star of the peninsula

"Good evening, how are you today?"

Chen Chen's serious greeting immediately made Bae Joo-hyun, who was originally a little depressed, laugh.

"I was reading the script with everyone in the production team today, so I had a bad day." Bae Joo-hyun came over and leaned on her boyfriend's arms, "But I put egg tarts in the oven, so I might feel better soon."

"Why? Is it because it's sweet?" Chen Chen took a deep breath of the air. "It smells so good. I feel like eating it will really make me feel better!"

"But I'd like to know why you're in a bad mood. It's hard for anything to happen when you're studying a script, right? Especially for you." Chen Chen took his girlfriend and sat down on the sofa. "Tell me, how did you make yourself angry?"

"I..." Pei Zhuxuan was speechless, staring at Chen Chen steadily, "How do you know that I made myself angry?"

"Because I'm your boyfriend who knows you best." Chen Chen said righteously, "The way you get angry at yourself is completely different from the way you get angry at others. I can tell the difference!"

"What do you mean?" Pei Zhuxuan's eyes lit up as curiosity overwhelmed everything else. "What's the difference between me in the two situations?"

"You only feel depressed when you are angry with yourself, because you doubt yourself. When you are angry with others..." Chen Chen deliberately squinted at her and pretended to smack his lips twice, "Tsk tsk, when you are angry with others, you are like a little firecracker, ready to explode at any time, and you can't hold it back at all."

"What a little firecracker! Can't you say something nicer?"

Bae Joo-hyun couldn't help but give Chen Chen a hammer. She felt embarrassed and annoyed at being guessed what she was thinking, but she was also dissatisfied with this adjective.

"Yes, but I don't want to." Chen Chen stood up proudly and walked to the kitchen in small steps. "I'll try the egg tarts first, and then we can talk after I finish eating."

Chen Chen guessed why Bae Joo-hyun was angry, but he needed time to think of words of comfort, and eating egg tarts was a good excuse.

"So sweet, you really need to be careful about cavities!"

Chen Chen made his evaluation based on his first impression.

"As if this is your first time eating the food I cooked?" Bae Joo Hyun rolled her eyes and took a piece of it and stuffed it into her mouth. "Eat it if you want. If not, I put too much sugar in it."

"No." Pei Zhuxuan quickly ran to the kitchen to take a look, and when she returned, she had already caught the culprit, "The milk used this time contained sugar, I didn't notice!"

"No wonder." Chen Chen finished the half-eaten egg tart, "What do you say? Should we eat it or should you take it back to the dormitory and feed it to the kids who are highly resistant to poison?"

"Who are you talking about this kid with high poison resistance?" Bae Joo-hyun asked curiously.

"Jiang Seulgi and Kim Ye-rin." Chen Chen curled his lips, "Can you say that these two have low resistance to food?"

"OK, then I'll ask them if they want to eat it."

Bae Joo-hyun didn't say it directly, but her actions showed her approval.

"Speaking of which, I promised Yeli a radio program today." Chen Chen mentioned what happened at noon. "Will you praise me or scold me for meddling in other people's business?"

"Praise you." Pei Zhuxuan sighed, "Although I don't want to praise you with this kind of thing, but you did a good job."

"Seulgi and Seungwan are working on that girl group, and Juyi and I are working on a TV series."

"Only Yeli, she has nothing lately." Pei Zhuxuan was very happy, "It's really helpful that you can give her a radio station at this time."

"So you asked Yeli to treat me to lunch today on purpose?" Chen Chen was a little surprised. "I didn't think so before you said it, but after you said it, I felt that you might have done it on purpose."

"Well, the president of C headquarters can easily give the artists a full meal. If I let Yeli treat you to a meal, you will definitely return her a meal. This is my confidence." Pei Zhuxuan pulled Chen Chen's arm and acted coquettishly, "It's just a small calculation, please don't mind it, my boyfriend."

"It's okay. I like Yeli very much and am willing to help." Chen Chen felt a little regretful. "But if you ask me in person, I might be able to give you something better, not just a radio station."

"It's enough. I can't be greedy and ask you to give me something better." Pei Zhuxuan changed the subject. "Let's not talk about this. How was your fishing catch today?"

"Uh, this..." Chen Chen scratched his head, "Let's talk about it after dinner. I'm afraid if I talk about it now, I won't be in the mood to eat later."

