Chapter 164: Then Let's Just Call Taeyeon to Come Along Too

Just as Lin Xiuyuan was crossing swords with Li Juli in 2025, over in 2013, Zheng Xiuyan, who had just finished her work, finally found some free time.

She ran straight to the studio and workspace she had mentioned before; the renovation progress there was already more than halfway complete.

She had also long since arranged for a friend who had just returned from overseas to temporarily serve as the office manager, responsible for supervising the renovation progress and incidentally purchasing the necessary materials.

As for the formal professional staff, the headhunting company had already started looking, and the other party promised to deliver a list within these two days.

After arriving at the site, Zheng Xiuyan stood in the workspace under renovation and looked around; seeing that the independent offices being partitioned off and the gradually taking-shape spatial layout matched her imagination perfectly, she nodded with satisfaction.

Afterward, she walked over to the construction supervisor to add a few detail suggestions she had just thought of. Upon learning that everything would be completed in three days, she left the site feeling fully satisfied.

Before leaving, she specifically made a detour to the small workshop that had been handling the contract manufacturing to take away the final batch of samples.

In a few more days, her designs and products would be able to completely break away from the contract manufacturing model and shift entirely to independent production.

By the time Zheng Xiuyan finished all this, the time had already reached past 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

So, sitting in the car, she hesitated for a moment before flipping through her address book; she had originally intended to dial Lin Xiaolu's number, but stopped her finger, thought for a moment, and then switched to opening Xueli's contact information to make the call.

After about a few seconds, the call was picked up, and Xueli's sweet laughter came from the other side, "Hello~ Unnie."

"Are you finished over there?"

Hearing Xueli's voice, Zheng Xiuyan unconsciously raised a smile, her tone light and cheerful.

On the other end of the phone, Xueli glanced at Lin Xiaolu, who had already stood up and bowed to say goodbye, then replied, "Mm, just finished."

"Then I'll come over to find you; tonight..."

"Unnie, I'm cooking tonight. You didn't come to eat last time, so tonight is just perfect."

Before Zheng Xiuyan could speak, Xueli seemed to have guessed what she wanted to say and laughed very happily, "Didn't you miss out last time? Today is just right to make up for it. Let's go browse the supermarket first in a bit to buy some snacks and things missing at home, and then cook dinner together tonight, how about that?"

Zheng Xiuyan, who had originally intended to ask for a meal, naturally agreed happily upon hearing this suggestion, "That works, then it's settled."

Afterward, the three of them quickly gathered at a supermarket in between, took a rare stroll inside, and also bought some decorations as well as clothes and hats, preparing to go back and fix up the Apartment.

By the time they returned to the Apartment carrying large and small bags, the time was nearing dusk.

So, after returning to the Apartment, they immediately started preparing tonight's dinner.

During this time, Zheng Xiuyan and Lin Xiaolu wanted to come over to help in the kitchen, but were unceremoniously pushed out by Xueli, who said with justification, "Unnies, not causing trouble is the best help you can give. I really don't want to make any tuna kimchi fried rice."

Then she was fiercely 'taught a lesson' by Zheng Xiuyan.

However, she eventually went out to the Living Room, and together with Lin Xiaolu, unpacked the small decorations, aromatherapy, and hanging cloths they had purchased in the afternoon, one by one, to redecorate this Apartment that they didn't live in often, but visited frequently.

Although they didn't live here, they still wanted to make it more comfortable since they came and went so often.

Yet, just at this moment, the Time Gate was opened by someone.

……

……

Time returns to the scene earlier when Lin Xiuyuan was crossing swords with Li Juli in 2025, and the sudden call from Kim Taeyeon.

Looking at his phone, Lin Xiuyuan quietly raised his eyes to glance at Li Juli and Xian Enjing, who were chatting and laughing opposite him, then answered the phone and said in a relaxed tone: "Hello~ Taeyeon, what's wrong?"

"Xiuyuan, where are you right now? I have something to ask you."

Kim Taeyeon's speaking speed on the other end of the phone was rather fast, and her tone carried a hint of urgency, which even made Lin Xiuyuan's expression tighten slightly.

