Peninsula: Starting with a silly childhood friend!

Chapter 126 The Best Way to Experience the First Snow?

"Ugh~ Eating hot pot all by yourself, it looks so pitiful."

Liu Baiyuan looked at the woman in front of him. She was wearing a baseball cap and a mask, which completely covered her face.

However, he recognized her from her figure.

How did she get here...?

I'm hungry.

Seeing that Liu Baiyuan was still in a daze, the woman directly stated her purpose. Upon hearing this, Liu Baiyuan chuckled twice but did not reply to her. Instead, he said to the waiter who came to deliver food to the next table, "Are there any private rooms available? Please open a private room for me."

"Yes! Please wait a moment!"

The waiter picked up the tablet next to him, glanced at it, quickly locked a private room, and led Liu Baiyuan there.

Seeing this, the woman's lips curved slightly under her mask, clearly pleased with Liu Baiyuan's actions.

After the two entered the private room and sat down, the dishes that Liu Baiyuan had ordered were moved into the room in no time.

After the waiter left, Liu Baiyuan turned to the woman sitting in front of him and asked, "Why did Nuna come here?"

When the woman realized Liu Ziyuan had recognized her, she immediately seemed a little bored. She thought she had hidden herself quite well, but since he had recognized her, she took off her hat and then her mask, revealing her beautiful face, and said, "How did you recognize me so quickly?"

He watched as Pei Zhufa gradually shed her disguise until her true face was completely exposed to him.

Even Liu Baiyuan, who had seen this woman more than once, couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat.

This woman's face is truly strikingly beautiful.

"Noona, your aura is so outstanding, it would be strange if I didn't recognize you, okay?"

Soon, Liu Baiyuan, regaining his senses, tactically picked up the spoon beside him, stirred the pot that was not yet fully boiling, and answered her question.

In fact, his statement is not entirely correct.

Bae Joo-fa's striking presence was certainly one factor, but what truly made him recognize her was not that, but rather her height...

With a large head and short body, among all the people Liu Baiyuan knew, only Pei Zhufa fit the description.

The exposed eyebrows and eyes further confirmed his guess; this woman's eyebrows were extremely heroic.

However, speaking of which, Zhang Yuanying, the little girl who just left with him, is indeed considerably taller than Pei Zhufa...

I wonder what kids these days eat to grow up. Is it too late for this older sister to start eating now?

Unaware of what Liu Baiyuan was thinking, Pei Zhufa couldn't help but smile slightly after hearing his words, and said to him, "You have good taste."

Then, Bae Joo-hyun lowered her head slightly, looking at the spicy soup in front of her that looked incredibly hot, and asked Yoo Baek-won, "What is this?"

The peninsula also has a similar hot pot style, but it's called "army stew" and there are slight differences in how it's eaten. Everything is cooked before being served, which is quite different from the freshly cooked hot pot style.

"This is called hot pot, which is a way of eating in China. You can try it, it tastes pretty good."

Liu Baiyuan smiled at Pei Zhufa. Hot pot has not been on the peninsula for long, so it is still a relatively new food. As an idol, Pei Zhufa's long schedule does not really allow her to eat such greasy and heavy food.

So it's not hard to understand why she hasn't seen it.

"It looks so spicy!"

After taking off her coat, Bae Joo-fa glanced at the pot bottom glistening with red oil and felt a little apprehensive.

She can't handle spicy food very well; if it's too spicy, she's afraid she'll get an upset stomach the next day.

"It's alright, Noona, this only looks spicy. But more than this, I'm curious how you knew I was here, Noona."

Red Velvet has been extremely busy lately, and Bae Joo-beom has been chatting with him frequently. He can sense Bae Joo-beom's exhaustion between the lines of their conversation.

It's quite amazing that I could still run into her under such circumstances.

He assumed that Pei Zhufa went straight back to her dormitory to rest after work.

Upon hearing this, Bae Joo-hyun's face instantly flushed red, and she said somewhat shyly, "I came out to browse the convenience store, and I just happened to see a newly opened restaurant here, so I was going to come in and take a look, and that's when I saw you..."

"What?"

Hearing Bae Joo-hyun's words, Liu Baiyuan was initially stunned, but he quickly realized that this older sister was about to "run away" again...

Pfft!

