Chapter 276: The

Just as Lin Xiuyuan was in a Shanghai restaurant in the year '25, his heart surging due to that Mobius Ring ring with its profound implications from Jessica.

Over in Seoul in the year '13, the night was also gradually deepening.

Zheng Xiuyan, having just finished a day of individual schedules, dragged her slightly weary body back to her Apartment in Cheongdam-dong.

Then she tossed her handbag onto the entryway at random, and a few seconds later, she practically "threw" herself into the soft sofa, just lying there with her eyes closed, letting out a long sigh to doze for a while.

After resting for about ten minutes or so, she finally recovered a bit of her energy, got up, and walked into the bathroom to start removing her makeup and washing up.

As the warm water washed away the makeup on her face and the dust of the day, her nerves, which had been taut all day, finally found a bit of relief at this moment.

After washing up and drying her hair, she changed into a comfortable set of silk pajamas and returned to the Living Room.

The instant noodles she had soaked before drying her hair were now at the perfect time to eat.

And since there was no need to be particular when in a space by oneself, Zheng Xiuyan sat cross-legged directly on the soft carpet, placed the noodle cup on the coffee table, and began to eat small mouthfuls while watching the entertainment news playing on the TV.

Simple, fast, and with the casualness of living alone—this was her daily routine after busy work.

After eating for a few minutes, the phone placed to the side rang with a familiar ringtone.

Zheng Xiuyan glanced sideways at the caller ID, and when she saw it was Zheng Xiujing, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly without her realizing it; at the same time, she picked up the phone, answered the call, pressed speakerphone, and tossed it to the side.

"Hello, Xiujing-ah, what's wrong? How do you have time to call Unnie today?"

Her tone carried the laziness and warmth of having just finished a hot meal.

And from the other end of the line came Zheng Xiujing's voice, cold yet tinged with concern, "Unnie, what are you doing?"

"Just got back from work not long ago, eating instant noodles for dinner." Zheng Xiuyan used a fork to twirl up a clump of noodles and told the truth.

"Individual activities?" Zheng Xiujing pressed.

"Mm, that's right." Zheng Xiuyan took a sip of the soup, "Team activities have been relatively fewer lately, mostly individual schedules, though I still have to go back to the company to rehearse with the members occasionally."

Hearing this, Zheng Xiujing on the other end seemed to hesitate for a moment, turned her head to look at Sulli, who was encouraging her with lip movements, and finally took a deep breath and asked, "Unnie, how long has it been since you saw Lin Xiuyuan?"

"Xiuyuan??"

This name made Zheng Xiuyan pause slightly as she was about to bring the noodles to her mouth; she narrowed those beautiful eyes, her tone revealing no ripples, "It's been several days, hasn't it? Didn't he say he was 'busy' before?"

Everyone knew about Jessica's situation, and as the main figure, it was very normal for Lin Xiuyuan to be busy.

However, at the same time, Zheng Xiuyan keenly captured the unusual probing in Zheng Xiujing's words, so she directly called her out, "Xiujing-ah, you have something you want to tell me by calling today, right? If you want to ask something, just ask directly; don't learn from those aunts and beat around the bush, being all long-winded."

"Ah, Unnie!"

Having her thoughts called out, Zheng Xiujing shouted in frustration. Since she had been exposed, she simply stopped hiding it, "Actually, it's not that I want to ask anything, it's just that I'm curious about something. I remember you were the first among everyone to know Lin Xiuyuan, right?"

This question made Zheng Xiuyan's mind instantly flash back to their first meeting, and Lin Xiuyuan's gaze, which carried a wildness as if it could see through people's hearts.

She couldn't help but find it a bit funny and replied, "Right, didn't you already know that? I've mentioned it to you before."

"That's not the 'knowing' I'm talking about." Zheng Xiujing's tone was a bit urgent, "I want to ask another question."

"What question?"

Zheng Xiujing didn't answer directly, but instead threw out a counter-question, "Unnie, do you know about YoonA Unnie's recent situation?"

At this, Zheng Xiuyan's heart skipped a beat, but on the surface, she continued calmly, "Which aspect are you talking about?"

In her mind, however, the image of Lin Xiaolu from a few days ago—radiant, with a glow of nourishment in the corners of her eyes and brows—had already uncontrollably surfaced.

Sure enough, Zheng Xiujing's next words confirmed her guess, "Of course it's YoonA Unnie, who looks so 'radiant.' Don't you think her state has been a bit excessively good lately?"

Zheng Xiuyan, who had been eating noodles, tightened her grip on the fork slightly and remained silent, not immediately responding.

Seeing her sister not speaking, Zheng Xiujing continued, her tone carrying a sense of anxiety on her behalf.

