Peninsula: From Water Injection to Stardom

Chapter 173 One More Time

After leaving the main stage, Lee Ji-eun, who had gone back to the backstage dressing room first, quickly found a thick coat and put it on as soon as she entered.

Jiang Yan followed closely behind and entered. However, unlike Li Zhi'en who was busy warming up, he immediately began disassembling his in-ear monitor and microphone circuitry upon returning.

However, neither of them changed out of their performance costumes, because according to the schedule, there was a backstage interview arranged by Hunan TV later, which required them to continue appearing in their stage outfits.

Not long after, staff came to inform the two to go to the interview studio.

According to the program schedule, Lee Ji-eun first went in alone to do some simple interactions, and then Kang Yeon entered the room, and the two of them completed the follow-up interview together.

After Lee Ji-eun and the translator entered the studio, Jiang Yan, who was waiting outside the entrance, took the opportunity to take out his phone and log on to Weibo using his alternate account.

Looking at the current trending topics, it's not surprising; there are two or three related terms at the top.

But actually, when he participated in the Lunar New Year's Eve event, he only asked Yuehua Entertainment to buy him a separate trending topic.

Apart from the hashtag "#JiangYanMangoTVSpringFestivalGala#" which was purchased, the other hashtags "#JiangYanIUDuet#" and "#JiangYanIUSecondCollaboration#" were not created by Yuehua Entertainment.

This is clearly a trending topic pushed by Lee Ji-eun's team.

Given Lee Ji-eun's current level of fame in China, it's not enough for her to climb to the top of Weibo's trending topics simply through organic discussion.

However, Jiang Yan didn't care about any of this, since he was also a beneficiary of these two trending topics.

A few minutes later, while he was still enjoying reading the positive reviews from netizens on Weibo, a staff member quickly came over to remind him that he could go in.

Jiang Yan nodded, put his phone back in his pocket, and then walked towards the entrance of the studio.

As he walked to the door, a photographer came over with his camera and took some special shots of him.

Jiang Yan waved at the camera naturally, showing his standard business smile.

Upon his arrival, the interviewers, including Lee Ji-eun, immediately stood up to welcome him.

"Welcome, Jiang Yan! Let's take a picture in the middle first."

After a warm welcome from one of the female hosts, she gestured for Jiang Yanxian to take a photo with Iogo from Hunan TV.

Jiang Yan cooperated and walked to the logo, striking a simple pose for the camera.

After the photos were taken, he sat down next to Lee Ji-eun, only to find that she was looking at him as if she had seen a savior.

A strange feeling suddenly arose in Jiang Yan's heart. What was going on?

However, he soon found out the reason.

The hosts' control of the show was very stiff, and the atmosphere on set was extremely awkward.

I don't know where Hunan TV found these unprofessional hosts.

After a brief, awkward chat, the interview finally got down to business.

The female host said, "You two have just completed a wonderful collaboration. Let's share your feelings about working with each other."

Jiang Yan picked up the microphone and said, "This is my second time collaborating with IU. She is an outstanding singer."

"Moreover, since this was her first time performing on a TV station in China, she specifically asked me about the situation in China before she came to South Korea."

"for-

'

Jiang Yan had intended to praise Lee Ji-eun a few more times, but before he could finish his second sentence, the translator hired by Hunan TV interrupted him abruptly and began translating.

Being interrupted so suddenly, he didn't realize the problem at first. He just patiently waited for the other person to finish translating before continuing.

However, after saying just one more sentence, the translator suddenly interrupted again and started translating.

Jiang Yan: "————"

That's when he finally realized something was wrong.

Is this how translation work is done? Shouldn't we wait until he finishes speaking before translating?

Even amateur translators in the LPL are more professional than the translators your big TV station hires.

He glanced at Lee Ji-eun, who gave him a rather helpless look.

Jiang Yan finally understood. No wonder Li Zhi'en looked at him like that when he came in. It turned out that besides the host's poor professional skills, the translator was also a genius.

So, after the translator finished speaking again, Jiang Yan switched to Korean without changing his expression and said, "That's not how you do translation work. Let me finish speaking before you translate."

After he finished speaking, Lee Ji-eun, who was standing next to him, wanted to applaud immediately.

What Jiang Yan said was also what she had kept inside and dared not say.

After that, because of Jiang Yan's words, the translator hired by Hunan TV stopped interrupting her speech as casually as before.

But what was really unsettling was that, since Jiang Yan also spoke Korean, he later discovered that the translator's work was very unprofessional.

