Chapter 40

Li Chong originally planned to return home for the New Year. Although his home was in Seoul, he still didn't dare to go back. He had made all the decisions himself in the past, and he estimated that he would receive a profound lecture if he went home. He still remembered how his mother had lectured him for three consecutive days when he decided to study in the United States, using different languages without a break. She was truly a university professor.

So, Li Chong's initial decision was to return home only after he had finished all his business and had nothing to worry about. However, it seemed that he would have to delay it even further.

Li Chong called his father, Li Changyu, "Dad, you didn't tell Mom I'm coming back for the New Year, right?"

"No, I didn't. You wanted to surprise her, right? If I told her, where would the surprise be?" A very magnetic voice came from the phone.

"Ugh, can you talk to me normally? Don't use that customer tone with me; it gives me goosebumps." Li Changyu always used a very pleasant, magnetic, and attractive voice when he was in the teahouse.

"What do you want to say?" Li Changyu seemed to ignore Li Chong's complaint.

"I won't be back for the New Year. There's a bit of a problem with my work, and I need to fix it. I'll come back during the Spring Festival. Remember not to slip up..." Li Chong didn't notice anything unusual about his father and spoke his mind.

"Okay, I got it. Bye." Li Changyu was sweating profusely. He thought, "You little brat, don't you see the timing? Your mother is sitting right across from me. If I don't talk like that, you're dead meat."

Sitting across from Li Changyu was a dignified middle-aged woman with an oval face and a high bun, eating gracefully. "Another big client? Even during dinner?"

"Nothing much, just a guy who doesn't know the rules. Let's eat, let's eat." Li Changyu pretended to be calm.

Li Chong, having resolved his worries, was lost in thought, wondering what to do. He thought until midnight, with the lights off in his apartment, the moonlight casting a silver glow on him. However, the floor was littered with cigarette butts, somewhat ruining the mood.

"Ah... no more cigarettes again." Li Chong felt the empty cigarette pack, got up, put on his coat, and went out, took the elevator down, and walked down the street. "I should eat something first!" Li Chong felt he would be up all night, so he decided to fill his stomach first. He went to the same street stall, ordered stir-fried rice cakes, grilled sausages, and a bowl of hot soybean paste soup. It was a real treat in the winter, and his mood improved with the warm soup.

"Ah, Uncle Li Chong!!!" A girl's voice came from behind Li Chong.

Li Chong turned around and saw Lin Yoon-a, the eighth member of Girls' Generation. "Yoon-a, why are you out alone? Come sit here." Li Chong was naturally friendly and spoke directly.

Lin Yoon-a had been getting a lot of solo appearances recently, and S&M Entertainment wanted her to act in a drama, so she was taking acting lessons in her spare time. She often returned home the latest.

Today, her manager dropped her off at the dormitory, and after the manager left, she sneaked out to eat something to fill her stomach. She hadn't had time recently, and when she returned, there was usually nothing to eat. Her small stash of snacks was also running out, so she had to replenish it. She wanted to have a warm meal first. As she entered the stall she often visited, she saw a familiar figure, one that had been appearing in her mind frequently.

"Uncle Li Chong, why are you here?" Yoon-a asked.

Li Chong always felt a strange sense of familiarity with Lin Yoon-a. Seeing her sitting there obediently, he felt a growing fondness. The main reason was that Yoon-a was one of his neighbors. "I live nearby. I was thinking about some things tonight and might stay up all night, so I decided to treat myself and not let myself go hungry."

"Uncle lives nearby? Then we can see each other often?" Yoon-a's eyes sparkled.

"Umm..." Li Chong didn't know how to respond. He knew they were neighbors, and if they had a normal schedule, they would see each other less often.

"What do you want to eat? I'll treat you." Li Chong changed the subject.

"Then I won't be shy. Auntie, two servings of stir-fried rice cakes, a bowl of beef soup, and two large bowls of rice." Yoon-a ordered a lot of food, which left Li Chong speechless.

"Umm, in the middle of the night, you're eating so much?" Li Chong was a bit surprised.

"Yup, I haven't had a warm meal in the evening for a long time. I always come back at this time, and there's nothing to eat in the dormitory. My small stash of snacks is also gone, so I'm having a good meal today." Yoon-a didn't pay attention to Li Chong's gaze and started eating heartily.

Li Chong wondered if he was a demon, as he kept encountering abnormal people. Was Girls' Generation the era of demons, composed entirely of abnormal girls? Seeing Yoon-a eat so happily, Li Chong's appetite also increased. He ordered another serving of stir-fried rice cakes and joined Yoon-a in a hearty meal. Yoon-a's fondness for Li Chong grew even more.

After eating, Li Chong paid the bill and accompanied Yoon-a to the supermarket to buy a lot of food. He also bought a lot of instant food products, as he might be in seclusion for a while. After sending Yoon-a to the entrance of the apartment building, "You go up, I should head home too." Li Chong thought it was better not to let her know they were neighbors.

"Okay, then Uncle, have a good rest." Yoon-a replied. Watching Yoon-a go upstairs, Li Chong went to a small supermarket to buy a few packs of cigarettes. He calculated that Yoon-a should be lying down to sleep by now, so he slowly went upstairs and returned to his apartment.

After a night of deep thought, Li Chong came up with a brilliant idea. "Liu Xiubiao? Liu Xiuli? You want to play with ratings? I'll let you play. I want to see if my 'Chaser' is more attractive or if the ratings scare people away."

It turned out that after two packs of cigarettes, Li Chong had become obsessed and decided to confront the Liu brothers. Since they weren't letting him off easy, he wouldn't let them off easy either. Li Chong planned to reshoot some scenes and add some new ideas to the movie.

Li Chong immediately called Zhang Xun and the other staff members of the studio, telling them he wanted to reshoot some scenes. He also called the main and supporting actors, telling them they needed to reshoot a few scenes and come to the set. Jin Yun-seok and Ha Jung-woo were puzzled. Hadn't they wrapped up? Why reshoot?

However, Zhang Xun, who knew Li Chong well, sensed something different. Li Chong wouldn't do something without a reason, so there must be something going on. Could it be about the ratings? Was it really rated for viewers 18 and older?

All of this would have to wait until he saw Li Chong to get an answer.