Chapter 386: Park Hyomin: I want to meet Xiaoxueqiu if I have the chance!!

Just as Lin Xiuyuan felt a trace of lingering fear because of that remark from Sunny, the glass door of the Pop Mart specialty store was pushed open from the inside.

Dalongzai walked out carrying a paper bag printed with the brand's logo; the bag was large and packed very full, and it was clear she had bought a lot.

As soon as she walked out the door and looked up, she saw Lin Xiuyuan standing not far away, still holding a mobile phone in his hand.

No, he was shoving the phone into Park Hyomin's hand.

Seeing this scene, Dalongzai's eyes immediately lit up, and she walked over quickly, "Xiuyuan, why did you come up?"

Lin Xiuyuan, who turned his head upon hearing the voice, saw it was Dalongzai, and the expression on his face instantly relaxed, the corners of his mouth naturally curling into a smile.

He then instantly shoved the phone into Park Hyomin's hand and turned to greet her.

The entire sequence of movements was smooth and fluid, without a single pause.

The timing of this "passing the buck" was, one could say, perfectly executed.

Meanwhile, Park Hyomin held the phone that had been forcibly shoved at her, staring speechlessly at the back that was walking toward Dalongzai.

He had just caused trouble here, and now, he was running away quite naturally.

Thinking of this, she withdrew her gaze and exchanged a look with Li Juli.

Neither of them spoke, but their eyes held the same helpless amusement.

Then Park Hyomin pressed the phone back to her ear, "Shun Gui, that guy ran off."

Sunny on the other end of the line sneered, "Ran? Can he run to the sky?"

At the same time, faint rustling sounds could be heard in the background, as if the other party was rummaging for something.

Then came the voice, "Xiaomin, where are you all now?"

Now Park Hyomin understood what that movement meant.

Sunny was changing clothes and preparing to go out; thinking of this, she couldn't help but smile, "Shun Gui, you're being a bit sensitive. He was just joking; you shouldn't take it to heart."

"Cut the chatter~" Although Sunny's tone was stiff, if one listened carefully, one could hear more amusement than anger in it, "I'm not coming to settle scores with you, and besides, let's meet up; it really has been a while since we all saw each other."

Hearing this, Park Hyomin stopped trying to persuade her.

Knowing Sunny's personality, she was well aware that while the other party spoke fiercely, she wasn't actually that petty.

Since they were going to meet, then they would meet; it had indeed been a long time.

"Alright, we're on the third floor of the XX shopping mall; I'll send you the location after I hang up."

"Got it."

Then the call ended.

Park Hyomin put away her phone, her gaze falling once again on the two people not far away.

Over there, Lin Xiuyuan and Dalongzai were standing together, looking down at the paper bag that had just been brought out.

The latter took a few dolls out of the bag, handed them to Lin Xiuyuan to look at, and was saying something.

Lin Xiuyuan took them and examined them for two seconds, nodded, and handed them back to her with a smile on his face, and then Dalongzai took another one out from inside to continue showing him.

Both of their expressions were very relaxed, and that natural sense of closeness could be felt even from several steps away.

Watching this scene, Park Hyomin's curiosity bubbled up again, so she used her elbow to gently nudge Li Juli beside her.

"Unnie, who exactly is this Xiaoxueqiu you all mentioned?"

Hearing the voice, Li Juli turned her head to look at her.

"Why does it feel a bit familiar?" Park Hyomin frowned and thought for a moment, "It's like I've heard it somewhere before————"

This time, Li Juli did not answer immediately, but let her gaze linger on Park Hyomin's face for a while, her eyes carrying a hint of complexity.

It was as if she were hesitating, or perhaps weighing how to say it.

A moment later, she raised the corners of her mouth, imitating the joking expression someone was accustomed to using, and revealed a meaningful smile.

"If you are asking about the title 'Xiaoxueqiu' alone, then you are indeed very familiar with it."

"???" Park Hyomin was stunned for a moment.

The confusion on her face deepened, her brows furrowed tighter, and her eyes stared straight at Li Juli, waiting for the rest.

Seeing the other party in this state, Li Juli remained quiet for a few seconds before speaking, saying a name.

It was a name that had already passed away in this space-time.

A name that had once appeared in countless news headlines.

A name that carried too many memories and regrets.

It was also the name that made Park Hyomin's eyes widen instantly upon hearing it.

Her eyes stared fixedly at Li Juli, her pupils slightly contracting, and the color on her face seemed to fade by a shade.

