The number one playboy on the Peninsula!

Chapter 250 "Tarot" is a fucking bastard!
Gong Cheng was unaware of Jiang Huiyuan's grand ambitions; instead, he was dragged by the production team to do a post-interview...

Twenty minutes later... he returned to the recording hall, where many of the 16 teams still hadn't selected a center position, making the competition extremely fierce.

The "first-class pure" group in the corner, their slump had somewhat subsided, and they started to work hard, at least on the surface, they looked very serious.

The six members of Miyawaki Sakura's team sat together. Because of the choice of center, the girl with medium-length brown-red hair looked a little embarrassed and unnatural. She glanced at the teammate she had personally selected, and the one who wanted to compete with her for the center position was Kim Cho-yeon.

The remaining four members unanimously agreed that another member, Kim Minju, was a better fit for their song "Very Very Very." "I choose Minju," Kwon Eunbi said after looking at leader Miyawaki Sakura and Kim Choyeon.

Kim Minju smiled somewhat embarrassedly after hearing this, but said with a lack of confidence, "I feel like I'm not up to the task."

Gong Cheng, who was passing by, heard this and looked at her in surprise. There are people who refuse to be in the center position?
Miyawaki Sakura and Kim Cho-yeon were surprised, but they both breathed a sigh of relief.

Gong Cheng didn't pay any more attention and left directly, but when he sat back on the sofa and saw Jin Chuyan's happy face, he guessed that she had probably made it to the center position, otherwise Miyawaki Sakura's expression wouldn't have been so awkward...

Sakura was probably a little confused, at least she really wanted the center position, but the chosen member became the center.

……

An hour later, the trainees from the 16 teams returned to their respective practice rooms.

Several mentors went over their respective teaching schedules in the conference room, and then Gong Cheng had no choice but to go to the "give up on yourself" group.

The tall figure arrived at the door of the practice room and saw Han Xiaoyuan, the captain and center of the "Give Up" group, sitting on the floor with headphones on, looking inexplicably annoyed.

Looking at the members around her, they had long since shaken off the gloomy atmosphere from when she was choosing songs. Instead, they were sitting there playing around, looking very relaxed.

"Trainee Han Xiaoyuan." Gong Cheng knocked on the door beside him, his voice causing several teams of trainees inside to stop practicing and turn to look over, except for the "Give Up" group, who stopped playing... He waved to Han Xiaoyuan.

Yes, that's right. The "self-destructive" group he's going to teach next is the same group as the first-class pure group.

Because the song "Boombayah" has a long rap section, Gong Cheng, who debuted as a rapper, was pushed to do so by the production team and mentors.

At first, he wasn't too bothered, but now, seeing this team like this...

Han Xiaoyuan quickly took off her white headphones and stood up from the ground. Her savior had arrived? "Representative!"

She bowed and quickly ran to Gong Cheng in the corridor... Standing so close to this popular senior artist, Han Xiaoyuan felt a little nervous. "What's wrong, Representative?"

Gong Cheng glanced at her. If he remembered correctly, she should be a trainee at Cube Entertainment, and from the same company as Zhao Meiyan, who was with PABO. "Why aren't you practicing?"

"The performance date won't give you much time to practice."

"Can I speak, representative?" Han Xiaoyuan glanced at the cameras around her, her expression troubled. The current situation of the team was truly making her feel hopeless.

When Gong Cheng saw Han Xiaoyuan's expression, he also felt a little desperate... Especially when he glanced at the remaining trainees in the practice room, did you really give up on yourselves?

“I’ll take charge of the song ‘Boombayah’.”

He explained his purpose: the trainees for the song "Boombayah" were divided into two groups, Group 1 and Group 2. Group 1 was the opposing group to the "give up" group, and they were practicing very well there. The captain of Group 2 was Han Xiaoyuan, who was standing in front of him.

"Really?" Han Xiaoyuan's face lit up at first—there was hope? Then, remembering the team's current situation, she couldn't help but sigh helplessly, "Because I'm the captain and center, I'm in a position where I need to lead the entire team..."

"I'm trying really hard to lead the team forward, but the team members can't keep up, so I'm a bit frustrated..."

"What's bothering you?" asked the photographer who was filming nearby. The current shoot was essentially a post-interview.

