Chapter 231: Shocked Bae Ju-hyun and that sentence

"Oppa~ you still say you don't care about others, you threw them to my side, making me like a nanny."

Park Jiyeon entered the apartment, her whole person as if drained of strength, throwing her bag onto the sofa casually, and then flopping onto it with a thud.

When saying this, she pouted, her cheeks bulging, her face full of dissatisfaction.

Even specially gave Lin Xiuyuan's back a white look, her eyes full of complaints.

After drinking coffee, the few transferred to the apartment, after all, there were many people outside, and some words were not suitable for public speaking.

As for that "stalker" Park Hyomin, she had long been dragged away by Xian Enjing, who was called by Park Jiyeon via text message, under the guise of going shopping and eating.

And as soon as she entered the door, Park Jiyeon couldn't help but complain about Lin Xiuyuan, her tone carrying a bit of the willfulness and coquettishness peculiar to little girls.

After all, the other party just threw his little thoughts about Lee Shaoxi, that is, the assumption of an "assistant", to her to handle.

Lin Xiuyuan put the bread he just bought on the coffee table slowly, sat on the other side of the sofa leisurely, looked at her, and brought a hint of teasing smile, "Changing a person's fate at will, Jiyeon, don't you feel that this feeling is very fulfilling?"

After all, facing the little Jiyeon in 2013, he didn't dare to say words like "cool, exciting, trendy", fearing

If this were Dalongzai, he would likely have blurted out "feels like heaven" right away.

"Mm... it is indeed a bit interesting." Park Jiyeon sat up straight, put her legs on the sofa, and answered while swinging them, but her tone still carried a bit of dissatisfaction, "But this kind of thing will also cause a lot of trouble; who knows what a young person's mind is like."

"That's why I need you to examine it from time to time."

Lin Xiuyuan crossed his legs, his posture lazy, but his tone righteous.

"Otherwise, why put her under your command? This is also finding a little errand girl for you. You can't leave your startup entirely to the assistants in the company, right? Salary is one thing, but whether they are reliable is another. You have to have your own team."

Upon hearing this, Park Jiyeon first looked up and glared at him fiercely, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but lift.

She deliberately dragged out her tone, hummed and smiled, "Oppa~ these words of yours must have been made up just now, right? Although it sounds very much like a scam, but... I have to say, it actually makes some sense. Alright, I agree."

"How could that be? I had this planned long ago." Lin Xiuyuan immediately put on an innocent look, spread his hands, his tone carrying a bit of fake seriousness, "Jiyeon, how could you look at me like that?"

"Humph humph humph." Park Jiyeon folded her arms, leaned back, her expression smiling like a little devil, "Oppa, ever since you slept with that old woman, your credit with me has completely hit zero."

After finishing, she raised her eyebrows, her expression full of resentment.

"Nah nah nah, Jiyeon, you have to be reasonable about this."

Lin Xiuyuan immediately sat up straight, gesturing frantically, and hurriedly defended himself, "The matter with Dazhiyan was clearly you 'selling' the other party out first. I refused at first, thinking it wasn't good, but you kept persuading me..."

"Yah... oppa~"

After her little thoughts were exposed, Park Jiyeon's face flushed red, like a kitten that had been stepped on its tail, and she pounded the sofa in a fit of rage, her voice both shy and annoyed.

"That was just a moment of heat! How could you just do it... and with such strong execution..."

"Oh, so it's my fault?" Lin Xiuyuan leaned back exaggeratedly, pretending to be hit, laughing until his eyes narrowed into slits, "Wow, Jiyeon, that punch of yours went straight across time and space and hit me all the way to 2025!"

"Oppa~"

Park Jiyeon pounced over angrily, her hands spread out as if to scratch him.

Her eyes were wide open, and she looked aggressive, but that look seemed more like acting coquettish no matter how you looked at it.

"Hahaha, alright, oppa~ Jiyeon, you two stop arguing."

Sulli, who was just bringing over two glasses of water, happened to see the scene of the two of them making a scene together and couldn't help but bend over laughing, almost spilling the water.

She put down the cups, her eyes full of helplessness, "You two are really a pair of live treasures."

Immediately, she clapped her hands lightly and changed the subject, "By the way, oppa~ are you eating dinner here? If so, I'll go down and buy some side dishes now."

