Peninsula: Starting with the nation's first love, the white moonlight

Chapter 109 Choi Sulli (Please Subscribe)

"truth!"

Lee Ji-eun spotted Choi Sulli sitting by the window at a glance and hurriedly pulled Lee Lu-ran over.

"Oh my, Mari, why are you here so early? We agreed to meet at 2 PM, and it's only 1:30 PM now."

Shirley blinked, her gaze slowly shifting between Lee Ji-eun and Lee Lu-ran.

"Since I have nowhere else to go, I might as well come and wait for my unnie."

Shirley stared at the two of them ambiguously and chuckled.

"But unnie, you guys are so blatant about it outside these days?"

"what?"

Lee Ji-eun looked at Sulli with a puzzled expression, then followed her gaze and looked down, only to realize that she was still holding Lee Lu-ran's hand.

"oops!"

Ji-eun gasped softly, quickly releasing Li Luran's hand and stammering, "Um, I just saw he was walking too slowly, so I just... I helped him out!"

Shirley didn't call her out on it, but just smiled secretly with her lips pursed. Her smiling eyes clearly said: Unnie, keep making things up, I'm listening.

After she finished laughing, her gaze fell on Li Luran.

"Unnie, aren't you going to introduce me to her?"

"Oh right." Lee Ji-eun realized that this was the first time the two had met.

"Li Luran, this is my best friend, Choi Jin-ri. You can also call her Sulli."

After saying that, she turned around and said cautiously, "Zhenli, he is my—good friend, Li Luran."

"Hello there."

Li Luran extended his right hand, and Shirley shook it off generously.

She tilted her head, carefully examining the man her best friend had mentioned countless times, and her smile deepened: "I've heard Ji-eun unnie mention Li Luran's name several times already."

"Seeing you today, you are indeed very handsome!"

"Sherry, you flatter me." Li Luran smiled modestly.

"Oh, you two, stop standing here being so polite, please sit down."

Lee Ji-eun urged the two to sit down, then asked Sulli, "Jinri, what would you like to drink?"

"Unnie, I'd like a latte."

"And what about you?" She turned to look at Li Luran.

"Just an iced Americano will do."

"Okay, then wait for me a moment, I'll go see if they have any desserts."

Lee Ji-eun walked towards the bar, and after taking two steps, she turned back and waved to the two of them.

"Go ahead, unnie, don't worry about us." Shirley rested her chin on her hand and winked at her.

After Lee Ji-eun left, the air instantly became quiet. Neither of the two people who had just met took the initiative to break the silence.

Shirley still rested her chin on her hand, her fingertips lightly tapping her cheek, her gaze unabashedly fixed on Li Luran.

After a moment of silence, Li Luran was the first to break the calm.

"Shirley, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Why do you say that?" Choi Sulli's tone revealed a hint of surprise.

"If I'm not mistaken, you've looked at me five times since Ieun left. Shirley, just say what you want to say."

Shirley paused for a moment, then chuckled softly.

"Just as sharp as the rumors say." She leaned back in her chair, her hands resting on her knees, looking rather languid.

"Rumors?" Li Luran raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat puzzled.

"What rumor?"

"Actually, I've heard a lot about you two from Unnie." She winked playfully.

"Besides, I asked you to bring me here today."

Actually, there's something I've always wanted to ask you.

Shirley leaned closer and whispered, "I heard from Unnie that you made her cry when you first met her?"

Her eyes held a mixture of curiosity and seriousness. "I'm really curious, how did Li Luran, as an intern, dare to make a big star like Unnie cry?"

"Uh." Li Luran gave an awkward smile. "Ji-eun even told you this?"

"Of course!" Xue Lian raised her eyebrows with a hint of pride. "Unnie and I are the closest of sisters. She tells me everything."

These words sounded strangely familiar to Li Luran.

He couldn't help but laugh.

"Actually, it's not a matter of daring or not daring. I'm just expressing what's on my mind. It has nothing to do with status or each other's positions."

