Chapter 334: The

In 2013, inside a hotel room next to the Kara dormitory in Tokyo, Nihon, a faint sense of melancholy was currently permeating the air.

And at this moment, Goo Hara, who was at the peak of her popularity in Nihon, was like a dependent koala, tightly clutching Xueli's arm, her delicate little face filled with reluctance.

Her voice was drawn out, carrying a tone of coquetry, "Zhenli, let's play for a few more days~ I can rest the day after tomorrow. By then, we can go shopping together in Harajuku and Omotesando. I know a few super amazing shops————"

Xueli was amused by her appearance, lifted her arm to gently stroke Goo Hara's small hand, and laughed crisply, "Unnie~ It's not like I'm going to the ends of the earth, I'm just going back to Seoul. Don't make it sound like a life-and-death parting with that tone of yours, it's so weird."

To be honest, Xueli hadn't had enough fun yet either.

However, S. M had already urged her several times. Although she had already transitioned to being a Screenwriter and her workload had decreased significantly.

But she still couldn't escape some of the commercial shoots she had signed for and the schedules that had already been negotiated, not to mention the group activities.

Thinking of this, she pursed her lips slightly, and a trace of worry flashed in her clear eyes, "Besides, I called oppa today,"

"and no one answered. It was often like this these past few days too. Honestly, I really can't leave for too long, otherwise his phone might really get piled up with unread messages, with no one to help him handle them."

"I just miss you," Goo Hara leaned her head on Xueli's shoulder, her voice muffled.

Ever since she learned that her future self and Xueli would become the "Twin Stars," her feelings for this close friend, who was already like a sister, became so intense they almost overflowed.

A sense of destiny and protectiveness that transcended time, space, and life and death made her develop an unprecedented attachment to Xueli, to the point where she could hardly bear to be apart.

Xueli felt this heavy attachment from Goo Hara; while feeling warm inside, she also found it a bit funny.

So she glanced at the quiet hotel room, then leaned into the other person's ear and whispered in a breathy voice, "Then Unnie, you should go and check on the situation at the house."

Goo Hara looked up, her eyes asking a question.

Xueli continued in a low voice, "Although it was said before that there were some finishing details that needed to be corrected, as well as a thorough cleaning, it should be about done after these days. You find a professional third-party team to do a final inspection, see if there are any missed construction issues, and most importantly————"

When she reached this point, Xueli's expression became a bit more serious, "You must check carefully to see if there are any things that shouldn't be there, like hidden cameras or wiretaps. Once all this is completely settled, as long as oppa opens the door on his side, isn't it a matter of minutes for us to meet?"

Blinking, she gave Goo Hara a smiling look.

Hearing this very practical suggestion, Goo Hara's eyes lit up, and she nodded, "Got it. After I drop you off at the airport later, I'll go over and take a look immediately."

"Oh, Unnie, just go straight to the house!" Xueli waved her hands hurriedly, "I can go to the airport by myself, I'm not a child, and the car the hotel helps call is very convenient."

"But————" Goo Hara was still a bit worried.

"No 'buts'." Xueli interrupted her, holding Goo Hara's hand, "Only by getting it done early can we open the door early. Maybe tomorrow night we can have a late-night snack together in Seoul or here in Tokyo."

This wonderful idea directly convinced Goo Hara.

Ten-plus minutes later, Xueli sat in the car reserved by the hotel, waving goodbye through the car window to Goo Hara, who was waving vigorously at the hotel entrance, and the car drove steadily toward Narita Airport.

And after watching the car drive away, Goo Hara immediately turned around and got into her own vehicle, started the engine, and drove toward that carefully purchased property, feeling excited as she prepared to welcome another new base for the Anywhere Door.

2025.

Seoul, Lin Yun'er Apartment.

At dusk, the afterglow of the sunset shone through the window, casting warm light spots on the indoor floor.

Lin Xiuyuan, wiping his hair with a towel, walked out of the bedroom. At this time, he had already taken a shower, washing away the slight stickiness brought by the laziness and intimacy of the afternoon, and changed into a set of clean clothes.

A light gray, minimalist-style hoodie, paired with a pair of dark blue slim-fit jeans.

The clothes were bought for him by Lin Chong'er recently and had been kept in the closet of her apartment.

And in the Living Room outside, Lin Chong'er, who had finished showering earlier than him, was sitting cross-legged on the soft off-white sofa.

Because she had just showered, her unadorned face showed a healthy rosy glow, like a ripe peach, and her skin was smooth and delicate.

