Chapter 7

When Li Shungui instinctively covered the back of her head, feeling her blood pressure rise, Wen Jung-woo had already carried her around the street corner. Not far ahead was the hospital where the two had received medical treatment and bandages earlier that day. Perhaps because neither of them had returned for a long time after Wen Jung-woo left, and their phones were unreachable, the SW staff finally believed that Li Shungui had not gone home but had run into trouble, and began to search frantically.

Running towards them was Li Shungui's second sister, Li Yinggui, along with Li Zhooyoung, who had returned at some point. Upon hearing that Li Shungui had twisted her ankle, Li Zhooyoung quickly found someone to carry her to the hospital. However, the look in Li Zhooyoung's eyes as he glanced at Wen Jung-woo became peculiar. Li Shungui, supported by her second sister, paused for a moment, then suddenly turned to Li Zhooyoung: "Dad, it's not his fault. I left him behind and walked away first, and then he came to find me... And my head, I hurt it by accident."

Wen Jung-woo was taken aback, looking at Li Shungui with surprise. Li Zhooyoung also paused, then smiled and waved, instructing Li Yinggui to take her to the hospital. As they were about to leave, Li Shungui looked back at Wen Jung-woo with some concern. Meeting his gaze, she winked at him before turning to follow her second sister into the hospital.

"Let's talk somewhere else." Wen Jung-woo nodded and followed Li Zhooyoung into a nearby car. Since their youngest daughter had only sprained her ankle and was found, it shouldn't be a big issue. With her second sister taking care of her, it was enough. Closing the car door, he sent the driver to help with the arrangements, then looked at Wen Jung-woo and said softly, "It's done."

Wen Jung-woo bowed slightly. "Thank you, President." Li Zhooyoung looked puzzled. "You don't seem surprised at all." Wen Jung-woo looked up at him. "Did you meet my father? If you did, you would understand why I'm not surprised." Li Zhooyoung paused, gazing out the window, recalling the brief negotiation and experience.

If he were to describe his role in this, he could only be considered a messenger. The reason the big shot finally agreed was ultimately because of the blood-stained bandage. That was Wen Jung-woo's role. After meeting him, he realized that if he had really tried to persuade, it probably wouldn't have had any effect.

In South Korea, in the entertainment industry, it's like this. As a president, he had also experienced this. Scouts would find good trainee prospects on the street, at the subway station, or at some event. They would try to persuade them. But would persuasion necessarily make them follow and become trainees, waiting to become stars? Not at all.

In Suger, there were two cases where he repeatedly went to their homes to persuade their parents, and they finally agreed to let their children be trained by him. This situation wasn't complicated, and he was familiar with it. But Wen Jung-woo's case was the first time he had experienced something like this. No wonder they strictly refused their children to enter the entertainment industry. With their status, they didn't need to struggle for money.

As for fame? At least in the higher circles, they were already well-known. Even he himself didn't dare say much, and only he knew about Wen Jung-woo's family situation. It wasn't his place to comment on their father-son relationship. After a moment of thought, Li Zhooyoung looked at Wen Jung-woo. "Your father has agreed to you becoming a trainee at SW, but there are a few conditions. If you agree, you can officially become a member of SW."

Seeing Wen Jung-woo nod, Li Zhooyoung's expression turned serious. "First, you are not allowed to mention any information related to your family. Apart from your name, nothing else can be disclosed. You are also not allowed to have any contact with any other entertainment company besides SW." Wen Jung-woo chuckled but didn't respond. Li Zhooyoung sighed, thinking they were indeed father and son, and continued, "Second, the time limit is until you graduate from high school. If you don't debut during this period, you will have to take the college entrance exam, and you must follow your father's choice of major."

Wen Jung-woo hummed, signaling him to continue. Li Zhooyoung frowned slightly. "Think carefully, in case..." "It's better than having no chance at all. Please continue." Li Zhooyoung paused, nodding helplessly. "Finally, from now on, your father has arranged your transfer to a new school and signed the authorization. From this moment until you debut or graduate from high school, he will not provide you with any financial support. You are also not allowed to go home or see any of your family members. No phone calls or video chats."

Wen Jung-woo was taken aback, looking at Li Zhooyoung for a while. "Is that all?" Li Zhooyoung nodded, and Wen Jung-woo finally breathed a sigh of relief, smiling. "The conditions are much more lenient than I imagined." Li Zhooyoung looked surprised, then laughed and shook his head. "Is this still considered lenient? Without family support, you..."

"Having food and a place to stay is enough. The rest doesn't matter." Li Zhooyoung said helplessly, "The allowance for trainees is not enough for much." Wen Jung-woo looked at Li Zhooyoung. "I heard that if a trainee is excellent, they can be provided with three meals a day and a place to stay. Is that true? Can I apply for that?"

Seeing Li Zhooyoung pause, Wen Jung-woo frowned. "Is that not possible? Then at least provide a place to stay. If that's not possible... I can go to school, practice, and work part-time." Li Zhooyoung came to his senses and quickly waved his hand. "No need. Since there aren't many trainees in the company, giving you special treatment is fine." Looking up and down at Wen Jung-woo, Li Zhooyoung smiled. "At least in my eyes, you are worth it."

