Chapter 442: Scumbag Girl

In the seat, upon hearing Pei Zhuxuan say the words "I don't want to be an idol," Lin Xiuyuan was truly a bit surprised.

However, he did not reply immediately, but instead stared deeply at her for a moment, as if confirming whether he had misheard just now.

The light from the bar counter shone on Pei Zhuxuan's profile, outlining her features clearly; her expression was visibly calm, even carrying a faint hint of a smile.

It did not look like she was speaking out of anger, nor did it look like she was deliberately expressing some attitude; it was more like she was stating a conclusion she had pondered for a long time.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan simply turned to face Pei Zhuxuan and asked with great curiosity, "Why? I've seen interviews in some videos where you seemed to quite like that stage; how did you come to have such a thought?"

Previously, he had scrolled past Red Velvet's stage videos and interview clips online.

When the person beside him stood on stage, with the spotlight hitting her, her whole being was glowing; that state did not look like it was faked, but rather that she was truly enjoying that moment.

So, hearing her say at that moment that if she had a chance to do it all over again, she would choose not to be an idol, Lin Xiuyuan was indeed somewhat surprised.

After listening to his question, Pei Zhuxuan did not answer immediately, but pondered for a while before speaking, "How should I put it? When I was young, I didn't understand much; I wanted whatever I saw that I liked, completely unaware of the heaviness that comes after possessing it."

At the same time, she did not forget to look at Lin Xiuyuan, the corners of her mouth curving slightly, as she stated very candidly, "Besides, according to the logic in videos, a life lived over again must choose a new path to be worthy of a new life, right? Otherwise, if one just continues to repeat the old path, it would be too unfair to the rebirth."

Facing Pei Zhuxuan's explanation, Lin Xiuyuan nodded in deep agreement and summarized it with one sentence.

"Understood. Before you have it when you're young, it's full of attraction; after you grow up and have had it, the enchantment fades, right?"

Pei Zhuxuan thought for a moment, tilted her head slightly, and then gave a light nod of her chin, agreeing with this summary.

"If you put it that way, then I suppose so."

As a result, the next second, she heard the sentence Lin Xiuyuan blurted out immediately after, "Hmm, that's a bit of a 'scumbag girl' move, Pei Zhuxuan xi."

When he said this, the expression on Lin Xiuyuan's face was completely deadpan, and his tone carried an obvious sense of teasing.

"What? I am not, how is this a 'scumbag girl' move?"

This time, Pei Zhuxuan's reaction was much faster than before; she almost immediately turned her body around to face Lin Xiuyuan, her voice carrying a touch of urgency and indignation at being wronged.

Although the term "scumbag man/scumbag girl" was originally used more in Huaxia, over these years, with the spread of the internet, various internet slang terms have slowly permeated the daily conversations of young people here on the Peninsula.

Although Pei Zhuxuan could not be considered an internet-addicted girl, she had seen these terms quite often when scrolling through videos and reading comments, so she understood the general meaning.

Therefore, when Lin Xiuyuan stuck this label on her, she immediately understood what he was saying, so she hurriedly explained again, "I just said that if I could, I would definitely choose a new life; who would walk the old path? Does this count as being a 'scumbag girl'?"

After listening to her explanation, Lin Xiuyuan smiled and nodded, giving an example.

"That's exactly it. Look, following the same logic, if you had a choice, you would definitely choose a new boyfriend and not choose an ex, right? Isn't this the perfect interpretation of a 'scumbag girl' behavioral pattern? My interpretation isn't wrong, is it?"

Pei Zhuxuan, who had just caught her breath, opened her mouth and then closed it again after hearing this.

She looked at Lin Xiuyuan's smiling face and finally understood one thing.

That was that this guy never intended to seriously discuss any life philosophy with her from start to finish; he was clearly just teasing her.

After figuring this out, Pei Zhuxuan also knew she couldn't argue.

So, with a bit of feigned annoyance and helplessness, she very rarely rolled her eyes at him.

At the same time, her entire face gained a vivid playfulness because of this expression.