Gong Cheng's gentle expression didn't stop him; he wanted to hear what the captain of the "self-abandonment" group had to say.

Han Xiaoyuan moved her lips, as if she had been thinking deeply for a long time, before finally speaking her true thoughts, "I seriously doubt whether some of the trainees in our team really want to be on stage..."

"Because they really don't like practicing..."

After speaking, she lowered her head, somewhat afraid to look at Gong Cheng's expression, because her words were tantamount to negating her team members. There were six people in the team, and in her opinion, only Jiang Huiyuan was serious. The remaining four Japanese trainees seemed to have given up completely...

But how can two people perform one song on stage?

Unexpectedly, Gong Cheng chuckled and nodded, "I think you're right, so there's no need to be shy and lower your head. You're the captain, you have the right to say these things, otherwise they'll be dragging you down."

Seeing that Han Xiaoyuan, the captain of the "Give Up" group, still had the determination to go on stage, he was quite satisfied. If no one in a team wanted to try, then just pull the camera away.

She glanced again at the practice room, where several Japanese trainees sat in place, seemingly lost in thought. Only the other trainee from the peninsula in her group, a pure and innocent girl, unusually stood up and softly called out, "Get up and practice~"

Although he's terrible at both singing and dancing, he's very serious about it.

"Yes." Han Xiaoyuan looked up, a sigh of relief in her heart.

In the video, Gong Cheng turned his gaze away from the practice room, his gentle face and light tone saying, "Go in and gather Group 1 and Group 2 for the song 'Boombayah.' I'll be waiting for you in the vocal room next door."

There are 16 teams, 8 songs, and 6 people per team. The competition for the song "Boombayah" is divided into two groups: Group 1 and Group 2. The "self-destructive" team leader Han Xiaoyuan is from Group 2.

"Let's hurry. If anyone doesn't want to practice, they don't have to come." Gong Cheng's handsome eyes still held a smile, but his tone was sharp. "As for your group, tell them that if they don't have the desire to perform on stage and the determination to compete, they should go back to their dorms and rest..."

"I will talk to the production team. This is not a privilege. There are plenty of people who want to debut. There are not enough screen time to begin with. If you withdraw from the competition or slack off, no one will care if you don't care."

His voice, neither loud nor soft, was clearly audible to the other trainees passing by in the corridor. Jang Won-young and Ahn Yoo-jin couldn't help but shrink back and steal glances at the national producer representative.

Gong Cheng ignored the trainees standing around and glanced at Han Xiaoyuan standing in front of him. "As for your group, in five minutes, a few members will come to the vocal practice room next door and a few will go on stage. As for those who are not here, you don't need to go on stage."

"Even if only you and Jiang Huiyuan in your group want to perform on stage, just keep practicing. I will try to get the production team the opportunity for you to perform on stage."

"do you understand?"

"Understood, Representative." Han Xiaoyuan nodded excitedly. She could tell that although the representative in front of her spoke bluntly and perhaps not very pleasantly, he was genuinely giving trainees like herself who wanted to compete a chance.

The main problem is that some trainees in the team are just too lazy and have no determination to compete. It would really be better for her and Jiang Huiyuan to go on stage together. But, with an incomplete team, can they even go on stage? But now Gong Cheng has reassured her.

The production crew members holding cameras nearby were also trembling with fear after hearing Gong Cheng's words...

……

After Gong Cheng's tall figure entered the adjacent vocal practice room, his partner, Zhao You, also went in shortly afterward. Several trainees from the "Give Up" group hurriedly came to stand behind their captain, Han Xiaoyuan, in the corridor. Clearly, they had heard Gong Cheng's words from inside the room.

Including another group that chose the song "Boombayah", there were a total of 12 trainees who quickly lined up and entered the vocal practice room next door.

Jiang Huiyuan and Han Xiaoyuan exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, the team members were all gathered together to practice, but I was also uneasy about the practice that was about to begin. I knew very well the level of their team, and it was hard to put into words, not to mention the song "Boombayah", which was both fast-paced and difficult.

"Everyone is here?"

Gong Cheng sat in the chair next to the electronic keyboard, raised his eyelids and glanced at the 12 trainees with their backs against the wall not far away, "I thought some of you didn't want to go on stage."

He didn't bother to say anything more about comforting or encouraging them to practice.

Sing or not... He only has one requirement: "You can hold yourself back, but don't hold others back!"

