Chapter 326

Inside the apartment.

When Kim Taeyeon proposed that bold suggestion, and Lin Xiaolu and Zheng Xiujing vehemently opposed it in unison.

Lin Xiuyuan, standing to the side, had already taken in the reactions of everyone present.

Looking at Lin Xiaolu's anxious expression, his own demeanor remained relatively normal; after all, he could guess some of her thoughts, so it was within his expectations.

But when he saw Zheng Xiujing also pop up in sync, shouting "No" in a fierce and cold tone, Lin Xiuyuan was a bit stunned.

His startled gaze subconsciously drifted slightly toward Krystal, who was standing beside Lin Yun'er.

And Krystal, with great tacit understanding, met his gaze the moment he looked at her.

The corners of her mouth curled into an amused smile, and she even raised her eyebrows at Lin Xiuyuan in an extremely playful manner.

This reaction of watching the drama from afar, even with a hint of schadenfreude, left Lin Xiuyuan feeling both amused and exasperated, muttering to himself: This girl is just here for the show, and she's clearly enjoying it.

Thinking this, Lin Xiuyuan temporarily suppressed his doubts, withdrew his gaze, and looked back at the core of the event: Kim Taeyeon.

Then he noticed that she was not experiencing much emotional fluctuation despite the fierce opposition from Lin Xiaolu and Zheng Xiujing.

Her gaze remained fixed, without a moment's wavering, on Kim Ruanruan.

Because Kim Taeyeon knew very well that the most critical factor in whether her request would succeed did not lie in the opinions or emotions of others, but in two people.

One was the most important, Lin Xiuyuan, because he possessed the ability to make her ideas a reality.

And the other was Kim Ruanruan, who needed to provide the necessary cover and permission.

As for the former, Lin Xiuyuan, based on their time spent together and her understanding of him, Kim Taeyeon had considerable confidence that she could "persuade" him.

Or rather, Lin Xiuyuan himself was not a cold-hearted person.

But Kim Ruanruan was different; as the same person, Kim Taeyeon knew her own independent personality very well.

Regarding someone who possessed a completely autonomous will and realistic concerns, she truly couldn't force anything.

She could only hope the other party would be willing; if she truly refused, she would understand.

Being stared at intently by Kim Taeyeon's gaze, which carried heavy anticipation, Kim Ruanruan also felt her scalp tingle; the pressure was immense.

Especially after the unusually synchronized and fierce intervention from Lin Xiaolu and Zheng Xiujing just now, she suddenly realized a fact that had perhaps been a bit blurry before, but was now incomparably clear—

That is, how precious and sought-after the possibilities and uniqueness represented by this guy, Lin Xiuyuan, truly are.

Not just on an emotional level, but on a deeper level as well.

Thinking of this, her mind uncontrollably flashed back to a niche romantic action film she had watched not long ago after being dragged along by Sunny, and she remembered a classic scene from it.

This absurd yet slightly stimulating association made Kim Ruanruan's cheeks feel a bit warm, but at the same time, it was as if it had split open a gap in her chaotic thoughts.

So, gritting her teeth, she nodded at Kim Taeyeon, "Got it, I'll give it a try."

Upon hearing this, Kim Taeyeon's eyes, which were still brimming with tears, instantly lit up, as if starlight had been injected into them, and her entire spirit was invigorated.

But immediately following, Kim Ruanruan's voice sounded again, with a cautious tone, "But let me clarify first, if there happens to be someone at home when we go back, I won't bring Xiuyuan inside; it's too much trouble."

She continued to emphasize, "So we might need to wait for an opportunity, see which day Dad and Mom are both out, or wait for a suitable time to make it happen. So the timing might not be that fast; you need to be mentally prepared."

Kim Taeyeon nodded vigorously, and a look of relief finally appeared on her face, "It's okay, I know, really—thank you."

Her gratitude was very sincere.

Hearing this, Kim Ruanruan hurriedly waved her hand, as if she had suddenly felt the weight of the heaviness in the other's heart.

With this, this thorny problem, full of emotional weight, had also temporarily found a feasible direction for resolution.

So, Lin Xiuyuan, who had been the observer all along, spoke up again, "Now that this problem is preliminarily settled, next—"

After rubbing his stomach, he suggested naturally, "It's getting late, why don't we go eat."

"I have work later, I have an interview to go to at the TV station, so I won't go."

Zheng Xiujing gave her answer first, returning to her usual cold tone, but her eyes seemed even more complex than before.

It seemed that the impulse from just now had caused her brain to lag a bit, and she was currently reviewing it.

