Peninsula: My pet is my idol

Chapter 86 The Five Shadows Summit (Part 2)

Zhang Yuanying and Xiaoyinghua's gazes clashed silently in the air.

Kim Ji-won shrank back, Ahn Yoo-jin looked somewhat at a loss, and Yoo Ji-min had a look of watching a show.

Sakura really wanted to yell at Jin Zhiyuan: "You know you're keeping a ghost in your house! You didn't even know you were keeping a ghost! Find her and get rid of her!"

But that's just wishful thinking.

Sakura isn't the type to meddle in other people's business.

Not helping either side is already more than enough, considering she and Jin Zhiyuan aren't that close.

While Xiaoyinghua was having second thoughts, Zhang Yuanying was also feeling flustered, afraid that the former would reveal the truth.

She did indeed do something that betrayed her teammates.

She knew perfectly well what was going on.

But—you know, bro, Jang Won-young, born on August 31st, has no resistance to people born on September 1st.

It just so happens that Tang Xin and An Youzhen both have their birthdays on September 1st.

Now that Liu Zhimin and Xiaoyinghua have joined Tang Xin's family one after the other, they haven't spent enough time with Tang Xin, so their feelings aren't very strong yet.

Once they stay longer, they'll realize just how addictive it is to stay at Tang Xin's house.

A radical theory: Idols are essentially a specific product of a bullying culture society, a group of people who are nominally "exquisite products" but are actually "legal punching bags".

Singing, dancing, looks, charisma, and variety show skills are all just bonuses. What the management company is really selling to fans isn't merchandise, the idol's love, or even the music.

Rather, it is the legal power to manipulate the "superior" and even the legal right to bully others that is tied to money.

The anxiety surrounding appearance is extremely severe in Japan and South Korea, something that people from other countries simply cannot imagine unless they experience it themselves.

Idols appear beautiful and glamorous, with higher social status and income than ordinary people.

But—as long as ordinary people are willing to spend money, they gain a certain degree of control over them.

How do you operate it? That requires a lot of expertise.

You can criticize his work attitude, restrict his personal life under the guise of doing what's best for him, rightfully demand that he not date, get married, or have children, and even justifiably demand that he provide emotional value to your fan base 24/7.

Even if you are younger than your idol, in South Korea where senior-junior relationships are valued, you can still make demands of your idol simply because you paid money.

Female idols, in particular, have to smile sweetly even when facing lewd men, and bow and say thank you when given gifts by fans that have sexist connotations, such as "dishwashing set".

The most developed regions for the idol industry are Japan and South Korea.

Only when a deeply ingrained hierarchy and bullying system exists, and the public is shrouded in its shadow, is there a need for the idol industry to become a legitimate outlet for venting frustration.

There's a clear hierarchy among seniors; if I'm even one day older than you, I have the right to suppress and control you, and you can only endure it. You can then pass this system down to someone younger than you.

We are all bullied by our superiors, and we can all bully our subordinates.

Everyone is in this chain, and everyone needs an outlet to the outside world.

Turning the repressive power dynamics that are difficult to resolve within society into compliant outlets for catharsis that can be purchased within the entertainment industry —

That's how idols are created.

Fans are buying not just music and performance, but a carefully packaged sense of control, an invisible power relationship hidden beneath the song, dance, and sex.

When they are active as idols, they are under immense pressure.

The control of staff around them, the watchful eyes of fans, the nitpicking of the media, the judgment of public opinion, and so on.

The price of being in the spotlight is being stared at by everyone.

In this situation, Zhang Yuanying inexplicably gained an extremely precious "breathing space".

Although the memory transfer is no longer complete, the feeling of complete mental relaxation is a lifesaver for the body under high pressure.

She'd accept being turned into a pig!

Staying at Tang Xin's house is like working one day on and resting the next, while being an idol is like having one day off every month.

Leaving Tang Xin's house might lead to other unexpected events; only a fool would leave.

Under these circumstances, Zhang Yuanying needs this ease and freedom.

At Tang Xin's house, she could ignore everyone and everything and just do what she wanted.

She felt more relaxed and comfortable than when she was in the dormitory or at Zhang's house.

Aside from the little dog An slurping her pig's trotters and the two snakes looking rather scary, there were no other downsides.

When they were human, they were bound by all constraints. After experiencing the boundless freedom of being a beast, they could never let go of it.

When she's a pig, she doesn't have to worry about her appearance, dieting, or face any anxiety about her looks.

After all, no normal person would demand that a pig be exquisite and beautiful.

Of course, these are reasons to stay at Tang Xin's house, not reasons to like Tang Xin.

