time.

"Hmm—"

So, after listening, Lin Xiuyuan nodded gently, a look of understanding appearing on his face.

At the same time, he compared it in his heart to the scene he had experienced a few days ago and commented in a low voice, "That's very vivid."

And at this moment, Park Hyomin's thoughts had already detached from the memories and returned once again to that most critical question.

Her mind was still a mess, frantically searching her memory hard drive, trying to find when and where she had talked to Sunny

about this matter she considered herself to have kept tight-lipped about.

Yet, no matter how she searched, she couldn't find any relevant fragments in her clear memories; after all, this was truly just an unsubstantiated explanation from that guy Lin Xiuyuan.

But Park Hyomin didn't know that, so she was still wondering if she had really said it in a muddled state after drinking until she blacked out?

This possibility made her feel a sense of irritation and unease.

After all, she was well aware of her own habit of talking nonsense when she was drunk.

Sometimes, when she woke up the next day, she could only remember fragmented pieces, or even have total amnesia, only recalling a tiny bit when others recounted it to her.

Opposite her, Lin Xiuyuan took in every detail of the rich, ever-changing expressions on Park Hyomin's face—at times confused, at times annoyed, at times self-doubting.

Watching her frown in deep thought one moment and pout in frustration the next, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upward repeatedly, and he almost laughed out loud.

To him, this appearance was simply too funny; the pleasure of a successful prank made him unable to hold back, and he burst into laughter.

However, it was fortunate that the Park Hyomin of this moment was no longer the impulsive young person she was around 2013.

If it had been her back then, facing such an accusation that could neither be verified nor falsified, she would likely have ignored everything and immediately called Sunny to verify it, determined to get to the bottom of it on the spot.

Because at that time, it was the honeymoon period of their very close relationship, and their bond as best friends was still very strong.

But now, so many years later, although everyone's relationship remained very good and they were long-time friends,

due to their respective developments, the trajectories of their personal lives, and the complex factors inside and outside the industry that were hard to avoid, that relationship had been diluted by time to some extent, no longer as pure and direct as it was back then.

So, although Park Hyomin was full of doubts at this moment, she ultimately tended to accept the explanation Lin Xiuyuan gave first, choosing not to disturb Sunny to ask about it or engage in that kind of potentially awkward verification.

At the same time, this little interlude was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up layers of ripples.

And as the ripples gradually spread, the atmosphere of probing and subtle tension that had originally existed between the two was instead broken, becoming much closer and more relaxed.

Perhaps this is a strange psychological effect between people: when a person unexpectedly discovers that the other party knows some unknown secret of theirs, or even some embarrassing mishap, a subtle sense of sharing and vulnerability naturally arises.

The invisible safe distance between them also shortened by a layer; to keep putting on airs would seem somewhat ridiculous.

Therefore, secrets and jokes are sometimes the catalysts for quickly closing the distance in a relationship.

After this, the atmosphere of this late-night snack gradually turned toward genuine relaxation and pleasure.

The content of the conversation between the two also began to wander freely, from interesting work anecdotes to travel experiences, and then to some trivial gossip within the circle; laughter also gradually increased.

So much so that by the time they drank to the end and a bottle of red wine was bottomed out, Park Hyomin had completely let go.

Perhaps she felt that chatting across the table wasn't satisfying enough, or perhaps the alcohol made her more spontaneous, so she simply picked up her wine glass and bottle, stood up very naturally, walked around the small round table, and sat directly next to Lin Xiuyuan—the shoulder-to-shoulder kind.

She began to act like a true friend, murmuring and "accusing" Lin Xiuyuan, Dalongzai, and Li Juli of isolating her, with a tone of slight coquetry and complaint.

She said they always had their own little circle activities, as if excluding her.

When speaking of her grievances, she even lightly nudged Lin Xiuyuan with her elbow, her eyes, which were glistening with moisture due to the alcohol, looking at him wetly, accompanied by her slightly pouted red lips.

She appeared somewhat pitiful and heart-stirring.

So much so that the sleep-aid drink, which was originally intended to end after one bottle, naturally added another under this increasingly harmonious and tipsy atmosphere.

Time passed quietly, and before they knew it, it was nearly midnight.

The guests in the lounge had almost all left, leaving only their table.

Under the soft lighting, Park Hyomin's voice gradually lowered, and her speaking speed slowed down.

Before one knew it, that little head had already leaned gently onto Lin Xiuyuan's shoulder.

A scent, mixed with the tipsy aroma of red wine and the warm perfume belonging to the other person, was threading its way into Lin Xiuyuan's nasal cavity.

