Peninsula: It’s just a dream, are you serious?

Chapter 374 Peach: I'll loosen the soil, oppa will drive the piles (3000-word chapter, please vote!)
"Mo?!"

Just as she reached her bedside, Krystal Jung suddenly turned her head, her wide, beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

What did Shirley just say? She said that jerk missed me?
After a few seconds of stunned silence, she finally reacted and gave Peach a disgruntled look.

"Stop lying, what does Chen Yan want with me?"

That bastard would rather target Yoona unnie than himself, so why would he even consider me?

snort!
However, Peach shook her head with a serious expression: "I'm not lying to you, why would I lie to you about this?"

My oppa did ask Krystal a couple of questions when we were eating at the company cafeteria.

Although he didn't directly say he missed Krystal, asking a couple of questions is a clear indication that he did.

Peach felt that her reading comprehension was flawless.

Seeing this, Krystal Jung was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses and slowly sat down on her bed.

She glanced at Peach again, her eyes darting around, and stammered, "Did he really say that?"

The girl's ears, which were previously hidden by her long hair, were beginning to turn slightly red, and a faint blush was also rising on her cheeks.

That bastard Chen Yan really said he misses her.

Peach continued, "Yeah, when I was eating with oppa, he asked me several times where I had been."

Upon hearing this, Krystal Jung's parallel lips curved upwards slightly, forming two arcs.

The next second, realizing that he might have been too obvious, he quickly suppressed the corners of his mouth.

As she kicked off her slippers and got into bed, she said calmly, "I had a schedule, didn't you tell him?"

Although her expression was concealed, her voice, which was noticeably softer and sweeter than before, resurfaced, revealing her current pleasant mood.

"I told you, and I even said I'd ask oppa to call you, but oppa said there would be plenty of opportunities to meet in the future, so he wouldn't call and bother you while you're working."

This wasn't made up; the two of them did say that during their meal, though they said it in a joking tone.

Krystal Jung wasn't stupid either. She pouted and glanced at Peach sideways, saying, "You guys were just joking, weren't you?"

Peach didn't deny it, chuckled, and then said, "Soojung, next time you have a chance, come with me to have dinner with oppa."

"That depends on whether I have time."

The girl had already forgotten her previous decision to keep her distance from Chen Yan and let go of her feelings.

"Of course I'm free. Did you forget? Oppa is coming to record the title track for our new album next month. Then we'll have time to have dinner together."

Krystal Jung was slightly taken aback.

Oh yeah, that guy wrote the title track for the new album, and he'll be coming to record it later.

"Let's talk about it later. We don't know if there will be any unexpected events."

"Okay, we'll talk about it later."

Having received this answer, which seemed uncertain but was actually a tacit agreement, Peach smiled and ended the topic.

However, at this moment, Krystal suddenly thought of something, glanced at Peach, and said:

"Sherry, have you heard the rumors circulating among the company's artists that Chen Yan is very strict when recording songs?"

Upon hearing this, Peach's smiling face instantly turned cold, and she frowned slightly.

"I heard about it. The news probably came from EXO, maybe it was Byun Baekhyun who said it."

The girl was still a little angry about this, because the rumor was that Chen Yan was a very strict person when it came to recording, and would ask people to redo it if he was not satisfied with even the slightest thing.

But my oppa is clearly a very gentle person. He's so strict with Byun Baekhyun because he deserves it.

She, Taeyeon unnie, Yoona unnie, and Chen Yan also talked about this matter, thinking about whether they should come up with a solution.

But Chen Yan laughed and said there was no need to resolve it, because the rumor was, strictly speaking, true, and contained no slander or defamation, so it wouldn't affect him.

So what if he's strict? He can use this rumor to his advantage and be even stricter next time he has the chance to record a song for Byun Baekhyun.

Krystal Jung seemed thoughtful: "He treated Byun Baekhyun that way because of Taeyeon unnie, right?"

Hearing this, Peach's smile returned: "That's right, otherwise why would oppa be so strict? You know oppa's personality."

Krystal nodded slowly. Of course, she understood Chen Yan's personality, but it was precisely because she understood him that she felt a little uneasy after learning about this.
"Soojung, are you a little envious?"

When Peach voiced her secret thoughts, the girl's face immediately showed a brief moment of panic, and she quickly denied it:
"What do I have to envy? It's perfectly normal for him to stand up for Taeyeon unnie."

Seeing this, Peach smiled and didn't expose her, but instead said:

"It's normal, but it's not just Taeyeon unnie. Oppa will always stand up for anyone he cares about when they're in trouble."

As she spoke, Peach suddenly paused, her bright eyes staring intently at Krystal Jung across from her.

“If it were Krystal you in trouble, oppa would definitely stand up for you.”

When her eyes met those bright yet enigmatic gazes, Krystal Jung paused, momentarily stunned.

If I'm in trouble, Chen Yan will stand up for me.

Her thoughts followed Taozi's words unconsciously, but after a few seconds, she suddenly came to her senses and shook her head.

Looking at the girl still laughing on the bed next to him, he said irritably, "Don't drag me into everything. I have nothing to do with that guy."

"How can it be unrelated? Aren't you and oppa good friends?"

Krystal Jung paused, then, as if she couldn't win the argument, she flipped the table.

"Oh, so the relationship we're talking about is the same thing. Anyway, I'm going to sleep now. I have to go to the company for rehearsal tomorrow morning."

After saying that, he lay down on his side, leaving Peach with only his back to her.

Anyway, she and Chen Yan didn't have that kind of relationship.

