Chapter 300: Quan Baolan: [I'll use it myself~] (Seeking subscriptions and monthly votes)

A few minutes later.

Lin Xiuyuan, who had walked into the Jiudian lobby a moment late, spotted Xueli, Goo Hara, and the others waiting for him in front of the Elevator.

He put a relaxed smile back on his face and walked over to greet them.

Xueli and the others tacitly said nothing, taking the Elevator up to their suite in silence.

Once inside the room, the warm yellow light and the quiet environment, isolated from the wind and rain, allowed everyone to relax a little.

Lin Xiuyuan took off his slightly damp coat, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Xian Enjing, who was preparing hot water; suddenly, as if remembering something, he asked casually in a conversational tone.

"By the way, Enjing, let me ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Does that 'legal loli' in your group have a boyfriend?"

"Legal loli?"

As soon as this term—carrying a specific target and a hint of teasing—was uttered, Xueli, who was tidying her hair nearby, and Park Jiyeon, who had sat down next to Goo Hara, immediately had their gazes turn interesting, and they looked at Lin Xiuyuan in unison.

Xian Enjing also understood immediately who this was referring to; her expression froze, and she subconsciously shook her head, saying, "Baolan unnie? I haven't heard that she has a boyfriend. Why are you suddenly asking this, Xiuyuan?"

Lin Xiuyuan scratched his forehead, frowning slightly.

In his mind flashed the two boxes of "little umbrellas" he had seen earlier at The Gate, mixed in among the snacks and fruit.

If she didn't have a boyfriend, why would she keep those in private?

Of course, there was another possibility: that she was dating but hiding it from the other members of the group.

This was not an uncommon occurrence in the Idol industry.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuyuan's expression relaxed; he didn't mention the "evidence" he had just seen, as it was, after all, someone else's private business.

Instead, he used a reasonable speculation to ask back, "It's nothing, just something that suddenly crossed my mind. Is it possible that since you spend so much time in Seoul, if she met someone and started dating while you were active here in Tokyo, it would be normal for you not to know?"

These words made Xian Enjing and Park Jiyeon subconsciously exchange a glance.

The latter also shook her head gently, her face filled with confusion, clearly indicating that she was also completely unaware of this.

Xian Enjing knitted her delicate brows and muttered uncertainly, "If you put it that way, then I really don't know, because unnie hasn't mentioned it to us, and we haven't asked."

Park Jiyeon, however, seemed to have thought of something; her gaze became subtle as she looked at Lin Xiuyuan, her tone carrying a hint of probing, "Oppa, you wouldn't happen to be interested in Baolan unnie—"

Knowing exactly what Park Jiyeon wanted to ask, Lin Xiuyuan quickly reached out to make a "stop" gesture, cutting off the wild words she was about to blurt out.

"Stop, hold it right there. I was just asking out of pure curiosity; it really hasn't reached the situation you're thinking of, Jiyeon."

But Lin Xiuyuan's eager reaction immediately made everyone in the room laugh, especially Xueli, who added a jab with her eyes curved into crescents.

"Oppa, you can't blame Jiyeon for thinking that. It's mainly because your... um~ taste is quite broad, and sometimes it's even quite special, so it's inevitable that everyone would think a little too much~"

"Rumors are lethal!!!"

Facing Xueli's teasing, Lin Xiuyuan simply let out a long sigh toward the ceiling.

His expression was exaggerated, drawing another round of boisterous laughter from everyone, and even the corners of Goo Hara's mouth, who had been in low spirits, couldn't help but curl into a faint arc.

Afterward, Xian Enjing and Park Jiyeon rested in the suite for a while longer, chatting with the others.

Once the sky outside the window was completely shrouded in night and it was nearly evening, they rose to take their leave and returned to their own Dormitory.

With their departure, only Lin Xiuyuan, Goo Hara, and Xueli remained in the suite.

The atmosphere became much quieter; the three of them looked at one another.

At this time, mentioning dinner was definitely out of the question, as they were not hungry.

After all, they had just had a sumptuous afternoon tea at the Villa not long ago.

So Xueli took the lead and suggested, "Oppa, unnie, why don't we all get some rest? Unnie is quite tired today, and oppa, you got up so early and went through so much trouble."

Lin Xiuyuan had no objections, but he looked at Goo Hara, asking for her opinion with his eyes.

Goo Hara nodded gently; having experienced so many things today, she truly felt physically and mentally exhausted.

The turbulent events of this day were something she needed to digest slowly.

So, after a simple wash, the three of them returned to their respective bedrooms.

There were two guest rooms; Lin Xiuyuan had one to himself, while Xueli stayed in the other bedroom with Goo Hara.

In the evening, although the howling wind and rain outside the Jiudian were still loud, Lin Xiuyuan's keen hearing could still faintly catch the occasional, desperately suppressed, soft sobbing coming from the next bedroom, along with someone's comforting voice.

It was clear that Goo Hara's emotions had welled up again, and Xueli was comforting her.

Lying in bed, he could only sigh helplessly.

