Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 117 Jessica's Imagination? (3.6k)

Then he grabbed Shirley's arm and said:

"Snowball, it's okay, they...they used to do this all the time, you'll get used to it, you'll get used to it..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che internally scoffed, "Is this a frequent occurrence? Yoona has really had a tough time these past few years! This isn't a teammate, it's like she's worshipping a tyrant!"

Looking at Kang Cheol and Sulli, who depended on each other for survival, and then at her younger sister who had gone to talk to Sulli, Soo-yeon suddenly felt like she was isolated by the whole world.

With a cold face, she slumped back into her chair and began to indiscriminately attack everyone present with her icy gaze, attempting to freeze to death anyone who displeased her.

Looking at the scene before her, Jiang Che felt that she and those two short-statured big shots would definitely get along well, after all, even their Conqueror's Haki was strikingly similar.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Krystal, having finally calmed Sulli down, turned around and saw her unnie's murderous glare—she felt so young and insignificant.
Yet she bears pressure that she shouldn't have at her age. This irritable unnie still needs to be coaxed by her in the end.

She took a deep breath and forced a smile:
"Um... Unnie, shall we eat first? The roast duck won't taste good if it gets cold..."

Upon hearing this, Xiuyan gave her a cold glance but didn't reply. However, remembering what Xiujing had said about listening to Yoona's explanation, she spoke up:
"Tell me, Yoona, why did you order cucumbers?" She wanted to see what kind of nonsense this guy could come up with.

Jiang Che then realized that the problem seemed to be with the cucumber, but what had the cucumber done to offend her?

He felt like a primary school student who had mistakenly entered the college entrance examination hall and was given a test paper on advanced mathematics. Wasn't this just bullying a primary school student who was uneducated?
In the end, he could only bite the bullet and answer:

"Maybe...it's just because...it tastes good?"

"Delicious?" Xiuyan was so angry she almost laughed, but seeing Jiang Che's still blank expression, she felt a little doubtful.
'I already hit her once, so given Yoona's personality, there's no reason for her to pretend to be stupid and wait for a second beating, right? Does she really want me to beat her up again? Because she feels good about it?'

She hesitated for a moment, her sharp gaze scanning Jiang Che up and down like an X-ray, trying to find any trace of acting on his face.

Seeing that the other person still looked confused, I decided to just throw out the answer and see how he would respond:

"You... forgot I'm allergic to cucumbers?"

"boom!"

These words struck him like a bolt from the blue, freezing him in place: 'Holy crap!' He'd been so careful, so cautious, that he hadn't dared to say more than a few words to this woman.

I was terrified that saying too much would give me away! But to my utter surprise, I ended up getting caught up in something as trivial as a plate of cucumbers! Unbelievable!
Who the hell knew this woman had this hidden side?! This job is unbearable, should I just quit?!

In an instant, the urge to unleash the ultimate weapon—the second personality—emerged strongly once again. Or perhaps I should just go all in and confront this woman directly.

"Just say you're Yoona's second personality, you have no memories, so you don't know anything!"

But as soon as the thought popped into his head, he decisively suppressed it. The last time he said that to Taeyeon, it was purely luck. Moreover, Taeyeon was his teammate and captain, and she had an overflowing sense of responsibility, which is why she wasn't dragged to see a doctor in the end.

It's hard to say what this former teammate would do if I told her this, not to mention how amazing her record last year was—1v8 and going head-to-head with the company.

In just the past two days, I haven't noticed anything else, except that this woman's mood changes faster than turning the pages of a book.

'Forget it, I'll think of another excuse.'

He instantly channeled his inner Actor, raising his hand to rub his temples forcefully, his tone filled with exhaustion and self-reproach:

"Mia, Soo-yeon unnie... I... I think I've been under too much pressure lately, my mind is all over the place, it's a mess, I really didn't react for a moment... I completely forgot that unnie can't eat cucumbers!"

After saying this, Jiang Che's heart pounded wildly. This was probably the worst excuse he had ever come up with since becoming a screenwriter—he was even prepared to be questioned and then deal with it accordingly.

Upon hearing this, Xiuyan's anger momentarily subsided:
'Under a lot of pressure? What kind of pressure could make her forget that she's allergic to cucumbers?'
She thought back carefully, and couldn't recall hearing anything particularly unusual about Yoona recently. If she had to name one, she'd been trending quite a bit, but what kind of pressure was that?

Suddenly, a thought struck her like lightning—could it be... because it's almost September? And that's causing that...anniversary effect?
The book says that after experiencing a major traumatic event, around the anniversary of each year, the person is prone to experiencing anxiety, depression, and pain again…

So… Yoona is affected by me? Because my departure had such a big impact on her?
Soo-yeon was shocked by her own conclusion. 'Am I... really that important to Yoona? They are good friends, but it doesn't seem to be that serious, does it?'
After all, Yoona isn't like Taeyeon who keeps everything bottled up inside, but... it doesn't seem like anything else fits the bill. So, eliminating all the impossibilities, the remaining one must be the truth?

She subconsciously clenched her hands on her lap, feeling a little flustered.

But the next second, she suddenly realized, 'Could this be one of those cunning Yun's pranks?'

She looked up and scrutinized Jiang Che again. There wasn't a trace of the smug expression that Lin Yoona would show after successfully pulling off a prank.

Thinking back carefully, although Yoona is mischievous and playful, she doesn't seem to have ever joked about health issues or the members' injuries. Moreover, judging from her genuinely bewildered reaction when she was hit just now, it didn't seem like it was premeditated.