As soon as dinner was mentioned, a text message Krystal sent in the morning suddenly flashed through Lin Xiuyuan's mind.

He paused, raised his hand to scratch his head, and said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm afraid not, I have an appointment tonight."

"It must be that old woman, right? Oppa~ you should have that old woman come over."

As soon as Lin Xiuyuan finished speaking, Park Jiyeon immediately bristled, her body stiffened, and her eyes suddenly became sharp.

The whole person was like a cat that had been stepped on its tail, wishing she could immediately roll up her sleeves and have another PK with him.

Although she said she was resting these two days, she hadn't wasted her free time and had specifically watched quite a few free-fighting videos.

Although she wasn't sure if she could win if they really fought, at least she knew how to dodge, and she felt a bit more confident.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but laugh, raised his hand, shook the phone in his hand, his tone carrying a mischievous smile, "I've recorded it all, Jiyeon~"

"Record it then, I'm not afraid of that old woman."

Park Jiyeon raised her little chin, looking disdainful, and even raised her eyebrows triumphantly, completely unaware that she was about to dig her own grave.

Until...

"Oh, the person who made an appointment with me tonight is Krystal." Lin Xiuyuan leaned lazily on the sofa, his tone slow and methodical, "So, Krystal is also the old woman in your mouth, Jiyeon?"

The air was silent for three seconds.

After hearing this answer from Lin Xiuyuan, Park Jiyeon's whole face stiffened, her eyes instantly changing from arrogant to guilty; she hugged the cushion, shrank her neck, and muttered in a low voice, "Ah? No way, it's Xiujing~"

Then she forced a smile, but it was uglier than crying, "Ah... I, I was just saying it casually, oppa, don't take it too seriously."

Then her eyeballs rolled around, and she hurriedly made up for it, her voice fast, "How could Krystal be an old woman? She... she is clearly super cute, clearly a beautiful woman... right, oppa, you know I like Xiujing the most."

By the end, she simply made her tone soft and sweet, cloying, and the whole person was like a kitten, hugging the cushion tightly and rubbing her face against it, as if it could block the embarrassment on her face.

However, this look of hers made people find it even more funny.

Sure enough, Lin Xiuyuan was directly amused, and his laughter couldn't be suppressed.

He leaned back, arms crossed, the corners of his mouth curling into a mischievous smile, his eyes full of teasing, "Oh, Zhenli, did you hear that? Jiyeon is really fickle; not long ago she said she liked you the most, and now it's Xiujing's turn."

He deliberately dragged out his tone, his tone carrying a bit of schadenfreude.

"Yah... oppa~" Park Jiyeon's eyes widened in anxiety, and she pounced to his side, her hands reaching out quickly to cover his mouth, "You can't talk nonsense, I didn't mean that."

At this moment, her face was already flushed, and her earlobes were even redder; the whole person was as anxious as a bristling little rabbit.

She hurriedly turned her head and shouted at Sulli next to her, "Zhenli, I didn't mean that!"

Sulli, who had been quiet on the side, had been trying to hold it in, but when she saw Jiyeon's flustered, red-faced, and neck-thick appearance, she couldn't hold it back anymore and burst into laughter with a "Pfft~".

She even bent over laughing because she was so happy, covering her mouth tightly with her hands, her shoulders shaking, and tears of laughter coming out, "Jiyeon, you're usually so arrogant, I didn't expect you to be so scared today, hahahaha, it's really too funny."

"Ah, Sulli!!!"

Park Jiyeon pounced over, wanting to grab the water cup in her hand, but Sulli had already laughed and dodged to the side, almost knocking over the cup.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, reaching out to catch the cushion Park Jiyeon threw, and shook it, "Jiyeon, your reaction is a bit slow; no wonder you can't win against Dazhiyan, the other party reacts very quickly, I can't even run away."

"Ah, oppa!!!"

Park Jiyeon clenched her hands into fists, her little face puffed up with anger, staring at him through gritted teeth.

The whole person was curled up in the corner of the sofa, like a little hamster forced into a corner, aggressive, but somehow revealing a bit of cuteness.

