Chapter 114 A Disney Date (Part 1) This chicken soup is from Big Bang...
"Wow, this is so well covered up, it doesn't look out of place at all." Kwon Ji-yong exclaimed, looking at his arm that looked like it was covered in a layer of cement.
He felt like he hadn't seen his clean arms for about fifteen or sixteen years. In the past, he would either wear long sleeves or let the paparazzi take pictures when he went out. He was not the type to be sneaky or hide.
Today, the main reason was that the place we went to was already crowded. If they didn't do something to attract even more people, it might cause some unsafe social news. Another important reason was that it was too hot!
For some reason, it was over 30 degrees Celsius outside today, and they were sweating after just a few steps, so they decided to treat themselves better.
"Oppa, go write a positive review on the official website later, after all, it's a product I endorse," Jiang Tinghan said calmly.
She was already on the verge of becoming a brand ambassador for Sulwhasoo, but other makeup brands were relentlessly trying to poach her. After friendly negotiations, Jiang Tinghan became the spokesperson for NARS in China, endorsing NARS's enduring foundation, white powder foundation, cushion foundation, concealer and other products, but in a brand new series themed around the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.
"Uh~" Although he could tell that Jiang Tinghan was just joking, Kwon Ji-yong actually opened NARS' official flagship store, typed a bunch of things and clicked send, and then it showed "You have not purchased, you are not allowed to leave a review".
Jiang Tinghan glanced at it, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a second. Before Kwon Ji-yong could start complaining, she said, "Aigoo, I'm too tired. Why don't you do it yourself, Oppa?"
Kwon Ji-yong's tattoos are beautiful, but covering them up is a real hassle. He diligently worked on his upper body like a little bee. Since he was wearing cargo shorts today, and his leg tattoos were visible, the letter tattoo on his thigh could be covered by the shorts, but the cross on his calf had to be covered by cement.
Logically, this should have been solved by wearing long pants, but someone insisted on wearing his girlfriend's clothes. Their waist sizes were different; although they were both thin, Quan Zhilong's frame was still larger.
Jiang Tinghan rummaged through her drawers and found that eight out of ten pairs were jeans, some skinny and some wide-leg. She had so many that she looked like a denim dream girl. Kwon Ji-yong would smile knowingly when he saw this. He also had a special fondness for jeans and could still wear his jeans from ten years ago this year.
The other two pairs were also tailor-made suit pants, while most of the stretchy ones were skirts. In the end, we found a pair of slightly oversized cargo shorts for him, which were spare clothes for the Shanghai autograph session, but we didn't have to use them.
Kwon Ji-yong has been a pampered gentleman when it comes to makeup for twenty years since his debut. He held the concealer and looked at it for a few seconds before lying down like a boneless cat. The hem of his shorts was slapped open, revealing a huge letter tattoo with a light blue tint.
"I'm tired... Let's leave it at that. After all, it's Disney, so it's normal to have a cross on your leg. Just consider it an element from 'Coco'."
Jiang Tinghan gently patted Quan Zhilong's leg and smiled: "You're already tired before even leaving the house? That doesn't seem right. If you don't want to go through all that trouble, let's set off now. It'll get busier and busier after noon."
Kwon Ji-yong got up from the sofa and quickly put on his sneakers. His outfit, consisting of a hooded t-shirt, cargo shorts, and sneakers, with only his pointed, thin chin showing when he put on the hood, made him look not only youthful but also like a male college student.
This style of dressing hasn't been seen on Kwon Ji-yong in recent years. At first glance, Jiang Tinghan might not even recognize him. His clean and refreshing look brightens people's moods.
He switched languages and said in Chinese, surprisingly with some intonation instead of all the words being pronounced in a single tone, "Okay~ Let's go!"
Of course, when he speaks Chinese, he still lives up to his former nickname "Quan Mengmeng," with a stronger babyish tone than in his native language.
He had only taken two steps when a new idea popped into his head: "I'm open to a challenge—to speak only Chinese today?"
“Okay,” Jiang Tinghan smoothly switched back to her native language, adding a condition, “No translation software can be used, and you must communicate with the staff inside in Chinese.”
The words "translation software" made Kwon Ji-yong freeze for a second, but he still understood what they meant. He was going to meet his parents again in August, so he changed his slow and steady learning method, and his Chinese level has improved by leaps and bounds.
You've been learning Chinese for two years now, you can't still be at a beginner level, right? This shows you haven't been serious about it at all.
