Chapter 380: (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

At the very same moment that Lin Xiuyuan and Liu Zhimin were embracing and kissing under the clamorous lights of the Dubai Desert Music Festival.

Over in Seoul in the year '13, it was also immersed in a completely different kind of late night.

In November in Seoul, the temperature in the dead of night had already dropped to around zero degrees.

The street outside the SBS Deungchon-dong public hall was cold and deserted, with a taxi occasionally driving past, crushing the thin layer of frost on the road surface.

But inside the building, the backstage of a variety show currently being recorded remained brightly lit and noisy with human voices.

Sulli sat in front of the vanity mirror in the waiting room, still wearing the pink knit cardigan used for the recording, her makeup and hair complete, only the weariness that could not be concealed was already present beneath her eyes.

Her schedule had been packed tight these past few days; daytime was for pictorial shoots, and nighttime was for variety show recordings. It was already past one in the morning, and the final segment had only just wrapped up.

At this moment, she was waiting for her manager to go handle the follow-up procedures so she could catch a ride back to the apartment to rest.

And just at this time, the door to the waiting room, which had been left ajar, was gently knocked on twice from the outside, then pushed open.

Sulli, who had raised her head, saw that familiar face in the mirror, froze for a moment, then immediately turned around, and asked with a look of surprise, "Unnie? Why are you here?"

Standing at the doorway was Zheng Xiuyan, wearing an off-white lamb's wool coat with a simple black turtleneck sweater underneath.

Her long hair was tied into a high ponytail for a change, revealing her smooth forehead and delicate ear contours; the whole person looked even more sharp and youthful than usual.

"Just finished a short meeting upstairs." As she walked in, she casually placed her bag on the sofa armrest, her tone as natural as if she were just passing by for a visit, "When I came down, I heard you were still recording on this floor, so I figured you probably hadn't left yet and came over to take a look."

After the pleasantries, Zheng Xiuyan didn't beat around the bush and stated the situation directly, "By the way, have you seen Xiuyuan lately?"

"Ah, Oppa? Unnie, he told me the day before yesterday that he was already preparing to return to Seoul, but he hasn't arrived at the apartment yet. He must have been delayed by something, right?" Asked, Sulli did not hesitate and shared the information she knew.

"He didn't come over to let anyone know the situation either?"

After hearing this, Zheng Xiuyan frowned slightly, her tone carrying a trace of imperceptible concern.

However, her eyebrows were naturally thin, so this frown added a touch of cold, aloof temperament.

In front of the mirror, Sulli shook her head, "No."

At this, Zheng Xiuyan didn't immediately reply, her brow tightening further as if she were digesting this answer or perhaps pondering something else.

A moment later, seeing that Sulli's expression was a bit off, she quickly smoothed out her brow, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

"It's nothing, I'm not here to settle scores with him, don't overthink it, Xueqiu. I just wanted to check some information over at his place, but I found that guy hasn't returned after playing for so long, which is a bit unexpected."

Upon hearing this, Sulli clearly let out a sigh of relief and then leaned her body forward.

"Unnie, what kind of information do you want to check? Maybe I know a little bit about it and can tell you first."

"Actually, it's nothing special. It's just that some people from European brands recently contacted me privately through some channels, saying they want to invite me to watch their shows during the Autumn/Winter Fashion Week next February or March."

Speaking of this, Zheng Xiuyan said with some emotion, "So I thought I'd go over to Xiuyuan's place to look at the information and exhibitions from these past years to do some preparation, so I won't be unable to answer if people ask me later."

As a result, Sulli's eyes lit up immediately after hearing this, her face filled with unconcealed surprise and admiration.

"Wow, Unnie, your popularity is a bit exaggerated, these are brands from international Fashion Week!!!"

"It's just watching the show, not the kind of endorsement you're thinking of."

