Peninsula: I'm being supported by a top idol.

"Even though it was a dream, wasn't I being a bit too forward?"

"And another thing! Why is that guy able to lie there so calmly?"

"You enjoy making girls work so hard, don't you?"

"As always, he has absolutely no manners!"

"In my dream, I was a princess!"

Liu Zhimin muttered to himself in the bathroom and hung up his freshly washed underwear.

The dream was so vivid that it was affecting her reality; she even felt aches and swelling in her lower back.

Is my period about to start?

The last line of the poem does sound quite catchy, but what does it actually mean?

I'd rather be a pair of mandarin ducks than an immortal...

She tried searching online using a computer, but didn't know the exact Chinese characters, so she could only use Korean transliteration, which resulted in a string of meaningless characters.

Chinese characters are so complicated...

Um?and many more.

Liu Zhimin suddenly remembered that Ningning was Dong Daren, wasn't she? Perhaps she knew what it meant!

"Ningning! Come to my room for a moment!"

"Inside--"

A moment later, the girl strolled in with light, quick steps.

"What's wrong, unnie?"

"I have a question for you." Liu Zhimin tried reciting the poem from his dream: "What does this sentence mean?"

But perhaps because of her accent, Ningning couldn't understand what she was saying. She blinked her big eyes repeatedly, looking puzzled.

"Um...this is it..." Liu Zhimin cleared his throat, pointed to the Romanized text typed on the computer, repeated it, and explained a little embarrassedly:

"It's probably...it should be...perhaps...an ancient poem?"

"Poetry?" The girl's eyes widened. "Unnie can't even understand song lyrics, yet she's interested in poetry? Oh my, has our aespa captain finally realized she has no substance?"

"Ugh..." Liu Zhimin's cheeks flushed red, and she shouted in embarrassment and annoyance, "I'm asking you a question! What do you mean?"

"Let me see..." Ningning leaned closer to the screen and whispered a couple of sentences, then suddenly realized:

"Ah, this one, 'I'd rather be a pair of mandarin ducks than an immortal,' seems to be a line from the ancient poem about Chang'an by the Tang Dynasty poet Lu Zhaolin!"

The Tang Dynasty? Then that's it, the guy in my dream also said he was from the Tang Dynasty.

"So what does this poem mean? There's a line about flounders or something before it," she asked quickly.

The girl rolled her eyes in disdain: "What's the big deal about dying if we can become a pair of mandarin ducks?!"

"Yes, yes, this is it!" Liu Zhimin nodded like a chick pecking at rice, looking at him expectantly.

What do these two sentences mean together?

"Hmm...it's a love poem..." Ningning thought for a moment, then gestured as she analyzed it for her:

"It roughly means that if you can stay with your loved one like a flounder, you would be willing to die for them. The next sentence means that you would be willing to become a pair of mandarin ducks and fly together, and you would not envy even the life of an immortal."

Liu Zhimin was stunned: "Why would you die for no reason? Isn't it better to live and love each other?"

The girl rolled her eyes, speechless: "...It's just a way of describing it, unnie!"

Liu Zhimin, however, was a bit serious: "But you shouldn't keep threatening to die, right? It puts a lot of psychological burden on the other person. If you love each other, you should enjoy life and love together, shouldn't you?"

"Is unnie deliberately picking a fight with me?"

"Uh..." Liu Zhimin's face stiffened slightly. She didn't know why she had become a little excited. Maybe it was because she had just escaped death not long ago?

"Hmph, what a jerk!" Ningning said and turned to leave, but Liu Zhimin grabbed her clothes again.

"What else does Unnie want to do?"

"So what do you think it means when a woman says this poem to a man?"

"Is that even a question? Of course it's a confession!"

"I see..." Liu Zhimin released his hand in a daze.

"And it's not just any ordinary confession~" Ningning added with a grin, "It means that if I can't be with the other person, I'd rather die~"

"Uh...isn't that going too far?" Liu Zhimin started to get agitated again:

"Just because they can't be together, she's going to die? That's outrageous!"

Ningning gave her a strange look: "There were many such things in ancient times, right? Although they are less common in modern society, they are not unheard of. If you ever meet a man who would die for you, you'll definitely understand."

For some reason, these words made Liu Zhimin's eyelids twitch. Cui Shi'an risked his life to save her, could it be considered that he was willing to die for her?

or…

Should we meet?

The man who was willing to die for her…

She hesitated for a moment, then picked up her phone and sent a text message to Choi Si-an, expressing her willingness to meet him and suggesting that they meet at a coffee shop near the album store.

After sending the text message, she tossed her phone aside and opened her wardrobe to find an outfit to wear.

Just as he took the clothes out, his phone vibrated. Liu Zhimin's lips curled into a smug smile as he muttered to himself:

"You replied so quickly? You seem quite eager!"

She sat down on the edge of the bed, picked up her phone, and saw that the other end had only sent a single, solitary word—"Okay."

That's it?

That's so...empty! There isn't even a single emoji to express goodwill.

At one point, Liu Zhimin couldn't help but wonder if he had agreed too quickly.

If I had known, I should have left him hanging for another two or three days!

……

On the other hand, Cui Shi'an had no idea that simply replying to a message had left a negative impression on the other party.

However, if he knew the other person was an idol, he probably wouldn't be surprised.

After all, idols are often cultivated by their companies to develop a "people-pleasing personality" due to the nature of their profession.

A key characteristic of this personality type is their ability to read between the lines. Sometimes, they can spend a long time pondering a single sentence or a micro-expression.

The two had arranged to meet at 8:30 p.m., and to prevent any unforeseen complications, Cui Shi'an arrived at the coffee shop half an hour early.

For him, whether or not he attends classes is no longer that important. Given his current situation, is it even possible for him to return to China and find an employer?

Who knows when my visa will expire and I'll have to live on the run? Rather than waiting to be put in a passive position in the future, it's better to think of more solutions and find answers now.

Liu Zhimin arrived right on time.

As soon as she got out of the car, she saw Choi Si-an, who had arrived earlier, through the shop window.

"At least he has some manners..."

She muttered something to herself, then tightened the mask strap behind her ear and pulled down the brim of her hat before composing herself and heading towards the coffee shop.

As the doorknob jingled, Cui Shi'an looked up and immediately saw a pretty figure walking towards him.

She was wearing a white baseball jacket and denim shorts, with a backpack slung over her shoulder. Several small plush toys hung from the backpack's pull tab, swaying gently with her steps.

Cui Shi'an had no time to appreciate her outfit; thankfully, he stood up and greeted her, "Hello."

Liu Zhimin glanced at him, nodded slightly, and sat down opposite him.

"Would you like... something to drink?" Choi Si-an asked politely.

"No need," Liu Zhimin said, trying to appear nonchalant. "You're in such a hurry to meet me, what is it you want to say?"