Chapter 282: Can I join your small circle?

In the bistro at night, the soothing jazz music was like a flowing stream, gently wrapping around every corner.

The sizzling sound of grease on the grill, the crisp sound of glasses clinking, and the laughter of the girls that rang out from time to time wove into a warm and happy atmosphere.

The few people on the sofa sat in a circle, chatting about interesting things inside and outside the circle while enjoying the delicious barbecue.

And as the only "green leaf" among these few red flowers, Lin Xiuyuan was in the middle of the bustle, but his mind drifted elsewhere.

The chopsticks in his hand were unconsciously supporting his chin, his gaze falling on the smoky grill in front of him, recalling the look of hidden expectation and begging that Xueli had just cast.

Actually, Lin Xiuyuan understood why Xueli was so anxious.

Although the distance from the messy things that Goo Hara was about to encounter in the original timeline was still a few years away, who could predict the trajectory of fate one hundred percent?

In case a butterfly effect happened one day, who knew if any unexpected changes would occur.

So letting Goo Hara know the truth as soon as possible and joining this circle that could predict and avoid risks to a certain extent was undoubtedly the safest approach, which could avoid many unnecessary regrets and mistakes.

And Lin Xiuyuan also understood this point in his heart.

So from the beginning, he didn't refuse Goo Hara's joining like Jessica had back then.

He just indicated that he needed to wait until she had completely cut off the complex interpersonal relationships around her, especially that gradually deteriorating small circle, before considering the formal "initiation" matter, so as not to cause extra trouble later.

Now, with Goo Hara personally saying that she had distanced herself from Yong Jun-hyung and his circle of friends, it could basically be regarded as a cut-off situation, which also satisfied the conditions Lin Xiuyuan had implicitly set before.

And this was exactly the reason why Xueli had just sent a signal to him with her eyes.

Because the timing seemed to be ripe.

But even if Lin Xiuyuan could agree now, he couldn't find a suitable time to conduct that key "initiation ceremony" right now.

After all, the version of him in the 2025 timeline was still in Shanghai.

Although the Time Gate could allow him to instantly travel back and forth between various places, he couldn't perform a magic trick of appearing and disappearing in public and under the eyes of everyone in such a public place.

And if he wanted to make Goo Hara truly understand and be convinced of the magical event of 2025, he would have to wait until he found a reasonable excuse to "normally" fly back to Seoul from Shanghai.

Besides this, Lin Xiuyuan was also calculating an idea in his heart.

That was for someone with an impulsive and stubborn personality like Goo Hara, if he relied solely on the infusion of information flow, it might not be enough to make the other party profound, let alone make her completely wake up.

It would be best to give her enough strong impact during the first connection, just like what he did to Xueli back then.

Using reality that transcended cognition, directly "waking her up" from the soul level, letting her see the essence of certain people and things, as well as the abyss she might face in the future, making up for some shortcomings in her personality, or hiding them.

Just as Lin Xiuyuan was secretly pondering these plans, a crisp voice woke him from his thoughts.

"Oppa, what are you dazed about? Eat barbecue quickly, it's about to burn!"

It was Park Jiyeon who spoke.

While saying this, she deftly used lettuce to wrap several pieces of perfectly grilled Korean beef and placed them on the plate in front of Lin Xiuyuan without question.

Next, Park Jiyeon seemed to have remembered something interesting, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled and said, "By the way, oppa, have you seen Xiujing's news recently?"

"What?" Lin Xiuyuan, who picked it up and stuffed it into his mouth in one bite, replied.

"Hahaha, it's that 'Crystal Ball' nickname you joked about with her before; recently, it seems to have been gradually used on her by some netizens and fans. Chubby, hahaha~"

Just after Park Jiyeon finished speaking, Xueli on the side also followed and giggled, adding.

"That's right, oppa, Xiujing was furious when she saw these comments, and even swore that you must be the culprit who spread rumors about her on the internet, otherwise how could this nickname appear so coincidentally? And told me that if there's a chance, she must give you a lesson."

Hearing these words of unprovoked disaster, Lin Xiuyuan rubbed his temples with his fingertips somewhat amusedly.

"Honestly, does this count as lying down and getting shot? After all, I'm really not idle enough to go online and play these. Everyone just mentioned the crystal ball casually, and she just happened to hit the gun barrel."

After defending himself, he asked again, "By the way, Zhenli, you ran out to record a variety show, then where is Zheng Xiujing? Why isn't she with you?"

Xueli picked up a tissue to wipe the corners of her mouth and explained, "You think Xiujing is as idle as me? My main identity for this activity is a screenwriter, and idol activities are side jobs, so I can pick the variety shows I like to run occasionally."

