Chapter 90: The Female Lead's

Looking at the young team leader before him, Lin Xiuyuan had to say that this thing called plastic surgery has really ruined quite a few idols.

Their facial features were quite good to begin with, but because of company requirements, they had to go and get some "minor adjustments."

As it turned out, the minor adjustments didn't make those idols stand out more; instead, they became a point of no return toward full-face plastic surgery.

What's worse is that this kind of change can be addictive; to put it bluntly, it's no different from electronic opium.

But having said that, even with some deviations, this person's appearance is still online, still able to fight and endure.

It's just that the natural baby fat from 2013 is gone, as is the aura and approachability of that time.

But apart from that, that white-as-snow skin with a rosy glow is this person's ultimate killer move.

Just as Lin Xiuyuan was thinking these things, Lin Yun'er over there had finished chatting with Kim Taeyeon and turned to introduce him, "Unnie, let me introduce you. This is Lin Xiuyuan, a Tavern owner."

Kim Taeyeon's gaze naturally landed on this young man.

At first glance, she noticed his youth. That sense of age, having just passed twenty and still carrying a bit of greenness, seemed to permeate his whole being with the breath of early summer—clean and vigorous.

Looking again, his youthful aura was extremely strong.

Under the sunlight, he wore a simple sports top and sneakers, his skin was fair, his features were clear, and a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.

But what truly made Kim Taeyeon slightly stunned was his eyes.

They were not the common round almond eyes or the single-lidded eyes of a boy, but rather the extremely rare phoenix eyes on the Peninsula—a term she had learned from the internet.

The corners of his eyes were slightly upturned, his lashes were thick, and they carried a natural heroic spirit and sharpness.

Yet, because of his youthful aura, they didn't appear fierce; instead, they had a bit more of a restrained and clean quality.

Good, very good, very good indeed.

A good first impression made Kim Taeyeon take the initiative to reach out her small hand toward Lin Xiuyuan, "Hello, nice to meet you, Boss Lin."

Lin Xiuyuan, who had been looking at her, also nodded slightly, reached out to shake her hand briefly before letting go, his voice refreshing, "Hello, Captain Kim Taeyeon."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear, like the first glass of lemon sparkling water on an early summer morning.

Combined with the title that touched her heart the most, it gave Kim Taeyeon a refreshing sense of comfort, and she then looked at Lin Yun'er and smiled.

"Captain, haha, I like this title. YoonA, did you hear that? I am still the captain of Girls' Generation."

Lin Yun'er behind her smiled slightly, "Nae, Unnie, I am also Lin Yun'er of Girls' Generation."

And when Kim Taeyeon turned back to look at Lin Xiuyuan again, the favor in her eyes was already obvious.

Although it hadn't reached the level of being "captured by a puppy-like boy," she had to admit that the temperament of the young man in front of her was clean enough to make one feel comfortable, and even a bit special.

After a simple introduction, the group found seats and sat down.

However, with Kim Taeyeon's addition, Lin Xiuyuan very "self-consciously" gave up his spot and picked up a club to practice on the side.

Two people plus himself can act as a seasoning.

But three makes a crowd; having one extra person is a bit of an eyesore, and he understood that much.

After he left, the topic of the three beauties unconsciously drifted to him, initiated by Kim Taeyeon.

"YoonA, where did you meet this young boy? He's really young."

Because this age was just right; any younger and he would be one of those teenagers.

That age, for Kim Taeyeon and the others, was basically just a child, and they wouldn't even have the interest to chat.

Facing Kim Taeyeon's curiosity, Lin Yun'er looked at Li Juli beside her, "I actually met him even later than Juli Unnie did."

"But if you really want to know how we met, it was through an introduction from Xiujing."

"Xiujing?"

Kim Taeyeon, who hadn't heard that name in a long time, had her eyes soften slightly.

Unlike Lin Yun'er, as a singer, she rarely had the opportunity to be at the same event as Krystal, who was an actress.

So compared to Lin Yun'er, who still had some chances to meet Krystal, Kim Taeyeon's chances were almost zero, so naturally, she hadn't heard of her in a long time, let alone seen her.

"Yeah, Xiuyuan opened a Small Tavern, a Membership System one. The drinks he mixes have a very unique taste, and it's a private space where no one bothers you. You can go sit there when you have time, but the prerequisite is that he agrees; otherwise, you can't even get through The Gate."

Regarding Lin Yun'er's statement, Kim Taeyeon's first reaction was, "Can't I just use my face to get in?"

