Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 197 "Afraid I'll eat something different?" and "Except for Jessica~" (Please subscribe and vote)

One afternoon in 2025, Jessica parked her car at the entrance of the "Relief" bar and couldn't help but glance at the passageway next to her.

At this moment, the memory in her mind was not the last 'gathering,' but the previous 'accident.'

On the same afternoon, in the same place, things unexpectedly became complicated for her, Krystal, and Lin Xiuyuan.

However, since things had come to this, Jessica had no regrets. Instead, after parking the car, she tried to recall how many minutes it took Lin Xiuyuan to walk out after she called him that afternoon.

As I recall, it was probably less than ten minutes, maybe seven or eight minutes, or even less.

Thinking of this, Jessica immediately got out of the car, took out her phone, found the clock, and as she pressed the timer button, she walked towards the alley next to the bar.

The alley was narrow, just wide enough for two cars to pass each other, with a few cars parked on one side and an asphalt road on the other.

Upon entering the alley, Jessica's first sight was of shops facing the street. Continuing further in, she found herself in a narrow back alley.

Further down the path, she saw a network low-voltage box, followed by a clearly luxurious villa.

This villa has high walls and a large courtyard with landscaped gardens; even the main gate doesn't allow you to see inside.

Jessica only glanced at the villa before continuing deeper into the alley.

Further in, there were houses similar to the villa in front, only they looked a bit older. When they reached a two-story residential building, Jessica's phone clock showed exactly eight minutes.

So she stopped and looked up at the small building, muttering, "It can't be that bad, can it? That guy may not seem to have much money, but he owns a bar and drives a Mercedes. He wouldn't live in an apartment like this."

After saying that, Jessica turned her head to look back at the road she had come from, and looking at the rows of villas, she felt that it was a bit exaggerated.

"That doesn't make sense either. This is Gangnam District. If he really bought a villa here, why would he ask me for 2000 million back?"

Thinking about this, Jessica finally realized the flaw in her words and her eyes widened.

"Wait a minute, that guy owns a bar and drives a Mercedes, he's not short of his 2000 million. So he's been eyeing Soojung from the very beginning?"

A surge of anger welled up in Jessica's heart, but then she thought of the IOU. The IOU, which had seemed perfectly fine before, suddenly became full of doubts.

She tried to find the loopholes, but couldn't get anywhere.

Just like the girl next to Lin Xiuyuan, the problem is indeed huge, but the source cannot be found, and everything seems to be in a mess.

While pondering these questions, Jessica had unknowingly walked around once and returned to the alley entrance.

Standing there, gazing at the clean ground and the occasional sounds of cars coming from the alley, she suddenly felt lost, unsure of what to do next.

We can't just sit here and wait for that guy to come out; who knows when he'll show up?

Just as Jessica was at a loss, she suddenly heard the roar of an engine. Turning her head, she saw a Mercedes-AMG coupe slowly driving up from not far away and then stopping behind her car.

The car door opened, and a familiar figure stepped out, staring at her in shock. "Xiuyan? What are you doing here?"

Kim Tae-yeon was shocked to see Jessica there after getting out of the car. She had originally wanted to find Lin Xiu-yuan, but with Jessica here, she probably wouldn't be able to ask him any 'secrets'.

Jessica, equally shocked, looked at her and asked, "Taeyeon? What brings you here too?"

Kim Tae-yeon walked up to Jessica and said directly, "I came to see Xiu-yuan. What are you doing here, Xiu-yeon?"

"I……"

Jessica had originally planned to say that she was looking for Lin Xiuyuan, but then she changed her excuse and said, "Oh, I'm looking for Xiujing. I thought she was with Lin Xiuyuan, but when I called her just now, she said she wasn't there."

Upon hearing this, Kim Tae-yeon gave her a deep look, a faint smile on her face, and did not expose Jessica's lie. She simply asked casually, "Would you like to go into the bar for a while?"

"Oh? Sure, should we call Lin Xiuyuan out?"

