Chapter 393: Not Drunk, Not Returning

Late at night, a Land Rover slowly drove into the parking space downstairs of the apartment building; after the engine was killed, the headlights also dimmed.

Lin Xiuyuan unbuckled his seatbelt, turned to look at Lin Xiaolu in the passenger seat, and wore an amused expression, "We said we were going out for a late-night snack, so how did we end up driving in circles and coming back to the Small Tavern?"

At this, Lin Xiaolu also smiled, her eyes curving into two crescent moons, "Plans can't keep up with changes, it's fine, eating barbecue is the same."

The situation was actually like this.

Originally, the group had already driven to the entrance of the yakitori restaurant they had agreed upon.

As it turned out, before they could even park the car, they saw the entrance of the yakitori restaurant packed with people.

It wasn't a queue, but the kind of crowd watching something, three layers inside and three layers outside, blocking the entrance completely.

One could vaguely hear someone shouting something; it seemed like an accident had occurred inside.

After parking on the side of the road, the group sat in the car and exchanged glances.

In this kind of scene, it was better not to join in the fun.

So, after discussing it, they decided to return to the apartment. Anyway, the Small Tavern was right downstairs, and there was a decent Barbecue Restaurant across the street, so it was much better to just get takeout and grill it themselves than to squeeze in somewhere else.

"Alright then." Lin Xiuyuan pushed open the car door, "Let's get out."

The winter night wind poured into the parking lot, carrying a bone-chilling cold that made everyone shrink their necks and pull their coats tighter after getting out of the car.

Zheng Xiuyan quickly arranged, "Alright, let's split up immediately. You two go order the food, we'll go over and get things ready."

Lin Xiuyuan nodded and looked at Jin Ruanruan.

"Let's go."

Jin Ruanruan naturally had no objections; she followed him out of the residential complex entrance and walked toward the crosswalk.

Lin Xiaolu and Zheng Xiuyan went in the other direction, toward the Small Tavern.

As Lin Xiuyuan and Jin Ruanruan walked side by side on the sidewalk, the streetlights stretched their shadows very long.

The shops across the street still had their lights on, and occasionally pedestrians hurried by; their footsteps were exceptionally clear in the silent night.

The Barbecue Restaurant was not far ahead; it would be reached after crossing the road.

While waiting for the red light, Jin Ruanruan suddenly spoke, "Xiuyuan."

——

Lin Xiuyuan turned his head to look at her.

But he saw her gaze fixed on the traffic light ahead, her expression appearing somewhat blurred under the streetlamp.

"We can't keep indulging her like that next time."

Lin Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment by these words, then understood who she was talking about.

It was none other than that Kim Taeyeon who often ran back in '25.

Then he saw Jin Ruanruan continue, "I know she misses Dad very much, but if she continues to go deeper, she will really be discovered."

Lin Xiuyuan nodded, "I understand, this is the final compromise."

At this moment, the red light turned green.

The two stepped across the road.

Just as Lin Xiuyuan reached the middle of the road, the person beside him suddenly spoke again, "Then what if she sits on you and asks you?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan's footsteps faltered; he turned his head and stared blankly at Jin Ruanruan.

How should one put this phrasing—it was a bit erotic.

Seeing his foolish look, Jin Ruanruan couldn't help but laugh, "What? I'm not some young kid, is it really worth being this surprised over saying something like that?"

"A little." Lin Xiuyuan scratched his temple and honestly admitted it.

As a result, Jin Ruanruan rolled her eyes at him directly.

"Making a fuss over nothing."

Looking at her matter-of-fact expression, Lin Xiuyuan suddenly felt like laughing.

This woman really was a master of changing faces————

After crossing the road, the two soon arrived at the entrance of the Barbecue Restaurant.

The shop was not large, but it looked very clean.

Pushing open the door, a wave of warmth and the aroma of meat rushed toward them.

There were not many customers in the shop, only two or three tables. The owner was a middle-aged man who was flipping meat in front of the grill; seeing them enter, he greeted them enthusiastically.

Jin Ruanruan walked to the counter and began to order skillfully.

"Boss, I want three portions of Korean beef, one portion of rice cakes, one portion of chicken wings, and also————"

At this point, she looked at Lin Xiuyuan, "Xiuyuan, do you want anything else?"

