Chapter 193

On an afternoon in 2025, at the entrance of the 【Jieyou】 Bistro, Jessica parked her car and couldn't help but glance at the alleyway next to it.

At this moment, the memories in her mind weren't of the last 'gathering', but of the 'incident' that happened before that.

It was the same afternoon, the same place, yet it had unexpectedly complicated the entire relationship between her, Krystal, and Lin Xiuyuan.

However, things had already reached this point, and Jessica had no regrets. After parking the car, she tried hard to recall how many minutes it took for the other party to walk out after she called Lin Xiuyuan that afternoon.

She remembered it being less than ten minutes, maybe seven or eight, or even shorter.

Thinking of this, Jessica immediately got out of the car, took out her phone to open the clock, and while pressing the timer, walked toward the alley next to the bistro.

The alley wasn't large; its width was just enough to barely allow two cars to pass each other. A few cars were parked on one side, while the other side was paved with asphalt.

The first thing Jessica saw upon entering the alley were the shops facing the street outside. Continuing inward, it was a narrow back alley.

Walking further, she saw a network junction box, and then a clearly luxurious villa.

This villa had high walls, a large courtyard, and landscaped trees; one couldn't even see the scene inside from the main gate.

Jessica only glanced at the villa once before continuing deeper into the alley.

Further in, there were houses similar to the previous villa, only they looked a bit older. When she reached a two-story residential building, the timer on Jessica's phone hit exactly 8 minutes.

She stopped, looked up at the small building, and muttered, "That can't be right. Even though that guy doesn't look like he has much money, he runs a bistro and drives a Mercedes; he shouldn't be living in an apartment like this."

After saying this, Jessica turned to look at the path she had come from. Gazing at those villas, she felt it was a bit exaggerated.

"That's not right either. This is Gangnam District. If he really bought a villa here, why would he ask me to pay back the 20 million?"

Thinking of this, Jessica finally discovered the loophole in her own words and widened her eyes.

"Wait a minute, that guy runs a bistro and drives a Mercedes; he's not short of that 20 million at all. So, was he targeting Xiujing from the very beginning?"

A wave of annoyance surged in Jessica's heart, but then she thought of that debt note. The debt note that had seemed fine suddenly became full of suspicious points.

She wanted to find the loophole in it, but she had no leads.

Just like the girl beside Lin Xiuyuan, the problem was indeed huge, but she couldn't find the source; everything seemed messy.

While pondering these questions, Jessica had unknowingly walked a full circle and returned to the alley entrance.

Standing there, she looked at the clean ground and the occasional sound of cars from the alley, suddenly feeling a bit lost, not knowing what to do next.

She couldn't really just wait here like a rabbit waiting for a tree stump; who knew when that guy would come out.

Just as Jessica was at a loss, she suddenly heard the roar of an engine. Turning her head, she saw a Mercedes AMG coupe slowly driving from not far away, then parking behind her car.

The car door opened, and a familiar figure stepped out, looking at her with a face full of shock, "Xiuyan? Why are you here?"

After getting out of the car, Kim Taeyeon was very shocked as to why Jessica was here. She had originally wanted to find Lin Xiuyuan, but with this person present, it would probably be difficult for her to ask Lin Xiuyuan about any 'secrets'.

Equally shocked, Jessica looked at her, "Taeyeon? Why did you come over too?"

Kim Taeyeon walked to Jessica's side and said directly, "I came to find Xiuyuan. Xiuyan, why are you here?"

"I..."

Jessica had originally intended to say she was here to find Lin Xiuyuan, but on second thought, she changed to an excuse, "Oh, I'm here to find Xiujing. I thought she was here with Lin Xiuyuan, but I just called her, and she said she wasn't."

Hearing this, Kim Taeyeon gave her a deep look, revealed a faint smile, and didn't expose Jessica's lie, just asked nonchalantly, "Then do you want to go into the bistro and sit for a while?"

"Ah? Sure. Do we need to call that guy Lin Xiuyuan out?"

