Chapter 411: 435

The next morning.

In an Apartment in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, in the year 2013, Zheng Xiujing, having already woken up and washed, was wearing a set of loungewear with her hair tied loosely behind her head, intending to go to the Kitchen to get something to drink.

Just as she stepped out of her room, she saw that the door to the room next to hers had also opened.

Zheng Xiuyan walked out from inside, wearing an old T-shirt and loose sweatpants, her hair a mess, and her face still bearing the weariness of not having fully woken up.

"Jessica?" Zheng Xiujing was somewhat surprised, stopping in her tracks to look at the other person, "When did you get home? I didn't see you before I went to sleep last night."

Hearing the voice, Zheng Xiuyan yawned, rubbed her eyes, and replied in a hoarse voice, "I only got back in the early hours."

Then, looking exhausted, she leaned against the doorframe and turned her gaze toward her younger sister, suddenly remembering something, "Right, didn't you guys go over to hang out yesterday? How was it? What has that guy been up to lately?"

Zheng Xiujing knew who she was talking about; there was no one else but Lin Xiuyuan.

So she turned and walked toward the Living Room, with Zheng Xiuyan following behind her.

The two of them arrived in the Living Room one after the other, and Zheng Xiujing walked over to the coffee machine, took coffee beans out of the cupboard, and prepared to make a cup of coffee.

As the machine hummed a few times, the aroma of the crushed coffee beans quickly filled the air.

While she was making the coffee, she replied, "What could that guy be doing? Didn't he just get back? He said he's going to take a break for the next month or so, and after the New Year's celebrations are over, he's going to take Xueqiu and Hela unnie to Las Vegas for a trip."

"Xueli?" Zheng Xiuyan's expression softened slightly upon hearing this name, and she nodded while leaning to the side, "That's fine too. Going out for a walk is better than squatting in Seoul."

Originally, she had felt a bit of resentment toward Lin Xiuyuan for running around everywhere, but hearing that this time he was going with Xueli and Goo Hara, that bit of resentment immediately vanished for the most part.

It was a good thing that those two were willing to go out and relax.

"Are you going?" Zheng Xiujing looked at her.

"Where would I find the time? After finishing the end-of-year work, I have to continue with the recording and filming for the New Album. Then the comeback in February—my entire schedule is completely packed."

When asked, Zheng Xiuyan shook her head directly, then began counting on her fingers, expressing herself with a sense of helplessness.

"Not to mention the work like practicing, recording, filming music videos, and appearing on shows for promotions, I also have to find time in between to attend some fashion shows overseas. My schedule is already booked until April or May of next year."

"Sigh, I'm going to go wash up first."

Having said that, Zheng Xiuyan stepped into her fuzzy cotton slippers and dragged her feet step by step toward the bathroom.

Zheng Xiujing didn't say anything more and continued to stare at the coffee machine.

Ten-plus minutes later, when Zheng Xiuyan had finished washing up and returned to the Living Room, Zheng Xiujing had already finished making both cups of coffee and was sipping from one of them herself.

She placed the other cup on the counter and pushed it toward Zheng Xiuyan, signaling for her to come over and have some coffee to wake herself up.

Seeing this, Zheng Xiuyan walked over, picked up the coffee cup, and lowered her head to take a sip.

The rich, mellow hot coffee slid down her throat, which made her feel much more energized and warmed her body up a little.

So she asked casually, "Xiujing, your end-of-year schedules should be packed too, right?"

"Pretty much." Zheng Xiujing nodded, her fingers rubbing the rim of the cup, "All kinds of awards ceremonies and stage performances, and in between, I have to go try on those red carpet outfits, plus rehearsals—it's about the same as you and the unnies, I feel powerless just thinking about it."

The end of the year was never an easy time for idols; the major television stations' music festivals, awards ceremonies, and special stages came one after another.

In between, she had to deal with various red carpets and interviews; running to several places in one day was considered good, and rushing around to make it on time was a common occurrence.

Zheng Xiuyan said "Mm," and just as she was about to continue, she suddenly seemed to think of something and murmured softly.

"Mm, everyone is the same. But I still have to find some time to go see that guy Xiuyuan."

Having already understood the situation, Zheng Xiujing immediately thought of something.

She sipped her coffee and moved her gaze away from the rim of the cup, looking at Zheng Xiuyan opposite her, her eyes carrying a hint of playfulness.

Is this going to see someone? This is clearly going to get a beauty treatment.

Thinking this in her heart, Zheng Xiujing didn't say it out loud, because she was truly afraid of being beaten severely by Zheng Xiuyan.

Thinking of this, she suddenly remembered a certain segment from last night, so she put down her coffee cup, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly as she looked at Zheng Xiuyan, "Right, Jessica, I suddenly thought of a question."

"What?" Zheng Xiuyan held her coffee cup, looked up at her, not paying much attention.

