Chapter 72: Little Brat

endless stream of city lights outside, his voice languid."Are we officially dating" Park Bo-gum's gaze shifted to the rearview mirror."...Chi Jingyuan nodded his head slightly, but didn't speak."Park..."While the economic company that diesde belongs to has not yet issued an official statement, ..."

Mei Nan read the news in a low voice. As for what came next about that girl group, she skipped right over it.

"It's nothing, right Looking at the announcement, it seems like his injury isn't serious and he just needs to rest for a few days. That way, no one here has to worry about her boyfriend."

It's that kind of teasing nickname again, but since there was no one around anyway, Minami just took it.

She would also occasionally take a look at the discussions in Yuan's fan club. Many female fans, both privately and online, wouldn't call him "oppa" when they gushed about him. Instead, they directly referred to him as "male bestie" or "husband."

But Mingi felt in her heart that she was actually a little different from them.

"By the way, I heard that the filming crew of 'Immortal' is shooting at Seoul Plaza near Seoul Station. There are so many EXO fans hanging out there every day, and they basically manage to spot Yuan almost daily. There are already tons of encounter photos online... You know, if you want to see him, maybe we can go there together in a few days" Mikoto Minato leaned closer to her ear, whispering the suggestion softly. She wasn't bothered by the heat at all, her body pressed against hers very closely, and she even sniffed lightly as if enjoying it immensely.

I don't know, maybe after practicing hard and sweating all over, there's nothing that smells good.

"...

"

Mimaki Nami's eyes flickered, but then quickly dimmed. She had known this news for a while now. A few days ago, she had even considered it, but after thinking about it, she decided against it.

Just now, because of some little excitements from the address being called, they gradually disappeared without a trace. Namisui waved her phone in her hand and didn't really feel like looking at the news anymore. She lightly pouted, her tone obviously dissatisfied: "Forget it, what can I do even if I saw it..."

They joked privately that Ji Jingyuan was her boyfriend, but Minami Namiki knew deep down that he probably didn't even remember who she was anymore. The chance encounter that day made it clear the depth of their impressions on each other were not on the same level at all.

In Chi Jingyuan's heart, he probably just saw himself as a rookie idol who likes following seniors to nightclubs, but he lacks experience and can't let loose. He's the kind of trainee who cries easily and is unknown in the Japanese entertainment industry. Just an ordinary passerby that he might have encountered once and then never seen again.

Saying you smile is just lip service, when you return to reality, there's a feeling of being extremely distant and lost.

Of course, there were also some grievances. The scene of her being ruthlessly rejected when she proactively asked for someone's phone number was still fresh in her memory. Before going to bed every night, she would often think about it involuntarily. Besides the extreme embarrassment and shame, there was also a little anger.

Naomi actually wants to see it quite a bit.

But it's not just about looking.

There's a knot in her heart, but at this moment, the most important thing for her is still daily practice and fighting for her chance to debut. This was the primary reason she convinced her parents to let her move to the peninsula alone to become a trainee.

Even though she may appear soft on the outside, Minami Nan's heart is filled with her own strong opinions and convictions.

Cheered up, she chatted a couple of times with her friends and, under their encouragement, stood up again to start practicing.

Let's just debut first and talk about the rest later...

…………

The news of Chi Jingyuan's car accident immediately became a trending topic as soon as it was released. Even though s quickly issued an announcement explaining that his injuries were not serious and the responsibility for the accident had been determined, it still made headlines today.

After all, he is one of the most popular idols in the peninsula, especially after the decline of second-generation group popularity and reduced activity from major artists before them. In some ways, he can even remove the "one of" and stand alone as a figure who naturally attracts high attention and discussion.

Moreover, the fact that he collided with another celebrity this time has drawn even more attention from countless people.

Online, there are people watching the commotion, expressing their concern, and quite a few making cold remarks. Some say this year is cursed, some say this is revenge for squeezing Han out, some say even royalty can have accidents...and so on.