"But Xiujing is a drama lead and an idol, so the promotion period must be running around without touching the ground. And the drama hasn't fully wrapped up yet, she still has to find time to go back to the set to film the remaining few episodes, and she's busy like a spinning top."

Lin Xiuyuan nodded lightly after hearing the answer, then looked at Xueli, his eyes carrying a few traces of approving laughter.

"So, Zhenli, how wise a decision it was for you to choose to spend more effort on the screenwriter path, at least you have much more autonomy."

His gaze turned to Park Jiyeon on the side.

Seeing this, Park Jiyeon immediately understood, and immediately proudly raised her small chin, her eyes flashing with longing and confidence for the future, humming lightly to indicate.

"Hmph, I'm almost there too. Wait until the company dividends arrive next year and the funds are sufficient, I can also expand my business territory. By then, it will be my turn, President Park, to keep you guys, and by then, Snowball, you can just write scripts with peace of mind, I'll invest."

As soon as her "bold words" came out, Xueli and Lin Xiuyuan looked at each other, both seeing thick laughter in each other's eyes, and then couldn't help but laugh out loud together.

And Goo Hara, who had taken the initiative to propose joining the small circle and had been a bit silent afterward, silently observing the interaction of several people, felt a rumor becoming clearer.

And soon she couldn't suppress her curiosity, and taking advantage of the laughter subsiding, she asked Park Jiyeon for verification.

"Jiyeon, I seem to have heard some people mention before that you jumped out of the group and opened a company? Is this true?"

Park Jiyeon opposite picked up her wine glass

Soon, the gas flame in the grill became steady and vigorous, and the grill pan was placed properly by Li Shaoxi with tongs and brushed with a thin layer of oil.

When Lin Xiuyuan placed the first piece of thick-cut pork belly onto the sizzling grill pan, producing a pleasant "sizzle" sound, accompanied by the rising, alluring oily smoke and the aroma of meat...

This late-night snack session in the tavern, blending barbecue, fine wine, and a subtle atmosphere, officially kicked off.

Inside the tavern's sofa.

As the only male here, Lin Xiuyuan was leaning back on the sofa very comfortably, holding a glass of mixed drink with delicate bubbles that Xueli had just poured for him.

He had originally intended to pick up the tongs to help grill the meat, but as soon as he started to move, the task was snatched away by Xueli and Li Shaoxi with great tacit understanding.

"Oppa, you just sit and wait to eat." Xueli smiled and pressed him back onto the sofa, taking over the authority of leading the grilling herself.

Li Shaoxi also silently placed the ingredients that needed to be grilled onto the pan one by one, her movements gentle and focused.

Seeing this scene, Goo Hara and Park Jiyeon were also happy to be idle; after all, having too many people crowded in front of the grill would easily lead to chaos, so the two naturally sat on the sofas on either side of Lin Xiuyuan and took the initiative to start a casual chat.

The first to speak was Goo Hara, whose curiosity had long since exploded.

She truly wanted to know how Lin Xiuyuan, an outsider who seemed to be at arm's length from the entertainment industry, had established such a familiar and even intimate relationship with Park Jiyeon, Xueli, and the others.

So, thinking it and asking it, she threw this question directly to Park Jiyeon beside her.

Upon hearing this question, Park Jiyeon subconsciously glanced at Lin Xiuyuan first, discovering that he was just leisurely drinking the wine in his glass with a half-smile on his face, showing no intention of stopping or hinting otherwise, which meant she was implicitly allowed to say whatever she wanted.

Thus, a smile mixed with memories and a bit of teasing immediately appeared on the Little Dragon Cub's face, and her first sentence was earth-shattering: "How did I get to know oppa? Thinking back on the process now, it's quite magical. I should say I was attracted by oppa's 'Church of Destiny' theory, right?"

"Church??!!"

As soon as this term came out, Goo Hara's heart instinctively skipped a beat.

One must know that on the Peninsula, what might be more numerous than idol groups are the various churches of all names.

Among them, there is no lack of groups that act strangely and are highly controversial.

So Goo Hara almost immediately thought of some bad rumors.

Subconsciously, she looked at Lin Xiuyuan with a scrutinizing gaze, various scenes of him interacting with Lin Xiaolu, Xueli, Xian Enjing, and others flashing rapidly through her mind.

A terrifying thought instantly gripped her mind.

Could it be some kind of cult organization that requires "sacrificing oneself"?!

This wild thought made Goo Hara's pupils shrink slightly, her gaze fixed tightly on Lin Xiuyuan, her eyes full of vigilance and inquiry.

If there wasn't a reasonable explanation following this, she might really have to categorize Lin Xiuyuan as some kind of "cult leader" who exploits the psychological weaknesses of idols.