Shirley's eyes suddenly lit up. She leaned closer and pressed on, "Didn't you consider the consequences before you spoke? Didn't you think that your words might offend Ji-eun unnie, or anyone else present?"

"Of course I've thought about it," Li Luran said with a faint smile.

"I'm not really a hothead."

"Then why do you still do such a thankless task?" Shirley's voice lowered.

"Some things can't be judged solely by gains and losses." He interrupted her, his tone firm: "If you feel it's right, if you feel it's something you should do, then you have to do it."

"Just like when you see someone fall into the water, most people's first reaction is to save them, right? As for how to save them, or whether they can be saved at all, that's something to consider later."

Shirley's expression changed slightly. She slowly lowered her eyes, as if something in her heart had been touched. She murmured softly, "Just do it without considering the consequences if you feel you should do it?"

"Li Luran is really brave!" She forced a smile, her eyes somewhat dim.

"Shirley, what's on your mind? If you don't mind, why don't you tell me?"

"Thank you for your concern, I just—" Shirley looked up, but the words caught in her throat.

Just then, Lee Ji-eun returned carrying a tray with three cups of coffee and a tiramisu.

"Shirley, and Li Luran, what are you talking about?"

While waiting for her coffee, Lee Ji-eun kept an eye on what was happening here.

That night, although Sulli tried her best to hide it, Lee Ji-eun still realized that she was hiding something from her.

Finally, she managed to pry open her mouth by exchanging secrets.

According to Shirley, a senior figure in the industry kept sending her strange messages, which bothered her a lot.

Actually, this is quite common in the entertainment industry. Most new girl group members face this problem.

The problem is, Sulli debuted as a child star and started training at a very young age. She's been in this industry longer than anyone else, so she shouldn't be so troubled by a few harassing text messages.

So when Shirley suggested meeting Li Luran, she agreed without much thought.

She thought that perhaps Li Luran could help Shirley resolve her inner conflict.

"Ji-eun unnie, I'm telling Lee Lu-ran some funny stories about you."

Choi Sulli tilted her head, gave Lee Ji-eun a sly smile, and spoke in a light tone, instantly switching back to the lively and cheerful Choi Jin-ri.

But her desperate attempt to conceal it made Li Luran feel a sense of déjà vu.

"Hey! Choi Jin-ri, don't tell him all this nonsense!"

Lee Ji-eun hurriedly went around to sit next to Sulli, then stared nervously at Lee Lu-ran, "Tell me honestly, what bad things did she say about me to you just now?"

"We really didn't say anything, we just chatted for a bit."

Lee Ji-eun looked at him suspiciously, then at Choi Sulli beside her who was covering her mouth and chuckling. She didn't believe a word of what the two of them said.

"You're definitely lying! You two are definitely hiding something from me!"

"Really not!" Li Luran helplessly spread his hands.

"Hey Ji-eun, aren't you being a little too curious?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Shirley immediately chimed in, "Unnie's so curious! The other night, she dragged me to her room to secretly watch that!"

"Hey! Choi Jin-ri, shut up!"

Lee Ji-eun blushed and pounced on Sulli, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Oh? What good stuff are you secretly looking at in the middle of the night?" Li Luran suddenly became interested and looked at Li Zhi'en, whose cheeks were flushed, with a leisurely air.

"N-nothing!"

Lee Ji-eun glared at Sulli, signaling her to shut up, before slowly releasing her grip and casually brushing her hair aside, feigning composure: "It's just—it's just that I couldn't sleep last night, so I watched a regular art film with her. It's really nothing serious." Ji-eun's voice grew increasingly guilty as she spoke.

Seeing Ji-eun's embarrassed expression, Sulli's smile became even brighter. "Yes, it's a secret between us girls, so please don't ask any more questions."

As they were playfully bickering, the wind chimes on the coffee shop door suddenly rang, and two women wearing masks walked in.

Walking in front was a tall woman. She spotted Li Luran and his two companions at a glance, and her eyes lit up instantly when she saw his face.