Hearing this, Li Juli immediately looked at Lin Yun'er, who laughed loudly, "Hahaha, Unnie, I thought the same thing at first, but he doesn't recognize faces; he uses iris and fingerprint scanning."

"Hmm~ then that's impressive."

Kim Taeyeon raised her "non-existent" eyebrows and tilted her head slightly.

Her gaze crossed Lin Yun'er's shoulder and looked at Lin Xiuyuan, who was preparing to swing his club not far away.

Watching the young man standing in front of the ball position, the sunlight slanted down. In the moment he lowered his head to gaze at the ball, the stray hair on his forehead swayed slightly in the wind, and his facial contours were outlined cleanly and distinctly by the light and shadow.

The next second, he exhaled lightly and raised his club to swing.

"Thump—!"

A crisp sound of hitting the ball rang out; the moment the club made contact with the ball was clean and decisive, and the little white ball flew out along a beautiful arc.

Kim Taeyeon, squinting her eyes, watched the ball land, then slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

He really is a puppy-like boy; watching him made her feel like her own mindset had become a bit younger.

So after Lin Xiuyuan swung a few more times, Kim Taeyeon also got the feeling, and feeling a bit restless, she said, "Since I'm already here, YoonA, will you teach me how to play?"

"Ah, Unnie, I was taught by Juli Unnie too. Why don't you let her teach you?"

Lin Yun'er hadn't even finished her own training yet, so how could she teach someone else? She hurriedly waved her hands to pass the buck and pushed Li Juli out.

After Kim Taeyeon thanked her softly, she began her rare first golf experience under Li Juli's guidance.

Seeing Kim Taeyeon start playing, Lin Yun'er also became interested, so she came to Lin Xiuyuan's side, watched him swing twice, and asked, "Xiuyuan, you picked this up so quickly, do you have any tips?"

Facing Lin Yun'er's question, Lin Xiuyuan's answer made her even more frustrated, "I don't know. I think as long as your eye is accurate and your hand is steady, that's enough. As for the rest, like coordinating your waist, it just comes after swinging the club a few more times."

Lin Yun'er chuckled, "Then what if both of those don't work?"

"Then you can only make up for your clumsiness with diligence," Lin Xiuyuan laughed along.

"That sentence makes me want to hit someone."

However, what neither Lin Dajun nor Lin Xiuyuan in 2025 knew was that in that parallel timeline of 2013, the young Lin Xiaolu was truly "making up for her lack of talent with diligence."

Last night, she repeatedly pondered the details of the emotional changes mentioned in the video, and she didn't rest well all night.

Today, after parting ways with Lin Xiuyuan, she returned alone to the master bedroom of her Apartment, facing the camera on her vanity, trying time and time again to grasp the rhythm of a crying scene.

She wasn't idle while eating either; while chewing her food, her mind was entirely on the progression of emotions and the details of her gaze.

It wasn't until a call came in; it was her manager.

"Hello, oppa

~"

"YoonA, where are you?" The voice on the other end was somewhat urgent.

Lin Yun'er replied, "I'm here at my own Apartment."

"Alright, hurry up and change your clothes and come down; I'm coming to pick you up now."

Lin Yun'er was a bit puzzled; she didn't quite understand her manager's anxiety, "Where are we going, oppa?"

She thought this was just another last-minute schedule arrangement, nothing more than filling a gap for someone else or some schedule that the company's minor executives had privately squeezed out of them for profit.

Unexpectedly, the other side threw out an unexpected surprise, "Agent Choi told me that Screenwriter Jin Enshu is free this afternoon,

and she has already booked a time for you; we can go directly to meet her and talk about the script and the role."

As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Yun'er rose abruptly from her seat, "Really? Oppa, don't lie to me."

"Why would I lie to you? Hurry up and change your clothes and come down; I'm driving over now."

After saying this, the manager seemed a bit excited too, and added, "YoonA, I heard the script is school-themed, so try to dress a bit more youthful."

"Got it, oppa."

After hanging up, she returned to her room and glanced at her wardrobe, murmuring to herself, "School-themed... a bit more youthful..."

In the end, she chose a white shirt with light blue plaid, paired with a high-waisted denim A-line skirt that fell just to her knees, and matched it with a pair of white canvas shoes.

Finally, she threw an off-white knitted cardigan over it; the overall style was simple and fresh, yet exuded the liveliness of a female college student—perfect.

In less than twenty minutes, Lin Yun'er went downstairs and sat in her manager's car, speeding all the way to a low-key yet imposing office building in Cheongdam-dong.