He couldn't help but burst out laughing; this older sister is sometimes so cute that she doesn't seem like an idol at all.

"ah!"

Bae Joo-hyun blushed and shouted at Liu Baiyuan, "How dare this jerk laugh at me!"

Seeing Bae Joo-hyun's face already showing signs of anger, Liu Baiyuan quickly begged for mercy, "Alright, alright, I won't laugh at you anymore. But this hot pot is a bit too oily, can you eat it?"

"It's okay to eat a little less."

Bae Joo-beom looked at the table of ingredients in front of her, her eyes shining.

In her efforts to control her weight, she's been so strict that her mouth has become tasteless.

I was just getting ready to come out and have a good meal today.

Although she appears as the aloof goddess Irene in public, she also enjoys eating delicious food when she's alone.

Otherwise, she wouldn't often cook for herself in the dormitory.

Soon, the once quiet pot began to boil and surge.

Pei Zhufa watched Liu Baiyuan's movements and put one of the raw meats into the pot.

"Is this meant to be cooked?"

"Hmm... to be precise, this should be called hot."

Liu Baiyuan's lips curled slightly, and he said with a half-smile, then turned to Bae Joo-hyun and said, "Noona, besides chicken, do you have any dietary restrictions? If not, I'll make you a dipping sauce. This hot pot tastes even better with the dipping sauce."

"I'll go with you!"

Bae Joo-hyun took a mask and followed Liu Baiyuan like a child.

She had never eaten like this before, so she was very curious about everything.

In no time, she had made a perfect replica of the dipping sauce with Liu Baiyuan and returned to the private room.

Just then, the sliced ​​meat in the pot was cooked.

After a brief trial, Bae Joo-fa quickly accepted this novel way of eating.

He ate with great relish, bite by bite, completely forgetting what he had just said...

As Liu Baiyuan said, it wasn't actually that spicy, it just looked scary. However, it was too spicy for her, who prefers milder flavors, and she couldn't handle it.

However, she did not put down her chopsticks. Instead, she would sip cold water every now and then to relieve the pain in her mouth.

As the dishes on the table disappeared visibly, a hint of helplessness appeared on Liu Baiyuan's face. Although the portions at Haidilao were not very large, eating too much would still make you fat.

Not to mention the hot pot broth is made with lots of oil, salt, and spice...

However, Liu Baiyuan didn't spoil her mood. Seeing her like this, he figured she must have been craving it a lot lately, so he let her have a few more bites.

Just as Liu Baiyuan was thinking this, Bae Joo-hyun suddenly whispered, "Baiyuan, is there... any Coke here?"

"Um?"

Two minutes later, the waiter placed two bottles of Coke on their table. Bae Joo-beom then ordered a glass of ice and poured all the Coke into the ice.

"Ah~"

After taking a sip of iced cola, Bae Joo-hyun couldn't help but let out a "soul-stirring" sound.

She felt she had discovered the right way to eat hot pot, taking a bite of cola and a bite of meat, making Bae Joo-fa feel like she could never go back to the days of eating lettuce leaves.

Hearing this, Liu Baiyuan, sitting opposite her, couldn't help but laugh and ask, "Nuna, is it really that good?"

"Of course, isn't sweet cola delicious enough?"

Bae Joo-fa likes to drink cola, not because of anything special about cola, but mainly because she doesn't like drinking alcohol or bitter drinks like coffee. Cola is cheap and readily available.

Coca-Cola can be found in almost every restaurant and vending machine.

Compared to worrying about whether other drinks taste good or how much they cost, cola is definitely the best choice that is both reliable and delicious.

Most importantly, Bae Joo-beom feels a strange sense of relaxation whenever she drinks cola, and the sugar intake makes her feel happy.

"Of course it tastes good."

Liu Baiyuan smiled, picked up the Coke beside him, and clinked glasses with the woman.

"Ding! Bae Joo-hyun's favorability +1!"

Progress bar: 7%.

Hearing that he had inexplicably gained a little more favorability towards this older sister, a hint of doubt flashed across Liu Baiyuan's face.

Does drinking a Coke increase your favorability rating?

"This older sister is surprisingly easy to take care of."

Liu Baiyuan couldn't help but smile, a sight that also puzzled Bae Joo-hyun.

