Peninsula: The Deepest Affection in Jiangnan

Chapter 9: A Brief Encounter – Reward or Punishment?

Is a brief encounter a reward or a punishment?

Shen Yu believes that different perspectives lead to different conclusions.

If separation is the outcome, then this brief encounter is the punishment.

But if we consider the encounter as the outcome, then isn't this brief encounter a kind of reward?

Choi Ji-soo added someone's phone number to her phone and tried to register for that number on KakaoTalk, but hasn't received a reply yet.

She opened the travel app, intending to cancel the tickets she had booked.

However, seeing that canceling the ticket would incur a processing fee, Choi Ji-soo took a taxi directly to the Jeju Island Art Museum without hesitation.

She herself had no idea how she spent the day.

but!

Shen Yu knew how he got through it.

Xu Youqing also knew.

"Um, Shen Yu, are you alright?"

Xu Youqing looked worried. "Are you really alright?"

"What, are you going to buy me Liuliumei (a type of plum)?"

"Huh? What's that? I mean, if that's not feasible, I can take you out for Korean beef."

"Okay, then wait until I'm done with my work!"

What is the situation when an independent musician deletes all the music videos on their account and then uploads a funny video with the title "Tobacco Identification Awards (1) - Marlboro"?

After finishing all that, Shen Yuyao clapped her hands and went to remove her makeup in a very nonchalant manner.

Xu Youqing waited for Shen Yu to return, saying, "You look more normal now."

Although her hairstyle hasn't changed much, her face looks much fresher, without the greasiness that comes with makeup.

Shen Yu was originally the youngest younger than Jeon Jungkook.

Shen Yu looked at Xu Youqing, who felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. "What, are you going out to eat now? Ah, it's about time, let's go."

"No, um, noona, how much does it cost to eat Korean beef once?"

"Oh? Don't worry about me. This time it's my treat. Don't worry, I can manage to come up with this amount of money."

"No, that's not it. I meant to say..." Shen Yu felt embarrassed for the first time when facing Xu Youqing.

"Noona, lend me a million won first, I'll treat you to Korean beef and stuff later."

Looking into Shen Yu's clear eyes, Xu Youqing inexplicably felt a surge of maternal instinct, and immediately took out her phone.

"I've transferred it to you. Don't worry, there's no rush to pay it back."

"Okay, thank you, Nuna! I'll pay you back when I get my salary."

Watching Shen Yu run away after getting the money, Xu Youqing, standing in the practice room, felt that something was wrong.

The original owner lived alone in a high-end apartment in Jiangnan. Although the apartment was rent-free, other expenses were not cheap.

In addition, although she wasn't famous, the expenses of being an artist were quite high, and the original owner hadn't saved any money in the past few years. Not being in debt was already the best outcome.

Shen Yu only thought of borrowing some money from Xu Youqing after seeing that the amount on his bank card was already pitiful.

Otherwise, I'll have to ask Representative Park for an advance on my salary.

As I was leaving 143 Entertainment, I happened to see a group of girls returning with coffee in their hands.

"Senior! I heard you'll be teaching us vocal music from now on..."

"Yes, that's right. Remember to come to class tomorrow!"

"Huh?"

The girls were all stunned as they watched Shen Yu leave the company so casually.

"Did you go to eat, senior?"

"But didn't the representative say we should go and greet our seniors this afternoon?"

"But you just said you'd come back tomorrow..."

*

Ignoring what was happening behind him, Shen Yu took a late-night flight yesterday and started working as soon as he got off the bus this morning. The fact that he was able to keep going until now was thanks to the iced Americano that was ingrained in his blood.

Filming videos is really tiring.

After a busy half-day, Shen Yu returned to his apartment and first went to the downstairs public gym to work out for a while. Then he went to the convenience store to buy some food, ate, and went home to sleep.

Training is necessary; otherwise, what if you sacrifice yourself while your money and data are still on their way?

*

Shen Yu fell asleep, but the internet was bustling with activity.

At first, nobody paid attention to this video; it was just one of countless other funny videos, a dance, a song. But then...

This video suddenly became relevant to many people.

"Dude, I can't tell if you're a true fan or a hater anymore."

"Hey, isn't this Itaewon's playboy? Oh, sorry, I mistook you for someone else. I've already drawn my knife, so you can just go and die in peace."

"Are Marlboro cigarettes good to smoke?"

"You're lying. After you took off your CK, I realized you're not KingSize."

"Wait a minute, upstairs, aren't you a boy?!"

"What's wrong with guys? Is it wrong for my brother and me to date?"

"Jeon Jungkook, I love you. How come you're even more handsome after plastic surgery?"

"Judging from the profile picture upstairs, they must be a true fan of Western culture, right?"

TikTok truly lives up to its reputation as a current trend, especially since Shen Yu shoots vertical videos, which won't get much traffic when uploaded to YouTube.

But when it comes to comments and dissemination efficiency, TikTok still comes to mind.

Shen Yu slept peacefully, but Xu Youqing was extremely nervous.

I went out for a quick brunch, and after returning to the office, I turned on my computer, logged into all the platforms and forums, and started watching the video that Shen Yu had posted earlier.

To her surprise, the video easily garnered over 10,000 likes and a large number of comments within just a few hours of its release.

What's outrageous is that there were also quite a few shares and saves.

The main reason is that Shen Yu's video caught up with the previous NAVER trend and X trend, plus the catchy rhythm and strange antics. After watching it, you can feel the images repeating even with your eyes closed.

Xu Youqing was initially happy, as it was a good sign, but as she watched the number of likes, comments, and shares increase, she suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

On the one hand, the music videos originally posted by Shen Yu's account only had a maximum of 99 likes, so the data was negligible.

However, this time, the release of an abstract video actually garnered more likes in such a short time than all the likes for the original video combined.

Xu Youqing recalled the sadness of not being able to debut despite her hard work back then, and now the number of likes seemed like a constant irony.

On the other hand...

"Shen Yu, the real traffic hasn't arrived yet, we can't let the big wave knock us down."

*

Shen Yu slept until evening, and when he opened his eyes, he found that the alarm clock on the bedside table was already past 8 p.m.

I wanted to keep sleeping, but then I realized I had already had enough sleep.

Reluctantly, I got out of bed, quickly washed up, put on a hoodie and sweatpants, and ran downstairs to the treadmill, drinking an iced Americano to wake myself up.

It wasn't until after 9 o'clock that I finally returned to the apartment with the seaweed rolls I ordered.

"Oh, a new friend request?"

Shen Yu first opened KakaoTalk to see if there was anything important, ignoring the many messages sent by Sister Youqing. Then he saw a friend request notification.

Upon clicking, I discovered it was an account with a strawberry symbol in its name, but the applicant's name was written in the application message.

"Jisoo"