Chapter 146: 《animal World》
2025, villa.
As a door was slowly pushed open by someone, Lin Xiuyuan, who hadn’t been seen for a long time, finally returned to 2025 once again.
Upon just arriving here, he first plugged in his phone, which had automatically shut down due to being idle for too long.
Then he walked into the master bedroom bathroom and took a good shower. When he came out again, he casually picked up the fully charged phone and checked the messages from the past few days.
Then he was somewhat surprised.
He originally thought the most messages would be from Krystal or Big Dragon Cub, but unexpectedly, the ones who sent him the most texts were Lee Ji-eun and Kim Tae Yeon.
In contrast, Krystal and Big Dragon Cub only sent a few texts, mentioning the situation over the past few days, and that was it.
Besides that, there were also ones from Sunny and Ham Eun-jung. They had heard that Lin Xiuyuan had “gone missing,” so they curiously sent greeting texts.
So after reading through all these texts, Lin Xiuyuan pondered briefly, then simply turned on the group messaging function and sent a uniform text to everyone in his contacts: I’m back.
However, less than two seconds after the text was sent, a reply popped up quickly.
Lin Xiuyuan looked down, and he was instantly dumbfounded.
Jessica: ?
Then Lin Xiuyuan hurriedly checked the group-sent numbers. Sure enough, too lazy to select, he had just hit select all, and that was that.
Following that, several more text notifications rang out, as Big Dragon Cub, Krystal, Ham Eun-jung, and others all sent responses.
Big Dragon Cub: What a coincidence, my plane just landed. Xiuyuan, where are you?
Ham Eun-jung: Welcome welcome.
Krystal: You stay in the villa and don’t go anywhere.
After glancing at the responses, Lin Xiuyuan first replied to Jessica: Wrong send, sorry.
Then, just as he was about to reply honestly to Big Dragon Cub, he thought of Krystal’s message, so he responded: That really is too much of a coincidence. I just got here not long ago too, and I’m just about to go eat with a friend.
Finally, it was Krystal’s text. He smiled and replied: Why would I run?
He completely didn’t think there was any problem, assuming Krystal wanted to see him for something or planned to go to 2013 to find Sulli.
It was this naive and defenseless mentality that laid the groundwork for his upcoming “tragedy.”
Just like that, after another forty or so minutes, Lin Xiuyuan, who had recently eaten a lot of pure natural additive-free food, quickly ordered a bunch of purely additive-filled non-natural fried chicken and barbecue skewers to reward his stomach.
During the waiting period, he kept texting with Big Dragon Cub and the others, smoothly covering up the “friend” lie along the way.
And arriving with the takeout was Krystal, rushing in hurriedly from outside.
On the sofa, Lin Xiuyuan turned to look at Krystal entering through the door behind him, his face lighting up with joy as he smiled happily, “Long time no see, Krystal. You came at just the right time. I ordered some food—eat some with me.”
“I have to go to Busan side in an hour. No time.”
Krystal spoke as she strode in quickly, her tone calm yet laced with urgency.
“Huh?”
This surprised Lin Xiuyuan, who had just opened the takeout packaging. “Ah, then why’d you rush over? Something urgent?”
“It is urgent.”
No sooner had she spoken than, before Lin Xiuyuan could react from the sofa, Krystal had already rushed over in one step.
She was dressed simply and neatly today: a white jacket draped over her shoulders, a clean white T-shirt and denim short skirt inside, sport shoes on her feet—refreshing and capable, like she’d come straight from the airport.
But the aura she brought as she charged at Lin Xiuyuan was anything but light.
“Wait, what are you doing.” Seeing Krystal charging over, Lin Xiuyuan just tried to stand, but she fiercely pressed him back down.
“Don’t move.” Krystal gritted her teeth, directly straddling his thigh and pinning him into the soft sofa. “Let’s clear one thing up first: did you do something that lets me down?”
“Ha??”
Lin Xiuyuan was truly baffled. What thing that lets her down?