Since Han's departure from EXO, the number of online haters has gradually increased. The black fans who had previously been subdued and went into hiding emerged one after another, becoming more arrogant. Many former fans have turned against EXO and even attacked them more fiercely than the black fans in some posts. AIlly is no longer as dominant in online reputation management as before.

However, their fighting power is still very powerful. After just learning about the news of Ji Jingyuan's accident, fans were all panicked, fearing that Ji Jingyuan would be seriously injured or something bad might happen to him. They spontaneously began to prepare activities for sending blessings to Oppa and hoping for his early recovery. All fan clubs flooded the screen.

However, shortly after, s released an announcement stating that his injuries were not serious and he only needed to rest for a few days. Naturally, the well-wishing campaign was no longer necessary. Subsequently, news reports revealed the details of the accident, discovering that the culprit who had deliberately rear-ended s's car was actually a second or third-tier girl group called diesde. It turned out that池景源 (Ji Jingyuan) was completely innocent and had been implicated in the accident.

This message instantly ignited all of Alice's anger.

They don't need anyone to initiate, they just need to look at each other in the eye and know what the other is thinking.

Sisters, kill them all!

……

Although s stated that pool view source will not participate in the concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, which will start on the 6th, they clearly stated that yuan will not be absent from EXO's opening ceremony performance at the Incheon Asian Games on the 19th, which has also relieved many people.

This year's Asian Games opening ceremony saw the participation of many figures from the entertainment industry, including stage performances by several idol groups. Being able to perform on such a high-profile stage is a testament to these artists' popularity and recognition both locally and in Asia, making fans proud.

Under the support of politics and sports, this opening ceremony's stage is no longer just a commercial performance or an ordinary event. This has made s view this performance as exo's most important thing recently, even more important than a concert. Originally, Park Jung-seok would still specifically take out a few days during his filming schedule to prepare for this stage.

This time, after the checkup, he will need to rest for about a week. The company just made a schedule for him, and it looks like they'll have to stay up all night to reschedule.

However, no matter how he drafts his schedule, the most important things for Chi Jingyuan at the moment are filming the television drama and performing on stage at the opening ceremony.

"Goodness me, weren't you supposed to be lightly injured You still look so terrifying..."

Later that evening, when the other members returned to the dorm and saw Ji-won who had already come back, several of them immediately surrounded him. They were both concerned and curious as they gathered around to observe the injury on his forehead. After taking a closer look, Kim Jun-myeon asked with some concern:

This time the injury isn't serious, if things go smoothly it should be fully recovered in a week or so. But looking at it, it's still pretty scary. It's a mild concussion, you can't see it on the surface, but there's a big bruise on the upper left corner of the forehead that is still oozing blood. Just looking at it makes you feel pain.

Especially the injured area, being so sensitive on the forehead, made several members around him gasp and wrinkle their brows in shock.

I feel that the bruise on Ji-Won's face looks similar to the pictures of domestic violence that Choi, the ex-girlfriend of Kim Hyun-Joong, posted a few days ago.

"Ouch, be gentle! That hurts! What are you touching"

Ji Jingyuan was about to answer when he suddenly glared at Wu Shixun, who had somehow gotten his hand on his forehead at some point. He angrily scolded the curious idiot.

Even Wu Shixun, who had been wronged, didn't dare to retort. He sheepishly raised his hand and smiled, indicating that he was wrong, but he still kept staring at his forehead incessantly.

Looking at his eyes, it feels like he's trying to take this opportunity to compete for the title of team's most handsome guy these days.

"It does look pretty serious, but the doctor said it's just a subcutaneous hematoma caused by an injury. It didn't damage anything inside, and with proper protection, it should recover in one to two weeks. Maybe even sooner, around a week."

As he responded, Chi Jingyuan gently brushed away the strand of hair that had fallen over his forehead. He'd been scratching at it for a while because it was itchy.

