Peninsula Platinum Era

Chapter 16 Little Round Sister Who Often Treats People to Meals
"Oppa, you're so outstanding, so what if I'm not that outstanding? I'm actually not as smart as you think, and I wouldn't be able to get into any prestigious university anyway."

Yuan Ying has been feeling conflicted lately, torn between Chen Shijun's request for her to continue her studies like her older sister.

While some idols do have high levels of education, top-tier members, especially those who achieved fame at a young age, rarely have that much time and energy.

While it's possible to enter university through special admissions like Krystal Jung, given the decreasing tolerance of fans for celebrities these days, getting a degree without proper qualifications seems like a bad deal.

"I am me and you are you. What do we have to do with each other? Besides, even if I don't get into a prestigious university, I can at least go to college."

Even if she couldn't graduate, it would be fine, so she could remain a female college student until she was expelled, that's what Chen Shijun thought anyway.

This girl had suffered tremendous slander since childhood, but her inner resilience surprised him greatly.

With such an excellent mindset, what can't she succeed at? Besides, her grades have always been good. South Korea has an absurdly high undergraduate admission rate; even SKY universities have a 2% acceptance rate.

"How can it be nothing? I'm your sister. How can you say such a thing?"

Xiao Yuan looked hurt and repeatedly said that she would not drop out of school, which finally satisfied Chen Shijun. However, things might be much harder for her from now on.

“My sister can’t be a scapegoat who missed out on ten years of compulsory education. It would be so embarrassing if word got out. What I mean is, she should be better off than Zhenying.”

Chen Shijun seemed to enjoy seeing her get angry, while Xiaoyuan insisted on proving that she was the only younger sister Shijun loved most. In no time, the little girl was red-faced and furious.

"How can you be so obsessed with academic qualifications! I..."

Chen Shijun simply put his phone aside and started typing on his computer, analyzing which of his former employer's subordinates would be suitable for him to bring over.

Some highly skilled and promising individuals should be eliminated first. Firstly, bringing them in would be a waste of their talents, and secondly, they might not be a good fit for an entertainment company.

Some players had room for improvement in Dunamu, while others were not suitable for the support role, and ultimately only two players were selected.

"Oppa! Oppa, aren't you listening?"

Yuan Ying's complaints finally prompted Chen Shijun to pick up his phone. The girl was describing the changes that had occurred in the dormitory, saying that the older girls seemed to be much more attentive to her than before.

"When the group was first formed, they kept making me treat them! You know, there were eleven people, twelve including me! It cost a lot of money to eat out."

In the early days of her debut, the older sisters often urged the center to treat her to meals, which cost her quite a bit. Although her family was well-off, she always struggled to make ends meet.

Once, when she went home for a holiday, this girl went to her maternal grandmother's house to play. Her grandmother was very happy to see her granddaughter in the center position and gave Xiaoyuan some pocket money as a reward.

After returning to the group, she was again urged to treat everyone to a meal during a live broadcast. Her expression changed noticeably. Although the members probably didn't mean any harm, there's a big difference between treating someone voluntarily and being forced to do so.

Later, Chen Shijun would give her some pocket money, but he wouldn't give her too much because he was worried that she would spend it recklessly. He said that she should have more money to spend when she was out, but the girl didn't use it much.

Overall, she doesn't have high material desires, and the clothes she wears in private are from relatively affordable brands. At this age, she has resisted the erosion of fame and fortune quite well.

"You've treated them to meals so many times, but you've never treated me to a meal. How dare you treat your number one fan like this?"

Chen Shijun's mouse landed on a document. Presumably, his former employer wasn't the type to put up too many obstacles, which is why he had the mind to tease his younger sister.

"If it's oppa, I can treat him, even to a big meal." The girl acted very generously, quite different from how she treated her fans during her previous live streams. During one of her live streams earlier this year, fans flooded the chat with requests for her to treat them to fried chicken.

Yuan Ying also showed more maturity, and it was clear that his skill level was gradually rising. Children from families that run businesses tend to be more tactful in their interactions with others.

"Oppas are going too far! I'm still a kid!"

During the live stream, he subtly hinted at his limited financial resources, but quickly changed the subject, saying that if he won first place next time, he would use his personal allowance to treat everyone to a meal, and he even simulated distributing fried chicken on the spot, which amused everyone.

It can be seen that as an idol, she is gradually gaining control over her fans. These interactions may seem easy, but they are actually a precise grasp of the boundaries of the idol's power over her fans.

She knows how to avoid appearing cold by not letting requests go unanswered, while also not compromising her professional image. It has to be said that this girl is truly a natural at whatever she does; she's a natural at being in the spotlight.

"Forget it, I knew you'd act like this if you used my money to buy me food."

For some reason, Chen Shijun liked to tease his younger sister. Sometimes, this girl was like a ruffled rabbit, displaying the willfulness and energy of a little girl.

"Nonsense, we settled our accounts a long time ago. I'm very rich now, I can afford to support you even if you eat until you have a figure like Bang Si-hyuk!"

"That brat's mouth is really something," Chen Shijun thought helplessly, closing his eyes. He had just praised her, and she had started talking so recklessly.

How could I possibly become that kind of animal? It's an insult! When I meet him, I'll definitely give him a piece of my mind, otherwise my mouth will surely ruin his reputation.

"I didn't expect to settle such a large sum of money in the first year. I was shocked. I need to save the money because I'm afraid things will be tough from now on."

Yuan Ying's words suddenly turned into a sigh. Recently, the chief director of their talent show series "PRODUCE 101" was arrested by the police.

This guy was exposed for manipulating voting results and pre-determining debut lists for a long time, causing some trainees to be eliminated or selected due to cheating, which seriously undermined the fairness of the talent show. He was also found to have accepted bribes from management companies to manipulate screen time and debut opportunities.

The impact of this incident on the talent show ecosystem is devastating. It's important to remember that the rankings in these talent shows are all determined by fans spending real money. The aftershocks of this injustice have swept across the entire entertainment industry.

The prosecution announced a full investigation into 16 variety shows, and this investigation is quite significant, as systemic corruption in the idol industry has directly led to the collapse of public trust.

The National Assembly is pushing for the Entertainment Management Act, which will criminalize vote-rigging and mandate third-party oversight of programs, driving industry regulation reform. This is expected to be a landmark event in South Korean entertainment history.

However, the career losses suffered by the affected trainees and the emotional distress felt by the audience remain the focus of industry reflection, and the aftershocks may last for a long time.

In order to protect their rights, viewers even formed a truth investigation committee and entrusted their legal representatives to file a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office against the program team and related personnel of the agency on suspicion of fraud.

Based on the number of spots and rankings, it is almost certain that Cho Yu-ri and Kim Chae-won are members, especially Kim Chae-won, whose ranking fluctuates significantly.

However, the court did not release the list of those who had fabricated their identities to gain power, so all members were suspected of stealing other people's lives, and controversy loomed over this limited-time group like a cloud of doubt.

To make matters worse, in the new season of the talent show, Starship Entertainment hoped to get a share of the pie in the new boy group and spent public relations fees on members whose debut positions were in danger.

As a result, he was arrested along with Ahn Joon-young, and this incident also affected PRODUCE 48, but Won Young and Ahn Yoo-jin have always been in the debut positions.

"Alright, why don't you go to school? If you can really get into university, oppa will give you a bowl of rice to eat."

(End of this chapter)