Why would Peninsula want to date a lazy dog ​​like me?

"Click".

The toilet door was locked from the inside. Zhang Yuanying stared intently at the huge mirror above the sink.

The girl in the mirror still had that face sculpted by heaven—exquisite, sweet, and flawless. But now, those eyes, which should have been filled with stars, were only a distorted and scorching wasteland.

"Cao Cao... Cao Cao..."

She repeated the name over and over again, her voice thin and hoarse, like a venomous snake crawling through a pile of dead leaves.

From childhood to adulthood, the word "unattainable" didn't exist in Zhang Yuanying's world. She was her parents' darling, the company's ace, and the center of attention. As long as she wanted it, whether it was fame, applause, or the attention of others, she always found a way to snatch it or make those things kneel obediently at her feet.

But Wei Wu, this man, was like a wall made of cast iron that suddenly rose up in her perfect life.

At first, she just found it amusing. Her sister Zhang Zhenying's almost pathetic infatuation ignited a vicious competitive spirit in her—she wanted to snatch the god from her sister's heart and watch him struggle and beg for mercy in her arms.

But she ended up with a bloody head wound.

Wei Wu's gaze never lingered on her.

Just now, at the entrance of the practice room, she watched with her own eyes as Wei Wu carried Cui Yena on his back.

His movements were so steady, and his eyes held a concern she had never seen before—a concern that, though volatile, was full of humanity. But as he passed by her, he didn't even spare her a single glance.

At that moment, Zhang Yuanying felt as if she had been stripped naked and thrown into the freezing snow, her self-esteem being brutally crushed.

"Why...why..."

She reached out, her long, slender fingers digging hard into the edge of the mirror, her nails making a teeth-grinding scraping sound against the glass.

"I did it so well... I did it exactly the way you wanted..."

Her face began to contort, her once sweet smile turning into a grotesque and eerie expression. She felt the black hole within her expanding wildly, threatening to devour her entirely.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A heavy knocking sounded suddenly, sounding particularly startling in the empty and quiet bathroom.

Zhang Yuanying's movements suddenly froze.

"Open the door."

It was Cao Cao (Wei Wu).

Zhang Yuanying's pupils dilated suddenly, and her breath stopped for a moment.

"I know you're in there. Come out while I can still speak properly. Let's talk."

Wei Wu stood outside the restroom, his anger rising to his throat. He had never felt such disgust for a girl, especially when she had an angelic face yet engaged in devilish deeds.

The cubicle was deathly silent.

A full minute passed before the door lock made a soft click.

Zhang Yuanying slowly pushed open the door and walked out. She lowered her head, clasped her hands in front of her, and her shoulders trembled slightly, looking like a little girl who had done something wrong and was in extreme fear.

"PDnim... what brings you here... Yena unnie, she..."

She looked up, her eyes red and brimming with tears, her voice trembling so hard it was heartbreaking. Her pitiful appearance was enough to evoke a strong protective instinct in any man.

"Ugh."

Seeing this scene, Wei Wu showed no mercy; instead, he sighed heavily. He strode forward and approached Zhang Yuanying directly.

"Zhang Yuanying, I'm saying this one last time."

Wei Wu reached out and pinched Zhang Yuanying's chin, forcing her to raise her head and look directly into his eyes.

"Stop acting, it disgusts me."

Zhang Yuanying's body suddenly stiffened, tears hanging on her eyelashes, threatening to fall.

"I don't know where your inexplicable obsession comes from. Is it because of your sister? Or because of your ridiculous competitive spirit?" Wei Wu sighed again, leaned close to her ear, "But let me tell you, your morbid tricks have no effect on me at all."

"You think you're so smart? You think I can't see through your choreography trying to ruin Choi Ye-na?"

Wei Wu pressed his fingers hard, leaving a clear red mark on Zhang Yuanying's delicate skin.

"That's your teammate! The one who trains with you every day, the one who sweats with you! You want to cripple her legs just because of that dark possessiveness?"