He hadn’t even had time to pick up the barbecue skewers from the takeout yet, and now he was nailed to the sofa. Could Krystal be referring to the Lin Xiaolu issue?
If so, he hadn’t crossed any lines.
So he hurriedly shook his head. “What the fck, I didn’t. You know I just got back—I haven’t even left the house, and the takeout isn’t eaten yet.”
Lin Xiuyuan, hastily explaining, even pointed at the stuff on the table.
Krystal stared into his eyes for two seconds, then suddenly smiled, her lips curving into a coldly sweet arc. “Really not?”
“Really.”
“You dare swear?”
“I swear.”
Krystal let out a “snort” of laughter, and the next second, she suddenly leaned down and bit hard into Lin Xiuyuan’s lower lip.
“Mmph… are you crazy!”
He tried to dodge, but Krystal gave him no chance.
One hand pressing his chest, the other braced against the sofa backrest, she pinned him firmly in place.
“If you say you didn’t do anything guilty, then why dodge?”
She spoke softly, but her lips drew even closer, like punishment, like collecting a debt.
Lin Xiuyuan’s brain short-circuited for a moment. Krystal’s familiar scent hit him full force, fresh with a hint of sweat, along with her body heat from rushing straight from outside, enveloping him completely.
He tried to raise a hand to steady her, but as soon as he moved, Krystal pinned his hand back. “No moving. You still owe me one.”
“Wha… what one?”
“Youth debt.”
No sooner had she spoken than she leaned down again, fully kissing him.
This time, there was no hesitation—it was a thorough, forceful gnaw and conquest.
Krystal’s movements were more dominant than ever, carrying a suppressed explosion beneath her cool big-sister composure—like a sudden assault, like a declaration of war.
Lin Xiuyuan’s mind buzzed, too caught off guard to respond. He just opened his mouth, only to be thoroughly teased by Krystal’s tongue tip.
“What the fck… you today… how…”
His breathing ragged and intermittent, his whole body nearly pressed into the sofa by Krystal.
“Lin Xiuyuan…” Krystal’s tone grew heavy, pausing the kiss midway. “Let’s do an experiment.”
“Huh?”
Lin Xiuyuan instantly went on alert, but before he could speak, Krystal leaned down again.
……
……
On the highway.
The four Tara members heading back to the company were all sitting in an MPV, chatting and laughing about work and interesting stories from the past few days.
“We can rest next, right?”
“Is this resting? This is just no work. Hyo Min.”
“You can rest. I have to go on set to film.”
Three voices bantered excitedly, but only Big Dragon Cub stared a bit dazedly at her phone screen until Ham Eun-jung glanced at her. “Ji-yeon, what are you doing?”
“Nothing. That guy Xiuyuan isn’t replying to me again. I wanted to ask him out for a late-night snack.”
As Big Dragon Cub said this, Lee Ji-eun, who knew the situation, was speechless. “Ji-yeon, I know you like this young boy, but you gotta hold back a bit. He’s eating with friends right now. Sticking to him like this will annoy him.”
“Unnie, that’s not right. Our Ji-yeon is so great—how could she annoy anyone? That’d mean the other person has issues.”
Park Hyomin looked up from behind with a smile, then turned to Big Dragon Cub. “But Ji-yeon, you are being a bit too proactive. You gotta play hard to get, tease him properly.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
What they didn’t know was that Lin Xiuyuan at that moment was being “teased” to the point of breathlessness.
……
……
In the villa living room, the air grew increasingly thick.
Krystal nestled in Lin Xiuyuan’s arms, her hair strands brushing lightly against his neck, her fresh post-car scent softened by rising body heat.
She suddenly lifted her head, staring at Lin Xiuyuan’s face.
“Xiuyuan, you really didn’t do anything bad?”
Krystal spoke again in a low voice, her gaze probing yet sharply intense.
Lin Xiuyuan froze, then shook his head.
He truly hadn’t crossed lines with Lin Xiaolu—he admired his own self-control on that.
Krystal didn’t reply, just slowly leaned down and kissed him again.
This time, it wasn’t questioning or punishment—it was pure declaration.