"Let's begin, Han Xiaoyuan, your group goes first..."

Gong Cheng spoke directly, picked up the sheet music for "Boombayah," and just then, there was a knock on the door of the practice room. Li Huanzhi, the director from the production team, pushed open the door and quickly came to his side.

Li Huanzhi was still working as a producer on another team when he heard what had happened in the corridor. He rushed over, worried that something might have happened to his junior colleague. He understood the reason for the incident, and he was also somewhat annoyed after hearing the account from the photographer who was covering the "giving up" team.

After whispering a few words to Gong Cheng, he stood up and looked at the trainees in front of him through the camera, announcing the production team's notice and new rules: "Now I can clearly tell you all that even if someone drops out of a team midway through, leaving them with insufficient members, we will still give the team the right to perform on stage..."

After discussing with other members of the production team, Li Huanzhi immediately relayed the notification to all the trainees.

Seriously, don't they know how much we paid for this junior trainee to come? And this suggestion makes perfect sense from the perspectives of the trainees, the production team, and the audience...

You can choose whether to practice or not, but you can't hold up the other trainees...

Li Huanzhi arrived quickly and left quickly, but less than a minute after he left, he returned and decided to personally supervise the production as usual.

Zhaoyou sat next to Gongcheng. This time, she was in charge of vocals, while Gongcheng was in charge of rap. She raised her chin and nodded to Jiang Huiyuan and the others, signaling them to begin.

The rhythmic electronic sounds of "Boombayah" filled the practice room, accompanied by the deep, resonant bass notes...

“BLACKPINK in your area…”

"Been a bad girl I know I am..."

"Hmm hmm hmm hmm..."

Zhaoyou smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear with her pen, her mouth agape in surprise. Why was someone humming incoherently? "What are you doing?" she asked, her face grim as she looked at the Japanese trainee standing on the far left of the "Give Up" group.

"..." Gong Cheng rubbed his temples as he listened to the weak and feeble rap music in his ear.

It was even worse than he had imagined; he seriously doubted that he had been too lenient with his words in the hallway earlier…

The singing was melancholic and dejected, like an old lady talking in her sleep.

Most importantly, the first few lines of the lyrics are clearly in English, not Korean. The singing...

The production team exchanged bewildered glances. Were the Japanese trainees in this group really that inconsistent in skill level? Other teams also had Japanese trainees, but regardless, they were all serious about their work, practiced diligently, and were generally quite capable…

“Boombayah!”

"You can stop now." Zhaoyou cleared her throat, picked up the sheet music and tidied it up, then asked with a puzzled look, "What problem do we need to help you with?"

“I don’t think this is a language problem.” Her words immediately shut down the trainees’ excuses.

Gong Cheng nodded in agreement. The other group of trainees sitting to his left also looked very serious and didn't dare to speak. Their eyes glanced at the two Japanese trainees standing at the very edge. No matter how bad they were, they couldn't be this bad, right?
"If you don't want to do it, then you just won't?" Zhaoyou stared at the trainees in front of her, feeling somewhat annoyed and speechless.

She wasn't there when Gong Cheng said those things in the corridor, but now she finally understood why this usually gentle and handsome junior had said those things so bluntly.

She felt that the younger colleague had been too tactful in his words.

Han Xiaoyuan, Jiang Huiyuan, and the other two Japanese trainees quickly shook their heads...

Looking at the expressions of the six people, Zhaoyou pointed directly at the two Japanese trainees standing on the far left and said mercilessly, "Are you two really that annoying when you sing? You don't nod when you don't sing? You don't answer or give any response?"

As she spoke, she pointed her pen towards the door in mid-air, "If you don't want to go to class, then leave..."

"..." The two Japanese trainees who were called out stood there without saying a word or leaving...

Gong Cheng took a deep breath, picked up the sheet music, and glanced at Jiang Huiyuan standing not far away. "First-class purity, would you like to try it out?"

"Yes...yes." Jiang Huiyuan stood next to Han Xiaoyuan, opened her mouth nervously, and nodded.

"Knock knock knock!" Gong Cheng's slender fingers tapped on the brown wooden table next to the electronic keyboard, helping her keep time and signaling her to start.