Zheng Xiuyan waved her hand, attempting to downplay the significance of the matter, though the irrepressible smile at the corners of her mouth had already betrayed her true feelings, "Besides, the final invitation list won't be confirmed until mid-to-late December; it's too early to talk about these things now."

"Oh————" Sulli responded, but the light in her eyes did not dim.

And after thinking for a moment, a new doubt arose, "But Unnie, if it's just watching the show, shouldn't the company have spots too? The company has always had a good relationship with the PR departments of those big brands, and we get invitations every year for Fashion Week, so why go through the trouble of finding the information yourself?"

Zheng Xiuyan looked down at her palms, "Xueqiu, you said it yourself, those are the company's."

Then she raised her eyes to look at Sulli, her gaze calm yet firm, "But this time, it's for me alone."

This answer made Sulli freeze.

Looking at Zheng Xiuyan's eyes, which appeared exceptionally clear under the warm light, her brain, which hadn't quite processed it, suddenly understood.

This meant the fashion circle knew the name Zheng Xiuyan, recognized her style, and then sent an invitation with her name on it directly to her.

That was an invitation that belonged only to Zheng Xiuyan.

"Then————" Sulli's voice softened unconsciously as she thought of this, "Does that mean, Unnie, that your fame and recognition in the fashion circle are already at a point where you no longer have to rely entirely on the company's resources?"

Zheng Xiuyan did not answer immediately.

Lowering her eyelids, her fingers gently brushed the small piece of tassel decoration hanging from her bag.

After a few seconds, she nodded slightly.

"Mm." The response was very soft, yet it felt like a chess piece finally settling into place.

She then continued, "And the personal brand I've been developing in cooperation with CJ recently has already entered the sales preparation stage for the first batch of products. So I thought if I could take the opportunity of the Fashion Week early next year to polish a few classic designs that truly represent my personal aesthetic, it should have a pretty good effect."

Speaking of this, Zheng Xiuyan looked up and smiled at Sulli, "That's why I'm looking for that guy Xiuyuan."

Sulli, who was listening intently to these words, did not interrupt and nodded vigorously to show she understood.

"Understood, no wonder Unnie, you usually don't take the initiative to look for Oppa, but this time you actually came to ask about his whereabouts————

Don't worry, Unnie, I'll write a note when I get back to the apartment and hang it on the door. When Oppa comes over, he'll definitely see it at a glance."

Zheng Xiuyan looked at her and smiled, "Alright, then I'll trouble you, Xueqiu. If it weren't for the fact that my year-end schedule is a bit full and I don't have time to run around, I would have just gone over myself."

"Got it, Unnie, you should go back and rest early."

"You too."

The two said a simple goodbye at the waiting room door.

Sulli stood where she was, watching Zheng Xiuyan's retreating back until that figure disappeared around the corner, only then did she withdraw her gaze.

That night, after returning to the apartment, Sulli did not immediately go to her room to wash up and rest. Instead, after putting down her bag, she dug out an unopened white cardboard box from the side of the entryway cabinet.

It was a magnetic whiteboard she had bought on a whim when passing by a stationery shop a couple of days ago; it wasn't very big, about a meter in size.

The edges had a narrow, light wood-colored frame, and it came with some magnets and a black whiteboard marker.

When she was shopping, Sulli just felt that the texture of the whiteboard was very clean, and she could buy it to jot down urgent matters or hang some postcards, saving her from always using white paper that had to be torn off and burned later.

Holding the whiteboard and accessories, she quickly used some adhesive strips and hooks to hang it on the wall opposite The Gate.

The height was just right, perfectly level with her line of sight.

No matter when Lin Xiuyuan walked out of that door, the first thing he would see was this whiteboard.

Stepping back two paces to survey the position, Xueli nodded with satisfaction.

Then she picked up the whiteboard marker, unscrewed the cap, and wrote a few lines on the smooth surface.

The handwriting was rounded and clumsy, like that of a child who hadn't fully grown up, but every stroke was very earnest.

