Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 143 Yoona's Invitation (1 words, 1526 views)

It's not that she has a bad memory; it's just that at the Macau airport, she focused most of her attention on Yoona's "alternate personality," and when signing autographs afterwards, she acted more like an emotionless tool, so her impression of Tzuyu was naturally vague.

Yoona only knew the general outline; Kang Cheol had only briefly mentioned "RM airport autographs" earlier, so when asked about it now, she gave a vague explanation:
"Ah, it was that episode of RM Macau Tower that helped us. I signed an autograph for her back then. She was a very polite girl who came to ask Taeyeon unnie for an autograph."

"Ah! Right! I remember now!" Taeyeon suddenly realized and smiled shyly at Tzuyu.

When Tzuyu saw that Yoona seemed to have forgotten her name, a hint of disappointment flashed in her bright eyes, and she lowered her head slightly.

Although I know that my seniors see many people every day and it's normal that they don't remember me, I still feel a little sad.

When Lim Nayeon saw Tzuyu standing to the side with her head down, seemingly lost in thought, she realized that she couldn't rely on the maknae (youngest member) and that she would have to rely on herself in the crucial moment!
She stepped forward decisively, gave a perfect 90-degree bow, and spoke in a loud voice:

"Hello, seniors! We are trainees from JYP Entertainment, and we're about to debut! My name is Nayeon! This is Tzuyu! We are fans of Taeyeon!"
"I really, really love your stage performances! Excuse me for bothering you, but I just wanted... to get a signed autograph from Taeyeon as a souvenir! Please!" After saying that, she tugged at Tzuyu, who was still in a daze next to her.

Chou Tzu-yu, pulled back to her senses, quickly bowed and said in soft, sweet Korean:

"Hello, seniors, I'm Chou Tzu-yu. Please help me!"

Looking at these two juniors who were about to debut, their eyes filled with anticipation and nervousness, Taeyeon seemed to see herself many years ago, and her voice softened a bit more than usual:
"Oh, you're debuting soon? Congratulations! Keep up the good work!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the Girls' Generation members, who were already excited about Taeyeon's successful performance, immediately became lively and started joking around.

"Seeing them reminds me of when we first debuted; we were so green and inexperienced."

"Why do you only ask Taeyeon for autographs and not us? Are we not famous enough?"

"Maybe it's because he's deeply in love with Taeyeon!"

"But these two kids are so good-looking, their bunny teeth are so cute!"

"That tall girl in the back is also very pretty, her name is Tzuyu, right?"

Being scrutinized and appraised by so many senior figures like rare animals, Lim Nayeon managed to maintain a smile, but inwardly she was secretly suffering. Chou Tzuyu was so embarrassed that her ears turned bright red, and she almost wanted to bury her face in the ground.

In the end, maknae Seohyun couldn't stand it anymore and stepped in to resolve the situation:
"Unnies, stop teasing them." Then she turned to Nayeon and Tzuyu, giving them a gentle smile:

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I wish you all the best in your debut."

Lim Nayeon was completely bewildered by this situation, and upon hearing this, she quickly grasped at this lifeline:

"Thank you, Seohyun sunbaenim! We will definitely work hard! If... if it's convenient, it would be great to get autographs from all the sunbaenims!"

Chou Tzu-yu also chimed in quietly, "Thank you all for your help, seniors."

Taeyeon smiled upon seeing this:

"Wait a minute, I'll go find some notebooks and pens." With that, he turned around and started searching for autographed items.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Tzuyu looked at Yoona, who was so close to her, and recalled their brief encounter at the Macau airport and that unique blessing in Chinese. Mustering her courage, she whispered in Chinese:

"Yoona sunbaenim, I've kept all your previous autographs carefully. And... thank you for your blessing back then, and I'll never forget what I said then."

"..."

Yoona's sweet smile froze instantly.

Blessings? What exactly did Jiang Che say using her face back then? And what's wrong with this younger sister? She suddenly started speaking Chinese?! Luckily, she hasn't neglected her studies in private, otherwise she would have been exposed on the spot!
Internal alarm bells were ringing, but on the surface, a flawless smile quickly returned, and a polite response was given:

"Oh, you're welcome."

