Chapter 28

After returning from the picnic, the next day was Monday, and it was sunny.

In the morning, after going out, Zheng Xiuyan bought breakfast and then parted ways with Xia Hou Zhongying, continuing her mission to skip classes.

Xia Hou Zhongying was used to it and didn't bother to say anything. After all, Zheng Xiuyan's dream was to become a star, and scolding her would be useless. He returned to school alone, and just as he sat down, he heard some classmates talking about something called "Grassland Girls" and dancing. Suspicion arose, and he stopped drinking his milk, perking up his ears to listen carefully.

He heard that the classmates were discussing the dance Zheng Xiuyan and her friends performed on the grass the previous day. Suppressing his doubts, he asked, "What do you mean by 'Grassland Girls'?"

"Last night, someone uploaded a video called 'Grassland Girls' to Naver. The seven girls in the video danced beautifully," someone replied.

"Right, one of the girls looks like our classmate Zheng Xiuyan," another added.

"Exactly, I recognized her too. In the part where five people dance in front, there are two boys, who are our class's fatty and skinny guy. Haha, it's so funny," someone said, laughing heartily.

"..." The students were excitedly commenting, as this was a video featuring their classmates, and they all felt a sense of pride.

"Really? Who uploaded it?" Xia Hou Zhongying was stunned.

"Hey, Xia Hou, it seems you're in the video too, but you're sitting on the ground," a more observant viewer suddenly said. "Are the people in the video really you?"

"Yeah, if what you're saying is true, then it must be us," Xia Hou Zhongying replied absentmindedly, still in shock.

"Fatty, Skinny, you're famous now. Your dance is so funny, haha..." someone shouted to the fatty and skinny guys who had just entered the classroom.

"What's going on?" The two, just entering, were confused and asked the crowd.

"Did you dance on the grass with Zheng Xiuyan yesterday?" the person asked.

"Yeah, how do you know?" The two were also puzzled.

"Someone uploaded your dance video to Naver," the person explained.

"No way, bro, you're really messing with us," the two were very upset. They had danced so poorly yesterday, and now the video was online, which would embarrass them throughout Korea. They naturally assumed Xia Hou Zhongying had uploaded the video without knowing the full situation.

"It wasn't me," Xia Hou Zhongying shrugged and spread his hands, looking helpless.

"Who else could it be?" the fatty asked angrily.

Xia Hou Zhongying was also puzzled. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly realized and said to the two, "It seems many people were taking photos and videos during the dance yesterday."

The two turned pale, realizing that the classmates were probably right.

More and more students gathered in the classroom, and those who had seen the video joined the conversation, while others came to inquire. Then, those who heard the news and had internet access on their phones quickly searched for and watched the video, laughing heartily. The news spread rapidly, and it wasn't just in Class 5 of Grade 1; students from other classes were also discussing it.

Xia Hou Zhongying also took out his phone and watched the video, feeling a mix of amusement and embarrassment. He didn't expect a simple picnic to cause so much trouble. Fortunately, he only appeared briefly and was sitting down, or he would have been in even more trouble.

The fatty and skinny guys were surrounded by classmates, bombarded with questions, and were almost in tears. It wasn't until class started that the crowd dispersed and returned to their seats.

Xia Hou Zhongying thought it was just a one-time incident and not involving him, so he didn't pay much attention. However, by the afternoon, the situation escalated, and people all over the school were talking about the funny and beautiful dance video, especially those who recognized Zheng Xiuyan and Huang Meiyi.

At 3 PM, in S.M. Entertainment, the CEO, Lee Soo-man, was quietly watching the video on Naver. After finishing, his face turned grim. He picked up the phone and called his assistant, instructing her to summon Zheng Xiuyan, Kim Tae-yeon, and the other five girls in the video to his office.

Lee Soo-man, the founder of S.M. Entertainment, was known for his tyrannical behavior, often scolding and even physically punishing trainees and even debut artists. There had been instances where artists fainted from the scolding in his office. Therefore, almost no one in the company was not afraid of him, and being called to the CEO's office was the most feared thing for S.M. trainees and artists.

