Chapter 388: The Next Athlete's Baton!!! (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Votes)

Year 25, inside a certain Jiudian in Dubai.

Lin Xiuyuan, who had already finished a journey through time and space, was leaning against the headboard of the Jiudian room at this moment.

With a pillow propped behind his back and a mobile phone in his hand, the screen's light reflected on his face, and his expression looked a bit vacant.

The room only had a reading lamp on by the bedside; the light was not too bright, but enough to see things clearly.

At this moment, he was indeed quite vacant.

After spending a good while being clingy with Zheng Xiuyan on the sofa over at the Villa, he was then dragged by her to help look for information, and only managed to get away not long ago.

Returning to the Jiudian, he took a shower, lay down on the bed, and his whole person entered that familiar "sage mode."

His brain was blank, he didn't want to move a muscle, and only wanted to lie there and zone out.

On the phone screen was the chat interface between him and Dalongzai; the other party had sent over a few photos, which were some spoils of war taken at the mall in the afternoon, as well as a selfie with Sunny.

Lin Xiuyuan, who clicked and looked at them for a few seconds, casually sent back a few emojis, and then put the phone aside.

He turned his head to look out the window; outside was the dazzling night view of Dubai, the lights of the high-rise buildings flickering in the night, and in the distance, the outline of that world's tallest building could be vaguely seen.

He just lay there like that, looking at the ceiling, zoning out.

It was unknown how much time had passed when a soft sound came from the direction of the door.

The door was pushed open.

Lin Xiuyuan, who had turned his head, looked toward the entrance.

He saw Liu Zhimin walk in, wearing the same outfit she had on when they parted in the afternoon, her long hair draped over her shoulders, her face carrying a bit of the exhaustion from finishing a shopping trip, but her mental state looked quite good.

Having walked into the room, she casually placed her bag and some shopping bags on a stool to the side, then raised her head to look at the person on the bed.

Lin Xiuyuan was also looking at her, and he spoke with a tone of surprise, "Finished shopping so quickly? It's not even 10 o'clock yet; I thought you all were going to have a drink."

Liu Zhimin, having put her things away, walked to the bedside, sat down at his feet, and took the initiative to reach out and knead Lin Xiuyuan's calves.

She had completely forgotten that she was the one who had just finished shopping.

She said, "Not shopping anymore, still have to come back and pack luggage."

Then she added, "Besides, Yuna and Yeji and the others seem to have a livestream tonight, so we have to get back to the Jiudian early to prepare."

This answer made Lin Xiuyuan pause for a moment.

10 o'clock at night in Dubai, a livestream?

Having not long returned from Seoul, he was very clear about time zones and such, so he was a bit confused upon hearing this.

His body couldn't help but sit up a bit straighter, "No, it's the middle of the night in Seoul right now, what are they livestreaming?"

Liu Zhimin, who was massaging him, couldn't help but smile when she saw Lin Xiuyuan's expression, and she explained, "It's for the fans in Europe and America; it's daytime or afternoon over there, so the timing is just right."

After hearing this answer, Lin Xiuyuan was silent for two seconds, then directly remarked, "Absurd."

At this, Liu Zhimin smiled even more obviously, "Can't help it, Xiuyuan, you should know Senior Park Jinyoung."

Lin Xiuyuan nodded, "Uh-huh~"

His tone carried a bit of emotion, "That's the 'shrimp-head' man who dragged a top-tier group down with his own hands, right? I've heard a lot about him."

And the group Lin Xiuyuan was talking about was none other than Wonder Girls.

That group, which had once almost gone head-to-head with Girls' Generation, had missed the golden age of the Peninsula market because of Park Jinyoung's stubbornness in insisting on breaking into the American market.

During that time, because of some issues, it also caused a huge rift between the group's leader and the others, leading to a pain that would be hard to forget for a lifetime.

By the time they returned in disgrace, the landscape of the music industry had long since changed hands.

And when Liu Zhimin heard these words of his, a flash of realization crossed her eyes, "Xiuyuan, you're talking about the Wonder Girls seniors, right? It's true; if the Wonder Girls seniors hadn't left Seoul back then, the Girls' Generation seniors would have been in quite a bit of danger—such a big and formidable opponent."

Speaking of this, her tone also carried a trace of regret, "It's just a pity that they didn't succeed in breaking into America later; it's really too much of a pity."

However, Lin Xiuyuan looked at her as if he had suddenly remembered something, "Don't just talk about Park Jinyoung; your company is also a fool. To have had such a rare group that succeeded in breaking into America, only to force yourselves to give it up."