Tzuyu was wondering why Yoona's Chinese accent had changed, but upon hearing this somewhat formulaic answer, a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes. Yoona sunbaenim… really didn't remember. She lowered her head slightly and whispered:
"I still want to thank Yoona sunbaenim."

Jiang Che, observing from the side, muttered to himself, "This girl won't become an introvert for life because of this one community event, will she?"

He couldn't help but interject in Korean:
"By the way, Tzuyu-ssi, didn't you say you'd treat Yoona to dinner after your debut?"

Then turning to Lim Yoon-a:

"Yoona, she's so thoughtful, should we exchange contact information? That way she won't be unable to find us if she wants to treat us to a meal later."

Yoona: "!!!"

Her pupils dilated slightly, and she thought to herself, 'What?! Eating? When did this happen?!'

She glared at Jiang Che, her eyes blazing with murderous intent, but now was clearly not the time to settle scores. She could only forcefully suppress her inner turmoil, forcing a more friendly smile, and turned to Zhou Ziyu, saying in Korean:
"Ah! Right, right, right! Tzuyu-xi, do you want to join KakaoTalk? You said you'd treat me to dinner after your debut, I'm waiting!"

What a stroke of luck! Tzuyu looked up, her disappointment instantly replaced by surprise. Yoona remembered! She nodded hurriedly, quickly pulled out her phone, and replied in Korean:
"I...I will definitely treat Yoona to a meal sometime!"

Yoona smiled as she scanned the QR code to add a friend, saying:

"Just call me unnie from now on, don't keep calling me senpai."

"Yes! Yoona unnie!" Tzuyu readily complied, a happy smile spreading across her face.

Having successfully obtained Yoona's contact information, Chou Tzuyu was satisfied. Her gaze shifted to Kang Cheol beside her, recalling the scenes of giving flowers and hugging her backstage, and of embracing Taeyeon on the way.
I found this senior a bit odd, but...he seemed like a nice person too? Following the principle of not showing favoritism, I also asked:

“Sunny senior, may I... also add your contact information? Yes... I can treat you to a meal together.”

Jiang Che's heart skipped a beat. What a joke! His "Sunny" identity was just a temporary alias; how could he give out his contact information? His mind raced, and he began to improvise:
"Tzuyu-ssi, I'm a believer in fate and destiny. How about this, when we meet for the third time, if you still want to add me, we'll exchange contact information."

As for dinner, since you're treating Yoona anyway, just have her bring me along. I'm easy to talk to!

This approach politely declined without sounding abrupt. Most importantly, if they did meet again, it would be Sunny's problem, not Jiang Che's.
Besides, he even helped Sunny snag a chance to have dinner with the little girl. Sunny, who loves little girls so much, might even thank him when she finds out.

"Yes, the plan works perfectly." Jiang Che silently gave himself a thumbs up in his mind.

Chou Tzu-yu blinked. Although she felt the reason was a bit unusual, seeing how serious Jiang Che was, she didn't press the matter further.

Being able to add Yoona unnie as a friend was already a pleasant surprise, and she nodded obediently:

"Yes, I understand, Sunny senior, thank you."

Nayeon, standing nearby, watched with envy as Tzuyu successfully added Yoona on KakaoTalk. Just then, Taeyeon returned with two brand-new notebooks and pens.

She skillfully signed her name on the first page of both notebooks, and even wrote a sentence of encouragement on each one, before handing them to the other members:

"Come on, everyone, let's all sign this. Wishing these two future stars a successful debut."

Led by Taeyeon, the other members also smiled and took the notebooks, signing them and writing their blessings one by one.

Soon, the two notebooks filled with blessings from their seniors were returned to Taeyeon. She handed the notebooks to Nayeon:
"Here you are, Lim Nayeon-ssi, thank you for your support."

"Kamsangmidah! Taeyeon sunbaenim! I will definitely treasure this!" Lim Nayeon solemnly accepted the notebook with both hands, as if receiving a priceless treasure, her voice trembling with excitement.

With her wish fulfilled, Nayeon knew she couldn't disturb her senior's rest any longer, so she tactfully led Tzuyu in another deep bow.

