Chapter 413: You ate Hyomin unnie??

Time arrived at the second day.

The sky in Seoul was gray and hazy, with clouds pressing down very low; it was impossible to tell if it was morning or afternoon.

The weather remained drizzly and overcast, with fine, dense threads of rain drifting down.

However, the person who slept in today had changed from Krystal to Lin Xiuyuan; the former had gotten up early to go busy herself with work, and by the time he woke up, the spot beside him was already empty, with only a faint, lingering scent remaining on the pillow.

Although the 25-year-old Krystal was no longer the Idol from 2013, her status having changed from Idol to actress, there were still quite a few award ceremony events that required her attendance.

At this time of year, various award ceremonies and red carpet events followed one after another.

Therefore, Krystal had quite a busy schedule during this period, though it was just less than the performances and rehearsals of her girl group days; she didn't have to practice from morning till night like before, but the necessary appearances still couldn't be skipped.

By the time Lin Xiuyuan woke up, it was already high noon.

Opening his eyes, he, like Krystal, stared at the ceiling in a daze for a while, letting his brain slowly switch over from its sleep state.

The curtains in front were not drawn tightly, and a ray of gray light filtered in through the gap, casting a faint shadow on the floor.

The sound of rain outside continued, as if it were exactly the same as when he had fallen asleep last night, giving one the illusion that time had not flowed at all.

After being in a daze for a moment, Lin Xiuyuan rolled over, reached out to grope for his phone on the nightstand, and held it up before his eyes to take a look.

It was just past twelve noon.

The screen was piled with notifications of many unread messages, so he swiped the screen open and looked through them one by one.

Among them, Kim Taeyeon's chat box contained several messages; the earliest one was sent last night, and the subsequent ones were spaced about an hour apart, the tone slowly changing from initial probing to urging, and finally, the resentment was almost overflowing from the screen.

Looking at these messages, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but chuckle, but he didn't reply immediately, choosing instead to scroll through other people's messages first.

Some people were asking to grab a meal, some had posted a few nightscape photos taken last night in a group chat, and Park Hyomin had shared a song with him a few hours ago, with no text written below the link.

It was just that the name of the song was a bit strange, "I Am You".

So Lin Xiuyuan clicked on the song link, and while listening to the music, he continued to look down at those messages, which were fragmented, including some from Pei Zhuxuan and Liu Zhimin.

After scanning through them, Lin Xiuyuan returned to the very top and replied to Kim Taeyeon with a voice message, his voice still carrying the hoarseness of having just woken up.

"Got it, I'll get up in a bit and go ask her to see if she has time tonight."

After sending it, he continued to reply to other people's messages, first agreeing to the meal appointment with Longzai, saying he would go find them in a while, and then replying to the others.

Less than two minutes after his message was sent, Kim Taeyeon's call came through.

Looking at the caller ID, Lin Xiuyuan leaned against the headboard and answered, his voice lazy, "Hello."

"Did you just wake up?" Kim Taeyeon's voice came through the receiver.

She had originally wanted to ask about something else, but upon hearing his hoarse voice, the words changed when they reached her lips; this was an unconscious concern.

Lin Xiuyuan propped himself up, changed his posture to lean against the headboard, and yawned, "Yeah."

After yawning, he added, "How come you have time to reply to me so quickly? Don't you have to record today?"

The other end of the phone was quiet for a second, and then Kim Taeyeon retorted, annoyed, "Look at what time it is; you have to eat and rest at noon."

Only then did Lin Xiuyuan realize it was indeed lunchtime, so he laughed "haha," "Alright, my brain isn't quite awake yet."

Then he added, "Don't worry, I'll go ask about what I promised you in a bit, don't be too anxious."

"I'm not anxious."

This time, Kim Taeyeon's voice leveled out, and her tone became serious.

"I called just to tell you that if she doesn't have time, there's no need to rush her into running around. We've made it through all these years, and it has already eased up quite a bit before, so it's much better now."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan's sleepiness dissipated quite a bit, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise; this didn't sound like something Kim Taeyeon would say.

According to her personality, this matter should be something she was constantly keeping in mind and urging him to handle; for her to suddenly say something like this was truly a bit abnormal.

Thinking of something, Lin Xiuyuan asked directly, "Taeyeon, this doesn't sound like you."

Kim Taeyeon was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone.

Of course, she wouldn't say that it was Lin Yun'er's words from last night that gave her a lot of thoughts, so she very smoothly changed the subject, "Can't be bothered with you, hurry up and get up to eat; do you want me to order you a meal?"

