Chapter 132: Im Yoon Ah’s Mischievous Grin
In a small tavern in 2013.
After a few Cantonese songs finished playing, with Lin Xiuyuan’s tacit approval, Kim Tae Yeon put on a vinyl record by Tatsuro Yamashita from the eighties. The melody was light and the rhythm was soothing, making the entire space seem to become lazy and comfortable.
Having finished everything, Kim Tae Yeon smiled and sat back down, handing the empty cup she had finished to the other person, “Boss Lin, another one.”
“Aren’t you drinking a bit too much?”
Lin Xiuyuan, taking the cup, smiled, but his hands didn’t stop.
Kim Tae Yeon wrinkled her nose and casually retorted, “It’s not like Sulli drinking, it’s fine, right?”
She then glanced at the vinyl wall covered with record sleeves, “But you don’t have many records here, so many classics are missing, what a shame.”
“This place hasn’t been open for long. I just casually picked up those records from a few shops. I’ll go look for more interesting ones when I have time.”
Lin Xiuyuan replied with a smile while bartending, then pushed the mixed drink over, “Of course, if you find any good, classic ones, bring some back for me, just remember to have Sulli pay for them.”
Park Ji-yeon, who was sipping her wine, was suddenly stunned and about to retort.
But upon seeing Lin Xiuyuan’s smile, she let out a cold snort, “Are you talking to Tae Yeon, or are you specifically asking me to buy records for you?”
“If you understand it that way, then that’s great, it saves me the trouble of bothering Tae Yeon.”
Lin Xiuyuan smiled frankly.
Kim Tae Yeon beside them also laughed heartily.
After a few drinks and a few records, time quietly slipped past to ten o’clock in the evening.
It was late at night, and Jung Soo Yeon, after a few cocktails, tapped the bar counter, drawing the attention of the two increasingly excited people, “Alright, let’s call it a night for now. It’s getting late, Tae Yeon.”
“Ah, what time is it?”
Kim Tae Yeon, who was chatting happily with Lin Xiuyuan, was a little surprised and even reluctant to leave, wanting to talk all night.
This guy really suited her taste. Whenever she talked about something, he could always quickly grasp her train of thought and offer a concise summary.
Kim Tae Yeon had always dismissed the idea of soulmates.
It wasn’t until she met Lin Xiuyuan today that she realized such people actually existed.
“It’s past ten o’clock in the evening, we should go back. We have a photo shoot tomorrow, so we need to wake up early.”
Although Jung Soo Yeon had a few drinks, she was still lucid, only her eyelids felt a bit heavy.
Upon hearing the reply, Kim Tae Yeon also knew the importance of the situation. She nodded slightly and looked at Lin Xiuyuan, “Then Xiuyuan, we’ll talk again next time. Come, let’s exchange contact information.”
In all these years, this was the first time she had proactively added a male acquaintance’s contact information.
Jung Soo Yeon raised an eyebrow and said nothing. Only after they exchanged contact details did she glare fiercely at Lin Xiuyuan, “Happy now? Let’s go.”
As she got up, she couldn’t resist teasing Kim Tae Yeon, “Tae Yeon, seriously, have you considered my previous offer? It’s normal for a captain to discipline a member, and then you can come here and play anytime as a member.”
Kim Tae Yeon simply smiled, saying nothing this time. She waved goodbye to Lin Xiuyuan and then pulled Jung Soo Yeon out of the tavern.
Lin Xiuyuan escorted them to the residential area parking lot and returned to the tavern after watching their car drive away, tidied up, and then returned to his apartment.
He then went to the villa in 2025, replied to a few messages from Big Dragon Cub and Krystal, and then, very rarely, returned to the 2013 apartment and slept there for a night.
The reason was simple: Park Ji-yeon and Sulli had contacted him in the group chat, saying they had something to discuss the next day and asked him to come over early.
So he decided not to bother and stayed nearby.
Anyway, this apartment was fully equipped, he just rarely used it.
Around ten o’clock the next morning, Lin Xiuyuan was woken up by a phone ringing.
“Hello~”
Groggily grabbing his phone to answer, he heard a voice on the other end with a hint of surprise, “Wow, oppa, you didn’t come over to rest last night…”
After opening his eyes and looking at the caller ID, Lin Xiuyuan closed his eyes again and said, “Yeah, you guys asked me to come, so I was too lazy to go back. Did you want me to come this early?”
