Peninsula: My mentor Kim Tae-yeon

Chapter 109 Finally, the Light Shines Through (7k)

"Attorney Su, have you noticed the presents on our Christmas tree?" Li Rui asked Su Xia, craning his neck and putting his hands on Liz's shoulders.

After she said that, Su Xia's gaze finally fell on the Christmas tree covered with red stockings.

"Is there something in the Christmas stocking?" Su Xia asked curiously.

"Yes!" Li Rui nodded happily when he saw that Su Xia's attention had been drawn to him.

"These six socks contain handwritten greeting cards from each member, but only one is handwritten by Liz unnie," Lee Rui explained with a smile. "You only have one chance to draw one."

Upon hearing this, Su Xia's eyes narrowed as she looked at the Christmas tree with six red stockings hanging on it.

Is there a one in six chance of getting a handwritten letter from Chestnut?

Su Xia's gaze swept back and forth across the six identical Christmas stockings, trying to find the one Liz had written on.

Kim Tae-yeon was watching the expressions of the IVE members on the screen.

They didn't seem worried at all that Su Xia wouldn't get a handwritten card from Liz?

He raised an eyebrow, and an idea popped into his mind.

All six were written by Liz?

Probably!

There's no need for them to actually draw with Su Xia; what if they don't draw anything, then it won't be effective?

Thinking this, Su Xia, who was standing next to him, also spoke up.

"The one next to Autumn is the first one, and the fifth one counting to the other side."

Fifth, Fu Wu is Liz.

"The fifth one~" Li Rui counted, pointed to the second to last Christmas stocking and looked at the camera, "Is this it?"

"right."

Li Rui took it off, pretended to take out a greeting card from it, and then held it in front of the camera.

"Huh? It was written by Liz unnie!" Li Rui's voice rang out in surprise.

"Wow!!!" The members of IVE also exclaimed in surprise at the right time.

"I actually won?"

"You cheated, didn't you? Liz, did you leak the questions to Attorney Su?"

"So lucky?"

"It's truly a blessing from God!"

Liz's eyelids twitched as she listened, and she could barely keep up the smile on her face.

Su Xia didn't know what was going on. Didn't she know?

Seeing how realistically the members act, it's a real shame they're not actors.

"You really got it?" Su Xia was also surprised by this amazing coincidence. One in six chance, what a coincidence?

A hint of doubt arose in Su Xia's heart.

Before she could think it through, Li Rui had already placed the greeting card in front of the camera.

Once the focus was on her, Su Xia saw the greetings written in Chinese on the greeting card.

Wishing Su Xia oppa continued success in his career next year, and that he earns lots and lots of money! May we also send each other Christmas greetings and celebrate Christmas together next year and in the years to come!

—Jin Zhiyuan.

The entire message was written in Chinese, and the handwriting wasn't exactly beautiful, but behind those crooked and messy words lay Liz's heartfelt sincerity.

"Don't forget to mail me my greeting card," Su Xia said with a smile.

"No problem!" Li Rui said happily as he removed the greeting card from the camera lens.

Snapped!

Jin Qiutian lightly patted her forehead in an annoyed tone.

"What's it to you? Attorney Su didn't ask you."

"Unnie!" Lee Rui cried out in dissatisfaction, clutching his head.

"Okay." Liz smiled and nodded, carefully putting the greeting card away.

"Now that you've finished drawing cards, let me see the rest of your greeting cards too. I can't let you write them for nothing," Su Xia said to everyone.

"No way." Ahn Yoo-jin immediately refused. "You can only draw once. After that, you can't see any more!"

"Really not going to work?" Su Xia raised an eyebrow.

"No way!" This time, the other members of IVE also refused.

Su Xia nodded knowingly.

"Alright, anyway, Merry Christmas to you all."

"Merry Christmas!"

"I went on Bilibili on New Year's Eve, don't forget to watch it!" Su Xia said to the members of IVE.

"We'll see!"

"Bye-Bye."

"Bye-Bye!"