These words made Liu Zhimin pause, and she looked up at him with a bit of confusion in her eyes.

"Xiuyuan, which group are you talking about? Why don't I have any impression of that?"

Lin Xiuyuan looked at her expression and knew she really hadn't reacted, so he gave the name, "f(x)."

"7"

Having received the answer, Liu Zhimin blinked her eyes, and then suddenly realized.

Senior Krystal and the others!!!

Thinking back to the situation at the time, it seemed they really had succeeded in breaking into America.

Although one wouldn't say they swept the globe so exaggeratedly, at the time, their popularity and influence in Europe and America were already the strongest among girl groups of the same period, even to the point of being a tier ahead.

After all, that iconic scene of the "zombie siege" created at that London music festival has yet to be broken by any K-pop group.

Yet, for a group like this, SM just left them to their own devices.

"It seemed to be some internal issues at the company at the time." Liu Zhimin, who had thought of quite a few things, lowered her voice, "There was no other way."

Lin Xiuyuan knew what she was talking about.

The internal strife at SM during those years was known to everyone.

The struggle for the path between Li Xiuman and Kim Young-min had caused quite a bit of trouble for several groups; f(x) was one of the victims, and besides them, there were many others who were victims.

"Yeah." Lin Xiuyuan nodded, "A product of the era's growing pains, I understand."

After finishing, his gaze landed on Liu Zhimin's face, "Just like you all were the same before, weren't you?"

This time Liu Zhimin didn't speak, just quietly continued massaging him.

"Internal strife back then, splitting up now." Lin Xiuyuan continued, his tone devoid of emotion, just stating facts, "

It's all quite chaotic."

As he spoke, Lin Xiuyuan suddenly reached out and gently stroked Liu Zhimin's cheek.

This action made Liu Zhimin pause, but she didn't dodge, and instead looked up to meet those deep eyes.

In Lin Xiuyuan's view, the person before him had a very small face; his own palm could almost cover half of it.

The skin was also very delicate, still carrying a bit of warmth from having just returned from shopping.

So he looked into her eyes and suddenly asked, "What were you thinking at the time?"

Liu Zhimin, who was being asked, still didn't speak, just looking at him.

Lin Xiuyuan continued to ask, "How do you feel looking back on it now? Are you tired?"

At this, Liu Zhimin was stunned.

She hadn't expected Lin Xiuyuan to ask this question.

It wasn't polite small talk, nor was it perfunctory; he was truly asking.

Asking what she was thinking back then, asking how she felt looking back at it now.

Liu Zhimin, her mind a bit dazed, opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.

She simply threw herself into his arms.

This caused Lin Xiuyuan to be taken aback for a moment by the sudden movement, but he quickly reacted and reached out to hold her.

The small person in his arms was trembling slightly.

Looking down, Lin Xiuyuan discovered that she was crying.

It wasn't a loud, wailing cry, but rather that kind of silent, suppressed crying where tears fall one by one.

Seeing this scene, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but ask, feeling a bit between laughter and tears, "No, don't the people around you know how to comfort others? I just asked casually if you were tired; it shouldn't be enough to move you to tears, right?"

Liu Zhimin, buried in his arms, had been silent for so long that she had no intention of speaking now, only hugging him a little tighter.

Sensing that something was wrong, Lin Xiuyuan gently patted her back and didn't say anything more.

It wasn't until a good while later that Liu Zhimin's sobbing gradually stopped.

Then she lifted her head from Lin Xiuyuan's arms; her face was still streaked with tears, her eyes were red, and water droplets clung to her eyelashes.

She looked a bit pitiful, yet had an indescribable moving quality.

"Feeling better?" Lin Xiuyuan reached out to help her wipe the tears from her face.

"Mm~" Liu Zhimin nodded, answering with a voice that was still a bit hoarse, "Perhaps the times have changed. Compared to the close relationships within the groups of Girls' Generation seniors back then, our current intra-team relationships aren't even that close, let alone some of the friends around us."

As she spoke, her gaze looked at Lin Xiuyuan very earnestly, "So even if some people have said similar things, I can still tell whether it's sincere or not."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but laugh, "I just mentioned it casually."

"The casual ones are the most sincere," Liu Zhimin said, her tone very firm, "The ones spoken after careful consideration are instead a bit more hypocritical."

Looking at her earnest expression, Lin Xiuyuan smiled and gently patted her little head, "I understand now; you're just a person who overthinks."

Liu Zhimin, who was currently playing the part of a puppy, blinked her eyes upon hearing this.

