Chapter 418: 442

In the Villa in 2025, after Krystal teased Lin Xiuyuan a little, she finally put away that look of watching a show.

She got up, skillfully unpacked the takeout bag she had brought in, and took out the meal boxes one by one to set them up.

Inside were two boxes of pasta, a salad, two drinks, and a small portion of tiramisu.

Then she opened the lids of the pasta boxes and handed a fork to Lin Xiuyuan.

The two of them sat casually on the carpet like this, backs against the sofa, watching the TV program opposite while starting to eat lunch, their movements as natural as if they had repeated them countless times.

The sunlight outside the window filtered in through the gaps in the curtains, the light and shadow spreading out quietly, the atmosphere very comfortable.

At this moment, Krystal, having eaten a few mouthfuls of pasta, seemed to suddenly remember something and looked up toward Lin Xiuyuan.

"By the way, Xiuyuan, what has Xueqiu been up to lately? It seems she hasn't been coming over as often as before."

The meeting the night before last had been too rushed, and the conversation at the time had quickly drifted away because Zheng Xiujing was there.

Later, he had been seduced by this guy Lin Xiuyuan; he had originally intended to go and sleep in the same bed as Xueli, but ended up starting late-night activities here instead, and hadn't been able to have a proper chat with Xueli at all.

Lin Xiuyuan, who was being asked, was currently looking down, eating his beef pasta; the noodles were wound around his fork, the sauce slightly thick.

Hearing the question, he chewed a couple of times before answering, "It doesn't seem like anything much, just normal stage rehearsals. Then occasionally having afternoon tea here with Zheng Xiujing and Hela, or meeting some friends in Seoul there to keep in touch."

"It's the end of the year, after all, everyone wants to get together."

"Their friends?" Krystal glanced at him sideways, her tone carrying a bit more inquiry, "IU?"

While speaking, she also reached out to pull a tissue and leaned over very naturally to wipe the sauce from the corner of Lin Xiuyuan's mouth, as if she were long accustomed to it.

"I don't know about that, I didn't ask." Lin Xiuyuan answered honestly, looking down to continue eating his noodles.

Hearing this, Krystal couldn't help but laugh, her tone carrying a hint of feigned annoyance, "Ya, Xiuyuan, how can you be a cohabiting roommate like that? At the very least, you should understand the basic situation of where Xueqiu goes and who she meets."

"She said they were friends, so I didn't ask too much. Besides, she lets me fly around everywhere, so if I nag her too much, it would be a bit strange instead."

Lin Xiuyuan's logic was always simple: since Xueli never interfered with his whereabouts and social life, he had no need to pry into her life.

Maintaining this degree of freedom between them was actually more relaxed and comfortable.

However, just as Lin Xiuyuan finished speaking, Krystal beside him reached out a finger and poked his arm lightly.

The force was not heavy, but it carried an obvious meaning: You idiot.

"Aigoo, Xiuyuan, you've been with us for so long, and you still don't understand girls? We are different from you men. Perhaps in your eyes, being asked a lot is a shackle, a restriction, but to us women, this is actually a manifestation of attentiveness and tenderness, a kind of care that shows we are kept in mind."

Saying this, Krystal paused her voice slightly, looking at Lin Xiuyuan with a gaze like she was patiently lecturing a student who was slow to catch on.

"And even if we say we're annoyed or that you're bothersome, only we ourselves know how happy we actually are inside. Understand?"

However, after finishing these words, she felt it might not be rigorous enough, so she quickly added, "Of course, the premise is that the other person is someone we like, or at least have a good impression of. If it's a stranger or someone we have no chemistry with, then it really is a burden."

Lin Xiuyuan, who found this sudden "lesson" somewhat amusing, put down his fork and leaned his body back, pressing against the edge of the sofa to look at Krystal.

"I understand now, so does this count as you being insincere?"

"We women are just like this, is this your first day knowing that?" Krystal slanted a look at him, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, her lips curving into a slightly charming arc.

Lin Xiuyuan nodded, his expression suddenly becoming serious, as if he were earnestly taking notes, "Understood, so where are you going later?"

"Get lost!"

Krystal was amused instantly, immediately putting the drink in her hand onto the coffee table and pouncing over, "I told you to use that on others, not to turn around and practice on me."

Then she crashed into Lin Xiuyuan's arms, patting his shoulders a few times, the force so light it was more like tickling.

Lin Xiuyuan laughed and dodged backward, letting Krystal chase after him relentlessly, and then the two of them tumbled together on the carpet.

The meal boxes on the coffee table were bumped and swayed slightly, and the drink cup was nearly knocked over; fortunately, Lin Xiuyuan was quick-eyed and fast-handed, reaching out to steady it so the scene didn't become more chaotic.

During this time, Krystal's laughter became increasingly joyful.

