Chapter 335

Inside a spacious, bright, and modern-minimalist apartment living room in the Magic City, the air was filled with the aroma of freshly prepared food, mixed with the faint, elegant fragrance that Jessica loved.

Looking out, the iconic, brilliant lights along the Huangpu River outside the massive window were like a spilled galaxy.

When Lin Xiuyuan and Krystal followed the enticing aroma to the bright dining room, Jessica was placing the final exquisitely plated dish onto the table, which was covered with simple, elegant placemats.

The moment she looked up and saw the two arriving together, a bright smile immediately bloomed on her face, and she called out with a cheerful voice, "Oh~ you're here! I thought I'd have to wait for you a while longer. Come and sit down quickly, it's just the right time to eat."

Lin Xiuyuan's gaze swept across the dining table, looking at the various bowls and dishes arranged in an orderly fashion, a dazzling mix of Chinese and Western styles.

He couldn't help but feel a bit stunned, and blurted out, "Jessica, you have a bit too much food tonight. Can the three of us finish all this?"

Upon hearing this, Jessica elegantly wiped her fingertips while looking up at him, asking back in a relaxed tone, "Then should we call someone else over?"

Lin Xiuyuan was just about to follow up with a joke when he felt a slight tug on his arm.

He saw Krystal beside him gently holding his arm, tightening her grip imperceptibly, and then taking over the conversation, "Xiuyuan, don't think about your own appetite. These dishes just look like there are many styles; the portion of each isn't actually that big."

Now Lin Xiuyuan understood.

He shrugged, gave up on discussing the issue, and admitted his mistake quite readily, "Fine, consider me a busybody."

Seeing this, Jessica gave him a coquettish roll of her eyes, "Alright, I actually already asked everyone in the group chat earlier,"

She picked up the phone on the nearby bar counter and shook it, "It's just that Zhiyan, Enjing, and the others all said they had plans tonight and couldn't come. YoonA and Taeyeon were the same, so—"

Putting down the phone, she greeted them again, "You two, hurry and sit down."

Lin Xiuyuan didn't say anything more, pulled out a chair, and sat down, carefully observing the dishes on the table again, "What kind of cuisine is the chef you hired making? Why does it feel like there's a bit of everything?"

Pointing at the dishes, he counted them one by one, "There's Cantonese-style roast meat, Sichuan and Hunan stir-fries, and over there are sirloin steaks and cheese-baked lobster. No, this is just too chaotic."

"I don't know." Jessica, who had also taken her seat, shook her head, "Anyway, a friend here introduced them, saying it's a quite famous private chef in the Magic City who specializes in fusion cuisine and can adjust according to the guest's taste. I just said 'Chinese and Western fusion, make it a bit more sumptuous,' and he arranged this table for me."

Krystal, sitting next to them, had already leaned forward slightly, gently sniffing the complex, intertwined aromas in the air, "Anyway, it smells so good, it must be delicious."

"Try it and you'll know." Jessica smiled, gesturing with her hand toward the plate of glossy, stir-fried wild mushrooms closest to Krystal.

Seeing this, Krystal immediately picked up her chopsticks, picked up a piece of the mushroom—which was coated in a thin starch sauce and looked smooth and enticing—and put it into her mouth.

As her teeth gently bit down, the unique, fresh, and delicious juices of the mushrooms mixed with the perfectly balanced seasoning instantly exploded in her mouth, and a smile of surprise and satisfaction immediately bloomed on her face.

"Wow, it's really delicious, so fragrant. Xiuyuan~ you should try it quickly, it's really good."

After finishing, she couldn't wait to reach her chopsticks toward other dishes—roast goose, beef cubes, steamed fish—tasting them one by one, not sparing any words of praise.

"This skin is so crispy!"

"The beef is so tender!"

"The sauce is seasoned perfectly!"

Watching her younger sister's lively and satisfied tasting feedback, like a little mouse that had stolen some sesame oil.

And then looking at Lin Xiuyuan, who followed closely behind to pick up food and taste it, then similarly showing an approving and enjoying expression while nodding repeatedly, Jessica

The smile on her face became increasingly pleasant and satisfied, and she finally raised her chopsticks as well.

After waiting for a while and smelling the aroma filling the room, she had actually been craving it for a long time.

Thus, this sumptuous dinner was, in its initial stage, almost enveloped in an atmosphere of focused enjoyment of the food.

The three of them focused on the dishes they liked in front of them, rarely speaking, and occasional exchanges were limited to: "This asparagus is so tender."

"Try this soup, it's very fresh."

"The steak is cooked well."

Such short sharing and recommendations purely about the food itself.

