Chapter 441: 465

463 "Xiuyuan, if you were given a chance to start over..." (Please subscribe, please vote for monthly tickets)

At the bar counter.

Upon hearing that remark about "having a foot in two boats," Lin Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment, then turned his head in shock to glance at Pei Zhuxuan, who was sitting beside him.

Pei Zhuxuan was looking at him too, her gaze meeting his directly without any intention of dodging, and she even raised an eyebrow slightly.

Seeing this expression of hers, Lin Xiuyuan's initial surprise turned into a feeling of being unable to laugh or cry; he smiled at her and said, "So you saw us get out of the car just now? Why didn't you come down? I would have introduced you."

To this, Pei Zhuxuan replied in a tone that was neither salty nor bland, "You two were chatting so happily, how could I have the heart to interrupt?"

As she said this, her gaze shifted away from Lin Xiuyuan's face to watch the chef's busy hands behind the bar; her expression was very calm, with no discernible emotional fluctuations.

It's just that when this sentence was spoken, why did it sound so sour to the listener?

However, Lin Xiuyuan didn't overthink it and instead recounted the entire situation of running into Han So-hee on the highway from start to finish.

After finishing, he didn't forget to add that Han So-hee had wanted to treat him to a meal to thank him, but he had declined because he already had plans.

Especially when he reached the end, Lin Xiuyuan looked at Pei Zhuxuan beside him with a brilliant smile and, imitating her earlier gesture, raised his sword-like eyebrows at her.

"So, Pei Zhuxuan-xi, look, I even turned down an invitation from a great beauty just to keep our appointment; that's enough face for you, right?"

Pei Zhuxuan did not speak immediately after hearing his explanation.

Her expression became somewhat strange; she frowned slightly, then relaxed, her eyes looking as if she were observing a creature she couldn't quite figure out.

After a long while, she said, "You guy, how do you always manage to run into these messy things? It's so weird. You aren't some kind of pervert, are you? Secretly designing everything at home and then going out to 'coincidentally' meet us based on those opportunities?"

Lin Xiuyuan was amused by her train of thought and laughed out loud, looking at Pei Zhuxuan and retorting in the same teasing tone.

"Where do you get these ideas in that big brain of yours? Watch too many movies? You're a bit sick, aren't you?"

"Hmph, you're the one who's sick." Pei Zhuxuan retorted.

If someone else had said that about her head, she would definitely have been a bit angry; although she usually seemed easygoing, she wasn't someone just anyone could joke with like that.

But as for the person in front of her...

Forget it.

Just for the fact that he showed up on time today, she would let him off the hook.

After all, he did give up another beauty to rush over.

Afterward, the dinner officially began, and the chef started his performance behind the bar.

At the same time, the waiter walked over again, carrying a tray with two wine glasses, which he placed in front of Lin Xiuyuan and Pei Zhuxuan.

Then, he took out a bottle of chilled white wine, showed the label to the two of them, unscrewed the cap, and began pouring wine into the glasses.

As the wine flowed from the bottle, it carried a faint fruity fragrance; the color was a pale amber, looking very clear under the lights.

The waiter stopped after pouring about a third of a glass, placed the bottle into the ice bucket nearby, bowed slightly, and stepped away.

Looking at the glass in front of him, Lin Xiuyuan turned to look at Pei Zhuxuan, "Drink up, you can't drive tonight."

"I don't know either, the menu here is all a mystery." Pei Zhuxuan looked at the glass in front of her, also a bit surprised.

However, she was telling the truth; this restaurant's Omakase model meant the chef decided what to make based on the day's ingredients, and the wine pairing was also chosen by the chef, so the guests didn't know what they would be eating or drinking beforehand.

Then Pei Zhuxuan continued, "I'll drink a little. If I can't drive, I'll just call a designated driver. I don't care, why are you, a grown man, worrying so much?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan reached out to hold the stem of the glass, his fingers pinching the thin glass handle, and swirled it gently.

