Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 141 Reconciliation (6K 1428)

Jiang Che, who was gazing at Yoon-ah's profile and feeling a pang of heartache at the weariness between her brows, subconsciously hummed in response to the confirmation.

He quickly realized what was happening and smiled helplessly—he had intended to reveal his identity when they were alone, but he hadn't expected to be recognized so easily.

Upon hearing his admission, Yoona's carefully constructed facade of calm cracked instantly. She turned her head sharply, her eyes swirling with emotions she had suppressed for so long—anger, resentment, and a complex mix of feelings she couldn't quite define.

Her voice trembled slightly as she asked:

"You...you're here to cheer for Taeyeon unnie, right?"

Seeing her like this, Jiang Che's heart softened, and he said gently:
"I'm here to cheer on Taeyeon."

He paused, his gaze fixed intently on Yoona, his tone utterly serious:

"But most importantly, it's because of you."

Yoona's pupils trembled slightly, and her clenched hand unconsciously tightened, her nails digging into her palm.

He continued:

"It's mainly your current relationship with Taeyeon that worries me a lot, and it also makes me feel...heartbroken."

"Yoona, these days must have been tough for you."

This wasn't a question, but a statement. He looked at the dark circles under her eyes, his tone filled with genuine remorse:
“I know that wanting both of us is greedy and awful. But the root of the problem between the three of us is actually me. You two... really don’t need to continue like this, and you shouldn’t hurt your relationship of so many years because of me.”

These words were like a precise key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of emotion that Yoona had been trying so hard to close. A strong wave of emotion washed over her, and she quickly lowered her head, afraid that her tears would burst forth at the wrong time.

The loneliness, regret, jealousy, the tug-of-war between friendship and love, and the struggle between emotion and reason that she had been experiencing these past few days were almost tearing her apart.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Che tried to ease the atmosphere in a slightly more relaxed way:
"Think about it, if I actually win in the end, but you two are still stuck like this, do you really want me to throw you two into the same bed for things to improve?"

These words struck Yoona like a thunderbolt, exploding in her chaotic mind. She was stunned for a moment in disbelief, and her sadness was somewhat diluted by this outrageous statement.

Immediately, a feeling of shame and annoyance, mixed with an indescribable sense of absurdity, overwhelmed the damming sadness.

"Pah!" Yoona finally couldn't hold back anymore, raising her head to glare at him, her cheeks slightly flushed, whether from anger or embarrassment, it was hard to tell. This jerk, what kind of nonsense is he thinking about all day long!

Seeing that she had finally been pulled out of her grief, Jiang Che's lips curled into a slight smile. He ignored the "pah" and continued speaking, his tone becoming more pragmatic, attempting to guide her thoughts in a more rational direction:

"Think about it again. If I fail in the end, wouldn't all this be even more pointless? It would just be a waste of so many years of feelings."

He recalled Sunny's previous complaints and couldn't help but use them as examples to try and ease the tension:
"You don't know, before I wanted to transform into Sunny and come to the TV station, Sunny was worried that I would use my ability to create a group of idols and add more than a dozen good sisters to you.

Taeyeon said at the time that she could accept it even if she were surrounded by sisters everywhere.

He paused here, his gaze falling on Yoona's profile, and said seriously:

"So, if I really succeed, Yoona, you'll definitely be the first wife, and Taeyeon definitely won't fight you for her..."

"Hey! Who wants to be your first wife!" Yoona was genuinely amused by his absurd statement. She was both embarrassed and angry, and that familiar urge to punch him made her immediately raise her hand to hit him.

Jiang Che, however, reacted swiftly, grabbing her raised wrist. The instant he grasped her wrist, his gaze suddenly deepened and became incredibly serious.

All the previous joking tone vanished without a trace. Then, to Yoona's astonishment, he firmly placed her hand on his chest.

Through the fabric, Yoona's first reaction was that it was huge, and her second reaction was to immediately pull her hand back, but Kang Cheol pressed her down even harder.

"you……"

"Did you feel it?" Jiang Che interrupted her, his gaze fixed on her eyes, his tone more serious than ever before.
"Yoona, I really don't want to see you, my teammates of so many years, become like this because of me. It's really... not worth it."

Beneath my palm, through her clothes, I could clearly feel her steady and powerful heartbeat; each beat seemed to strike Yoona's heartstrings.

Hearing these words, feeling his heartbeat against her chest, and meeting those eyes filled with sincerity and apology... Yoona's mind incongruously flashed back to that dream—he was holding Taeyeon's hand, saying goodbye to her...

Her chaotic thoughts, like a tangled ball of yarn, momentarily distracted her, and she forgot to pull her hand away immediately.

"Hey! Are you two acting out some kind of idol drama?"

