Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 102 "It's an old woman, not me!" (Happy Dragon Boat Festival)

"Ji-yeon, you called me."

???

Park Jiyeon, who was setting the table, turned around sharply to look at Lin Xiuyuan, who had spoken, after hearing this. "Oppa, what are you saying?"

Lin Xiuyuan smiled and slowly flipped his phone screen over, showing the caller ID to everyone on the other end.

The screen displays a recent Instagram selfie of Da Long Zai, with a red phone icon flashing in the center and the name "Park Ji Yeon" clearly displayed next to it.

However, Park Jiyeon is standing right in front of everyone right now, so it's obvious who made the call to Lin Xiuyuan.

At this moment, Krystal looked at Lin Xiuyuan with some curiosity, "Why did Zhiyan suddenly call you?"

"I don't know," Lin Xiuyuan said, shrugging.

Then, Lin Xiaolu, who was visiting this place for the first time and was still a little unfamiliar with it, said softly, "Calling at this hour means either it's to invite someone to dinner or it's urgent. I prefer the former."

No sooner had Lin Xiaolu finished speaking than Xiaolongzai's voice rang out from the side, "Old woman, all you know how to do is seduce oppa~"

???

Lin Xiaolu was clearly stunned when she first heard this title. She turned her head and glanced at Park Jiyeon, who was speaking, as if she had discovered a new continent in her pupils.

Lin Xiuyuan chuckled upon hearing Xiaolongzai's reply, then answered the phone, "Hello~ Zhiyan."

"Xiuyuan, what are you doing?"

"at home."

Looking at the several unnies around him, Da Longzai, both angry and amused, pushed away Park Hyomin, who was already pressed against him, and continued, "Do you want to come out and eat with us? The unnies and I are all here."

"Want to eat?"

The voice in his ear made Lin Xiuyuan glance at the group of people in front of him. "Who's over there with you?"

On my side are: Krystal with her arms crossed, Lin Xiaolu with shining eyes, Sulli with a slight smile, and Park Jiyeon with gritted teeth.

"Who's there? Qri unnie, Hyomin unnie and Eunjung unnie are both here."

Although they didn't know why Lin Xiuyuan asked that question, the little dragon still answered it.

That means adding her, a married woman, and her baby.

4 vs 4, it's a draw.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuyuan immediately made up his mind after meeting the needle-like gazes of Krystal and Park Jiyeon.

“Wouldn’t it be disruptive for me to go over there? How about we skip it and have another get-together just the two of us next time, or maybe we can invite Juli along?”

"No, it's just a meal we had together."

As soon as Da Longzai finished speaking, Park Hyomin patted her arm.

Then, under the watchful eyes of Lee Qri and Ham Eunjung, she leaned close to her ear and whispered, "He already said he wanted to have a date with you alone, but he was afraid you wouldn't feel comfortable, so he invited Qri unnie along too. He's really interested in you, Jiyeon."

"Unnie, stop playing matchmaker. You're making me afraid to even talk to him."

After covering the phone and giving a snort to Park Hyomin, Da Longzai finally let go and laughed into the other end of the line, "Okay, then next time."

After Da Longzai finished speaking, Li Juli on the other side shouted loudly, "Jiyan, let's not do it next time, let's do it tomorrow. I bought a new set of golf clubs yesterday, let Xiuyuan come over and play with us."

Lee Qri's initiative surprised everyone present, who looked at her with some surprise. How was this different from Krystal and Im Yoona mentioned earlier?
However, Da Longzai still relayed these words to Lin Xiuyuan on the other end of the phone.

After listening, Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow slightly, but still smiled and said, "Sure, let's do it tomorrow then."

And so, after agreeing on the meeting for tomorrow, Lin Xiuyuan hung up the phone.

Then he smiled as he looked at Park Jiyeon, who was practically poking his face.

"What? I didn't go out."

"Oppa~ has that old woman already taken a liking to you?"

As she said this, she forgot that the old woman was her membership fee.

Park Ji-yeon's question drew everyone's attention back to Lin Xiuyuan, making him stiffen and quickly shake his head, "It shouldn't be that bad, he's probably just looking for a golf buddy."

"Hehe, Xiuyuan, do you really think Zhiyan and the others won't have anyone to play golf with?"

Krystal's sudden words caused Lin Xiaolu and Shirley to turn their gazes, which had just been directed at Lin Xiuyuan, back to her.

The two of them are now enjoying the gossip, it's just that Lin Xiaolu is a little confused about what's going on.

"Of course not, but there probably aren't any young guys like me who are 'true fans' and who got to know Yoona through your introduction, Krystal."

Lin Xiuyuan, who is very self-aware, is also very clear about his own advantages.

Aside from their youth, the main issue is the messy relationships that were built up with the help of Krystal and Park Jiyeon.

They were layered on top of each other, more than the thermal underwear we wore in winter.

"How about we eat first and talk while we eat?"

Seeing the dishes already set on the table, Shirley tugged at Krystal and pulled her to her side.

"Okay, let's eat first."

"Unnie, let's sit down too."

Park Jiyeon then stopped arguing and pulled Lin Xiaolu to sit down together, officially starting today's lunch.

Lin Xiaolu, who was there for the first time, sat in her seat with a bit of embarrassment, but fortunately, she was taken care of by Sulli and Park Jiyeon.

Although Krystal is the young Crystal from 2025, the two, as former 'twin sisters', still have a close relationship.

So gradually, as the group chatted familiarly, Lin Xiaolu slowly relaxed.

In order to start a conversation, Lin Xiaolu looked at Lin Xiuyuan across from her and said, "Lin Xiuyuan, I have a question I'm curious about."