The wine in the glass swirled against the walls with his movement, leaving a thin trail of wine before slowly flowing back down.

After swirling the glass a few times, his gaze shifted from the glass to Pei Zhuxuan's face, "I'm just looking out for you. Don't you have any safety awareness when drinking outside with a man?"

"You're certainly blunt, but don't worry, I have at least this much tolerance."

Pei Zhuxuan glanced at him, and he shrugged in response.

"That's fine then. I rarely drink white wine, so it looks like I'll have to taste it properly tonight."

Then the two of them raised their glasses simultaneously and clinked them gently across the corner of the bar; the Glass Cup made a very crisp sound upon contact—a "ding"—which was very pleasant to the ear.

Then they each took a sip.

The first sensation of the wine entering the mouth was cold; because it had been chilled, the temperature was much lower than that of the mouth.

Then came the acidity—a very refreshing sourness that spread across the tip and the sides of the tongue, carrying the aroma of fruit, but not the cloying kind of fruitiness; it was closer to the crisp, clean scent of green apples or lemon peel.

So, after putting down the glass, Lin Xiuyuan immediately turned his head to look at Pei Zhuxuan and asked, "How does it feel?"

Pei Zhuxuan, being asked, frowned slightly and pursed her lips, as if carefully savoring the taste of that sip of wine.

Then she gave a one-word evaluation.

"A bit sour."

"Bingo."

Lin Xiuyuan smiled and tapped the counter lightly with his finger.

"Because the characteristic of white wine is low tannin and high acidity. It's indeed a good choice for cleansing the palate and sipping; it's better than red wine."

Listening to his explanation, Pei Zhuxuan suddenly remembered something and asked, "So, Xiuyuan, are you really a bartender who opened a Small Tavern? I thought you were joking with me and lying."

Although Lin Xiuyuan had mentioned this to her during their previous chat.

She had remained half-doubting, always feeling that this person's words were sometimes true and sometimes false, and she didn't know which parts were serious and which parts were just teasing her.

"What's there to lie about with something like this?" Lin Xiuyuan replied with a smile, then picked up his glass again and took a sip.

After putting the glass down, he thought for a moment and added a few more sentences.

"However, compared to white wine, I feel that Sparkling Wine like champagne is more suitable for cleansing the taste buds. For exquisite food like Omakase that needs to be savored carefully, the taste buds are too important."

"Such a professional evaluation. Should we change to a different wine?" Pei Zhuxuan first complimented him, then naturally offered a suggestion.

She felt that since Lin Xiuyuan thought champagne was more suitable, they should just change it; surely it was on the wine list.

"No need, it's good to taste a bit of everything." Lin Xiuyuan shook his head, his tone very casual.

He wasn't a person who was particularly pedantic about eating and drinking; whether it was white wine or champagne, each had its own flavor.

And since the chef paired it with white wine today, then they would drink white wine; there was nothing wrong with that.

In the gap between their conversation, the first appetizer was finally delivered by the chef on two small plates.

The plates were the Japanese-style shallow ceramic kind, holding a bite-sized portion of food that looked like a mini version of sushi, but with a more refined shape.

On top was a layer of prepared sea urchin, the color a rich orange-yellow, with a moist sheen on the surface.

The sea urchin was garnished with a bit of crushed black truffle; the tiny black particles scattered over the orange-yellow sea urchin created a sharp color contrast and emitted a unique aroma.

The two of them each picked up the small bite of food in front of them, tapped them together in the air, smiled at each other, and simultaneously put the food into their mouths.

Ten seconds or so later.

After chewing and swallowing, Irene picked up the prepared wet towel on the side to wipe her fingers, muttering to herself while she wiped, as if she were talking to herself or sharing her thoughts on the food with Lin Xiuyuan beside her.

"As expected, the chef here is quite skilled. Although sea urchin is the main ingredient, I really couldn't taste much of the sea urchin flavor."

