Chapter Forty-Nine: He Ran Away

p of smiles emanating from deep within, leaving behind this classic picture that moved countless fans to tears."Alright, let's pack up and get going. The company has pushed back our evening schedule a..."Didn't you just finish practicing"

Chi Jingyuan was dressed in a very simple white T-shirt and jeans. He had his single shoulder bag slung over one shoulder, leaning against the wall near the side door on the first floor of the company. He took a look at the three people smiling in front of him and walked towards them with a grin.

Several people were in standard practice attire, short or long sleeves paired with sweatpants and sneakers. Each of them had their hair tied up in braids because they had just been dancing.

It's unclear if Jennie Kim's clothes were sized too small or just cut that way. Both her top and pants seemed a bit tight. The white, plain, round-necked shirt showed some bra lines on the chest, and the grey leggings hugged her legs tightly.

Here, a few people were not wearing much makeup at the moment, so they didn't look very delicate. Their complexions were also a bit yellow, clearly due to recent strenuous practice that had left them both physically and mentally exhausted.

When they entered, a peculiar scent wafted in with them. Qi Jingyuan instinctively sniffed the air lightly with his nose.

This is a mixture of body scent and sweat.

Trainees, of course, don't sweat without reason. After dancing through a song, they'll start to sweat, and if it's several songs in a row, it goes without saying. EXO sweats profusely within minutes every time they practice. The entire practice room would reek of sweat if the windows weren't open or the air conditioning wasn't working. He was already used to it.

He just nonchalantly sniffed the air, but the other two didn't seem to react much. Pei Joo Hyuk seemed to notice though, as if startled, he suddenly took a small step back, almost as if trying to put some distance between himself and Pool Jing Yuan so that he wouldn't be able to smell him anymore.

Of course, now we practice for several hours every day. Besides eating and sleeping, all our time is spent practicing... Jingyuan, look, I've lost so much weight!

"That..."

Well, you see.

Sun Shengwan put on a pained expression and launched into a complaint, even rolling up her sleeves and pant legs to show Chi Jingyuan her arms and legs. She used a ring to emphasize how good her figure was now, while also letting him know how hard they'd been working.

Only Chi Jingyuan glanced at him twice. Sun Shengwan's face was indeed thinner, not as full as the last time they met, but his arms and calves didn't seem to have changed much.

How can you still see her as the most well-rounded of the three

However, in his opinion, Sun Shengwan's current physique is almost perfect. This way is just right, appearing very coordinated, and a pair of big eyes are also very lively and spirited looking.

If she's going to be on camera, I guess she'll have to lose a little more weight.

"By the way, Jingyuan, how did your concert go I saw in the news that there were some issues at the Hong Kong stop"

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Jiang Shiqi smiled and watched Sun Shengwan make a fuss for a while, then with some concern asked about the news she saw yesterday.

"...There was a bit of an accident..." Ji Jingyuan simply said about the concert from the past two days, not going into too much detail.

"Speaking of which, when EXO was performing in Seoul, we were right in the middle of selecting members. We practiced every day until late and didn't have time to see your concert. It's such a pity..."

"If you haven't seen it, then you haven't. Debuting is definitely more important, and you're not even XO fans... Besides, this isn't the only time, there will definitely be more tours in the future."

Chi Jingyuan waved his hand dismissively, then looked at the three of them: "What do you want to eat"

After greeting each other, Bae Joo-hyun noticed that Park Ji-won was sniffing the air and seemed a little embarrassed. She just smiled and listened quietly while the other two chatted non-stop, obviously happy to see Park Ji-won.

But upon hearing this, the two of them exchanged shy smiles. Looking at each other, they seemed a little embarrassed: “Lately, we've been on a strict diet regimen. The head of the department has been especially strict, so actually, we don’t eat much in the evenings. We just have some fruit or salad to tide us over…”

"Then you still ask me to eat" Chi Jingyuan couldn't hold back, his voice rising as he glared at her.

