Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 320 "I'm actually not doing that badly!!" (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

The cemetery area near the Island Hill Apartments.

After Goo Hara and the others got into the car, Lin Xiuyuan didn't waste any more time and went to open the time portal connecting the apartment from 13.

At the same time, the group of crazy women who originally came to comfort Goo Hara but ended up watching the show were sent back to the apartment from 13.

While they rested there, we also spent some time with and comforted the newcomers: Lee Qri and Goo Hara.

And with the absence of that group of people, the carriage suddenly felt much emptier.

However, after Lin Xiuyuan got into the driver's seat, he did not start the car and leave immediately. Instead, he turned his head to look at Kim Tae-yeon, who was still sitting in the passenger seat and had not followed them to the apartment.

He chuckled and joked, "Why don't you come sit down and keep me company in the sun?"

When asked, Kim Tae-yeon shook her head and sat cross-legged in the passenger seat.

Her gaze wasn't fixed on Lin Xiuyuan, but rather on the bright sunlight outside the car window. Her tone carried a hint of wistful emotion as she suddenly asked a question out of curiosity.

"Xiuyuan, what kind of person do you think you are?"

Lin Xiuyuan was visibly taken aback by the question and hesitated before answering, "No, why are you asking this? I don't know. A man? A bad guy?"

When Kim Tae-yeon turned her head again, her eyes looked at him very seriously.

"Think about what you've done. First, you stopped Soo-yeon's situation, then you helped Yoona solve her problems, then you saved Sulli, and now it's Hara's turn. I'm really curious, when you're doing all this, don't you feel like you're doing something great?"

"great?"

Lin Xiuyuan laughed out loud as if he had heard a joke, "Don't be ridiculous, it's not that exaggerated."

Then he started counting on his fingers, making a self-deprecating, almost jarringly honest statement: "In Jessica's case, all I wanted at first was her money, plus I hoped she could help me get Jessica in this 25-year book. As for Yoona, to be honest, I was just lusting after her body back then, after all, she's the world's number one C."

"Sherry and Hara..."

When the two of them were mentioned, Lin Xiuyuan's tone became slightly more serious.

"I did come here to save these two lives. As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. I am well aware of how despicable my current behavior of trying to have my cake and eat it too is. So, in order to avoid being boiled in oil after death, I have to do some good deeds to earn some merit. Otherwise, I won't feel at ease."

Bathed in the warm afternoon sun, Lin Xiuyuan, who had already started his car and driven away, spoke these words in a nonchalant tone, which made Kim Tae-yeon laugh.

Shaking her head, her tone complicated, she said, "You really are too honest~"

"Because there's nothing to lie about," Lin Xiuyuan replied matter-of-factly.

Just then, another figure peeked out from the unclosed time portal in the back of the car.

Looking at the scenery outside the windshield, which was completely different from the inside of the apartment, Lin Xiaolu's eyes lit up as if she had discovered a new and interesting toy. "Wow, Xiuyuan, your time portal can move along with the RV?"

"It seems so for now; experiments reveal the truth. I never thought it could be like this; who knew?" Lin Xiuyuan, gripping the steering wheel, replied casually without turning his head.

In response, Lin Xiaolu nimbly slipped to the front and handed a bunch of juicy grapes to Kim Tae-yeon, saying, "Unnie, have some fruit."

Taking the grapes, Kim Tae-yeon asked casually, "How's things at the apartment? Is Hara feeling any better?"

"She's fine, her emotions are stable. It's mainly because Xiuyuan comforted her on the mountain before coming down, so we don't need to worry about her at all." As Lin Xiaolu said this, her doe-like eyes curiously glanced at Lin Xiuyuan, "Speaking of which, what did you two talk about while you stood on the mountain for so long?"

"If I said we didn't say anything, would you believe me?" Lin Xiuyuan said with a smile.

Lin Xiaolu nodded without hesitation, "I believe you."

But then she added curiously, "But it feels amazing."

Beside her, Kim Tae-yeon picked up a glistening grape and naturally offered it to Lin Xiuyuan's lips.

Lin Xiuyuan, who was biting into a grape, chewed and mumbled, "Alright, stop standing there like an idiot in the car, get in and close the door. Who knows if there's a dashcam on outside? Safety first."

This time, Lin Xiaolu didn't nag anymore. She obediently turned around and went back, closing the door connecting to the apartment halfway.

The door wasn't completely closed, but surprisingly, the wooden door didn't wobble back and forth like a normal RV door when the vehicle moved or braked.

Instead, it stood there steadily, motionless, as if it were fixed to a solid wall, as if it did not belong to this space.

