Peninsula Platinum Era

Chapter 128 The Disqualified Idol (Part 2, please subscribe)
"Invite my oppa to dinner? Is that really necessary? My oppa is very busy."

While it's natural to reciprocate gifts, is it inappropriate for more than ten girls to invite one man to dinner, especially since he's a senior executive at another company?

This company is also embroiled in poaching rumors with Kim Minju, a member of the group. Wouldn't it be awkward if they were to be photographed doing so? After all, the outside world doesn't know that the two have already pledged their lives to each other.

"Xiaoyuan, isn't your birthday coming up soon? Let's chip in and celebrate for you this year! Let's invite Director Chen too, wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?"

The captain, being the captain, quickly figured out Yuan Ying's mindset, and had already come up with an excuse: celebrating her birthday was both reasonable and justifiable.

"It's almost Wonyoung's birthday before we knew it! Our Wonyoung has grown up so much! Eunbi unnie is so thoughtful."

Jiang Huiyuan felt there was nothing wrong with this idea; it was indeed a very appropriate way to hold a birthday party for her sister and thank Chen Shijun at the same time.

But the little girl in front of her seemed to have eaten something unclean. Little did she know that Yuan Ying's biggest regret during this period was taking them to Jia Ping's villa.

"Shall we go to Jiaping again? The environment there is beautiful, nestled between mountains and water, and we can take a boat in this weather."

Yuan Ying's birthday is still a while away. By then, it will be early autumn and the summer heat will not have subsided. Perhaps we can see the mountains and fields covered with maple leaves.

Last time it was winter, so it was a bit of a shame. The valley is perfect for hiking this season, so with so many people, we might as well treat it as a team building trip.

Huiyuan was really bringing up a sore spot, but Xiaoyuan didn't have any excuse to refuse. She paused for a moment, thinking of saying that it wasn't convenient.

“But this time we have to pay Director Chen rent. I see that there are many people over there who rent out their properties for vacations, so let’s just pay Director Chen a little more than that. But if it’s inconvenient, then forget it.”

Hye-won put her hands on Won-young's shoulders, her sincere smile making the maknae's words of refusal stuck in her throat.

After all, they said they wanted to celebrate my birthday. Putting aside my own selfish motives, it was a perfect plan that took into account almost every aspect.

"We must buy some precious ingredients so that Director Chen and Xiaoyuan can see our good intentions. I'm already a little excited just thinking about it!"

As Jiang Huiyuan spoke, she made an expectant expression, which made Eunbi, who was listening nearby, unconsciously smile like an aunt. Even if they had planned it together, they wouldn't be this in sync. Huiyuan, you are simply the best assistant.

"We'll find a day when both Director Chen and I are available, and we'll organize a proper celebration. You all need to prepare gifts."

The captain's words made Huiyuan agree that it was necessary. She had to show Director Chen how good she was to Xiaoyuan, otherwise how could she make a good impression and become Xiaoyuan's sister-in-law?

"Let's not talk about this for now. You know, Yujin unnie's birthday is only one day apart from mine. It wouldn't be right for you to hold a celebration for me but not for unnie!"

Xiaoyuan felt they couldn't celebrate together, since they were only a year apart in age, one's birthday was on the last day of August and the other's on the first day of September. It had to be said that the bond between childhood sweethearts was strong.

"What? I have no problem! I also want to express my gratitude to Director Chen."

The hot weather caused An'an's temples to be covered in sweat, which clung to his face. Chen Shijun praised him for having a vibrant energy, like someone running freely under the sun and charging forward with abandon.

These words made An An feel numb. As expected, Director Chen knew her stuff, unlike some of the older women who didn't know how to speak properly and said she was as carefree as a boy.

Indeed, compared to the sweet style of traditional girl groups, the larger bone structure of their brow bones and cheekbones, along with their wider jawline, creates a rugged yet refreshing youthful feel.

Given time, he will surely win over audiences of both genders. His stage performances are also full of power. Although many audience members have commented that he is strong and robust, or "Little Strong An," those are all nonsense.

Can any of those people have the authority of Chen Shih-Chun? Even someone as authoritative as Chen Shih-Chun says he particularly likes his smile, as it conveys a relaxing, comfortable, and healing feeling.

This is what it means to have good taste. Even someone like Director Chen, who is surrounded by beautiful women, has proven it. What do the fans know?

She wiped her face with a towel. She had heard some of what was said earlier. Although she was a little unhappy about celebrating her birthday with Yuan Ying, everything became harmless once Chen Shijun showed up.

"Anyway, it's not going to be on my actual birthday, so why be so particular? Let's just treat it as a celebration."

On his birthday, he will definitely interact with fans, and Chen Shijun may not be able to find the time, so holding the event at a time that suits everyone is undoubtedly the best option.

"Then, I'll ask oppa."

In fact, Yuan Ying was very unhappy. There was no problem with celebrating her birthday together, since Chen Shijun would celebrate it with her separately in private.

The fact that so many beautiful women were interacting with Chen Shijun made her uncomfortable. She felt insecure, as if these women all harbored treacherous ambitions.

