Chapter 409: Zheng Xiujing: Krystal, get over here (Seeking subscriptions and monthly tickets)

The night grew deeper.

As the hour hand of the wall clock pointed to 9 o'clock, forming a standard ninety-degree angle, the few people in the hot pot restaurant's private room finally put down their chopsticks, ending this dinner eaten while chatting.

Although there were still some dishes left in the pot on the table, those few plates of meat were already empty, and the small side dishes had been swept clean for the most part.

Full and satisfied, Xueli leaned against the back of her chair, rubbed her stomach, and sighed with great contentment, "It's been so long since I've eaten this comfortably; I feel like I'll definitely gain two pounds tomorrow."

"I think so too; I'll have to work out for a long time after this meal." Beside her, Goo Hara picked up a napkin to wipe the corners of her mouth and picked up her phone to check the time.

Hearing the two of them lament, Lin Xiuyuan smiled. After glancing at the tabletop, he called the waiter over via the call button to prepare the bill.

But when it came time to pay, the waiter walked in with the bill, and just as Lin Xiuyuan was about to take out his wallet, his hand was pressed down by Zheng Xiujing, who had beaten him to it.

"I'll do it."

Saying this, Zheng Xiujing took her card out of the bag beside her, her tone very firm, "I was already late tonight, so I must be the one to treat this meal."

Lin Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, but he didn't argue. He just quietly retracted the black card Park Jiyeon had given him earlier, then turned back, spread his hands toward Goo Hara and Xueli, and said with a soft smile, "Look, you see, this isn't my fault. I really did want to treat you all to dinner."

Hearing this, Goo Hara pursed her lips and smiled, her eyes filled with teasing, while Xueli covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

After laughing, Xueli turned her head to explain to Goo Hara, "Unnie, you didn't know, did you? Every time oppa says he's going to treat us to a meal, it ends up being someone else paying the bill in the end; it's very rare for him to swipe his own card."

A meaningful smile appeared on Goo Hara's face, and she nodded along, saying, "I heard Zhiyan mention it before, but I didn't quite understand it at the time. Now I've seen it for myself."

After saying this, she glanced at Lin Xiuyuan, and Lin Xiuyuan didn't refute it, just smiled and shrugged.

At this moment, Zheng Xiujing over there had also finished paying the bill, so the group stood up together, walked out of the private room, passed through the Living Room, and arrived outside.

The night breeze was slightly cool, feeling very comfortable on the face, carrying the refreshing sensation unique to early winter.

Lin Xiuyuan took out his car keys and pressed them; the black Land Rover not far away lit up, emitting a "beep" sound.

The group walked over, pulled open the car doors, and climbed in.

As soon as he got in the car, Lin Xiuyuan glanced at Zheng Xiujing in the passenger seat, because Xueli had already sat in the back seat and squeezed in with Goo Hara, the two of them putting their heads together and whispering something.

After looking at Zheng Xiujing, he first started the car, and as the low roar of the engine sounded, he looked at the group and asked, "So, what's the plan for next?"

"I don't have any." Zheng Xiujing shook her head, fastened her seatbelt, and looked ahead, "Let's go home and sleep."

As a result, when Xueli in the back seat heard this, she hurriedly leaned over, poked her head between the front seats, her tone carrying a hint of coquettishness, "Don't say that, Xiujing. It's so rare for us to get together; should we have a few drinks tonight?"

Zheng Xiujing turned her head to look at her, her expression a bit helpless, "What do you mean rare? We clearly just drank together last time. You still want to drink? You were drunk that time."

"That was because I was happy." Xueli blinked, looking innocent.

"There's a team rehearsal tomorrow. If you get drunk again tonight, you'll know how miserable you'll feel then." Zheng Xiujing reminded her, her tone carrying a bit of concern.

Xueli was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Oh, right, there's a rehearsal."

Then she patted her forehead and stuck out her tongue, "I forgot."

As someone who had been a Screenwriter for over half a year, she rarely participated in team activities now, or rather, f(x) had too few team activities, which led to her not remembering this for a moment.

After all, the pace of her daily work was completely different from when she was an idol, and her schedule was much freer, so team itineraries were already a bit blurry in her memory.

Xueli, who only remembered this after being reminded by Zheng Xiujing, sheepishly shrank back into the back seat, leaned on Goo Hara's shoulder, and muttered softly.