Lin Xiuyuan beside her had also finished eating; he nodded and gave a casual opinion, "But the black truffle flavor is quite strong; you can tell the ingredients are indeed excellent."

After saying this, he glanced again at the menu on the bar counter; the next dish listed was a taco.

It probably wasn't the Mexican kind of taco, likely the Japanese-modified version; he had eaten one once before in Niseko, and he noted that the wait time would probably be a bit long.

Irene, having heard Lin Xiuyuan's assessment of the taco, nodded, "Mm, take your time; there's no rush anyway."

She then picked up her wine glass and took another small sip of white wine, the acidity spreading through her mouth, which perfectly neutralized the lingering aftertaste of the sea urchin and black truffle.

After that, Lin Xiuyuan stood up from his seat, picked up the phone he had placed to the side, and shook it at Irene, "I'm going down to rent a power bank."

It wasn't that he really needed to use his phone, but having only about ten percent battery always gave one a vague sense of anxiety.

Irene understood this, so she didn't tease Lin Xiuyuan this time; she just nodded, said "Go ahead," and watched him get up and walk toward The Gate.

After a while.

When Lin Xiuyuan returned to the restaurant, he happened to see Irene sitting there, one hand propping up her chin, the other holding her phone, looking down and scrolling through something.

Her thumb was sliding slowly across the screen, and the expression on her face was a bit off.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, her lips gently pursed, and her eyes were focused intently on the screen—so focused that she didn't even notice Lin Xiuyuan had walked back in.

Lin Xiuyuan walked over, pulled out his chair, and sat back down in his seat; he then tilted his head to look at Irene, his gaze sweeping downward, wanting to see what exactly she was scrolling through on her phone screen.

Unfortunately, just as he glanced over, Irene noticed he had returned and very naturally flipped her phone screen-down onto the bar counter.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "What are you looking at with such a serious expression? It wouldn't be malicious comments, would it?"

While placing his phone, now connected to the power bank, onto the bar, he turned his body to look at Irene, his tone carrying a bit of concern and curiosity.

As one of the men surrounded by so many idol beauties, Lin Xiuyuan knew very well that for an artist of Irene's level, online comments were always polarized; some people loved her to death, while others hated her for no reason at all.

"No, I don't look at those things anymore." Irene shook her head, her tone very calm.

But after saying that, she suddenly turned her body and looked straight at Lin Xiuyuan.

And because she turned her body so sharply, shifting instantly from facing the bar to facing Lin Xiuyuan, the distance between the two of them closed significantly.

With a look of earnestness and curiosity intertwined in her eyes, she asked, "By the way, Xiuyuan. If you were given a chance to start over, what kind of experience would you choose?"

Hmm???

This question really made Lin Xiuyuan's scalp tingle.

This question was even more shocking than the two she had asked earlier.

You see, although the previous two questions were also quite direct, they were at least within the scope of normal social interaction, falling into the category of gossip that friends could ask each other.

But the nature of a question like "starting over" when asked of Lin Xiuyuan was completely different.

Because this kind of question was usually something Lin Xiuyuan asked other people.

When was it the turn of others to ask this guy who was "cheating" at life?

A person who truly possessed the opportunity to start over was being asked a hypothetical question about starting over by someone who didn't know he possessed that opportunity.

This scene itself carried a subtle sense of absurdity that only Lin Xiuyuan could appreciate.

However, he quickly reacted, his gaze falling on the phone Irene had flipped onto the bar, so he looked up and said, "So, Irene, did you just see some video that made you ask such a question?"

Irene didn't speak; she just picked up her phone, unlocked the screen, and handed what she had just been looking at to Lin Xiuyuan.

Lin Xiuyuan looked down at it.

On the screen was a short-video platform, and it was playing one of those so-called "life hypothesis" type videos.

