Chapter 102: “it’s The Old Woman, Not Me!”
“Ji-yeon, you called me.”
???
Park Ji-yeon, who was setting the bowls and chopsticks, turned her head abruptly upon hearing this and looked at Lin Xiuyuan, “Oppa, what are you saying?”
Lin Xiuyuan smiled and slowly flipped his phone screen around so everyone across could see the incoming call display.
On the screen was a recent IG selfie of Big Dragon Cub, with a red phone icon flashing in the center and “Park Ji-yeon” clearly displayed as the note beside it.
But Park Ji-yeon was standing right in front of everyone at that moment, so it was obvious who was actually calling Lin Xiuyuan.
At this point, Crystal looked at Lin Xiuyuan with some curiosity, “Why did Ji-yeon suddenly call you?”
“No idea.” Lin Xiuyuan spread his hands.
Then Lin Xiaolu, who was here for the first time and still a bit unfamiliar, said softly, “Calling at this time, either to grab a meal or something urgent. I lean toward the former.”
As soon as Lin Xiaolu finished speaking, Little Dragon Cub’s voice chimed in from the side, “Old Woman, always tempting oppa~”
???
Clearly hearing this title for the first time, Lin Xiaolu was stunned. She turned her head and glanced at Park Ji-yeon who spoke, her pupils seeming to discover a new continent.
Lin Xiuyuan, who also heard Little Dragon Cub’s response, gave a shallow smile and then answered the call, “Hello~ Ji-yeon.”
“Xiuyuan, what are you doing?”
“At home.”
Big Dragon Cub on the restaurant private room side looked at the older sisters beside her, both annoyed and amused as she pushed away Park Hyomin who had already stuck to her body, and continued, “Then do you want to come out and eat together? I’m here with the older sisters.”
“Eat?”
The voice in his ear made Lin Xiuyuan glance at the people in front of him, “Who all is over there with you?”
On this side: Crystal with arms crossed over her chest, Lin Xiaolu with glowing eyes, Sulli smiling slightly, and Park Ji-yeon gritting her teeth.
“Who? Goo Ri older sister, Hyo Min older sister, and Eun-jung older sister are all here.”
Though she didn’t know why Lin Xiuyuan asked that, Big Dragon Cub still answered his question.
That is, plus her as Big Dragon Cub, the married young woman.
4 VS 4, a tie.
Thinking of this, after meeting the needle-like gazes from Crystal and Park Ji-yeon, Lin Xiuyuan immediately made up his mind.
“Then if I go over, won’t I be disturbing your sisters’ dinner party? Maybe next time, just the two of us can meet up alone, or we can bring Goo Ri along.”
“No, it’s just everyone eating together.”
As soon as Big Dragon Cub finished speaking, Park Hyomin beside her patted her arm.
Then, under Lee Ji-eun and Ham Eun-jung’s gazes, she leaned to her ear and whispered, “She already said it, she wants to meet you alone but was afraid you’d think it’s awkward, so she brought along Goo Ri older sister too. She really likes you, Ji-yeon.”
“Older sister, don’t play matchmaker. Don’t make it so I don’t even dare chat with him.”
After covering the phone and humming at Park Hyomin, Big Dragon Cub let go of her hand and laughed toward the other end of the phone, “Alright then, next time.”
And right after Big Dragon Cub said this, Lee Ji-eun across from her shouted loudly, “Ji-yeon, not next time, tomorrow! I bought a new set of clubs yesterday. Have Xiuyuan come over and play.”
Lee Ji-eun’s proactiveness surprised everyone present and made them look at her. What difference did this have from what Crystal and Yoona had said before?
But Big Dragon Cub still relayed these words to Lin Xiuyuan on the other end of the phone.
After hearing it, Lin Xiuyuan raised his eyebrow slightly but still smiled and said, “Sure, then tomorrow.”
And so, after setting tomorrow’s meetup, Lin Xiuyuan hung up the phone.
Then he smiled while gazing at Park Ji-yeon, who was already almost poking her face into his.
“What? I didn’t go out.”
“Oppa~ That old woman, has she already set her sights on you?”
As she said this, she forgot that the old woman was her member.
And Park Ji-yeon’s question drew everyone’s gazes back to Lin Xiuyuan, making his whole body stiffen as he hurriedly shook his head, “Probably not, likely just looking for a golf playmate.”
“Heh, Xiuyuan, you really think Ji-yeon and the others have no one to play golf with them?”
Crystal’s sudden remark made Lin Xiaolu and Sulli, who had just looked toward Lin Xiuyuan, shift their gazes back to her.
The two were happily watching the drama back and forth, quite comfortably, though Lin Xiaolu was a bit confused.
“Of course that’s impossible, but a ‘true love fan’ like me, introduced through you Crystal, and who also knows Yoona—a young guy like that probably doesn’t exist.”
Lin Xiuyuan, very self-aware, also knew exactly where his advantages lay.
Besides being young, it was mostly the messy relationships built with Crystal and Park Ji-yeon’s help.
One layered on another, more than winter thermal pants.
“How about eating first? Chat while eating?”
Looking at the bowls and plates already set on the dining table, Sulli pulled Crystal to her side.
“Yeah, eat first.”
“Older sister, let’s sit too.”
Then Park Ji-yeon stopped nagging, pulled Lin Xiaolu to sit down together, and officially started today’s lunch.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiaolu, here for the first time, sat awkwardly in her seat, but fortunately had Sulli and Park Ji-yeon’s care.
Although Crystal was the 2025 Little Crystal, as former ‘twin sisters’, their relationship was still quite intimate.
So gradually, under the familiar exchanges among them, Lin Xiaolu relaxed as well.