"Then never mind, never mind."

Lin Xiuyuan saw Xueli's annoyed look in the rearview mirror, smiled, and then suggested.

"By the way, Krystal actually just finished her overseas schedule as well, and she should be back at the Villa by now. If you all don't have anything going on, let's go over and sit for a while, have a drink, and chat. I'll send you back later, especially you, Zhenli; she specifically asked me to call you over."

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed Xueli's gaze pass over him and glance toward the passenger seat, landing right on Zheng Xiujing.

She was clearly waiting for the other person's reaction, her eyes filled with a bit of anticipation and a bit of probing.

As for the person in the passenger seat, upon hearing the name "Krystal," her expression stiffened slightly, and the words she originally wanted to use to refuse were already on the tip of her tongue.

She subconsciously wanted to say she was tired and wanted to go straight back.

But as she turned her head, she happened to meet the gaze Lin Xiuyuan cast from the side, as well as Xueli and Goo Hara in the rearview mirror.

This situation made Zheng Xiujing pause, and the words on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down.

She then feigned calmness, moved her gaze back to the front, stared at the road outside the windshield, and said in as casual a tone as possible, "I'm fine with anything, it depends on Xueqiu."

Once these words were out, Xueli nodded immediately, "That works! Let's go over and hang out; it's been a while since we've been there."

Afterward, Goo Hara also nodded gently, indicating her agreement.

Anyway, she didn't have anything to do tomorrow, so going over to sit for a while wouldn't be bad.

So, after setting the destination, Lin Xiuyuan stepped on the gas, driving the car steadily through the night toward the Apartment.

The car soon arrived downstairs at the Apartment, and after watching Lin Xiuyuan park the car, the group took the Elevator upstairs together.

They opened The Gate and went in, then continued to open the door and went in; they had arrived.

Inside the 25-year-old Villa.

Warm yellow light spilled onto the dark wooden floor, reflecting a cozy atmosphere.

——

Two large suitcases stood beside the sofa, not yet opened or unpacked; a beige coat was draped over one of the suitcases, its sleeves hanging down as if the owner had just tossed it there.

A platter of cut fruit was set on the coffee table—watermelon, strawberries, oranges, and other fruits were arranged neatly, and beside them were a few cups of Milk Tea, with water droplets condensing on the cups.

Looking closely at these things, it was obvious they had just been bought not long ago, but the Living Room was empty, with no one in sight.

Lin Xiuyuan looked around, then looked up toward the stairs and called out, "Xiujing, what are you doing?"

Beside him, Zheng Xiujing was stunned when she heard this call.

Those two words, "Xiujing," spoken from Lin Xiuyuan's mouth, carried a very gentle tone, a cadence she had never heard before.

That kind of gentleness wasn't deliberate, but natural, like a habit formed after calling it many times.

Thinking of this, her eyes began to feel a bit disoriented, and for a moment, she couldn't tell if this guy was calling her or someone else.

Even though it was the same name, it sounded completely different, as if they were two different people.

And at this moment, a response came from the master bedroom on the third floor.

It was Krystal's voice, which was also similar to Zheng Xiujing's.

With a smile, and a hint of laziness, "Oh, oh, oh, Lin Xiuyuan, I'm changing clothes, you guys wait for me a moment."

A few minutes later, footsteps came from the stairs.

A cold and glamorous beauty wearing a yellow knitted vest walked down slowly.

But when Krystal truly appeared before everyone's eyes, everyone was suddenly startled, especially Zheng Xiujing.

Because at this moment, the vest Krystal was wearing had a very loose style; it was that kind of lazy-style knitted material, with a very low V-neck.

But that was not the main point.

The point was that the inside of the vest was completely empty, without a bra, and even the buttons were basically all undone, with only the very bottom one fastened casually.

Her entire chest was exposed in a large expanse, the fair skin particularly striking under the lights; the collarbone, the chest, and the vaguely visible curves were all in full view.

On her lower body was a pair of comfortable loungewear pants, made of dark gray cotton material, and she was wearing slippers on her feet, walking down the stairs with a *flap-flap* sound, her posture extremely casual, completely unconcerned about how shocking her current attire was.

This situation left Lin Xiuyuan stunned for a moment, but he quickly shifted his gaze from that vest to Krystal's face, "Wow, Xiujing, what are you doing?"

