Chapter 646 What to Look At

"Oppa, are you wearing a new look for your comeback today?"

"When will XO's senior come back?"

Not long after leaving JYP, Ji Jingyuan received several inquiring text messages from Twice members. After exchanging numbers, it was clear that they didn't intend to stay in the address book. They would contact each other occasionally. Among them, Kim Da Hyun chatted a little more, followed by Yu Jeongyeon and Minatozaki Sana.

Ji Jingyuan had a good impression of Kim Da Hyun. She was a quiet and cute girl, and she was also very good at flattering and liking people. Yu Jeongyeon had known her before, and Minatozaki Sana was more cheerful, liked her and was good at socializing.

Faced with Kim Da Hyun's inquiry like prying for information, Ji Jingyuan did not hide it, but told the truth: "I don't know."

He really didn't know. At present, SM has only tentatively scheduled EXO's comeback in June, and the specific date will be adjusted according to the progress of the album preparation. It has not yet been clear when the comeback will take place.

However, judging from the progress of the third regular album, the company should have already made a schedule.

"Are you free on the 22nd?"

The text message Zhou Ziyu sent did not mention what happened just now, but asked about Chi Jingyuan's time.

"I should be free, what's wrong?"

Chi Jingyuan has been relatively free recently, or it can't be said that he is free, but their time is relatively free during the album preparation period.

"We have a half-day off that day... Didn't we say we would treat you to a meal last time?"

"I thought you forgot, what's wrong, have you saved enough money?"

"Who forgot, it's just that I was too busy recently... Are you coming?"

"I said I have time."

"Okay, then I'll call you then... By the way, can you also wear the same makeup as today?"

"Bye."

...

I had guessed that the company would make some moves in the next few days, and as expected by Chi Jingyuan, the EXO group was gathered in the company's conference room for a meeting within two days, and the exact time of the return of the third album was officially announced.

"The official release date of EXO's third album "EX'ACT" is set for June 9th. The concept photos will be released a week in advance for the first wave of promotion. The preview video will be released on the 6th, the audio and MV of "Lucky One" will be released at 11:00 on the 8th, and a comeback chowcase will be held at 5:00 on the same day. The MVs and audio of the two title songs will be released at midnight on the 9th."

"All promotional plans will be held at the same time. We will also record some programs to cooperate with the comeback. You should be prepared by then." As he said this, Lee Seung-hwan glanced at the EXO members who were listening carefully next to him.

"Got it." Everyone nodded in response.

"At the same time, the pre-release song "Fire" will be released three weeks in advance on May 12 for pre-heating. The pre-release song is expected to be active for one week, and some adjustments will be made based on market reaction and fan response.

"Fire" will not participate in too many song promotion activities. During the activity period, there will be no song promotion in the first week except for the first stage, and there will only be about three stage performances in total, mainly to warm up the regular album and keep fans passionate and want to buy... If the response is too good, then adjustments will be made. ”

“The pre-sale channel for the third album “EX'ACT” will be officially opened after the pre-release activities. We will…”

The agent and the company’s directors were talking one after another, but in fact, the time arrangement information had been distributed. Chi Jingyuan sat in his seat, looking at the schedule in his hand and listening carefully.

The previous regular album release plan was actually okay, which was relatively regular. When he heard about the company’s arrangements for the pre-release activities, he couldn’t help but smack his lips in his heart.

Tsk tsk.

Listen, what does it mean to ‘not participate in too many song promotion activities’, ‘no song promotion in the first week except for the first stage’, and ‘three shows in total’.

It’s really arrogant.

But Chi Jingyuan thinks it’s normal. They are EXO, the top group of the Peninsula Fault level now. As long as the popularity and purpose are achieved, it’s fine. There is really no need to compete with newcomers for shots and exposure one by one.

And the pre-release songs were hyped too much, which wore out the enthusiasm of fans and the market, but it would make the later ones The official album will lose some freshness.

However, if it is May 12th...

Looking at the release time of the pre-release song, Chi Jingyuan suddenly thought of Twice who is about to return.

What a coincidence?

No...

But they are on April 25th. Although they are considered to be returning at the same time, it is still nearly three weeks apart. It is not bad. Generally, the promotion period of songs is almost over by this time.

It's good. He doesn't have to feel too guilty.

...

Although the specific time of the return has been determined and the pre-release song will be released in about three weeks, the relevant work on "Fire" has actually been completed. The rest of EXO only needs to prepare the remaining songs of the album step by step. There is still plenty of time.

Soon it was the day to treat Zhou Ziyu to dinner. Chi Jingyuan drove his car and parked near the JYP building, where he and Zhou Ziyu often met. He waited for a while with his mobile phone in hand. From the corner of his eye, he saw a tall figure appear in his field of vision from the rearview mirror.

