Chapter 289: Goo Hara's Curiosity (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

When Lin Xiuyuan stepped into Tian Enjing's living room after passing through the two gates, Tian Enjing, who was wearing an apron, heard the sound and turned around with something in her hand.

Upon seeing someone, a flash of surprise first crossed her face, immediately followed by a gentle smile that held a hint of understanding.

"Yo, Xiuyuan~ I thought I'd have to wait a while for you." Leaning against the island counter, Tian Enjing said with a lighthearted laugh, "Why so fast? Didn't you want to dally with Taeyeon a bit longer?"

Lin Xiuyuan, having arrived, walked toward the dining area with familiar ease, pulled out a chair and sat down, his gaze sweeping over the breakfast that had just been set on the table and was still steaming, as he replied casually, "Enjing, you know too much."

Hearing this, Tian Enjing let out a "pfft" of laughter, turned to plate the last piece of fried egg, and then walked over with a slightly uneven gait.

Her right foot landed steadily, but her left foot seemed to carry a hint of imperceptible caution; her movements were slower, but overall, it seemed there was no major issue.

So, as Lin Xiuyuan watched this scene of her approaching, he didn't go up to support or help her, but instead let his gaze linger on her left leg for a moment and said, "Healing quite fast, aren't you."

Tian Enjing followed his gaze and looked down at her own left leg, the corners of her mouth curving into a relieved arc as she nodded lightly.

"Mm, indeed. When I went for a follow-up yesterday, even the doctor was very surprised, saying the recovery speed of my condition far exceeded his expectations."

Speaking of this, she raised her eyelids, her eyes gazing brightly at Lin Xiuyuan, and added softly with a pointed meaning, "That's why I specifically called you over to have breakfast together; you wouldn't be unaware, would you, Xiuyuan? You are my mobile antidote, after all."

On those last few words, Tian Enjing enunciated with extra softness, even carrying a few traces of indescribable intimacy and teasing.

So when Lin Xiuyuan heard this, he raised his eyebrows with some amusement, "Wow~ your utilitarianism is a bit too strong, Enjing. So I'm just your mobile antidote, is that it?"

As soon as his voice fell, Tian Enjing immediately made a show of widening her eyes, leaning forward slightly, her face filled with undisguised nervousness and surprise, and blurted out, "No, this answer—Xiuyuan, you wouldn't have been drained dry by Taeyeon last night and have nothing left now, would you?"

This question was so blunt and... inconceivable that after that moment, Lin Xiuyuan didn't even have the energy to retort.

He could only glance at her helplessly, reach out to take a sandwich from the plate on the table, take a bite, and mumble, "Let's eat breakfast."

Then, before Tian Enjing could react, he very naturally took the glass of milk in front of her that she hadn't touched yet and moved it to his side, stating with feigned seriousness, "You can drink this later; you don't need to replenish this for now. I'll let you drink your fill in a while."

Facing this remark, Tian Enjing was stunned for a second, then immediately understood the subtext and the implied, face-reddening suggestion.

"Pfft~ Hahaha..."

Then she couldn't help but burst into a bright laugh, her shoulders trembling lightly with the sound.

Those originally clear eyes were instantly veiled with a layer of mist, and her gaze toward Lin Xiuyuan opposite her became as tangled as silk, filled with undisguised longing and tenderness.

And just as Lin Xiuyuan and Xian Enjing were enjoying their breakfast with a gradually warming atmosphere in the 2025 apartment.

Over in 2013 Seoul, Xueli had also woken up early and met up with Goo Hara again.

However, it was rare for the two to get up this early today, not to meet up for outings or crazy shopping, but simply because they both happened to be participating in the same variety show.

One was there to promote a new album, and the other was there to promote a new drama.

So Xueli and Goo Hara both appeared as guests at the same beauty salon this morning by chance, sitting side by side to get their styling done.

And in the gap while waiting for a deep hair treatment, the beauty salon staff left the room temporarily, leaving the two of them alone.

Thus, the two best friends naturally huddled together to chat.

As they chatted, Goo Hara suddenly steered the topic to Lin Xiuyuan, quietly nudging Xueli next to her with her elbow, and asked with a lowered voice and full of curiosity, "Zhenli, when are we going to ask Xiuyuan out again?"

Although it had only been a few days since the two last met, Goo Hara's curiosity was truly hooked.

