Chapter 249: Zheng Xiujing Begins to Encounter [Life and Death] (Seeking 10,000 words)

With a "click" as the second bedroom door closed, cutting off the sounds from outside, the room instantly became so quiet that only the rapid breathing of Zheng Xiuyan and the other two could be heard.

The air seemed to have been sucked out in an instant, pressing down until one's chest felt stifled.

Zheng Xiujing was half-pushed, half-pulled to sit on the edge of the bed, her hands gripping her skirt tightly, her heartbeat so fast it felt like it might burst her eardrums.

At this moment, her eyes were wide, darting back and forth between Zheng Xiuyan and Xueli, her face full of wariness and confusion, like a small beast cornered, ready to bristle at any moment.

"Xiujing, calm down for a second." Zheng Xiuyan leaned over, her palm landing on her shoulder, pressing down gently, her voice much softer than usual, as if afraid of startling her, "Stop for a moment and listen to me. We aren't lying to you, nor are we trying to brush you off."

Xueli also leaned over, moving close to her, her tone soothing, "Yes, the person you saw in the bedroom just now... is real."

At this point, she gathered her thoughts slightly, as if she were still digesting the situation herself, "The reason is also simple, because oppa has a... Time Gate that allows people to travel back and forth between 2013 and 2025."

"Time... Gate?" Zheng Xiujing repeated subconsciously, her gaze clearly wavering, her throat feeling a bit dry.

"Mm." Zheng Xiuyan nodded, her gaze firm, "The Tavern Member status you kept asking us about earlier is actually just people who know this secret, just members."

If it were any other time, Zheng Xiujing would definitely have rolled her eyes, thinking these two were joking, as if they were teasing her by filming some hidden-camera Variety Show.

But just a moment ago, she had clearly seen that Jessica tied up on the bed.

That Jessica who was more mature and had a slightly thinner face than the Zheng Xiuyan before her.

At first, she hadn't noticed these details due to nervousness and concern.

But as Zheng Xiuyan appeared, her thoughts slowly calmed, and she recalled that the figure's gaze, temperament, and even the fatigue at the corners of her brows were quite different from Zheng Xiuyan's.

"You... when did you find out?"

Thinking of this, Zheng Xiujing suddenly looked up, her eyes locking onto the two of them, as if trying to find a flaw in their expressions.

Zheng Xiuyan was silent for a moment before she spoke first, "I knew from the very beginning."

Her voice was as light as a sigh, as if she had been carrying the secret for a long time and was only now letting out a sliver of its weight.

Xueli shrugged and added, "I found out later, a bit after Unnie and Zhiyan."

Zheng Xiujing's internal defenses seemed to be crumbling bit by bit, her originally tense shoulders relaxing slightly, but new questions surged up even faster.

"But even if, even if there really is a Time Gate, why would Lin Xiuyuan kidnap the future Jessica? Why? And his actions were so rough, so rude—is it because they have some problem over there in the future?"

As she said this, her voice rose involuntarily, carrying a hint of urgency.

Zheng Xiuyan and Xueli exchanged a glance, a tacit understanding in their eyes, but neither answered immediately.

In the end, Zheng Xiuyan just reached out and patted the back of her hand gently, her tone calming down, "You can ask Xiu... Krystal about this later yourself, that is, your future self, because this plan was set by her personally."

"Mm, originally oppa wasn't willing to carry it out, but just now, I don't know what happened, he suddenly just did it; even I was startled," Xueli added.

"My future self?" Zheng Xiujing was stunned, her eyes flickering, and she immediately looked up at Xueli, "Right, so Xueqiu, you... have you also seen your future self?"

As soon as these words were out, Zheng Xiuyan clearly paused, reflexively gripping Zheng Xiujing's palm tighter, as if afraid she might hear some bad news.

Xueli, however, smiled, her expression carrying a bit of ease and also a bit of relief, "Mm, I saw her."

Who said a tombstone couldn't be oneself?

"You... how is the future?" A hint of nervousness and anticipation surfaced in Zheng Xiujing's eyes, her heartbeat quickening involuntarily.

It was as if she wanted to know something about her future self in advance.

However...