Chi Jingyuan saw the very familiar Jigglypuff hat on the man's head at a glance, but even if he didn't see this iconic dress, he could immediately recognize this person as Zhou Ziyu from his figure and the way he walked.

Zhou Ziyu wore a mask and a hat and walked quickly with a brown casual cloth bag on her back. She suddenly stopped when she saw a black car she had never seen before parked at a familiar location. Chi Jingyuan's halting steps and head-crawling look almost made Chi Jingyuan laugh in the car. Under his gaze, Zhou Ziyu wandered around the car for several times in an extremely cute manner, checked the license plate number again, and then finally confirmed it and walked over. Knock on the door. .

As the car door opened and closed, the temperature changed significantly, and a fresh and soft fragrance rushed in along with her body. It was a combination of shampoo, clothes and perfume, because Zhou Zi Every flavor that Yu likes is light, but at this time, lingering in the small space in the car and taking a gentle sniff is extremely refreshing.

"Why did you change your car again?"

As soon as she came in, she glanced at Chi Jingyuan to confirm that it was that person. Then she looked around and looked at the interior of the car, and finally looked at the person next to her with a little complaint and curiosity. asked.

Hearing the voice and smelling the question, Chi Jingyuan turned his head and looked over. What caught his eye was a pair of big, lively eyes and a slightly different dress than before.

The light-colored sweater is somewhat slim-fitting. The waist is specially designed to make the rise and fall of the waistline and chest more obvious. It is paired with a pair of casual black trousers and white sneakers, maybe because of the figure. , she pushed up her pants as she sat down, making her legs look chubby.

Because this time, her black hair, dyed in the original color, was slightly curled and draped over her shoulders, and she was still wearing the blue headband that Chi Jingyuan had given her before.

Chi Jingyuan's eyes particularly stopped for a second on the women's cloth bag Zhou Ziyu put on his lap.

I remember that she used to carry a schoolbag, but half a year after her debut, she actually has a little bit of femininity.

It's just that although Zhou Ziyu's appearance has made great progress, under Chi Jingyuan's stereotype, she feels that her face is full of naivety no matter how you look at it, and her big blinking eyes make people want to bully her. .

"Because the space in the previous car was too small, and you were too strong to sit in it." Chi Jingyuan pursed his lips and replied casually, while also glancing at Zhou Ziyu's round thighs.

"you……"

Sure enough, his movements were very lethal. The girl jerked her legs together like a reflex and tried to cover it with her bag. Chi Jingyuan looked at her frown and laughed in his heart, before she could complain. , started the car directly, and at the same time gave a simple explanation: "The previous one was sent for maintenance, and it seemed to be recognized by fans last time, so I recently replaced it with this one... seat belt."

"oh."

The dissatisfaction just now came and went quickly. Zhou Ziyu had long been accustomed to Chi Jingyuan's annoying aspects. After hearing his prompts, Zhou Ziyu responded quickly and crisply, pulled out the seat belt sideways, fastened it and sat down obediently. The co-pilot had a straight waist and a very upright sitting posture, but the brown bag that was originally placed next to her was placed directly on her lap.

"Where to go?" After the car started slowly, Chi Jingyuan asked proactively. The girl remembered her last agreement and said she wanted to treat him to dinner, and she chose the location privately.

"I've found a good place. It's not far away from Xinsha Cave. Look, it's right here. ..." Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziyu became interested. He took out his phone and quickly clicked on it and gave it to Chi Jingyuan. After taking a look, it was obvious that preparations had been made before.

The two of them are accustomed to speaking Chinese when they get along in private, and her unique curved accent sounds soft.

"Hot pot? Are you just going to treat me to this?"

After taking a look at the location and the name of the hotel, Chi Jingyuan nodded and put into gear and accelerated. He shook his head while driving, pretending to be disappointed.

"I remember you said before...don't you like eating this?"

Hearing that Zhou Ziyu was actually a little anxious, she glanced at Chi Jingyuan with her mouth open and quickly took out her phone, as if she wanted to change places temporarily.

"No, it's pretty good..."

Of course Chi Jingyuan was not dissatisfied, he just said it casually. Seeing that she was a little serious, he quickly changed his words and explained by the way: "I actually like to eat. Even when XO has dinner, I often eat hot pot. I eat more recently."

As he spoke, he glanced at the girl next to him wordlessly.

You are usually very clever in secretly observing other people as spies, but why do you feel stupid every time you are next to him.

"Then I'll find another place next time." Apparently Zhou Ziyu listened, looking at the phone and nodding while making a solemn promise.

Chi Jingyuan breathed out, took out a cup of drink he bought in advance and handed it over. He watched her take it with a smile, then took out his own cup, bit the straw and took a sip, then put it aside. He held the steering wheel and said as if it didn't matter:

"what ever."