'Besides, it's better to be safe than sorry. What if the maknae is telling the truth? If it really is because of me…'

Thinking of this, she hesitated for a moment, her voice unconsciously softening and carrying a hint of probing:

"Is it because of...that thing?"

Jiang Che: "???"

Which matter? Sister, could you please be more specific? Your question, which is so vague and disjointed, is hard for me to answer!
But looking at Xiuyan's suddenly complicated and even somewhat evasive eyes, along with her suddenly gentle tone,
Jiang Che keenly sensed that this woman might have imagined something like Taeyeon. Although he didn't know exactly what she had imagined, based on past experience, he knew that as long as he went along with what she said, he would be right.

He immediately lowered his eyelids, nodded very slightly, and mumbled an "Mmm".

He thought to himself, 'I didn't lie! I really am under a lot of pressure without start-up capital! As for what you said, I just nodded. If it really comes to light later, it has nothing to do with me!' With this thought, the last bit of guilt in his heart completely disappeared.

Seeing Jiang Che nod, Xiuyan reacted as if she had been burned, her entire aura changing. If she was a bristling, icy cat just moments before, she now resembled a kitten caught doing something wrong by its owner.

The thought of Yoona being under so much pressure, and how she had just hit and bitten Yoona... overwhelmed her with a strong sense of guilt.

"Ah...uh...that..." She opened her mouth, wanting to say something to ease the tension or apologize, but felt it would be too much to apologize directly. In the end, she just picked up her chopsticks awkwardly, her eyes darting around at the dishes on the table.

"Never mind...let's eat first..."

As she spoke, she actually picked up a slice of roast duck and placed it on the plate in front of Jiang Che.

Jiang Che: "!!!"

I really want to ask, what on earth did this woman imagine?! Taeyeon took a long time to believe she had a secondary personality, how could this happen in an instant?!
Although her mind was racing with thoughts, she outwardly appeared obedient and compliant.

"Kamsammida, Soo-yeon unnie."

Xiuyan didn't look at him, just hummed in response, and then, as if to make up for something, she put another piece of food on Jiang Che's plate... as if she wanted to bury him in food.

The atmosphere at the dinner table became extremely subtle.

Krystal, standing beside her, watched as her unnie remained silent, only focusing on serving food to Yoona. She felt like Yoona was about to have a brain—wasn't her unnie just now trying to hit, slap, and bite her?
How come Yoona unnie went from being a freak and angry girl to being a cuddly one the moment she said she was under pressure? That transformation was too fast!
And that other thing? What exactly is it? Does unnie have some kind of secret between her and Yoona unnie behind my back?
And... if this trick works so well, then next time my unnie bullies me, can I just cover my head and say, "Unnie, I'm under so much pressure"?
Then we can escape this disaster? Soojung's little brain started frantically thinking about the feasibility of this plan.

On the other side, Sulli breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jessica's attitude soften and even serve food to Yoona. As for the reason, she wasn't curious at all.
After confirming that the teeth marks on Jiang Che's arm were fading, she followed Xiuyan's example and served Jiang Che a piece of food she thought was delicious, saying softly:

"Unnie, this is delicious too!"

Jiang Che looked at the ever-growing pile of food in front of him, glanced at Xiuyan on his left who was serving him food, and then at Shirley on his right who was serving him food.
I chuckled awkwardly, feeling like a helpless, overgrown baby.

"Sooyeon unnie... Sulli, you guys eat too, don't just focus on me..."

To alleviate this inexplicable care, he quickly put a piece of food on Soo-jung's plate as well:
"Soojung, you eat too, eat more."

Krystal looked at the extra food suddenly appearing on her plate, then glanced at Yoona across from her, who was being treated like royalty.

Inner monologue: So, is Unnie the Empress? Is Snowball the Imperial Concubine? And then the two women are vying for the Emperor's favor, but Yoona still likes me the most?

"Pah, pah!" Soojung, wake up! If your unnie finds out about this, you're doomed!

After finally finishing this awkwardly atmosphered dinner, Jiang Che called over the waitress and prepared to pay the bill.

"Hello, the total is..."

Before the waiter could finish speaking, a fair hand reached out and precisely pressed down on Jiang Che's arm as he was about to take out his card: "I'll do it."

As he spoke, the other person handed over their card.

Jiang Che instinctively wanted to struggle:
"Eh? Soo-yeon unnie, you said it was my treat..."

Xiuyan glanced at him, her tone carrying a somewhat enigmatic meaning:

"You want me to treat you? So that I'll put more pressure on you? Just stay quiet."

Jiang Che: "..."

Jiang Che immediately shut up.

On the way back to the hotel, Krystal and Sulli walked ahead, while Kang Cheol and Soo-yeon followed behind.

The atmosphere became somewhat silent for a moment.

After a moment of silence, Xiuyan suddenly spoke up, her voice gentle:
"Um... how did the recording of the show go?"

Jiang Che was taken aback—he thought this woman's concern would end after dinner, but there was a follow-up? Could the aftereffects of that incident last this long?
He nodded quickly and obediently replied:

"Yes, it went very smoothly, and everyone got along very well."

"Oh," Xiuyan responded, seemingly trying to find a topic to talk about.
"Going back to Seoul tomorrow?"

"Yes, that's right." Jiang Che replied obediently, but inwardly he couldn't help but mutter: 'How could they talk about this like this? And I'm getting more and more curious, what on earth is this girl imagining? I really want to ask!'

The two of them started making small talk and then walked into the hotel lobby.

As soon as I stepped into the lobby, I heard a voice coming from the sofa in the rest area next door: "Xiuyan".

Jiang Che turned his head in response and saw a person who looked respectable but whose eyes made people feel uncomfortable stand up—Quan Ningyi.

(End of this chapter)