Li Juli and Xian Enjing opposite him also sensed the subtle atmosphere and looked over one after another.

So Lin Xiuyuan did not equivocate and directly told the other party the address where he was eating.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, not knowing if she was looking at a map or thinking about something; after a while, Kim Taeyeon's voice sounded again, "It's not far from where I am. I'll send you a location; come over and help me with something."

After hearing the reply, Lin Xiuyuan raised his eyes again to look opposite; Li Juli and Xian Enjing were still looking at him, but Li Juli nodded slightly.

So Lin Xiuyuan then replied, "Okay, I'm coming over now."

After hanging up the phone, he looked opposite, and Xian Enjing's voice was faster than his, "Go quickly. Although I don't know why Taeyeon is looking for you so urgently, it must be something pressing."

"Then I'll be going first."

While saying this, Lin Xiuyuan specifically lowered his head to shovel a few mouthfuls of rice before rising from his seat to leave.

Polite and decisive.

Li Juli watched his receding back and sighed softly, muttering to herself, "What is all this? Enjing, do you think Taeyeon knew I invited Xiuyuan and is deliberately looking for trouble?"

"Unnie, don't be so sensitive," Xian Enjing chuckled, "It sounds like she really has something urgent to ask him; it's not like she's targeting you."

Watching Li Juli's anxiety, Xian Enjing, although not understanding why, still followed her own thoughts and comforted the other party.

But Li Juli still felt uncomfortable, pursing her lips and frowning, "I don't understand. If there's something, why not find someone else? Why specifically find Xiuyuan? They aren't very familiar with each other, are they?"

As soon as the words fell, Xian Enjing couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Then you also specifically invited Xiuyuan to dinner, didn't you? Isn't it the same?"

And speaking of this, she asked Li Juli another question, "Unnie, so what exactly is going on? I've noticed that recently, the topics between you and Zhiyan basically never leave Xiuyuan."

In Xian Enjing's view, Lin Xiuyuan was indeed excellent—young, had ideas, and was a person who understood boundaries—but it shouldn't be enough to make sisters of their age frequently lose their hearts, right?

She really couldn't think of any possibility of "love at first sight."

That kind of heart-fluttering might belong to young girls who had just entered the circle, or mature women who were married but had fallen into forbidden emotions.

But for their age, neither here nor there, half-dead, it was completely impossible.

Li Juli did not respond immediately, but pondered for a moment, beckoned to Xian Enjing, leaned over, and whispered something in her ear.

However, Lin Xiuyuan did not know the situation on their side; after leaving the restaurant, he had quickly gotten into his car and headed straight for the location Kim Taeyeon had given him.

That was a residential complex address; if nothing went wrong, it should be where Kim Taeyeon's Apartment was located.

And all the way there, Lin Xiuyuan was somewhat puzzled; he didn't understand why Kim Taeyeon's mood was suddenly so off, and even less why she would reach out to him.

Logically speaking, the other party should have many friends with closer relationships around her; there was no reason to call him over alone.

But recalling her almost panicked tone on the phone, Lin Xiuyuan still didn't ask too much, choosing to go over and see first.

The distance between the two places was indeed not far, only a little over 4 kilometers in a straight line, so Lin Xiuyuan drove there in almost about 10 minutes.

After driving the car into the underground parking lot, Lin Xiuyuan quickly parked the car, and according to the instructions sent by Taeyeon, entered the access code to walk into the Elevator area, taking the Elevator directly to the floor where she lived.

After walking out of the Elevator, one could see at a glance that there was one household on each side of the corridor, and Kim Taeyeon's household was on the right.

He confirmed the floor and door number, tucked his phone into his trouser pocket, stepped forward, and pressed the doorbell.

About ten seconds later, the door clicked open, and what came into view was Kim Taeyeon with an anxious look on her face.

"Xiuyuan, you finally came!" Kim Taeyeon pulled the door wide open, her expression tense, "Hurry in and help me check on Zero; it has been shivering since this morning."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan finally understood why Kim Taeyeon was so flustered; it turned out to be a problem with the puppy.

