Chapter 298: I Actually Don't Have It That Bad!!

Over by the cemetery area of the Island Mountain Apartment.

After getting into the car with Goo Hara and the others, Lin Xiuyuan did not waste any more time; he followed them in and opened that Time Gate connecting to the Year Apartment.

At the same time, he sent this group of crazy women—who had originally intended to come over to comfort Goo Hara but ended up just watching the show—back to the apartment in the year 13.

While letting them rest there, he had them incidentally keep company and comfort the new recruits: Li Juli and Goo Hara; and as that group of people left the carriage, it instantly became much more spacious.

However, after Lin Xiuyuan sat in the driver's seat, he did not immediately start the car to leave, but instead turned his head to look at Kim Taeyeon, who was still sitting in the passenger seat and had not followed them over to the apartment side.

He teased with a smile, "Why aren't you going over to sit? Keeping me company here to bask in the sun?"

Kim Taeyeon, being asked, shook her head and sat cross-legged in the passenger seat.

Her gaze did not look at Lin Xiuyuan, but fell on the bright sunlight outside the car window; with a tone carrying a hint of drifting reflection, she suddenly asked out of curiosity.

"Xiuyuan, what do you think—what kind of person are you?"

Lin Xiuyuan, not expecting to hear such a question, was clearly stunned for a moment and answered with some hesitation, "No, why ask this? I don't know; a man? A bad guy?"

Kim Taeyeon, who had turned her head again, looked at him with a very serious expression.

"Think about the things you've done. First, you called a stop to Xiuyan's situation, then you helped YoonA solve her troubles, then you saved Xueli, and now it's Hela's turn. I'm really a bit curious; when you do these things, don't you feel like you're very great?"

"Great?"

Lin Xiuyuan laughed out loud as if he had heard a joke, "Don't tease me, it's not that exaggerated."

Then he began to count on his fingers, self-deprecating with a frankness that was almost a mood-killer, "In Xiuyan's situation, I only wanted her money at the very beginning, plus I hoped she could help me handle the Jessica for this 25-year book. As for YoonA, to put it bluntly, I was just craving her body at the time; after all, she is the world's number one center."

"As for Xueli and Hela—"

Mentioning the two of them, Lin Xiuyuan's tone became slightly more serious.

"I did indeed come for these two to save their lives. Mainly, as the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-level pagoda. I am very clear about how rotten and scummy my behavior of having so many irons in the fire is, so in order not to be thrown into a vat of boiling oil after I die, I have to find some merit to fish for, otherwise, I wouldn't feel at ease."

Under the warm afternoon sun, Lin Xiuyuan, who had already started the car and driven away from the spot, used this cynical tone to say these words, which directly made Kim Taeyeon laugh.

Shaking her head, her tone was complex, "You really are too honest."

"Because there's nothing to lie about," Lin Xiuyuan replied as a matter of course.

Just at this moment, another figure poked out from the Time Gate in the back of the car that hadn't been closed.

Looking at the scenery outside the windshield, which was completely different from the apartment, Lin Xiaolu's eyes lit up as if she had discovered some novel toy, "Amazing, Xiuyuan, your Time Gate can even move along with the camper?"

"It seems so for now, practice reveals the truth. I hadn't thought it could be like this before either, who knows." Lin Xiuyuan, gripping the steering wheel, replied casually without turning his head.

At this, Lin Xiaolu nimbly climbed to the front and handed a bunch of juicy grapes she was holding to Kim Taeyeon, "Unnie, have some fruit."

Kim Taeyeon took the grapes and asked in turn, "How is it over at the apartment? Is Hela any better?"

"Pretty good, her emotions are very stable; mainly because Xiuyuan comforted her on the mountain before coming down, so there was no need for us to worry at all." When Lin Xiaolu said this, those deer-like eyes glanced curiously at Lin Xiuyuan, "Speaking of which, you two stood on the mountain for so long, what did you talk about?"

"If I said we didn't say anything at all, would you believe me?" Lin Xiuyuan smiled.

Lin Xiaolu nodded without the slightest hesitation, "I believe you."

But then she added curiously, "But I would find it very magical."

Beside them, Kim Taeyeon picked up a crystal-clear grape and very naturally held it to Lin Xiuyuan's mouth.

And Lin Xiuyuan, biting down on the grape, chewed while vaguely urging, "Alright, stop standing foolishly in the car, hurry inside, and close the door while you're at it. Who knows if there's some dashcam recording outside; safety first."

This time Lin Xiaolu didn't nag, obediently turned back, and closed the door connecting to the apartment halfway.

The door was not completely shut, but magically, that wooden door did not sway back and forth like a normal camper door due to the vehicle's movement or braking.

Instead, it stood steadily there as if fixed to a solid wall, motionless, as if it did not belong to this space.

