Chapter 283

Inside the tavern at night, soothing jazz music flowed like a stream, gently wrapping around every corner.

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

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

And as the only "green leaf" among these red flowers, Lin Xiuyuan, although in the midst of the hustle and bustle, had half of his mind drifting elsewhere.

The chopsticks in his hand were unconsciously propping up his chin, his gaze falling on the steaming grill in front of him, his mind recalling the look of expectation and pleading that Xueli had just cast his way.

In fact, Lin Xiuyuan could understand why Xueli was so anxious.

Although it was still a few years away from the troublesome events Goo Hara was destined to encounter in the original timeline, who could predict the trajectory of fate one hundred percent?

If a butterfly effect were to occur one day, who knows if some unexpected changes might appear.

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

And Lin Xiuyuan was clear about this in his heart.

So from the very beginning, he did not refuse Goo Hara's joining like he had with Jessica back then.

He only indicated that he needed to wait for her to completely cut off the complex interpersonal relationships around her, especially that gradually deteriorating small circle, before considering the matter of officially "joining the church," so as to avoid any complications if something were to happen later.

Now, with Goo Hara personally stating that she had distanced herself from Long Junheng and his circle of friends, which could basically be regarded as a clean break, it could be considered as having met the conditions Lin Xiuyuan had implicitly set.

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

Because the timing seemed to be ripe.

However, even if Lin Xiuyuan could agree now, there was no suitable time to perform that crucial "initiation ceremony" at the moment.

After all, in the 2025 timeline, he was still in Shanghai.

Although the Time Gate allowed him to travel back and forth instantly, he couldn't perform a "human vanishing act" in public places like streets in front of everyone.

Moreover, to make Goo Hara truly understand and believe in the magical event of 2025, he had 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 like Goo Hara, whose personality carried a bit of impulsiveness and stubbornness, relying solely on the infusion of information might not be enough to make a deep impression, nor enough to make her completely wake up.

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

Using reality that transcended cognition to "wake her up" directly 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, and compensating for or hiding some of the flaws in her personality.

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

"Oppa, what are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and eat the barbecue, it's about to burn!"

It was Park Jiyeon who spoke.

As she spoke, she skillfully used lettuce to wrap several pieces of Korean beef grilled to perfection and placed them into the plate in front of Lin Xiuyuan without any room for refusal.

Then, as if remembering something interesting, Park Jiyeon smiled with her eyes curved like crescent moons and said, "By the way, oppa, have you seen the news about Xiujing recently?"

"What?" Lin Xiuyuan, who had picked it up and stuffed it into his mouth, 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 and cute, hahaha~"

Just as Park Jiyeon finished speaking, Xueli beside her also giggled and added.

"Exactly, exactly, oppa. Xiujing was so angry when she saw these comments, and even swore that you must be the culprit who went online to spread rumors about her, otherwise how could this nickname appear so coincidentally? She even told me that when she has a chance, she must teach you a lesson."

Hearing about this unprovoked disaster, Lin Xiuyuan rubbed his brow with his fingertips with some amusement.

"Seriously, does this count as being shot while lying down? I really haven't been idle enough to play these games online. Everyone probably just mentioned 'Crystal Ball' casually, and she just happened to be in the line of fire."

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

Xueli picked up a tissue to wipe the corner of her mouth and explained, "Do you think Xiujing is as idle as I am? My main identity for this activity is a screenwriter, and idol activities are actually a side job, so I can pick and choose the variety shows I like to run occasionally."

"But Xiujing is both a drama lead and an idol; during the promotion period, she has to run until her feet don't touch the ground. And the drama hasn't fully wrapped up yet, so she has to find time to go back to the set to film the remaining episodes. She's as busy as a spinning top."

Lin Xiuyuan nodded gently after hearing the answer, then looked at Xueli, his eyes carrying a few smiles of approval.

"So, Zhenli, how wise a decision it was for you to choose to put more effort into the path of a screenwriter; at least your autonomy is much greater."

His gaze turned to Park Jiyeon on the side.

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

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

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

And Goo Hara, who had previously taken the initiative to propose joining the small circle and had been somewhat silent since then, silently observing the interaction between the few.

Seeing this scene of perfect tacit understanding and harmonious atmosphere, a certain rumor in her heart became increasingly clear.

And soon, unable to suppress her curiosity, she took advantage of the laughter subsiding and asked Park Jiyeon for verification, "Jiyan, I seem to have heard some people mention before that you jumped out of the group and started a company? Is this true?"

Park Jiyeon opposite her picked up her wine glass and nodded quite readily and proudly, "Hmm, it's true. It's a partnership between me and oppa."

After hearing Park Jiyeon's affirmative answer, Goo Hara's gaze turned to Lin Xiuyuan almost subconsciously, with a look of shock.

Feeling her gaze, Lin Xiuyuan just shrugged indifferently, then relaxed his tone and distanced himself, "Don't look at me. I'm just a puppet shareholder who gives some ideas and occasionally helps with small things. The real President is Jiyan; she makes the decisions for all the company's affairs."

"Bullshit, oppa, you're the Chairman, okay."

"A Chairman without even an office, right."

"It's you who doesn't come."

"Mmhmm?"

Looking at the natural and tacit communication between the two, Goo Hara actually still had many questions, such as the company's business, scale, startup capital, etc.

But after the words reached her lips, she finally swallowed them back hard.

After all, in the end, her relationship with Lin Xiuyuan and Park Jiyeon was at most a little more familiar than ordinary friends; it was far from the point where she could deeply discuss these obviously private business matters.

Being able to ask up to this point was already overstepping due to the alcohol and the atmosphere.

So if she continued to ask without knowing her place, that would be her being ignorant.