"Isn't that guy Lin Xiuyuan like Doraemon?" Zheng Xiujing said slowly, her eyes sparkling, "If you let him use the Anywhere Door to send you to any corner of the world, which place would you most want to go to?"

After speaking, she stared intently at Zheng Xiuyan, the smile at the corners of her mouth impossible to suppress.

If the conditions hadn't prevented it, she would have wanted to screen-record this.

To see what kind of answer Zheng Xiuyan could give.

It could only be said that after staying with Xueli for a long time, she had also learned to be quite mischievous and had started to become keen on preserving such dark history.

Hearing the question, Zheng Xiuyan was stunned for a moment; she didn't answer immediately, but instead held her coffee cup, her gaze landing on the dark brown liquid inside, and thought about it seriously.

"Which place I most want to go to..."

After repeating the question, her expression became a bit serious, "It should be those small islands in Hawaii. I'm thinking about being on this island today and going to another one tomorrow, experiencing all kinds of different scenery and the ocean. If I didn't have to worry about the trouble of commuting, it really couldn't be more comfortable."

"The climate there is good, there's plenty of sunshine, and the beaches are also very beautiful. The scenery and activities on the small islands each have their own characteristics. If I could quickly switch to a new island every day, just thinking about it is great."

After listening to Zheng Xiuyan's answer, Zheng Xiujing finally revealed a very satisfied smile.

She picked up her coffee cup again and took another

sip, her expression carrying a very interesting smile.

And seeing this smile, Zheng Xiuyan finally felt that something was wrong, frowning as she asked, "What's wrong, Xiujing? Was my answer problematic?"

"No, it's quite good." Zheng Xiujing shook her head, but the smile in her eyes grew even deeper.

Zheng Xiuyan blinked, always feeling that something was off, so she asked back, "What about you? Where would you go?"

"Me..." Zheng Xiujing paused, put down her coffee cup, and said in a nonchalant tone, "I'll see where that guy Lin Xiuyuan is."

This was the "correct answer" she had obtained from Krystal last night, so she copied it, and it rolled off her tongue quite naturally.

And when she said it, she herself felt that this answer was indeed a bit unanswerable, faintly revealing a high-level feeling of dimensional reduction strikes.

So much so that as soon as her voice fell, Zheng Xiuyan, just like them last night, was hard-controlled on the spot, staring foolishly at the Zheng Xiujing in front of her.

She couldn't figure out no matter how she thought about it, how could the other person possibly say something like this??

Is this still that Zheng Xiujing?

Soon, a flash of inspiration crossed Zheng Xiuyan's mind.

The next second, she narrowed her eyes and stared at Zheng Xiujing, "Xiujing, this shouldn't be the answer you mentioned, right? Is it... Krystal?"

Seeing Zheng Xiuyan react so quickly, Zheng Xiujing did not deny it and nodded slightly.

"Mm, that's right. No wonder you said before that you couldn't compare to Krystal. That old woman has a bit too much experience; with such a high level of skill, Lin Xiuyuan must be so bewildered by her that he can't even find north."

This time, Zheng Xiuyan didn't respond. Her mind was echoing with that previous answer over and over, and her mood was extremely complicated.

On one hand, she felt this answer was truly brilliant; on the other, she felt a vague sense of discomfort, wondering why she hadn't thought of such an answer herself.

What Hawaiian island, what convenient commute—compared to this, it was more than one level behind.

Zheng Xiuyan, who had been silent for a long while, finally sighed and finished the rest of her coffee in one gulp, "Alright, let's go out. Rehearsal time is almost here."

"Mm."

In the blink of an eye, Zheng Xiuyan arrived at the company's practice room. Several people were already inside, among them Jin Ruanruan, who was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed doing stretches. Seeing Zheng Xiuyan enter, she raised a hand to greet her.

"Morning, Xiuyan."

"Morning." Zheng Xiuyan changed her shoes, walked in, put her bag in the corner, and sat down leaning against the mirror.

Jin Ruanruan glanced at her and noticed her expression was a bit off, "What's wrong? You look absent-minded."

Looking at her, Zheng Xiuyan hesitated for a moment before telling her the question Zheng Xiujing had asked that morning.

After hearing the content, Jin Ruanruan also put down the leg she was stretching and thought about it seriously.

"If it were me, I'd want to go to some places with beautiful, breathtaking natural scenery. Preferably the kind of uninhabited area where I wouldn't have to worry about safety and could see scenery not visible in the big City Pop."

"Like the aurora in Iceland, or the fjords in Norway, or the South Island of New Zealand, or the lighthouse in Ushuaia. It's usually too troublesome to visit these places, but if there were an Anywhere Door, it would be completely different. Go here today, go there tomorrow, how convenient."

After finishing, Jin Ruanruan looked at Zheng Xiuyan and, just like her before, subconsciously asked back, "What about you, Xiuyan? Where would you go?"