"Sigh, being rear-ended is really something you can't avoid. Thankfully, nothing major happened, so it's already considered lucky." Kim Jun Myeon nodded in empathy and patted Park Jiung's shoulder: "Jiung, just take good rest these two days."

Chi Jingyuan's temporary absence from the concert means the others will definitely have to put in extra hours rehearsing these next two days. While they don't need to start from scratch, they'll definitely have to adjust some choreography and part assignments. They've got their work cut out for them!

The duration of Ji-won's solo stage also needs to be filled in. As for the other members, whether they add a new solo stage or just stand there and chat for a few minutes, it depends on the company's arrangements.

Although overtime was about to start, others sighed and said nothing.

Even if he had objections in his heart, he definitely wouldn't say them out loud in front of so many people at this time.

And just like Kim Jun-myeon said, this kind of tailgating is impossible.

“Speaking of this year, it really feels a bit off, especially in the last few months.” Park Chan-hyeok also plopped down on the couch next to him and leaned against it. He looked at the ceiling for a moment, recalling a series of events from this year and said with emotion, “Do you guys think those people online are right Is our company cursed this year, affecting us all”

"Luck really is bad, but how does that have anything to do with the company You believe what black fans say" Bian Bianhyun scoffed and went to the fridge to grab a few bottles of water.

"It's not what anti said, I saw a lot of fans saying this in our own fan group..."

After refuting the previous statement, Park Chan-wook didn't continue the unpleasant topic. Instead, he turned to Ji Kyeong-won: "By the way, Ji Kyeong-won, how are those people from diesde doing How come the official announcement hasn't come out yet"

"I don't know specifically, but I saw them this morning. A few people might have bumped their heads like me, but it probably wasn't serious."

Recalling the looks of the other party when they met this morning, Ji Jingyuan shrugged and took a bottle of water from Bian Boran before saying.

Park Chan-hyeok nodded and let out a breath. "That's okay then... Speaking of which, eunb and rise among them are quite familiar to me, and I have their contact information. We contacted each other not long ago."

"No, Chanyeol, how come you're so familiar with every girl group"

"You need to socialize on your own, I'm telling you..."

Just as Park Chan-lyeok was about to share his experience getting to know female idols, Ji Kyeong-won's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up, glanced at it, stood up, and gestured to the guys beside him. Then he walked to the window of another room and answered the call.

Tzuyu called, all the EXO members are back at the dorm by this time. She should be almost asleep. I wonder what she's calling for so late.

"What's wrong" Chi Jingyuan took the drink that Bian Berhen had just handed him, looking out the window at the pedestrians below, and asked while sipping.

At the same time, he glanced back and saw that the two Xia Guo le in the living room had already gone back to their rooms.

"I saw online that you were in a traffic accident, how are you doing now Are you feeling better"

There was a brief moment of silence on the phone before her signature soft, lilting Cantonese accent came through. Her tone was laced with concern, but her voice was hushed, presumably so as not to disturb anyone in the dormitory.

Of course, it's about this. The kid still pays attention to current events every day.

"It's so late calling… well, it's nothing major. Just bumped my forehead." Ji Jingyuan took a sip of water and after thinking for a moment said, "Didn't our company release an announcement Minor injury, rest for about a week should be enough."

He also received many messages of comfort from friends in the afternoon, and there was nothing strange about Zhou Tzuyu calling now.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it. But all this concern actually puts a bit of pressure on me. Ji Jingyuan doesn't really enjoy constantly talking about the accident and his situation, making him seem like he's terminally ill."

After a brief pause, Zhou Tzuyu spoke in a strange, slightly amused tone: "My friend said that all the company's statements and announcements are lies, you can't believe them at all. The things the company denies are actually more believable."

“Um…” Chi Jingyuan was taken aback, not knowing how to retort.

"Although it's a bit absolute, it's not entirely wrong."

"Hee hee, I think so too..." Zhou Ziyu laughed along with him, and then suddenly made a request, "Can you show me your injury I want to see what a minor injury looks like"

"What are you taking pictures of, are you crazy Zhou Tzuyu xi, do you like watching this kind of stuff..."

