Peninsula: I'm the Top Streamer

Chapter 650 finally comes to an end; Zhimin is at my house.

Zhao Meiyan hurriedly ran down the corner of the stairs, her steps a little unsteady.

The semblance of calm she had managed to maintain on the rooftop stairwell turned into tears in Quan Xuanhe's arms, leaving her with nothing but exhaustion and lingering bitterness.

She raised her hand to wipe her eyes, smudged her delicate eye makeup in the process.

Zhao Meiyan lowered her head and hurried back to the other members.

When she appeared unsteadily at the dessert area on the terrace and found Song Yuqi, Minnie, and Tian Xiaojuan, the three of them were chatting and laughing while holding drinks.

As soon as Zhao Meiyan appeared, Minnie turned her head first, but when she saw that something was wrong with her, the smile on her face froze.

“Miyeon, you?” Minnie exclaimed in surprise.

Song Yuqi and Tian Xiaojuan looked over when they heard the sound, and then both of them froze.

Zhao Meiyan's eyes were red and swollen, and her carefully drawn eyeliner was slightly smudged at the corners of her eyes, sticking to her slightly damp eyelashes.

Although the tear stains on her face had been wiped away, faint marks remained, making her usually bright face appear pale at this moment.

She tried to force a smile that said "I'm fine," but her lips turned down stiffly, and her voice was hoarse.

"It's a bit windy here, and my eyes feel uncomfortable."

She almost immediately avoided the members' concerned and probing gazes, lowered her eyes to stare at the floor, and unconsciously twisted the hem of her skirt with her fingers.

The air suddenly became still. The background jazz and voices seemed to become indistinct noise.

Is this reason even convincing?

Although Song Yuqi seemed carefree, she was actually quite thoughtful. She frowned, took a step forward, gently pulled Zhao Meiyan's arm, and lowered her voice.

"Unnie? Are you alright?" She handed over a clean tissue.

Minnie's eyes were filled with worry: "Unnie, where did you go? What happened?"

Zhao Meiyan took the tissue, lowered her head and pressed hard on her stinging eyes, her throat feeling like it was blocked.

"...It's nothing, I'm just a little tired, the wind is too strong."

She repeated this clumsy excuse, her voice muffled, with an obvious nasal tone and a barely suppressed sense of grievance.

In reality, who would believe the excuse she made in that state?

She didn't dare look up at Song Yuqi, afraid that her sincere concern would cause the dam she had painstakingly built to break down again, and she would burst into tears once more.

Minnie, Song Yuqi, and Tian Xiaojuan quickly exchanged a complicated look.

Looking at her swollen eyes, disheveled makeup, and her obviously depressed yet forced composure, they all knew perfectly well that it was definitely because of relationship problems; otherwise, she would never have shown such emotions before.

But a party isn't the place for questioning. M Song Yuqi silently reached out and gently put her arm around Zhao Meiyan's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze, silently conveying the message "we're here."

Zhao Meiyan felt the warmth and support on her shoulder, and her tense body finally relaxed slightly, but her eyes were still misty with tears.

She took a deep breath, finally raised her head, and forced a weak, fragile smile at them: "Really... I'm fine. I'll be alright after a rest."

But the paleness and helplessness in her smile and words conveyed her grievances and hurt far more clearly than her tears.

Minnie rummaged through her bag and took out a powder compact for her to touch up her makeup.

"Hurry up and get yourself ready."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Meiyan took the small mirror and began to fix her makeup.

Zhao Meiyan's disheveled appearance was seen by Zhou Tzuyu, who had already come downstairs.

Her fingers tightened slightly as she held the champagne glass, the cool light reflecting in her pupils.

Seeing Zhao Meiyan's swollen eyes, smudged makeup, and forced vulnerability, Zhou Ziyu silently pursed her lips into a straight line.

Chou Tzu-yu was originally a very kind person, but she found that being too kind in this relationship was not a good thing, as anyone could take advantage of her.

She didn't look away; instead, she stared intently at her until her gaze seemed to be directed in her direction, at which point she looked away.

Unconsciously, her fingertips traced the cold glass. What welled up in Chou Tzu-yu's heart was not sympathy, but a complex mix of emotions.

At the same time, Sana Minatozaki also noticed something unusual.

She had just handed a dessert to Park Jihyo when she turned to the side and happened to see Jo Miyeon surrounded by the members in the corner of the dessert area.

Minnie's attempt to salvage the situation with the powder compact, Song Yuqi's tight embrace of Zhao Meiyan's shoulder, and the stiff lines of Zhao Meiyan's neck and shoulders when she looked down all made Minatozaki Sana frown instantly.