Wen Jung-woo smiled and bowed. "Thank you, President." Li Zhooyoung nodded and extended his hand. "Now, I formally welcome you to become a member of SW." Wen Jung-woo didn't know that if it were a regular trainee, even if they were excellent, they would still be treated with a condescending attitude. But Li Zhooyoung was not just treating him as a trainee.

No matter how smart and mature he was, he was only thirteen years old. Perhaps he would understand in the future, but that was a matter for later. Holding Li Zhooyoung's hand, Wen Jung-woo pursed his lips. "I need to formally apologize. Because of me, your daughter's head..."

Li Zhooyoung waved his hand and got out of the car. Wen Jung-woo followed. "Even though I didn't see it with my own eyes, Shungui said it wasn't your fault, so it probably isn't. Now that you are a trainee at SW, I need to be frank about some other issues."

Wen Jung-woo looked puzzled. "What issues? Are you talking about singing and dancing practice?" Li Zhooyoung waved his hand. "Not that, but your personality." Wen Jung-woo was taken aback. "Personality? What's wrong with my personality?" Li Zhooyoung laughed lightly. "You probably haven't noticed it yourself. Being a trainee is just a preparation for entering the entertainment industry. Once you truly enter, there are many things you need to be cautious about. Basically, if you debut, you will spend eighty percent of your energy dealing with various people. With your current manner of speaking and behavior, no matter how high your IQ is, you won't be able to survive, let alone become an artist."

Wen Jung-woo slowly stopped and looked up at Li Zhooyoung after a while. "Your daughter also said the same thing to me. She said she wanted to change me. Do I really have a problem? Or do you think I offend people? I was just trying to provoke her, not everyone." Li Zhooyoung was about to deny it, but hearing that Li Shungui had also said the same thing, he paused, his eyes brightening. "She said she wanted to change you?"

Wen Jung-woo nodded blankly. "Do I really need to change? In what way?" Li Zhooyoung smiled and put his arm around his shoulder, leading him forward. "Leave it to her. The first thing you need to learn in this industry is the seniority system. It's different from school, more brutal, and more direct. As your senior, she has the responsibility to teach you."

Wen Jung-woo followed Li Zhooyoung into the hospital, where they found Li Shungui's foot slowly swelling down under the doctor's massage. It was just a bit red, and the doctor advised her to rest for a few days and not move around much. They were about to leave. Wen Jung-woo instinctively stepped forward, came to Li Shungui's side, and bent over. "It's my fault. Let me carry you."

Li Shungui looked surprised, seeing the strange looks from the people around her and the teasing glances from her father and sister, her face turned red. She kicked him and pulled Li Yinggui forward. Wen Jung-woo looked at Li Shungui's back in confusion, being led away by Li Zhooyoung, who was smiling. They returned to SW, and it was already late.

After dropping off Li Yinggui to find Suger, who had just finished their schedule and returned to the company, Li Zhooyoung led Wen Jung-woo to a nearby residential area. They entered a room, turned on the lights, and let Wen Jung-woo and Li Shungui in. Li Zhooyoung said to Wen Jung-woo, "The company has only two male trainees, who are still living at home. So this dormitory is for male trainees. From now on, you will live here alone." Wen Jung-woo looked around the room, which would be his accommodation until graduation. Although not luxurious, it wasn't too shabby.

Handing a bag to Wen Jung-woo, Li Zhooyoung said, "This is from your mother, given to me before I left. It contains some of your clothes. The bedding and luggage are in the bedroom; you can choose a room to sleep in... You, your personality is too strong. I only found out the whole process of you running away from home after I went there. I didn't expect you to be so stubborn at such a young age."

Wen Jung-woo looked at the clothes, pursing his lips without saying a word. Li Shungui, sitting on the side, asked curiously, "Dad, how did he leave?" Li Zhooyoung looked at Wen Jung-woo and rubbed Li Shungui's head. "You can ask him yourself later, if he tells you... Come home with me." Li Shungui's eyes twinkled, pouting and shaking Li Zhooyoung's arm. "Dad, my foot still hurts, I won't go down. I'll stay in the dormitory tonight."

Li Zhooyoung was amused. "You came up, so you can't go down?" Li Shungui looked at Wen Jung-woo, who was opening the bag to check its contents, and turned to scold him. "Dad, you just left him here. How will he solve his daily needs? You said his parents won't give him money from now on. SW should be responsible, right? Besides, he hasn't eaten since he came to the company today."

Li Zhooyoung paused, patting his head. "Yes, I forgot about that." Li Shungui chuckled. "Dad, you didn't forget; you just didn't need to arrange it for trainees before." Li Zhooyoung was about to say something when his phone rang. He looked at it but didn't answer. "Shungui, you stay and help him arrange things today. I have something to do, so I'll go back first."

Li Shungui nodded, and Li Zhooyoung said to Wen Jung-woo, who stood up to see him off, "Starting tomorrow, let Shungui take you around the company to familiarize yourself. I need to make a plan for your schedule." Wen Jung-woo was about to agree when he suddenly paused. "Plan? Am I not training with them?"

Li Zhooyoung smiled but didn't answer, waving and leaving the room. Wen Jung-woo and Li Shungui watched Li Zhooyoung go downstairs, and the atmosphere became awkward. But Wen Jung-woo broke the silence with a question that truly broke the awkwardness, making her bite her lip and clench her fists again.

"Back at the hospital... why did you kick me?"

{Piaotian Literature}