"Don't be nervous." Xueli's tone suddenly became a bit lighter, as if she had become indifferent even to herself, "2025... doesn't have me."

Zheng Xiujing froze, her whole body as if hit by a pause button, staring blankly at her, "Wh-what do you mean?"

Xueli's gaze suddenly became calm, as if looking toward her future self, but her tone was unusually flat, "Because a few years later, I committed suicide."

The room fell into a deathly silence again, with only the clock on the tabletop ticking slowly, as if every sound were striking Zheng Xiujing's heart.

"You... what did you say?!"

Zheng Xiujing's pupils contracted sharply, as if someone had splashed a basin of ice water in her face. Her voice was lighter and slower than usual, carrying obvious hesitation and inquiry, as if she had to confirm every word several times before she could let it out.

Her brows were knitted tightly, her eyes filled with incomprehensible confusion, as if she were struggling to piece together the image of that "future" in Xueli's words, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't find a reason she could accept.

"Why..."

Zheng Xiujing's murmurs were so low they were almost swallowed by the silence in the room, but the next second, as if she had suddenly regained her strength, she raised her tone, "That's impossible! Why commit suicide? For what reason?"

The tone of her subconscious question was filled with urgency, but not hysteria.

It was a strong sense of bewilderment and curiosity unique to a young person, wanting to know the answer and find the reason immediately.

Not yet twenty, Zheng Xiujing had not truly experienced the separation of life and death; in her worldview, death was still very distant and foreign.

Let alone ending one's own life.

How could she commit suicide???

What was the reason???

Why???

These questions surged like a tide, causing her fingers to grip the bedsheets involuntarily.

But Xueli did not explain further, just watching her quietly, her lips pursed, finally switching to a lighter tone.

"That's all in the future; it hasn't arrived yet, and it won't have the chance to. I'm fine now, aren't I? This time, with the foresight oppa gave me, I definitely won't be like that in the future."

Xueli said this sentence very lightly.

It was as if she were deliberately pulling the atmosphere toward a gentler direction, so that the topic wouldn't continue to sink.

Zheng Xiujing stared at her for a few seconds, but in the end, she did not continue to press.

She just quietly kept this matter in her heart; she knew that she would eventually be able to figure this question out.

Because as long as what these two said was true, then she would definitely have the chance to go to the world of 2025.

By then, even if they didn't say anything, she could find the answer herself, or go directly to ask her future self.

After a moment of silence, Zheng Xiujing suddenly remembered something and looked up at Xueli, her voice still carrying a hint of hesitation, "Right, so who exactly was that person who tutored me before? Xueqiu, didn't you say they were one of the members?"

Xueli smiled, as if she had long expected her to ask this question, "That was your future self."

She said it very lightly, even with a hint of teasing.

Zheng Xiuyan also nodded on the side, her tone calm but carrying a hint of a smile, "Mm, YoonA is also being tutored by her future self, so you two can be considered a pair this time; you've really become sister flowers."

"..."

Zheng Xiujing froze, a strange emotion flashing in her eyes, as if she were imagining what that "future self" looked like.

And Xueli soon added with a smile, telling Zheng Xiujing everything in detail about her recent experience of "copying scripts," as well as the series of events where Lin Xiaolu snatched a role and Park Jiyeon completely changed the trajectory of her own life.

Zheng Xiujing's brows furrowed tightly as she listened, her fingers clenching unconsciously, and finally, she took a deep breath, as if trying to temporarily suppress this jumbled information.

"Let's not talk about this for now."

Then she raised her head, her tone carrying a calmness she had forced herself to stabilize, "Let's go check on the next room first; to be honest, things like kidnapping are truly quite terrifying."

Zheng Xiuyan and Xueli looked at each other, both understanding the other's thoughts, and nodded in tacit agreement.

"Alright, let's go."

Xueli replied softly, pushed open the door, and the three of them walked out one after another.

Thus, the scene from before appeared.

It was just that when Xueli saw the situation of Jessica on the bed clearly, her already tense heart trembled slightly again.

She didn't speak, just reached out and quietly tugged at Zheng Xiujing, who was clearly quite angered by Lin Xiuyuan, beside her.