“No, I’m going to pick up Jinjin now. Oppa, do you want to eat breakfast? I’ll buy it for you after I pick her up.”
“Soy milk and fried dough sticks,” Lin Xiuyuan thought about Park Ji-yeon’s question. “Also, don’t go to the tavern, just come up to my apartment. I’m too lazy to go downstairs.”
“Okay, then oppa, you sleep. We’ll let ourselves in when we arrive.”
“Mhm.”
After the call ended, he rolled over and went back to sleep.
About half an hour later, the apartment’s password lock beeped, and two figures quietly pushed the door open and entered.
The two girls, wearing hats and masks, took them off as they walked. Sulli chuckled and whispered, “Oppa really hasn’t woken up yet.”
“It’s rare for oppa to stay here today,” Park Ji-yeon also laughed. “It’s probably because we called him last night. If we hadn’t, with oppa’s sleep quality, he’d probably sleep until noon.”
Looking at the somewhat desolate apartment, Sulli suddenly squatted down and touched the shoe cabinet at the entrance. “Eh, it’s so dirty.”
“Haven’t you hired a cleaner for a few days?” she turned to Park Ji-yeon.
Park Ji-yeon also checked the sofa, which was quite clean. “The aunt probably slacked off.”
“Let’s get some water and help wipe it down,” Sulli suggested.
And so, the two girls, with nothing else to do, began cleaning the room.
When Lin Xiuyuan was finally woken by the clatter from the living room, he opened his room door and saw a mess of broken glass and wooden frames on the floor, with two rather flustered girls standing nearby.
“You guys… what are you doing?”
He chuckled wryly, walked over quickly, and pulled them to the sofa. “Okay, okay, stop moving, sit down and rest. I’ll clean it up.”
“Oppa, we originally wanted to help clean your apartment, but when we tried to take down this picture frame to wipe it, we lost our grip and it fell and broke.”
Sulli and Park Ji-yeon exchanged glances, their faces filled with embarrassment and worry.
Lin Xiuyuan just smiled, “It’s fine, are you hurt?”
The two shook their heads. Fortunately, they dodged quickly, otherwise they might have been scratched by the shorts they were wearing.
Seeing that they were unharmed, Lin Xiuyuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly cleaned up the broken glass and wood chips.
Then he ran back to the villa in 2025, brought back an all-in-one sweeping and mopping machine, and put it directly into the apartment.
After dealing with all that, he looked at the two on the sofa, “Let’s go, let’s go to the tavern to talk. This place is for the robot now.”
Upon hearing this, Sulli and Park Ji-yeon got up and followed Lin Xiuyuan to the villa’s living room.
……
……
2025, inside the villa.
Not long after, Lin Xiuyuan, having washed up, returned and saw the two girls snuggled up on the sofa watching videos side-by-side, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Given your situation, I’ll need to buy a few more spare mobile phones. Otherwise, if more people come, this one phone of mine won’t be enough to go around.”
“That sounds good,” Park Ji-yeon nodded in agreement.
Sulli placed the breakfast on the coffee table for Lin Xiuyuan and beckoned him over to eat.
After sitting down and biting into a fried dough stick, Lin Xiuyuan looked at the two of them, “You said you had something to discuss today, what is it?”
Park Ji-yeon looked at Sulli, “Sulli, you go first?”
Sulli nodded and without much hesitation, got straight to the point about why she had asked Lin Xiuyuan to come.
“Well, I don’t have anything major, just to tell you, oppa, we’re going to Tokyo, Japan in a week. Coincidentally, Hara older sister’s work will also be mostly done by then, so she’ll have some time to go sightseeing with us.”
Also having time is Lin Xiaolu. After communicating with her company, they finally agreed to give Lin Xiaolu four or five days off to relax and prepare for this lead actress role.
But this was their final concession. Once was acceptable, but twice was not.
Lin Xiaolu understood this; for the company’s earnings, their world tour was more important. Therefore, this trip to Tokyo was probably her last gamble.
Listening to Sulli’s arrangements, Lin Xiuyuan nodded while chewing on a fried dough stick, and casually picked up his phone to check the date. “A week from now? Sure, I don’t have any plans.”
Anyway, these few days would be enough for him to inform Krystal and Big Dragon Cub in advance.
