Peninsula: Starting with a silly childhood friend!

Chapter 140 The New Building?

In the room, as Bae Joo-hyun typed out that line of text, her pair of jade feet seemed to exert a slight force in sync, her toes curling together and her arches slightly tensing.

A strange light appeared in her eyes, she lightly bit her lip with her silver teeth, a faint curve appeared at the corner of her mouth, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were drawn into two crescent moons, her face exuding an indescribable charm.

Upon seeing the teasing message from Pei Zhufa, Liu Baiyuan, sitting at his computer desk, was momentarily stunned. The computer stopped, the phone went silent, and even his breathing became unusually soft.

For a moment, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Whether it was because Pei Zhufa's words had disturbed his mind, or because the room was stuffy due to the lack of air conditioning, Liu Baiyuan felt his heartbeat quicken and become heavier.

In this quiet environment, the sound of a heartbeat reached Liu Baiyuan's ears.

He stared at the message Bae Joo-hyun had sent him on his phone, and could almost picture her in his mind. Bae Joo-hyun stood before him, arms crossed, a smug smile on her face, asking, "Are you jealous?"

Thinking of this, Liu Baiyuan's eyes returned to the paused computer screen. Pei Zhufa in the picture had her hair tied in a high ponytail and round glasses on her face. Combined with her aloof character in the drama, she actually had a slightly cute and innocent look.

Looking at her, Liu Baiyuan suddenly realized that, without realizing it, this older sister had already reached a point in his heart where he couldn't stand her being paired with anyone else...

However, at that moment, Liu Baiyuan's gaze unconsciously fell on the penguin figurine on the computer desk, and for a moment, a feeling of guilt welled up in his heart.

It's like... a feeling of betraying someone.

His gaze fell on the little penguin ornament, which was a gift from Mina. He had promised Mina that he would take good care of it, and for that, that silly Momo had complained to him for quite a while.

He reached out and picked it up gently. The little ornament had a bit of weight to it, so it didn't look cheap.

The little penguin has a playful design and even makes a wink, which makes it look more lively.

However, the penguin's faint smile now seemed to him as a hint of mockery.

"Little penguin, are you here to keep an eye on me for your owner?"

He gently flicked the little ornament, a helpless smile playing on his lips. The slight flutter in his heart caused by Pei Zhufa was instantly suppressed with the appearance of this little penguin.

It must be said that this little penguin truly fulfilled its "mission," even though it didn't speak or move an inch...

He looked at the little penguin and suddenly thought of something. He took it to his room, where there was a round peach-shaped pillow on his bedside table.

You can tell from its appearance that it was a gift from Hirai Momo. He separated the gifts from the two of them, placing one on his computer desk and the other on his bedside table, which can be seen as a clear division of labor in another sense.

Actually, this was the first time the two of them had met.

Looking at the two little gadgets in front of him, Liu Baiyuan also recalled the images of Hirai Momo and Mina.

He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the little penguin in his hand, and gently stroked it. If he really fell in love with Pei Zhufa, what would happen to the two of them...?

There's also the Satsuki-Yu duo, Chou Tzu-yu and Minatozaki Sana. Without realizing it, he's developed such deep relationships with so many people.

Liu Baiyuan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then lay down on the bed, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

Meanwhile, Pei Zhufa, on the other end of the phone, smiled even more broadly when she saw that Liu Baiyuan had not replied for a long time, because in her opinion, Liu Baiyuan had been right.

This result was unexpected for Pei Zhufa, because she had only sensed that hint of something, which was why she asked the question. She hadn't expected her to hit the nail on the head; he really was jealous...

Just as she was thinking this, the dormitory door was opened from the outside. She turned off her phone screen without making a sound and looked at the door. However, when she saw that it was Son Seung-wan, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Son Seungwan looked at her sister lying on the bed, wanting to say something, but not knowing where to begin. After opening her mouth, she simply placed the Coke she had brought in on the bedside table, then took her phone charger and went out again.

