Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 124 Reactions from All Sides (Part 1, 3.2k words)

Curious, she clicked on Byun Baekhyun's Twitter account, and sure enough, it was just as chaotic there. The comment section was even worse than Lee Seung-gi's, with Baekhyun's fans crying and wailing, making various clarifications, and cursing the rumor-mongers and Lee Seung-gi.

As Yoona watched, a sudden inspiration struck her. She abruptly raised her head and looked sharply at Jiang Che, who was standing next to her with his head down, his fingers flying across the screen, and a strange smile on his lips.

She recalled what her manager, Unnie, had said earlier, "I wonder who this talented person is," and she remembered Jiang Che's earlier comment, "I'll go check it out"...

A bold guess came to mind.

She took a deep breath, trying to make her tone sound calm, and tentatively began:

"Jiang Che! Did you do this?"

Jiang Che was leading the way in leaving comments on Li Shengji's Twitter account, keeping himself very busy.
【Lee Seung-ge, if you're a man, say something! You have nothing to do with our Baekhyun oppa, right?!】——Sent!
【@ByunBaekhyunOppa, come out here and tell us loudly that this isn't true. I'll believe you as long as you say it!】——Sent!
Hearing this, without even looking up, he subconsciously replied:
"Huh? What did I make?"

"It's about Lee Seung-ji and Byun Baek-hyun..." Yoona ultimately couldn't bring herself to say "together," and mumbled:

"...That trending topic! Was it your doing?"

Upon hearing the words "trending topics," Jiang Che snapped out of his reverie and abruptly looked up.

"Huh? It's trending so quickly?"

These words were practically an admission of guilt!
Seeing his reaction, how could Yoona not understand? Although she had vaguely guessed it was him before, now that it was confirmed, the feeling was completely different.

An indescribable warm feeling suddenly surged through his heart—for his own sake, he had gone and done something so outrageous in the short span of a single game.
He managed to deflect the mud he was being shoved at him in a way no one could have imagined.

She stared at Jiang Che with her doe-like eyes, completely captivated. Jiang Che felt a little uneasy under Yoon-ah's intense gaze and thought to himself:
'What's wrong with this woman? That look in her eyes...is she moved? Or does she think his methods are too dirty and is about to criticize him?'

Before he could figure it out, Yoona rushed over and pulled his head into her arms!
Jiang Che's brain went blank for a second, and he immediately froze.

He instantly felt a faint, sweet fragrance emanating from Yoona waft towards him, followed by a slightly irritating sensation on his face... the feel... the location...

What?! A suicide attempt?! Or... a suffocating attack?!
He was about to struggle to say something when Yoona's unusually gentle voice came from above his head:
"Jiang Che... thank you."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che's initial panic and romantic feelings suddenly subsided. He hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and gently patted Yun'er's back twice, his muffled voice coming from her embrace:

"It's alright now."

His voice came through the fabric, and his warm breath brushed against Yoona's chest. Only then did she realize what she had impulsively done—she had actually pressed Kang Cheol's head against her chest?!

"Ah!" Yoona gasped softly, as if burned, and abruptly released her grip, shoving Jiang Che away. Her eyes darted around in a panic, avoiding eye contact with him, and she quickly changed the subject:
"Um... Jiang Che, what's wrong with your brain? How could you come up with something like this?!"

Jiang Che stumbled backward from the push, and seeing Yoona's appearance, he found it amusing but didn't expose her, instead continuing the conversation:
"That's because I'm a genius, of course."

Yoona couldn't help but burst out laughing at his smug expression, and the embarrassment she had felt earlier instantly dissipated.

Just then, Yoona's phone suddenly rang, startling both of them.

Yoona picked up her phone and saw the caller ID: [Sunny Unnie].

She took a deep breath, composed herself, and answered the phone. Before she could even utter a sound, Sunny's piercing, unrestrained laughter came from the other end:
"Hahaha! Yoona! Did you see the trending topics? Lee Seung-gi and Byun Baek-hyun?! Hahaha! Number one! It went straight to number one!"

Ouch, my stomach's rumbling... I'm dying of laughter! So Yoona, you were their shield for their great love story? Haha! Wait, no, Taeyeon was too, wasn't she? Haha!

Sunny's laughter was both mesmerizing and wild; even without speakerphone, Jiang Che could hear it clearly.

Upon hearing this outrageous teasing, Yoona's initial shyness was immediately replaced by embarrassment and indignation:

"Hey! Sunny unnie! What nonsense are you talking about! What shield?! This is completely unfounded, don't spread rumors!"

"Hahaha..." Sunny laughed wildly for a while before catching her breath and asking with intense curiosity:

"Hey, but seriously, Yoona, did... Kang Cheol do this?"

Yoona exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?"
"Unnie, how did you know?"

"Do you even need to guess? Didn't you just say that Jiang Che said he was going to check on the situation?"
And what happened? Just the time it takes to play a game, and this ridiculous trending topic appeared. I don't believe our company's PR department idiots could be that good!

As Yoona listened to Sunny's precise analysis, she subconsciously glanced at Kang Cheol beside her:

"Yes, it was him who did it."