Just as Lin Xiuyuan was playing and laughing with Xiaozhiyan in '13, at the other end of '25, Dalongzai had already walked out of the company with Li Juli and the others.

There were no dinner activities today, just a routine company meeting.

In fact, the main content had already been communicated before, nothing more than the adjustment of the upcoming schedule and the discussion on expanding the pool of new popularity.

The so-called "new popularity pool" focused on the domestic entertainment market in Huaxia.

However, at this meeting, Li Juli and Dalongzai had already unified their stance, and their attitudes were very clear.

That is: semi-retirement state.

As for Tian Enjing, there was no need to say more.

Having transitioned to an actor early on, although her acting career on the Peninsula didn't have any big hits, her days were stable, she had a constant stream of acting offers, and her life was comfortable.

Only Park Hyomin's attitude was surprisingly serious; she not only nodded and agreed to all arrangements but also signed short-term cooperation contracts with several studios in the mainland on the spot.

It looked like she wanted to test the waters first and then consider longer-term plans later.

When walking out of the company building, the meeting atmosphere had already dissipated.

But Dalongzai still couldn't help but secretly glance at Park Hyomin, her heart tightening slightly, her brows furrowing, her tone carrying a hint of worry, "Unnie... your current state, why does it feel more exaggerated than mine was back then? Are you really okay? If there's a problem, you can actually tell us."

Beside her, Li Juli was also looking at the other party with a serious face; although she didn't say anything, the worry in her eyes expressed everything.

Park Hyomin, being stared at by the two, instead revealed a hearty smile, waved her hand, and replied in an understated tone.

"It's fine, really fine. Just want to take advantage of the fact that I still have some popularity to earn more money. After all, in a few years, maybe everyone will forget us."

"Unnie, doing this will actually make the fans' perception bad," Dalongzai said with a frown.

"Let's see first, what if it doesn't work?"

Park Hyomin gently changed the subject, her smile remained, but the complexity in the depths of her eyes flashed very quickly, and no one could catch it.

The three then separated in the company's parking lot and got into their respective cars.

Dalongzai didn't drive, so she took Li Juli's car back on the way.

And Park Hyomin left directly, seemingly to find her man, or seemingly to have new work.

On the way back, inside the car driven by Li Juli, the atmosphere was quiet for a while.

It wasn't until they stopped at a red light that Dalongzai couldn't help but speak, "Unnie... do you feel that Hyomin Unnie is a bit off? Her attitude toward signing those temporary contracts seems too urgent."

Li Juli held the steering wheel, her eyes fixed on the front, her voice deepening, "Mm, I think so too; she seems to be very short of money."

"Short of money?" Dalongzai was stunned, her brows furrowed tightly, "How could Hyomin Unnie be short of money? Her income has always been quite good. These years, with YouTube, plus some station activities, she hasn't been lacking, and basically, her income has never stopped... could she have been cheated?"

The car was quiet again, leaving only the ticking of the dashboard.

Li Juli was silent for a while, sighed lightly, and shook her head, "I don't know, I really don't know. Just feel like she's rushing for something, anxious about something, like she's being driven to do it."

Dalongzai pursed her lips, her eyes carrying a hint of worry, wanting to ask more, but saw that Li Juli had already taken the initiative to change the subject, not wanting to continue the suppression.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this for now. You should tell me about your situation with Xiuyuan, Jiyeon~"

"Ah? Why did you suddenly bring him up?" Dalongzai was stunned, then smiled helplessly.

Li Juli glanced at her, her eyes carrying a bit of a smile, "You already told me not to disturb you guys, what's the situation, did you two make it happen? I can not call to disturb you, but what about Krystal?"

Dalongzai was stunned, then grinned, her tone light and carrying a bit of stubbornness, "What about it? What else can we do, fair competition, at worst we'll have a fight!"

Li Juli almost choked, burst out laughing, shook her head and looked at her, wanting to tease her a few times, but when she met those eyes, she was stunned.

Just because at this moment, Dalongzai's eyes were bright and clear, filled with naked sincerity and seriousness.

This made Li Juli's laughter stop abruptly; she was stunned for two seconds, unable to help but be dumbfounded, "You're not serious, are you?"

"What serious? Fighting? Of course," Dalongzai replied with a giggle, her tone relaxed.