Pei Zhufa, on the other hand, felt completely bewildered. She hadn't said she wanted a Coke, so why was a bottle of Coke being brought to her...?

Somewhat puzzled, she didn't think about it any further, simply assuming it was a gift from her younger sister, Son Seung-wan.

Opening the can of Coke, the soothing sound of bubbles fills the air, bringing a smile to my face. Taking a sip, mmm, even better!

Meanwhile, in TWICE's dorm, Sana Minatozaki looked at Momo Hirai, who was chatting with the other members, with an indescribable look in her eyes.

This peach... is it all alright now?

Although she had promised Liu Baiyuan to keep it a secret, Momo Zero seemed even more unaffected than she was. If she didn't know the truth, she probably would have thought Hirai Momo was completely unharmed.

"Children, we're about to set off!"

As soon as the agent spoke, the nine women immediately stood up from the sofa. They were already prepared and just waiting for the agent's order.

The group walked out of the dormitory in a large group, but Mina, who was at the back of the line, suddenly asked Momo, "Momo Zero, is Oppa coming again today?"

Upon hearing Mina's question, Hirai Momo's face instantly flushed red. Now, whenever she hears Liu Baiyuan's name, she recalls fragmented memories from last night.

She couldn't understand how she could have been so bold last night, daring to kiss him directly. But what was most infuriating was that she couldn't remember what it felt like to kiss her oppa at all.

That's the scariest thing!

It's like you're on a diet, and you're so hungry that you sleepwalk out of bed at night and eat a cake that you would never normally dare to touch. When you wake up the next day, you realize that you don't even remember what it felt like to eat that cake.

Wouldn't that break one's heart and bring tears to the eyes of anyone who hears it?

"Him? I don't know, I haven't asked him..."

Hirai Momo is now too afraid to message Liu Baiyuan, so she didn't ask at all this time.

"Why don't you go ask him yourself?"

With that, Hirai Momo walked straight down, leaving only Mina standing there, stunned after hearing this, her eyes full of scrutiny.

What does that mean?

Ever since Liu Baiyuan appeared, she had never seen Hirai Momo so indifferent when Liu Baiyuan was mentioned. This time, she was actually made to ask him herself. Usually, she would rush to do this kind of thing.

"This peach... wasn't she sticking to Oppa all night? Why is she avoiding him now that she's asleep?"

Mina blinked. She instinctively sensed that something was amiss, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it...

"Minai! Did you forget something at home?!"

"Oh, no! I'm here!"

Seeing Mina still standing there dumbfounded, the agent frowned slightly and urged her on. The latter, snapping out of her daze, quickly followed. "Let's ask about Liu Baiyuan's matter once we're in the car..."

As for Liu Baiyuan and Pei Zhuxuan's chat, it ended abruptly, with neither of them speaking after the question, "Are you jealous?"

Liu Baiyuan did not attend the second family concert that evening. Although Mina was slightly disappointed, she did not ask any further questions.

In the following days, Liu Baiyuan went to the company almost every day.

He discovered that the production team was moving faster than he had anticipated; TWICE's music video production was nearing completion, but... it had hit a snag...

"I don't quite agree. This makes it seem too much like publicity. I think it's better to focus our efforts on the real publicity, rather than diverting our energy to this one."

"TT is a masterpiece personally acknowledged by the president. There's no reason for a natural resource company like us to give up on it. Besides, we're not trying to promote it heavily; we just want to warm up the audience with an interlude at the end of the film."

"However, this would disrupt the integrity of the 'TT' music video, and the music video will be released earlier than the new song, not to mention the next comeback. This would not serve as any warm-up effect. Therefore, my idea is to avoid adding unnecessary details and ensure the independence of 'TT'."

"It's not that serious. It's just a few extra seconds of interlude at the end of the credits. Consider it a bonus scene. When it comes back next time, fans will notice it, and it'll be a unique kind of collaboration!"