Jessica's eyes lit up, and she nodded in agreement. As far as she knew, besides Lin Xiuyuan, only members could open the door to this bistro. Right now...

Wait a second, what is Taeyeon doing?

Hold on, how did the door open?

Just as Jessica was thinking about using this opportunity to have Kim Taeyeon call Lin Xiuyuan out, Kim Taeyeon had already walked up and unlocked the bistro door with great ease.

Then she looked back at her, "Come in, Xiuyan, what are you dazing off for?"

Looking at the opened bistro door, Jessica finally remembered that Kim Taeyeon was already a member, so she looked up at the other party, "By the way, Taeyeon, when did you become a member of this bistro?"

"Not long ago," Kim Taeyeon said with a smile.

However, Jessica looked at Kim Taeyeon's face, then thought of Lin Yun'er, Krystal, and the others, and there was a question she wanted to ask but didn't end up asking.

The main reason was simple: Dalongzai and Li Juli weren't members, yet they were also glowing with health.

Thinking of this, Jessica stepped forward to follow Kim Taeyeon into the bistro.

Although it was Kim Taeyeon's first time coming in by herself, Lin Xiuyuan had previously introduced her to the bistro's circuits and situation. She only needed to flip the main switch, and she didn't need to worry about anything else.

Those who knew how to mix drinks did it themselves; those who didn't just added some ice and drank what was ready.

Clearly, both Kim Taeyeon and Jessica belonged to the latter, and both had driven here, so coming in was just to find a place to sit.

At the same time, Jessica curiously asked again, "Taeyeon, since you've become a member, do you know what the membership criteria for Lin Xiuyuan's bistro are?"

"Ah, the criteria?"

Kim Taeyeon, being asked, was a bit clueless because, besides enjoying the membership benefits of the Time Gate, she knew nothing about other benefits, let alone any criteria.

So she replied, "I guess it depends on Xiuyuan's mood."

Seeing that Kim Taeyeon's expression didn't look like she was deliberately hiding the answer from her, Jessica hesitated for a moment before continuing to ask, "Then have you seen other members of the bistro, besides Xiujing, Yun'er, and Enjing?"

Although she didn't know why Jessica was so curious, Kim Taeyeon still nodded gently.

Then, Jessica asked, "Then do you know who a girl is who has a similar height to me, a similar figure, and wears black toenail polish? Have you seen her?"

"Similar to you?" Kim Taeyeon's heart tightened suddenly.

"Yeah, just when I was eating..."

Following that, Jessica recounted the scene where she and Dalongzai went to pick someone up at the airport, then ate together, and subsequently discovered that Lin Xiuyuan had brought out a masked member, so she went down to say hello.

As a result... the other party opened her mouth and cursed at her.

That was fine, but the main thing was that the voice was too much like her own, including the tone, small gestures, and so on.

Although Jessica herself felt it was like a fantasy when saying these things, she couldn't find Lin Xiuyuan to explain it to her right now. Having caught Kim Taeyeon, a member, she wanted to ask a few more questions to see what exactly was going on.

And when Kim Taeyeon finished listening to Jessica's words, her first reaction was: Did the 2013 Xiuyan come over?

After all, Kim Taeyeon couldn't think of anyone other than Zheng Xiuyan who could say "You've become so ugly" to Jessica.

So she subconsciously laughed out loud, attracting Jessica's gaze, "Why are you laughing, Taeyeon? Do you know who the other party is?"

"Ah, I don't know. I just joined. Although I've seen quite a few members, I haven't seen them all."

Kim Taeyeon immediately denied it when asked; the main thing was that she didn't know how to explain it.

"Then why don't you ask Lin Xiuyuan?" Jessica asked immediately after.

To this, Kim Taeyeon replied very directly, "Ah, Xiuyan, don't you have his phone number? You ask him yourself. I'm embarrassed to ask about other members' information."

Just as she finished speaking, Kim Taeyeon saw Jessica's expression change. Then, the other party took a deep breath and said with full resentment, "That guy Lin Xiuyuan blocked me."