【Oppa, Xiuyan unnie has something to ask you. Please give her a call when you get back — Xueli】

After thinking for a moment, she drew a tiny strawberry in the corner by the name.

Once finished, she stuck the whiteboard marker into the pen tray on the side of the board and examined it carefully for a few seconds.

Under the warm yellow light of the floor lamp, the board surface gleamed with a faint glaze, and the black handwriting looked clear and solemn.

Xueli suddenly felt that having this whiteboard hanging on this wall in the Living Room seemed much more practical than just displaying photos or souvenirs.

Meanwhile.

2025.

Dubai.

At two in the morning, the high-rise Jiudian standing in the heart of the City Pop remained brightly lit.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the spire of the Burj Khalifa pierced the ink-blue night sky, and the lights of countless surrounding skyscrapers connected into a flowing sea of light.

After the music festival ended, the crowds gradually retreated from the depths of the desert back to the city, and young men and women wrapped in thin blankets with glitter stickers still on their faces appeared one after another in the Jiudian lobby.

——

In twos and threes, whispering to each other, immersed in the lingering echoes of the revelry that had just ended.

Fortunately, when Lin Xiuyuan and Liu Zhimin passed through the lobby, almost no one noticed them.

As the Elevator doors closed, all the noise in the lobby was shut out.

The car ascended slowly, the floor numbers jumping one by one.

The mirrored Elevator wall reflected the figures of the two; one had their head lowered, fingertips lightly picking at the metal aglet of their hoodie drawstring; the other stood at their side, gaze resting on the fluffy hair whorl atop her head.

No one spoke, but there was something silent in the air that was irreversibly heating up.

Until the Elevator doors opened.

The hallway was covered in dark gray long-pile carpet, and there was almost no sound when stepping on it.

Liu Zhimin, walking in front, quickly fished a room key out of her jeans' back pocket, arrived at her guest room, and lowered her head to swipe open the lock.

Accompanied by the crisp "beep" of the electronic lock, she pushed the door ajar but did not go in immediately.

Instead, she turned her head back.

That hood was still pulled over her head, and the light from the wall lamp in the hallway slanted across, cutting sharp shadows of light and dark onto her face.

"Aren't you coming in?"

The voice was very soft, without any excess emotion beyond the invitation.

Lin Xiuyuan looked at her, did not answer, and just quietly took a step forward.

At the same time, the room door slowly closed behind him.

Then the sensor light in the entryway clicked on, a soft, warm white.

The hood Liu Zhimin had been wearing had also been pushed back at some point, her long hair rubbed into a bit of a mess, with a few stray strands sticking to her temples.

However, she did not pay it any mind, just stood where she was, looking up at Lin Xiuyuan.

Then they kissed.

This time, Liu Zhimin's hand slowly climbed from Lin Xiuyuan's chest to the back of his neck, then to his jaw, and stopped at his cheek, as if finally docking into a harbor that was just right.

The lights in the entryway dimmed one after another behind them, leaving only the faintest footlight.

Deep in the room, the brilliant night view of Dubai outside the floor-to-ceiling windows spread out like a sea, the lights of ten thousand homes merging into a silent galaxy.

After kissing passionately for a long time, Lin Xiuyuan began to carry Liu Zhimin inside; her legs happened to hook around his waist, and one of her white sneakers had fallen off at some point.

It lay alone on the entryway carpet, laces undone, like a knot that hadn't been tied in time.

The moment he gently placed her onto the soft bedding, Liu Zhimin smiled.

"What is it?"

"I thought..." she began, her voice a little light, a little breathless, "you would make me take a shower first."

This time Lin Xiuyuan didn't speak, just lowered his head, his lips landing on her collarbone.

Accompanied by a soft "hiss" of an intake of breath, Liu Zhimin's fingers tightened, her hands gripping the collar at the back of his neck even harder.

