Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 159 Another Profit
Hearing the crisp notification sound of the payment arriving on his phone, Jiang Che felt completely refreshed, and his service attitude instantly rose to a five-star level!
He immediately got into the zone, transforming into a dedicated and top-notch consultant. He called over a waiter, asked for paper and a pen, and then quickly began sketching on the paper, explaining as he drew:
"Unnie, look! We can add some interesting elements to the wide shoulder strap, like chain detailing or some retro prints..."

Oh, and by the way, the fanny pack can also be redesigned, not the sporty kind, but more refined. It can be worn as a chest bag or crossbody, emphasizing practicality and a trendy feel..."

Jessica Jung was recording on her phone, and the more she listened, the more alarmed she became. A hit idea can be said to be a flash of inspiration, but how could it be a flash of inspiration every time!
Looking at "Yoona" before her, she was filled with doubts. After "Yoona" finished explaining, she finally couldn't suppress her huge questions and asked:
"Yoona, where...where did you get all these ideas from?"

She paused and lowered her voice:
"Tell me the truth, unnie, is there... someone powerful behind you?"

Jiang Che met Jessica Jung's probing gaze and quickly waved his hand:

"Ani! Unnie, you're overthinking it. There's no expert here. He's just... just someone who likes to overthink things. He reads more books and newspapers."

Jessica Jung stared intently at Yoona:
"You can come up with this from just wild guesses? Yoona, why don't you... just quit being an idol and start a brand with me?!"

"What?!" Jiang Che was truly shocked this time, feeling as if a million mythical beasts were stampeding through his mind:

'His original intention for coming to this meal was to mend the broken relationship between Taeyeon and Jessica, and incidentally earn some extra money! How did it all turn into a conversation that led to Yoona being forced to leave Girls' Generation? If Yoona found out, wouldn't she beat him to death?!'

He quickly shook his head like a rattle drum:

"Unnie! You must be kidding! I'm still waiting to win the Blue Dragon Award for Best Actress!"

"Blue Dragon Film Award winner..." When Jessica Jung heard this term, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly involuntarily. Looking at Yoona's serious expression, she didn't know how to respond for a moment.

After struggling for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out a dry sentence:
"...Okay...Good luck then."

But she was really reluctant to let go of this "source of inspiration," so she made a compromise suggestion:
"Well... full-time isn't necessary. Would you like to be my brand consultant? We can discuss the salary!"

Jiang Che's scalp tingled upon hearing this. If he agreed, then whenever Jessica Jung talked to Yoona about work or design, Yoona would know exactly what she had done!

He quickly found an excuse to refuse: "Unnie, let's forget about it for now. You... don't you have a partner there? I don't think it would be appropriate for me to go, unless..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear—unless you kick out that unreliable partner.

Jessica Jung was a smart woman, and she immediately understood his implied meaning. Her eyes flickered, and she remained silent for a moment, her newly ignited enthusiasm cooling down considerably.

Kwon Ning-il is indeed a problem, and since we're still in the cooperation period, there are many issues involved, so it's not easy to handle.

"Hmm..." She nodded, her tone regaining its usual calmness.
"You're right, it's a bit inconvenient. Well... let's talk about it later."

The conversation seems to have reached a temporary impasse.

Seeing this, Jiang Che broke the silence with a sweet smile on his face:

"Unnie, actually, whether I become this brand consultant or not, it doesn't make much difference to what I'm doing now."

He spoke in a light tone:
"As long as I have a new idea, I will definitely share it with you, Unnie, right away! As for the salary... let's just stick to our previous agreement!"

Of course, if you think my ideas are particularly valuable and want to give me more, I won't refuse, hehe.

Jessica Jung couldn't help but chuckle at his greedy look, then shook her head helplessly.
"Hey, Yoona, are you obsessed with money now?"

"Oh well, life forces me to do this," Jiang Che chuckled, adding casually.

"But unnie, let's stick to the old rule, okay? I'll tell you when I have an idea. Unnie, please don't ask me first."

Upon hearing this, Jessica frowned slightly, scrutinizing Yoona with a probing gaze. She subconsciously recalled Yoona mentioning feeling stressed earlier; hadn't she recovered yet? A pang of concern gripped her, and she asked with concern:
"Yoona, are you... under a lot of pressure lately? Are you feeling alright?"