Thinking about the previous gatherings, Lin Xiuyuan indicated, "That should be enough, you all can't eat much. How about we get a soup? It's cold out, drinking some soup will warm us up."

Hearing this, Jin Ruanruan nodded slightly and turned to add a portion of kimchi soup for the boss.

While waiting for the food, Jin Ruanruan went to the small supermarket next door to buy some fruit.

A few apples, a box of strawberries, and a bunch of grapes.

By the time she returned with the fruit, the takeout here was also ready.

"That's about it, let's go."

Taking the two large bags of barbecue handed over by the boss, Lin Xiuyuan followed her footsteps and walked back together.

When they returned to the Small Tavern, Lin Xiaolu and Zheng Xiuyan had already finished the preparations.

On the coffee table sat a small barbecue grill, which had been bought during a previous gathering and kept in the Tavern to be used occasionally.

Beside it were tongs, scissors, seasonings, and several sets of bowls and chopsticks.

Lin Xiaolu, who came to meet them, naturally took the fruit from Jin Ruanruan's hands, "You're back, I'll go wash the fruit."

Lin Xiuyuan placed the two large bags of barbecue on the coffee table, watched Jin Ruanruan and Zheng Xiuyan tidy up, and then turned to walk toward the bar.

Tonight isn't really suitable for drinking anything too refined.

Since we're having barbecue, let's mix something that pairs well with meat.

Opening the liquor cabinet, Lin Xiuyuan swept a glance over the stock inside.

Whiskey, Vodka, gin, rum—

Forget it, let's not make it so complicated.

Thinking of this, he simply took out a large glass pitcher and started pouring things in.

Vodka, soda water, lemon juice, a little bit of syrup, stirred well, and then sprinkled with a few mint leaves.

A large pitcher of simple Cocktail was ready.

Then he carried that large pitcher of drinks back to the sofa area and placed the pitcher on the coffee table.

"Pour it yourselves, refill when you're done; tonight we don't stop until we're drunk."

Zheng Xiuyan, who had just finished setting out the barbecue and takeout, looked at that large pitcher of drinks and was somewhat shocked, "No, Xiuyuan, are you trying to get us drunk?"

"Of course, we don't stop until we're drunk."

Another while passed.

As the electric grill was turned on, the entire Small Tavern warmed up a bit.

The Korean beef was cut into small pieces and placed on the grill, making a sizzling sound.

The aroma of meat began to permeate the air.

During this time, Lin Xiaolu was in charge of grilling the meat; her technique was skillful—flipping, cutting, and distributing it into everyone's bowls, all in one smooth motion.

Jin Ruanruan helped by passing things on the side, while Zheng Xiuyan was responsible for pouring the drinks.

Leaning on the sofa, Lin Xiuyuan watched these women busy at work, and the comfortable feeling made him unable to help but raise the corners of his mouth, the arc somewhat exaggerated.

At this moment, Lin Xiaolu picked up a piece of grilled beef and placed it in his bowl, "Here, try this."

"Alright." Lin Xiuyuan picked up the piece of meat, dipped it in a little salt, and put it into his mouth.

The meat was tender and fresh, the fat melting on the tip of his tongue, carrying the unique aroma of beef.

"Delicious."

Just like that, another while passed.

After three rounds of drinks and five flavors of food.

Everyone was a little tipsy, the expressions on their faces had relaxed a lot, and the topics had shifted from recent interesting events to work troubles, and then to some random things.

Then Lin Xiaolu picked up a piece of rice cake, chewed it in her mouth, and suddenly looked at Lin Xiuyuan.

"Xiuyuan, you're going out again just two days after coming back; won't you feel very tired?"

Lin Xiuyuan, who was just picking up a piece of beef, heard this and shook his head.

"It's alright, not to the point of being tired; after all, traveling is mostly about enjoyment."

"This time, your phone won't be unreachable, right? I don't have another excuse to say you went out to sea fishing again."

Zheng Xiuyan also took the opportunity to tease him.

At this, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but chuckle, "It won't happen again, I'll carry my phone with me."

