Chapter 216: “ji-yeon, Could You Beat Your 2013 Self In A Fight?”
They had agreed to take a bath together, so naturally they did.
But as they were washing, things started to go a bit… off track.
No one knew who made the first move or who let go first, but anyway, a bout of “exercise” unfolded naturally just like that.
The steam hadn’t dissipated yet, and both of them had broken out in a fine layer of sweat, even wetting the clean bathrobes they had just changed into.
So in the end, they had no choice but to take another bath.
The water temperature for the second bath was a bit lower than the first, but the two had just gone through a thrilling “match,” and they were like perfectly matched partners, seamless as one. Even while bathing, there was a silent tacit understanding and lingering intimacy.
By the time they finally got ready and were about to head out, the time had quietly slipped to 1:30 p.m.
The Mercedes-Benz car steadily pulled up downstairs from Suzy’s residential area.
Before the car had even fully stopped, Suzy had already walked out from the elevator hall, checking her watch with her head down while tapping her foot slightly.
She had applied exquisite makeup and was dressed neatly, looking as radiant as ever, but from her furrowed brows, it was clear that the long wait had nearly exhausted her patience.
But the moment the car door opened and she saw Big Dragon Cub in the back seat, the “complaint trio” Suzy had prepared got stuck in her throat.
“Unnie~ what’s… your state like?”
She couldn’t help but widen her eyes, almost thinking she was hallucinating.
The Big Dragon Cub who had just been in the gym with messy hair and a pale face now seemed like a completely different person.
Her skin glowed with a clear, moist luster, her brows and eyes soft with a touch of lazy charm, an inadvertent smile on her lips, her whole aura like she had just emerged from a rose-scented SPA room, radiating an enviable “pampered” glow.
And looking at Xiuyuan, he had changed from a T-shirt to a white shirt, his hair strands slightly curled from being damp, casual yet full of atmosphere, his whole demeanor refreshed and clear, even his gaze betraying his irrepressible good mood.
“You two… didn’t just take a bath, right?”
Suzy narrowed her eyes, looking them up and down, her tone as suggestive as it could get.
“Mm, we really just took a bath.”
Xiuyuan’s expression was natural, his tone dead serious, with a hint of innocent smile on his face.
“Yeah, what else did you think there was?”
Big Dragon Cub chimed in smoothly, lightly stroking her loose long hair while blinking her eyes with a calm and radiant smile.
“Can you two talk without making it so vivid?”
Suzy held her forehead, sighing with a headache, “I haven’t eaten yet, and now I can’t eat.”
“Perfect, we’re out looking for food too.”
Xiuyuan said as he fiddled with the navigation, “Get in the car quick, or we’ll have to eat leftovers at the restaurant if we’re any later.”
Suzy pursed her lips, complaining verbally but quietly got into the back seat.
But as soon as the car door closed, she eagerly leaned to Big Dragon Cub’s ear and whispered, “Unnie, which of the moves I taught you did you use? Acting cute? Playing stubborn? Or being gentle?”
“Used them all.” Big Dragon Cub smiled slightly, her eyes brimming with spring, “And added a bit of upgraded play.”
“Did it work?”
“No.”
Big Dragon Cub blinked, but her lips curved in an undaunted smile.
Looking at that radiant face, Suzy glanced at Xiuyuan driving in front, an impulsive thought rising in her heart to ask how long they had bathed.
But in the end, that sentence reached her throat, and Suzy swallowed it back.
It wasn’t that she didn’t dare to ask; it was just that her relationship with Xiuyuan and Big Dragon Cub wasn’t intimate enough for that yet.
They could chat about everything under the sun, but talking about romance… was still a bit short of the mark.
The car slowly drove out of the residential area, sunlight spilling on the car window, illuminating the relaxed intimacy filling the space between the three.
The three finally settled at a private cuisine restaurant in Cheongdam-dong.
The place was extremely discreet, with a serene environment and soft Japanese minimalist decor—wooden lattice screens paired with warm yellow lighting. Stepping inside made one relax involuntarily.
“This place is great…” Suzy stretched lazily as soon as she sat down, “Quiet, comfortable, and most importantly, no one to sneak photos of me.”
Big Dragon Cub sitting beside her smiled lightly, “Xiuyuan’s small tavern is even more comfortable, with an amazing atmosphere, private space, outsiders can’t even get in the door.”
Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Still talking about it? Don’t curse me out, Ji-yeon~”
“Don’t give me that, I know.” Suzy rolled her eyes at Big Dragon Cub, “You can’t even get into his membership, why tell me this.”
Then she looked at Xiuyuan, “You promised to treat, right.”
“Of course no problem, order anything from the menu.” Xiuyuan smiled and raised his hand to call the server.
Big Dragon Cub sitting across from him leaned lazily against the chair back, her eyes half-closed, but her lips held a smile.
Her current state was very good, so good that Big Dragon Cub herself was a bit surprised.
She had just gone through a physical “battle,” yet she felt no fatigue at all, light as a feather, her mood unusually soft and pleasant.
This was a long-lost sense of relaxation, the kind of true satisfaction that came with emotional response.
Thinking of this, Big Dragon Cub subconsciously looked at Xiuyuan. The young man across from her was looking down at the menu, focused, lips slightly upturned, his faint gentle smile making her smile too.
She regretted agreeing to go out to eat with Suzy; that way she could have lounged at home with Xiuyuan a bit longer.
At this moment, Suzy next to her suddenly propped her chin, staring meaningfully at the two of them.
Her mind was already spinning a little drama: these two… what exactly is their relationship?