And it was that Zero who had quite a bit of popularity in the Korean entertainment industry.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuyuan quickly entered the room, and soon he saw a small dog in the corner.

It looked nervous and was shivering all over, its eyes darting around, gums exposed, muttering in a low voice from time to time, as if warning someone not to come closer.

"Could it be sick?" Lin Xiuyuan frowned and crouched down.

"I don't know!" Kim Taeyeon nervously rubbed her hands together, standing about two meters away from Zero, not daring to get closer, her tone so urgent it was almost on the verge of tears, "Every time I get close, it bares its teeth and growls so fiercely... it has never been like this before."

Lin Xiuyuan looked back at her, his tone carrying a hint of confusion, "Didn't you always take it for baths, check-ups, and vaccinations? Why suddenly..."

"I don't know either..."

Kim Taeyeon replied with a hint of grievance, "It was fine this morning. I didn't see it for a while at noon, and when I found it again, it was hiding under the sofa and refused to come out. I tried to pick it up, and it growled at me; my hand was almost bitten."

Hearing her say this, Lin Xiuyuan observed Zero's state again.

Although the puppy kept growling, it seemed to be just emotionally agitated; there was no pathological dullness in its eyes, its breathing was normal, and there was no obvious fever or weakness.

It didn't look like it was sick; it looked more like it had been stimulated by something, the whole dog as tense as a string.

However, Lin Xiuyuan knew well that he was not a professional veterinarian after all, and he dared not jump to conclusions, so he said, "How about you find me a bath towel, I'll help you catch it, and we'll go to the hospital to take a look?"

"Mm-hmm, okay."

Kim Taeyeon nodded quickly; in fact, the reason she asked Lin Xiuyuan to come over was because she didn't know what else to do.

It wasn't that she couldn't find anyone else, but since they had just eaten and chatted together yesterday, she thought of him subconsciously.

Not long after, she handed over a bath towel. Lin Xiuyuan folded it a few times, quickly covered Zero with it, and taking advantage of a gap in its barking, nimbly pinched the fur on the back of its neck and lifted it up.

"You have a cage, right?"

"Yes, I'll go get it!"

Kim Taeyeon immediately turned around, rummaged out a portable cage from the corner, and skillfully opened it and placed it on the ground.

But just at this moment, Zero became even more agitated when it saw the cage, its four limbs kicking wildly in the air.

If Lin Xiuyuan hadn't pinched its fur tightly in time, it probably would have really broken free.

Right in the midst of this chaos, he suddenly noticed something unusual: Zero's head and eyes were fixedly staring in the direction of the balcony, and its barking was even more intense.

Following its gaze, Lin Xiuyuan saw an old doll hanging in the corner of the balcony.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan looked at Kim Taeyeon, "Taeyeon, is that doll yours?"

Hearing this, Kim Taeyeon turned her head to look, then shook her head, "No, that's Zero's doll."

"A doll?"

"Yeah, that cloth doll, the one Zero has had since it was little. I saw that thing was filthy, so I took it to wash while it wasn't paying attention."

Lin Xiuyuan chuckled upon hearing this, then carried Zero toward the balcony, took down the still-damp doll, and placed it on the ground with it.

Sure enough, as soon as Zero saw that familiar doll, the barking stopped immediately.

It whimpered and nudged up to it, first sniffing it with its nose, then picked up the doll in its mouth and trotted back to its bed. The whole dog seemed to relax all at once and stopped shivering.

The whole dog lay on the ground, buried its head in the cloth doll's arms, breathed softly, and even made a faint purring sound.

Seeing this, Kim Taeyeon also looked at Lin Xiuyuan with some confusion, "Why is it like this?"

"Don't you know?"

Lin Xiuyuan explained as he walked back to the Living Room, "Many infants will identify something as a 'security object,' called an Ababei. It could be a tattered towel, a cloth doll, or an old piece of clothing; in any case, it's something that has been with them since they were small. Once it is taken away or disappears, they will become extremely anxious."

