Memories 3

Since returning from the temple, Lin Chaoying and Jiang Chuan Gu have tacitly reached an agreement to live normal lives without interfering with each other.

The only difference was that Jiang Chuan Gu gradually caught up with the main group and was less resistant to Jiang Xu, occasionally even exchanging a few words with him.

The members of ATW-7 practiced dancing and singing, preparing materials for the new group variety show, and continued to maintain a superficial harmony.

When they left work early in the evening, Jiang Chuangu and Lin Chaoying would sit by the window and happily play Gomoku, chatting occasionally.

During this time, Lin Chaoying noticed that Jiang Chuangu was unusually frugal. No matter how she pressed him for answers, he only replied with three words: "I'm used to it."

Spring's beauty is hidden, and early summer is just beginning. The cherry blossoms outside the window have all fallen like snowflakes, leaving only a patch of green spreading out.

That day, Jiang Chuan Gu was different from usual. He specially laid out three sets of clothes and asked her which one looked better.

Lin Chaoying chose the outfit with the most colors. Her youthful face, paired with a light blue shirt and white casual pants, neutralized the inexplicable musty feeling on her body, making her look refreshing and clean.

She exclaimed, "Could you please throw away those black and gray clothes from now on?"

Jiang Chuan Gu smiled and offered, "Come with me to the company for training today, and we can go shopping together while we're at it."

Seeing his keen interest, Lin Chaoying, who was usually too lazy to go out, readily agreed.

Upon arriving at the company, Jiang Chuangu was called away by staff on the 9th floor. Lin Chaoying floated through the building, curiously observing the surroundings, including the dance studio, singing room, songwriting studio, cafeteria, and rest area...

She was itching to try it herself, imagining what she would do if she were the boss—what to put on each floor, how many cafeterias to have, and ideally, a photo booth on the ground floor…

The more I thought about it, the more wonderful it seemed. Suddenly, I bumped into Jiang Xu on the corner of the 8th floor, who was looking for Jiang Chuan Gu.

Jiang Xu, carrying the cake, asked, "Where's Jiang Chuan Gu?"

At times, Lin Chaoying was quite grateful to this useless captain. He was the only one in the group who searched for Jiang Chuan Gu every day like a mother hen.

Shen Hao opened his lunchbox. "It seems like I was called away by President Guan."

"President Guan?" Jiang Xu asked疑惑地, "Did he say something?"

Zhao Yuanfan glared at Jiang Xu, then left the rest room with his meal.

Shen Hao tried to stop him, "How long has it been? Don't be angry..."

Jiang Xu ignored him and turned to leave the room.

Zhao Yuanfan smacked his lips, "Even if you apologize to me, I still want..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Xu had already run in the opposite direction to the elevator, with Lin Chaoying following behind him.

The elevator went up to the 9th floor.

Jiang Xu arrived at the wooden door of the office, leaned close to the wall, and listened intently.

"You're so lewd..." Lin Chaoying complained to him, then casually drifted into the room.

Looking at the spacious office in front of me, about 20 square meters, I couldn't help but think: if it were any bigger, it would be even more spacious than Jiangchuan Valley's dormitory!

Beside the mahogany desk and the black leather sofa, Jiang Chuan Gu and Guan Zong sat facing each other.

Jiangchuan Valley turned around nimbly.

Lin Chaoying waved her hand with a grin, but the smile didn't last three seconds.

Hearing General Manager Guan ask, "What's wrong?"

Jiangchuan Valley turned his head and remained silent.

Mr. Guan picked up the palm-sized teapot, poured half a cup of tea into the water glass in front of him, and said earnestly, "Don't forget what I just said."

"Okay." Jiang Chuan Gu nodded in a muffled voice.

Mr. Guan put down the teapot and sighed heavily. "Xiao Gu, don't be resistant, you know? Now that you're in the group, you need to know the specific situation."

Lin Chaoying was completely confused.

Guan Zong's mouth opened like a valve. He leaned back on the sofa, revealing the face of a capitalist. "Back then, I chose you because I valued your looks and hard work. It was also Li Chao who recommended you to me. So I was very optimistic about your future. But you definitely don't understand team management as well as we do. You need to understand how to minimize the damage to you and what is best for your future development."

"Don't worry." Jiang Chuan Gu's voice was filled with a deep sense of helplessness.

Mr. Guan patted him on the shoulder, "I know. Like I said, if you're good as an individual, the team will be even better. The company won't harm you regarding the specific balance; it will always be the optimal solution at the moment. Don't overthink it, and don't resist..."

