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

The heavy blackout curtains completely blocked out the glaring sunlight of early summer, and only a few dim wall lamps lit up the room, creating an almost suffocating sense of privacy.

Zhang Zhenying, wearing a black silk nightgown, was curled up on a huge sofa with her bare, slender white feet showing, completely lacking any decorum.

She held a tablet in her hand, the screen flashing a faint blue light that reflected her delicate face, which was slightly distorted by extreme excitement.

"So that's how it is... I see, my dear Teacher Wei."

A low, hoarse, and even slightly neurotic laugh came from Zhang Zhenying's throat.

After Wei Wu left last night, her morbid possessiveness and jealousy grew wildly like weeds. She couldn't tolerate anything unknown trying to capture Wei Wu's attention.

She simply made a phone call to a private investigator, and in less than three hours, a detailed report was sent to her inbox.

The report not only listed all the numbers that frantically called Wei Wu's mobile phone yesterday (all of them were from entertainment company A&R departments and independent music labels), but also included a webpage link.

That's an audio link on SoundCloud.

ID: LazyDog.

Song title: "Believer_Final Assignment_Wei Wu".

Yes, this lazy guy didn't even change the file name before uploading it, which is why those companies were able to identify him so quickly.

Zhang Zhenying clicked on the link and put on her headphones.

The moment the dull, frenzied bass drum sounded, Zhang Zhenying's body involuntarily trembled.

Immediately afterwards, Wei Wu's raw, powerful voice, devoid of any embellishment, slammed into her eardrums like a heavy hammer, striking straight to her soul.

Zhang Zhenying closed her eyes, and her breathing became rapid and heavy.

She could almost see Wei Wu sitting in that cramped, stuffy basement, venting his frustration into the microphone with an impatient expression through the rough singing.

She knew all too well his eyes, filled with a weariness of everything worldly. And this song was the embodiment of the raging soul hidden beneath his lazy exterior.

"what……"

Zhang Zhenying's legs involuntarily tightened. An unnatural flush rose to her cheeks, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Just listening to Wei Wu's voice, and his unrestrained "explosion and struggle" in the music, she felt an indescribable pleasure.

This pleasure was more intense than any material satisfaction, almost making her succumb to the darkness of the room.

"That's amazing...it's really amazing."

As the song ended, Zhang Zhenying took off her headphones, her chest heaving violently. Looking at the million-view count on her tablet screen and the dense, frenzied comments below, her initial fascination gradually transformed into a chilling, unfathomable aura.

"But... so many people are watching you, so many people are longing for you."

She bit her lower lip, which was painted with bright red lipstick, until she tasted a hint of blood before she let go.

"They want to take you away from me, to turn you into one of those monkeys on stage for people to watch. They want to use money and fame to corrupt your dead fish eyes that should only be looking at me."

"No. Absolutely not."

Zhang Zhenying stood up from the sofa, her bare feet touching the cold marble floor, and paced anxiously back and forth in the room.

She understood Wei Wu's attitude perfectly. He was a pure pragmatist, utterly averse to trouble. Although those entertainment companies couldn't find him now, as long as he remained in South Korea, it was only a matter of time before he was exposed.

What if those companies offer Wei Wu an exorbitant signing fee that he can't refuse?

Once Wei Wu signs with the company, he will be surrounded by endless announcements, complicated social interactions, and countless women. He will move out of that dilapidated semi-basement apartment that only she knows about (but not only she knows about it), and he will quit his jobs at the convenience store and as a tutor.

He will completely disappear from her sight.

Zhang Zhenying walked to the full-length mirror and looked at the woman in the mirror who looked exceptionally alluring because of her crazy thoughts.

Her gaze fell on a photo frame on the dressing table next to her.

The photo frame contains a picture of her with a sweet-looking, tall girl.

That was her younger sister, Zhang Yuanying.

He is currently the absolute center of IZ*ONE, the hottest limited-time girl group in South Korea, and an idol with extremely high national popularity.

Zhang Zhenying's eyes suddenly lit up, and a chilling smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

"Yuan Ying... Your older sister has always been so good to you. Now is the time for you to repay her."

What if... what if Wei Wu hadn't signed with those shady companies, but instead been forced into a quagmire he couldn't escape?

If, by leveraging her sister's status and resources in the entertainment industry, she were to set up a trap for Wei Wu that seemed like a tremendous opportunity but was actually a bottomless abyss, and force him to sign a "contract of servitude" that would result in astronomical compensation if he breached it.

"At that time, Teacher Wei, you will have no choice but to obediently lie at my feet and sing for me alone with your beautiful voice."

Jang Jin-young leaned back onto the sofa and set "Believer" to repeat.

Amidst the frenzied drumbeats, she seemed to already see the exquisite scene of Wei Wu chained to her bedside.

……

Meanwhile, in Mapo-gu, a semi-basement.

"Achoo!"

Wei Wu suddenly sneezed, waking up from the tattered bed.

He rubbed his sore nose and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 11 a.m.