When did Zhang Yuanying realize that she had feelings for Tang Xin that went beyond friendship?

She herself didn't know.

Perhaps it was that night, when Tang Xin, covered in blood, collapsed in her arms, that he subconsciously hoped he wouldn't die.

Perhaps it was on that day, in the hospital, when she threw herself into Tang Xin's arms, feigning tears but actually blurring her vision.

Perhaps it was because the company hadn't advised him to "break up" with Tang Xin all this time that he secretly felt fortunate.

Perhaps it was that night that she heard Tang Xin singing a song just for her in the public area on the 13th floor.

Perhaps it was the jealousy that came from subconsciously believing she was Tang Xin's real girlfriend every time.

There was another important reason that Zhang Yuanying himself was unaware of—

When she was a pig, she always looked up at Tang Xin.

Within the fixed environment of Tang Xin's family, Tang Xin herself is the "strongest" being.

Going out to work every day is like the strongest patriarch going out to "hunt" and then bringing back "prey" every day.

Tang Xin's daily life inadvertently aligns with the primal code of women.

The instinct to admire the strong, accumulated over millions of years, is that following the strong guarantees success.

The effects may not be immediately apparent, but over time, all the pets will inevitably develop a strong psychological dependence on him.

After all, they lack the ability to hunt independently.

Coincidentally, Zhang Yuanying had just debuted at this time, and her core was not yet stable.

Starship Entertainment hoped to use her as a vanguard to break into the girl group market, so they allocated resources to her in various ways.

She outwardly presents herself as a strong female protagonist in "idon" or "tcare," but in reality, it's a psychological defense mechanism stemming from her inner instability.

How can we tell it's a disguise? Because a true leading lady never deliberately emphasizes it, just like Yoona, who has a gentle exterior but a strong interior after a long period of experience.

The king did not prove his innocence.

He proved himself not to be a king.

A truly strong person will say: I'm just an ordinary person, I'm no different from everyone else.

Only those with unstable cores would say: I'm different, I don't care.

Zhang Yuanying's disguise is like a little girl wearing her mother's shoes—very awkward.

Those who understand can see through it at a glance.

Perhaps she will eventually develop a so-called "queen mentality," but at this moment—Tang Xin represents a severe psychological dependence during her unstable period.

Fighting alone, leading the team with a single core.

Even Ahn Yoo-jin, the team leader, couldn't help.

Since becoming a "pig" at Tang Xin's house, and having a relaxing outlet for her emotions, the girl group market has witnessed Zhang's full-power performance.

That kind of domineering attitude of being showered with love and affection, as if no one else matters.

And what supports this dazzling brilliance is —

He was a boy who would stick his fingers into a pig's nostrils to pick his nose every day when he got home.

As the youngest sister in her family, Zhang Yuanying developed a mindset of relying on others during her childhood.

She relied on her older sister when she was young, and after IZ*ONE debuted, she had eleven older sisters.

Having debuted with IVE, she should have continued to rely on Ahn Yu-jin, the leader and older sister, but at this time, Ahn Yu-jin would often cry to Kim Cheol-ju in private, which seemed unreliable.

After searching high and low, it seemed that Tang Xin, whose work was completely unrelated to his own, was the most reliable.

Unnies, he's different, he'll pick my nose!

It seems that no matter how tired an idol is from work, when they're feeling exhausted, they can run into Tang Xin's arms and whine for a while, and wake up refreshed.

You know, the sis, the girl who pretends to be a strong female lead, loves to compete with men when she's trying to seduce them!

What happened?

Tang Xin and Jin Zhiyuan aren't really together, and I'm still the official girlfriend!

I helped her cover it up, and she should thank me!

Liu Zhimin spoke up: "Zhiyuan, do you really like Tang Xin?"

"Huh?" Jin Zhiyuan, who was suddenly called upon, paused for a second before replying, "I don't know—maybe?"

"If ten is a perfect score, how many points would you give for liking him?"

"Hmm—six out of ten? I can't really say, but I just want to see him every day and talk to him every day."

Ahn Yu-jin interjected, "Unnie, this is the first time Ji-won has ever liked a boy, so it's normal that she can't explain her feelings."

Liu Zhimin and Xiaoyinghua exchanged a glance:

"————"

You three IVEs shouldn't be so hypocritical. None of you even went to high school properly, so how could you possibly understand anything about love?

Ahn Yu-jin and Jang Won-young debuted when they were thirteen or fourteen years old, and the collective life of a large group left them with almost no opportunity to date.