Indeed, people can't be compared. After listening to the performance of the two Japanese trainees next to him, he couldn't help but find Jiang Huiyuan more pleasing to the eye. At least her "first-class purity" attitude was flawless...

"Dong Dong Dong~"

“BLACKPINK in your area~~”

"I remember your voice wasn't this soft, was it?" Gong Cheng looked up and asked.

That sounds like hell...

"Come again."

“Um…” Jiang Huiyuan held the lyrics sheet, giving an awkward but polite smile. She looked at Gong Cheng, who was rubbing his forehead, and heard him demonstrate, “BLACKPINK! In Your Area… You don’t have to sing that loudly, but don’t sing it in a mushy way…”

"Yes." Kang Hye-won nodded, then opened her mouth, "BLACKPINK in your area~"

"Come again!"

"BLACKPINK in your area~"

"Come again!"

"..." Jiang Huiyuan sang it again without any change in expression. With a smiling face and wise eyes, she glanced at Gong Cheng's expression after each line, and then said, "Sorry..."

"You don't need to apologize to us, this is your own problem." Gong Cheng also looked at the six trainees in front of him with a headache.

Zhaoyou's expression grew increasingly astonished as she listened. This was truly a hard-working student, but with absolutely no talent...

The harder they tried, the worse it sounded. She turned her head and asked, "How about we get their group to change their lead rapper?"

“We can’t replace her, she’s the best.” Gong Cheng shook his head, glanced at Jiang Huiyuan, and explained to Zhaoyou, “No one in their team has chosen the main rap position, and with the four Japanese trainees, she’s the most suitable right now…”

Upon hearing this, Zhaoyou felt somewhat helpless, but she found Jiang Huiyuan more agreeable; at least he was quite hardworking, though he just couldn't seem to produce anything substantial...

“Hye-won, your position is very important to this song…” So-you pursed her lips and said seriously, then pointed to herself and Gong Cheng, “We are not judges, we are people who help you…”

"They are the ones who help you perform better on stage. You will be evaluated by the national producers on stage." She said, looking at the two Japanese trainees standing at the edge of the group. "Please speak up so we can give you some advice..."

"Let us try our best to help you grasp the key points."

Gong Cheng didn't speak. Zhao You encouraged the trainees in front of her, signaling them to cheer up and trying to lighten the mood. After five or six minutes, the seemingly depressed atmosphere of the "self-abandonment" group dissipated considerably.

……

After Group 1 and Group 2 finished their presentations, Soyou, who had just given Group 2 a thumbs-up, ran off to instruct Group 1 without hesitation, leaving the bewildered members of Group 2 and Gongcheng, who was sitting in his seat and had no time to react.

And Soyou thoughtfully took the group to a different practice room...

Gong Cheng glanced at the six members of the "Give Up" group in the practice room and said listlessly, "First Class Innocent, sing your part completely."

Upon hearing this, the staff immediately played the accompaniment to the song.

"Click clack badda bing badda booom~"

"If I break down the door, everyone will be staring at me!"

"..."

"This is the first time I've ever heard such a flat, monotonous rap." After the ear-piercing sound ended, Gong Cheng hesitated before giving his honest assessment, "Pure rap?"

This statement has a kind of bittersweet feeling to it...

Jiang Huiyuan smiled, slightly embarrassed. Although she knew it wasn't a compliment, compared to her other crybaby teammates, her smile carried a sense of hardship and resilience...

"Do you understand melody?" Gong Cheng asked, pondering where to begin teaching.

"I don't understand," Jiang Huiyuan replied honestly with a smile.

"Top-tier purity. If you don't debut in the entertainment industry, try acting with that face. Your face is more talented than your voice." Gong Cheng was utterly impressed, lying back in his chair with a bitter laugh...

Jiang Huiyuan grinned, beaming. "Teacher, you also think I'm number one in purity?" "..." Gong Cheng sat up straight. "Alright, with your mentality, you might actually be able to debut." Then, without further ado, he said, "The drum beats in 'Boombayah' must strictly adhere to the 'strong-weak-strong' pattern, understand?"

"Understood." The self-destructive group nodded seriously.

"For the main rap part, you need to hit fast, clear, and powerful sounds. First-class purity is fine. I don't have any other requirements for you. Just a little variation in pitch, okay? The simplest way is to emphasize each word."