"Damn it, did I catch a cold from having the air conditioning too low last night? Or was some bastard talking behind my back?"

He muttered as he got out of bed and scratched his messy hair.

To escape the barrage of phone calls yesterday, he kept his phone off all night. Now the world is absolutely quiet for him.

He walked to the desk and habitually opened the secondhand laptop.

"First, confirm Lao Li's assignment email. Otherwise, Lao Deng might not have received it and I'll fail the course again."

Wei Wu opened his email and confirmed that the message had been successfully sent before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to close the browser, the mouse cursor inadvertently brushed over the SoundCloud icon in the bookmarks bar.

"By the way, I wonder if I made a few cents in data fees for that lousy song I uploaded yesterday."

Driven by a greedy mentality that "even a small fly is still meat," Wei Wu opened the backend of the "LazyDog" account.

The moment the webpage finished loading, Wei Wu's usually half-open, dead fish eyes widened to their limit.

"Holy crap?"

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, even bringing his face as close to five centimeters from the screen.

The message notification bar shows a red number: 999+.

Private mailbox: 999+.

And the song "Believer" has already surpassed 1.5 million plays! And this number is still rising at a visible and crazy rate.

The comment section has been completely overrun, filled with Korean, English, and even Japanese, with exclamation marks and exaggerated vocabulary practically overflowing the screen.

[A masterpiece! Whose alt account is this?!]

[That voice is amazing! It puts those mass-produced idols to shame!]

【LazyDog, do you have a signed label? We are XXX Entertainment…】

Looking at the densely packed private messages, Wei Wu felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He felt no elation, nor did he fantasize about becoming a big star, marrying a beautiful and wealthy woman, and reaching the pinnacle of life.

His first reaction was fear.

Extreme, lucid fear.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, this is a huge problem!"

Wei Wu pulled his hand back from the mouse as if he had been electrocuted, as if the computer were some kind of man-eating monster.

As a true lazybones, he has an extremely clear and ruthless understanding of himself.

Is he a genius? Perhaps he is in terms of musicality.

But can he become a professional musician? Absolutely not!

What does it mean to be a professional musician? It means you have to constantly create, it means you have to cater to the market, it means you have to stay up all night and lose hair under the pressure of deadlines.

He was able to write "Believer" yesterday purely because he was driven to the brink by Lao Li, and the pent-up frustration from standing in the convenience store all day finally erupted. This is an irreplaceable "Schrödinger's inspiration."

If he really acts impulsively and signs with some entertainment company or label and takes their signing fee...

What awaits him next?

It's endless pressure to release songs! It's all sorts of hypocritical social drinking parties! It's forcing a smile and engaging in mutual flattery with producers and singers he doesn't know or want to know!

What if he runs out of ideas and can't write another good song? Will those capitalists let him off the hook? The breach of contract penalties could leave him with nothing!

Wei Wu clutched his head in anguish.

What he hates most is complicated interpersonal relationships. Back at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, he couldn't even recognize all his classmates' names. Now, sending him to struggle in the Korean entertainment industry? He'd rather be killed.

"Run! We have to run!"

After a brief period of mental blankness, Wei Wu quickly made a decision that best aligned with his underlying logic.

He grabbed the secondhand phone that was already switched off on the table, not even bothering to wash his face. He threw on a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, slipped on a pair of flip-flops, and rushed out of the semi-basement.

Under the scorching midday sun, Wei Wu sprinted at top speed to the nearest telecommunications service center to his residence.

"Hello, I want to cancel this number! Immediately! Right now! Then issue me a new SIM card, registered under my passport!"

Wei Wu slammed the old SIM card onto the counter and shouted breathlessly at the startled clerk.

After half an hour.

Wei Wu walked out of the service center with his phone containing the new SIM card.

He stood on the street, looking at the bustling streets of Seoul, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Phew...that was close, I almost fell into an abyss of no return."

Once the means of contact are cut off, the "LazyDog" account becomes a dead account. No one can trace it back to Wei Wu.

As for the copyright fees that song can earn?

Although Wei Wu loved money, he also knew which money was acceptable and which would be fatal. Compared to the endless torment to come, that small copyright fee was utterly insignificant.

"Working, tutoring, saving money. This is the right path for me."

Wei Wu patted his cheeks, completely crushing his fleeting "star dream," and turned to walk towards the convenience store.

……

At eight o'clock in the evening, Wei Wu sat down at the large mahogany desk on time.

In fact, according to the normal tutoring frequency, two to three lessons a week is already the limit. But this Miss Zhang has gone crazy and insists that he come every night.

Wei Wu initially refused outright. Having to make the trip every night severely deprived him of his precious time to relax.

Until Jang Jin-young casually offered him a price he couldn't refuse—50,000 won per hour, which would be 100,000 won for two hours, and she would even pay him for an extra hour if he went overtime by even a second.

Faced with the absolute power of money, Wei Wu's pitiful laziness crumbled instantly.

"It's just two more hours of nonsense every day, right? I'll put up with it for the sake of the money." This was Wei Wu's inner monologue at the time.

