Chapter 54 Chapter 54
The night breeze swept around the corner as the taxi slowly stopped at the foot of the apartment building. The driver glanced at the passengers in the back seat in the rearview mirror and said, "We're here." Cui Ta opened the door and got out first. Quan Zhilong followed closely, shoving his hands in his pockets.
She walked slowly into the corridor. Neon lights flickered outside the glass door, and the air still smelled of perfume from the party. As soon as she entered the elevator, Treita leaned against the wall and yawned.
I asked casually, "What did you talk about with Kiko tonight?" "Do you know her?" "Yeah, I've seen her a few times at parties before.
The Japanese fashion world is so small." Cui Ta nodded. "She interacts a lot with the brands and models she works with. She has a nice personality." Quan Zhilong pressed the floor button, and the elevator began to slowly rise. "Nothing," he said, turning his phone.
"We chatted briefly and left our contact information." "Who would believe that?" Cui Ta glanced at him. "Weren't we chatting all night?" Quan Zhilong chuckled. "I really can't remember. She just said that if she came to Korea in the future,
I'll entertain her." Cui Ta raised an eyebrow. She seemed like the type Quan Zhilong would like. He was silent for two seconds, then said, with a hint of meaning, "...Be careful."
"We're just friends." Quan Zhilong glanced at him, his tone calm. "Okay, okay." Cui Ta spread his hands. "We're just friends." The elevator opened with a ding, and the corridor was silent. "Click—"
The key slipped into the door lock and gently turned. The living room was empty, lit only by a small, warm yellow light. The other members had already retired to their rooms. Yongpei and Dasheng had their usual routines, usually washing up and going to bed early.
Quan Zhilong changed his shoes and was about to go inside when he suddenly asked, "By the way, can you spare time on August 17th and 18th?"
Cui Ta opened the refrigerator door, took out a bottle of water, and answered without looking up: "I'm free on the 18th. What are you doing on the 17th?" "Ah..." Quan Zhilong raised an eyebrow, "I want to hold the birthday party on two consecutive days."
Without further explanation, he turned and sat on the sofa, fiddling with his phone. Treta muttered, "Album release and birthday party at the same time?" "Pretty much."
"Then I'll take a look." Cui Ta unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip of water. "Maybe I can't make it on the 17th. If you want to do it consecutively, you'll have to ask other people. The company should have reserved a slot for the 18th."
"Yeah." Quan Zhilong responded, lowering his head to type. Cui Ta's peripheral vision caught his phone screen. Above the dialog box, the chat partner's note was displayed: NeonL.
Just as he was about to look away, Kwon Ji-yong's phone dinged and lit up again. An English text message popped up: From Kiko: I had a great time tonight. Looking forward to seeing you next time. Attached: Please send this photo to Choi Sang as well.
Quan Zhilong casually clicked on a photo. It was a group photo taken before the party ended. Kiko stood beside him with a funny expression on her face and a half-full glass of pink sparkling wine in her hand.
He stared at the photo for a few seconds, tapped the forward button with his fingertips, and sent the picture to Cui Ta. Then he thought for a moment, reopened the chat box, and replied: "Thank you, the photo is beautiful^^." Sent successfully.
He placed his phone upside down on the coffee table, leaned back against the sofa, and closed his eyes. * Outside the College of Social Sciences building at Seoul National University, sunlight slanted across the floor tiles, and the air was boiling with the heat of summer.
Lia walked out of the building entrance, backpack slung at her side, interview card hanging around her neck, and a thick stack of materials in her hands. As soon as she left the school gate, she saw Xia Qing waiting in a roadside cafe. "Here!"
Xia Qing waved at her from a distance, her mouth opening silently. "How do you feel?" As soon as she saw her enter, Xia Qing immediately stood up and took the information from her hand. "Not too good." Lia shook her head.
She attended four interviews in a row, the one at Seoul National University being the last and most difficult. Despite preparation and writing a paper on the professor's research, her knowledge of the subject was insufficient.
"What went wrong?" Xia Qing asked softly as she ordered an Americano for her. Lia sat down, pulled the interview card from around her neck, lowered her eyes, and thought for a moment before saying, "The professors asked very detailed questions, and I couldn't answer many of them."
"No, you must be setting too high standards for yourself," Xia Qing consoled. "Professor Zheng asked me about the impact of cultural capital on intergenerational mobility." Lia was a little depressed. "I had prepared Pierre in advance.
I've read some of Bourdieu's theories, but when he asked about the psychological mechanisms involved in cross-cultural adaptation, I couldn't answer. Xia Qing scratched his head. "Didn't you say you were preparing a paper on that subject?"
"Yeah, but it's not well prepared." The waiter brought a glass of iced Americano. Lia inserted the straw and took a big sip. The cool liquid slid down her throat, and the restless heat finally dissipated a little.
She pinched the straw and slowly stirred the ice in the glass: "I overestimated myself a bit."
"You're too harsh." Xia Qing frowned. "It's already impressive. I can't even pronounce the full name of this theory of skin...skin."
