Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 153 Jiang Che Wants to Go Home (6K 29)

In a flash, countless thoughts raced through Jiang Che's mind, but his feet, propelled by inertia, had already reached the other person. He had no choice but to brace himself, feign composure, and decide to assess the situation before taking any action.

At this moment, Jessica Jung's shock was no less than that of Kang Cheol.

She could hardly believe her eyes when she saw "Taeyeon" walk straight up to her.

In her memory, when Kim Tae-yeon saw her, she would either ignore her or simply go around her after seeing her from afar. It was unprecedented for her to bravely come up to her like this today!
Seeing that "Taeyeon" had already walked up to her, greeted Sulli, and then stared at her silently, Jessica Jung couldn't help but sneer inwardly, her arrogant side fully on display.
'I've made up my mind not to speak first; I want to see what this squad leader is up to today.'

The two stared at each other, falling into an eerie silence.

Jiang Che's heart pounded with anxiety at the silent standoff. 'What does this girl mean? Does this mean they don't get along? But when Yoona first met her, she acted the same way... Should he wait for her to speak first?'
Given this woman's personality, if she were truly proactive, she wouldn't have made up the story about feeling pressured. So let's assume their relationship is good, average, or bad—

It's not a problem to greet each other in public, right? They can't be completely estranged, can they? Yoona must be feeling so uncomfortable being caught in the middle... It's a three-quarters chance, I'll take the gamble.

With this in mind, he decided to take the initiative to break the ice:

"Hi, Jessica, what a coincidence, what are you doing here?"

Upon hearing this, Xiuyan was completely stunned.

She had anticipated that the other person might argue with her or make sarcastic remarks, and she had even thought of her lines to respond. But Kim Tae-yeon... just greeted her?

Did the sun rise in the west today?

She couldn't help but scrutinize the "Taeyeon" before her. The other woman was wearing a well-tailored black suit, which accentuated her sharp and handsome figure.
The expression on his face didn't look like he was being forced or had drunk fake alcohol at all.

Jessica Jung tried hard to suppress the strange feeling in her heart, and adhering to the principle of "since you have asked sincerely, I will mercifully tell you", she replied:

"Yes, it's business."

Then, silence fell between the two of them again.

Jiang Che was unsure whether to start a new topic, fearing that saying too much would lead to making a mistake.

Meanwhile, Soo-yeon was still racking her brains, trying to figure out what purpose was hidden behind Kim Tae-yeon's sudden and unusual behavior.
Standing to the side, Sulli glanced at Jessica's expressionless face, then at Taeyeon's slightly stiff smile, and wondered how the atmosphere could have become so awkward. So she decided to find a lighter topic to break the strange silence:
"Ah! Taeyeon unnie, Jessica unnie!" She forced a bright smile and said in a light voice:

"You two look so well together today... one in a black suit, the other in a white suit, you look like you're wearing matching outfits!"

Jiang Che: "???"

Jessica Jung: "!!!"

Almost simultaneously, the two subconsciously glanced down at their own attire—Jiang Che was dressed in a composed black outfit, while Xiu Yan was dressed in pure white, both with neutral and cool styles. Standing together... they did indeed seem to have that kind of vibe?
Immediately afterwards, the two looked up at the same time, their eyes meeting again in mid-air.

Jiang Che felt so embarrassed he could dig out a three-bedroom apartment, so he could only force a smile like Locke Yan's to try and get away with it.

Jessica looked at that slightly goofy smile, her expression becoming even more complicated. This kind of smile… it seems like she only ever saw on Taeyeon's face back when she first debuted, right?

For a fleeting moment, she seemed to see the squad leader from many years ago, before he was crushed by heavy responsibilities, laughing and joking with his teammates in the dormitory. But that time, like many other things, had long been buried in the dust of the past.

Later, as responsibilities increased and relationships changed, that smile should have long since disappeared. What's going on today? Has time reversed?

The atmosphere at the scene did not ease because of Shirley's interruption; on the contrary, it became even more eerie than before.

Shirley's smile was about to fade, and she inwardly groaned:
'Aigoo...did I say something wrong?'

She quickly tried to salvage the situation and changed the subject, asking Jiang Che:
"Taeyeon unnie, what brings you here too? Was this arranged by the company as well?"

Jiang Che, who was just wondering what to say, immediately nodded in agreement with Shirley:

"Yes, it was arranged by the company. They sent me to contact the brand to see if there are any opportunities for cooperation." After saying that, he immediately asked in return:
"And you? Were you also assigned by your company to contact brands?"

“Ani yo,” Shirley shook her head and answered honestly:

“My agent told me that there are some film investors and directors here today, and asked me to make contact with them to see if there are any suitable film and television resources.”

