Chapter 323

On the way back to the apartment from Incheon Airport.

Zheng Xiuyan, who was in the passenger seat, had fallen into an emotion mixed with shock, absurdity, and some misunderstanding after learning who the other guest for dinner was.

Afterward, she didn't say much, just turned her head and stared fixedly at the man driving beside her.

Her gaze was burning, as if she wanted to see a flower on Lin Xiuyuan's face, or as if it were a silent interrogation.

At first, Lin Xiuyuan could focus on the road conditions.

But being stared at by Zheng Xiuyan for such a long time without blinking, he finally couldn't hold it anymore.

Who told that gaze to be too strong and too hot, making the fingers holding the steering wheel tap subconsciously; finally, after passing a car, he sighed helplessly and turned his head to meet her gaze and asked.

"What? Don't want to? If you really say you don't want to, I'll tell her in a moment, and we'll just eat by ourselves."

This answer, which carried a hint of "compromise," instead made Zheng Xiuyan let out a light snort from her nose, move her gaze away to look at the traffic ahead, and speak in a stiff tone, "I didn't say I don't want to."

"Then what's with that expression?" Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow.

"Just don't know what you're thinking." Zheng Xiuyan pursed her lips, her voice carrying real confusion and a hint of awkwardness that was hard to detect, "Just why you suddenly thought of putting the two of us together to eat."

"

This was an arrangement that was simply inconceivable to her.

Regarding this, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but complain, his tone quite helpless, "Xiuyan, are you sure you really can't guess?"

This counter-question made Zheng Xiuyan turn her head, her pair of beautiful eyes full of clear confusion, and she shook her head, "I'm really confused, what do you mean, does it have anything to do with me."

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan grinned, clicked his tongue, as if he finally had to reveal a somewhat awkward answer, "That's not because you planned to dig a pit for someone, and then the one over there came directly to complain to me. What can I do? Can't just ignore it."

"Complain?!" These two words were like a key, instantly opening the door to Zheng Xiuyan's understanding.

While guessing the answer, it also truly blew the young her mind.

The young her at this time widened her eyes, seemingly unable to figure out no matter how she thought about it, how the her ten-plus years later could be so shameless, so annoying.

This was clearly a matter between the two of them, how could she involve Lin Xiuyuan, this "outsider"?

And it was still in the childish form of "complaining"?

Why? The older she gets, the more she lives back? Like an elementary school student finding a teacher to complain, huh??

So after being dumbfounded for a good while, digesting this outrageous information, Zheng Xiuyan let out a low curse in disbelief, "No, Xiuyuan~ is that woman crazy! I didn't do anything! Is it worth it for her to come to you? No, this has nothing to do with you, I didn't plan to involve you either!"

While speaking, her voice rose slightly due to excitement, and her face flushed with shame and a feeling of being backstabbed.

Although she knew deep down that this final answer pointed more or less to Lin Xiuyuan, she definitely couldn't admit it now.

As for Jessica's move, Zheng Xiuyan was really a bit angry, and even had the impulse to PK with the other party offline.

Are you sick! How did I become such a woman in the future?!

Zheng Xiuyan was wildly crazy in her heart.

Watching Zheng Xiuyan's appearance of being angry, annoyed, almost wildly crazy, yet forcing herself to be calm, Lin Xiuyuan, who had originally had a headache, suddenly laughed.

That smile carried the instinct of watching a show, but soon changed into a bit of soothing.

While paying attention to the road conditions, he answered, "She said she couldn't play against you."

"Couldn't play against me?"

This answer made Zheng Xiuyan stunned again, and then she became even angrier, her voice rising, "No, she's become this shameless? Can't beat her, so she complains to the parents?!"

This metaphor was so good that even she felt it was amazing, and she was so angry that her teeth itched.

"Then I don't know." Lin Xiuyuan shrugged, indicating he was just an innocent mediator, "So I thought, why not pull you two over to sit down and have a meal together, it would be better to talk things out, can't always be like this, you guarding against me, I resisting you."

Just as he finished speaking, he found a gap in the traffic ahead.

So he stepped lightly on the accelerator, and as the V8 engine of the Maserati he was driving let out a low roar, the strong power instantly erupted.

The speed picked up with a "whoosh," smoothly weaving and overtaking in the traffic.

