Chapter 480: Quan Baolan's

After ending that topic about Wendy, the atmosphere in the private room did not fall silent because of the heaviness of the past few minutes.

All three were people who understood boundaries, knowing what topics should be discussed, or at what point they should stop.

They would not keep grinding away at a question that had no answer.

So, when Lin Xiuyuan stuffed the last piece of cold crispy pork into his mouth, he picked up the bill on the table, took a look, and used his phone to pay it.

Then he said, "I'll go down and get the car first. I'll tell you when I'm ready, and you two can wait for me by the roadside downstairs."

"Why don't we go together?" Lin Yun'er said.

"Forget it, no need to stand out in the cold wind together."

After saying this, Lin Xiuyuan stood up and left the private room.

Once he walked out onto the street, a gust of cold wind hit him in the face, and he couldn't help but shrink his neck.

This was a stark contrast to the warmth inside the hot pot restaurant just a moment ago.

He then turned and walked toward where the car was parked, got in, and started the engine.

At the same time, he didn't forget to send a message to Lin Yun'er to let her know.

After receiving the message, Lin Yun'er and Kim Taeyeon stood up, put their coats back on, put on their masks and hats, and walked out of the Haidilao entrance together.

A few minutes later, they got into the car that had been waiting by the roadside and headed straight toward the Villa.

On the way, Kim Taeyeon had been curled up in the back seat scrolling through her phone, but when the car stopped at a red light, she saw a fruit shop still open on the side of the road through the front windshield.

She reached out and tapped the headrest of Lin Xiuyuan's driver's seat, calling out reflexively, "Xiuyuan, let's stop at the fruit shop up ahead."

"What's wrong?" Lin Xiuyuan thought she had something to do, so after passing the intersection, he quickly turned on the right turn signal and pulled the car over to the side of the road to park.

At this moment, Kim Taeyeon, who had opened the car door, turned back to answer him, "It's nothing, I just saw the fruit shop and wanted to buy some fruit and drinks. We haven't stayed at the Villa for so long, the fridge is probably empty, so let's stock up."

Lin Yun'er had been sitting in the passenger seat with nothing to do; seeing Kim Taeyeon get out, she shoved her phone into her pocket, pushed open the door, and hopped out too.

"Unnie, wait for me, I'll go take a look too."

Then she trotted two steps to catch up with Kim Taeyeon.

The two figures, bundled up tightly, walked side-by-side into the fruit shop; through the glass door, one could see them pointing at the shelves.

There were passersby coming and going on the roadside, but not a single person noticed the two figures inside the shop.

One was the future award-winning actress Lin Yun'er, and the other was the singer Kim Taeyeon, who had been keeping a low profile for a long time.

Inside the shop, Kim Taeyeon picked up an apple and held it up to the light to look at it, while Lin Yun'er squatted in front of the refrigerated cabinet picking out drinks; the two whispered to each other from time to time, the scene looking exceptionally ordinary and warm.

Not long after, the two walked out of the fruit shop carrying a large plastic bag.

Too lazy to open the trunk, they just put the items in the passenger seat, and Lin Yun'er and Kim Taeyeon climbed into the back seat.

Lin Xiuyuan waited until they were seated before slowly starting the car.

At the same time, he casually asked how much the fruit cost, and Kim Taeyeon gave him a number.

Upon hearing the price, his eyebrows arched slightly, and he offered his opinion, "Tsk tsk, at this price, forget it, let's buy it in Shanghai next time."

"What, think it's expensive? It's not like you're paying the bill; YoonA and I can afford the money for some fruit." Kim Taeyeon replied with a smile from the back seat.

"It's not a question of whether I can afford it, but that one should save where one can and spend where one should." Lin Xiuyuan articulated his consumer philosophy with conviction.

At the same time, he turned the steering wheel half a turn, letting the car merge smoothly into traffic, "It would only take the time of opening The Gate to save money, and over there, they can even slice it up and deliver it to the door. How convenient is that."

To Lin Xiuyuan, who possessed the Anywhere Door, since he had this convenience, not utilizing it was equivalent to waste; this was a matter of principle.

Facing this argument from Lin Xiuyuan, Lin Yun'er chimed in with a smile, "By that logic, you might as well get another house in Shanghai in 2014. The fruit prices from ten years ago must be cheaper than they are now, right?"

"YoonA, that idea of yours would definitely work in other places, but in a place like Shanghai, that's really hard to say."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan shook his head with a smile while driving.

The magical nature of Shanghai is not just talk.