Kim Taeyeon was shocked again, and in her mind, she recalled the 'conflict incident' between Lin Xiuyuan and Jessica that Lin Yun'er had explained to her after the party that night.

So she quickly realized and clicked her tongue, "Tsk, then this is a bit troublesome."

"Taeyeon, can you help me ask him to come out? I want to ask him clearly, is that okay?" Jessica's voice was low, carrying a hint of helplessness.

Kim Taeyeon pondered for a while and nodded, "I'll help you make a call and try, but I can't guarantee he'll agree. Xiuyuan is quite stubborn."

Speaking to the end, Kim Taeyeon couldn't help but laugh, which made Jessica feel a bit uncomfortable.

Inside the villa.

Lin Xiuyuan was still playing that subtle "Jade Foot Game" with Zheng Xiuyan. Their toes occasionally touched, and the distance between them was getting closer and closer in this unspoken contact.

At the same time, one hand was also quickly replying to messages on the phone, with a slight smile on his face.

On the phone screen, the messages sent by Liu Zhimin were still flashing constantly, and he quickly replied to a few.

Suddenly, Zheng Xiuyan broke the silence, "Xiuyuan, if I really go to develop in the domestic entertainment industry, do you have any suggestions?"

Lin Xiuyuan was slightly stunned, looked at her legs, and then looked into her eyes, "Did you not listen to what I said before?"

"I mean, is there any other way?" Zheng Xiuyan gave him a light glare.

"Want to take a shortcut?" Lin Xiuyuan raised his eyebrows and teased.

Zheng Xiuyan smiled, "Learn more about it."

Lin Xiuyuan turned around, a hint of helpless smile on his face, "You currently have a certain market appeal, so the most direct way is to create topics. In the future entertainment industry, traffic is supreme. Whoever can attract attention can become the focus."

"For example?" Zheng Xiuyan continued to ask, her eyes full of curiosity.

"For example, buying hot searches..."

Lin Xiuyuan, who had just wanted to continue, suddenly had his phone ring. Looking down, "Eh, Taeyeon is calling me."

Zheng Xiuyan, who had just seen the other party in a short video and watched Kim Taeyeon's concert video, couldn't help but smile with some envy, "Taeyeon just finished her tour, right?"

"Uh-huh."

Lin Xiuyuan nodded and answered the call, "Hello, Taeyeon."

Kim Taeyeon on the other end of the phone also smiled upon hearing his voice, "Yeah, it's me. Where are you, Xiuyuan?"

"Me? I'm at home. What's wrong? Want to come over?"

Hearing Kim Taeyeon's straightforward question, Lin Xiuyuan thought she wanted to go back to the 2013 side, so he was just about to tell her to come over.

As a result, he heard Kim Taeyeon's reply, "No, I wanted to say, do you want to come out to the bistro and sit for a while? Xiuyan and I are both here."

Xiuyan?

This name made Lin Xiuyuan subconsciously look up at the opposite side. Zheng Xiuyan also put down her phone and narrowed her eyes slightly.

If it were a call from Jessica, Lin Xiuyuan would definitely say he was busy or hang up, but it happened to be a call from Kim Taeyeon, which made him a bit embarrassed.

Fortunately, Zheng Xiuyan seemed very sensible and didn't make Lin Xiuyuan feel pressured. She stood up, pointed to the Time Gate, and smiled gently.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan raised his sword-like eyebrows and replied, "Wait for me for a moment, I'll be out in a while."

"Okay, see you in a bit."

"See you in a bit."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiuyuan's first sentence was, "Really amazing. How long has it been? You found Xiujing and then found Taeyeon. Xiuyan, are you this crazy?"

"I guess I stimulated her."

Zheng Xiuyan, putting herself in the situation, thought that if she, walking in 2013, suddenly encountered a figure that looked exactly like her on the road, and the person ran away after saying one sentence in her own voice, she would probably want to figure it all out herself.

Moreover, the person beside her was someone she knew, not a stranger, so she would definitely want to get to the bottom of it.

"I'll send you back first."