"Zhang Yuanying, you're truly terminally ill."

Wei Wu abruptly flung his hand away, and Zhang Yuanying staggered back a few steps, her back slamming heavily against the cold tile wall.

She stared blankly at Wei Wu, and the feigned weakness on her face finally crumbled completely at this moment, revealing her pale, empty, and even somewhat crazy true face.

"Since you're so eager to play, since you're so keen to get my attention..."

"Alright, buddy, I'll grant your wish today."

"From now on, stop using those underhanded tactics against your teammates. If you're going to go crazy, come at me. If you're going to scheme, come at me."

Wei Wu walked towards her step by step, trapping her tightly between the wall and his own body.

"Since you're so sick, I'll personally treat you properly. I'll show you what the real 'rules' are and what the real 'normal' is."

"I will peel away your hypocritical facade layer by layer until you learn how to be a normal person."

Zhang Yuanying leaned against the wall, looking up.

She looked into Wei Wu's eyes, which were filled with disgust and anger, yet also with an absolute sense of control.

In that instant, her twisted jealousy and her originally insane possessiveness produced a terrifying chemical reaction under Wei Wu's extremely forceful and violent correction.

She looked at Wei Wu's chest, which heaved slightly with anger, and at his face, which was as cold and stern as an ice sculpture.

An unprecedented, immense sense of dread surged from her tailbone straight to her cerebral cortex.

"PDnim..."

Zhang Yuanying murmured softly. She didn't resist or scream; instead, she slowly stuck out her tongue and licked her bitten lower lip.

A strange and intense light suddenly ignited in her previously empty eyes.

"Will you... heal me personally?"

Wei Wu snorted coldly, ignoring her morbid response, and strode out of the restroom.

"Come to my studio at six o'clock tomorrow morning."

Wei Wu's voice echoed in the corridor.

……

The members of IZ*ONE noticed that Jang Won-young had changed.

It became something that sent chills down everyone's spine.

As soon as Wei Wu appears in her line of sight, Zhang Yuanying's gaze immediately locks onto him, her focus almost as if she wants to suck Wei Wu into her eyes.

"PDnim, here's your coffee, the temperature is just right at 55 degrees."

At six o'clock in the morning, Wei Wugang pushed open the door of his studio, and Zhang Yuanying was already standing upright at the door, holding a cup of coffee in her hands and bowing her head slightly, her posture humble and devout.

She no longer showed any extra expression. As long as Wei Wu gave an order, no matter how unreasonable or demanding the request was, she would carry it out to the best of her ability without any complaints.

Once, when Quan Enfei saw Zhang Yuanying's throat congested from repeatedly practicing a difficult high note, Wei Wu simply said "Continue" in a cold voice. Zhang Yuanying didn't even frown, but instead drank a mouthful of ice water and stood in front of the microphone again.

That almost self-destructive obedience, that morbid reaction that made her tremble with just a glance from Wei Wu, gave the other members goosebumps when they discussed it in private.

"Yuan Ying... has she been cursed by PDnim?" Miyawaki Sakura muttered softly.

Sitting behind the monitor, Wei Wu watched Zhang Yuanying, who was as precise as a puppet but exuded a rotten aura, through the glass window. He felt no pleasure in revenge.

This little madwoman wasn't cured; she simply changed to a more dangerous and covert method, attempting to completely drown herself in his control.

But he doesn't care.

Since she wanted to play this game of "absolute obedience," he would play along until he completely shattered and reshaped her twisted heart.

Wei Wu turned to the next page of the score with a blank expression.

"Let's start over. The emotions still feel too fake. Zhang Yuanying, if all you can do is be a puppet, then get out."

"Yes, PDnim. I will do my best to make you satisfied."

Zhang Yuanying bowed deeply to Wei Wu, a smile that only she could understand—a smile of extreme happiness yet utterly twisted joy.