The video call ended amidst farewells.

"Those six Christmas stockings all have Chestnut written on them, right?" Su Xia smiled and turned to look at Kim Tae-yeon.

"You guessed it too?"

"I only suspected it at first, but I guessed it when Yoojin refused to let me see any other greeting cards."

If they really wrote the greeting card themselves, they wouldn't want Su Xia to see it after Su Xia drew Liz's card first.

But the fact that they absolutely refused to let him see it could only mean that none of the greeting cards were written by them; they were all written by Liz herself.

"Aren't you touched?" Kim Tae-yeon suddenly leaned close to Su Xia and asked with a grin.

Su Xia nodded.

"It's hard not to be moved, isn't it?"

Su Xia looked up at Kim Tae-yeon and frowned.

"What?" Kim Tae-yeon asked, feeling puzzled by his gaze.

"Let's go home!"

"Are you crazy? You're at home!" Before Kim Tae-yeon could react, Su Xia had already grabbed her coat and car keys and left.

The light snow outside seems to be falling even heavier, and there is already a little bit of snow on the road.

"Are you going back to your parents' house?" Kim Tae-yeon asked Su Xia in surprise.

"Yes." Su Xia got into the car and started the engine.

"It's been a while since I've been back. Let's go home for dinner today."

we----?

Kim Tae-yeon paused.

In a daze, Su Xia had already started the car and was driving towards home.

"Hello, Mom." On the way, Su Xia dialed her mother's number. "Have you had dinner tonight?"

"Your brother just got back and was about to eat," Su's mother's voice came through the voice call. "What's wrong?"

"I'm on my way back. Let's not eat at home, let's go to a restaurant. I'll be there in about an hour," Su Xia said.

"What are you doing back so late? Didn't you say you'd be back at the end of the year?"

Su Xia glanced at Kim Tae-yeon and said with a smile, "Do I need a reason to go home?"

"Alright, drive carefully."

"Okay, text me when you get to the hotel."

"it is good."

With a beep, the call was disconnected.

Kim Tae-yeon looked at Su Xia with a complicated expression.

"you----"

"No need to be so touching, old Deng." Su Xia waved her hand. "You're a lonely old man with nowhere to go, so I'll reluctantly take you back to my home."

Kim Tae-yeon laughed.

"If you could just change your mouth, you could change girlfriends every day without a problem."

"My kidneys can't take it, and Viagra won't save me." Su Xia rolled her eyes. "I can just have a few in rotation."

"You really do have feelings for other people," Kim Tae-yeon said with a smile.

Su Xia snorted but did not refute.

I'm not some kind of saint, I admit it!

Su Xia looked at the road ahead and drove her car at high speed on the highway home.

Kim Tae-yeon, in the passenger seat, looked at the scenery rushing past and glanced back at Su Xia.

Go home ————

Kim Tae-yeon chuckled softly.

In fact, she already had a home in this world when she returned from Jeonju.

Hometown.

After a satisfying meal, the family drove home.

"Where's your brother?" Su's parents, who had returned earlier, asked when they saw that only Su Xia had come back from the hotel alone.

"I'm looking at cars downstairs." Su Xia casually hung her coat on the hanger. "Shouldn't Xiao Dong be learning to drive by now?"

"Why would he need to learn to drive? He went to South Korea in March and will stay for four years. If he's going to learn, he should learn to get a South Korean driver's license," Su's mother said, shaking her head.

Su Dong has decided to attend the Department of Economics and Management at the College of Arts at Korea University. If he can't get into a regular entertainment company after graduation, he will become Su Xia's manager.

The kid had no objection to this either; who would be willing to work hard if they could ride on someone's coattails?

"How's your Korean learning going?" Su Xia asked as she sat down.

"We don't know either, you can ask him later."

97

Su Xia nodded.

Su Dong returned shortly afterward.

"Brother! Buy me a car! I want a Xiaomi!"

"Buy my ass! He doesn't even have a driver's license!" Before Su Xia could even speak, his father retorted.