Jiang Chuangu interrupted him, "I know, Mr. Guan, you know me, I have no objection."

Lin Chaoying's mind was in turmoil. What was the deeper meaning behind President Guan's words?

Jiang Chuan Gu stood up. "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."

"Oh, right," Guan said casually, "Today is your birthday. Don't forget to post your daily updates on Weibo, and then explain to your fans on Weibo on the day of the recording to avoid any negative publicity."

Is today his birthday? Lin Chaoying realized.

The day of recording? She counted on her fingers, but the only recent recordings were for their group variety show content.

Lin Chaoying's anger surged. "Jiang Chuangu! What did you agree to? Why do you have to post an explanation on Weibo for the recording? Doesn't this old man want you to participate in the group variety show?"

Jiangchuan Valley gestured for her to leave first.

Lin Chaoying followed him to the door. "If you don't explain yourself clearly, I'll possess the body of the man inside and jump off the building, you believe me!"

Jiang Chuan Gu closed the office door, ignoring Jiang Xu's presence, nodded in Lin Chao Ying's direction, and said, "Let's talk about it when we get back."

Nod? Really not letting him participate in the recording? She plunged headfirst into Jiang Xu's body.

Jiang Xu's eyes lit up, she slammed the cake on the ground, pushed open the door with a bang, stood aggressively at the door, pointed at Boss Guan, and said, "I can't hold it in anymore!"

As soon as Mr. Guan stood up, he saw him and was so intimidated by his imposing presence that he took several steps back.

"Jiang Xu" kicked his protruding belly hard, "Why didn't you let Jiang Chuan Gu participate in the group leadership!"

Mr. Guan slumped onto the sofa, clutching his stomach in pain, and said, "What are you doing! Didn't you already know?!"

Jiang Chuangu, who had rushed over to break up the fight, froze on the spot, unsure of what to do with his hands, and quietly watched as the crazed "Jiang Xu" straddled Boss Guan.

Hearing the commotion, the assistant and security guard pushed open the door and were quite startled by the scene.

Jiang Xu was forcibly pulled away, struggling to break free, and stomped onto the office desk. "I don't care who you are! Why can't Jiang Chuangu participate in the group variety show! He gets only one line in the song part! He's always scheduled for the worst time slots! He's the only one in the whole group who goes to the basement to practice when he gets back to the villa! He only gets one material opportunity a year! Why are you depriving him of exposure!"

The sunlight outside the window was blinding, shining on Jiang Chuan Gu, making him feel as cold as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, so cold that his body was shivering.

Even so, President Guan still spoke to Jiang Xu in a reassuring tone, saying, "Jiang Xu, are you too tired? What's wrong with you lately? Stop causing trouble! Okay! I'll let Jiang Chuan Gu participate!"

Jiang Chuan Gu frowned in disbelief and looked at President Guan.

Lin Chaoying was stunned. She looked down at "Jiang Xu's" body and murmured, "You guys are disgusting. Whether Jiang Chuan Gu participates or not is just a matter of Jiang Xu's word?"

At this moment, "Jiang Xu" stood on high ground, looking down at Jiangchuan Valley at the entrance, his eyes filled with shock and heartache.

Backlit, Jiangchuan Gu couldn't see his eyes clearly, but he truly felt the distance between himself and this "old friend".

Forget it. He started to convince himself again: He has a place to stay, food, and a salary; it's pretty good. Jiang Chuan Gu said, "I'm not going."

Jiang Xu then said, "Then we won't go!"

After saying that, Lin Chaoying jumped out of Jiang Xu's body, and Jiang Xu suddenly slammed down on the table.

Jiangchuan left the office without looking back, saw the smashed cake at the door, and gave a bitter smile.

Guan called out from behind, "Jiang Chuan Gu, take a good rest during this time."

Jiang Chuan Gu walked faster and faster, rushing into the elevator as if fleeing, frantically pressing the elevator buttons, with Lin Chao Ying following behind him angrily.

"Gu Zi!" Jiang Xu braced himself against the elevator door with one hand, stopping the elevator from descending. "You don't have any plans for tonight, right? The cake is spoiled, shall I buy you a new one?"

Jiangchuan Valley remained silent.

"Beep beep beep—" The elevator notification sound rang out.

Jiang Xu stepped into the elevator, forcing a smile, and asked, "Seven o'clock in the evening? How about it?"

In the cramped and confined space, amidst the heavy breathing of the two people, Lin Chaoying remained silent, sensing Jiang Chuan Gu's restraint and Jiang Xu's attempt to appease her.

If the thorn in each other's hearts isn't spoken out and removed, the two people can't truly reconcile.