And to start a topic, Lin Xiaolu even turned her gaze to Lin Xiuyuan across from her, “Xiuyuan, I have a question I’m quite curious about.”
“Can I not be curious and not ask? Feels like it’s not a good question.”
For some reason, Lin Xiuyuan suddenly felt a chill down his spine and hurriedly interrupted Lin Xiaolu.
His reaction directly amused Sulli and Park Ji-yeon beside him.
Even Crystal rolled her eyes at the guy, thinking he had a guilty conscience.
But though Lin Xiaolu was a bit reserved coming here for the first time, it didn’t mean she’d stay reserved, so after hearing Lin Xiuyuan, she immediately shook her head, “No, if I don’t ask, I’ll feel really uncomfortable.”
“Then ask.” Lin Xiuyuan said, taking a bite of food.
“It’s nothing much, just wondering how many people you’ve met here in 2025 these days? You seem pretty familiar with Ji-yeon and the others here, which surprised me.”
Suddenly, right after finishing, Lin Xiaolu felt Little Ji-yeon lightly poke her shoulder, “Older sister, it’s the old woman, not me.”
“Hahaha, got it, I’ll be careful next time.”
And with Lin Xiaolu raising this question, whether Crystal, Sulli, or Park Ji-yeon, all looked at Lin Xiuyuan with great curiosity.
Because they also wanted to know the answer to this question.
“How many people have I met here?”
Lin Xiuyuan, asked directly, rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, and said, “First, Crystal in front of me, you and your sister Jessica.”
Crystal, who was eating, smiled upon being mentioned and replied, “Our first meeting really left a deep impression on me, Xiuyuan.”
No kidding, starting off with a decade-plus IOU—how could it not?
Lin Xiuyuan gave an awkward smile and continued, “Then aespa’s Yoo Jimin.”
“Yoo Jimin?”
Hearing the name, Lin Xiaolu asked curiously, “Who’s that?”
Then Sulli explained beside her, “Older sister, this is the girl group the company launched later. In terms of results, it’s one of the top-tier girl groups in 2025 right now.”
“Wow, if so, I’d really like to see what a new-era girl group is like.”
Because back in 2013, Lin Xiaolu knew the company had a new girl group preparing to debut.
Those girls had already visited the company’s various senior groups, and their progress had reached rehearsing dances and recording songs—anyone not blind at SM Entertainment knew that.
After finishing with Yoo Jimin, Park Ji-yeon curiously pressed, “Oppa~ Besides that, any more?”
“Then Tara, of course—Ji-yeon you, Goo Ri, Eun-jung, and Park Hyomin.”
Lin Xiuyuan said casually, then got poked by Park Ji-yeon, “Oppa, it’s the old woman, not me.”
“Hahaha, Ji-yeon…”
And in her impression, it was clearly a six-member group, but he only mentioned four, so Lin Xiaolu got curious again.
“Huh, what about the other two? You don’t know them?”
“The other two, well, it’s complicated to explain. After you finish eating, go upstairs with Sulli and check the news yourself. I’m too lazy to explain.”
Realizing he had to answer long segments after every two bites, Lin Xiuyuan quickly tossed these basic questions to the computer upstairs, letting Lin Xiaolu check the info herself later—it’d be more perfect than his explanation.
Sulli beside him smiled and nodded.
“Alright.”
Lin Xiaolu nodded lightly while poking her rice, “So adding me here and Taeyeon older sister, that’s everyone you’ve met here?”
“Yeah, roughly these few.”
Lin Xiuyuan had to answer this one, sighing lightly, “Actually, I haven’t met many people here because my social circle is small. Only after meeting Goo Ri did I occasionally go to the golf course for some exercise.”
Then he thought of something else, “Otherwise, my daily activity range is basically villa to tavern. Counting 2013, that’s apartment, tavern, villa, tavern—four points in a line.”
As Lin Xiuyuan finished, Crystal, who hadn’t spoken much, laughed, “Hearing you say it like that, you suddenly seem a bit pitiful.”
“It’s fine, I don’t like fussing around. I prefer staying home playing games, so I don’t find it pitiful.”
Lin Xiuyuan shrugged, “In terms of material desires, I’ve always been pretty low.”
Otherwise, he couldn’t have worked in Seoul for a year and still lived in a youth hostel.
Money was one thing, a free-spirited lifestyle attitude was another.
After hearing this, Crystal glanced at him with her eyes, her gaze flickering complexly, then continued eating with her head down.
The rest of the lunch was quite enjoyable for everyone.
After lunch, Sulli took Yoona straight to the computer room to play, while Crystal had to go back because the film crew was missing a few shots that needed reshoots.
Though it was a rest day, such sudden situations still had to be handled no matter what.
So in the blink of an eye, the lively living room upfront suddenly left just two people on the sofa staring at each other. “So now what are we two gonna do, oppa~”
With it suddenly emptying out, Park Ji-yeon didn’t know what to do.
“Watch TV?” Lin Xiuyuan pointed at the screen in front.
“Don’t wanna.”
Park Ji-yeon pouted, then suddenly brightened up as something occurred to her, “Right, oppa~ Didn’t you mention in the group before about some investment and entrepreneurship project worth sharing with me? You can tell me now.”
“Project? Sure, I’ll tell you about it.”
Newbie first wishes everyone a happy Dragon Boat Festival and family happiness!!
Then today because I’m out eating with family, so still outside now, update will be late, please forgive me everyone.
But today definitely won’t be less than ten thousand words, even if late I’ll make it up, so no need to worry everyone.
Above, one more thing, there’ll be another update later, promised daily ten thousand, won’t be short.