"Hee hee..." Jiang Sheqi gave him her signature goofy smile again, puffing out her cheeks and grinning: "It's been a while, hasn't it And..."

She glanced at the person next to her, Pei Zhuxuan, but didn't continue.

Chi Jingyuan curled his lips and glanced at the two of them.

In the morning, they flew back to the peninsula. They first went to the company for a meeting and after having lunch, they took some photos for the company's promotion. After that, their manager announced with great understanding that they could have half a day off. In the evening, they would gather at the dormitory. The twelve members instantly dispersed.

When Ji Jingyuan was resting during lunch break, he chatted with Jiang Seqi on kakao for a few messages. He mentioned that he had returned to the Peninsula. The other party's eyes lit up and said they could have dinner together in the evening. Ji Jingyuan thought about it and agreed since there was nothing else to do. It just happened that he hadn't seen each other in a while, so he could see their recent status and what the current girl group project was like.

He had originally planned to invite Wu Shixun along, but the guy gave him a dismissive glance and said he was going on a date with his girlfriend. He even looked surprised and asked Ji Jingyuan, "You're finally free for once, your schedule is already packed again! Don't you want to spend some time with your girlfriend"

Chi Jingyuan angrily punched him and waved his hand, telling him to get lost.

“………”

He noticed the three girls' faces and eyes couldn't hide their tiredness. Chi Jingyuan also recalled his own devil training time when he first entered S. It was really every day, waking up to practice, tired enough to fall asleep on the bed as soon as he went back. That feeling is still fresh in his memory to this day.

He looked up, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "How long is your break time for meals"

"It's probably over an hour, but we usually finish quickly and come back to practice on time." Sun Shengwan pursed his lips and replied directly: "But today can be a little longer, since all the lessons are finished during the day, and the evening is free practice time."

"If you don't eat... let's go, I'll take you to rest and relax."

Chi Jingyuan paused for a short two seconds, considering his options. He walked towards the side entrance of the company while gesturing for them to follow him.

"Relax, where are you going"

You'll know when you get there.

…………

Just as Pu Kai was in the company, Chi Jingyuan directly called him to drive and sent a few people to the leisure club that Chi Jingxu had brought him to before.

This rather upscale leisure club called Rex, seemingly taking its name from the word 'rex', feels compelled to display its sophistication by using a snippet of English.

Since the second brother gave the VIP card to Chi Jingyuan, he himself occasionally came over a few times when he felt tired. I have to say that the service here is really quite good. Every time I go back, I feel much more relaxed.

Right now, you can see that Pei Zhuxuan and the others look very tired. Since we have some free time and don't need to eat right away, why not bring them over here for some relaxation

Chi Jingyuan didn't keep them in suspense either. As soon as he got in the car, he told them what they were going to do. The three of them listened with bright eyes and faces full of anticipation and excitement.

It seems that the practice life over this period has truly worn them down both physically and mentally. It's their debut goal that keeps dangling in front of them, otherwise it would be really hard to maintain such a high-intensity practice life for so long.

The place is also within the Jiangnan District, not too far from company s.

Entering the club, amber chandeliers bathed the hall in a warm and luxurious glow. The elegant yet sophisticated decor screamed extravagance at first glance. The modern art pieces adorning the walls, along with the ninety-degree bow and respectful greeting from the receptionist upon arrival, all pointed to a slightly higher tier establishment. Even Ginger She Qi and Sun Sheng Wan, who had been chattering incessantly moments before, instinctively lowered their voices.

Pei Zhuxuan closely followed behind, slightly lowering her head while constantly glancing around at the furnishings. The sparkle in her eyes seemed to indicate she was quite fond of this style of decor.

She hasn't spoken much since a while ago, and she's been standing at the furthest point from Chi Jingyuan. Several times, when Chi Jingyuan wasn't paying attention, she secretly lifted her collar and sniffed it.

One seemingly simple, unassuming action turned out to be incredibly deadly...

