Chapter 45: Worn-Out Threshold

"Big Sister, you don’t have to look at me like that... Your eyes could kill a person!" Li Yunzai sat in front of a small tea table, a steaming bowl of noodles in front of him. Across from him, Baosuyan stared at him with wide eyes, as if trying to kill him with her gaze, once, twice...

"I wish you were a mute right now... You’ve really made me angry!" Baosuyan scratched her head in frustration, her voice filled with anger.

Li Yunzai responded with an "oh" and stood up.

"What are you going to do?" Baosuyan slapped the table and asked.

"I’m going to get some sticky notes... You want me to be a mute, right? I’ll get some sticky notes to communicate with you!" Li Yunzai shrugged, a mischievous smile on his lips.

"Get back here!" Baosuyan pouted, her face flushed with anger.

"Alright... I’ll do whatever you say! But Big Sister, I didn’t intentionally lie to you. Six months ago, I really couldn’t speak. It’s only recently that I’ve gradually been able to talk. To protect my voice, I try to speak as little as possible. And you have to take responsibility for me. That was my first kiss. A coming-of-age gift, roses, perfume, and a kiss— the last one can’t be bought with money!" Li Yunzai said softly.

Baosuyan trembled with anger and shouted, "You stole my first kiss, and you still dare to say that? If you say one more word, I’ll strangle you!" At this moment, Baosuyan was truly furious.

"Fine, I won’t say anything... We both gave our first kisses, so what’s the big deal! I’m not just anyone; I’m your brother. It doesn’t count... Only if another man kisses you, that would be your first kiss!" Li Yunzai argued confidently.

Baosuyan felt a bit helpless. Li Yunzai could be very manly at times, and he was very attractive to the opposite sex, especially with his warm smile. But sometimes, he acted like a child, with a child’s temper.

After Li Yunzai finished his meal, Baosuyan finally lost her temper. After half an hour of venting, she finally felt satisfied.

On the long sofa, Baosuyan and Li Yunzai lay side by side, their heads resting on each other’s shoulders, looking more like a couple than anything else.

"Yunzai... What are your plans for the future?" Baosuyan closed her eyes, feeling the slight touch of Li Yunzai’s cheek against hers.

"Nothing much... Just live day by day!" Li Yunzai stared at the ceiling, his eyes fixed.

Baosuyan became anxious, frowning and said, "What do you mean, nothing much? If you didn’t have any plans, you wouldn’t have uploaded those videos... Do you want to go back to S.M.?"

Li Yunzai chuckled and said, "Big Sister, do you think S.M. is the only agency in Korea? Why do you have to go back to S.M.?"

"You said that the accident had nothing to do with S.M., so why not go back? It’s not a good place for me, but it’s perfect for you! I want to see you join TVXQ... Just imagine, my brother as the leader of TVXQ, how proud I would be!" Baosuyan smiled foolishly.

Li Yunzai glanced at her with a speechless expression and said, "Big Sister, can we stop daydreaming? Don’t think about such unrealistic things... Besides, even if I wanted to rejoin TVXQ, do you think S.M. would agree? Even if Junsu and the others pleaded with Lee Soo-man, he wouldn’t agree!"

"Why not?!" Baosuyan turned over, leaning on the sofa, and looked down at Li Yunzai, pressing him for an answer.

Li Yunzai grinned and said, "TVXQ has been active for four years and is already a top group in Asia. Adding me suddenly could cause instability and many problems... Lee Soo-man isn’t a fool; he wouldn’t do something so foolish!"

"What about YG? JYP is also a good choice... If I went to JYP, they could even get me a signed CD from Rain, but unfortunately, Rain is no longer with JYP..."

