Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 144 Sherry's Tutorial (6K 1626)

After a while, seeing that the two girls were slightly out of breath and didn't seem to be stopping, he finally smiled and spoke, spreading his arms to lightly block them.

"Alright, alright, you two big shots, if you keep fighting like this, it'll be dawn soon."

Upon hearing this, Yoona stopped first, giving him a disgruntled look. She was slightly out of breath as she tidied her hair, which had been messed up during their play. Taeyeon also stopped, her cheeks flushed from exercise. She gave a soft hum, and most of her previous embarrassment and annoyance had dissipated.

"Let's go," Jiang Che said, glancing at the time.

"It's so late, I'll take a taxi and send you home first."

Yoona and Taeyeon exchanged a glance, neither of them objecting, and the three of them quickly hailed a taxi. The driver was a kind-looking man in his fifties.

Jiang Che naturally opened the back door and waited for them to get in before getting into the passenger seat himself.

"Driver, please go to XX Apartment first." He gave YoonA's address.

The middle-aged man didn't seem to be a fan of celebrities; he only glanced at them before smoothly starting the car.

The car drove smoothly through the Seoul night. The back seat was quiet for a moment. Although Yoona and Taeyeon were both sitting in the back, their eyes were looking out the window at the night view, as if they were both processing everything that had happened that night.

The silence lasted for a while until the car slowly pulled up in front of Yoona's apartment building.

"We've arrived," Jiang Che reminded them.

Yoona gave a soft "hmm" and reached out to push the door open.

Just as she opened the car door and was about to get out, Jiang Che suddenly turned around and spoke to her back:
"Yoona, don't forget you still owe us a meal. I'll invite you next time."

His tone was so natural, as if he were talking about something completely ordinary.

Yoona paused. She turned around, her gaze first falling on Kang Cheol's face, then glancing lightly at Taeyeon, who was also looking at her. She nodded and whispered in response:
"Okay, I understand." After a pause, he added:
"You guys... be careful on the road."

"Okay, go on up now." Jiang Che waved with a smile.

Taeyeon waved to her too:

Goodnight, Yoona.

Yoona nodded, closed the car door, turned and walked towards the apartment gate. The taxi only started moving again after her figure had completely disappeared behind the door.

With only the two of them left in the car, Taeyeon suddenly felt inexplicably relaxed and couldn't help but hum the song from her first stage performance today in the back seat.

As Jiang Che listened to the obviously cheerful tune, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up. The car soon arrived at Taeyeon's building.

Taeyeon got out of the car, but instead of leaving immediately like Yoona, she went to the passenger side window.

Jiang Che was a little puzzled and rolled down the car window:

"what happened?"

Taeyeon gazed into his eyes, as clear as the sky, a thousand words swirling on her lips, but in the end, they all boiled down to a single, earnest sentence:

"Thank you."

Jiang Che paused for a moment, then chuckled. He reached out through the car window and casually ruffled Taeyeon's hair.

"No need to thank me. Go back now and get some rest."

His palm was warm, carrying a reassuring strength. Yan felt the warmth emanating from her hair, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she softly murmured, "Mmm."
Only then did he reluctantly turn around and walk briskly towards the apartment building.

Jiang Che watched her figure disappear from sight before slowly rolling up the car window and giving the driver Sunny's address.

As the car drove away from Taeyeon's apartment, he leaned back in the passenger seat, watching the street scenes rushing past the window, and began to review the series of dramatic events that had unfolded that day. After all, Zengzi was right:
I examine myself three times a day—have I made any mistakes? Have I made any gains? Is my harem safe?

Thinking about it this way, he almost laughed at himself. Upon reflection, it seemed he'd made a profit all day, without any losses. Besides, since he'd already reconciled with Yoona...

Then we should be able to resume following up on Jessica Jung's situation.

Just as his thoughts were wandering, his gaze inadvertently swept across the street and a 24-hour KFC with a bright red and white sign caught his eye.

Jiang Che suddenly remembered that there was a short, powerful man at home who had been stood up. Recalling the messages the man had sent in the group chat, he was a little worried that the man might turn into "Gakko," so he quickly said to the driver:

"Hey, could you please stop at the KFC up ahead?"

The car pulled over, and Jiang Che quickly got out, rushed into the store, and without hesitation bought a classic fried chicken bucket. He then returned to the car carrying the still-steaming paper bag.

The aroma of food instantly filled the enclosed carriage. He muttered to himself:
Hopefully, this bucket of fried chicken will at least appease their resentment.

"Keep going, Agassi."

Upon arriving at Sunny's house, he gently opened the door with his key. The house was quiet, with only faint game sounds coming from the direction of the computer room. He first deactivated his transformation and returned to his original appearance.

Then, carrying the KFC bag, I walked towards the computer room. As I passed the dining table, I saw an empty instant noodle bowl on it and couldn't help but secretly congratulate myself on my foresight.