Zheng Xiujing turned her head in confusion, meeting Xueli's gaze directly.

The latter used an extremely light blink and a subtle movement of her chin to signal outside.

Following Xueli's signal, Zheng Xiujing looked at Jessica on the bed.

The messy hair and the near-collapse expression made her heart tighten.

Not being a fool, she sensibly shook her long hair, turned around, and followed Xueli to exit the room, her movements crisp and decisive.

The door closed behind them, and suddenly only Lin Xiuyuan, Zheng Xiuyan, and Jessica on the bed remained in the bedroom.

And noticing this situation, Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow, then looked at Zheng Xiuyan and asked, "How do you think we should handle this? You still have to go with me to the Villa later to take care of some loose ends. If we just leave her here like this, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

"Someone needs to guard her."

Since entering the room just now, Zheng Xiuyan's gaze had barely left Jessica; upon hearing Lin Xiuyuan's words, she gave her own thoughts, "Have someone guard her to avoid any accidents. You can't imagine if someone capable of doing such a stupid thing still has any normal thoughts in her brain."

Hearing this merciless evaluation from Zheng Xiuyan, Jessica on the bed widened her eyes abruptly.

Even though her mouth was gagged, one could still see the anger and grievance in her eyes; the expression that had been somewhat dazed a moment ago now turned into naked protest and fury.

She struggled hard with her wrists, making a muffled "Ugh..." sound, her eyes staring fixedly at Zheng Xiuyan, as if accusing: How could you say that about me?

Lin Xiuyuan watched her reaction from the side and raised an eyebrow, "Fine, then let Zhenli stay at home to keep her company from now on. Since Zheng Xiujing knows the situation anyway, she shouldn't need to stay with her anymore."

His voice was steady and unhurried, as if announcing a simple arrangement, completely unaffected by the emotional fluctuations of the person on the bed.

Zheng Xiuyan nodded, took a deep look at Jessica on the bed, then turned to look at Lin Xiuyuan, "Let's go, let's go help this idiot clean up the loose ends and make her retire from the industry."

When she said this, her tone was so flat it was almost cold, as if this were just a step that had been decided long ago.

"Ugh, ugh..."

But Jessica's pupils on the bed shrank sharply, and her whole body seemed to be struck by the nerves of that sentence, shaking violently, wanting to say something, but only able to emit vague, rapid whimpers.

Then she twisted her body desperately, her wrists turning red from being chafed by the ropes due to her struggle, and her ankles kicked the bedsheets fiercely, as if trying to express her unwillingness with her whole body.

Her eyes were filled with panic and refusal; the tears that had already dried up fell from the corners of her eyes again, dripping onto the pillow along her cheeks, leaving small water stains.

That emotion was no longer simple fear, but complete panic and unwillingness, as if saying: No, I don't want to, I won't retire!

Her career, her stage, the name and glory she had exchanged for with over ten years of effort—how could they be stripped away just like that?

If that were really the case, for Jessica, this would probably be more suffocating than death.

She might as well be dead.

The air pressure in the room seemed to have dropped by a few degrees in this instant.

In the Living Room outside, the atmosphere had eased significantly.

Compared to the oppressive and heavy air in the bedroom, the lighting here was soft, and the sunlight outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was refracted by tree shadows and glass into fragmented light and shadows, falling quietly on the wooden floor.

Xueli and Zheng Xiujing sat side by side on the sofa, the tension from just a moment ago still lingering in the air.

At first, neither of them spoke, the air still holding that tense atmosphere from just before.

Zheng Xiujing sat there with her hands hanging down, as if trying hard to sort out the information churning in her mind.

But not long after, she couldn't help but turn her head, staring at Xueli, her voice low, "Xueqiu, how many people... know about this?"

Xueli blinked, as if confirming what she was asking about, "What thing?"

"The Time Gate."

Zheng Xiujing still had complex emotions in her eyes, her tone tinged with a bit of urgency.

Xueli was amused by her sudden question and couldn't help but chuckle, the corners of her eyes curving into crescents; she tilted her head to think, and like a primary school student taking roll call, she stretched out her fingers and counted them one by one.

