Chapter 4: Idiot, Idiot, Idiot

“How is it that you’re the one showing up here?”

Pei Zhenlai gently guided Xia Xing a few steps to the side.

At this moment, she couldn’t help but regret not having pressed Xue Yun earlier. Had she done so, she could now watch the whole scene unfold with calm detachment.

“I told you, I’m here as a representative of Peninsula Foods.”

“But didn’t you just join a few months ago?”

It seemed Pei Zhenlai was quite familiar with his background.

“Perhaps… my superiors think highly of me.”

Xia Xing was about to elaborate when four girls chirped their way out of the practice room.

“Who’s this Takashi Kashiwabara? Is he the lead from ‘Love Letter’?”

“He must be almost fifty by now.”

“Sister Haiyuan, I don’t think our company has anyone that famous.”

“Could he be a new trainee?”

Indeed, among these four, Xue Yun was absent.

When Pei Zhenlai shouted “Takashi Kashiwabara,” Xue Yun was probably completely stunned—just like Xia Xing.

So, the introductions began again.

Since Wu Haiyuan and the others didn’t know the inside story like Pei Zhenlai did, after exchanging polite greetings, the four girls began a light-hearted conversation.

One could sense they were truly E-liners, but their vibe differed from Shen Youna’s…

Perhaps they felt more like ordinary people?

“Representative Xia, you look so young. How old are you?”

“Almost 24, just graduated from college less than a year ago.”

“You really resemble Takashi Kashiwabara, but with more vigor.”

“Thank you for the compliment…”

As Xia Xing managed the small talk, his thoughts inevitably drifted back to Xue Yun.

He then raised the bag in his hand.

“I brought some small gifts for everyone.”

The girls, having debuted less than a year, hesitated a bit about accepting gifts from a client.

They still needed their manager’s approval for such matters.

However, after Xia Xing explained he was presenting them as a fan, in a private capacity, Wu Haiyuan, the team leader, stepped forward, took the gifts, and thanked him sincerely once more.

“By the way, Xue Yun is still in the practice room. Shall I take you in to see her?”

Wu Haiyuan noticed Pei Zhenlai’s awkward expression but didn’t dwell on it, waving Xia Xing inside.

As soon as he entered the practice room, Xia Xing spotted Xue Yun hiding in a corner, her phone pressed against her face like a frightened little rabbit hoping the big bad wolf wouldn’t find her.

“Xue Yun, Representative Xia from Peninsula Foods is here, and he brought gifts. Come meet him.”

Hearing the team leader call her, Xue Yun reluctantly moved her phone away, glancing nervously toward Xia Xing.

Just as she had imagined, the boy stood by the door, his expression as flustered as hers.

What on earth was this guy doing? So reckless, showing up without a prior warning.

In fact, while hiding in the practice room earlier, Xue Yun had already guessed the general idea.

The mysterious work-related message Xia Xing sent yesterday was likely a setup for today’s surprise.

Though she often wanted to see this friend, at this moment, an inexplicable nervousness gripped her to the core.

“R-Representative Xia, hello.”

The girl’s cheeks flushed crimson as she averted her gaze and extended a hand toward Xia Xing.

“X-Xue Yun, nice to meet you. I’m Xia Xing from Peninsula Foods.”

Enough already… Xue Yun secretly measured her teammates’ expressions.

Clearly, none of them were fools; it seemed they had each drawn their own conclusions about her relationship with Xia Xing.

There would be explanations back at the dorm that evening…

But before then, she couldn’t let things worsen in the practice room.

Summoning her courage, amidst the stunned looks of her teammates, Xue Yun grabbed Xia Xing’s suit sleeve and headed straight out of the practice room.

Only four pairs of curious and somewhat bewildered eyes remained, exchanging glances within the room.

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In the hallway, Xue Yun’s hand still clung to his sleeve.

She lowered her head almost burying it in his chest, and through the shirt, he could feel the heat radiating from her flushed face.

The warmth elevated the molecular motion between them.

The faint scent of jasmine on her skin was like bait, luring Xia Xing to lower his head and tentatively wrap an arm around her.

At this moment, the girl adopted a “throw caution to the wind” attitude.

Since her conversation with Zhenlai, she had to face her feelings for Xia Xing.

Their relationship had clearly surpassed mere friendship, hadn’t it?

Now that their teammates had noticed the signs, she considered just confessing everything openly—to everyone and to Xia Xing himself.

Yet, as an idol, she wasn’t yet at the stage where she could openly date.

But… human emotions are so complex.

Even as reason slowly returned, she still couldn’t bear to let go of the warmth of his embrace.

“How did you come here?”

Listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart, her gaze wandered past his suit jacket, drifting around the stairwell.

“Because I wanted to see you, and I wanted to surprise you.”

Such straightforward honesty always had a powerful impact.

“But you can’t just act recklessly like this. So many people are watching.”

“You should… have told me beforehand.”

They were practically lovers by now, weren’t they?

His skin brushed against her hair, followed by warm breaths seeping into her collar, tingling and spreading upward.

“I actually bought a special gift just for you, Xue Yun.”

“Where is it?”

“The jewelry you saw in the practice room?”

“No, it’s a game controller. Since you always play games on your tablet, this would make gaming more convenient.”

This guy… he was so thoughtful?

Her mood brightened considerably, but she searched around and found no sign of the controller.

Seeing her puzzled look, Xia Xing continued explaining:

“I ran into Shen Youna in the elevator. Since she was attending the meeting this afternoon, I let her pick a gift.”

“Unexpectedly, she took the controller. The moment the elevator doors opened, she ran off—I couldn’t catch up…”

Xue Yun furrowed her brows, already guessing the truth.

Probably, Senior Youna planned to reserve the other, more expensive gifts for NMIXX.

But by chance, she had taken the very gift Xia Xing intended for Xue Yun.

“I’ll buy another one and bring it to you later.”

“No, I want that one.”

“But it’s already with Shen Youna.”

“I’ll get back what’s mine.”

The girl lifted her eyes, her gaze firm yet tinged with a hint of grievance:

“That’s mine. It can’t be taken by someone else, do you understand?”

“Dummy, dummy, dummy.”