"Then we won't disturb our seniors' rest any longer! Congratulations again to Taeyeon on her successful solo debut! Goodbye, seniors!"

Tzuyu also bowed to say goodbye, her gaze lingering briefly on Yoona and Kang Cheol before she and Nayeon carefully left the waiting room and gently closed the door behind them.

As soon as the door closed and she walked to a deserted corner of the corridor, Lim Nayeon's tense nerves finally relaxed. She excitedly jumped up and down, eagerly flipping open her notebook, suppressing a cheer:

"Wow! I got it! It's an autograph from her first stage performance! And everyone got one! I'm so lucky! Let's see how Dahyun brags about her birthday autograph next time!"

She excitedly muttered to herself, then handed over the book that belonged to Chou Tzu-yu:
"Tzuyu, this is yours! Keep it safe!"

Tzuyu carefully took the notebook and flipped directly to the page with Yoona's signature. However, what she saw was not the Chinese blessing she had expected, but Korean blessings similar to those of other senior artists.

'As expected... Yoona unnie... doesn't remember that special blessing anymore.'

She gently stroked the Korean signature, but quickly dismissed the thought—after all, she had at least managed to get Yoona unnie's contact information, and thinking of this, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a beautiful smile.

But this happiness didn't last long. She suddenly remembered something—she clearly remembered that when she told Yoona at the Macau airport, "I'll treat you to a meal after I debut," she used Chinese.

'But... how did Sunny know about this... does she understand Chinese too?'

Chou Tzu-yu couldn't help but gently tug at the sleeve of Lim Na-yeon, who was still excitedly standing next to her, and whispered:

"Unnie, have you heard... Sunny sunbaenim speaks Chinese?"

"Hmm?" Nayeon finally looked up from the autograph book, her round rabbit eyes filled with confusion.
"Sunny sunbaenim? In Chinese? Never heard of her... Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"Ah...nothing, just asking casually." Chou Tzu-yu quickly shook her head, forcing a nonchalant smile, but inwardly she was thinking:

'Maybe... Yoona unnie told Sunny about it later? After all, they're such good friends...'

Thinking about their "good relationship," images of them holding hands offstage and Sunny with her on the way back involuntarily surfaced in her mind. She quickly shook her head, forcing herself not to think about it anymore.

On the other side, seeing the two leave, Jiang Che felt that things were finally over and he could go home. So he took out his phone, found Sunny's KakaoTalk, and typed rapidly:

[Sunny, after my tireless efforts, it seems Yoona and Taeyeon are making up, and Yoona even agreed to have dinner with us tonight.]

The message had just been sent successfully, and before he could even put his phone away, he heard Pani excitedly suggest something next to him:

"Kids! Taeyeon's first stage performance was such a success today, and it's rare for all of us to get together like this, so let's go out for a meal and celebrate!"

"Yeah!"

"agree!"

"It's true, we haven't had a group dinner in a long time!"

The suggestion was met with enthusiastic support from all the members. Sooyoung, Hyoyeon, and the others immediately began discussing which store to go to.

The agent standing nearby overheard this and chimed in:

"Then I'll arrange a car to go with you, shall I?"

"Oppa!" Sooyoung immediately stepped forward, her tone friendly but her attitude clear:

"We can go by ourselves, you should go back and get some rest!"

Pani also winked and chimed in:

"Yeah, yeah, we promise to keep a low profile, we'll just find a private room, and we definitely won't cause any trouble!"

Looking at the faces before him that all seemed to say "I don't want to take you," the agent could only helplessly wave his hand and give in.
"Alright, alright, then you guys take care of yourselves."

"Yes, everyone! Oppa is the best!" The members said in unison, their smiles exceptionally bright.

However, amidst the jubilation, a fleeting hesitation crossed Taeyeon's face. She subconsciously glanced at Kang Cheol and Yoona.
What she had been looking forward to as an "icebreaker dinner" was about to turn into a team feast... but looking at the members' beaming faces, she couldn't bring herself to say anything that would spoil the mood, so she could only smile and nod in agreement.

"Great! It'll be even more fun if everyone celebrates together."