Jessica's eyes lit up, and she nodded in agreement. As far as she knew, this little bar was only open to members besides Lin Xiuyuan, and right now...

Wait, what is Taeyeon doing?
Wait, why is the door open?
Just as Jessica was thinking of using this opportunity to get Kim Tae-yeon to call out Lin Xiu-yuan, Kim Tae-yeon had already stepped forward and easily unlocked the tavern door.

Then he turned to look at her and said, "Come in, Xiuyan, what are you daydreaming about?"

Looking at the open pub door, Jessica suddenly remembered that Kim Taeyeon was already a member, so she looked up at her and said, "By the way, Taeyeon, when did you become a member of this pub?"

"Not long ago, I think," Kim Tae-yeon said with a smile.

However, when Jessica looked at Kim Tae-yeon's face, and then thought about Yoona, Krystal, and others, there was a question she wanted to ask, but in the end, she didn't ask it.

The main reason is quite simple: neither Da Longzai nor Li Juli are members, but they still look radiant.

With that in mind, Jessica followed Kim Tae-yeon and entered the bar.

Although it was Kim Tae-yeon's first time coming in on her own, Lin Xiu-yuan had previously explained the electrical circuits and layout of the shop to her. All she had to do was turn on the main switch, and she wouldn't have to worry about anything else.

Those who know how to mix drinks can do it themselves; those who don't can just add some ice and drink what's ready-made.

It's obvious that Kim Tae-yeon and Jessica both belong to the latter category, and since they both drove here, they just came in to find a place to sit.

At the same time, Jessica asked again out of curiosity, "Taeyeon, now that you're a member, do you know what the membership requirements are for Lin Xiuyuan's bar?"

"Oh, is it standard?"

When asked, Kim Tae-yeon was a bit clueless, because apart from enjoying the membership benefits of Time Gate, she knew nothing about other benefits or what the standards were.

So he replied, "It probably depends on Xiu Yuan's mood."

Seeing that Kim Tae-yeon's expression didn't seem like Jessica was deliberately hiding her answer, she hesitated for a moment before continuing to ask, "Have you seen any of the other members of the bar, besides Soo-jung, Yoona, and Eun-jung?"

Although she didn't know why Jessica was so curious, Kim Tae-yeon nodded slightly.

Then Jessica asked, "Do you know who that girl is, who looks about the same height and build as me, and wears black toenail polish? Have you ever met her?"

"About the same as you?" Kim Tae-yeon's heart tightened suddenly.

"Yes, I was eating just now..."

Immediately afterwards, Jessica recounted how she and Da Longzai picked up a member from the airport that day, had dinner together, and then noticed that Lin Xiuyuan had brought out a member wearing a mask, so she went down to greet him.

As a result... the other party immediately cursed at her.

That's all fine, the main problem is that the voice sounds too much like her own, the tone, the little gestures, and so on.

Although Jessica herself felt it was a bit far-fetched when she said these words, she couldn't find Lin Xiuyuan to explain to her right now, and she had grabbed Kim Tae-yeon, a member, so she wanted to ask her a few more questions to see what was going on.

When Kim Tae-yeon heard what Jessica said, her first thought was: Has Jessica from 13 come back to life?

After all, Kim Tae-yeon couldn't think of anyone other than Jessica Jung who would say something like "You've become so ugly" to Jessica.

So she subconsciously laughed out loud, attracting Jessica's attention. "Why are you laughing, Taeyeon? Do you know who that person is?"

"Oh, I don't know. I just joined. I've met several members, but not all of them."

When asked, Kim Tae-yeon immediately denied it, mainly because she didn't know how to explain it.

“Then why don’t you ask Lin Xiuyuan?” Jessica asked immediately afterward.

In response, Kim Tae-yeon replied directly, "Ah, Jessica, don't you have his phone number? Just ask him yourself. I'm too embarrassed to ask the other members for information."