"I'm not talking about fighting, I'm talking about Xiuyuan." Li Juli's brows furrowed slightly, her eyes gradually becoming serious, "Are you really serious about him?"

She considered herself to still have some rationality; although she didn't completely treat that little milk-dog-like man as a plaything, she definitely didn't intend to let herself fall too deep.

But Dalongzai's tone in front of her gave her a bit of a headache, "Jiyeon, didn't you just have a problem, don't get carried away, it's only been such a short time. It wouldn't be that marriage + divorce directly hooked out your love brain, right?"

"Of course I'm serious." Dalongzai blinked, looking like it was a matter of course.

But she didn't tell Li Juli that she had already entered Lin Xiuyuan's core circle.

After all, for something like the "Time Gate," she herself had slept for two full nights before recovering, and she still felt like she was dreaming deep down.

Such a secret really couldn't be told casually.

On the other side.

The same afternoon sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, mottled on the wooden floor, glowing with a warm and lazy luster.

The air was filled with a faint aroma of black tea, and the entire living room was quiet and comfortable.

After Krystal finished her work at the company, she didn't return to the villa to find Lin Xiuyuan as usual, but drove straight to Jessica's residence.

As soon as the door was pushed open, she saw Jessica curled up on the sofa, wearing a loose light-colored loungewear, with a soft gray blanket over her knees, her body half-sunk into the sofa.

Holding a cup of warm black tea in her hand, her expression was lazy and relaxed, not at all like an artist who was still busy with work.

"Jessica!"

Krystal walked in while changing her shoes, her brows slightly furrowed, "Didn't you say before that the performance in Huaxia was approved? Why was it suddenly changed? What happened?"

Jessica raised her eyes, her gaze falling lightly on her sister, but her expression didn't have much ripple.

She stirred the liquid in the teacup gently, her tone as calm as if she were talking about someone else's business.

"You ran over so fast just to ask this."

Krystal pursed her lips, walked to the side of the sofa, her tone slightly softened, "Not really, just happened to be done with work, stopped by to sit for a while, and asked by the way."

Jessica smiled lightly and explained, "It's probably because many artists on the Peninsula have triggered some audit mechanisms recently. Although my nationality isn't Peninsula, the people executing it don't care about that and directly included me in the list. Need to communicate again, might take some time, but you don't need to worry, there's no problem."

"How long will it take?" Krystal pursued, her brows still not unfolded.

"Who knows. But it's fine, the 'Weibo Night' next month is already confirmed. It doesn't matter if there are two fewer performances, just consider it a rest, and find time to open a live broadcast to chat with fans."

After Krystal finished listening, she was stunned, then couldn't help but sneer, arms crossed, leaning directly into the corner of the sofa, her eyes carrying sarcasm.

"Those agencies are really sick; they clearly had the opportunity and time to expand outside before, but they insisted on staying in Seoul to fight internally, fighting to the death. As a result, they only reacted after T-ara and the others rose up, wanting to follow and share a piece of the pie? But it was too late."

She shook her head, her tone becoming sharper and sharper, "Later, when there was nowhere to go, they still only knew how to fight internally on the Peninsula, never thinking about how to maintain overseas fans. Now that they see an opportunity, they want to go out again, but the fans are no longer the student party they were back then; they are all adults, how could they be so easily fooled? Wanting to treat people like fools, it's really outrageous."

Jessica was amused by her serious complaining, took a sip of the teacup, her eyes curved, and there was a bit of teasing in her eyes.

"That's why I don't worry much; they can't make any waves on the short video platforms over there. Even Tara back then was the same, let alone others."

Upon hearing this, Krystal suddenly paused, her gaze falling on her sister, her expression becoming serious.

Subsequently, she switched to Chinese, and although awkward, she asked clearly, "Jessica, what are we eating tonight?"

Jessica was stunned for a moment, then laughed, and responded in Chinese, "Not eating, losing weight, you go find Lin Xiuyuan to eat by yourself."

"Ah? Losing weight again, you're not fat at all." Krystal couldn't help complaining, but there was a smile in her eyes.

"Then I'll change to another excuse, so as not to disturb the two of you in your world of two." Jessica raised her eyebrows, her eyes carrying a little teasing.