Pool Kyung-won didn't say much either. He called over a waiter to lead them through the process first, and he also stopped Park Jae-hyun who was waiting outside. The two of them went to a room together and rested for a while.

After several consecutive concerts, plus the previous rehearsals and preparations, he was truly exhausted. Today, having some free time for a massage really provided some relief. Lying on the waterbed, Chi Jingyuan gazed contentedly at the ceiling, feeling somewhat lightheaded and warm. He even felt like he could just lie there and fall asleep without moving.

"Mmm..."

After a while, he picked up his phone and glanced at it. He sighed and sent a message to Jiang Shiqi, then got up and started changing his clothes.

"Jingyuan, I'll go wait for you downstairs first." Park Jae-hyeon changed his clothes quickly and went out first. After nodding, Ji Jingyuan leisurely changed his clothes, slung his shoulder bag over his shoulder, and walked out.

They were all on the same floor, but their rooms weren't next to each other. Ji Jingyuan walked out and waited at the agreed-upon place for less than two minutes before he saw Pei Zhuxuan and her three friends walking over together.

Unlike when she was here before, hiding at the back, this time Jennie walks at the front.

Her black hair was completely dry, tied up in a bun at the back of her head. Her bangs were styled to fall over her forehead, swinging playfully as she walked.

Just now, the slightly yellowish complexion looked like it was because of the heat or a better mood, but now the whole face is rosy and smooth. The overall feeling gives off a lot more vitality. Paired with that slightly tight-fitting, light-colored outfit, it looks just like a student who just got into high school.

If you didn't say anything, you really couldn't tell that she was born in 1991, she is three years older than Chi Kyung-won.

Seeing Chi Jingyuan, she burst into laughter and waved cheerfully at him from afar. Her walking pace naturally quickened.

It's just her way of walking....

"Why are you always twisting your hips when you walk It's all twisty, and you don't even move your upper body much. Where did you learn this habit from"

Ignoring Park Ji-hyun's smile, Ji-yeong observed her as she walked towards him, frowning the entire way. When she reached him, he couldn't help but make a comment.

He hadn't noticed it before a few times, but now he suddenly realized that this sister's way of walking was different from other people.

Of course, go ahead and twist as you like…

Chi Jingyuan winked, then smiled at Jiang Shibaqi and Sun Shengwan behind him. He nodded his chin to signal them to follow, turning to lead the way towards the elevator. Just as he took a step, he pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "I'm not afraid of growing taller."

"Oh..."

"Haha"

Even though his voice was lowered, it still clearly reached the three of them. Bae Joo-hyun immediately stood in place, staring at Ji Chang-wook's retreating figure and angrily shouted a word. The two younger sisters beside her snickered and went after him.

She stood there for two or three seconds, then Pei Joo-hyeon glared at Ji Kyeong-won's back. But as she looked, her lips couldn't help but curl up into a smile. She let out a little hum and ran after him. She glared at the two people who had just laughed at her, Kang Seob-ki and Son Seung-wan, then quickened her pace, passing them both, and walked behind Ji Kyeong-won, giving him a hard whack on the back. Then she walked beside him.

This time, Pei Zhuhyun appeared much more natural and no longer had the awkwardness she displayed earlier.

Both of them wore plain, light-colored clothes. Walking together, they had a slight couple's outfit vibe.

But only after taking two steps, Bae Joo-hyeon glanced at the side with her peripheral vision and quietly lifted her head, straightening her back.

"Ju-Hyun xi." Ji-seong added with a smile.

"What"

"Shouldn't the members for the girl group project be almost decided"

"Well, after four rounds of selection, there are now less than ten trainees left. I estimate we'll be able to finalize the lineup this month." Bae Joo-hyun nodded and gave a brief introduction.

"Before, I heard from Shiqi that the three of you have big aspirations"

"Probably, but we'll have to wait until the final roster is confirmed. It's too early to say for sure." Pei Zhuhyun sighed softly and pursed her lips. She didn't seem particularly optimistic either: "Who knows what it will look like in the end What if there's suddenly a 'royalty' right before debut..."