Movie resources? Jiang Che's heart skipped a beat, a bad premonition rising in his mind. Could it be that?

He carefully considered his words and said seriously:

"Shirley, if that actor is cast as the male lead, I personally suggest... you'd better not take the role."

"Huh?" Shirley was clearly stunned, her eyes filled with confusion:

"Unnie, I haven't even seen the script yet, and I don't even know who the male lead is..." She paused, then asked with even more confusion:
"Besides, isn't he very popular right now? Collaborating with him would probably generate a lot of attention, right?"

Jiang Che was momentarily speechless—he couldn't very well say that he had traveled back in time and knew the film would flop both critically and commercially, and that it would only make him get even more criticized, could he? He could only vaguely begin to bluff:
"Well... I heard that he came across a script, but the quality of the script was very poor and it was not suitable for you at all."

Seeing that Shirley was still skeptical, he had no choice but to sacrifice "himself":

"I can't really explain it clearly, but actually your oppa told me that you can ask the director if the movie title and the male lead are XX. If they are, don't act in it..."

Also, Sulli, if you want to act in movies or TV dramas later, and you know the titles, you can ask your oppa first. He has a lot of inside information and can clearly judge which dramas will be popular and which won't.

Upon hearing that it was Jiang Che who spoke, Shirley, though still doubtful, obediently nodded:
"Yes, Arasso, I've got it."

Jessica Jung, who stood to the side without saying a word, was overflowing with doubt.

'Sulli has such a powerful oppa? He can predict a drama's success just by knowing its title? Is he some kind of charlatan?! And how did Taeyeon even meet him?'

Jessica Jung couldn't help but scrutinize "Taeyeon" again, making Kang Cheol feel extremely uncomfortable under her X-ray-like gaze.

Just as he was about to use the ever-reliable excuse of "I'm going to the restroom" to slip away, the appearance of two uninvited guests completely disrupted his plans.

Lee Seungri walked over with his signature business smile, followed by Kwon Ning-il, whose face was plastered with a fake smile.

"Taeyeon noona, Jessica noona, and Sulli-ssi, good evening." Lee Seungri greeted them warmly, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, finally lingering on "Taeyeon" for a fleeting moment.

Kwon Ning-il naturally turned his gaze to Jessica Jung and said in an affectionate tone:

"Sooyeon, what are you talking about? Seungri and I were just discussing going to his bar after the party to experience the atmosphere. How about we go together?"

A hint of undisguised annoyance flashed across Jessica Jung's face. She parted her red lips slightly, ready to refuse decisively.

But Lee Seungri spoke first:
"Yeah, Jessica, give us some face, just relax a bit. Taeyeon and Sulli, are you coming too? It'll be more fun with more people."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che no longer cared about running away. Seeing that Zheng Xiuyan was about to respond, and unsure of what she would say, he gritted his teeth, reached out, and grabbed Zheng Xiuyan's wrist!

It feels cool and delicate to the touch.

“We’ll be getting together after this event, so I won’t disturb your enjoyment any longer,” Jiang Che said firmly, making the decision directly for Zheng Xiuyan.

The warm touch on her wrist made Jessica Jung freeze.

She looked down in disbelief at the hand gripping her wrist tightly—had this woman taken the wrong medicine today?!
Not only did they not avoid me, but they even dared to strike up a conversation with me! And not only that, they actually dared to grab me?!

What's even more outrageous is that he made the decision for her?!?! If it weren't for the fact that this was a public place, she would definitely have shown this ignorant shorty what Jessica's anger was like.

Compared to Jessica Jung's inner turmoil, Seungri and Ning-il were also visibly taken aback. Seungri's standard business smile froze for a moment.
Remembering what Choiza had mentioned earlier about the man who stood up for Sulli, who seemed to be related to Kim Tae-yeon... and combining this with the scene before him, a reasonable deduction quickly formed—it seems that Choiza has ruined the reputation of his bar!
His face immediately broke into an even brighter smile as he smoothed things over:
"Ah, so Taeyeon and Jessica already have plans after the show! It seems Kwon and I were being presumptuous."

But please believe me, our bar is quite nice; feel free to come and have a look sometime. We won't bother you any longer then, and wish you all a pleasant gathering.

Having said that, he wisely turned and left. Although Kwon Ning-il was unwilling, seeing that Lee Seung-ri had already left, he could only force a smile and follow.

"Then, Xiuyan, let's meet again next time."

As soon as the two eyesores left, Jiang Che immediately let go of his hand and explained with a dry laugh:

"Um... I noticed you didn't seem too keen on going, so..."