"Isn't getting a driver's license something anyone can do?" Su Dong pouted. "Besides, I didn't ask you to buy it for me!"

"You brat!" Su's father glared at Su Dong.

"I'll buy it for you if you get your driver's license and rank in the top ten of your grade in the first semester," Su Xia said with a smile.

"Don't rush to reject it. Most students in art school are like you. Getting into the top ten isn't difficult if you work hard. If you can't get in, you expect a car? No way."

Kim Tae-yeon burst into laughter upon seeing this familiar scene.

"Xia Yan wanted to be an artist before, and that's what I told her."

Hearing Kim Tae-yeon's words, Su Xia also thought of Kim Ha-yeon, who debuted under the spotlight of being Kim Tae-yeon's younger sister, but didn't even make a ripple.

Compared to her sister, her singing skills are far inferior, and she hasn't learned any of Kim Tae-yeon's signature singing style. She also lacks good song resources, so it's normal for her to flop.

"If I get it, you'll buy me any car I want?" Su Dong also started negotiating terms.

"Anything under 500,000 is fine," Su Xia nodded and said.

He could afford a Ferrari, but there's no need for it. Starting at too high a level will only lead to a sense of disappointment when he enters the workforce.

"It's a deal!"

"How's your Korean learning going?" Su Xia asked.

"It's alright, isn't it?"

"How do you usually learn Korean?" Su Xia asked, switching to Korean.

"Uh—I learn from a teacher, and I usually communicate with Korean friends I met online," Su Dong said haltingly in his broken Korean.

"Who registered you on Kakao?" Su Xia asked in surprise. How can you register on Kakao without a Korean phone number?

"Autumn Noona helped me register; I have her contact information."

Su Dong uttered a name that Su Xia never expected.

"Autumn? Golden autumn? IVE's golden autumn?"

"Yes." Su Dong nodded. "Whenever I encounter something I don't understand, I'll ask Qiu Tiannu. She doesn't act like an artist and will answer my questions seriously."

"Brother, how's your relationship with Akira Noona going?"

"It's fine," Su Xia replied casually. "Your Korean is pretty good."

"Hehe, I'm a genius." Receiving the recognition, Su Dong happily raised his head.

"This kid still has connections with Qiu Tian," Kim Tae-yeon said strangely, looking at Su Dong's smiling face. "Did Jin Qiu Tian quietly get things done for your brother?"

"Surely it's not that bad?" Su Xia raised an eyebrow at Su Dong. "Don't fall in love with autumn."

Su Dong was taken aback, then shook his head like a rattle drum.

"How could that be! I have a girlfriend!"

"Um?

When Su's mother's voice rang out, Su Dong's face stiffened.

Spicy meatballs.

He forgot that his parents didn't know he was in a relationship!

Su Xia chuckled to herself, then silently stepped back, leaving the battlefield to her mother.

"Your brother will break up with you sooner or later after he goes abroad to study," Kim Tae-yeon said, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at Su Dong, who was being beaten up.

"I agree." Su Xia wholeheartedly agreed. "Long-distance relationships are doomed, and international relationships are even more doomed."

He believes that distance is nothing in the face of true love.

But obviously, the probability is extremely low; at least he doesn't think it will happen to his younger brother.

"Once he gets to South Korea and experiences the glamorous lifestyle of young men and women like us, I reckon he won't have much of the true love he had in his youth left," Kim Tae-yeon said wistfully.

"You're talking like some kind of Casanova." Su Xia gave her a disdainful look. "After all this time, anyone who didn't know better would think you were some kind of genius."

"Get lost." Kim Tae-yeon rolled her eyes. "Seriously, when you get to Korea, don't give your brother too much living expenses. Two million a month is about right."

"Snatch the young master?" Su Xia looked at Kim Tae-yeon speechlessly. "Aren't you her biological sister?"

Two million Korean won a month for living expenses?

Girl, do you know how much living expenses I had when I was in college?

1500!