Along the way, the car started smoothly and in the blink of an eye, returned to the downstairs of Kim Taeyeon's residential complex.

After parking the car, Lin Xiuyuan turned back to completely close the door that maintained the two time-spaces.

Afterwards, he got out of the car with Kim Taeyeon and returned to her apartment upstairs.

Then, through the stable Time Gate inside the apartment, they returned to the bustling base in the year 13.

And with the arrival of the two, the already noisy apartment instantly erupted into a burst of cheers and laughter.

"Hoo hoo hoo, welcome our great hero, Xiuyuan!"

"Welcome, welcome!"

"So awesome, Xiuyuan!"

Looking at this group of women in front of him who seemed a bit overly excited, perhaps because of the addition of new members.

Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but rub his temples with a headache, and after muttering "brain-damaged" under his breath—

Without another word, he raised his hand again and skillfully opened the door, connecting the other end of the door to the spacious Villa in the year 25.

"It's too crowded here, don't stay here, go over to the Villa and play."

After saying this, Lin Xiuyuan took the first step and disappeared on this side of the apartment.

And with him taking the lead, the others in the apartment also smiled and stood up, following him one after another like a stream of fish.

Only, unlike the others' familiarity, Goo Hara, seeing this situation for the first time, looked at that Time Gate which she found incredibly magical, her footsteps hesitating involuntarily.

And she subconsciously turned her head to look at Xueli, whom she trusted most, beside her.

Seeing this, Xueli immediately took her arm affectionately, a soothing and bright smile blooming on her face, "Unnie, don't be afraid. That side is oppa's Villa in the year 25; it's very big and luxurious. And all the news and things about the future that you want to know are basically recorded on the internet over there."

So, under Xueli's encouragement and the gentle gazes of Kim Taeyeon, Xian Enjing, and others, Goo Hara took a deep breath and came to the front of the Time Gate.

Her gaze pierced through the door frame, looking at the interior of the Villa behind the door, which was full of a modern feel and completely different from the decor style of the year 13 apartment.

The worldview that had been shaken and crumbling at the cemetery, and had only just been rebuilt with difficulty, fell into a rolling washing machine at this moment, continuing to be flipped and kneaded countless times.

Finally, she slowly gathered her courage, and under Xueli's guidance, she took the initiative to lift her foot, took that step, and stepped into the Villa in the year 25.

And when Goo Hara stepped firmly into this Villa, following Xueli forward, and stepped onto the soft carpet.

Her first reaction was not to examine the luxurious decor of the house, but to instinctively look at that huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window, the sun was bright and warm.

It was exactly the same feeling as what she had just felt in the cemetery area, yet because of those flowers, plants, and trees, it added a few points of completely different vitality.

Therefore, this scene made her feel inexplicably dazed, as if in a single step, she had crossed from the silence of death into the bustle of life.

Then, she subconsciously looked up at the uniquely styled crystal chandelier overhead, and the light spots refracted by a few rays of afternoon sun danced in her eyes.

What reached her ears were the familiar and natural sounds of Kim Taeyeon, Krystal, and the others.

Some went to the Kitchen to pour water, some picked up the remote to turn on the TV, and some sprawled on the soft sofa, pulling out their phones to skillfully start ordering food—they seemed so accustomed to everything here, as if they had just returned to their own home.

This overly mundane atmosphere, instead, allowed Goo Hara's tense nerves to relax just a fraction.

However, Xueli soon quietly squeezed her small hand firmly, and after Goo Hara looked at her, she gave the other party a "follow me" look.

Seeing this, Goo Hara understood.

She let Xueli lead her, walking silently toward the stairs that led to the second floor.

Downstairs, the group who appeared to be busy with their own affairs were actually all sparing a sliver of attention for them.

Lin Yun'er, having noticed the two had already stepped onto the stairs, even reached out to pick up the remote and turned the TV volume down a few notches, leaving enough quiet space for any accidents or sounds that might occur upstairs.

However, not long after the figures of Xueli and Goo Hara disappeared at the entrance of the guest room, Li Juli paced over to Lin Xiuyuan's side.

Her gaze passed through the Villa's floor-to-ceiling windows, looking toward some buildings vaguely visible outside the courtyard wall, a hint of uncertain surprise on her face.

Then she tugged on Lin Xiuyuan's sleeve and pointed outside, "Xiuyuan, is that where your Small Tavern is located on the roadside out there?"

Lin Xiuyuan, being asked, was a bit surprised and nodded, "That's right, Juli, how did you spot it?"

Upon hearing this, Li Juli pointed with some emotion at the lush, leafy tree in the courtyard, "This tree of yours is too unique; I remembered it very clearly when I passed by a few times before at the entrance of the alley."

"Is it? Aren't they all the same?" Dalongzai, who was gnawing on an apple, chimed in vaguely from the side.