Yoona nodded slightly at the scene, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Seeing this, Jiang Che could only silently lower his head, open the chat window with Sunny again, and retype:
Sunny, just pretend you never saw that message. Plans change, Girls' Generation has a get-together tonight, dinner... figure it out yourself, don't worry.

After sending the message, Jiang Che imagined Sunny's possible expression upon seeing it, and his lips twitched slightly. He quickly stuffed his phone back into his pocket, pretending nothing had happened.

"Alright, alright, since you've decided, let's go!" Xiuying clapped her hands:
"How do we get there? Same as usual, divided into groups?"

Before she could finish speaking, Yoona reacted swiftly, grabbing Jiang Che's arm and speaking in an unquestionable tone:
“I’m in the same car as Sunny unnie.”

Upon seeing this, Taeyeon immediately expressed her opinion:
"Then I'll go with you too."

Pani looked at this one, then at that one, and immediately came over with a grin:

"Then I want to go with Taigu! One car is just right for us!"

The remaining Kwon Yuri, Choi Sooyoung, Kim Hyoyeon, and Seohyun looked at each other and automatically formed another team.

The group then descended the stairs to the parking lot. The four women looked at each other, and Taeyeon glanced at everyone before finally looking at Tiffany, a sweet smile spreading across her face, tinged with a hint of coquettishness.

"Pani, would you like to go get the car?"

Tiffany pouted and complained, "Ani, I don't want to drive either. Let Sunny or Yoona drive."

“No, you want to.” Taeyeon said, and pushed Tiffany towards her car.

Pani sighed helplessly:
"Alasso, Alasso, stop pushing, I'll drive it."

When everyone reached the car, Jiang Che naturally tried to open the passenger door and get in, but as soon as she made that move, Yoona grabbed her arm.

“Sunny unnie, come with me to the back.”

Taeyeon saw this and immediately wanted to squeeze into the back row as well, but Tiffany grabbed her arm.
"Taigu, where do you think you're going? Come sit with me in the front."

Taeyeon glanced at Kang Cheol, who had already been pulled into the back seat by Yoona, and tried to struggle again, but under Tiffany's threat, "If you don't sit in the front, I won't drive," she had no choice but to sit in the passenger seat.

Finally, Tiffany started the car, and Taeyeon sat upright in the passenger seat, but her eyes kept glancing at the back seats through the rearview mirror.

In the back seat, Jiang Che was sandwiched in the middle. To his right was Yoona, who had a smile on her face but was hiding a murderous aura, and to his left was... well, the car door.

The car drove smoothly out of the parking lot. In the front row, Tiffany and Taeyeon chatted casually about today's stage performance and upcoming schedules, but the atmosphere in the back row was somewhat subtle.

Yoona turned her head slightly, leaned closer to Kang Cheol, and began the interrogation in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Tell me about it, Jiang Che-xi."

"...?"

"What's going on?"

"..."

What's the deal with that 'blessing'?

"..."

"Also, why did that young lady invite you to dinner?"

Jiang Che thought for a moment, and aside from his own charlatan-like side and the Chinese blessings he had written, there didn't seem to be anything he couldn't say. So he composed himself and lowered his voice to explain:
"Nothing special, it's just that back in Macau, I filled in for you during the recording of 'Running Man,' and that girl helped us find our suitcases. I thought she was very polite, and considering she's a foreign trainee, it's not easy for her."
I gave her a few words of encouragement, saying she would definitely debut and had a bright future. Now that she's actually debuting, she probably feels my blessing came true and is grateful, so she thought of treating me to a meal to express her thanks.

Yoona glanced at him suspiciously, feeling that given his personality, he must have done something else at the time. Just as she was about to question him further—

Jiang Che's phone suddenly started ringing incessantly in his pocket. He took it out, unlocked it, and saw that the group chat for "Girls' Generation and Temporary Workers" had exploded.

[Sunny: @KangCheol @Taeyeon @Yoona Ahhh! I'm going crazy! So I've been abandoned?! *flips table.jpg*]

[Sunny: Don't you three have any conscience?! (Angry.jpg)] A series of emojis and shouts, you can feel Sunny's burning resentment even through the screen.