Helpless, Lin Xiuyuan could only stand up and say, "After I handle the situation later, I'll go find you, or..."

"I have rehearsals tonight, probably until the early morning. We'll see then," Zheng Xiuyan replied.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan didn't say much. He brought Zheng Xiuyan to the Time Gate and opened it. Behind the door was Zheng Xiuyan's own apartment.

And before walking in, Zheng Xiuyan stopped and turned to look at Lin Xiuyuan.

With a strange and slightly uneasy look, she said, "Lin Xiuyuan, you are not allowed to touch Jessica. I won't say anything about others, but not her."

The voice in his ear made Lin Xiuyuan look at Zheng Xiuyan with some surprise. No longer the little Chu Nan, he processed the thoughts in his mind, suddenly realized something, looked at the Zheng Xiuyan in front of him with interesting eyes, and smiled slightly.

"Why, afraid I'll get the flavors mixed up?"

"Get lost~"

Zheng Xiuyan, not expecting this guy Lin Xiuyuan to be so straightforward, felt her pretty face heat up. After cursing angrily, she stepped back into her apartment.

Then she turned around and looked at Lin Xiuyuan, warning him seriously again, "Not allowed, you know?"

"Relax, don't worry," Lin Xiuyuan smiled.

Just as Lin Xiuyuan was about to close the door, Zheng Xiuyan stopped suddenly again and blocked him.

A few seconds later, her tone softened a bit, "I guess she's not having a very good time either. When you go out, don't stimulate her."

Lin Xiuyuan was stunned. After looking at Zheng Xiuyan, he nodded gently and then closed the door.

Then, standing in front of the door and pondering for a moment, he turned and walked toward the main entrance.

Leaving the villa, Lin Xiuyuan soon arrived at the bistro.

The moment he entered the bistro, Lin Xiuyuan glanced at the bar. Kim Taeyeon was already standing there drinking a beverage, smiling at him.

"You're here, Xiuyuan," Kim Taeyeon smiled.

"Yeah, how come you have time to come over today?"

Lin Xiuyuan's gaze swept over Jessica, who was sitting next to Kim Taeyeon. He ignored her and then turned his head to greet Kim Taeyeon on his own.

"The tour is over, I came to find you for something, I just happened to meet Xiuyan at the intersection."

Kim Taeyeon very concisely reminded Lin Xiuyuan about Jessica's situation.

Just as Lin Xiuyuan was about to reply, Jessica, who was sitting on the side, suddenly spoke, her tone calm but carrying a bit of impatience, "Lin Xiuyuan, where is that masked girl who was walking on the street with you before? Where did she go?"

Lin Xiuyuan's movements paused. His eyes subconsciously swept over Kim Taeyeon, and he found that she didn't have any special reaction.

Only then did he look at Jessica, "Why are you looking for her?"

Then he sneered, "It wouldn't be that because she said you were ugly, you're going to open an account and plan to curse back, right?"

The answer in her ear made Jessica's heart shake. The scene of the previous 'conflict incident' appeared in her mind. She gritted her teeth and frowned at Lin Xiuyuan.

"You're a grown man, can you not be so petty? Didn't I already apologize for that incident? Besides, you also hit someone, so your anger should have dissipated by now."

Lin Xiuyuan, hearing Jessica's explanation, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Grown man? Hey, I'm not that mature, not that old. I'm just a vengeful young person, young and energetic, with a big temper, the kind who thinks about revenge all day long."

"..."

Jessica looked at Lin Xiuyuan's cheeky appearance. Although she was extremely depressed and wanted to curse him, she finally held it back and took a deep breath.

"How can we make peace? Draw a line."

"Tsk tsk tsk tsk~"

Looking at Jessica's familiar answer, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but click his tongue in praise, "Amazing. You must have met quite a few straightforward people in the country. These words have such a Jianghu atmosphere."

"Stop nagging, just say whether we can make peace or not, and whether you can tell me what I want to know."

The sarcasm from Lin Xiuyuan in her ear, although it made Jessica feel very crazy and she was running out of patience, so she asked straightforwardly.