As soon as she finished speaking, Kim Tae-yeon saw Jessica's expression change. Then, Jessica took a deep breath and said resentfully, "Lin Xiuyuan blocked me."

This startled Kim Tae-yeon again, and she recalled how, after the party that night, Lim Yoon-ah explained the 'conflict incident' between Lim Xiu-yuan and Jessica.

Then he suddenly realized, clicking his tongue slightly, "Tsk, this is a bit troublesome."

"Taeyeon, could you ask him out for me? I want to get some answers, okay?" Jessica's voice was low, tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Kim Tae-yeon thought for a moment and nodded, "I'll try to make a call for you, but I can't guarantee he'll agree. Xiu Yuan is quite stubborn."

As she continued, Kim Tae-yeon couldn't help but laugh, which made Jessica a little uncomfortable.

……

……

Inside the villa.

Lin Xiuyuan continued playing that subtle "jade foot game" with Zheng Xiuyan, their toes occasionally touching, and the distance between them grew closer and closer in this unspoken contact.

At the same time, one hand was also quickly replying to messages on the phone, with a slight smile on the face.

On his phone screen, messages from Liu Zhimin kept flashing, and he quickly replied to a few.

Suddenly, Jessica Jung broke the silence, "Xiuyuan, if I really wanted to develop my career in the Chinese entertainment industry, what advice would you have?"

Lin Xiuyuan was slightly taken aback. He glanced at her legs, then looked into her eyes. "Didn't you hear what I said before?"

"What I mean is, is there any other way?" Jessica Jung rolled her eyes at him.

"Trying to take a shortcut?" Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow and teased.

Jessica Jung smiled and said, "I'll learn more about it."

Lin Xiuyuan turned around, a helpless smile on his face. "You already have a certain market appeal, so the most direct way is to create buzz. In the future, the entertainment industry will be all about traffic; whoever can attract attention will become the focus."

"For example?" Jessica Jung continued to ask, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"For example, buying trending topics..."

Just as Lin Xiuyuan was about to continue speaking, his phone rang. He looked down and exclaimed, "Oh, Taeyeon is calling me."

Jessica Jung, who had just seen Taeyeon's concert video on a short video platform, couldn't help but smile with a hint of envy, "Taeyeon just finished her tour, right?"

"uh-huh."

Lin Xiuyuan nodded and answered the call, "Hello, Taeyeon."

Upon hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, Kim Tae-yeon smiled and said, "Yes, it's me. Xiu Yuan, where are you?"

"Me? I'm at home. What's up? Want to come over?"

Hearing Kim Tae-yeon's straightforward question, Lin Xiuyuan thought she wanted to go back to 13, so he was about to ask her to come over.

Then they heard Kim Tae-yeon's reply, "No, I was just saying, why don't you come out to the bar and sit for a while? Jessica and I are here."

Soo-yeon?
The name made Lin Xiuyuan subconsciously look up at the opposite side, and Zheng Xiuyan also put down her phone and narrowed her eyes slightly.

If it were Jessica calling, Lin Xiuyuan would have simply said he was busy or hung up, but it was Kim Tae-yeon calling, which put him in a bit of a dilemma.

Fortunately, Jessica Jung seemed very sensible and did not put any pressure on Lin Xiuyuan. She stood up, pointed to the time portal, and smiled gently.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow and replied, "Wait for me, I'll be going out in a bit."

"Well, see you later."

"See you soon."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiuyuan's first words were, "Wow, that's amazing! It's only been a short time, and you've already contacted Xiujing and now Taeyeon. Xiuyan, are you really that crazy?"

"I guess I provoked her."

Jessica Jung, after putting herself in the shoes of someone in 13, thought that if she were walking down the street and suddenly encountered someone who looked exactly like her, who would say a few words in her voice and then run away, she would probably want to figure out what was going on.

Moreover, the people around me are people I know, not strangers, so I'm definitely going to get to the bottom of things.

"I'll take you back first."

