Chapter 421: 445

Just past nine in the evening, the nightlife in Seoul was only just beginning to draw back its curtain.

The neon lights along the street lit up one by one, connecting into a brilliant band of light; the voices in restaurants and cafes gradually grew lively, and through the glass windows, one could see they were packed with people.

However, none of this held any appeal for Lin Xiuyuan; gripping the steering wheel, he scanned the situation outside the window before continuing to press the accelerator, driving the car back from Liu Zhimin's Apartment to the Villa.

Only a few secondary lights were on in the Living Room, making it appear somewhat quiet.

Upon entering, Lin Xiuyuan tossed his keys onto the shoe cabinet in the foyer, which made a soft sound, then turned and walked to the Time Gate in the corner of the Living Room, reaching out to push The Gate open.

On the side of the Year Apartment, the motion-sensor light also turned on with the movement of the door, the warm yellow light spreading across the light-colored walls, very soft and comfortable.

After taking a look inside, Lin Xiuyuan lifted his foot to step across, closing The Gate behind him.

After more than ten minutes passed just like that, his figure walked out of the Time Gate once again, returning to the Villa side in the year '25.

After arriving at the Villa, Lin Xiuyuan quickly retrieved his phone, skillfully flipped to Taeyeon's number, and dialed it directly.

The phone rang for a few seconds before it was quickly answered.

"Hello, Xiuyuan."

Taeyeon's voice came from the other end of the receiver, the tail of her words dragging slightly, and the background was also very quiet; she was clearly staying by herself.

Listening to her voice, the corners of Lin Xiuyuan's lips moved slightly without him realizing it, and he asked casually, "Where are you?"

"At the Apartment, just finished showering," Taeyeon replied, her voice carrying a soft, moist quality as if she had just emerged from the steam.

"Then wait for me, I'm coming over to find you," Lin Xiuyuan said, then walked toward the direction of the Time Gate.

Hearing this, Taeyeon was slightly stunned; leaning on the sofa as if she had suddenly thought of something, she hurriedly spoke up, "Xiuyuan, I'm on my period."

These words were spoken very lightly, yet they carried a tone of earnest and slightly nervous advance notice.

Over at the Villa, Lin Xiuyuan was just preparing to hang up the phone when he heard this, and his movements paused inexplicably.

Standing before the Time Gate, his fingers stopped on the door handle, and he couldn't help but let out an "Ah," his tone carrying a bit of helplessness and amusement.

"Taeyeon, is the only impression you have of me in your heart that I only want to do that kind of thing?"

On the other end of the line, Taeyeon gave a sheepish laugh; only then did she realize she might have thought in the wrong direction.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, her voice softened involuntarily, carrying a hint of apology, "No, I'm sorry, I thought wrong."

"Forget it, see you in a bit, I'll teach you a lesson later," Lin Xiuyuan sighed softly, his tone carrying a bit more helplessness, and then he hung up the phone.

He reached out to push open the Time Gate and stepped across in one stride.

Within just a few breaths, having crossed two spaces in succession, he appeared in the Living Room of Taeyeon's Apartment in the blink of an eye.

A few floor lamps were lit inside the room, and the air was filled with a faint scent of body wash, a sweet floral and fruity note.

At this moment, Taeyeon, holding her phone, was sitting on the sofa wearing a loose white T-shirt and dark gray athletic shorts, her hair hanging down naturally and still slightly damp.

Seeing Lin Xiuyuan walk out from the Time Gate, a flash of curiosity and surprise crossed her eyes, "Xiuyuan, why are you in such a rush to find me?"

Lin Xiuyuan didn't answer immediately, but looked at her with some amusement, his gaze carrying a touch of playfulness.

"Didn't you want me to come over and 'handle' you?"

Upon hearing this, Taeyeon immediately let out an "Aiya" and raised her hand to pat his leg, "I'm sorry, okay? I already apologized."

Her voice was drawn out a bit long, the tail soft, carrying a bit of unconscious coquetry.

Then she took the opportunity to stand up and spread her arms, intending to give him a big hug as compensation.

And so, the next second, she had already hurried over to hug Lin Xiuyuan.

Her arms wrapped around his waist, her whole body pressed against him, and her face buried in his chest, where she could clearly hear his steady and powerful heartbeat.

She closed her eyes and took a light breath; the tip of her nose was surrounded by the clean, familiar scent of soap on him, which made one relax involuntarily.

But this warmth didn't have a chance to linger for more than a second...

