Chapter 90

"Actually, I haven't completely stopped practicing. When I have time, I still practice a bit. Don't worry, I'll definitely learn it before August 29th!" Park Ji-hoon hurriedly said. A person's energy is limited, and after the housewarming party, he basically stopped practicing the guitar. He didn't expect to be mentioned by Xu Xian here.

After all, it was his fault, so he could only try his best.

"Alright! We're even now." Xu Xian paused for a moment and then suddenly turned to say.

"Oh." Park Ji-hoon was taken aback for a moment before he realized she was talking about the wedding photos and nodded faintly. Emotions aren't a balance, how can they be "even"? This little family hasn't even officially started yet.

However, he couldn't shake his head.

Xu Xian opened her phone and played the pre-recorded version for him to listen to—a remix done with the help of a music teacher from the company.

Park Ji-hoon listened very carefully and softly sang along.

However, his "singing along" was just "reading"! It was understandable since he wasn't familiar with the new rhythm. But Xu Xian noticed that he didn't even know the lyrics, and his "singing along" was actually to secretly memorize them, afraid of being discovered.

How could he not know the lyrics of his "wife's" song!

Xu Xian couldn't help but frown slightly, but she didn't speak her mind as usual. After he finished listening, she said, "Let's practice together."

"Oh, okay." Park Ji-hoon nodded.

"Try your best..." Xu Xian stared at him and sang.

"You this bad boy..." Park Ji-hoon continued, singing very well, not worse than a regular singer.

"Compared to love, you only have curiosity..." Xu Xian continued. This time, she sang more lyrics, not to divide the lyrics but for another purpose.

"During this time, I was just temporarily deceived by you..." Park Ji-hoon sang.

Xu Xian sang the entire song with determination and was surprised to find that Park Ji-hoon had memorized all the lyrics after just one listen!

Is this a genius? She had never believed in geniuses before, thinking there were only effort and opportunity. But the appearance of Park Min-ah and today's Park Ji-hoon made her suddenly think of this.

How could he memorize the lyrics after just one listen? Although there were a few errors, they were only a couple of places and didn't affect the overall meaning.

"What's wrong, did I sing badly?" Park Ji-hoon asked, puzzled by her silence.

"No, nothing!" Xu Xian quickly replied, then asked, as if possessed, "OPPA, are you very familiar with Sica-sshi?"

"Huh?" Park Ji-hoon was taken aback. They were discussing the song, why did she suddenly mention Jessica?

"I read the 'Ten Years of Sharpening a Sword' report, where OPPA mentioned Sica-sshi." Xu Xian's face showed no sign of abnormality.

"Oh." Park Ji-hoon smiled and said, "I heard about her from Crystal, and I just mentioned it offhand."

Xu Xian nodded slowly and returned to the topic of the song.

Park Ji-hoon was very focused on learning. Although he sang well, it was just a talent; he had never received any professional training and his foundation was poor.

After this shoot, Xu Xian didn't forget to get a signature for Soo Young's sister.

Park Ji-hoon habitually took out his phone to check for any missed calls. Indeed, there was one from an unknown number. He lit a cigarette, as his nicotine addiction had increased recently, and he couldn't smoke at home, so he always lit one after work.

However, before he could dial, he saw Xu Xian walking over, and he quickly took the cigarette out of his mouth, making a questioning gesture. He generally didn't smoke in front of girls.

"OPPA! Smoking is bad for your health." Xu Xian stood in front of him, looking serious.

"Oh." Park Ji-hoon smiled helplessly, about to say something when his phone connected, and he made an apologetic expression.

"Mr. Park Ji-hoon, hello!" A deep, middle-aged man's voice.

"Hello. Who are you?" Park Ji-hoon turned to walk aside but felt his hand lighten as Xu Xian took the cigarette. He turned to see a serious face, reminiscent of when Park Min-ah lectured him. He smiled, nodded, and pointed to his phone.

Xu Xian waved and turned away, extinguishing and discarding the cigarette.

"I am Director Lee Tae-ho from the MaximT.O.P Coffee Advertising Department." The other party had already introduced himself, "I am calling Mr. Park Ji-hoon with great sincerity to invite you to collaborate with us."

"Director Lee, hello." Park Ji-hoon said, "I'm sorry, but I don't have plans to shoot ads at the moment." In just a few days, he had received and rejected at least ten ad offers, so he now directly refused.

"Mr. Park Ji-hoon, please believe our sincerity, we are absolutely different from those low-level companies!" Lee Tae-ho said proudly, "6 months, 1.5 billion won!"

Park Ji-hoon was stunned. Indeed, as the other party said, the offer was very sincere and different from those low-level companies! This quote and this time frame made him suspect that the other party might be a previously rejected advertiser trying to prank him!