Helpless, Lin Xiuyuan could only stand up and say, "I'll come find you later after I've sorted things out, or perhaps..."

"There's rehearsal tonight, probably until the early hours of the morning, we'll see," Jessica Jung replied.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan didn't say much. He led Zheng Xiuyan to the time portal, opened it, and found Zheng Xiuyan's own apartment behind the door.

Before going inside, Jessica Jung stopped and turned to look at Lin Xiuyuan.

With a strange look in his eyes and a hint of trepidation, he said, "Lin Xiuyuan, you're not allowed to touch Jessica. I won't say anything about others, but not about her."

The voice in his ear made Lin Xiuyuan look at Zheng Xiuyan with some surprise. No longer the young Chu Nan, he thought about it for a moment and suddenly realized something. He looked at Zheng Xiuyan in front of him with an interesting look and smiled slightly.

"What, afraid I'll eat something that smells off?" "Get lost!"

Unexpectedly, Lin Xiuyuan was so blunt. Zheng Xiuyan's pretty face flushed, and after cursing, she strode back to her apartment.

Then he turned to Lin Xiuyuan and warned him seriously again, "No, you're not allowed to, understand?"

"Don't worry, don't fret." Lin Xiuyuan smiled.
Just as Lin Xiuyuan was about to close the door, Zheng Xiuyan suddenly stopped again and blocked his way.

A few seconds later, her tone softened slightly, "I guess she's not doing too well either. When you go out, don't upset her."

Lin Xiuyuan was taken aback. He glanced at Zheng Xiuyan, nodded slightly, and then closed the door.

After standing in front of the door for a moment in thought, he turned around and walked towards the front door.

……

……

After leaving the villa, Lin Xiuyuan quickly arrived at the tavern.

The moment Lin Xiuyuan entered the bar, he glanced at the bar counter, where Kim Tae-yeon was already standing, drinking a beverage and smiling at him.

“You’re here, Xiuyuan,” Kim Tae-yeon said with a smile.

"Hmm, what brings you here today?"

Lin Xiuyuan glanced at Jessica sitting next to Kim Tae-yeon, ignored her, and then turned to greet Kim Tae-yeon on his own.

"The tour is over, and I came to see you about something. I didn't expect to run into Soo-yeon at the intersection."

Kim Tae-yeon briefly reminded Lin Xiu-yuan of Jessica's situation.

Just as Lin Xiuyuan was about to reply, Jessica, who was sitting next to him, suddenly spoke up, her tone calm but with a hint of impatience, "Lin Xiuyuan, what about that masked girl you were walking with on the street earlier? Where did she go?"

Lin Xiuyuan paused for a moment, his eyes subconsciously sweeping over Kim Tae-yeon, only to find that she didn't react in any particular way.

Then he looked at Jessica and asked, "Why are you looking for her?"

Then he chuckled and said, "You wouldn't be planning to retaliate just because someone said you're ugly, would you?"

The answer she heard startled Jessica, and the scene of the previous 'conflict incident' flashed through her mind. She gritted her teeth and frowned as she looked at Lin Xiuyuan.

"Can't you stop being so petty, you're a grown man? I already apologized for what happened that time, didn't I? Besides, you hit someone, so you should be over it by now."

Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but laugh when he heard Jessica's explanation.

"A grown man? Hey, I'm not that mature, not that old. I'm just a vengeful young man, hot-tempered, the kind who thinks about revenge all day long."

"..."

Looking at Lin Xiuyuan's smug expression, Jessica felt extremely annoyed and wanted to curse him, but she ultimately held back and took a deep breath.

"How can we make peace? Let's draw a line."

“Tsk tsk tsk~”

Seeing Jessica's familiar reply, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration, "Impressive, you must have met quite a few forthright people in China, your words have such a chivalrous feel to them."

"Stop rambling and just tell me if we can make peace, and if you can tell me what you want to know."

Although Jessica was getting increasingly frustrated and impatient with Lin Xiuyuan's sarcastic remarks, she finally asked him directly.