This sudden powerful push-back force also pressed Zheng Xiuyan, who still wanted to continue complaining and arguing, firmly against the leather seat back.

All words that hadn't been spoken were transformed into a short, light gasp in her throat at this moment.

Afterward, amidst silence, and occasionally mixed with Zheng Xiuyan's dissatisfied muttering and protests, another period of time passed, and the car returned to the downstairs of Lin Xiuyuan's apartment.

Lin Xiuyuan, who had parked the car steadily in the parking space and turned off the engine, didn't get out immediately, but turned to ask again, "How about it, Xiuyan, have you considered it? If you really don't like it, feel awkward, I'll go up and tell her myself. You wait for me here, I'll come down after I finish talking, and then we'll find another place to eat?"

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan gave an option that seemed very considerate, but in reality, he was slightly stimulating someone.

So in the passenger seat, Zheng Xiuyan, who had been relatively quiet since the push-back force and seemed to be thinking about something, heard this.

Immediately turned her face, raised her eyebrows slightly to look at Lin Xiuyuan.

Under the warm yellow sunlight, her exquisite side profile was clear, and her eyes flashed with a hint of determination.

Then, under the other party's gaze, she unbuckled her seatbelt with a "click," pushed open the car door decisively, and walked down.

Under the shade of the trees, the breeze blew her hair.

Zheng Xiuyan, who closed the car door, threw a very tough answer to the man inside through the car window, "Eat if we eat, talk if we talk. I want to see what kind of words she can say."

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan in the car also raised his sword-like eyebrows, a hint of a smile flashing in the depths of his eyes.

Then he also pushed the door and got out, locked the car, came to Zheng Xiuyan's side, and very naturally took her toward the entrance of the apartment building.

"Fine, let's go."

Before long, the two returned to the apartment.

Although Lin Xiuyuan and Sulli hadn't been in Seoul for these few days, the apartment was still clean and tidy, the air was fresh, clearly maintained by a housekeeper who came to clean regularly.

Returning to this familiar and slightly empty space, Lin Xiuyuan signaled Zheng Xiuyan while changing his shoes, "You go and tell Yun'er or Taeyeon and the others about the situation first, so that they won't be unable to find you if something happens later. At least let them help cover for you."

Zheng Xiuyan nodded, so she walked to the living room window, took out her phone, and called Kim Taeyeon to hint at the situation.

After confirming that the logistics were arranged properly, she hung up.

Following Zheng Xiuyan finishing the call, Lin Xiuyuan, who had been prepared long ago, opened the Time Gate directly.

"Let's go."

Zheng Xiuyan, looking at that door, took a deep breath, suppressed the bit of nervousness and awkwardness in her heart, and stepped forward to follow.

Between the conversion of light and shadow, the two were already in the spacious and bright villa living room of the 2025 time space.

The afternoon sun shone in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting warm light spots on the clean floor, and the courtyard was full of greenery, a piece of quiet beauty.

The afternoon here in 25 is sunny.

And Zheng Xiuyan, who came here every time, would come to the floor-to-ceiling window and stand there to briefly appreciate the carefully maintained courtyard scenery outside.

Behind her, Lin Xiuyuan took his phone for the first time and found Jessica's number to dial.

A few minutes later, Lin Xiuyuan, who ended the call, looked at Zheng Xiuyan's back, who was still standing by the window, and said, "Jessica is still busy outside, a shoot just ended, it's estimated she won't have time until later. Xiuyan, should we find something to do first, or do you want to rest?"

Zheng Xiuyan, who turned around, had an expression that had returned to her usual indifference, carrying a bit of "come what may" casualness, "It's fine, wait. Anyway, there's no other arrangement today, it's just right to have a good rest here, the environment here is much more comfortable than the dormitory."

So in the following time, the two coexisted in this villa in a way that was slightly peculiar but inexplicably harmonious.

At first, they were lying on the sofa in the living room, scrolling through short videos on their phones, sharing interesting content they saw.

Later, feeling bored, Lin Xiuyuan suggested going to the outdoor swimming pool upstairs to sit, and Zheng Xiuyan agreed.

So the two went up and sat by the pool, stepping on the water and chatting, and afterward, they even played a few rounds of mobile games together.

Time slipped toward evening in this atmosphere that was slightly leisurely and carried a bit of waiting.

