Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 323 The Overly Aggressive "Legal Loli" (Please Subscribe and Vote)

Here at the hotel.

Lying in bed, Lin Xiuyuan smiled as he watched the chat window fall completely silent after he sent his "meticulous" message.

I can almost picture the incredible expression on Jeon Boram's adorable doll-like face on the other end of the phone.

Most of the time, they looked frustrated, wanting to curse but unable to find the words.

So without waiting for a reply, he casually switched his phone to silent mode and tossed it aside, turned around, pulled the blanket up a bit, found a comfortable position, and closed his eyes to rest.

The main thing is that he got up really early today.

First, they went to the 25-year-old area to arrange things, picking up and dropping off Kim Tae-yeon, Lee Qri, and others.

Then, after gathering Krystal and the other members together and getting everyone settled, he had to rush off to pick up Goo Hara.

What followed was a "graveyard trip," and then dealing with all sorts of emotional issues and trivial matters that came with it...

It was undeniably tiring; I had spent the whole day mentally and physically exhausted.

So now, as my mind relaxes, a strong feeling of fatigue washes over me like a tide, and as soon as I close my eyes, I almost immediately fall into a deep sleep.

The phone he had set to silent lit up again just a few minutes after he fell asleep, displaying a preview of a new message.

Unfortunately, Lin Xiuyuan had already fallen asleep and, with great foresight, activated the physical mute mode with a single click.

The 13 iPhone still had this physical mute button, but the 25 iPhone removed it, which is a real step backward.

Lin Xiuyuan had complained about this a lot before.

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and by the time Lin Xiuyuan woke up naturally, it was already completely dark outside the window.

The only thing in the room was the Casio digital watch that he had taken off and placed on the bedside table, which emitted a faint glow, indicating that it was around eight o'clock in the evening.

Outside the window, the pattering rain continued without ceasing.

Looking out through the rain-blurred glass, the night sky, interwoven with streetlights and neon signs, spreads a hazy and dreamlike glow, creating a typical urban scene on a rainy night.

However, Lin Xiuyuan did not get up immediately after waking up. Instead, he stayed in the warm bed for a few minutes, letting his confused brain slowly restart.

Then she reached for her phone on the pillow, turned on the screen, and checked her messages.

As the past few hours have passed, several unread messages are now displayed on the phone's lock screen.

Looking at those familiar profile pictures, Lin Xiuyuan first opened Quan Baolan's chat window.

Jeon Boram (two hours ago): [Let's meet up.]

Upon seeing these words, Lin Xiuyuan chuckled silently, a hint of expected amusement in his expression.

However, he did not reply immediately, but instead opened other information windows first.

Ham Eun-jung and Park Ji-yeon both sent him messages with similar content, asking if he was awake and if he wanted to grab something to eat together.

Then came Shirley's message, which showed it was sent half an hour ago.

Sulli: [Oppa, we're awake. Hara unnie is a little hungry, so we'll go out to eat with Eunjung unnie and the others. We won't wait for you. Remember to find something to eat when you wake up, or you can ask us to get you some.]

After quickly browsing through the list and getting a general idea of ​​the situation, Lin Xiuyuan switched back to the chat window with Quan Baolan.

Fingers tapped back and forth on the screen.

Lin Xiuyuan: [Sorry, I was a bit tired earlier and fell asleep. I just woke up. Have you eaten? If not, I'll treat you to something as an apology for my rudeness earlier.]

After sending the message, Lin Xiuyuan didn't have to wait long; the reply came almost instantly.

Jeon Boram: [Not yet, but I'll treat you to this meal.]

Faced with this reply, Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow, very curious whether this "legal loli" wanted to take the initiative or what she was planning to do.
After hesitating for a moment, he replied.

Lin Xiuyuan: [It doesn't matter who invites me, let's meet first and then talk. How about you choose the location? I'm not very familiar with this area.]

Jeon Boram: [Okay, but you'll have to wait a bit while I get ready.]

Lin Xiuyuan: [It's okay, no rush. I'll get up and wash up too.]

With the communication completed, the dinner arrangements were settled.

So Lin Xiuyuan quickly and neatly got out of bed, went into the bathroom, and quickly rinsed himself with warm water to dispel the lingering sleepiness in his brain.

Then, he casually opened a time portal and returned to the villa 25 years later, arriving in front of his own walk-in closet.

Faced with the wardrobe that has now become so full of items, Lin Xiuyuan no longer grabs things randomly as he used to.

Since Krystal, Jessica, Yoona, and others have also started to buy him clothes of various styles, intentionally or unintentionally.