…

Zhou Ziyu chose a Chinese hot pot restaurant, which was not far away from Apgujeong. After parking the car, the two of them pretended to go in one after another. There were not many people, but the decoration was quite good. The classical style looks very stylish.

After ordering food in the private room, Chi Jingyuan took out his phone to see if there were any text messages or anything like that. After casually scrolling for a few seconds, he suddenly felt like he was being watched. He looked up and found that Zhou Ziyu opposite had put his phone down. He wasn't playing around. He folded his arms on the table in the same posture as a primary school student in class. He leaned his head forward slightly and kept looking at him.

"What are you looking at? Have you never seen her before?" Chi Jingyuan felt that this girl was a bit weird, so he frowned and looked over.

"I think……"

But Zhou Ziyu also frowned slightly, looked at Chi Jingyuan and said seriously: "You don't look as good today as you did the last time you were in the company."

The expression she looked at Chi Jingyuan was extremely sincere, and she seemed to be a little worried.

"..."

Hearing her words, especially feeling the look in her eyes, Chi Jingyuan choked so much that he opened his mouth and couldn't say a word.

Do you need to question whether I look good or not?

And what are you worried about?

"you……"

"Hahaha……"

Seeing the other party's face and hesitant look, Zhou Ziyu's expression changed and he burst into laughter. His mouth widened and his smiling eyes narrowed with pride. He kicked his feet on the ground twice, full of laughter. For the pleasure of revenge, he behaved extremely wantonly.

"Ah……"

Seeing her coquettish little appearance, Chi Jingyuan laughed angrily and shook his head speechlessly, too lazy to pay attention to her.

"Don't be angry, because you looked really good that day..." Picking up the drink and taking a sip, Zhou Ziyu made a cute expression as if to please, and then took the initiative to jump into the topic with a smile: "You... I have changed several cars over the years. Is XO so profitable? It seems like you divide it into many."

"If EXO still can't make money, then no idol group in the peninsula can make money. Don't use your share to compare with us..." Chi Jingyuan glanced at her sideways and looked at her The little round face sneered, then recalled it, and said seriously: "In fact, the income was very small in the beginning, and it has only started to increase in the past two years...I am not talking about me personally, but the average of the team."

As he said that, he glanced at Zhou Ziyu: "Your family situation is not very good. You even got a share before, so you still care so much about this?"

"Of course, the money I earn doesn't have the same meaning as what my mother gave me, okay? And although we split it, we don't have much money..." Zhou Ziyu pouted, and then looked at Chi Jingyuan curiously: " If the share is increased, what kind of activities should be taken up?”

"It's the company's business to pick up the schedule, and you can't get involved..." Chi Jingyuan shook his head and laughed, but thinking about Twice's experience after debuting, his eyes changed when he looked at Zhou Ziyu.

Most of the idol groups actually don't get a salary after their debut, because according to Peninsula Brokerage's usual rules, the company will not share the profits with the idols until the company recovers the cost of cultivating the idol group.

There is a lot of room for this so-called 'cost recovery' to operate, and it also has a lot to do with the popularity of idols. Some groups have not received any profits for several years since their debut, and even after working hard for a long time, they still have no income. I owe the company money.

But Twice was not among them. They were very successful and very lucky. The company basically recovered the cost within a few days of their debut. At the same time, they paid their first salary in less than three months, which simply made other women The group is extremely envious. I heard that Gfriend, which has just debuted more than a year ago and has just become a big hit, has not yet received its first share of revenue.

Zhou Ziyu deserves a lot of credit for Twice's smooth success. She has become very popular after her debut and is favored by brands. JYP has recovered most of its costs through advertising and endorsement income alone. To be more realistic, others The members have indeed taken advantage of her, which is a bit similar to the story of Chi Kyung-won when EXO debuted.

Seeing that she asked so seriously, Chi Jingyuan gave a more serious answer after thinking for a while: "In fact, there is really not much money for local activities in Peninsula. Whether it is music sources or albums, idols can't get much. As for variety shows, Not to mention, sometimes I don’t even have enough money to pay the driver and stay in the hotel, which means I earn a little more from commercial performances.”

With that said, the ordered dishes were pushed up. After everything was ready, Chi Jingyuan picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks and rinsed it:

"But these local activities cannot be omitted, because these are actually used to increase popularity and exposure. If you really want to increase the share...when you become more popular, let JYP give you a tour, which one will make more money. If the box office is high enough, you can buy a house after just one round.”

"It's a tour..."

Hearing this, Zhou Ziyu pursed her lips unconsciously, and looked forward with gleaming eyes, as if she was remembering the time when she watched Chi Jingyuan's concert, and as if she was imagining that she could go on tour in the future. appearance.

