Chapter 297: Whatever happens, let's have a hug first!

Before the tombstone.

Facing this reproachful questioning from Li Juli, Lin Xiuyuan did not explain; he simply reached out naturally and pulled her into his embrace.

With a hug, he dissolved the momentum of her cross-examination, while simultaneously brushing it aside with a light, almost roguish counter-question: "Just tell me, are these two your acquaintances or not?"

This counter-question was like a needle popping a balloon, causing all of Li Juli's prepared interrogations to deflate.

Facts speak louder than eloquence; the living Goo Hara and Xueli before her eyes, along with that cold tombstone, were more powerful than any explanation.

However, mature as she was, after digesting this earth-shattering secret, a more core doubt surfaced in her mind.

So, after slightly withdrawing from Lin Xiuyuan's embrace, she looked up at him, her tone much more serious: "So, Xiuyuan, why would you tell me this secret?"

This question also attracted the gazes of Lin YoonA and the others nearby, who all turned their heads to look at the two, clearly just as curious.

Then, they saw Lin Xiuyuan shrug indifferently, his tone carrying his characteristic, to a certain extent, casual and willful nature.

"If you really want me to say it, there isn't actually any great reason. If you, Juli, hadn't happened to find me these past few days, I probably wouldn't have told you about this. I can only say that the time and the timing were both right, and you just happened to run into it."

This answer made Lin YoonA and Dalongzai, who were standing to the side, subconsciously exchange a smile, both confirming what they saw in the other's eyes.

It was indeed the Lin Xiuyuan they were familiar with, the one who sometimes acted entirely on his own whims.

Therefore, after receiving this explanation that could hardly be called an explanation, Li Juli did not feel very angry.

Because she was very clear about just how shocking and incredible the secret she was currently facing truly was.

Thus, Lin Xiuyuan's choice might have been devoid of any logic to begin with.

Immediately, her gaze slowly moved away from Lin Xiuyuan's face, falling in turn upon the distraught Goo Hara and the sobbing Xueli.

Then, she turned toward the worried-looking Xian Enjing.

Finally, she looked back toward the RV at the foot of the hill, where Kim Taeyeon, who had just been softly comforting her, stood.

These vivid faces, intertwined with the regrets in her memory and even the marks on the tombstone, formed an incredibly complex picture.

Li Juli, who had been thinking a lot, pressed her thin lips together tightly; just as she was about to say something more, Goo Hara beside her acted faster.

They saw her suddenly crouch down slowly, extend a slightly trembling finger, and touch the carved name on the tombstone with extreme gentleness.

The cold sensation made her fingertips shrink back.

Immediately after, Xueli, who was nearby, seemed to be touched by this action at her final line of defense; she turned abruptly and, like a fledgling bird seeking a shelter from the wind, plunged into Lin Xiuyuan's arms.

She buried her face deeply, her shoulders heaving violently from crying.

This sudden movement startled Li Juli, who quickly let go of the hand she had been holding onto Lin Xiuyuan with, watching somewhat helplessly as Xueli vented her sorrow in his arms.

In truth, if she were only facing her own predicament, Xueli might have been able to muster up a bit of strength.

But when this sorrow and guilt stemmed from the friendship of a dear friend, and even more so from a tragedy she might have indirectly caused, all the strength in her body was drained away in an instant.

And so, on the silent cemetery hillside of the 25th year, time flowed on for several more minutes amidst crying and silence.

Finally, the crouching Goo Hara raised her head, her gaze passing over the crying Xueli to look directly at Lin Xiuyuan.

Her voice was hoarse and calm, carrying a kind of near-cruel composure: "That, Xiuyuan, do you know how I died?"

Holding Xueli, Lin Xiuyuan did not evade the question, stating bluntly, "The news said it was suicide, but no one knows the specifics."

"Suicide—" Goo Hara repeated these two words softly, as if chewing on the despair contained within them.

Then she looked at Xueli in Lin Xiuyuan's arms: "And Xueli?"

"Xueli was also suicide." Lin Xiuyuan gave a definitive answer again, and without waiting for her to continue asking, he revealed the cruelest connection from that period: "You two passed away only days apart; first Xueli, then you. Everyone said you died for love of Xueli."

"Died for love—"

This answer made Goo Hara's gaze toward Xueli instantly become even more complex and unspeakable.

Even though she was facing her own tombstone at this moment, it was inevitably mixed with heartache, pity, and perhaps a trace of unspeakable shock.

But she did not continue to dwell on this, instead asking another key question: "So, Xiuyuan, when you asked me at the beach earlier if I would commit suicide, was it because of this?"

As she spoke, Goo Hara tapped the tombstone before her with her fingertip.

