Chapter 389: Am I supposed to know where you live??

As night completely descended upon Dubai.

After Lin Xiuyuan and the others finished their meal at the restaurant and bought some small trinkets in the mall, they finally called a car to head to the airport.

The car drove through the brightly lit streets, and outside the window was the iconic night view of this city.

The towering building complex was outlined by lights, and the world's tallest tower in the distance stood out in the night sky like a pillar of light reaching the heavens.

Inside the car, the group chatted intermittently.

Dalongzai leaned on Li Juli's shoulder, eyes narrowed as if resting;

Li Juli looked down at her phone, occasionally replying to a comment;

Lin Xiuyuan sat in the front passenger seat, turning his head from time to time to join the conversation;

Park Hyomin sat in the back by the window, looking out in a daze.

The airport was not too far from the city center, so before long, the car pulled up to the entrance of the departure hall.

The group got out, collected their luggage, and pushed their suitcases into the terminal.

After checking in, Li Juli realized there was still some time before boarding and said, "Let's go to the lounge for a while; we still have over an hour."

"Sure."

"Mm, let's go."

The others naturally had no objections, so they followed the signs toward the business class lounge.

As a business class lounge at Dubai airport, it was naturally very luxurious and spacious, divided into several areas.

A dining area, a lounge area, a business area, and even a small spa room.

The overall decor was modern and minimalist, with beige and dark brown as the main tones, paired with warm yellow lighting, making one feel very relaxed upon entering.

Park Hyomin, who was walking in front, suddenly paused her steps just after turning past a row of bookshelves.

Because in a corner not far away, three familiar figures were sitting at a round table.

Liu Zhimin sat by the window, next to Shin Yuna, who had her hair in a high ponytail and was whispering something to Hwang Yeji.

On the table in front of them were several drinks and a small plate of snacks; they looked like they had been there for a while.

Seeing them, Park Hyomin's gaze lingered on them for a second, then she subconsciously turned her head to look at Lin Xiuyuan.

The latter had also seen that side.

And his gaze had already met Liu Zhimin's in the air; the two nodded slightly, which counted as a greeting.

Thus, Lin Xiuyuan continued walking into the lounge without going over there.

Watching this reaction, Park Hyomin's lips curved into an amused arc. Once the group found seats and sat down, she finally couldn't help but speak, "What's wrong? Xiuyuan, you two were so intimate yesterday, why aren't you going over to say hello now?"

Lin Xiuyuan, who had just taken off his jacket and draped it over the back of his chair, looked up at her upon hearing this.

After a second of silence, he smiled, "Isn't it said that married people understand what 'secret thrills' are? How come when it comes to you, Xiaomin, you don't understand anything at all?"

Having dropped this line, he didn't wait for Park Hyomin to react and turned directly toward the snack bar.

He intended to get something to eat and drink.

Park Hyomin, having been retorted, was stunned for a moment.

Then the expression on her face changed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

From stunned to understanding, from understanding to annoyed.

She glared fiercely at the back that was walking toward the snack bar, then turned her head to look at Li Juli and Dalongzai, "Unnie, Zhiyan, did you hear that just now? That guy is teasing me, he's provoking me, you heard it, right?"

Dalongzai looked at her appearance, blinked her eyes, and said in a very innocent tone, "Unnie, but what I heard was clearly you starting the war first."

"I was just speaking the truth!" Park Hyomin was so angry her teeth itched; she plopped down onto the sofa and tossed her bag to the side, "I was concerned about his interpersonal relationships, and he, on the contrary, turned around and teased me."

Li Juli, listening to their conversation, just smiled and said nothing.

After putting her bag away, she also stood up, "I'll go help him get some things. What do you want to drink?"

"Iced Americano," Dalongzai raised her hand.

"Whatever." Park Hyomin was still angry, her tone stiff, "I'm full from the anger, no need to get me anything."

Li Juli smiled and looked at her, not calling her bluff, and turned to walk toward the snack bar.

In another corner of the lounge.

Shin Yuna's gaze had been following those few figures who had just entered.

From the moment they walked into the lounge, she had noticed Lin Xiuyuan.

There was no way not to notice; handsome men and beautiful women belonging to the East Asian race walking together were very eye-catching, even here in an Arab country.