The events that happened in those few years, those overwhelming reports, those suffocating pieces of news————

Although she was not involved, as an insider, she knew more than the average person and remembered it more clearly.

So when Li Juli mentioned this name again now————

Could it be————

Beside her, Li Juli watched the change in her expression and suddenly smiled.

The smile carried relief and a little bit of satisfaction after a successful prank; she waved her hand, "What are you thinking? It's just the same title; you don't think it's some kind of resurrection of the dead, do you?"

The next instant, Park Hyomin's expression froze on her face.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.

After a long while, she let out a long breath, and her tense shoulders finally relaxed.

"I was wondering~"

At this moment, Park Hyomin's voice was still a bit airy, but much steadier than before, "I was wondering why it was so familiar; so that's where the memory point is. No wonder."

"Mm." Li Juli nodded.

Having understood the situation, Park Hyomin's gaze fell once again on Dalongzai, who was laughing and talking with Lin Xiuyuan not far away, and her eyes became somewhat complex.

"If there's a chance, I'd quite like to get to know this 'Xiaoxueqiu' you all mentioned."

Li Juli followed her gaze, the corners of her mouth curving slightly.

"There will be a chance."

Her tone was light, yet firm, as if she felt someone wouldn't let someone else off the hook.

Meanwhile, over there, Lin Xiuyuan and Dalongzai had already finished their conversation about the doll and were walking side by side toward Li Juli and Park Hyomin.

As they approached, Lin Xiuyuan looked at the two of them and asked, "What are you planning to do next? Do you want to go downstairs and have a cup of coffee together?"

Having received the invitation, Li Juli shook her head directly, "Forget it. If we go down, those few little friends of yours will definitely sit there feeling very uncomfortable."

Her tone was natural, with no intention of making excuses; it was a simple statement of fact. At the same time, Park Hyomin and Dalongzai both nodded in succession; as people who had once been juniors, they all understood that sense of pressure.

So Lin Xiuyuan thought about it and didn't argue.

After all, when they met just now, those two, Shin Yuna and Hwang Yeji, were already nervous enough, so let it be.

At this moment, Park Hyomin looked at him, her eyes carrying a hint of schadenfreude, and said, "By the way, Shun Gui is coming over in a while. You'd better think about how to explain it to her yourself. Solve the trouble you caused yourself; I'm not getting involved."

Lin Xiuyuan, who had just relaxed for a moment, saw his smile stiffen for a second.

Park Hyomin watched his expression, very satisfied, and continued, "Na na na, don't you think about running away. You should know, 'you can run from the monk, but you can't run from the temple'—you should understand this saying."

After hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan looked at her with great emotion, his tone carrying a bit of teasing, "Wow~ as expected of a university student from Sungkyunkwan. You even said a proverb from our side. Impressive, impressive."

"Likewise." Park Hyomin rolled her eyes at him.

A few minutes later.

Downstairs, in the coffee shop.

Liu Zhimin sat in her original seat, one hand propping up her chin, her gaze resting outside the window.

Opposite her, Hwang Yeji and Shin Yuna were looking down at their phones, occasionally whispering a few words to each other, as if discussing something.

The coffee on the table had been mostly drunk; the melted ice cubes had diluted the original concentration, and a layer of water droplets had condensed on the cup wall.

After scrolling through a video, Shin Yuna raised her head again and glanced toward the direction of the Elevator.

Just as she was about to say something to Hwang Yeji, her peripheral vision suddenly caught a familiar figure walking through the atrium toward this side.

It was Lin Xiuyuan returning.

He didn't walk fast, but his steps were steady. He passed by a few tables of guests, returned to the side of their table, and sat back down in his original spot.

"Sorry for the wait, my apologies."

After saying this, Lin Xiuyuan looked at the cups on the table, then looked at the two young girls opposite, and then said, "By the way, a friend is coming over in a while. Do you want to sit down and have a light meal together?"

This question was asked very abruptly, so all three of them were stunned for a moment.

Then Liu Zhimin looked at him, "Xiuyuan, who are you talking about? Do we know them?"

"Hmm, you all should know Sunny, right?"

"Ah?"

This familiar name made Shin Yuna, who was to the side, speak subconsciously, "Is—is it the Sunny we are thinking of?"

Senior?"

To this, Lin Xiuyuan nodded and threw out the other party's full name directly, "Yes, Lee Sunkyu of Girls' Generation."

Having received the answer, Shin Yuna and Hwang Yeji looked at each other; both of their expressions were somewhat subtle.

Surprised, nervous, and also a little bit at a loss.