Lin Xiuyuan glanced at her, intending to provoke her again, but Kim Tae-yeon gently tugged at his sleeve and looked at him with a gentle gaze.

Thinking of Krystal and what Jessica Jung had said before, Lin Xiuyuan reached out and patted Kim Tae-yeon's hand, smiled, and turned to Jessica, "We can make peace, but I can't tell you what you want to know."

“I just want to get to know the other person,” Jessica said softly.

"No."

"May I ask the other person a few questions?"

"No."

"Then I'll just ask you a few questions about the other person, is that alright?"

After thinking for a moment, Lin Xiuyuan nodded, "Okay, but we need to make peace first."

Jessica had just breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could even be happy for two seconds, Lin Xiuyuan's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her. Helpless, she could only sigh and say, "Tell me, how can we make peace?"

"Hmm, I'll have to think about that."

Lin Xiuyuan rubbed his chin, as if he had thought of something, and stared intently at Jessica.

Only after making the other person feel uneasy under his gaze did he finally speak, "I won't make things difficult for you. How about this, you're a designer, right? Just draw a hundred design drafts for me, is that alright?"

Jessica's eyes widened immediately. "What do you take design for? It's not that easy to draw."

Lin Xiuyuan smiled nonchalantly and said, "Don't worry, I don't need your original designs. For example, if I say I like a piece of clothing, I can give you a design and ask you to help me trace its origins into a design drawing, no problem, right?"

Not only Jessica, but even Kim Tae-yeon was a little confused. "What do you need these design drawings for, Xiuyuan?"

“Don’t worry about it, Jessica, okay? You can have someone else do it, or you can draw it yourself. The terms for this peace are very simple.”

Jessica gave Lin Xiuyuan a deep look, and when she heard him mention that he could ask someone to paint it, she finally agreed, "Okay."

Kim Tae-yeon, standing nearby, watched the two of them with a look of disbelief, and couldn't help but laugh, "You guys are... so childish, it's like kids fighting."

“Yes, it’s very childish.” Jessica glanced at Lin Xiuyuan.

Lin Xiuyuan calmly ignored her gaze. The condition he wanted was simply to find someone to help Zheng Xiuyan with her design drawings, so that she wouldn't have to work overtime every night like a fool.

After complaining about Lin Xiuyuan, Jessica spoke again, "Can I ask questions now?"

"Go ahead and ask." Lin Xiuyuan walked behind the bar and grabbed a can of iced cola for himself.

“If I ask you directly who the other person is, you definitely won’t tell me, right?” Jessica stared intently at Lin Xiuyuan.

"The membership confidentiality agreement—if you ask Taeyeon, will she tell you?" Lin Xiuyuan casually gestured to Kim Taeyeon.

Kim Tae-yeon quickly waved her hand, "You guys talk, I won't interrupt. But if it were me, I'd also like this confidentiality agreement."

Jessica let out a soft sigh and continued, "Could I know the other person's age?"

"Age? I'm 12 years younger than both you and Taeyeon." Lin Xiuyuan answered without hesitation, his tone slightly light and teasing.

It's just that Kim Tae-yeon is a little hurt; why drag me into this as an example when it has nothing to do with her?

So he immediately rolled his eyes at Lin Xiuyuan, furious.

Then Jessica asked, "Could I know where in Seoul that person is from?"

Seoul?

Upon hearing this question, Lin Xiuyuan looked up at Jessica and smiled, "She's not from the Peninsula. Next question."

"Do I know her?"

"Get to know me, next."

"Does Jiyeon know her?"

"Pass, next."

How tall is she?

"About the same as you." Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly savoring the intrigue of the question.

"How heavy is she?"

“Lighter than you.” He answered again without hesitation, his tone slightly playful, as if enjoying the sense of mystery that left the reader in suspense.

Jessica frowned, feeling like she'd been tricked. "Is she in the industry or not?"