The title of the video read: "If you possessed a superpower that allowed you to be reborn and return to the past, what kind of brand-new life would you choose to walk?"

The video's footage consisted of edited clips, accompanied by a soulful background track and a deep voiceover, sentimentally recounting various "what ifs."

Lin Xiuyuan tapped the screen with his finger and saw that the comment section was densely packed with messages from netizens.

Some said they wanted to go back and study hard to get into a good university, some said they wanted to buy Bitcoin when it first came out, some said they wanted to go back to see someone who was no longer around one last time, and others said they wanted to say the confession they hadn't dared to speak back then.

But without exception, every comment was a regret, and every comment was an "if only."

After getting the gist of it, Lin Xiuyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

So that was it.

It wasn't anything else; she had just stumbled upon an ordinary chicken soup for the soul video.

It nearly scared him to death.

Regaining his composure, Lin Xiuyuan remarked, "Actually, this superpower doesn't feel very useful to me. Compared to the past, I think I'd prefer to go to the future to make a fortune, or know about some top-tier beauties in advance, and then have some wonderful stories with them in the past timeline."

"As expected of a man's choice." This reply made Irene laugh.

Then Lin Xiuyuan threw the question back, "What about you?"

"Me?"

Irene was stumped by the question, clearly not prepared to answer it.

So much so that after being asked back, she returned to her previous dazed state, her mind seemingly filled with many thoughts.

Just then, the chef delivered the two tacos to the two of them.

The Japanese-style taco looked very refined; the fried seaweed had been molded into a small boat-shaped shell, looking appetizing at first glance.

Irene looked at the exquisite taco in front of her and took a deep breath, her shoulders rising slightly with the inhalation, then slowly sinking with the exhalation.

Finally, he shook his head, "I'm not sure, I can't think of too much for the time being."

Then, the two of them simultaneously picked up the tacos in front of them and stuffed the small mouthfuls of food entirely into their mouths.

After Lin Xiuyuan finished eating, he wiped his fingers, picked up his wine glass, and took a sip.

Only after putting down the wine glass did he speak again, "Then let me bring something up."

"Hmm?" Pei Zhuxuan looked at him.

"For example, regarding Wendy's situation, I think if you had the chance, you would probably prevent it from happening again."

This sentence completely struck Pei Zhuxuan's weak spot.

The action of wiping her small hands with a wet towel stopped abruptly.

Her expression crumpled almost instantly; her brows knitted together toward the center, she pressed her lips together slightly, and a very obvious ripple of emotion flashed through her eyes.

It seemed she was recalling some unpleasant past.

After all, that memory was never an easy topic for her, or for many others.

The restaurant was very quiet, with only the faint sounds of the chef preparing ingredients behind the counter; the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board was rhythmic, one beat after another, like some kind of timer.

Pei Zhuxuan was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, "If there really were such a chance, then of course I would."

But after saying this, her tone shifted, and as she placed the towel back on the tray, she continued, "However, I had already dreamed of such thoughts countless times back then, but after waking up, the reality remained the same as always."

Her voice paused there, and her fingers also unconsciously tapped lightly on the countertop, her nails making a very faint sound as they touched the wooden surface.

"So now, I don't really feel anything about it anymore."

After finishing her words, she raised her eyes to look at Lin Xiuyuan, then picked up her wine glass and took a sip, using the act of drinking to fill the silence left behind by those words.

Lin Xiuyuan did not immediately respond either, but waited a few seconds to let those words settle in the air before he continued to speak.

"Then, besides Wendy, isn't there anything in your own personal experience that you need to look back on? Or perhaps choose again?"

This time, Pei Zhuxuan looked at him very seriously, and after a few seconds, she laughed.

It wasn't a hearty laugh, but a light chuckle tinged with relief and a bit of self-deprecation.

"If you ask it like that, I really have thought about it; if there truly were such an opportunity, the me who returned to the past would probably choose not to be an idol anymore."