"Sulli told me today that yesterday she and Hela Unnie invited Lin Xiuyuan to dinner, and it turned out that guy showed up with YoonA Unnie. That's why I'm asking you, Unnie—are you sure you were the first one to know him? How come it feels like the progress between YoonA Unnie and him is so fast, as if she were the first one?"

On this side of the phone, Sulli, sitting next to Zheng Xiujing, couldn't help but laugh and gently pat her arm, feeling that this was said too bluntly and was a bit like stirring up trouble.

But she didn't stop to think that this call Zheng Xiujing made was thanks to her whispering in her ear all day long.

Yet Zheng Xiujing continued to "output" the information she had obtained, "Also, I heard that Enjing Unnie spent the whole afternoon alone with Lin Xiuyuan yesterday afternoon too. Unnie, do you really have no sense of crisis at all? I think that brand design thing of yours could perhaps really be slowed down a bit, and first..."

Just as Zheng Xiujing was trying to suggest that Zheng Xiuyan "focus on the priorities," and even wanted to say things like "keep a closer eye on him," Zheng Xiuyan's calm, waveless, and even strangely resolute reply came clearly through the receiver, interrupting her.

"No need to slow it down."

"Huh?" Zheng Xiujing was stunned, not understanding the meaning of these words.

Zheng Xiuyan's voice continued to come through the airwaves, clear and steady, "The design side has already produced results."

"What?!" Zheng Xiujing was truly shocked this time, her voice becoming quite sharp, "When you guys had that team meeting before, didn't you agree that it couldn't be monetized? How, how did it produce results so quickly?"

This completely did not match the brand development plan she knew Zheng Xiuyan had previously formulated.

And this sudden "result" also left Zheng Xiujing, who had come to warn Zheng Xiuyan about a "romantic crisis," instantly bewildered.

After a moment of daze, she hurriedly pressed for more, "What's going on? Unnie, what results? Explain it clearly."

On the other end of the phone, Zheng Xiuyan's voice carried a hint of composure and a touch of a calculated smile as she began to explain.

"Originally, according to my initial plan, the design path was indeed intended to accumulate popularity first, slowly establish my personal brand awareness, and then consider large-scale commercialization once the foundation was stable, but plans couldn't keep up with the changes..."

Speaking to this point, her tone paused for a moment, as if organizing her words, "Recently, people from CJ Group contacted me through the company and expressed their intention to cooperate with me."

"CJ??" Zheng Xiujing exclaimed; this was one of the top chaebol companies in the country.

The fields it was involved in were extremely vast, and it had huge influence in entertainment, food, biopharmaceuticals, and other areas.

Especially in entertainment, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it No. 1.

"Mm, I was very surprised at first too." Zheng Xiuyan continued, "My first reaction at the time was to use my contract with the company as a shield, saying that the contract restrictions made it inconvenient to cross boundaries, wanting to brush them off first."

This was indeed a cautious strategy commonly used by artists when facing external invitations, and Zheng Xiujing had used it many times herself, so she wasn't too surprised, just curious about what happened next.

"And then?"

"And then?" Zheng Xiuyan chuckled, with a hint of self-mockery, "The result was that as soon as I brought up this reason, the representative from CJ pointed out directly that while my management contract is indeed with SM, the copyright for my personal clothing designs does not belong to SM Company."

This point was actually something everyone knew; if the copyrights to these designs of Zheng Xiuyan's belonged to SM, the company would have long since intervened in the operations or even operated around her, and would never have waited until now.

One plan failing, Zheng Xiuyan brought out a second reason, which was also a problem they had discussed within Girls' Generation recently.

"Later, I emphasized the importance of the team, saying that we had discussed in meetings before that we couldn't let individual brand activities of specific members affect the overall cohesion and popularity distribution of the group, worrying that it would cause a dispersion of popularity among the members."

This reason sounded very reasonable and logical, full of protection for the team.

"However..." Zheng Xiuyan's tone suddenly became somewhat subtle, "As soon as I finished saying that reason, the CJ representative smiled and indicated that this was not a problem at all, and that the company would step forward to help me coordinate and resolve everything."

Speaking of this, Zheng Xiuyan still remembers that her heart skipped a beat at the time, and she subconsciously looked at the SM Company department head who was accompanying her.

Then she saw that the department head, who was usually quite dignified, had a look of helplessness on his face at that moment, and he gave her an almost imperceptible nod.

This single nod made Zheng Xiuyan completely understand that in front of a behemoth like CJ, even a large entertainment company like SM did not have enough leverage.

The other party had come with a determination to win and conditions sufficient to make the company compromise.

After dispelling her concerns, the CJ representative very politely and clearly explained the cooperation concept to Zheng Xiuyan.

The general meaning was: they had been paying attention to Zheng Xiuyan's designs for a while, and felt it was a pity for her talent and works to be "left idle" like this.