After watching for a while, Shin Yuna withdrew her gaze and turned to look at Liu Zhimin beside her.

The other party was looking down at her phone at this moment, her expression calm, with no discernible emotion.

However, Shin Yuna hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Unnie, who exactly is this person of yours—what is his status?"

""

A confused Liu Zhimin looked up at her.

"He seems so familiar with the Tara seniors," Shin Yuna continued, her eyes filled with obvious curiosity, "even though he's so young—"

At this, Liu Zhimin pondered for a moment and shook her head, "I don't know."

This answer left Shin Yuna a bit bewildered.

Immediately after, Liu Zhimin continued, "Mainly because I've never asked him these questions; I haven't thought too much about it."

Indeed, in Liu Zhimin's view, she and Lin Xiuyuan were not talking about marriage, and she didn't even have the intention of dating, so why would she ask him these messy questions?

Shin Yuna opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to follow up.

Then, thinking of the kind of relationship Liu Zhimin had mentioned yesterday, she seemed to understand.

However, just as she wanted to ask something else, she suddenly felt her small foot being lightly nudged by the person beside her.

She looked to the side.

Seeing that Hwang Yeji was looking at her, she shook her head slightly.

The meaning in that gaze was very clear.

After understanding, Shin Yuna also smartly shut her mouth.

Instead, she pursed her lips and cast her gaze toward the dining bar area again.

Over there, Lin Xiuyuan and Li Juli were standing in front of the dining counter, the two of them chatting and laughing, holding plates to pick up food while talking about something.

In the time that followed, Shin Yuna's focus was basically divided into thirty percent chatting with Hwang Yeji and Liu Zhimin, while the remaining seventy percent was placed on Lin Xiuyuan's table.

Watching Lin Xiuyuan and Li Juli return to their seats with two plates full of food, watching the four of them sit together eating and chatting, watching Senior Dalongzai smiling and patting Lin Xiuyuan on the shoulder, watching Senior Park Hyomin glare at him from time to time and then being unable to help but laugh—

This young girl very much wanted to see something in it.

To see something that could explain all of this.

But until the flight attendant came over to announce boarding, she still couldn't make heads or tails of it.

At most, they were just a bit intimate.

There were no qualms regarding physical contact.

But these issues, whether big or small, were not something she could bring up to decipher.

Helpless, Shin Yuna could only sigh, stand up, and follow Liu Zhimin and Hwang Yeji toward the boarding gate.

At the same time, Lin Xiuyuan's side also got up to depart.

Plus, because the business class passage was much faster than economy class, it wasn't long before the few of them were sitting in their seats.

And Lin Xiuyuan was still neighbors with Dalongzai.

Dalongzai, having sat down, turned her head to look at him.

"Take it easy this time, don't mess around, Zhiyan." Lin Xiuyuan's tone carried a hint of teasing.

Hearing this, Dalongzai also gave him a charming roll of her eyes, "What are you thinking? With so many eyes watching, I don't want to be on the trending search tomorrow."

Then Lin Xiuyuan laughed.

Although there weren't many people in business class, one couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be people who recognized them.

You have to know, just in the lounge earlier, several passengers had already come over to ask for autographs, and when boarding, there were even people holding phones and filming.

If she were to "climb the wall" to find him like she did when they arrived, then Dalongzai would truly be walking right into a trap.

"Then let's sleep." Lin Xiuyuan said while adjusting the back of his seat, "It's going to be almost ten hours flying back anyway."

Dalongzai nodded and also reclined her seat a bit.

The lights in the cabin gradually dimmed, and the flight attendants began distributing eye masks and earplugs.

Lin Xiuyuan put on his eye mask and leaned back against the seat.

The sound of breathing beside him gradually became steady; Dalongzai had already fallen asleep.

And he followed suit, closing his eyes.

More than eight hours later.

At Incheon International Airport.

Accompanied by the plane landing smoothly on the runway, it taxied for a distance and finally stopped beside the terminal.

The lights in the cabin lit up as well, and the passengers began to pack their things, preparing to deplane.

Lin Xiuyuan in his seat took off his eye mask and rubbed his eyes.

The seat beside him was already empty; Dalongzai was already in the aisle, packing her bag while talking to Li Juli and Park Hyomin.

