Chapter 232: How Much She Means to Him
The two arrived at their destination while chatting, a drive of just over ten minutes. This was the advantage of a small county town; it was quick to get anywhere by car, unlike in Seoul, where crossing a district could take half an hour.
It wasn't that the districts were large, but rather that there were just too many cars!
“Is this the Chairman’s house?” Bae Joo-hyun asked curiously, looking at the first townhouse in a row surrounded by cars.
Although it was a county town, these townhouses looked similar to those in Seoul. The sense of luxury was a bit less, but not by much.
“These three are all his,” Su Xueqi said, pointing to the row of villas.
A large question mark appeared on Bae Joo-hyun’s forehead.
A row of townhouses, and all of them belonged to him?
“Is the Chairman’s family that wealthy?” Bae Joo-hyun asked in surprise.
“Yes, they’re quite wealthy,” Su Xueqi nodded in agreement. “But now my brother is probably the richest. You in Korean Entertainment make money faster than printing it.”
“Do we?” Bae Joo-hyun looked at Su Xueqi blankly. She hadn't felt that way.
“I forgot Korean Entertainment doesn't make money as fast as Chinese Entertainment,” Su Xueqi patted her head. “Never mind, let’s go inside first. There are a lot of relatives at home right now. We’ll go over later.”
“Okay,” Bae Joo-hyun replied, then glanced at the three villas.
Alright, so it turns out that if the Chairman didn't work hard to manage the company, he would have to go home and inherit the family business.
Following Su Xueqi into the middle villa, the house was empty. Su Xueqi, however, was clearly familiar with the place, grabbing teacups and pouring water.
“There’s no coffee at home, and no drinks either. Just plain water will have to do,” Su Xueqi said while pouring water for Bae Joo-hyun.
“It’s fine, I can drink anything,” Bae Joo-hyun quickly replied.
“I’ll go call my brother. Please wait a moment,” Su Xueqi said, then walked away.
Bae Joo-hyun sat on the sofa, marveling at the interior decor of the house.
She had only known before that Jiang Shu came from a privileged background, but she hadn't imagined he could be this wealthy. Wasn't he a second-generation chaebol?
However, she still had to thank Jiang Shu. If it weren't for this second-generation chaebol bravely venturing into K-pop, an “old aunt” like her might have found it very difficult to debut in this lifetime.
Bae Joo-hyun's mind recalled the first time she met Jiang Shu.
Even though she hadn't even put on full makeup then, and was busy wearing a waitress uniform, he still chose her at a glance. That feeling of being firmly chosen, she found it hard to forget even today.
Every time she recalled that feeling, Bae Joo-hyun would feel fortunate, fortunate that she had chosen to bet her future on trusting this man she had only met once.
Facts proved that her choice was correct, and she had not let down his firm decision.
Thinking of this, a smile quietly appeared on Bae Joo-hyun’s lips.
Just then, the front door suddenly opened. Bae Joo-hyun looked up, and the first thing that caught her eye was Jiang Shu’s figure.
Compared to the vibrant and energetic state she had seen him in a few months ago, the current Jiang Shu was undoubtedly much more haggard, with visible fatigue etched across his entire face.
It seemed the passing of his family member truly had a profound impact on him.
Jiang Shu looked at Bae Joo-hyun, who was still as beautiful as a flower after a long time, and forced himself to cheer up, a smile appearing on his face.
He had only met his original body’s grandfather once during Chinese New Year, so to say he was deeply saddened would be too fake.
He looked so tired and haggard purely because he was sleepy.
During the period since the old man passed away, Jiang Shu, as the eldest grandson and also the most successful one of his generation, had a high frequency of appearances. Relatives and friends who returned from all corners of the country needed him to entertain them. A few days ago, he was almost exhausted to death.
The old man had already been buried these past few days, and the funeral rites were over. What remained was mainly entertaining these distant relatives and friends, so Jiang Shu had finally gotten a few good days of rest.
But this kind of exhaustive draining of energy, like 'training a hawk,' couldn’t be recovered in just a day or two. The fatigue was clearly written all over his face.
“It must have been a tiring journey,” Jiang Shu said, looking at Bae Joo-hyun.
“Not at all. I’m just glad to see you’re okay, Chairman,” Bae Joo-hyun said with a smile.
Jiang Shu looked deeply at Bae Joo-hyun.
“I’ll be returning to Seoul in a few days. Will you come with me, or…?”
“I’ll go with you,” Bae Joo-hyun said, looking at Jiang Shu with surprise, and quickly agreed.
Jiang Shu nodded upon hearing this, then looked at Su Xueqi, who couldn't understand their Korean conversation.
“Xueqi, take Bae Joo-hyun to check into a room at All Seasons. She’ll be staying with us these next few days. I’m going to catch up on some sleep. This task is yours.”
“Okay,” Su Xueqi nodded.
“Thank you for the trouble.”
Bae Joo-hyun withdrew her gaze and bowed slightly to Su Xueqi.
“It’s fine, let’s go.”
“Alright.”
After watching the two leave, Jiang Shu rubbed his eyes and went upstairs to continue sleeping.
He was numb with sleepiness.
… …
The two got back into the car.
“All Seasons is a domestic chain brand. Although its brand isn't as good as Hilton or Marriott, it’s one of the better hotels in the county, and it’s not far from our house, so my brother arranged for the hotel to be here,” Su Xueqi explained, fearing that Bae Joo-hyun might dislike the hotel’s standard.
In a small place, it’s unrealistic to expect to stay at a Hilton, Hyatt, or Marriott.
“It’s fine, I don’t have high demands,” Bae Joo-hyun said with a smile.
“That’s good,” Su Xueqi replied with a chuckle. “My brother has been too tired these past two days. He’s already slept for over ten hours straight for two days. If you weren’t coming today, he wouldn’t have gone to entertain those people at all.”
“Ah?” Bae Joo-hyun paused at this. “Is it appropriate not to entertain others?”
“These people arrived late, and things are pretty much over. My brother doesn’t necessarily have to entertain them personally. It’s just that since you were coming today, he took the opportunity to make an appearance and see them,” Su Xueqi explained.
So it was because of me.
Bae Joo-hyun suddenly understood. It seemed she held quite a significant place in the Chairman’s heart.
Thinking this, the curve of Bae Joo-hyun’s lips was almost impossible to suppress.
“Tonight, I’ll take you to try some of our local delicacies, but you’ll need to wear a mask. My brother is very well-known here, and the K-pop atmosphere is also quite good. There are K-pop random dance events and such every weekend. If you don’t wear a mask, someone might recognize you,” Su Xueqi reminded her.
Because it was Jiang Shu’s hometown, and also because when Jiang Shu returned for Chinese New Year last year, the local cultural and tourism department came to him and asked him to promote his hometown, he ended up posting a few vlogs.
Now, everyone who follows K-pop in China knows that Shu County is the hometown of the famous DM Entertainment Chairman Jiang Shu. A considerable portion of the tourists who visit during holidays are K-pop fans.
It’s only because there are restrictions on Korean Entertainment in China; otherwise, the atmosphere here would be even more intense.
“Then I’ll have to take a good look tonight,” Bae Joo-hyun said, a look of anticipation appearing in her eyes upon hearing Su Xueqi’s words.