Pani stared with her signature smiling eyes, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, but enough to draw the attention of most people in the lounge.

Instantly, everyone witnessed this somewhat eerie scene—Sunny was tightly gripping Yoona's wrist, while Yoona's hand was firmly pressed against Sunny's chest.

Sooyoung, always eager for drama, immediately chimed in with a teasing remark, her gaze darting back and forth between Yoona's flat chest and "Sunny's" impressive area covered by Yoona's hand:
"Yoona, what's wrong with you? Do you want to experience something you've never had before?"

"puff--"

"Hahaha……"

Several suppressed chuckles suddenly erupted in the lounge.

"Oh no!" Yoona snapped back to reality like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, jerking her hand away from Kang Cheol's grasp as if electrocuted. Her cheeks instantly flushed red, and she glared at Kang Cheol, both embarrassed and annoyed, before quickly waving her hands at the other members in a triple denial:

"It wasn't me! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!"

When Taeyeon saw this scene, she was slightly taken aback at first, but then she remembered that Jiang Che had confidently said in the car earlier, "Let him handle it," and a knowing smile appeared on her face.

Jiang Che was also a little embarrassed, but more importantly, after Tiffany interrupted their conversation, he didn't know if he had successfully persuaded Yoona.
The good news is that she doesn't seem as agitated as she was during the three-way talks; the bad news is... this could also be because her teammates are in the lounge, making it difficult for her to lash out.

Jiang Che was racking his brains over this, and unconsciously started scratching Sunny's head.

Just as he was about to scratch Sunny's head into a mess, her manager and staff knocked on the dressing room door, reminding Taeyeon to get ready to appear.

The atmosphere in the lounge immediately changed; the jokes stopped, and everyone's attention was focused on today's main character.

"Taeyeon, stay strong!"

"Unnie, fighting!"

"Fighting!"

The members offered encouragement and hugs.

Taeyeon took a deep breath, stood up, straightened her stage outfit, and subconsciously glanced at Yoona in the corner, her eyes filled with a hint of barely perceptible anticipation.

Yoona pursed her lips, her fingers twitching slightly at her sides. In that moment of silence, Taeyeon's eyes visibly dimmed. She forced a smile, turned around, and prepared to leave with her manager and staff.

Just as she was about to walk out the door—

"Taeyeon unnie, fighting!"

Yoona's voice came from behind.

Taeyeon stopped abruptly.

She turned abruptly to look at Yoona, her eyes instantly welling up with tears, but a relieved and radiant smile bloomed on her face as she nodded vigorously.

“…Yes! Thank you, Yoona.”

Jiang Che watched from the side, secretly clenching his fist in his heart:
'Huh? It seems my words really worked? Sure enough, there's nothing I can't do when I'm involved!'

Immediately afterward, he received a look from Taeyeon filled with deep gratitude and even more affection.

As Taeyeon walked out of the dressing room, surrounded by her manager and staff, heading towards the stage to wait, Kang Cheol's mind started racing. He leaned close to Yoona and whispered:
"Um... Yoona, can I go down to the stage and take a look? I want to experience it up close."

Yoona glanced at him, still seemingly a little uncomfortable about what had just happened, but still nodded:
"Okay, follow me."

As she spoke, she took the lead and walked towards the door. Jiang Che quickly followed.

Pani, with her sharp eyes, immediately asked:
"Hey, where are you two sneaking off to?"

Yoona replied helplessly:
"Go to the side of the stage to cheer for Taeyeon unnie."

"Ah! I'm going too!"

Her shout immediately triggered a chain reaction.

"Huh? Go cheer from the audience? Wait for me!"

"I'll go too, I'll go too!"

"Everyone's going? Wow, if we all go together, won't that make too much of a show of force?"

"What's so great about it? It's a perfect opportunity for the younger generation to see the spirit of our Girls' Generation!"

Goodness, almost the entire group of members poured out of the dressing room and marched in a massive procession towards the side of the stage. With this lineup, you'd think they were all going on stage to perform.

Meanwhile, in the front row of the audience area below the stage, Tzuyu and Nayeon were whispering to each other. "Unnie, is it really okay for us to sneak out like this?" Tzuyu whispered.
Nayeon's eyes were fixed on the stage as she reassured him without turning her head:
"Relax, relax! I went to great lengths to get our senior to bring us in. We'll go back right after we finish watching Taeyeon's performance, I promise we won't be the first to know."

She paused, then nudged Chou Tzu-yu with her elbow, her face full of pleading:

"Also, after Taeyeon's performance, let's see if we can get close enough to her. Tzuyu, like last time you helped Dahyun get Yoona's autograph..."

Please get me an autograph from Taeyeon this time too! You've already met all the seniors, please, please!