"Can you not ask if you're not curious? It doesn't feel like a good question." For some reason, Lin Xiuyuan suddenly felt a chill down his spine, so he quickly interrupted Lin Xiaolu.

His reaction amused Sulli and Park Jiyeon, who were standing nearby.

Even Krystal rolled her eyes at this guy; he must have something to hide.

Even though Lin Xiaolu was a little reserved on her first visit, it didn't mean she would stay reserved forever. So after hearing Lin Xiuyuan's words, she immediately shook her head, "No, I'd feel really uncomfortable if I didn't ask."

"Then ask away," Lin Xiuyuan said, taking a bite of food.

"Actually, it's nothing. I just wanted to ask how many people you've met here in 2025? I was a little surprised to hear that you seem to know Jiyeon and the others quite well."

Suddenly, Lin Xiaolu noticed that Xiao Zhiyan gently tapped her shoulder as soon as she finished speaking. "Unnie, it's the old woman, not me."

"Haha, okay, I'll be more careful next time."

As soon as Lin Xiaolu asked this question, Krystal, Sulli, and Park Jiyeon all looked at Lin Xiuyuan with great curiosity.

Because they also really wanted to know the answer to this question.

"How many people have I met since I came here?"

When asked, Lin Xiuyuan rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, and then said, "First of all, Krystal is the first one, right? Then there's you and your sister, Jessica."

Krystal, who was eating, smiled and replied when she was mentioned, "I really remember our first meeting very well, Xiuyuan."

That's right, starting with IOUs from over a decade ago, how could it not leave a deep impression?

Lin Xiuyuan chuckled awkwardly and continued, "Then there's Liu Zhimin from aespa."

"Liu Zhimin?"

Upon hearing this name, Lin Xiaolu asked curiously, "Who is this?"

Then Sulli explained to her from the side, "Unnie, this is a girl group that the company will launch later. Judging from their performance, they are probably one of the top girl groups in 2025."

"Wow, if that's the case, I'd really like to see what a new generation of girl groups will be like."

Back in 2013, Lin Xiaolu knew that the company had a new girl group that was preparing to debut.

Those girls had already visited the company's various senior teams, and their debut had progressed to the point where they were rehearsing dances and recording songs. Almost everyone in SM Entertainment who wasn't blind knew this.

After finishing talking about Yoo Jimin, Park Jiyeon curiously asked, "Oppa~ Besides that, is there anything else?"

"And then there's Tara, right? Jiyeon, Qri, Eunjung, and Park Hyomin."

Lin Xiuyuan said casually, and then Park Jiyeon poked him, "Oppa, it's an old woman, not me."

"Haha, Jiyeon..."

Lin Xiaolu was curious again because she remembered the group as having six members, but now only four were mentioned.

"Hey, what about the other two? Don't you recognize them?"

"As for the other two, well, it's too tiring to explain. After you finish eating, go upstairs with Shirley and watch the news yourself. I'm too lazy to talk about it."

Finding himself having to answer long questions after only a few bites of food, Lin Xiuyuan quickly tossed these basic questions to the computer guy upstairs, telling Lin Xiaolu to check the information herself later, as that would definitely be a more perfect explanation than his own.

Shirley, who was standing to the side, smiled and nodded.

"alright."

Lin Xiaolu nodded slightly, poking at her rice. "So, including me here, and Taeyeon unnie, does that mean that's everyone you know here?"

"Yes, that's about it."

Lin Xiuyuan had no choice but to answer, and sighed, "Actually, I don't know many people here because my social circle is very small. It wasn't until I met Juli that I started going out to the golf course occasionally to exercise."

Then something else occurred to me, “Otherwise, my daily activities are basically limited to the villa and the bar. If we include 2013, it’s been the apartment, the bar, the villa, the bar, a straight line between four points.”

After Lin Xiuyuan finished speaking, Krystal, who hadn't said much, also laughed, "Now that you mention it, I suddenly feel a little sorry for you."

"It's alright, I don't really like making a fuss. I prefer staying home and playing games, so I don't think there's anything pitiful about it."

Lin Xiuyuan shrugged. "I've always been quite low when it comes to material desires."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to stay in youth hostels for a year while working in Seoul.

Money is one aspect, and a carefree attitude towards life is another.

After hearing this, Krystal glanced at him, her eyes flickering with a rather complicated expression, before continuing to eat with her head down.

Everyone enjoyed lunch.

After lunch, Sulli took Yoona straight to the computer room to play, while Krystal had to go back to reshoot a few shots that were missing from the film crew.

Even though today is a day off, we still have to get through this sudden situation no matter what.

So in the blink of an eye, the once lively living room was now just the two of them sitting on the sofa, staring at each other. "So what are we going to do now, oppa~"

Suddenly having free time left Park Jiyeon a little unsure of what to do.

"Watch TV?" Lin Xiuyuan pointed to the screen in front of him.

"I do not want to see."

Park Jiyeon, pouting, suddenly remembered something and her eyes lit up. "Oh right, oppa~ didn't you say in the group chat that you had a project worth investing in and starting a business with that you wanted to tell me? You can tell me now."

"A project? Sure, let me tell you about it."

　Wishing everyone a happy and healthy Dragon Boat Festival, and a blissful family life!!
　　I'm out having dinner with my family today, so I'm still out and about. My updates will be a little late. Please forgive me.

　　However, there will definitely be no less than 10,000 words today, and I will make up for it no matter how late it is, so don't worry.

　　One more thing, there will be another update later tonight. I promised 10,000 words a day, and I won't miss it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)