"Hmm... let me think, Xiuyan unnie, YoonA unnie, Taeyeon unnie, Enjing unnie, and now, plus you."

"Just these?"

Zheng Xiujing raised an eyebrow slightly after hearing this, seemingly not expecting the list to be so short, then nodded gently, her expression serious, "That's not many, then."

"This is just for the 2013 side; there are more on the 2025 side, but that's about it over there."

Zheng Xiujing pursed her lips, as if pressing this matter into her heart, or as if slowly chewing on it.

After a moment of silence, she couldn't resist her curiosity and turned to ask again, "Then have any particularly big things happened to us in the future? The kind that are really major."

Speaking of this, she subconsciously glanced in the direction of the bedroom, a flash of hesitation in her eyes.

Xueli first smiled, her brows and eyes carrying a bit of teasing, "For example, the situation where I died?"

"Ah, I'm serious, Xueqiu."

Zheng Xiujing immediately wrinkled her nose, her tone carrying a hint of annoyance and urgency; she really wanted to know the answer.

At the same time, she really couldn't figure out how she could have committed suicide.

Xueli's smile faded, and she pursed her lips tightly. She seemed to think seriously for a few seconds before slowly opening her mouth, "There is, for example, our group, which disbands in two years."

This sentence was like someone throwing a giant boulder into a calm lake, stirring up huge ripples and waves.

It instantly turned Zheng Xiujing's inner world upside down.

"Wh-what?"

She was completely stunned, her eyes widening all at once, her body leaning forward unconsciously, and her voice hurried by half a beat, "Disband? Really? Is that true?!"

Her tone carried obvious disbelief, as if she were afraid of having heard wrong, or as if she were trying hard to find a trace of "joking" on Xueli's face.

And Xueli, watching her reaction, just nodded lightly, her expression so serious that it left almost no room for a joke, "It's true."

"Why?"

Zheng Xiujing asked subconsciously, her brows furrowed tightly, as if she absolutely had to have a reason.

"I don't know."

Xueli sighed, her voice carrying a hint of helplessness, "At first I thought it was because of me... but later, after hearing the explanation from the future Xiujing, I can only say that my issues only accounted for a small part. It was more about the company's internal decision-making. These things are really hard to explain clearly."

This answer left Zheng Xiujing speechless for a moment; she remained silent for a long time before finally trying hard to digest it all.

After a long while, she changed the subject, trying to ease the chaos in her heart, "Then what about Lin Xiuyuan? Is he actually a person from 2013, or a person from 2025?"

Xueli looked at her serious demeanor, couldn't help but laugh out loud, and reached out to poke the back of her hand, "Of course he's from 2013. Otherwise, how do you think he appeared here with us?"

"Oh..."

Zheng Xiujing responded softly and nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face, though her gaze couldn't help but drift toward the bedroom, as if she wanted to see the person inside through that closed door.

Seeing that she still had endless questions, Xueli simply leaned back against the sofa, relaxed her posture, tilted her head to lean closer to her, lowered her voice, and said mysteriously, "Xiujing, do you want me to tell you something even more explosive?"

"There's more?!" Zheng Xiujing's eyes rounded again, and she sat up straight, clearly having had her curiosity piqued.

Xueli raised her eyebrows, the corners of her lips lifting slightly as she deliberately kept her in suspense, before finally leaning into her ear and whispering, "In that future timeline, Xiuyan unni... leaves the group next year."

"What?!"

Zheng Xiujing almost bounced off the sofa, her entire face filled with shock, "Leave, leave the group? How could she leave the group!"

One had to know that any two people picked from the current Girls' Generation could easily outperform many groups on their own, let alone a core figure like Zheng Xiuyan.

And to Zheng Xiujing, such a top-tier group had a bright future; something like leaving the group was simply impossible to happen.

In Zheng Xiujing's view, leaving the group shouldn't be a path her unni would choose.

Xueli watched her reaction, her expression pausing with some struggle, and her gaze flicked toward the bedroom, as if debating whether to say it.

In the end, she gave a simple answer, "I don't know. You'd have to ask the Jessica unni inside for the specific reasons. We don't know the specifics, but everyone just feels that Jessica unni was a bit blinded by love."

"Who is blinded by love?!"