At the same time, the dinner Lin Xiuyuan had pre-ordered arrived on time; it was from a well-known restaurant, and was currently laid out properly on the long dining table in the spacious villa, the tableware shining, and the dishes fragrant.

And just as the dinner was being arranged, Lin Xiuyuan's phone rang again; it was Jessica calling.

Lin Xiuyuan, after finishing the call, looked at Zheng Xiuyan, "She's back home, I'll go pick her up."

Zheng Xiuyan, upon hearing this, just gave a light "hmm," her gaze falling back onto the phone screen, but her slightly pursed lips revealed that she was not as calm as she appeared on the surface.

Then Lin Xiuyuan opened the Time Gate and left briefly.

Only Zheng Xiuyan was left in the villa; she looked around the living room, her fingers unconsciously twisted together.

About two minutes later, the Time Gate in the corner of the living room was opened, and Lin Xiuyuan's figure appeared first.

Then he stepped aside to let her pass, and Jessica, in a fresh summer outfit, followed him and stepped into the villa.

Jessica, after entering the villa, subconsciously walked toward the center of the living room.

But soon her footsteps faltered slightly.

Because she keenly felt a gaze, looking down from above, carrying a clear weight of scrutiny, staring at her.

The presence of that gaze was too strong for Jessica to ignore.

The next second, she followed her intuition and looked up toward the top, which was the source of the gaze, the second-floor railing of the villa.

There, Zheng Xiuyan was leaning lightly against the railing, leaning forward slightly, her gaze calm yet extremely penetrating as it fell on her.

The two's gazes, one looking up, one looking down, met in the air suddenly, colliding silently.

The air seemed to solidify at this moment.

At the same time, a slight yet carrying undisguised pickiness and disgust complaint sound came clearly from above.

"Trying to look young."

It was just that Jessica's OOTD today was a white OnePiece small dress, the style simple and generous, carrying just the right vacation style.

Outside, she casually wore a light-colored denim jacket, which indeed looked much more youthful and energetic than her actual age.

Yet she didn't expect that the first evaluation she received in the eyes of herself, who was only in her early twenties upstairs, would be such a straightforward two words.

This made Jessica's temples throb uncontrollably upon hearing it.

Speechless, really a bit speechless.

Then she secretly took a breath, suppressing the absurdity and slight annoyance brought by her own complaint, and the corners of her mouth followed with a cold sneer.

Clearly, she was not a character who would be beaten passively and not know how to counterattack.

So after quickly accepting the evaluation from above, her gaze also carried scrutiny, quickly scanning the entire outfit of the person at the second-floor railing.

Dark blue classic overalls, inner-worn dark brown short sleeves, and even an outer layer draped over her shoulders that looked casual but was actually quite scheming.

The overall style leaned toward retro art, carrying a bit of a fashion trendsetter's vibe, but it was wrapped quite tightly.

So Jessica hooked the corners of her mouth into a smile that was equally provocative.

She raised her head and clearly returned two words.

"Trying to look cool."

One "trying to look young," one "trying to look cool."

This meeting across time and space officially kicked off with such a mutual greeting that was full of gunpowder and extremely real.

In the dining room, the fragrant dinner was already prepared.

But this atmosphere was destined not to be calm.

In the blink of an eye, the three sat around the rectangular dining table covered with a white tablecloth.

The distribution of seats revealed a subtle tension.

Lin Xiuyuan sat in the main seat in the middle of the long side, like a helpless yet necessary referee or buffer zone.

And Zheng Xiuyan and Jessica each occupied one side of the short end, sitting face to face, separated by the candlelight and the not-too-wide, not-too-narrow distance of the tabletop, as if it were an invisible Chu-Han boundary.

To match this candlelight atmosphere, Lin Xiuyuan even turned off most of the bright ceiling lights in the living room, leaving only a few auxiliary atmosphere lights and the weak wall lamps.

When the light dimmed, it was also shrouded in a relatively hazy, almost ambiguous warm yellow tone.

Matching the slender scented candle that had been lit and gifted by the restaurant on the dining table, the atmosphere was fully pulled up.

The flickering candlelight jumped on the silver tableware, and the light and shadow that were not bright or dark flowed and flickered on the faces of the three, making each other's expressions look somewhat blurred.

Yet it seemed to be able to magnify every subtle detail countless times.

