Chapter 349: 【Embracing Xiaolu on the Left, Holding YoonA on the Right】 (Please subscribe and vote for monthly tickets)

While Lin Xiuyuan was in Europe, advancing on two fronts between Siena and Lausanne, working hard to soothe and explain things to others, the atmosphere in the living room of the Seoul Villa was one of rare stillness and focus.

Lin Yun'er, who had separated from Lin Xiuyuan earlier, was just walking out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of sliced fruit in her hands, slowly walking to the side of the sofa, and placing the fruit platter on the coffee table.

Then, looking at Lin Xiaolu, who was frowning slightly at the television screen and watching with rapt attention, she said softly, "Eat something. There's no need to keep your nerves so tightly wound. Besides, even if by some chance—I mean, just in case—this movie doesn't work out in the end, there will always be another one suitable for you. The road is still long; take it slow."

"Still slow?" Lin Xiaolu paused the screen, rubbed her somewhat dry eyes, and then glanced at Lin Yun'er. "If I go any slower, I'll really end up just like you."

The tone of these words carried a very strange sense of self-deprecation. "Hey! Is that any way to talk!" Lin Yun'er retorted with a laugh upon hearing this.

But there was absolutely none of the deliberate, tit-for-tat bickering that existed when Lin Xiuyuan was present; it was more like a familiar, chiding affection.

After saying this, she simply turned around and sat cross-legged on the carpet next to Lin Xiaolu.

Nestled against her, the two of them looked at the paused screen together.

"Where were we just now? Was it the part where the old lady just became young again, right in front of the barbershop?" Lin Yun'er, who had naturally taken the remote control, rewound the film by a few minutes and pressed play.

For the next while, the two of them discussed the images on the screen in low voices.

From the emotional layers of the characters in different situations to the psychological activity behind a subtle expression, and then to the grasp of the rhythm of the lines.

After all, with several more years of life experience and acting practice, even though Lin Yun'er was not a professionally trained actress, her practical insights and powers of observation were still far superior to those of the current Lin Xiaolu, and she could often offer some incisive insights.

Until the entire movie had played through at normal speed, Lin Xiaolu let out a long breath, leaned back against the sofa cushion, and rubbed her eyes again, her tone extremely dejected.

"It feels a bit terrible. I can't seem to grasp that sense of the weight of time and the vicissitudes of life. It's easy to act young and lively on the outside, but that look in the eyes and those subconscious little habits that have settled over a lifetime are so difficult."

She had just tried to mimic the character in the film a few times, but it felt very wrong; there was a lack of naturalness, let alone anything else.

Lin Yun'er, who was to the side, heard this and habitually teased, "What, are you implying I'm old again?"

But seeing the genuine unease on Lin Xiaolu's face and her earnest expression of seeking knowledge, she quickly swallowed the joke, and her demeanor became serious as well.

"No, not this time, really not," Lin Xiaolu added, shaking her head upon hearing this.

Looking at the pure longing and trepidation for the role and for acting in the eyes of this younger version of herself, a soft spot in Lin Yun'er's heart was touched.

So she decided to give herself another proper lesson. This lesson had no handouts, no fixed chapters, but was accompanied by the replaying of the film, told softly by Lin Yun'er in a calm voice filled with reminiscence.

The timeline began in 2014 with Girls' Generation releasing "Mr. Mr."; at that time, Girls' Generation was still at its peak, full of spirit. Then, the topic inevitably slid toward the "930 Incident" of that year, and the fracturing of the group.

When recounting these stories, Lin Yun'er's tone was very calm, without even much of a ripple, simply describing the shock, the helplessness at the time, the confusion of the team, and the subsequent immense public pressure and internal adjustments.

Next was the performance at the Tokyo Dome, where the brilliance under the spotlight intertwined with the complex emotions backstage.

Slowly, the topic extended to the comeback of "Lion Heart," and the joys and sorrows in the establishment and operation of her personal studio.

And then came the long years of individual activities: filming, Variety Shows, commercial endorsements—

Seemingly glamorous and busy, but behind it was the uncertainty about the team's future, the constant groping and adjustment of her personal path, and the pressure and expectations under the massive halo of being Lin Yun'er of Girls' Generation.

Finally, there was the reunion after many years, the bond after weathering the storm, and a kind of reconciliation and moving forward with the past.

As for these major events on the timeline, Lin Xiaolu had actually already known the general outline through online information and chatting with people here.

But this time it was different.

This time, Lin Xiaolu was no longer a bystander, and Lin Yun'er was no longer narrating in general terms; instead, like someone who had been through it all, she shared the emotions that belonged to Lin Yun'er personally behind those grand narratives.

Whether subtle or private, including but not limited to the struggle of choices, moments of vulnerability,

tears in the middle of the night, the joy of success, the grievance of being misunderstood, and so on and so forth—

all were broken down bit by bit and laid out before Lin Xiaolu.