……

“I feel like I’m the fish that’s been caught.”

After Chen Chen finished the last mouthful of soup, a bitter smile appeared on his face.

"You mean, except for the opposition representative, Director Lee Sung-soo, everyone else is here to catch you?" Bae Joo-hyun didn't quite believe it. "Is the situation really that bad?"

"Eighty percent of them are like this." Chen Chen frowned. "Now let me recall their performance. None of these people can be trusted."

"Then how did you behave?" Bae Joo-hyun asked with concern.

"I acted like a professional consultant." Chen Chen snorted coldly, "The little fish are making a fuss. A real fisherman wouldn't care about the little guys when they just started to spawn."

"You didn't reveal any flaws, so why are you still unhappy?" Pei Zhuxuan asked puzzledly: "This should be what you expected."

"It's true that I didn't reveal any flaws, but I didn't catch anything either." Chen Chen spread his hands. "As a fisherman, do I only hope that I won't fall into the water? I definitely hope that I can catch a big fish!"

"Is there a possibility?" Pei Zhuxuan gave Chen Chen a blow, "The representative of the opposition, Director Li Chengzhu, is the biggest fish in this pond. You have already caught it."

"..."

This statement made Chen Chen silent, because it made too much sense, so much so that Chen Chen had no way to refute it.

In Lee Soo Man's SM company, apart from a group of opponents, this is already an exaggerated situation.

But Chen Chen couldn't help but wonder, was it true that the opposition was the only culprit for Lee Soo-man's downfall?

"Don't call them the opposition. It sounds bad." Chen Chen thought to himself, but he didn't stop talking. "Just call them the young and strong faction."

"The opposition is not against Chairman Lee Soo Man, but against anyone who harms the collective interests of SMART." Bae Joo Hyun said seriously, "It's just that the guy who recently harmed the collective interests of SMART happens to be Chairman Lee Soo Man, so the opposition is now targeting him."

"My goodness, this rhetoric is really invincible." Chen Chen just found it funny. "After Representative Lee Sung-soo defeats Chairman Lee Soo-man who harmed the collective interests of the company, won't it be the world of the 'opposition'? At that time, whoever they say harms the interests of the company will be harmed? This is really powerful!"

"Who knows what will happen in the future, but this statement is quite popular now." Pei Zhuxuan glanced at Chen Chen, "Employees occasionally discuss this."

"Which faction are you on?" Chen Chen curiously put his hand on his girlfriend's waist. "You know it so well, you should be on the opposition side, because Chairman Lee Soo Man's faction doesn't need to listen to these rumors." "I'm on Chen Chen's side, so I have to listen to both sides." Bae Joo Hyun blinked, "How can I stand on the side of SMART with my identity? It will cause problems."

"You're so smart." Chen Chen took the opportunity to bring up the problem she encountered, "Then can you tell me why you're angry?"

"I shouldn't say I'm angry, I should say I'm unwilling to accept it." Pei Zhuxuan's eyes dimmed instantly, "When I was studying the script, I found that I was so bad. I didn't want to admit it, but I had to admit it."

Bae Joo-hyun is a very competitive person, but when she got the role of the female lead, she was attacked one after another by the actors of all the main characters during the script reading, which was very painful.

But the most painful thing is that she has no chance to win it back. Although she has studied the script more than once, she cannot make such great progress in a short period of time. By the time she can do it, the production of the TV series may have been completed.

"You are setting too high standards for yourself." Chen Chen came up with a strategy to deal with this. "Just think of it this way. Just say that I am a relative and I just need to do my best. This will make things much easier and you won't have this kind of mental blow again."

"I can't do it." Pei Zhuxuan shook her head without even thinking about it. "You can't be an idol with such a lazy mentality, and a successful idol definitely can't have such a mentality."

"Then we can only bear it and turn the blow we received at this time into motivation for growth." Chen Chen proposed a regular plan, "Whether it is actors or production team members, as long as everyone is still working in this circle, there will definitely be a chance to meet each other in the future. By then, we will make them look at us with new eyes!"

"What if I never meet him?" Pei Zhuxuan asked back: "I will just keep holding it in?"

"How is it possible that we never meet? Do you think I'm dead?!" Chen Chen smiled at his girlfriend, "Same production team, as long as you want, I can help you put it together anytime."

"Uh"

Bae Joo-hyun tilted her head awkwardly, scratched her hair sheepishly, and finally smiled with relief.