For a time, only the slight sound of bowls and dishes clinking and the subtle sound of satisfied chewing remained in the restaurant.

Until Jessica and Krystal, two women who adhered to a "bird-like" appetite philosophy, felt seven or eight parts full after tasting various dishes.

Almost simultaneously, they slowed down their eating speed, frequently put down their chopsticks, and coincidentally raised the glasses filled with pale gold white wine in front of them, clinking them gently.

Under those crisp "ding" sounds, the tipsy atmosphere and the sense of relaxation after being full made the desire to chat rise again.

At this time, Lin Xiuyuan was still dealing with a bone-in rib, and seeing this, he took a moment to look at Jessica, asked after swallowing his food, "By the way, Jessica, is there any big event you're celebrating today? Putting on such a big feast."

However, before Jessica could answer, Krystal, who had taken a small sip of wine, took the lead, blinking her eyes and continuing with a teasing tone, "Xiuyuan~ how do you know this feast isn't to celebrate you?"

Jessica, who had already organized her words, felt her breath hitch upon hearing this, and she glared at Krystal—who was watching the fun without fearing the chaos—with shyness on her face.

Krystal didn't care about her gaze at all, even laughing "hehe" twice as if she had succeeded, then turned back to the main topic, echoing Lin Xiuyuan's original question, "So Jessica, what exactly are you celebrating? Share it with us."

Calming the mood that had just been stirred up, Jessica cleared her throat.

"Actually, it's not any special celebration. It's just that yesterday, because of an urgent matter, I left the villa early. I was worried it might be a bit of a buzzkill, and then today I happened to confirm a fan meeting in Hong Kong in December. With the two things added together, I thought I'd just have a good meal with you guys tonight to make up for last night, and consider it a little bit of happiness."

This explanation was very reasonable, cleverly wrapping personal emotions in work and social reasons.

And after hearing Jessica's answer, Lin Xiuyuan also immediately remembered something, "December? Then your timing is about the same as Zhiyan and the others; their group also has a concert in Hong Kong in December."

"Ah? Is it such a coincidence?" Jessica was really surprised this time, her eyes widening slightly, "Zhiyan and Enjing didn't mention this when chatting in the group just now."

"You didn't say in the group that you were going to Hong Kong for work in December, so they certainly wouldn't bring it up specifically." Lin Xiuyuan felt this was very natural.

Jessica suddenly realized and nodded, "That's true, hmm, that is indeed quite a coincidence."

Then, the three of them clinked glasses again, sipped a few times, and while continuing to pick at the dishes that were still warm on the table, they chatted casually about some details and content of the Hong Kong fan meeting.

Afterward, the topic naturally turned to the solo plan Krystal had mentioned earlier.

However, Krystal seemed very indifferent to this, shaking her wine glass with a relaxed tone, "That? I guess I won't have any thoughts of formal activities like comeback promotions for the time being. It's just to release a single to give back to the fans and maintain some exposure. I'm still more inclined to rest for now."

Speaking of "rest," Lin Xiuyuan also remembered what they talked about at Lin Yun'er's apartment in the evening.

So he put down his wine glass and said to Jessica, "By the way, Chong'er mentioned to me today about the plan to open a new base in Europe that was discussed before. She wanted to ask when you roughly plan to go? She seems quite interested too and wants to take advantage of the gap to go out and travel to relax."

Sure enough, upon hearing Europe and a new base, Jessica's eyes lit up instantly.

The previous elegance and composure were replaced by a touch of excitement, and she responded almost immediately, "I can go now! I basically don't have any schedule for the past half month, and the fan meeting is in December. I can set off at any time during this period in between."

After this trip to the Magic City, Jessica's interest in establishing a new base had always been high.

After all, she could choose the environment she liked and then be able to reach anywhere in the world at any time; just thinking about it made her excited.

And as her voice fell, Krystal beside her also smiled and raised her wine glass, "If you guys are going recently, then add me in? I happen to have a vacation period and haven't thought about how to spend it yet."

"YoonA also clearly said she was going." Lin Xiuyuan added, and then subconsciously analyzed, "According to this trend—"

"Then I guess Taeyeon has time too; she doesn't seem busy recently." Jessica added almost subconsciously, her gaze shifting left and right.

In just a few sentences, the number of participants expanded rapidly from a two-person trip to at least a four-person group.

So Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but hold his forehead as he listened, and concluded with a bit of a headache, "If that's the case, let's just turn this European base-opening trip into a team-building event."

After speaking, he looked at Jessica again, his tone carrying teasing and a little bit of realistic consideration, "And there is another problem now, which is the situation with you, YoonA, and Taeyeon. Eating and meeting in private is one thing, but if you really travel together, even if it's abroad, the probability of being photographed together is not low."

