Chapter 185

Vela Island.

As Lin Xiuyuan and his companion finished snorkeling, their bodies and minds were both relaxed, so they returned to the villa together to rinse off, during which they also finished the follow-up exercise that had been left incomplete in the sea.

It wasn't until the afternoon that they arrived at the island's resort center.

In the massage area, Li Juli and Lin Xiuyuan chose a simple foot massage and SPA; the warm water flow and professional massage techniques relieved the fatigue they had accumulated from swimming in the seawater.

Lin Xiuyuan closed his eyes and enjoyed it, feeling every inch of his skin being gently relaxed.

Li Juli leaned on the massage bed, letting the warm water flow beat against her back, squinting her eyes slightly to enjoy a moment of peace.

As the massage ended, Li Juli and Lin Xiuyuan's moods seemed to become even more relaxed. When they walked out of the SPA area, the sunlight in the sky was still bright, the island's air was fresh and humid, and the tropical atmosphere surrounded them.

So the two returned to the villa's private beach, lay on the beach chairs, and decided to relax and sunbathe.

Lin Xiuyuan wore sunglasses, lay back on the chair, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the caress of the sunlight.

Li Juli's gaze moved slowly down from his handsome face, lingered briefly on his well-defined pectoral and abdominal muscles, and then her eyes quietly slid toward the deep "mermaid line" and the "Great Dragon Lair" below.

Then she gave a faint smile, took the sunscreen out of the beach bag beside her, gently squeezed a dollop of lotion into her palm, and rubbed it between her palms first.

Only then did she sit down next to Lin Xiuyuan, her eyes carrying a hint of cunning and playfulness, and smiled slightly, "Xiuyuan, let me help you apply the sunscreen. You helped me apply it yesterday, so I'll help you today."

Lin Xiuyuan instinctively wanted to refuse, "No need, right? I'm a grown man; it doesn't matter if I get a bit tanned."

However, when he saw the slightly aggrieved look in Li Juli's eyes, he couldn't help but laugh, "Apply, apply, apply, go ahead, whatever you want."

As he spoke, he turned over to lie on the chair and said half-jokingly, "Is this okay? Go ahead."

Li Juli then laughed, gently applying the sunscreen to Lin Xiuyuan's shoulders, her fingertips sliding lightly over his skin as if touching a piece of warm silk.

Following her movements, Lin Xiuyuan also felt a subtle sense of comfort, his back straightening slightly as he enjoyed this gentleness.

Li Juli's fingertips drew light circles on his shoulders; her soft fingers touched every inch of his skin, delicate and slow, as if silently teasing his nerves.

At this, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but tremble slightly. With his eyes closed, he felt the delicate touch coming from his neck and back, and his blood accelerated a bit unconsciously.

It was just that the lying position made certain reactions difficult to initiate, so he subconsciously lifted his hips.

Seeing this, the smile in Li Juli's eyes deepened.

Her fingers slid slowly down the line of his spine, the touch becoming deeper and deeper; it seemed every stroke brought a hint of subtle emotion.

Her movements also became slower and slower. Li Juli deliberately lingered on Lin Xiuyuan's back, her fingertips gently circling his spine like a silent provocation.

Just as her fingers moved lower, Li Juli suddenly smiled lightly, stopped her hand movements, lowered her head, and looked at Lin Xiuyuan, "How is it? Xiuyuan, is my technique okay?"

Her tone carried a hint of playfulness, and her eyes sparkled with pleasure.

"Haven't I already experienced your handiwork just now?"

"That was lip-work," Li Juli retorted.

Lin Xiuyuan smiled, "On the contrary, neither job counts as complete; it's half and half."

Facing this provocation from Lin Xiuyuan, a flash of impulse crossed Li Juli's eyes, and then she leaned close to him and whispered, "So, Xiuyuan, you want to continue, right?"

With that, she turned over and took the initiative.

I don't know how much time passed before the two walked toward the beach.

The afterglow of the sunset spilled onto them, casting their long shadows on the beach.

Li Juli walked in front, Lin Xiuyuan followed closely behind, and the footprints on the beach were blown by the gentle sea breeze.

The two strolled along the path on the island. Li Juli turned her head to look at him and smiled, "Xiuyuan, how do you feel today? Is there anything you want to eat?"