"You..." After giving Jiang Huiyuan some pointers, Gong Cheng waved her to go to a corner and practice on her own.

Jiang Huiyuan nodded timidly, thinking about the techniques she had just been taught, and sat there quietly rapping, "My glass is full, hands up... The person you're hearing is me, Jennie..."

Gong Cheng frowned as he listened. How come this person has no talent at all?

Where should I allocate talent points?
"In the pre-chorus section before the chorus, the person responsible for singing Rose and Jisoo's parts should pay attention to the pitch climb and create a 'contrast' with the rap section. If you're short on breath, you can slow down the tempo appropriately..."

"Use your breath to propel your voice upward, building up power for the chorus..."

Gong Cheng tapped his pen on the table as he explained the techniques of the song "Boombayah" to the five trainees in front of him.

This song, one of BLACKPINK's debut tracks, was a huge hit in 16, so he had naturally heard it. "Boombayah" and BLACKPINK's overall style are wild and confident.

But these few in front of him looked listless, so he didn't expect anything more. After all, it was unrealistic and inappropriate to expect them to replicate BLACKPINK's overall performance; their styles didn't match.

But you guys have to be serious, right? Make something that's three or four parts similar, okay?
Otherwise, the program will be criticized if it airs!
“Lisa’s rap part is quite fast-paced and frequent.” Gong Cheng looked at the “Give Up” group’s practice in front of him, which showed no improvement, and the first-class pure girl knew nothing about rap. “Don’t rush to sing a whole part…”

He sighed helplessly and glanced at their team's main rapper, Jiang Huiyuan, and sub-rappers, Chiba Eri and Sato Minami.

"You can't even play the notes correctly, why are you practicing so fast?"

"If you have no talent or foundation, just read along word by word, then gradually speed up, pay attention to the emphasis, and avoid making your voice unclear, understand?"

Gong Cheng taught them the most basic and unadorned method of segmented practice. The three rappers sat cross-legged on the ground and recited the lyrics like elementary school students.

"BLACKPINK in your area~"

"..."

"Run, run, brother!"

"Today, I'll stake our youth on this!"

……

An hour later, Jiang Huiyuan pursed her lips, revealing half of her tongue between her white teeth, and smiled shyly.

Why does the teacher look even more miserable than I am?

Still feeling lost?
Gong Cheng took a sip of water, staring at Jiang Huiyuan, and couldn't help but recall her confident words to the photographer during the post-interview at noon, "Although I've never tried rap, and I really don't want to, I think besides my innocent image, I should also have some talent for rap..."

Are there really people who have nothing but their face?

Yoona was angry... well, she's just like that.

"Oh my god, I really... Jiang Huiyuan, I'll say it again, your rap is very important in this song, it needs to be aggressive, okay? Stop humming like an old lady..." Gong Cheng's voice was a little hoarse, he had never seen such an untalented person.

Jiang Huiyuan practiced for an hour and tried quite hard, but why did it sound worse the harder she tried?

So much so that he now finds Jiang Huiyuan's parts somewhat pleasant to listen to?

The only consolation is that the six trainees in front of us are starting to cheer up and gradually become more relaxed.

"..."

Night was falling...

Gong Cheng spent more than three hours in the practice room and had already developed a resistance to Jiang Huiyuan's rap.

Although the taste wasn't quite right, it was still an improvement.

Laughing...

"Okay, keep practicing like this, keep it up. You still have a chance to win this competition." Gong Cheng stood up from the floor, stretched, and gave his evaluation, "You three lead singers, your pitch was pretty accurate..."

"Asai Nanami, Asai Hirokazu, you sang well. Practice more. You're not that bad. You can win."

He looked at the six trainees in front of him, who were sweating profusely. There were three lead vocalists and three rappers. The lead vocalists were fine, they just needed to practice. As for the rappers, apart from Kang Hye-won, the other two were Japanese trainees, and their Korean was a bit broken.

After the words of praise were spoken, the two Japanese trainees standing next to Han Xiaoyuan burst into tears, covering their faces and sobbing on the spot, "Thank you, teacher..."

"Why are you crying again?" Gong Cheng asked helplessly. This pair of crybabies were always wiping away tears...

Asai Nanami lowered her hand from her face, her eyes red-rimmed. "Because you've gained recognition, you might think it's difficult for you to do well."