Kwon Ji-yong initially wanted to nod directly, but after thinking for a few seconds, he said cautiously, "One, two, three—three chances? Yeong-eo… uh, English? The chance in English."
Jiang Tinghan: "Okay, I can count."
Kwon Ji-yong suddenly felt a heavier burden on his shoulders, but the more interesting part of the date also excited him: "Is there... um... a punishment?"
"If I make a mistake a certain many times, shouldn't I do something about it?"
Kwon Ji-yong's logic in Chinese was quite clear and easy to understand. Jiang Tinghan didn't slow down his speech to accommodate him and said at a normal pace, "Then let's make it eight chances. After you finish speaking three sentences in English, if you say five words other than Chinese, you lose. I'll think of a punishment... You have to cover a Chinese song that I specify and post it on KakaoStory."
Kwon Ji-yong paused for several seconds before continuing, "Okay, okay, that's easy."
"Wait, do words like 'cover,' 'kakao,' and 'ins' count?"
Jiang Tinghan: "That doesn't count, and neither does OK."
Kwon Ji-yong felt that Jiang Tinghan was too kind to him. Even without this challenge, he could have easily sung a Chinese song. What kind of punishment was this?
This Prabhu never expected that if there was a loser in this challenge, it would only be Kwon Ji-ryong, and Jiang Tinghan would never lose.
He chuckled and held his girlfriend's hand as they arrived at Disneyland, a place where he had recently collaborated with Jiang Tinghan, escorted by a driver arranged by his team.
The driver was very curious about the two of them, checking the rearview mirror countless times along the way. In the end, out of professional courtesy, he didn't ask them anything, but simply said, "May you have a long and happy marriage," as they got out of the car.
For Chinese people, this is the most simple yet sincere blessing to give to couples.
Kwon Ji-yong flashed a bright smile, as radiant as the sun: "Thank you!"
His smile is the kind that makes everyone feel better. His unique little parentheses and slightly curved cat-like mouth make him look more childlike and handsome.
The driver, at his age, didn't know much about Kwon Ji-yong; he seemed to have only heard of his name. But being a driver who picks up and drops off celebrities, he had a general idea of how popular Kwon Ji-yong was. The fact that a foreign star of his stature would thank him in Chinese and smile like a down-to-earth child made him feel like becoming a fan.
Some people become popular for a reason.
Jiang Tinghan noticed the driver's deeply moved expression, and could only think "amazing" in her heart. She politely said "thank you for your hard work" and then got out of the car with Quan Zhilong.
The driver, while in the car, searched for Quan Zhilong and Jiang Tinghan on his phone, and listened to their songs. The fifty-year-old uncle was quite receptive. One song, "If You," reminded him of his first love twenty years ago, and another song, "Cold," brought back memories of the happy times he had with his wife and children last winter. Oh, so his wife was his first love.
When the driver saw the photos of the two again, his mindset had completely changed—this is my son! This is my daughter!
How can someone be so outstanding!
The young couple got out of the car and immediately raised their phones to take a picture at the entrance!
I checked before leaving the house and it seems that selfie sticks are not allowed, so I can travel even lighter. My bag only contains my ID card and a power bank. I didn't wear makeup and didn't need to bring any makeup touch-ups. When Quan Zhilong carried Jiang Tinghan's small bag, I felt the weight and thought I was hallucinating. It's so much lighter than before. I can't do my shoulder and neck exercises while going on a date this time.
Today, Jiang Tinghan's outfit is also focused on a refreshing look. She wears a strawberry-colored plaid faux two-piece camisole, and a short-sleeved sheer cover-up that perfectly conceals the tattoo on her back. The necklace around her neck is a matching flower necklace with Kwon Ji-yong's, with one pendant slightly larger than the other. The smaller pendant fits perfectly into the larger one, as if to express "you are in my heart." Jiang Tinghan wears the larger one, which shines even brighter against her exposed collarbone and chest.
The pants were a pair of loose denim shorts, almost five-tenths long, revealing only her slender calves and a pair of sneakers that Kwon Ji-yong had given her at the beginning of their relationship, the same pair she wore to record the theme song for "Dark Glory".
Because she often wears them in private, her fans are familiar with them. Since Kwon Ji-yong also has the same style, fans can roughly guess the significance of these shoes. As the number of times they appear in public gradually increases, they jokingly ask Kwon Ji-yong to give them another pair. In fact, Kwon Ji-yong has given her quite a few shoes, but fans just haven't noticed when she wears other shoes.
