Peninsula: Starting with a silly childhood friend!

Chapter 144 Thank you for coming into my life

"Um... cough cough, my Japanese is really bad, I can barely speak, let alone read."

Liu Baiyuan turned his head away, his eyes darting around, and looked down at the woods and city streets below, pursing his lips to hide his embarrassment.

When Zhou Ziyu heard Liu Baiyuan's words, her brows furrowed slightly involuntarily. She sensed that her brother was lying, but she had no proof.

It's no secret within TWICE that Liu Baiyuan hasn't been back to Japan for a long time and has lost contact with Hirai Momo. Under these circumstances, it's not impossible for Liu Baiyuan to say that his Japanese has reached the point where he can't read the words.

That's why even the usually intelligent Chou Tzu-yu couldn't distinguish between the real and the fake.

However... if it were before, this matter would have simply been left unresolved, but technological advancements have made the impossible possible.

For example, right now.

Chou Tzu-yu ignored how much truth and falsehood Liu Bai-yuan was in his words, and simply took out her phone, opened an app, and took a picture of the lock.

What are you doing?

"Translate it."

???

Upon hearing Chou Tzu-yu's words, Liu Baiyuan was stunned for a moment. Tsk, he had forgotten that nowadays, most mobile phones come with a translation app!

Soon, the translation software on Chou Tzu-yu's phone translated the passage, even providing a Chinese version.

"I hope I can always be with my brother and never be separated again~"

"July 15, 2016 - Sharon~"

Chou Tzu-yu looked at this passage and silently recited it in her mind. (Japanese, this date, Sharon...)

The more she thought about it, the more she felt as if something had appeared in her mind, but it was vague and she couldn't quite grasp it.

"What can you glean from just this one passage? You'd be better off enjoying the scenery instead."

Liu Baiyuan glanced at Zhou Ziyu's phone and secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the translation software hadn't translated anything that could cause misunderstanding.

In fact, Liu Baiyuan completely lost his composure.

You should know that this place is the lock wall of Seoul Tower, and there are thousands upon thousands of locks hung here to pray for marriage.

As long as he denies it, even if someone with the same name is placed in front of Zhou Ziyu, she will have no way of confirming that the lock refers to him.

After all, Seoul is a tourist city with visitors from all over the world, and Seoul Tower is almost the top of Seoul's "must-eat list". It's not surprising that such a place would have someone with the same name.

However... as the saying goes, the more you say, the more mistakes you make. It was Liu Baiyuan's comment about looking at the scenery that made Zhou Ziyu feel as if she had grasped a thread.

"Enjoying the scenery..."

After muttering something to herself, Chou Tzu-yu turned and looked down at the date on the lock. Her thoughts drifted back to a day last month when she was leaning against the window, gazing at the street scene—essentially just looking at the scenery—when suddenly she saw a BMW parked downstairs in front of her dorm building...

That day was the day he saw Mina and Liu Baiyuan embracing.

Mina unnie...

Sharon...

Immediately, Chou Tzu-yu thought of something she had been unable to grasp: Mina, her older sister, had told them before that she actually had an English name, but they hadn't paid much attention to it at the time, since they usually talked about stage names or unnies.

For example, everyone calls Nayeon unnie, while Sana and the others are simply called Sana, Momo, or Mina. She and Chaeyoung, the two youngest members, are simply called Chaeyoung or Tzuyu.

The English name is completely unnecessary.

But today's experience has brought this matter back to the depths of her mind. If it were to happen again, she might really forget about it.

"Mina unnie, isn't her English name Sharon...? And this date, written in Japanese..."

'

Perhaps because she had finally found a point of reference, she now saw a sense of familiarity when she looked at the words on the lock.

She glanced at Liu Baiyuan beside her, who was pretending not to care, and her eyes showed a hint of resentment. What did this brother mean? Judging from his expression, he probably already figured it out. Why didn't he tell her?

Just as she opened her mouth to say something, she looked at the lock and suddenly understood something.

I didn't tell her because I was afraid she'd find out...

Since that's the case, I might as well play along.

"Brother Bai Yuan."

Chou Tzu-yu put down the lock, then came back to his side and gently took his arm.

"Um?"

Seeing Zhou Ziyu suddenly become so clingy again, Liu Baiyuan's inner alarm bells went off. His instincts told him that this "black-hearted" chocolate was up to no good, but he had no proof.