Zheng Xiujing widened her eyes, as if struck in a vital spot by those words, "Unni?!"

Seeing Xueli nod.

She collapsed like a deflated balloon, falling heavily back against the sofa, tilting her head back to take a deep breath, and covering her eyes with her hands, as if trying to block out all the chaotic question marks in her brain.

Xueli watched her, unable to hold back a smile, the corners of her lips curving into a faint grin. She reached out to take the water glass from the coffee table and handed it over, her tone softening, "Get used to it slowly. Today is just the beginning, even if your beginning is a bit explosive."

"It's really absurd." Zheng Xiujing took the glass, froze for a moment, and then slowly took a sip of water, as if letting the cold liquid suppress the irritation in her throat and head.

After putting down the glass, she let out a long breath, and her eyes regained a bit of calmness.

At this, Xueli smiled again, not mentioning a word about her own situation.

After all, waking up to a tombstone—who could be more explosive than her?

Just as Zheng Xiujing and Xueli were about to say something more, the bedroom door was suddenly pulled open.

Lin Xiuyuan and Zheng Xiuyan walked out one after the other, the air around them still carrying the tense atmosphere from inside the room.

Once out, Lin Xiuyuan's gaze landed on Xueli, and he said, "The situation has been explained to her, but I need you, Zhenli, to guard Jessica here so she doesn't move around. I have to take Xiuyan to the year '25 to clean up her loose ends."

Hearing this, Xueli sat up straight immediately, as if awakened, and nodded decisively, "No problem, oppa."

Then she gestured toward Zheng Xiujing beside her and added with a smile, "Actually, I had already talked to Xiujing about this before. When I mentioned it then, she had already let me prepare myself mentally, but I didn't expect this day to come so suddenly."

"What?!"

This sentence gave Zheng Xiujing a chill to the bone, and she jolted as if pricked by a needle.

She widened her eyes, her face full of "???" and innocent "It has nothing to do with me," her voice stuck in her throat, and it took a long time to squeeze out a few words, "Mental preparation? What kind of mental preparation!"

She clearly knew absolutely nothing, so how did it become something she had prepared for in advance?

Zheng Xiujing, who hadn't processed the turn of events, suddenly thought of her future self.

So she immediately clenched her fingers, unable to help but grumble inwardly: What on earth did the future me go through, and how did I seem to have changed so much?

After all, if it were the current her, she would absolutely never do something this crazy.

Thinking of this, Zheng Xiujing took a deep breath, looked up at Lin Xiuyuan, and added a bit of stubbornness to her gaze, "Um, I want to go over and see too."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable determination.

Although she generally believed in the time-space thing, she still wouldn't feel at ease without seeing it with her own eyes.

"Let's go, just don't run around, I won't stop you."

Since she already knew the situation, Lin Xiuyuan naturally wouldn't stop her, and he nodded lightly in agreement.

Then he walked toward the Time Gate, opened it, and was the first to step inside.

Zheng Xiuyan, who had been silent all along, seemed to still be thinking about her own affairs; she just took a deep breath, pursed her lips, and followed into the gate.

This scene left Zheng Xiujing stunned, and before she could think too much, she followed Lin Xiuyuan and Zheng Xiuyan inside.

The room suddenly became quiet, leaving only Xueli behind in the Apartment.

She looked at the empty Living Room, her eyes flickering slightly, as if she had thought of something.

The next second, she slowly stood up, walked to the bedroom door, rested her fingers on the door frame, and hesitated for several seconds before cautiously peeking inside.

Jessica on the bed was still tied up and still struggling.

And so, what suddenly surfaced in Xueli's mind was the second part of this plan that Krystal had once mentioned to her.

This second part is content that even Lin Xiuyuan is unaware of; it's just that he is treating Jessica a bit like she isn't human, so at this moment, Xueli is hesitating whether to take action.

If she really takes action, there will be no turning back.

Moreover, she can imagine that if it really reaches that point, Jessica will likely go completely insane, and might even do something as extreme as murder...

Thinking of this, Xueli's fingertips tighten slightly, her whole body stiffening at The Gate, unable to take a step inside for a long time.

On the other side.