Conversely, when it comes to giving Quan Zhilong shoes, Jiang Tinghan usually doesn't choose them. Big spenders on shoes have their own aesthetic sense, and they might let her choose when given a choice between two. She usually just buys them all with a wave of her hand and is only responsible for paying the bill. Although she doesn't have a black card, her boyfriend can still swipe it as he pleases.
However, Jiang Tinghan really liked the first pair of sneakers the most; both the comfort and the aesthetics were perfect.
Two big stars who have appeared in numerous international fashion magazines posed for a photo in a simple and unpretentious manner, making a peace sign. One of them had the peace sign pressed against his face and was making a face, looking unusually arrogant. The other made two peace signs, with the two outer fingers touching his chin and the two inner fingers bent, forming a heart shape with the rest of his fingers. His cool and seemingly aloof personality, but actually soft-hearted, was fully displayed in this photo. But what is most unforgettable is the pink bubble that bursts through the photo.
They weren't particularly intimate, but they looked more endearing and made people smile than many deliberate couple photos. GC's atmosphere and CP vibe were unmatched.
Pull down the mask and let's go!
Looking at the paper map he received upon entering the park, Kwon Ji-yong resisted the urge to say "Mickey" and read aloud the Chinese characters on it: "Mickey Avenue, let's go here!"
Jiang Tinghan leaned closer to Quan Zhilong and looked at the map together: "It's just a few steps ahead. This park seems quite big. Shall we go to the ice cream shop or the Delicious Food House first?"
When she mentioned the location, she would point to it. The map had English markings, which greatly reduced the difficulty for Kwon Ji-yong to understand. Ice cream is "ice cream," right? I've seen it before but forgot. I have to remember it now.
"Delicious House? That seems to offer a wider variety of options."
Jiang Tinghan narrowed his eyes slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips: "This isn't a common English phrase used in Chinese communication, is it? Let's count it this time."
Even if Kwon Ji-yong didn't understand "common usage," he could roughly deduce the meaning. He still tried to argue: "There are Chinese people who speak like that, right? Like style, sense, type...aren't they easy to use? They're used in everyday Chinese, aren't they?"
Before, he would think twice before speaking, but when it came to rebuttal, he spoke exceptionally fluently.
Although Jiang Tinghan didn't know if Kwon Ji-yong really understood, what he said made a lot of sense. So, she teased the little Korean and calmly said, "This is the third time now."
"Ani!" Kwon Ji-yong cried out anxiously, "That's...that's...that's—"
He wanted to say "analogy" but didn't know how to express it. He was like a mute, anxiously waiting for a while, before stammering out, "Example."
There's a kind of endearing, silly charm to it that makes you seem like your IQ drops drastically whenever you speak Chinese.
"And Korean, you only have four chances left," Jiang Tinghan "thoughtfully" reminded you. "You have to make the most of it, or you'll lose in no time."
"???" Kwon Ji-yong didn't expect that he had already lost half the battle as soon as he entered. When did Jiang Tinghan take away all the rights to interpret the challenge? How could he possibly win an argument with Jiang Tinghan in Chinese?
They're bullies.
Kwon Ji-yong was sulking halfway through, but he held his hands tightly and refused to let go. When he arrived at the Delicious House, he could see Chip and Dale, and a few steps to the side was his beloved Mickey.
They thought Delicious House was a market, but it was actually a bakery. Each small cake and bread in the glass case had an English name, so they could continue to cheat; the number must be the price.
Jiang Tinghan filmed a video of Kwon Ji-yong looking closely at the glass cabinet and selecting items. His gaze was even more focused than when he was writing songs, as if he were undergoing some severe test. His expression of being on high alert made it hard for Jiang Tinghan not to laugh.
Converted to Korean prices, it's not expensive at all. A loaf of bread at the subway station might cost over a hundred won, while these small cakes are only sixty or seventy won and come with lots of fruit.
Kwon Ji-yong chose a lemon green apple cream cake and a fresh strawberry fruit tart, ordering everything with just "I want this".
Seeing that most of the customers ahead of him had chosen pineapple char siu crepes and ham and cheese croissants, he followed suit and ordered one too, trusting the popular choice. He also ordered two cups of fruit tea at the end.
"Chala da." Jiang Tinghan praised softly, "Well done."
Kwon Ji-yong immediately seemed to have caught Jiang Tinghan red-handed, his smile becoming more smug: "Tinghan, you spoke Korean too."
Jiang Tinghan shrugged: "I didn't say I would be punished even if I lost."
