Chapter 53

Liu Zai Shi's mouth is quite prominent, but with the glasses, it's not so noticeable; Jin C's mouth is also prominent, but with his beard, it's not so obvious either. Li Jingming stood in front of the two, naturally seeing very clearly. Upon closer inspection, the two seniors really did look a bit alike.

"You really are quick to get familiar, you haven't even chatted a few sentences and you're already teasing us," Liu Zai Shi pretended to be dissatisfied.

Li Jingming, seizing the opportunity, put on a friendly act, "You're already my seniors, how can I still be quick to get familiar? We're one family."

Liu Zai Shi smiled and shook his head. He had been in the industry for nearly twenty years and had seen it all. There were many who called him family, close relatives, and good friends, but behind their backs, they were the ones who stabbed him in the back. Truly treating others as family was as rare as a phoenix feather or a unicorn horn. Liu Zai Shi had a good impression of Li Jingming. This big boy was quite impressive, natural and unpretentious, not like the younger generation who were overly humble and restrained. He liked to joke around, and that's how young people should be, making people feel relaxed and comfortable.

Liu Zai Shi thought that having Li Jingming on his show in the future would be very effective. He was just about to give Li Jingming a spot on the upcoming episode of "Let's Play" when his phone rang.

"Ah, Director, the director just called me from downstairs, it's only been five minutes," Liu Zai Shi, being a top-tier artist, could speak to the station director in such a tone.

"Five minutes and still not up? Is the elevator broken? Or did you meet a young female junior and can't move?" The voice on the other end was filled with laughter, clearly another lover of jokes. Liu Zai Shi didn't step away to take the call but stood in front of Jin C, a sign of great trust. Sometimes, new program information and personnel adjustments were discussed in such calls.

Jin C was a considerate person. He waved his hand and mouthed, "We'll go first."

Li Jingming bowed again before leaving. This super host, a god-level figure, seemed to have a good impression of him, and he also had a good impression of the host. He couldn't afford to be impolite.

"Brother, let's have lunch together," Li Jingming invited. Jin C had helped him a lot today, and he felt bad for always troubling him. Even with his thick skin, he couldn't bear it.

"Thinking about lunch so early in the morning? All you think about is eating. When you have time, write a few more songs. This album 'Confession' is already a success. As soon as I get back from the U.S., we'll consider the first full album. You should start preparing," Jin C said, dissatisfied. The album had received great feedback, and although it would only be released tomorrow, it had already pre-sold over 12,000 copies. Many debut albums by new artists could only sell that much, but the better the results, the more Jin C felt Li Jingming wasn't working hard enough.

"But I haven't even signed a contract yet, how are you already acting like the CEO of LAD?" Li Jingming asked in surprise, he hadn't said anything about a full album.

"That was decided in a meeting," Jin C said calmly.

Li Jingming was even more surprised. Who were these people, deciding things without even telling him? "Who was in the meeting, and why didn't you tell me?"

"President Song Shijie, Director Baek Geum-hyun (also a director at LAD), your mother, and me," Jin C listed four people.

Li Jingming frowned. If his mother had decided, it would be hard to oppose. "My mother went to the company, why didn't you tell me?"

"It was to let you sleep well last night," Jin C replied.

"Thanks a lot," Li Jingming's lips twitched.

"That's it. I'm leaving tomorrow, and I haven't even packed yet," Jin C's trip to the U.S. was the next day.

After watching Jin C get into the car and leave, Li Jingming, feeling depressed, bumped his head against a pillar in the SBS underground parking garage. Jin C was going to the U.S. for half a month, and preparing and producing a full album would take at least two months. By the time he returned, it would be October, and he would likely have to postpone his military service. Plans always lag behind changes, but this time, Li Jingming didn't get angry at others disrupting his plans. The words of Kim Yoon-shu in the morning had played a crucial role. Nothing was more important than being with the people he cherished.

As he walked out to get a taxi, Li Jingming's phone vibrated. He was puzzled; at this hour, he didn't know who would be calling him. It was not even nine in the morning, and familiar people wouldn't call him at this time.

Picking up his phone, Li Jingming saw the large letter 'J' on the screen, and his frown unconsciously smoothed out. "Hello?"

"Jamie, are you free today?" Jessica's voice was soft, and when she wasn't being aggressive, she was very feminine.

"I've been quite busy recently," Li Jingming said without hesitation.

"You, ah!" Jessica immediately reverted to the state Li Jingming knew well. He didn't even hesitate before saying he was busy. Did he really dislike her that much?

Hearing Jessica's characteristic tone, Li Jingming laughed over the phone. "Just saying I've been busy makes you go ballistic. How could I not have time? If Miss Jessica invites me, I'll make time no matter how busy I am." Being busy doesn't mean you don't have time. Free time and women are the same; if you squeeze, you'll always find some.