Hmph! He'd go after Yoona later, but he wouldn't even think of going after me. What a scumbag!

Behind her, Peach looked at that figure and smiled silently.

I don't believe you can just fall asleep without thinking about anything. And if that's the case, her goal will be achieved.

Krystal is different from Ji-eun. Ji-eun is a backup option and also her best friend, so she can think of some small schemes to help her out.

However, Krystal is not an alternative. She has already fallen for him and is deeply in love. Now, all that's left to do is wait and see when she can figure things out and make a final choice.

So, Peach's plan for Krystal Jung is to tease her with words from time to time.

Just loosen the soil a bit for her, and then wait for your oppa to come and drive in a stake at the right time.

And those are the only two people she can directly influence.

As for the other three candidates, Sunny unnie, Jessica unnie, and Suzy, that depends on oppa's own choices.

She might offer a helping hand when the opportunity arises, but she doesn't usually interfere much.

Watching Krystal Jung's retreating figure, Peach gave a sly smile, said goodnight without receiving a response, and then lay down, turning off the room light.

Meanwhile, on the other side, not far from f(x)'s dormitory, in Girls' Generation's dormitory.

The bathroom door opened, and Lee Soon-kyu, a hidden figure on Peach's shortlist, walked out, bumping right into Kim Tae-yeon and Im Yoon-ah, who had just returned from Jessica Jung's house.

Seeing the two people who had returned at the same time, Lee Soon-kyu smiled and said, "You're back from the photoshoot."

Kim Tae-yeon and Im Yoon-a exchanged a glance, then whispered, "No, we just came back from Jessica's house."

Lee Soon-kyu was taken aback: "Jessica's house?"

"Ah."

Kim Tae-yeon nodded, then pointed towards the living room where laughter could be heard from time to time, and then pointed to her and Lee Soon-kyu's room.

Lee Soon-kyu understood, nodded, and the three of them turned and went into the room.

After closing the door, Lee Soon-kyu watched the two people who sat down opposite her, then kicked off her slippers and sat cross-legged on the bed.

"Weren't you guys going to shoot a pictorial? Why are you going to Jessica's house again?"

Yoona chimed in, "Jessica unnie called me and Taeyeon unnie over. She found out about our relationship with Chen Yan, so she asked us to come over and find out what happened."

"Did Sika find out about your relationship with Xiaoyan?"

Lee Soon-kyu was slightly taken aback, then realized what she meant and leaned forward slightly: "So what was her reaction after you told her?"

"Yes, she was very angry and threw a tantrum."

"Get angry?"

Lee Soon-kyu frowned in confusion upon hearing this.

Why would she get angry? This reaction seems a bit off.

Based on her observation that Zheng Xika likes Xiaoyan, Xika should have been stunned for a moment after receiving the result, then couldn't suppress the smile on her face, and was overjoyed that she also had a chance.

Oh, no.

Jessica's ecstatic reaction was based on the fact that she first learned about Xiaoyan, Taeyeon, Yoona, and Sulli, then discovered that she herself had fallen in love with Xiaoyan, and finally decided to accept everything.

If any of these three processes are incorrect, the resulting reaction will not be one of ecstasy.

If Jessica doesn't know about Taeyeon, Yoona, and Sulli, and simply likes Xiaoyan, thinking that if Xiaoyan and Taeyeon break up someday, and she still likes Xiaoyan, then she'll have a chance.

Following this logic, it's normal for Sika to be angry.

But Jessica had been suspicious of Sulli's affair from the beginning, and even if she didn't know about Yoona's later affairs, Xiao Yan couldn't escape being a scumbag.

Under these circumstances, Sika still fell in love with Xiaoyan. If she wasn't aiming to join the family, then what was this girl planning to do?

Lee Soon-kyu frowned in thought, suddenly feeling that she couldn't quite understand Jessica Jung's thought process.

Across from her, Kim Tae-yeon and Im Yoon-ah looked at her with a puzzled expression, noticing her furrowed brows and deep in thought.

"Unnie, what are you thinking about?"

"Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking about Jessica."

Lee Soon-kyu snapped out of her daze, temporarily putting aside Jessica Jung's thought process: "And then, Jessica got angry, and you guys got kicked out?"

Kim Tae-yeon waved her hand: "No, not really. Yoona and I explained it to her seriously afterward, and by the time we left, she had almost calmed down."

Yoona nodded in agreement.

"Oh, that's how it is."

Lee Soon-kyu nodded thoughtfully: "Okay, I understand."

The three of them sat in the room and chatted for a while, then Kim Tae-yeon and Im Yoon-ah got up to wash up.

Lee Soon-kyu remained sitting cross-legged on the bed, frowning as she tried to understand Jessica Jung's thought process.

After a while, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she snapped her fingers.

Perhaps Jessica Jung didn't even realize she had fallen for Xiao Yan, which is why she was so angry that night when she confirmed Taeyeon and Yoona's relationship.

I'm angry because of my instinctive disgust for scumbags.

After thinking it over, this is the only reasonable approach.

Jessica Jung: Is my thought process really that hard to understand? It's perfectly smooth.

Having determined his approach, Lee Soon-kyu thought about it again in that direction.

Now that Jessica knows about Xiaoyan, Taeyeon, and the other two, the remaining question is when she will realize that she also likes Xiaoyan.

Lee Soon-kyu touched his chin.

Should I let Sika Nani find out about this sooner?

After all, the longer something is delayed, the more unforeseen changes will occur, and who knows what troubles might arise.

In that case, it's better to do it yourself; at least you can keep the risks within a manageable range.

(End of this chapter)