“She’s from Earth.” Lin Xiuyuan smiled slightly. “Next.”

Lin Xiuyuan, who was fiddling with the equipment with his head down, looked up at Jessica after she fell silent after he finished speaking. "What's wrong? Are you done asking?"

"Your answer is a bit perfunctory, Lin Xiuyuan," Jessica said, giving him a somewhat speechless look.

In response, Lin Xiuyuan laughed and said, "How can this be considered perfunctory? At least I answered, and I guarantee that my answer is as accurate as it gets. You can ask Taeyeon if you don't believe me."

Kim Tae-yeon, who was watching the scene unfold, quickly shook her head. "Xiuyuan, you guys keep talking, don't drag me into this. I've already stopped talking about how I'm old."

"Anyway, if you think I'm going to just brush you off, why don't I just not reply at all? Wouldn't that be more straightforward?" Lin Xiuyuan shrugged as well.

Jessica took a deep breath. The answer to her question had only made her thoughts more chaotic.

So after a while, she said, "I won't ask anymore, let's leave it at that."

"Okay, welcome back next time."

Having received the answer, Lin Xiuyuan turned to look at the door and gestured to Jessica.

This little action made Jessica, who had just calmed down, start making a fuss again. "No, Lin Xiuyuan, what do you mean by this? Are you kicking me out? You said you made peace, are you going back on your word?"

Lin Xiuyuan shook his head at this, but what he said made Jessica even more unhappy: "No, this is a chat between our members. It's not appropriate for an outsider like you to sit here."

But her gaze was fixed on Kim Tae-yeon.

Kim Tae-yeon chuckled and looked at Lin Xiu-yuan, "It's okay, I can chat with you later. It's been a long time since I chatted with Xiu-yeon, Xiu-yuan, don't send me away."

"You guys chat, I'm going home to sleep," Lin Xiuyuan said with a smile.

At this moment, Jessica spoke up, "Lin Xiuyuan, do you live in the alley next door?"

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Lin Xiuyuan didn't quite understand her intention.

"I was just curious where you live."

Jessica stared intently at Lin Xiuyuan as she said this. In her opinion, anyone with a bit of emotional intelligence would have agreed to her suggestion and invited him over for a visit.

Lin Xiuyuan's response was, "Then keep being curious. Let's go. Taeyeon, come over whenever you're done talking."

After saying that, Lin Xiuyuan actually picked up the unfinished can of cola and left the bar.

Jessica was still in a daze when the pub doors closed again. After a long while, she turned to look at Kim Taeyeon and asked, "Taeyeon, did he talk to you like that too?"

"No, Xiuyuan is easy to talk to, and... he's actually quite gentle at heart."

As she said this, Kim Tae-yeon thought of the time Lin Xiuyuan "escorted" her back to Jeonju, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

Jessica frowned as she noticed that everyone who spent time with Lin Xiuyuan seemed to have changed.

Starting with Krystal, then Yoona, Jiyeon, Qri... and now Taeyeon has joined the group?
If Kim Tae-yeon's expression hadn't remained unchanged, Jessica would have really hired a detective to track down Lin Xiuyuan and find out who he was, and why all the women who got close to him changed their appearance.

Oh, except for Taeyeon.

Suddenly, Jessica looked at Kim Tae-yeon as if she remembered something, "By the way, Tae-yeon, do you know where Lin Xiuyuan lives?"

"I know," Kim Tae-yeon nodded.

"Can I go over and take a look?" Jessica asked excitedly.

Kim Tae-yeon gently shook her head, "No, Jessica, what about the confidentiality agreement?"

This answer made Jessica grip her glass tighter, and she said in a very upset tone, "Why? That guy, I've known him the longest!"

Upon hearing this, Kim Tae-yeon raised her eyes...

Then he looked down and sent Lin Xiuyuan a text message: Xiuyuan, do you want a woman or not?
A few seconds later, the reply came: Except for Jessica.

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(End of this chapter)