Whether it was the seemingly familiar yet special atmosphere between him and Lin YoonA, or the subtle expressions of Xian Enjing and Park Hyomin when they mentioned Lin Xiuyuan, all of it made Goo Hara increasingly curious about that uniquely tempered boy.

However, facing Goo Hara's questioning, Xueli tilted her head, a sweet, helpless smile on her face, "Unnie, I can't help it either. Oppa seems a bit busy lately; he's been elusive these past few days. I can't even see him, so how can I ask him out?"

At this, Goo Hara was greatly shocked, subconsciously covering her mouth, her eyes wide and round.

"Omo? Doesn't he live with you? He can disappear even in a room where you are? That's not right, didn't YoonA go to Tokyo? Then who else could he be hanging out with?"

When saying this, Goo Hara was clearly automatically filling in some details about the "cohabitation" relationship between Lin Xiuyuan and Xueli.

So Xueli, guessing that this unnie next to her must have misunderstood the relationship between her and oppa, smiled again but didn't explain too much.

After all, on the surface, the two did indeed live under the same roof; no matter how much she said, this unnie would likely remain skeptical.

So Xueli simply decided to let her keep this beautiful misunderstanding for now; anyway, if she had the chance to go to 2025 and take a look later, everything would be clear, saving herself the trouble of wasting breath.

Thinking of this, Xueli replied in a slightly mysterious tone, "As for that, I'm not too sure. I rarely take the initiative to ask where oppa has gone, anyway..."

At this point, a look of certainty and peace appeared on her face as she said softly, "Oppa will come home sooner or later."

That last sentence, with the absolute trust and some indescribable meaning contained in the tone, shocked Goo Hara, who understood nothing of what was happening next to her, once again.

What level of self-confidence is this?

What kind of mode of freedom is this?

It's too crazy, and also too... enviable.

Just as Goo Hara wanted to grab onto this point and ask more, the beauty salon staff walked in with tools, ready to proceed to the next step.

Seeing this, Goo Hara had no choice but to suppress her full curiosity for the time being, sitting quietly and letting the stylist fiddle with her hair, though her eyes would occasionally drift toward the relaxed-looking Xueli beside her.

The questions in her heart were like pebbles thrown into a lake, rippling out circle after circle.

Once their hair and makeup were all finished, the two each boarded their own nanny cars heading to the recording location, ready to start their busy and compact work for the day.

In the blink of an eye, the night curtain quietly shrouded Seoul.

Goo Hara, having finished a day of variety show recording, was standing in a corner of a lawn with Xueli, carefully untangling the microphones and wires wrapped around their bodies with the help of the staff.

They were excitedly discussing where to go for a late-night snack and the interesting things that happened during the recording, both wearing relaxed smiles after finishing work.

After the production crew left, their respective assistants also immediately stepped forward quickly.

Handing over water, draping coats, and gently wiping the fine beads of sweat from their foreheads—the series of actions was orderly.

Just then, Xueli's assistant suddenly reminded her softly, "Unnie, your phone had a call come in just now. I saw you were almost finished so I didn't answer it; you should take a look in a moment."

Xueli nodded, "Got it, give me the phone."

As the assistant took the phone out of her pocket, she took it and unlocked the screen with her fingerprint, and then, before the corners of her mouth could even lift upon seeing the name of the missed call, a head leaned over from the side.

Goo Hara's eyes were almost glued to the screen, and she shouted with excitement, "Oh~ it's Xiuyuan, Zhenli, hurry, call him back! It's the perfect time to ask him out for a late-night snack."

Turning her head to look at the way Goo Hara was even more proactive than herself, Sulli couldn't help but laugh a few times.

However, she didn't act coy either; complying with this unni's wishes, she tapped her fingertip and dialed Lin Xiuyuan's number back.

The phone was answered quickly after only two rings, and Lin Xiuyuan's familiar voice came from the other side, with what sounded like some lazy music in the background, "Hello, Zhenli, finished with your work?"

"Yes, oppa, just finished. Where are you?"

While answering with a smile, Sulli naturally reached out to hook her arm through Goo Hara's, and the two walked side by side toward the location of the Nanny Car in the parking lot.

On the other end of the phone, Lin Xiuyuan lifted his eyes to look at Li Shaoxi, who was wiping a glass cup behind the bar in front of him, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, "I'm at the Small Tavern."

This answer made Sulli somewhat surprised, "Oppa, why did you run off there?"

She then very cleverly reacted, "Are you there with other people?"