In fact, she often felt that this idea was unreasonable. Although Chen Shijun had many women around him, he didn't seem to be that loose-lipped.

At least Chen Shijun should know his teammates' feelings; he wouldn't do something that would make him uncomfortable.

Of course, we can't let our guard down around them. After all, these little vixens have ulterior motives. If I catch them, I'll skin them alive. They'll never be my sister-in-law.

Especially seeing how happy Ahn Yoo-jin looked, I really don't know what she was laughing about. She's such a clueless big oaf.

An An kept thinking about her childhood sweetheart in her heart, but she didn't care at all about the maknae's somewhat aggrieved look. She was still immersed in the joy of Chen Shijun celebrating their birthdays.

As for the captain who made the suggestion, he seemed to fall silent after achieving his goal, watching the various expressions on his sisters' faces without saying a word.

Time is running out. By the end of this year, we will basically squeeze out the last bit of value, and the group will then enter its final countdown to death.

Many members have lost their passion for the game, which is understandable. Although they are still working hard, everyone is striving for their own future.

Sakura, who was in the upper bunk of Xiaoyuan's room, didn't know what the group of people were doing sitting around in a circle, but she still smiled and hoped to join in the discussion.

Captain Eunbi looked at the Japanese woman who was second only to herself in age in the team. She deeply practiced the principle of making a fortune in silence, and her answers about the future were always watertight.

If you ask her what she'll do next, she'll tell you that she might start a channel on YouTube and post videos of herself playing games, and who knows, she might become an internet celebrity someday.

In addition, she also has to participate in HKT activities, since she hasn't graduated from HKT48 yet, and there are no other work arrangements.

Everyone knows her contract is about to expire, and graduating from HKT is only a matter of time. Does she really want to go back to take care of her child? Everyone knows she's not having an easy time in Japan.

This is a woman with an extremely strong career drive, yet at this moment she displays a laissez-faire attitude and a "whatever happens, happens" attitude. Anyone who believes her is a fool.

Sakura never expected that while her acting skills were flawless, the problem lay in her inconsistency with her character.

So many media storms couldn't bring her down; on the contrary, they forged her incredibly strong resilience. Everyone else might give up, but she couldn't.

Eunbi felt that she was a female idol who had been nurtured by pain and hardship, just like herself. As if noticing the leader's gaze, Sakura looked up and their eyes met, and she gave him a very innocent smile.

"What is Eunbi unnie thinking about? She seems to have something on her mind."

Although she concealed it well, and Eunbi isn't the type to be unable to keep things to herself, her anxiety was clearly palpable during this period.

But that's normal. As you get older, you get anxious sometimes. But Big Hit's offer is like a warm pillow when you're feeling down.

Wonyoung needs to maintain a good relationship with Sakura. Recently, she has been showing small acts of care for her juniors on the show, and it seems that all the previous controversies have disappeared.

……

"Why would Director Chen care about trainees from other companies? This little girl has caused a huge disaster."

Chen Shijun didn't intend to hide his actions, but they were quite puzzling. Could it be that he had some shady relationship with the female idol from the rival group who was about to debut? "I just felt sorry for her. She's still a child. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes."

She didn't want to think about anything at all, but fortunately, Eunhye didn't keep asking questions. Not digging into the details and simply following orders was her way of getting along with Chen Shijun.

"Director Chen's compassion is only shown to girls, especially pretty girls."

Because of the physical relationship involved, it's okay to make a few jokes, and the man won't get angry.

"You're wrong. Generally speaking, it doesn't apply to girls either."

Thinking to myself, if these things really existed, and you still tolerated my treatment of Kim Min-joo like this, then that girl must have been really tormented.

However, the outcome was good, and the contact with Urban Works went relatively smoothly. The specific details still need to be negotiated, which is nothing more than a matter of money.

Things that can be solved with money are no longer a problem. After all, the other party is not a superstar. Although they are very popular in IZ*ONE, how much potential can be tapped after the group disbands is something that must be discussed.

Urban Works has no plans to launch a new girl group in the near future, and it's unclear when they will release one.

Moreover, the company itself doesn't have many resources in the film and television industry, so it's questionable how much it can actually deliver to Kim Min-ju. If it can make money, the petty dirty tricks of privately seducing artists are insignificant.

"The specific details have been communicated to the fan club through the artist's team, and related comments are being controlled."

These are, after all, minor matters, and there are no major issues in the overall direction. However, some unofficial fans are still clamoring for Liu Zhimin to pay the price.

The little snake naturally received a severe lesson from the company, and they threatened to replace her. However, thanks to Chen Shijun's guidance, after playing dead for a while, she found that all the bark and no bite was delivered.

Looking back now, I realize my husband was absolutely right. With such a huge sunk cost, how could we just back out like that?

These guys are just trying to scare idiots. Am I the kind of woman who's easily fooled? After realizing she hadn't been defeated, Liu Zhimin felt confident again.

"Don't worry! I will definitely work harder and live up to the company's expectations and trust. These controversies can't hurt me; they will only make me stronger."