Yoona also peeked out and saw the messages. She looked at the group chat, which had been quiet since the tripartite talks, and it was finally starting to liven up again.
He couldn't help but chuckle, and instead of pressing for more information, he took out his phone and joined the group chat.

[Yoona: Unnie, don't be angry, I have good news for you]

[Jiang Che: ? ? ?] He had a bad feeling.

[Yoona: Today a pretty junior colleague wanted to add you as a contact, and Kang Cheol, with your face on his head, didn't directly refuse, but said something super romantic—]

They said they believed in fate and destiny, and that they would exchange contact information on their third meeting.

[Sunny: What?! Jiang Che! You used my face to flirt with girls?! Shocked to the point of blurriness.jpg]

Jiang Che looked speechless and typed a reply with his fingers flying across the keyboard.

[Jiang Che: Ahem, I didn't agree to add you directly because I knew it was your face! I said that because you'd definitely be the one meeting next time, and I was just trying to make a good impression on you! You don't appreciate my kindness!]

[Sunny: What are you trying to do to improve my image? Are you out of your mind?! I have everything other girls have, and they might not even be as good as mine. What use are girls to me?!]

First Blood! Jiang Che was speechless, choked by Sunny's impeccable logic.

Yoona laughed even harder as she watched Kang Cheol's discomfitured expression and Sunny's angry roar on the screen.

Taeyeon, who was in the front row, had already secretly taken out her phone to peek at Sunny's post when she first tagged everyone. Seeing Sunny's accusations, she felt a little guilty and quickly joined the fray to comfort her.

[Taeyeon: Sunny, what do you want to eat? I'll bring it back for you tonight! Hug.jpg]

Sunny: Pshaw! Bringing it to me? Are you trying to stay at my place again?! I regret it so much, I shouldn't have made that deal with you guys, otherwise I'd be the one at the dinner party now! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

Double Kill! Taeyeon was caught off guard by Sunny's precise counterattack and was speechless. She could only send a series of cute and apologetic emojis in an attempt to get away with it.

While driving, Tiffany glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the two people in the back seat frantically typing on their phones. She noticed Taeyeon in the front also typing rapidly, her expressions quite varied, and couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Hey, you three... what's going on? You've been on your phones since just now. Is there some kind of private group I don't know about? I want to join too!"

Upon hearing this, the three of them put down their phones in unison and waved in the same way. Yoona and Taeyeon even said in unison:
"Oh no! There's no small group!"

Pani pursed her lips, her smiling eyes clearly saying "I don't believe you for a second," but seeing their consistent story, she didn't press further, only muttering under her breath:
"You still say you didn't... but your movements are exactly the same..."

This little incident has finally been temporarily over.

The car arrived at a private room in a restaurant that the members frequented. Everyone filed in and took their seats. Taeyeon and Yoona almost instinctively sat on either side of Kang Cheol.

Pani glanced at the seemingly rehearsed seating arrangement, her eyes darting around, and muttered to herself:

"They said there were no small groups... but the seats have already been assigned..."

The ordering process began, and the atmosphere became lively. Xiuying, holding the menu, looked at Jiang Che and asked familiarly:
"Sunny, what would you like to drink today? The usual?"

Jiang Che's heart tightened. Drinking? He glanced around at the other members. Just kidding, even though Sunny has a high alcohol tolerance, what if she gets targeted?
Even a hero can't withstand a large group. If he gets drunk and loses control or lets something slip, then things will get really messy! He quickly waved his hand, forcing a troubled expression on his face.

Sooyoung's eyes instantly turned to confusion:
"Huh? You don't drink? Has the sun risen in the west?"

Seeing this, Yoona spoke up to explain:

"Sooyoung unnie, Sunny unnie just told me in the car that she... got her period and isn't feeling well, so she can't drink today."

After she finished speaking, she gave Jiang Che a meaningful look.

Jiang Che was speechless at Yoona's readily available excuse about her "period," and couldn't help but think of the time he lied to Jessica Jung before—it really was a universal excuse.

