novellhall Chapter 14 Sika: Am I being isolated?
Chapter 14 Sika: Am I being isolated?
A sumptuous dinner has been laid out on the table.
Several large bowls of cold soy milk noodles with ice cubes on top exude a refreshing soy aroma. In the center is a large plate of tempting spicy crab sauce, accompanied by thick omelets and stir-fried mixed vegetables, making it look incredibly appetizing.
Xiujing naturally pulled out the chair next to Li Zhixing and sat down, while Jessica, with a sour face, sat directly opposite Li Zhixing.
Li Zhixing helped set the table and looked at Zheng's father, who was sitting in the main seat: "President, what would you like to drink tonight?"
Looking at the spicy crab on the table, Mr. Zheng nodded in satisfaction: "When you eat seafood, of course you have to pair it with liquor."
"Okay."
Li Zhixing went to the refrigerator and took two bottles of liquor back.
He unscrewed one bottle and handed it to Zheng's father, but just as he was about to unscrew his own, Zheng's father reached out and snatched it away.
Li Zhixing was stunned: "President, what are you doing?"
Mr. Zheng placed the bottle beside him and said in a serious tone, "You must have been drinking a lot out socializing lately, right? Don't drink at home, let your liver rest."
Li Zhixing stared at him with some suspicion.
You know, he always made sure to have a couple of drinks with Zheng's father every time we ate at the Zheng family's house before. Why did he suddenly change his mind today?
"Then... shall I go get a can of beer?" Li Zhixing said tentatively.
"Oh, forget about the beer too," Mr. Zheng said, waving his hands repeatedly.
"How about rice wine?"
"Rice wine is out of the question. Go drink your juice."
Li Zhixing was displeased and plopped back down in his chair: "What? Not even rice wine?"
Although Zheng's father said he was thinking about his health, Li Zhixing, knowing this "old fox" well, still sensed something was wrong.
Only after Mrs. Zheng sat down with the last dish of appetizers did Mr. Zheng take a leisurely sip of soju and casually ask, "Your movie is about to be released, right? Lately, there's been so much talk about 'Haeundae' going to die."
"Yes, the preview screening is tomorrow night, and it will officially be released in theaters on the 23rd."
Aunt Zheng chuckled and chimed in, "These past few days, I've noticed posters of Zhixing's face on the bus stop signs, and it looks so much darker!"
Li Zhixing explained, "Auntie, I'm playing a lifeguard, someone who's out in the sun and wind at the beach every day. A tanned face would better fit the character."
Krystal, who was gnawing on a crab leg, immediately chimed in loudly, "Oppa is still super handsome even with a tan!"
Lee Ji-haeng extended his fist and bumped it with Soo-jung in mid-air, beaming as he praised, "Aigoo, our Soo-jung just has normal taste!"
After saying that, he deliberately glanced at the person opposite him and said sarcastically, drawing out his words, "Unlike some people, hmph~"
Jessica cursed inwardly: "Trying to get yourself killed again, huh!"
She glared at Li Zhixing, then turned to Zheng Ma and complained, "Auntie Ou, that guy never tells the truth!"
"He clearly told us he was only playing a minor supporting role in the movie! But look what happened? He's on the official main poster! His position clearly makes him the third male lead!"
The dinner table fell silent for a moment.
Aside from Lee Ji-hyeong still leisurely picking through the crab meat, Jung's parents and Soo-jung all looked at Jessica with puzzled expressions.
Zheng's mother said in surprise, "I know, Zhixing told me after he accepted the role and his scenes were confirmed. I remember that day I specially made beef bone soup to celebrate for him."
Mr. Zheng frowned slightly and recalled, "Didn't Jessica have a schedule that day and wasn't home?"
"Huh?" Sika was dumbfounded.
She turned her head blankly and looked at her younger sister.
Krystal, struggling to eat a crab leg, mumbled, "Of course I know! Last summer, Oppa even took me to the film set!"
"What? You all knew?"
Jessica was dumbfounded. She looked at the person opposite her with a displeased expression: "Hey! Li Zhixing! Why am I the only one who didn't know?"
Aunt Zheng asked, puzzled, "Zhixing, didn't you tell Xika?"
Li Zhixing shrugged and explained helplessly, "Why didn't I say so? I told her at the time, but she had a preconceived notion that I was only playing an insignificant little role."
"It's clearly your fault for not being clear!" Jessica demanded angrily. "You never told me you were the third male lead!"
Li Zhixing retorted confidently, "Isn't the third male lead also a minor supporting character? Do I need to brag about it to the whole world?"
"Huh? You call the third male lead in a multi-billion dollar production a minor supporting role?" Jessica laughed angrily.
"Besides, this doesn't make any sense! Aren't you just a stunt double? You don't even have an agency, how could you suddenly land such an important role?"
The dinner table fell silent again.
Mr. Zheng, holding his wine glass, glanced at his eldest daughter with some surprise: "A stunt double? Wasn't Zhixing already a martial arts instructor?"
Krystal nodded in agreement, her tone filled with undisguised admiration: "Yeah, Oppa was also the martial arts choreographer for 'Haeundae'!"
"Huh? Martial arts instructor?" Sika's mind completely went blank.