"It's just thinking too much; people with more thoughts will always be more tired," Lin Xiuyuan continued, his voice very gentle, "So don't try to guess what others are thinking, and don't feel that what you think is necessarily right. Just accept everything in life as it comes, and you probably won't have so many troubles."

"I don't," Liu Zhimin subconsciously denied.

But she knew in her heart that she had been hit on the mark by Lin Xiuyuan.

Hit on every mark.

She was exactly that kind of person.

Thinking too much, guessing too much, always feeling that there was more to what others said, always feeling that things weren't that simple.

That was why she would toss and turn in bed every night, unable to sleep.

Very tired, very tired.

Looking at Liu Zhimin's stubborn expression, Lin Xiuyuan didn't continue this topic, but changed the subject, "By the way, for the flight back to Seoul tomorrow, how are we traveling?"

Liu Zhimin, who hadn't expected to talk about this suddenly, paused in her expression, then became a bit dejected.

"Xiuyuan, if I say that I can't sit with you tomorrow, will you be angry?"

"Why would I be angry?" Lin Xiuyuan looked at her and asked back with a smile, "It's normal not to travel together. I don't want to be 'doxxed' by your fans; if I really got slaughtered then, that would be troublesome."

Hearing this answer, Liu Zhimin smiled and simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.

She had originally been a bit worried, afraid that Lin Xiuyuan would be unhappy because of this.

After all, they had been so intimate last night and had said so much today; if they had an unpleasant falling out because of such a realistic issue, it would be too much of a pity.

But fortunately, he didn't; this man made her feel very understood.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhimin looked at the handsome face before her, and that "love-struck" feeling in her heart stirred again.

Liking someone is just like this, isn't it?

One will be moved to tears by a single word from the other, and will also feel joy because of the other's understanding; even for a very ordinary little thing, she could consciously amplify it infinitely.

So Liu Zhimin raised both hands, tucking her long, hanging hair behind her head, revealing her smooth forehead and exquisite features.

Then she looked at Lin Xiuyuan with a gaze like silk.

Lin Xiuyuan, noticing the change in Liu Zhimin's eyes and her familiar movements, subconsciously shrank back.

"Wait————"

But it was already too late.

Liu Zhimin's hands climbed up.

And his own instincts reacted a step ahead, his hands bracing backward, his whole body settling into a comfortable posture.

Forget it.

Enjoy it.

Meanwhile, in the year 2013, Seoul.

In the master bedroom of the Apartment, Zheng Xiuyan was fast asleep.

She had absolutely no idea that the man she hadn't "fed" enough was currently having the baton passed to the next contestant!!!

The next day at noon.

Lin Xiuyuan, who was fast asleep, was woken up by the sunlight outside the window.

He opened his eyes, squinted to adjust to the light, and then turned his head to look beside him.

The other side of the bed was already empty, and that familiar warmth was long gone.

So he rolled over, hugged the quilt, and lingered in bed, not wanting to move at all.

At this moment, faint movements could be heard from the walk-in closet next to the room: footsteps, the sound of cabinet doors opening and closing, and the sound of zippers being pulled open and shut.

Hearing the noise, Lin Xiuyuan looked up.

He saw Liu Zhimin walking back and forth over there, occasionally crouching in front of a suitcase to organize things, occasionally walking into the walk-in closet to grab something, and occasionally sitting down at the vanity to tidy up those bottles and jars.

She was wearing a loose T-shirt, and her hair was casually tied into a low ponytail.

Although there was no makeup on her face, her skin was in great condition, and she looked even more energetic than before she went to sleep last night.

Lin Xiuyuan, propping up his body, just watched her like that without making a sound.

It wasn't until Liu Zhimin seemed to sense something that she turned her head back, and upon seeing that he was awake, a smile appeared on her face: "Awake?"

Her voice was light and cheerful, carrying her characteristic gentleness, "I ordered some food for you, Xiuyuan, hurry up and get out of bed to wash up."

Lin Xiuyuan, who had been called, didn't move; he just looked at her, and only after a while did he speak, "Wait a little longer."

Then he rolled over again and buried his face in the pillow.

Liu Zhimin, over there, couldn't help but smile as she watched him acting like a slacker in bed, but she didn't urge him again.

A few minutes later, Lin Xiuyuan, who had been lying there for a while, finally slowly propped himself up and picked up the phone on the nightstand.

The screen displayed the time: 2:17 PM.

This time made him blink his eyes and reconfirm it.

He had actually slept until noon.