She was wearing an oversize gray hoodie with two abstract square patterns printed on the chest.

On her lower body, she wore a pair of black shorts, revealing her straight, slender, and dazzlingly fair beautiful legs without reservation, casually crossed, her posture relaxed and sexy.

Seeing Lin Xiuyuan walk out, Lin Yun'er immediately raised a brilliant smile, her deer eyes curving into cute crescents, "Hmm, Xiuyuan, your figure is truly a natural clothes hanger. You look so good even in this simple hoodie and jeans; your aura is clean and very comfortable."

As she spoke, Lin Yun'er's tone was full of appreciation, along with a hint of pride in her own good taste.

And Lin Xiuyuan looked down at his "sunny college student" style outfit, and then thought of the vastly different styles of clothes in the other closet, and couldn't help but laugh.

"The preferences you and Xiujing have for buying me clothes feel quite different. She prefers to buy me shirts and casual dress pants, that kind of more mature and refined style. On your side, it's completely hoodies, T-shirts, and sweatpants; whatever is comfortable and casual."

"They both look good!"

Regarding this, Lin Yun'er commented very objectively, "It's just that the aura and feeling they give off when worn are different. I think at your age you should dress more sunny and fresh; it makes you look so young. As for Xiujing, maybe she wants to make you look more steady and mature. Both styles are quite good, suitable for different occasions."

By the time Lin Yun'er finished these words, Lin Xiuyuan had already walked to the front of the sofa.

Thus, Lin Yun'er, having just finished her commentary, very naturally tilted her face up and opened her arms toward him, her expression like a little animal waiting for its owner to hug it.

It carried a bit of coquettish cuteness, and also the intimacy between lovers.

Watching this scene, Lin Xiuyuan felt a smile rise in his eyes and bent down to scoop her into his arms.

Then he sat on the sofa, letting her sit comfortably on his lap, and the two of them snuggled in the sofa like this, enjoying the warm tranquility after the passion.

The fresh scent of Lin Yun'er after her bath and the faint fragrance on his clothes mixed together, forming a comforting aura.

After leaning quietly for a while, Lin Yun'er played with the drawstring of Lin Xiuyuan's hoodie, softly confirming one thing, "By the way, are you going back in a while?"

"Yeah, I have an appointment to have dinner with Xiujing tonight."

Facing this question, Lin Xiuyuan rubbed his chin against Lin Yun'er's soft hair and said it very naturally.

He didn't ask if Lin Yun'er wanted to go together, and she didn't feel there was any problem with that, as if this were a tacit understanding between them.

"Oh." Lin Yun'er responded, then as if suddenly remembering something, changed the subject, "By the way, when do you plan to go with that plan you and Xiuyan Unnie mentioned before?"

"What plan?" Lin Xiuyuan had a bit too much on his mind recently and didn't react for a moment.

"It's the plan to go to Europe to open a new base, didn't we talk about it not long ago? Everyone wants to play in the water." Lin Yun'er reminded him.

What she was referring to was the proposal everyone had made earlier to utilize the convenience of the Anywhere Door to purchase a property in a city with beautiful scenery or convenient transportation as a new foothold and a possible safe house.

"Ah, that one." Lin Xiuyuan remembered and thought for a moment, "It's hard to say about the timing; it depends on Jessica's"

"work schedule and the specific progress of the site selection. I'll ask her later."

"Alright then." Lin Yun'er hugged Lin Xiuyuan's arm tighter, her voice filled with anticipation, "When there's an answer, remember to tell me! You must tell me before you leave!"

"Why tell you?" Lin Xiuyuan asked deliberately.

"I want to go too!" Lin Yun'er looked up, her eyes shining brightly at him.

"How could I miss out on something as interesting as opening a new base? Besides, I've pretty much finished the work I needed to get done recently, and after this, it's just the various year-end events and award ceremonies. Taking advantage of this gap, I might as well go out, travel, and relax. I haven't been to Europe in a long time."

Watching her enthusiastic expression, Lin Xiuyuan smiled, "Alright, I'll be sure to call you when the time comes."

Afterward, the two of them spent another half hour or so cuddling and chatting on the sofa, until the sky outside the window had completely darkened, and only then did Lin Xiuyuan get up to leave.

However, before he left, Lin Yun'er didn't forget to stuff an exquisite bag into his hand, which contained a few pieces of bread she had made that afternoon.

Lin Xiuyuan took the bag, kissed her on the forehead, and then left.