Seeing that Lin Xiuyuan was awake, Dalongzai said, "If you didn't get up, I would have had to call you."

"A bit tired." Lin Xiuyuan stretched his neck and then picked up his carry-on bag.

Later, when walking out of the cabin, he happened to see Liu Zhimin and the others; the two people's gazes met in the air again.

And Liu Zhimin still nodded slightly at him, then continued talking to Shin Yuna and walked in another direction.

Looking at the few departing figures, Lin Xiuyuan looked at the people beside him, "I have a point of curiosity; why don't they take the VIP passage? Why do they have to walk through the lobby and show their faces? With business class now, they could clearly leave by car from that side."

Dalongzai couldn't help but laugh when she heard this, "You know it's showing their faces, so of course it's for exposure. They are active idols; what they want is news traffic and exposure. Unlike us old folks, even if we walk out, no one pays attention."

After hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan laughed again, "Do you want to hear what you're saying? Who was just being pestered for photos and autographs on the plane? Now that you say these things, don't you really feel embarrassed?"

Dalongzai pursed her lips with a smile, "That was just running into fans by chance."

"Ah, yes, yes, yes." Lin Xiuyuan nodded perfunctorily, then looked at the sign, "Let's go, Enjing is waiting for us."

After getting their luggage, the group walked quickly toward the business area parking lot.

The parking lot.

From afar, Lin Xiuyuan saw that familiar figure.

Standing beside a Nanny Car, Tian Enjing was wearing a beige trench coat, her long hair draped over her shoulders, with a warm smile on her face.

Seeing them walk out, she immediately raised her hand and waved, "Over here, long time no see, Xiuyuan, Zhiyan~"

When the group walked closer, she also smiled and went up to meet them, hugging Dalongzai, Li Juli, and Park Hyomin one by one.

Then she looked at Lin Xiuyuan, "How was it? Did you have a good time on this trip to Europe?"

"It was alright, I suppose." Lin Xiuyuan answered while opening the trunk to put the luggage inside.

Needing to handle three lanes of troops, he didn't have much time to truly relax and play; basically, most of the time was spent on the road.

From this country to that shopping mall, from this urban area to that desert, from this person's side to that person's side.

Carefree? Enjoyable?

Both were touched upon, but neither was thorough.

It couldn't be called miserable, but it couldn't be called fully enjoyable either.

Dalongzai and Li Juli were quite satisfied with this trip; the two of them talked to Tian Enjing about what they saw and heard on the road, one after the other.

Even Park Hyomin chimed in from time to time; after all, she had often traveled alone recently, and this rare team outing was indeed quite happy for her.

Tian Enjing nodded with a smile while listening.

It wasn't until Lin Xiuyuan had placed the last suitcase and closed the trunk that she walked to his side, her voice softening a little, "Why that look? At least you had a more comfortable time than I did."

Lin Xiuyuan, not expecting to be asked, turned his head to look at her, somewhat puzzled.

"You were gone for so long and only came back once," Tian Enjing said softly, "I didn't even complain about you."

Regarding this, just as Lin Xiuyuan was about to say something, his arm was suddenly bumped by something.

It was an improperly placed suitcase, sliding down from the edge of the trunk.

He instinctively reached out to block it, putting strength into his arm to push the suitcase back in.

Only then did he look at the woman beside him and smile, "Why are you so bold now, Enjing?"

Tian Enjing, who had been worried for a moment, smiled at his expression, "Can't help it, who told someone's schedule to be so hard to arrange."

After speaking, she turned and walked toward the passenger side.

She didn't forget to look back and add, "You drive for a while; it works out perfectly for you to drive home after dropping us off."

This made Lin Xiuyuan look at her back and shake his head with a smile.

Soon.

The car drove out of the parking lot and merged onto the highway leading from Incheon Airport to downtown Seoul.

Outside the window was the familiar scenery of the Peninsula.

The gray sky, the bare trees, and the rolling mountains in the distance shrouded in mist were a completely different world from the golden sunshine of Dubai.

Lin Xiuyuan, gripping the steering wheel, looked intently at the road ahead.

In the passenger seat, Tian Enjing leaned against the backrest, eyes closed as if resting.

In the back seat, Dalongzai and Li Juli leaned against each other, whispering about something, with Park Hyomin occasionally chiming in.