Not only were some words and phrases mistranslated, but some were also mistranslated or omitted, and occasionally a couple of sentences were inexplicably made up that the person in question never said.

So much so that later on, whenever Jiang Yan answered a question, he would first speak to Lee Ji-eun in Korean, and then switch back to Chinese to say it again.

They did the work that should have been done by the translator.

Fortunately, this rather awkward interview did not last long.

After completing the photo shoot segment arranged by the production team to be given to netizens as a bonus, the interview segment that left Jiang Yan speechless finally came to an end.

He waved goodbye to the camera and left the studio.

On the way back to the lounge, Jiang Yan couldn't help but complain, "The translation from that person was so bad, I should have just done it myself."

Lee Ji-eun covered her mouth and chuckled, "Maybe the TV station doesn't want to pay you extra for translation work."

"However, I still have to explain on behalf of domestic TV stations that today's situation is not normal."

-

"Haha, I understand, but I'm really grateful to have you here today."

Lee Ji-eun was quite relieved when she said this, as she could hardly imagine how awkward it would have been if she had been the only one there today.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Are you going back to South Korea tomorrow?"

"Hey, my flight's tomorrow at noon. What about you?"

"Me too, tomorrow, but you know I'm flying directly to the US."

Lee Ji-eun nodded upon hearing this, but after a pause, she asked in a casual tone, "So, are you planning to go straight back to the hotel to rest later?"

Jiang Yan was a little confused as to why she asked that, so he could only go along with it and reply, "Otherwise what?"

Lee Ji-eun looked at him, a cryptic smile suddenly appearing on her lips. "How about we go out for a drink together? I've never tried drinking in a bar in China before."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan subconsciously raised an eyebrow.

He was initially surprised, but then he thought that most South Koreans love to drink, so the suggestion seemed quite normal.

After thinking it over, Jiang Yan nodded in agreement: "Okay, but we need to find a place with good privacy. I'll have my agent ask around to see if there are any suitable places nearby."

"Then I'll leave the arrangements to you with peace of mind."

"OK, wait for my good news."

After agreeing to have drinks together later, the two returned to the lounge and first took their respective teams back to the hotel to rest.

Jiang Zhennan's side was also very helpful, and they quickly found a high-end bar with a nice environment and a certain degree of privacy.

After changing into their own clothes, the two set off discreetly in a car.

A few minutes later, in a private room, Jiang Yan and Li Zhi'en sat down facing each other. The soft, hazy purple lighting in the room created a tranquil and elegant atmosphere.

"What would you like to drink?" Jiang Yan asked, flipping through the menu.

"Hmm—just a glass of whiskey, please," Lee Ji-eun said softly after considering for a moment.

"Whiskey? Isn't that a bit too strong?" Jiang Yan was somewhat surprised that the other person wanted to drink strong liquor.

"It's okay to have a drink once in a while, I'll be fine after a good night's sleep," Lee Ji-eun said with a nonchalant smile.

"Okay, then two glasses of whiskey will do."

Seeing that Lee Ji-eun was so eager to drink strong liquor, Kang Yeon felt embarrassed to order himself a cocktail.

Not long after, the waiter knocked on the door and brought in two glasses of whiskey.

They each took a glass and then clinked them together in a tacit gesture.

Jiang Yan took a small sip. Because of the ice, the overall taste of the drink was refreshing and smooth, without much of a strong flavor.

But that's normal; whiskey itself has a very smooth texture, but that doesn't stop it from being a standard spirit.

After taking a sip, Lee Ji-eun spoke up, "It's a pity we were so pressed for time this time, otherwise I would have liked to explore the area more."

"It is indeed a bit of a pity, but aren't you going on tour in China later?"

"Yeah, I also plan to visit some local attractions during the tour."

"If you don't know where to go, you can ask me."

"Haha, then I won't hold back then."

"I'm ready to serve you anytime."

Jiang Yan smiled nonchalantly, then picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

Seeing this, Lee Ji-eun also took a sip.

For a while afterward, the two chatted and occasionally clinked glasses for a drink.

A glass of whiskey was slowly finished.

After finishing the first cup, Jiang Yan had no intention of having a second one.

He could actually still drink more, but not long after Lee Ji-eun finished her drink, her cheeks were already flushed.

Furthermore, the blush deepened over time, eventually resembling a layer of red rouge.

It's clear that Lee Ji-eun's alcohol tolerance is rather low; she doesn't look drunk yet, but she's already slightly tipsy.

Jiang Yan observed the other person's slightly tipsy expression, which looked rather cute.