Until one night, he casually wore a mixed-and-matched outfit, and as a result, that person surrounded him and berated him. He couldn't find a word to refute them for the entire dinner that night.

He didn't want to experience that feeling again, so he learned his lesson and took the pre-matched set.

After changing into that casual yet stylish outfit, I quickly tidied my hair in front of the mirror and applied some refreshing hair cream.

After confirming that the image was correct, Lin Xiuyuan passed through the time portal again and returned to his hotel room in Tokyo 13 years ago.

Just then, the phone screen on the bedside table lit up again, displaying a message from Jeon Boram.

Jeon Boram: [I'm about to leave, is everything ready on your end?]

Lin Xiuyuan: [OK, see you at the hotel entrance.]

After replying, Lin Xiuyuan quickly put on his shoes, took one last look at himself in the mirror, and then calmly walked out of the guest room.

A few minutes later, the two met at the entrance of the hotel's brightly lit lobby.

The sound of rain outside was clearer than it could be heard inside the room.

"Where should we eat?" Lin Xiuyuan asked Quan Baolan naturally.

However, at the same time, his gaze subtly swept over the other person's outfit.

There's nothing we can do; Jeon Boram was indeed quite eye-catching tonight.

A pair of beautiful legs encased in slightly sheer black stockings. Although their length wasn't exceptionally long due to her height, they were straight, well-proportioned, and had beautiful lines.

She wore a pair of black ankle boots with a slight heel, which perfectly elongated her leg proportions.

The combination of black stockings and boots exudes a subtle yet alluring charm under the lights of a rainy night.

Following the complementary principle of "the more basic the lower body, the less basic the upper body"... Lin Xiuyuan's gaze naturally moved upwards.

As expected, Jeon Boram's upper body was dressed quite conservatively, even somewhat bulky.

She wore a decent-quality off-white sweater with an irregular hem as a base layer, and then a black woolen short coat over it, completely concealing her impressive bust, which had once caught Lin Xiuyuan's eye and was in stark contrast to her petite figure.

When Lin Xiuyuan scanned the other party, Quan Baolan naturally noticed his gaze, but she did not feel offended. Instead, a small sense of smugness swept over her.

Although she is a homebody, she is ultimately a young woman.

Being looked at with admiring eyes by a handsome young man like Lin Xiuyuan, even if it's just for a moment, is enough to satisfy one's little vanity.

Of course, the validity of this feeling largely depends on the quality of the modeling.

If an unattractive or even somewhat sleazy man had cast the same glance at you, those few looks would likely have immediately escalated into a clear accusation of sexual harassment, along with that unsettling male gaze.

Coming to her senses, Jeon Boram slightly raised her chin, glancing at Lin Xiuyuan with a hint of barely perceptible smugness.

Pointing to an inconspicuous alleyway next to the hotel, he said, "Let's eat around here. I don't want to go too far on a rainy day. There's a pretty good yakitori restaurant in that alley. The food is authentic and the atmosphere is quiet. Is that okay with you?"

Upon hearing the words "yakitori," Lin Xiuyuan almost blurted out, "Isn't that just barbecue?"

But he swallowed the words back and simply nodded in agreement, "Okay, whatever you say. Anyway, these kinds of restaurants usually have staple foods, so we can just grab something to eat."

Then he naturally stepped forward and took the folded transparent umbrella from Jeon Boram's hand.

This surprised Jeon Boram, who looked at him with some astonishment. His sudden gentlemanly behavior caught her off guard.

Lin Xiuyuan had already opened his umbrella with a "snap" and held it over their heads, creating a small space that shielded them from the rain.

Then, turning his head to look at Jeon Boram, who was still standing there with a slightly surprised look in her eyes, he said in a natural tone, "Let's go, what are you doing standing there?"

With Jeon Boram's directions, Lin Xiuyuan and she shared an umbrella and soon arrived at the yakitori restaurant next to the alley entrance.

The shop is small, with warm yellow light shining through the wooden lattice windows, casting a cozy glow on the wet stone pavement.

Just as she stepped into the store and put away her umbrella in the entryway, Jeon Boram, who was standing next to her, looked up and asked Lin Xiuyuan with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Um, Xiuyuan-xi, how tall are you?"

As Lin Xiuyuan bent down to put the folded umbrella into the umbrella holder by the door, he casually replied, "Huh? I'm about 182cm tall. It's been a long time since I've properly measured myself."

Especially after the "cannibalism" incident, Lin Xiuyuan stopped taking these physical examinations.

