Chapter 77: That Touch On The Adam’s Apple
Evening.
After dinner, none of them showed any intention of leaving, so Lin Xiuyuan simply took out the small charcoal stove he had bought a while ago, planning to give them a boiling tea by the stove experience.
He took out the small charcoal stove purchased not long ago, then the teapot, tea leaves, fresh milk, and also some chestnuts, sweet potatoes, and honey tangerines.
Finally, he lit the charcoal stove and placed it in the middle of the coffee table, starting the first boiling tea by the stove at the 2025 Small Tavern.
Amid the flickering firelight, everyone’s gazes were drawn over, full of novelty and expectation.
“Tea can be boiled like this? It looks pretty fun. I’ll take a photo.”
The Big Dragon Cub, who always liked sharing her life on social platforms, immediately took interest at the sight. “Xiuyuan, don’t move yet. I’ll take a photo.”
These recent meetings, plus this dinner tonight, had rapidly brought her closer to Lin Xiuyuan.
Now calling his name no longer felt distant.
“The short videos you see on this side are all from overseas. Actually, this has been popular on our side in China for a long time. To be honest, though it’s a bit pretentious, it really does create a nice atmosphere.”
Lin Xiuyuan explained while operating according to the steps in his memory.
First, he heated the teapot, then lightly roasted the tea leaves inside, next added a few rose petals, poured in water to boil it strong, and after the water boiled, added rock sugar, finally pouring in fresh milk.
As the milk tea gradually boiled, a rich tea fragrance spread through the Small Tavern.
Even Im Yoon Ah, who usually avoided milk tea to maintain her figure, couldn’t help but sigh softly, “It smells so good.”
At the same time, the sweet potatoes, chestnuts, and honey tangerines were placed on the charcoal stove to slowly heat up.
By the time the milk tea was ready, those snacks were just right to eat.
Soon, as the milk tea finished boiling and Lin Xiuyuan poured half a cup for each of the three, Im Yoon Ah teased, “Lin Xiuyuan, is this place a tavern or a tea house? It’s way too versatile.”
“Doesn’t matter. This is just a place for friends and members to gather. Want to drink alcohol? Drink alcohol. Want to boil tea? Boil tea. As long as you don’t burn down the house.”
As he spoke, he poured himself a cup too and took a light sip.
Hmm, the taste was quite good.
Although he had tried it a few times before, being able to consistently produce this kind of flavor made Lin Xiuyuan feel pretty impressive.
Beside him, the Big Dragon Cub, who had also taken a sip and found it somewhat shocking, felt even more regretful after hearing his response. “So when are you opening up this membership system to us?”
Lin Xiuyuan gestured around the tavern and smiled. “We didn’t open it, but you still came in. What’s the difference?”
Then Im Yoon Ah pointed out sharply, “It’s different. Soo Jung, as a member, can open the door and let us in even if you’re not here. But if we came by ourselves, no one to open the door means we’d have to stand outside.”
“That’s why we just added each other as friends and exchanged phone numbers. Whenever you want to come over, just call me and I’ll be there anytime.”
Just as Lin Xiuyuan boasted this, Krystal laughed first. “Lin Xiuyuan, you sure about that? Then I’m going to be unhappy. Before, when I tried calling you, the phone never connected. But now for older sister and Ji-yeon, you’re on call anytime?”
The Big Dragon Cub and Im Yoon Ah immediately switched to spectator mode, watching him with smiles full of amusement.
But Lin Xiuyuan had learned a thing or two lately, and handling it wasn’t too hard. “No, that was an accident. Besides, I had to agree first. I couldn’t say in front of you all that I couldn’t be reached, right?”
“Oh, so you’re just brushing us off.” The Big Dragon Cub laughed.
“How is that brushing off? That’s called narration.”
At this moment, Im Yoon Ah suddenly said something in Chinese, “As expected of a college student from China. You’re really good at nitpicking words.”
“Average, average.”
Lin Xiuyuan looked at her in surprise, then burst out laughing.
Seeing the two of them chatting energetically, the Big Dragon Cub glanced down at her thigh, then looked up again and said, “By the way, Xiuyuan, do you still have that album? Last time I saw several photos I had no memory of. I want to take some to post on the platform as a memento.”
“Ah, I do have it, but…”
At this point, Lin Xiuyuan hesitated slightly, somewhat worried that posting them might reveal some flaw to others.
But thinking carefully, there was no flaw to find. The person in the photos was Park Ji-yeon, sure, but outsiders wouldn’t know what photos she took privately.
With that in mind, Lin Xiuyuan had no more concerns. “But I left it at home. Do you need it now? If so, I’ll go back and get it for you.”
“No need. Just take photos later and send them to me.” The Big Dragon Cub smiled and shook her head.
Meanwhile, Im Yoon Ah looked at the two in complete confusion. “What photos? Did you two keep in touch before?”
Seeing the bait take hold, the Big Dragon Cub smiled brightly and happily explained the shock from her first meeting with Lin Xiuyuan, formally introducing to Im Yoon Ah Lin Xiuyuan’s identity as a true love fan who had liked her consistently for over ten years.
Im Yoon Ah listened in stunned silence as she looked at Lin Xiuyuan. “No way, stanning since elementary school?”
Cough cough~
Although it had been many days, Lin Xiuyuan still hadn’t thickened his skin and coughed lightly a few times with some guilt, turning his gaze to Krystal just like that day, hoping she’d bail him out.
And the result was the same as that day—Krystal stood up directly with a laugh. “I’ll go grab some sunflower seeds and snacks. Chatting while snacking will be more fun.”
However, Krystal had miscalculated a bit.
Because when she left for a moment and returned to her seat, she saw two people chatting happily.
“Really? Can I really come over?”
“Just come whenever you want. I’ll let older sister and the others know; it should be fine.”
“But I don’t know how to play golf. I can play a little basketball.”
“No problem, I’ll teach you.”
Krystal, who understood most of it, turned her gaze to Im Yoon Ah beside her, who gave her a meaningful smile. “What? The two of them have plans to go play golf together in a couple days. Didn’t you get that?”
Krystal turned to Lin Xiuyuan. “Golf?”
“Yeah, Ji-yeon said once the weather clears, she’ll take me to gain some experience.” Lin Xiuyuan nodded.
At this, Krystal suddenly got interested again. The last time she felt this way was when this guy met Yoo Jimin.
But now, with Im Yoon Ah and the Big Dragon Cub present, she couldn’t say much and could only chime in a few times.
The boiling tea by the stove continued, the flames reddening their faces, and the chatting atmosphere grew even more relaxed.
Suddenly, the Big Dragon Cub didn’t notice tea leaking from her lips. Lin Xiuyuan, sitting beside her, quickly pulled out a tissue and handed it to her.
Seeing her miss a few times, he instinctively reached out and gently wiped at her throat.
Just like that.
The Big Dragon Cub trembled slightly, instinctively straightening her back, her gaze changing instantly.
The stove burned quietly, tea fragrance wafting, everything seeming to slow by half a beat.
Ten Thousand Daily ends. Thanks to big shot One Person Drunk Alone for the Alliance Leader reward. Ten Thousand Daily +1.
Ten Thousand Daily progress: 3/15.
（PS: Saying it again, godfathers, don’t raise the book now that it’s just gone on shelves, or set auto-subscription. Thanks~）