She remembered the request that Kwon Seonhyuk had privately asked her before, and now she had a premonition that it was coming true.

Without stopping, she turned to look at Chou Tzu-yu.

No wonder it felt strange that she had just disappeared and then came back.

Something must have happened again.
Sana Minato's eyes sharpened, and she immediately turned and walked towards Kwon Hyun-hyuk, her high heels clicking faster on the ground.

When faced with indecision, especially regarding relationship issues, it's Quan Xuanhe!
Sana Minato walked through the shadowy figures, her lively fox-like eyes precisely locking onto Kwon Heon-hyuk under the dazzling lights.

He was standing at the bar near the open kitchen, chatting with Ha Seok-gun and others, maintaining his usual calm smile, looking perfectly normal, as if nothing had happened.

She approached discreetly, timing it perfectly. When Ha Seok-geon saw her coming, he smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, then quickly made an excuse to leave with the others.

"you."

Sana Minatozaki's voice was very soft, and her face still had that signature quirky smile, but it gave the impression that she was speaking ventriloquism.

Quan Xuanhe looked at her, and the expression between his brows relaxed a little.

He just finished his discussion with Go Yoon-jung and has already come down.

"What's wrong? Didn't you have fun?"

"Play?"

Sana Minatozaki gave a soft hum, leaned forward slightly, lowered her voice, and stared intently at him.

"You saw what Miyeon looked like just now, right? And Tzuyu too, it's so strange, not normal at all." The inquiry and curiosity in his eyes were obvious.

Upon hearing this, Kwon Hyun-hyuk picked up his whiskey and took a sip, the ice cubes clinking.

He glanced at the dessert area not far away, where Zhao Meiyan was surrounded by Song Yuqi and Minnie. Although her face was turned to the side so her expression couldn't be seen, her stiff shoulders and tense posture said it all.

“Hmm,” he put down his glass, his voice calm, as if he were talking about something trivial.

"The rooftop was too quiet, so Tzuyu and I... just went up there for some fresh air and talked for a while. Miyeon happened to come up and saw us. There was a bit of a misunderstanding."

He spoke casually, deliberately obscuring the time and specific interactions, but the keywords "rooftop," "too quiet," "saw," and "misunderstanding" were enough for the astute Sana Minatozaki to piece together a fairly accurate picture in her mind.

Especially after she had just witnessed Zhao Meiyan's appearance.

Sana Minatozaki's beautiful fox-like eyes widened slightly, and she gasped, letting out a suppressed gasp.

"Mo?! You...again?"

Her expression was a mixture of disbelief, helplessness, and a vague sense of understanding, like the heartbroken person I knew would do something wrong.

"...Hey, please wake up! What kind of occasion is this?!"

You really dare to do that!

Sana Minatozaki thought he would restrain himself in the crowded party setting, but he still got into trouble.

Her voice, which she had kept low, was a little hurried because of her excitement.

"Are you crazy? Haven't you ever suffered because of something like this?"

"That's incredibly audacious!"

Sana Minatozaki's reaction was exactly what he expected; her genuine reproach actually eased his tense nerves a little.

Compared to Zhao Meiyan's tears, Minatozaki Sana seems to have it easier to cope.

Seeing that he did not refute, Minatozaki Sana closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her eyes were filled with deep helplessness, as if she had been caught in a huge whirlpool.

She let out a long, helpless sigh.

"Ugh... I have a terrible headache right now. You, are you just having too much of a peaceful night?"

She shook her head, looking at Quan Xuanhe with a complicated expression, "What do we do now? As for Meiyan..." She gestured towards the dessert area, implying that Zhao Meiyan's condition was unlikely to recover in the short term.

Quan Xuanhe followed her gaze and looked at the figure who, despite being surrounded by his companions, still appeared thin and lonely. In his eyes was a calm acceptance that, since it had already happened, all that could be done was deal with it.

He turned back to look at Sana Minatozaki, a slight, helpless smile playing on his lips: "Don't worry, Sana, I'll handle it. She needs her friends around right now."

Upon hearing this, Sana Minatozaki rolled her eyes at the ceiling, but ultimately did not complain anymore.

She rubbed her forehead and waved her hand, "Okay, okay!... I'll go check on Meiyan first."

She gave him a warning glare, her tone disdainful, but her worry and resigned attitude toward taking responsibility were clearly visible.

After saying that, she stopped looking at him and turned to walk quickly toward Zhao Meiyan.

Liu Zhimin, holding a half-full glass of champagne, leaned casually against a pillar on the terrace, her gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over Zhao Meiyan.

She could clearly see that Zhao Miyeon was being surrounded by the members of (G)I-DLE, touching up her makeup; her eyes were red and swollen, and her forced smile was stiff.

