Chapter 30 of 100

Chapter 30

14 min read3,517 words

"Senior, why aren't you going over?" The young talent scout looked at Pei Luozhe and asked. Pei Luozhe, who was about to go over to talk, suddenly stopped, which puzzled him.

"No need, they are from S.M." Pei Luozhe didn't know Li Jingming, but he recognized Jessica.

As a member of a soon-to-debut girl group from a major company like S.M, and a former star trainee, Jessica's information was well-known to these talent scouts. The person who provided the venue mentioned that this young man was Jessica's boyfriend, singing to celebrate her birthday. He was probably an A-level trainee at **. Unfortunately, in his haste to check Li Jingming's singing video, he didn't record the subsequent events.

Such a powerhouse, a super rookie bound to make a big splash upon debut, was definitely **'s secret weapon. After Rain swept almost all the rookie awards with his impressive performance, while everyone was unhappy with JYP's breach of the unwritten rules, they also increased their vigilance over their own super trainees. No one wanted another Rain to emerge from another company.

In this world, where there are spears, there are also shields. To prevent their own promising rookies from being targeted and hindered after debuting, the three major companies, which mainly cultivate their own trainees, protected their strong rookies very well, keeping their information confidential from other talent scouts. Pei Luozhe, thinking in his usual way, assumed Li Jingming was from S.M.

Pei Luozhe carefully considered in his mind. If YG wanted to poach him, it would be worth it, but his girlfriend had trained at S.M for seven years, was very loyal, and was about to debut. ** had a natural advantage, and it would be hard to succeed without paying a sufficient price. Although ** strictly regulated trainee relationships and often broke up couples, the fact that these two could openly walk around Hongdae and openly acknowledge their relationship suggested that it was allowed by the higher-ups. It seemed this guy had a high status at **, and even S.M, known for its strictness, made a small concession for him.

However, as long as there was enough benefit, even S.M's debut artists could be poached to YG, so he wasn't worried. As for whether to pay such a price, the CEO would decide.

"Why did you only sing one song?" Jessica's face was flushed, and the playful tussle had drained her energy.

Li Jingming feigned a look of fear and said, "Didn't you see those female wolves? If I stayed any longer, they would have rushed over and molested me."

"Pfft, you," Jessica said with a raised eyebrow, unimpressed.

"You, what?" Li Jingming looked at her, raising his chin.

Jessica matched his proud expression, staring back at him without backing down.

"Hey!" Jessica exclaimed again, realizing he was comparing their heights with his gaze.

Li Jingming's expression softened, "You really have a bad habit. In Korea, a young girl like you will be seen as impolite if you keep saying 'hey' all the time."

"You mind your own business!" Jessica puffed out her cheeks and turned away, then muttered softly, "I only do this with you."

The two continued walking along the main road toward the Far East Post Office. As they got to know each other better, Jessica turned out not to be the quiet person Li Jingming initially thought. She shared some amusing stories from her trainee days. Jessica had made many funny mistakes when she first came to Korea due to her unfamiliarity with the language, and she didn't hesitate to share these embarrassing stories with Li Jingming.

As they walked and talked, they learned more about each other and grew closer.

The street they were walking on was a famous gathering place for nightclubs in Korea, where countless young adults roamed. It was not only a vibrant nightlife spot for ordinary people but also a place where artists often went to relieve stress, though the methods of stress relief were not for outsiders to know.

Every day, countless young people gathered here. During the day, long lines could often be seen outside famous clubs, which opened around 6 PM and closed at 5 AM, with slight variations among the venues. Jessica found even the streets crowded, let alone the packed nightclubs where perverts might grope people. Just thinking about it made her uncomfortable, and she instinctively kept a distance from the crowds.

Just as Li Jingming found Jessica's cautious demeanor cute, Jessica exclaimed, "Kim Tae-yeon?"

"Who?" Li Jingming wasn't sure if Jessica meant Kim Tae-yeon. He, of course, knew Kim Tae-yeon, the leader of Girls' Generation, and had even treated her to a meal in his previous life.

A girl in a loose short-sleeved shirt with a cute middle-parted wavy hairstyle, looking even smaller than Jessica, was standing at the entrance of the famous DD.Club, waving goodbye to a few other girls. Li Jingming wasn't familiar with any of the Girls' Generation members, but Jessica wouldn't have mistaken her. However, why was Kim Tae-yeon coming out of a club? She was only a few days older than Jessica and shouldn't be allowed in.

"We're about to debut, and this girl is still hanging around clubs!" Jessica was furious. After Li Jingming's advice, she had thought that if Kim Tae-yeon could be a good leader, it would be fine to leave the younger members in her care. But now, with the crucial debut approaching, and her still frequenting nightclubs, Jessica had already labeled Kim Tae-yeon as a bad influence.

