Chapter 215: Big Dragon Cub Demands A Spot: The Throwing A Tantrum Edition
Creak~
With a step on the brake, Lin Xiuyuan’s car steadily stopped in front of a building.
He scanned the surrounding environment through the car window and finally parked the car in front of a store on the roadside that hadn’t opened yet.
After getting out and closing the car door, he followed the instructions Big Dragon Cub had given him over the phone earlier, ascending the nearby stairs step by step, going around to the back of the building, and arriving at the gym’s entrance.
The security guard at the doorway tensed up upon seeing him approach, saying in an unfriendly tone, “Sir, this place is members only.”
Lin Xiuyuan calmly explained that he was there to find Park Ji-yeon, saying she was working out inside.
But the security guard remained skeptical until he pulled out his mobile phone, called Big Dragon Cub, and she confirmed his identity over the phone.
Only then did the security guard reluctantly nod and let him in.
As soon as he stepped into the gym, Lin Xiuyuan was drawn to the equipment area right in front of him.
It was neat and spacious, with large mirrors embedded in the walls all around, reflecting the outlines of various training equipment.
Meanwhile, Big Dragon Cub, who had just been on the phone with him, was standing by a rack, seriously guiding someone on using the leg press machine.
Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan quickly walked over, came up behind her, and called out, “Hey, Ji-yeon, what are you doing.”
Big Dragon Cub turned around at the sound of his voice, her eyes curving into a smile as she showed a relaxed grin, “Xiuyuan~ you’re here.”
She then glared at him a bit complainily, “You’ve vanished for so many days without a word, I almost thought you’d run off abroad.”
Lin Xiuyuan was about to explain when his peripheral vision suddenly caught the figure sitting on the leg press machine, causing him to pause and freeze slightly.
Because he recognized that person—it was Bae Suzy, whom he’d seen at the small tavern’s opening.
She was wearing a set of dark tight sports clothes, with clear and distinct features, looking radiant under the gym’s lighting.
Having just finished a set of training, she noticed his gaze and turned her head, looking at him along with Big Dragon Cub.
A flash of surprise and delight crossed her eyes, followed by a smile, “Long time no see, Xiuyuan, didn’t expect to run into you here.”
“It’s really been a long time.”
Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan smiled too, his gaze naturally sweeping over Bae Suzy—though she had a larger frame, her curves were distinct, and her aura was clean and sharp.
But he didn’t linger on her, turning to Big Dragon Cub with a smile, “How did you two end up together?”
Big Dragon Cub brushed back her side hair, draping a towel over her shoulder while casually saying.
“It’s not exactly a coincidence, pretty normal. Mainly, this gym in Gangnam District is quite famous, lots of artists get memberships here. They have branches in Dragon Mountain and Cheongdam-dong too, members are basically all industry insiders, and I hear the boss is a big senior who retired from the scene.”
Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing.
“Yeah, that makes sense. I glanced when I came in—this place’s membership fees are more than double a regular gym. Charging one like you is worth more than ten ordinary people.”
As soon as he said that, Big Dragon Cub suddenly leaned close, naturally linking her arm with his, blinking with a laugh, “Then take me into your small tavern membership, I’ll give you fifty million a month.”
“It’s not about the money, this is really tricky…”
Faced with Big Dragon Cub’s familiar “flirty acting cute,” Lin Xiuyuan gave a wry smile but didn’t pull back the arm she was holding tightly.
Their intimate action made Bae Suzy’s eyes light up again, her gaze toward Lin Xiuyuan and Big Dragon Cub changing.
Actually, she’d been a bit surprised the moment she turned and saw Lin Xiuyuan.
That golden short hair, clean and sharp outfit, plus that increasingly confident and bold aura.
Standing in the sunlit gym, he exuded a strong youthful vibe—compared to the awkward shyness when they met at the tavern before, now he had more steadiness and calm.
Bae Suzy slightly raised the corners of her mouth, pretending to be displeased with a laugh, “Hey, hey, can you two tone it down? This is a gym, not a bedroom.”
“Ah… no, Suzy, don’t say that.”
Big Dragon Cub laughed as she explained, reluctantly releasing Lin Xiuyuan’s arm, then walked behind Bae Suzy and lightly patted her.
Lin Xiuyuan took the chance to ask, “So you were just teaching her leg exercises?”
“Yeah.” Big Dragon Cub nodded, then looked at Bae Suzy, “She’s started systematic training recently, seems to be preparing for a new script with some action scenes, right?”
Bae Suzy didn’t deny it, nodding lightly, “Not fully confirmed yet, but good to start training, just treat it as fitness.”
As she spoke, she turned to Lin Xiuyuan with a bright smile, “Xiuyuan, wanna train too? We can do it together.”
Lin Xiuyuan pointed at himself, “Me?”