Couple? Friends?
Friends with benefits… uh, hard to pin down, probably friends with benefits, not quite lovers yet?
After Suzy’s gaze lingered a bit too long, Xiuyuan looked up at her, and Big Dragon Cub beside him blinked.
Then Xiuyuan said, “What are you looking at?”
“Your little golden hair looks pretty good.” Suzy raised an eyebrow.
“Not good-looking like this.”
“Oh? Then when?” Suzy’s eyes flashed, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry.
But Big Dragon Cub just chimed in suddenly, laughing lightly and breezily, without finishing the rest.
She had originally wanted to say: It’s good-looking when he’s making fried chicken, with kitchen lighting on his golden hair, a bit shiny, a bit curly, plus the abdominal muscles pumped from overexertion, outlining those lines—that’s something else…
But the words reached her lips, and she held them back.
After all, that scene wasn’t suitable to describe outright at the dining table.
Teased halfway, Suzy rolled her eyes hard and decided to give up this “info war.”
She quickly ordered a few dishes to end it. Xiuyuan wasn’t big on Japanese cuisine, so he ordered bibimbap and a few grilled items, then handed the menu to Big Dragon Cub, who ordered some similar dishes.
Soon, the food arrived one after another, steam rising, aromas filling the air.
During the rest of the meal, the three had a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, chatting and laughing, bickering too, like long-lost old friends or travel companions starting a new chapter—tacit yet fresh.
Halfway through the meal, Suzy got a phone call with something urgent and left early.
Before leaving, she leaned to Big Dragon Cub’s ear and whispered, “Unnie, if none of the moves I taught you worked, it’s probably because the other person has had too many delicacies. You better watch him closely, don’t let this young boy get snatched away.”
Then she raised an eyebrow at Xiuyuan, “Add me as a friend, Xiuyuan~”
“Last time…”
Xiuyuan looked at her strangely, because last time they met, he seemed to have added her contact.
But Suzy just smiled with pursed lips, “That was my work account, I rarely hold it.”
Xiuyuan smiled and nodded, “Got it.”
Then the two added personal contacts under Big Dragon Cub’s gaze, and Kakao too while at it.
With Suzy gone, only the two of them remained at the dining table.
Silence settled briefly, then Big Dragon Cub suddenly set down her chopsticks, got up, and sat beside Xiuyuan, her voice soft as she acted cute.
“Xiuyuan~ can’t you really give me membership? I really want to know. Eun-jung unnie got in, didn’t she?”
Xiuyuan smiled, picked up some food with his chopsticks, and asked leisurely, “Do you remember the conditions I mentioned before?”
“Down-and-out but rich, beautiful and sexy, someone who wants to keep shaking up life.”
“So Ji-yeon, how many do you think you meet?”
Hearing this, Big Dragon Cub directly wrapped her arm around Xiuyuan, nestling fully into his embrace, just like a couple in the heat of romance.
Then she mumbled softly, “Down-and-out but rich, that’s me. Beautiful and sexy, me too. Wanting to keep shaking up life—that’s too broad, Xiuyuan~ how do you define it? Like Eun-jung unnie, still grinding endlessly on the actor path?”
“Something like that.” Xiuyuan nodded, tone honest, “Needs someone with boldness toward life.”
Hearing this, Big Dragon Cub immediately went into naming mode, “What about Yoona unnie then.”
“She’s still charging toward Blue Dragon Film Empress, isn’t that enough shaking up?”
Hearing the answer, Big Dragon Cub burst out laughing, “I feel like you’re cursing her.”
Then she switched names, “What about Taeyeon unnie?”
“Taeyeon is shaking up plenty—concert tour, variety show, next single in preparation.”
“What about Soo Jung?”
“Soo Jung’s even simpler. If it were me shelved that long, I’d have given up. But she’s still pushing hard—doesn’t that qualify?”
The next second, Big Dragon Cub looked up at Xiuyuan, “So by your logic, I need to dive back into that circle to have a chance at your membership inner circle?”
“I didn’t say that.” Xiuyuan shook his head with a smile, “I just think you’re great as you are now—comfortable, free, no need to define yourself by that stuff.”
He paused, his voice suddenly lowering, his gaze soft as if dripping water.
“And honestly, there’s nothing good in there, no help for you at all… The only worthwhile thing has already been eaten clean by you, right? Hm?”
As Xiuyuan said this, the air stilled for a moment, and Big Dragon Cub nestled in his arms lowered her head gently, nuzzling his chest, her lips curving into a captivating smile.
“If you really don’t want me to join, then I won’t.”
Xiuyuan blinked, then suddenly said, “Let’s not talk about joining for now—I want to ask you something first.”
“What?”
“Do you think the current you could beat 2013 you in a fight? What’s the win rate?”
As the words fell, a ray of sunlight filtered through the window lattice onto her face, illuminating her small face slowly lifting, woven with surprise and confusion.
In an instant, silence without words.
（PS: One hour later, August 1st at midnight there’s a monthly ticket side story chapter. You can only see it by voting on that chapter—everyone can throw your guaranteed August monthly tickets on it to read）
（PS: One hour later, August 1st at midnight there’s a monthly ticket side story chapter. You can only see it by voting on that chapter—everyone can throw your guaranteed August monthly tickets on it to read）
Ten Thousand Daily done, thanks to godfathers for support and votes.
Monthly tickets over 22k, Ten Thousand Daily +2.
Ten Thousand Daily progress bar: 67/77.
July ends, August approaches. Begging for monthly tickets, begging for guaranteed August monthly tickets later!!!!!!