Her whole body suddenly felt light.

Lin Xiuyuan had one arm around her waist and the other supporting the back of her knees, his movements crisp and decisive, lifting her straight up as if holding a child.

"Ah ya~" Taeyeon let out a soft cry, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck.

Before she had even reacted to what was happening, Lin Xiuyuan had already turned around, holding her as he stepped into the Time Gate.

With a flicker of his figure, the space switched instantly.

By the time Taeyeon regained her senses, she was already nestled in Lin Xiuyuan's arms, having arrived in the Living Room of another Apartment.

The style here was completely different from the Apartment she was in in the year '25.

There were no cold-toned minimalist lines, nor any metallic-textured decorations; in their place were warmer walls and textured wooden floors.

It had the illusion of a bygone era; to put it nicely, it was cozy.

After subconsciously looking around, Taeyeon, who was familiar with this environment, quickly let her gaze fall on the sofa not far away.

Another version of herself was sitting there cross-legged, wearing a pink loungewear set, her hair tied casually into a bun, her face clean and fresh without a trace of makeup.

Upon seeing Lin Xiuyuan appear in the center of the Living Room holding Taeyeon, the other person was stunned for a moment.

The next second, the scene from that night flashed uncontrollably through her mind.

The moonlight, the champagne, the distance that was too close, that kiss that made her heartbeat lose its rhythm, and the slightly swollen lips when she woke up the next day.

However, this emotion was quickly suppressed by Jin Ruanruan, who instead put on an expression of slight helplessness.

"I'm telling you two, that's enough."

After complaining with that remark, her tone carried even more obvious disdain, "And another thing, Xiuyuan, you holding her right in front of me like this, are you planning to let me have a sense of participation as well?"

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan also smiled and gently set Taeyeon down; only after she stood steady did he look toward Jin Ruanruan on the sofa.

"Not at all, I just wanted to give her a surprise, so I brought her over directly."

Listening to the two of them talking, Taeyeon finally reacted completely, and together with Lin Xiuyuan, she looked toward the sofa, saying with some surprise, "You actually have time tonight? It's the end of the year, are you slacking off?"

Jin Ruanruan rolled her eyes at her directly and replied in a leisurely tone, "Nagging. Say one more word, and I'm walking out the door to go back to the Dormitory right now."

The voice of this sentence sounded flat, but the threat was very obvious.

Because no one knew better than Jin Ruanruan that the person in front of her would absolutely never let her leave.

Sure enough, this sentence precisely struck Kim Taeyeon's weak spot.

"Oh, no, no, no..."

Seeing Kim Ruanruan say this, Kim Taeyeon immediately softened, almost jumping away from Lin Xiuyuan's side, her footsteps light as she trotted toward the sofa, looking as excited as a little rabbit that had finally found its burrow.

Afterward, without even needing a reminder, she bent down and picked up the phone on the coffee table, her movements so fluid and seamless, as if she had repeated them countless times.

Then, clutching the phone, she sat on the single sofa to the side, her fingers skillfully swiping across the screen before pressing the phone to her ear.

Soon, a big smile bloomed on her face.

Because the call on the other end had connected, and a familiar voice came through the receiver—it was Father Kim.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan did not disturb her, but instead turned and walked toward the dining area to pull out a chair and sit down, gesturing for Kim Ruanruan over in the Living Room to come over.

Seeing this, Kim Ruanruan also left the sofa area and came to sit opposite him.

Looking at her across from him, Lin Xiuyuan asked, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity, "Actually, I'm quite curious how you had time tonight, Taeyeon. When I saw your message earlier, I was even taken aback for a moment."

He was referring to the message he saw on his phone just after returning to the Year Apartment from the Villa.

Kim Ruanruan had said she was free tonight and could meet with Kim Taeyeon, which led to the current situation.

When asked, she replied, "I wasn't originally free, but everyone has had too many individual schedules lately. Since we couldn't get everyone together, rehearsals were meaningless, so we just took a temporary break."

"Who?" Lin Xiuyuan asked casually.

His first reaction was Lin Xiaolu.

This little Bambi was currently busy with the promotion for The Heirs, and her schedule was packed to the brim.

Come to think of it, it had indeed been a while since he last saw her; he missed her, both the one from this side and the one from the year 2025.

Kim Ruanruan counted on her fingers for him as she thought, "YoonA, Xiuyan, and Zhuxian and Shun Gui all have activities, so I should be able to get a good rest these next few nights."