After the car came to a steady stop, the manager looked back at her: "Are you ready?"

Lin Yun'er smiled slightly at him, "Don't worry, oppa, I will succeed."

Upstairs, in a tastefully decorated reception room filled with the fragrance of tea.

That Screenwriter Jin Enshu, famous throughout the Peninsula, was sitting beside a low tea table, dressed in plain colors, with a thick script placed in front of her.

The gaze beneath her glasses was calm, and her expression carried her usual decisiveness and composure.

"Chief, YoonA is here," the assistant whispered.

"Let her in."

Jin Enshu looked up, her voice gentle.

Soon, Lin Yun'er followed her manager into the reception room and gave a light bow to this great senior.

And the moment she stepped into the room, Jin Enshu's gaze paused on her for a second.

Her attire was clearly well-thought-out, appropriate and stylish.

With a fresh face and a tall, upright figure, as the visual of a girl group, she indeed had the capital to look good on camera, and she didn't lack a youthful, lively feel.

However, compared to looks, she preferred acting skills.

Besides, if she had to choose between looks and acting, the "Nation's First Love" Pei Xiuzhi, who became an overnight sensation last year, seemed to have more spirit than the one before her.

Meeting her this time was merely to fulfill a favor for the other party's company.

Thinking of this, the interest in Jin Enshu's eyes faded slightly, and she turned to look at the manager, "Hello, could you let me and YoonA-i talk alone for a while?"

"Of course."

The manager nodded in acknowledgment, quietly cast a "fighting" look at Lin Yun'er, and exited the reception room.

Once the door closed, Jin Enshu pointed to the sofa opposite her, "Sit."

"Hello, Senior Jin Enshu."

Lin Yun'er sat down, her tone carrying a hint of nervous respect.

Jin Enshu didn't make much small talk; she opened the script in front of her and went straight to the point, "To be honest, I already have a candidate in mind for the female lead of this drama, but your company highly recommended you, so I am willing to give you a chance."

Lin Yun'er nodded, suppressing the anxiety in her heart, and did not interrupt.

"I have watched some of the dramas you've acted in, YoonA-i; you do have potential. But as of now, you don't quite fit this drama of mine."

Saying this, Jin Enshu flipped through a few pages of the script, frowning slightly in a dilemma.

"However, since you're here, I can't let you leave empty-handed. Let's not waste each other's time; just perform a segment.

The female lead in my drama has many crying scenes; just give me a crying scene."

A crying scene!!!

This prompt made Lin Yun'er shudder; her mind suddenly thought of Lin Xiuyuan, thought of yesterday's video guidance, then she adjusted her emotions as quickly as possible, looked at Jin Enshu and asked, "Senior Jin Enshu, may I ask if there is a specific scene?"

"No need, just perform what you are most familiar with," Jin Enshu said in a flat tone, clearly not holding high expectations.

Lin Yun'er took a light breath, closed her eyes, and adjusted her breathing and state of mind.

But the more nervous a person is, the more chaotic their thoughts become.

The more nervous she was, the noisier the static in her mind became. She tried to force herself into the state, but found her emotions stiff and her eyes hollow; she was like a taut bow, becoming increasingly unnatural.

Seeing this, Jin Enshu sighed silently.

Just as she was about to call a stop, Lin Yun'er realized something was wrong, and a conversation she had with Lin Xiuyuan yesterday morning suddenly flashed through her mind.

"Lin Xiuyuan, what do you think is the most important thing for a crying scene?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Just chatting."

"If I had to say, in my opinion, the sudden amount of tears is not the key. What truly moves people is the three seconds of restraint before the tears fall, that moment of trying hard not to cry but collapsing anyway—"

"That makes so much sense, but how do I capture that emotion?"

"YoonA, let me give you a hypothetical scenario."

"What is it?"

"If one day, Zheng Xiuyan left Girls' Generation, your Girls' Generation disbanded leaving only the nine of you, and then you performed 'Into the New World' on the stage of your dreams, the Tokyo Dome, what would you feel?"

Think, try hard to think.

"If that's not enough, I have even more miserable stories to tell you."

That hypothesis struck the deepest, softest part of her heart, catching her off guard.

The emergence of these words in her mind made Lin Yun'er quietly close her eyes before Jin Enshu spoke, no longer forcing herself to shed tears.

She began to regulate her breathing and switch her emotions.

Three seconds later, Lin Chong'er opened her eyes again.

She did not start performing immediately, nor did she burst into tears right away; instead, she slowly lowered her head, as if she had just received devastating news.

