Chapter 291 First Love!
December 25th, Christmas Day.
The Christmas atmosphere in Korea goes without saying; days before, various Christmas-related decorations were everywhere in the streets and alleys.
DM Entertainment, a company in the entertainment industry, also goes all out for a festival like Christmas.
On Christmas Day itself, upon arriving at the company, one could immediately feel the pervasive Christmas atmosphere.
Jiang Shu looked up at the Christmas tree symbol hanging below DM Entertainment's large logo in the first-floor lobby, and on one side of the lobby, there was also a giant Christmas tree, over three meters tall, covered in gift boxes.
Next to the Christmas tree, there was a sign that read, "Non-executive employees can claim one gift box."
Many employees were also gathered around the Christmas tree, picking out gift boxes that looked promising to them.
Jiang Shu watched a female employee from an unknown department take down a red sock and pull out a… banana from it.
Watching the female employee's happy expression turn into a bewildered one, Jiang Shu couldn't help but laugh.
There was even a banana; how interesting.
Ding-dong.
Jiang Shu, who was watching employees open blind boxes, heard a sound and took out his phone.
Xiao Sakura: President nim, I'm almost at the company. Are you at the company?
Sakura used Chinese, and her sentences were very colloquial, indicating that Xiao Sakura's Chinese was becoming increasingly proficient.
Shu: I'm here. Come straight over.
Xiao Sakura: Okay.
Putting down his phone, Jiang Shu glanced at the employees still opening blind boxes, then turned and went upstairs.
Outside the President's office.
"Good morning, President nim." Choi Ji-yeon stood up and bowed to Jiang Shu in greeting.
"Is someone in my office?" Jiang Shu looked at the half-closed door and asked Choi Ji-yeon.
"Karina xi is inside," Choi Ji-yeon replied.
"Xiao Liu," Jiang Shu nodded upon hearing this and pushed open the office door.
Liu Zhimin, who was lying on the sofa playing on her phone, sat up with a whoosh when she heard the noise, then lay back down after seeing it was Jiang Shu.
"You're here," Liu Zhimin's lazy voice drifted over.
"I'm here, President Liu," Jiang Shu looked amusedly at Liu Zhimin, who was sprawled on the sofa with no regard for her image. "Why did you come over?"
"To give you a gift," Liu Zhimin casually pointed to the Hermes packaging box on the table.
"A gift? From you?" Jiang Shu looked at Liu Zhimin in surprise, walked past her, and sat down on the adjacent sofa, reaching out to pick up the packaging box.
"I'm a representative, representing our group. We've always thought the song 'Savage' wasn't good, so we want you to change the song for us," Liu Zhimin said, staring at her phone without turning her head.
"Then take it back. I won't change the song." Jiang Shu had just opened the packaging box but closed it again upon hearing that.
"I know, but they all told me to come over, so I came to check it out," Liu Zhimin put down her phone, turned her head, and said to Jiang Shu.
"It doesn't matter whether you like this song or not. This is an attempt at a new style. As long as the market likes it, that's enough." Jiang Shu said, then opened the packaging box again and took out the belt inside.
"Why did you think of giving a belt?"
"We discussed it for a long time and finally decided that a belt was the most suitable, so we split the cost and bought a belt."
Jiang Shu took out the receipt. This belt cost 1.65 million won, which was quite expensive.
"Alright, I'll accept it, but changing the song is out of the question."
"Oh," Liu Zhimin responded. She already knew the outcome before coming, so she naturally didn't have much of a reaction.
"How are you spending today?" Liu Zhimin sat up and asked Jiang Shu, who was opposite her.
"I don't know yet. Do you want to spend it with me?" Jiang Shu invited.
"I'm not spending it with you," Liu Zhimin snorted. "I'm with my friends."
"Alright then, I'll find someone else," Jiang Shu said regretfully.
Liu Zhimin raised an eyebrow. Find someone else? Who?
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock on the door sounded, and then Jiang Shu looked towards the entrance.
"Please come in."
Choi Ji-yeon pushed the door open, nodded to Liu Zhimin, then looked at Jiang Shu and said, "President nim, Kura is here."
"Let her in."
The next second, Sakura, who was behind Choi Ji-yeon, walked in carrying a knit bag.
"President nim, Karina," Sakura greeted Jiang Shu and Liu Zhimin.
"Have a seat," Jiang Shu said, pointing to the sofa on his left.
Liu Zhimin stared at the knit bag in Sakura's hand, and her eyes couldn't help but widen.
Is she also here to give a Christmas gift?
She was representing aespa, so what about Sakura?
Liu Zhimin's gaze was too direct, making it difficult for Sakura not to notice.
She looked at Liu Zhimin in confusion, following her gaze, then looked down.
Oh, she was looking at the gift she had brought.
Thinking of this, Sakura took out the prepared Christmas gift from the knit bag.
It was a black and blue striped scarf.
"President nim, please try on this scarf." Sakura stood up and handed the scarf to Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu also stood up and took the scarf.
"It's quite pretty. I'll try it on." As he spoke, he put the scarf around his neck, and the scent on the scarf, which was the same as Sakura's, immediately wafted towards him.
Liu Zhimin's eyebrows were almost knitted together. Looking at the scarf around Jiang Shu's neck, she felt extremely uncomfortable, and her gaze towards Sakura also turned unfriendly.
Sakura, who was watching Jiang Shu try on the scarf, sensed the abnormality and turned her head, meeting Liu Zhimin's hostile gaze.
Sakura couldn't help but be stunned.
But the next moment, she was jolted awake as if struck by lightning.
The description of Jiang Shu's first love flashed through her mind, and many of those descriptions fell upon Liu Zhimin before her eyes. Everything seemed... quite reasonable, didn't it?
Could it be?!
Sakura's eyes immediately lit up; she smelled the scent of gossip.
While Jiang Shu went to the full-length mirror to check the scarf's effect, Sakura stepped forward and stood in front of Liu Zhimin.
Liu Zhimin watched the approaching Sakura warily, and then Sakura's voice sounded in her ear.
"Is the first love President nim mentioned, Karina xi?"
The hostility in Liu Zhimin's eyes instantly vanished, replaced by bewilderment.
First... first love?
"It was the trending topic a while ago," Sakura reminded her softly.
Liu Zhimin immediately remembered the content revealed by Jiang Shu and Sakura in their live stream at the beginning of the month.
At the time, when she saw it, she was wondering which scoundrel Jiang Shu's first love was. Now that she thought about it...
Wasn't it precisely her, this "scoundrel"?
Liu Zhimin blinked.
Me? Jiang Shu's first love?
Is this right?
"What are you two whispering about?" Jiang Shu walked over, "confused," and looked at the two of them.
"Nothing," Liu Zhimin denied subconsciously, but Sakura, beside her, raised an eyebrow.
The room was only so big; even if their voices were low, it shouldn't be impossible to hear, right?
But if Jiang Shu "didn't hear," then he didn't hear.