“No,” Kwon Ji-yong said more firmly, “The challenge requires two people to be complete.”
"Okay, then I'm in the same boat as you now, with only four chances left." Jiang Tinghan didn't gain much of an advantage either. "Am I also going to sing a Chinese song?"
Kwon Ji-yong swallowed the "nei" that was about to come out of his mouth, his heart skipped a beat, and he was somewhat relieved that he hadn't said it: "Mmm."
"I've already decided what song you'd like to sing, Han."
The man looked confident of victory, as if he saw a glimmer of hope in turning defeat into victory.
Jiang Tinghan paid the bill, stuffed the packed food into Quan Zhilong's hand, and said lightly, "The worst thing you can do in a competition is to open a bottle of champagne halfway through."
Kwon Ji-yong feigned ignorance: "What? I don't understand."
The credibility of his statement was astonishingly high, so Jiang Tinghan decided not to argue with him and instead prepared to find a secluded spot to have lunch.
As a result, Kwon Ji-yong dragged her to the plush toy shelf at the back. There were more children and young women around, and he seemed to be the only man looking at the plush toys with such focus and seriousness. Of course, there were also dishes, cups, candy jars, and other Keqi'an merchandise.
Jiang Tinghan glanced down and teased, "Brother, are you going to abandon Mickey?"
"No~" Kwon Ji-yong pointed to a long orange-yellow headband with long ears and said with a smile, "Don't you think this suits you very well? It's super cute."
Jiang Tinghan said somewhat innocently, "I think you can try it first. It should look better on light-colored hair, right?"
"Me?" Kwon Ji-yong's amber eyes flickered. "Sure, let's go together. I'll go first."
Ongoing shopping spree —
"Payment done." Jiang Tinghan handed the payment interface to the cashier.
Kwon Ji-yong has neither RMB nor Alipay or WeChat, and is currently in a state of being completely supported by Jiang Tinghan. He just needs to wait on the sidelines for his girlfriend to spend money.
"Okay, please take care." The cashier gave a friendly smile.
The entire Delicious House is a huge Instagrammable spot, with many people taking photos inside and outside. Kwon Ji-yong raised his phone and took a few pictures, including the display cases, the entrance, the parasol and table next to the entrance, and the bag of cakes and bread in his hand... He even included Kiki and Titi in the photos.
Korean mobile phones can't be silenced when taking pictures; the clicking sound is incessant, like the crunching sound of a little mouse stealing a cookie. Coincidentally, Ke Qi'an's nickname is also "Cookie".
Jiang Tinghan suddenly remembered two lines from the song "Crazy Kingdom": "The cookies whisper secrets that your paper hearts can't keep. Ah, so noisy, little mice... Just shut up and eat."
The lyrics were originally written to satirize unscrupulous media outlets, but unexpectedly, they've been used to call back at this moment.
There are always some inexplicable coincidences between them.
Quan Zhilong noticed Jiang Tinghan's blank stare and didn't know what she was thinking, but he knew what he wanted to do. He quickly put the headband on Jiang Tinghan's head and rubbed it a couple of times, which was just a casual thing to do.
He withdrew his hand, took two steps back to examine and admire her. The fluffy yellow headband was hidden among her black hair, and her two long ears drooped down beside her ears. The girl's usual aloofness was melted away by the warm yellow of the setting sun, revealing an unconscious, defenseless innocence and cuteness.
Jiang Tinghan's blank expression only lasted for a brief half-second before he snapped back to reality: "...?"
"Wow!" Before she could even speak, Kwon Ji-yong's praise had already arrived, even going so far as to use a chance to make a mistake to express his affection, his tone light and triumphant: "Nam-mom kiyo! You're kind of like Tinghan's rabbit character in 'Crazy Kingdom'."
The two of them had another brainstorming session without realizing it.
Jiang Tinghan's lips twitched slightly, and he switched to Korean as well: "Oppa, Cookie Ann is a puppy."
"Ah!" Kwon Ji-yong made an emergency public relations effort, having already used up one opportunity, and knowing he had to cherish the next three, so he switched back to Chinese, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this is a puppy with very long ears."
Jiang Tinghan's lips curled slightly, and he suddenly let out a soft laugh.
Kwon Ji-yong was momentarily confused: "What? Did I say something wrong?"
He thought he had done something silly again to amuse the other person.
Jiang Tinghan's gaze fell on Qiqi and Didi not far away: "No, I just saw a puppy with very long ears."