She looked at Soojung in disbelief: "He's only been in the industry for a few years? How is that possible?"
Krystal swallowed the crab meat in her mouth and dropped a bombshell: "And 'Haeundae' isn't the first one! Oppa's first directorial effort was So Ji-sub's 'Rough Cut'!"
Sika froze on the spot.
After a brief moment of shock, a huge sense of absurdity and isolation washed over me.
"Bang!"
She glared at Li Zhixing and angrily demanded, "Why didn't I know any of this?!"
Faced with Jessica's impending outburst, Li Zhixing shook his head and waved his hand smugly, "Calm down, these are just some insignificant little achievements. You know I'm not the kind of person who likes to show off."
Seeing Li Zhixing's smug, self-satisfied face, Sika was furious.
Worried that the two would start fighting at the dinner table, Zheng's mother quickly changed the subject: "Sika, aren't you going to the preview screening tomorrow? If you go, you can help Zhixing gain some popularity, right?"
"I'm not going!"
Jessica crossed her arms and snorted, "Our group's schedule is very busy, how could we have time to attend a screening of such a 'minor role'?"
Lee Ji-hsing retorted without hesitation: "Don't worry, Sunny has already agreed to participate. Since you're both members of Girls' Generation, the media will only focus on the 'Girls' Generation' brand. They don't care whether it's Sunny or you who goes!"
Upon hearing Lee Ji-haeng mention Lee Soon-kyu, Jessica immediately thought of the day that this guy had gone to the waiting room specifically to deliver the invitation, and her heart felt even more aggrieved.
She laughed angrily, gritting her teeth, and said, "Ha, that's hilarious! So what? Once the movie is released, you've officially debuted. From now on, when you see me on TV, you, as a junior, will have to obediently bow and call me 'senior,' won't you?"
Li Zhixing leaned forward, revealing an irritating smile: "Sorry, I'll pretend I don't know you."
"you!"
Sika was taken aback, but then her eyes lit up and she had another idea.
She said provocatively, "Fine, pretend you don't know me, huh? Then next time I'm interviewed by the media, I'll definitely give 'Haeundae' a terrible review! Especially the character you played, I'll absolutely tell the reporters that your acting was awful!"
Li Zhixing narrowed his eyes. Is this how you play the game?
He then turned to look at Zheng Ma.
"Auntie, I think the cold noodles don't taste right today."
Aunt Zheng looked up in surprise: "What's wrong? Is the soup bland?"
Li Zhixing glanced sideways at Jessica, who was happily gnawing on a crab leg across from him. "No, it's just that I think... if you add a big handful of cucumber shreds to this cold noodle dish, it would taste even better."
"Hey! You dare mention cucumbers!"
Jessica immediately lost her temper.
New and old grudges surged into her heart, and without hesitation, she threw the crab leg in her hand at Li Zhixing.
"Snapped!"
The crab leg landed precisely in the bowl, splashing a few drops of broth.
Li Zhixing immediately became angry: "Hey! Jessica Jung! Don't throw your leftovers into my bowl again!"
As the conflict escalated completely, Mr. Zheng silently leaned back.
Soojung, however, showed no concern whatsoever; instead, she excitedly scanned back and forth between the two of them.
Fight!Fight!
"Bang!"
Zheng Ma slammed her hand on the table.
"Shut up, all of you! Are you going to eat or not? If not, get out!"
The moment the furious mother spoke, the two people at the dinner table instantly became quiet.
Jessica lowered her head and angrily poked at the cold noodles in her bowl, while Li Zhixing reluctantly picked out the crab leg.
Although they kept quiet, they still glared at each other fiercely across the table.
……
After dinner, the atmosphere in the living room gradually returned to its warm and cozy state.
Mr. and Mrs. Zheng were sitting on the sofa, fiercely arguing over which channel to watch.
"Change the channel! It's almost time! I want to watch 'Swallow the Sun' live!" Mr. Zheng stared intently at the TV screen.
"Come on, that drama didn't even star Kim Tae-hee, it just had her brother in it, is it really that big of a deal?"
Caught off guard by his fandom, Mr. Zheng retorted loudly, "Haven't we already watched 'Queen Seondeok'? Why do we have to watch the rerun again?!"
On the other side, Li Zhixing leaned comfortably against the edge of the sofa.
Soojung sat cross-legged next to him, holding a plate of sliced mangoes.
The little girl poked at the mango with a fork while pitifully complaining to him about how difficult the recent dances were and how tiring the physical training was.
Li Zhixing casually asked, "Has your group's debut date been set yet?"
"It seems to be in September, but the exact date hasn't been finalized yet," Soojung replied vaguely.
While the two were chatting, Li Zhixing felt a figure moving around behind him.
He turned around, frowning at Jessica. "Why have you been circling around me?"
Jessica crossed her arms and arrogantly raised her chin: "Can't I take a walk to digest? It's none of your business!"
"That would be best!"
Li Zhixing turned his head away speechlessly.
He didn't see that the instant he turned his head, Jessica stared fiercely at the back of his neck and gritted her teeth slightly.
The next second, Jessica pounced on him from behind, wrapped her arms tightly around Li Zhixing's neck, and pulled him back forcefully!
"Cough cough... Oh! Jessica Jung!!!"
......