Although her tone was relaxed and casual, her voice was a bit hoarse; the discomfort from choking on snacks earlier needed a while to get better.

"Seafood, fish, or maybe beef to replenish some protein, though you probably don't need it anymore, Juli."

Lin Xiuyuan gave a faint smile, his eyes falling silently on the corners of Li Juli's lips.

"No, I need it..."

Li Juli gave a soft hum at Lin Xiuyuan's answer, her eyes still flashing with eager anticipation; even after a day and a night of tossing and turning, she still felt her desires had not been satisfied.

Just like that, the two walked casually into a small restaurant on the island.

As night gradually fell, the sea surface reflected a soft orange glow, and the warm night was shrouded in an intimate atmosphere.

……

……

At the same time, Seoul.

In the evening, Jessica, who had returned to her apartment, sat on the sofa and turned on the TV. Feeling a bit bored, she casually found a movie to play.

Then she went to the refrigerator to get a glass, put in some ice cubes, and poured in some whiskey...

Finally, she curled up on the sofa, listening to the sounds from the TV while scrolling through news or clicking on short videos.

From time to time, she would get up to take a sip of the ice-cold liquor, but even while Jessica was doing these things, her mind was still filled with the scenes and conversations from her meal with Krystal at noon.

During this time, subtle emotional fluctuations made her feel restless and uneasy for some reason.

After being troubled for a while, Jessica let out a very depressed sigh, put down her phone, got up, and walked into the bathroom to take a shower.

After showering and putting on her pajamas, Jessica sat back on the sofa, poured out the previous drink, and replaced it with a new one.

She picked up her phone, thinking of scrolling through social media to try and distract herself.

But when she opened the news page, a familiar face suddenly caught her eye: Lin Yun'er.

That face, which looked radiant in both event photos and fan photos, appeared incredibly dazzling at this moment, instantly leaving Jessica stunned.

Then she sat up straight abruptly, her eyes wide, and her heartbeat accelerated involuntarily.

She then began to frantically search for photos and videos of Lin Yun'er at the Haojiang event. Photo after photo appeared rapidly on her screen; those bright smiles and that radiance, so different from when she had met her a few days ago, made a wave of complex thoughts surge in Jessica's heart.

And at this moment, the words Krystal had chatted with her about at noon surfaced in her mind again.

"Do you want it?"

"Look at what Li Juli has become."

"Xiuyuan is in the Maldives."

"……"

Those words echoed back and forth in her mind like a spell. She was a bit confused, and just as she was preparing to calm herself down, a phone ringtone broke her train of thought.

She looked down at her phone; it was a call from Quan Ningyi.

Although she frowned slightly, Jessica still answered, "Hello, oppa."

"I've been communicating with those partners in Seoul recently, so I won't be returning to Los Angeles or New York so quickly."

"Yeah, although the breach of contract penalty is gone, some materials and final payments still need to be calculated."

"Weren't the debts from the previous judgment already mostly cleared?"

"What? How is there still more? When you told me before, wasn't it already settled?"

"Then what should we do now?"

"No, I have to go to Huaxia early next month; I don't have time. Either you come to Seoul, or go to Shanghai."

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now; we'll talk about the rest tomorrow."

The content of this call left Jessica, who already had a headache, feeling like she was about to faint. Since there was really nothing left to talk about, she hurriedly gave a few perfunctory replies and hung up.

Then she lay back on the sofa and let out another long sigh. She hadn't expected that even after closing the store, she would still be entangled in so many troublesome matters.

She couldn't escape, and she couldn't take it off.

Just then, the phone she had just thrown aside chimed with a message. Just as Jessica thought it was a message from the person she had just been talking to, she picked it up and saw that it was a few photos sent by Krystal.

At first, Jessica didn't take it seriously, thinking they were just landscape photos.

Because the two sisters often sent such photos and then chatted about where to travel next, she clicked on them casually.

However, when Jessica opened these photos, she discovered that things were not as simple as she had thought.

Because these few photos were of backs in the Maldives, and the two people standing in front were none other than Lin Xiuyuan and Li Juli, whom she had talked about at lunch today.

There were four photos in total.

The first one: Lin Xiuyuan and Li Juli sitting in the villa's living room enjoying breakfast.