It was one digit less than the amount Kim Tae-yeon gave Su Dong!

"The cost of living in Seoul is so high, it's unnecessary to give too little, it's not like you don't have money."

Su Xia raised her hand and rubbed her temples. That's true.

A bottle of mineral water in Seoul costs five yuan, so this amount of living expenses of over ten thousand yuan is not particularly high, but it is still a lot.

But what Kim Tae-yeon said makes sense; Su Xia really doesn't need that much money right now.

Even if you add another zero to Su Dong's living expenses, he can still afford it; it's just the revenue from one video.

Since I started selling products through live streaming, the revenue from these videos is nothing compared to what I actually earn from selling them.

Human nature is truly greedy.

Six months ago, Su Xia would have been overjoyed to see so much money, but now, upon receiving the settlement, she would only glance at it before transferring it into her account.

He stretched out his arms and legs on the spot.

"Go to sleep."

Su Xia went home on Christmas Day, the 25th, and then stayed at home, spending the New Year with her family.

Before she knew it, it was the 31st, the last day of 2024. These past few days, Su Xia had been either lying at home or visiting various relatives.

Relatives are meant to visit each other; if you don't keep in touch all the time, even cousins, the bond will slowly fade.

Maintaining a relationship requires mutual interaction.

Both of Su's parents' families were pleasantly surprised by Su Xia's arrival. They clearly did not expect that Su Xia, who was already a big internet celebrity with millions of followers, would still take the time to visit their home.

These past few days I've been either having meals with my uncle or drinking with my maternal uncle. It's been a constant stream of dinner parties, but the estrangement we'd felt from being away from home for so long has quickly warmed up again.

"Huff~" Su Xia breathed heavily as she returned home after finishing her workout.

On the last day of 24, it didn't snow. Although the air was cold, I couldn't stop exercising. As a singer, aerobic exercise is very effective in maintaining lung capacity to cope with various performance situations.

The family sat on the sofa early, and Bilibili's New Year's Eve gala was already playing on the TV.

In previous years, Su's parents would watch TV, but this year was different. Su Xia was on Bilibili's New Year's Eve gala, so naturally they would watch Bilibili.

After a quick rinse, Su Xia sat down on the sofa.

"Everyone in our family group is waiting to see you," Su's mother said with a smile, showing Su Xia her phone.

The family group chat was full of screenshots from Bilibili's New Year's Eve special posted by relatives, all clearly waiting for him to take the stage.

"Me too," Su Dong chimed in with a smile. "Everyone in our class group is asking me when you're coming out."

"I was with Wang Leehom, around 11 o'clock," Su Xia explained. At this point, she could reveal the details.

"I'll tell them!"

A family of four, three of whom are glued to their phones.

I'm coming too!

Su Xia also took out his phone, and unsurprisingly, his group chat was also very lively.

Su Xia's fan group has 999+ unread messages.

I opened the group chat and scrolled directly to the top.

Around 4 or 5 pm, Wu Haiyuan and Liz started chatting in the group. After chatting for a while, other people joined in one after another. Now, about 10 out of the original 23 people in the group have joined.

Stock Market Guru: I just turned on the TV, did Lawyer Su perform?

Autumn-senpai: Not yet.

Example: Su Xia oppa collaborated with senior Wang Leehom, who should have appeared after 12:30 am Seoul time.

The stock market guru: It's still early, I'm going to take a shower.

Haiyuan Street: @StockGod, let's do it together.

The stock market guru: ???

Caiyuan Street: Pure harassment.

Beibei: Haiyuan is like this.

Dog: Who is Wang Leehom?

Chestnut: [Introduction] @Dog.

Dog: Thank you, unnie!

Liu Zi: Lawyer Su taught @Chestnut and @Autumn Senior the songs you sang before, right?

Autumn-senpai: No.

Senior Autumn: Only Liz learned "Big City, Small Love," a song by Senior Leehom; I learned "Look into My Eyes and Say It."

It's a song by senior artist Zhang Yuan.