The car started smoothly and arrived back at Kim Tae-yeon's apartment building in the blink of an eye.

After parking the car, Lin Xiuyuan turned around and closed the door that connected the two timelines completely.

They then got out of the car together and returned to her apartment upstairs.

Then, through the stable time portal inside the apartment, they returned to the bustling base 13 years later.

With the arrival of the two, the already bustling apartment instantly erupted in cheers and laughter.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~ Welcome our great hero, Xiu Yuan!"

"welcome!"

"That's great, Xiuyuan!"

"..."

Looking at the group of women in front of him, who seemed a little too excited, perhaps because of the addition of a new member.

Lin Xiuyuan rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on, and muttered under his breath, "He's got a screw loose..."

Without saying a word, he skillfully opened the door again, connecting the other end of the door to the spacious villa from 25 years ago.

"It's too crowded here. Don't stay here, go play at the villa."

After saying that, Lin Xiuyuan took the lead and disappeared from this side of the apartment.

With him taking the lead, the others in the apartment also stood up with smiles and followed in single file.

Unlike the others who were adept at it, Goo Hara, who was seeing this situation for the first time, hesitated involuntarily as she looked at the incredible time portal that she found so magical.

And subconsciously, he turned his head to look at Shirley, the person he trusted most beside him.

Seeing this, Shirley immediately took her arm affectionately, a reassuring and bright smile blooming on her face. "Unnie, don't be afraid. That's Oppa's villa from 25 over there. It's very big and luxurious. And all the news and things you want to know about the future are basically recorded online over there."

Encouraged by Sulli and under the gentle gaze of Kim Tae-yeon, Ham Eun-jung, and others, Goo Hara took a deep breath and came to the front of the time portal.

My gaze pierced through the door frame, looking at the modern interior of the villa behind the door, a stark contrast to the style of the apartment I lived in 13.

The worldview that had just been shaken to its core in the cemetery and was barely being rebuilt was now being thrown into a washing machine, where it was being turned over and kneaded countless times.

Finally, she slowly mustered her courage, and with Shirley's guidance, she took that step and entered the villa she had lived in for 25 years.

When Goo Hara stepped confidently into the villa, following Sulli's footsteps onto the soft carpet, her first reaction wasn't to admire the luxurious interior, but rather to instinctively look at the enormous floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window, the sun shines brightly and warmly.

It felt exactly the same as what I had just experienced in the cemetery, but the flowers, plants and trees added a completely different kind of vitality.

So this scene inexplicably made her feel somewhat dazed, as if in a single step she had stepped from the silence of death into the hustle and bustle of life.

Then, she subconsciously looked up at the uniquely shaped crystal chandelier above her head, where the afternoon sunlight reflected off the light spots and danced in her eyes.

The familiar and natural voices of Kim Tae-yeon, Krystal, and others could be heard in my ears.

Some went to the kitchen to pour water, some picked up the remote to turn on the TV, and some slumped on the soft sofa to take out their phones and skillfully start ordering food... They seemed so familiar with everything here, as if they were just back in their own home.

This overly casual atmosphere actually made Goo Hara's tense nerves relax a little.

However, Sulli quickly and quietly squeezed Goo Hara's small hand tightly, and after Goo Hara looked at her, she gave her a "come with me" look.

Seeing this, Goo Hara understood.

He let Shirley lead him silently toward the stairs leading to the second floor.

Downstairs, everyone who seemed busy with their own things actually paid a little attention to them.

Upon noticing that the two had already gone up the stairs, Lim Yoona casually picked up the remote and turned the TV volume down a few notches to ensure a quiet space for any potential accidents or noises from upstairs.

However, not long after Sulli and Goo Hara disappeared from the doorway of the guest room, Lee Qri walked over to Lin Xiuyuan's side.

Looking through the villa's floor-to-ceiling windows, he saw some buildings faintly visible outside the courtyard wall, a hint of uncertain surprise on his face.

Then she tugged at Lin Xiuyuan's sleeve and pointed outside, "Xiuyuan, isn't that the location of your little tavern on the roadside outside?"

Lin Xiuyuan was a little surprised when asked the question, and nodded, "Yes, Juli, how did you find out?"

Upon hearing this, Li Juli pointed with some emotion to the large, leafy tree in the yard, "Your tree is so unique. I remember it very clearly from the alley entrance when I came here a few times before."

"Really? Aren't they all the same?" The little dragon cub, who was munching on an apple, mumbled a comment from the side.

“How are they the same, Jiyeon?” Lee Qri retorted helplessly, trying to make her maknae understand. “Look at the canopy of this tree, the angle at which it spreads out and how lush it is. None of the trees in the other yards around here are this big or this distinctive.”

