Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 285 A "Date" with Lin Xiaolu (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

Sweet Eun-jung leaned against the bathroom door frame, taking several minutes to regain a sliver of clear-headed rationality from the mix of surprise and confusion.

Then I thought of Lin Xiuyuan.

She needed to find out the answer, or rather, she needed a response to reassure herself, or perhaps... she needed more "miracle cures".

So without much hesitation, once she regained consciousness, Sweet Eun-jung immediately found her own number, looked for that familiar number, and dialed it.

The call was connected very quickly.

But instead of the deep male voice I expected, I heard a sleepy, languid, and sexy female voice through the receiver.

The last syllable of his voice trailed off slightly, like a cat just woken up, "Hey...?"

With just one word, Sweet Eun-jung recognized who it was.

It's Krystal.

Moreover, the intimacy and languor in that voice instantly conjured up images of the person on the other end of the phone, and what kind of passionate encounter she had with the man she was looking for last night.

A complex feeling I'd never experienced before welled up inside me, but that subtle emotion was immediately suppressed by an even stronger desire to verify it.

So Eunjung quickly adjusted her breathing and greeted him as naturally as possible, "Oh, it's Krystal. Good morning. Are you still asleep? Sorry to bother you."

"Eunjung unnie?" Krystal's voice was a little more awake, and she seemed a little surprised, but it still had a lazy tone. "Good morning, it's nothing. It's about time you woke up. Unnie, did you need something?"

"Ani~" Sweet Eun-jung immediately denied it, then casually asked, "I need to talk to Xiu-yuan about something, is he... busy?"

Krystal glanced at her phone before realizing it was Lin Xiuyuan calling.

Then she turned her head to look at the empty pillow beside her, which still retained its warmth, before letting out a small yawn. As she stretched, the fabric rustled softly. "He went back in a hurry early this morning. He said he had made an appointment with someone over there and left without even having breakfast."

Next, Krystal also inquired about Eun-jung's condition.

A date? Back to 2013?
Sweet Eun-jung was slightly taken aback by the unexpected result, a fleeting hint of disappointment crossing her mind, but her tone remained calm, "Oh, that's unfortunate. I'm much better here, thank you for your concern, Soo-jung."

"What does Unnie want with him? I'll have him call you back when he gets back?" Krystal's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible inquiry.

"Actually, it's nothing serious." Sweet Eun-jung made up an excuse almost without thinking. After glancing at the brand-new support frame in the corner of the bedroom, she said, "It's the support frame that he came over to install for me yesterday. It seems to have a small problem, so I wanted to ask him how to adjust it."

Krystal smiled silently on the other end of the phone. As a woman herself, she could naturally tell the pretense behind the excuse, but she considerately refrained from pointing it out.

"Okay~ I understand, unnie. I'll tell Xiuyuan when he gets back."

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you, Soojung. You should rest now, I won't bother you any longer."

"Goodbye, Ernie."

Krystal, lying on the large bed, casually tossed her phone aside, turned over, hugged the pillow that still smelled of someone, and almost instantly fell asleep again.

Someone really wore her out last night.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the call was disconnected.

Holding her phone, Sweet Eun-jung looked at her complicated expression in the mirror and sighed softly.

Then he looked down at his left foot, clicked his tongue in amazement, and began to move around in the small space of the bedroom, intending to test his limits.

Then, when Lin Xiuyuan has time, he will check how much his condition has improved after taking the "miracle drug".

Xiuyuan, don't keep me waiting too long.

……

……

Seoul, 2013.

Unlike Sweet Eun-jung's slight disappointment and Krystal's lazy nap, Lin Xiuyuan, who rushed back from the villa 25 years ago, is now standing in Lin Xiaolu's apartment.

With a gentle, slightly apologetic smile on his face, he looked at Bambi, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, staring at him with obvious resentment.

The two stared at each other for a long time, the air so quiet that the screaming arguments of the couple in the next apartment could be heard.

After a while, Lin Xiaolu finally pouted slightly and slowly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of grievance and accusation, "I thought you had forgotten about this. Like a scumbag, you took advantage of me and then left without a care in the world."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan immediately stepped forward and sincerely assured him, "How could that be? How could I forget what I promised? But you know about Jessica's situation before, she was extremely busy, and we only just finished dealing with it yesterday."