The door was ajar, and Sunny, without headphones on, was intently focused on the screen, her hands flying across the keyboard and mouse, muttering to herself. Hearing footsteps, she stopped playing.
He spun his gaming chair around, facing the door. His eyes, usually gleaming with a hint of cunning, now resembled two cold scalpels, precisely locking onto Jiang Che's face.
It was as if they wanted to dissect him from the inside out to see if he still had any conscience.

Feeling a little guilty under that gaze, Jiang Che quickly raised the KFC bag in front of him, as if holding up a flag of peace, and forced a smile as sincere as possible.
"Here, I brought this especially for you because I was worried you hadn't eaten dinner."

Sunny's gaze, as if drawn by an invisible thread, instantly shifted from Jiang Che's face to the paper bag in his hand bearing the old man's logo. Her eyes lingered on it for a second.
Her Adam's apple bobbed slightly, seemingly out of control, but then she forced her chin up and let out a soft snort filled with disdain and resentment:
"Ah."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was full of sarcasm.

Jiang Che found it amusing to watch her feign indifference despite clearly wanting it. She dared to be so coy? He deliberately pretended to turn and leave.

"Oh, you don't want to? Okay then, I'll have it as a midnight snack..."

Before she could finish speaking, Sunny sprang up from her chair and snatched the bag away with practiced ease, as if she had rehearsed it countless times.

As she expertly unwrapped the packaging, she took out a golden, crispy chicken leg, took a large, vicious bite, and mumbled a complaint:
"Don't...don't think you can make up for the hurt I suffered tonight with this! Do you know how I felt sitting alone in front of the instant noodle box, thinking about your dinner party? Huh?!"

Jiang Che watched as her cheeks puffed out rapidly and echoed her without any spirit:

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

The warm, crispy chicken leg clearly soothed Sunny's wounded heart. She swallowed the food with satisfaction, then, as if suddenly remembering something, her gossipy nature temporarily suppressed her resentment, and she asked curiously:
"By the way, you sent a message saying you were bringing Yoona back for dinner? They...really made up? What did you do? Did you cast a spell on them?"

Jiang Che stroked his chin, thinking back carefully. It seemed… he hadn't done anything particularly special? He'd simply said some rather sincere things in the waiting room.

And then there was a surprise from below the stage? As for the detail of grabbing Yoona's hand and pressing it to his chest, well, it's better to keep it to yourself.

Then he said with a righteous and awe-inspiring expression:

"Perhaps... it was my personal charm and sincerity that moved them?"

"Pfft—cough cough cough..." Sunny choked on her words and coughed repeatedly. After finally catching her breath, she looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot:
"You? Personal charisma? Sincerity?"

She simply couldn't connect those two words with Jiang Che.

Jiang Che: "...Hey, am I not being sincere?" He emphasized emphatically:
"I've already said it directly: I want to be the Pirate King."

Sunny took another bite of the chicken leg and rolled her eyes:
"If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it."

Then they changed direction:
"So, you guys had a party tonight? Besides dinner, did anything fun happen? Oh my god, I want to go to the party too..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che's expression immediately became somewhat subtle. Something fun? It seems...there really is? Pani suspected they had a secret group.

Taeyeon even made up a tragic story about "heartbreak" for Sunny on the spot... But while it was fun for her, it probably wasn't fun for Sunny.

He glanced at Sunny, who was happily munching on a chicken leg, with a complicated expression. He really didn't know how to bring it up. Should he just tell her directly?

"Hey Sunny, I have something funny to tell you: you just went through a really intense breakup without even knowing it?"

Sunny keenly noticed his strange gaze and silence, stopped eating her chicken leg, and narrowed her eyes suspiciously:

"What's wrong? What kind of look is that? Have you been talking about me behind my back?"

Jiang Che thought that since this matter was Tiffany's fault and Taeyeon's fault, it had nothing to do with him.

But if he were to speak now, there was no guarantee that Sunny wouldn't take her anger out on him if she couldn't find the culprit. So he quickly said no.

"Absolutely not, I'm just a little tired. You eat slowly, I'm going to rest. You should rest early too, goodnight."

After saying that, before Sunny could ask any more questions, he slipped out of the computer room and thoughtfully closed the door behind him.

Sunny stared at the closed door, muttering to herself:
'This is weird...it must be ghostly!'

However, considering the fried chicken, and the fact that Yoona and Taeyeon had finally made up—she decided to let it go this time—she took another big bite of fried chicken while thinking this.

Meanwhile, Jiang Che returned to his room and habitually took out his phone to check the Bitcoin and Ethereum market, only to find an unread KaKaoTalk message on his screen. He opened it and saw that it was from Sherry.

