Chapter 352: Zheng Xiujing's Decision-Making Difficulty (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

Unlike the Seoul that had entered the night over there in 2013, it was the bright noon here in Biarritz; the sunlight carried the warmth unique to the Mediterranean, yet it was not scorching.

Lin Xiuyuan, who had just come out of the hotel ahead, was following behind Jessica and Krystal as they walked into the first villa located near the "Big Beach".

The conditions of this villa were very good.

The space was open, the renovation modern, and the view excellent.

It faced the most prestigious, wide beach in Biarritz with its fine sand.

Standing on the balcony, one could clearly see the grand Royal Palace Hotel to the north, the Conference Center at the southern end, and the Casino building in the middle that overlooked the seascape.

Waves rolled in one after another, and there were indeed quite a few surfing enthusiasts dancing on the crests of the waves, full of vitality and a vacation atmosphere.

But Lin Xiuyuan only stood by the balcony railing, his gaze sweeping over the bustling tourists on the street outside the villa, dressed in various swimsuits or casual clothes, and his brows furrowed imperceptibly.

Nothing else, it was just that there were too many people.

Although it was lively here, for their group, whose identities were special and who required mystery and safety, the overly dense flow of people meant uncontrollable risks and lenses that could capture them at any moment.

And so—

"Pass."

""

Lin Xiuyuan turned around very decisively and shrugged at the two ladies behind him.

Krystal immediately laughed and looked at Jessica with a smile, "See, I told you he wouldn't like it here. There are too many people, and they are basically all tourists, taking pictures everywhere with their phones and cameras. If anyone else is caught on camera coming in or out and it gets posted online, it will be very troublesome."

Regarding this, Jessica pouted with some regret, "It's just that the beach here is really too beautiful."

Lin Xiuyuan, who was walking in front, heard this and looked back at her; while his lips held a smile, he also reached out and pointed outside the balcony that faced the sea.

To be precise, it was that alluring stretch of sea, "Jessica, you were thinking that you could just walk two steps out the door and head into the sea with a surfboard, right?"

"Uh-huh." Jessica nodded frankly without denying it, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a love for the sport of surfing.

Although she hadn't touched it for a while, that feeling and passion were still carved into her marrow.

"Understood, but—" Lin Xiuyuan smiled, his tone gentle but carrying a consideration that brooked no doubt.

"Safety must come first. Liveliness and convenience sometimes also mean potential risks. As for surfing, there must be more than just this one beach in this city, right? Even if you like it here, you can drive over; treat it as a sports destination rather than a base for living. If you have a car, distance shouldn't be a problem."

In fact, Jessica also understood the gravity of the situation; although she felt a little regretful, she was not a stubborn person.

So she nodded immediately and looked at Lin Xiuyuan, saying, "I understand, you don't need to comfort me. Let's go, let's go see the next place; I hope that side can satisfy a busy person like you."

The three of them soon left the villa at the Big Beach and drove to the next target location.

The second property was located in the Old Town of Biarritz, near the Old Port Beach.

Unlike the vast and lively Big Beach from before, this place was more like a quiet little bay surrounded by rocks; the beach area was not large, but the seawater was clear to the bottom, and the scenery was in no way inferior to other places, even appearing more unique and private due to the terrain.

There was another point that Jessica and Krystal both liked, which was that it was closer to the residential area of the locals, rich in the atmosphere of daily life, and lacked the clamor of tourists.

The agent also introduced that due to space limitations, the waves here were relatively gentle; although not very suitable for surfing, it was an excellent place for swimming, snorkeling, or simply sunbathing.

The most critical point was that for a property of the same quality, the price was a large chunk cheaper than the Big Beach side, making it extremely cost-effective.

The villa itself was a typical old European building that had been renovated.

Stone walls, wooden beams, and fireplaces were full of a sense of history and local flavor.

The interior was well-maintained, and the facilities were modern, but the overall decorative style still retained a strong, classical European charm.

So when Lin Xiuyuan had finished touring it from top to bottom and came down from the master bedroom and terrace on the second floor, stepping on the creaking but well-maintained wooden stairs, he looked at the JK sisters who were discussing something in low voices in the living room on the first floor.

He spoke softly, "Xiujing—"

As he called out, his fingers tapped lightly on the wooden railing of the stairs, making a light *tap-tap* sound, "Are the houses in the Old Town all in this style? Are there any that are more modern and minimalist? This style feels a bit too aged."