It's unknown whether Zhou Tzuyu genuinely cares about him or is just curious. This request left Chi Jingyuan speechless. He casually made up an excuse, "The camera broke, so I can't film."

“Oh, okay.” Zhou Tzuyu was probably taken aback by this ridiculous excuse, she stammered for a moment before honestly replying. But soon she whispered, “I saw on the announcement that you’re going to rest for a few days Are you free these days I could treat you to a meal… I can also bring you some supplements and local products my mom brought me last time she visited. They're really good.”

"Are you starting to believe the announcement again"

Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but chuckle softly.

He could now hear that the other person was truly concerned about him. Zhou Ziyu didn't seem to fully believe what he said about minor injuries and wanted to get a more detailed understanding of the situation.

But Ji Jingyuan looked up and thought for a moment, then still refused.

"Forget it, let's talk about it later."

He has indeed been resting these days, and the injury on his head doesn't affect his going out. However, all fans now know that he missed the recent events and concerts under the pretext of being injured. If he were to appear as if nothing had happened, wandering around outside or being photographed eating, it would be inappropriate.

It doesn't need to be captured by the media. If fans encounter it and take pictures to share online or in fan groups, the impact will be very bad.

Being rejected twice in a row, especially the second time when she had carefully planned and poured her heart into the invitation only to be met with a bucket of cold water, dealt Zhou Tzuyu a significant blow. In silence, she lingered for a while, feeling a pang of grievance, before giving a dry response:

"Oh."

This time, he didn't even say "okay."

"Nothing much, I'll hang up first. How come you're always so energetic this late"

After saying two sentences, he hung up the phone. Chi Jingyuan stared blankly at the call log on his phone for two seconds before bursting into laughter.

After being rejected repeatedly, Zhou Tzuyu's mood was obviously not good. Her tone of speech was filled with discontent, and she didn't have any city government at all, it was clear to hear just by listening.

Or maybe she just doesn't bother hiding it, she has an opinion!

You little brat, aren't you still unhappy

For some reason, hearing Tzuyu's somewhat annoyed resistance from his phone, Ji-seong imagined her unhappy expression, but inexplicably, he felt a strong urge to laugh.

The little girl pouted in anger, a sense of contrast arose.

Although the other party cares about him so much, this laugh is indeed somewhat inappropriate.

However, Zhou Tzuyu probably can't see it anyway, so it doesn't matter...

With a light smile, Li Jingyuan returned to the living room. At this time, it was already late for Zhou Tzuyu, a trainee who had to go to school every day, but it was the most energetic time for EXO. Several of them were in full swing, discussing which female idol in the industry was the prettiest and had the best figure.

There are those who mentioned Park Ji-yeon, some suggested Kim Se-hwan, and others mentioned members of Nine Muses and After School.

It seems that the female idol topic Park Chan-wook caused a while ago is still ongoing now.

But why hasn't anyone nominated Yoona sunbae

You have no eye for it.

"Jingyuan, why do you always use Xia Wen's phone number to call Are you dating an idol from a Xia country Victoria"

When Chi Jingyuan came back, he was immediately surrounded. He had made the call from a place not too far away, and the soundproofing wasn't great. Although they couldn't quite make it out, everyone in the living room could tell from his words that he was talking to Xia Wen. So as soon as he returned, they all curiously asked him about it.

"Victoria That's impossible, that's too far-fetched..."

Chi Jingyuan was a little surprised by this association, waving his hand helplessly and feeling like he was denying it: "He's just an ordinary friend."

"Cut the crap, who would believe that Normal friends don't call you every other day."

Wu Shih-hsien let out a snort of laughter, and the people beside him didn't believe it either. Instead, they huddled together to discuss: "Speaking of which, are there any female idols with Xia nationality in the circle Our scope is small, so let's find one for this person. Don't let Ji Jingyuan pretend to be a pure-hearted boy without a girlfriend every day. I feel sick just looking at it..."