The three of them chatted and laughed all the way, weaving unhurriedly through the night traffic of Seoul, and returned to the Villa.

In the Living Room of the Villa, the three of them curled up on the large sofa and chatted until late into the night.

When the time was about right, Lin Xiuyuan opened The Gate to send Lin Yun'er back to her Apartment.

Then he turned back to the Villa, taking Kim Taeyeon back to her place to stay the night.

The next day, Lin Xiuyuan slept until he woke up naturally.

By the time he woke up, Kim Taeyeon had already been busy in the Kitchen for a long time, making two brunch portions that looked quite appetizing.

Scrambled eggs, fried bacon, toasted bread, plus some fruit salad, laid out across the whole table.

While eating slowly, Kim Taeyeon complained to Lin Xiuyuan about how ridiculous the script for a certain Variety Show was, which made her very impatient.

He listened while eating, occasionally chiming in to agree, the atmosphere as relaxed as if they were spending the weekend.

After finishing lunch, Lin Xiuyuan helped Kim Taeyeon tidy up the table, then said his goodbyes and returned to the 2014 Apartment.

Back here, the first thing he did was pull out a backpack and start packing.

A few changes of clothes, a charger, a passport, and a wallet.

Once done, he put on his backpack, went downstairs to hail a taxi, and headed straight for Incheon Airport again.

However, this time he wasn't going to pick anyone up, but was taking a flight to Tokyo himself.

After all, he had already agreed with Baolan to go see the house in Nihon, and he had already set a meeting time with the agent there; the date was within these two days.

Thinking of how Baolan had arranged everything for him perfectly, and how she had been the one helping him coordinate with the agent, he couldn't stand her up after she had put in so much effort.

Facing this "legal loli" who was helping him everywhere she could, Lin Xiuyuan was truly grateful, so he took this house-viewing trip very seriously and set off from Seoul right on time.

The few hours of flight time passed quickly between closing his eyes for a nap and flipping through a few pages of a magazine.

As night approached, the plane landed steadily on the runway at Haneda Airport.

The lights in the cabin came back on; Lin Xiuyuan stood up from his seat, pulled his backpack from the overhead bin, slung it over his shoulder, and walked slowly off the plane with the crowd.

As he walked, he switched his phone back from airplane mode, called the agent to confirm the time and place for tomorrow's meeting, and then hung up.

And thinking that he didn't need to see anyone tonight, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't be bothered to go through the trouble of hailing a taxi.

He tightened the shoulder straps of his backpack, followed the signs in the airport to the subway station, bought a ticket, and took the subway, swaying leisurely toward the city center.

There weren't too many people on the Tokyo subway at this time of day; a few office workers who had just finished their shifts were scattered throughout the carriage, some looking down at their phones, others leaning against the seats with their eyes closed in a light slumber.

The carriage was so quiet that only the rhythmic sound of the tracks and the occasional station announcement could be heard.

Lin Xiuyuan got off at Ginza, found a hotel nearby that looked decent, and completed the check-in process at the front desk.

He didn't plan on going out for dinner, so he called room service, ordered a bowl of noodle soup to fill his stomach, and then lay on the bed to play on his phone.

He flirted with Lin Xiaolu and the others on one side, chatted with Quan Baolan, Li Juli, and the rest on the other, and once his eyelids grew heavy with sleep, he plugged his phone in to charge and fell fast asleep.

Just like that, another night passed.

The next morning, Lin Xiuyuan was woken up by the sunlight leaking through the gap in the curtains.

He got up and washed up.

After getting everything ready, he pushed open the door and went downstairs, intending to go out and see what there was for Breakfast nearby, and while he was at it, wander around the Ginza area before meeting up with the agent when the time was right.

But just as he stepped out of the Elevator and reached the center of the lobby, his pace suddenly slowed, and then he stopped.

His gaze fell on the sofa area to one side of the lobby.

Several sets of dark gray fabric sofas and a rectangular glass coffee table were arranged there.

And sitting on one of the sofas was a small, very familiar figure.

The person was wearing an oversized, light beige hoodie, a dark pleated skirt underneath, and a pair of small ankle boots on their feet, looking even more petite as they sank into the sofa.

An open magazine was spread across their lap, and they were looking at it quietly with their head lowered; a few stray locks of hair slipped from behind their ear, blocking half of their profile.

Lin Xiuyuan stood where he was and blinked, confirming he hadn't mistaken the person.

That figure, that profile, that serious expression with slightly furrowed brows while reading the magazine—who else could it be but Quan Baolan?