Zhimin's determined gaze made it seem as if she hadn't caused any trouble, but rather like a general who had been appointed to a critical mission. This aura left the staff stunned.

One has to admire the fact that the company chose the team leader; he truly has some exceptional qualities. This kind of resilience is something you probably don't even see in veterans who have weathered many storms.

The controversy surrounding her is expected to continue for some time, but Zhimin is quite at ease at this moment. Even when her family calls her, she feels much more confident.

"Don't worry! There's no problem. It was all the company's doing. Those bastards are just using me to generate buzz!"

The little snake felt like it had been reborn and was a big star again, which made it so its parents didn't have to look for a job for it. It was incredibly amazing.

"I have a burden on my mind? What burden do I have on my mind? I'm happy. The company said it won't affect my debut."

Actually, the company didn't say anything; it was just the girl comforting her parents. However, she could sense that the overall situation was settled, and for now, the fact that no decision had been made was the best news.

When her sister called, she gave a completely different story. Although she knew some of my background, she spoke much more casually.

"It's just a minor mishap. Besides, my oppa won't abandon me. We trust each other. Unnie, you should look at us with warm eyes."

They weren't like this yesterday; I was even a little scared then. I never imagined that my sister would come back in one day. It seems this whole ordeal is more than just a passing mention.

"You're shameless! You're a disqualified idol! No, you're already disqualified before you've even become an idol! How can you face your fans!"

The older sister, being gentle and mild-mannered, couldn't bring herself to say anything too harsh, which made the little snake even more smug, as if meeting Chen Shijun was truly God's arrangement.

"So you guys are going to debut soon? You're really something, creating such a big stir before your debut."

But thinking about it, it's really infuriating. Why not sacrifice someone else? Why drag your own sister into it?

Take that Japanese woman for example. If all else fails, she could use her aunt's relationship with Lee Soo-man to create some buzz! It's all because they have connections.

Although it is said that flies do not land on eggs without cracks, did you not think that this would ruin your own sister?
The older sister's indignation was heartfelt; regardless of whether Jimin's idol career was successful or not, she did not want her to be persecuted because of this.

As she spoke, she suddenly burst into tears. Hearing this, the little snake felt a warmth in its heart. This was a family member who would never have a bad heart towards it.

She also wanted to repay the care of her relatives and Chen Shijun for his kindness. The man told her that the fan club had been taken care of, and it seemed that the pressure from that side had indeed decreased a lot.

The rest are basically their own companies stirring things up behind the scenes, so they can probably keep up with the pace.

I didn't realize it until my sister brought it up. Now that she does, it's like I'm in deep trouble. I feel like I would have suffered a great loss if Chen Shijun hadn't comforted me.

Indeed, why should I be given such a heavy responsibility? There are four people in the team. Do you think I'm easy to bully? They gave me a nominal captaincy with no real power, and now they expect me to shoulder such a huge burden?

By this point, I had already forgotten about the chat history, and even if I remembered it, I wouldn't care. Everyone has a dark past, after all.

Why don't they use their connections to create hype? They could practice for half a year and debut just like them, while they get criticized and the others hide in the background.

I was initially grateful to the company for choosing to protect me during this time, but now all I feel is a sense of self-interest.

To this day, Chen Shijun still doesn't believe this is an influence exerted on her; she only thinks that she has become somewhat enlightened and is gradually understanding more things.

Scrolling through the negative comments on my phone, I could tell that the online trolls the company had hired were already putting their job to good use. Many netizens raised the point of tolerance for errors in speech, saying that young people should be given a chance to correct their mistakes.

Many people are steer the narrative towards the idea that the whole thing was "self-directed and self-acted," believing it to be a propaganda trap orchestrated by SM Entertainment to facilitate the group's debut.

Some people expect him to come forward and respond, but what a joke! Why should he go out and take the blame? He should just play dead in this matter.

If they achieve good results when they debut, these controversies will be downplayed. Later, they can get a few senior artists to praise them, which will change the public opinion environment.

"Unnie, are you alright? What did the company say?"

Looking at Kim Minjung's somewhat concerned eyes, even though this girl had been practicing with him for a long time and they had a very harmonious relationship, the little snake was still wary after suffering such a great calamity.

After all, it was precisely because of her trust that the chat logs were leaked, almost dragging her into an abyss. Now, Zhimin is always somewhat wary of people with whom she has a vested interest.

"I don't know, I'm so annoyed! I might have to go back home and find a job!"

He squinted and teased her, and only felt a little better when he saw that the other person's expression became more anxious and sad.

However, Chen Shijun is right. Apart from her family and him, many people want to see her suffer. She must always keep her eyes open and be careful.

"How could this be! Unnie is clearly a very good person. What's said online is not true."

Indeed, compared to those two green card holders, the relationship between the people from the same peninsula is closer. Little Snake sighed and held the hands that the younger sister offered.

"It was worth all the meals I treated you to. Now that something's happened, you're the only one who cares about me. Look, everyone else is just pretending to be dead."

Before the fog cleared, many people avoided this company's secret weapon as if to avoid suspicion, so it was truly rare for them to come and offer their concern at this time.

(End of this chapter)