People come and go in this world, but there are actually very few who can make her act like this, without any scruples, letting go of all defenses to mess around.

After all, having struggled in the entertainment industry for so many years, she had long been accustomed to maintaining proper boundaries and distance in front of others, accustomed to using smiles and politeness to build an invisible barrier.

But the man before her, the Lin Xiuyuan before her, was an exception.

Especially as a member of the opposite sex, he was almost one of a kind.

In front of this person, she didn't need to put on airs, nor did she need to repeatedly weigh any boundaries.

She could laugh if she wanted to, mess around if she wanted to, and say whatever she wanted to say; it was so relaxed it didn't feel like her usual self.

So after messing around for a while, Krystal, finally settling down, simply fell backward and took the opportunity to lie in Lin Xiuyuan's arms.

Her head rested on his thighs, her body stretched out, like a

cat that had had enough sun and was too lazy to move.

Then she opened her mouth slightly and gestured toward the fruit salad on the coffee table.

Lin Xiuyuan, understanding her meaning, reached out to take the salad and slowly fed it to her mouth with a fork.

Eating the fruit in her mouth, Krystal's eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were carefully savoring the sweetness.

The sunlight fell on her profile; this scene was quiet and natural, without deliberate intimacy, yet it was more comfortable than anything deliberate.

Time was thus stretched out, flowing silently, continuing until the afternoon.

When the clock on the wall pointed to past three, Krystal, who had taken a short nap, slowly opened her eyes.

However, she didn't get up immediately, but instead crossed her arms over her head, arched her body slightly, and stretched her whole body out, like a cat that had just woken up.

Only then did she slowly sit up from Lin Xiuyuan's arms.

Then she glanced at the wall clock, tilted her head to look at the sunlight outside the window that had already begun to slant westward, and sighed softly, "I have a schedule tonight, I have to go."

"Shall I take you?"

"No need, I drove here."

After saying this, she bent down and cupped Lin Xiuyuan's face in her hands.

Without any extra buildup, she lowered her head and pressed a deep kiss onto his lips.

Lip pressed against lip, it lingered for several seconds, longer than usual.

A few seconds later, they separated gently.

Looking down at him, there was a momentary softness and reluctance in her eyes, but that emotion was quickly tucked away by her, returning to her usual clean and efficient manner.

"I'm leaving."

She dropped this sentence, turned around to pick up the bag on the sofa, and walked toward The Gate.

After watching her back disappear outside The Gate, Lin Xiuyuan got up to tidy up the things on the table, then sat back down on the sofa, picked up his phone, leaned back, and continued to scroll through short videos out of boredom.

The images flashed by one after another.

Lin Xiuyuan had been watching for a while, but he hadn't really taken anything in.

His mind was blank, his fingers just mechanically swiping upward, and the videos were skipped one by one.

Just like that, after scrolling for about ten minutes or so, the phone suddenly rang.

It wasn't a message notification sound, but a ringtone for an incoming call.

Only when Lin Xiuyuan saw the caller ID did his eyebrows arch slightly, feeling a bit surprised.

Because the person calling wasn't one of those he had imagined, but Liu Zhimin.

This name appearing on the call interface was indeed not common, because most of the time it was mostly text chats, and the few phone calls were usually initiated by him; she rarely called first.

Thinking about these things, Lin Xiuyuan answered the call, his tone carrying a bit of lazy teasing, "Hello, Zhimin, it's really rare to see you take the initiative to call me. You haven't been in touch for so long since you got back; I thought my work wasn't good enough and I was being shunned by you."

On the other end of the line, Liu Zhimin was currently standing in her room in the Dormitory changing clothes.

The phone was wedged between her shoulder and ear, one hand still buttoning her jeans, her movements somewhat hurried.

Hearing this teasing from Lin Xiuyuan with a smile, she couldn't help but hum softly and said coquettishly, "No way, haven't I been busy lately?"

After saying that, she subconsciously glanced at the bedroom door behind her, and only after confirming the door was closed tightly did she spit softly, "Hmph~ Besides, wouldn't you know whether I'm satisfied or not?"

Once the words were out, Liu Zhimin's cheeks immediately felt slightly hot, as if she had done some shady little act, and even the tips of her ears were faintly flushed with a shallow red.

And Lin Xiuyuan's laughter soon came from the other end of the phone.

"Hahaha..."

That laughter was unreserved, carrying obvious pleasure, and even a bit of smugness.

Listening to this laughter, Liu Zhimin pursed her lips, but she couldn't help but laugh along, then continued, "By the way, Xiuyuan, are you free now?"

"Now?" Lin Xiuyuan paused on his end, as if confirming the time, "Mm, I'm free."

"Then come and pick me up." Liu Zhimin didn't beat around the bush, her tone direct and straightforward.

Once these words were out, it actually made Lin Xiuyuan a bit surprised.