Liu Baiyuan sat in the main seat of the office, listening to the suggestions from his subordinates on both sides, but his eyes were on the unfinished music video in front of him.

Before they knew it, the music video, which lasted only a few minutes, had ended. Overall, there were no major problems, and both sides gradually quieted down, with the light focusing on Liu Baiyuan in the main position.

"Are you done talking?"

Liu Baiyuan looked away from the computer screen. Although he was wearing glasses, his gaze was still full of pressure.

"I've just watched the music video once, and in terms of structural integrity alone, it's already quite complete."

Liu Baiyuan tapped the table lightly with his finger, then spoke again: "But the company has already decided that the next comeback song will be 'KNOCKKNOCK.' You've probably heard some snippets and know that it's a pretty good song, so under these circumstances, we should definitely make use of this resource."

At this point, Liu Baiyuan turned his gaze to the "opposition" members and said to them, "For today's fans, a common problem with many boy and girl groups is that they tend to have one great song and one terrible one. Although we know TWICE maintains high quality, the fans don't know the inside story. So why don't we proactively dispel their concerns and release the interlude of 'KNOCKKNOCK' without telling them? They'll only realize it on the next comeback, and maybe then they'll even give 'TT' a boost."

Upon hearing Liu Baiyuan's words, the manager lowered his eyes slightly and began to ponder. What Liu Baiyuan said was indeed true. Many companies couldn't even guarantee the quality of their next comeback. If that was the case, wouldn't they be putting themselves on the same starting line as their contemporaries if they didn't take advantage of the advantage they had established for their next comeback song?

"Yes, I understand, Minister."

Liu Baiyuan nodded to him. He didn't blame the others; on the contrary, he felt extremely relieved. He thought that since these people were willing to discuss this, it meant that they were truly committed and genuinely considering the company's interests, or rather, their own work.

"Then it's settled. Minister Shen has a point. Since we're just piggybacking on 'TT', we can't let it affect 'TT' itself."

To maintain the integrity of the image, add a three-second interlude when the company logo is shown at the end. This will allow fans to immediately recognize it as an extra Easter egg.

"Inside!!!"

The crowd nodded and dispersed, and Liu Baiyuan stood up, preparing to return to his office to rest.

But just then, his phone rang, and the person saved in the contact was none other than Park Jin-young.

"What's wrong, Zhenying?"

"I heard you've come to the company?"

"Inside."

"That's perfect. Come to my office. I have something to discuss with you."

Liu Baiyuan looked puzzled when he heard Park Jin-young's words. This guy hadn't contacted him much lately, so what was going on today?

Despite his thoughts, he still turned around and went to Park Jin-young's office.

"Brother Zhenying".

"Bai Yuan is here! Come and see!"

Park Jin-young's face showed a hint of excitement, and his already somewhat compact features looked even more unusual with his smile.

Liu Baiyuan took the folder handed to him, frowned slightly, and began to look through it. What did this guy want from him this time? Was he going to assign him some work again?

However, just as he opened the folder, he suddenly noticed that something seemed... off.

"Brother Zhenying, what's this?"

"Haha, you figured it out? This is our company's new building!"

As he spoke, Park Jin-young showed him a rough map of the new building and said, "The building I'm looking at is on Gangdong-daero in Gangdong-gu. Although it's a bit remote and far from the city center and shopping districts, it's surrounded by residential areas with more communities. I plan to arrange for the company's trainees to move there as well, which will be very convenient for them."

The company's trainees are all crammed together, which is inconvenient, not to mention the expensive prices in the nearby shopping district are beyond the reach of these teenagers.

Moving the company out of the commercial district and back into a residential area may reduce privacy to some extent, but it can bring daily benefits to the trainees and even the company employees.

"I also plan to set up an organic cafeteria within the company, where employees can use their points to pay for the food, which is a small perk for the company."

"Organic cafeteria???"

""

As Liu Baiyuan listened to Park Jin-young's grand plans, he was initially captivated by Park Jin-young's consideration for his employees, but then he suddenly noticed something strange...