Chapter 220: About Him, She Had Nothing She Wanted to Ask |
After finishing the foot bath, the sky was getting dark, with stars dotting the horizon.
Streetlights flickered on as the group strolled along the streets, their shadows swaying by their feet.
"Ahem, how about we stay at a hotel tonight?"
Lin Zhu stared straight ahead, not looking at anyone.
Ever since they left the hot spring foot bath, Miss Su had been staring at her—heavens as my witness, I didn't do anything wrong!
"Sounds good."
Lin Yilin nodded.
It would be way too late to go home at this hour.
"Then I'll share a room with Jiang-classmate."
"No way!"
"Hehe, even if I went to another room, he'd still come to mine on his own."
"Then Senior Su can share with me! A double bed!"
"Well, that might actually make him even happier."
"What nonsense are you spouting, Senior Su!?"
"Hehe..."
The lively, playful banter of the girls echoed around Jiang Linyuan's ears.
If the future was like this, that would be enough.
"I want to stay in a hotel! I get my own room!"
Lin Lan hopped around joyfully; at her age, staying at a hotel was super exciting!
No one to boss her around! She could roll around and make a mess in the room all by herself!
"Kid, you're sharing with me. I've already talked to your uncle and aunt."
Lin Zhu put away her phone and looked at her.
"No way, I want to share with Sister Zhang!"
Lin Lan vetoed it immediately.
Sister Zhang was easy to push around—way easier to handle than Sister Bamboo!
At night, she could even secretly get her to order takeout for me.
Lin Zhu didn't bother arguing further. The kid was calmer when sleeping alone anyway.
They booked their hotel rooms on their phones. Passing by a restaurant, Lin Lan started fussing that she was hungry and wanted to eat.
They ordered a grilled fish, a plate of crabs, and some mapo tofu...
"Want some drinks?"
While waiting for the food, Lin Zhu suddenly asked.
Su Muzhi shot her a glance.
"Haha, I just feel like drinking, that's all."
Lin Zhu looked away.
"I'll drink!"
Lin Yilin stared at Su Muzhi, her cheeks puffed up with determination.
"Yeah! Me too!"
Lin Lan chimed in with a united front.
She had never had alcohol before.
"Get out of here with that! Drink some soda!"
Lin Zhu snapped.
"That's not fair! Linlin-jie and I have never drunk before—why can she do it and I can't?"
"I'm going to tell your parents you want to drink right now."
"Tch... then can I have bubble tea?"
Lin Zhu rolled her eyes, ordered bubble tea on her phone, and had it delivered.
"Little Sister Zhang, want some bubble tea?"
"...I'll just have water."
Zhang Juntang lowered her head. They said drinking would make you lose control.
If she drank, then... that... ugh...
Thinking about it, she buried her head even deeper.
"Hehe, I'll have some too."
Su Muzhi smiled faintly.
Jiang Linyuan sighed. The lower your alcohol tolerance, the more you loved to drink.
Lin Zhu set a few cans of alcoholic beverages on the table—very low alcohol content.
This drinking session wasn't about getting drunk; it was just to give Linlin a little courage.
Ah, what a shame. Little Sister Zhang had to look after Lin Lan tonight, otherwise I'd definitely get her wasted.
Lin Yilin stared at the alcoholic drink in front of her, her expression deadly serious.
The restaurant's light traced a soft halo around the outline of her body.
Her glossy black ponytail swayed gently, as if she were facing a great enemy.
"Hehe, Xiao Yilin, this is just an alcoholic beverage—even kids can drink it."
Su Muzhi smiled lightly, grabbed a can, and chugged it.
"I... I know! I've just never had it before!"
Lin Yilin mimicked Su Muzhi, picking up a can and gulping it down.
Sweet and tasty. Good.
Taking advantage of her drinking, Su Muzhi secretly pushed her own can over to Jiang Linyuan.
She couldn't really stomach this stuff.
Jiang Linyuan gave her a helpless look. Xiao Su always loved to act tough.