"Ani, my approval isn't important to you. What's important is that you approve of yourselves." Gong Cheng took a tissue from a member of the production team and handed it over, looking earnestly at the six trainees who weren't considered promising.
"The song 'Boombayah' can be summed up in two words: confidence! Stand confidently on stage, and you might just win. But if you don't go up there, you won't win."

Honestly, aside from Kang Hye-won's nightmare rap, the others' singing was alright...

Furthermore, Gong Cheng was well aware that debuting wasn't just about talent; stage presence, looks, and various other factors were also important. The audience wasn't a mentor, and they didn't vote solely based on talent; Park Jin-young was the best example of that…

She's such a good singer and dancer? She still got rejected by Lee Soo-man, didn't she? Her physical attributes weren't up to par, there's nothing she could do...

So much so that Park Jin-young still "can't forget" Lee Soo-man...

Gong Cheng then pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of the group, as well as the areas they needed to practice. Finally, his gaze fell on Jiang Huiyuan, who was sitting on the ground with bare legs, a slight smile playing on his lips, as if he longed for recognition...

"As for you, you are exceptionally pure."

"You really can't do the tongue click?" he asked Jiang Huiyuan. Everyone laughs at you, but you're the funniest... Her part had a highlight of a tongue click, but the innocent-looking girl just couldn't do it...

Jiang Huiyuan honestly shook his head.

“Then let’s leave it blank. You don’t have to sing the trill, just skip a beat.” Gong Cheng made the decision immediately. “Not bad, cheers, Jiang Huiyuan.”

He was out of ideas for pure rap. He could see that Yideng Qingchun was working very hard and putting in a lot of effort, but some things just couldn't be helped. No one in this group was really suited to rap. Jiang Huiyuan took on this task to take care of the other members of the team, and she was probably going through a lot of internal struggles...

Feeling lost...

"Really...really?" Jiang Huiyuan looked up at Gong Cheng, her voice trembling slightly.

This was the first time the teacher had called her by her name; in the past, she had always been described as "pure and innocent."

"Otherwise what? Do you expect me to criticize you?" Gong Cheng laughed out loud as he looked at her little face with tears streaming down her cheeks... Ha Jiyuan, why is he all smiles when I criticize you, but cries as soon as I praise you?
"Ani, don't cry. You did a really good job. I can see that."

Compared to Group 1's practice, he believes that Group 2's pure rap might be the most memorable part of the performance. Besides, they are gradually improving in practice, so who knows what will happen on the day of the performance?

"Thank you... teacher..." Jiang Huiyuan pursed her lips and sniffled, tears streaming down her face. She raised her head and tilted her neck back, trying not to let the tears fall, but it was no use.

Gong Cheng glanced at the time; the recording for today was almost over. He took the jacket and baseball cap from Jin Dayu and said, "In short, when you go on stage, you must face the audience with a happy expression and show your confidence. You can't keep crying and shed tears."

He put on the baseball cap and gave a light chuckle as a reminder.

"Teacher, will you still come to record tomorrow?" Jiang Huiyuan's tears fell quickly and dried just as fast.

This teacher's class is truly amazing. Although she herself felt her rendition of "Boombayah" was still quite amateurish, the members were all improving, and the oppressive and despairing atmosphere from lunchtime was nowhere to be seen...

I seem to be less lost now, and I see hope of winning...

Gong Cheng rubbed his slightly sore neck, glanced at her in surprise, and then saw the expectant looks on the faces of several trainees. "Of course I'm coming. I signed a contract. What are you thinking?"

The production crew members sitting in front of the camera couldn't help but laugh.

"Will you come to our performance?" Jiang Huiyuan asked hesitantly, her eyes darting around. They all knew that this teacher, whom even many big-name artists had difficulty getting close to, was going to attend the Grammy Awards ceremony on the 26th.

Their performance is at the end of the month, I don't know if I'll be able to make it...

Gong Cheng stood there, arms crossed, pondering the itinerary, then smiled and asked, "Will you win if I come?"

"I think... I think so..." Jiang Huiyuan said blankly.

Han Xiaoyuan tugged at Jiang Huiyuan's arm speechlessly. Where did she get her confidence?
The camera panned to Gong Cheng's smiling face under the lights, as if he were genuinely deep in thought. "I'll be recording every day before I go to America, but your performance is hard to say, it depends on the schedule..."