"Jessica~" Krystal complained and dragged out the sound, as if acting coquettish.

"You dare to say no? You just came back and you're not looking for him? I don't believe it." Jessica hummed and smiled lightly.

The two had a few short sentences of conversation, although the spoken Chinese was still slightly stiff, the phrasing and grammar were not wrong, clearly having learned it seriously.

And Krystal was speechless by her sister's retort, and finally couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, I do have a dinner appointment with him tonight, but adding you wouldn't be impossible."

"Forget it." Jessica shook her head lightly, her tone crisp, "That guy probably won't even be able to eat well if he sees me."

This sentence carried an indifferent coldness, but her eyes darkened slightly.

She wasn't the kind of person who would force herself on others knowing they hated her.

She had roughly figured out Lin Xiuyuan's attitude toward her now.

Although he no longer completely ignored her like before, that bit of superficial politeness and consideration was more out of Krystal, or other factors.

If you really want to say cold, it's not quite, but enthusiasm is impossible.

But Jessica didn't want this kind of feeling entrusted to others' charity at all.

The reason she agreed to travel with Krystal last time was just because she was touched by those two steaming dishes in the middle of the night.

But as time cooled down, coupled with Lin Xiuyuan's reaction, her heart gradually cooled.

It doesn't matter, anyway, it's not the first time she's experienced her life changing because of the man she chose.

Just get used to it.

Krystal wanted to refute with "No, he won't," but swallowed the words back.

She knew her sister's personality, and she also knew the subtlety between the two.

So she could only accompany her silently, but didn't say anything more.

Only the thoughts in her heart were growing vigorously.

Evening time.

Inside the villa in 2025, the air still retained the temperature of the day, and the sunlight gradually faded outside the window, leaving only a slight golden afterglow.

Although she wanted to say she would hide in the morning, for Krystal, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't do the act of standing her up.

So he finally came over, but as soon as he returned to the villa's living room, he heard the buzzing sound of a mobile phone vibrating on the table, one after another, ringing dully on the wooden coffee table.

Lin Xiuyuan thought it was Krystal's call and subconsciously walked over quickly.

But when the screen lit up, the caller was clearly: Dalongzai.

This made him answer with a bit of amusement, "Hello, Jiyeon, what's wrong."

"Xiuyuan~ did you go... over there?" Dalongzai's voice carried a bit of hesitation; she originally wanted to say "13," but swallowed the words back.

"Mm, went over for a bit." Lin Xiuyuan leaned against the sofa, his tone light, "After all, having stayed here for too long, I have to go back and take a look."

Dalongzai hesitated to speak, wanting to continue asking something, but finally realized it was a call and it wasn't convenient to chat in detail.

So she changed the subject, her tone adding a bit of lightness, "Alright, then let's go out for dinner tonight, I'll treat you to something delicious."

"Ah, I have an appointment with Xiujing tonight." Lin Xiuyuan had a bit of a headache, then complained to Dalongzai, "Also, Jiyeon. You were a little naughty last night; leaving marks on me is one thing, but putting your shoes in the corner, where are you trying to anger Xiujing, you're pushing me into a fire pit."

"Hearing your voice so full of energy, it's fine." Dalongzai pursed her lips and smiled.

Then she continued, "Alright then, since Xiujing made an appointment with you in advance, I won't fight her for it, but come over to my side later, I have something to find you for."

Lin Xiuyuan's heart moved slightly, and he asked suspiciously, "It wouldn't be..."

"Don't worry, I won't show you fried chicken, okay." Dalongzai hummed, carrying a little coquettishness.

"Alright then." Lin Xiuyuan laughed and nodded in agreement.

After hanging up Dalongzai's phone, Lin Xiuyuan was about to put the phone back on the coffee table when the screen lit up again.

This time the caller was: Krystal.

After Lin Xiuyuan smiled lightly, he pressed answer again.

"Hello, Xiuyuan~ who were you talking to on the phone just now?" Krystal's voice sounded casual, like an inadvertent question.

But listening carefully, she couldn't hide that trace of lingering concern.

Lin Xiuyuan looked at the sky outside the window and replied with a smile, "It was Jiyeon asking me about her affairs; it's normal to be curious after just joining the sect. How about you, are you done with your work?"