Despite Lin Xiuyuan's eloquent words, he was actually a little uneasy inside.

To be honest, if Krystal hadn't mentioned the private cinema at the villa last night, triggering related memories in his mind, he might have completely forgotten about his promise to Lin Xiaolu.

This was originally a date I arranged to soothe her emotions after our first time sleeping together.

The original plan was to carry it out a few days later, but Jessica's unexpected situation disrupted all their plans.

Although he eventually won over Jessica.

But because I relaxed too much during those 25 days, my brain didn't think about it for a moment, and it was left aside and I almost forgot about it.

It wasn't until Krystal brought it up last night that the floodgates of memory suddenly opened when I woke up this morning.

After remembering, Lin Xiuyuan's immediate thought was: since I've forgotten about it these past few days anyway, I might as well spend a day with Krystal first; she rarely gets a break.

But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

If forgetting is due to an accident, it can be said to be unintentional.

But if you remember and still procrastinate, then that becomes intentional negligence.

This is absolutely not his personality, nor is it his style of dealing with people.

After all, Krystal rarely gets a break, but Lin Xiaolu does too, right?

So almost as soon as he remembered, he immediately returned to 2013 and appeared directly at Lin Xiaolu's home, who happened to have no plans for the day.

His initial thought was that if Lin Xiaolu happened to have a schedule, he would go back to be with Krystal.

But if Lin Xiaolu happens to be resting, then I'll keep her company.

As for Krystal... last night was enough for her to enjoy.

So when Lin Xiuyuan saw Lin Xiaolu's still somewhat disbelieving look, he smiled.

Then he took out the two movie tickets he had bought on his way here from a movie theater and waved them in front of her. "Don't be angry anymore. I've already bought the tickets. There aren't many people for the morning show. How about that? Now you should believe me, right?" Lin Xiaolu's gaze fell on the two movie tickets in Lin Xiuyuan's hand.

When she saw the promotional image and movie title printed on it, she was taken aback for a moment, and then gave him a reproachful glare.

But the slight upturn of her lips betrayed her true feelings: "Lin Xiuyuan, are you crazy? Who watches horror movies on a date? Shouldn't they be watching romance movies?"

However, Lin Xiuyuan was prepared, so upon hearing this, he not only did not panic, but instead raised his eyebrows confidently, leaned closer, and explained in a low voice with a hint of mischief.

"Watching romantic movies is a standard practice for couples on dates, but it just doesn't feel right if we haven't watched a horror movie together. Just imagine, the lights dim, the music starts, and suddenly a ghost appears on the screen... and then some sweet little one will burrow into my arms in fright..."

At this point, the person deliberately dragged out the words, their eyes full of anticipation, "That feeling is completely different from usual, right? Yoona~"

"Get out~"

This absurd logic made Lin Xiaolu laugh, and she also punched the other person's arm in annoyance.

Then he stood up from the sofa and snorted, "You're full of twisted logic."

At the same time, his gaze also fell on the exquisite tea and coffee that Lin Xiuyuan had brought on his way, which were still steaming hot. His smile finally broke into a wide grin. "Well, I'll let it go. At least you knew to bring breakfast."

"Of course," Lin Xiuyuan said with a smile, because he was also hungry.

In response to Lin Xiuyuan's answer, Lin Xiaolu asked again, "But Xiuyuan, why didn't you call me first? You just came over like this? What if I wasn't at the apartment? Wouldn't you have made a wasted trip?"

Moreover, Lin Xiaolu was thinking that if she confirmed that she was the only one at home, Lin Xiuyuan could simply open the Anywhere Door and come over without having to drive.

However, Lin Xiuyuan shrugged, looking completely matter-of-fact, "If she's not home, then we can just call her again to arrange a place, but if she is home..."

As he said this, his smiling eyes glanced at Lin Xiaolu in front of him, "Isn't this a big surprise? Don't you think so? I won the bet, aren't you happy?"

Lin Xiaolu did not answer immediately, but the scene of opening the door a few minutes earlier kept replaying in her mind.

She had just woken up, wearing loose loungewear, and opened the door, rubbing her sleepy eyes...

As a result, she saw the boy she had been missing for some time standing at her door, holding a breakfast bag that smelled tempting in one hand and the other hand behind her back.