Hearing Lin Xiuyuan's voice, Krystal immediately put down the property information in her hand and patiently explained it to her man.

"Xiuyuan, in the Old Town, especially these buildings with some history, the interior style is basically like this."

"You know, Europeans, especially here in the south of France, cherish this kind of traditional charm. Moreover, labor and material costs here are very high, and homeowners generally won't carry out comprehensive renovations that are costly and involve cumbersome procedures just to completely change the style, unless it's a brand-new plot of land built from scratch."

Having said this, her finger pointed to a diagram of another area in the brochure.

"If you like a more modern and airy design style, shall we go take a look near the Basque Coast?"

"There are some newly built or thoroughly renovated properties there in recent years, and the style will be more in line with your aesthetic. Jessica and I didn't have time to go take a close look there the past two days."

After listening, Lin Xiuyuan raised his hand to check his wristwatch; at this moment, the hour hand was already pointing past one o'clock in the afternoon.

The energy provided by that sandwich in the morning had long since been exhausted, and his stomach issued a slight protest at the appropriate time.

"Let's wait a bit, it's not early now. That sandwich for breakfast wasn't very filling. Let's go find a place to eat first; good food is also part of the inspection, isn't it? After we eat, we'll go look at the Basque Coast side."

Regarding this proposal, the two beauties naturally agreed happily; having walked around all morning, they were actually a bit hungry too.

Thus, the three of them politely agreed with the real estate agent on a time to reconnect in the afternoon, then left the Old Town villa and headed to a local restaurant that Jessica had done homework on in advance, which was said to have very authentic seafood and Basque dishes, as well as an elegant environment.

The sun was just right, the sea breeze was gentle, and the lunch hour would surely be very pleasant.

At the same time, in that Apartment in Seoul in 2013.

Xueli blinked in surprise as she watched Jin Ruanruan, who had suddenly visited and opened the door to enter, "Unnie? Why did you come over? Don't you have a schedule tonight?"

Jin Ruanruan, who had just entered the door, had a gentle smile on her face; she first nodded to Zheng Xiujing, who was sitting on the sofa and waving at her with a smile, and then turned to Xueli, pointing to the Time Gate nearby to indicate.

"I came over to leave a message. I plan to go back to my home in Jeonju tomorrow. Didn't I promise Xiuyuan and Kim Taeyeon about that matter before? So I have to confirm the situation with both of them. I didn't expect you all to be here tonight."

"Oh~ so that's how it is."

After hearing Jin Ruanruan's answer, Xueli also nodded in realization.

After experiencing that "sticky note search" incident by Lin Xiaolu last time, she had become well-versed in this primitive but effective communication—

—

—method.

While walking toward the locker to get a pen and paper, she laughed and complained, "Then Unnie, you really can only leave a message. Oppa has basically been treating this place as a pure transit station lately; he comes and goes in a hurry and hasn't even touched his phone. You can't count on him to contact us proactively at all."

Regarding this point, Jin Ruanruan smiled and expressed her understanding.

Then she couldn't help but look at Xueli and the other with some curiosity, "But Xueqiu and Xiujing, do you two not have work today? How come you've gotten together again?"

"We are filtering through the candidates for the next project."

Xueli, who was speaking, walked back with pen and paper in hand and handed them to Jin Ruanruan.

"The next project?" Jin Ruanruan took the paper and pen, and while she began to conceive the content of her message, she looked up at Zheng Xiujing, "Is it a script offer Xiujing received, or your next script, Xueqiu? Is it going to be released so soon?"

She knew that those scripts of Xueli's were all "cosplayed" over, but for Jin Ruanruan, who favored her own people over logic, wasn't a creation she put her own effort into essentially an original?

And Xueli nodded very readily, her eyes sparkling, "It's all the same. For the script I want to write, the first choice for the female lead is, of course, Xiujing."

"The Twin Flowers series, right?" Jin Ruanruan did not stop her pen, a gentle smile appearing on her face, "If you do a few more like this, you two will really become a golden duo, and it will be very worth watching in the future."

Having quickly finished writing the concise message, she explained her plans to return to Jeonju and the things she wanted to discuss, then took a small roll of transparent tape from Xueli and carefully stuck the message paper on the wall directly opposite The Gate to ensure that Lin Xiuyuan would see it at a glance upon entering.

After finishing this, Jin Ruanruan walked to the side of the sofa and looked curiously at the several data files spread out on the coffee table.