This was the first time in Lin Xiuyuan's life that he had eaten a so-called candlelight dinner, but at this moment, he couldn't feel the romance, warmth, or ambiguity in the rumors at all.

On the contrary, he only felt that his back was a bit cold.

As if there were two gazes carrying electric currents clashing on his left and right sides, and he happened to be sitting at the intersection of the firepower.

That experience was simply terrible.

So he muttered a complaint in his heart: if anyone suggests eating some candlelight dinner next time, he will definitely be the first to get angry.

Forcibly suppressing the discomfort in his heart, Lin Xiuyuan tried hard to hang a fake smile that was still natural on his face, and was the first to raise the wine glass filled with a little red wine in front of him, attempting to break this suffocating silence.

"Then, how about we toast first? Anyway, don't let down this dinner, it's expensive, not cheap at all."

This so-called dinner price was actually a rhetorical device Lin Xiuyuan used to ease the atmosphere.

But it was soon used by the one next door to tease the other.

"It's fine, I'll pay the bill, Xiuyuan~"

Only to see Jessica, after hearing this, immediately turn her head to look at Lin Xiuyuan.

A charming and slightly intimate smile bloomed on her face, her voice deliberately softened a bit, and at the same time, she elegantly raised her wine glass.

Then she straightened her head and looked at Zheng Xiuyan, who was becoming increasingly cold and stubborn in the candlelight, and gestured with her glass.

Her tone carried a bit of a host's flavor, "Eat more later, it's my treat."

This seemingly generous expression was actually provoking a certain distinction between host and guest.

However, this little eye drop didn't have much lethality for Zheng Xiuyan, who was already full of anger at this moment.

Then she naturally raised her wine glass, but not toward Jessica, but directly toward Lin Xiuyuan's wine glass in the middle, and replied lightly, "Xiuyuan has already paid the money, right? You really have the face to say it's your treat."

A light sentence, which both pointed out the fact and satirized someone's fake generosity.

Fortunately, Jessica was also not angry, just the smile at the corners of her mouth deepened.

She adjusted the angle and bumped the rim of her glass toward the other side of Lin Xiuyuan's wine glass.

"Ding"

A crisp and pleasant sound of glass collision rang out in the somewhat empty dining room.

The three wine glasses met briefly in the air, forming a stable "pin" shape.

It was just that the wine glasses of Zheng Xiuyan and Jessica, who were at the two ends, never directly touched, and all only collided with Lin Xiuyuan's glass in the middle.

This small detail perfectly mapped the relationship between the three at this moment: that is, the cross-space confrontation between two "Zheng Xiuyans," while Lin Xiuyuan was the only connection point between them that had to exist.

Then the three each raised their heads and drank the wine liquid with a slight astringent fruit aroma in the glass.

The cold liquid slid down the throat, slightly cooling the invisible sparks in the air.

After the three put down their wine glasses, this dinner tonight was officially started.

So Lin Xiuyuan picked up his knife and fork directly, cutting the tender and juicy steak on his plate, indicating, "Alright, let's talk everything through tonight. Isn't it a rare opportunity?"

Then he forked a piece of beef and sent it into his mouth, vaguely but firmly stating his position, "You two chat as you please, I'm eating."

Listening to Lin Xiuyuan's declaration of staying out of it, Zheng Xiuyan, who had been unable to hold back, was the first to make a move.

Narrowing those beautiful eyes slightly, her gaze shot toward Jessica opposite like a blade, taking the initiative to attack, her tone full of undisguised sarcasm.

"Actually, there's nothing to talk about, after all, it's already happened. I'm just curious, when exactly did your eyes go blind." Saying this, Zheng Xiuyan leaned forward slightly, the candlelight jumping in her eyes, "That face like a shoehorn, you could actually gnaw on that."

This attack was straightforward and spicy.

Opposite, Jessica, who had just picked up her knife and fork to prepare to eat, had her knuckles turn slightly white due to force.

The hand holding the knife and fork paused in mid-air, her eyelids "whoosh" lifted, her gaze shooting toward Zheng Xiuyan like electricity.

In the candlelight, there was not much expression on that charming and mature face that had been precipitated by time, but the emotions rolling in the depths of her eyes leaked her lack of calmness.

After taking a deep breath, Jessica lowered her head again, starting to cut the steak on her plate slowly and forcefully, the blade rubbing against the porcelain plate making a slight sound.