This quote wasn't top-tier, far from what top stars might get, but it was definitely in the first-tier range! More importantly, he was just starting to gain recognition. The other party was making a preemptive "investment" with great sincerity, making it hard to refuse.

He needed money now to hire a manager, assistant, and so on.

"We see great potential in Mr. Park Ji-hoon, so 1.5 billion won is just the quote for 6 months." Lee Tae-ho continued, "I hope Mr. Park Ji-hoon can see our sincerity." His words carried a proud tone but weren't annoying, as it was pride in his company and products, not directed at others.

"Alright!" Park Ji-hoon paused for a moment and directly agreed, "When can we discuss the details?" Given the other party's sincerity, he didn't care if this was their bottom line, as long as it met his expectations. Moreover, he believed he would get more ads in the future, and it was better to be honest and maintain a good relationship with the first company to recognize him.

"Mr. Park Ji-hoon needs to prepare, so let's meet tomorrow morning." Lee Tae-ho said. Although it was inevitable, his words made it seem like he was considering the other party, making it easy to like him.

"Thank you, Director Lee, I'll call you tomorrow morning." Park Ji-hoon said.

"Alright!" After agreeing on the specific time, they ended the call.

Park Ji-hoon hesitated for a moment and dialed a phone number.

"Ji-hoon, are you looking for your mother?" A woman's voice answered, Moon Hye-ju, Park Ji-hoon's mother's assistant.

"No." Park Ji-hoon said, "I want to ask Aunt to help me find a skilled lawyer."

"Lawyer?" Moon Hye-ju asked urgently, "Ji-hoon..." She wanted to ask what happened but, thinking of the conflict between mother and son and his personality, quickly changed her words, "Five is enough?"

Park Ji-hoon twitched his mouth and said, "Aunt, one is enough! It's about an ad endorsement." What did she think he was going to do? Sue the president?

"Oh—" Moon Hye-ju sighed in relief and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Ji-hoon! I'll contact a lawyer for you this afternoon. Oh, and congratulations on your movie's success! Deputy Minister Shin personally went to the cinema and was very happy."

"Thank you, Aunt." Park Ji-hoon responded lightly, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "How is my mother?"

"Good! Recently, Deputy Minister Shin has been checking your news every day, often smiling, and in a good mood! Especially the 'Ten Years of Sharpening a Sword' report, which she cut out and kept in her notebook, often looking at it!" Moon Hye-ju said with a smile.

Park Ji-hoon listened quietly and said, "Alright, I won't disturb you, Aunt."

"How is this a disturbance?" Moon Hye-ju said, "I'll have the lawyer contact you this afternoon. If you need any help in the future, just tell Aunt."

"Thank you, Aunt." Park Ji-hoon thanked her again.

On the other end, Moon Hye-ju waited for the call to end before putting away her phone and said to a middle-aged woman standing beside her, "Deputy Minister, Ji-hoon is very concerned about your health!"

"Um." Deputy Minister Shin, Park Ji-hoon's mother, Shin Hye-young, nodded, a faint smile appearing on her face—rarely seen. She had heard everything on speakerphone.

"Deputy Minister, Ji-hoon has been in a good mood recently. Should we find a time to see him in person?" Moon Hye-ju asked.

Shin Hye-young's eyes lit up, pursing her lips in thought—just like Park Ji-hoon—before finally deciding and nodding, "After the movie finishes screening."

"Great!" Moon Hye-ju also showed a genuine smile. She had worked with Shin Hye-young for ten years, and they had a very close relationship. Otherwise, Park Ji-hoon wouldn't have given her the call.

...

The next day, Park Ji-hoon met with Lee Tae-ho, bringing two lawyers. There was no choice, as Moon Hye-ju's network was full of lawyers, so she found him two.

"Mr. Park Ji-hoon, hello!" Lee Tae-ho was taken aback when he saw Park Ji-hoon bring two lawyers, shook hands with him, and then a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes. He recognized these two lawyers! Or rather, he had heard of them or seen them in the media.

It seemed that Park Ji-hoon's identity was not simple!

"Director Lee, hello." Park Ji-hoon smiled and greeted him, pretending not to notice his gaze. There was no way he could be picky about Moon Hye-ju's good intentions.

If the two lawyers behind him knew his thoughts, they would probably be tempted to criticize him harshly! Others might not even be able to hire them, and now they were offering their services for free, yet he was still being picky?

During the meeting, Lee Tae-ho didn't greet the two lawyers and took out the prepared contract.

While the two lawyers carefully reviewed the contract, he suddenly had an idea and said to Park Ji-hoon, "Mr. Park Ji-hoon, we also need a female artist to collaborate with you. We have a few candidates..."

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