Chou Tzu-yu, who was standing not far away, also looked a bit strange; in any case, she didn't seem quite normal.

Not right.

There are a hundred thousand things that don't seem right.

Women have incredibly sharp intuitions, and their curiosity is stronger than a cat's when they sense something might happen.

Is something wrong?
Liu Zhimin imagined it in her mind and then came to a conclusion.

I hope something happens to her, that would be her chance!

Liu Zhimin narrowed her eyes, her intuition telling her to put down her wine glass, lift her skirt, and walk through the crowd.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk had just finished exchanging pleasantries with Netflix executives when he turned around and bumped into Yoo Jimin standing in front of him.

She tilted her head back, her carefully drawn almond-shaped eyes filled with deliberately exaggerated worry: "Oppa?"

"Why is Mi-yeon unnie crying? I saw it from afar, and her eyes are so red..." Kwon Hyun-hyuk looked up to meet her probing gaze and seemingly concerned, earnest eyes.

She's really putting on a pretty good act like a green tea bitch...

He smiled in his usual way, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "It's just that it's easy to feel sentimental at the end of a party."

Liu Zhimin twitched the corner of her mouth.

Ugh, what a ridiculous reason.

"Stop worrying about others. You're almost back, why bother with all this nonsense?"

If Liu Zhimin finds out, she might stir up trouble and do something uncontrollable.

Liu Zhimin was taken aback by his sudden change of topic, but she reacted quickly and immediately switched to a playful complaint.

"Oppa, why are you like this? Don't you even want to talk to me about this anymore?"

Seeing his perfunctory attitude towards her, Liu Zhimin pouted her red lips in dissatisfaction, took another half step closer, and lowered her voice even further, but with a hint of stubbornness.

"You won't tell? Then I'm sticking with oppa tonight."

"Are all men like this? They don't cherish what they have after they get it? They lose patience?"

"Is oppa really such a bad man?"

She looked up at him intently, her words coming one after another, relentlessly accusing him.

This relentless determination to achieve its goal is like a small nail.

"Don't make trouble."

"Noisy?"

"Did I make a scene?"

Liu Zhimin stared at him with wide, almond-shaped eyes, her face filled with disbelief. She was utterly astonished by what he said, her expression brimming with genuine shock and hurt.

She wanted to elbow Kwon Hyun-hyuk.

Man, huh.

He took a deep breath, softening his tone and adding a touch of deliberate helplessness: "Zhimin..."

He no longer used his full name, and the distance in his voice lessened somewhat.

"With so many people here, and the seniors watching, why did you have to choose this moment to say these things?"

"We can talk about it later."

He slightly raised his gaze and gestured towards Lee Byung-hun and the others who were still talking not far away.

"cut."

Liu Zhimin had gotten a temporarily satisfactory answer, but her eyes immediately lit up, and she asked him with a smile.

"Oppa, do you want me to stay tonight?"

"I think, since there's still winter, it would be best if there were a few more."

"Hey, are you crazy?!"

Liu Zhimin spoke through gritted teeth; although it seemed like he was joking, it was still infuriating to hear.

"cut."

This time, Liu Zhimin really ignored him, rolled her eyes at him, and turned back to her sisters.

He straightened his shirt collar, looked around, and realized that the party's energy was clearly waning.

The delicious food in the buffet area was almost finished, and the waiters were cleaning up. Most of the representatives in the business area were preparing to leave, exchanging business cards with each other.

In the Chungmuro ​​circle, Lee Byung-hun and his wife were talking, while Lee Jung-jae and Jung Woo-sung were patting Koo Kyo-hwan on the shoulder and saying something, their voices much lower.

He walked to the center of the terrace and stood near where he had given his speech earlier. Director Ahn Gil-ho saw him, smiled, and raised his glass in greeting.

Lee Do-hyun and Lim Ji-yeon are talking to a fashion magazine editor-in-chief, and they seem to be having a good conversation.

On the other side, the girls gathered in small circles, chatting and laughing in hushed tones.

Sana Minato came to Miyeon Cho's side and seemed to be talking to her. Miyeon Cho was sandwiched between several people. Her makeup, which had been touched up, looked much more refined. Although her eyes were still somewhat vacant, she had stopped crying. However, she was clearly not in a good mood and was quietly listening to her teammates.

Tzuyu stood at the edge of TWICE, holding a cup in her hand, listening to the members talking casually.

Kwon Heonhyuk subtly glanced at the girls without lingering. Somi was taking pictures with several young actors, smiling brightly at the camera.

Kim Yoo-jung seemed to have achieved her goal, and Han Ji-min also moved towards the door, chatting and laughing with acquaintances.