Liu Zi: Oh.

Su Xia didn't say anything, just watched them chat, and waited for the live stream to turn to his and his second brother's segment.

As the clock approached midnight, amidst cheers from the audience and the host's script, the second brother made a dazzling appearance with his new song.

New song "Who Are You Thinking of Right Now?"

The Sun and Moon in My Heart

Change Yourself

A Simple Song

Su Xia's fan group (23)

Haiyuan Street: The fourth song seems to be the one that the boss played in the restaurant?

Ruibao: I played it when I was having dinner with Liz unnie and Qiutian unnie in Nanjing!

Upon reading this sentence, Su Xia's thoughts seemed to return to Nanjing several months ago.

At the piano in the restaurant, Su Xia played "Love is Like a River," looking at Liz not far away, and dedicated this simple song to her.

Autumn-senpai: That was truly a perfect experience.

Chestnut: Yes, that's right~

Su Xia's lips curled up slightly.

"So ordinary, yet..."

"Profound~"

As the second brother finished singing his last line, the entire audience erupted in deafening cheers.

The program ended with the second brother's four songs, but what puzzled the viewers in front of the live broadcast was that the second brother stood up with the microphone, but the host did not come on stage.

"That's probably all for today," the second brother said with a smile, holding the microphone and looking at the audience in front of the camera.

"Encore! Encore! Encore!" The audience waved their glow sticks and shouted in unison.

The second brother pretended to be troubled and pondered for a moment before bringing the microphone to his mouth.

"How about one more song?"

"Aaaaaah!!!"

Amid cheers and a barrage of comments flooding the live stream, the second brother beamed with a bright smile.

"The last song is 'The Sun Washed by Spring Rain' for everyone!"

Just as the second brother's voice fell, the whistling intro to "The Sun Washed by Spring Rain" echoed through the venue through the speakers.

Li Huang: This whistle is C5?

Haiyuan Street: You must be the boss.

Mang Cai: Waaaaah, I can't sing it!

You Zhangka Xue: You are not alone.

Haiyuan Street: Fine, you're swearing!

You Zhangka Xue: ? ? ?

The large screen suddenly switched to the lift platform where the piano had been placed; the piano had disappeared, replaced by—

"Let's give a round of applause to Su Xia!"

"Separation is like another spring."

"Memories melt away like snowflakes."

The screams from the entire audience almost lifted the dome of the venue, and Su Xia's warm voice came through the condenser microphone to the ears of every viewer in the live broadcast room.

"Those videos featuring you"

"With a whoosh, it flew far, far away."

Su Xia jogged up to her second brother, bowed, and shook hands with him.

The second brother was completely unpretentious, smiling as he shook hands with Su Xia, then put his arm around Su Xia's shoulder and led him to the center of the stage.

"Love is locked away in autumn after summer."

The second brother's voice flowed perfectly, warm and smooth like jade striking each other, intertwining with Su Xia's clear and warm voice.

The guitar melody suddenly becomes lighter, playing the signature strumming of the original version, giving it a more live feel than the studio version.

"After the rain, a rainbow appeared in the sky, highlighting the blue sky."

Su Xia adjusted his breathing and blended in naturally with the harmony. His voice carried the moist feeling of grass after the rain, while his second brother's voice was like sunlight piercing through the clouds. One was cold and the other warm, one was soft and the other bright, which perfectly matched the core of the song "After the Rain".

As the chorus "A rainbow appears in the sky after the rain" began, the cold lights on the top of the stage suddenly switched to a warm yellow, and the mist created by dry ice slowly spread, as if there really had just been a spring rain, with the smell of sunshine mixed in with the dampness.

"The sunshine after a heavy rain."

"That's the sun after the spring rain."

During the chorus, both of them raised their microphones at the same time.

The second brother's voice carries a calm composure born of years of experience, blending in as a harmonym.

Su Xia's voice, on the other hand, carries a bright quality as if emerging from a cocoon. The two voices intertwine with the guitar melody, like two beams of light converging in the center of the stage.