Combined with her face, which was already very charming, it not only didn't make Lin Xiuyuan feel there was any problem, but instead, his heart was slightly struck.

He had seen quite a few beautiful faces, and there were even more women around him, all sorts of them.

But Pei Zhuxuan's face really had something to it; even for someone like him who was used to gourmet food, he would occasionally find it hard to handle when facing this face.

However, this thought was just a flash; Lin Xiuyuan then picked up his wine glass and took a sip, using the act of drinking to cover up that momentary distraction.

Afterwards, the two continued with this exquisite dinner.

The rhythm of Omakase is just like this; you eat one bite and have to wait ten-plus minutes for the next. The chef handles the ingredients unhurriedly behind the bar, the rhythm of the entire process completely in his hands, and the guests can only wait.

The empty plates in front of the two had already been cleared away, and new tableware had been set, but the next dish was still slowly taking shape in the chef's hands.

So they could only sit there, drinking the remaining white wine in their glasses, chatting aimlessly, waiting for the arrival of the next dish.

Just like that, after finishing another dish in one go, Lin Xiuyuan finally couldn't help it, turned his head, and said to Pei Zhuxuan with a smile.

"Zhuxuan, should we eat a bit slower? Look at the two people over there; they are slowly eating until the next dish, unlike us, stuffing it all in one bite."

When he said this, his finger pointed lightly in the direction of the two white guests.

The two people over there were indeed eating very slowly; after a dish was served, they would admire it first, then pick it up with chopsticks, taste it in small bites, eat one bite, put down the chopsticks to chat for a few sentences, and then eat the next bite.

A dish could last them quite a while, and by the time the next dish was served, the aftertaste of the previous one had just dissipated.

As for Lin Xiuyuan and Pei Zhuxuan, it was basically: dish served, take a look, then stuff the whole thing into their mouths, chew, swallow, finish.

The whole process took no more than thirty seconds.

However, regarding this accusation, Pei Zhuxuan immediately denied it, "I didn't, it's just you."

"Now you're drawing a line between us? We're getting a bit distant, Pei Zhuxuan xi," Lin Xiuyuan laughed.

Looking at that cheeky smiling face, Pei Zhuxuan also pursed her lips, unable to suppress the curve of her mouth, and laughed along, "Isn't it? Are we very close?"

"That's perfect." Lin Xiuyuan followed her words, leaned his body toward her side, his face wearing a serious expression as if discussing official business, "When will you introduce the friends around you for me to meet? That way, after a few more interactions, we'll be close."

When he said this, his tone carried a sense of shamelessness, but his expression was pretending to be very serious, as if he were really proposing a reasonable social suggestion.

However, Pei Zhuxuan was already used to this behavior of Lin Xiuyuan's of climbing up the pole the moment he saw it.

In the Kakao chat history between the two, Lin Xiuyuan didn't know how many times he had brought up similar topics, and every time the tone was that half-true, half-false kind.

If she said it was okay, he would say he was busy; if she said it wasn't okay, he would say she was stingy, making it truly hard to tell whether he was serious or joking.

Thinking of this, Pei Zhuxuan rolled her eyes at him again, then scolded him with a smile, "In your dreams. Besides, none of the friends around me are suitable for you; stop nagging about this matter."

"What a pity." Lin Xiuyuan sighed lightly, his tone carrying a feigned sense of regret.

Just as the two were chatting like this, the curtain at the entrance of the restaurant was lifted from the outside.

The curtain of this shop was that kind of Japanese-style half-curtain, with the shop's name in katakana embroidered in white thread on deep blue fabric, hanging on the door frame, separating the dining area inside from the corridor outside.

Every time someone entered or exited, the waiter would walk over in advance to lift the curtain to let the guest pass.

This time was the same.

Lin Xiuyuan, hearing the sound behind him, instinctively glanced over.

But the moment his gaze fell on the two people who had entered, the result he saw scared him into shrinking his head directly, his shoulders also hunching up, his whole body trying to retract as much as possible, attempting to lower his presence to the minimum.

He even leaned a bit toward Pei Zhuxuan, intending to use her figure beside him to shield himself.

