Peninsula's Life Begins in 2016

Chapter 58 Unexpected Situation

"Okay, let me know in advance if you have time so I can make a reservation."

"Yes, thank you for your help, Nuna."

Jiang Yan hung up the phone, leaned against the wall in the corridor, and watched the phone screen gradually go dark.

Sensing the approach of the illusory Lin Yoona, Jiang Yan asked, "Based on your understanding of yourself, would you consider yourself cautious in this matter, in terms of your actions and behavior?"

The illusory image of Lin Yoona blinked, her eyes flickering left and right, refusing to land on Jiang Yan's face.

"...How do I know what I'll be like in the future?"

Jiang Yan watched her hovering in mid-air and suddenly laughed.

"Oh, so you're being very careful."

"Hey! I didn't say anything!" The illusory image of Lim Yoona panicked, floating in front of him to block his path. "Stop making wild guesses!"

Jiang Yan walked past her, leaving without turning his head.

"I suggest you relearn how to communicate with people. After relaxing for so many years, you can't even control your facial expressions. Your eyes are practically blinking like Morse code."

After saying that, he pushed open the door to the recording studio and sat back down in front of the recording console.

When Tiffany saw him come in, she smiled and her eyes crinkled: "Whose call was that? Why did it take you so long to answer?"

"Yoona noona." Jiang Yan picked up the listening earpiece, paused, and said truthfully, "She asked me to dinner tonight, saying it was because I didn't eat well last night."

Upon hearing this, Tiffany smiled even more brightly and clapped her hands: "Aigoo, when did our Yoona become so proactive? Yeon, you'd better seize this opportunity, Yoona rarely asks out to men for dinner alone."

"Noona." Jiang Yan looked at her helplessly, "Yoona said that she felt bad because you mentioned what happened last night."

"Me?" Tiffany pointed to herself, then suddenly slapped her forehead in realization. "Oh right, I did nag her a bit on my way home last night, saying you were too nervous and hadn't touched your food much while drinking."

She leaned closer, teasingly saying, "But I was just saying it casually. I didn't ask her to treat you to dinner. Xiao Yan, doesn't our Yoona... you know..."

"Noona." Jiang Yan interrupted her in time, pointing to the screen on the mixing console, "There's another non-single track to record this afternoon."

"Alas, alas." Tiffany smiled and raised her hands in surrender, then turned and walked back to the recording studio. As she passed by him, she couldn't help but add, "But Noona is serious. Yoona really rarely asks people out to dinner alone."

"Nene, Arasso."

As soon as she finished speaking, the illusory image of Im Yoona floated over and asked, "Since Tiffany unnie has said so, are you going or not? You don't seem to have anything else planned for tonight, right?"

"I'm not going." Jiang Yan shook his head without hesitation.

"Wei? She took the initiative to ask you out, doesn't that mean she's handing you the power?"

Jiang Yan picked up the iced Americano on the table, took a sip, and swallowed it slowly. "The place she asked me to go was wrong. Since she is a very cautious person, if she wanted to confront me, she wouldn't book a table outside. So this time she probably wanted to confirm something, such as whether the dinner appointment tonight would cause her any backlash. This doesn't bring me any real benefit."

Upon hearing this, the illusory image of Lin Yoona sullenly drifted back to the corner of the sofa, resting her chin on her hand and staring at Jiang Yan's profile.

What kind of species is this guy?

The twenty-year-old boys she knew, even if they didn't jump up excitedly when they heard that Lim Yoona had asked them out to dinner, would at least have some reaction, right?

How can he be so calm and have so many thoughts on his mind? He's only twenty years old.

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt about the illusory image of Im Yoona.

Just then, the door to the recording studio was suddenly pushed open.

Ahn Jung-hwan stood at the door, but his expression was not as relaxed as it had been during their previous meetings.

His gaze swept around the recording studio, landing on Jiang Yan, and then he nodded slightly to Tiffany at the studio door.

"Pani, you take a rest first. I need to talk to Jiang Yan for a bit."

Tiffany glanced at Ahn Jung-hwan's expression, then at Kang Yeon, hesitated for a moment, and then stood up: "Yes, I was just thinking of going to the dressing room to touch up my makeup."

As she walked to the door and passed by Ahn Jung-hwan, she whispered something to him in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Ahn Jung-hwan gently shook his head, indicating that she didn't need to worry.

Tiffany felt a little relieved and slowly walked out.

After the door closed, Ahn Jung-hwan walked to the mixing console, but didn't sit down. Instead, he silently looked at Jiang Yan, and after a few seconds, he spoke, "Jiang Yan, do you know Choi Sulli?"

Jiang Yan's fingers paused slightly as he saved the project file, then he continued working, calmly nodding: "Yes, I understand."

"How did you meet?"

Jiang Yan took off his listening headphones and put them aside. He turned to face An Zhenghuan. "We met when we were kids. We ran into each other in the company elevator last week and got back in touch."

Ahn Jung-hwan stared into his eyes for a long time, then pulled out a chair next to him, sat down, rested his hands on his knees, and leaned forward slightly.

"Jiang Yan, I'm not here to interrogate you, but as your direct superior, there are some things I need to clarify. What is the nature of your relationship with Shirley?"

Jiang Yan met his gaze without flinching. He knew that hiding it at this point would be pointless. The fact that An Zhenghuan had come to ask about this meant that he knew something. So he said frankly, "When I was a child in the orphanage, she was my closest relative. Later, I was taken away by my adoptive father, and we lost contact. We only met again at the company last week."

After listening, Ahn Jung-hwan pondered for a moment, then sighed softly and asked a straightforward question: "So, you asked me about the movie 'Real' because of her?"

"Inside."

"So, is her refusal to perform today related to you?"

Jiang Yan looked at An Zhenghuan's serious expression and nodded frankly.

"Yes, it has something to do with me."

Ahn Jung-hwan's brows furrowed instantly, and he tapped his fingers twice on his knee. "Do you know what you're doing? That's a project personally overseen by Director Kim of the Film and Television Department, approved by Lee Soo-man, and the investors have been urging us for over half a year. What right do you, a newly hired producer, have to interfere with the Film and Television Department's decisions?"

Jiang Yan shrugged, not avoiding his gaze. "I didn't interfere with the film and television department's decisions. I just did what a friend should do: tell her that if it's something she doesn't want to do, then she shouldn't do it. There are no opportunities in this world that you have to force yourself to get."

Upon hearing this, Ahn Jung-hwan leaned back and rubbed his temples. "You little brat, do you know how angry Chief Kim was at the department meeting this morning? He said that someone in the production department overstepped their bounds and, taking advantage of Lee Soo-man's recent focus on the music division, dared to interfere with the artist management in the film and television department."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan's brows furrowed slightly: "He didn't name names?"

"No." Ahn Jung-hwan lowered his hand, looking at him with a complicated expression. "It's not that he didn't want to order, it's that he didn't dare to order, because when Choi Sulli refused, she said something that he couldn't refute."

"What did you say?"

"She said, 'This is my legitimate right as an artist. Article 8, Section 3 of the contract clearly states that when it comes to scenes involving explicit content, the artist has the right to raise objections and request the company to re-evaluate. If you think I'm wrong, we can go to the legal department together to confront each other.'"