Li Yunzai shook his head and said, "YG has BIGBANG, and they will increasingly rely on them, which is not good for the balanced development of other artists. If BIGBANG has any issues, the entire agency will be in crisis. YG is also too closed off, only having a good relationship with SBS, while the other major TV stations tend to neglect YG’s artists. JYP’s weakness is Park Jin-young. Although he is very capable, almost all the hit songs come from him, which can lead to a lack of diversity and hinder the development of other artists. S.M. is too commercial, and idols created with a lot of pop elements and investment often lack personality.

For me, YG is not suitable; I would only cause trouble for Yang Hyun-suk, as two tigers cannot coexist on the same mountain. JYP is also not suitable; I have my own ideas, and Park Jin-young has his. Two people with strong ideas can easily have conflicts, and in the end, it would only end in a breakup!"

"Wow..." Baosuyan exclaimed, "I didn’t realize you had done so much research on the top three agencies. Which one are you planning to join? DSP, CCM, Dream-t, StarShip, or Star Empire?"

Li Yunzai closed his eyes and said calmly, "None of them... I have my own plans!"

"Hmph..." Baosuyan pouted, about to ask more, but a knock at the door interrupted her.

"Hmm? Who is it?"

"Could it be the aunt from downstairs?"

Baosuyan stood up, barefoot, and walked to the entrance. When she opened the door, she shivered; the temperature inside and outside was like two different worlds. Inside, it was warm and cozy, while outside, it was icy and cold.

A man stood at the door, wearing a black windbreaker and a woolen cap. Seeing Baosuyan, he grinned and showed his teeth.

"Yunzai... Come here quickly!" Baosuyan stepped back, waving Li Yunzai over. The man made her feel uneasy.

Li Yunzai walked over, and Baosuyan immediately hid behind him. Li Yunzai frowned and asked, "Sir, are you looking for the wrong door? I don’t know you!"

The man in the windbreaker seemed excited to see Li Yunzai. He took out a business card and handed it to him. It read "Dream-t Entertainment."

"Are you Li Yunzai? I’m a scout from Dream-t. I saw the videos you uploaded online, and our company is very interested in you. Can we talk?" The scout smiled warmly.

Li Yunzai looked at him confusedly and asked, "How did you find me here?"

"Well... By asking the website administrator to find the IP address of the video you uploaded, and then hiring someone to locate you!" The scout explained honestly.

Li Yunzai was taken aback. He hadn’t expected the scouts to be so resourceful. He wasn’t sure whether to be impressed by their skills or by the power of money.

"What do you think? Our company has a top-notch packaging team. If you join Dream-t, you can debut quickly and become a top star!" The scout said eagerly.

Li Yunzai thought for a few seconds and replied, "This... Let me think about it! You came too suddenly, and I’m caught off guard!"

"Alright, alright... If you want to sign with an agency, just call this number..." The scout realized he had been too abrupt and left after giving Li Yunzai some instructions.

After closing the door, Baosuyan took the business card from Li Yunzai and laughed, "I didn’t realize you were waiting for other agencies to come to you... This is good, it will help you negotiate a better contract!"

"Big Sister, when did you become so materialistic? Your future boyfriend will be in trouble; his wallet will be tightly controlled by you!"

"Of course!" Baosuyan laughed.

Ten minutes later, another knock came at the door. This time, it was a scout from StarShip, who was also turned away with the same excuse.

Then, scouts from CCM, DSP, YG, and JYP all came one by one, but Li Yunzai turned them all away with the same excuse, keeping only their business cards.

"Wow... It’s really true that popularity can make you famous! Why hasn’t anyone from an agency come to me?" Baosuyan looked at the business cards from various agencies. She had never imagined that becoming a star could be so simple.

"It’s getting dark. Why hasn’t anyone from S.M. come?" Baosuyan looked out the window, which was now completely dark.

Li Yunzai shook his head inwardly. Although he knew Lee Soo-man wouldn’t send anyone, it still felt a bit off that S.M., where he had grown up, was missing from the list of agencies that had come to him.

Just then, the door was knocked on again. Li Yunzai and Baosuyan looked at each other. Could it be a scout from S.M.?

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