It was a scent that was soft and carried a hint of temptation.

At the same time, this intimate posture also made Lin Xiuyuan instantly sober up a bit; he subconsciously raised his head and looked around vigilantly.

Although there were almost no guests left, there were still figures coming and going; if someone he knew happened to take such a slightly intimate photo and it spread out.

Given Park Hyomin's popularity and status as a married woman, the resulting scandal would truly be difficult to handle.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuyuan turned his head and looked at Park Hyomin, who was leaning on his shoulder and seemed to have fallen asleep.

Her profile looked soft and quiet under the light, her long eyelashes like two small fans, casting faint shadows under her eyelids.

Hesitating for a moment, he raised his hand and patted her arm lightly, calling out in a low voice, "Xiaomin? Xiaomin, wake up. It's very late, we should go back; let's go back to the room to rest."

After calling several times in a row and pushing Park Hyomin's shoulder with a little force, the person leaning on him only mumbled "mm" twice, rubbed her head, and seemed to have found a more comfortable position, with no intention of getting up at all.

Her breathing instead became more even and long, as if she were truly fast asleep.

Looking at her appearance, Lin Xiuyuan was caught between laughter and tears, and he looked at her deeply twice.

Then, as if talking to himself or perhaps to someone else, he muttered in a low voice, "You wouldn't be faking this drunkenness, would you, just to skip out on the bill and make me pay?"

This was not loud, but it was clear enough in the quiet corner.

So, the moment his voice fell, in a corner he could not see, Park Hyomin's hand, which was hanging by her side and blocked by his body while she leaned on his shoulder.

Curled up slightly, almost imperceptibly, and quietly clenched into a fist, but soon relaxed again, returning to a naturally loose state.

After a while longer, Lin Xiuyuan, confirming he could not wake her, beckoned for the waiter and paid the bill efficiently.

Then he politely asked the other party for help and called over two female waiters.

With their assistance, they helped the dead-drunk Park Hyomin up from the sofa, and Lin Xiuyuan followed along, escorting her all the way back to Park Hyomin's own guest room.

Opening the door, he watched as the two waiters carefully settled her on the bed, helped her take off her high heels, and tucked her in.

During this process, Park Hyomin kept her eyes closed cooperatively the entire time, emitting faint breathing sounds.

Lin Xiuyuan stood to the side, and once everything was settled, he pulled a few banknotes from his wallet as a tip, politely handed them to the two hardworking waiters, and thanked them again.

The two waiters also smiled as they accepted, said goodbye softly, and left the room.

Now, there were finally only two people left in the room.

One lying on the bed pretending to sleep, one standing by the bedside.

Lin Xiuyuan, who did not leave immediately, watched the bed quietly for a few seconds, and in these few seconds under his gaze, Park Hyomin, who was fast asleep on the bed, clenched her fist again quietly under the edge of the quilt, revealing a certain tension or expectation in her heart.

However, after a few seconds, the sound or movement she was waiting for did not happen.

Only a slight "click" sound was heard; that was the sound of the door being gently closed.

Immediately after, the room returned to complete silence.

After about another half minute, Park Hyomin's eyelashes, which had been fast asleep on the bed, first fluttered a few times, and then she slowly opened her eyes with a hint of tentativeness.

Her eyes were clear; although they carried the watery luster of being tipsy, there was absolutely no blurriness of being dead-drunk.

As she opened her eyes, she began to mutter to herself, her tone carrying a hint of annoyance that her plan had not fully succeeded, "You're the one skipping the bill; I was doing this for a test, a test, understand? I just wanted to see if you, this guy, would actually be a beast—"

The rest of her words were slurred; it seemed Park Hyomin also felt this reason didn't hold much water, or perhaps she was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

However, just as these few sentences of drunken and guilty muttering ended—

"So that's what skipping the bill is."

A male voice with a clear smile suddenly rang out by Park Hyomin's ear without any warning.

This sudden sound startled Park Hyomin on the bed, causing her whole body to stiffen, and then she suddenly raised her head to look in the direction of the sound.

She saw Lin Xiuyuan, whom she thought had already left, currently leaning very leisurely against the wall by the entryway, his arms crossed over his chest, looking at her with that smiling expression on his face.

Clearly, the other party had just made a pretense of closing the door; in reality, he hadn't left at all.

He had been there the whole time, watching her performance and hearing her muttering clearly and plainly.

Thinking of this, Park Hyomin's face turned completely red in a "whoosh."

This kind of crude performance being exposed to one's face is truly socially mortifying!!!