"Forget it~" He turned over and consoled himself, "Crying is a good thing; after crying a few more times, she'll probably get used to it."

Meanwhile, on the other side.

After returning to the Dormitory rented by their team next door, Xian Enjing and Park Jiyeon had just changed their shoes when they looked up and saw Quan Baolan walking out of the Kitchen carrying a plate of washed fruit.

——

Looking at the two younger members who had entered, Quan Baolan also revealed a gentle smile, "You're back?

I just happened to wash some strawberries and cherries; come over and have some."

Xian Enjing and Park Jiyeon exchanged a look, then nodded as if nothing were the matter, walked over to the sofa, and sat down on either side of Quan Baolan.

The atmosphere was normal at first, with the three of them watching a Variety Show on TV while eating the sweet and juicy fruit.

But after eating just a few strawberries, Park Jiyeon, whose personality was relatively more straightforward and less composed than Xian Enjing's, couldn't hold back anymore.

After sneaking a few glances at the composed Quan Baolan beside her, she finally couldn't resist; she nudged her gently with her arm and asked in a low, gossipy tone, "Unnie~"

"Hmm? What is it, Jiyeon?" Quan Baolan, who had been amused by the TV program, turned her head to look at her.

Park Jiyeon blinked her large eyes, "Unnie, are you secretly dating someone?"

This question caused Quan Baolan, who had just reached out to grab another strawberry, to freeze in mid-air; the smile on her face instantly solidified, and her expression became somewhat incredulous.

She even looked at Park Jiyeon with a look of disbelief, "What? Why would you suddenly ask that question, Jiyeon?"

She then quickly shook her head to deny it, her tone carrying a deliberate lightness, "That's definitely not it. If I were dating, wouldn't this weather be the perfect time for a date? The atmosphere is so good, and I wouldn't have to worry about being secretly photographed by paparazzi; why would I stay in the Dormitory watching TV and eating fruit?"

However, Quan Baolan, who had just quickly given a negative answer, soon noticed the eye contact exchanged once again between Park Jiyeon and Xian Enjing on the other side.

The look in those two people's eyes clearly spelled out the meanings of "there's definitely something going on" and "she is lying."

Consequently, their unusual questioning, coupled with the reaction just now, caused a flash of lightning to strike through Quan Baolan's mind: the figure who had helped her pick up her things not long ago when her bag broke and items scattered all over the floor, and who had seen something that shouldn't have been seen.

Could it be him————

Thinking of this, Quan Baolan's eyes widened abruptly, and she couldn't even bother with eating fruit anymore; she turned to face the two younger sisters directly and asked back, "Wait a minute, did Lin Xiuyuan ask you to come and ask me?"

Seemingly not expecting Quan Baolan to guess the source so accurately, the usually composed Xian Enjing also gave her a look of surprise.

Hesitating for a moment, she first nodded, then shook her head, and instead asked even more curiously, "Unnie, why would you guess it was Xiuyuan? You two are a bit strange, aren't you? Did something happen?"

"Ah? I————no————that————"

Quan Baolan opened her mouth, a faint, imperceptible blush instantly creeping up her cheeks; she wanted to explain, but felt too embarrassed to speak.

She couldn't very well tell the truth and tell them about the "little umbrella" she had just gone to buy, only to have it accidentally discovered by Lin Xiuyuan!!!

Fortunately, judging from the reactions of Xian Enjing and Park Jiyeon, Lin Xiuyuan likely hadn't told them the specific details of what he saw.

Otherwise, they wouldn't just be tentatively asking if she was dating someone, but would be directly pressing her on who the other person was.

Thinking of this, Quan Baolan suddenly couldn't sit still, her heart filled with a wave of shame and panic.

With a "swish," she stood up, dropped a "I'm going back to my room to get something," and hurried out of the Living Room.

Leaving behind only a somewhat hasty silhouette for the confused Xian Enjing and Park Jiyeon on the sofa.

As soon as she returned to her room, Quan Baolan immediately closed The Gate behind her, then picked up the phone that was charging, unlocked the screen with trembling fingers, found the number that had been stored for a long time but never actively opened, and quickly edited a text message to send.

【Quan Baolan】: Did you tell Enjing and the others about what you saw earlier?

Inside the hotel room next door, Lin Xiuyuan, who had just lain down to rest his eyes, heard the phone notification, picked it up, and saw it was a message from Quan Baolan.

The text on the screen, carrying a clear sense of nervousness and accusation, made him unable to help but find it somewhat amusing.

His fingertips tapped on the screen, and he quickly replied.

【Lin Xiuyuan】: No, am I the type of person to blabber about that?

As the message was sent successfully, Lin Xiuyuan could almost imagine the expression on Quan Baolan's face on the other end of the phone after seeing this reply—a mix of relief, yet even more entanglement and embarrassment.

Thus, he couldn't help but smile again, even laughing out loud.

Back at the Dormitory, Quan Baolan felt her hanging heart drop slightly after seeing Lin Xiuyuan's reply.