When Zheng Xiuyan and the other six girls heard the assistant's call, except for the young and naive Zheng Xiujing, the others turned pale. When they arrived at Lee Soo-man's office, he didn't speak immediately, just gesturing for them to wait, which made them even more anxious.

As the girls who participated in the picnic entered one by one, they guessed what it was about and were terrified.

After all seven girls were present, Lee Soo-man turned the computer screen on his desk towards them and pointed to the video playing, asking, "What's this about?"

The seven girls glanced at the video, which showed them dancing on the grass yesterday. Except for Zheng Xiujing, who was indifferent, the other six remained silent, heads down.

"Explain, what's going on?" Lee Soo-man was dissatisfied with their silence and roared angrily.

"Tea-teacher, we were resting yesterday, so we went on a picnic," Zheng Xiuyan, the most experienced trainee, answered softly, as the others were too scared to speak.

"Uh-huh." Lee Soo-man nodded, not commenting. He didn't care what the trainees did during their rest, but the presence of boys made him cautious.

At S.M. Entertainment, there was a strict rule that artists and trainees were not allowed to date, as it could significantly impact their careers, debuts, and reputations, and in severe cases, ruin their careers, indirectly affecting the company's operations and profits.

"What about the two boys in the front?" Lee Soo-man continued.

"Boys?" The girls were so scared that their brains almost froze, and they didn't understand his question at first.

Lee Soo-man rewound the video to the part where Zheng Xiuyan, Lim Yoona, Kwon Yuri, and the fatty and skinny guys were dancing.

Zheng Xiujing, being the smallest, stretched her neck and said, "They are my brother's classmates. My brother invited them to help us."

"Your brother?" Lee Soo-man frowned, puzzled.

"Yes." Zheng Xiujing, not as worried as the others, explained, "My brother took us on the picnic."

"Which brother?" Lee Soo-man relaxed a bit after hearing Zheng Xiujing's explanation, as the situation seemed less serious than he had imagined, and his tone softened.

"He's not in the video," Zheng Xiujing said after watching for a while.

"Wait, there, oh, it's gone." Zheng Xiujing suddenly shouted.

Lee Soo-man, finding her behavior amusing, rewound the video and, following Zheng Xiujing's pointer, saw the boy she mentioned, a handsome young boy, holding a DV camera and smiling as he filmed Zheng Xiuyan and the others dancing. The scene lasted only a few seconds.

"Is this your brother?" Lee Soo-man asked.

"Yes," Zheng Xiujing said happily, "He's very nice to me. He often takes me out to eat and play."

What's this all about? Lee Soo-man was speechless.

"What's your relationship with him?" Lee Soo-man still had doubts, knowing that the Zheng family only had two daughters. Who was this suddenly appearing brother?

"He's my mother's adopted son," Zheng Xiujing answered without hesitation. Her presence relieved the other girls, as they couldn't say many things, but Zheng Xiujing's answers were more believable. Who would think a 10-year-old child was lying?

After understanding the situation, Lee Soo-man relaxed and said to the seven girls, "You haven't debuted yet, so you need to be careful. You can't let people think you're dating, understand?"

"Yes," Zheng Xiuyan and the others replied happily, relieved that nothing serious had happened.

"Good. You've all been making progress, but you still need to practice your fundamentals more," Lee Soo-man said, satisfied with their progress after watching the video. If not for the part with the two boys, he wouldn't have called them to his office.

They were still trainees, and early exposure might not be beneficial for the company's plans, but overall, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. It could increase their popularity and help with their future debuts.

After encouraging the girls to practice harder, he dismissed them.

After leaving Lee Soo-man's office, Zheng Xiuyan and the others couldn't help but sigh in relief and exchange glances, laughing. It seemed everyone was scared, except for the clueless Zheng Xiujing.

Zheng Xiuyan, Kim Tae-yeon, and the others thought about their dance video being uploaded online and gaining a lot of views, even catching the attention of the CEO. They were curious and, upon returning to the practice room, used their phones to search for and watch the video carefully.

After that, people would occasionally come to ask them about the video, and many trainees envied them, saying their video was very popular and that they would soon have "fans clubs." This greatly satisfied the girls' vanity.

Although they were happy, they couldn't show it openly, especially when asked by seniors. The seven girls kept humbly saying they still had a lot to learn.