Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 44: Dragging someone down to the water, persuading them to reform!

A dozen minutes later, on the same sofa in the bar, everyone still had the same glass of soda water in front of them, but now there were several plates of pre-made snacks on the table.

However, the mood of the girls sitting on the sofa was completely different from before.

Park Hyo-min was the most obvious among them, her eyes looking towards Lin Xiuyuan at the bar.

Watching his skillful bartending technique, he nudged Ham Eun-jung with his shoulder and asked, "Eun-jung, when did Ji-yeon meet him?"

When did we meet?
Ham Eun-jung recalled what happened that night. Since then, Park Ji-yeon had almost always stayed with them, and had no time or energy to sneak out at night.

and so……

"A little over last week, I think."

"They've become so familiar in just over a week? Could Jiyeon have really fallen for this handsome guy?"

Park Hyomin muttered to herself as she continued to stare at Lin Xiuyuan across the bar.

He was focused on mixing drinks, his movements skillful and fluid, while Park Jiyeon sat outside, her hands resting on the bar, chatting with him enthusiastically.

Then her gaze swept past Park Jiyeon and landed on Lin Xiuyuan's face, her eyebrows slightly raised.

The boy was indeed quite clean-cut and handsome, especially his clear, childlike eyes, so bright they were almost imperceptible. In all her years, she had never seen eyes like those before.

When Park Hyo-min's mutterings reached Ham Eun-jung's ears, they made her somewhat distracted.

After all, as far as she knew, the two had only met once.

She was completely baffled by their sudden familiarity, and could only helplessly whisper, "I don't know, maybe."

the other side.

Yoona, who had also overheard their conversation, quickly moved closer to Jessica Jung, saying, "Unnie, where did you find this young man? He's so clean-cut and sunny, amazing, absolutely incredible!"

He approached me on his own initiative.

After a moment of slight arrogance, Jessica Jung answered, then looked at Lin Xiuyuan at the bar.

Recalling the scene of their first meeting, and looking at Lin Xiuyuan now, dressed appropriately and with a clean demeanor, she suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction from the "raising a child" experience, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up.

However, when her gaze fell on Park Jiyeon sitting next to Lin Xiuyuan, her smile faded and her eyes narrowed slightly.

Not long after, with Park Ji-yeon's help, Lin Xiuyuan brought over several carefully prepared drinks.

"You can't just come to a pub and drink soda all the time. You have to try some drinks to make it worthwhile. I can't let this pub become just a decoration."

As Lin Xiuyuan spoke with a smile, he placed the drinks in front of the group, saying, "How about trying my cooking?"

Jessica Jung looked at the drink the boy had placed in front of her, a hint of a smile in her eyes, and asked, "When did you learn this skill? Can you drink it? I remember your hands, weren't they used to hold cameras before?"

Facing Jessica Jung, Lin Xiuyuan wasn't as reserved as he was with others, so he made a small joke, "Are you afraid I'll drug you? You'll know once you try it yourself."

This lighthearted banter surprised Yoona and the others standing nearby.

This joke, which revealed a close relationship, added another layer of ambiguity to their already ambiguous relationship.

"Generally speaking, cocktails have names. What's mine called?"

"Ah, name?"

Lin Xiuyuan was taken aback, because he had taught himself this recipe in 2025, so why would he care about the name?
I casually said, "Let me think... it seems to be called A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Jessica Jung murmured a sentence, looked down at the pale pink liquid in her glass, and took a small sip. The first taste was the sweetness of lychee, followed by the delicate fragrance of cherry blossoms and herbs. The finish was slightly salty yet clear, and the overall taste was light and refreshing, not as strong or pungent as she had imagined.

Then, considering that this was actually a recipe that Lin Xiuyuan had casually copied down in 2025, and that after becoming self-taught, he yearned even more for the knowledge and information of that time and space.

However, these thoughts can only be put on hold for now. Putting down her glass, she gave Lin Xiuyuan a thumbs up with great satisfaction, "Impressive. The taste is a little different from what I've had in other bars before, but it's very pleasant and perfect for afternoon tea right now."

As Jessica Jung shared her thoughts, several girls around her raised their glasses to try the drink.

Then these cocktail recipes from more than a decade later immediately captured their taste buds.

Although these women weren't heavy drinkers, they had certainly tried their fair share of cocktails and other beverages, but the taste of the cocktails this young man was mixing was a pleasant surprise for them.

Their gazes toward Lin Xiuyuan became even more interested, wondering if they would ever be able to taste his new creations again.

However, before that, there seems to be one more problem to solve.

Because this pub is members-only.

Thinking of this, Park Hyo-min, who was most interested in drinks among them, asked, "Boss Lin, I heard you say that this bar is a members-only place. Are there any conditions?"

"condition?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan, who was standing to the side with a tray, glanced at Jessica Jung and Jiyeon Park, then shook his head and said, "There are no conditions, just something that looks good to me."

Ok?
Upon hearing this, Im Yoon-ah, Ham Eun-jung, and Park Hyo-min all turned to look at him.

What do you mean? Are you saying that none of us are good enough for you?

Jessica Jung and Jiyeon Park, seeing the reactions of the others, guessed what they were thinking and couldn't help but laugh.

Lin Xiuyuan then realized the ambiguity of his words, but since he had already said it, he was too lazy to explain further. He simply smiled apologetically at the group and then turned and went back behind the bar.

Scrolling through my phone, my mind wanders.

He was happy to have some peace and quiet, so he simply left the sofa area for the group to chat.

But this moment of peace didn't last long, as a fragrant aroma interrupted his reverie.

As Lin Xiuyuan looked up, he saw a short-haired figure walk to the bar and ask, "Do you have any water?"

"Ah, yes, just a moment."

He glanced at the empty glass in her hand, quickly turned around, filled a pitcher with water, handed it to her, and asked curiously, "Don't you like drinking?"

Upon hearing this, Ham Eun-jung nodded slightly, "I rarely drink, I basically don't drink at all."

Lin Xiuyuan became interested. "Do you think you'll ever get completely drunk?"

?

Ham Eun-jung was slightly taken aback. Although she didn't know why Lin Xiuyuan would ask her this, she answered him out of respect for Park Ji-yeon, "No, I do drink, but I've never been drunk, let alone very drunk."

Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but smile upon hearing this. Looking at the aloof and composed demeanor before him, a phrase suddenly popped into his mind—

Pull decent women into the water and persuade prostitutes to become good women.

　Since we've agreed on a fixed schedule, let's keep the updates fixed during the new book period.

　　One chapter will be updated at 5 PM during the day and another at 10 PM at night.

　　I'll talk about updates after it's released; anyway, thank you all so much for your support. Like I said before—once it's released, I'll give it my all!!!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)