[Kang Cheol Oppa, are you asleep? I don't have any plans tomorrow. I mentioned wanting to learn fighting from you before, but I was wondering if you'd be available tomorrow? ()]

The message was sent around the time he took Yoona and Taeyeon home.

Jiang Che checked the time; it was already late, and he worried that Shirley might already be resting. But he quickly replied anyway. 【I didn't check my phone earlier. Tomorrow is fine, I'm okay with it. Is the location still the gym where Kim Jong-kook was supposed to go? What time is it?】

The message was marked as read almost instantly after it was sent.

[Sulli: Really? That's great! Thank you, Oppa! Then tomorrow at 10 AM, it's Jong-kook Oppa's gym. I'll send you the address.]

[Jiang Che: Okay, see you tomorrow. Get some rest.]

[Sulli: Yes! Goodnight, Oppa too! (￣▽￣)~*]

After replying to Shirley's message, Jiang Che continued to check the price charts of Bitcoin and Ethereum. The almost stagnant lines on the screen made his eyelids droop. Sure enough, at this point in time, they were as quiet as if they were hibernating.

"Sigh, the task ahead is arduous... Oh well, time to sleep, sleep. Nothing is more important than sleep..."

He sighed, tossed his phone aside, flopped onto the bed, and fell asleep instantly.

The next morning, Jiang Che and Sunny were sitting at the dining table eating breakfast—mostly prepared by Jiang Che, with Sunny enjoying it.

"Hmm, the sandwiches are good today." Sunny took a satisfied sip of milk and casually asked:

"What are your plans for today? Are you going to help me rank up again?"

Jiang Che swallowed the food in his mouth and shook his head:
"I have an appointment today. I promised Shirley last night that I would teach her some self-defense skills at the gym where Kim Jong-kook works. I can borrow your membership card."

“Oh, that thing? Okay.” Sunny readily pulled out the gym membership card from her bag and pushed it in front of Jiang Che.

Jiang Che took the card, tapped his fingers on the table, and smiled broadly.
"Um...can I borrow your car keys too?"

Sunny glanced at him sideways and tossed the car keys at him in an annoyed manner.
"Take it, take it! What else? Tell me all at once!"

Jiang Che deftly put away the car keys, his eyes darting around, his smile becoming even more genuine:

"It would be even better if you could provide some more funding for the activities..."

"How many?"

Jiang Che remained calm and composed.

"A few hundred million, I guess."

"What?! Hundreds of millions?!" Sunny rolled her eyes at him, grabbed her bag, and stood up.
"Dream on! I'm leaving!"

After saying that, he didn't bother with this opportunistic guy anymore, straightened his clothes, and went out.

Jiang Che shrugged. He was just joking and saying it casually. Even if Sunny really gave it to him, he would have to think about whether to accept it or not.

After watching Sunny leave, he quickly finished his breakfast.

I just received a message from Shirley:
Oppa, have you gone out yet?

[Jiang Che: I'm leaving right away.]

[Sulli: When you come in, just bring Sunny unnie's card and give your name. I've already spoken to the receptionist, someone will show you in.]

After replying with "OK", Jiang Che went downstairs, drove Sunny's car, and headed to Kim Jong-kook's gym according to the address Sulli had sent.

Upon arriving at the gym, he found it to be quite professional and offered good privacy. He went to the front desk and handed over Sunny's membership card.

"Hello, I'm looking for Choi Seol-ri. My name is Kang Che. We have an appointment."

After swiping her card, the receptionist glanced at the information on the screen, then looked up at Jiang Che—though a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes, her professionalism quickly brought a smile to her face.
“Okay, Mr. Jiang Che, please follow me.”

"Thank you."

Following the receptionist through the public area, we arrived at a private training room. Pushing open the door, we saw Sherry already waiting there.

She was wearing a simple tracksuit, her hair tied in a neat ponytail, and was sitting on a mat looking down at her phone. When she heard the door open, she looked up and her eyes visibly dazed for a moment when she saw Jiang Che.

This oppa...it feels like I've seen him somewhere before, but I can't quite place him. Then, a hint of curiosity crept into her eyes, and she silently wondered to herself:
'What's so special about this oppa... First, he was Yoona unnie's ex-boyfriend? And then he managed to get Taeyeon unnie to like him too?'

"Shirley?"

"Oppa, you're here." Shirley quickly gathered her thoughts, stood up, and gave a sweet smile.

"Hmm, have you been waiting long?" Jiang Che walked in and closed the door behind him.

"No, I just arrived recently."

After a few pleasantries, Jiang Che cut to the chase without further ado:
"Let's begin. Today I'll teach you something practical."

"Yes!" Shirley nodded obediently, looking like she was listening attentively.

Jiang Che cleared his throat and began the first lesson of his "Jiang-style self-defense techniques":
"First, we must be clear about one core idea. When facing danger, especially from malicious thugs, all talk of beauty and tricks is meaningless! Survival and protecting yourself are the top priorities!"

