Chapter Seventy-Five: The Slightly Tsundere Girl

Although Chen Zhe pushed the door with utmost gentleness and walked with such light steps that barely a sound was made, he still managed to draw the attention of everyone else in the room.

“Oh, Zhe, you rascal, you’re finally here! Come over here, quick!” Pei Xiuyong, who had been discussing some key points of the song with Zheng Xiujing, noticed that everyone’s focus had suddenly shifted, and the atmosphere felt a little off. He raised his head, somewhat puzzled, and looked in the direction everyone was staring.

Immediately, he spotted Chen Zhe, standing stiffly in place, clearly uncomfortable under everyone’s gaze. Whether to rescue him from the awkwardness or for some other reason, Pei Xiuyong called out to him at once.

“Yes, Teacher Pei!” The tense atmosphere was broken by Pei Xiuyong’s greeting, and Chen Zhe finally felt released, letting out a breath of relief. With a smile, he hurried over to where Pei Xiuyong and Zheng Xiujing were.

“Cough, cough, cough—have you forgotten there are others here?” Just as Chen Zhe took a step, a deliberately exaggerated cough rang out beside him, startling him into stopping abruptly. He turned toward the source and found Jin Zhengmin, his hand balled into a fist and pressed to his mouth in mock cough.

“Oh, President, you’re still here? And is this perhaps F(x)’s manager?” Chen Zhe arched his brows slightly as he looked at Jin Zhengmin and the middle-aged man beside him. The man seemed oddly familiar, but Chen Zhe couldn’t place where he’d seen him before. After teasing Jin Zhengmin, he shifted his gaze to the manager.

“Hello, Chen Zhe, I’m Xia Jun, F(x)’s manager. It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’ll be in charge of Krystal’s schedule for the time being, so please take good care of her.” The manager was a somewhat portly middle-aged uncle. Hearing Chen Zhe’s words, he stepped forward, extending his hand and introducing himself in a warm tone.

“Hello, Xia Jun, it’s great to meet you too!” Looking at Xia Jun’s gentle demeanor, Chen Zhe felt a bit strange. Was the manager trying to curry favor with him? It seemed unlikely that someone from SM Entertainment would try to please a LOEN artist like himself. Shaking his head lightly to dispel the implausible thought, he smiled and shook Xia Jun’s hand.

“Sister, it’s only been a few days, and you’ve become even more beautiful!” After exchanging a few words with Jin Zhengmin and Xia Jun, Chen Zhe turned his attention back to Zheng Xiujing. Noticing her gaze fixed on him, he quickly put on a smile and greeted her.

“It really has been a few days, Zhe!” Although her words were casual, Zheng Xiujing was still a bit annoyed inside. She had left her contact information for Chen Zhe, but this rascal hadn’t reached out at all. She grumbled to herself, thinking she should have let him hit his head on the floor or chair that day.

“Yes, sister, look at what I brought for you!” Chen Zhe, carefully observing Zheng Xiujing’s expression, sensed her lingering frustration. He quickly took out a box of sliced mango from his backpack and waved it in front of her with a smile.

“Oh, mangoes! Are these for me?” Zheng Xiujing, who had planned to ignore Chen Zhe today, was immediately intrigued. Her attention was caught by the mangoes in his hand. She glanced cautiously at Xia Jun, who nodded at her with a smile, and then placed her hand on the plastic container, her lips curving up ever so slightly.

Seeing her gestures and subtle expressions, Chen Zhe was secretly delighted. The method had worked. Ever since the pillow incident, he hadn’t known how to face Zheng Xiujing. The approach of observing her and offering mangoes was taught by his sister, Chen Yuqi, last night. This time, it proved effective—his sister was finally reliable for once.

“Yes, I know you love mangoes, and since I heard you’d be here today, I happened to spot a fruit shop on the way and bought them for you.” Although he had actually asked Lin Xiuhao to help find a fruit shop, Chen Zhe wasn’t about to admit it. It would sound as if he were seeking credit.

“Hmph, just happened to buy them? Well, at least you know how to please me. I haven’t doted on you for nothing!” Zheng Xiujing took the mangoes from Chen Zhe, unable to hide the joy on her face. Everyone in the room could see it, but she put on a proud demeanor, pretending to be indifferent as she grumbled.

Though she said that, Zheng Xiujing knew there was no such thing as “just happened to be on the way.” Chen Zhe had probably gone out of his way to find a fruit shop just for her. He claimed it was convenient, but she wouldn’t let a box of mangoes buy her off so easily—especially not enough to forget the pillow incident.

“All right, you two can chat after the recording. It’s getting late—let’s get ready for the session!” Just as Chen Zhe was about to say something more, Pei Xiuyong’s voice cut in forcefully, breaking off their exchange with a serious, work-focused tone.

“Yes, Teacher Pei!” Noticing Jin Zhengmin and Xia Jun watching them with odd expressions, Chen Zhe and Zheng Xiujing realized what was happening, stopped their conversation, and glanced at Pei Xiuyong in unison before replying together.

“Good, that’s the spirit! Study the lyrics, and when you’re ready, we’ll start recording.” Pleased with their energetic response, Pei Xiuyong handed a songbook to Chen Zhe and sent him and Zheng Xiujing off to prepare.

“And you two, if you’ve nothing to do, leave us be and don’t interfere!” Once Chen Zhe and Zheng Xiujing had scurried off to the sofa with the songbook, Pei Xiuyong turned his gaze to Jin Zhengmin and Xia Jun. Unlike his earlier tone with the young pair, his words now carried a hint of impatience, clearly not wanting idle bystanders around.

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The second update will probably be around 1 AM. Writer’s block tonight—I really forced myself to get this out.