"Mm, done a long time ago."

Krystal responded softly, and in the background, one could seem to hear the light sound of a teacup being put down, "I'm at Jessica's now, getting ready to go out, I'll send you the address in a while."

Saying this, her voice added a bit of tenderness and concern, "Don't delay, you should hurry up and go out too, be careful on the road."

"I know, I'm leaving now." Lin Xiuyuan nodded, his tone smiling.

Not long after hanging up, the phone vibrated twice, and a restaurant location address was sent over.

After Lin Xiuyuan confirmed it, he took his keys and drove out.

The restaurant in the evening, the atmosphere was quiet.

The street view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was softened by the warm yellow lights, and the wooden tables and chairs and the quietly flowing jazz music made the environment particularly comfortable.

The moment the door was pushed open, Lin Xiuyuan's gaze fell on the window seat.

Krystal had already arrived.

Today she was wearing a simple white shirt, the cuffs slightly rolled up, paired with a clean and neat pair of jeans.

Her hair was scattered casually on her shoulders, and the light hit her side face, outlining a soft arc, both fresh and carrying a trace of inadvertent elegance.

Looking down at the menu, her slender fingers slid gently across the paper, as if thinking about what to order; that serious look actually made the atmosphere around her soften a bit.

Lin Xiuyuan walked closer and spoke softly, "Waited a long time?"

Krystal, who looked up at him, smiled slightly; at that moment, the light in her eyes almost covered all the lights in the restaurant, responding, "No, I just arrived too, sit down quickly."

Then they simply ordered a few dishes, and the waiter confirmed softly and retreated, leaving only the two of them at the table.

The heat and fragrance permeated the air, and the sound of soup bubbling and the melodious background music not far away intertwined, making the atmosphere have a bit more quiet and private temperature.

After ordering, Krystal's topic naturally bypassed the topic of the Time Gate and chatted about the situation discussed at Jessica's earlier.

As she spoke, her tone carried dissatisfaction and depression, "Xiuyuan~ do you think I'm right? Not maintaining fans well, and now wanting to eat back the grass, isn't this treating people like fools."

Faced with this question from Krystal, Lin Xiuyuan looked at her slightly furrowed brows and felt that her rare serious and excited look was a bit funny, and also a bit curious.

"Xiujing, rarely see you so excited, what's going on?"

Krystal was stunned, then bit her lip lightly, as if gathering courage, and said some words that had been pressed in the bottom of her heart for a long time.

"How to say, actually these years I have also been thinking, if the company could have shifted its focus to Huaxia earlier and increased our workload, Sulli might not have had those problems later. At that time, she was too idle, always thinking about this and that, feeling empty inside, which is why she walked to that step."

This passage, Krystal mentioned for the first time in front of Lin Xiuyuan, so after Lin Xiuyuan finished listening, he was also a bit shocked.

However, after finishing, Krystal immediately let out a long breath, looked at the night outside the window with drifting eyes, her voice carrying a bit of relief, and also carrying helplessness.

"But I also understand that at that time, the company probably didn't have much energy to manage us. Jessica and their group were at their peak, and there were two big boy groups pressing down, so the company of course wanted to tilt resources to them."

Speaking of this, her steak knife cut the plate lightly, and she continued, "In contrast, even if our fan stickiness is very strong, in their eyes, it's just the niche subject of the Korean entertainment novels you mentioned before. Some people like it, but it's never mainstream."

"You say it like that, it seems to make some sense, but why does it feel weird."

Lin Xiuyuan, sitting opposite, smiled lightly, breaking the heaviness in her tone, and then took the opportunity to add, "Then what does your company say? I heard from Jiyeon that their company also has this plan. As a member of Victoria, fx's popularity in the country is still very remarkable."

Krystal pursed the edge of the cup and spoke without hesitation.

"The company also mentioned it, and also talked about Amber. But I thought about it and decided to forget it; I don't want to go over. For me, the current actor is just a normal job. Whichever side is comfortable and convenient, I'll be on that side. Occasional business trips are fine, but permanent residence is forget it; just look at Jessica to know how tired it is."

Lin Xiuyuan looked at her, looking at her eyes that were slightly bright because of emotional fluctuations, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he didn't interrupt her.