And Lin Xiuyuan looked at her. He wanted to provoke her again, but was gently pulled by the corner of his clothes by Kim Taeyeon, who looked over with a gentle gaze.

Thinking of Krystal and the things Zheng Xiuyan said before, Lin Xiuyuan reached out and patted Kim Taeyeon's small hand, revealed a smile, and turned to look at Jessica, "Making peace is fine, but what you want to know is confidential."

"I just want to get to know the other party," Jessica said in a low voice.

"No."

"Then can I ask the other party a few questions?"

"No."

"Then I'll just ask you a few questions about the other party, is that okay?"

Lin Xiuyuan pondered for a moment and nodded, "Okay, but first make peace."

Jessica had just breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could be happy for two seconds, Lin Xiuyuan's words poured down like a basin of cold water. Helpless, she had to sigh, "You say it, how can we make peace?"

"Hiss, I have to think about this."

Lin Xiuyuan rubbed his chin. As if thinking of something, his eyes stared tightly at Jessica.

Until he made the other party feel goosebumps all over, he said, "I won't make things difficult for you. How about this, you're a designer, right? Just help me draw a hundred design drawings, no problem, right?"

Jessica widened her eyes immediately, "What do you take design for? It's not that simple to draw."

Lin Xiuyuan smiled indifferently, "Don't worry, I don't want your original designs. For example, if I say I like a piece of clothing, I'll give you a style and ask you to help me trace it back to a design drawing, no problem, right?"

Now, not only Jessica but even Kim Taeyeon was a bit confused, "Xiuyuan, what do you want these design drawings for?"

"Don't worry about it. Jessica, can you do it or not? You can find someone else to do it, or draw it yourself. This condition for making peace is very simple, right?"

Jessica looked at Lin Xiuyuan deeply. Hearing him mention that she could entrust someone to draw, she finally agreed, "Okay."

And Kim Taeyeon, looking at these two, felt like she was watching children play house, so she couldn't help but laugh, "You two... are so childish. It feels like children fighting."

"Yeah, very childish," Jessica glanced at Lin Xiuyuan.

Lin Xiuyuan ignored her gaze very calmly. The condition he wanted was simply to find a workhorse to help Zheng Xiuyan draw design drawings, so she wouldn't have to stay up late and work overtime every day, busy like a fool.

And after complaining about Lin Xiuyuan, Jessica spoke again, "Then can I ask questions now?"

"Ask away," Lin Xiuyuan walked into the bar and grabbed a can of iced Coke for himself.

"If I ask directly who the other party is, you definitely won't say, right?" Jessica's eyes stared straight at Lin Xiuyuan.

"Membership confidentiality agreement. You ask Taeyeon, will she say?" Lin Xiuyuan easily signaled to Kim Taeyeon.

Kim Taeyeon on the side waved her hands quickly, "You guys chat, I won't interrupt. But if it were me, I would also like this kind of confidentiality agreement."

Jessica let out a muffled breath and continued, "Then can I know the other party's age?"

"Age? 12 years younger than both you and Taeyeon." Lin Xiuyuan said this answer without hesitation, his tone slightly light and teasing.

It was just that Kim Taeyeon was a bit hurt. Why did he have to drag her into an example for something that had nothing to do with her?

So she immediately gave Lin Xiuyuan a big eye-roll, furious.

Then Jessica asked again, "Then can I know where in Seoul that person is from?"

"Seoul?"

Hearing this question, Lin Xiuyuan looked up at Jessica and smiled, "She is not from the Peninsula. Next question."

"Then do I know her?"

"Yes, next."

"Does Zhiyan know her?"

"Pass, next."

"How tall is she?"

"About the same as you," Lin Xiuyuan raised his eyebrows slightly, as if savoring the fun of this question.

"How much does she weigh?"

"Lighter than you," he answered again without thinking, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness, as if enjoying this sense of mystery that left people hanging.

Jessica frowned, feeling like she was being played, "Is she an insider or an outsider?"