Upon hearing this, Chou Tzu-yu's cute face immediately scrunched up, and she muttered a defense under her breath:

"Unnie...it's not really appropriate for us to get so close...besides, last time I was in China, I basically spent the whole time talking to Yoona sunbaenim."

I barely even exchanged a few words with Taeyeon. Yoona helped me get the autograph... I'm not even sure if Taeyeon even remembers me.

"Oh, it's okay, it's okay. Even if the result isn't what I wanted, as long as I did it without regrets, that's enough!" Saying this, Lim Nayeon clasped her hands together, switching into her cute and charming mode.
"And you have to believe in yourself! With Tzuyu's adorable face that everyone loves, Taeyeon will definitely remember you!"

"Unnie!" Tzuyu was a little embarrassed by the teasing, her cheeks flushed, and she gently patted her unnie's arm in protest.

"Oh my, our Tzuyu is the best..." Lim Nayeon was about to say something more with a smile, but before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a sudden burst of cheers from the fans that almost lifted the roof off the recording studio.

The two subconsciously looked up at the stage—but no one had come on stage yet?

A quick glance around revealed the source of the commotion. Right to the side of the stage, all the members of Girls' Generation were gathered, clearly there to cheer on Taeyeon, who was about to take the stage.

"It's Girls' Generation! The whole group came! That's so loyal!"

"Ahhh! Yoona! Sunny! Tiffany!!"

The cheers and discussions from the fans grew louder and louder. If you didn't know better, you would think that it was Girls' Generation's group performance stage today.

Chou Tzu-yu's eyes lit up instantly, her gaze precisely locking onto the elegant figure at the very back of the crowd, silently thinking:

"Yoona sunbaenim..."

Meanwhile, Lim Nayeon, standing to the side, looked at this terrifying appeal with envy on her face and muttered in a low voice:
"Wow... Dafa... I wish we could have that kind of popularity someday."

Just then, the lights dimmed, the music intro began, and all the noise subsided as quickly as the tide receded. A spotlight shone on the stage entrance, and Kim Tae-yeon's petite figure appeared in the light and shadow.

Her ethereal voice, like a clear mountain spring, flowed through the entire studio in an instant, precisely capturing everyone's ears.

On stage, Taeyeon seemed to radiate light. Every glance, every movement, every breath was integrated with the song, full of emotion and infectious.

Standing to the side of the stage, Jiang Che looked at the radiant figure on stage and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Regardless of who wrote this song in his past life, he is the one who wrote it in this world. As long as he doesn't say it, only heaven, earth, and he know this.

He glanced subconsciously at Yoona beside him; she was also intently watching the stage, with a slight smile on her lips.

Taking advantage of the interplay of stage lights and shadows, and the moment when everyone's attention was firmly drawn to Taeyeon, Kang Cheol took out something he had prepared from his pocket and then tentatively hooked the fingertips of his other hand around Taeyeon's naturally drooping hand.

Yoona's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

She suddenly turned her head, looking at Jiang Che with surprise and a hint of reproach. Her hooked fingers twitched slightly involuntarily, as if trying to break free.

But Jiang Che didn't let go. Instead, he tightened his grip slightly, holding her slightly cool fingers directly in his palm. He maintained his calm expression as he looked at the stage, as if nothing had happened.

Yoona glared at him, and seeing his shameless look, she tried to break free but couldn't, so she stopped trying and pretended to be indifferent, letting him hold her hand like that.

She then turned back to look at the stage, but the slight redness at the base of her ears betrayed that she wasn't truly indifferent.

Jiang Che secretly breathed a sigh of relief, even feeling a little smug. Could this be considered... a big step towards easing tensions? Sure enough, as long as you're thick-skinned enough, there's no meat you can't get.

But that wasn't all. He then gently squeezed Yoona's hand and pulled her closer to him.

Yoona turned her head in confusion, her eyes asking him what he was up to now.

Jiang Che released her hand and waved his hands casually in front of her—his movements seemed a little awkward. The next moment, a delicate red rose appeared out of thin air and was held between his fingers.

Yoona opened her mouth slightly in surprise, her eyes widening involuntarily.

Looking at her like this, Jiang Che smiled smugly and whispered in her ear:
"Yoona, there may be five thousand flowers in the world that look exactly like you, but you are my one and only rose."

He paused and continued:
"I'd wanted to give this to you for a while, but I couldn't find the right opportunity, so I chose this time. Don't mind."

After saying that, he handed the rose to her, his eyes showing no trace of jest, only focus.

Yoona stared at him blankly, then at the seemingly magical rose before her. Taeyeon's voice still echoed on stage, and the warmth of his touch seemed to linger in her hand.
All the grievances, anxieties, and jealousy seemed to be gently pierced by this unexpected rose and his words at this moment.