Ruibao: Wow! I really love the chorus sung by Attorney Su!

Little Cherry Blossom: It sounds nice, but it doesn't look very appetizing?

Chestnut: If I'm not mistaken, it should be four groups of #F?

Haiyuan Street: It's the fourth group of #F, the sound is okay, but the pronunciation of "chun" is really pleasant.

Li Huang: It's the fourth set of #F that's stuck at the vocal break point, and it's a slow upward glissando. It's perfectly acceptable for us to sing normally.

Li Huang: [Voice]

Li Huang: Lawyer Su's singing is not only clear, but he also added breathiness and glissando, which makes it sound very smooth.

Li Huang: [Voice]

Lily's series of words left everyone else speechless.

Seriously, you're really good at this?

"if you listen to the rhythm of the pouring rain"

"That's the sun after the spring rain."

The ultra-high quality balanced mix showcases the second brother's superb clean tone and ultimate magic.

As a veteran king of the Chinese music scene, his singing skills have been his expression since his debut. Only singers with overly strong singing skills are criticized for "singing without emotion".

Now, the second brother, having mastered the magic, is showcasing his expert mixed voice skills on stage.

The second brother suddenly raised his hand, palm up, facing Su Xia, signaling him to sing the next verse.

Su Xia understood and stepped forward.

"Every winter brings loss, and the deeper the wound, the more you suddenly understand the shape of the clouds."

When Su Xia sang "suddenly understood," her second brother suddenly added an impromptu virtuoso section to the guitar he brought from the side, his fingertips gliding across the strings like sunlight piercing through the clouds.

Their eyes met under the lights. There were no extra words, but there was an unspoken understanding between them. It was the recognition of the senior to the junior on the road of music, and the tribute of the newcomer to the idol.

During the interlude, the second brother whistled the tune from the original version, and the crisp melody echoed throughout the venue.

The screams from the audience gradually subsided, leaving only glow sticks waving to the rhythm and the two singers' intertwined voices, gentle enough to smooth out all wrinkles.

"Every breath is a new fragrance."

In the final chorus, the second brother's voice gradually softened, leaving the ending to Su Xia.

The young man's voice was clear and resolute, while his second brother accompanied him gently with his guitar, the strings as soft as a whisper.

As the last note faded, the entire audience fell silent for two seconds, then erupted in thunderous applause. Su Xia remained in his singing posture when his second brother put down his guitar, reached out and patted him on the shoulder. The warmth of his palm seeped through his shirt, like the first ray of sunshine after a spring rain.

Su Xia's thoughts returned to the scene of the recording on December 5th.

"You did it." The second brother's voice, tinged with laughter, reached Su Xia's ears.

Su Xia raised her head, her eyes filled with surging emotions, wanting to say something, but was drowned out by the applause that rose again.

The stage lights came back on, and the two stood side by side. The words "The sun washed by spring rain" appeared on the large screen behind them, accompanied by a rainbow after the rain, just like the duet they were singing.

After a long wait, the sun finally shone through.

Su Xia, sitting in front of the TV, was lost in thought as her phone kept vibrating. Without even looking, she knew it was the girls in the group chat frantically tagging her.

Thinking of this, Su Xia looked up at Kim Tae-yeon beside her.

Seemingly noticing Su Xia's gaze, Kim Tae-yeon also turned her attention to Su Xia when she looked at the television.

Their eyes met, and Kim Tae-yeon smiled, gave Su Xia a thumbs up, and spoke softly.

"You've completed your apprenticeship."

The second brother is one of the very few singers who truly stand at the pinnacle of pop vocal music. His recognition of Su Xia has nothing to do with timbre or breakthroughs in singing skills, but rather that the second brother has also noticed changes in Su Xia.

The second brother's "You did it" and Kim Tae-yeon's "You've graduated" at this moment are both saying the same thing.

Su Xia broke free from the "shackles" imposed on him by Kim Tae-yeon and found his own path.