Outside the window, the sun was brilliant, and the sky in Dubai was a clear blue, without a single cloud in sight.

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting warm spots of light on the floor.

Then Lin Xiuyuan opened his message list; there were a few unread messages.

From Dalongzai: What time are you getting up to eat? I'm hungry.

From Li Juli: Are you awake? Don't miss the time.

From Park Hyomin: ————

The last message only had an ellipsis, and he didn't know what it meant.

Lin Xiuyuan replied to them one by one, then looked at Liu Zhimin, "Zhimin, what time did you get up?"

Liu Zhimin, who was organizing the suitcase, looked up upon hearing this, "About an hour earlier than you, around noon."

Having received the reply, Lin Xiuyuan nodded and continued looking at his phone.

Liu Zhimin continued organizing for a while, then suddenly remembered something and stopped what she was doing.

She turned to look at Lin Xiuyuan, and at some point, a small box had appeared in her hand.

Then she shook the box, her gaze landing on Lin Xiuyuan's face.

"Xiuyuan, this packaging is from Seoul, right?"

Hearing her voice, Lin Xiuyuan took a look and recognized it as one of the condoms he had brought over from the Villa yesterday.

"I didn't expect you to carry this around with you; you're a bit suspicious."

Listening to this interrogation from Liu Zhimin, Lin Xiuyuan leaned against the headboard, his expression very calm, "No, I'm a normal man; you can't expect me to have stayed chaste for you before this."

Hearing this, Liu Zhimin hummed softly; she knew he was telling the truth.

Such a handsome man, with a good physique, and a mouth that was both sweet and humorous—how could he have been single and without women all this time?

She just instinctively felt a bit uncomfortable.

Then she remembered something else and looked at Lin Xiuyuan, "Then who did you use the missing one with?"

Lin Xiuyuan said, "I used it with Zheng Xiuyan."

"Zheng Xiuyan?"

Repeating this name, Liu Zhimin felt it was a bit familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

Zheng Xiuyan————Xiuyan————

She frowned, searching her mind for a face to match the name, and they popped up one by one.

A few seconds later, her eyes suddenly widened as she looked at Lin Xiuyuan, her face full of disbelief, "Wait a minute, Xiuyuan, you mean Jessica sunbae, right? Hey, didn't you say you wouldn't tell? Why are you teasing me?"

"I'm being serious." Lin Xiuyuan watched her reaction and responded softly.

But Liu Zhimin, who had made up her mind, stared at him for a while and then laughed.

Her smile carried a hint of "stop messing around."

"You might as well have said it was with Krystal sunbae; that would be more believable. Jessica sunbae————"

Although Liu Zhimin didn't finish her sentence, her amused expression had already made her meaning very clear.

This made Lin Xiuyuan find her somewhat funny; so, no one believes him even when he tells the truth.

He then rolled over directly, turning his back to her, "Forget it if you don't believe me."

Below the bed, Liu Zhimin looked at his toned physique and his firm buttocks, which were rare among men, and couldn't help but reach out and give him a light pat.

She coaxed, "Alright, I won't ask you anymore. Hurry up and get up to wash up. After we pack the luggage and sit for a while, it'll be evening, and we'll have to head to the airport after eating."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan rolled back to look at her, "It's fine, you can just go find Shen You-na and the others in a bit."

Liu Zhimin was stunned for a moment, "Why?"

"That way, we avoid someone taking pictures of anything in the terminal here," Lin Xiuyuan explained, "It's fine to hang out in the city; the place is big, and it's not easy to run into people who know you. But once you get to the terminal, it's full of passengers heading to Seoul or East Asia, and there will be more people who recognize you."

"It's better to appear at different times."

After hearing this, Liu Zhimin knew that what Lin Xiuyuan said was right.

As a public figure, she must consider these things.

Being photographed appearing in an airport lounge with a man, even if nothing happened, is enough to make the internet boil for several days.

It was just that she felt a bit reluctant, so she asked, "Then what about you?"

"How I came here, have you forgotten?"

When Lin Xiuyuan said this, Liu Zhimin suddenly realized, "Oh, oh, the Tara seniors."

Only then did she nod, "Alright then."

Her tone carried a hint of regret; looking at Lin Xiuyuan, her eyes held something, "It seems we will have to part ways later."

Lin Xiuyuan looked at her expression and raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean, want to do it again?"

As a result, Liu Zhimin threw the empty box onto the bed.

"It's all used up, how can we."

Saying this, she gave him a charming roll of her eyes, then softened her voice, "Next time, I'll find you when I get back to Seoul."