Sitting on the sofa, she leaned forward slightly, her hands clasped over her knees, her knuckles white from gripping tightly.

Jin Enshu, who had thought there was no hope, suddenly began to observe the changes in Lin Yun'er's expression with great interest, as if she had discovered an unexpected delight.

One could see Lin Yun'er's throat trembling slightly, yet she held back from making a sound, and her breathing began to grow erratic.

Accompanied by the phrase "Actually, what truly moves people in a crying scene is not 'crying well,' but 'crying truly,'" she began to construct that hypothetical scenario.

The stage lights were dim, and the sound of electricity from the speakers on stage crackled with a "buzz."

She stood in a line on stage with Taeyeon, Yuri, Xiuying, Seohyun, Sunny, Tiffany, Xiaoyuan, and the others.

But in this team that had always been perfectly aligned, this time, Zheng Xiuyan alone was missing, not among them.

Perhaps, from now on, she would never be there again.

Then, the melody of "Into the New World" slowly began to play.

The familiar intro was like a time machine, pulling her back to that heart-fluttering summer of 2007 when they first debuted.

Back then, they wore matching white dresses, their smiles pure and without impurities, like a girls' paradise that would never end.

But what about now?

The camera panned across; among the people standing in a row on stage, there was a gap, appearing exceptionally abrupt.

She looked down at the sea of light sticks below the stage; there were still people holding up that poster of the nine of them, but the colors were already slightly mottled, as time had left its mark.

And so, it felt as if a huge void had been gouged out of her heart.

She tried to sing the first line of lyrics with a smile, but her vocal cords trembled, and that familiar melody felt like a blade, slicing across her heart one cut at a time.

She saw Taeyeon unnie's eyes turn red, Sunny unnie choking back sobs, and even the usually strongest unnie turned her head, trying hard to maintain her smile.

Under this hypothetical emotion, a certain nerve inside the real-life Lin Yun'er suddenly snapped.

Sitting in front of Jin Enshu, she stared into the void with hollow eyes, her lips trembling slightly.

The tears had not yet fallen, but that suppressed emotional fluctuation was already so intense it was about to overflow, and in a voice so faint it was almost inaudible, she whispered tremblingly: "I really thought we could keep going forever."

Finally, at this moment when the emotion was brewed to its deepest, her eyes welled up with light.

Immediately after, tears slid silently down the corners of her eyes.

It wasn't just one drop, but tears forming a line, silently sliding down her cheeks; opposite her, Jin Enshu's eyes behind her lenses gradually narrowed, her expression shifting from cold observation to invested scrutiny.

Lin Yun'er on the sofa did not wipe away the tears on her cheeks, nor did she show the struggle of "I am going to cry."

It was just that the emotion, accumulated for too long and finally unable to be borne, spilled out like a broken dam.

She remained in her seated position, body leaning forward, but her shoulders were trembling slightly from the sobbing.

That heartbreaking moment seemed to be replaying in her mind over and over again.

Finally, she opened her mouth slightly, her voice so hoarse it was almost unintelligible.

"Can you... not leave?"

At this moment, she was no longer Lin Yun'er.

She was that girl who smiled while singing on stage, yet shed tears silently under the spotlight.

Opposite her, Jin Enshu remained silent, her expression complex.

At this moment, she knew she had misjudged this girl.

It wasn't that the other party couldn't act, but that no one had ever taught her how to "act for real."

Completely immersed in the emotion, Lin Yun'er slowly raised her head after a dozen seconds, looking at Jin Enshu with a slightly dazed expression.

She asked softly, "Is that enough, Senior?"

The air was silent for several seconds.

Jin Enshu slowly closed the script, tapped the cover with her knuckles, and took a deep breath before saying a word.

"I'll give you two months to improve your acting skills, and I will re-evaluate you in two months. If you can still have a performance like today's by then, this role is yours."

Lin Yun'er was stunned, looking at the other party in disbelief; the tears in her eyes had not yet faded, but a hint of shock appeared.

"By the way," Jin Enshu said lightly, "if possible, correct your leg posture."

Actually, if the female lead of this drama were this girl before her, the combination of her looks and the male lead's would be an unexpected bonus.

A beautiful and moving female lead paired with a tall and handsome male lead. With such a combination, who wouldn't be moved?

It was hard to come by before, and now she hadn't expected to encounter such an unexpected delight.

And if she could really train Lin Yun'er, for her, or for this drama, it would be an excellent promotional effect.

After all, Jin Enshu was also quite fond of the story of the Bole and the thousand-li horse.