Chapter 23

The girl fell silent for a moment, then softly said, "My name is Zheng Xiuyan. I am a member of the new girl group, Girls' Generation, launched by S&M Entertainment."

"Girls' Generation?" Li Zhong looked at the girl in surprise. Another Girls' Generation, Zheng Xiuyan? The ice princess that Xiu Ying mentioned? The one who is very sleepy?

Zheng Xiuyan didn't notice Li Zhong's surprise and continued, "We just debuted and aren't very well-known, so the company started rumors about us and the established boy group, Super Junior. Since I had some popularity before debuting, I became the key figure in these rumors. They are all Super Junior fans."

"Ah, that's not right," Li Zhong suddenly remembered what Xiu Ying had told him about their current music show appearance.

"What's wrong?" Zheng Xiuyan looked at Li Zhong.

"I heard you should have a music show appearance right now. Why did you come out alone?" Li Zhong said.

Zheng Xiuyan looked at Li Zhong with surprise. How could he know about Girls' Generation's appearance if he didn't know her?

Seeing Zheng Xiuyan's surprised look, Li Zhong explained, "I'm Li Zhong, a former MV director. I just came from a party hosted by Lee Hyori, where I met Xiu Ying from Girls' Generation. She told me."

"The rumors have been getting worse lately. People have been blocking us and shouting insults, especially at me. I even received a blood-stained package yesterday. So today, the company canceled my appearance and gave me two days off to calm down the Super Junior fans. I was bored in the dorm and hungry, so I wanted to eat some cake. When I came out of the subway with my sunglasses on, I was stopped by a group of high school girls. You know the rest," Zheng Xiuyan said, sounding a bit aggrieved.

"Have you met Lee Soo Man? He's not the kind of person to do this. He never liked these tactics. Could he have changed?" Li Zhong asked, puzzled.

"Um, the current CEO is Kim Young Min. Lee Soo Man is now the artistic director. Our debut plan was formulated by CEO Kim Young Min," Zheng Xiuyan, being an old trainee of S&M, knew a bit more about these matters.

"Kim Young Min?" Li Zhong was unfamiliar with this name. When he was in the music industry, S&M was mostly associated with Lee Soo Man, who was the CEO at that time. Li Zhong admired Lee Soo Man's leadership and even bought S&M's stocks for a while.

"Yes, after Lee Soo Man had an incident, Kim Young Min became the CEO in 2005. He is the son of the former CEO," Zheng Xiuyan nodded.

"Ah... Your S&M is really in chaos. Although Lee Soo Man can be domineering, he is very convincing and has a strong presence. The HOT and Shinhwa incidents, though harsh, were part of the industry's rules at the time. If Lee Soo Man hadn't done that, he wouldn't have been able to establish himself in Korea. Everyone was watching him," Li Zhong sighed. It seemed that not only had he lost his influence, but others like him had as well.

Li Zhong ordered some food, just a simple meal from the hotel restaurant. However, since Zheng Xiuyan hadn't eaten all afternoon and evening, Li Zhong could see that she was enjoying it.

Li Zhong and Zheng Xiuyan chatted for a while. It was clear that Zheng Xiuyan's mood had improved. When they talked about Li Zhong's graduation from New York University, Zheng Xiuyan was even more surprised. It turned out that Zheng Xiuyan was born in the U.S. and lived there for 12 years before returning to Korea. They talked about many things related to the U.S.

Li Zhong asked, "Do you mind if I smoke?"

Zheng Xiuyan shook her head.

Li Zhong took a deep breath. He hadn't smoked since the party, and after meeting Zheng Xiuyan, he had been feeling a bit pent up...

"Some things can only be proven by time. Just do what you should do," Li Zhong said, the smoke he exhaled was light...

"As long as you believe it's right, as long as you stick to it, and as long as you should do it, don't regret it. No regrets, no remorse, that's enough," Li Zhong thought about his own decision to serve, could he have been without resentment? Could he have not regretted it? After she said those words to break up, Li Zhong never looked for her again... He resented his own weakness in love and regretted not taking action.

Zheng Xiuyan looked at Li Zhong through the smoke, a bit dazed...

Li Zhong checked the time; it was already 11 PM. The clothes had just been returned, so Li Zhong said to Zheng Xiuyan, "It's very late now. We can talk again in the future. Do you want me to send you home or back to the dorm?"

"Um, thank you, but there's no need for you to send me. I can go back on my own. I'll go back to the dorm. Give me your phone number, and I'll pay you back for the dress when I have money," Zheng Xiuyan looked at the time and felt it was quite late.

Li Zhong looked at Zheng Xiuyan and noticed her determination. He nodded, "Okay, be careful. Send me a message when you arrive."

At the front desk downstairs, Li Zhong settled the bill and called a taxi for Zheng Xiuyan. As the car pulled away, Zheng Xiuyan leaned out and asked, "Can I call you oppa?"

Li Zhong felt a sudden urge to cry... Finally, someone recognized him. He nodded quickly, saying it was fine.

Seeing Li Zhong nod, Zheng Xiuyan smiled happily. "Oppa Li Zhong, even though you look a bit沧桑 (weathered) and more like a uncle, I still want to call you oppa..."

The car drove away, and Li Zhong touched his nose. "I just grew a beard, right? Am I not suitable for a beard? Do I look that old?"

In the car, Zheng Xiuyan soon started crying, and then she began to laugh.

At the moment she was blocked at the subway entrance, she wished she had never existed in this world. She wished someone would stand up for her. But with so many people around, no one stood in front of her. When she was already in despair, thinking the world was just gray, a deep blue appeared in front of her, giving her warmth. And when she felt the world was warm, a hint of peach pink appeared.

So she secretly kept that hint of peach pink. Looking at the peach pink tie in her hand, Zheng Xiuyan smiled happily.

Li Zhong took a taxi back, not because he was drunk, but because the place was far from his apartment...

When he got back to the apartment, it was almost midnight. Lee Hyori's call came. She first scolded Li Zhong for fleeing, then talked about other things, and finally said in a particularly flirtatious tone, "We sisters are all waiting to hear your story with her..."

Li Zhong's sweat instantly broke out. "Um, her? Did Jia Gua tell you all?" Li Zhong asked cautiously.

"Ha ha," "Ha ha," the phone burst into laughter, not from one person but several. One voice said, "I told you Li Zhong oppa would be scared, but you didn't believe me." It was Lee Jin's voice.

The others complained, "Couldn't you have kept it to yourself?" "We were trying to get it out of him!"

Li Zhong was speechless... Good thing he hesitated and asked. Otherwise, he would have been played by these older women.

"Jia Gua drank too much and is already asleep. But before she fell asleep, she kept repeating your name and hers, your name and hers... Who is she?" Lee Hyori was also drunk and very curious...

"You... You don't know. Well, I'm going to sleep. I have to shoot tomorrow... You don't want the money you lent me to be gone forever... Bye, going to take a shower..." Li Zhong hung up the phone as if fleeing. He quickly turned off his phone...

"Beep... Beep..."

Looking at the disconnected call, Lee Hyori said, "The little brat dared to hang up on me. You see, once everyone is busy, we should give him a lesson and create some convenience for Jia Gua... After all, this little girl is head over heels in love."

Seeing everyone nod, Lee Hyori's eyes turned into crescent moons...

Page AD starts

Page AD ends