Peninsula's first chance encounter during my stay in Dali

The three entered the private room and took their seats.

"Brother Jae-seok and Brother Young-seok are still filming Earth Hall abroad, so they let us get together first. We'll get together again when they come back," Zhou Haoming explained why the main PD didn't attend today's gathering.

"I've already told that guy that this is our first collaboration in a long time, and I have high expectations for our lineup."

Unable to get a word in edgewise, Liu Zhimin quietly cleared the dishes for Liu Zaishi, but not for Zhou Haoming. Liu Zaishi, being a shrewd old man, could tell at a glance that there was something going on between the two.

At that moment, the door to the room opened, and Do Kyungsoo and Lee Kwangsoo arrived together.

"Aigoo, busy Lee has finally arrived. Kyungsoo, how have you been lately!" Yoo Jae-suk immediately stood up to greet the two.

"Hyung, what are you saying? I was waiting for Do Kyungsoo!" Lee Kwangsoo explained his reason for being late.

"Jae-seok hyung, it's all my fault. I'll punish myself with three drinks later. Filming really delayed me," Do Kyung-soo explained.

"Alright, alright, you all know Jimin, this is Zhou Haoming, the representative in charge of our program this time. He's younger than you all, so let's just call him Haoming," Yoo Jae-suk introduced Zhou Haoming to the two of them.

"Aigoo, Haoming is so talented at such a young age. He's a promising young man!" Lee Kwang-soo praised.

"Hello, Haoming. I'm Do Kyungsoo, you can just call me Kyungsoo oppa," Do Kyungsoo said.

"Kwang-soo hyung, I've wanted to see you for so long, but you never go to Starship! I'm a die-hard fan of your Running Man." Zhou Haoming said.

"Kyungsoo hyung, EXO's lead vocalist is a household name! I can sing a few of his songs, but your acting skills are truly amazing! Incredible!"

Liu Zhimin, standing to the side, looked at Zhou Haoming, who was handling the situation calmly, with a complicated expression.

After the four teased each other, they took their seats. "Jimin, is this your first time participating in this kind of variety show?" Yoo Jae-suk, the eldest brother, asked with concern.

"Yes, Jae-seok oppa, this is my first time participating, and I'm actually a little nervous."

"Don't worry, leave the heavy work to Kyungsoo and Kwangsoo. You just need to take care of the visuals for our show!" Yoo Jae-suk said with a smile.

Lee Kwang-soo, standing nearby, struck up a conversation with Zhou Haoming, saying, "Haoming, tell me the truth, are you lying about your age or something? How can you get to this position at such a young age?"

"Hey, Kwang-soo hyung, what are you saying! I have real achievements, okay? I guarantee this variety show will be a national hit, so you can rest assured!" Zhou Haoming said confidently.

"Yeah, hyung, he always asks such pointless questions, really," Do Kyungsoo chimed in.

  

"Okay, then I'll trust our producer!" Kwang-soo said, downing his drink in one gulp. Zhou Haoming and Do Kyung-soo followed suit without hesitation.

After a satisfying meal, everyone prepared to go home. Zhou Haoming and Li Guangzhu hit it off immediately and insisted on going to a karaoke bar to showcase their singing talents. The two, both quite drunk, clung to each other tightly, impossible to separate. Just as they were about to hail a taxi to the karaoke bar, Yoo Jae-suk stopped them.

Do Kyungsoo, however, was too drunk to hold his liquor and had already passed out to the side. Yoo Jae-suk and Yoo Jimin, who hadn't been drinking, took on the responsibility of taking them home.

"Jimin, I'll take care of Kwangsoo and Kyungsoo, you can handle Homyeong!" Just as Yoo Jae-suk was about to lead the two into the car,

"Jae-seok oppa!"

"Hey, Yoona, what are you doing here!"

"I'm here to pick up Haoming. He messaged me before he came to say that you guys were going drinking today and asked me to come pick him up." Lin Yoona appeared in the parking lot in casual clothes.

"You two? Are you together?" Yoo Jae-suk asked.

"Yes, he's my boyfriend," Yoona readily admitted.

"Then you can drive him home. Be careful, and remember to send me a message when you get home," Yoo Jae-suk immediately instructed.

"Jimin, you should go back first. I'll take them both home!"

"Okay!" Liu Zhimin watched as Lin Yun'er helped Zhou Haoming into the car, then turned and walked to the side of the road to wait for his manager to pick him up.

Seeing this, Yoo Jae-suk didn't say anything more. He and his manager pulled Lee Kwang-soo and Do Kyung-soo into the car and drove away.

After buckling Zhou Haoming's seatbelt, Lin Yoona looked at Liu Zhimin, who was waiting for a car by the roadside.

Stop the car when you drive past her, get in, and I'll take you back to your dorm.

"No need, my agent has already come to pick me up," Liu Zhimin said, refusing.

"It's late at night. What if you encounter danger while you're alone? Get in the car quickly!" Im Yoona adopted a senior's demeanor.

Seeing this, Liu Zhimin decided not to insist any longer and opened the car door to sit in the back seat.

The two didn't exchange a single word on the way; the car was quiet except for the sound of the engine starting.

After parking the car downstairs at the aespa dormitory, Yoo Jimin immediately opened the car door and got out, but then Yoona also got out of the car and blocked her way.

"Shall we chat?"

"What's there for us to talk about!" Liu Zhimin protested.

"Let's talk about Haoming. Are you sure you don't want to?"

Liu Zhimin suddenly stopped walking upstairs.

Upon seeing this, Lim Yoona said, "At the time, all I knew was that the two of you were together. I was indeed very unwilling, but I didn't intend to be a mistress. I just thought that I could only be his noona in the future, so I asked him to accompany me to the amusement park at Mount Fuji."

"You can interpret what I'm telling you as me explaining my past actions, but when you truly confront your relationship with Haoming, what comes to mind?"

"Okay, that's all I wanted to say. Be careful going upstairs. I'm leaving now." After saying that, Lim Yoona turned around, got into her car, and started the engine.

As Liu Zhimin watched the car drive away, what was on her mind? It was her lack of confidence and security in that relationship.

"Heh," Liu Zhimin laughed self-deprecatingly.

It took Lin Yoona a lot of effort to help Zhou Haoming into the house.

Seeing Zhou Haoming lying on the sofa muttering to himself, Lin Yoona kicked him hard in the butt.

"You're always causing me trouble! You're sleeping in the living room tonight!"

I quickly wiped his face, hands and feet, then draped a blanket over him before going back to my bedroom to sleep.

The next morning, Zhou Haoming woke up thirsty. Seeing himself asleep on the living room sofa, he knew that Yoona had brought him back the night before.

He got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower. After showering, Zhou Haoming returned to the bedroom and saw that Yun'er was still fast asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he tiptoed out of the bedroom with his change of clothes. Because he had a meeting to attend today, Zhou Haoming quickly prepared breakfast, put it in the warmer, left a small note, and rushed to the company.