It was a winter night in Dubai, where the temperature difference between day and night in the desert region was extreme; the scorching sun that could peel a layer of skin off a person during the day had long since vanished, and at this moment, a thin layer of water mist had even condensed on the window glass.

But the heating in the room was turned up high, dry and warm, like another form of desert.

Lin Xiuyuan, head lowered, moved his lips slowly along Liu Zhimin's jawline.

As she turned her head, it exposed that taut side of her neck, the lines slender and fragile.

The cream-white cropped hoodie she wore today was now crumpled into a ball, whether tossed at the foot of the bed or already slipped onto the carpet, he didn't know.

The metal button of her cargo pants was very tight; Lin Xiuyuan tried twice, succeeding only on the third time.

Liu Zhimin didn't help, nor did she urge him, just bit her lower lip and draped her arm over her eyes, blocking out the overly brilliant lights outside the window.

But her body was trembling.

Not from the cold.

Sensing this, Lin Xiuyuan stopped his movements and pulled away the arm she was using to block her eyes, "Are you nervous?"

"Mm." Liu Zhimin didn't put up a front.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan didn't say "don't be nervous," nor did he laugh at her.

He just lowered his head and kissed her once more.

This kiss was lighter and slower than before, like slowly warming up an engine that had been left out too long in the winter night.

Under the soothing influence of this passionate kiss, Liu Zhimin's breathing gradually steadied, and her tense shoulders and back sank into the mattress inch by inch.

She slowly raised her hands, no longer clutching his collar, but letting them rest gently on his cheeks.

Her fingertips traced along Lin Xiuyuan's brow bone, bridge of his nose, and lips, meticulously outlining them.

"Xiuyuan."

"Hm."

""

"Is the moon tonight really that round?"

Lin Xiuyuan still did not answer, only kissing the corners of her upturned lips.

A moment later, as the metal button was undone, the light blue cargo pants slowly slid down from her legs.

Because she was not short, Liu Zhimin's legs were very long, the muscle lines left behind from years of dance training were smooth and toned, and the skin above her knees was unexpectedly soft and delicate.

The heartbeats of the two people, separated by thin skin and bone, overlapped into almost the exact same frequency.

A long time passed, or perhaps it was only a few dozen seconds.

Liu Zhimin moved slightly, her fingers slowly climbing up his back, as if confirming something.

Then she spoke slowly, "You bad man."

——

Her voice was very soft, carrying the hoarseness of the aftermath and a trace of a tremor that had not yet fully dissipated, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Lin Xiuyuan, being asked, only let out a muffled laugh into the crook of her neck.

The two of them lay quietly like this, resting for a while.

Then, Liu Zhimin seemed to think of something, so she lifted her head from Lin Xiuyuan's chest, and a few strands of her disheveled long hair slid down with the movement, hanging by her cheeks.

The next action made Lin Xiuyuan's gaze freeze as he watched her.

Because Liu Zhimin's fingers brushed past her ears, quietly tucking her long hair behind her head, then she used her other hand to slide a hair tie off her wrist, lowering her head to tie up her scattered hair again——————

A high ponytail.

No.

It was twin tails.

Sensing someone's gaze, her hand movements paused for a moment, and then she raised her eyes to look at him.

"What, isn't this the twin tails you've always been longing for, Xiuyuan-i~" Liu Zhimin said this with a smile, her voice still hoarse, but there was a very obvious smile at the corners of her mouth.

Lin Xiuyuan, being teased, did not speak.

He only reached out his hand.

His sudden movement made Liu Zhimin freeze for a moment, and she immediately realized something.

Before she could speak, she was already scooped up from the bed by him, pulled back into that warm sea where the tide had not yet fully receded.

"Xiuyuan, wait a minute, you————"

The rest of her words were swallowed up in another kiss.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the lights of Dubai were still shining silently.

In the distance, a full moon hung quietly above the spire of the Burj Khalifa, round and bright, like an eye that saw everything.

And inside the window, the second race of the journey had just begun.