Jiang Che's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly waved his hand, forcing a cheerful smile onto his face:

"Unnie! Don't worry, I'm much better now. As long as you remember our promise, that's all that matters!"

Jessica Jung's scrutinizing gaze swept over Yoona's face twice, seemingly trying to find some flaw, but ultimately she didn't delve any deeper. She changed the subject, asking casually:
"Then... do you know Sunny's cousin?"

His mind raced. Hadn't he already brushed it off last time? Why was this woman asking again? He tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor.

"Yes, I know him. I heard he just came back from abroad not long ago. I've met him a few times, but we're not very close. Why are you suddenly asking about him, Unnie?"

Jessica Jung's tone was inquisitive:

"I heard that this cousin of mine has been getting quite close to Taeyeon and Sulli lately. And... he seems to have some special abilities? It's like he can tell whether a show will be popular or not just by telling him the title?"

Jiang Che felt as if he had been shot in the knee—the skill he had casually made up to fool Sulli back then had unexpectedly been passed back to "Lim Yoona" so quickly.

He quickly picked up his water glass and took a big gulp to cover his embarrassment, then continued the conversation:

"Huh? Really? There's such a skill? I really didn't know that! Now that you've told me, I'll definitely have to look into it! If she really has this ability, then my path to becoming the Azure Dragon Film Queen will be completely bright!"

Jessica Jung watched as "Yoona" uttered that familiar name again, her lips twitched slightly, and she immediately lost interest in delving deeper.

"Well, come on."

She gave a curt reply and decided to end the conversation.

The atmosphere became much more harmonious during the rest of the meal. The two chatted casually about their recent situations, with Jessica Jung mainly talking about common problems that the brand was facing, while Kang Cheol offered encouragement and advice as needed.

After dinner, the two said goodbye at the restaurant entrance. Jessica Jung stopped, glanced at Yoona, and asked with concern:
"Yoona, take care of yourself and don't overwork yourself." She paused, then added:
"Also... if anything seems amiss with Taeyeon, remember to let me know."

"Yes! Arasso, Oni, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things. Be careful on the road!" Jiang Che waved obediently, playing the role of a reliable younger sister.

After watching Jessica Jung leave, Kang Cheol finally let out a long sigh of relief. He touched his phone in his pocket, and his mood brightened again.
As he walked toward Sunny's car, he took out his phone and, without hesitation, deposited the 100 million Korean won that had just arrived into his account into Ethereum.

After completing the investment, he opened the "Girls' Generation and Temporary Workers" group chat and began reporting his results.

[@TaeyeonTaeyeon, I went to check on Jessica today as Yoona, and it seems she still cares about you!]

Not long after the message was sent, Taeyeon responded. [Taeyeon: Really?! You saw Jessica again today?! Does she really care about me?]

[Jiang Che: Yes, really. She specifically told me to keep a close eye on you and report to her immediately if anything seems amiss.]

Taeyeon, on the other side of the screen, felt a mix of emotions upon seeing this message—on one hand, she was happy for the other person's concern, but on the other hand, she felt there was something wrong with the wording. She replied:
What does "something's not right" mean?

Jiang Che quickly changed the subject: "Ani! Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue! She was just worried that something might have happened to you!"

After a while, Taeyeon's message popped up again: 【Okay... So what's our next step?】

[Jiang Che: No rush. Let's maintain the status quo and hold our positions. Let the dust settle for a while, and then we'll act when the time is right.]

Taeyeon: Okay! I'll do as you say.

[Yoona: ...You didn't use my face, did you? Why are you doing something weird?]

As Jiang Che looked at the message, the terrifying suggestion from Jessica Jung, "Stop being an idol and come work with me on a brand," flashed through his mind, and his lips twitched involuntarily—this shouldn't be considered strange.

His fingers flew across the keyboard as he replied with unwavering righteousness: "Don't worry! Absolutely not! I haven't done anything strange! Trust me!"

Yoona: That's good.

Just as Jiang Che thought the group chat was about to end, Sunny's message suddenly popped up, but its content surprised him.

[Sunny: Oh! Hurry back! My game stream... seems like it's going to go viral? Come back and check it out for me! (Completely bewildered.jpg)]

[Jiang Che: Huh? The live stream is going to be a hit? What's going on? I'll tell you when I get back.]