Sunlight spilled onto their dining table through the leaves; the two were smiling brightly, and the atmosphere was relaxed and happy. Lin Xiuyuan was looking down, using a fork to handle some bread, while Li Juli held a coffee cup, looking at him with gentle eyes.

The second one: The two of them were wearing wetsuits, standing at the edge of the snorkeling area, preparing to enter the water.

Lin Xiuyuan had a hint of nervousness on his face, while Li Juli was smiling brightly; the entire background was full of sunshine and vitality.

The third one: This was a solo photo of Lin Xiuyuan. He was lying on a beach chair enjoying a sunbath, his eyes closed, his face relaxed, his lean and strong body exuding a healthy luster under the sun, with the azure sea and blue sky in the background.

The fourth one: This was a solo photo of Li Juli at dinner time.

She was wearing a simple beach dress, looking down slightly at her plate, her face soft and exquisite, completely different from her previous state, as if her entire temperament had become more radiant.

As each photo unfolded, Jessica's shock intensified. All the reasons stemmed from Li Juli's huge transformation, which caused an astonishment she couldn't ignore to spread in her heart.

Then she flipped through the photos of Li Juli over and over again, zooming in and zooming in, then zooming out and changing to another angle to continue zooming in.

But after looking for a long time, the Li Juli before her eyes seemed completely different from the Li Juli with the gaunt face and dim eyes in her memory.

In the photos, her skin was firm and smooth, exuding an aura of youth and health, as if she were younger than ever.

Jessica sat up straight abruptly, her phone almost slipping from her hand; she was so shocked that even her breathing became rapid.

Her eyes were full of bewilderment, and her mind was a blank; after all, the person in the photo was simply incredible.

In these few short days, what exactly had the other party experienced?

Jessica couldn't think of a reason, and her intuition told her that the reason behind this couldn't possibly be as simple as a mere vacation.

This kind of state transformation could definitely not be brought about by ordinary rest.

After a brief shock, Jessica still couldn't hold back and immediately sent a questioning message to Krystal.

Jessica: 【Krystal, what does this mean? Are these photos Photoshopped?】

This sentence was almost her final struggle; she would rather believe that these photos had been edited than accept that Li Juli's state had really undergone such a drastic change.

She was even less willing to believe in that so-called fantastical "rejuvenation" state.

Why didn't she want to believe it?

Because the one who rejuvenated wasn't her.

Krystal didn't know what she was busy with on her end, and it took more than ten minutes before she replied to Jessica.

During this time, Jessica was anxious and irritable; she had looked at those few photos over and over again, very much wanting to find some traces of editing, but she couldn't find any at all.

So the moment Krystal replied, Jessica opened the chat box.

Krystal: 【Straight from the Apple front camera, no edits, Jessica. Not a single bit of Photoshop. How is it? Is the scenery beautiful?】

Scenery?

Seeing these two words, Jessica couldn't help but grit her teeth; anger surged instantly, and she almost wanted to bite someone.

As the older sister, she was very clear that these photos Krystal sent, combined with the situation at noon, were definitely not for her to look at some so-called scenery, but at the person in the photos: Li Juli.

Thinking of this, Jessica quickly replied to the message.

Jessica: 【Impossible, it's only been a few days, how could Li Juli's change be so great? Krystal, what kind of secret are you hiding?】

Krystal: 【A secret? This is almost common knowledge now. Anyway, my suggestion remains the same: do you want to buy a plane ticket to the Maldives?】

Jessica: 【Lin Xiuyuan?】

Krystal: 【What does this have to do with Xiuyuan? I mean for you to go out and relax, don't think so much. Don't go bother Xiuyuan; he's finally having a good vacation, and he'll definitely be in a bad mood if he sees you.】

Jessica: 【……】

Looking at this sentence, Jessica's mood could no longer be described as "depressed"; she felt she was about to collapse.

Then she tried hard to suppress her emotions, but the anxiety and confusion in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

And without Jessica's knowledge, inside a high-end hotel in Hong Kong, Kim Taeyeon was also being troubled by Li Juli's photos, her mood not unlike Jessica's.

"Yun'er, did Xiuyuan send this to you?"