She didn't reach out to take it immediately, but just looked at him, her eyes involuntarily reddening again.

Jiang Che saw her standing there motionless and started to get a little anxious—if someone saw this, it would be quite a mess.
He quickly moved closer and urged in a low voice:
"Hurry up and take it! What are you daydreaming about? If someone sees us, they'll think we're trying to create a romantic pairing here!"

This teasing reminder instantly interrupted Yoona's carefully crafted emotions. She rolled her eyes in annoyance and retorted under her breath:

"Who wants to be paired with you as a couple!"

But her hands didn't stop moving; she quickly snatched the rose from his fingertips, stuffed it into her jeans pocket, and covered it with her clothes.

After doing all this, she felt her cheeks slightly flushed. To hide her unease, she forced herself to remain calm and asked:
"You...you can do magic tricks? And where did you conjure these flowers from?"

She clearly remembered that he always had empty hands.

Seeing that she accepted the flowers, Jiang Che's tone became more relaxed:
"What did it conjure up? I bought a whole bunch yesterday and picked out the one that was the most beautiful in bloom."

He paused, his gaze lingering on her still slightly weary eyes, and his voice softened unconsciously:
"As for magic... I heard from Sunny the day before yesterday that you had a nightmare, and I thought I could try to cheer you up, so I practiced a bit. But I was a little short on time, so my technique might be a bit rough. Please don't mind."

Upon hearing this, Yoona was startled again. She looked up at him, and the changing lights and shadows on the stage swept across his eyes, like scattered stars, like fragments of light from the entire Milky Way—more like the way he looked at her on her birthday.

Seeing her freeze again, Jiang Che waved his hand in front of her face, a little embarrassed:

"Hey, what are you thinking about now? Is my technique really that bad?"

Yoona snapped out of her daze, the last trace of ice in her eyes seemingly melting away, but she deliberately pouted and said disdainfully:
"Do you think I've never read 'The Little Prince'? Are you trying to fool me with lines from the book?"

Jiang Che felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this, so he simply gave him a Rocky Gyu smile.

Looking at his familiar smiling face and thinking about all his actions today, Yoona felt an impulse surge into her heart. She suddenly took a step forward, opened her arms, and hugged him.

Jiang Che was taken aback by the sudden hug, his body stiffening.

Then, he felt Yoona's warm breath brush against his ear, and she whispered with relief:
"Jiang Che... thank you."

Hearing the "thank you," Jiang Che understood the meaning of the hug. He raised his hand and gently patted her back twice, teasingly whispering:

"Hey, Yoona, you really want to create a CP with me? No way, I don't want to see 'Kyu-Yoon CP reappearing' trending online. If we're going to create a CP, it should be 'Cheol-Yoon CP'!"

"Pfft—" Yoona's composure crumbled instantly at his teasing, and her earlier感动 (feeling of being touched) vanished. She released the hug, and, both embarrassed and annoyed, slapped Jiang Che's arm, muttering in a low voice:

"Oh! Dream on! Who wants to be paired with you as a couple!"

After saying that, he turned his head back to look at the stage, but couldn't help but smile slightly.

Seeing her reaction, Jiang Che felt completely reassured. He looked around—the lighting was dim, and they were standing at the very back; the members all seemed engrossed in Taeyeon's performance.

No one should have noticed them, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Although being discovered wouldn't have been a big deal, it was better to avoid trouble.

However, his little action, which he thought no one had seen, could not escape the eyes of a pair of people who had been secretly watching Yoona all along.

In the front row of the audience, Chou Tzu-yu's gaze was mostly fixed on Yoona from the moment the Girls' Generation members appeared, although she didn't see the two holding hands.
But she noticed that "Sunny sunbaenim" seemed to hand her a flower—and then Yoona sunbaenim hugged her...hug her?
This discovery made Chou Tzu-yu's heart skip a beat!
What?! Sunny gave Yoona flowers... and then the two of them hugged backstage?!

The scene was so impactful that she was momentarily stunned. Girls giving each other flowers and then hugging is perfectly normal, right? She tried to convince herself of that.
But his gaze kept drifting uncontrollably to the side of the stage—towards those two figures standing very close together.

Soon, the song ended.

Taeyeon, holding the microphone, bowed deeply to the audience.

"Taeyeon! Taeyeon! Taeyeon!"

"Encore! Encore!"

After a brief silence, deafening cheers and calls for an encore erupted from the audience, the sound almost lifting the roof off, fully demonstrating the huge success of this solo debut stage.

The Girls' Generation members standing on the side stage clapped enthusiastically, their faces beaming with genuine joy and pride. Tiffany, in particular, excitedly cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted:

"Taigoo! Fighting! You're the best!"

(End of this chapter)