Chapter 41

At the entrance of the tavern, Lin Xiuyuan hung up the phone, turned back into the shop, and confirmed the finishing progress with the renovation team.

After confirming that the soft furnishings could be cleaned up by tonight, he immediately contacted the beverage company to arrange for delivery the next morning.

Just as the call with the supplier ended, before he could dial the next one, the ringtone sounded.

Seeing the caller ID, Lin Xiuyuan recalled their first meeting that night, then smiled and answered, "Hello, Zhiyan."

"Lin Xiuyuan, where are you?"

Park Jiyeon, on the other end of the line, was squatting in a corner backstage to make this call. Currently being blacklisted across the entire internet, they didn't even have a waiting room for their music show schedule.

Only commercial performances at shopping malls provided a place to rest.

Park Jiyeon knew better than anyone that by the end of the year, she and her members wouldn't even have seats at the stage.

"At the tavern entrance. Also, call me oppa."

Facing Park Jiyeon's act of calling him by his full name, Lin Xiuyuan, who was not from the Peninsula, didn't really mind; emphasizing it was just because he wanted to hear the beautiful star call him something pleasant.

But Park Jiyeon pretended not to hear and asked on her own, "Ah, is it open?"

"In two days, I suppose. Just finished the soft furnishings; the drinks arrive tomorrow."

Hearing this, a look of surprise appeared on Park Jiyeon's face, because she could rest in two days.

This wasn't because their company had a change of heart, but because the newly debuted sub-unit had been boycotted again, so many previously negotiated performances and activities were canceled, and their comeback was cut short just like that.

Thinking of this, Park Jiyeon smiled and asked, "Then can I come?"

"Sure, come on over." Lin Xiuyuan didn't refuse.

But the next second, Park Jiyeon added, "Then I'll bring some people over to support the scene for you."

However, this time she was refused by Lin Xiuyuan, who stated, "It's a membership system. Just come yourself; I don't have the energy to entertain others."

"Ah~ oppa~"

"Refused. No room for negotiation. Hanging up."

Recently, having frequently experienced foot washing and massages in 2025, Lin Xiuyuan had found a bit of Dao heart, so he still had resistance to Park Jiyeon's coquetry.

But the next second, Park Jiyeon's shout made his hand tremble slightly, "Don't be like that, oppa. I can help you handle Big Zhiyeon, the married one."

"..."

Beep, beep, beep~

Listening to the busy signal, Park Jiyeon first smiled, then put down her phone, restrained her smile, and sighed softly as she stood up and turned to look at the other members.

The 'like' she told Xian Enjing that night wasn't a lie to her unni, it was just that the boy liked a divorced 'married woman' from another space-time.

However...

So what? Is the future Park Jiyeon not Park Jiyeon anymore?

It's all herself, so she wasn't wrong either.

The next day, 2025.

At the corner of the alley in the villa community, a car slowly pulled over.

After finishing her work overseas and taking a trip to Los Angeles, Krystal finally returned to Seoul today.

As soon as she landed, she had Jessica, who came to pick her up, drive her to the vicinity of Lin Xiuyuan's villa.

That is, the entrance of the tavern under renovation, which was less than two hundred meters from the villa where he lived.

Jessica, who parked the car by the roadside, looked at the storefront under renovation and asked with some confusion, "Xiujing, why are we here?"

"This small tavern is opened by a friend of mine. I wanted to come and see how the progress is; it feels like it's almost done."

Seeing several workers cleaning through the window, Krystal got out of the car, dragged her suitcase out of the trunk, and then said to Jessica, "Unni, you go back first."

Her bizarre behavior left Jessica full of confusion and worry, "Who are you waiting for here with your luggage?"

Krystal didn't answer her, just looked at her quietly, intending to make Jessica 'retreat in the face of difficulties'.

But this time, Jessica wouldn't leave, seemingly having guessed something.

And the facts did not disappoint her; just a few minutes after she and Krystal confronted each other, a familiar boy walked slowly from the alley.

Then, seemingly discovering something wrong, he stopped a few meters in front of the car.

His gaze darted back and forth between Jessica in the car and Krystal outside.

At the same time, the moment Jessica saw Lin Xiuyuan, she immediately looked at Krystal outside the car window, her brows furrowed, "Ya, Zheng Xiujing, are you really head over heels?"

"Unni~ you hurry back."

Krystal sighed deeply; she knew it would be like this.

That's why she said she didn't need her to drop her off at the airport, but Jessica insisted, and now it had come to this.

Hearing her sister's reply again, Jessica was extremely uncomprehending while also looking at Lin Xiuyuan at the front of the car.

The latter was standing there quietly, and when their eyes met, he silently moved a few steps to the side.

He was afraid that the sister-complex driver would lose her temper and charge straight at him.

Fortunately, Jessica still retained a shred of reason.

After her angry gaze moved back and forth between him and Krystal a few times, she snorted coldly and drove the car away.

Watching the taillights fade away, Lin Xiuyuan dared to step forward to greet Krystal, "You didn't say Jessica was here. I was so afraid she would really hit me just now; that would be a loss that outweighs the gain."

"I originally wanted to take a taxi, but she insisted on picking me up. What could I do?"

Krystal, answering Lin Xiuyuan, pushed the suitcase in her hand to him and looked at the tavern next to her, "When does this place open?"

"Next week. Let's finish the tavern over there first, then handle this one."

"Mm, anyway, it's just the two of us here."

The two of them walked and talked, and soon returned to the villa.

Then, at Krystal's request, Lin Xiuyuan carried the suitcase into the walk-in closet of the master bedroom.

When she opened the box, revealing the neatly folded clothes inside, as well as exquisite little boxes, he immediately turned his gaze to the watch cabinet and glasses cabinet nearby, saying with some disbelief, "It wouldn't be these little trinkets, would it?"

"Mm, I went to Paris for work this time, and stopped by Bern to hunt for some old antiques for you, and also bought some new watches, so this beautiful closet doesn't go to waste."

Ever since Krystal visited this villa and saw this empty closet, she had already had this plan.

It was just that Lin Xiuyuan was a bit surprised, "It's too extravagant. I'm not used to wearing these things; I feel they get in the way and are uncomfortable."

"Whether you wear them or not doesn't matter, but you must have them. Don't leave this place empty; it's ugly."

As she spoke, Krystal continued stuffing glasses into the cabinet, "Besides, these glasses don't cost money. I went to unni's shop and moved a pile away directly. You can throw away a pair every time you wear them; I'll replenish them for you when they're gone."

If Jessica, who had just left, heard what she was saying now, she would probably be so furious she'd want to kill someone or smash the cabinet.

How could they not cost money? Are there no costs? Don't employees need wages? Doesn't the store need rent?

But these were all hypotheticals. Anyway, Jessica didn't know for now and was returning to her apartment full of anger, planning to have a good chat and heart-to-heart with Krystal later when she returned.

And as for Krystal and Lin Xiuyuan at the villa, as they talked, they somehow ended up talking about the opening of the tavern in 2013.

Krystal became interested as soon as she heard it, "Can I participate?"