Chapter 78: Somewhat Awkward Boys and Girls

Looking at the young man and woman sprawled across the sofa before him, Pei Xiuyong found himself momentarily at a loss. It wasn’t that lying on the sofa was unacceptable, but rather, the positions the two of them were in were so awkward that he simply couldn’t process it for a moment.

As for Chen Zhe and Zheng Xiujing’s posture, it was rather peculiar. Chen Zhe’s head was resting on the sofa armrest, while Zheng Xiujing was straddling him, their upper bodies pressed closely together. Witnessing this scene, Pei Xiuyong couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—young people nowadays truly were bold!

Although their faces were close together, Chen Zhe had the presence of mind to turn his head slightly, averting an even more embarrassing situation. As it was, Zheng Xiujing’s lips had merely brushed his cheek; had he not moved, the outcome would have been a kiss on the lips, which would have been far more mortifying.

Even so, their current position was already deeply awkward, and with Pei Xiuyong having caught them in the act, both of them felt not only the aches from their fall but also a wave of shyness and embarrassment that made facing anyone seem impossible. The shame cut deeper than any physical pain, making them wish they could simply disappear.

“Aren’t you two going to get up?” Pei Xiuyong asked, seeing that neither Chen Zhe nor Zheng Xiujing had moved. His eyebrow twitched involuntarily. While his first reaction was to marvel at the boldness of youth, recalling the loud crash he’d heard earlier, he could guess this must have been an accident.

“Um, noona, maybe we should sit up first. You’re kind of making it hard for me to breathe!” Chen Zhe, feeling the warmth on his cheek and the softness pressing on his chest, realized that if this continued, he would truly embarrass himself. To lighten the mood, he chose to joke about it.

Hearing Chen Zhe say she was making it hard for him to breathe, Zheng Xiujing’s eyes widened in realization. Pushing herself upright, still straddling Chen Zhe’s abdomen, she glared at him. Like most girls, she was sensitive about her weight, and Chen Zhe’s words made her forget her embarrassment for a moment, replaced by a flash of indignation.

Seeing Zheng Xiujing still sitting atop him and glaring, Chen Zhe felt a bitter smile tug at his lips. He knew he was in trouble, but for now, he needed to escape this predicament. He gestured subtly towards Pei Xiuyong, indicating that she should look over.

“Oh! Director Pei!” Only then did Zheng Xiujing recall that Pei Xiuyong had witnessed everything. Flustered, she scrambled off Chen Zhe, her haste causing her to trip over the table leg and nearly fall. Fortunately, Chen Zhe reacted quickly and caught her, saving her from hitting the ground.

“Take a moment to compose yourselves. Let me know when you’re ready to start recording again.” Pei Xiuyong looked at the two, faces lowered and cheeks flushed, refusing to meet his gaze. He shook his head with a wry smile. Having experienced similar embarrassments in his youth, he understood how they felt. Choosing to let the incident pass, he left them to collect themselves and returned to his work.

Because their emotions were so tangled, neither Chen Zhe nor Zheng Xiujing spoke as they prepared to resume recording. They simply focused on the lyrics in silence, and the studio was hushed until both felt ready. When recording started again, it didn’t go as smoothly as before—small mistakes crept in, and they had to keep redoing their takes.

“All right, you two should take a break. Go have lunch and relax a bit. After all, you can’t perform well on an empty stomach. Let’s continue in the afternoon,” Pei Xiuyong said with a smile, noticing their spirits were low after yet another unsuccessful recording.

“Yes, Director Pei. We’ll go now.” Surprised by Pei Xiuyong’s kindness in encouraging them to rest and eat, Chen Zhe and Zheng Xiujing paused in disbelief before bowing and accepting his suggestion.

“Noona, let’s eat out. The LOEN cafeteria is, well, rather mediocre—not as good as SM Entertainment’s.” After bidding Pei Xiuyong farewell, the two walked in silence down the hallway. Knowing it was his place to take the initiative, Chen Zhe decided to break the ice by suggesting lunch.

“Sure, I’ll leave it to you, Ah Zhe. Where shall we eat?” Having had time to reflect, Zheng Xiujing realized Chen Zhe’s earlier remark about her weight was merely meant to ease the awkwardness. Even so, recalling their accidental kiss—especially with someone she considered a younger brother—still made her heart flutter with embarrassment.

“How about Chinese food? There’s a new place near LOEN that’s supposed to be good.” Perhaps the earlier incident had shifted something within him, for Chen Zhe now subtly tested the waters, dropping the honorific in addressing Zheng Xiujing and speaking more casually.

“Chinese food? That sounds good.” Noticing the change in his tone and the lack of formal address, Zheng Xiujing glanced at him with a complicated expression. For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, she chose not to call him out. Perhaps what had happened had also changed something in her heart.

“Should we take my manager’s car, then?” Seeing that Zheng Xiujing didn’t object to his informal speech, Chen Zhe’s face brightened. Since she didn’t mind, he would continue with the casual tone.

“We’ll have to take your manager’s. Today, Qian unnie and the others have other schedules, and Seojun oppa has to go with them.” Zheng Xiujing shook her head with a resigned smile, explaining her manager’s absence. Had it not been for the company assigning her to record the duet with Chen Zhe, she too would have been out on the road with the rest of her group.

“All right, I’ll call Hyung Soo-ho to pick us up.” Understanding now, Chen Zhe nodded, pulled out his phone, and contacted his manager.