Chapter 535 - 369: I’m Done, It’s Your Turn

Chapter 535: Chapter 369: I’m Done, It’s Your Turn

Before Lin Chen could even process what was happening, he heard the crisp sound of glass clinking.

"CLINK."

The two women tilted their heads back in unison and downed their glasses again.

In no more than two minutes, the bottle of red wine was already empty, with only about a glass left at the bottom.

Lin Chen quickly finished the wine in his glass and poured the last dregs from the bottle into it.

A 750ml bottle of red wine usually pours about five glasses. The fact that they’d gotten six out of it meant the two women were still exercising some restraint.

That, at least, put him somewhat at ease.

He quickly urged them, "Don’t just drink! Eat your steaks while they’re still hot. We can’t let beef that costs hundreds of dollars a cut go to waste in a fancy restaurant like this."

"We will, we will."

Erica, still wanting more, nodded and waved to the side. "Waiter, another bottle of red wine, please!"

"The gentleman is correct," a waitress immediately walked over with a smile and advised, "According to our policy, you two have been drinking too quickly on an empty stomach, which can very easily lead to intoxication."

"For your safety, our rules state that we cannot serve you any more alcoholic beverages for the next half hour. Please enjoy your dinner first."

"After thirty minutes, I will assess your condition to determine whether we can continue serving you alcohol. I hope you have a wonderful evening."

’As expected of a restaurant in a five-star hotel,’ Lin Chen secretly gave the waitress a thumbs-up. ’The staff’s professionalism is top-notch.’

’To be able to say that so confidently to customers who can afford to dine here... the restaurant owner must be quite powerful. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have this kind of backbone.’

"Ugh, how boring!"

Erica grumbled in dissatisfaction, reluctantly lowering her hand. She picked up her knife and fork and began forcefully cutting into the sizzling steak on her plate.

"Meiyan, why don’t we hurry up and eat, then find a liquor store and buy a bottle to take back to the room?"

"Sounds like a plan! Eating in restaurants in the United States is so frustrating. They won’t even let you drink."

The "liquor store" in question wasn’t a hotel for lodging, but rather a store that specialized in selling alcohol.

Because you had to be of legal age to buy alcohol here, most supermarkets didn’t sell it. Instead, specialized liquor stores offered a wide variety of alcoholic beverages.

Of course, you had to carry proof of identity to such places, like an ID or passport.

This was especially true for people like them—Asians, who generally look quite young and were the demographic most frequently carded by store clerks.

"You guys are still going to drink??"

Lin Chen looked at the two women’s faces, which had unknowingly become slightly flushed, and felt that letting them continue drinking was not a good idea.

"Oppa, don’t worry about it," Jin Meiyan said magnanimously, waving her hand. "It’s rare for Eonni’s family to be reunited. This is something worth celebrating, so don’t be a buzzkill!"

"Exactly! We drink! Anyway, we’re two girls sharing a room, we can take care of each other!"

Lin Chen was about to say more, but he noticed Jin Meiyan was secretly giving him a look.

Although he didn’t quite understand what she meant, he quietly shut his mouth. He cut a piece of rich, juicy, piping-hot beef and stuffed it into his mouth, savoring the wonderful melt-in-your-mouth texture of the high-quality beef and the rich, buttery aroma that filled his senses.

’If it weren’t so expensive, I’d totally come for one of these every few days. It tastes so good!’

Perhaps it was an emotional void left by her father’s injury, but Erica wasn’t acting like her usual self today. It was like she was intentionally trying to get drunk.

Since he couldn’t stop them, Lin Chen just bought some food that would go well with alcohol while also helping to sober them up, things like potato chips, french fries, fried chicken, fried fish, and fruit.

The moment they got back to the hotel room, Erica eagerly cracked open a can of elderflower-flavored ice-cold beer and took several big gulps. GLUG GLUG GLUG.

This kind of fruit-flavored beer tasted like juice when chilled, with an alcohol content typically between 3-5%.

You wouldn’t feel much while drinking it, but the drunkenness would hit you very quickly.

He grabbed a can for himself as well, sitting on the carpet and taking occasional, noncommittal sips. Compared to drinking, he was more interested in the food on the coffee table.

After finishing a can of beer, combined with the red wine from earlier that was slowly taking effect, Erica’s fair face became noticeably flushed, and her voice grew much louder.

"I... I’m telling you... m-men... women... they’re all the same~!"

She grabbed Jin Meiyan’s arm, mumbling incoherently as she poured out years of pent-up emotions.

"A-as... as long as you’re... better than him... them... more outstanding... more beautiful, they... they won’t let you have it easy!"

"Mm, yes, yes, yes, that’s exactly right!"

Jin Meiyan nodded in fervent agreement, even raising her beer can to clink with Erica’s. Not only did she have no intention of stopping her, she actually encouraged her to drink more.

Lin Chen couldn’t figure out why she was suddenly egging Erica on to drink. He sat quietly to the side, watching, wanting to see what game she was playing.

They slowly transitioned from talking about their childhood experiences to high school and college, and then to the people and things they encountered after starting their careers.