Kwon Ji-yong looked in the direction she was looking, and saw that these two were brown and yellowish-brown. Weren't they chipmunks?
He was a little confused about species, but then it suddenly dawned on him: "Is it me?"
Jiang Tinghan blinked his dark eyes: "Otherwise what?"
Kwon Ji-yong suddenly became agitated: "No, I can't betray Mickey!"
Jiang Tinghan: "?!"
For some reason, she had a strong urge to laugh, but if she laughed, she would lose. Fortunately, Kwon Ji-yong didn't make too much noise, and he didn't seem out of place in the noisy environment. If he had attracted a crowd of onlookers, she would have been in big trouble!
This is a beagle, right? Beagles do have long ears.
"Kwon Ji-yong," Jiang Tinghan called out his name softly, then returned to a normal volume, "How old are you this year?"
Even if the honest Korean understood that the other person was implying he was childish, he pretended not to understand and honestly said, "Thirty-seven...?"
"You really are..." Jiang Tinghan was speechless for a moment. "Let's go see Mickey Mouse. I support you being the mouse."
Speaking of chickens rolling around, are there any rat sculptures? He's the kind of person who can sculpt anything, and he's been in the industry for so many years, so there should be, right?
“Mickey isn’t like ordinary mice,” Kwon Ji-yong said seriously. “He’s smart, enthusiastic, has many abilities, and is always coming up with new ideas…”
Jiang Tinghan: "That's called creativity."
She thought Kwon Ji-yong liked Mickey Mouse's character design, but it turns out he likes the character's spirit as well.
Liking Disney characters is nothing to be condemned or surprised about; it's something that can be enjoyed at any age. Her comment about "childishness" was only directed at Kwon Ji-yong's comment, so she didn't make any further jokes.
Kwon Ji-yong obediently repeated, "He is creative."
"That's so cool, I love it."
Shocking! A 37-year-old man passionately confessed his love to a 97-year-old rat!
"but--"
"I like you more, baby."
Here comes the classic introduction, development, and climax: Coldy. There's no end to how much you can say about your feelings, and you have to deliberately lower your voice to make it sound deep and magnetic. Even though your natural voice is sweet and gentle, you have to use a cello-like voice like those domineering and reserved characters in movies and TV dramas.
I don't know what Benyin did to offend him.
The Chinese word "宝贝" (baby) has a completely different impact than the Korean word. When this term gently landed on Jiang Tinghan's ears, coupled with the sincere "I like you more" that came before, her first feeling was that it was too cheesy, and her second feeling was that it was burning.
The word "simple" seems to carry a burning heat, like a very light feather dipped in warm honey, so hot that it makes the eardrums tremble slightly, and an itch follows, as if even the heart is itchy, which is unbearable for a moment.
She can spout sweet nothings effortlessly, even without a second thought. Has she reached such an astonishing level of shamelessness at the age of thirty-seven?
The transformation from a mentally challenged man to a mature man took only 0.01 seconds, a truly astonishing speed.
In private, he's 99% of the time like this—cute, silly, and affectionate—that Jiang Tinghan almost forgets what he's really like.
A cunning man who has a knack for controlling the rhythm of emotions.
Jiang Tinghan slightly raised her eyes, and the other person raised their phone again, seemingly to take a picture of her wearing the headband. All she could see was the dark phone camera.
She seemed to be able to see through the deep, dark pool to those gentle, crescent-shaped smiling eyes.
Her heartbeat didn't seem to be accelerating; her breathing had just become slightly more rapid.
It's definitely not because she's smitten; it's because she's been caught off guard and isn't used to it. She's probably just wondering... why is he still taking pictures of her even though we're already at the amusement park?
If you were to ask him that question, Kwon Ji-yong would probably say something like, "Because you're the only one in my eyes," which would give you goosebumps.
Jiang Tinghan hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and slowly and gently grasped the flower pendant on the silver necklace.
The warm fingertips touched the slightly cool metal, as if catching a snowflake about to melt. The concave edge, which should have held another small flower in the middle, pressed against the fingertip, and the tactile sensation was exceptionally clear.
In fact, there is a line of tiny characters carved on the inner wall of the recess.
—“I BELONG II U.”
I belong to you.
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The author has something to say: Nothing's gonna tear us apart, since the first time we met I knew... That I belong to u～u woo～
No one can separate us; I knew from the first moment I saw you that I belong to you.
At the encore, there's a QR code that leads to the lyrics to this song, handwritten by the singer. [pat on the head][pat on the head]
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