"Once photographed, headlines like 'Jessica, Lin Yun'er, Kim Taeyeon traveling intimately in Europe' would probably explode a wave of not-so-small old news and heated discussions, and might even ride the recent wave of nostalgia and deliver a heavy dose of memory-killing."

Facing Lin Xiuyuan's statement, Krystal also nodded gently, considering it an acknowledgment of his concerns, "It's true, the nature of traveling abroad together is quite different, and the attention and room for interpretation will be much greater."

It was mainly because there were too many sensitive relationships left over from Jessica's group withdrawal incident that were still frequently mentioned by the media and fans. If they were really dug up, it would be hard to say whether the consequences would be good or bad.

"Then what do you say we should do?" Jessica's enthusiasm was doused by a bucket of cold water from reality, and she couldn't help but furrow her delicate brows as she looked at Lin Xiuyuan, her eyes carrying a bit of unwillingness and depression.

Lin Xiuyuan, who was asked, also shook his head, picked up his wine glass, and took a sip, indicating that he didn't have any perfect ideas for the time being.

After all, the Time Gate could solve the problems of transportation and secret lodging, but it couldn't solve the attention that might be triggered when they appeared together in public.

Unless they really traveled with their faces covered, but if that were the case, this trip would be too boring.

However, at this moment, Krystal, who had just rationally analyzed the problem, rolled her eyes, and a lively and interesting smile suddenly appeared on her face.

Then she laughed "hee hee" twice softly, turned her gaze to Lin Xiuyuan, and said, "Xiuyuan, I have an idea, but it's just that it'll have to tire you out a bit."

"What idea?" Lin Xiuyuan looked at her, his intuition telling him that this might not be a good idea.

Sure enough, as Krystal's smile widened, her voice came out unhurriedly.

"I'm thinking, since we can't go together, then let's split into two groups. I'll be in a group with Jessica, and YoonA unnie and Taeyeon unnie will be in a group. We can plan a route separately and travel at the same time, won't that work? This way, we can satisfy everyone's wish to go out and play, and perfectly avoid the risk of being photographed together. How about it?"

Lin Xiuyuan felt that this proposal sounded—like it made some sense?

But then he realized a key problem, "Then what about me?"

He pointed at himself, "Which group am I in? Or am I staying behind?"

Krystal looked at him, her beautiful eyes flashing with the light of a successful prank, her red lips parted slightly, and she spat out the words she had prepared to make Lin Xiuyuan instantly dumbfounded.

"You? Of course you can't be absent. So I'll have to trouble you to run back and forth!"

Lin Xiuyuan: "???"

2013, Incheon International Airport.

As a flight from Tokyo landed smoothly, the bustling boarding bridge exit was gradually filled with the figures of passengers.

Sulli, dragging a small suitcase, had a hint of fatigue on her face, but more of a sense of relaxation at returning to a familiar place.

The baseball cap brim was lowered, a mask covered most of her face, revealing only a pair of lively eyes, and she blended into the crowd in a low-key manner.

Just as she stepped into the hall, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took out the phone and looked down at the screen.

The name on the caller ID made her eyes instantly curve into crescent moons, and all her fatigue seemed to be swept away.

Then she answered, "Hello? Hmm, I just landed! Okay, I know that location, I'll be there right away!"

Ten minutes later, Sulli dragged her suitcase and arrived at a relatively remote VIP parking area in the airport parking lot, familiar with the route.

After searching with her eyes a few times, she quickly locked onto a low-key black SUV.

The car window rolled down, and the person in the driver's seat waved at her.

"Over here, Xueqiu~"

"Hee hee, Xiujing!"

Seeing the other person, the smile on Sulli's face bloomed completely, and she quickened her pace, almost jogging over.

Zheng Xiujing in the car also pushed the door open and got out. She was wearing a casual hoodie and jeans, her bare face was clean and fresh, and she also showed a happy smile after seeing Sulli.

The two chatted for a couple of sentences by the car door, and after seeing a passerby coming, they quickly got into the car.

Afterward, the car quickly slid out of the parking space, drove away from the airport, and merged into the traffic leading to downtown Seoul.

Then, after a while, Sulli in the passenger seat seemed to hear some special topic while chatting with Zheng Xiujing.

Her expression gradually changed from the initial surprise to shock, anticipation, and excitement.

The eyes looking at Zheng Xiujing also seemed to have seen some monster, shocked beyond measure.

The car interior fell into a brief silence, with only the hum of the engine and the rumbling sound of the tires.