Chapter 203

After the meal, Krystal took the initiative to take on the task of washing dishes, and Sulli naturally went over to help.

And that guy Lin Xiuyuan, still slumped on the living room sofa like a master, flipping through channels with the remote control, very leisurely.

He leaned on the back of the sofa, his legs crossed casually, holding a can of cola in one hand, while chewing the grapes he just fished out of the fruit platter.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned his head to look at the two in the kitchen and said with a grin, "Zhenli, Krystal, are we a bit like celebrating a holiday today?"

"Holiday?" Krystal rolled her eyes at him, "It's your holiday, sitting and waiting to eat, eating and waiting to be fed, hum hum hum~"

Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but laugh out loud and put the cola on the coffee table, "Then I'll go over and mix you a drink to compensate?"

"Xiuyuan, if you don't update the drink menu, I'm almost tired of drinking it. It's time to move around." Krystal complained mercilessly.

This complaint hit one of Lin Xiuyuan's nerves.

Mainly because recently it was either traveling or going back and forth through the time gate, dealing with various relationships, which led to Lin Xiuyuan really having no personal time to properly learn bartending knowledge.

So after he finished listening to Krystal's words, he immediately indicated.

"Fine, starting tomorrow, you and Snowball will both sit honestly in front of the bar and be my exclusive wine tasters."

As a result, the next second, Krystal's laughter came out, "Don't mess around, if you do that, then I can only hide the goji berries you bought, Xiuyuan~"

"Don't slander me, where would I use that thing?"

"Hahaha, Xiujing, don't talk nonsense, those goji berries were bought by me for soup."

Sulli on the side also joined the ranks of teasing.

A few people teased and joked back and forth, and the laughter was transmitted back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, and the whole house was as lively as the New Year.

Before long, Krystal and Sulli also finished cleaning up and sat on the sofa together. The three leaned together side by side, and the TV was playing an old-fashioned comedy variety show.

Suddenly, Krystal, who was a bit bored, suddenly suggested, "Sulli, shall we play 'You Draw, I Guess'?"

So soon they took out the tablet and writing board and started round after round of fun games.

From the entry-level ones like "airplane," "potato," "frog" at the beginning.

To challenging abstract nouns like "octopus wearing high heels," "penguin dancing tango" later, laughing until their stomachs started to ache faintly.

"Lin Xiuyuan, your drawing skills are at the level of a primary school student giving up treatment." Krystal laughed while patting the table, "Where is this a cat? This is clearly a mango that was struck by lightning!"

Lin Xiuyuan, who turned off the tablet, said faintly, "Krystal, don't think your 'angel' is very similar? I thought it was a grasshopper that lost its wings."

Sulli had already laughed until she was lying on the sofa, her hands still patting the sofa cushion, "You two stop drawing, if you keep laughing, I'm going to be out of breath."

Time passed minute by minute like this, and the night outside gradually deepened.

The lighting in the living room was soft, and the atmosphere was as comfortable as a beautiful dream that one didn't want to wake up from.

Until after ten o'clock in the evening, Lin Xiuyuan's phone lit up.

He glanced at it casually; it was a message from Zheng Xiuyan: 【I'm done, come over.】

Lin Xiuyuan looked at the message, blinked, then stood up slowly and put the tablet in his hand on the table.

"What's wrong?" Krystal noticed his movements and turned her head to ask.

"Zheng Xiuyan is home. Didn't she ask me to go over earlier? It seems there's something to say." After saying this, Lin Xiuyuan looked at the two, "Do you want to go together?"

Krystal leaned on the sofa, as if thinking for a while, and finally shook her head, "I'm tired today, you go yourself."

"I'm not going either." Sulli hugged the pillow and curled up deeper, "I'll have a good chat with Xiujing."

Lin Xiuyuan shrugged, not forcing them, "Fine, then I'll go over myself."

After speaking, he walked towards the time gate, opened the door, went in, closed the door, all in one go, and his figure disappeared instantly.

Krystal and Sulli were left sitting on the sofa, and the former suddenly said, "Sulli, do you think unnie she will……"

Before Krystal could finish, Sulli laughed along, "Unlikely, Xiuyan unnie is still quite proud at this time."

Krystal, after hearing this, didn't know what she remembered, and murmured softly.

"That's true, unnie here is still Jessica of Girls' Generation~"

……

On the other side.

As the bedroom door opened with a "click," Zheng Xiuyan, who had just finished showering and come out of the bedroom, and had been sitting on the sofa for a while, immediately turned her head to look at Lin Xiuyuan who had come over from the villa, her pupils tightening slightly, and then she sighed.

"This instant flash of yours is really shocking every time I see it, Xiuyuan."

"Just get used to it."

After responding, Lin Xiuyuan asked quickly, "What's wrong? It's so late, and you're in such a hurry to find me for something?"

Glancing at the bedroom door that hadn't been closed in time, Zheng Xiuyan stood up to welcome Lin Xiuyuan, then passed by his side, "Yeah, let's go over to the villa to talk."