But then he suggested leaving: "Let's stop drinking here for today, we should go back."

"Okay, let's go back then~"

Lee Ji-eun nodded without objecting, but her gaze towards Jiang Yan was somewhat unfocused.

However, when they got up to leave together, the other person did not make the exaggerated movements of being unable to walk or staggering like in TV dramas.

The two got back into the car and returned to the hotel together.

Upon returning, the two sides separated in the elevator lobby because their suites were not on the same floor.

After returning to her room, Jiang Yan quickly washed up.

Then he picked up his phone and continued browsing the trending topics for the evening.

Besides the trending topics related to him, other guests appearing on Hunan TV tonight also unexpectedly trended on social media.

For example, Xie Na's weight gain sparked heated discussions among netizens about whether she was pregnant, and Emperor Xia posted a long article on Weibo in response to rumors of a relationship.

Although Jiang Yan was very familiar with these trending topics, he still clicked on them one by one to relive the experience.

Of course, he didn't forget to chat with his partner.

As idols, how could they possibly be sleeping at this time?

After switching between chat boxes and chatting briefly with his two girlfriends for more than ten minutes, Jiang Yan ended the chat by saying, "I'm a little tired, I have to catch a flight tomorrow."

Then, just as he was about to get up and get ready for bed, there was a gentle knock on the suite door.

Jiang Yan wondered who would come looking for him at this hour, so he went to the door and looked through the peephole.

When he saw the people outside, he was immediately surprised.

The person standing at the door was none other than Lee Ji-eun.

At this moment, Lee Ji-eun had changed back into another set of light casual clothes, and her face was clearly covered with light makeup.

He opened the door, and Lee Ji-eun, who was standing outside, smiled slightly when she saw him open the door.

"IUi, is there something you want to say to me?" Jiang Yan was puzzled as to what the other party might want to talk to him about at this time.

"Yes, there's something I'd like to ask Jiang Yan again," Lee Ji-eun replied with a smile.

"What is it?"

"I'm still very curious, who exactly is your girlfriend?"

"I've already given you the answer to this question, we," Jiang Yan was about to blurt out when Li Zhi'en spoke up first, "So now, I'm just planning to get closer to Jiang Yan~"

"Now? In my room?" Jiang Yan asked uncertainly.

"Hmm, could it be that you don't want to?" Lee Ji-eun looked at him, her voice slightly nasal.

"No, I was just surprised."

As Jiang Yan spoke, he made way for the space.

A famous South Korean girl, a rising female solo artist, took the initiative to enter his room. How could he possibly refuse?

After Lee Ji-eun came in, she walked to the sofa and sat down.

After closing the door, Jiang Yan turned around, stood next to the other person, and asked, "Would you like some water?"

Lee Ji-eun turned slightly to the side, looked up at him and said, "There should be a bar in the freezer in your room."

Jiang Yan looked somewhat surprised: "You're drinking?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"It's possible, it's possible—"

Jiang Yan wanted to ask if he hadn't had enough to drink at the bar, but he decided against it and instead opened the freezer without saying a word, taking out a can of beer provided by the hotel.

There's definitely no such thing as soju; it's not popular in China.

He found two more glasses, opened the beer and poured it evenly into two glasses, then carried one in each hand back to the sofa.

He handed one of the glasses to Lee Ji-eun, who leaned forward seemingly unintentionally to take it.

At that moment, due to the angle, Jiang Yan accidentally caught a glimpse of the scenery inside the swaying neckline.

He hadn't expected that the rumor about not liking to wear bras was true.

Lee Ji-eun seemed oblivious to Kang Yeon's gaze. After taking the glass, she took a small sip and complimented the beer, saying it tasted good and was different from the ones she had in South Korea.

After Jiang Yan withdrew his gaze without changing his expression, he also sat down at the other end of the sofa and took a sip.

However, after the two looked at each other, Lee Ji-eun did not take the initiative to speak again.

Seeing this, Jiang Yan chose to break the silence and asked, "So what are IUi's plans now?"

He was quite curious to know what kind of "promoting the relationship" the other party was talking about.

When Lee Ji-eun was asked this, she put her cup on the coffee table and replied with a smile, "Didn't Jiang Yan already receive it?"

"Hmm? Really?" Jiang Yan was slightly taken aback.

"Yes, I have."

Seeing his reaction, Lee Ji-eun casually placed a hand on her collarbone, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Or do you want me to do it again~"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan suddenly realized that the events of the evening seemed to be unfolding in a direction he had never anticipated.