Especially Big Dragon Cub, after a loving embrace yesterday, she disappeared for over a week. What’s the difference between that and a scumbag?
However, when Lin Xiuyuan thought of Big Dragon Cub, his gaze involuntarily flickered towards Park Ji-yeon beside him. The same face, similar figure, the little selfish desires in his heart suddenly reignited.
He got so scared that he quickly lowered his head and continued eating breakfast, mentally reciting the Golden Light Mantra.
Fortunately, Ji-yeon wasn’t Big Dragon Cub; her gaze wasn’t that sharp, and she completely failed to notice his abnormality, continuing to talk about her own matters.
“Oppa, my situation is a bit more troublesome. Recently, I want to rent the T-ara brand name to open a shop. At first, the company flatly refused, but then they suddenly relented and said to ask the older sisters for their opinions. If they agree, the company will allow it.”
“Tsk,” Lin Xiuyuan couldn’t help but laugh after hearing this, “Does that mean they don’t take your investment seriously?”
“I think so too.”
Park Ji-yeon pouted indignantly, “Anyway, there’s no news about our sub-unit comeback. Next, we’ll be preparing for the tour in Tokyo. I plan to discuss it with the older sisters then. As long as they agree, the company will be settled.”
“Sounds like good news,” Lin Xiuyuan swallowed the last bite of fried dough stick and nodded with a smile.
Unexpectedly, Park Ji-yeon changed the subject, “But the problem is, oppa.”
“Mhm?” He looked up.
“In Seoul, our group’s fame simply cannot bear the risk of starting a business. The shop will probably be heavily criticized before it even opens.”
Park Ji-yeon sighed, saying with some helplessness.
Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow, “Didn’t we agree before? Put it overseas.”
“That’s exactly the problem,” Park Ji-yeon pouted, looking wronged. “If I open a shop overseas, unless I completely withdraw from activities, someone will have to manage it for me. But where would I find such connections, oppa~”
She pouted a little, looking helpless and a bit pathetic. “Sulli older sister said she could keep an eye out for me, but I can’t always bother her, you know, what should I do…”
Although her words were full of trouble, Park Ji-yeon actually already had a plan in mind.
Her idea was to hire a professional manager to handle everything, and she would be a hands-off owner, making occasional appearances.
But the problem lay precisely here.
If she encountered someone who absconded with the funds or falsified accounts, she would have no power to resist.
Thinking of this, she simply threw the problem to Lin Xiuyuan.
Because in Park Ji-yeon’s opinion, it was always right to ask oppa for help.
At this moment, Sulli, sitting beside them, was quietly watching videos, not interjecting.
But seeing that Lin Xiuyuan had finished his soy milk, she then handed him her unopened bottle of soda water, and continued to look at her video, quietly listening to their conversation.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiuyuan, after listening to Ji-yeon’s account, was silent for a moment, his gaze falling on the empty cup on the table, his expression serious as he pondered.
Just as he looked up, ready to speak, his phone suddenly rang.
The three of them looked at it simultaneously.
When the name “Im Yoon Ah” lit up on the screen, Park Ji-yeon and Sulli both smiled, but only Lin Xiuyuan’s expression became subtly awkward.
He still answered, “Hello, Yoon Ah~”
Im Yoon Ah’s voice came through the phone with a laugh, “You’re good, Xiuyuan, you ignored me all day and didn’t answer my calls.”
As soon as she said this, Sulli and Park Ji-yeon immediately looked at Lin Xiuyuan, and he quickly explained, “Hey hey hey, Yoon Ah, I didn’t stay at the villa last night because I had something going on, I wasn’t intentionally ignoring your call.”
“Oh? Someone’s with you?” The change in his tone immediately made Im Yoon Ah wary.
“Yeah, some people from back home are here, do you want to come over.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the voice on the other end preempted him, “Open the door for me, I’m at the door.”
A few minutes later.
After entering the room, Im Yoon Ah first happily hugged Sulli, then sat down between her and Park Ji-yeon, “What’s going on with you two today, coming together?”
Sulli explained last night’s events with a laugh, and also the “helping out” cleaning situation this morning, which made Im Yoon Ah burst into laughter.
After laughing, Im Yoon Ah didn’t forget to give belated birthday wishes to Park Ji-yeon beside her, “Right, Ji-yeon, it was your birthday the day before yesterday, I was too busy to come, you’re not mad at me, are you?”