"How are they the same, Zhiyan." Li Juli retorted helplessly, trying to make their youngest member understand, "Look at this canopy, the angle at which it spreads and the density of the leaves—which other tree in the nearby courtyards is this big and this distinctive?"

Listening to this explanation, Dalongzai actually stood in front of that floor-to-ceiling glass window and tilted her head to examine it carefully for a few seconds.

Then she shook her head decisively, "No feeling, I think they're all the same."

Li Juli, realizing that the conversation was ineffective, immediately gave up on arguing with this youngest member who was unusually dull in certain aspects, and turned her gaze to the other side.

A figure was sitting quietly on the sofa there, the other party wearing a face roughly identical to "Park Jiyeon."

That almost replicated appearance made Li Juli, no matter how many times she had looked repeatedly before, feel tongue-tied for a moment, not knowing how to conduct herself.

In fact, just on the way back to the Apartment in the camper, she had felt completely uncomfortable because of the "mirror-like" existence of Park Jiyeon, Lin Xiaolu, Jin Ruanruan,

Zheng Xiuyan, and the others.

If it weren't for acquaintances she recognized like Dalongzai and Kim Taeyeon helping her adapt to everything, she reckoned she would really feel like there was no difference between herself and seeing a ghost.

Perhaps noticing Li Juli's subtle embarrassment, Lin Xiuyuan asked with a smile from the side, "What's wrong, still haven't adapted?"

To this, Li Juli nodded very honestly, rubbed her temples, and said with a tone of exaggerated exhaustion, "How could one adapt to this? My brain is still a mess right now. Xiuyuan, this ability of yours is too foul."

Then, as if she had suddenly cleared her Ren and Du meridians, she realized something abruptly.

First, she pointed to her own face, then quickly turned her head, her gaze sweeping across the Living Room.

Kim Taeyeon, Jessica, Lin Yun'er—and Dalongzai.

Understanding something, Li Juli's mouth opened slowly and unconsciously, finally turning into a low exclamation of realization, "Wow, Xiuyuan, I was wondering why you were so busy all day long; it turns out there are so many people fighting for food."

Discovering that some of his little actions had been pointed out so bluntly, a rare trace of slight embarrassment appeared on Lin Xiuyuan's face.

So he hurriedly coughed dryly, trying to change the subject, "By the way, Juli, don't you have anything you want to say to your past self? For example, warning her not to take any detours?"

"Say what?"

Li Juli, asked by Lin Xiuyuan, withdrew her gaze from the others and looked at him, her expression feigning a posture of recollection, "The 2013 me actually didn't have it that bad. Although I was considered semi-retired because of that incident, the money I had earned before and the money after investments was probably enough for me to live a carefree life. As for other things..."

Mentioning this point, her tone carried an endless clarity after having experienced storms, "I feel that those were all things I was meant to experience. Anyway, they were mostly minor trivialities of life that didn't rise to the level of life-and-death partings like Xueli and Hela's, so thinking about it carefully, there's nothing worth specifically explaining."

Looking at her light and breezy demeanor, Lin Xiuyuan was a bit surprised, "This reaction of yours reminds me of how Enjing was when she first knew everything, though she was a bit more agitated than you."

She even grabbed my collar—

"It's because of the team, right."

Facing Lin Xiuyuan's reply, Li Juli guessed the reason almost instantly and said it directly.

"Enjing cares about this more than I do. Maybe she thought there was still a chance back then, while I felt it was already dispensable."

After finishing, Li Juli might have felt there was nothing to hide from Lin Xiuyuan, so she added, "Or rather, I knew we simply had no chance at all."

"Why is that?" Lin Xiuyuan followed her words and asked back.

This made Li Juli glance at him, that look as if saying "don't play dumb," and the corners of her mouth curled into a knowing smile.

"I don't believe you don't know the reason, Xiuyuan. Aren't you guys from Huaxia the most fond of chatting about these topics?"

Seeing that Li Juli really said it like that, Lin Xiuyuan had no choice but to helplessly spread his hands and shrug, which counted as tacitly acknowledging the fact.

It was nothing more than keyboard politics; when it involved political matters, Tara really had no chance of turning things around, but it was limited to the Peninsula anyway.

So Lin Xiuyuan didn't think it was a big deal.

Thus, he cast his somewhat worried gaze toward the second floor and clicked his tongue, "Juli, do you think Hela can accept those facts?"

Li Juli, standing by his side, heard this and also looked toward upstairs.

After a moment of silence, she replied in a calm yet firm tone, "I don't know, but in my personal opinion, Hela is more miserable than Xueli."

This sentence was said very lightly, but it made Lin Xiuyuan's heart tighten, and he looked sharply at Li Juli.

And Li Juli just continued to look calmly upstairs, as if she were merely stating a fact that couldn't be more obvious.

The perspectives of men and women are, after all, different!!"

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