Zheng Xiuyan, who had just finished showering, still carried a faint fragrance, like the gentle scent of jasmine and shea butter fused together. The moment she passed by Lin Xiuyuan, this fragrance brushed into his nasal cavity nonchalantly.

At that moment, Lin Xiuyuan's originally stunned expression paused lightly.

He didn't say anything, but subconsciously took a deep breath, and then coughed lightly as if to dispel this slightly private scent.

Zheng Xiuyan seemed to have sensed something, turned her head to look at him, but didn't speak, just smiled lightly and took the lead in walking towards the villa ahead.

Lin Xiuyuan withdrew his thoughts and followed.

The two passed through the time gate and returned to the 2025 villa once again.

At this time, the villa's interior was slightly bright due to the standby mode lighting, and the whole space appeared quiet and gentle.

The living room was empty, with only the distant lighting in the courtyard shining through the glass onto the floor, quiet and deep.

Zheng Xiuyan, who came to the 25-year villa, didn't stop and stepped onto the stairs directly.

Lin Xiuyuan, seeing this, followed her closely. Although he didn't know what the other party was thinking, it was clearly not the time to ask.

Until the two pushed open the door leading to the roof, a breeze with a night chill rushed towards them.

The stars in the night sky of Seoul were sparse, but the lights were bright enough to be almost dazzling. The city with high-rise buildings was like a pulled-open galaxy, and one couldn't see the end at a glance.

The roof was covered with wooden floors, with a few rattan chairs in the corners, and an unextinguished aromatherapy lamp was emitting a faint citrus scent.

The two walked over side by side and stood still leaning against the railing.

Zheng Xiuyan held the railing, looking into the distance, as if wanting to take the whole city into her eyes.

Her slightly raised head allowed the night wind to stir the hair she had just washed, and her whole person was shrouded in the soft silhouette intertwined with night and light and shadow.

After a moment, she spoke softly, "Xiuyuan, do you think…… between 2013 and 2025, which time point do you like more?"

"Like?"

Lin Xiuyuan, who turned his head to look at Zheng Xiuyan, answered without hesitation.

"In terms of liking, I definitely like 25 more. Everything is so novel, technology is developed, and it's the internet era. Information explosion, changing with each passing day, everywhere is full of freshness."

But when he said this, his tone took a sharp turn, "But if I really have to choose a place to stay, then without a doubt, it must be 2013."

This answer made Zheng Xiuyan's heart tremble slightly. She turned her face and asked with a smile, "Why?"

Lin Xiuyuan smiled, "Do you want to hear the truth, or do you want to hear…… a more romantic way of saying it?"

"I want to hear both." Zheng Xiuyan looked at him, her tone unhurried.

"The truth is that my family is all in 2013, so I definitely choose that side."

This answer made Zheng Xiuyan stunned, as if she didn't expect him to be so straightforward.

She originally thought Lin Xiuyuan would take this opportunity to make a joke or say some flirtatious love words, but she didn't expect him to give such a sincere and simple answer.

But it was precisely because this answer was too real and too sincere.

Plus, sincerity often possesses the widest range of lethality for certain moments.

So it hit a soft spot in Zheng Xiuyan's heart at this moment. After a brief silence, she spoke again, "Then what about the other way of saying it."

Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow, his tone deliberately carrying a bit of teasing, "Then of course it's…… the beauties of 2013 are still budding, and I can take a God's-eye view, slowly conquer, and savor them carefully."

The originally extremely serious topic became humorous and cheap again after this sentence came out.

It also made Zheng Xiuyan, who had been holding her face and making poses from the apartment side, finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Haha~ Hey, Lin Xiuyuan, can't you be serious for a while?"

"If you pretend too much, you're easily struck by lightning."

Lin Xiuyuan had just finished speaking, and there was still that bit of rascally smile on his face.

And he, who originally intended to tease a few more words, suddenly felt the person in front of him move.

Zheng Xiuyan walked closer gently, and before he could react, she suddenly raised her hand and hugged him.

It wasn't the kind of impulsive hug with intense emotions, nor was it the lingering attachment of lovers.

Just a very light, very short, but very quiet hug.

Her chin was slightly against Lin Xiuyuan's shoulder, and her long hair swept gently across his neck, carrying the clean and elegant scent of shampoo, and a bit of warm dampness.

At that moment, it was like a white orchid approaching in a summer night, quiet and silent, but impossible to ignore.

Lin Xiuyuan didn't move, nor did he speak.

After a few short seconds, Zheng Xiuyan let go.

Afterwards, she didn't stay long and turned to walk towards the stairs.

When she reached the first step, she suddenly turned her head back. Her gaze was a bit hazy under the dim aromatherapy light, but her expression was unusually calm.

Then she looked at Lin Xiuyuan and smiled slightly.

"Let's go, I'm fine now."

At that moment, Lin Xiuyuan looked at her back, only feeling that his chest had been tapped lightly by something.

Fine now.

These three words contained a lot of information.

Lin Xiuyuan stood still, his eyes slightly complex.

A few seconds later, under Zheng Xiuyan's gaze, he stretched slowly, and a faint smile curled up at the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah, let's go."

After saying this, he also stepped forward and followed.