The voice was not high, but carried a kind of cold sarcasm and self-mockery.

"Hehe, if it weren't for someone's heart being higher than the sky when they were young, knowing nothing, and recklessly wanting to rush forward, putting all their heart into those illusory things, and narrowing all their paths, would I have stepped into that quagmire and gotten dirty until now?"

In this sentence, some words were bitten very heavily.

So Zheng Xiuyan, upon hearing this, immediately retorted like a cat whose tail was stepped on, her tone fast and urgent.

"Don't blame everything on being 'young,' afterward clearly knowing it was a pit, was it you who continued to step into it? I don't believe you really couldn't get out at the time, it's nothing more than feeling the sunk cost was too big, the investment too much, reluctant, unwilling! Greedy, and lacking the courage to stop the loss!"

This paragraph was like a precise scalpel, straight into the most secret, and also the most unwilling-to-be-mentioned corner of Jessica's heart.

But because what Zheng Xiuyan said was indeed a part of the truth, and also the part that was the most painful and powerless to refute in Jessica's countless self-analyses in midnight dreams later.

This led to a momentary stiffness in her hand movements.

However, strong psychological quality allowed Jessica to adjust quickly, having experienced so many storms, she clearly possessed stronger emotional control and counterattack ability.

So she put down her knife and fork and picked up a napkin to gently wipe the corners of her mouth.

Finally, she looked up at the self opposite with a gaze that was almost pitying yet sharply scrutinizing.

"Zheng Xiuyan, think about it yourself, in 2011, you clearly had the opportunity to go better and more steadily, right."

"At that time, the company gave opportunities, and the market gave signals, who was it that wasn't willing to calm down and study acting to improve themselves? Every day, either going to bars with this friend or going out to play with that relative, wasting a lot of time on meaningless socializing and enjoyment."

Jessica's voice was unhurried, yet every word was like a knife, "If the multiple-choice question was done right at the time, and the foundation was laid, would you need to be in a panic and walk another rugged road that relies more on others in later years?"

Lin Xiuyuan, sitting in the middle, when hearing the two keywords of 2011 and acting, almost reflexively flashed the name of the TV series "Violent Romance" in his mind.

Immediately, he quietly raised his eyelids, his gaze quickly swept across the two equally beautiful but differently expressed faces, and then immediately lowered his head again, more focused on dealing with the food on his plate.

Reciting in his heart: Don't know, don't understand, has nothing to do with me, I'm just a heartless rice-eating machine.

And Zheng Xiuyan, who was precisely stabbed back by Jessica's "look-back-and-pull" move, also instantly went silent, her chest feeling stuffy.

Regarding acting and the situation during that period, it was really a thorn in the bottom of her heart.

In this aspect, she could actually say righteously, "That's because I have no talent, it's useless even if I work hard!"

But on the other hand, during the period the other party accused, she indeed didn't put in the corresponding, desperate effort.

More of it was enjoying the halo and freedom of the early stage of fame.

So at this moment, Zheng Xiuyan was like being rebounded by her own words just now, and could only swallow this dumb loss, just like Jessica was stabbed in the "sunk cost" earlier.

And the atmosphere at the dining table, because of these two rounds of merciless, straight-revealing-scars mutual attacks, began to become almost stagnant.

The air was heavy enough to wring out water.

After a brief silence, Zheng Xiuyan took a breath and decided to attack from another direction.

Also asked a question she was very concerned about, "Fine, let's not talk about those first. I'm just curious, why did you have to make things so ugly with everyone back then, almost tearing your face apart and leaving?"

It was just that before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by Jessica's cold sneer.

"Let's not talk about the interest aspect, just talk about the interpersonal relationship problem. Doesn't this have to be blamed on you being so domineering and self-centered during your trainee period? You don't really think everyone has no grudges in their hearts, right? People had long been unable to stand you, it's just that it was temporarily suppressed by team interests and company pressure later, waiting for that knife to backstab."

"That's already old history from the year of the monkey." Zheng Xiuyan raised her volume in anger, "You bringing up this kind of old sesame and rotten grains now, is it interesting?"

At this time, she felt that Jessica was simply being unreasonable.

But soon—

"It is interesting." Jessica's voice was still steady, but carried a kind of cold penetrating power, "If I don't bring it up, you probably will never know that because of your personality and way of handling things, later Krystal, because of the identity of being your younger sister, suffered how much unnecessary targeting and exclusion in the company?"