Immediately after, Krystal and Lin Yun'er also replied one after another.

Among them, Krystal took Lin Yun'er's arm, her tone relaxed, "Then Xiuyuan, hurry up and open the door for us to go back; things here are about done, we won't disturb your dinner gathering."

"Yeah, you guys eat your meal, we'll go back to the 25-year side for our gathering too, right, Unnie?" Lin Yun'er said the latter half of the sentence to Kim Taeyeon.

So Kim Taeyeon also nodded gently, her emotions having stabilized much more, and she responded, "Mm, that's right. I'll leave things here to you guys, I'll wait for your news."

She even took one last deep look at Kim Ruanruan.

And Lin Xiuyuan first looked thoughtfully at Zheng Xiujing, who claimed to have work to attend to, then looked at Krystal, who had suggested leaving, and replied, "Alright, then you guys go back first, I'll come find you later?"

Lin Yun'er, who caught the subtext of this sentence, was a bit surprised, then smiled, "The second half? Sure~"

So Lin Xiuyuan walked to the side of the Time Gate and opened it.

In the blink of an eye, Krystal, Lin Yun'er, and Kim Taeyeon stepped in one by one, their figures disappearing behind the door.

After everyone had passed through, Lin Xiuyuan closed the door, turned around, and his gaze fell back onto Zheng Xiujing, who claimed she was leaving, and he spoke.

"Zheng Xiujing, what time exactly is that work of yours later? We aren't going anywhere too far to eat, just across from the tavern, turn left after going out of the alley, less than fifty meters, there's a barbecue restaurant that tastes pretty good. We'll eat there, it'll be quick."

It wasn't that Lin Xiuyuan didn't want Zheng Xiujing to rest, he just felt she should eat something for dinner; she had fainted from illness too many times because she overexerted herself and didn't keep up with her nutrition.

Seeing that Lin Xiuyuan had spoken, Lin Xiaolu also immediately and tacitly stepped forward to take Zheng Xiujing's arm, "That's right, Xiujing, let's go together. It's been a long time since we sat down for a meal together, hasn't it? Besides, Xiuyan Unnie is there too, don't you want to see her?"

Following that, Kim Ruanruan also chimed in from the side, "That's right, it seems like ever since the filming and promotion period of your drama started, the time everyone spent eating together has become less and less. Now that the drama has finished airing, your popularity has skyrocketed, and your schedule is even more terrifying."

Upon discovering that she was already being held by Lin Xiaolu, and with Kim Ruanruan's voice drifting over, the lines on Zheng Xiujing's cold face finally softened a bit, "Then let's go, it's mainly because I've been a bit tired lately."

Then, she looked at Lin Xiaolu, who was holding her, "And next, it's going to be your turn, Unnie."

Zheng Xiujing was referring to "The Heirs," which Lin Xiaolu starred in, "Your drama should be starting its promotion soon, right? By then, based on the results and popularity of this drama, your promotion intensity will probably be even more exaggerated than mine."

Regarding this, Lin Xiaolu simply explained her situation, "Yeah, I've actually already joined the crew for filming recently, it's just that I happened to have a group schedule these past two days, so I slipped out for a bit. By the end of the month, I'll really have to be completely rooted in the crew, and I won't have much time. So I have to take advantage of the free time I have now and be carefree for a bit."

And this situation was something both Kim Ruanruan and Zheng Xiujing roughly knew, so who Lin Xiaolu was saying this for was self-evident.

Her resentful gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward Lin Xiuyuan, carrying a small hint.

Fortunately, Lin Xiuyuan wasn't a fool, and he immediately picked up the conversation, "Then after you finish filming every day, do you go back to the dormitory to rest, or back to the apartment?"

"Of course I go back to the apartment to rest, why would I go back to the dormitory and disturb the Unnies."

While speaking, Lin Xiaolu continued to educate Lin Xiuyuan, "Actually, for everyone's filming, unless there's a night shoot that goes until the middle of the night or all night, and there are scenes early the next morning, otherwise, everyone basically goes home to rest after finishing work; after all, one's own little nest is more comfortable."

Lin Xiaolu, who specifically emphasized "little nest," had a meaning that was truly quite obvious.

"Got it, understood." Lin Xiuyuan replied, a hint of a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

He understood her hint.

Then, Lin Xiuyuan looked at Kim Ruanruan and Zheng Xiujing and clapped his hands, "Alright, let's go, don't just stand here. Let's go down together, go to the tavern to call Xiuyan and Sunny, and then go eat together. I'm really a bit hungry, no joke."