"Forget it."

Seeing that the other party refused to say, Lin Xiuyuan didn't continue to ask, but his fingers were already swiping to Longzai's chat box on the screen, typing a reply to her.

"Zhiyan asked me for a meal, I'll go out and eat with them."

While speaking, he had already put the phone on speaker, chatting with Kim Taeyeon while confirming the time and place for lunch with Longzai.

Hearing that he already had plans, Kim Taeyeon said "Mm" very sensibly, "Then you guys talk, I just called to mention that matter from before, don't be anxious."

"I know," Lin Xiuyuan said, "Just don't worry about it, I have my own arrangements."

"Fine then, hanging up." After Kim Taeyeon said this, she hung up the phone without waiting for him to reply.

Glancing at the call-ended screen, Lin Xiuyuan smiled, threw the phone onto the bed, and got up to go into the bathroom to wash up.

By the time he returned to the bedside, he had already changed his clothes: a dark gray crew-neck sweater and a pair of black casual pants, simple and clean.

He came back, picked up his phone, tucked it into his pocket, and went out.

The rain was still falling, drifting onto the windshield, and the wipers only needed to sweep occasionally.

There weren't many cars on the road, and the traffic was much better than usual; he drove for about twenty minutes and arrived at the restaurant Longzai had mentioned.

He remembered this restaurant; it was the one opposite where Li Juli had caught him and Kim Taeyeon having a meal before, or rather, the one where Li Juli and the others were eating.

So when Lin Xiuyuan walked into the restaurant entrance and took a simple scan, he saw Longzai, Li Juli, and Park Hyomin sitting in a booth by the window.

There were two sofa seats; Li Juli was sitting alone, while Longzai and Park Hyomin were sitting opposite her, with Park Hyomin leaning against the window, her gaze fixed outside, wondering what she was thinking about.

Lin Xiuyuan, having spotted them, walked over and greeted them naturally, "Have you been here long?"

Hearing this, the three of them immediately looked up at him and replied one after another.

"A little while."

"You go ahead and order something to eat first."

"Take a look at the menu."

After listening, Lin Xiuyuan sat down naturally in the empty seat next to Li Juli, then took the menu from the waiter behind him and glanced at it, "I'll have the fried rice, and add a glass of orange juice."

He then returned the menu to the waiter; the entire process took less than a minute.

By the time he finished ordering, Dalongzai, sitting opposite him, rested her chin on her hand, looked at him, and smiled, "I invited you to such a nice restaurant, and you're just eating fried rice, Xiuyuan? Isn't that a bit of a waste of this place?"

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan pointed to the dishes already served on the table, "Aren't these things you ordered dishes?"

A plate of exquisite appetizers, arranged with several items whose names he couldn't identify; a steak, cut into uniform strips and arranged in an attractive fan shape.

There were also several beautifully plated dishes, with sauces drawn into various shapes on the plates; they looked very pretty, but just by looking at the appearance, it was impossible to guess what ingredients they were made of.

These pretty dishes are basically like this: if you don't taste them yourself, you have no idea what you are actually eating.

At this moment, Li Juli asked from the side, "Xiuyuan, did you just wake up?"

Lin Xiuyuan nodded, "Yeah, just got out of bed. So my appetite isn't very good, just eating something casual is fine."

As he spoke, his gaze naturally turned toward Park Hyomin sitting opposite him, and he reached out his hand very casually, saying in a natural tone, "Xiaomin, get me a wet wipe."

That practiced tone, along with that natural movement—when he reached out his hand, he didn't even look at her, just held it out on the table, waiting for her to pass the item over.

This situation left the few people at the table stunned for a moment.

The three of them were no longer naive little girls.

They were all too familiar with this kind of casual yet self-assured behavior from Lin Xiuyuan.

This attitude was exactly the kind of naturalness that only exists between two people after they have already had an intimate relationship.

No need for formalities, no need for polite trouble or asking if it's okay; it was just the state of taking it for granted that the other person would get it for him, and that the other person should indeed get it.

The next second, Li Juli and Dalongzai turned their gazes toward Park Hyomin almost simultaneously.

Their eyes carried a very complex meaning, and the speed was so fast it was as if they had discussed it beforehand.

It was just a pity that they didn't see the shyness, or rather, the panic or guilty conscience they wanted to see.