The morning sunlight cast a soft halo around him, and his face wore a travel-worn yet incredibly warm smile.

At that moment, a soft spot in Lin Xiaolu's heart was struck hard, and a surge of surprise, emotion, and an indescribable sense of security welled up inside her.

It also washed away all the little resentment that had arisen from waiting and missing her.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiaolu softly hummed in agreement.

This can be considered an admission of Lin Xiuyuan's statement.

After chatting for a while, the two sat down at the table, untied the takeout bag, and prepared to enjoy breakfast.

It's only a little past 9:30 now, and the movie is showing at 11:00, so there's plenty of time.

It's perfect to go after breakfast and a little tidying up. After watching the movie, we can find a place nearby for lunch, and then leisurely stroll around in the afternoon.

Lin Xiaolu has a rehearsal tonight.

While eating breakfast, Lin Xiuyuan was thinking about things and had already arranged his time for the day perfectly.

Similarly, while enjoying delicious shrimp dumplings, Lin Xiaolu finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been on her mind for a long time, "Xiuyuan, what exactly happened with Unnie? You only said in the group that it was resolved, but how exactly was it resolved?"

Everyone's been busy lately, so although I was curious, I didn't have a chance to ask in detail.

In addition, Lin Xiuyuan has gone to the place 25 years ago again these past few days.

So it wasn't until this moment that Lin Xiaolu finally found an opportunity.

Lin Xiuyuan was picking up a shumai when he heard this, he paused for a moment, and said casually, "She probably figured it out herself."

However, upon hearing this answer, Lin Xiaolu narrowed her bright doe eyes, clearly not believing the explanation, and pressed on, "Really? It really wasn't because Xiuyuan did something 'outrageous' to Unnie that made her 'think it through'? The Jessica I know wouldn't compromise so easily."

“I didn’t say she gave in. I meant she just temporarily hid the fuse and stopped making a fuss.”

This statement better reflects Jessica's stubborn personality.

So when Lin Xiuyuan swallowed the food in his mouth and corrected his answer, Lin Xiaolu nodded in agreement.

She believed this answer, because that was roughly what everyone initially guessed.

However, this made Lin Xiaolu worry again. She sighed softly, her tone carrying a hint of fear, "What will we do then?"

The thought that something might go wrong and lead to the loss of a future timeline sent shivers down her spine.

"Let's take one step at a time."

Lin Xiuyuan, on the other hand, seemed quite calm. He gently tapped the rim of her bowl with the end of his chopsticks, signaling her to focus on eating.

"If I thought that far ahead in everything, I wouldn't have gone to find Jessica Jung in the first place, and I certainly wouldn't have dragged you all into this." After saying this meaningfully, Lin Xiuyuan's meaning was self-evident, so he continued to urge Lin Xiaolu, "Alright, hurry up and eat. Don't think too much about useless things, or it won't taste good when it gets cold."

"Oh~"

After breakfast, the two cuddled on the sofa for a while before heading out to the movie theater.

Because it was a weekday morning, the mall was sparsely populated, and the movie theater was even more deserted, with only one employee busy behind the counter starting up various machines to prepare popcorn and fries.

Upon arriving at the cinema lobby, Lin Xiuyuan asked Lin Xiaolu to wait in the rest area while he went to the counter and ordered a standard couple's set meal.

That is, a big bucket of popcorn and two cups of cola.

At the same time, she handed the movie ticket to the waiter, completing the ticket check process directly, saving herself the trouble of going through it again later, and also preventing Lin Xiaolu from being spotted at close range.

Then, when the two of them, carrying popcorn and drinks, pushed open the heavy soundproof door of the theater.

What came into view was an empty screening room, with only the upcoming commercials playing on the large screen, the lights flickering on and off.

This situation caused Lin Xiuyuan and Lin Xiaolu to exchange a glance, both seeing the same surprise and smile in each other's eyes.

"They've booked the entire venue."

Lin Xiaolu said this softly, her voice filled with a strong sense of excitement.

Because of this, the empty theater could become their secret hideout for the rest of the trip, adding a touch of privacy and anticipation to this unique "horror movie date".

　My tenosynovitis flared up again, damn it!!!
　　It hurts even more now; typing on the keyboard is pure torture!

　　What used to take me the time to write 10,000 words, I can barely manage 3,000 now!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)