When Lin Xiuyuan returned to the Villa carrying that bag of bread, the Living Room was already brightly lit.

As he walked into the Living Room, the sound of light footsteps came from the staircase.

Krystal, who had enjoyed Lin Xiuyuan's wake-up service earlier, had just finished washing up and was walking down from upstairs.

She was wearing comfortable loungewear, her long hair slightly damp and draped over her shoulders;

Her bare face was clean and clear, carrying the lazy beauty of someone who had just woken up not long ago.

Upon seeing the paper bag in Lin Xiuyuan's hand, Krystal's eyes lit up even more; she quickened her pace to walk in front of him, took it naturally to look inside, and a joyful smile appeared on her face.

"So good~ I have something delicious to eat as soon as I wake up. Did you and YoonA unnie make this together this afternoon?"

"Yeah, you should pad your stomach a little first." Lin Xiuyuan looked at her happy expression, his own mood also very good, "I'll take you out for a big meal in a bit. What do you want to eat? Japanese? French? Or Chinese?"

However, Krystal, having taken the bread, looked up at him with some surprise, "Huh? Didn't Jessica tell you, Xiuyuan?"

"Tell me what?" Lin Xiuyuan was stunned.

"She told us to go over to her place for dinner," Krystal explained, "As soon as I woke up, I got a call from her telling me she found a very impressive chef to come over and cook. It's already done, and she's just waiting for us to go over and start."

Lin Xiuyuan was even more confused after hearing this, "Huh? I don't know about that, she didn't call me."

As he spoke, he thought he might have made a mistake, so he took out his phone to check; there were indeed no missed calls or messages from Jessica.

"Then she probably only called me." Krystal took a bite of the bread.

"No—" Lin Xiuyuan was somewhat between laughter and tears, "Now that she's inviting me to dinner, she doesn't even notify me directly? She has to pass it through someone else?"

Krystal looked at his helpless expression and couldn't help but giggle, "Maybe she figured you wouldn't not go anyway? Or she thought notifying me was the same as notifying you."

"She's being a bit too confident here; what if I wasn't free?" Lin Xiuyuan shook his head, though in his heart he felt this was indeed something Jessica would do.

【83】 (Note: This line is a continuation of 82 in the source text.)

"She's definitely confident, after all—" Krystal leaned in close to him, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered a sentence into his ear, "She just slept with Xiuyan unnie for two nights, so maybe she feels she has double the confidence, right, Xiuyuan~"

This sentence was like a small key, instantly making Lin Xiuyuan fall silent.

A moment later, feeling it was still necessary to clarify, he pinched the bridge of his nose, "It was staying together, not sleeping together. Be precise with your wording."

This deliberate distinction, however, only allowed Krystal to capture a deeper meaning.

Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, she tilted her head, and with a tone of sudden realization, she drew out her words, "Oh—staying together, huh? Then it seems you really want to sleep together, Xiuyuan? Tsk tsk, it seems Jessica really didn't satisfy you."

Krystal, who had deliberately placed emphasis on the word "satisfy," had eyes full of teasing, "I'll have to report this important situation to Jessica properly in a little while."

"Don't mess around."

Lin Xiuyuan was amused by her appearance. Amidst his slight embarrassment, he simply reached out and used his index finger and thumb to gently pinch Krystal's delicate, small chin, causing her lips, which were wearing a mischievous smile, to pout slightly, forming a cute and alluring shape.

Then, without further ado, he lowered his head and kissed her, using action to block that little mouth that wouldn't stop chattering.

In fact, Lin Xiuyuan was clear about it; they had slept together, though only once.

It was mainly because that unique experience was like a fleeting glimpse, leaving him with a very deep impression, along with a lingering desire that felt like having tasted the marrow and wanting more.

So he was a bit nostalgic.

After kissing for a while, just enough to get a taste, Lin Xiuyuan released Krystal. Her cheeks were even more flushed than before, and her eyes were bright and watery.

The little provocation from just a moment ago had mostly dissipated, replaced by a tenderness following their intimacy and a smile that had yet to fade.

"Let's go. If we don't go over now, the food the chef made will get cold, and Jessica's temper will get hot." Lin Xiuyuan took her hand and turned to walk toward the Time Gate in the corner.

After a few precise openings and closings, when his feet landed firmly again, the surrounding environment was completely different.

The tranquility of the Seoul Villa was instantly replaced by the shimmering light of Shanghai's bustling night scene, which seeped in faintly through the gaps in the curtains.