"Look, we've come all this way, and we heard the locks on the Seoul Tower are really effective. Why don't we go and hang a lock on it too?"

"Forehead...

Before Liu Baiyuan could speak, Zhou Ziyu suddenly found strength from nowhere and pulled Liu Baiyuan, tightly hugging his arm and dragging him away from where they had been standing, towards a shop selling locks not far away.

However, due to the difference in body size, Chou Tzu-yu had to use all her strength to pull Liu Bai-yuan, which inevitably caused some collisions between her body and Liu Bai-yuan's arm.

Liu Baiyuan lowered his head slightly. Zhou Ziyu was wearing a cropped sleeveless T-shirt today, and the slight curve of her breasts showed that although she was young, she was quite well-endowed.

Her lower body was covered by extremely short hot pants, exposing a pair of shapely long legs to the air. However, her skin tone was slightly wheat-colored, which was why Liu Baiyuan always called her "Black Heart Chocolate".

However, this is not entirely a bad thing; Chou Tzu-yu's not-so-fair skin actually gives her a healthier look.

Liu Baiyuan's arm was pressed in front of Zhou Ziyu, and he subconsciously made a judgment on Zhou Ziyu and Hirai Momo: Hmm, not as good as Momo.

She's even a bit less impressive than Minatozaki Sana, that little puppy. She's definitely still a bit too young; her talent is just beginning to emerge.

Maybe things will get better when I grow up.

He looked at the girl beside him, who wasn't much shorter than him, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips. This little sister gave him a different feeling than Hirai Momo, and he wondered if it was because they were siblings.

Or perhaps it's because...she was the first one to dare kiss him in public, the youngest of them all, yet the first to directly express her feelings.

He and she had a... faint connection, perhaps because they were siblings. Tzuyu's dependence on him was far greater than he had imagined.

Soon, the two arrived at the small supermarket. The types and styles of locks were all pretty much the same; in fact, they only chose the color.

Chou Tzu-yu was overwhelmed by the dazzling array of colors before her, so she handed the choice over to Liu Bai-yuan, who was standing next to her.

"Brother Bai Yuan, you pick a nice color. I'll accept anything you choose."

Upon hearing this, Liu Baiyuan pondered for a moment, glanced at Zhou Ziyu, and finally picked up...

A yellow padlock was pointed at Chou Tzu-yu, who asked, "How about this?"

When Chou Tzu-yu saw the color, she lowered her head slightly. Sure enough, the color of her top today was yellow...

Did this guy... specifically choose a color that matches her clothes...?

Thinking of this, a sense of joy slowly rose in Zhou Ziyu's heart.

Meanwhile, the long-absent notification sound of the Dumb System rang in Liu Baiyuan's mind: "Ding! Zhou Ziyu's favorability +3!"

Progress bar: 23 percent.

Liu Baiyuan looked at Zhou Ziyu, who was smiling at him with her eyes sparkling like little stars, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

After paying, the two quickly returned to their previous spot. Tzuyu glanced at the huge silver padlock that TWICE had hung up, then at the small padlock that Mina had hung up, and her big eyes lit up with an idea.

"Hehe, since Mina unnie has taken the initiative, I can't show weakness either."

With that in mind, Chou Tzu-yu started writing something on the lock.

"I said, you already have one padlock, why bother hanging another one?"

Last time, Liu Baiyuan asked Mina the same question. Although Mina gave her answer, to Liu Baiyuan, it was as if she hadn't said anything at all.

"Brother Bai Yuan, how can these be the same? TWICE is TWICE, and individuals are individuals. Besides, when we hung up the lock, we prayed for TWICE's second mini album to be a big hit, and it actually became a hit. This shows that it still works to some extent. Maybe this one will work too."

"So what are your requirements this time?"

Liu Baiyuan had never believed in such empty talk, but seeing Zhou Ziyu's "devout" appearance, he didn't want to say much. However... that didn't stop him from gossiping about what this "black-hearted" chocolate was trying to ask for.

"Hehe, Brother Bai Yuan, guess what it is!"

Chou Tzu-yu grinned, but her hands didn't stop.

Seeing Zhou Ziyu's serious expression, Liu Baiyuan's gaze then fell on the lock hanging on the side by Mina.