Thinking of this, Goo Hara couldn't help but sigh slightly in her heart, then reached out with her chopsticks, picked up a piece of charred, fragrant beef, and put it into her mouth.

The meat was tender and juicy, and the taste was very good, but chewing it made her feel inexplicably mentally dazed, and the desire in her heart to truly integrate into this small circle seemed to become clearer.

So her eyes drifted involuntarily and gently toward Xueli, who was sitting opposite her.

Perhaps it was tacit understanding; Xueli always seemed to be able to accurately capture Goo Hara's emotions, so she also happened to raise her eyebrows at this moment, meeting the gaze she cast in the air.

Seeing the complexity in Goo Hara's eyes, Xueli immediately responded with a warm and soothing smile, and used her eyes to convey the message, "Unnie, don't worry, take your time."

This signal made Goo Hara's tense heartstrings slowly relax, and she exhaled a breath of turbid air gently.

Then she temporarily suppressed those surging thoughts in her heart and took the initiative to lead the topic to a safer and more public domain.

Such as their KARA's upcoming comeback plan, Tara's recent warm-up trends, the Solo album Park Jiyeon was preparing, and the conceptual direction of Xueli's next script, and so on...

Several girls plus one Lin Xiuyuan chatted about everything under the sun like this; the ingredients on the grill were cleared plate after plate, and the wine in the glasses was added time after time.

The atmosphere was harmonious and enthusiastic, and time slipped into the late night unknowingly.

When the last few pieces of mushrooms and beef were also finished by Lin Xiuyuan and Li Shaoxi, who were mainly responsible for clearing the plates, everyone leaned back on the sofa very satisfied, enjoying the lazy moment after a full meal.

Until the phone in Goo Hara's bag buzzed and vibrated.

It was a call from her assistant, reminding her that she still had a schedule to run early tomorrow morning and not to play too late.

Only then did Goo Hara realize that it was late. After hanging up the call, she began to calculate how to end this pleasant late-night snack properly.

Fortunately, Lin Xiuyuan had always been attentive and noticed the subtle change in her expression when she answered the phone, as well as her subconscious action of checking the time.

Without waiting for her to speak, he stood up on his own initiative, smiled, and made the concluding remarks for the night.

"Alright, the barbecue is finished, and the wine has been tasted enough. I think we should stop here for tonight? Everyone probably has things to do tomorrow, so let's go back and rest early."

After saying this, he looked at Goo Hara first and asked, "Hara, how are you going back? Do you need me to call a car for you?"

To this, Goo Hara waved her hand quickly, "No trouble, I'll just have my assistant come pick me up."

As soon as the words fell, Park Jiyeon on the side interjected, "Unnie, you don't need to go through the trouble of having your assistant make another trip. I'll have Shaoxi take you back. She hasn't been drinking tonight anyway, so driving is no problem."

This made Goo Hara look at Li Shaoxi.

And Li Shaoxi also nodded and confirmed with a smile at the right time.

As someone whose status on the scene was more like a staff member, she was very sensible, so she didn't drink a drop of alcohol during the whole gathering, just drinking fruit juice and drinks, ready to handle various emergencies at any time.

Goo Hara looked at Li Shaoxi and felt that this was indeed more convenient, saving the time of waiting for the assistant to come over.

So she nodded and agreed, "Alright then, I'll trouble you, Shaoxi-xi."

"Not at all, Unnie."

However, the scene that followed left Goo Hara a bit confused.

Because she saw that only Li Shaoxi picked up the car keys and walked toward the tavern entrance with her.

While Xueli and Park Jiyeon were still sitting securely on the sofa, with no intention of getting up to leave at all.

This situation made Goo Hara unable to help but stop, slowly turn back, and look at the two behind her with confusion, "Zhenli, Jiyan, you... aren't you going back together?"

Then Xueli immediately showed a natural smile on her face and pointed to the direction of the apartment building behind the tavern, "Unnie, I live in that apartment building behind, it's just a two-step walk."

Then Park Jiyeon looked at Lin Xiuyuan, her tone carrying a bit of "it goes without saying," "I still have some company matters to chat with oppa about, so I'll go back later."

Goo Hara was truly completely dumbfounded upon hearing this.

So... I'm the only one being "sent away"?

So... this was specifically to get me and the little assistant out of the way, leaving space for the three of you to be alone?

What is this... what "secrets" do you have that you can't let me know?

Are you guys... going to have a 3P, a three-fold??

Of course, she only dared to mutter these outrageous thoughts and ideas in her heart; she would never dare to say them out loud.

So she raised her eyes and took a deep look at Lin Xiuyuan, who was standing by the sofa, and finally, it just turned into a gentle exhortation on her lips, "Then you guys be safe, don't chat too late."

After saying that, she turned and followed Li Shaoxi out of the tavern door and got into the car parked on the side of the road.

Under Li Shaoxi's steady driving, the vehicle merged into the night traffic of Seoul and drove toward her dormitory.

And inside the tavern.

Following Goo Hara's departure.

Park Jiyeon then turned to look at Lin Xiuyuan, saying with concern, "Oppa, let's go. It just so happens that there's still some time, I want to go see how Enjing Unnie is doing. I didn't know before, but now that I know her foot is injured, it's only right and proper to go visit her."

Xueli on the side also nodded in agreement, "Hmm, I'll go too."

But the two didn't notice that after hearing this sudden proposal, a flash of imperceptible, mixed embarrassment and guilt crossed Lin Xiuyuan's face.

He opened his mouth and made a meaningless, "Ah... this..."

The cold sweat on his forehead was almost about to drip down.

It wasn't that he wasn't willing, but if he let them go to the 2025 side now to take a look...

Then what he did with Sweet Enjing a few days ago, or rather during the day... wouldn't it all be exposed on the spot???

Please give me monthly tickets!!!!

(End of chapter)