David, the party company manager, quietly approached him and gave a slight bow.

"Mr. Quan Xuanhe, the parking lot reports that some media have gathered around the perimeter. Should we increase security? Or should we wait until some of the guests have dispersed before arranging your departure route?"

"Don't disturb the guests." Quan Xuanhe waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the people still lingering in the room, and whispered his instructions.

"Prepare according to the reserved private passage. Also, make sure every guest receives a gift box when they leave."

"Understood." David nodded and quickly stepped back to make the arrangements.

About half an hour later, the guests began to leave. The bigwigs from Chungmuro ​​greeted each other and departed together.

BH and Netflix cars drove away one after the other, and the idols, reminded by their agents, began to leave in groups.

Quan Xuanhe stood at the door, shaking hands, hugging, and saying goodbye to each departing guest, his face beaming with impeccable gratitude.

"Thank you so much for your hard work tonight!" Koo Kyo-hwan patted him hard on the back.

"This place is really nice; we can consider having a gathering here next time," Lee Jung-jae joked.

"The party was really great, you can invite me again next time." Lim Nayeon waved energetically.

As Twice left, Tzuyu's gaze briefly met Kwon Heonhyuk's, her expression calm and undisturbed.

As Gidle left, Zhao Meiyan kept her head down. She only looked up briefly when she was almost past Quan Xuanhe, her eyes filled with complex emotions, before quickly lowering them again.

Aespa and his group came to say goodbye. Liu Zhimin walked at the back, bowed politely to Quan Xuanhe, and said "Kamsammida". She only blinked when their eyes met.

"Congratulations again to oppa on winning the Baeksang Arts Awards." Urged by her manager, Somi gave him a big hug and whispered in his ear, "Don't keep me waiting too long next time!" Then she ran away with a smile.

She's still a vibrant, sexy Western-style girl.

Han Hyo-joo left as one of the last VIP guests. She walked up to Kwon Heon-hyuk, carefully examined his slightly tired but still composed face, and a barely perceptible smile flashed in her eyes.

How did tonight go?

"It's alright, but it's finally over."

"Get some rest, you have filming tomorrow."

Han Hyo-joo was considerate and didn't ask him to stay with her again tonight. After saying that, she gracefully got into the car that was waiting for her.

After all the guests left, only the party company staff remained in the villa, quickly and efficiently cleaning up the scene.

The hustle and bustle receded like the tide, leaving only tranquility.

The empty villa was now only occupied by Kwon Seonhyuk and the busy party company staff.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk nodded to project manager David. "David, thank you for your hard work. I'll leave the rest to you."

"It's our duty, Mr. Kwon Hyun-hyuk. Your private passage has been arranged, and security will ensure your safe departure."

David bowed respectfully in response.

Quan Xuanhe pressed his temples, then dropped the formalities. He grabbed his coat and left.

The low growl of the engine broke the tranquility of the Itaewon villa district late at night.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk leaned back in the back seat, his profile hidden in the dim shadows of the car window, staring blankly at the dazzling lights rushing past outside.

My fingers tapped unconsciously on my knees, my brain like an overloaded server, replaying the events of tonight over and over again.

Zhao Meiyan…

Chou Tzu-yu…

Yoo Jimin…;
And there's Somi, Kim Yoo-jung, Go Yoon-jung...
The car silently slid into the underground parking lot of his apartment building; the driver had already gotten out and opened the back door.

"You should get some rest," the driver said in a low voice.

Quan Xuanhe nodded and stepped out of the car.

His leather shoes echoed clearly on the ground, carrying far through the empty parking lot. He walked towards his private elevator and pressed the button.

The elevator ascended smoothly.

"Ding."

The elevator doors opened smoothly, and the warm yellow motion-sensor lights illuminated.

Quan Xuanhe unlocked the door, then kicked off his leather shoes, stepping barefoot onto the cold floor, and slammed the heavy front door shut behind him.

He casually tossed his phone onto the low cabinet in the entryway, but little did he know what would happen next.

An unexpected figure, exuding the heat of a physical collision and a unique sweet scent, emerged from the shadows of the living room without warning and crashed into his cool embrace.

"Oppa!"

A gasp came along with a sweet fragrance, the voice a mixture of grievance, urgency, a hint of triumphant excitement, and intense emotions suppressed all night.

Caught off guard, Quan Xuanhe's tall body swayed slightly from the impact, and he instinctively spread his arms to steady the two of them.

Her soft, warm body pressed tightly against his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist like vines.

The person buried in the crook of his neck—this scent, he had only ever smelled on one girl before.

It’s Liu Zhimin.

(End of this chapter)