"What do you mean by me? Isn't the one here you?" Zheng Xiuyan was stunned by this accusation.

Immediately followed by greater anger, she felt that Jessica was really being unreasonable, attributing Krystal's matter to herself.

In the seat opposite, Jessica curled her lips, revealing a smile without any warmth, her gaze sharp as a knife, straight into Zheng Xiuyan.

"Hehe, now you're separating you and me, huh. Why don't you go back and ask the 13-year Xiujing if she suffered any unequal treatment because of your situation. You have to ask, otherwise, with Xiujing's personality, she definitely won't tell you."

A series of attacks, from personal feelings to career choices, and then to the impact of dealing with people on those around her.

Every confrontation between the two hit the vital point, without any mercy.

And following Jessica's last question about Krystal being thrown out coldly, the space of the entire restaurant seemed to be instantly drawn into a vacuum.

The atmosphere, tightened to the extreme, "snapped" and broke.

That suffocating huge silence shrouded down.

The candlelight still flickered, the light and shadow swayed, but couldn't illuminate two equally pale and tense faces.

At this moment, in the space of the entire restaurant, only the subtle sound of Lin Xiuyuan chewing beef remained, which was infinitely magnified, appearing exceptionally clear and abrupt.

Zheng Xiuyan and Jessica's breathing sounds became light and restrained, the two gazes twisted together tightly in the air, as if there were real sparks crackling, neither moved away first, neither spoke first.

These few seconds of dead silence were as long as a century.

Finally, after a light "ding" sound, the knife and fork on Zheng Xiuyan's side were picked up by her again, falling on the edge of the porcelain plate, breaking the silence.

Immediately following, almost simultaneously, the slight sound of knife and fork contacting the dinner plate also came from Jessica's side.

The two women seemed to have reached a certain silent tacit understanding, simultaneously picking up the tableware again, and began to cut the food that had long been half-cold in front of them.

The movements were all a bit stiff, but neither continued to speak.

And Lin Xiuyuan, who had always been burying his head in hard work, also keenly captured this moment when the atmosphere loosened slightly.

So he immediately put down his knife and fork, picked up the decanter lightly, and added a little deep red wine liquid into the wine glasses in front of Zheng Xiuyan and Jessica, which had almost not been moved again.

"Drink, drink." Afterward, he muttered in a low voice, his tone flat as if completing a necessary process.

After finishing this insignificant persuasion action, Lin Xiuyuan picked up his knife and fork again, re-investing in the battle with the steak on his plate, disguising himself as a thorough rice-eating machine.

Persuade? Express an opinion?

Only an idiot would speak at this time.

The silence at the dining table continued, only the occasional light sound of knife and fork collision, the storm seemed to have temporarily calmed down, but deeper undercurrents were brewing.

This cross-space self-dialogue was far from over.

In the process of several people silently focusing on eating rice, time passed bit by bit.

Then Lin Xiuyuan finally solved his portion of steak, and instead reached his fork toward the tempting cheese-baked lobster in the center of the dining table, carefully dividing half of it into his own plate.

Just as he had sent a piece of lobster meat wrapped in rich cheese into his mouth, the suffocating silence on the table was broken again.

It was just that this time, the one who spoke first was Jessica.

She didn't continue the kind of tit-for-tat attack from before, but instead put her tone flatter.

Her gaze fell on the edge of her dinner plate, as if whispering to the food.

"Zheng Xiuyan~" she called the other party's full name, paused, "Ask you a serious question, putting aside emotions, do you really think I chose wrong? Everything, feelings, career, the way of leaving, all wrong?"

The result was unexpected, Zheng Xiuyan opposite didn't immediately use sharp language to deny or mock.

The other party, who put down the knife and fork, frowned slightly, seeming to be seriously thinking about this question.

A few seconds later, she shook her head with difficulty, her voice also lowered, "No, there is no absolute right or wrong in this thing. The road is chosen by yourself, once you've walked it, you've walked it."

Then Zheng Xiuyan raised her eyes, looked at herself opposite with exquisite makeup, and her tone still held that kind of almost straightforward sharp view, "I just think you should have withdrawn earlier, staying in the quagmire for too long, you yourself will also become part of the quagmire, unable to wash clean."

