Chapter 270: Xiao Dongxi's Bullying
Liu Zhimin glanced at Jiang Shu, then looked back at the photographers not far away. Besides the fixed cameras, there were also photographers capturing various angles.
The footage would be edited in post-production and released. It was originally planned to be live-streamed, but for some reason, it was canceled.
Thinking of this, Liu Zhimin directly asked Jiang Shu, who was beside him, about this doubt.
"Live streaming is difficult to control. This is the first time the company has held such a gala, and the main goal is to complete everything smoothly," Jiang Shu explained.
"I see." Liu Zhimin suddenly understood. That's right, live streaming for the first time would be hard to handle if problems arose. No one had experience organizing such a gala, so to be safe, not live streaming was the best choice.
"Which number are you performing?" Jiang Shu asked.
"After Red Velvet," Liu Zhimin said, resting her chin on her hand and watching NMIXX, who had already started performing 'O.O' on stage.
"Then it's still early."
After NMIXX would be ITZY, then Kim Tae-yeon and Lee Ji-eun, and only then Red Velvet.
"Food is served." As soon as Jiang Shu finished speaking, Liu Zhimin's eyes lit up. She saw employees in cafeteria uniforms pushing dining carts from the direction of the cafeteria, starting to serve dishes table by table.
Since it was a gala, it was naturally meant for eating while watching. However, since it would be broadcast, the dishes were mainly pastries to maintain a good image.
Of course, besides pastries, there were other foods. If you wanted, you could definitely eat your fill. But if you wanted to eat well, that might not be possible.
Tonight's banquet was the type that looked good but didn't taste good.
Soon, plates of exquisitely arranged and uniquely shaped pastries were brought up.
To Jiang Shu's left was Liu Zhimin, and to his right sat Hwang Yeji. Logically, this position should have been Kwon Eunbi and Hwang Yeji, one on each side, but since it was a free seating arrangement, and Jiang Shu had asked Liu Zhimin to sit next to him, Kwon Eunbi ended up sitting next to Liu Zhimin.
Liu Zhimin leaned on the table, looking past Jiang Shu towards Hwang Yeji.
"Lychee, are you nervous about next month's comeback?"
"Lychee...?" Hwang Yeji's parents looked at Liu Zhimin in confusion. Hwang Yeji, however, knew she was being called. She carefully glanced at Jiang Shu, who showed no reaction, then replied, "Very nervous."
Then Liu Zhimin, enjoying the drama, poked Kwon Eunbi beside her and asked with a smile, "Ouni, are you nervous?"
"I'm alright." Kwon Eunbi smiled, turned to look at Hwang Yeji, and after a brief eye contact, they both subtly looked away.
"Karina seems very relaxed?" Bae Joo-hyun's mother quietly asked Bae Joo-hyun.
"Karina is one of the President's favorite artists. We privately call her DM Entertainment's Eldest Princess," Bae Joo-hyun explained with a smile.
"Then is she and your President...?"
"I'm not sure about that." Bae Joo-hyun vaguely suspected that Jiang Shu and Liu Zhimin's relationship was unusual, but she was unwilling to speculate without evidence.
"She's the Eldest Princess, which means there's also a Youngest Princess?" Bae Joo-hyun's father noticed the implication in Bae Joo-hyun's words.
"Yes, Yuan Ying of IZONE is the Youngest Princess. They are the two most favored artists."
"And also the two most famous ones," Bae Joo-hyun's father nodded and said. The name 'Liu Yuan Twins' had been popular since their debut in 2018, and even Koreans who didn't follow K-pop often heard the names Karina and Yuan Ying.
"What did their conversation just mean?" Bae Joo-hyun's mother asked again.
"Just now..."
While Bae Joo-hyun was explaining, at another table not far away, the remaining three members of aespa were sitting together. Since there was a "special" program today, Kim Minjeong didn't invite her parents. As for Ning Yizhuo and Giselle's families, they were in their respective countries, so none of aespa's four members had family present.
Kim Minjeong sat between Giselle and Ning Yizhuo, spacing out. Ning Yizhuo, seeing Kim Minjeong's appearance, wore an awkward smile.
Although she was the "victim," before going on stage, Kim Minjeong was the victim, after all, she was the one who got scolded.
"Uh... Winter Ouni..." Ning Yizhuo reached out and placed her hand on Kim Minjeong's thigh, calling softly.
"I'm fine." Kim Minjeong snapped out of it. "I'm not upset, I'm just thinking about how to bully you."
Ning Yizhuo: "..."
Although she knew it was a script, why did it sound so creepy?
But looking at Kim Minjeong's expression, she really didn't seem upset.
Well, it was quite a natural performance.
"You're worrying about her for nothing," Giselle said, laughing from the side.
Ning Yizhuo gave a forced laugh, while Kim Minjeong gave Giselle a dissatisfied look.
"See, that look alone is enough," Giselle said, pointing at Kim Minjeong with a grin.
Kim Minjeong: "..."
"I'm fake-bullying Ningning, but I can genuinely bully you! You despicable foreigner!" Kim Minjeong said indignantly.
Giselle couldn't laugh now.
She really was a foreigner.
Damn it!
Kim Minjeong's demeanor was already very much like a delinquent. To be honest, even Liu Zhimin, that mischievous devil, was sometimes intimidated by Kim Minjeong, let alone her and Ning Yizhuo, who were foreigners.
It was fine when Kim Minjeong was playfully bickering with them, but when she got angry, she was truly scary.
"Next, aespa will bring you..."
Hearing Lee Ji-eun's voice, the three of them tacitly stopped talking and stood up.
And Liu Zhimin, sitting at Jiang Shu's table, also stood up.
Kim Minjeong's eyes were resolute, with an air of "the wind whistles, the Yi River is cold, a brave man goes forth and never returns."
Jiang Shu noticed Kim Minjeong's solemn expression. Knowing the inside story, he couldn't help but blink.
This little girl...
Kim Minjeong stood still on the stage. At this moment, she saw Jiang Shu directly opposite her. Noticing that Jiang Shu was looking at her, Kim Minjeong pursed her lips, nodded solemnly towards Jiang Shu, indicating that she would execute the plan well.
Jiang Shu looked blankly at Kim Minjeong, who was nodding at him.
What is this Xiao Dongxi doing?
As he thought this, Kim Minjeong on stage also began her "performance."
The music of "Next Level" resonated with the singing. Ning Yizhuo didn't know about Kim Minjeong's "bullying plan," so she ignored her and just focused on dancing seriously.
Ning Yizhuo's thought happened to coincide with Kim Minjeong's.
All she wanted was for Ning Yizhuo to do nothing, only then could she fully display her "talent."
Thinking this, Kim Minjeong seized the opportunity, and during a moment of stage blocking, bumped into Ning Yizhuo.
Ning Yizhuo was tripped by Kim Minjeong and quickly regained her balance, while Kim Minjeong entered performance mode, rolled her eyes at Ning Yizhuo, and then quickly walked away.
Ning Yizhuo looked at Kim Minjeong's smooth little glare, falling into confusion.