Her lips kissed urgently and heatedly, like drawing answers from his breath.
Lin Xiuyuan was kissed breathless, his chest heaving. Just as he tried to respond, Krystal seized his hands again, pinning them to the sofa edge.
“Don’t move.” She said softly, like a cat luring prey in the night—gentle tone, full of invasion.
“What is this…” His breathing unsteady.
Krystal didn’t respond, instead pushing up to straddle him, knees on either side of his thighs, leaning down to press—that cool face now irresistibly alluring.
She kissed his forehead, his eye corner, then nose tip, finally landing on his lips.
Lin Xiuyuan instinctively wanted to take control, but as he raised a hand, Krystal anticipated it, gripping his wrist and chuckling low. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t run? Then don’t move. Let me confirm.”
“Confirm what?”
“Confirm if there’s anyone else’s scent on you.”
She said it seriously, yet with tantalizing ambiguity, and the next second, her actions fulfilled the promise.
She leaned down to kiss his collarbone, his chest fabric—like a keen-nosed small wild cat, stubbornly and earnestly inspecting her “territory.”
Lin Xiuyuan was thrown off by her sudden burst of dominance—feeling pleasure, yet unsure whether to enjoy or reflect.
By the time he finally sat up holding her, Krystal was kissed back onto his lips.
“Stop teasing.” He spoke with heavy breaths. “Krystal, what’s with you today?”
“You wanna know?”
Krystal’s eyebrow arched, and the next second she was scooped up by the waist. The two tumbled onto the sofa, the soft mat sinking as the living room air ignited.
Lin Xiuyuan bit her earlobe, murmuring low, “Obviously. Gotta know how you die, right?”
Takeout still sat on the table, aroma wafting, but ignored now.
The television auto-lit, screensaver ending to jump to the default channel—《Animal World》.
On screen, a male lion was launching a fierce attack on a female lion.
The narrator droned low and slow:
「To guarantee breeding rights, the male lion shows strong possessiveness toward the female lion… Typically, such behavior lasts hours, even an entire day.」
Krystal turned to glance at the TV, then burst out laughing.
“Xiuyuan, tell me…” She spoke breathlessly, “Do we… look like that lion pair right now?”
“Which one do you wanna be?” Lin Xiuyuan’s palm pressed her waist, voice turning husky.
“Of course the more proactive one.”
No sooner said than she flipped over, reclaiming that dominant posture.
Her white jacket had long slid to the floor, leaving only the white T and short skirt shifting and deforming bit by bit.
On the sofa, sweat beaded on Lin Xiuyuan’s forehead, breaths in chaos.
Krystal seemed tireless, growing more immersed the more she dominated.
On TV, the lion had bitten the female’s nape.
On the sofa, Krystal bit Lin Xiuyuan’s shoulder as if cued.
“I really didn’t do anything wrong…” Lin Xiuyuan raised both hands in surrender.
“Then be good.” Krystal’s voice was honey-wrapped blade. “Let me finish confirming.”
Her movements grew wilder, like reclaiming every bit owed from these days.
Fingertips trailed over clothes, like pressing a young cute boy into her exclusive domain.
Lin Xiuyuan had no chance to fight back the whole time.
In this state, time seemed stretched endlessly.
But actually, when they finally finished, deep night had only just fallen.
Once it all stopped, Krystal lay on him panting heavily, lips curved slightly—like victorious from a splendid battle.
Lin Xiuyuan sprawled in the sofa, gaze vacant at the ceiling. “You… are you nuts?”
“That’s it for today. Gotta work soon.”
Krystal murmured low, then leaned to his ear softly. “You have one day to think hard about exactly where you let me down. If you still can’t remember when I get back from Busan, we’ll do it again tomorrow night—I have plenty of time.”
On TV, the narrator continued:
「In the animal world, possession is more than behavior—it’s instinctual expression, declaring ‘you’re mine.’」
……
……
Late night.
In a quiet apartment somewhere in Seoul.
Big Dragon Cub, who had been in the car earlier, was now home and had taken a shower.