The doubt in Xiuying's eyes dissipated, replaced by understanding:

"Ah, I see." But then, as if realizing something, her eyes became inquisitive again.
"So Sunny, you can talk? Then why didn't you talk to us at the TV station, but secretly talked to Yoona? Is the Yoona-Sunny couple going to become a reality?"

She glanced at Sunny mischievously, then at Yoona.

Just as Jiang Che breathed a sigh of relief at Yoona's quick thinking, he heard Sooyoung's question and quickly pointed to his throat again, then helplessly shrugged.

Sooyoung had only asked casually, and seeing Kang Cheol's expression, she didn't pursue the matter further. Instead, she discussed with Yuri what dishes to order.

Seohyun, the maknae sitting on the other side, looked at Kang Cheol with concern and earnestly suggested:

“Sunny unnie, if it’s really serious, it’s best to go to the hospital to get it checked out.”

Jiang Che quickly nodded to Xu Xian to show that he appreciated her concern, and breathed a sigh of relief—he had finally gotten away with it.

He had just relaxed when he caught a glimpse of Taeyeon sitting to his left, her body trembling slightly. At first, he thought something was wrong and looked over worriedly.

But then they noticed that the little guy had his head down and his shoulders were shrugging, clearly trying his best to hold back his laughter!
"Fine, I'm suffering here, and you're just watching the show with amusement?" Jiang Che's evil intentions grew, and he silently reached out his left hand from under the table and gave Taeyeon's thigh a light pinch.

"Ugh!" Taeyeon froze instantly, her laughter abruptly ceasing. She abruptly raised her head, her ears turning red, and glared at Kang Cheol, only to meet his mischievous eyes.

Taeyeon, embarrassed and annoyed, retaliated with an elbow to Kang Cheol's arm. Kang Cheol, seeing that he had gotten away with it, smiled and withdrew his hand.

Yoona, who had been keeping an eye on Jiang Che out of the corner of her eye, didn't know exactly what was going on between them, but she clearly saw the exchange of glances between them.
Although she had already decided to make up with Taeyeon unnie, she couldn't help but let out a soft hum to express her dissatisfaction as she watched the two of them flirting right under her nose.

Upon hearing the soft hum, Jiang Che immediately turned his head and saw Yoon-ah's expression. A smile appeared on his lips, and then his right hand quietly slid under the table, precisely finding Yoon-ah's hand and gently squeezing it.

Yoona stiffened as well. She glared at Jiang Che, then squeezed his hand hard, before quickly pulling away.
It was as if she had touched something dirty, but her ears involuntarily flushed red.

Sitting diagonally opposite, Pani observed the subtle interactions between the three. She watched as Jiang Che teased him from the left and soothed him from the right.
Although Taeyeon and Yoona seemed to be glaring at him, there wasn't much real anger in their eyes; it was more like... reproach?
Pani blinked, a ridiculous yet exciting thought popping into her mind:
'One king and two queens...?'

"Pfft—cough cough!" She choked on her own bold idea and quickly picked up her water glass and took a big gulp, trying to suppress the turmoil in her heart.

'Aigoo, Hwang Mi-young, what are you thinking about?!'

She secretly berated herself, thinking that she must have been watching too many TV dramas lately to have such a ridiculous association, but her eyes still couldn't help but drift towards the three people.

The dinner party eventually ended amidst the members' chatter and laughter, with Sooyoung rubbing her stomach and complaining that she was stuffed.
Hyoyeon and Yuri were still discussing the funny things that had just happened, while Seohyun, as always, reminded everyone to pay attention to healthy eating. After paying the bill and leaving the restaurant, the cool night breeze blew in, bringing a sense of comfort.

"How is everyone getting back?" Xiuying asked first.
"You came in my car earlier, would you like me to give you a ride back to the company?"

"want"

"Can"

"Thank you for your help, unnie."

After the four of them finished discussing their plans, they waved goodbye to Taeyeon and the others. Seeing this, Tiffany took out her car keys and naturally looked at the three musketeers:

"Yoona, Taegu, Sunny, which way are you going? Should I give you a ride?"