Zhang Zhenying, still wearing her conservative home clothes, sat obediently opposite Wei Wu.

She held a pen in her hand, seemingly taking notes diligently, but her dark eyes would occasionally peek greedily at Wei Wu's face through her lowered eyelashes.

"Teacher Wei, did you change your phone number today?" Zhang Zhenying suddenly stopped writing and asked casually.

Wei Wu paused slightly as he turned the pages of his book, then raised his eyelids to glance at her.

"I changed it. The old card was terrible, it got too many scam calls." Wei Wu's answer was impeccable, his tone flat and emotionless.

He habitually placed the phone, now with the new SIM card, face down on the table.

Zhang Zhenying looked at the phone, a secret smile flashing in her eyes.

Of course she knew why Wei Wu had changed his number. She even found Wei Wu's frantic attempt to escape trouble, like a startled rabbit, utterly adorable.

"By the way, teacher," Zhang Zhenying put down her pen, rested her chin on her hands, and said in a tone full of curiosity and admiration, "I heard a really nice song online today called 'Believer.' The singer's voice... how should I put it, it sounds a bit like your voice when you talk, teacher."

Upon hearing the name "Believer," Wei Wu's hand jerked violently.

But his perpetually expressionless face revealed no flaws.

He just looked at Jang Jin-young with an expression as if she were an idiot.

"Zhang Zhenying, you have quite the imagination. I'm just a poor student teaching Chinese, not some singer. Besides," Wei Wu paused, a hint of warning in his voice, "we're in class right now. If you bring up anything unrelated to our studies again, I'll consider deducting today's payment."

Zhang Zhenying shuddered at his cold reaction, and that familiar pleasure of being rejected surged through her body once again.

But she didn't want to stop there today; she needed to confirm one thing.

"I'm sorry, teacher. I just felt that if it really was you singing, you would definitely become a superstar. Lots and lots of big companies would line up to sign you." Zhang Zhenying blinked her innocent big eyes and continued to probe, "Teacher, don't you want to be a superstar? If you sign with a company, you can earn lots and lots of money and you won't have to work so hard anymore."

Wei Wu put down the textbook in his hand and leaned back in his chair.

He looked at the innocent and carefree (in his eyes) rich heiress in front of him, and a mocking sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Become a big star? Sign with a company?" Wei Wu's voice was filled with deep disdain and disgust. "Ms. Zhang, you may have some misunderstandings about this world."

"I'm not an ambitious person. My biggest dream is to just live a carefree life. Signing with the company means being treated like a money-making machine by those capitalists, being driven around like a dog every day to run errands, and having to deal with those hypocritical social relationships that are disgusting."

Wei Wu looked directly into Zhang Zhenying's eyes and said, word by word, "What I hate most is complicated interpersonal relationships and being controlled by others. So, even if I really can write songs, even if a company puts a mountain of gold in front of me, I will absolutely, absolutely not sign any contract to sell myself into servitude."

Jang Jin-young's smile froze.

Wei Wu's answer was even more resolute than she had anticipated. His resistance to the entertainment industry and his yearning for freedom even exceeded her calculations.

"But... if we don't sign with the company..." Zhang Zhenying's voice trembled slightly as she stared intently at Wei Wu, "Teacher... what are your plans after the exchange program ends?"

"What can I do? Go back to China." Wei Wu shrugged matter-of-factly. "After a year, I'll get my credits, pack my bags, and leave. I'll go back to Shanghai to continue being a lazy college student. This lousy place in Korea is unbearably hot in the summer, and the prices are exorbitant. I don't want to stay here for even a second longer."

Back home.

Leaving South Korea.

Leave her.

These words were like poisoned blades, piercing Zhang Zhenying's heart.

Her brain felt like it was about to explode in that instant.

No!

Absolutely not!!!

How could you leave?! How dare you leave?!

You are a treasure I finally discovered, my only solace in this utterly boring world! Do you think you can just pack up and leave, leaving me alone in this disgusting quagmire?!

Zhang Zhenying's hands were clenched into fists under the table, her nails digging deep into the flesh of her palms, but she felt no pain whatsoever.

She kept her head down, her long bangs obscuring her eyes, which had turned completely bloodshot and were filled with crazed rage.

Her body trembled slightly with extreme anger and fear.

"Zhang Zhenying? Are you alright? Did you have an epileptic seizure?" Wei Wu frowned slightly and asked impatiently as he looked at Zhang Zhenying, who had suddenly lowered her head and was trembling.

"...I'm fine, teacher."

When Zhang Zhenying raised her head again, the madness on her face had vanished without a trace, replaced by a perfect, impeccable, and obedient smile.

"I just feel... I'm a little reluctant to see the teacher go back to his country."

Her voice was as soft as a sigh, but beneath this calm exterior, a vicious, insane, and reckless plan had already taken shape in the woman's mind.

Wei Wu, you can never go back.

I will personally break your wings and drag you into this quagmire you hate the most.

You can only be mine.