Lin Xiuyuan explained as he walked back into the room, "That doll of Zero's has probably been with it since it was small. You suddenly washed it and hung it on the balcony to bake in the sun... this is equivalent to you snatching away its emotional support; its emotions naturally collapsed, and then it became like this."

"But it was really too dirty..." Kim Taeyeon frowned and whispered in defense.

"A person's worldview and a dog's world are two different things..."

He originally wanted to say that dogs even eat poop, but upon reflection, Lin Xiuyuan didn't say it out loud; it was a bit too disgusting.

The two of them crouched down in front of the bed again, and Kim Taeyeon carefully reached out to touch Zero's head.

This time, it only gave a light whimper, its eyes half-closed, and it no longer resisted, letting her touch it.

And this situation made Kim Taeyeon's eyes widen, "It... it was really just because I washed that doll?"

"Yes, it's not a human; is it any use to reason with it?" Lin Xiuyuan stood up and looked around, answering in passing, "In its eyes, you just snatched, hid, and threw away its most important treasure."

Kim Taeyeon was stunned for a moment, looking down at Zero in the bed.

The puppy was currently chewing on the cloth doll with a satisfied look, its calm mood like a completely different dog compared to just a moment ago.

"I didn't mean to... I just wanted to get it a bit cleaner..." she pouted with grievance and said in a low voice.

"Your behavior is like someone taking your favorite childhood doll while you weren't looking, washing it clean, and hanging it outside; you might cry too," Lin Xiuyuan suppressed a laugh, "And even though that thing of its is dirty, to it, it's a source of security."

Kim Taeyeon looked up at the puppy sleeping peacefully on the carpet, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

And just as Kim Taeyeon was earnestly petting Zero, Lin Xiuyuan's gaze crossed the distance and fell involuntarily on a photo frame in the cabinet nearby.

The figure inside was very clear, and the glass lens was very clean, as if someone wiped it often.

Thus, he thought of the matter he had discussed with Park Jiyeon at the KTV not long ago, and then looked down at Kim Taeyeon, who was nestled nearby earnestly petting Zero.

He suddenly realized that the theory of "security objects" he had just explained might not only apply to Zero.

After a long while, Kim Taeyeon finally stood up and looked at him with a trace of apology and fatigue, "Thank you, Xiuyuan. It's fortunate you came over to help me check; otherwise, I really would have forced it to go to the doctor, and I would have made it suffer again."

The voice was not loud, but it struck Lin Xiuyuan's heart all at once. He had originally wanted to wave his hand as a response, but upon hearing this sentence, his hand paused, and his brows furrowed slightly.

This dog's emotional support was an old doll.

But what was Kim Taeyeon's support?

And at this moment, Kim Taeyeon seemed to realize that her words had been a bit too heavy.

So, after a moment of silence, she sat down gently on the edge of the sofa, cast her gaze toward the puppy that had already fallen into a quiet sleep, and began to talk to herself.

"I don't remember when it was, but one day after coming home from a schedule, I found the house too quiet, with nothing in it. At that time, I suddenly really wanted something that could wait for me at home, something that would be there the moment I turned back, something that wouldn't leave."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan lowered his head to look at Zero in the nest; it was already sleeping without moving, and the ragdoll was still firmly pressed under its body.

"So I went to adopt Zero. Back then, it was tiny, small enough to be held in one hand. But when it looked at me, that look in its eyes seemed to say, 'I will wait for you to come back.' Ever since then, it has always been there."

Speaking of this, Kim Taeyeon thanked Lin Xiuyuan again, "Thank you, Xiuyuan, Zero is very important to me."

And Lin Xiuyuan also suddenly understood a little why she had been so flustered just a moment ago.

Besides worrying that Zero might suddenly get sick or have an accident, perhaps more of it was the fear that her last remaining "sense of security" would also disappear.

Thinking of this, he shook his head slightly and smiled, "It's nothing, just a small problem; even if I hadn't come, you could have solved it."

"But it would have made it suffer."

"In the end, it would have been fine."

After Lin Xiuyuan finished speaking, he stood up, preparing to leave.