Just listened quietly, occasionally adding a few sentences along the words.

This dinner atmosphere was not enthusiastic, but naturally flowed with a kind of intimacy.

It was like two people didn't need to deliberately maintain anything, and their hearts could slowly get closer.

Just as the two were chatting quietly, Lin Xiuyuan suddenly paused.

His gaze crossed Krystal's shoulder and looked at the restaurant entrance.

A familiar figure was walking in there.

Bae Juhyun.

The other party was wearing a light-colored coat, accompanied by several companions, seemingly dining together.

The light reflected on that fair face, making the moment of stunnedness particularly clear.

Lin Xiuyuan withdrew his gaze after one look, but Krystal still noticed the pause in his gaze and tilted her head in confusion, "What's wrong? Do you know her?"

Lin Xiuyuan smiled slightly, his tone light, "Mm, saw her in 2013."

His tone was calm, as if just passing by, without any intention of going up to say hello.

But Bae Juhyun, who was sitting down and also saw Lin Xiuyuan, couldn't be as calm as him.

In her eyes, the impact of seeing Lin Xiuyuan again was a bit big.

Mainly because she remembered very clearly that the last time she saw Lin Xiuyuan was at another restaurant.

At that time, this boy was sitting face-to-face with her senior Kim Taeyeon, the atmosphere was very ambiguous, and it also attracted Tara's senior Li Juli to appear.

That scene of two women competing at the time made her heart shake fiercely once.

But she didn't expect that, how long had it been, and she met him again in this kind of occasion.

And this time, sitting beside him was Krystal.

Under the light, the two sat face to face, and there was an unspoken tacit understanding between their smiles. Even if it was just casual conversation, the relaxation and naturalness in their eyes were not like ordinary friends.

Bae Juhyun's eyes were really shocked, and she couldn't help but stay on the two of them for longer.

However, her shock had just begun.

Because not long after, the restaurant entrance sounded again, and two more familiar figures walked in.

Lin Xiuyuan, who was chatting and laughing with Krystal over there, suddenly raised his eyes and saw two unexpected but incomparably familiar figures again.

Watching them walk toward him step by step, Lin Xiuyuan was a bit shocked and a bit surprised.

Until the two had already arrived at his dining table, he then said, "What's the situation, Sunny, how come you appear here."

As soon as the words fell, Kim Taeyeon beside him couldn't help but push Sunny lightly, looking at Lin Xiuyuan with a bit of small dissatisfaction, and speaking with a bit of teasing.

"What's wrong, what's wrong, I'm here too, Xiuyuan~ don't just stare at Shun Gui."

Her joking tone made everyone laugh, and then Kim Taeyeon gave a polite smile, nodded to Krystal and greeted her, "Long time no see, Xiujing~"

Hearing this, Krystal hurriedly stood up, smiling and exchanging pleasantries with the two.

Then she subconsciously looked at the almost full dining tables around, and said naturally, "Unnie, do you want to sit down and eat together? There shouldn't be any seats in the restaurant now."

Sunny waved her hand, her smile light and free, "There are, otherwise how could we get in. You guys eat yours, we just saw you and came over to say hello."

Then Kim Taeyeon also looked at Lin Xiuyuan, "Xiuyuan~ remember to call me later, don't stand me up for the things we agreed on tomorrow, I'll really be angry."

"I know, I remember."

Lin Xiuyuan responded with a smile, his voice peaceful.

As the two left, the dining table returned to quiet.

Krystal took a sip of water, but her gaze didn't let go of Lin Xiuyuan, narrowing her eyes slightly, "What did you agree on with Taeyeon Unnie."

"Her father's situation." Lin Xiuyuan lowered his head and took a sip of water.

And after Krystal heard it, she also understood the problem, so she didn't ask any more, just suddenly leaned over, smiled somewhat ambiguously, her voice pressed low, "Then it seems I can't stay overnight tonight."

Lin Xiuyuan laughed, "Should be no problem, her side is tomorrow night... but it's hard to say, the other side has to go back in the morning."

Krystal listened, sighed like a joke, and leaned back, "Then forget it, I'll go back and play chess with Jessica."

"Mm? I'm a bit confused by what you said, you two play chess?" Lin Xiuyuan raised his eyebrows, an expression of disbelief.