Is he playing with me? The old trick of giving a stick and then a carrot is so childish. Jessica puffed her cheeks, feeling annoyed.

"Tell me, what's up?" Li Jingming asked.

"I want to treat you to lunch. Can you come?" Jessica had been bothered by Krystal all day. She had just promised a beef feast yesterday, and today Krystal was demanding it. Krystal had received her June allowance from her mother and had noticed it early, so she came to bother Jessica. After some thought, Jessica decided to invite Li Jingming as well. After all, she had eaten so much from him and even the clothes were bought by him. Although Li Jingming said it was for the MV, Jessica knew the value of a trainee. Even a small role shouldn't have earned her anything, and the three items together were worth one million won. If she had to return them, Jessica would be reluctant because she had already shown them off at the company.

"You're treating me to lunch, why?" Li Jingming asked uncertainly.

"Ah, treating you to lunch means having lunch. What, is that not allowed?" Jessica's voice didn't get louder with emotion, only higher in pitch and faster in speed, which Li Jingming always found fascinating.

"Not that, is there anyone else, or just the two of us?" Li Jingming explained his confusion. A man inviting a woman to a private lunch usually meant he was planning to make a move, and the same applied to women.

"My sister will be there too," Jessica realized her previous explanation was too brief, making it sound like she was about to confess.

"Okay, I'll come for lunch. Should I go to your company?" Li Jingming had nothing to do anyway, and if he went back alone, he'd have to make lunch for himself.

"Come to our dormitory. I'll hang up now." Jessica had sweated a lot from morning practice and planned to go back to the dormitory to shower and change before going out.

"Wait, how do I know where your dormitory is?" Li Jingming said with a laugh.

Jessica's temper flared, "Are you still pretending? I heard you dropped someone off right at our building. How can you not know where our dormitory is?"

Although her relationship with Kim Tae-yeon had improved, her resentment towards Li Jingming hadn't diminished. She even went for a walk on the Han River Bridge with him, humph. Whether it was a coincidence or not, Jessica didn't care, and she didn't think about whether she had the right to be jealous; she just felt uncomfortable.

Hearing Jessica's resentful words, a small figure hiding in the corner of the wall stuck out her tongue adorably. Two more people were eavesdropping on Jessica's call. At that moment, Kim Tae-yeon was lying on Tiffany, and Tiffany was on the ground, eavesdropping on Jessica's call. They looked like two cute little thieves, occasionally glancing around.

"Ji-ka is really in love," Kim Tae-yeon said definitively. Various signs indicated that this usually cold and distant peer was very different inside.

Tiffany had a "now you believe me" look, "I knew there was something wrong. Ji-ka has been daydreaming a lot lately."

"Uh..." Kim Tae-yeon was speechless. Jessica had always been prone to daydreaming, not just recently.

"Ji-ka said the guy is from the U.S. I think they grew up together, childhood sweethearts, but were cruelly separated by their elders," Tiffany fantasized. "Then, after much hardship, he found her in Korea, and now they are determined to overcome all obstacles and be together..."

"Can you say such a long sentence without making a single mistake?" Kim Tae-yeon didn't pay attention to the content but was amazed that her language-challenged friend could fluently make up a story.

"You, don't look down on me. I'm very smart. Korean is so simple, how could I not know it? I just get nervous easily," Tiffany, scratching Kim Tae-yeon's waist, said unhappily. Unfortunately, her action provoked a counterattack from the usually submissive Kim Tae-yeon.

"Ah, Pani, that Li Jingming is really handsome and nice, but if he starts dating now, will the company not ban Ji-ka?" Kim Tae-yeon suddenly asked, worried.

"I don't know... Wait." Tiffany suddenly noticed the name, "You said that person is Li Jingming?"

"Yes, do you know him?" Kim Tae-yeon was puzzled by Tiffany's surprised expression.

As a drama enthusiast, Tiffany often followed MBC. A few days ago, an MV broadcast during prime time caught her attention. Tiffany liked pink, fairy tales, and happy endings. In short, "pure love" was a powerful weapon for her. When "Confession" came out, Tiffany fell in love with it. She started searching for everything about the singer Li Jingming, but found only a few posters and two videos online. Unsatisfied, she listened to "Confession" many times and immersed herself in her own fantasies. Yesterday, she not only downloaded the song as her ringtone but also pre-ordered the album.

Jessica had always referred to him as "a friend from the U.S.," which made Tiffany very resentful. Why didn't she show off such a good boyfriend earlier? Why didn't she introduce him to everyone?

Tiffany was pouting about Jessica when she suddenly heard a sharp cry, "Ah, Pani, it's you again!"

PS: With the New Year approaching, relatives and friends are coming and going, and the old man's students and acquaintances are all visiting. I'm almost becoming a "professional host." Although the update times are a bit uncertain, I still send out two updates consistently.