At this time, Krystal, who had already reached the first floor, saw the group of people standing in the Living Room, her gaze first meeting Sulli and Goo Hara, smiling slightly as a greeting.

Then she swept a glance at Lin Xiuyuan, and finally landed her line of sight on Zheng Xiujing, looking at the other person as she answered slowly.

"Not doing anything, just wore a bra all day, wanted to relax a bit. Couldn't find pajamas, and was too lazy to rummage for them, so I just took it off."

While saying these things, Krystal spoke very righteously, without the slightest bit of embarrassment, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.

But Zheng Xiujing, who was being stared at, was not to be outdone, and likewise stared straight back.

The two people who looked almost exactly the same stared at each other like this, the atmosphere a bit subtle.

The younger one had complex emotions in her eyes—surprise, awkwardness, and a bit of indescribable discomfort.

While in Krystal's eyes there was a playful look, as if she were watching something interesting.

Just at this moment, Lin Xiuyuan stepped out and stood between the two.

Then he continued walking forward, naturally reaching out to hold Krystal's shoulders, "Hmm, that's fine, but when did you get back? Didn't you say the flight was going to be delayed?"

"Also just arrived," Krystal leaned into Lin Xiuyuan's embrace, tilted her head to sniff the scent on him, and smiled as she raised an eyebrow, "Oh, did you guys go eat beef hot pot? Was it good, Xueqiu?"

Sulli nodded, "It was good, Xiujing, have you eaten?"

Krystal pointed to the fruit and Milk Tea on the coffee table, "I ate a bit on the plane, so I'm not very hungry now, just ordered some fruit and Milk Tea, waiting for you guys to come over and eat together."

As she spoke, she also stepped out of Lin Xiuyuan's embrace, walked to the coffee table to distribute the Milk Tea, and finally inserted a straw into her own cup and took a sip, squinting her eyes in great satisfaction.

"Everyone, don't just stand there, let's sit down first." Lin Xiuyuan, who had also taken a sip of Milk Tea, called out as well.

He himself sat on the sofa first, finding a comfortable position to lean back.

The remaining people also sat down one after another.

However, because Krystal sat on Lin Xiuyuan's left side very naturally, leaning against his shoulder, Sulli and Goo Hara could only sit pressed together in the middle.

And Zheng Xiujing took a look at the layout of the sofa, and after hesitating for a moment, chose the position on the far right, sitting at opposite ends of the sofa from Krystal.

In between them were Lin Xiuyuan, Sulli, and Goo Hara, three people.

After sitting down, everyone started chatting again.

Krystal leaned on Lin Xiuyuan, occasionally leaning into his ear to say something, and Lin Xiuyuan would smile and reply a few words, occasionally lowering his head to fiddle with her small hands.

The interaction between the two was natural and intimate; that kind of atmosphere was a tacit understanding that only people who had been together for a long time possessed—one look, one movement, and they both knew what the other was thinking.

Zheng Xiujing, sitting on the very edge, could still calmly drink her Milk Tea at first, but her gaze would always drift over there involuntarily.

Watching Lin Xiuyuan and that person who looked almost exactly like her being sweetly cuddly there.

Watching Krystal's hand resting on his leg, while he had his arm around her waist, occasionally giving it a squeeze, and even having some more intimate, more unbearable little movements.

Watching and watching, Zheng Xiujing's brain began to uncontrollably substitute herself into the scene.

She seemed to see Lin Xiuyuan touching her, saw that the person actively leaning in was herself; in those unbearable scenes, Krystal's face also turned into her own face.

This feeling was very strange; even though it wasn't her, it felt as if she had experienced it personally, the sense of the scene was just too strong.

And so, she started to feel a bit uncomfortable.

It was as if something was blocked in her heart; she couldn't tell if it was jealousy or awkwardness, but regardless, she was restless.

Even the Milk Tea couldn't be drunk anymore, and her fingers began to unconsciously squeeze the cup.

And the more she watched, the more she felt it was truly an illusion, even able to imagine that tactile sensation, that temperature.

This hallucination made Zheng Xiujing's cheeks burn the more she thought about it.

Then she began to force herself to look away, to look at the fruit on the coffee table, to look at the night scene outside.