On the other side, the moment Zheng Xiujing's foot stepped onto the floor, she truly realized it.

No light rings, no special effects, and no cinematic buildup of any kind.

She simply took a step out from an Apartment, and the next second, the space before her was completely different.

A cool breeze rushed toward her, carrying a scent mixed with green grass and faint aromatherapy, making her heart jolt.

Before her was a spacious and bright Living Room; the floor-to-ceiling windows allowed the sunlight to spill in like liquid, and the entire space was several times larger than the small Apartment from just a moment ago.

This scene caused her whole body to stiffen instantly, her footsteps pausing at The Gate, her pupils dilating slightly.

Zheng Xiujing's whole body stiffened instantly at The Gate, her pupils dilated slightly, and her footsteps also came to a stop.

She subconsciously looked back; the room door behind her still stood quietly, and inside it was the very Apartment she had just been in.

Not knowing what impulse drove her, she flicked her small hand and gently closed the door.

Then she saw the door frame standing there quietly, as if nothing had ever happened.

When she opened it again with a heart full of immense shock, what she saw was not an Apartment, but a storage room.

"This, this is it?"

The voice after the experiment was so soft it was almost blown away by the wind; Zheng Xiujing could not believe her eyes, nor could she believe the reality before her, "So this is the space-time of 2025?"

Reaching out to touch the doorknob, she looked back at this strange and exquisite Villa, her mind a complete blank.

She had clearly been in the small Apartment in Seoul just a moment ago, and in the next second, she had simply walked through a door, so how did she fall into another world?

All logic, common sense, and sense of time were shattered in an instant.

Under the impact of this massive amount of information, Zheng Xiujing's chest heaved rapidly; she even almost forgot to breathe, and it took a long time before she took a sharp breath.

It was also at this moment that Zheng Xiujing heard a voice coming from above, carrying a hint of relaxed and familiar teasing, "Oh~ Xiuyuan, you're back."

"Yeah, came over to handle the situation. You guys go ahead and play, take the one behind you along."

Hearing Lin Xiuyuan mention her, Zheng Xiujing's gaze quickly swept toward the top, or rather, the third floor of the Villa.

With just one look, her whole body stiffened again.

Because at the third-floor railing, there stood two figures she was more than familiar with...

Park Jiyeon.

To be precise, there were two Park Jiyeons.

Looking from afar at those faces that were almost like twins, they were currently turning their heads to look at her, revealing identical expressions.

In that instant, Zheng Xiujing's heartbeat accelerated sharply, her eyes widened, and she felt a sense of trance, as if she were in a dream, or as if she had suddenly broken into the set of a sci-fi movie.

After a while, the two figures wrapped in bathrobes slowly walked down the stairs; the air in the Living Room still lingered with the faint smell of swimming pool chlorine, carrying a trace of damp coolness.

And Zheng Xiuyan noticed the faint strap marks visible beneath the bathrobes of Dalongzai and the others at the first opportunity; it was clearly swimwear, no doubt.

Thus, her gaze immediately sharpened a bit, and she gave Lin Xiuyuan a cold, white glare, her tone carrying a bit of fire and teasing, "Yo, our Young Master Lin is having quite a blast, huh? A twin swimsuit party, is it?"

Lin Xiuyuan stiffened on the spot, his expression twitching slightly, "Hey, hey, hey, don't frame me! This really wasn't me; it was Jiyeon who insisted on playing in the water herself, it has nothing to do with me."

Before his words had even faded, Dalongzai had already walked briskly to the first floor, the corners of her mouth curling into a smile, crashing down like a bright bomb, "Heh heh, Xiuyuan~ how can you deny it like that? I did ask you which kind of bikini you liked, didn't I? This was chosen by you, after all."

Park Jiyeon, standing to the side, twisted the knife even further, her eyes curving into crescents, smiling with extreme mischief, "Yeah, yeah, at first I was thinking about whether it would be okay not to come, but then you said it wouldn't be okay, oppa. Now you're pretending to be innocent?"

The air instantly shifted from the previous heaviness and oppression, moving fast, carrying a kind of cheerful and slightly provocative tension.