She couldn't think of anyone else who could handle such an intense schedule, preparing application materials and interviewing for four schools simultaneously in such a short period of time. "...So, is there still hope?" Xia Qing asked after a moment's silence.
"It depends on your luck," Lia whispered. She knew very well that the academic requirements of the Social Sciences Department of Seoul National University were much higher than those of other schools. Especially when interviewing students who came in through special overseas channels, the examiners would often be more strict.
She wasn't without talent, but she wasn't outstanding either. "Decent" wasn't good enough for a school like Seoul National University. She lowered her head and took another sip of coffee, a hint of fatigue in her eyes.
"Don't think too much about it for now. There are only a few days left in summer vacation. You should take a break occasionally." "Yeah," Lia nodded, "You can take a break from now on." "How long will the break last?" Xia Qing suddenly had a bad premonition.
"Tonight." Lia smiled. "I'll go back and write a thank-you letter later." "Huh? What thank-you letter?"
"Send a thank-you letter to the professor after the interview." Lia patted her head gently. "Even if you don't get the job, it's a courtesy." "Tell me, are you a soul from another world?!" Xia Qing said seriously.
Lia tilted her head. "What do you mean?" "She doesn't look like an eighteen-year-old girl at all!" Xia Qing said angrily. "What?" Lia laughed. But Xia Qing was actually right—she lived too tensely.
She had been running non-stop since arriving in Korea, and now, the accumulated fatigue was finally setting in. Everyone around her was so outstanding, and she wanted to catch up, but she couldn't help but feel that she was falling short.
She stopped talking and opened her phone, checking each message one by one. Two messages from Quan Zhilong lay quietly on MSN, sent early this morning. "Are you free on August 17th and 18th?"
"Album release, and my birthday party." Lia couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I'm free," she replied immediately. She was frugal with her family's living expenses, saving quite a bit.
From saving money to asking Kush to confirm the shoe size, style, and the brand she was interested in recently, it took her a lot of time to buy the limited edition Nike Air Force 1 Low "Kaws".
She had never bought such expensive shoes before, but the thought of giving him a gift made her heart overflow with joy. "GD nim?" Xia Qing asked casually, biting the straw. "Yeah." Lia nodded.
"You wouldn't have that expression on your face in front of him, would you?" "What expression?" Lia was puzzled. "It's just... the expression that shows love written all over your face." Xia Qing sighed. "Really? Really?" Lia was a little embarrassed.
"Yeah, super obvious." Xia Qing couldn't help but shake her head. It seemed like her friend's skill points were all spent elsewhere. She was ridiculously ignorant in this regard.
"You can't be so obvious," Xia Qing thought for a moment, but couldn't help but say, "If it's easy to get, he'll lose interest." Lia didn't refute immediately after hearing this, her eyes fell on the ice that was gradually melting in the cup.
Up and down. "You mean, you want to pretend I don't care?" She raised her head. "You're being so hot and cold, so close and distant?"
"I'm not asking you to act." Xia Qing frowned, "I'm saying you should know when to act and maintain some mystery. You're being... too direct now." Lia lowered her eyes and thought for a while.
"But I don't like that." She spoke slowly but clearly, "That's not me." "But many people in this world rely on this to fall in love," said Xia Qing.
"Then let's not talk about it." Lia paused, "If the other party doesn't like me because of this, then it's not worth saving the relationship." Xia Qing opened her mouth, but couldn't respond for a moment.
She seemed madly in love one moment, then coldly gave up the next. It seemed... like she was a very cruel friend in some ways. "...You're really weird," she muttered finally.
Lia smiled and didn't argue. "Never mind, what about Xiaoyu's?" Lia was startled. Yeah. She'd actually forgotten. His birthday was August 17th, right around the time she'd promised to reserve for Quan Zhilong.
The color on her face seemed to have been splashed with water, and she froze in place. "You didn't forget to prepare a gift, did you?" Xia Qing asked with wide eyes.
"No, I've prepared a gift." Lia bit her lower lip, "But the timing...is a bit conflicting." She hugged her head and said, "I just promised Oppa that August 17th and 18th will be reserved for him."
"Why does he need so long?" Xia Qing was puzzled. "Isn't his birthday on the 18th?" "Maybe it's because he wants to release the album right after that, and there's some preparation work to do." "Didn't the album already come out?" Xia Qing frowned.
Lia hung her head, a look of embarrassment on her face. Guilt spread like a drop of ink in water. "Let me ask him if he's free that day," Xia Qing said, looking down at her phone. "Maybe he won't be able to spare the time at all." Lia nodded silently.
The atmosphere was a bit heavy for a moment. Xia Qing began texting Yu Chenghao, typing at a rapid pace. Less than two minutes later, her phone chimed. Yu Chenghao replied: "I have filming during the day on the 17th, and I have an appointment tonight, so I might not be able to make it."
The two exchanged glances. Lia breathed a sigh of relief, almost subconsciously. She lowered her head and took a sip of her iced coffee, a bitter taste and a chill washing over her simultaneously.
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