Kim Taeyeon stared down at her phone screen, and seeing those photos, she turned her head abruptly to look at the video call on the tablet beside her, her eyes full of shock and confusion.

"Is the scenery beautiful, Taeyeon unnie~"

If it weren't for the fact that fans all think Krystal is Lin Yun'er's sister, look at this personality, this little rascal—they were cut from the same cloth.

Kim Taeyeon listened, feeling completely helpless, "Are you trying to make me look at the scenery? Lin Yun'er."

"Hee hee, I'm going to rest now, unnie. You look at it slowly yourself, goodnight~" Lin Yun'er's tone was still as relaxed as ever.

"Yah, Lin Yun'er."

Kim Taeyeon pursed her lips tightly, and the voice she called out rose a few decibels unconsciously; she seemed somewhat at a loss.

She instinctively wanted to continue asking something, wanting to understand the truth behind the photos more deeply, yet she had no way to start.

……

……

Around ten o'clock in the evening.

In the bedroom in the Maldives.

In the darkness, a hand reached out from the large bed, groping to pick up the pants and clothes that had fallen onto the carpet.

Soft moonlight spilled in from outside the window, reflecting on Lin Xiuyuan's slender body.

As he got up silently, Li Juli on the bed was still immersed in deep sleep, her slight breathing echoing in the empty room.

Lin Xiuyuan looked back at the beautiful figure lying on the bed, and couldn't help but have some thoughts.

She was truly tired; after resisting so many times, it was fortunate that he had cheated, otherwise, the one lying there fast asleep right now would probably be him.

Then he gently put on his clothes, carefully avoiding making any sound, and then quietly left the bedroom.

A moment later, Lin Xiuyuan walked to the living room, opened the refrigerator, and took a bottle of ice water to moisten his throat.

He picked up another bottle of drink, tore off the label, turned around, and walked back to the temporary bedroom that belonged to him, grabbed the doorknob, and pushed gently.

The originally dim room was instantly reflected with light and shadow by the bright lights from behind the door, and Lin Xiuyuan stepped over and closed the door behind him.

The room on the Maldives side returned to silence once again, as if even time had stood still at this moment.

Inside the 13-year apartment.

About ten minutes later, after Sulli finished showering, her hair still damp, she prepared to walk out of the bedroom to the living room to continue watching her new drama.

Just as she opened the bedroom door, Sulli was suddenly stunned.

Because in the room that had been empty before, there was now a Lin Xiuyuan sitting on the sofa. The TV in front of him was playing a variety show, and he was looking down at his phone, completely unaware of her appearance.

His sudden appearance scared Sulli so much that her legs almost went weak and she collapsed to the floor. After coming to her senses, she shouted, "Omo, ah, oppa, you scared me."

Lin Xiuyuan heard the sound, looked up, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a gentle smile. "Are you that timid?"

Then he raised the drink in his hand, shaking it gently, "This is a very good drink I had in the Maldives, so I brought one back for you on the way."

Hearing this, Sulli was stunned for a moment, a wave of warmth in her heart, then she took the drink, gently unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

The fresh taste of tropical fruits spread on her tongue, bringing a hint of coolness, and also making her eyes light up, "Eh, it's really delicious. Hee hee, thank you, oppa."

"No problem." Lin Xiuyuan waved his hand with a smile, his relaxed tone carrying a bit of concern, "By the way, has anything happened here these past few days?"

Sulli leaned against the armrest of the sofa and shrugged her shoulders lightly, seemingly feeling that there was nothing major.

"Nothing special, just that I mentioned the matter of that door to Xiuyan unnie and the others today, and they all said to have you come over and set an anchor point after you return. Zhiyan and the others are the same."

Hearing Sulli say this, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but laugh, "How did I end up like the Fourth Generation's Flying Thunder God, going over to brand a seal?"

"Then are you going?" Sulli asked.

Lin Xiuyuan squinted his eyes and laughed softly, "Going, let's set off now, I'll take you out for a drive."

At the same time, Kim Taeyeon was also driving back to Seoul from Jeonju.

Outside the car window, the night grew heavier, and the streetlights on both sides of the road were like twinkling stars, shining with a gentle glow.

Inside the car, melodious music flowed gently, as if it had merged with the silent night.

(End of this chapter)