Lin Xiuyuan nodded at this, then shook his head: "I wasn't sure either, I just wanted to ask, and also to have you keep this in mind."

Goo Hara seemed to think of something, her eyes sharpening: "Is it about that little circle I was in before?"

This time, Lin Xiuyuan did not deny it, nodding directly in affirmation.

"Then Xueli—" Goo Hara's voice, having spoken again, stopped abruptly; she bit her lower lip hard, almost to the point of drawing blood.

Her eyes stared fixedly at her own name on the tombstone, as if she wanted to see through the stone wall to understand all the truth and helplessness behind the "self" that had reached its end.

To the side.

Lin YoonA, Xian Enjing, Li Juli, Dalongzai, and the others heard this, and their eyes could not help but turn sour and red.

That gloomy autumn of '19, and the heavy haze that had shrouded everyone's hearts at the time, seemed to emerge before their eyes once more.

Yet, when their gazes fell once again upon the living Goo Hara and Xueli standing before them.

Beneath the moisture welling up in their slightly red eyes, the corners of their mouths could not help but lift slightly in relief.

No matter what, they were still here at this moment, still able to breathe, still able to embrace.

The past was indeed heavy, but to have the opportunity to face the past and change the future.

Isn't that in itself a beauty that has shaken fate?

Goo Hara, who had been crouching for a while longer, suddenly took a deep breath, braced her knees with her hands, and stood up with some difficulty.

Looking down at her hands, she brushed the dust off her palms, her tone surprisingly calm, even carrying a trace of deliberately manufactured lightness.

"Alright, I've seen enough, let's go, let's head back first. If nothing goes wrong, we probably shouldn't be appearing outdoors in this space-time so casually, right? It would be troublesome if we were caught on camera."

This overly calm and rational tone made Xian Enjing look at her in surprise, feeling that this tone was inexplicably familiar.

Immediately, she turned her gaze toward Xueli, who had just lifted her tear-stained face from Lin Xiuyuan's embrace.

That pattern of forcibly suppressing emotions after a huge shock and letting reason dominate behavior—how similar were the two in their actions and demeanor?

Fortunately, Lin Xiuyuan spoke up to comfort them after hearing this: "It's fine, there's very little surveillance here, it can basically be ignored."

The next second, Goo Hara replied in a near-indifferent tone: "It's because it's a cemetery; they didn't install any to keep costs down, right."

This statement was extremely realistic and cold.

It also carried a trace of mockery that saw through the ways of the world, leaving everyone present momentarily speechless, not knowing how to respond.

But Hela's voice continued; she looked around the surroundings, a touch of bitter realization appearing on her face, "Although I don't know exactly what is going on yet, judging by the current situation, my future must have been quite miserable."

Once these words were spoken, silence became the only language of the group once again.

This blunt conclusion was more powerful than any comfort or explanation.

Yet, there was no despair on the face of Hela, who had spoken these words.

Instead, she took the initiative to reach out, tightly holding Sulli's cold little hand, squeezing it firmly, her voice slowing down, "It's okay, it's not your fault, Zhenli."

This was both a comfort to Sulli and perhaps a warning to herself.

Then Hela turned to Lin Xiuyuan, taking a deep breath as if to draw all the air, with its scent of grass and dust from these 25 years, into her lungs.

Then she opened her arms, looking at him with clear and firm eyes, "No matter what, let's have a hug first, Xiuyuan~ Thank you."

Watching Hela, who had experienced a breakdown and fear in such a short time, ultimately choosing to face the cruel truth, and even attempting to comfort others.

Lin Xiuyuan felt a slight stir in his heart; he strolled forward, intending to offer a gentle, comforting hug.

However, the moment he approached, Hela suddenly reached out her arms and tightly clamped around his waist.

As if using every ounce of her strength.

Then, like Sulli before her, she buried her entire face deep into his lapel.

At first, it was just gentle and restrained breathing.

But soon, the sound of that breathing began to deepen and accelerate, her chest heaving violently.

That long-suppressed emotion finally burst its banks completely in this tight embrace.

And when Hela used all her strength to hug Lin Xiuyuan back, burying all her suppressed sobs into his lapel, Sulli, who was to the side, also raised her hand to wipe the tear stains from her face and exchanged a look with Lin YoonA beside her.

The meeting of their eyes contained too much understanding that needed no words.

Afterward, Sulli gently took Lin YoonA's hand, looked at Xian Enjing, Longzai, and the others, and silently conveyed a message with her gaze.

Then, the group nodded slightly in tacit agreement, taking one last look at the pair embracing before the tombstone.

One tall and steady, gently stroking the back of the person in his arms, silently providing support.