"Yes, both Zhiyan and Shaoxi are here," Lin Xiuyuan said candidly.

Hearing that Park Jiyeon was also there, Sulli subconsciously glanced at Goo Hara, who was listening with her ears pricked up, and then said, "Then Hela unni and I will come over to find you too. Shall we have some late-night snacks together in a bit, or... should we pack some food to bring to the Tavern to eat?"

Facing this suggestion, Lin Xiuyuan glanced at the time on his phone; it was just past seven in the evening, so there was still plenty of time, and he indicated, "Either is fine with me, but you two can just come directly. I'll go to the Barbecue Restaurant next door in a moment to order some food and have them deliver it directly to the Tavern to eat; it'll be more comfortable, and it saves you the trouble of getting out of the car to pack it."

"Alright, then we'll see you in a bit." Regarding Lin Xiuyuan's suggestion, Sulli agreed very obediently.

"See you in a bit."

Over at the Tavern.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiuyuan immediately cast his gaze back toward the quiet, busy figure behind the bar and smiled with great satisfaction, "Shaoxi, how about it? If I hand over the management of this Tavern to you in the future, is that a problem?"

Just as these words fell, a slightly urgent and coquettish voice of opposition came from behind him, "Ah?? Oppa, no, I can't live without Shaoxi anymore; you can't do this."

Then, Park Jiyeon was seen walking quickly from the sofa behind, her face full of reluctance and frustration, "There are so many things at the company lately, and I can't handle it alone. You can't snatch Shaoxi away from my side again."

After speaking, she simply threw herself onto Lin Xiuyuan's back as he sat on the high stool, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hanging behind him like a koala.

Swaying her body back and forth, she began her signature act of acting coquettish.

"Ah, oppa~ no."

Seeing this incredibly intimate scene, Li Shaoxi's eyes behind the bar flickered slightly, but she quickly lowered her gaze and continued to focus on wiping the glass cup in her hand that was already reflecting light.

It was as if she knew she had seen nothing and dared not think too much about anything, fearing that if she saw too much, she would be quietly thrown into the Han River to be disposed of one day.

Lin Xiuyuan, being swayed by Park Jiyeon, broke into a laugh, patted her arm with his backhand, and asked a question, "Zhiyan, didn't Enjing say you were all going to Tokyo? Why are you still lingering here?"

Facing this question, Park Jiyeon poked her head out from Lin Xiuyuan's shoulder and explained softly.

"They are going first, but I'm still busy here, so I'll fly over the day after tomorrow morning. By then, Shaoxi will have to follow me to help out, otherwise I really can't handle the company's affairs. So oppa, don't you go having any ideas about my Shaoxi; I really can't live without her."

Inside the bar, Li Shaoxi, who had just graduated from high school, felt so happy and satisfied in her heart facing this "tug-of-war" over her between these two.

"Fine, fine, fine, I won't snatch her from you, I won't snatch her."

Lin Xiuyuan, who had a headache from being swayed by Park Jiyeon, smiled and agreed repeatedly.

In fact, he had only mentioned it casually just now; before Li Shaoxi truly joined the sect and became one of his own, the core management rights of this Tavern would not be handed over to her for the time being—at most, he would let her help out here.

Having received Lin Xiuyuan's assurance, Park Jiyeon was finally satisfied and turned to ask curiously, "By the way, did Xueqiu call just now to say she's coming?"

"Yes, she's coming with Hela, so I have to go to the Barbecue Restaurant next door to order food," Lin Xiuyuan said, preparing to stand up.

"Hela unni?!"

However, upon hearing this name, Park Jiyeon was shocked, as if she had thought of something, and looked at Lin Xiuyuan suspiciously from top to bottom, "Oppa, don't tell me... you've... again..."

Knowing what the other party was about to say, Lin Xiuyuan interrupted her impending imagination at the right time, his tone carrying a helpless smile, "Don't think too much, let's see how things go first. But it should be a matter of time, so don't be too surprised."

After speaking, he stood up and straightened his clothes, which had been wrinkled by Park Jiyeon, "Alright, I'm going to order food. Zhiyan, you and Shaoxi prepare some refreshing Cocktails to go with the barbecue later."

"Got it, oppa."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan turned and walked out of the Small Tavern, his figure blending into the night of Seoul outside The Gate.

And at the other end of the city, the Nanny Car carrying Sulli and Goo Hara was cutting through the colorful night, speeding toward this area.

(End of this chapter)