Lin Xiuyuan looked at the two culprits before him, his eyes wider than copper bells, not knowing whether to laugh or what, "Wow... you guys are too much, right?! When did I ever say such things?! Don't you dare spout blood and frame me."

"Spout blood and frame you?"

Dalongzai pursed her lips and smiled; she really wanted to reply: There is no blood to spout, but there is a hole to spout into.

But considering that everyone here besides herself had quite thin skin, she suppressed this outrageous thought.

But she still laughed until she was swaying back and forth, her shoulders shaking.

After all, she and Park Jiyeon both knew perfectly well that Lin Xiuyuan was being wronged, yet they insisted on adding fuel to the fire.

That pleasure of "only the ones spreading the rumors know how wronged the person involved is" was fully displayed between their brows and eyes.

Zheng Xiuyan watched from the side; the coldness originally on her face could hardly be suppressed anymore, the corners of her eyes twitching as she endured not laughing out loud.

In her heart, she secretly grumbled: I really need to find this guy something to do; playing like this every day, what will happen if his body collapses...

Mainly, she hadn't eaten yet.

Thinking of this, Zheng Xiuyan stopped joking and said, "Give me the phone; I'll think about how to explain it to the people over there, it's a bit troublesome. I don't even know who the other party's team is, and Xiujing isn't here."

"Do you need to do something?"

Dalongzai looked at Zheng Xiuyan curiously, and after hearing the explanation, she smiled and stepped forward, her tone carrying a bit of initiative, "I'll help you, unnie. When we were all exercising together before, I met a few people from over there; they should be able to be of use."

On the other side.

Park Jiyeon also came to Zheng Xiujing's side at Lin Xiuyuan's signal, gently taking her small hand, "What's wrong, Xiujing? Do you feel like it's very dreamlike?"

Zheng Xiujing nodded, raised her eyes to look at the Park Jiyeon before her, and then took the opportunity to glance at Dalongzai, asking suspiciously, "Jiyeon, is that the future you?"

"Yeah, an old woman," Park Jiyeon complained without hesitation, her tone carrying her habitual sharpness.

This sudden evaluation made Zheng Xiujing purse her lips instantly, her whole person stunned.

Fortunately, Dalongzai just looked at them lightly, then nodded and smiled at her slightly without caring, and only then did Zheng Xiujing let out a sigh of relief.

And Park Jiyeon, being very sensible, pulled Zheng Xiujing up the stairs, "Let's go, let's leave this place for them to be busy; I'll take you up to sit for a while."

Watching the backs of those two disappear from sight, Zheng Xiuyan finally looked up and said, "Lin Xiuyuan, is it alright?"

Lin Xiuyuan, who was still on the phone, looked back toward the stairs and tossed out a calm remark, "Zhiyan can handle her; even if she can't talk her into submission, she can certainly beat her into submission."

As soon as these words were out, Dalongzai burst into loud laughter, "Hahaha, Lin Xiuyuan, that way of putting it is too funny."

Zheng Xiuyan rolled her eyes at him again, and even Lin Yun'er, on the other end of Lin Xiuyuan's phone, felt much more at ease because of this sentence.

Previously, upon receiving the call from Dalongzai and learning that Jessica had been kidnapped by Lin Xiuyuan, she had rushed over from Gimpo in a state of anxiety.

However, due to some traffic congestion, she was still on the road.

After laughing, Lin Yun'er, who was gripping the steering wheel, immediately changed her expression and said seriously, "Alright, Lin Xiuyuan, tell Unnie to wait for me for a moment. Let's make the call after I arrive; I'll play a supporting role, which should make it more convincing for the staff on Unnie's side."

"Can do, how much longer will you be?" Lin Xiuyuan agreed.

"2 kilometers, ten minutes." Lin Yun'er glanced at the navigation.

Hearing this reply, Lin Xiuyuan quipped, "That's quite a traffic jam, drive carefully, see you in a bit."

Meanwhile.

The wind on the rooftop was much cooler than in the Living Room; it blew gently, carrying a hint of saltiness, and curled up ripples on the surface of the swimming pool.

Zheng Xiujing stood blankly by the pool, the sunlight dancing on the water and reflecting tiny fragments of light, yet it brought no warmth.