But after a few seconds, her gaze would automatically drift back.

After repeating this back and forth for a few minutes, when Zheng Xiujing's gaze landed over there once again, she happened to see Lin Xiuyuan's restless palm already moving up along Krystal's waist, his fingertips almost slipping inside that open yellow vest, the edge of his fingers vaguely visible touching her skin.

Seeing this, she really couldn't hold back, and blurted out a shout, "Ya!"

This shout was sudden, and everyone turned their heads to look at her.

"What's wrong, Xiujing?" Sulli asked with concern, her eyes filled with confusion, the Milk Tea in her hand even stopping.

Then she discovered that Zheng Xiujing was staring fixedly at Krystal over there, her gaze carrying an indescribable, complex emotion, while Krystal was leaning in Lin Xiuyuan's arms, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, a look of watching a good show, her eyes even carrying a bit of smugness.

Sulli originally wanted to ask something more, but as soon as she saw this stance, she immediately closed her mouth and turned to hug Goo Hara's arm instead.

With an "I won't speak, I'll just watch" expression, her eyes were bright, full of curiosity and a little excitement.

The atmosphere in the entire Living Room was silent for a few seconds like this, then Zheng Xiujing was seen suddenly standing up.

Her gaze was still fixed on Krystal, but her tone was unquestionable, even carrying a bit of a commanding flavor, "You, come over here."

After saying this, she walked toward the nearby guest bedroom without looking back, her pace fast, carrying an air of momentum.

The door was pushed open by her with a bang, and she walked inside.

Krystal looked at her back, first letting out a light laugh, and then stood up under the gaze of Lin Xiuyuan and the others.

She expressed in a relaxed tone, "Alright, you guys eat some fruit first, drink some Milk Tea, I'll go coax that little kid first, no need to worry."

After saying this, she also followed, her pace unhurried, her posture very composed, and she even turned her head to wink at Sulli and the others.

A moment later, the door to the guest bedroom closed with a soft "click."

The three people remaining on the sofa stared at the closed door, looking at one another, momentarily unsure of what to say.

The Living Room fell quiet like this for a few more seconds.

In the end, it was Goo Hara who spoke first; she looked at Lin Xiuyuan, her tone filled with worry, "Xiuyuan, there won't be any trouble, right?"

Lin Xiuyuan, being asked, also scratched his hair, "I don't know. The last time a situation like this happened, it was Xiuyan and Jessica, but the situation with those two is different from Xiujing and the others."

"Those two had long-standing grudges and couldn't stand the sight of each other, but what could possibly be the matter with these two? I really don't know."

"Then what should we do now?"

Faced with this explanation from Lin Xiuyuan, Goo Hara's eyes held worry, and her small hand even subconsciously gripped Xueli's arm.

Compared to Goo Hara, who was experiencing this kind of "twin war" for the first time, Xueli was much calmer.

Not only was she not worried, she was even a bit excitedly eager, looking at Lin Xiuyuan with bright eyes as she lowered her voice and said, "Oppa, should we go over and take a look? My camera is right upstairs."

She pointed toward the upstairs where Xueqiu was, her expression full of anticipation, as if she could already see another recording being added to her camera's memory.

"Don't mess around."

Lin Xiuyuan let out a laugh and reached out to pat her head, "These two won't go as far as fighting."

Fighting? Goo Hara was shocked.

And Xueli, upon hearing this, sighed with a bit of regret, "What a pity."

That tone was full of disappointment, as if she had missed out on a good show.

Beside her, Goo Hara, who had been shocked many times over, looked at her good friend, her mouth opening and closing for a long time before she managed to blurt out, "No, what kind of nerves do you people have? Are you really just going to ignore it!!!"

With her eyes wide, she looked at Xueli in disbelief, as if meeting this child for the first time.

To this, Xueli just blinked innocently, smiling with a naive face as she picked up her Milk Tea to drink while explaining the meeting journey between Park Jiyeon and Dalongzai back then; compared to that time, this really wasn't a problem at all.

Even Krystal and Zheng Xiujing had met many times before; it was just that the conflict had only completely erupted this time.

Having heard the explanation, Goo Hara also relaxed a bit.

Then the Living Room grew quiet again, and the three pairs of eyes turned once more toward that tightly shut guest bedroom door.

They wondered what the situation was like inside now.

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