"Her friend taught her." Krystal smiled, "I have nothing to do, so I learned a few moves, how about... let's go play later?"

Lin Xiuyuan shook his head immediately upon hearing this, even his expression was determined, "Forget it, the environment for playing chess must be at the entrance of a car repair shop, or under a big tree in a park to be fun; other places don't have that feeling."

At the dining table, Krystal held her chin, the corners of her eyes still carrying a smile, clearly feeling that Lin Xiuyuan's reason for refusing to "play chess" just now was both funny and outrageous.

"Xiuyuan~ you really are..."

Lin Xiuyuan shrugged, forked a piece of steak, and said calmly, "That's an atmosphere problem, just like putting this steak in a park square to eat, it always feels like it's missing a bit of soul."

"Your logic..." Krystal laughed and shook her head, but didn't continue to argue, just lowered her head and cut the steak in front of her gently, her movements elegant.

Afterward, the two chatted one after another, from Jessica's little interesting stories about learning chess to the rumors and gossip in the entertainment industry recently.

And on the other side.

Kim Taeyeon and Sunny sat at the two's dining table.

The warm light shone on them, and the atmosphere quieted down.

"Shun Gui, aren't you busy? Running around like this all day." Kim Taeyeon said with a smile, her tone carrying a bit of helplessness, but not losing intimacy.

Sunny pursed her lips and replied casually, "You don't know who made the appointment, is it interesting to ask me this question."

Kim Taeyeon looked at her quietly, her eyes deepening.

Of course, she knew this was Tiffany's invitation, the reason being that the debut anniversary and birthday collided, and everyone happened to have time to get together.

At first, she wanted to refuse, but the other party was quite persistent, so she didn't speak.

Just like when she didn't speak back then.

"Mm."

Kim Taeyeon nodded, but her eyes were a bit complex.

However, this time, after nodding, she suddenly thought of something and asked softly, "Sunny, if I don't go, will you go?"

The air suddenly became quiet, leaving only the noise of the restaurant faintly coming over.

Sunny didn't answer immediately, silent for a long while, as if weighing.

Finally, she just pursed her lips tightly and didn't speak.

Kim Taeyeon looked at her expression, roughly had an answer in her heart, and then smiled, "Don't think too much, I just asked casually. If I had said that back then, maybe it would have been a good thing instead."

Sunny opened her mouth wide, a shocked expression appearing on her face, as if recognizing the Kim Taeyeon in front of her for the first time.

At the same time, Bae Juhyun on the other side sat at her own dining table, her mood more complex than when she first entered the door.

She had noticed the movement at Lin Xiuyuan and Krystal's table just now.

Especially when Kim Taeyeon and Sunny appeared and chatted and laughed with Lin Xiuyuan, the waves in her heart were even greater.

She hesitated for a long time.

Reason told her not to rush up and disturb.

But as a junior from the same company, if she pretended not to see Krystal, it would be too rude.

What's more, Bae Juhyun clearly felt that when she first entered the door, the two of them had already noticed her.

So when she saw Lin Xiuyuan put down his knife and fork and Krystal gently put the napkin aside, she hardened her heart, and just as she was about to get up.

Her eyes happened to bump into Lin Xiuyuan's.

Lin Xiuyuan, noticing this situation, curled his lips slightly, shook his head with a smile, and then pressed his hand lightly, signaling her not to come over.

Bae Juhyun was stunned for a moment, finally stopped her movement, and sat back.

Then Krystal over there also looked over, the three's gazes briefly intersected in mid-air, and finally only turned into a polite and restrained smile, just as a greeting.

Until later, Lin Xiuyuan got up to pay the bill at the counter.

Bae Juhyun, whose head was blank, hesitated for a long time, but still followed.

Krystal saw this scene, her eyes narrowed slightly, but her expression had no ripples, just watching quietly.

Until confirming that the two were just walking toward the counter, she relaxed slightly.

In front of the counter, Lin Xiuyuan was taking out his card to pay, and suddenly heard a soft voice, "Hello~"

He turned his head, his gaze falling on Bae Juhyun.

After being stunned for a moment, he quickly nodded with a smile and responded warmly, "Hello~"

(End of chapter)