"Jiang Xu," Jiang Chuan Gu said in a low, suppressed voice, "when are you going to stop this act?"

He leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on the wall without looking up, his gaze extremely menacing. Before the other person could retort, his words were sharp and relentless, pressing forward relentlessly, "You kept the personnel changes from me back then, you kept Li Chao's affairs from me, you told everyone about my family's affairs, I accept it all, everyone has their own difficulties, but when those people were ostracizing me, you spoke up for them, and now you already knew I would be kicked out of the group..."

"No." Jiang Xu uttered two pale words, unable to form a complete sentence.

"Beep—First floor arrived—" The moment the elevator doors opened, Jiang Chuan Gu shoved him aside. "When they were talking badly about me behind my back, would you have agreed to it just to fit in? When they threw away my meal card and I had no money for food, did you know who did it? When they broke my headphones, did you think I would be happy if you secretly bought the same ones?"

? ? ? ?

Lin Chaoying was in a daze when she left the building with Jiang Chuangu.

The man and the ghost walked silently in the sunlight until he entered a cake shop. Jiang Chuan Gu asked the clerk, "How much is this 4-inch cake?"

Salesperson: "This one is on sale, only 66."

Jiang Chuan Gu turned to Lin Chao Ying and asked, "Do you think this looks good?"

Lin Chaoying didn't see what the cake looked like, but she smiled and agreed, "It looks beautiful! And the price is auspicious too! It's like sixes bringing good fortune!"

The shop assistant watched in horror as he spoke to thin air.

Jiangchuan Valley nodded, satisfied, and said, "This one will do! Please wrap it up. Do you have candles and a birthday hat?"

Shop assistant: "It will be delivered, please pack it for you in a moment~"

Jiang Chuan Gu carefully carried the cake, found a stone table in a corner of the park, and deftly unpacked it. He then opened the box, lit the candles, and adjusted the birthday hat.

Lin Chaoying, sitting opposite, finally couldn't help but say, "I'm sorry, Jiang Chuangu."

"Huh?" Jiang Chuan Gu stopped what he was doing and looked at her in disbelief. After all, in the past few months, she had been both casual and domineering. She would cheat every time she played Go and was a very proud person who couldn't be criticized at all. Why would she suddenly apologize?

Lin Chaoying was genuinely remorseful. "I didn't know it was your 18th birthday today. Even though that Mr. Guan is such a jerk, I shouldn't have impulsively used Jiang Xu to cause trouble, making things so messy between you two." She added, "At least wait until tomorrow, otherwise at least someone could put a birthday hat on you today and wish you a happy adulthood, so you wouldn't be all alone..."

Jiang Chuan Gu couldn't help but laugh out loud, "I wasn't planning on spending my birthday with him anyway."

Lin Chaoying understood what he meant, but anyone would feel bad if they got into a fight or argued with a colleague on their coming-of-age day.

"I should thank you," Jiang Chuan Gu swallowed, his thoughts drifting away. "Last time, you were the only one who got angry for me and went to fight for something..."

This is the second time that Jiang Chuan Gu has taken the initiative to talk about the past without Lin Chao Ying pressing him for details.

"At that time, there were 30 trainees, and 16 were eventually selected to debut. After half a year of training, the best were eliminated, and people were leaving every day. Everyone lived in fear and couldn't take care of themselves. Only one person helped me keep up with the training, and that was Li Chao."

“He not only helped me, but also helped many people who had fallen behind in their courses. However, in the end, I was the only one left. My personality is not likable, and only he and Jiang Xu were willing to talk to me, so the relationship between the three of us got better and better.”

“Over the course of a year, at least 14 people were eliminated. The initial person in charge of the project was not Ms. Guan, but Ms. Liu. She would give us extra meals, buy a lot of meat and milk, and take us to see movies, do team building activities, and play games every week, hoping that the 16 of us would quickly unite.”

"Those two years were the most peaceful and happy time of my life. I only had to think about one thing: training."

"But everything changed a week before the debut station."

"General Manager Liu and General Manager Guan had a big argument in the conference room, and General Manager Liu resigned. Out of 16 people, 9 were suddenly cut. I knew that among the trainees, some were the children of shareholders, some had parents who had just invested in HQ, and some were the ones the company was betting on. I was prepared for elimination, until Li Chao suddenly left the dormitory that night and never came back."

"On the day of their debut, the remaining 7 members were hastily pushed onto the stage. The fans didn't even know that the dance choreography for that day was changed at the last minute the day before."

“After the debut station, the six of us, excluding me, were taken away by different people for talks. Since then, everyone has changed.”