At the same time, he quickly picked up his phone from the bar counter and began to pretend to stare at the screen, his thumb even sliding across it with a look of feigned seriousness, as if he were carefully reading some important content.

This series of actions happened so quickly and suddenly that Pei Zhuxuan saw it all, and she was left completely stunned.

"What is it, Xiuyuan, what are you doing?"

Almost at the same time that Pei Zhuxuan said those words, an amusing laugh came from behind her.

"Irene, he probably doesn't want to see me, he's avoiding me."

The somewhat familiar voice made Pei Zhuxuan stop questioning Lin Xiuyuan and turn around to look at the newcomer.

And the beautiful figure who had arrived behind her was none other than Park Hyomin.

Park Hyomin was dressed very simply today: a camel-colored long coat left open, a light-colored knit sweater underneath, and beige casual trousers with a pair of sneakers.

Her hair was draped casually over her shoulders, and a faint smile played on her face.

Standing there, one hand tucked into her coat pocket and the other holding her phone, she looked relaxed and at ease.

Standing next to her was another woman, who was currently acting like an invisible person.

After recognizing Park Hyomin, Pei Zhuxuan's first reaction was to stand up from her seat, leaning forward slightly, preparing to greet her according to the etiquette for seniors and juniors.

"Oh, Unnie, long time no see..."

However, before she could finish her sentence, her shoulder was gently pressed down by Park Hyomin.

The pressure was light, but it carried a gentleness that made it impossible to refuse, pressing her back down onto the stool.

"It's fine, no need to be so polite; it's not like it's our first day meeting."

After saying this, Park Hyomin's gaze shifted away from Pei Zhuxuan, crossed over her shoulder, and landed on the man behind her who was curled up, pretending to look at his phone.

"But some people are different; why don't you say hello when you see an acquaintance?"

Lin Xiuyuan, already backed into a corner, knew he couldn't hide anymore, so he had no choice but to take a deep breath, lower his phone from his face, and look up at Park Hyomin.

He squeezed out a smile.

"Hi, Xiaomin, I'm not ignoring you, I was just checking if my phone was fully charged."

As he spoke, he even shook the phone screen toward Park Hyomin.

And after the greeting, Lin Xiuyuan immediately changed the subject, looking at Pei Zhuxuan and asking, "Do you two know each other?"

Before Pei Zhuxuan could answer, Park Hyomin laughed from the side, "We've met at a few events, so we know each other. The circle isn't that big."

She said this very casually, but then her tone shifted, carrying a subtle, needle-like edge, "Just like Liu Zhimin, who you went out with before; it's a similar situation."

Liu Zhimin, who he went out with??

Pei Zhuxuan keenly captured the key words in this sentence, her ears perking up almost instantly as she pieced together a sentence that interested her greatly.

At the same time, her gaze turned toward Lin Xiuyuan, her eyes filled with playfulness and a deep sense of curiosity.

You see, the reason for this dinner tonight was precisely because of the nature of the relationship between Lin Xiuyuan and Liu Zhimin.

Just a moment ago, she had asked Lin Xiuyuan if he and Liu Zhimin were together, and he hadn't answered directly at the time; now, Park Hyomin's casual remark had provided a very clear clue.

At the very least, they were in a relationship where they had gone out together.

"Is that so? Then it seems I really am an outsider; I don't quite understand these situations," Lin Xiuyuan replied casually, attempting to brush the matter aside.

He then changed the subject again, but this time he looked at Park Hyomin and asked, "Why did you two come here?"

"To eat. If you come to a restaurant and don't eat, are you here to catch an affair?"

Park Hyomin's answer was quick and sharp, only this time, her way of speaking seemed to have a lot more sharpness than before.

While speaking, her gaze swept back and forth between Lin Xiuyuan and Pei Zhuxuan.

The implication could not have been more obvious.

And as soon as these words came out, Pei Zhuxuan was directly startled.

Her eyes widened, and she shifted her body to the side, as if to draw a line between herself and Lin Xiuyuan, "Unnie, no, we aren't in that kind of relationship."

