"Share it with me, your list of Chinese delicacies!" Son Seungwan’s sneaky smile appeared on her face.
She and Kang Seulgi had been craving this list for a long time.
This time, going to China with the company of Liu Xin’an, she was determined to try all the food Bae Juhyun had posted in the group chat!
Not only did she want to eat, but she also wanted to post all of it in the group chat.
Let Bae Juhyun feel what torture is like.
What about the other members in the group chat?
"I can share it... but do you know when we’re going to record?"
"They said recording starts in late April, around the time I finish my solo." Son Seungwan recalled the information she had heard that afternoon while filling out forms and shared it with Bae Juhyun.
Bae Juhyun, resting her chin on her hand, showed a face full of envy.
Her eyes must have shown too much eagerness, as Son Seungwan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and asked with a smile: "Juhyun, you want to go too, right?"
"Of course, this is my boyfriend’s first variety show hosting gig, I definitely want to witness it firsthand."
How could she not be there at such an important moment? If possible, she certainly wanted to go too.
"Then just apply with Taekyon oppa."
"Apply? Will Manager Kim approve?" Bae Juhyun felt a twinge of hope. She had actually planned to go with Son Seungwan when the show started shooting.
Of course, she knew she couldn’t appear on camera, but tagging along wasn’t an outlandish idea.
Isn’t it okay to be close friends!?
Uh... on second thought, that reason doesn’t hold much ground.
What she needed now was a solid reason, and unfortunately, Lee Chenglu wasn’t around to miraculously provide one.
So far, there seemed to be only one reason she could think of—exposing her relationship with Liu Xin’an to the company.
Liu Xin’an had to demonstrate sufficient value.
What was her boyfriend’s greatest value?
To Bae Juhyun, Liu Xin’an’s existence was itself the greatest value.
But to the company... the company wasn’t in a relationship with Liu Xin’an. If she had to state a value, perhaps... the fact that Liu Xin’an was Park Jinyoung’s nephew?
That path seemed blocked, and now wasn’t the best time to reveal her relationship with Liu Xin’an to the company.
She had to find a reason on her own.
"Your visa hasn’t expired, just say you’re going for a relaxing trip and to get used to the shooting environment. Isn’t that reason sufficient?"
Bae Juhyun frowned slightly, it was definitely insufficient, but she couldn’t think of a better reason.
"Is there any reason easier for Manager Kim and Taekyon oppa to accept?"
"Uh... expanding into the Chinese market?"
"Come on, do you think I can achieve that just by going?"
Bae Juhyun gave a speechless smile. All local artists wanted to break into the Chinese market.
But how many had actually made it?
There was a living example beside her.
There was a senior from Girls’ Generation named Im Yoon’ah, who had diligently studied Chinese to enter the Chinese market.
And now, this senior had passed the intermediate level of the HSKK Chinese Proficiency Test but still couldn’t make it there.
Knowing Chinese, Yoon’ah, who longed for China, couldn’t go. What chance did she, who knew nothing of the language, have?
Such an excuse was just a beautiful fantasy. Besides, Bae Juhyun didn’t want the company to profit from her relationship with Liu Xin’an.
This was a relationship Bae Juhyun cherished deeply, and she wouldn’t allow anyone to meddle in it.
This was also the main reason she hesitated to go public with the company and the fans.
S-M’s tactics were well understood. Using romantic relationships to create buzz was S-M’s specialty.
Bae Juhyun was convinced that if her relationship with Liu Xin’an were exposed to the company, the news would somehow spread online before August.
The goal? To build hype for their comeback in August.
As long as there was buzz, there would be no shortage of opportunities.
S-M understood this all too well.
She gently patted Son Seungwan’s arm, signaling her to come up with another excuse.
Son Seungwan started brainstorming, then took out her phone after a long while.
"Are you going to search something?"
"No, I want to watch a variety show and plan to cast it to the screen for free."
Great, Bae Juhyun was left speechless.
But she couldn’t blame Son Seungwan too much, as this was truly difficult.
If only she could go to China too, even as Son Seungwan’s assistant!
She would rather be Seungwan’s gofer!
Unaware of Bae Juhyun’s inner turmoil and eagerness, Liu Xin’an came out of the shower with a refreshed face.
He grabbed a cold can of beer from the fridge, took a sip, then strolled to his streaming room and sat down.
Turning on the computer, Liu Xin’an planned to stream for a while.
He was the type of person who felt uncomfortable breaking a habit once it was formed.
For instance, he’d gotten used to streaming daily; missing a day made him feel out of sorts, like something was missing in his life.
While waiting for the computer to boot up, his phone on the desk vibrated, catching him off guard.
Seeing the caller ID, he looked puzzled.
Li Chenglu? Updates are released by N0velFire.ɴet
"What’s up, calling this late?"
If he remembered correctly, Li Chenglu hadn’t left Korea yet.
"The collaboration between Bilibili and the four brokerage companies here is pretty much finalized. How are things on your end?"
If he remembered correctly, Li Chenglu had previously mentioned that the negotiations would take a while. How did it wrap up so quickly?
"I underestimated the hunger of these brokerage companies for the Chinese market..."
Li Chenglu’s voice sounded peculiar, with a hint of disbelief.
"They agreed without much bargaining, making my job feel utterly unchallenged!"