However, she didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she focused her attention on the boiling hot pot in front of her. The hot pot looked simple, but it tasted surprisingly delicious.

With this bowl of dipping sauce in hand, it's so warm and comforting to eat.

The only downside is the timing; it might have felt even better in winter.

As she thought about this, a scene involuntarily appeared in Bae Joo-fa's mind.

The first snow of winter added a touch of romantic drama charm to Seoul.

The streets were full of pedestrians, men and women in pairs, creating a warm and lively atmosphere.

She and Liu Baiyuan sat facing each other, watching the snowflakes drifting outside the window while enjoying the warmth of the hot pot in front of them.

He picked up a piece of rice for her, and she picked up a piece of green vegetable for him. They smiled at each other and ate the food the other had given them.

Then, witnessed by the first snowfall, they embraced...

As she thought about it, a faint smile gradually appeared on Bae Joo-hyun's lips.

"Ding! Bae Joo-hyun's favorability +1!"

Progress bar: 8 percent.

But... Liu Baiyuan, who had no idea what she was thinking, felt a strange sense of bewilderment.

What strange things is this older sister thinking about now? I've gained a little more favorability towards her.

"Noona...Noona!"

"Hmm...what's wrong?"

Coming to her senses, Pei Zhufa asked Liu Baiyuan in confusion, clearly unaware of the change in her expression just now.

"Noona, what's wrong with you just now? You suddenly stood there, chuckling to yourself, like you were possessed..."

Liu Baiyuan asked in confusion, "Just now, after Bae Joo-hyun finished clinking glasses, she suddenly stopped looking at the boiling pot, and then, as if she were possessed, she curled up her lips and stared at the pot like an idiot."

To be honest, for a moment even he was startled.

I've never heard of anyone getting brain damage from eating hot pot...

In contrast, Bae Joo-hyun's fair cheeks flushed instantly upon hearing Liu Baiyuan's question, and she quickly shook her head, saying, "It's nothing, I just suddenly thought of something happy, so..."

Of course, she wouldn't tell Liu Baiyuan about what she had just been fantasizing about; she still had her pride.

Even if she didn't say it, Liu Baiyuan could tell that Bae Joo-hyun was lying. After all, what happy thing could make someone suddenly look at the bottom of the pot and feel stupid? But even so, he didn't press the issue. After all, everyone has secrets.

He's not someone who's overly curious.

Time passed slowly, and the table of dishes was quickly devoured by Liu Baiyuan and Pei Zhuxuan. Originally, Liu Baiyuan had only ordered enough for one person, but since Pei Zhuxuan had come, he naturally added some more dishes.

Even so, the two still achieved the feat of Operation Disc.

Bae Joo-fa was clearly enjoying herself.

If she used to have no taste in her mouth, she no longer has that problem at all.

Liu Baiyuan had already paid the bill after ordering, so Pei Zhufa couldn't force him to buy the food this time.

As the two stepped out of Haidilao, the heat outside made them momentarily breathless, while the cool air from the air conditioner inside made them forget that it was still summer.

"Noona, let me take you back to your dorm."

Liu Baiyuan said to Pei Zhufa, who was fully armed again beside him, but the latter shook her head. The belated sense of guilt made her want to atone for her sins with this meager beggar's pillow.

"Forget it, I'll just walk back. I can use this time to digest while I'm still recovering. Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep well after eating so much tonight..."

Pfft!

Upon hearing her words, Liu Baiyuan couldn't help but burst out laughing. So she knew he'd eaten too much tonight?

Bae Joo-hyun looked at the sullen man beside her, still gloating, her eyes lifeless as if she were looking at a dying man.

Cough!

Feeling a chill run down his spine, Liu Baiyuan coughed twice and apologized to Pei Zhuxuan.

"I'm sorry, Noona!"

Upon hearing Liu Baiyuan's apology, Bae Joo-hyun's previously expressionless face gradually revealed a slight smile.

He gently shook his head and said, "Kenchana."

As she spoke, Pei Zhufa even stretched out her arms to hug Liu Baiyuan.

Only when the beauty was in his arms, and he felt a warm, delicate body in his embrace, did Liu Baiyuan seem to wake from a dream, and asked Bae Joo-hyun in confusion, "Noona, what are you doing...?"

"Bai Yuan, next time... never laugh at Nuna again~"

"ah!!!"