He intended to rush back to Li Juli's side; although he had left temporarily just now, since the matter was resolved, it was time to go back and continue keeping his appointment.

Seeing this, Kim Taeyeon did not try to make him stay, but thanked him repeatedly, saying she would treat him to a meal next time to make up for it.

Lin Xiuyuan didn't take it to heart, nodded, and left, quickly returning to his car to dial Li Juli's number.

As it turned out, as soon as the call connected, the background noise of a golf course came from Li Juli's side. In just half an hour, she had already re-arranged with Park Hyomin and continued the golf game they hadn't finished yesterday.

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan didn't mention that he had already finished handling things on his end, but simply explained the sudden situation from earlier and expressed his apologies to her.

He also casually mimicked Kim Taeyeon's tone and said, "I'll treat you to a meal next time, Juli."

Upon hearing this, Li Juli was immediately delighted. Since Xian Enjing was there as a wingman today, there was certainly nothing to do anyway.

But if it could be exchanged for a chance to eat alone, that would be truly great.

So she hurriedly said, "It's a deal, Xiuyuan, don't you go back on your word."

"I won't."

Lin Xiuyuan also responded with a smile.

After hanging up the phone, he started the car and returned to the Villa.

Yet all the way back, his mind was still lingering on everything that had happened at Kim Taeyeon's home just now.

Especially her words, "If something happened to Zero, I really wouldn't know what to do," which made him, usually emotionally dull, involuntarily raise an eyebrow, a strange feeling stirring in his heart.

Not until he returned to the Villa and relied on games did he slowly cast these distracting thoughts aside, and as a result, he played until evening.

With his waist feeling a bit sore, Lin Xiuyuan stood up, stretching his muscles and bones while preparing to pass through the Time Gate to return to the 2013 side to find something to eat.

As soon as he entered the door, he ran into Zheng Xiuyan and Lin Xiaolu, who were placing things in the Living Room.

"Why are you two here?" Lin Xiuyuan asked with some surprise.

Facing Lin Xiuyuan's curiosity, Zheng Xiuyan explained their situation for the day, then asked back while setting up aromatherapy, "Why are you back so early? I thought you wouldn't be back until night."

"There was nothing to do over there, and I just happened to want to find something to eat... now it seems I don't need to go out."

As he spoke, Lin Xiuyuan's nose twitched slightly, and the aroma of food coming from the Kitchen made the corners of his mouth lift.

Zheng Xiuyan also smiled, then looked at the still-open Time Gate and suggested, "Should we call Xiujing and YoonA? It's rare for everyone to gather together."

The last time they had a meal together, she had only found out from Sulli afterward, so this time, with more people present, she also wanted to see Krystal, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

However, Lin Xiuyuan was a bit stunned, thinking of the bombshell Krystal had dropped during their last meal.

But in the end, he didn't refuse, "I'll go over and ask."

Then he turned and returned to the 2025 Year Villa Living Room, took out his phone, and called Krystal, but the other party was busy today and had work to attend to.

So for the next call, Lin Xiuyuan dialed Lin Yun'er.

The other side answered quickly, and a familiar laugh came from the other end, "Xiuyuan, what's up~"

"YoonA, where are you? Come over and have a meal together."

Lin Xiuyuan's voice startled Lin Yun'er, and she turned her head to look at Kim Taeyeon beside her.

The other party was also amused to the point of anger; this time she couldn't help but feel depressed and shouted at the phone, "Hey, Xiuyuan, does every time YoonA wants to eat with me, you have to call her away? Although you helped me this afternoon, this is still a bit too much."

Hearing Kim Taeyeon's voice, Lin Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment, "Eh? Taeyeon is there too."

"Yeah, Unnie invited me to eat, and we're also taking Zero out for a walk."

Lin Yun'er explained with a smile.

But the next second, as if she had heard something, her expression changed abruptly, and she turned to look at Kim Taeyeon beside her.

Because Lin Xiuyuan, on the other end of the phone, had let his voice fall right after her answer, saying in a calm tone:

"Then invite Taeyeon to come along too."

(End of this chapter)