Jiang Che raised an eyebrow and quickened his pace toward the car. He wanted to see what new tricks his cousin had up her sleeve this time.

I drove quickly back to Sunny's apartment. As soon as I opened the door, I heard her excited voice coming from the study:

"Oh! You're back? Come quick! Come see me!"

With that loud voice, anyone who didn't know better would think she'd won the lottery. Jiang Che changed his shoes and walked to the study door. He saw Sunny staring intently at the computer screen, her hands frantically typing on the mouse and keyboard.

He leaned closer to take a look—the computer screen displayed data from the live stream's backend. Good heavens, the number of viewers was a number he had never seen in Sunny's live stream before, and the scrolling speed of the comments was several times faster than usual.

Jiang Che noticed that the microphone icon was off, and asked in confusion:

"You've shown your face?"

That was his first reaction. After all, what could attract more popularity than Girls' Generation's Sunny showing her face while playing games? But then he thought, if she really showed her face, her popularity should be even higher.

“Aniyo!” Sunny denied it immediately without turning her head, pointing to a strangely familiar ID on the opposing team's screen:

"Look at this! Does it look familiar?"

Jiang Che took a closer look and realized that the ID looked familiar... Wasn't this the professional player who treated Sunny like an "ATM" last time?
"Hiss... How come you were matched with him again?" Jiang Che also became interested and pulled over a chair next to him to sit down.

"I don't know either!" Sunny's tone was also a little incredulous.

"Anyway, I just kept waiting in line and ended up getting to him again!!"

Jiang Che glanced at the battle record and was somewhat surprised:

"You guys actually have the upper hand? You weren't treated like an ATM by him this time?"

"Hey! Do you think I'm the kind of person who falls into the same pit twice?" Sunny turned around and glared at him, then her face lit up with a triumphant expression.
"I've developed a new strategy for this game! I'm still using Teemo, but... I've switched positions, I'm playing support!"

"Teemo support?" Jiang Che's lips twitched slightly: 'Isn't this the tactic we'll be using later? I haven't even taught her yet, and she's already learned it all on her own?'

“That’s right!” she explained quickly. “Before level six, I played very cautiously, mainly using my Q skill to annoy the enemy ADC to farm. Once I reached level six, I started planting mushrooms like crazy in key bushes and the river in the bottom lane!”
Then I'll hide and crouch. If any unlucky soul accidentally steps on it, I'll immediately reveal myself, unleash a Q skill to blind them, and with the combined damage from our ADC, the enemy will explode on the spot!

"And look," she pointed to her own jungler roaming the screen:
"Our jungler seems to be a pro this time. He set the pace really fast and helped us establish a huge advantage."

Jiang Che, seeing her so engrossed in her "tactical master" role, couldn't help but complain:
"So, the real reason is that you didn't want to lane against that pro player in the top lane, and you don't know how to play other champions, so you were forced to play Teemo as support, right?"

"Ahem..." Sunny, having her thoughts exposed, coughed twice, trying to save face:
"The process isn't important! The result is what matters! The effect is surprisingly good, understand?!"

Just then, the enemy jungler came to gank the bottom lane. He emerged aggressively from the river bush, but after only two steps, he stepped precisely on a mushroom! The support, who followed closely behind, also stepped on another mushroom!
"Bang! Bang!"

The enemy jungler and support's health bars visibly dropped, and they were also slowed down.

"An opportunity!" Sunny's eyes lit up, and she immediately controlled Teemo, who had been invisible, to appear, and used her Q skill to shoot at the enemy ADC who was about to step forward to deal damage.

Almost simultaneously, their own ADC understood immediately and followed up with damage. The enemy ADC, blinded, missed all his basic attacks and was powerless to fight back. The jungler was also slowed down by the mushrooms and could not effectively engage.

In just a few seconds, the enemy ADC melted instantly. The jungler and support then turned and fled, but only the support managed to escape. The jungler was chased down by the ADC and Teemo and fell on the way back.

The live stream chat exploded instantly:

[66666! This Teemo support is something else! He's got a knack for being annoying!]

I strongly suspect the streamer is using a professional game booster! She's not saying anything this time!

[I've learned something new! I'll definitely play Teemo support in ranked games next time!]

[Don't go upstairs! Have you forgotten how your teammates were bashing the streamer at the start of the game? If you don't have the streamer's mentality, you should think twice before using this game!]

(End of this chapter)