Upon hearing this explanation, the little dragon actually stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass window, tilted his head back, and examined it carefully for a few seconds.

Then he shook his head decisively, "I don't feel anything, I think they're all the same."

Lee Juri, "..."

Finding the conversation ineffective, Lee Qri immediately gave up arguing with the maknae who was unusually slow to understand in some ways, and turned her attention to the other side.

A figure sat quietly on the sofa there, with a face that was almost identical to that of "Park Jiyeon".

The almost identical appearance left Lee Ju-ri speechless for a moment, no matter how many times she had looked at it before, unsure of how to react.

In fact, on the way back to the apartment in the RV, she felt uncomfortable because of the "mirror image" of Park Jiyeon, Lin Xiaolu, Kim Yuen-yuen, Jessica Jung and others.

If it weren't for familiar faces like Da Long Zai and Kim Tae-yeon helping her adapt to everything, she probably would have felt like she'd seen a ghost.

Perhaps noticing Li Julina's slight embarrassment, Lin Xiuyuan, who was standing next to her, asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Haven't you gotten used to it yet?"

Li Juli nodded honestly, rubbed her temples, and said in an exaggeratedly tired tone, "How can I adapt to this? My mind is still a mess. Xiuyuan, your ability is too unfair."

Then, as if a sudden enlightenment had been granted, she suddenly realized something.

First, she pointed to her face, then quickly turned her head and scanned the living room with her eyes.

Kim Tae-yeon, Jessica, Im Yoon-ah... and Da Long Zai.

Upon realizing what was happening, Lee Juri's mouth involuntarily opened wide, finally culminating in a soft exclamation of realization, "Wow, Xiuyuan~ I was wondering why you're always so busy, turns out there are so many people fighting over food."

Upon discovering that some of his subtle actions had been so bluntly pointed out, a rare hint of embarrassment appeared on Lin Xiuyuan's face.

So she quickly coughed and tried to change the subject, "By the way, Juli, don't you have anything you want to say to your past self? Like, to remind her not to go down the wrong path or something?"

"say what?"

When Lin Xiuyuan asked her the question, Li Juli withdrew her gaze from observing everyone and looked at him, feigning a recollection. "Actually, I wasn't doing that badly in 13. Although I was practically semi-retired because of that incident, the money I had earned and invested was enough for me to live comfortably. As for other things..."

When she mentioned this, her tone carried a sense of profound clarity that came from having weathered many storms. "I think those were things I was meant to experience. They were mostly just trivial matters in life, nothing that could be considered life-or-death separations like those of Shirley and Hara. So, upon reflection, there's nothing worth elaborating on."

Seeing her calm and collected demeanor, Lin Xiuyuan was somewhat surprised. "Your reaction reminds me of how Eun-jung reacted when she found out everything, but she was a bit more agitated than you."

They're grabbing my collar...

"It's probably because of the team."

Upon hearing Lin Xiuyuan's reply, Li Juli guessed the reason almost instantly and stated it directly.

“Eun-jung cared about this more than I did. Maybe it was because she felt there was still a chance back then, while I felt it was already dispensable.”

After saying that, Li Juli probably felt there was nothing to hide from Lin Xiuyuan, so she added, "Or rather, I know that we simply don't have any chance anymore."

"Why?" Lin Xiuyuan asked in return, following her lead.

This made Lee Juri glance at him, her eyes seeming to say "Don't play dumb," and a knowing smile appeared on her lips.

"I don't believe you don't know the reason, Xiuyuan. Aren't these kinds of topics the most popular among Chinese boys?"

Seeing that Li Juli had actually said it, Lin Xiuyuan could only helplessly shrug and spread his hands, which was considered an admission of the fact.

It's nothing more than online politics~
When it comes to politics, Tara really doesn't have much of a chance to turn things around, but that's only limited to the Korean Peninsula.

So Lin Xiuyuan didn't think it was a big deal.

So he cast a worried glance up to the second floor and clicked his tongue, "Quri, do you think Hara can accept those facts?"

Hearing this, Lee Juri, who was standing next to him, also looked upstairs.

After a moment of silence, she answered in a calm yet firm tone, "I don't know, but in my personal opinion, Hara is more pitiful than Shirley."

These words were spoken softly, yet they sent a chill down Lin Xiuyuan's spine, causing him to abruptly look at Li Juli.

Lee Juri remained calmly gazing upstairs, as if stating a perfectly obvious fact.

Men's and women's perspectives are inherently different!

(End of this chapter)