When the car drove for a while and stopped again, queuing to enter the highway toll gate, Lin Xiuyuan suddenly spoke, "The address, give me the address."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for everyone in the back seat to hear.

Dalongzai looked up at him, her tone somewhat surprised, "Why, Xiuyuan, don't you know where I live?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan simply glanced at someone through the rearview mirror and then directly called her out, "That married woman, don't you have any idea who I'm talking about?"

The back seat was quiet for a second.

Then Park Hyomin's voice rang out, carrying obvious surprise.

"You don't know where I live?"

"How would I know where you live?" Lin Xiuyuan retorted, then smiled again, "No, do you think I should know where you live?"

As soon as these words were out, a burst of laughter erupted in the car.

Dalongzai's shoulders shook with laughter, Li Juli pursed her lips in amusement, and Tian Enjing in the passenger seat laughed the most joyfully.

She hadn't gone on the trip with Lin Xiuyuan and the others, so she had missed a lot of the buffer period drama; seeing Lin Xiuyuan and Park Hyomin bickering now, she found it exceptionally interesting.

In the entire car, only Park Hyomin couldn't laugh now.

Glaring at Lin Xiuyuan in annoyance, she stood up directly from the middle of the back seat and reached out to touch the navigation screen on the center console.

She couldn't be bothered to tell this jerk the address with her mouth; it was faster to input it herself.

Seeing this movement, Lin Xiuyuan instinctively leaned toward the car door to make space for her.

To save her from saying he was taking advantage of her.

But the posture Park Hyomin assumed caused the loose tank top she was wearing to stretch tight.

The hem of her shirt pulled up a few inches, revealing a section of her waist.

So much so that the small patch of skin between the waistband of her cargo skirt and the hem of her shirt was exposed to the air.

Very white.

Very firm.

Although she wasn't young anymore, her body management was indeed very well done.

This caused Lin Xiuyuan's gaze to remain on that section of her waist; although he didn't deliberately take advantage, he wasn't willing to miss a single second of the visual enjoyment and appreciation.

After inputting the address, Park Hyomin straightened up and sat back in the rear seat.

During this time, she had already noticed Lin Xiuyuan's small actions from before.

Such as his posture of leaning toward the car door.

Such as him looking at her.

Although he kept staring at her, that previous movement of dodging still made Park Hyomin's pride feel a bit bruised.

So, she couldn't help but glare at Lin Xiuyuan.

That look carried a bit of sullenness, a bit of dissatisfaction, and a little something indescribable.

Then she sat back in the rear seat, leaned against the backrest, and didn't speak again.

It was the kind of silence that comes from sulking.

Lin Xiuyuan glanced at her through the rearview mirror, not intending to coax her.

He just drove the car steadily through the queued toll gate and continued forward along the navigation route.

After all, there was a little beauty waiting for him at the Villa, so Park Hyomin could be put aside for now.

Soon, the car returned to the streets of Seoul, weaving through the city center, dropping each person off at home one by one.

Park Hyomin's Apartment was the first to arrive.

As the car stopped at the entrance of her residential complex, she just said goodbye to Tian Enjing and the others, grabbed her bag, and got out of the car; without even saying a word to Lin Xiuyuan, she slammed the door shut and walked inside in her high heels.

This caused the people in the car to laugh out loud again, teasing Lin Xiuyuan one after another.

And Lin Xiuyuan didn't say anything, just quietly drove his car.

Next was to take Dalongzai and Li Juli home.

The places where the two people lived were not far apart, and they were both dropped off one after the other.

The last one was Tian Enjing.

After the car stopped at the entrance of her residential complex, she unbuckled her seatbelt but did not get out immediately.

Instead, she turned her head and looked at Lin Xiuyuan.

It just so happened that Lin Xiuyuan was also looking at her, and he said, "Is your schedule tight for the next while?"

At this, Tian Enjing smiled gently, "Anytime, Xiuyuan."

Her voice was very soft, but very clear, "I am free every night."

After saying this, she pushed open the car door, grabbed her bag, got out, and walked into the residential complex.

In the car, Lin Xiuyuan watched her back disappear into the building entrance before he restarted the car.

Just like that, another ten-plus minutes passed.

The car finally slowed to a stop at the entrance of the Villa alley.

