Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 163 Taeyeon Arrives (39)

"What oppa!" Yoona thought to herself, cursing his shamelessness for taking advantage of her every opportunity. But imagining the two of them recording a show together, she couldn't help but smile slightly and say coquettishly,
"Who needs your guidance? I'm a veteran of variety shows myself, okay? I have way more experience than you!"

Jiang Che caught a glimpse of Yoona's insincere expression out of the corner of his eye, and felt as if a feather had gently tickled his heart—teasing Lim Yoona was truly an addictive thing.

After the car drove smoothly for a while, Jiang Che asked again:

"So, are you going back to your own apartment, or are you going to stay at Sunny's for the night?"

Yoona thought for a moment—on one side was her own empty and deserted apartment, while on the other side, Sunny unnie's apartment had this guy in it.
Although it was noisy, it was full of warmth and life... She subconsciously glanced at Jiang Che, who was focused on driving beside her, and made a decision:

"Let's go to Sunny unnie's place instead."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che couldn't help but smile.

Yoona noticed his expression and asked suspiciously:
"why are you laughing?"

Jiang Che suppressed a smile, looked straight ahead, and answered seriously:

"It's nothing, I just suddenly thought of something happy."

Yoona scrutinized his profile and felt that his smile was malicious; he was probably thinking something weird again.

But she didn't press him further. Instead, she snorted, turned her head back to look out the window, and ignored him completely.

The car fell silent for a moment, but there was no awkwardness; instead, a tranquil and intimate atmosphere prevailed.

The car drove into the underground parking lot where Sunny's apartment was located and came to a stop.

The two unbuckled their seatbelts, got out of the car, and walked together toward the elevator.

The elevator slowly ascended, leaving only the two of them in the cramped space. The numbers kept changing, and as Yoona watched the changing floor numbers, she suddenly felt her little finger being gently hooked by the fingers of another hand.

Her body stiffened slightly, but she did not break free.

Yoona lowered her head, her gaze falling on the two people's hands that seemed to be touching, and her heart skipped a beat for no reason.

With a "ding," the elevator arrived at the floor and the doors slowly opened.

Jiang Che then casually let go of her hand, as if the little action had nothing to do with her, and then took out his key to open the door.

Yoona followed behind Kang Cheol, her gaze involuntarily falling on his back before quickly looking down at her little finger, which had just been hooked by his finger.
She cursed him under her breath, thinking, "Bastard!"—this guy is always like this, making little moves unintentionally to stir up trouble, and then pretending nothing happened.

But her footsteps still followed him faithfully into the apartment.

"You're back? How was dinner?" Sunny was nestled in the soft sofa in the living room, snacking and watching a variety show. She turned around and asked casually when she heard the door open.

But she had only spoken halfway when she noticed another figure following behind Jiang Che. Her eyes instantly became playful, darting back and forth between Jiang Che and Yoon-ah before finally settling on Yoon-ah's face:
"Huh? Jiang Che, you went out for a meal and brought home a... free gift?"

Yoona felt uncomfortable under Sunny's teasing gaze and glared at her.
"Unnie! You're the freebie!"

"Haha!" Sunny wasn't angry at being teased; instead, she sized her up.
"So, you've come all this way at this hour because you have something important to tell me in person?"

Yoona's eyes darted away unconsciously, and her tone became guilty:

"Well... there's nothing particularly important..."

Jiang Che found Yoon-ah's expression amusing, but outwardly maintained a serious demeanor as he tried to smooth things over for her:

"She just felt it was getting late and it wouldn't be convenient for her to go back alone, so she thought she might as well stay here for the night."

"Ah—so that's why it's inconvenient—" Sunny nodded as if suddenly realizing, drawing out the last syllable:

"I understand, I completely understand."

The teasing was so obvious that Yoona felt her cheeks getting hotter. She pretended not to hear it, bent down to take out slippers from the shoe cabinet, and hurriedly put them on, trying to hide her embarrassment with her actions.

Sunny was secretly laughing hysterically at his reaction—even this cunning little deer had moments like this. She suppressed her laughter, then suddenly remembered something and turned her gaze to Jiang Che:

"Speaking of which, does Taeyeon... know that Yoona is staying here?"

Jiang Che was taken aback by the question:
"I haven't had a chance to say it yet." He paused, then continued the conversation by suggesting:
"How about I ask her if she's asleep yet, and see if she wants to come over too?!"