Lin Xiuyuan didn't say anything.

A person who is full is just that confident.

Evening.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the sky in Dubai began to darken, and the sunset dyed the distant skyline a shade of orange-red.

Lin Xiuyuan leaned against the head of the bed, watching Liu Zhimin check her suitcase one last time.

Then she checked her passport, flight ticket, and mobile phone charger again, confirmed there were no omissions, and after packing everything up, stood by the bed looking at Lin Xiuyuan.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds.

"I'm leaving then," Liu Zhimin said.

"Mm."

""

"Send me a message when you get to Seoul."

"Okay."

Looking at this man, Liu Zhimin finally leaned down and lightly pressed her lips against his.

Then she straightened up, picked up her suitcase, and walked toward The Gate.

Walking to The Gate, she turned her head back and glanced at him once more.

Lin Xiuyuan also waved his hand at her.

Only then did Liu Zhimin smile, push open The Gate, and walk out.

The Gate closed gently.

The room became quiet.

Afterward, Lin Xiuyuan lay on the bed for a while longer before slowly sitting up.

He picked up his bag, checked the items inside, then walked out of the room and headed toward the Elevator.

Two minutes later, the Elevator stopped at the floor where Dalongzai and the others were staying.

Lin Xiuyuan walked out, followed the corridor to find the room number she had given, and knocked on The Gate.

Before long, The Gate opened.

Park Hyomin stood at The Gate.

She was wearing a loose knit sweater with leggings, her hair was down, and she had the look of someone who had just woken up, even though it was already evening.

Upon seeing that it was Lin Xiuyuan standing at The Gate, her expression paused for a moment, and then the corners of her mouth curved into a slightly teasing arc.

"Yo, finished saying goodbye to your little lover?"

"Hyomin, you wouldn't be jealous, would you?" Lin Xiuyuan looked at her and smiled.

This earned him a roll of the eyes from Park Hyomin, who stepped aside to let him in.

Seeing that he couldn't tease her, Lin Xiuyuan walked into the room and looked inside.

Several suitcases were already standing in the entryway, lined up neatly, and Dalongzai and Li Juli were sitting on the sofa; seeing him enter, they both looked up and smiled.

"If you had come any later, we would have gone out to eat first; we've been hungry all day."

Hearing Li Juli say this, Lin Xiuyuan stopped his steps toward the two, "Didn't I tell you to eat something to fill your stomachs first? Let's go, let's go now."

Having said that, he turned back to the entryway and very naturally gripped the handles of two suitcases and walked toward The Gate.

Dalongzai and Li Juli stood up smiling and followed.

"We weren't hungry before," Dalongzai said as she walked, "but once we got hungry, we were starving."

"Mm, that's right," Li Juli echoed, "it was only a little bit before, so we thought we'd just endure it."

Lin Xiuyuan, who was walking in front pushing the suitcases, turned his head to look at them upon hearing this, "If you're hungry, eat; what's there to endure?"

Then the group checked the room again, and after confirming everything was packed, they finally walked out of the room completely and headed toward the Elevator area.

While walking over, Park Hyomin suddenly spoke up, "So Xiuyuan, how exactly did you train to get this physique?"

Lin Xiuyuan, being asked, turned his head to look at her.

"Mainly because I haven't seen you go to the Gym to work out."

Park Hyomin continued, her gaze sweeping over him, "How come you don't put on any weight at all?"

After hearing this question, Lin Xiuyuan's expression began to turn a bit subtle, and the corners of his mouth lifted, "How do you know I don't exercise?"

""

After asking that back, he answered his own question with a straight face, "You should know, the gymnastics at night are very tiring; one session is comparable to working out at the Gym for several hours."

Park Hyomin, being teased, was stunned for a moment.

She hadn't expected this guy's tone to be so serious while saying something so not serious, so her footsteps came to a halt.

Dalongzai and Li Juli, who were following behind, were stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and then they both burst into laughter in unison.

The two of them overtook Park Hyomin from the side, glanced at her with smiles, and then continued to follow Lin Xiuyuan's back, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with him in front.

Park Hyomin stood where she was, watching the backs of those three people.

They were chatting and laughing, looking harmoniously blinding.

This also caused the feeling of impatience in her heart to become increasingly obvious, and a complex expression vaguely appeared on her face.

In the end, she gritted her teeth, pushed her suitcase, and chased after them.

She did not forget to mutter, "What a jerk, he only knows how to help Zhiyan and Unnie, specifically leaving my suitcase behind, right!!!"