Chapter 74

After more than half an hour, when Xia Hou Zhongying, with a large bag in each hand and a backpack stuffed to the brim, and Jin Taeyeon and Huang Meiying each carrying a bag, walked out of the mall, he couldn't help but let out a sigh, thinking that they had really bought too much.

When it came to the Spring Festival, the gifts should be well-packaged. As a Korean, the cashier also knew this. Although Xia Hou Zhongying's request was a bit excessive, he was willing to pay extra for the labor, so the cashier reluctantly agreed.

However, the three of them had bought so much that there were still people waiting in line to pay. She couldn't afford to spend that much time, so she found two store clerks to help with the packaging. It took them half an hour to wrap all of Xia Hou Zhongying's items in colorful paper.

"Brother Zhongying, I told you not to buy so much. How are we going to get to the station now?" Jin Taeyeon said with a worried look, looking at the large bag in her hand.

"We can take a taxi," Xia Hou Zhongying chuckled, and immediately hailed a passing taxi. "You two get in first, I'll put the things in the trunk."

After Xia Hou Zhongying got in the car, he asked the driver to head straight to the train station. After queuing to buy tickets and checking in, they finally managed to board the train after much effort.

Seeing Jin Taeyeon and Huang Meiying, who were sweating slightly even in the cold winter, Xia Hou Zhongying couldn't help but feel a bitter smile. Although the Spring Festival rush in Korea wasn't as intense as in China, it was still not easy. He wished he had known to buy the gifts after arriving in Jeonju.

Tomorrow was New Year's Eve, and the post-production team members were all going back to their hometowns for the holiday. Xia Hou Zhongying was also heading to Jeonju. After discussing with Lee Hyori, they decided to work only half a day today and take the afternoon off. Even if they bought the gifts after arriving in Jeonju, it would still be in time, and they wouldn't have to go through so much trouble.

"I'm so tired," Huang Meiying complained as soon as she found a seat. "I wish we hadn't bought so much."

"We told you to return some of it, but you didn't," Jin Taeyeon said, shaking her sore hands.

"Once we picked them, it wouldn't be right to return them," Xia Hou Zhongying said. "It's no use talking about it now. Just remember for next time. If we go to Jeonju again, we can buy the gifts there."

"Okay, okay," Huang Meiying nodded in agreement.

Jin Taeyeon was secretly delighted. Xia Hou Zhongying's words implied that they might have a chance to go to Jeonju again, which made her extremely happy. She suddenly felt energetic, her back no longer ached, her legs no longer hurt, and her teeth were in great shape, ready to eat delicious food.

"Wow, I haven't been out of Seoul for so long, it feels so good," Huang Meiying said happily, taking a few sips of water and leaning back in her seat, stretching lazily.

"Tsk, Panee, are you really that exaggerated?" Xia Hou Zhongying chuckled.

"Brother Zhongying, you don't know how hard we trainees work," Huang Meiying said with a pained expression. "We have to practice non-stop every day. It's rare to have a chance to go out and play. Since coming to Seoul, I've only gone out once, when we went camping with you guys. It's not like you, who can play whenever you want."

"I don't play whenever I want. For the movie, I couldn't even go back to China for the Spring Festival. Now I'm staying with you at Taeyeon's house," Xia Hou Zhongying laughed.

"Right, Brother Zhongying, when are we going to make another movie?" Huang Meiying asked.

"I haven't decided yet. We need to see how 'Green Apple Paradise' performs before we can start thinking about it. It's still too early," Xia Hou Zhongying said. "We might take a break for a while. After all, we are still students, and you need to practice singing and dancing. If we put most of our time into the movie, I don't think it's a good idea."

"Alright," Huang Meiying said with a hint of regret. "But Brother Zhongying, you promised us. When we make another movie, you have to give us roles."

"Don't worry, I'll keep my promise," Xia Hou Zhongying smiled. "But let's make it clear. When you become famous, if our studio makes a commercial movie and needs you to act, you can't ask for a high salary."

From the preparation of the movie to the shooting and post-production, Xia Hou Zhongying had unknowingly fallen in love with the feeling of watching a movie come to life in his hands. He thought it would be nice to expand the studio and start a film company in the future.