And Jin Ruanruan, hearing this, couldn't help but laugh, "Xiuyuan, your 'going out to sea fishing' excuse will probably be talked about by Shun Gui for a long time; she complained to me about it for ages the next day."

"Let her talk." Lin Xiuyuan shrugged indifferently, "It's not the first time I've been talked about anyway."

Seeing this, everyone laughed.

And after laughing, Jin Ruanruan asked about another topic, "Then since the Europe and America base wasn't found this time, will the Hot Spring plan in Nihon still continue?"

Everyone's original idea was to play in the water and surf during the day, and have a Hot Spring spa at night.

As a result, the first step has now fallen through, and it's unknown if the second step can succeed.

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan took a sip of his drink, "It should be fine, but there's definitely no time this year. Let's see when spring comes next year. Hela said she would go over with me next year to take a look, and bring Zhenli along to enjoy the cherry blossoms."

"That's great."

Listening to these plans, Lin Xiaolu's eyes held a bit of envy, and then she let out a wail, leaning her whole body back onto the sofa.

"I want to go out and play too, but according to our current situation, we won't have any time to travel for the next two years, right?"

Zheng Xiuyan, who was chewing on a piece of rice cake nearby, rolled her eyes after hearing this.

She spoke up, "YoonA, if you want to rest, I can help you."

"Unnie, how can you help?" Lin Xiaolu looked at her.

"It's very simple; I'll just launch a 930 here like that idiot Jessica, and then you all can have a good rest right where you are for over half a year."

Watching Zheng Xiuyan's straight-faced nonsense, Lin Xiaolu couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

Then, with an "Aiya," she lunged over.

"Yah, Zheng Xiuyan!!"

Zheng Xiuyan, realizing Lin Xiaolu was angered by her, laughed and dodged, but was still caught by the other.

Then they tumbled into a mess, laughter echoing in the Tavern.

Lin Xiuyuan and Jin Ruanruan watched from the side, smiling.

After the commotion, everyone quieted down again, continuing to eat barbecue and drink.

Just as Lin Xiuyuan put down his chopsticks, Jin Ruanruan's voice came to his ears, "By the way, Xiuyuan, be careful when you go skiing this time."

Lin Xiuyuan looked at her and nodded, "I know, safety first, don't worry."

Then he pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth and continued.

"When I got home this evening, I checked the situation online. What Xiaomin and the others said actually doesn't count as backcountry skiing at all; it's just routes outside the ski resort's trails. The ski resort actually plans many off-trail routes and even arranges cable cars to send people up, so how can that be considered backcountry skiing?"

By the time he finished, Lin Xiuyuan laughed himself.

"I can only say that Zhiyan and Xiaomin didn't express it clearly; I thought they really meant going to those unmanned snowy mountains on the edge and doing a direct downhill run. If it's just routes within the ski resort, even if you slide a bit off-course, there shouldn't be any big problem. As long as you keep your satellite phone communication and map positioning, it'll be fine."

97

Lin Xiaolu, who had finished making a scene across from him, listened intently and nodded along after he finished.

"So professional."

"You all said it yourselves, safety first, so I definitely have to check the information."

Zheng Xiuyan also looked at him, her gaze carrying a hint of worry, "You still need to be careful."

She did not tell him not to go. Because she knew Lin Xiuyuan had already made up his mind, and it did not sound like a big problem. But she still had to give him a reminder.

Meeting that gaze, Lin Xiuyuan smiled, "I will."

He then raised his wine glass.

"Come on, cheers."

All four of them raised their glasses and clinked them together in mid-air.

The crisp sound echoed in the Tavern.

It was past 1:00 AM.

The grill in the Small Tavern had already gone out, leaving only a trace of residual heat; the grilled meat on the table had long since been eaten, and the pot of wine had bottomed out.

The four of them leaned back on the sofa, all somewhat drunk.

To be precise, two and a half were drunk.

Among them, Lin Xiaolu and Jin Ruanruan had already completely collapsed, leaning against the sofa with their eyes closed and breathing evenly.

Although Zheng Xiuyan still had a bit of consciousness, her eyes were already somewhat unfocused, and she swayed her head from time to time, as if trying hard to stay awake.