Jin Zhiyuan entered Starship Company as a trainee at a young age, so it's possible that she might develop feelings for a male trainee in the same company. However, her personality clearly indicates that she's a complete novice when it comes to love.

Is there a problem with the feng shui of Tang Xin's house?

Why are they all dating novices?

Zhang Yuanying narrowed her eyes. She was still unaware of An Youzhen's thoughts, but she was very wary of her two older sisters.

Little Jin A-song, easily suppressed.

But these two ladies opposite are no pushovers.

She didn't want to suddenly have two more formidable rivals.

"Unnies, when you're snakes, you always wrap yourself around Tang Xin and hide inside his clothes. Aren't you afraid of getting burned by his body heat? I remember snakes can't tolerate the temperature of the human body, right?"

Zhang Yuanying's words, ostensibly expressing concern, were actually a question: Why do you two always cling to Tang Xin, whether you have something to say or not? Don't you know how to avoid suspicion?

Sakura, who studied under Rino Sashihara and came from the environment of Japanese entertainment, is naturally able to understand the implied meaning in other people's words.

Liu Zhimin, however, didn't realize it and was still grinning foolishly: "It's quite warm, not hot, but you have to stick your head out to breathe occasionally."

Sakura and Zhang Yuanying exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning in each other's eyes.

fair.

You have a cowardly cat and a stupid dog over there, and I have a stupid snake and my lazy snake over here—we're even!

Sakura had no intention of stealing a man and didn't plan to confront Zhang Yuanying. Instead, she changed the subject, saying, "Shouldn't we give Tang Xin a few cell phones? That way, when we're pets, we can use them too."

After all, we only have a laptop and a TV at home right now; that's simply not enough for all our electronic devices.

Ahn Yu-jin asked, "Unnie, but you're a snake, your body temperature is cold, so you can't click on the phone screen—"

As Sakura took out her phone, she said, "The snake's tongue should work."

She pried open the mouth of the blasphemous snake in her hand, pulled out its short forked tongue, and tried to tap her phone screen.

This scene made Liu Zhimin, who was standing next to her, frown.

"Okay, it's not very effective." Sakura said dejectedly.

Liu Zhimin then suggested, "How about we buy a few tablets or computers and give them to Tang Xin?"

After discussing for a while, the group started picking up their phones and searching for their favorite electronic products.

Just then, Tang Xin, whose face was flushed from drinking, opened the door first.

All five people turned to look at the doorway, where the three people were completely dumbfounded.

(Chapter 79, A15: B45: C9, Five Dynasties Conflict)

Tang Xin held the phone, looking troubled. "Nuna, can we reschedule? My house is so crowded right now, there might not be any seats available—"

This is the truth.

He rented a two-bedroom, one-living room, one-bathroom apartment, but the sofa in the house wasn't that big or that many.

There are only two in total.

The girl was quite thin. Liu Zhimin and Xiaoyinghua were sitting on a single sofa, and IVE and two others were sitting on a double sofa.

Tang Xin can't even find a seat at home right now.

Lin Chong'er was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone before sighing, "Then at least you should come down to the parking lot and bring up the pet rabbit I bought for you, right?"

"Hmm—okay, Nuna, I'm coming."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Xin, on the verge of tears, complained to Master He, "Master, didn't you say that female artists are all very busy during key holidays?! They've all come together now!"

"Never dated a female celebrity before, this is my fault, brother." Master He patted his chest. "What's done is done. I'm going home to collect my laundry. Good luck, apprentice!"

After the three of them got off the elevator, Tang Xin held onto each of their arms tightly, preventing them from slipping away.

Master He gave Kang Yangyang a look, and she understood.

Master He suddenly struck, pinching the tendon on Tang Xin's side, causing one of his legs to become unresponsive and his arms to loosen at the same time.

Tang Xin cried out in pain, "Oh!"

Master He: "We'll split up and then rejoin each other in Mercedes!"

The two disappeared in the underground parking lot in a flash, with Kang Yangyang running at the speed of a 100-meter sprint in her high heels.

Tang Xin was left alone, bewildered in the dim light of the underground parking lot.

Good, good, good! You truly are a master of traditional Chinese medicine!

He used all his dirty tricks on his own apprentice!

Ah—this scene feels so familiar.

A few years ago, when I landed at Gimpo Airport, these two people abandoned me in the same way.

Sure enough, when people from Tokyo University are abroad, they are the least reliable!

Tang Xin sighed and walked towards where Lin Yoona's car was parked.

A Porsche, with its engine running, was parked near the elevator.

With an awkward smile, Tang Xin approached the car and nervously greeted the two actresses in the driver's and passenger seats: "Nuna?"