"She is an Earthling," Lin Xiuyuan revealed a smile, "Next."

Lin Xiuyuan, who was looking down and fiddling with the equipment, realized that after he finished speaking, Jessica was silent, so he looked up at the other party, "What's wrong, finished asking?"

"Answering like this is a bit perfunctory, Lin Xiuyuan," Jessica looked at him speechlessly.

To this, Lin Xiuyuan smiled directly, "How can this be considered perfunctory? At least I answered, and I guarantee my answer is as accurate as it can be. If you don't believe me, you can ask Taeyeon."

Kim Taeyeon, who was watching the show on the side, shook her head hurriedly, "Xiuyuan, you guys talk about your own things, don't drag me into it. I haven't even said anything about you saying I'm old just now."

"Anyway, if you think I'm choosing to be perfunctory to you, why not just not reply to you at all? Isn't that more straightforward, right?" Lin Xiuyuan also shrugged.

Jessica took a deep breath. The answers she got to the questions she just asked made her thoughts even more chaotic.

So after a while, she said, "Not asking anymore, that's it."

"Then OK, welcome to come again next time."

Lin Xiuyuan, having received the answer, turned to look at the entrance and signaled to Jessica.

This small action made Jessica's just-calmed emotions start to stir again, "No, Lin Xiuyuan, what do you mean by this? Kicking people out? What about the peace we agreed on? You're not keeping your word, right?"

To this, Lin Xiuyuan shook his head, but the words he said made Jessica even more unhappy, "No, the next part is a chat between us members. It's not appropriate for an outsider like you to sit here."

But her gaze was directed at Kim Taeyeon.

Kim Taeyeon smiled at Lin Xiuyuan, "It's okay, I can chat with you later. I haven't chatted with Xiuyan for a long time. Xiuyuan, don't kick people out."

"Then you guys chat, I'm going home to sleep," Lin Xiuyuan said with a smile.

At this time, Jessica spoke, "Lin Xiuyuan, do you live in the next alley?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Lin Xiuyuan didn't quite understand her intention.

"Just curious about where you live."

Jessica, who said this, stared tightly at Lin Xiuyuan. In her view, if someone had a bit of emotional intelligence, they should follow her words and invite her over to sit and visit.

As a result, Lin Xiuyuan's answer was, "Then keep being curious. I'm leaving. Taeyeon, whenever you finish chatting, come over yourself."

After speaking, Lin Xiuyuan really just picked up the unfinished can of Coke and left the bistro directly.

Until the bistro door closed again, Jessica hadn't recovered. After a while, she turned to look at Kim Taeyeon, "Taeyeon, does he talk to you like this too?"

"No, Xiuyuan is quite easy to talk to, and... he is actually quite gentle in his bones."

When saying this, Kim Taeyeon thought of the time Lin Xiuyuan 'sent' her back to Jeonju, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl into a smile, very gentle.

But it made Jessica frown. She found that everyone who stayed with this guy Lin Xiuyuan became different from before.

Starting from Krystal, then Yun'er, Zhiyan, Juli... now Taeyeon has joined in?

If it weren't for the fact that Kim Taeyeon's complexion hadn't changed much, Jessica would really want to find a detective to track down what kind of person this guy Lin Xiuyuan was, and why the women who approached him changed their appearance directly.

Oh, except for Taeyeon.

Suddenly, Jessica, remembering something, looked at Kim Taeyeon, "By the way, Taeyeon, do you know where Lin Xiuyuan's home is?"

"I know," Kim Taeyeon nodded.

"Then can I go over and take a look?" Jessica said pleasantly surprised.

As a result, Kim Taeyeon shook her head gently, "No, Xiuyan, the confidentiality agreement."

This answer made Jessica tighten the glass in her hand, and she said very miserably, "Why? That guy, I clearly knew him the earliest."

Kim Taeyeon heard this and raised her... eyes.

Then she lowered her head and sent a text message to Lin Xiuyuan: Xiuyuan, do you want a woman?

A few seconds later, the other side replied: Jessica excluded.

(End of chapter)