"Hm? Now?"

Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone carrying a bit of astonishment, "You're actually free now? I just scrolled past your performance videos; isn't your group on tour recently?"

He had indeed just scrolled past a few short videos; the images were all of aespa performing on stage, the lights dazzling, and the cheers from the audience coming in waves.

At the time, he had even specifically looked at the comment section twice to confirm it was indeed the recent schedule.

Discovering that Lin Xiuyuan was actually paying attention to her schedule, Liu Zhimin's eyes immediately curved, smiling very happily, and then she leaned against the wardrobe to answer.

"You know about that too? That's why I called you as soon as I landed and got back to the Dormitory."

As she spoke, her gaze glanced at the suitcase spread out on the bed, inside which stage costumes and daily clothes were still messily stuffed, clearly not yet having had time to be organized.

"Then do you want to rest for a while first?" Lin Xiuyuan's voice softened unconsciously, saying with concern, "We can meet tomorrow too; you just flew back, you must be quite tired."

However, Liu Zhimin rejected this suggestion without hesitation.

"Tomorrow won't work, I'm flying to Nihon tomorrow afternoon, I only have time now."

Speaking of this, she suddenly paused, her voice unconsciously carrying a hint of probing, "You wouldn't be wanting to avoid seeing me, would you?"

At this moment, Liu Zhimin had already changed her clothes, held the phone to her ear, and stood in front of the mirror examining herself.

Simple jeans paired with a white T-shirt, a loose denim jacket worn over it, and a black baseball cap pressed on her head; the whole person looked clean and casual.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she reached out to gently adjust the angle of the brim, while her ears were waiting for the answer from the other end of the phone.

Regarding this, Lin Xiuyuan didn't say more and said crisply and neatly, "Address, I'm heading over now."

Hearing this sentence, the corners of Liu Zhimin's mouth lifted instantly, and the unsuppressed smile made her eyes curve into an arc.

"Okay."

She reported the Dormitory address and sent the location to Lin Xiuyuan after ending the call.

Afterward, she stood in front of the mirror to touch up her makeup, and after finishing, she picked up the black canvas bag beside her and lowered her head to check the things inside.

Finding that a gadget was missing, she turned around and dug two small boxes out of the suitcase to put in, only then pushing open the bedroom door and walking out.

Outside the door, in the Living Room of the aespa Dormitory, the atmosphere was as relaxed and casual as ever.

Giselle was sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, looking down at her phone, her fingers sliding quickly.

Kim Minjeong was leaning against a cushion to the side, holding a bag of potato chips in her hands, slowly feeding them into her mouth one by one; the crunching sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet Living Room.

And the movement of Liu Zhimin's bedroom door opening caught the attention of the two, and they raised their heads almost simultaneously, casting their gazes onto Liu Zhimin.

Seeing that she had already changed into clothes for going out, her hat pulled low, and her bag slung over her shoulder, it was clearly an outfit for going out.

So Giselle spoke first, her tone carrying a bit of natural curiosity.

"Unnie, are you going out?"

"Where are you going?" Kim Minjeong also asked, the potato chip in her hand stopping in mid-air, not yet having had time to be sent into her mouth.

Facing the two's inquiry, Liu Zhimin clearly had already thought of an excuse.

Walking quickly toward the entryway, she responded with a smile while lowering her head to put on her shoes, "Mm, I made an appointment with a Chinese teacher to go out and brush up on my Chinese; I won't be back for dinner tonight."

When saying this, Liu Zhimin's tone was relaxed and natural, as if she were talking about the most ordinary thing.

Then she put on her shoes, stood up, and pushed open the door to walk out under their gaze.

Inside the Dormitory, not even a few seconds after the bedroom door closed, the bathroom door suddenly made a "click" sound and was pushed open a crack from the inside.

A small head poked out.

Ning Yizhuo, wearing a clean, bare face that had just been cleansed of makeup, looked at the two on the sofa, blinked her eyes, and looked full of curiosity, "What's wrong, what's wrong? Who just went out?"

Hearing the voice, Giselle and Kim Min-jeong looked up at her at the same time.

Looking at this Huaxia member of their group, their minds suddenly recalled Liu Zhimin's reason for "learning Chinese" just now, and for a moment, they actually didn't know how to respond.

They exchanged glances one after another, then looked at Ning Yizhuo in unison; after repeating this a few times, both of their expressions began to turn somewhat subtle.

Standing at the doorway of the bathroom, Ning Yizhuo saw that no one answered, so she looked at this one and then that one with a blank face, completely failing to grasp the situation.

And that clean, bare face paired with this dazed expression also appeared exceptionally comical.

A few seconds later, she raised her hand to scratch her head and followed up with a soft mutter.

"Inexplicable..."

Afterwards, she pulled her head back into the bathroom and continued to remove her makeup and apply skincare in front of the mirror.