This time, what she was telling was no longer the story of a member of Girls' Generation, but the history of the spiritual growth of the individual, Lin Yun'er.

The granularity of those emotions was extremely delicate, as if one could touch the temperature of that time.

Listening to this calm yet powerful narration in her ear, Lin Xiaolu's gaze turned back to the screen.

At this moment, the protagonist on the screen, every smile and frown, the occasional flash of melancholy or openness in her eyes that didn't match her young appearance, those little habits from the old days—

suddenly, it was as if a soul had been injected into them.

Although those were the experiences of her future self, they were both Lin Yun'er, both Girls' Generation; there was an inseparable connection in their blood, their daily lives, and the depths of their souls.

So much so that Lin Xiaolu, almost without any effort, quickly entered into that emotional context.

Then, watching the old lady in the movie cherish her youth, her deep affection for her family, and her release of past regrets—

combined with the stories Lin Yun'er told in her ear about loss, persistence, growth, and return—

a strong sense of empathy surged forth.

Her eye sockets quickly turned red, and her nose felt sour.

A moment later, warm tears fell without warning, one drop, two drops—

rolling quietly down her cheeks and dripping onto the backs of her tightly clasped hands.

Just at this moment, the Time Gate in the corner of the living room was silently opened by someone, and Lin Xiuyuan, who had just returned from soothing Kim Taeyeon in Lausanne, stepped out.

He immediately saw Lin Xiaolu on the sofa silently shedding tears while watching the television, and Lin Yun'er sitting beside her with a calm expression.

This scene left him stunned for a moment. The first thing that flashed through his mind was the daily routine of these two bickering, and he blurted out, "What's going on? Did you two really get into a fight? Or Xiaolu, did you lose an argument to Yun'er and get scolded to tears?"

In fact, the moment he appeared, the gazes of the two beauties on the sofa had already been cast over.

So when Lin Yun'er heard his words, she retorted unhappily, "No way! I'm giving her a lesson, an emotional inspiration lesson! Do you understand, Xiuyuan? This is her own emotional outburst."

But in the very next second, a scene that left Lin Yun'er dumbfounded occurred.

Lin Xiaolu let out a "wail," rose from the sofa, and with a face full of tear tracks, rushed straight into Lin Xiuyuan's arms like a wronged little deer.

Burying her face in his chest, her shoulders still twitching slightly, she began to "accuse" him in a tearful voice.

Her voice was soft and pitiful.

"Xiuyuan, you finally came. That woman, she insisted on bullying me, saying my acting is poor, my perception is low, and she even said,

she said I only got the chance to get the script today because of you, woooo~"

Lin Yun'er:!!!

As the one who unconditionally supported Lin Xiaolu and provided this emotional teaching, Lin Yun'er never imagined that one day, her younger self could perform such a shameless and "green tea" act.

This was simply a textbook case of shifting the blame while acting like a spoiled brat to complain.

So, after being stunned for two seconds, she immediately pointed at Lin Xiaolu and shouted, "Hey! Lin Xiaolu! Aren't you crossing the river and breaking the bridge a bit too soon? I just spent all my effort explaining to you for half a day, and this is how you repay me? This isn't right."

Having already found a sense of security in Lin Xiuyuan's embrace, Lin Xiaolu turned her back to Lin Yun'er, the corners of her mouth quietly curving into a triumphant arc.

But the voice coming from her mouth remained even more pitiful; she tilted up her small face, which still had tear stains hanging on it, and looked at Lin Xiuyuan, "Xiuyuan, what should I do if I really can't land this role? I'm so worried, the pressure is so great."

Feeling the warmth and softness in his arms and those teary, pleading eyes, Lin Xiuyuan glanced at Lin Yun'er, who was glaring in anger over there, and roughly understood in his heart that these two were teasing him again.

So, his eyes rolled, he deliberately pondered for a moment, and then gave an extremely outrageous answer.

"Uh, if you can't land it, then how about retiring from the industry?"

"???"

Now it was Lin Xiaolu's turn to be dumbfounded.

She had originally just wanted to seek some comfort and, incidentally, get a little revenge for Lin Yun'er's previous teasing.

She never expected to be completely stunned by this answer that was totally outside her expectations; she even forgot to let her tears fall, staring at Lin Xiuyuan with wide eyes, wearing an expression that said "what the hell."

Right, she had only lost a movie role, so how did it suddenly jump to the ultimate option of retiring from the industry?? This leap was way too big!!

"Pfft————hahahaha!"

Lin Yun'er, who was to the side, erupted into extremely joyful laughter after a brief moment of being stunned, and she slapped the cushion in her arms hard, "That's right! That's right! That's it! Xiuyuan, zzang!!! This answer is so perfect!!!"

As Lin Yun'er's gloating laughter rang out, the hand that Lin Xiaolu had originally wrapped around Lin Xiuyuan's waist also quietly crawled onto the soft flesh at his side.

With a bit of shy, annoyed temper, she pinched him a few times, neither too lightly nor too heavily.

