Chapter 34: A Night Meeting with Xiao Liu
A high-end residential complex.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened on the twenty-second floor, and Jiang Shu, humming a tune and picking his teeth with a toothpick, walked out of the elevator hall.
Chinese restaurants in Korea aren't all authentic Chinese cuisine; besides being more expensive than in China, the taste and presentation are the same as back home.
They say that prices in Shanghai are high, forming their own 'Shanghai currency' system, but compared to the prices in Seoul, one can only say they are still a bit lower.
If these Koreans were to go to Shanghai to spend, Jiang Shu couldn't even imagine how much they would spend.
Perhaps it would be... Shanghai welcoming the people who understand it best?
"Chairman?" As soon as Jiang Shu stepped out of the elevator, a familiar voice echoed in his ears.
He turned around to see Liu Zhimin, wearing a strapless sleeveless top, shorts, slippers, and with her hair down.
The light shone on Liu Zhimin's fair skin, and a delicate beauty immediately presented itself; the visual impact of her ample chest, accentuated by the sleeveless strapless top, was truly stunning.
A few strands of her tied-up ponytail fell loosely on her face, and Liu Zhimin's small, palm-sized face was gazing at him with a surprised expression.
Tsk, should he say it was indeed Xiao Liu?
Jiang Shu calmly suppressed the stirring in his heart and walked over, still holding the toothpick in his mouth.
"Why are you here?"
"Just finished my schedule, came out for some fresh air," Liu Zhimin said, pointing to the window she had opened.
Jiang Shu raised his hand to check the time on his wristwatch: 10:47.
"Your schedule finished quite early today."
"I was shooting repair MV scenes tonight; I came back after finishing," Liu Zhimin explained, her big eyes falling on Jiang Shu, "But Chairman, why are you back so late?"
"Working overtime. You guys are pioneering for the company upfront, so as logistics, we can't drag you down," Jiang Shu said with a smile.
"So fake," Liu Zhimin looked at Jiang Shu speechlessly.
"Hahaha." Jiang Shu liked Liu Zhimin's honesty. He took two steps forward, came to the window, and leaned on the windowsill with both hands, looking out at the myriad of lights under the night sky.
"How does it feel to be an artist?"
"It's good," Liu Zhimin walked over and stood to Jiang Shu's right. "I never imagined standing on stage would feel this happy."
"The first time I saw you, I had a hunch that you were born for the stage," Jiang Shu tilted his head and said earnestly to Liu Zhimin.
Liu Zhimin met Jiang Shu's eyes, trying to find any evasion in his gaze.
But she failed.
"Why are you so optimistic about me?" Liu Zhimin asked, puzzled. "Many people say the company had no choice, but I remember the look in your eyes when you saw me. You were more certain than I was that I could become famous."
They say Liu Zhimin isn't very clever, but correspondingly, she also possesses a keen intuition that ordinary people can't achieve.
She was very sure that the light in Jiang Shu's eyes when he first met her was something called "hope."
"Hmm..." Jiang Shu turned his head, looked at the scenery outside the window, and pondered how to fabricate a reason.
Slap!
Jiang Shu lowered his head, looked at the small hand gripping his wrist, and followed her arm to Liu Zhimin's eyes staring at him.
"Don't lie to me!"
Looking at those big, watery eyes, Jiang Shu's thoughts paused at that moment.
He had always viewed Liu Zhimin with a 'body fan' mentality. After seeing Liu Zhimin with his own eyes for the first time, the filter shattered, but some thoughts never changed.
And the very person he had always wanted to do bad things to was right in front of him, looking at him with such an expression. A subtle change occurred in Jiang Shu's heart, and his gaze became aggressive.
Liu Zhimin frowned, looking at the change in Jiang Shu's eyes with confusion.
Fortunately, Jiang Shu still managed to control the rising heat within him. Compared to forcing things, he preferred mutual consent.
"Because you are Liu Zhimin," Jiang Shu gave his reason.
A big question mark appeared on Liu Zhimin's forehead.
"What do you mean?"
"It doesn't mean anything." Jiang Shu removed Liu Zhimin's hand from his wrist, reached out, pressed down on Liu Zhimin's head, and ruffled her hair vigorously.
"That's my reason."
"Doesn't look like you're lying," Liu Zhimin mumbled, "But what kind of reason is that?"
"Hahaha!" Jiang Shu took away his hand, which had messed up Liu Zhimin's hair. "How can there be so many reasons in this world? Some things, some choices, don't need a reason."
"Is that so?" Liu Zhimin pondered upon hearing this.
Jiang Shu glanced at Liu Zhimin, who was looking down, then turned his head to look outside.
The summer breeze blew across his face, cooling down Jiang Shu, who was feeling hot all over.
He did have some thoughts about Liu Zhimin, but he wouldn't use his position as chairman to force anything. It wasn't that he was being overly scrupulous.
What if Liu Zhimin got upset and ran away?
He couldn't let his 'second brother's' thoughts dominate his brain. He was going to become an entertainment giant that surpassed the Three Greats.
If he couldn't even figure out this simple calculation, what was the point?
"I don't understand!"
Liu Zhimin's voice rang out, interrupting Jiang Shu's thoughts.
He turned around to see Liu Zhimin's small face almost twisted into a knot.
"I still don't understand what you mean, but I won't ask anymore. I'll slowly understand it later," Liu Zhimin said, rubbing her cheek.
"Okay," Jiang Shu nodded with a smile.
"Since we met, there's something I wanted to report to you," Liu Zhimin changed the subject.
"Tell me."
"Do we really have to launch with the 'double C + four-sided' model? Lily and the others shouldn't be ignored."
"This is IVE's fundamental operating method; it cannot be changed," Jiang Shu said, shaking his head.
"Alright," Liu Zhimin nodded, not pressing further after being rejected.
Jiang Shu looked at Liu Zhimin.
"How do you feel about being in IVE?"
"It's alright. Susu Oni takes good care of me. Although Yuan Ying always goes against me, she actually cares about me. Lily is a bit dazed, but she's a very good person."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Are you missing two people?
Liu Zhimin looked at Jiang Shu and spoke again.
"Kim Garam's personality is a bit strong, and she always likes to boss Lily around, so I don't like her much."
"Choi Yunjin rarely has any private interactions with me. We're more like colleagues than teammates, so there's not much to say."
"Xu Suizhen takes good care of you?"
"Yes, Susu Oni is very gentle and a very good person," Liu Zhimin nodded.
Jiang Shu nodded.
Actually, regarding Soo-jin, he was considering whether to let her go.
Kim Garam and Choi Yunjin were highly replaceable; he never intended to keep them from the start, but Soo-jin...
She had a bond with (G)I-DLE.
Jiang Shu shook his head, 'We'll see.'
"If there are conflicts in the team, tell me immediately."
"No."
Jiang Shu: "?"