He paused, looked at Shirley's bewildered eyes, and began to demonstrate:
"Therefore, unlike Taekwondo, we don't pursue high kicks and side kicks, which are flashy but impractical. We aim to strike at the vital points and specialize in the 'lower body'!"

"Lower...lower three roads?" Shirley blinked, not quite understanding.

"Simply put, it's a man's most vulnerable spot. Remember this move: the groin kick!" He said, demonstrating a swift upward kick.

"Huh?! Teasing...teasing the groin...Oppa, this...isn't this too much..." Shirley stammered, unsure where to look. What...what is Oppa teaching her?! Wasn't he so cool when he fought before? Why is he teaching her this?!
"Too what? Too immoral?" Jiang Che raised an eyebrow and explained seriously:

"Shirley, you need to understand this: when someone wants to hurt you, that kick you deliver might not just be protecting yourself."
Perhaps to prevent the other party from making even bigger mistakes in the future, you're acting on behalf of Heaven. The key to this action is three words: fast, accurate, and ruthless!

He paused and added:

"Of course, you can only use it when you have a clear understanding of the situation and are sure that your own safety is threatened. Don't try it casually at other times. Oh, and you can also use it to pierce eyes."

Shirley was taken aback by Jiang Che's "twisted logic," but upon closer reflection, it seemed... to make a lot of sense? She blushed and whispered in response:

"I...I understand."

"Come on, give it a try and get a feel for it. Don't use too much force, just focus on getting a feel for how and how to apply the force."

Shirley took a deep breath and, mimicking Jiang Che's earlier movements, awkwardly tried to raise her leg to kick.

“Yes, that’s it, but there’s a problem with where you’re applying force.” Jiang Che stepped forward and naturally placed his hands on her knees and ankles to help her adjust her posture.

"Lift your leg a little higher, yes, the point of force is here..."

His movements were purely instructional, devoid of any ulterior motives. However, under Jiang Che's close guidance and unavoidable physical contact,

Shirley was surprised to find that she felt no resistance or discomfort whatsoever. On the contrary, a strange, comforting sense of familiarity enveloped her once again.

This is so weird…

Sherry felt a sense of unease. Last time at the bar, when he grabbed her wrist, the situation was urgent, so it was understandable that she didn't resist.

But now, some time has passed since the bar incident, and this is only the second time the two have met. Why is it that even with such close contact with him, she still doesn't feel the slightest bit of aversion?
She couldn't help but think of the question that had been bothering her—Yoona unnie, Taeyeon unnie, and this Kang Cheol oppa in front of her...

Taking advantage of a break in Jiang Che's instruction, Shirley stopped practicing and casually began her probing:

"Oppa, do you know Yoona unnie?"

Jiang Che was thinking about what move to teach next when he heard this, and answered naturally without even looking up:
"Yes, I know her. What's wrong?" He only realized what he meant after saying that and looked at Shirley.

"Huh? How did you know I know Yoona?"

"Ah, it's nothing..." Sherry's heart tightened, but she tried her best to remain calm:

"Well... last time at the bar, I accidentally saw Yoona unnie's number on your phone... so I was a little curious."

Jiang Che suddenly understood; so that's how it is. Without giving it much thought, he explained further:
"I'm Sunny's cousin, isn't it normal for me to know Yoona?"

This explanation made perfect sense, and Shirley nodded, but her curiosity hadn't diminished much. She mustered her courage and continued to press for answers, her eyes filled with cautious inquiry:
"So... were Oppa and Yoona unnie very close before?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che recalled all the experiences he had shared with Yoon-ah. A gentle smile unconsciously appeared on his lips, and his tone was firm:
"Yes, we're very close. She's the most important person to me."

Sure enough! Shirley felt like she had touched the edge of the truth. Although the answer did not directly admit to the "ex-boyfriend", the phrase "the most important person" almost confirmed her suspicions to her!
She suppressed her racing heartbeat and almost immediately followed up with:

"Then... what is the relationship between Oppa and Taeyeon unnie?"

As soon as she asked the question, she regretted it, feeling that her probing had been too obvious. But the words were already out, and there was no taking them back. She could only nervously look at Jiang Che.

Jiang Che paused again, the image of the small figure who had made a promise to him under the starry sky and trusted him wholeheartedly flashed into his mind. His eyes softened, filled with tenderness, responsibility, and appreciation.

Then, in the same serious tone, he gave an answer that was almost identical to his answer to Yoona's question:

"Yes, she is also the most important person to me."

Sulli felt a buzzing in her mind, as if some guess had been confirmed. Yoona unnie was the most important person, and Taeyeon unnie was also the most important person... This relationship was exactly as she had thought before.

(End of this chapter)