"Xiao Yilin, you don't have to finish it if it's not good."
He said, looking at Lin Yilin.
"It's not that big a deal."
Lin Yilin pouted. It wasn't as scary as she had imagined.
"Tell me if you start feeling dizzy. Don't push yourself."
Last time, Xiao Su drank too—nothing at first, but then she got all foggy-headed after a bit.
"There's no problem! It's just a drink!"
Lin Yilin took another sip.
After a while, the grilled fish arrived.
Lin Lan sipped her bubble tea and nodded in satisfaction:
"This bubble tea is awesome!"
"How awesome can it be? You'll be sick of it someday."
Lin Zhu asked casually.
Lin Lan thought for a moment, but her limited vocabulary left her mind blank. She struggled for a long time, then a flash of inspiration hit, and she shouted:
"So awesome I can't bear to pee!"
"Pfft... cough, cough, cough!"
Lin Zhu nearly spat out the drink she had just swallowed.
This kid! We're eating!
Did her brain get caught between being kicked by a donkey and slammed in a steel door, and then choose to get donkey-steel-doored!?
"Don't say stuff like that during meals!"
Lin Yilin patted Lin Lan on the head.
Lin Lan shut up, feeling grumpy. It really was just that good.
The aroma of grilled fish wafted through the air, sizzling on the grill.
The slightly golden fish skin wrinkled into a beautiful pattern, seasonings evenly sprinkled on top—red and brown—with oil occasionally dripping into the grill, making the flames leap and the sizzling sound grow louder.
Lin Yilin picked up a piece of fish and popped it into her mouth, her face filled with satisfaction:
"Delicious. Senior, you eat too!"
As she spoke, she picked up another piece and placed it in Jiang Linyuan's bowl, without using the serving chopsticks.
"Linlin-jie! I want some too! Me too!"
Lin Lan stared at it, drooling, and yelled.
"Here, this piece is for you..."
Lin Yilin put it on her plate, her face flushed red with a kind of dazed look.
"Not getting drunk, are you?"
Su Muzhi whispered with a smile in Jiang Linyuan's ear.
"Probably not drunk, just a little dizzy, maybe?"
After all, it was just an alcoholic beverage.
"Senior Su, no whispering."
Lin Yilin watched Su Muzhi leaning close to Jiang Linyuan's ear, puffing out her cheeks slightly.
"Hehe, are you jealous?"
"Yes, I am."
This answer made everyone at the table freeze for a moment.
But Lin Yilin acted as if she hadn't noticed anything, chugging her alcoholic drink and quickly grabbing a few more pieces of fish to shove into her mouth.
Like she hadn't eaten in ages, or like the fish was her mortal enemy.
"Yes, I'm jealous. I just want the person by Senior's side to be me."
Lin Yilin's flushed face was smeared with chili oil, making her look hilariously adorable, like a little piglet fighting for food.
"I don't hate you, Senior Su. I just hate that you're standing next to him."
The room fell silent for a moment, with only the crackling from the grill filling the air.
"Haha, Linlin's drunk."
Lin Zhu quickly tried to save the situation. Why be so blunt?
"I'm not drunk."
Lin Yilin turned to Jiang Linyuan and asked:
"Senior, you told me before—if I ignored you, what would you do? Do you still remember that?"
"I do."
Jiang Linyuan said:
"If Xiao Yilin ever ignores me, I'll revolve around her every day, make her happy, until she's willing to talk to me again."
Lin Yilin sniffled and added:
"You also said... as long as I don't chase you away, you won't leave. Is that true?"
"It's all true."
Lin Yilin thought back to when she had said that, and her next words were:
"Then Senior, make sure you remember."
Back then, there was no response. Now, there was.
Senior had indeed remembered it very clearly.
"I've always remembered."
He said it like that.
Their eyes met. Lin Yilin had so many more things she wanted to say, but in the end, she just took another sip of her alcoholic drink.
Don't make things hard for Senior. Senior Su didn't make things hard either. I shouldn't either.