"Nationality of Xia..."

At this moment, Park Chan-ryeol muttered to himself. He suddenly remembered the time he bumped into Ji Kyeong-won and saw a female trainee of Korean nationality standing beside him. After realizing something, he smiled knowingly and winked at Ji Kyeong-won, raising his eyebrow as if to say "I understand."

"Chan-ryeol, what did you remember"

"Ani, I can't remember anything."

…………

After chatting for a while, their excitement died down and they couldn't figure out who the Xia Guo idol was, so they could only leave in disappointment and return to their respective rooms.

Chi Jingyuan was sitting on the bed watching variety shows on his phone.

This variety show is called "Hello," which is a talk show on KBS2 where people share their worries and solutions. The main host is Shin Dong-yup, and the viewership ratings are average.

I'm watching this because one of the guests this week is Red Velvet.

This was also a live TV variety show with some reputation that they had finally received after being in the industry for so long. After knowing about it, Ji Jingyuan was quite interested and wanted to see how well they performed and if they had any variety show sense.

I was a little disappointed after watching it. The over an hour long program only gave close-ups during the introduction at the beginning. The rest of the time, they only had shots when the characters were reacting.

Throughout the whole time, I just watched Pei Zhuhyun and a few others laughing and clapping along.

A completely human background board, with no room for expression.

However, judging from their somewhat nervous expressions and movements, I reckon they don't have much "artistic feel" right now.

Today, Ji Jingyuan briefly returned to the company after being discharged from the hospital and had a meeting with several department heads. After the meeting, he bumped into a few members of Red Velvet in the company.

They saw the blood on Chi Jingyuan's forehead, even though they knew he was fine, they still found it a little frightening. After expressing their concern, they chatted casually for a bit.

Pei Joo-hyeon said they're already preparing for their next comeback, choosing the song that she and Seok-ki once danced to: s.'s sexy jazz classic "benatural." They will still be making a digital single comeback without an album release, with the likely timeframe being next month.

The performance of debut song "Happyness" has basically been finalized, with no possibility of a resurgence in popularity. However, Red Velvet's resources are actually quite good considering they were able to make a second comeback just over a month after their debut.

This was when, upon hearing the song selection, Ji-seong dulled for two seconds feeling it wasn't quite right. However, as he hesitated, he saw the excited and expectant expressions on Rosé and the others. They seemed ready to give their all in this comeback, striving to reverse the current situation. He held back from voicing his thoughts, simply smiling and adding fuel to the fire.

No matter what, being able to return is a good thing. It shows that the company still values them quite a bit despite all the ridicule and resistance they've faced.

For the next few days, Ji Jingyuan rested in the dorm. He ordered takeout or had Park Bo-hyun bring him food every day. The other members were busy with work at the company, practicing until late and leaving early. On September 5th morning, they boarded a plane to Jakarta, Indonesia. Leaving only Ji Jingyuan alone in the large EXO dormitory.

However, he was also content in his free time, not just playing games in the dormitory. Instead, he used this time to study scripts and learn university courses.

The production team of "Mr. Sunshine" visited him a few days ago to express their concern and Kim Yonsuk also called to check on him and wish him a speedy recovery. The production team will focus on filming other scenes this week so that Park Jung-min doesn't have to worry.

Although I appreciate it, Ji Jingyuan knew that after recovering from his injury, he would be very busy returning to the filming set and having all of his scenes concentrated into a short period of time.

As for studies... there's no choice but to learn.

At noon on the 6th, while studying in the living room, Ji Jingyuan felt a little hungry. He glanced at his watch and took out his phone to browse through food options, wondering what he should have for lunch today.

Suddenly, a message popped up at the top of the screen.

"Where is your dormitory building"

First published on the Traditional Chinese Novel Network.uan took out his phone to look at today's hot searches, and said with a sneer: "《lht》 is a pure dance track. I think it's impossible for the sound source to beat BIGBANG. Their fame and popularity are...