But the embarrassment of having her privacy peeked into and the urge to explain it clearly still hovered in her heart, leaving her tangled and uneasy.

Her fingers hovered hesitantly on the screen for a few seconds, but in the end, she couldn't help but continue to ask, trying to clear up the source of this misunderstanding.

Quan Baolan: 【Then why did Enjing and the others suddenly ask me if I have a boyfriend?】

After the message was sent, she stared at the screen nervously.

Soon, Lin Xiuyuan's reply popped up, direct and honest.

Lin Xiuyuan: 【I did ask that, after all, isn't that thing meant to be used? So I was just a bit curious, I really didn't say anything else.】

And this reply caused a wave of frantic, silent screaming inside Quan Baolan.

She knew it!

It really was because of that!

A surge of mixed shame, anger, and an urgent need to defend herself welled up, making her fingers seem to have a mind of their own as she quickly typed a line into the dialogue box: 【Does one have to have a boyfriend to use an umbrella?!】

But just as this text, full of rhetorical questioning and a hint of spite, took shape, Quan Baolan suddenly came to her senses, and her cheeks burned even more fiercely with a "boom."

As if scalded, she pressed the delete key rapidly and forcefully.

Until the dialogue box returned to blank, fearing that her hand might slip and actually send this sentence that would cause an even deeper misunderstanding.

Yet even so, looking at Lin Xiuyuan's reply with its "logical" sense of certainty, Quan Baolan truly didn't know how to respond.

Her brain was in chaos, various thoughts beginning to clash.

Because according to a normal person's thinking, at this time one should just ignore it and not explain further.

After all, the more one says, the more one errs; the more you try to explain, the darker it gets.

And someone with a hotter temper would probably just reply with "Mind your own business," and end the conversation.

But as someone with a more introverted personality and somewhat of a homebody attribute, Quan Baolan had a strong urge to explain it clearly at this moment.

She didn't want Lin Xiuyuan to have any strange, inaccurate misunderstandings or impressions of her.

However, when she racked her brains for a long time, her face turning red, she still couldn't think of a perfect way to explain it clearly while also preserving her face and privacy.

And just as she was struggling bitterly at her phone screen, Lin Xiuyuan's new message arrived.

Carrying the other person's unique sharpness, as if he could see through people's hearts.

Lin Xiuyuan: 【You've been thinking for so long without replying, you aren't thinking of how to make up an excuse to fool me, are you? Kitten smile. jpg】

This text, which hit the nail on the head, made Quan Baolan, who was already full of inner drama and thin-skinned, feel as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her face, her earlobes burning hot.

A sense of shame at being completely seen through made her feel she had nowhere to hide.

Finally, she simply gave up, bit her lip, and used all her strength to quickly type a few words and send them.

Quan Baolan: 【I use it myself.】

As the notification sound for the message being sent successfully rang out, the sending of those few words made Quan Baolan feel as if all the strength in her body had been drained, and the phone slipped from her slightly trembling hand.

Her whole body fell backward, collapsing onto the soft bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, her face burning like fire.

It's over————my image is completely ruined————

Wailing internally, Quan Baolan felt she was truly going to suffer social death.

Lying there like this, her heart pounded, waiting for the judgment from the other side of the phone.

Or rather, waiting for any possible reply from Lin Xiuyuan that would make her even more embarrassed.

Only, One Minute One Second passed, and the phone remained unusually quiet.

This time, Lin Xiuyuan did not reply in a second.

Just like her, who was struggling earlier, the other side of the chat box also fell into a long silence.

Yet this silence made Baolan feel more tormented than any direct response could have.

It even caused her to start uncontrollably letting her imagination run wild.

Was he shocked by my answer?

Would he think I'm weird? Very—you know?

Is he talking about this with someone else?

Ahhh!! Why did I have to admit it! Couldn't I have just said I was buying it for a friend?!

Shame crashed against Baolan's reason like a tsunami, wave after wave, making her wish she could immediately find a hole to crawl into, or simply buy a standing-room ticket and flee this planet overnight.

Just as someone's thoughts were about to be drowned by all sorts of outrageous conjectures.

"Ding-dong," a crisp notification sound, like the bell of salvation or perhaps judgment, suddenly rang out!

Baolan sat bolt upright as if by reflex, scrambled to grab her phone, unlocked the screen, and tapped on the new message.

Then she froze instantly, her eyes wide as saucers, staring at the short reply on the screen.

Her expression solidified in a complex state between astonishment, absurdity, and extreme speechlessness.

Lin Xiuyuan: 【Oh~ That's very hygienic then. (Thumbs-up emoji)】

Baolan: "————"

She stared at this reply, which was completely beyond her expectations, praising her for being "hygienic" in a tone that sounded almost like an academic discussion.

For a moment, all of Baolan's previous tension, embarrassment, and shame seemed to hit a soft wall, and then, eerily, most of it dissipated.

All that remained was an indescribable sense of absurdity.

This person————what on earth is inside his head!!!