Looking at Jin Ruanruan before her, Zheng Xiuyan felt as if she were seeing her former self, and then she recited that answer from Zheng Xiujing—or rather, Krystal.

And so, there was one more person who had been remotely "hard-controlled" by Krystal.

The practice room was quiet for a long while.

Neither of them spoke, each lost in their own thoughts.

A moment later, Jin Ruanruan picked up the water bottle beside her and took a sip, "This answer is truly powerful. To be honest, I didn't think of this way of answering."

"I didn't either."

Not long after, in another practice room.

Xueli and Zheng Xiujing were huddled together, heads touching, whispering to each other while facing a phone screen.

The two, who hadn't met long ago, compared notes on last night's situation and this morning's testimonies, then came up with a very fun idea.

Xueli picked up her phone and opened the group chat named 【Jieyou Small Garden】.

Before the game started, she looked at Zheng Xiujing once more, "Xiujing, are you ready?"

"Ready." Zheng Xiujing nodded, a smile on her lips.

Then Xueli began to edit a message, typed a line, stopped to look at it, felt it wasn't natural enough, and then deleted it to rewrite it.

After revising it repeatedly, she finally sent it out with satisfaction.

Xueli: 【Everyone, I have a small question I'd like to collect answers for.】

After sending it, she raised her eyebrows at Zheng Xiujing, and the two waited quietly.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Goo Hara popped up.

Goo Hara: 【What is it?】

Zheng Xiujing: 【What question.】

Looking at the reply, Xueli almost laughed out loud.

Her Hela unnie was truly cooperative; she was simply the best straight man to her setup. Although she had told her about it beforehand, seeing the situation unfold was still very interesting.

At the same time, her fingers were typing rapidly on the screen.

Xueli: 【It's just, if you could go to any corner of the world through an Anywhere Door, where would everyone want to go most?】

After sending the message, Xueli placed the phone on the floor, huddled with Zheng Xiujing, and waited quietly for the "prey" to fall into the trap.

Their heads were pressed together, four eyes staring at the screen, their expressions carrying a kind of anticipation before a prank.

【Missing text/continuation of 104】

Meanwhile, Jin Ruanruan, who had just been tricked by Zheng Xiuyan, saw these messages in the group. After glancing down, she immediately turned to look at Zheng Xiuyan, who was stretching nearby.

Seeing this, Zheng Xiuyan also leaned over to look at the screen, then shrugged, "No need to think about it, it's definitely Xueqiu and Xiujing trying to trick people. But this question really doesn't look like a trap; let's see who's unlucky."

Jin Ruanruan said "Mm," but didn't put down her phone, continuing to stare at the screen, waiting to see who would reply.

After that, it remained quiet for several more minutes; no one in the group spoke, as they were likely all busy.

After a while longer, Park Jiyeon and Xian Enjing on the other side finally saw the message and gave their own answers.

Park Jiyeon: 【How did you suddenly think of this? If I really had to choose, I'd want to go somewhere with good scenery where I could take great photos, and where I could rest quietly. Preferably with both sea and mountains, good sunshine, a comfortable Jiudian, and just lying by the pool without thinking about anything. Every photo taken could be used as a pictorial.】

Xian Enjing followed closely: 【I want to go to an environment like a mountain Villa, with large floor-to-ceiling windows, woods outside, hearing birds chirping in the morning, and watching the stars at night. Then resting well inside for a few days; I feel it would be very effective for mental recovery. Work pressure has been too high lately; I kind of need that kind of completely empty environment.】

Both of their answers were quite sincere; it was clear they had thought about it seriously. However, one person was still missing, so after Xueli and Zheng Xiujing finished reading, they exchanged glances and continued to wait.

Soon, the person they were waiting for finally bubbled up—it was none other than Lin Xiaolu, who was running the final promotional schedule for The Heirs.

She, over there, was resting in the waiting room. After taking a moment to look at her phone, she typed quickly.

Lin Xiaolu: 【I always feel like you're tricking people, Xueqiu.】

Seeing this message, Xueli's heart skipped a beat—had she been seen through?

Then Lin Xiaolu sent another one.

Lin Xiaolu: 【Because this question has a strange point, which is that no matter what, it's best not to leave Xiuyuan's side. Only by being with him forever can one enjoy this convenience, along with that sense of security that belongs uniquely to him.】

Following this message, the group chat went instantly silent.

It was not the kind of silence where no one was speaking, but the kind of silence where everyone was digesting this statement.

As for Xueli and Zheng Xiujing, who had originally intended to set a trap, along with Goo Hara and Zheng Xiuyan who had known the answer in advance, they were all once again hard-controlled by Lin Xiaolu at this moment.

Although the direction of this answer was not quite the same as Krystal's, all roads lead to the same destination!!!