She was curled on the sofa now, damp hair draped, sipping juice while watching TV—lazy and comfy.
Her phone suddenly lit up a few times nearby. She ignored it at first, only picking it up over ten minutes later casually, originally just to scroll videos, but unexpectedly saw that awaited text.
So her lips curved up, smile emerging.
Xiuyuan: Sorry, was chatting with a friend just now and didn’t notice your message. Ji-yeon, you home?
Big Dragon Cub stared at the screen, about to reply, then suddenly realized—this wasn’t the airport or car anymore. Why waste time typing?
So she directly started a video call.
The other end picked up after a bit, and the moment the screen lit, it wasn’t Lin Xiuyuan’s face that appeared.
Instead, wet tiles on the floor, water pattering, bathroom steamy, with Lin Xiuyuan’s voice faintly audible: “I’m showering, Ji-yeon.”
“Weren’t you chatting with a friend?” Big Dragon Cub was a bit surprised.
“That was just now. Chatted and came back. Saw your message while charging the phone and replied. Didn’t know you’d call straight away.” Lin Xiuyuan’s tone held helplessness as he spoke.
After hearing the explanation, Big Dragon Cub smiled. “Alright, I didn’t notice yours either just now. We’re even.”
She continued, eyes flashing. “But what’s with your camera angle? Show me you. It’s not like I haven’t seen.”
“Gotta see me showering too?” Laughter came from the other end.
“You think I wanna see you shower?” Big Dragon Cub huffed lightly. “I wanna check if ‘my abs’ slacked off and got soft.”
Recalling a week ago when she’d “swum” on those abs with her tongue, Big Dragon Cub’s eyes brightened, her smile turning teasing. “Hurry up, don’t dawdle.”
Lin Xiuyuan chuckled lightly on the other end, seeming at a loss with her.
“Really wanna see?”
“Duh.” Big Dragon Cub leaned on the sofa, sipping juice while raising a brow at the phone camera. “It’s not like I haven’t seen. What’s there to fear?”
“Fine…” Lin Xiuyuan sighed lightly. The next second, the view slowly lifted from the floor.
First came the misty mirror surface, then upward to his post-shower look, hair dripping water droplets.
Pale skin gleaming finely under bathroom lighting, water droplets trailing down neck, past collarbone and chest, vanishing off-screen.
Then the hand holding the phone tilted up slightly, camera dipping down.
Big Dragon Cub’s eyes narrowed, grinning like a cat. “Not bad, Xiuyuan. Looks like you didn’t neglect your figure.”
Lin Xiuyuan laughed at her tone, haphazardly toweling his hair. “Satisfied now?”
“Not that quick.”
Big Dragon Cub shook her phone lightly, half-reclining on the sofa, exposing pale thighs.
The camera casually swept over her loose short T-shirt—unclear if pants underneath, but clear enough for someone.
Lin Xiuyuan’s eyes narrowed. “You’re video calling dressed like that?”
“I’m at my own home, not going out.” She replied matter-of-factly. “Besides…”
Her gaze shifted, leaning deliberately toward the camera, voice softening. “Seeing you like this now… I suddenly miss you a bit.”
Lin Xiuyuan’s hand paused, gaze flickering.
“Just say if you’re coming or not.” Big Dragon Cub switched abruptly, straightforward. “Come to my place. I’ll dry your hair, and…”
She smiled at the corner of her lips, lifting a finger to beckon. “Let me swim once more?”
“…” Lin Xiuyuan coughed lightly. “Bit late, no?”
“Not late. Night life’s just starting.” Big Dragon Cub laughed, standing and heading to the bedroom. “I’ll change into something formal.”
“Dress up for me to see?” Lin Xiuyuan teased from there.
“Depends if you come.” She tossed back without looking, entering the bedroom.
On camera, only a swaying door curtain remained, and her pale leg curve flashing by.
Censored version
Monthly tickets, monthly tickets, monthly tickets!!
（This chapter was typed on phone at the hospital, so monthly tickets!!!!!）