Sunny was completely speechless at this, and almost couldn't catch her breath:
"Hey! Do you mean I asked you this so you can bring people to continue living in my house?! You really don't hold back at all!"

She desperately wanted to pry open Jiang Che's head to see what was inside.

Jiang Che was a little embarrassed and gave a dry laugh:
"Oh dear, we're cousins, we're family, why be so formal? It's too much of a stranger!"

"Pfft—" Yoona couldn't help but burst out laughing. Seeing the eye roll Sunny threw at her, she quickly pursed her lips, and the embarrassment she had just felt was largely dispelled.

Sunny rolled her eyes at Jiang Che, too annoyed to argue with him anymore, and said listlessly:
"Alright, alright, anyway, this place is practically turning into a dormitory." He then turned to Yoona:
"Then go wash up first. You know where the toiletries are, the usual place."

"Yes, unnie," Yoona replied and walked towards the restroom.

After Yoona's figure disappeared behind the bathroom door, accompanied by the faint sound of running water, Sunny turned her gaze back to Jiang Che and asked in a low voice:

"Are you really going to invite Taeyeon too?"

Jiang Che shrugged:

“This kind of thing can’t be hidden; integrity is the foundation of everything. I’ll ask her if she’s slept with me, and then see what she thinks. Whether she comes or not is up to her, but she has to have the right to know.”

Sunny looked at Jiang Che's expression that said, "I'm very open and honest, I have no secrets," and for a moment she didn't know where to begin to criticize him. In the end, she could only shake her head helplessly.

Jiang Che completely understood what Sunny was thinking. He took out his phone, opened his chat with Taeyeon, carefully considered his tone, and began typing:
【Taeyeon, are you asleep?】

My fingers paused for a moment, then continued typing:

Yoona is staying with Sunny tonight. Do you want to come too? It'll be more fun with more people.

Shortly after sending the message, I received a reply from Taeyeon:

【??wait for me】

Jiang Che looked at the screen, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up in a noticeable arc.

Seeing the smug smile on his face, Sunny immediately understood—her bed would definitely be occupied again tonight. Although she already knew the answer, she still couldn't help but ask:
"What...did Taeyeon say?"

Jiang Che turned his phone screen towards her: "He said he was coming over."

Sunny raised her hand to support her forehead:

"I knew it!"

Looking at Sunny, Jiang Che flattered her without any hesitation:

"Oh, it's more fun with more people! Look how boring it is for you to watch variety shows alone. When you're with others, you can discuss and critique them. Besides, aren't we family?"

"Shut up!" Sunny interrupted him promptly, cutting off his tired-out-of-it-all-that-saying-it-is-too-sounding-too-dubbed-on-the-point-of-life-of-it-is-too-dubbed-on-the-point ...

Just then, the bathroom door clicked open. Yoona emerged, drying her wet hair, water droplets still clinging to the ends, a faint, fresh scent of post-shower fragrance wafting through the air. Looking at the two people with contrasting expressions, she asked, somewhat puzzled:
"What...are you talking about?"

Sunny announced before Jiang Che could:

"We were talking about my soon-to-be bed partner. Judging by the looks of it, she's probably already on her way."

Yoona paused slightly in her hair-drying motion. She pursed her lips, not responding to Sunny's question, and instead asked:
"Unnie, where's the hairdryer?"

“It’s here.” Jiang Che stood up, took a hairdryer from the cabinet, plugged it in, and then looked at Yoona, asking in a natural tone:

"Shall I blow it for you?"

Upon hearing this, Yoona looked up at him, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes, but she still softly hummed in agreement, obediently sat down with her back to him, and obediently brushed her long, wet hair behind her head.

The hum of the hairdryer filled the living room, drowning out the noise of the variety show on TV. Jiang Che's movements weren't exactly professional, but they were gentle and patient. He held the hairdryer in one hand, controlling the distance and temperature.
With his other hand, he gently combed through her damp, tangled hair. His fingertips occasionally brushed against her sensitive neck, like pebbles thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in Yoona's heart.

Yoona was initially a little stiff, her back ramrod straight. But as the warm breeze continued to caress her, coupled with the gentle touch of hands in her hair, it brought a drowsy, comfortable feeling.

It made her relax involuntarily, and she even unconsciously squinted her eyes slightly, like a cat that was being stroked and felt extremely comfortable.