He immediately smiled and stepped back half a pace, “I’ll pass, you two train, I’ll watch from the side. Once you’re done, I’ll treat you to lunch.”
Seeing Lin Xiuyuan unwilling to join, Bae Suzy wasn’t letting him off easily, looking at him half-seriously half-jokingly, persuading.
“Really not considering a workout? If a guy builds abs and a great physique, it’s easier to attract girls’ attention and affection, you know?”
But that only made Big Dragon Cub react strongly upon hearing it could attract more girls’ affection.
She quickly pressed Bae Suzy’s shoulders, saying seriously, “Forget it, Xiuyuan’s already attractive enough without training. You haven’t seen his physique—it’s explosive.”
Huh???
Bae Suzy didn’t get it at first, then realized and widened her eyes, looking at Big Dragon Cub, “Unnie, you’ve seen it?”
Caught off guard, Big Dragon Cub froze, not daring to reveal their intimacy level, and fumbled, “Don’t overthink, it was just when we were playing together, everyone saw.”
Everyone???
Bae Suzy was stunned again—not that she’d just finished recording a variety show and come back, but why did the social relations around her feel totally different.
Just as Bae Suzy wanted to dig deeper, Big Dragon Cub turned her head back, “Alright, ignore Xiuyuan for now, focus on training. If you want lower body strength and to lift your glute lines, this machine is great with more practice.”
“Won’t it make my legs thicker…”
Lin Xiuyuan, sitting nearby scrolling his phone, timely looked up with a smile, chiming in.
“You’re nagging.”
Big Dragon Cub chuckled, “Strength training needs stretching too. Do this in the morning, then yoga or Pilates at home in the afternoon—together, no leg thickening, just tighter.”
As she spoke, she demonstrated the general rhythm, and casually gave Lin Xiuyuan a look.
He’d clearly experienced it himself, yet here he was scaring others with nonsense.
Bae Suzy, exerting on the leg press, gritted her teeth while listening to their banter, couldn’t help turning to glare at Lin Xiuyuan, then lowered her head to push harder.
Lin Xiuyuan happily returned her glare with a tsk, “No wonder you artists have such great physiques. From what you said, Ji-yeon, it takes a whole day—ordinary people don’t have that time and energy.”
“Then pick small exercise types. Might not be as fast, but consistent, same effect.”
Big Dragon Cub side-eyed Lin Xiuyuan annoyedly again, “Alright, play with your phone quietly, don’t disturb Suzy’s workout.”
Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan just smiled and really sat on a nearby machine, leisurely scrolling his phone.
It was right after the water gun music festival hype, social platforms full of related videos.
Every swipe showed hot dance clips of female idols, from Kwon Eunbi to Yoo Jimin, Shin Yuna—one after another, stunningly beautiful, making Lin Xiuyuan’s eyes jump.
As he kept swiping those “eye-pleasing” stages, Bae Suzy, training hard ahead, finally laughed out, turning to tease Big Dragon Cub.
“Ji-yeon, is that guy right in front of us, openly scrolling these videos?”
Big Dragon Cub glanced at Lin Xiuyuan grinning blissfully, curving her eyes too, “Yeah, having a blast, looks super happy, hahaha.”
“Tsk tsk, gutsy.”
Bae Suzy sighed helplessly, took a deep breath, endured her aching thighs to finish the last set, then held the rack gasping.
Just then, a water bottle was handed over from the side. Turning, it was Lin Xiuyuan.
Taking the water bottle with a smile, Bae Suzy asked with a hint of reproach, “Thought you were mesmerized. Doing this next to us is a bit disrespectful.”
Lin Xiuyuan shook his head laughing, “No way, fun’s fun, I know business.”
But if Lin Xiuyuan hadn’t said what came next after that, Bae Suzy might’ve believed him.
Unfortunately, he immediately handed his phone screen to Big Dragon Cub beside him, “Ji-yeon, do you know this one?”
“Which?”
Big Dragon Cub, who was sneaking laughs, leaned over to see the screen, shook her head, “Don’t know, but feels familiar, maybe a new girl group member.”
“Who?”
Bae Suzy, who’d just drunk water, leaned in too, took the phone for a look, and burst out laughing.
“Oh, I know her, the recognized visual in a new girl group, called Tian Ji-zhen. Born in 2000, netizens dubbed her ‘next-gen goddess face.’ What’s up, Xiuyuan, you like this type?”
Lin Xiuyuan, hearing this, typed the name in search, then casually said, “Whoa, 2000 baby? Older than me.”
Completely ignoring Bae Suzy and Big Dragon Cub’s faces turning subtly odd.
Especially Bae Suzy—she’d started training recently, besides prepping for a new script.
More importantly, her body was “warning”: protein loss, figure lines loosening.
So she had to maintain and tighten with training, no more eating and sleeping freely like before.
Big Dragon Cub beside her felt a bit stifled hearing it, but better than before.