A question mark flashed rapidly through his mind.

Namely, how could Quan Baolan appear on a sofa in this hotel in Ginza, Tokyo? Wasn't she in Osaka?

But soon, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't be bothered to think about it; a smile of amusement appeared on his face, and he strode toward the sofa area.

When he got close enough, he circled behind the sofa and didn't stop until he was right behind Quan Baolan.

Then he leaned over and blurted out behind her head, "Wow, Baolan, this way of waiting for someone is too romantic, it's just like an Idol drama. I'm truly touched; have you taken a fancy to me?"

The voice that suddenly rang out behind her made Quan Baolan shudder all over.

The magazine in her hands slipped from her knees onto the floor with a thud, her shoulders hunched up sharply, and then her little head turned around quickly.

A few stray locks of hair flew up from the sudden turn, blocking half of her face.

Once she saw Lin Xiuyuan standing behind her with a bright smile, her expression shifted from shock to a mix of annoyance and amusement.

And after hearing that string of incredibly narcissistic teasing from Lin Xiuyuan, she sprang directly up from the sofa.

She first glared at him, then couldn't hold it in anymore, and let out a laugh, saying, "What is this? What romance? What 'taken a fancy'? Xiuyuan, sometimes you really are asking for a beating."

"Then how did you suddenly flash over here? When I was chatting with Enjing and the others last night, weren't you all still in Osaka?" Lin Xiuyuan laughed along.

Opposite him, Quan Baolan bent down to pick up the magazine that had fallen to the floor, closed it, and put it back on the coffee table, while also smoothing out her skirt.

Only then did she explain, "Because the team's work is mostly finished. What's left is rehearsals and some individual interviews. I happened to have nothing to do these past two days, and thinking you were going to look at houses, I just came over to take a look together. If there's a suitable one, I'll buy one for investment too."

Quan Baolan's explanation was very far-fetched—so far-fetched that even Lin Xiuyuan could tell, but he didn't call her out on it, his smile just becoming a bit more knowing.

He then naturally reached out and picked up the small bag Quan Baolan had placed on the floor beside the sofa.

It was a very small crossbody bag, weighing almost nothing in his hand, with a round panda charm hanging from it—the same style as the one on her bag when he first met Quan Baolan.

"Since that's the case, let's go. Let's go out and get something to eat together. By the way, when did you arrive?"

As Lin Xiuyuan spoke, he had already taken the lead and started walking toward the hotel entrance.

Behind him, Quan Baolan followed with small, quick steps, her ankle boots making a *tap-tap-tap* sound, the rhythm fast and light.

Once she was side-by-side with Lin Xiuyuan, she answered his question, "I arrived last night, but I thought it was too late, so I didn't tell you."

"No wonder. I was wondering why you were asking me if I was up and when I was leaving first thing in the morning," Lin Xiuyuan laughed in realization.

He had been so sleepy he couldn't even open his eyes, so he replied without thinking, assuming the agent had asked her to confirm the time; he never imagined she was already waiting here in person.

Quan Baolan laughed when she heard this, but she muttered with a hint of dissatisfaction, "I was thinking of giving you a scare, but I ended up getting scared by you instead. No fun."

"Hahaha, let's go, let's go."

One could tell that this laughter was very happy.

After leaving the hotel, Lin Xiuyuan took Quan Baolan to a fusion-style Breakfast shop nearby and they sat down.

They each ordered a simple set meal and discussed their house-hunting route and schedule while they ate.

After chatting for a while, they pulled up the information on the properties the agent had sent earlier on their phones and discussed which one to visit first and which one to visit later while looking at a map.

Once they finished breakfast, the two of them left the shop and walked back to the hotel.

By this time, the agent they had made an appointment with yesterday had already arrived at the hotel.

He was a middle-aged Japanese man in a dark blue suit carrying a briefcase; he looked very professional, standing by the front desk and waiting in a well-behaved manner.

When he saw Lin Xiuyuan and Quan Baolan walk in together.

He quickly stepped forward to greet them, gave a standard forty-five-degree bow, and handed over his business card with both hands.

Then, he confirmed today's house-hunting schedule with Lin Xiuyuan in fluent English, albeit with a distinct Japanese accent.

He spoke at a steady pace, confirming every detail carefully, and would occasionally turn his head to acknowledge Quan Baolan's presence.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and confirmation, the three of them didn't linger and got into the business car they had already booked.

The car headed south, straight toward Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture.