Chapter 73

As the three were talking, Zhang Chengyuan suddenly felt a familiar aura approaching. Looking up, he saw it was Li Zhen, and he immediately stood up with joy, calling out, "Sister Zhen!" Since they were in a public place, he dared not act on his impulse to hug her affectionately, as he usually would, to express his longing for her, and thus felt quite disappointed.

As Zhang Chengyuan stood up, Quan Hui Bin and Yoon Eun Hye also rose to greet Li Zhen, then warmly greeted her. Since they had met and even worked with Li Zhen many times in various settings, they were already very familiar with her.

Yoon Eun Hye had known Li Zhen even before she met Zhang Chengyuan. Their respective groups had competed against each other multiple times in singer activities. Although they were rivals, they had also shown mutual respect. After Yoon Eun Hye became friends with Zhang Chengyuan, their relationship grew closer due to their connection through him.

Quan Hui Bin and Li Zhen's relationship had only become close in recent times, but the reason was also because of Zhang Chengyuan. Quan Hui Bin had always been very attentive to news about Zhang Chengyuan and had always made efforts to get to know and build good relationships with his friends.

A few months ago, when she heard about the rumors between Seo Yu Ri and Zhang Chengyuan, she immediately guessed that Zhang Chengyuan's relationship with the other three members of Fin.K.L was probably extraordinary. Therefore, when she met Li Zhen, she instinctively wanted to get closer to her. It's worth noting that her approach to Zhang Chengyuan's friends had no ulterior motives; it was simply because she cared about Zhang Chengyuan and subconsciously wanted to befriend his friends. Of course, if she could get to know Zhang Chengyuan and become good friends with him through them, it would be a pleasant surprise for her.

After the four of them greeted each other and sat down again, Li Zhen asked, "What were you talking about just now? Tell me too."

Yoon Eun Hye said, "We were talking about how Sister Hui Bin used to be a fan of Brother Chengyuan and how she seems to know a lot about him, even remembering a minor commercial we did together a few years ago."

Li Zhen said, "Oh, really? I seem to know about that too. It was a school uniform commercial you did together in 2000, right? The scene where you were ice skating was quite popular at the time. But after so many years, I doubt many people would remember it. Sister Hui Bin, the fact that you remember it shows how much you care about Chengyuan." When it came to understanding Zhang Chengyuan, the four members of Fin.K.L wouldn't let anyone outdo them.

Quan Hui Bin blushed and glanced at Zhang Chengyuan, saying, "How many fans don't remember the glorious deeds of the stars they like?"

Li Zhen looked at Zhang Chengyuan and said, "This guy isn't as good as you think. He always acts cool, as if he's something special, but in reality, he knows nothing. Even his clothing and diet need to be planned by us four sisters. Otherwise, he would be careless and sloppy."

Hearing Li Zhen say this, the straightforward and innocent Yoon Eun Hye felt surprised and curious, muttering, "I never thought Brother Chengyuan had this side to him."

Zhang Chengyuan thought, "Sister Zhen, I'm not as sloppy as you say!" However, he didn't dare to contradict Li Zhen and could only smile helplessly.

Quan Hui Bin, however, was deep in thought. When she first learned about Zhang Chengyuan in middle school, he was already a well-known student in the southwestern part of Seoul, excelling in both academics and sports. This piqued her curiosity, and she began to gather information about him. Later, while taking a walk in Han River Park with a classmate, she unexpectedly saw Zhang Chengyuan's handsome appearance and extraordinary demeanor, and her heart was captivated. She gradually fell in love with him. When she learned that Zhang Chengyuan had become an entertainer, she immediately became one of his first fans, writing her feelings for him on paper and sending letters to him every few days. Unfortunately, Zhang Chengyuan had no time to read them and thus never knew of her deep affection. Even if he had read them, he would have dismissed them as a fan's infatuation with a star, not taking them seriously.

To get closer to Zhang Chengyuan, Quan Hui Bin had long decided to become an outstanding entertainer herself. Through relentless effort, she became a trainee at an entertainment company, thanks to her natural beauty and excellent dance skills. She later debuted as a singer and, after about two years of hard work in the entertainment industry, gained some fame. She was finally able to stand before Zhang Chengyuan and get to know him, which filled her with great joy.

However, Li Zhen's words made her wonder if the Zhang Chengyuan she liked was the real Zhang Chengyuan or just the one in her imagination. If the real Zhang Chengyuan was vastly different from the one in her heart, wouldn't her years of hard work have been in vain? Additionally, she sensed that Li Zhen's words were a subtle warning not to get too close to Zhang Chengyuan.

Quan Hui Bin's intuition was correct. Li Zhen had noticed her affection for Zhang Chengyuan and deliberately said those words. The purpose was twofold: first, to advise Quan Hui Bin not to treat an idol like a lover; second, to subtly assert that Zhang Chengyuan belonged to Fin.K.L, implying that Quan Hui Bin should not waste her efforts. In Li Zhen's mind, Zhang Chengyuan's other half might not be her, but it would certainly be one of the members of Fin.K.L.

Quan Hui Bin understood Li Zhen's intentions, but she wouldn't give up until she confirmed whether the real Zhang Chengyuan was worth her affection. She wanted to get to know him better, understand his character, qualities, and abilities, before making a decision. If the real Zhang Chengyuan was still worth her affection, she wouldn't give up, even if he already had a girlfriend, as long as he wasn't married. Her dream of so many years wasn't something that could be easily extinguished!

In a corner, the four of them continued chatting, and the other guests tactfully stayed away, at most waving and smiling to greet each other. After all, the guests at "X-MAN" were a diverse group, including actors, singers, comedians, seniors, and newcomers. While most had heard of each other, they didn't necessarily know each other well, and even if they did, their relationships weren't necessarily close. Most guests only interacted with those they knew well and wouldn't rudely disturb those they didn't. Otherwise, they might accidentally learn something private that could cause others to dislike them. The entertainment industry is complex, and artists are always wary of being caught in a compromising situation that could affect their careers, so they are very cautious with each other. Only well-known good people, like Liu Zaishi and Jin Je Dong, who are highly regarded, can easily make many artist friends. Even Zhang Chengyuan, despite being in the industry for a considerable time, had only about ten true and trustworthy friends.

After a while, the three MCs, Jiang Hudong, Liu Zaishi, and Jin Je Dong, arrived one by one. They had been in the industry for some time, but before hosting "X-MAN," they hadn't received the same level of attention and popularity from the audience. Now, their popularity far exceeded that of most of the guests invited to the show. Many viewers watched "X-MAN" to enjoy Jiang Hudong's exaggerated antics, Liu Zaishi's humor, and Jin Je Dong's down-to-earth wit and roguish charm, rather than for certain guests.

After the three MCs arrived, they greeted all the guests. Before the official recording, they needed to build good relationships with the invited artists and gain a deeper understanding of their qualities and talents to reduce the guests' nervousness, liven up the atmosphere during filming, and bring out the best in the guests... of course, the ultimate goal was to make the show more exciting.