"Having a boyfriend like this as a backer, I feel so safe."

……

……

Pick up Lee Ji-eun from the set of "The Hunt".

"The main purpose is to send you to another set, you understand?"

Chen Chen explained why Lee Ji-eun received special treatment during this period.

"Investors are so willful. I wonder how a small supporting role in a movie can enjoy the treatment of concentrated filming." Li Zhien didn't think it was a big deal. "But it's good too. At least I can have a few days of rest."

"OK, then get in the car. I'll treat you to a meal." Chen Chen opened the car door and made an invitation gesture. "Consider this as an advance reward for the heroine's hard work. Don't be polite with me when ordering."

"I wouldn't be polite to you anyway." Li Zhien's eyes sparkled, "Do you know how uncomfortable I've been eating on the set recently?!"

"It's impossible that the food provided in Arlene's cafeteria is uncomfortable, right?"

Chen Chen was a little surprised and a little dissatisfied.

"How long do you think I have been eating meals provided by Alin Canteen?" Lee Ji-eun asked.

"Uh, it's okay." Chen Chen fastened his seat belt, started the car and drove out with his foot on the accelerator. "Eat, eat as much as you want."

The filming of IU's recent film and television works is more or less related to C Headquarters, and almost all the studios related to C Headquarters will use the meals provided by Alin Canteen. So, IU has been eating there for at least half a year.

"Hey, are you going to the Blue Dragon Film Awards at the end of the month?"

After Chen Chen's car was driving steadily, Li Zhien asked a question.

"I won't go. Why would I go to the Blue Dragon Film Awards when there are no C-level works or C-level actors?" Chen Chen replied, "They did invite me to be the award presenter, but I refused."

"But don't you still have me?" Li Zhien said dissatisfiedly: "After all, I am the one who holds EDAM shares. I can barely be considered your employee."

"What can you do with just that little bit of shares?" Chen Chen brought the topic back to the Blue Dragon Awards. "But congratulations in advance. The Best New Actress award is 100% yours. Others are far less competitive than you."

"It's all thanks to you." Li Zhien couldn't help laughing, "It's really funny to say that you can win awards by just piling up effort."

"Why not? You can win an award if you have a lot of fans." Chen Chen joked, "Look at the popularity award. Isn't its purpose to comfort fans?"

"What kind of people need to comfort their fans? Naturally, those with a lot of fans."

"Look, the loop is closed." Chen Chen sneered, "Someone won the award because he had too many fans."

The Blue Dragon Popularity Award is a consolation for artists who have many fans but did not win an award. The fear is that the fans of these people will stir up trouble because their own artists did not win an award, and if the situation gets out of hand, it may affect the credibility of the award.

"So who do you think will win the Blue Dragon Award for Popularity this year?"

IU was a little curious. As she had secured the Best New Actress award and was sitting pretty, she didn't have the time to care about others.

"For the actress, let's count Lin Yuner first." Chen Chen found a man and a woman without even thinking about it. "For the male actor, let's reserve Song Zhongji in advance."

"One Blue Dragon Film Award nomination and one Blue Dragon Film Award nomination seem impressive, but anyone with a bit of common sense knows that they have absolutely no chance this time."

"He missed out on Best Actress and Best Actor, and he's a top traffic star. If he doesn't even get a Popularity Award, he'll be scolded for the Blue Dragon Award."

"It's annoying to be scolded for no reason, so I'll make all the necessary arrangements." Chen Chen glanced at Lee Ji-eun from the side, "If you don't win the Best New Actress Award, you'll have to get the Popularity Award."

"Forget it, forget it. I don't want that thing." Li Zhien waved her hands repeatedly, "Just give me another award."

"There aren't many awards in the Blue Dragon Awards, and even fewer when it comes to actresses." Chen Chen made a sly joke, "Why, are you eyeing a supporting actress? That doesn't suit your status as a big star!"

"How about I aim for the best actress?" Li Zhien rolled her eyes, "I would like to, but I'm afraid you can't do it!"

"You're right about that." Chen Chen had a blank expression on his face. "It's hard to be the best actor or actress. It requires the right time, right place, and right people. I really can't do it."

"I know, it's all a joke." Li Zhien quickly admitted her mistake and pecked Chen Chen on the cheek when she saw a safe opportunity. "One kiss and it'll be over."

...(End of chapter)