“How could I be, older sister,” Park Ji-yeon smiled and shook her head. “Lin Xiaolu older sister is celebrating with me there, it’s pretty much the same as you being here.”
After saying this, she looked at Im Yoon Ah from 2025 for the first time, feeling both surprise and awe.
Although there were unavoidable traces of age on her skin, her overall vitality, temperament, and spirit were still stunning.
“And older sister, your condition is too good. Even if you were back in 2013, you’d still be a solid visual center.”
Much better than a certain “old woman” who was defeated by time long ago.
“Hahaha, I like hearing that,” Im Yoon Ah said with a happy smile, “Ji-yeon, next time you come over, I’ll make it up to you with a birthday gift.”
“Then I’ll be waiting, thank you, older sister~”
After a few minutes of chatting, Im Yoon Ah’s gaze suddenly turned to Lin Xiuyuan, and she glanced at Park Ji-yeon beside him with a mischievous smile.
Lin Xiuyuan immediately became nervous, swallowed a few times, and then quickly changed the subject, “Um… Yoon Ah, why did you suddenly come over today?”
“Why else? Isn’t it because someone didn’t answer the phone all day?” Im Yoon Ah said with a laugh again.
“I already told you, I had something going on.”
Lin Xiuyuan responded with a fawning smile, but his eyes clearly pleaded with her not to say anything random.
If Park Ji-yeon were to find out about his situation with Big Dragon Cub, it would be quite awkward.
Even though Park Ji-yeon had been the “matchmaker” back then, if the progress bar had truly started moving, he still didn’t want her to know for now.
After all…
When I’m with your future self, and then look back at your current naive self, under that gaze, you are almost completely exposed, almost naked.
It was like with Krystal and Jung Soo Jung before. Every time Jung Soo Jung came to the small tavern, Lin Xiuyuan would look at her and constantly think of Krystal, remembering her proactive advances, and then looking at Jung Soo Jung’s shyness.
Looking at Jung Soo Jung’s slightly lowered head and unwillingness to communicate, Krystal’s boldness and passion from that night would involuntarily come to mind.
That intense sense of disconnect… honestly, it was quite stimulating.
Fortunately, Im Yoon Ah just smiled and didn’t expose his “little trick” on the spot.
“Actually, I came over this time because I wanted to find Lin Xiaolu,” she casually changed the subject. “I’ve been staying up late these past two days organizing some teaching methods and lesson plans for her, and I want her to see them.”
“Okay, I’ll go and call her later.”
Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Park Ji-yeon, however, hadn’t forgotten her original question, and was still staring at Lin Xiuyuan with her large, watery eyes, looking like “I’m still waiting for oppa’s solution.”
Im Yoon Ah, who had just heard Sulli explain the whole story, had a general understanding of her problem and turned her gaze to Lin Xiuyuan.
Clearly, she also wanted to see how this young boy would make his move.
Lin Xiuyuan thought for a moment and said decisively, “Two methods.”
“The first is to work backward from the future. Find a reliable professional manager or company, hand over the project and funds to them to manage, and you can be a hands-off owner and just wait for the money.”
He paused, then changed the subject, “But the problem is, out of ten pieces of information you can find on the internet, nine are fake. Even using future information to check back, it’s the same. If the accuracy isn’t consistent, the risk remains.”
Im Yoon Ah had the most say in this, so she immediately nodded.
“Yes, Xiuyuan is right. But it’s not entirely impossible. If you’re willing to spend some money to trace the other party’s resume, background, and project records, you can find some real information, it’s just troublesome. And the hardest part is still human nature.”
After listening, Park Ji-yeon also voiced her idea: human nature was always the first priority.
Then she looked up at Lin Xiuyuan, “What’s the second method, oppa?”
This time, Lin Xiuyuan’s tone was noticeably more hesitant, and his expression was somewhat complex.
But seeing the gleaming eyes of Park Ji-yeon, and then recalling the extremely delicious delicacy from Big Dragon Cub the night before yesterday, he finally sighed.
“For the second method, I’ll give you a phone call later. Go back to 2013 over there and call that person, explaining your situation.”
He paused and continued, “The other side should give you some conditions, or a contract. No matter what is written on it, just sign it; you won’t be mistreated.”
Having said that, he paused again, his gaze falling on Ji-yeon’s face.
“Remember to give my name.”