Finally, Hwang Yeji turned her gaze toward Liu Zhimin, her eyes carrying a questioning meaning.

After all, this was the first time the two of them were meeting Lin Xiuyuan today; for this kind of thing, whether to agree or not still depended on Liu Zhimin's wishes.

And Liu Zhimin also received her gaze, so she began to ponder.

In fact, she had long known that Lin Xiuyuan knew some members of Girls' Generation, so she was mentally prepared for the current situation and wasn't that surprised.

But just sitting down to eat—

It wasn't that she was unwilling, she just felt it wasn't necessary.

Because she and the others weren't very familiar with this senior, and knowing Lin Xiuyuan's personality, she also guessed that this was likely something Lin Xiuyuan had proposed himself and hadn't discussed with the other side yet.

So thinking of this, Liu Zhimin said softly, "How about later, Yeji, Yuna, and I go for a walk some more? We won't join in on this meal."

"..."

After finishing, she looked at the two people opposite.

Hwang Yeji and Shin Yuna nodded almost simultaneously.

"Yes, yes, yes—" Shin Yuna hurriedly echoed, "We'll just go for a walk."

She truly thought so.

This was only their first meeting, and they hadn't even really gotten to know each other yet, so sitting down to eat with a big senior like Girls' Generation—just thinking about that scene made her feel like she didn't know where to put her hands and feet.

What would they say then? What would they talk about? What if they said the wrong thing?

Better to just forget it.

Watching their appearance, Lin Xiuyuan also knew how heavy the seniority concept was in the Peninsula entertainment industry, so he didn't try to persuade them further.

So he nodded and changed the subject, "Alright, then where do you plan to walk next? There are some quite interesting places here in Dubai, but there are also quite a few things to pay attention to—"

He began to introduce some tourist spots in downtown Dubai to them, his tone casual, as if chatting with friends.

When talking about certain places, he would specifically emphasize the precautions.

For example, which areas had stricter dress codes, which time periods were not suitable for going to certain places, and which small shops looked inconspicuous but had very delicious food.

As they chatted, not knowing how much time had passed, Lin Xiuyuan's phone rang.

Looking down at the screen, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he answered the call.

But before he could even speak, a voice full of vigor came from the receiver, "Do you want to live?"

That voice had extreme penetrating power; even the few people sitting nearby heard it.

However, Lin Xiuyuan laughed, his tone relaxed as he said, "I do, tell me."

A cold snort came from the other end of the phone.

Then came a series of instructions: what coffee to drink, what cake to eat.

Just at this moment, Park Hyomin also shouted from the side, "Shun Gui, I want some too, I want some too."

Next were Li Juli and Dalongzai; the two of them also joined in the playful banter, stating what they wanted to eat and drink.

Thus, having received the information, Sunny repeated the items the group wanted one by one.

The speaking speed was very fast, but also very clear, and she even repeated it several times.

Finally, she threw out one last sentence, "How about that, did you hear clearly? Buy them and bring them up. I'll send you the restaurant location in a moment."

"No, wait a second, I have a question."

Lin Xiuyuan, who had been listening quietly the whole time, only then spoke up to ask a question.

And Sunny said, "What question?"

"You're all at the restaurant, so why are you asking me to order coffee and cake? Nothing better to do?" Lin Xiuyuan teased with a laugh.

As a result, Sunny said, "I feel like it. Just tell me if you're going to bring them for me or not."

Listening to the inherent threatening tone, Lin Xiuyuan gave a light cough, "I'll bring them, I didn't say I wouldn't."

"That's settled then, hanging up."

Then the phone call was hung up just like that.

This made Lin Xiuyuan, looking at his phone screen, chuckle twice, then he raised his head and looked at the three people who were staring at him.

He spread his hands, his expression very innocent, "This senior of yours is a bit of a bully."

Hearing this, Liu Zhimin and the other two were all stunned for a moment.

Almost simultaneously, they all retracted their gazes in unison, pretending to look elsewhere.

Not one of them dared to respond.

Looking at their "none of my business" expressions, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but laugh again, then he got up and walked into the cafe to place the order.

A dozen minutes later.

A waiter brought the packed items to the table where Lin Xiuyuan and the others were sitting. Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan said to Liu Zhimin, "Done, I'm heading up now."

Liu Zhimin nodded.

"Go ahead."

Shin Yuna and Hwang Yeji also hurriedly stood up and bowed slightly to say goodbye.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan smiled slightly, waved at them, and then picked up the paper bag and walked toward the Elevator.

But as he walked, he was muttering to himself.

Today's schedule seems a bit too busy.