Anyway, the changes are quite noticeable to the naked eye, and I'm sure he's grown a little taller too.

Upon hearing this number, Jeon Boram, whose height is now fixed at 155cm, pouted unhappily and unconsciously wrinkled her small nose.

Then she looked down at her legs, which were clad in black stockings and were indeed covered in fine water droplets. With a hint of complaint in her voice, she added, "I'll say something."

“When we go back later, I’ll use my own umbrella. The umbrella you’re holding up at this height won’t cover me at all. You’ll be so busy protecting me from the rain that I won’t get any rain at all. I’ll just be drinking the wind and getting soaked.”

This sudden, vivid critique was an angle Lin Xiuyuan hadn't anticipated at all.

She quickly looked down at the sapphire blue stockings and little boots, and sure enough, they were covered with tiny water droplets, making them look wet.

Seeing this, an apologetic look immediately appeared on her face, and her tone became somewhat embarrassed, "Ah, damn it, I'm so sorry, really sorry. I didn't think of that, I was just focused on the road, I'm so sorry. How about we go back now and I'll get you some dry clothes to change into?"

Seeing Lin Xiuyuan's somewhat flustered apology, Quan Baolan chuckled, shook her head, and softened her tone considerably.

"It's nothing, really. It's just a little bit of moisture. It's not as serious as you think. It'll dry in a bit."

As she spoke, she looked up at Lin Xiuyuan again and added with some emotion, "But you really are very tall. Many of my male friends, including many people in the industry, only say that their height is between 170 and 175 cm."

"Aren't boy group idols usually quite tall? I saw in the profiles that many of them are over 180cm." Lin Xiuyuan put down his umbrella and followed Jeon Boram inside, asking with some curiosity.

Hearing this, Jeon Boram glanced at him with an amused look, and then said, "Actually, most of them exaggerate. It's a common practice in the industry. Putting in insoles or reporting your height with shoes on is all for the sake of looking good."

Lin Xiuyuan understood this point, so he nodded to show his understanding.

Afterwards, the two were led to their seats by the waiter, and he continued the conversation from before, "So you really can't take this meal from me, I have to pay, consider it an apology and hush money?"

The last few words were a small joke made by Lin Xiuyuan based on the previous situation.

"We'll talk about it later."

Upon hearing this, Jeon Boram gave a noncommittal response at first, without immediately agreeing.

Led by the waiter, the two arrived at the bar area inside the yakitori restaurant and sat down in a corner against the wall at the very back.

It's relatively quiet here, away from other diners, which is perfect for conversation.

When it comes to ordering food, ladies are naturally given priority.

Jeon Boram carefully examined the menu, while Lin Xiuyuan, without even glancing at it, directly told the waiter, "Please give me a beef steak rice bowl, thank you."

This action made Jeon Boram, who was looking at the menu, look up. "Who comes to a yakitori restaurant and orders a main dish like rice?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan immediately changed his mind, "Then let's have a few more skewers of grilled meat. You order, I'll see what your recommendations are like, I trust your taste."

During the conversation, he naturally handed over the ordering to Jeon Boram.

Despite being perceived as a homebody and introverted, Jeon Boram displayed remarkable composure and decisiveness in moments requiring her to make decisions.

There was no unnecessary back-and-forth with Lin Xiuyuan about "you order" or "you order," and she naturally accepted the right to order from him.

Looking down at the menu, her finger traced over several dishes, and she skillfully named a few skewers that she had eaten before and thought were good to the waiter.

Taking into account Lin Xiuyuan's appetite, they specially ordered a few more meat dishes, and finally closed the menu. Everything was arranged in an orderly manner.

While waiting for the chef to prepare the ingredients, the small space was left with only the two of them in between grilling.

Under the warm yellow light, the faint aroma of charcoal fire wafted through the air.

Sitting on a high stool with her legs dangling in the air, Jeon Boram held a cup of slightly warm barley tea in her hands, her fingertips gently stroking the inside of the cup, as if she hesitated for a moment.

When she looked up, her gaze immediately turned to Lin Xiuyuan sitting next to her with a mixture of curiosity and inquiry.

Then she softly asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for some time, "Xiuyuan-xi, may I ask if I may? Are you and Zhiyan together? Or are you with Eunjung?"

"what???"

Unexpectedly, Jeon Boram asked such a direct question. Lin Xiuyuan's eyes widened slightly, and he uttered a single syllable filled with shock and confusion.

No, he hasn't even made an attack yet, why is this little girl player more anxious than him?

That's a pretty aggressive move!

(End of this chapter)