"Let's go over," Jessica pulled Li Jingming and followed. With so many people around, she couldn't shout, "Hey, evil Kim Tae-yeon, stop running!"

The crowd made it hard to see, but Li Jingming, with his height advantage, kept a clear view and didn't lose sight of her. However, Jessica's stamina was questionable, and she was already panting after a few steps. They finally caught up at a crossroads just as she was about to get into a taxi.

"Hey, Kim Tae-yeon, stop!" Jessica called out from a distance.

Li Jingming sighed at her weak call. Jessica was too frail; she couldn't run and her call was so feeble that it was no surprise the other person didn't hear her and got into the taxi.

Jessica quickly hailed a cab and shouted, "Sir, please follow the car in front." The street was busy with countless cars in front of them...

"It's the taxi with the license plate ding ding ding," Li Jingming quickly added, "The one who got in is my sister. She's here to hang out at a club, and she's trying to run away after being caught by me and her sister-in-law!"

"Sure thing, I'll catch up to her," the driver confidently said, "I used to be a police officer and learned how to stop cars."

"How did you end up as a taxi driver?" Li Jingming asked curiously.

"Oh, you mean that," the driver reminisced, "I once crashed a few cars into the Han River during a mission and was sued."

That's not so serious, Li Jingming thought, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. His waist ached as Jessica pinched him, "What are you doing?"

"Sister-in-law?" Jessica glared at him, her face contorted. How could she go from girlfriend to sister-in-law in just a moment? At eighteen, she didn't look like a married woman! She wasn't upset about being verbally taken advantage of by Li Jingming but rather about him saying she looked old. Her frown lines were a bit deep, and she was very sensitive to any comments about looking old.

"Do you have a long reflex arc in your legs, longer than your arms?" Li Jingming laughed, and Jessica's reflex arc wasn't long this time as she immediately pinched him again.

"Ah, when I catch that rebellious girl, I'll make her pay," Li Jingming vented his frustration on the front.

The neon lights flickered, and after a half-hour of driving around Seoul, the car in front finally stopped. Li Jingming and Jessica got out and followed, and the girl entered an apartment complex. Jessica was even more puzzled. Why wasn't Kim Tae-yeon going back to the dorm? Where was this place? It looked like a high-end complex, and her home was in Jeonju, right?

Oh, could it be a quid pro quo? Such a bad girl could get into a club underage, so she could do other bad things too. Jessica's imagination ran wild, and she began to paint a "vivid" picture of Kim Tae-yeon...

Li Jingming and Jessica caught up and saw the girl open the door to an apartment building. She looked back at them through the security gate, realizing they had been spotted.

"Still chasing me?" She made a face through the gate, "I'm home!"

"Huh?" Li Jingming was taken aback by her boldness.

"Uh..." Jessica awkwardly tugged at Li Jingming's clothes, "I... I think I... got the wrong person..."

"What?" Li Jingming slapped his forehead, "This woman is hopeless. Why didn't you call Kim Tae-yeon?"

"I don't have her number!" Jessica's voice weakened, realizing she wasn't in a strong position, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"You two are just pretending, right? Trying to trick me into opening the door?" The girl opened the door a crack and then slammed it shut, "Hehehe..."

"Brat, don't get too cocky," Li Jingming, who usually bullied children, was now being bullied by a child.

"Are you some kind of bandits, kidnapping young girls?" The girl's imagination rivaled Jessica's, "I noticed you in Hongdae earlier."

"Kim Ji-suk, why aren't you coming up after getting home?" A woman's voice from upstairs called out, presumably Kim Ji-suk's mother.

"Your name is Kim Ji-suk, right? I'll remember you!" Li Jingming threatened, "I'll go to your school tomorrow and kill all your teachers, kidnap all your classmates, and personally take care of you a hundred times!"

Jessica couldn't stand it anymore. These two were acting like children. Li Jingming usually seemed mature, but he had a childish side, "Alright, let's go. I already said I got the wrong person."

"You still have the nerve to say that," Li Jingming lightly tapped Jessica's head, "You're such an idiot, mistaking someone you see every day."

"I didn't stare at Kim Tae-yeon's face, so how could I not get it wrong?" Jessica argued.

"Two idiots," Kim Ji-suk called out from behind the door.

"And you, brat, you're almost eighteen, why do you still act like a child?" Li Jingming said to Kim Ji-suk.

Are you in a position to call others childish? Jessica thought, amused.

"Being so young and able to get into a nightclub, did you steal your sister's ID?" Li Jingming taunted Kim Ji-suk.

Kim Ji-suk laughed proudly, "I was at a performance. I'm destined to conquer Seoul, and I'm almost conquering Hongdae!"

Another girl with star dreams.

---