Sunny had long since given up on watching TV and was now sitting cross-legged on the sofa, propping her chin on her hand, her gaze shifting back and forth between Jiang Che and Yoona, silently complaining to herself:

'This visual style, this atmosphere—isn't this totally a dating reality show? It's so much more interesting than watching TV!'

Suddenly, the crisp sound of the doorbell broke the ambiguous atmosphere.

"Coming, coming." Sunny quickly got up to open the door.

The door opened, and standing there was indeed Taeyeon. She seemed to have rushed out, dressed in simple casual clothes, her hair casually draped over her shoulders, her face flushed from exercise, and her breathing a little rapid.

Sunny stepped aside to let her in, teasingly saying:

"Wow, you got here really fast! Did you come by rocket?"

Taeyeon was about to reply when her gaze was drawn to the scene in the living room—Kang Cheol was standing behind Yoona, holding a buzzing hair dryer in his hand.

Yoona's long, smooth hair, which was half-dry, was loose, and her cheeks were flushed from the shower. She looked relaxed and comfortable.

Taeyeon paused at the doorway, her expression instantly becoming complicated. This scene, if it weren't for Sunny, that enormous third wheel, wouldn't have been so dramatic.

She almost assumed the two had just been intimate and were getting post-coital care.

Sunny saw her stunned expression and understood perfectly:
"What are you still standing there for? Come in."

Taeyeon then stepped in, but her gaze remained fixed on the two people.

Jiang Che touched Yoon-ah's hair, and when it felt almost dry, he turned off the hairdryer.

Yoona turned to look at Taeyeon and greeted her naturally:

"Unnie, you're here."

Taeyeon stood in the entryway, a bright smile quickly spreading across her face, as if the complex emotions she had just felt had never existed: "Yes."

She responded, bent down to change her shoes, and walked in, naturally sitting down on the sofa.

As Jiang Che retracted the hair dryer cord, he looked calmly at Taeyeon:

"have you eaten yet?"

"I've already eaten," Taeyeon replied, her gaze casually sweeping between Kang Cheol and Yoona before she asked curiously:

Why did you all suddenly gather together today?

Jiang Che put the hair dryer back in the cabinet and told the truth:

"It's because of a variety show that Sunny and Yoona were supposed to participate in, but Sunny didn't want to go and asked me to fill in. It just so happened that Tzuyu was also going to participate in that show, so she and Nayeon invited Yoona and Sunny to have dinner together."
As a result, Sunny didn't even want to go to dinner, so she asked me to go in her place. After we finished eating together, it was getting late, so we decided to just stay there for the night.

When Taeyeon heard that Sunny even made Kang Cheol eat, she thought it was unbelievable. She couldn't help but glance at Sunny, who gave her an awkward smile.

Then Taeyeon's gaze shifted between Yoona and Kang Cheol, her tone tinged with envy:

"I really want to participate in a variety show too... When will the recording be?"

"It's expected to be in mid-to-late November," Jiang Che recalled the time Sunny had mentioned before.

Upon hearing this, Taeyeon immediately began mentally calculating her schedule. A few seconds later, her face fell, and she said regretfully:
"Ah... at that time, I think I had other plans... no way." Her tone was just like a little hamster watching helplessly as its favorite snacks were taken away.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Che's heart softened, and he comforted her:
"It's okay, if it doesn't work this time, we can do it next time. We can find another opportunity to participate in a variety show together when we have time later."

"Really?" Taeyeon's eyes lit up instantly, all her previous grievances vanished, replaced by anticipation.

Jiang Che was amused by her sudden change of mood, but he tried his best to maintain a serious expression and assured her:
"Of course, I lied to you when."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a drawn-out "Oh—" echoed through the living room. Sunny was staring at the two of them with a playful expression, while Yoona beside her also had a half-smile playing on her lips.

Taeyeon automatically ignored Sunny and Yoona's glances, and having received Kang Cheol's promise, a happy smile bloomed on her face as she nodded vigorously:
"Okay! It's a deal then! Let's go on a variety show together next time!"

Sunny looked at the scene, then at the time, and finally clapped her hands:
"Alright, alright, we've finished making the arrangements. It's getting late, and we have plans for tomorrow, so everyone should wash up and go to bed."

Then she turned to Taeyeon and Yoona, glancing at them:
"Same as usual, Taeyeon will stay with me, Yoona, you'll sleep in the guest room by yourself."

(End of this chapter)