Jessica, who had scooped a spoonful of golden shrimp fried rice into her bowl, paused her movements, raised her eyelids to look at Zheng Xiuyan, her eyes deep.

"Withdraw earlier? Do you think with your personality, you are the type who knows how to stop losses in time and easily shrinks back and gives up?"

Jessica asked calmly, yet pointed to the core.

So Zheng Xiuyan fell silent.

Opened her mouth, but found she couldn't give a positive answer immediately.

Famous at a young age, arrogant, not turning back until hitting the south wall for things she determined, and even wanting to dismantle the wall and continue walking after hitting the south wall—

These adjectives were all the background color in Zheng Xiuyan's personality.

And the word "shrink back," in her young dictionary, appeared somewhat strange and glaring.

So much so that when Jessica saw her silent appearance, she curled her lips, and then her tone returned to the previous cold sharpness.

"Then what are you shouting for."

These six words, rude and direct, were like a muffled stick, knocking on the heart lake of Zheng Xiuyan that had just calmed down slightly, instantly stirring up a thousand layers of waves.

A light "click" sound, it was Zheng Xiuyan's fingers holding the knife and fork turning white due to sudden force, and even trembling slightly.

That pair of beautiful eyes suddenly raised, filled with the flames of being humiliated and angered, glaring fiercely at Jessica.

And Jessica also met her gaze without any avoidance, her eyes calm, even carrying a bit of "did I say wrong" provocation.

"Why? Did I say wrong? You're nothing more than feeling that my later choices, my encounters, embarrassed you, made you, who haven't experienced these, feel ashamed, right?"

Saying this, Jessica leaned forward slightly, the candlelight jumping in her eyes.

Her voice was not high, but every word was like a hammer, smashing into Zheng Xiuyan's heart.

"But Zheng Xiuyan, looking back at you before 2013 from my current perspective. At that time, every step of your choice, every self-righteous persistence and cleverness, walked in a way that makes me feel scalp-numbing and stupid to the extreme now!"

"You used the eye of God's perspective of the future to look back at past things, are you embarrassed?" Zheng Xiuyan finally found the point of counterattack, her voice trembling due to excitement.

"Then aren't you using the current perspective that only knows the result and doesn't understand the process, and then standing on the moral high ground to look at the current me??" Jessica immediately retorted, her tone urgent, "If it weren't for Xiuyuan—"

The voice stopped abruptly here, and finally only let out a few cold snorts of unknown meaning from her nasal cavity, without saying any heavier harsh words.

How to say, they were all herself.

After calming down, Jessica thought that she could actually understand the mood of the person opposite at this moment.

After all, because she had also experienced this stage, she was also like this when facing criticism—wildly crazy, angry, and unwilling.

And then gradually became silent and helpless under the polishing of reality, and finally learned to bury certain emotions deep in her heart.

So the intense reaction of the Zheng Xiuyan in front of her at this moment was nothing more than a restaging of the heart journey she had once experienced.

How to say?

In terms of inspiration for designing people, the young brain might indeed be more agile, jumping, and full of whimsical ideas.

But if it's about debating, analyzing human nature, and using language skills for offense and defense.

Zheng Xiuyan's brain, which was still shallow in experience, really couldn't compare to Jessica's response skills and instantaneous reaction ability, which had been honed through years of floating and sinking in the entertainment industry and struggling in the whirlpool of public opinion, with full experience.

This situation is a bit like the battle between Park Jiyeon and the Big Dragon Cub back then.

So what if you have great strength and are straightforward?

I use technique and experience, four ounces to move a thousand pounds, and I can still knock you down.

So, when Zheng Xiuyan was retorted by Jessica's series of logically rigorous and straight-to-the-pain-point rebuttals until she was speechless and red-faced.

Her gaze subconsciously turned to look at Lin Xiuyuan in the middle.

As a result, before Lin Xiuyuan had any indication, she heard a laugh from Jessica that carried the surplus of a winner.

"Don't make things difficult for Xiuyuan." Opposite, Jessica picked up her wine glass and sipped slowly, "I've already agreed with Xiuyuan, he's not allowed to favor you tonight. And he has to help me."

Jessica deliberately said the word "help" somewhat ambiguously, then looked at Zheng Xiuyan's suddenly changed complexion, her smile deepened, carrying a bit of pity-like evaluation, "But looking at it now, it seems he doesn't need to help, you are too weak."