If he wanted to grow, he couldn't just make short films. Eventually, he would have to make regular commercial movies, which would involve many more considerations. Not only would the actors not be chosen casually, but their salaries would also need to be considered. He couldn't ask them to act for free, and no one would be willing to do so. Even if Huang Meiying and Jin Taeyeon were willing, their company, S.M. Entertainment, wouldn't agree.

This time, he was able to get Lee Hyori on board partly because she requested it and partly because the movie was a free, public service film. If it were a commercial movie, DSP Media wouldn't have agreed to let Lee Hyori act for free.

"Haha..." Jin Taeyeon and Huang Meiying burst out laughing.

"Brother Zhongying, don't worry. As long as you need us, we'll work for free," Huang Meiying smiled.

"That's not up to you. You are under a company. Even if you are willing, your company won't be," Xia Hou Zhongying said, not getting carried away by Huang Meiying's words. Overall, he was a rational person, and coming from a business family, he knew such words were just talk and couldn't be taken seriously.

"Then I won't take my salary," Huang Meiying thought about it and realized that was true. They were still trainees, and whether they would debut was uncertain. If Xia Hou Zhongying helped them gain fame through the movie, the company would be happy. But if they debuted, they wouldn't be able to act for free, as the company wouldn't agree. This society was that realistic.

"It's too early to talk about that. We'll see when the time comes," Xia Hou Zhongying smiled, not taking Huang Meiying's words seriously.

Three hours later, the train arrived at Jeonju Station. The three of them, carrying their gift bags, got out of the station and hailed a taxi to head straight to Jin Taeyeon's house.

The closer they got to the Jin family, the more restless Xia Hou Zhongying became. Although Huang Meiying's presence reduced the likelihood of the Jin family getting angry, he was still nervous. If Jin Taeyeon's mother was like the fierce old ladies in TV dramas, who knew if she would be considerate?

Life was precious, and it was best to investigate the situation first. Xia Hou Zhongying turned around from the passenger seat, waved to Jin Taeyeon to come closer, and whispered in her ear, "Taeyeon, is your mom fierce?"

Jin Taeyeon froze, her muscles stiff, and she was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

"Brother Zhongying, my mom is very nice," Jin Taeyeon said, her lips twitching.

"Phew, that's good, that's good," Xia Hou Zhongying let out a sigh of relief, feeling much better. Then he asked, "Does your dad fear your mom?"

That day, Jin Taeyeon's father had scolded Xia Hou Zhongying and made him agree to three conditions. Now, meeting him again on his home turf made Xia Hou Zhongying feel nervous. Thinking of how in the Zheng family, the mother had the final say, and as long as she was pleased, the father wouldn't speak, he wondered if the same was true for the Jin family.

"Brother Zhongying, my parents have a good relationship," Jin Taeyeon was speechless.

"Ah, that's a pity," Xia Hou Zhongying muttered, almost making Jin Taeyeon want to burst out laughing. What kind of talk was that?

"Brother Zhongying, what's wrong with you?" Jin Taeyeon asked, feeling depressed.

"Um, didn't I do something to you?" Xia Hou Zhongying made a pushing motion with his hands, chuckled awkwardly, and said.

"Brother Zhongying, don't worry. I've already talked to my dad and asked him not to tell my mom about that," Jin Taeyeon immediately understood what Xia Hou Zhongying meant.

"Oh, that's good, that's good," Xia Hou Zhongying's heart was completely at ease. As long as he wasn't going to be criticized, everything was fine.

Although they were whispering, Huang Meiying, sitting next to Jin Taeyeon, could vaguely hear their conversation. She didn't know about Xia Hou Zhongying pushing Jin Taeyeon into the Han River, and his gesture was too vulgar. When he made the gesture, he was facing Jin Taeyeon, and his hands were pointing directly at her chest. Combined with his vague words and the intimate way they were whispering, it made Huang Meiying freeze on the spot.

"Brother Zhongying and Sister Taeyeon, are they already together?" Huang Meiying's mind was filled with wild thoughts, and the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Otherwise, why wasn't Brother Zhongying spending the holiday at his godmother's house, but instead coming to Jeonju with Sister Taeyeon?

Several times she wanted to ask, but she was too embarrassed to speak. How could she ask such a question? Huang Meiying was extremely conflicted and could only pretend not to notice, looking out the window.