While speaking, Lin Xiuyuan walked naturally toward the entryway, started putting on his shoes, and prepared to go out.

Lin Xiaolu, who was following behind him, asked curiously while changing her shoes, "Xiuyuan, you didn't eat at noon?"

"Ate a little—" Lin Xiuyuan opened the door and replied casually, "But after eating, I moved around a bit, so it's no different from not eating."

Then, he led the three girls behind him out of the apartment, took the elevator, and quickly went down to the first floor.

This time, Lin Xiuyuan was too lazy to go around to the front door of the apartment building and then enter the tavern from the street.

Familiar with the path, he led the three of them to an inconspicuous corner of the courtyard and took them in through the back door.

Thus, when Sunny in the tavern was pulling Zheng Xiuyan's arm, constantly questioning and complaining about things like "What are you guys hiding from me," "Is there any essence left," and "Why haven't Taeyeon and Yun'er come back yet,"

and suddenly heard a slight "click" sound of rotation coming from behind the wine cabinet, she was subconsciously startled and shuddered all over.

Like a frightened rabbit, she immediately stuck to Zheng Xiuyan's side, grabbed the other's arm with both hands, and shouted loudly, "What is it, what is that sound?"

Mainly because the small tavern was already quiet, and this sudden mechanical sound seemed exceptionally clear and terrifying in the evening.

And Zheng Xiuyan, who knew part of the inside story, was relatively calmer, patted Sunny's arm that was gripping her tightly to soothe her, "Don't be surprised, Sunkyu, this should be Xiuyuan coming in from the back door."

However, after she finished speaking, she also felt a bit strange in her heart.

Lin Xiuyuan exposing the existence of the secret passage directly in front of Sunny like this, what is he trying to do?

Does he have some other thoughts or plans? Or is it—

Just as these thoughts were turning in her mind, the connection between the wine cabinet and the wall slid open completely, and Lin Xiuyuan's figure appeared in front of the two first.

With a peaceful smile on his face, he nodded slightly at Sunny, who was still looking shaken, and Zheng Xiuyan, whose expression was slightly helpless, as a greeting.

Then he stepped aside to clear the entrance to the passage.

Immediately after, Kim Ruanruan and Lin Xiaolu walked out one after another from the slightly dim passage and appeared under the warm yellow lights of the tavern.

Especially when Zheng Xiujing appeared last, even Zheng Xiuyan, who had been relatively calm, was startled and spoke in surprise, "What is it? Xiujing, when did you come over? Why didn't I see you just now."

However, Zheng Xiujing, who had just stepped out of the passage and adapted to the light of the tavern,

had an expression on her face that was actually even more surprised than Zheng Xiuyan's, one could even say it was shocked.

Because from the very first second she stepped out of the passage, her eyes seemed to be stuck by a magnet, staring fixedly at Zheng Xiuyan's face.

Looking at that beautiful face, which still had skin that was moist and bright under the soft lights of the tavern, with a halo flowing between her brows and eyes, and not even the slightest trace of fatigue to be found.

This scene was like a huge visual impact, slamming into Zheng Xiujing's retinas and reaching deep into her brain.

Is this her Unnie, who, although naturally beautiful, always had a trace of weariness on her face due to her busy schedule and pressure?

But she had clearly just seen her not long ago.

Although she was beautiful, how could she be this exaggerated right now.

At the same time, Zheng Xiujing's entire brain seemed to have been pressed by some switch, and a scene and a conversation she had with Sulli not long ago uncontrollably echoed in her mind.

That was the last time she went to the villa on the 25-year space-time side, and while playing with her phone and scrolling through short videos, Sulli leaned close to her ear and whispered some words.

"Xiujing-ah, Oppa has a great physique and is handsome, do you think you like him?"

How did Zheng Xiujing answer at that time?

It seems she replied very casually, "It's alright, anyway, I don't dislike him."

Then Sulli's smile deepened, a light that she didn't quite understand at the time flashed in her eyes, and she continued to ask.

"Then what if Oppa can make you better? The kind that is better in every aspect."

"Better??"

Zheng Xiujing's first reaction at that time was, "What do you mean? That nourishment given by a man?"

Not having been exposed to this layer of secret yet, she subconsciously thought it was the radiance brought about by the physical and mental pleasure between couples.

Upon hearing this, Sulli neither affirmed nor denied it, but just let out a series of crisp, meaningful chuckles.

"Heehee, Xiujing, you'll know sooner or later~"

Sooner or later you'll know—

Sooner or later you'll know—

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