Considering that she had suddenly gained three points of favorability, and combined with Zhou Ziyu's straightforward nature, he had a feeling that what she wrote was probably not much different from what Mina wrote.

Sure enough, Zhou Ziyu, that little girl, likes to say what she thinks. After she finished writing, she showed it to Liu Baiyuan without waiting for him to guess.

"Clang! Clang!"

Liu Baiyuan looked at the not-so-large yellow padlock, on which was written in Chinese: "I wish I could be with Brother Baiyuan in the future!"

"2016.8.10".

Looking at these words that were almost a confession, Liu Baiyuan's eyes also showed a hint of complexity.

Is Chou Tzu-yu pretty? Of course she is. Does he like her? Of course he does.

But... there's a connection between him and Hirai Momo... and Chou Tzu-yu is still young; she won't turn 18 until next year. He can't afford to do that!

"Tzuyu, you...."

'

Before Liu Baiyuan could finish speaking, Zhou Ziyu interrupted him, saying, "Baiyuan oppa, I like you, so I want you to know. I also know that Mina unnie and Momo unnie like you a lot, so I won't press you or make things difficult for you. I know I'm still young, but I don't want to hide my feelings because of my age. I'll grow up eventually, but the chance to speak out isn't every day."

She knew she was still young, so she didn't expect any answer right now. She was just straightforward and liked to say what she thought; otherwise, there wouldn't be this saying within TWICE: "Ning..."

Momo called me silly, but Tzuyu didn't laugh at me.

The reason for this statement is mainly because Tzuyu is too outspoken and likes to say whatever comes to mind, which often unintentionally hurts her older sisters.

She simply wanted Liu Baiyuan to know her feelings; that was all.

Upon hearing this, Liu Baiyuan fell silent, staring intently at Zhou Ziyu. For some reason, he recalled the scene from last month when he first felt her favorability.

That was during the recording of the music video. I helped her out of a difficult situation, and as a result, I suddenly gained her favorability points. I think I even gained five points that time.

Chou Tzu-yu, as if by telepathy, thought of the same thing and said, "Bai Yuan oppa, do you remember that time we recorded the music video and were made difficult by that director? Looking back now, maybe it was at that moment that I truly fell in love with you, Bai Yuan oppa..."

"It really was that time..."

'

Chou Tzu-yu's personal admission confirms his thoughts.

"After that director was dealt with by you and PDnim, you made him apologize to me. At that moment, I knew that you, Bai Yuan, had left an indelible mark on my heart."

Zhou Ziyu's smiling face was like a flower in warm spring, catching Liu Baiyuan's eye and making him pause for a moment, but he didn't...

After he replied, Chou Tzu-yu spoke up again, saying, "Actually, I'm sometimes quite envious of Momo and the others."

"Why? Because Peach and I are childhood friends?"

Perhaps because the already thin veil of secrecy had suddenly been pierced, Chou Tzu-yu and he unexpectedly relaxed a little, and the two started chatting at this moment.

"Not entirely. It's mainly because although they are overseas members like me, they have three compatriots supporting each other."

TWICE is certainly a big family, but Misamo, as one of the three Japanese members, is naturally closer to them, not to mention the "locals from the peninsula" in the group.

"I only spent time with fellow countrymen during my trainee period. I didn't feel anything then because I had fellow countrymen older sisters to support me. But it wasn't until I participated in the debut competition that I realized what it feels like to be alone in a foreign country and not be able to speak your mother tongue..."

When she first participated in the debut competition, Tzuyu's Korean was not very good, which made it difficult for her to accurately express what she was saying. Sometimes she was very anxious but had no way to express herself.

Last year's incident severely damaged her self-confidence, turning her identity as a Chinese person, which once gave her a unique aura in the team, into a thorn in her side, which made her hesitant to speak Chinese for a time.

As time went by, Chou Tzu-yu's spoken English gradually improved, and she thought she could slowly overcome the challenge, but...

It wasn't until Liu Baiyuan appeared that the stubbornness in her heart seemed to find a way to dissipate.

Having a fellow countryman who can understand her mother tongue come into her life feels like a child who has left home finally finding someone to rely on.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ziyu subconsciously moved closer to Liu Baiyuan, stretched out her arms and hugged him. Feeling the warmth in his embrace, she said softly, "But after that incident, because of you, brother, I also experienced what it feels like to have family by my side. So... Brother Baiyuan, thank you for coming into my life."

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