“Otherwise, if you lose, I’ll have to watch the six of you cry again…” He shrugged and turned to greet Li Huanzhi, “Senior, I’m going back to Seoul first. I have some things to take care of tonight, so I won’t be going to the hotel you arranged.”

"Okay, drive carefully." Li Huanzhi said with concern, then remembered the recording this afternoon and reminded him again, "Tomorrow, in addition to 'Boombayah,' don't forget to teach the two groups of 'Very Very Very.'"

“Well, there was an unexpected incident today, hehe…” Gong Cheng nodded, turned around and glanced at the six trainees sitting on the ground. According to the course, he was not only responsible for the song “Boombayah”, but also the song “Very Very Very”.

The other two groups were Miyawaki Sakura and Kwon Eunbi's group versus Ahn Yujin and Jang Won-young's group.

The two sides are roughly equal in strength, so teaching them shouldn't be as difficult as teaching these few in front of us...

……

At 10 p.m., Gong Cheng picked up Son Chae-young, who was traveling alone. LUS is a radio program that focuses on local hip-hop content in the peninsula and has a high viewership in the hip-hop circle.

Son Chaeyoung's diverse personality and unique style, coupled with the VVS collaboration song from 16, led to her securing a collaboration with YT Jewelry, a project previously filmed by Gong Sung, after TWICE opened up their personal information this year. The advertisement she filmed was released earlier this month.

With sales booming in the Peninsula area, LUS radio offered them a contract, which the company accepted.

"Oppa~ I miss you so much~"

Although the little tiger was also short, it was much more agile than the women of Daegu. It leaped into the car and pressed itself against Gong Cheng, who was sitting in the driver's seat.

Gong Cheng ruffled her hair, which she had secretly cut short two years ago without telling the company, and which had now grown to her waist. Her recent comeback look featured long, brownish-yellow hair with a hint of dark gold. Her usual energetic makeup had been replaced with a more Japanese-inspired, light and airy style for tonight's radio recording, with sparkling little stickers—five-pointed stars—flitting around her cheeks near her eyes…

"Fasten your seatbelt and head back to the dorm? I've got a gift for you."

Son Chaeyoung's slightly world-weary face broke into a smile, revealing her little tiger teeth. Her sweet, childlike voice sounded like she was pleading, "I'm not going back to the dorm, oppa. Let's go to Cheongdam-dong... I also prepared a gift for you."

"Huh? A gift?" Gong Cheng immediately realized, "Ani, you're not talking about a gift that you're going to give me as a belated birthday present last month, are you? There's no need for that..."

He stepped on the gas and drove the car toward Cheongdam-dong. The topic of gifts was quickly changed, since they were practically an old married couple.
Thinking about it carefully, the girl next to me, nicknamed "Little Tiger," is the one I've dated the longest... not counting Zhao Meiyan, our relationship was on and off...

"Oh my god, I ran into a few trainees today. Seriously, they have absolutely no talent for rap. I was so bored teaching them..." Gong Cheng chatted familiarly with Son Chaeyoung about their respective work, sharing their moments when they weren't together.

……

"Are you sure this is the place?" Gong Cheng asked, somewhat puzzled, as they arrived at the dormitory complex near Cheongdam-dong in Gangnam District, where the two had once lived.

I haven't been back here for a long time since the company moved from its new building to Jiangdong District.

Son Chaeyoung urged her boyfriend to get out of the car, "Hey, this is it, hurry up and get out, oppa~" The little tiger unbuckled his seatbelt in the passenger seat of the Aston Martin, tucked his legs up from the seat, put on his white canvas shoes, and, too lazy to lift his heels, pulled Gong Cheng's arm to get out of the car.

Gong Cheng stared silently at the bouncy little tiger. In fact, the little tiger was usually a bit listless, and her personality and temperament were just like her outfits—she didn't care much about other people's opinions.

She can be very lively when she's energetic, and very listless when she's feeling down...

He is also known by many fans as a "migrant worker idol".

He had a vague idea of ​​what the little tiger was doing here, and what the so-called gift was.
The two stepped into the apartment building and entered the elevator. As Gong Cheng watched Sun Caiying's slender, white hand press the button she had pressed before, his pupils contracted, and he gripped Sun Caiying's hand even tighter.