The warm sensation on her wrist disappeared, and Jessica Jung quickly withdrew her hand, raising her eyes to ask, word by word:

"Taeyeon, how come I didn't know we were supposed to get together after the show?"

"Uh..." Jiang Che's brain was working frantically, and he forced himself to say:
"Well... as former teammates, isn't it normal for us to get together privately? As the saying goes, there's no time like the present, so today seems like a good day."

"Teammate?" Jessica Jung squinted at "Taeyeon" as if she'd heard the funniest joke, her eyes flashing with a dangerous light, yet the other woman didn't seem to be joking. 'Are all the people at SM Entertainment possessed lately? Yoona is under a lot of pressure, but what's wrong with her short stature?'

She was silent for a moment, seemingly trying to suppress some emotion, then asked resentfully:
"Taeyeon, I remember you used to always avoid me when you saw me, right? I thought it was just a tacit understanding between us."

She paused, her tone becoming increasingly sharp:
"Now you're suddenly talking to me about your teammates? Have you forgotten what happened before? Or is it because you've had such a great solo success that you don't care anymore?"

boom--!
Jiang Che felt as if a bomb had exploded in his head.

Good heavens! A one in four chance! And he actually encountered the worst-case scenario! Gambling really does kill people!
What kind of bizarre teammate relationship is this?! Even if they're not teammates anymore, it shouldn't come to the point of "going out of the way," right?

What exactly happened between this short-bodied cat and the cat ancestor? How did Yoona survive being caught in the middle? My heart goes out to Yoona for three seconds!
Information asymmetry is a real killer! Who would have thought that just three people could have such a complicated relationship? When I get back, I'm definitely going to tie them all up and find out exactly what their relationship is with this cat ancestor!

He was internally ranting, but this sudden bombshell left him speechless, unable to find the right words. Seeing that Jessica Jung was still staring at him, waiting for a response, he even considered using his old excuse of "being under a lot of pressure"...

What kind of pressure could make someone who would normally avoid you suddenly strike up a conversation, or even physically attack you? It sounds like an insult to their intelligence.

Or should I just say I'm going to become a monk and that I've seen through the illusions of the world?
Then his eyes gradually glazed over, his gaze drifting into the distance, as if he were about to wander into the heavens at any moment, and he murmured:

"Bodhi has no tree, nor is the bright mirror a stand. Originally there is nothing, so where can dust alight?"

Jessica Jung: ?

Jiang Che then added, "How can one dwell in emptiness? Emptiness itself is also dust."

Jessica Jung's original mood was completely disrupted by these mystical words:

"?? Kim Tae-yeon!! Speak like a human being."

Jiang Che's eyes darted around, and he summarized briefly:

"People change, you know. Things that seemed important before now seem like nothing special."

"It will change?" This time, Jessica Jung understood. She carefully considered those words, her brows furrowing even more as she stared at Kang Cheol's face for a long while.

'The Kim Tae-yeon before me had the same face, but her behavior was bizarre, and her speech was incomprehensible. Someone who only graduated from high school was speaking in a way even I couldn't understand; it was as if she were possessed by a ghost.'

She remained silent for a long while before speaking:

"Then your change is... quite big."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che quickly resumed his signature Locke Yan-style goofy grin:

"Hehe...right?"

Standing to the side, Shirley, seeing that the atmosphere had eased slightly, quickly jumped in to try and liven things up again:
"Um... if you unnies really want to have a get-together after this, I know a newly opened restaurant nearby. The food is really good! And the atmosphere is very quiet!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che glanced at Shirley with a complicated expression, inwardly wondering:
'Is this girl just naturally naive or naturally mischievous? At a time like this, she's still thinking about food? Doesn't she even consider whether Soo-yeon unnie wants this?!'

Surprisingly, after hearing Sulli's words, Jessica Jung did not directly refuse, but simply gave a cold snort:
"Whatever, I don't have any other plans for tonight anyway."

She wanted to see what kind of trouble Kim Tae-yeon, who kept saying "people change," was up to tonight.

Just as Jiang Che's scalp tingled and he was struggling with whether to participate or find an excuse to slip away, Taeyeon's manager oppa came over:

"Taeyeon, so you've been here all along! I've been looking for you... uh?!"

When he recognized who was standing next to "Taeyeon," his smile instantly froze, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes, and his voice unconsciously lowered.

"Soo... Soo-yeon-xi? Good evening."

Jessica Jung simply nodded slightly, as if to say hello, her attitude distant and cold.

The agent quickly adjusted her expression, turned to Jiang Che, and said rapidly:

"Taeyeon, come with me quickly. There are some important brand representatives over there. I'll take you over to meet them and say hello."