Mainly, after getting many youth shots from Lin Xiuyuan, her state was gradually rejuvenating, and she noticed, maybe from too many shots or better potion effects.
Effects that used to last days now held for half a month, so though anxious these days, she hadn’t gone crazy searching.
But if no sight of Lin Xiuyuan in a few more days, Big Dragon Cub might really report him missing or post a wanted ad.
Thinking this, Big Dragon Cub suddenly asked, “Right, Xiuyuan, where’ve you been lately? Calls ignored, messages unread—if Eun-jung unnie and Yoona unnie hadn’t said you were busy, I’d think you vanished.”
“Just helping a member with something.” Lin Xiuyuan had his story ready, tone calm.
“A member~”
Big Dragon Cub drawled, then leaned right up to Lin Xiuyuan’s face, puffing cheeks, tone dissatisfied.
“Then tell me, how to get into your tavern’s member circle? I didn’t care before, but after Eun-jung unnie joined, I realized you’ve got this little secret group.”
She paused, then continued.
“Before, unnie answered straight, now on your stuff, she clams up. And this time, I couldn’t find you anywhere, but they instantly knew where you were. Isn’t that favoritism!”
Facing Big Dragon Cub’s pressing questions, Lin Xiuyuan plopped back down, looking up at her rejuvenated face glowing like 18 again, lips hooking into a smile.
“Hard to say, you called it secret. If you join someday, you wouldn’t want members spilling outside, right.”
Just as Big Dragon Cub wanted to press more, Lin Xiuyuan’s phone rang. Seeing the caller, he signaled to her and Bae Suzy, walked aside to answer.
“Hey~ Yoona…”
While Lin Xiuyuan chatted with Im Yoon Ah, behind, Bae Suzy tugged Big Dragon Cub’s clothes, whispering, “What’s going on? Feels like there’s a story between you two?”
Big Dragon Cub brushed it off lightly, “Nah, I just wanna join that member circle, competitive spirit.”
As industry veterans, she wouldn’t spill the truth easily.
Besides, the other was the famous “face control romance brain” actress—slight slip, and Lin Xiuyuan might be hers completely.
Bae Suzy sensed her dodging, got interested, smiled faintly, “Unnie, let me teach you.”
“Dealing with men is just three steps: act cute, play stubborn, or be gentle.”
“Step by step is normal, 1+1 is hard mode, all three in rotation—haven’t met a man I couldn’t handle yet.”
Finally, she blinked, “So if you really want Xiuyuan to give in, try my way. Really, personally tested, 100% effective.”
Big Dragon Cub, treating it as a joke at first, got serious at “personally tested 100% effective,” gazing deeply at her.
Bae Suzy stayed composed smiling, leaning over her shoulder casually, like offhand or hinting.
“But… isn’t Xiuyuan your fan? With that status buff, you should have the edge, unnie.”
“Suzy, you don’t get it.”
Big Dragon Cub smiled lightly, tone more settled and insightful.
If it were just “fan” and “idol,” it’d be too simple.
But she knew clearly, at this point, identity didn’t decide—it was need.
Whoever needed more, the other’s status would feel more secure.
And with her state restored, back to youth…
No idol filter, wealth, or status mattered more than Lin Xiuyuan’s call, greeting, or even location share.
She wasn’t the lofty idol anymore, and Lin Xiuyuan wasn’t just a “fanboy.”
Beside, hearing Big Dragon Cub say she didn’t get it, Bae Suzy narrowed her eyes, more curious about Lin Xiuyuan’s back.
Though Big Dragon Cub was divorced, her figure, looks, influence still made her a “Venus-level goddess” to many.
Yet such a goddess, in the month or so she didn’t know, fully role-reversed, letting that young person take control.
What exactly happened?
She couldn’t figure it, so even more curious.
Meanwhile.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiuyuan on the phone with Im Yoon Ah, hearing her plan to return home later, glanced back at the chatty Big Dragon Cub and Bae Suzy, then said.
“Not sure when I’ll be free, might need you to wait.”
Im Yoon Ah on the line immediately whined coquettishly.
“Xiuyuan, you won’t turn into a promise-breaking scumbag, right? Last night you said you’d come, but I woke up—quilt off, panties on properly, you clearly didn’t come, liar~”
Im Yoon Ah’s words carried laughter, yet teasing, making Lin Xiuyuan chuckle apologetically, “Got a bit drunk last night…”
“I know, not really mad,” Im Yoon Ah laughed lightly, “But come tonight, got something to discuss with Little Deer, settled it last night.”
Im Yoon Ah on the phone wasn’t resenting Lin Xiuyuan, just teasing, then thinking he hadn’t socialized much lately, added.
“Late’s fine, just wake me when you come—even if I’m asleep.”
“Whoa~ that serious? What’d you two talk about last night.”