Fortunately, before Lin Xiuyuan could explain himself, Xueli, who was busy flipping the pork belly nearby, couldn't help but burst into laughter with a "pfft."

She raised her head and looked at Park Jiyeon with amusement.

"Unnie~ what you said is so ambiguous. What 'church'? It sounds just like those strange cults. It's clearly just a few good friends forming a small circle and occasionally gathering at oppa's tavern, that's all."

After the fog was cleared by Xueli, Park Jiyeon also admitted it with a giggle, but she said,

"I can't help it, I was fooled by oppa using this mysterious-sounding explanation back then, wasn't I? I'm not wrong, am I, oppa?"

While speaking, Park Jiyeon cast her gaze toward Lin Xiuyuan again, even carrying a look that only the two of them understood.

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan finally put down his wine glass, nodded with a frank smile, and did not deny it.

"Hmm, I did use some rhetoric back then to pique Zhiyan's curiosity. But the nature is about the same; just consider it the internal name for our little group. Just like you guys have the 94-line, we can consider this a... 'Tavern-line'?"

A small circle.

After hearing these few sentences of explanation, Goo Hara's tense nerves finally relaxed, and the heavy stone in her heart finally landed.

Yes, small circles are too common in the entertainment industry; small groups formed based on common interests, trust, or benefits are everywhere.

If a person didn't have a small circle, that would seem abnormal.

But it's not like there aren't any.

Thinking of this, a smile reappeared on Goo Hara's face, and with a bit of curiosity and probing, she asked half-jokingly and half-seriously, "That sounds very interesting. So, Xiuyuan, can an outsider like me apply to join your little circle?"

As Goo Hara said this, perhaps she didn't even realize it herself.

When she took the initiative to propose this, Xueli, who was cutting the meat with scissors nearby, paused slightly, a flash of excitement and relief crossing her eyes.

Her Hara Unnie had finally taken a step in the right direction; her constant hints and paving the way hadn't been in vain.

And as the core of this small circle jokingly called a "cult," Lin Xiuyuan did not immediately agree after hearing Goo Hara's proactive application; instead, he asked her back with a playful smile.

"Hara, don't you already have your own small circle? I often saw news before about you gathering with some friends, and you seemed to have a very good relationship."

Upon hearing this, Goo Hara seemed to have been touched by something; she shrugged self-deprecatingly, and her tone became a bit lighter. "That's all in the past. Now, it's basically gone."

After picking up a piece of meat, she continued, "Xiuyuan, haven't you noticed? In that circle you mentioned, there seems to be a younger, more popular female idol recently, and they interact quite frequently."

"What's the situation? Who is it?"

Lin Xiuyuan, who had been running back and forth to the 2025 side recently, hadn't really paid much attention to the entertainment news of 2013, so he cast an inquiring look at Park Jiyeon and Xueli, who were more informed.

Catching his gaze, Xueli placed a piece of charred, fragrant pork belly into the plate in front of Lin Xiuyuan and replied softly, "Oppa, it's Xuan Ya."

Park Jiyeon, beside her, also remembered the relevant news and interjected, "Hara Unnie, I remember you were with that Long Junheng before... when did you two officially break up?"

Hearing this, Goo Hara picked up her wine glass and took a sip, her tone calm but carrying a trace of imperceptible fatigue.

"Actually, we broke up at the end of last year, but it was dragged out until the beginning of this year to be announced. But even after breaking up, everyone in the circle would still hang out together; after all, we've known each other for so long."

As she spoke, she put down her glass, her eyes looking blankly at the sizzling meat slices on the grill.

"It's just that in the last few months, I slowly stopped responding to their party invitations. After reducing contact, he and his friends seemed to start feeling that I had no value. Then, naturally, they went looking for fresher, more talked-about newcomers."

Then, the corners of Goo Hara's mouth curled into a cold yet relieved arc. "But looking back now, it doesn't matter. The people in that circle are indeed quite terrible; everyone is filled with all kinds of calculations and hypocrisy."

As her explanation reached this point, her gaze moved away from the grill and turned to Xueli, who was listening intently, her eyes instantly becoming soft and smiling. "And I really have to thank Zhenli. It was she who reminded me in advance to be more careful, not to get too deep into it. It's really good."

Li Shaoxi, who had been listening quietly to everything, opened her mouth wide; the longing she originally had for the entertainment industry was extinguished in an instant.

And Xueli, who was suddenly named and praised, smiled gently.

Then she looked at Lin Xiuyuan, who was sitting in the main seat, as if expecting something, looking at him with burning eyes.

Begging him.

Asking for monthly tickets at the end of the month, foster fathers, please give me monthly tickets!!!

(PS: Tenosynovitis, recuperating from hand injury. Once my hand is better, I will continue to write ten thousand words a day!!!)

(End of chapter)