Seeing Pei Zhuxuan's reaction, Park Hyomin couldn't help but chuckle, then reached out and patted Pei Zhuxuan's shoulder, "Hahaha, oh, don't be nervous, Irene, I'm just joking, don't be surprised. I'm just teasing Xiuyuan; I know who all his female confidantes are."

When she said this, it sounded like she was helping Lin Xiuyuan out of a tight spot, but in reality, it was a smile hiding a knife, and the blade wasn't hidden very deeply at all; one could see the cold light flashing on the edge with just a little bit of attention.

So Lin Xiuyuan, sitting on the side, listened to Park Hyomin's precise strikes one after another, and the smile on his face began to stiffen.

He hurriedly picked up his wine glass, wanting to take a sip to calm his nerves, but found the glass was already empty, so he had to put it back down.

He turned his head to look at the standing Park Hyomin.

How is this married woman's attack power so strong tonight? He hadn't realized she was so articulate before.

And the other woman who had been standing next to Park Hyomin was watching this little Shura Field with great interest.

Her gaze darted back and forth between Park Hyomin, Lin Xiuyuan, and Pei Zhuxuan, as if she were watching a brilliant multi-cornered drama.

The corners of her mouth held a smile she was trying to suppress but couldn't, and her eyes sparkled with gossip; she was just missing a bucket of popcorn to shove into her mouth.

Noticing this, Lin Xiuyuan groaned inwardly, then his gaze crossed over Park Hyomin to scan the other guests in the restaurant.

Fortunately, the two white foreigners couldn't understand Korean at all and were concentrating on tasting the food in front of them, completely unresponsive to everything happening here.

Although the chef was behind the bar, looking at his expressionless face as he focused on the ingredients in his hands, he probably wasn't the type to spread the content of guests' conversations everywhere.

It was just that not all of the restaurant's reserved guests had arrived tonight; if a few locals or people who knew these two had come, the scene just now would have appeared in quite a few gossip groups.

Lin Xiuyuan could even imagine the content of those group chats, so he hurriedly tried to find a way to calm the situation down.

Just then, a waiter walked out from the direction of the kitchen with a tray, and Lin Xiuyuan seized this opportunity to look at Park Hyomin, "Why don't you sit down and talk? Aren't you tired from standing?"

Park Hyomin had originally wanted to roast him a few more times.

You know, being dodged like a disaster by someone for the past few days had made her so angry that she had a lot of words bottled up inside that she hadn't said yet.

It was rare to run into this guy tonight, and she didn't intend to let him off so easily.

However, after noticing the look of surrender in his eyes, Park Hyomin temporarily suppressed the words she hadn't yet spoken, the corners of her mouth curling slightly to reveal a very charming smile.

"Fine, I'll listen to you, but you're paying for the meal tonight, no problem, right?"

"Buy, buy, I'll pay the bill." Lin Xiuyuan replied repeatedly, his speech fast, as if he were afraid she might change her mind.

Then he turned his head to look at Pei Zhuxuan and added, "Irene, it's the same for you; tonight's meal is on me."

"It was going to be you paying the bill anyway."

Feeling inexplicably moody, Irene let out a soft huff.

Park Hyomin, who had already sat down beside Irene, leaned closer to her after hearing that remark.

She then lightly bumped her shoulder against Irene's, as if conveying some sort of unspoken sisterly understanding, and after letting her gaze drift between the other person and Lin Xiuyuan, she teased with a smile.

"Irene, how did you even meet this guy? Be careful, he's quite the playboy."

"I can tell." Irene answered quickly, her tone carrying a hint of spite, the words slipping out before she could think, "Otherwise, who would invite someone out for Breakfast so early in the morning?"

Only after she finished speaking did she freeze, as if she hadn't expected herself to blurt that out.

Upon hearing this, Park Hyomin's expression clearly showed shock; her eyebrows arched upward, and the corners of her mouth, which had just been curled up, sank back down.

How is the relationship between these two also a bit intimate? Is this guy Lin Xiuyuan a hundred-dollar bill, why does everyone love him?