Curious, Lin Xiuyuan asked.
“Not for phone, tell you tonight.”
“Okay.”
Hanging up, Lin Xiuyuan turned to the two behind, light laugh, “Any more sets left?”
“Nah, training done for today.”
Big Dragon Cub shook her head, subconsciously glancing at Lin Xiuyuan’s phone, lips pursing—maybe still mulling Bae Suzy’s words.
“Then let’s go eat, time’s getting on.”
He’d just checked, nearly 12, lunchtime.
Bae Suzy didn’t refuse the meal invite, just said, “Gotta go back to shower.”
Big Dragon Cub nodded too, “Me too.”
As actresses, they wouldn’t shower at the gym—who knows if paparazzi lurked.
So neither bothered driving separately, rode Lin Xiuyuan’s Mercedes-Benz car together, Bae Suzy directing to her apartment first.
Lin Xiuyuan was tactful, no extra questions on the way, at the residential area parking lot set pickup time, let her off first.
Remaining Big Dragon Cub was simple—back at her apartment, she went straight up with him.
And the remaining Big Dragon Cub smoothly followed him back to his place.
Just inside the door, she pounced, giving Lin Xiuyuan a surprise hug attack.
Arms around his neck, tone helpless yet coquettish, “Come on, Xiuyuan, please, just give me a small tavern membership spot. Otherwise, if you vanish next time and I can’t find you, I’ll be heartbroken.”
She pouted again, continuing aggrieved complaints.
“And Eun-jung unnie teases me daily with her membership. I get speechless every time, so annoying.”
Finished, she nestled in his arms refusing to let go, slowly bringing her face close, chin slightly up, eyes hinting sly seduction, “Xiuyuan~”
Calling his name, she deliberately lowered her voice soft and sultry, full of acting cute, “oppa~”
This “oppa” was meltily soft, honeyed, hook-laden.
Lin Xiuyuan said nothing, just gazed at her quietly, lips curving in indulgent smile, eyes helpless yet happy.
Seeing this, Big Dragon Cub switched tactics, lightly frowning pretend-displeased, sighing, then huffing threateningly coquettishly.
“I don’t care, I want it, if not, I’ll be stubborn. Stick to you nonstop—not leaving for sleep, shower, toilet either.”
“That’s… pretty stubborn, Ji-yeon.”
Lin Xiuyuan laughed at her look, tone light, “But this needs discussion, let me talk to members first, okay?”
“Don’t deceive me,” Big Dragon Cub called him out, “Eun-jung unnie said small tavern members are your call, total one-man rule.”
Looking at this acting cute, stubborn, mouthy Big Dragon Cub, Lin Xiuyuan’s smile deepened.
Usually free and easy dominant to outsiders, now defenselessly cute before him, like a girl clinging to her lover, soft and sweet.
He stopped talking, arms tightening, scooping her up securely.
“Ya!”
Big Dragon Cub yelped softly, legs instinctively clamping his waist, arms tight around his neck.
“What are you doing!”
She laughed panicked lowly, with shy, powerless sweet resistance.
Lin Xiuyuan looked down at her, smile mischievous, “Didn’t we agree… your words—follow for sleep, shower, toilet. I’m showering now, join?”
Holding her, he walked step by step to the living room, through the corridor toward the bedroom.
Big Dragon Cub wanted to shake head and struggle, but opening her mouth, his low voice whispered close to her ear, “Really don’t want? I wanna shower too.”
Voice not overly intimate, but low magnetic, warm breath by her ear.
Plus his walking sway and embrace warmth, made Big Dragon Cub’s heart pound wildly.
She looked up at him, lips twitching, finally no more struggle, nestled in his arms resignedly, mumbling lowly.
“Then hurry, gotta pick up Suzy later.”
“No guarantee on that.”
Lin Xiuyuan chuckled lazily, casual as discussing dinner.
But held in his arms, Big Dragon Cub knew she was done for.
Membership spots, small tavern—all tossed from her mind.
She hadn’t even pondered “I wanna shower too”‘s depth, just knew she was held tight, didn’t want down.
So when Lin Xiuyuan kicked the bedroom door open gently, lights on, their shadows overlapping on the wall, Big Dragon Cub whispered in his ear.
“Xiuyuan, actually… even without a spot, I wouldn’t be mad.”
“Hm?”
“Because you matter more than membership.”
Lin Xiuyuan paused slightly, smile shifting from teasing to touched tender warmth.
He looked down at her, gaze gentle enough to melt everything.
Right now, no techniques or routines needed.
This sincerity beat any techniques.
Meanwhile.
Showering Bae Suzy recalled the Lin Xiuyuan she’d seen, very curious what identity let Im Yoon Ah, Park Ji-yeon and others be so close.
They’d seen chaebol heirs too, never saw those two cozy up like that.
What was going on??
More later~