Her gaze swept over the titles: "It's Okay, That's Love", "Pinocchio", "Who Are

You—School 2015", "Oh My Ghostess"————

Jin Ruanruan hadn't actually watched these dramas in their entirety; she only had some impression of them, more or less, through classic recaps or clips on short-video platforms over on the 25-year side.

But she also knew that although these were not phenomenal, nationwide hits like "The Heirs" or "My Love from the Star".

They had achieved quite good results and reputations during their respective broadcast periods, and were all very high-quality choices for consolidating popularity, honing acting skills, and improving an actor's national recognition and professional credibility; they belonged to the "steady happiness" type.

"Which one do you prefer?"

After watching for a while, Jin Ruanruan simply sat down on the single sofa and picked up a file to flip through it casually.

Hearing this, Xueli immediately perked up and replied, "I personally prefer 'School 2015'. Xiujing playing a high school student now is absolutely no problem; she is full of youthful energy. Moreover, the core of this drama is one person playing two roles—twin sisters with vastly different personalities—which offers a huge challenge and room for display for an actor's acting skills."

Saying this, she looked straight at Zheng Xiujing, "If Xiujing can successfully master it, it will not only potentially challenge for awards, but it will also be of huge help to her personal acting breakthrough and the improvement of public perception. Even if there are no awards, the results over there have already proven the potential of this drama."

Listening to Xueli's enthusiastic analysis, Zheng Xiujing, who was to the side, immediately said her concerns worriedly, "But Xueqiu, I always feel that my personal image is not quite the same as the female lead in the original work. I've also watched some clips from over there, and I feel they are quite different."

"Oh, that's because you watched the original work first and were biased by first impressions."

Regarding the issue of "character suitability," Xueli had already discussed it in depth with Lin Xiuyuan, Lin YoonA, and others, so she had quite a bit of insight.

"Xiujing, think about it: if you had never seen that version, and then I brought the script to you, would you still feel it was awkward? You have to believe in your own plasticity, and even more so, believe in the plot direction of the script."

Jin Ruanruan, who had already quickly browsed the basic information of the several files, also looked up at this time and joined the discussion.

"I think Xueqiu makes sense. The original work over there might be very successful, but you, Xiujing, are also one of a kind. Just like 'Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo' that you are currently filming, isn't the response very good now? Everyone says it's very cute and charming; a new combination of leads also has the possibility of success."

"Exactly, exactly." Xueli nodded repeatedly and added, "And honestly, Xiujing, you need to be clear about one thing: this is a script that 'the person carries the drama.' If you can successfully interpret it, then on the path of being an actor, that's already more than half the success, and everyone will see it."

Zheng Xiujing was persuaded by the two in turns; her gaze fell back onto the heavy data files on the coffee table, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, and her lips gently pursed, clearly still weighing and struggling internally.

Seeing this troubled yet serious look on Zheng Xiujing, Jin Ruanruan glanced at The Gate on the wall with her peripheral vision, and understood in her heart.

She then put down the data in her hand, her tone becoming even softer, "Actually, there's no need to be in such a rush to make a decision now. It would be better to wait until Xiuyuan and YoonA return from Europe, or next time when everyone is free, and sit down to discuss it together."

"After all, Xiuyuan and the 'them' over there understand the overall future direction and more detailed information better than we do; their suggestions will have more reference value."

Xueli also agreed with this very much, so she continued nodding, "Mm, Taeyeon unnie is right. We are just doing an initial screening and discussing the possibilities for now, and collecting data. If we are to finalize it, we definitely have to wait for oppa and the others to discuss it together; they know much more than we do."

Seeing that the two had accepted this suggestion, Jin Ruanruan stood up, "Alright then, you two continue chatting, I won't disturb you. I still have to catch a ride back to Jeonju."

"Okay, unnie, drive carefully on the road." Xueli stood up to see her off.

"Take care, unnie." Zheng Xiujing also smiled and said goodbye.

Jin Ruanruan, who was walking toward the door, also turned back to wave at them before leaving the Apartment.

After the door closed, only Xueli and Zheng Xiujing were left in the Living Room.

Streetlights shone through the window, casting a few glimmers of light on the floor, and even the script data on the coffee table seemed to be stained with a layer of warmth, quietly waiting for some moment in the future to be truly opened.

By then, Zheng Xiujing's future path will also officially be on the right track!!!

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