Chapter 402: Classmate Xiaoming

The next day, when Lin Xiuyuan woke up in Park Hyomin's room, there was already distinct light in the room.

Sunlight fell diagonally from the gap in the curtains onto the floor by the bed, cutting the room into two parts of light and shadow, and also giving one the feeling of having already overslept.

After waking up, he also lay on the bed without moving, instead staring at the ceiling in a daze for a while.

Mainly because his head was still a bit groggy.

He had indeed drunk quite a bit last night; although it hadn't reached the point of a blackout, the effects of the alcohol were still lingering a little.

That slightly bloated feeling made one not really want to get out of bed immediately.

After a while, Lin Xiuyuan finally raised his hand to rub his eyes, and casually reached over from the head of the bed to grab his phone and take a look at the time.

A little past 10:00 AM.

This time point is actually quite awkward for someone with a hangover.

If one says to sleep a while longer, the body is already mostly awake, and no matter how one lies, it doesn't feel quite right.

But if one says to get up now, one always feels that the rest hasn't been completely enough.

Just as Lin Xiuyuan was still struggling in bed over whether to linger for a while and then take another nap, he heard some faint, fragmented movements coming from downstairs.

It was like someone was walking around.

There was also the sound of cabinet doors opening and closing.

It looked like quite a few people were already up.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan sighed helplessly, reached out to scratch his hair, and still braced his body to sit up.

He muttered, "Forget it, not sleeping anymore."

Then he stepped into his slippers and walked slowly toward the stairs to go down.

When he was halfway down the stairs, he had already seen the situation in the Living Room on the first floor.

After all, the two people on the sofa were quite conspicuous.

Park Jiyeon was curled up in the corner of the sofa like a cat, wrapped in a blanket, her eyes half-open and half-closed; it was unclear whether she had just woken up or was just in a daze.

She looked a bit wilted.

Park Hyomin next to her was sitting a bit more upright, but her state wasn't much better.

She was holding a cup of steaming tea in her hands, drinking it in small sips, occasionally raising her hand to rub her temples, her brows slightly furrowed, looking quite uncomfortable.

After Lin Xiuyuan had completely walked down the stairs, he realized that the noise he had heard upstairs earlier was actually the sound from the Kitchen.

He saw Xian Enjing standing in front of the stove, holding chopsticks and stirring something in a small pot.

The soup in the pot was bubbling and foaming, white steam was drifting upward, and the fragrance of ramen was already permeating the air.

Li Shaoxi, the little assistant standing next to her, was helping look for things.

She pulled open a cupboard here to take a look, then closed it, and then switched to another cabinet door to continue rummaging.

Lin Xiuyuan, who had taken a look at the general situation in the Living Room, yawned and walked directly toward the sofa without stopping his pace.

When passing by the Kitchen, he raised his hand toward that side, which counted as a greeting.

Then he turned his gaze toward the two people on the sofa and spoke with a smile, "Morning, when did you two wake up?"

Looking at the state of these two, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but tease, "I thought you two would just sleep until noon."

Hearing the voice, Park Hyomin raised her head to look at him, her expression still a bit dazed, but her eyes were a little clearer than before.

"Just woke up a little while ago, too."

As she spoke, she raised her hand to press her brows again, as if she were trying hard to recall something.

"Right, Xiuyuan, how did we get back last night?"

"I just remember drinking quite happily at the bar, but things after that are a bit of a blackout."

By this time, Lin Xiuyuan had already walked to the side of the sofa, and upon hearing this, he couldn't help but laugh, "How else could you get back? Shaoxi and I escorted you back; don't tell me you flew back yourselves."

However, his gaze crossed over Park Hyomin and fell onto Park Jiyeon next to her.

Because Park Jiyeon's state at this moment was a bit strange.

She was huddled in the corner of the sofa; although her eyes were open, her gaze was a bit unfocused, as if she were looking at some place, yet also as if she weren't looking at anything at all.

An absent-minded feeling permeated her whole being.

Looking at her like this, Lin Xiuyuan was somewhat worried.

Everyone knew that this Little Longzai was usually the most boisterous one; when she got noisy, she would want to tear the roof off.

Now, this quiet, dazed state actually seemed a bit rare and made one concerned.

So he walked over and stopped in front of Park Jiyeon, leaning down slightly to look at her face, "Jiyeon, what's wrong with you?"

Then he reached out and waved in front of her, "Still haven't sobered up? You're all muddled."

Hearing the voice, Park Jiyeon's eyeballs slowly turned, and after two seconds, her line of sight finally focused on Lin Xiuyuan's face.

She was stunned for a moment, then quickly shifted her gaze away.

"Ah, nothing, just in a daze."

The other party's small movement just now made Lin Xiuyuan raise his eyebrows slightly.

But since the other party didn't say anything, he just took an extra look at her and didn't continue to press.

Just at this moment, Park Hyomin placed her cup on the coffee table and slowly stood up, "I'm going back upstairs to wash up first."

Lin Xiuyuan nodded.

After she went upstairs, he took the opportunity to sit in the spot she had just vacated, right next to Park Jiyeon.

Then he turned his body, leaned slightly toward Park Jiyeon's side, and smiled slightly, "Jiyeon, for someone with your personality to be in a daze, something big must have happened."

Lin Xiuyuan, who gave a light "tsk," continued to nudge the girl next to him lightly with his shoulder.

"Tell me about it, Jiyeon."

"Let me have a sense of participation too."

As he spoke, Park Jiyeon was also amused by his cheeky tone and couldn't help but let out a laugh.

The slightly dazed look on her face faded a little along with it.

She then turned her face to look at Lin Xiuyuan, a hint of hesitation in her eyes, and after a moment, she said, "Then I'm really going to say it."

"Huh?" Lin Xiuyuan was taken aback by her reaction.

He subconsciously pointed at himself, "Your expression, does that mean it has something to do with me?"

Park Jiyeon nodded.

Lin Xiuyuan was even more curious now.

He immediately leaned back against the sofa, putting on an appearance of listening intently to a story, and even raised his hand in a "please proceed" gesture.

"Then go ahead and say it. If you have something to ask, I'll answer everything I know."

Facing Lin Xiuyuan's frank attitude, Park Jiyeon took a deep breath, then looked at Lin Xiuyuan and asked directly:

"Oppa."

""

"That box of things in your suitcase—"

Her voice paused here, and her gaze looked straight at him, "Who did you use it with?"

After finishing, she added, "I heard that you don't usually use that stuff."

Having prepared himself mentally, after hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan's brain went "whoosh," and his memory instantly locked onto a specific situation.

However, amidst his surprise, he still instinctively looked at her and asked in return, "That's not right, I don't think I left it out, Zhiyan, how did you see it?"

Park Jiyeon's eyes clearly flickered, and she waved her hand, "Oppa~ don't worry about how I saw it, answer my question first."

While saying this, this Little Longzai was also trying hard to maintain her composure, as if it were no big deal.

But if one looked closely, one would discover that the roots of her ears had already quietly turned red.

After all, she was still in her identity as the young girl from 2013.

For her to chase after a boy and ask about such things was already embarrassing enough in itself, so although she pretended to be nonchalant on the surface, she was still somewhat shy inside.

If it were her 2025 self—

Thinking of this, Park Jiyeon snorted coldly in her heart.

That person would be different; not only had she seen a lot, but she had also been divorced, so a topic of this level shouldn't make her as conflicted and coy as she was now.

But as soon as she thought of that person, she couldn't help but mutter secretly in her heart: Hmph, an old woman.

Lin Xiuyuan stared at her for two seconds.

The more he looked, the more he felt something was wrong.

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes, as if thinking of something, "That's not right, where did you find out that I don't use that stuff?"

Upon hearing this, Park Jiyeon's expression stiffened, then she gritted her teeth, her tone unconsciously carrying a bit of small resentment.

"It was that old woman who told me specifically to provoke me."

Once this answer came out, Lin Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

He then raised his hand to wipe his face, his tone full of helplessness, "You two, I really give up."

However, Park Jiyeon was not led away from the topic by him.

After this small interlude ended, she leaned forward a bit more, her gaze fixed tightly on Lin Xiuyuan, "Oppa, you still haven't answered my question."

And this time, Lin Xiuyuan didn't beat around the bush; he thought for a moment, as if organizing his words, and answered her in as normal a tone as possible.

"Uh—how should I put it, I used it with a friend over there, just a friendly sparring session."

This answer made Park Jiyeon's eyes widen instantly.

"Over there?"

"From the year '25."

"Yeah, what else?"

Seeing Lin Xiuyuan nod again, her little expression clearly couldn't hold up, "Ah, isn't it Xiaomin unnie from here?"

"Hm? Why would you think it was Xiaomin?"

Now it was Lin Xiuyuan's turn to look at her; his expression was a bit surprised.

Hearing this, Park Jiyeon immediately straightened her back, looking righteous and confident, "Who told you two to be so sneaky these past two days."

The tone of her speech was quite certain, as if this deduction had no problems at all.

However, this statement made Lin Xiuyuan want to laugh.

At the same time, he finally understood why Park Jiyeon had been sitting there in a daze early in the morning.

So she had guessed things in this direction.

But thinking about it carefully, she wasn't entirely wrong, just the object was guessed incorrectly.

Because he and Park Hyomin indeed hadn't used that.

He had used it with Liu Zhimin.

Calculating it this way, his answer just now wasn't really lying to her.

Yeah, that's right.

After the brainstorming ended, Lin Xiuyuan silently reached a very subtle conclusion in his heart: that he had indeed answered truthfully and hadn't lied at all.

Over in the Kitchen.

Xian Enjing was dishing out the cooked ramen, and Li Shaoxi beside her took the opportunity to pour in the soup she had prepared; soon, the steaming noodles were tossing in the broth in the bowl, and the fragrance drifted out all at once.

Xian Enjing then took the opportunity to glance toward the Living Room, just in time to see Lin Xiuyuan and Park Jiyeon huddled together, speaking in low voices.

Watching Park Jiyeon's expression, which was at times serious and at times a bit embarrassed.

That scene made Xian Enjing couldn't help but smile.

Li Shaoxi, who was beside them, was looking down and arranging the ramen. Hearing the laughter, she raised her head with some curiosity, "What's wrong, Unnie?"

"Nothing." Xian Enjing shook her head, "I just think Zhiyan's nerves are sometimes really too thick."

""

As she spoke, she tilted her chin slightly toward the living room.

"Clearly her alcohol tolerance is just so-so, yet she still drank so fiercely."

"She must have been coaxed by Lin Xiuyuan."

Li Shaoxi followed her gaze to look at the living room, then couldn't help but laugh in a low voice, "I think so too."

The atmosphere in the kitchen was relaxed.

The atmosphere in the living room was also gradually relaxing.

After getting things clarified, Park Jiyeon felt a clear sense of relief, and the dazed feeling that had been shrouding her since the morning finally slowly dissipated.

Then she began to recall the scene of drinking last night with Lin Xiuyuan, and when she got to the exciting parts, she couldn't help but gesture.

"Oppa~ I didn't intend to drink that much, but the cocktail that bartender made was just too delicious."

She stretched out her hand to indicate the size of the glass.

"Cup after cup, I just couldn't stop."

"Then is mine better, or was last night's better?"

"Ah, both are good."

Lin Xiuyuan, smiling slightly, listened to Park Jiyeon chattering away there, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

He took the opportunity to correct the deviations in her memory.

For example————

"You didn't walk back to the Apartment by yourself yesterday."

Park Jiyeon looked at him.

"Huh?"

Lin Xiuyuan smiled and added, "I carried you back, literally carried, the kind where you were directly on my shoulder."

Park Jiyeon, who hadn't yet had the chance to learn this news from Xian Enjing's mouth, widened her eyes instantly.

"Really?"

"Why do I remember walking quite steadily?"

"That must be you remembering wrong."

Just as the two were talking, footsteps came from the stairs again.

Park Hyomin had finished washing up and come down, having changed into clean clothes and restyled her hair; she looked much more energetic than before.

At the same time, the last person, Li Juli, also wobbled behind her.

Only her state looked even more exhausted than the others; her steps were slow, as if she hadn't fully woken up yet.

After reaching the living room, she immediately walked to the side of the sofa and leaned her whole body against the cushion.

Her eyes were half-closed, looking as if she hadn't completely woken up yet.

Seeing this, Park Jiyeon handed over a cup of warm water from the table, "Unnie, are you okay?"

Li Juli took the cup and took a sip of water; her voice was still a bit hoarse.

"I'm okay, it's just that my head still hurts a little."

She paused, then sighed, "It seems I still drank too much last night."

"Are we continuing tonight?" Lin Xiuyuan smiled.

"No, no."

On the sofa, the few of them chatted casually.

Until not long after, Xian Enjing and Li Shaoxi in the kitchen finally finished preparing Breakfast, so they shouted toward the living room.

"Come over and eat."

Everyone then gathered around the kitchen counter.

A few plates of simple side dishes were placed to the side, and bowls of steaming hot ramen had already been portioned into their respective bowls.

In this state of a morning hangover, eating some hot soup noodles is indeed exceptionally comfortable.

So Park Jiyeon ate with the most gusto, bowing her head and slurping away; a bowl of noodles hit the bottom before long.

She even asked if there was a second bowl, still wanting more.

As everyone finished Breakfast, the house finally gradually regained some vitality; although it still carried a bit of the lethargy from the hangover, their spirits were already much better than when they first got up.

However, when the topic of whether to go skiing today came up, Park Hyomin shook her head, looked at Lin Xiuyuan, and then withdrew her gaze.

"I don't really want to move today, I'll just rest at the Apartment; I drank a bit too hard yesterday, and my head is still dizzy now."

Li Juli, beside her, also nodded.

"Me too, my head is still a bit dizzy; going skiing in this condition would probably be tough."

Her state was even worse than Park Hyomin's; she looked completely listless, leaning against the back of the chair as if she couldn't muster any energy.

So Lin Xiuyuan looked at the two of them but didn't say anything; after all, that drinking session last night was indeed quite intense.

He just turned his gaze to the other two, "What about you two?"

"Skiing!"

Park Jiyeon raised her hand almost immediately, as if afraid someone else would answer first.

"Since we're already here, how can we not get our money's worth, and didn't we agree yesterday to go skiing together?"

Xian Enjing looked at Park Jiyeon's excited appearance, then looked at Lin Xiuyuan, and nodded, "I'm still okay, I'll accompany you guys to go get some exercise."

And so, the matter was decided.

Over the next day, the group naturally split into two.

One group was the skiing team.

Led by Lin Xiuyuan, with Xian Enjing and Park Jiyeon following, the three of them shouldered their gear and headed straight for the Niseko ski resort, not returning to the Apartment until the sun was about to set.

The other group was the recuperation team that stayed at the Apartment.

After finishing their ramen, the two returned to their room to sleep until they woke up naturally, then slowly got ready to head out, found a restaurant nearby to grab a bite, and wandered around the streets.

On the final day, these two temporarily separated groups finally reunited.

Moreover, the weather that day was very cooperative, with snowflakes falling densely from the sky.

Layer upon layer, as if without end, turning the entire world into a soft expanse of white.

Under such heavy snow, the condition of the ski slopes was also exceptionally good.

The freshly fallen snow was soft and thick; stepping on it produced a slight "crunch" sound, and the feeling of sliding was completely different from usual—the speed was smoother, and the landings were softer.

The group skied from the morning until the afternoon.

In between, they just had a simple bite to eat and some hot drinks at a small shop in the resort, rested for half an hour, and then returned to the slopes.

They skied until the afternoon hours before everyone returned, fully satisfied.

After returning to the Apartment, they immediately went back to their respective rooms to pack their luggage, organizing the souvenirs bought over the past few days, the ski gear, and the clothes they had worn one by one, stuffing them into their suitcases.

That evening, they took a flight straight to Seoul.

The lights on the plane were dim.

Park Jiyeon, who had been skiing all day, was also exhausted and soon fell asleep leaning against the window.