Lin Xiuyuan turned off the engine, grabbed his bag, got out of the car, and pushed open that familiar courtyard gate.

The courtyard was very quiet.

The surface of the swimming pool shimmered with a faint blue light under the afternoon sun, and a few pots of green plants were placed in the corner, growing quite well; someone must have come to water them.

And in one corner of the courtyard, a small figure wearing a loose hoodie was squatting.

That person was holding up a phone, focused on taking pictures of a plant that was currently in bloom.

The sunlight shone from behind her, gilding her with a warm, glowing edge.

Lin Xiuyuan stood at the gate and watched her take pictures for quite a while before he smiled and walked toward her, saying at the same time, "What are you doing? You don't even welcome me when I get back."

Kim Taeyeon did not turn her head, continuing to hold up her phone and staring intently at the screen, "Taking pictures, can't you see?"

"I mean, did you come over just to take pictures of some flowers and plants?" Lin Xiuyuan walked over and stood still behind her.

Kim Taeyeon pressed the shutter, took one more, and only then put away her phone and stood up.

When she turned around, she had a smile on her face, her eyes curved as she looked at Lin Xiuyuan, "Coming to see you and taking pictures of some fresh flowers don't conflict, you know."

Looking at the petite person in front of him, Lin Xiuyuan said softly, "When did you arrive? I already rushed back as fast as I could."

"It's fine, I could use the rest anyway," Kim Taeyeon said, also putting her phone into her pocket, "I was idle anyway, so I just wandered around the courtyard. The flowers here are well-kept; who takes care of them?"

"I don't know, Xiujing probably comes over to water them occasionally," Lin Xiuyuan shook his head.

Kim Taeyeon nodded and followed him into the house.

After entering the house, Lin Xiuyuan threw his bag directly onto the floor, walked over to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp.

Kim Taeyeon walked naturally to the sofa and sat down.

It was just that the spot where she sat happened to overlap exactly with the spot where Lin Xiuyuan and Zheng Xiuyan had been intimate the night before last; he didn't know if Krystal had arranged for someone to come and clean up in the last two days, and it would be hilarious if she hadn't.

Thinking about this, Lin Xiuyuan leaned against the refrigerator and looked at Kim Taeyeon, "By the way, you rushed over so quickly, is there something up?"

"I came to find myself," Kim Taeyeon answered truthfully.

If one were to talk about who from the 25 side frequently went back to the 13 side, at the beginning, it was definitely Krystal the most.

But recently, the number of times Kim Taeyeon had gone back was catching up to her.

This petite one would go back whenever she had free time, find that little leader called Jin Ruanruan, and then use her phone to make a call.

After finishing the call, she would immediately give herself to Lin Xiuyuan.

This series of actions made Lin Xiuyuan sometimes unable to figure out whether this counted as a reward for himself or a reward for her.

However, regarding Kim Taeyeon's filial piety, Lin Xiuyuan was still very happy to indulge her, so he placed the mineral water bottle, now more than half empty, on the table and walked toward the corner, "Alright then, let's go, I'll take you over."

Seeing this, Kim Taeyeon also stood up happily and followed behind him.

Pulling open, closing the gate.

The next second, Lin Xiuyuan and the other were already standing in that Apartment from 13.

It was still that familiar Living Room, still those familiar furnishings.

Just as Kim Taeyeon was about to say something, she suddenly heard a phone ringtone.

Both of them looked at the coffee table at the same time.

Kim Taeyeon raised an eyebrow, "Yo, you're quite busy, Xiuyuan."

Lin Xiuyuan ignored her teasing, walked over, picked up the phone, and glanced at the caller ID.

It wasn't anyone else, it was the married woman from the 25 side—no, wait, it was Park Hyo-min from this side.

This name slowly pulsed on the screen, as if waiting for someone.

"What do you think?" Lin Xiuyuan held the phone without answering immediately, instead looking at Kim Taeyeon beside him.

"You answer the phone first, and ask Jin Ruanruan over there later to see if she's free tonight. Then you go do your thing, and I'll come over tonight," knowing that Jin Ruanruan might not be free during the day, Kim Taeyeon simply provided a method.

"Alright."

""

Lin Xiuyuan nodded, then pressed the answer button.