She intentionally left it unfinished, and even glanced at Chi Jingyuan, clearly retaliating for his earlier teasing about her height.

"... Chi Jingyuan wasn't annoyed at all. He met her gaze and smiled, giving a 'yes' with his fingers."

"I feel like our project might be similar to the first plan that SJ and Girls' Generation sunbaenim had back then." Jeon Somi, who had been listening quietly in the back, chimed in.

"Huh What do you mean" Ji Jingyuan nodded towards the waiter who had pressed the elevator button for them. The few people entered the elevator together.

"That's how the original concept of SJ and Girls' Generation, two senior groups, worked. It wasn't about fixed members; they could add new members infinitely during their time together. Do you know that, Jingyuan"

"I heard the members talking about it before."

Upon hearing this, he pondered for a moment and nodded. He had indeed heard similar stories before.

It seems that Lee Soo-man has always had an idol group concept in his mind that is infinitely expandable. The plan is to have a group with an unlimited number of members, even after debuting, they can keep adding more members.

He seems to think this is the future of K-pop idol groups, something he's wanted to implement for a long time.

It is said that both SJ and Girls' Generation initially wanted to follow this plan of infinite expansion, but it didn't work out due to various reasons.

“Our girl group project seems to be implementing this strategy too. I heard that they will first select four or five members to debut, and then add new members every year afterward. The trainees currently in the waiting list might have a chance to join.” Kang Se-qi said with an air of insider information, sounding quite mysterious.

"Really Are you sure" Qi Jingyuan glanced at her, then turned away, unable to help but sniff lightly.

After getting into the elevator, Bae Joohyun stood beside him, quite close. In the confined space, a sweet scent constantly emanated from her body, lingering around them. It was unclear if it was her body odor, or perhaps perfume, shampoo, or something like that, but whatever it was, it smelled really good.

"I'm not sure..."

Ginger whispered with a smile, her previous air of mystery instantly shattered: "I heard it from someone else too."

"I heard that too, it's possible," Pei Zhuxuan looked up at him and nodded in agreement.

"Come on, whether it is or not, let's try to be in the first batch of debut list."

Chi Jingyuan glanced at them, smiled and let out a breath. As the elevator doors opened, he walked out first, while simultaneously confirming with one side: "Are you really not eating"

"...

" Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

It seemed like someone's stomach rumbled lightly, obviously they were really hungry, but the three girls still nodded firmly: "No!"

Being hungry and debuting are simply incomparable.

Chi Jingyuan shrugged and laughed.

“Let’s go, I'll send you back…”

…………

The final lineup for the company's female idol group project is almost set. While it seems like several members, including Seulgi, have a high chance of making it, it's not entirely unexpected that there might be some surprises.

Just like she said, what if someone else was suddenly parachuted in at the last minute and took her spot Or what if the company decided later that one of them wasn't a good fit for the project and cut them Who knows what could happen in the end.

It was just that in the final stretch I gave it my all during practice to fight for it.

Chi Jingyuan really wants to see what these three people would be like after debuting together. After all, two of them are his very close friends from the same year, and the other is also quite fate-related...

Remembering the various inconsistent expressions that Bae Joo-hyun had shown before, Ji-seong couldn't help but chuckle.

After sending the three people back, Chi Jingyuan got back into the car and called to make an appointment for his next meeting.

Since I finally got some time off, I definitely want to make the most of it.

When he saw the other members again in the dormitory that night, he found that everyone's spirits had lifted a lot, looking refreshed and full of energy. He couldn't figure out what they had been up to before.

He didn't ask, but he could guess that several members were probably out looking for girlfriends just like Wu Shixun.

Long-term hard work has accumulated a lot of fatigue for everyone. Whether it's the company's requirements, fans' expectations, external evaluations, or one's own career aspirations, all aspects continue to put pressure on artists. It is indeed necessary to take a break from time to time and relax both body and mind.

Otherwise, if this continues, something may come out of it.