Jiang Che was about to nod subconsciously; it was late at night, and it would be foolish not to take a ride. But Yoona spoke first:
“Unnie, no need to trouble yourself. Sunny unnie and I just want to stroll around the neighborhood and digest our food.” She paused, her gaze sweeping over Kim Taeyeon, her tone natural:

"Why don't you take Taeyeon unnie back?"

Jiang Che was taken aback, wondering what was so interesting to do at this late hour. He turned to look at Yun'er, and seeing that she looked normal, he suppressed his questions and decided to see what she was up to first.

Upon hearing this, Taeyeon, who was standing next to her, immediately shook her head vigorously.
"Annyeonghni! Pani, you don't need to see me off! I... I'll go shopping with them! You go home first, be careful on the road!"

Tiffany's hand holding the car keys froze in mid-air, a thousand question marks flashing through her mind. She looked at Taeyeon, then at Yoona, and finally her gaze settled on Kang Cheol, whose expression was slightly innocent.

The absurd thought that she had forcibly suppressed at the dinner table was now growing wildly as if it had been given fertilizer.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone tinged with suspicion and hurt:
"No...you three, there really is some kind of secret group I don't know about, right? Now you even have to team up to go home? Hey, are you guys ostracizing me?"

Upon hearing this, the three of them struck the same waving pose, with Yoona and Taeyeon saying in unison:

"Oh my! There's no discrimination."

Taeyeon looked at Tiffany's obviously more hurt expression and couldn't help but laugh and cry. She knew that if she didn't give a reasonable explanation, their friendship was probably doomed.

Her mind raced, and she leaned close to Pani's ear, covering her mouth with her hand and whispering:
"Oh, Tiffany, it's not what you think. It's...it's Sunny."

“Sunny? What happened to her?” Pani glanced at Jiang Che, who was standing there pretending to be mute, with a puzzled look.

Taeyeon forced a look of worry onto her face, and lowered her voice even further:
"She seems to have...broken up with her boyfriend. She's not in a good mood. Yoona and I want to go check on her, walk with her, and comfort her."

"Moragu?! Heartbroken?!" Pani's eyes widened in shock, her voice rising involuntarily. She quickly covered her mouth, staring at Jiang Che in disbelief.

"But hasn't she always claimed to be against marriage? And... when did she start dating? And with whom? How come I have no idea!"

Taeyeon was a little overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, and could only grit her teeth and continue making things up:
"Ahem, being against marriage... doesn't mean you can't date. I don't know who it is, she won't say, so I have to go and see her, what if she does something rash?"

As she spoke, she tried her best to make her expression look sincere.

Looking at Taeyeon's sincere face, and then glancing at the heartbroken woman next to her, Tiffany felt something was off.

But seeing how convincingly Taeyeon spoke, she didn't press the issue further. After all, when it comes to matters of the heart, if the person involved doesn't want to talk about it, forcing them to reveal the truth is counterproductive. She could only nod and offer her advice:

"Alright then, you all comfort her and contact me anytime if she needs anything. Sunny, fighting! We're all here for you!"

She didn't forget to encourage Jiang Che, who was heartbroken.

Jiang Che listened to Pani's cheers, not understanding why, but still politely gave an OK sign.

Taeyeon quickly nudged Tiffany:
"Okay, I understand. You should go back now."

After seeing off Pani, who kept turning back to look at him, only the three of them remained at the scene.

Jiang Che then leaned closer to Taeyeon and asked curiously:

"What did you just say to Tiffany? Why was she looking at me with such shock? And why did she cheer me on for no reason?"

Taeyeon gave an awkward laugh, her eyes darting around.
"No...nothing, I just told her...Sunny broke up with her boyfriend, so I stayed to comfort her."

Jiang Che: "...Pfft!" He almost choked on his own saliva.

"Sunny? Heartbroken? Taeyeon, are you already learning my skills in spreading rumors?"

Taeyeon, a little embarrassed, gently patted Kang Cheol's arm:
"I didn't, don't talk nonsense."

Yoona, standing next to her, couldn't help but chuckle, her shoulders trembling slightly.

As the laughter subsided and the tranquility of the night returned, Yoona kicked a small pebble at her feet and casually spoke, breaking the silence:
"Jiang Che, are you getting used to staying at Sunny unnie's house?"