He has to help me!

You are too weak!

These two sentences, especially the former, were like a barrel of gasoline splashed on the fury that Zheng Xiuyan had already been burning fiercely.

Originally, because of being in the wrong and unable to argue, the anger that had just sunk a bit instantly "boomed" and exploded!

Who let Xiuyuan choose to help Jessica???

This realization made Zheng Xiuyan lose her last bit of reason, and then she fiercely slapped the knife and fork in her hand onto the dining table.

"Bang!!"

The collision of metal and porcelain made a harsh sound.

Zheng Xiuyan, who stood up directly, pointed at Jessica, her voice somewhat sharp due to extreme anger.

"Who was the one who relied on her identity, relied on that bit of dirty business of sleeping together to make things difficult for Xiuyuan, and involved him??? This kind of thing, you actually have the face to involve Xiuyuan, you are really shameless!!!"

Facing Zheng Xiuyan's angry standing up and sharp accusation, Jessica appeared exceptionally calm.

Lowered her head and used a fork to poke at the fried rice in her bowl, replying without even raising her head.

"I'm already like this, walked to this step, what do I still need face for?"

Then she finally raised her head, looking calmly at the standing Zheng Xiuyan, saying clearly word for word.

"I only want Xiuyuan."

This sentence was like a lightning bolt, splitting Zheng Xiuyan's anger, and also making her instantly freeze.

Subsequently, a more complex emotion welled up in her heart.

The veins on her forehead bulged due to extreme anger, but strangely, a few seconds later, those bulging veins slowly subsided.

Zheng Xiuyan suddenly laughed, not laughing out of extreme anger, but a smile that regained the advantage, belonging to a young person.

She sat back down, even picked up a napkin to wipe the corners of her mouth, and then looked at Jessica, her tone light and carrying full provocation, "That's right, you really have nothing left."

She leaned back slightly, arms crossed, showing a relaxed, winning posture: "What am I anxious about with you? I'm young anyway, not in a hurry, the future is bright. I have plenty of time, take it slow."

This sudden turn, its words also precisely stepped on Jessica's most painful point.

Age anxiety, career bottleneck, uncertainty about the future.

That sentence was like a lit fuse, finally igniting Jessica's mask of calmness that she had been trying hard to maintain.

"Clang!"

So the silver spoon in Jessica's hand was poked forcefully toward the bowl and dish in front of her, the collision of porcelain and metal making an extremely harsh, tooth-aching noise, echoing in the silent dining room.

It even scared Lin Xiuyuan, who had just stuffed a piece of lobster meat into his mouth, into a fierce shudder, burying his head even lower, almost burying it into the plate.

However, contrary to this unseemly action was Zheng Xiuyan's reaction.

This harsh sound not only didn't scare her, but instead made her spine stand even straighter, her chin lifted slightly.

The smile on her face, mixed with victory and provocation, looked even more brilliant and eye-catching in the flickering candlelight, like a little peacock that had won the fight.

And Jessica, after poking the bowl and dish unseemly, also realized that her reaction was excessive, so she hurriedly closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

Her chest heaved violently, clearly trying hard to calm the churning emotions.

After reopening her eyes a few seconds later, Jessica had regained most of her calmness, but beneath that calm ice surface, the undercurrents were even more turbulent.

Looking up at that face opposite.

"So—" she curled her lips slightly, revealing a smile without any warmth, her gaze sharp as a knife, straight into Zheng Xiuyan.

"Is this why you were clearly the first to know Xiuyuan, the first to have a chance, but ended up being surpassed by Yun'er, by Taeyeon, by others one by one, and stepped under their feet?"

"Cough cough cough!!!"

With this, Lin Xiuyuan, who had been pretending to be transparent, could no longer sit still.

Coughed violently a few times, as if choked by food.

Then he scrambled to grab the water glass beside him and took a big gulp, then "whoosh" stood up, the chair legs making a harsh sound against the floor.

"That, I, I'm going to the bathroom, you two chat slowly."

Almost after throwing down this sentence, Lin Xiuyuan fled from the dining table, his speed as fast as if there were a beast chasing behind him.

If he didn't run, the next one to be roasted on the fire would definitely be him.

This war between the two Zheng Xiuyans, finally, still inevitably burned onto him, this "trophy" or "source of disaster."