Peninsula: My Top-Tier Landlord

Looking at the gift box in front of her, Bae Joo-hyun blinked, a feeling of surprise welling up inside her. She reached out and took it, never expecting Ye Fan to think of giving her a gift.

Seeing that she accepted it, Ye Fan scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed. "I rarely give gifts, and I didn't know what to give. I stayed up all night looking for a guide. I hope you like it."

Seeing that Ye Fan honestly admitted it without making up any lies or saying anything nice, Bae Joo-hyun didn't mind at all. In fact, she found his embarrassed look quite cute.

Bae Joo-hyun opened the box, put the watch on her right wrist, and waved it in front of Ye Fan, showing him how much she liked the gift.

"Don't you give gifts to your friends on their birthdays, or to Xiaoxin on her birthday, or on holidays?"

Ye Fan shook his head. "No, I don't give gifts. My friends rarely have birthdays. When they do, it's just a simple get-together for a meal and drinks, and there's no gift-giving involved."

As for his sister Ye Xin, he would simply send her red envelopes for her birthday, holidays, or Chinese New Year. Or, if she wanted anything, he would just send her a link. It was simple and convenient.

He hasn't picked out any gifts in a long time, let alone given Christmas presents.

Bae Joo-hyun tilted her head and leaned on Ye Fan's shoulder. So, this is the first time Ye Fan has given her a gift in a long time?

Hmm, that's pretty good. I feel even happier now. But I'm also curious about this different culture, so I asked Ye Fan some questions and told him some funny stories about when they were trainees.

Back when they were still practicing, when someone had a birthday, we would give them a practical little gift or some food.

Back then, pocket money was limited, and trainees had to strictly manage their physique and couldn't eat too much. Going out for a barbecue feast was a very happy thing.

Ye Fan listened while eating breakfast, nodding and responding occasionally.

Listening to Bae Joo-hyun recount her past experiences, Ye Fan learned that when they were trainees, the company provided their food and lodging, as well as makeup fees when they first debuted. After they successfully debuted and started earning income, they had to repay the company first.

Moreover, after the company took a cut of the activity fees, the five of them split them, so they didn't have much income when they first debuted.

This was the first time Ye Fan had heard of such things, and it broadened his horizons considerably, as it was equivalent to a company investment.

"If I don't make it into the industry, do I have to pay back the money?" Ye Fan asked curiously.

Bae Joo-hyun shook her head. "If you're eliminated by the company, you don't have to pay back the money. But if you debut, you have to pay it back. However, I've heard that some small companies deliberately prevent you from debuting, or they require you to pay in advance."

Being eliminated is equivalent to a failed investment, and the company bears this risk.

"Is that so..."

Unscrupulous companies exist everywhere.

Ye Fan also learned from Bae Joo-hyun that newcomers don't get paid for appearing on variety shows because it's just for promotion. Other appearance fees, when converted, would amount to tens of thousands of yuan.

His biggest earnings come from albums, concerts, and GG endorsements.

Then most artists' monthly salary is actually about the same as that of ordinary office workers. For example, the national MC here earns tens of thousands of yuan per episode.

Ye Fan sighed. In China, a single episode of a TV show costs hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan, and people keep a very high profile, especially the younger generation. In recent years, countless of them have fallen apart.

"You guys are really amazing." Ye Fan praised Bae Joo-hyun, who has been a trainee and debuted for over ten years and is always on the go.

In comparison, it's really easy for those popular celebrities in China to make money.

"Have you never been approached by a talent scout since you were a child?" Bae Joo-hyun sipped her red bean porridge, her eyes fixed on Ye Fan's face.

Even though the conversation had turned to the topic of the entertainment industry, Bae Joo-hyun couldn't help but wonder why Ye Fan, with his looks and voice, hadn't been approached by talent scouts.

"No, no one has sent me any business cards." Ye Fan shook his head.

That's a real shame.

Ye Fan didn't feel there was anything to regret. China is so big, unlike South Korea, where you might just bump into a few good-looking people on the street who are probably trainees or idols.

After breakfast, the two rejoined the crowd and strolled around the area, going into any interesting shops they came across.

They chatted and strolled along the way. When they passed a fish cake stall, Bae Joo-hyun stopped and looked up at Ye Fan.

Having understood her meaning, Ye Fan took out his wallet, turned around and asked the shopkeeper for 5 skewers.

After Bae Joo-hyun received the piece, she ate it and then raised her hand to place it in front of Ye Fan.

"Go ahead and eat, I have some here."

Just as Ye Fan was about to take out a new string of fish cakes, Bae Joo-hyun brought the fish cakes even closer, almost putting them in his mouth.

Seeing her serious expression, Ye Fan took a bite, and Pei Zhuxuan then withdrew her bite, took his arm, and continued walking.

There were quite a lot of people, and it was very lively, but after walking around for two hours, Ye Fan felt his feet were starting to hurt. However, seeing how happy Bae Joo-hyun was, he didn't want to spoil the fun, so he had no choice but to keep her company.

He now truly admires men who can spend an entire day shopping with their girlfriends; he respects them!

At 7 p.m., the two put the things they bought while shopping in the car and prepared to head to the bar address that Kang Seulgi had sent them.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Ye Fan felt his tense body relax and his feet were freed. While warming up the car, he closed his eyes and enjoyed this rare moment of leisure.

Ye Fan felt a weight on his shoulder and opened his eyes to glance at it. When he saw that smiling face, his shoulder was being gently massaged by her.

"You look so tired, let me give you a massage," Bae Joo-hyun said with a smile.

Ye Fan nodded. His WeChat steps must have exceeded 20,000 today; he had been walking non-stop since morning.

"Thank you for your hard work." Bae Joo-hyun chuckled and stuck out her little tongue.

"It's nothing, my feet just hurt a little from not walking for so long," Ye Fan shook his head.

Bae Joo-hyun kept working with her hands, saying, "Then why are you forcing yourself? We could have just found a place to sit and rest halfway through."

"It's okay, it'll be fine in a bit. I just didn't want to spoil your good mood." Ye Fan exhaled and started shifting gears to start the car.

"Silly boy," Bae Joo-hyun muttered to herself. She was happy just being with him, and she even received a Christmas present.

Once out of the parking lot, Ye Fan merged into the traffic. Practice makes perfect, and this time he wasn't as nervous as he was in the morning.

"Are there any other people besides Seulgi and Joohee? Or are Seungwan and the other two also here?"

"Seungwan and Yerin aren't coming, but Seulgi, Joohee, Sooyoung, and her boyfriend are here." Bae Joohyun counted the number of people; including him and Ye Fan, there were six of them.

"Xiu Rong and her boyfriend?" Ye Fan raised an eyebrow. Shouldn't they be enjoying a nice meal and some time alone together on a holiday?

"She's brought her boyfriend to eat with us several times already." Bae Joo-hyun didn't seem to think anything of it; she'd seen him many times before.

Upon arriving at their destination, Ye Fan parked the car and went into the tavern with Bae Joo-hyun.