On June 4th, EXO will be restarting their group activities.

And currently, the hottest news on the peninsula these days isn't anything else but Ji Kyeong-won's "dope" MV filming.

Starting on May 31st, this vertical video gained traction on YouTube. Its views nearly reached two million that day and became a hot topic of discussion on many forums.

The message spread rapidly among fans and the general public, with its popularity quickly soaring. From June 1st to yesterday, daily click-through rates fluctuated between two and three million. The highest day was June 2nd, when clicks reached a peak of 370,000.

In just a few days, Ji Jingyuan's personal shots surpassed 10 million clicks, becoming the first individual with over 10 million clicks in the history of the Peninsula.

This is already a terrifying amount of data, many idol groups with less popularity, their official v even far from reaching this number.

Along with that, the click rates for other five members of EXO-K have been steadily increasing as well. Although it’s not as dramatic as Park Jiung's, within a few days, the clicks for each individual member have also reached around a million.

The explosive heat not only made this vlog topic a constant point of discussion among entertainment section bystanders and fans, but also kept池景源 on the trending list, attracting even more people to watch it, achieving a good promotional effect.

His straight-shoot shooting is really great, most people give it a good review, and it even makes many people who were previously indifferent to EXO or him dive into the fandom. It has attracted quite a few new fans for him.

As people watched, many realized that the stage performance of EXO-K's "Dope" only had one pitiful version available. Those wanting to see more stage videos or fan recordings couldn't find any. Feeling discontent, they flooded S and various television station music show websites with messages expressing their desire to see the "Dope" stage performance.

And the companies and program team that were caught off guard were also speechless. "" is just a lead track used to warm up, it's okay if there aren't many performances planned. All the promotional resources have been given to the title song "". Now you guys are coming here to watch this song's stage

Isn't this a piece of cake

The audio source of the song "dope" was also officially returned to the top spot on the music chart on June 4th. This unexpected surge in popularity, due to a viral personal recording, has truly surprised countless companies and artists in the industry.

Who would have thought that after so long, a sudden snapshot went viral, and the song also became popular along with it.

Such a good demonstration is happening right before our eyes. Naturally, companies in the industry will hold meetings to discuss and emulate EXO's success this time, wanting to learn from their example.

It is said that when fite recorded Inkigayo on June 1st, their company had already arranged someone to be on stage.

This wave of heat is rising really fast.

Meanwhile, during the days exo held their concert on Hong Kong Island, all the trophies for this week's music program's top ranking also found their respective owners.

Because it was another week without a live performance, even though the heat was still high, Team K didn't dominate like they did in the first week. With two small stages three major TV stations, there were five number one spots. They only got three, while one large and one small spot were taken by FITE who returned last week.

This comeback's response was quite good, it did give ex0-k, who returned a week early, a certain impact. However, in terms of various data, the two are still far apart. But with the heat of the first week and the fact that k team didn't perform on stage due to their reasons, they managed to grab two number one spots.

At this rate, if K-Team doesn't participate in the music show next week, they are likely to get even more first place wins.

It's a shame that the next concert is at the Xia Guo Jiangcheng station on June 14th. Before then, EXO will continue to be active in the peninsula.

...Plus, Chi Jingyuan's behind-the-scenes footage went viral and caused a huge stir...

I wonder if fite feels a little helpless.

And just as EXO resumed their schedules on June 5th, a bombshell news suddenly broke.

BTS member, Park Seo-joon, filed a lawsuit against Big Hit Entertainment on June 5th morning at the Seoul Central District Court. He is seeking to nullify his contract with the agency due to alleged unfair treatment towards Korean artists, excessive workload leading to physical exhaustion, unequal resource distribution, bullying and exclusion by other members, and withheld income that has left him without enough money for even styling expenses.

First release on Traditional Novels Networkon wasn't quite right. She gave Bae Joo-hyun a dubious once-over, remembering the knowing smile she had just given. It was a stark contrast to her usual demeanor, and a flicker of understanding crosse...