Finally, his name came up in the conversation.

Erica’s eyes had glazed over, yet she was unusually excited, recounting how she had slowly fallen for Lin Chen by watching his videos, and everything that happened later on the show.

Jin Meiyan smiled and nodded along, occasionally shooting a teasing glance in his direction.

After chugging three cans of beer in a row, her own pretty face was also flushed and her eyes looked a bit hazy, but she was clearly much more sober than Erica.

’As expected of someone from a nation of drinkers,’ he thought, impressed by her tolerance. ’Though she hasn’t had that much, her tolerance is clearly better than mine or Erica’s.’

"I... I’m telling... you... Lin... he’s just... a... coward... who has the... the desire... but... not the... guts!"

"Usually... at... at home... he’s always... sneak... sneaking peeks... at my... chest... and thighs..."

"But... but he pretends... to... be... so... prim... and proper!"

"Ahem..."

He coughed awkwardly. "Erica, you’re drunk. Stop drinking."

"I’m not drunk!"

Erica waved her hand dismissively. To prove her point, she even stood up and staggered a few steps before plopping back onto the sofa with a THUMP.

After that little display, her speech surprisingly became much clearer, but her eyes grew even hazier.

"Meiyan! You... you tell me, am I really that... unappealing?"

"I’ve been... tempting... tempting him so much, and he’s still... completely unmoved!"

"WAAAH... I’m so heartbroken!"

"Of course not, Eonni. Oppa just has more self-control than other men. Deep down, he’s just a regular guy who likes what he sees when there’s a beautiful woman around. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be sneaking looks at you all the time, right?"

"Then... then has he... has he snuck any looks at you?"

?!

The smile on Lin Chen’s face froze. He frantically tried to signal Jin Meiyan with his eyes.

But not only did the girl completely ignore his signals, she immediately nodded.

"Of course he has. I’d like to think I’m a beautiful woman, after all. If men weren’t sneaking peeks, it would just mean I haven’t done a good enough job maintaining my looks and figure. I’m already used to it. As long as it’s not some disgusting leer, I just take it as a compliment and a form of validation."

Erica blinked, looking from her to him, and after a moment of thought, she suddenly said.

"Then... why don’t you try seducing him?"

"Me?"

Jin Meiyan laughed and waved her hands. "No, no, that won’t work. We’ve all been drinking; our resistance is at its lowest. What if Oppa gets carried away in the heat of the moment and can’t hold back? I’d become the other woman."

Huh??

Lin Chen’s eyes went wide. He stared in disbelief at Jin Meiyan, who was lying through her teeth, and at Erica, who had just said something so outrageous for no apparent reason.

’They’re both drunk, right?’

"What ’other woman’? That’s nonsense!"

Erica threw her arms around Jin Meiyan, shouting, "I... I and him... we’re not... not married. We’re not even... b-boyfriend and... girlfriend. How could there be an ’other woman’!?"

"Didn’t you say... say he has good self-control... I just want... want to see... if he only has good self-control with me, or... or if it’s the same... with all... women."

"Eonni, you try first," Jin Meiyan said, suddenly pulling her to her feet and shoving her straight into Lin Chen’s arms.

"Didn’t you say you only kissed last time after you had been drinking? You’ve been drinking now, too. Why not try to conquer him for good?"

Perhaps that sentence triggered a memory for Erica. She snapped her head up, staring intently at Lin Chen’s face. Her red lips parted, releasing hot puffs of breath that smelled of fruit and alcohol.

’Seriously?’

’What is this whole act about??’

Before Lin Chen could react, Jin Meiyan’s hand silently came up behind his head and shoved him forward.

The clearly intoxicated Erica didn’t notice this detail at all. Thinking that Lin Chen had initiated the kiss, she actively wrapped her arms around him and responded with passion.

Under the influence of alcohol, Lin Chen’s head was already spinning. The fact that Jin Meiyan was standing right there watching added a strange thrill that made his breathing quickly grow heavy.

He had no idea what the hell Jin Meiyan was trying to pull, but since things had already come to this—and she was the one who orchestrated it—he couldn’t be bothered to think too much about it.

’I’d be an idiot not to take advantage of this!’

Watching the two in front of her kiss so passionately, Jin Meiyan also felt her mouth go a little dry.

One was the man she liked, the other a friend to whom she felt a sense of guilt. Watching them kiss passionately right in front of her, she didn’t feel any heartache at all. Instead... her heart was racing a little?

’No, it must be because of the alcohol!’

「A few minutes later.」

Lin Chen slowly pulled back, panting heavily. He looked at Erica, who was limp as a noodle in his arms with a dazed look in her eyes, and then at Jin Meiyan standing right beside them, his gaze questioning.

’Now what?’

’What was the point of making us kiss in front of you?’

’You have this kind of fetish?’

Before Jin Meiyan could answer, Erica, still in his arms, suddenly forced herself to stand up, swaying unsteadily. She grabbed Jin Meiyan and shoved her into Lin Chen’s embrace.

"I... I’m done with my test... It’s... it’s your turn!"