Jiang Che mentally gave his manager a thousand thumbs up and immediately nodded in agreement:
"Yes, Oppa, I'm coming right now." After saying that, she quickly left with her manager.

Jessica Jung watched Taeyeon's departing figure, her gaze growing increasingly deep. She then turned to Sulli beside her and asked, seemingly casually:
"Sulli, who is that oppa that Taeyeon was talking about earlier?" She was very curious about this oppa who was so highly praised by Kim Taeyeon and who could easily persuade Sulli to take his advice.

What kind of person could judge the success or failure of a drama based solely on its title? And judging from his tone, Taeyeon seemed to trust him a lot.

"Huh? Oppa..." Shirley's heart skipped a beat, but she tried her best to remain calm and answered smoothly:
"Oh! You mean that guy... He's Sunny unnie's cousin! He knows a lot of things, he's really capable!"

"Sunny's cousin?" Jessica Jung searched her memory, confirming that she had never heard of Sunny having a cousin, and asked again:
"How come I've never heard of Sunny having a cousin? Did she secretly adopt a cousin from somewhere?"

“He only recently came back! He had been living abroad before!” Shirley quickly added:
"So Unnie might not have heard of it before."

“Oh…” Jessica Jung responded thoughtfully, without asking any further questions, but her face clearly showed disbelief, and she was probably plotting something in her mind.

Just then, Sulli's manager also arrived. He showed a momentary surprise when he saw Jessica Jung, but quickly pretended not to see her and said directly to Sulli:
"Shirley, come with me. The director I mentioned before is available now and is waiting to see you."

"Really? That's great!" Sulli's eyes lit up; this was a crucial opportunity for her. She quickly said to Jessica Jung:

"Sooyeon unnie, I'll head over now!"

"Well, let's go."

Watching Sulli leave with her manager, Jessica Jung stood there for a moment, not bothering to greet anyone else, but instead turning her gaze back to the direction of "Taeyeon" not far away.

Taeyeon was facing several well-dressed representatives, wearing a polite smile, nodding and responding occasionally.

Although she couldn't hear the specific content, his calm demeanor and eloquent manner were completely different from the squad leader she remembered who was either taciturn or somewhat reserved in similar situations.

The more Jessica Jung looked, the stronger the sense of unease became. The "Taeyeon" in front of her was so unfamiliar that it startled her. She couldn't help but recall what "Taeyeon" had said before: "People change."
And those mystical words... that absurd thought resurfaced:

'Could Kim Tae-yeon really be possessed by something strange?'

Jessica Jung quickly shook her head, dismissing the unrealistic idea.

She decided to start with Sulli to find out exactly when Taeyeon's change began.

Then, turning her gaze to Shirley, who was talking to the director not far away, she noticed that the atmosphere there seemed... a little off.

Shirley bowed slightly, adopting a very humble posture, while the director opposite her not only did not smile, but also showed obvious impatience.

Sulli's manager stood to her side and slightly behind, with an almost ingratiating smile on his face, and one hand was gently pushing Sulli's back as if urging her to do something.

Jessica Jung didn't hesitate any longer and quickly walked over. As soon as she got close, her manager's voice came through clearly:
"Shirley, this is a rare opportunity! Director Li is talking to you personally, that's a huge honor!"

“But, Oppa,” Shirley’s voice was weak and hesitant:

"I feel... I feel this role might not be suitable for me..."

"Whether it's suitable or not, you'll only know after you've acted! You haven't even read the script, how do you know it's unsuitable?" The agent's tone was somewhat forceful:

"Besides, the male lead is the hottest star right now, he's generating so much buzz! This is such a great opportunity for you to advance your career! So many people would kill for this!"

"She said it wasn't suitable."

A cool, clear voice broke in, interrupting the agent's relentless pressure.

Jessica Jung stood next to Sulli, calmly looking at Director Lee and Sulli's manager, and said in a nonchalant tone:
"Since the actor himself has doubts about the role, forcing him to cooperate will probably not result in a good production. Director Li, don't you agree?"

Sulli's manager's face instantly turned ugly, clearly extremely dissatisfied with Jessica Jung's "outsider" interference, and her tone became sharp:

“Jessica, this is an internal matter of SM Entertainment! You're no longer with the company, so it seems inappropriate for you to get involved, right? Besides, you don't seem to have any particularly famous works, are you referring to that movie, ‘Wild Romance’?”

These words were quite impolite, practically implying that Jessica Jung was meddling in other people's business, and also taking a close-up look at her.

Jessica Jung's eyes turned cold, and the classic "Ah!" was almost out of her mouth.

However, another voice spoke faster than her, with an undeniable firmness:
"Am I from SM Entertainment?"

(End of this chapter)