"Wow! Amazing!" Sunny exclaimed on the other end of the phone, her eyes wide with surprise.
"That Jiang Che... he has so many uses? And all of them are different? Fighting, filling in for others, cooking, and now he has such a bizarre ability to cause trouble? Is he some kind of reincarnation of a Swiss Army knife?" The more she talked, the more she felt that Jiang Che was a real treasure. Her eyes darted around, and her tone became incredibly flattering and eager:
"Um... Yoona, can I ask you something? Can you lend me Jiang Che for a few days? Just a few days! I promise I'll return him to you in perfect condition after I've used him!"

Hearing these suggestive words, Yoona's forehead creased with three black lines, and she rejected them without hesitation:
"Don't even think about it! Unnie! I'm not lending it to you!"

"Ugh, you're so stingy!" Sunny pouted, but didn't really care. Instead, she curiously pressed for an answer:

"Then you have to ask him right away how he did it! That's incredible! How does he think like that? All the people in our company's PR department combined aren't as good at this as him!"

Listening to Sunny praise Kang Cheol, Yoona felt as if someone was praising her own child, and she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"Nee... I'll ask later."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Che's phone rang, and she gave him a questioning look.

Jiang Che glanced down at the screen; the caller ID showed "Taeyeon".

He mouthed "It's Taeyeon" to Yoona, and Yoona gave him an OK sign before continuing her conversation with Sunny.
Jiang Che cleared his throat and answered the phone. Before he could even speak, Taeyeon's signature middle-aged woman laugh came through the receiver. She chuckled for a while before finally stopping, her voice filled with disbelief:

"Hey! Jiang Che! Who was Yoona talking to on the phone just now? And did you guys see the trending topic? It's about Lee Seung-gi and Byun Baek-hyun?! What's going on?"
When I saw it, I thought I was hallucinating—has the world gone mad? How could something so ridiculous happen! Hahaha!

She laughed a few more times, then suddenly changed her tone:
"...Tell me honestly, did you do this?"

Jiang Che couldn't help but laugh as he listened to her rapid-fire questions:

"Yes, Yoona is on the phone with Sunny, um, we saw it too." He paused, then asked with a hint of curiosity:
"But...Taeyeon, why did you immediately assume it was me?"

Taeyeon's voice on the other end of the phone was soft and sweet, tinged with pride:

"Hmm... a sixth sense? It's just a kind of intuition."

"Okay, I did it..."

"Haha, Kang Cheol!" Taeyeon laughed even more heartily upon hearing his admission, clearly in a very good mood.

"Haha, Jiang Che! What on earth are you thinking about all day long?! How did you come up with this kind of plot? And you even made it sound so convincing! I almost believed it after reading it!"

Hearing her cheerful laughter, Jiang Che's mood brightened as well.

"Isn't it because he's always bothering you? It's like having two male leads in a story."

"Huh?" Taeyeon's laughter stopped abruptly, as if she hadn't reacted yet. She paused for a second, realizing that the plot Kang Cheol had envisioned wasn't just to divert attention from Yoona.

Is it also for her own sake? Is this plot only created because there were already two male leads?
After realizing what had happened, a warmth filled her heart, and her nose tingled slightly. Holding the phone, her voice unconsciously softened:

"Jiang Che... thank you..."

Jiang Che replied in a relaxed tone:
"Hey, we're practically family, it's too formal to talk about this."

"Yes," Taeyeon obediently replied on the other end of the phone.

While Kang Cheol and Taeyeon were on the phone, on the other side of the city, someone was perfectly illustrating what it means to be "sitting in the practice room and getting blamed from the sky."

In a practice room at SM Entertainment, Byun Baekhyun had just finished a round of intense dance practice and was sitting on the floor resting, drenched in sweat.

Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the practice room door. EXO's manager opened the door and waved to him with a complicated expression.

"Baekhyun, come out here for a second."

Byun Baekhyun got up and walked out, looking slightly puzzled.
"Brother, what's wrong?"

The agent didn't answer directly, but instead handed him his phone, his tone tinged with sympathy and helplessness:
"See for yourself...it's trending on social media."

Byun Baekhyun took the phone, and the screen was filled with those glaring trending topics: #LeeSeungGiByunBaekhyun#, #LeeSeungGiMilitaryService#, #LeeSeungGiByunBaekhyunTrueLove#...

His heart tightened. He couldn't understand how his name could be associated with Senior Li Shengji. He and Senior Li Shengji... seemed to have only met a few times from afar at some large award ceremonies, and they had never interacted at all.
However, when he clicked into that "in-depth gossip" post and quickly skimmed through its contents...

Within seconds, Byun Baekhyun's expression shifted from confusion to shock, then from shock to disgust, absurdity, and finally to raging fury. His face, like a spilled palette, alternated between green and white.

"Damn it! Who the hell is this?! Which bastard made this up?! Are they crazy?! What kind of nonsense are they spouting?!"

Byun Baekhyun nearly crushed his phone. He felt like he'd been splashed with excrement for no reason while walking down the street—and it was old, stale excrement at that! This was an absolute insult to his personality and sexual orientation!
(End of this chapter)