Chapter 54: 53

Inside the tavern.

Upon hearing Xian Enjing's shout, Lin Xiuyuan behind the bar suddenly looked up.

And his reaction also drew a speechless expression from Krystal. "Whoa, hey, Lin Xiuyuan, you really are a bit too realistic."

"No, I'm just curious about how much the change is."

Lin Xiuyuan's voice dropped much lower, not knowing if he was afraid of some secret being exposed, or afraid of his XP being exposed completely.

Krystal, who snorted coldly, didn't talk nonsense with him, got up and went out with Xian Enjing to find Park Jiyeon, because that big dragon cub couldn't find this tavern.

And with the departure of the shield Krystal, Lin Xiuyuan behind the bar instantly became the focus of everyone's attention in the tavern.

The eyes of Jessica, Jennie, and Pei Xiuzhi kept staring at him repeatedly.

Soon, Pei Xiuzhi got up with a smile and sat on the high stool at the bar. "Lin Xiuyuan-xi, you don't seem to want to get to know us."

"No, I was just suddenly seeing so many beauties, and for a moment I didn't react, too shocked."

Regarding Pei Xiuzhi's 'accusation', how could Lin Xiuyuan dare to admit it? He had less experience, but that didn't mean his EQ or IQ was low.

Pei Xiuzhi, after hearing the answer, smiled. "Oh, so that means Xiujing doesn't count as a beauty."

"That's not what I meant, just saying... it's just that there are too many, the kind that dazzles the eyes."

He, who was being stared at until he felt a bit creeped out, frowned slightly, lowered his head, and scratched the tip of his nose.

Then he picked up the gin beside him, intending to borrow bartending to cover up his embarrassment.

"Oh, I understand."

Pei Xiuzhi looked at his dodging little eyes and smiled even more brightly. She suddenly realized that teasing this kind of slightly timid little boy was much more interesting than listening to those greasy handsome guys say sweet words.

"By the way, I'm older than you, should I be your Noona?"

After seeing Lin Xiuyuan nod, she smiled again. "Then can I call you by your name?"

"Of course you can, but I'm not very used to the honorifics and rules here, as long as you don't mind."

"It's fine, you can just call me Xiuzhi, I don't like others calling me Noona either."

Among women over thirty, there are few who don't care about age, even if they say they don't care on their lips, but just look at whether they maintain it or not.

And as an artist and actor, Pei Xiuzhi goes without saying.

However, before that, she had one small question. "By the way, how do you call Xiujing?"

"Krystal?"

"Krystal~ You call her by her English name directly." Pei Xiuzhi was slightly surprised.

"Mm."

On the sofa, Jennie quietly leaned over to Jessica. "Unnie, look at that Senior Xiuzhi, she seems to be interested in this handsome guy. It seems that the rumors in the circle are not groundless."

Jessica, who was looking at her phone, looked up and glanced over there, then quickly moved her gaze back. "Probably not. She's probably just playing around out of boredom. With her current status, she's long past the period of 'eating roadside grass' casually."

"Mm." Jennie nodded, deeply agreeing.

At this time, Krystal and Xian Enjing, who had gone out to find people, finally returned to the tavern.

Following the two was the Tara youngest member who had just divorced, Park Jiyeon.

She was wearing a black sleeveless top with a clean cut, slim but not tight, the neckline slightly open, revealing her collarbone and shoulder line, revealing sexiness in her capability.

She wore an off-white lightweight suit jacket draped over her shoulders, carrying a modern aura after experiencing the wind and rain.

As soon as she entered, Krystal brought her to the bar and introduced her with a smile. "Come, Jiyeon, let me introduce you to the owner of this tavern—Lin Xiuyuan."

"Hello."

Park Jiyeon's makeup today was light, with less of the strong oppression in front of the camera, and a bit more of the gentleness of a bare face.

It was just that an inadvertent curl of her lips seemed to carry sarcasm or self-deprecation, while also showing the cold beauty in her bones.

The 'cold beauty' she was now was already a different person from the 'flame' that was high-pressure, high-temperature, and radiant in 2013.

One seemed like a high-temperature flame, while the other seemed like embers after being extinguished.

Looking at the big dragon cub who didn't seem to have changed much compared to the little dragon cub in 2013, Lin Xiuyuan also hurriedly nodded politely. "Hello, I didn't expect to see you here again, I'm your fan."

Huh?

Krystal, who didn't expect Lin Xiuyuan to say this, widened her eyes suddenly, and even the others cast their gazes over.

Only Park Jiyeon was still a bit confused, thinking Lin Xiuyuan was saying polite words, so she smiled shallowly. "Thank you, then do you want me to give you an autograph?"

Not expecting such a smooth development, Lin Xiuyuan was a bit surprised for a moment, so he swallowed the words he still wanted to say.

Then, under Krystal's gaze, in Park Jiyeon's confusion, and in the curious eyes of Pei Xiuzhi and Xian Enjing, he squatted down and took out a booklet from under the counter.

Looking at Park Jiyeon, his smile was as warm as the sun. "Of course, I thought you wouldn't remember me."

Huh??

Krystal, who was about to react, finally understood this guy's idea after looking down at the 'fan booklet' Lin Xiuyuan opened.

So she bit her back teeth slightly, listening to the other party continue. "I was your fan more than ten years ago, but I was too young at the time to follow you, I didn't expect to be able to complete my star-chasing journey here this time."

On the sofa.

Jessica, awakened by specific vocabulary, looked up suddenly, her gaze looking at the group gathered at the bar.

This rhetoric... so familiar.

She seemed to have just heard it somewhere recently.

And at this moment, Park Jiyeon was flipping through this "fan booklet" page by page.

Inside were all her photos from more than ten years ago, with autographs, To's, and quite a few Polaroids of her in private clothes indoors.

There were practice rooms, dormitories, and shops where she drank afternoon tea outside.

She remembered all these, but only didn't remember this 'fan' in front of her.

And what shocked her and everyone present the most was the last page—a marriage certificate.

On it was clearly written her Park Jiyeon's signature and fingerprint.

"Daebak~"

"My god."

Compared to Park Jiyeon's disbelief, and the dumbfoundedness of Pei Xiuzhi and Xian Enjing, Krystal glared fiercely at Lin Xiuyuan.

You're doing this again??

"Jiyeon, are you sure this is okay?"

"Definitely okay, as long as my brain hasn't been changed, she definitely won't be able to see through the truth or falsehood."

"But I was exposed when I fooled Krystal and the others before."

"That's because you were too anxious, Oppa. Haste makes waste, you have to wait for her to come to you."

"And then? These things can at most make her laugh."

"Oppa, you don't understand how important fans are to me. If I find a fan who has liked me for decades, no need to think, the first impression will definitely be explosive."

"Mm?"

"Believe me, Oppa, I am also Park Jiyeon."

"The last person who said that to me was Zheng Xiuyan."

"Ah, Oppa, the simplest method is the most effective. That old woman will never think of parallel space-time no matter what."

"..."

"Jiyeon, you really are ruthless to yourself."

... ===== CHAPTER 55 =====