Her little head was tilted slightly, and a faint smile lingered on the corners of her mouth; perhaps she had had such a good time that she even looked satisfied while asleep.

Lin Xiuyuan sat beside her, looking out through the porthole.

He watched the lights of Hokkaido grow smaller and smaller, gradually disappearing beneath the clouds.

In his heart, he silently recalled the experiences of the past few days.

Although this ski trip had been full of surprises, it was quite interesting.

The next morning.

Lin Xiuyuan, who had only returned to the Apartment in the early hours of the morning and was originally enjoying himself in his dreams, was inexplicably woken up by a burst of urgent cell phone ringing.

He fumbled around the bedside table in a daze, and after finally grabbing the phone, he squinted at the screen.

He discovered that the caller ID was actually Park Hyomin.

Only then did he press the phone to his ear, his voice still heavy with sleep, "Hello, what's wrong?"

When he spoke, his eyes hadn't even fully opened.

And from the other end of the line, Park Hyomin's voice came immediately; it sounded a bit anxious, and she was speaking very quickly.

"What time is it, and you're still sleeping?"

"Get up quickly, I have an urgent matter to find you for."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan finally opened his eyes and at the same time held the phone slightly further away to check the time.

A little past ten in the morning.

Isn't this the most comfortable time for sleep?

Lin Xiuyuan, who silently grumbled in his heart, didn't foolishly say the words out loud, but just lazily asked in return.

"What's so urgent? Why didn't you tell me yesterday?"

Park Hyomin didn't answer this question, just saying quite bluntly, "It's not clear over the phone, let's meet and talk. Get up quickly, I'll send you an address in a moment, come find me."

Once she finished speaking.

The call was hung up.

Lin Xiuyuan listened to the busy signal on the phone and was speechless for a moment.

He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling for two seconds.

Fine, since Xiaomin had spoken in that tone, there must really be something urgent, even if he didn't know what it was.

Sighing, Lin Xiuyuan knew that regardless, he had to get up, so he threw off the quilt and sat up.

After spending about ten minutes washing up simply and taking care of his personal business, he grabbed his car keys and went out through The Gate of the Apartment.

Then, following the address Park Hyomin sent, he drove through the streets of Seoul, navigated the whole way, and finally parked downstairs at an apartment building.

The surrounding environment of this place was very quiet; if his guess was correct, it should be a residential area, and it was Park Hyomin's address.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuyuan parked the car on the side of the road and took out his phone to call Park Hyomin.

"I'm here."

The voice on the other end of the line changed from the previous anxiety to a happy laugh, and she sounded like she was in a pretty good mood.

"Then drive the car in and park it, then come up."

She then reported a floor and unit number.

Helpless, Lin Xiuyuan could only follow the address given by the other party to find his way up again, arrived in front of that door, and raised his hand to press the doorbell.

The door opened almost immediately, and Park Hyomin was standing behind it.

She was wearing a very sexy camisole nightgown, her hair draped casually over her shoulders, and she looked very charming and alluring.

A faint smile lingered on her face as she watched Lin Xiuyuan, turning sideways to make room at the entrance.

"Don't stand outside, come in."

Lin Xiuyuan, who had glanced at Park Hyomin's attire, had just stepped inside and hadn't even had time to speak when, the next second, he was tackled into a full embrace.

Park Hyomin hung directly onto his body, her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms around his neck.

Looking down at him, the smile on her face carried a hint of obvious teasing.

Lin Xiuyuan was left somewhat between laughter and tears by her tackle, subconsciously reaching out to support her and steady his body.

Then he looked up at her and asked, "Xiaomin, is this the urgent matter you were talking about?"

Looking down at him, Park Hyomin's eyes curved, but the smile was so thick it couldn't be hidden.

She then raised an eyebrow slightly and gave the man beneath her a wink, "Never mind how I put it, just tell me, is it tight or not?"

Tight?

Of course it's tight.

As a normal man, how could Lin Xiuyuan endure such provocation, so he simply picked up Park Hyomin and walked toward the bedroom.

He had left the house too hurriedly in the morning, and his morning exercise hadn't been done yet.

Now it seemed, it had to be made up for.

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