She subconsciously hunched her shoulders and tightened her fingers slightly, as if trying to grasp some sense of security with the movement.

The Seoul before her eyes was both familiar and strange; the Namsan Tower in the distance still stood quietly, but she had the illusion of being separated by several layers of glass, keeping a distance from reality.

Her heartbeat rhythmically faltered, and countless questions and anxieties flashed through her mind, like a thin mist shrouding her vision, making it difficult for her to see what lay ahead.

"Come over and sit for a while, don't just stand there."

Park Jiyeon behind her smiled and patted the lounge chair, her voice soft and tinged with a bit of teasing, like a beam of warm light pulling Zheng Xiujing back from her trance.

Zheng Xiujing walked over slowly and sat down, her palms still slightly sweaty and her breathing somewhat rapid.

Until the next second, a mobile phone was handed to her, the screen reflecting the sunlight slightly.

"Xiujing, I won't explain much; as someone who has been through it, I know very well how pale and powerless explanations are."

Park Jiyeon, who spoke softly, had a very calm tone but carried a hint of profound meaning, "So, whatever you want to know, search for it yourself. The news here can give you the answers to all the basic information you want to know; as for the rest... I'm afraid you'll have to rely on yourself to ask yourself."

Zheng Xiujing was stunned; she reached out to take the phone, the search engine homepage glowing on the screen, the cursor blinking on and off as if urging her.

Yet for a moment, she couldn't type anything; her mind felt filled with countless fragments, chaotic and heavy.

Park Jiyeon beside her did not urge her, just sat quietly to the side, hugging her knees with both hands and looking up at the blue sky.

The sunlight fell on her eyelashes, reflecting a shallow halo, gentle and quiet.

After a long while, Zheng Xiujing seemed to have made some kind of decision and slowly typed four characters into the search bar: Xueli death.

The moment she pressed enter, her breathing skipped a beat.

The page jumped almost instantly, and news headlines poured out on the screen...

【Tragedy strikes the Seoul entertainment industry again, Xueli passes away at home】

【Kim Jonghyun, Xueli, and Goo Hara pass away one after another, public opinion shaken】

【Fans mourn the three artists, calling for attention to mental health】

【...】

Those cold, icy headlines were like blunt knives, cutting into Zheng Xiujing's heart one after another.

These words caused Zheng Xiujing's fingers to hover over the screen, her gaze gradually losing focus, and even her breathing became much shallower.

Park Jiyeon watched her reaction, her lips pressed tighter, and she sighed softly, but said nothing, only reaching out to brush back the long hair that had been blown messy by the wind.

The sunlight was still dazzling, and the pool water still shimmered, but Zheng Xiujing felt as if the whole world had been pressed on mute, with only her heartbeat roaring in her eardrums.

At this moment, Krystal finally finished her work at the movie promotion site.

The suit jacket on her body clung slightly to her sweat-dampened back; she took a deep breath, as if she had finally been released from the high-intensity tension.

Her eyes swept across the cameras, media, and staff, and seeing everyone packing up the equipment, she felt much more relaxed.

However, there was originally supposed to be a dinner gathering afterward, an exchange with the movie's creative team, but now all of this had been completely disrupted by this sudden matter involving Jessica.

Krystal pursed her lips and tidied up her hair and makeup, trying her best to look calm and composed.

Then she walked up to the director and several producers, bowed slightly, and with a tone of politeness and apology, explained her personal situation, saying she might need to leave early due to an urgent matter.

The director nodded gently, a look of understanding on his face, "No problem, Krystal, urgent matters are important, go handle them, everyone understands."

The producer also added, "That's right, it's just a dinner, it's no big deal to miss one meal."

Krystal smiled gratefully and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Then she turned to explain the situation to her assistant, took the car keys from the other person's hand, quickly got into the car, stepped on the gas, and left the place, heading straight for the Villa.

Outside the car window, the afternoon light gradually took on the warm colors of evening, the setting sun slanting onto her profile, reflecting a faint golden halo.

And her gaze was locked tightly ahead, her thoughts churning incessantly.

Only the faint smile visible at the corners of her mouth seemed to indicate her excitement.

(End of this chapter)