However, after listening, Lin Xiuyuan did not reply immediately; instead, his gaze remained fixed on her without moving away.

A moment later, his tone became a bit more serious and concerned than before, "What about you? I don't believe a leader like you could suddenly be this idle. What's going on?"

Being stared at and questioned like this, Kim Ruanruan actually smiled.

Lowering her head, she lightly drew a circle on the tabletop with her finger before answering slowly, "I'm fine, I just turned down some Variety Show resources I didn't want to participate in, so I'm not as busy anymore."

Even though Kim Ruanruan said this lightly, the weight behind it was not light at all.

It was mainly because ever since she learned about the situation in 2025, when she looked back at her 13-year-old self, she had vaguely made a decision.

That was to no longer be obsessed with using Variety Shows to pave the way for her exposure.

For an idol, exposure rate is certainly important.

But standing in a position where she could foresee the trends of the next ten years, Kim Ruanruan knew very clearly that what she ultimately wanted to leave behind would not be Variety Show footage, but her works.

And the foundation for the next ten years was right here in this man, so thinking that she no longer needed to have any worries, she immediately discarded some unnecessary exposure in exchange for time and space, so that when the time came, her works would be enough to prove herself.

She had already discussed this idea with Lin Xiuyuan and the others before.

So when Lin Xiuyuan heard her answer at this moment, he immediately understood what she meant and nodded, "Alright, as long as you've thought it through."

Then, there was a few seconds of silence between the two, but it wasn't an awkward void; it was a relaxed and comfortable silence.

Their gazes fell on each other from time to time, and from time to time, they looked toward Kim Taeyeon on the other side in unison.

In the sofa area, Kim Taeyeon was curled up in the single sofa, her legs tucked in, her whole body shrunk into the soft cushions.

Her little hand held the phone to her ear, and the smile on her face had hardly faded.

It was a kind of unreserved happiness that welled up from the bottom of her heart.

Her voice was not loud, but one could clearly hear the rise and fall of her emotions: sometimes she couldn't help but laugh out loud, and sometimes she would drag out a soft tail to her voice to call out "Appa," carrying a hint of coquettishness.

Her eyes were curved into crescents, like a small animal that had been petted, revealing a sense of relaxation after being soothed.

Looking at that face glowing with excitement and joy, Lin Xiuyuan suddenly remembered some material photos he had seen from the 2025 side.

At that time, Kim Taeyeon's face was pale, as if her spirit had been drained, her eyes as hollow as a pool of water without a ripple.

Even through a screen, even just a single photo, that state could make one feel depressed.

Yet the Kim Taeyeon before his eyes at this moment was completely different.

By comparison, one was like a withered leaf in late autumn, while the other was like a flower just blooming in early spring.

This kind of change did not only appear in her alone.

Lin Xiuyuan's thoughts drifted quite naturally to the others.

Xueli was the same.

And Goo Hara, and Krystal, and Dalongzai and Park Jiyeon.

It was precisely because of this contrast that a sense of indescribable satisfaction grew in Lin Xiuyuan's heart.

It was quite good.

Although it couldn't compare to those international-level influences, although it couldn't change the world order, and although to outsiders it might just be "women," something that couldn't be brought to the table.

But at the very least, it didn't count as wasting The Gate.

It was selfish, yes, but Lin Xiuyuan had never denied that point.

What he did was, in the final analysis, for himself.

For his own happiness, for his own comfort, for his own little selfish desires, and for that indescribable sense of achievement.

But this kind of life was indeed quite enjoyable.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuyuan glanced sideways at Kim Ruanruan's face, which still carried a bit of baby fat, and then looked toward Kim Taeyeon in the sofa area.

Two similar faces, in the same space, each doing their own thing.

The joy of twins slowly crept into his heart at this moment.

Lin Xiuyuan, whose thoughts were wandering further and further, simply leaned back against the chair, folded his arms across his chest, and the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily.

And Kim Ruanruan opposite him noticed his expression and tilted her head to look at him, "What are you smiling at, Xiuyuan?"

"Want to know?"

Hearing the voice, Lin Xiuyuan turned his gaze back to Jin Ruanruan and laughed softly.

"Mm."

Seeing Jin Ruanruan nod, a hint of anticipation flashed in Lin Xiuyuan's eyes as he extended his index finger to draw an imaginary connecting line between her and Kim Taeyeon, "I'm wondering when you two will be able to sleep in the same bed."