At the same time, they also noticed that many artists under CJ and in Korea often fell short compared to top overseas brands when choosing gowns for red carpets and important ceremonies.

Either they were not impressive enough, or they relied on foreign brands.

As a leading local enterprise, they did not want to hand over the exposure and traffic of important red carpets to foreign brands; this also concerned the national cultural image and the pride of the people.

And it was at this moment that Zheng Xiuyan and her designs, which possessed both an international perspective and a unique style, entered their field of vision.

After several months of observation and evaluation, CJ believed that Zheng Xiuyan's designs were indeed at the forefront of fashion, with diverse and mature styles, even rivaling the flair of some well-known luxury brands.

The most critical point among them was that Zheng Xiuyan was a "wild," highly potential local designer!!!

So, after careful consideration, CJ decided to approach her officially, hoping to join hands with Zheng Xiuyan to launch a high-end clothing brand, focusing on red carpet gowns and high-end ready-to-wear.

After listening to this grand blueprint, Zheng Xiuyan finally looked at the SM department head and asked one of the questions she cared about most, "Then if the members have any thoughts at that time..."

The department head immediately waved his hand, his tone firm, "I will communicate and handle that; you don't need to worry about internal team issues, just focus on considering the cooperation."

Back to the present.

Zheng Xiujing finished listening to her sister's account, which sounded like a movie script, and was completely dumbfounded, holding her phone for a long time without saying a word.

It took a good while to digest it before she found her voice, asking in an incredulous tone, "Then unnie, in that case, wouldn't the copyrights to the clothes you designed before be..."

Before she could finish her question, her voice was interrupted by Zheng Xiuyan, who answered with a clarity and openness that transcended her age and situation, "Xiujing, your thinking is still too narrow. Is it the copyright issue that I'm lacking now? No, what I lack is a powerful platform and a chance to take off quickly."

Then she continued to explain further.

"Keeping these designs with me currently doesn't bring any practical income other than accumulating a bit of reputation. So even if I 'give them' to CJ to some extent, and use their channels and resources to quickly open up the situation, I am completely able to accept it. Anyway, the initial cooperation period discussed isn't too long, just a few years. Think about it, Xiujing, in a few years, would you still want to wear clothes in the design style I have now?"

Zheng Xiujing subconsciously and honestly replied, "No."

After all, fashion trends change too quickly.

"Then do you think that with my ability, I would lack new, better design concepts?" Zheng Xiuyan asked again, her tone full of confidence.

This time Zheng Xiujing was startled again, suddenly thinking of that space-time that connected to the future and possessed infinite possibilities, where there was a continuous source of inspiration.

So she immediately shook her head, "No lack."

Her tone was also very certain.

"That's right~" Zheng Xiuyan laughed, with the composure of having everything under control.

"So, if this cooperation with CJ can really succeed, it's equivalent to me skipping the stage that originally required long-term precipitation and accumulation, directly boarding a high-speed train, and completing the path that would have taken several years in my previous plan ahead of schedule. It's a super good thing."

Hearing this, Zheng Xiujing couldn't help but gasp, feeling incomparably happy and excited for her sister; this was simply an opportunity to reach the sky in one step.

But what followed was deeper worry, "Then looking at it this way, unnie, you will definitely be busier from now on, almost working non-stop, right? By then, as for Lin Xiuyuan..."

"Xiujing." Zheng Xiuyan interrupted her again, her voice carrying a hint of understanding and playfulness, "Are you sure you are genuinely worried about me regarding this? Or is it that you have some 'improper thoughts' about him yourself, and are using me as an excuse to probe?"

"Ah?? Of course it's not me."

Someone was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her small face instantly turning bright red, and she hurriedly denied it into the microphone, her voice rising by an octave, "What thoughts could I have? Jessica, don't talk nonsense, I, I'm just worried for you! Afraid that you'll get busy and neglect other things again!"

The guilty Zheng Xiujing even called out "Jessica."

And Zheng Xiuyan, who had finished the last bite of ramen, smiled, her voice calm but carrying an indescribable certainty.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. And you don't need to worry blindly either; just because you are 'Krystal,' you can put all ten thousand hearts back into your stomach. That guy's feelings for the existence of 'Krystal' are very deep, so deep that you might not even be able to imagine."

This meaningful answer, as if knowing some inside story, was like a pebble thrown into the lake of Zheng Xiujing's heart, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.

For a moment, various complex emotions intertwined and spread in her heart like an overturned palette.

There was curiosity and exploration about the meaning behind this, as well as faint worry about the claim of "very deep feelings," and even more so, the shyness and annoyance of having her thoughts exposed.

And there was also a trace of... secret excitement and heart-fluttering that even she herself was unwilling to delve into.

(End of chapter)