Jiang Che smiled upon hearing this and replied in a teasing tone:

"It's alright. You know Sunny is a gaming addict. Apart from occasionally greeting her teammates kindly while playing games, there's nothing wrong with her."

He paused, turned his head to look at Yoona, a smile in his eyes:

"What, is our Yoona worried that I'm suffering out there?"

Yoona's gaze flickered slightly at his blunt teasing, and she awkwardly looked away, her voice softening as she spoke:

“Who, who was worried about you… We were just thinking that if you really couldn’t get used to living here… you could come back. Anyway, your room is still empty, no one has touched it.”

After he finished speaking, the surrounding air seemed to quiet down for a moment.

Jiang Che was clearly taken aback—so Yoona stayed behind specifically to say this?
He couldn't help but look at Yoona seriously. The streetlight cast a soft glow on her delicate profile, revealing her slightly trembling eyelashes and tightly pursed lips.

He felt a warmth in his heart, and then glanced at Taeyeon beside him—she had lowered her head at some point, focusing intently on the tips of her shoes, but her ostrich-like demeanor clearly indicated that she was also listening attentively to their conversation.

After a few seconds of silence, he shook his head, his tone becoming serious:
"Let's forget about it for now."

Taeyeon looked up, a complex emotion flashing across her eyes.

Yoona turned her head in surprise, her clear eyes filled with confusion. She had already spoken up...

His gaze swept over Yoona and Taeyeon's faces, and his voice softened as he solemnly said:
"While it would be great to move back, for me, seeing you and Taeyeon eating and talking together again makes me a hundred times happier than moving back."

He spoke with exceptional sincerity, without a trace of joking. Yoona and Taeyeon both fell silent, seemingly touched by his words.
The estrangement and awkwardness that had arisen from various reasons seemed to melt away considerably at this moment thanks to these gentle words.

Seeing that the atmosphere seemed to be heading in a sentimental direction, Jiang Che immediately changed the subject and said to Yoona:

"So, Yoona, please continue to maintain this friendly atmosphere of communication. If things regress later, I might really have no choice but to intervene."

Yoona was successfully pulled out of her subtle emotions, and frowned in confusion:
"Forced intervention? What forced intervention?"

Jiang Che didn't explain, he just looked at her, winked with a mischievous smile, his eyes clearly saying "you know what I mean".

Seeing his expression, Yoona suddenly remembered the ridiculous thing he'd said in the waiting room earlier—the thing about "throwing them onto a bed"! Her face flushed red instantly, both ashamed and angry, and she raised her hand to slap his arm.

"Hey! Jiang Che! Are you looking for death?!"

Jiang Che was prepared and nimbly dodged the attack while laughing.

Taeyeon, standing nearby, was completely bewildered, not understanding why Yoona had suddenly become so agitated. Curious, she leaned closer to Yoona:

"Yoona, what did he mean? What do you mean by forced intervention?"

Yoona was both angry and embarrassed. Seeing that she couldn't catch the slippery Kang Cheol by herself, she leaned close to Taeyeon's ear and quickly whispered an explanation of Kang Cheol's shameless, "simple and crude" "solution".

Upon hearing this, Taeyeon's fair face instantly flushed red. She glared angrily at the culprit who was still grinning mischievously.
"Ugh! You...you really are..."

She couldn't find the right words to describe Jiang Che's shamelessness, so she simply joined the ranks of those condemning him.

Seeing the alliance formed, Yoona immediately took Taeyeon's hand:
"Unnie! Let's teach him a lesson together!"

"Ok!"

After saying that, Taeyeon and Yoona pounced on Kang Cheol from the left and right, slapping him on the arms and back like raindrops.

"Hey! Be reasonable! I was doing it for world peace!"

"Ah!"

"I did that for the sake of team harmony!"

"Pooh!"

Although Jiang Che verbally protested his innocence, his body betrayed him by not dodging. Instead, he stood there smiling, letting them vent their frustrations.

Anyway, that little bit of force felt like a massage to him, and he was thinking smugly to himself:

'Indeed, a common enemy is the most effective glue for resolving internal conflicts; the ancients were right.'

(End of this chapter)