One petite and fragile, as if wanting to wash away all the accumulated fear and sorrow through this painful crying.

Finally, they turned away quietly, treading as softly as possible, and walked silently along the stone steps they had come from toward the camper van at the foot of the hill.

Leaving this space, filled with heaviness and relief, entirely to them behind.

On the hillside, in the blink of an eye, only the sound of the wind brushing through the grass remained.

And the sound of Hela's sobbing, which could no longer be suppressed—intermittent yet unrestrained.

The two of them stood there embracing like that for a long, long time.

So long that the people by the camper van at the foot of the hill could not help but cast their gazes time and again toward those two figures that seemed frozen in time.

Kim Taeyeon leaned against the car door, looking up at them, a trace of worry between her delicate brows, breaking the silence, "They've been crying for a long time now—"

Xian Enjing, standing beside her, nodded, "Yeah, their eyes are definitely going to be swollen."

After a brief pause, she added a situation she had once empathized with, "If they cry out loud, their vocal cords will probably go hoarse too."

Zheng Xiuyan, standing to the side with her arms crossed, did not speak, only gazing upward with a complex look; even in those cold eyes, a rare, imperceptible touch of concern was tinged.

Inside the car.

The others were sitting around Sulli and Li Juli.

Although Sulli's mood was still low, it had calmed down much more than her previous breakdown; she was sipping water, trying to adjust her breathing.

And Li Juli, this "newcomer" who had just been dragged into a shocking secret, still had lingering traces of bewilderment and shock on her face, as she accepted low-voiced explanations from the others.

Time passed quietly in worry and silence for a long while.

Before the tombstone, Lin Xiuyuan clearly felt the sobbing of the body in his arms change from violent trembling to near-convulsive gasps, as if even her breathing could no longer be sustained.

Only then did he finally speak, uttering his first words since she had hugged him.

His voice was low and steady, carrying a strange, soothing power, "Can you still breathe?"

The person in his arms jolted, as if reminded by these words.

Immediately, she took several deep, greedy breaths, struggling to calm the dizziness caused by hyperventilation.

Then, a hoarse voice that had almost changed its pitch came out, muffled and thick with a nasal tone, "I'm okay—it's fine, I'm better now."

After saying this, she seemed to use her last bit of strength, pushing away from Lin Xiuyuan's embrace with some exhaustion.

The first thing that caught Lin Xiuyuan's eyes was Hela's face, which was disheveled yet inexplicably revealed a touch of clarity.

Her originally lively big eyes were indeed swollen like two fish bubbles, and the corners of her eyes and nose were bright red.

Fortunately, most Idol makeup is waterproof, which kept her from turning into a complete mess, though her eyeliner was slightly smudged, which only added a touch of fragile authenticity.

Hela, looking down, caught sight of the large, soaked, and even somewhat sticky patch on Lin Xiuyuan's lapel from her tears.

A flash of embarrassment and apology crossed her face, and she said in a still-hoarse voice, "I'm sorry, I'll pay you for a new piece of clothing later."

Lin Xiuyuan followed her gaze to look down, then smiled indifferently, "It's fine, it'll wash out."

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Hearing this, Hela nodded and said nothing more; she would just do what she wanted to do when the time came.

Thinking of this, she turned her head to look at the camper van at the foot of the hill where everyone was gathered; the sunlight was a bit dazzling, making her squint her swollen, aching eyes.

"Let's go~" Her voice, though hoarse, revealed a calm determination, "They've been waiting for us for a long time too."

So, after these words, the two finally stepped out side-by-side, preparing to leave the tombstone that had borne so much shock and sorrow.

Yet, after walking two steps, Hela's pace couldn't help but falter; she turned her head back to take one last deep look at the place that now held a completely different meaning in her life.

There was some lingering attachment in her gaze, but more of it was relief, which finally turned into a touch of resolution.

She turned back abruptly and never looked back again, firmly following Lin Xiuyuan's footsteps as they walked down the hill.

At this moment, the sun was hanging directly ahead, its golden light spilling onto the two of them without reservation; it was somewhat dazzling, yet also filled with warmth.

The warm sunlight slowly stretched their shadows long behind them, the two silhouettes intertwining and overlapping on the bluestone path, eventually merging into the open ground at the foot of the mountain as they stepped down the stone stairs one by one.

And not far away, the door of the camper van had already been opened.

With Kim Taeyeon, Zheng Xiuyan, and Xian Enjing at the lead, everyone stood quietly outside the vehicle, their gazes cast in unison toward the two who were returning.

No one spoke, simply using their silent gaze to construct a gentle yet solid barrier, welcoming the return of Goo Hara.

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