"Hiss~"

Feeling the familiar threat coming from his waist, Lin Xiuyuan immediately smiled and grasped the little hand that was making mischief on his waist, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Then he looked at the movie on the television screen, which had finished playing again and was paused on the ending scene, and began to change the subject.

"Alright, stop messing around. How is it? You've watched it a few times and listened to Teacher Lin's exclusive course; do you have a bit of a feel for it now? After all, with such a clear reference answer, it should be much easier than just imagining it blindly like before."

Hearing Lin Xiuyuan bring up serious business, Lin Xiaolu finally lifted her head from his arms and used the back of her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes, which were still a bit damp.

She replied, "Hmm, it's okay. Although I wouldn't dare say I have a complete grasp of it, at least it's much better than the blurry mess in my head before; it feels like I can sense a bit of the shape of that character."

, 7

"That's enough."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan also nodded with relief, "Actually, I think what auditions and such require is that sense of imagery and temperament that lets the director see the possibility in an instant. You have this foundation, and now you have understanding and empathy, so it shouldn't be much of a problem."

Just as Lin Xiuyuan finished saying this, Lin Yun'er over on the sofa followed up with a question, though her tone carried a hint of scrutiny, "But Xiuyuan, why did you run over here again? It's not early anymore, is it? I thought you were already resting in some gentle land."

When asked, Lin Xiuyuan didn't change his expression; he still gently held Lin Xiaolu's shoulder, rubbing it lightly.

"Isn't it because I remembered that she has to go to the set of The Heirs to film tomorrow? I was afraid you two would be too engrossed in the tutoring and lose track of time, so I came over to remind you. It's enough to just look and find the feeling; staying up all night or anything like that, let's forget it. It's about time to go back and rest; keeping your spirits up is more important."

As it turned out, just as Lin Xiuyuan finished saying this, Lin Yun'er, who had been sitting and watching the show the whole time, suddenly stood up.

Barefoot, she walked over with an elegant posture that carried a bit of cat-like laziness, and stood to Lin Xiuyuan's right hand side.

And on his left hand side, he was still holding Lin Xiaolu, who had just finished crying and complaining.

Two "YoonAs" who looked almost exactly the same, yet existed in different times and spaces, radiating subtly different temperaments.

Just like this, one on the left and one on the right, they sandwiched Lin Xiuyuan in the middle.

Then, Lin Yun'er's slender, fair finger, carrying a cool touch, poked lightly at the base of Lin Xiuyuan's neck, right a little bit above the collarbone, at a spot that the edge of his collar hadn't completely covered.

There, a fresh-colored, clearly visible strawberry hickey was printed.

After poking it, Lin Yun'er leaned in even closer, staring at that mark, and opened her mouth with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Yo, our big busybody is really keeping up the pace, a time management master?? It's only been a few hours since we parted, and you're done again? The efficiency is quite high."

Lin Xiuyuan, caught red-handed with the evidence, was very calm; he even raised his hand to touch his own neck, then wore an expression of sudden realization mixed with confusion, "Ah? This? Isn't this something that's been there for a long time? I thought you were the one who left it."

"Get lost, don't blame me, I didn't touch that spot on you." Lin Yun'er immediately cleared her name.

Lin Xiuyuan then turned his head again with a sudden realization to look at Lin Xiaolu on the right, his expression innocent, "Oh, then maybe I remembered wrong, was it you, Xiaolu, who previously————"

Who knew, Lin Xiaolu on the right also rolled her eyes at him, then decisively exited his embrace, her movements showing no lingering attachment.

"Alright, if you hadn't said it, I would have almost forgotten that there's filming tomorrow. It's getting late, send me back; I haven't washed up yet."

"Not staying to sit for a while? Discuss the plot some more?" Lin Xiuyuan tried to persuade her to stay, his gaze shifting between her and Lin Yun'er on the left, seemingly still harboring a small fantasy.

As a result, Lin Xiaolu looked back, her gaze drifting between the mark on his neck and the face of the person beside him, and finally, she gave a soft huff, "In your dreams."

Then, she turned and walked toward the direction of The Gate, her back view decisive and clean.

Helpless, Lin Xiuyuan had no choice but to follow and safely send Lin Xiaolu back to her Apartment.

When he returned to the Living Room of the Seoul Villa again, he found that Lin Yun'er had already sat back on the sofa, looking at him with poise, and she gave him a wink with a teasing smile on her face.

Lin Xiuyuan felt a bit sheepish under her gaze and gave another dry laugh.

Seeing this, Lin Yun'er elegantly picked up a slice of apple from the fruit platter and took a small bite, "What a pity, Xiuyuan, I'm quite willing on my end, but it's a pity you didn't handle that one first."

As she spoke, Lin Yun'er's smile was bright and alluring, exceptionally moving under the lights, but it made Lin Xiuyuan's heart twitch, as if he had missed out on some multi-million dollar prize.