Chapter 9

Li Zhong's determination left Lee Hyori and Seo Yeori stunned... It couldn't be that serious, could it? It's just a role, right?

Li Zhong, looking at the two who were still in shock, said, "The theme of this movie is quite dark, and the female lead is at best a supporting role. The main focus is on the two male leads. Besides, this female lead isn't suitable for Jia Guai's acting style."

Lee Hyori was somewhat unconvinced, "What do you mean by 'not suitable'? As an actor, you have to act to make it believable..."

Seeing Seo Yeori looking at him with teary eyes, Li Zhong felt a headache coming on, "Well, let me be straightforward. The female lead is a prostitute, and she will be brutally murdered..."

At this, Lee Hyori and Seo Yeori immediately understood Li Zhong's point... Seo Yeori had always played princess and artistic roles. If she were to play such a character, regardless of whether she would succeed or not, most of her fans would probably leave...

So, Lee Hyori and Seo Yeori fell silent... Li Zhong looked at the two sisters and said, "Now you understand why I can't let Jia Guai play this role. I plan to make a big splash, so I'm taking a bold approach, focusing on the script and acting. As long as the main actors are good, there's basically no risk of losing money..."

At this point, Seo Yeori spoke up, "Mm, Oppa Li Zhong, I'll lend you the 10 billion. Hire better actors, and your budget will be more flexible."

Li Zhong thought for a moment. Without famous actors, he could still make a profit, but it would probably just cover the costs. However, if the actors performed well under his direction, there would be no problem with making a profit...

"Alright, I'll take your money. I'll write up a loan agreement for you tomorrow, and interest will be charged," Li Zhong agreed with Seo Yeori's suggestion...

Seeing that Lee Hyori and Seo Yeori still had something to say, he added, "The loan agreement is necessary; otherwise, I won't take the money."

Lee Hyori and Seo Yeori looked at each other, and Lee Hyori said, "Alright, we'll charge interest. Is that okay?" Li Zhong finally smiled...

That night, back at the apartment, Li Zhong lay in bed after a shower, staring at the ceiling and gradually zoning out... He thought about the joy and excitement when he first bought the apartment, secretly renovating it to her liking... But just as he finished, before he could tell her, he received a call about her engagement to someone else. This apartment truly carried his sorrow...

As for Seo Yeori... Li Zhong could only say it was a very melodramatic past... It was back in 2003 when Lee Hyori's new album was a huge success, and Li Zhong's career also benefited. At the celebration party, Lee Hyori invited her close friends, especially the other three members of fin.k.l: Lee Jin, Yoo Ji-hyun, and Seo Yeori... It was a very private gathering, and since Li Zhong and Lee Hyori got along well, Lee Hyori introduced the other three to him. Li Jin and Yoo Ji-hyun seemed about the same age as Lee Hyori, so Li Zhong called them "sisters"... Only the youngest, Seo Yeori, was quiet in public but wild in private, and she looked young, so Li Zhong always thought of her as a younger sister... He called her "Yuri-sshi" all the time... Later, when Lee Hyori and the others found out, they laughed at him... It turned out that even as the youngest of fin.k.l, Seo Yeori was a year older than Li Zhong... This made Li Zhong very embarrassed, and few people had seen this genius PD so flustered. So, besides Lee Hyori, the other three called him "Oppa Li Zhong," making him even more uncomfortable...

Not long after, Li Zhong met Seo Yeori again at a brand advertisement shoot. Li Zhong was the director, and at that time, he didn't take on many ads... But the brand treated him well, and he had done many ads for them, so he took the job out of personal favor... The female star for the ad was late, and just as Li Zhong was about to lose his temper, she arrived—it was Seo Yeori... With her repeated "Oppa," Li Zhong could only suppress his anger and focus on the shoot... He finished the ad in just three hours, which was supposed to take a whole day... After that, Seo Yeori seemed to be drawn to Li Zhong, often appearing around him. When Li Zhong was shooting an MV, Seo Yeori was doing an event; when Li Zhong was shooting an ad, Seo Yeori was shopping; when Li Zhong was eating, Seo Yeori was there too; even when Li Zhong went to the dentist, he ran into Seo Yeori...

This made them both feel a sense of novelty, and their relationship grew better. When Li Zhong was renovating the apartment, Seo Yeori gave a lot of suggestions, and some of her ideas unconsciously influenced the apartment's style...

Li Zhong clearly remembered the day Seo Yeori called him out to a small but quiet café... Seo Yeori was wearing a yellow sweater and a baseball cap, sitting quietly... She was staring out the window, lost in thought. Li Zhong sat across from her, "Jia Guai, what's up?"

Seo Yeori snapped out of it and looked at Li Zhong, speaking softly, "Oppa Li Zhong, do you think if you like someone, you should let them know?"

"Of course, if you don't let them know, how will they know your feelings?"

"Jia Guai misses a guy. Who is it? Do I know him? I'll vet him for you..." Li Zhong's curiosity was piqued... Seo Yeori was a treasure of fin.k.l... Since she shifted to the film and TV industry, she had become a princess-like figure... If she said someone was her crush, that guy would be drowned in public attention...

Li Zhong was eagerly waiting for her to continue...

Seo Yeori asked again, "I don't know if he has a girlfriend, and I don't know what he thinks of me. But I feel like I want to see him every day. If I don't see him, I feel down, and when I see him, I feel incredibly happy."

Li Zhong realized this was serious... "If you like him so much, just tell him... I don't believe anyone can resist the charm of our beautiful Seo Yeori."

But Li Zhong was also puzzled. Who could it be? Seo Yeori always seemed happy around him... She didn't seem down at all... She must be really good at keeping secrets...

"Oppa, are you sure he won't reject me?" Seo Yeori's eyes gradually sparkled...

"Of course, if you tell him, he won't reject you... If he does, just cry, cry a lot, in front of him. I don't believe he won't feel bad," Li Zhong confidently suggested... He was a bit thirsty from talking and took a sip of coffee...

"Oppa," Seo Yeori looked at Li Zhong...

"Hmm?" Li Zhong had just swallowed a mouthful of coffee and was about to take another sip...

"I like you."

"Spit" Li Zhong sprayed his coffee on the floor-to-ceiling glass...

That day, Li Zhong couldn't remember what he said to Seo Yeori or how he left the café...

But not long after, Seo Yeori went to study in Europe...

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