Instead, they saw a little face even more bewildered than their own.

Because Park Hyomin was indeed bewildered.

Originally, she was still holding her chopsticks, but as a result of Lin Xiuyuan reaching out like that, she froze right there.

She blinked, unable to react in time.

The thought in her mind was that although this guy was also detestable before, at least he still had some courtesy and politeness.

What is the situation now?

How long has it been since we last met, why does it feel like we've suddenly become so much closer?

It's as if some boundary has already been crossed between the two of them.

But the problem is, she hadn't experienced any progress at all?

What the hell??

The bewildered Park Hyomin had countless thoughts flashing through her mind, but her hand moved a step faster than her brain.

She had subconsciously pulled a wet wipe from the bag beside her and handed it over.

Lin Xiuyuan, not thinking too much, took it to wipe his hands, then picked up the orange juice that had just been delivered and took a sip; only when he looked up to the side did he realize all three were looking at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Is my face not clean?"

After saying that, he looked down at his clothes and touched his face.

"No." Li Juli was the first to retract her gaze, smiled, and picked up a fork to spear two pieces of beef into his plate, "Eat your food."

Her movements were natural, and her tone was natural too.

Only when she put down her chopsticks did she quickly exchange a look with Dalongzai, the look saying: something is going on.

Receiving this look, Dalongzai's mouth curled up slightly, but she didn't speak, continuing to look down and eat her own food.

Afterward, the three of them chatted while eating, the topics being quite scattered.

From the few movies recently released—which ones were worth watching and which were flops; then to the entertainment gossip scrolled on short videos—which were true and which were made up; to the various awards ceremonies at the end of the year—who might go and who might not.

Halfway through the conversation, the fried rice he had ordered earlier was also brought over; it was steaming hot, with every grain distinct, and the presentation was excellent.

So Lin Xiuyuan glanced at the bowls on the table, reached out to take the small bowl in front of Dalongzai, scooped a spoonful of fried rice for her, and then took Li Juli's bowl and scooped a spoonful for her as well.

However, after scooping for the two of them, his actions did not end.

Instead, he reached out again and picked up the bowl in front of Park Hyomin.

Without asking if she wanted it, without saying anything, he just naturally scooped a spoonful of fried rice into it and then placed it back in front of her.

The entire process was smooth and fluid, as if this was something that should naturally be done.

Only this time, the action caused the gaze exchanged between Li Juli and Dalongzai to be filled with a very shocked and bewildered expression.

Especially Dalongzai; after exchanging looks with Li Juli, she stared straight at Park Hyomin, her gaze sharp as if she wanted to see something on the other's face.

She wanted to see if the other person felt guilty, if she was unnatural, or if there was that kind of panic of "being found out."

As a result, she saw nothing, because there was only astonishment on Park Hyomin's face—pure, unadulterated astonishment.

The other person looked down at the bowl of fried rice in front of her, then looked up at Lin Xiuyuan, her mouth slightly open, then closed, then opened again; clearly, she really didn't know what had happened.

After the astonishment, Park Hyomin stood up abruptly, "I'm going to the restroom."

Her voice was slightly higher than usual, carrying a bit of unnatural tension, and then she left the booth, passing directly by Dalongzai.

Li Juli rolled her eyes and also stood up, "Let's go together."

The two of them walked toward the restroom one after the other, leaving Lin Xiuyuan and Dalongzai sitting at the dining table.

Watching the backs of the two as they left, Lin Xiuyuan turned his head to look at Park Jiyeon, his expression a bit bewildered, "No, what's up with them?"

Dalongzai didn't answer immediately; instead, she looked at Lin Xiuyuan for a few seconds, then stood up, walked around the table, and sat in the seat next to him.

After closing the distance, she finally spoke her curiosity. Her tone was very direct, "Xiuyuan, did you eat the unnie?"

Lin Xiuyuan was stunned, his eyes widening a circle.

"Who?"

"The Xiaomin unnie from just now." When Dalongzai said this, her gaze remained fixed on his expression, as if judging whether his reaction was real or acted.

"Are you crazy? She is a married woman, I don't have that," Lin Xiuyuan said, his tone very serious, even carrying a hint of innocence.

However, Dalongzai looked at him for two seconds, her gaze turning to land on those bowls on the table, and she continued.

"Although I trust you very much, your actions just now were more convincing than your words, so what should I do?"

At this, Lin Xiuyuan finally realized that this Park Hyomin was not that Park Hyomin!!!