Only Lin Xiuyuan remained relatively sober.

Looking at those three women, he felt a bit amused and also a bit of a headache.

Just then, a black Land Rover slowly pulled up to the entrance of the Small Tavern.

The headlights turned off, the driver's side door opened, and someone stepped out.

——

Wearing a thick down jacket, her hair was a bit messy from the wind, and her face wore a look of obvious dissatisfaction.

It was that kind of dissatisfaction of "being called up in the middle of the night to be a driver."

She walked to the door of the Small Tavern and was just about to raise her hand to knock when the door was opened from the inside.

Lin Xiuyuan stood inside the door, his face flushed slightly from the alcohol, but his eyes were still clear.

Looking at the person before him, he smiled, "Thanks for the hard work, Shun Gui, sorry to trouble you to come and pick people up."

Sunny looked at his appearance, then glanced inside and discovered the three people collapsed on the sofa, her anger flaring up.

She was very depressed, "No, you guys didn't call me when you were drinking, but you remembered me when it was time to clean up the mess?"

Then, the more she thought about it, the angrier she got, "You guys were eating grilled meat, drinking wine, and chatting happily, and then you let me run over in the middle of the night to be a driver?"

Lin Xiuyuan just smiled as he listened to her complaints.

"Can't help it, who else in Girls' Generation am I closest to but you."

This was something Sunny hadn't expected, so she took a deep look at this man, then continued to hum coldly in dissatisfaction.

"That's excluding the three inside, right."

Helpless, Lin Xiuyuan could only offer a forced smile this time and did not answer.

After enduring a round of Sunny's intense complaining, Lin Xiuyuan took her with him, and the two of them, one on each side, worked together to help the two figures who had completely collapsed, Lin Xiaolu and Jin Ruanruan, out of the Tavern and stuffed them into the back seat of the car.

When these two women were being moved, they mumbled something, but their eyes didn't open, and they continued to sleep.

Then Lin Xiuyuan returned to the Tavern to help up Zheng Xiuyan, who still had a little consciousness.

"Xiuyan, wake up, Shun Gui is here to pick you up."

Half-drunk and half-awake, Zheng Xiuyan opened her eyes hazily, looked at him, then looked at the door, and gave a vague response.

She let Lin Xiuyuan help her stand up, slowly walked to the car, and finally sat in the front passenger seat.

Sunny stood by the car, watching all of this.

After Lin Xiuyuan settled Zheng Xiuyan in and closed the car door, she spoke up, "I'm leaving then, don't worry, I'll have the youngest come down in a bit to help carry them up."

"Mm, sorry to trouble you, drive safely." Lin Xiuyuan nodded.

Sunny took one last look at this guy, turned around, sat in the driver's seat, and started the car, slowly driving away.

The taillights gradually faded into the night.

Lin Xiuyuan stood by the side of the road, watching the car disappear around the street corner.

The night wind was very cold, blowing him a bit more sober, so he subconsciously pulled his coat tighter, preparing to turn back and clean up the Tavern.

But then, a sound of footsteps came from behind him.

Very light, very steady.

Turning his head, he discovered someone walking over from the entrance of the residential complex.

Wearing a white down jacket, her long hair draped down, a faint smile on her face.

The light from the streetlamp shone from the side, plating her with a soft rim of light.

It was Xueli.

She walked up to him and stopped, "Oppa, long time no see."

Lin Xiuyuan looked at her, feeling a bit strange, "Why did you come over?"

"I came to pick you up," Xueli said as if it were a matter of course, her eyes curving.

"I didn't tell you we were drinking here, Zhenli, how did you know?"

Facing Lin Xiuyuan's curiosity, Xueli smiled and hooked her arm through his, saying, "Hehehe, I just knew, but I'm not telling you."

"Let me guess, did you just get back, and that's why you saw what just happened?"

"Oh my, oppa, men shouldn't be too smart either."

"Hahaha."

Amidst their laughter, the two walked side by side into the residential complex.

The streetlights behind them stretched their shadows out very long.

The night breeze remained cold, but the arm linked with Lin Xiuyuan was very warm and soft.

2 minutes later.

"Zhenli, I didn't bring my phone."

"Ah, oppa!!!!"