"Let’s go eat, Liu Xin’an. Didn’t you say you wanted to try our company’s nutrition meal?"
The fearless Son Seungwan sidled up to Bae Juhyun again, wrapping an arm around her waist and leaning in to taunt Liu Xin’an.
She had the distinct advantage of having co-hosted a show with Liu Xin’an, a relationship that even Bae Juhyun couldn’t match.
Given this camaraderie, her teasing remark was entirely appropriate.
Similarly, Liu Xin’an wasn’t fazed by the provocation. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "Sure, you don’t think I can handle it, do you?" Chapters first released on N0veI.Fiɾe.net
"Ha, Juhyun, is your boyfriend always this bold?"
"Stop it. If you’re serious about eating, I should warn you, it’s really not good. It tastes like cardboard."
"I’ll give it a try. You all recommended it, and besides, I don’t get many chances to visit S-M."
"Alright then, let’s go."
"Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go."
Even the once-shy Park Sooyoung and Kim Yerin were now excited. The women exchanged knowing glances before heading to their practice room’s locker room. After practicing all morning, they needed to change their sweat-soaked clothes.
Bae Juhyun wrinkled her nose at Liu Xin’an, sighed helplessly, and pointed to the locker room, "I’m going to change clothes too. Wait for us outside."
In no time, five stunning women emerged from the practice room.
The first to greet Liu Xin’an was the lively Son Seungwan, who excitedly patted him on the shoulder and began enthusiastically describing their company’s dreaded cafeteria.
Bae Juhyun didn’t mind. On the contrary, she felt relieved that Liu Xin’an was getting along so well with her group members.
In reality, Liu Xin’an was somewhat similar to her; they both didn’t have many friends.
Ever since she had known Liu Xin’an, he had introduced her to only two people he considered friends: Old E and Feifei.
Li Chenglu didn’t count; he was family, not a friend.
If she could introduce Liu Xin’an to a few more trustworthy friends, she felt it would be good for him.
"I remember it clearly; when we were trainees, Juhyun once felt so down that she cried after tasting the day’s nutrition meal."
Hearing Son Seungwan use her embarrassing moments to bond with Liu Xin’an made Bae Juhyun’s smile freeze.
She reconsidered. Introducing friends... strictly trustworthy friends alone made sense.
Son Seungwan didn’t count.
"It’s not that dramatic!" She couldn’t help but yell. Luckily, there was no one else in the corridor, so no one saw her vulnerable side.
"Yes, it was. Your tears were about to drop into the bowl."
Great, Miss Bae broke down. She should probably think about banning these two from meeting again.
Introducing her too-close friends to Liu Xin’an wasn’t a good idea. Who knew if these girls would share her embarrassing moments as jokes?
Laughing and chatting, Son Seungwan led the group to S-M’s cafeteria in no time.
It was lunchtime, and S-M’s cafeteria had two sections: a regular staff cafeteria and a special artist cafeteria. The company wouldn’t make the staff eat the nutrition meal.
The other section, naturally, was for trainees and artists.
The artist cafeteria offered a rather tasteless nutrition meal that Liu Xin’an planned to brave and another milder option, though still bland overall.
S-M’s artists were renowned for their top-notch body management in Korea.
How did they achieve such figures?
While exercise could slim one down visually, strict diet control was essential to appear skinny on camera.
It wasn’t healthy, but effective...
"Good afternoon, Seulgi."
On the way, they encountered several trainees and junior artists having lunch. They respectfully stood on both sides of the hallway, greeting Bae Juhyun and the others as they passed.
Following behind, Liu Xin’an marveled at the junior-senior hierarchy, which indeed made the "senior" feel revered.
"Good afternoon, seniors."
A greeting from one girl brightened Liu Xin’an’s eyes as he recognized a fellow countrywoman.
It wasn’t just anyone; it was Vivian Ning, the aespa member who had helped Bae Juhyun recently.
Vivian Ning was a fellow Chinese.
Bae Juhyun also noticed the girl who had initially helped her a lot, but she didn’t approach.
With so many people watching, going over to introduce Liu Xin’an might suggest undue intimacy.
Until receiving directives from above, she preferred not to display any closeness with Liu Xin’an at the company.
Avoid misunderstandings at all costs.
So, she subtly shoved her boyfriend instead, almost making him stumble.
When Liu Xin’an turned back, she pointed at Vivian Ning with her chin, and he got the hint.