"Oppa, you're so smart, have you already guessed it?" In the elevator, Son Chaeyoung's small hand, resting on her square shoulders, felt Gong Cheng's involuntary pressure. She raised her pretty face and asked with a grin. The brim of her black baseball cap covered her forehead, and her bright eyes and the sparkling stickers near her eyelids shone brightly in the dark shadows around them.

The elevator doors opened... and the motion-activated lights in the hallway turned on.

Unlike the dormitories of today, Son Chaeyoung took off her baseball cap, her brown hair falling near her cheek. She rummaged through her bag for her key, inserted it into the lock, and opened the door in one smooth motion.

As soon as she entered, she expertly reached out her right hand and snapped the light switch on the wall. Then she turned around, wearing a greyish-white schoolgirl-style top, a grey pleated skirt, and white canvas shoes, her smooth, slender legs clad in white sneakers. She opened her arms wide, grinning, and called out.

"Oppa, here's my birthday present!"

Seeing Gong Cheng staring at her without saying a word, Son Chaeyoung took two steps forward, tilted her head, and hugged him tightly to his chest. In her soft, sweet voice, she said, "This is where oppa and I have been together since the beginning. I didn't want anyone else to move in. I couldn't bear to leave this place, so I bought it..."

The voice grew softer and softer; the cheerful, coquettish tone disappeared, replaced by a choked sob…

"Oh my, I didn't even cry, why are you crying?" Gong Cheng patted Sun Caiying's thin back and asked softly.

Son Chaeyoung looked up, her eyes misty with tears, and gazed into his eyes. "Oppa won't cry, anyway, I've never seen him cry."

"I'm not a robot..."

"Are you moved?"

"Touched..." Gong Cheng swallowed hard and said truthfully.

Son Chaeyoung snorted, took his hand, and led him into the bedroom, saying in a coquettish tone, "Then cry for me, oppa~"

"I don't want to." Gong Cheng was pulled into the bedroom by the little tiger. This dormitory apartment wasn't very big to begin with. He glanced around and saw that almost all the furniture was the same, but the living room had been furnished with many items that Sun Caiying liked...

Turning on the bedroom light, the warm yellow light spreads like melting beeswax, and what comes into view is the huge oil painting above the bed...

The background color of the oil painting blends seamlessly with the bedroom lighting, creating a natural and harmonious effect.

The golden ginkgo leaves, eternally drifting in the air, carry the halo of late autumn. Gong Cheng sits lazily in a recliner, a smile on his face... In another corner of the painting, a little tiger sits crookedly on a small stool, leaning to the left, a smile on its little head...

"So you wanted to take this painting back then?" Gong Cheng suddenly remembered the painting. When the painter first delivered it, the little tiger made up an excuse to take it away, saying that he liked it very much and wanted to collect it.

Son Chaeyoung nodded, "Yeah, oppa~ We were already preparing to move dorms back then, and I wanted to buy this place. I told you~ this kind of painting should be placed in the most conspicuous place!"

She said with some pride that at first she just rented the place, but after the profit sharing for the year came out two months ago, she asked someone to talk to the landlord about buying it. But it took a long time and the formalities were not signed until the end of last month.

But since she wouldn't be able to make it to her husband's birthday celebration, she decided to save the surprise for today. Because there's only 1 hour and 05 minutes left until her own birthday!
Double the surprise!
While feeling touched by her own romantic gesture, Son Chaeyoung looked up at her boyfriend, who was staring blankly at the painting, and said, "Oppa, pick me up~"

Gong Cheng skillfully picked up the little tiger's soft body and scooped them up in one go. The two faced each other, their faces close together. Sun Caiying sat on Gong Cheng's arms without any worry about falling. She reached out her little hands to cup her boyfriend's handsome cheeks and planted a big kiss on his shining eyebrows and eyes...

It was salty, but also a little sweet. She grinned, completely satisfied. "Oppa, I tasted your gratitude!"

Gong Cheng smiled, blinked, and Sun Caiying's rosy lips pressed against his again—he valued every relationship he had…

For a moment, I thought of all the terrible things "Tarot" had done, and then I looked at the little tiger in front of me.

Seriously, Tarot is a fucking bastard!
But what does this have to do with me, Gong Cheng?

"Saranghae ah, oppa~"

"Saranghae..."

(End of this chapter)