The hot hot pot kept steaming, and the two people who were very familiar didn't have any scruples. Shishasha kept picking up vegetables, but Zhou Ziyu, who was about to return, obviously had to pay attention to body management, and she picked up most of the dishes. They are some vegetarian dishes, and they eat very slowly. Sometimes they even smooth their hair like a lady while lowering their heads to eat.

"I wonder if we can get the first place this time."

Suddenly she remembered something, sighed and spoke with some longing.

"has hope……"

Seeing her like this, Chi Jingyuan paused and thought about it: "The quality of your album this time is quite high. Although I think the songs are average... the company has invested sufficient resources, but there are many competitors in the same period. Yes, it depends on how well your company promotes it.”

"After listening to our album, who do you think sings the best?" When talking about the comeback, Zhou Ziyu suddenly became interested. He poked his head with his chopsticks and looked over with a little reserved expectation on his face. , seems to have the words "praising my great progress" written in big words.

Chi Jingyuan glanced at her, swallowed the food in his mouth very calmly, and after drinking water, he calmly said two names: "You and Hirai Tao."

"I'm not kidding you, I'm serious." The little girl was obviously unhappy with Chi Jingyuan's meanness, and she frowned and started to complain.

So you also know that you two are not good at singing? So what are you looking forward to?

He cursed in his heart and shook his head. He didn't have to hide anything when chatting with Zhou Ziyu in private. He directly expressed his true feelings: "Sing? Only Lin Nalian in your entire Twice group can sing."

Zhou Ziyu immediately asked: "What about Zhixiao Ernie?"

"Zhihyo's singing skills are actually OK, but her voice is a little..." Chi Jingyuan pursed his lips and shook his head, without elaborating.

"Do you think so highly of Nayeon-ni? You don't..."

Hearing Chi Jingyuan's comments about Lin Nalian, Zhou Ziyu looked at Chi Jingyuan strangely. In her impression, Chi Jingyuan probably didn't like Lin Nalian. He scolded Lin Nalian so badly during the previous recording. , she persuaded her for a long time.

"The little girl has a very good personality."

Chi Jingyuan shrugged and commented casually.

In fact, he has never been too prejudiced against Lin Nalian. He doesn't care about black fans at all. Although he has not given her a good look a few times so far, after these few months of getting along, he actually feels that This Tuya has a pretty good personality.

"Sister Na Lian was born in 1995, and is only one year younger than you..." Zhou Ziyu's expression changed, and she reminded her quietly.

"Well... then big girl."

Glancing at Zhou Ziyu, who was a little strange, Chi Jingyuan smiled and changed his words indifferently: "Her personality is very rare. To be able to develop such a personality... the family conditions should be good."

"I don't know. Although I have met Sister Nayeon's mother, she doesn't come to our dormitory often, and Sister Nayeon rarely talks to us about her family affairs."

"Only your mother comes the most." Chi Jingyuan glanced at her with a smile and shook his head: "I told you before, asking Auntie not to bring me anything, but she brought a bunch more last time."

"Actually, Mina Ernie's mother also comes quite often."

Zhou Ziyu first made a small defense, and then looked at Chi Jingyuan with some embarrassment and laughed: "I told her, but she insisted on taking it, what do you mean... why don't you break it up with the XO members? , don’t waste it…”

"Yeah." Chi Jingyuan took a bite and nodded. Suddenly he remembered something and asked casually: "By the way, does she still say bad things about me in private every day?"

When Zhou Ziyu heard this, she knew that Chi Jingyuan was talking about Lin Nalian. When she heard this, she suddenly put down her chopsticks and recalled some things, her expression became a little weird: "Although I sometimes complain a few words, there are a lot less and It’s not a bad thing anymore... And I find that she is a little strange sometimes. For example, she particularly likes that pillow, and she often hugs it when chatting on the sofa or watching TV... It was the one you gave her in the variety show last year, above. The one with the dinosaur.”

"I'm not giving it to her, I'm giving it to the winner of the game. Also, that's called Bangela."

Chi Jingyuan corrected Zhou Ziyu's address, turned down the heat of the hot pot, and said casually: "Transformed? Wasn't she still so aggrieved during the recording... She won't like me anymore, right?"

"Why don't you feel weird at all?" Zhou Ziyu blinked.

"It was just a random guess out of boredom, and I didn't really confess..." Chi Jingyuan looked at the food in the pot in front of him, tilted his head and started stirring it with chopsticks, and said very naturally: "What's weird about this? , there are so many people who like me...and you all like me. Didn’t you tell me last time that idols from several groups have asked for your phone number? I heard that there are also people who ask people to introduce them to you. Are you coming?"

Chi Jingyuan, who was usually very humble, seemed a little narcissistic in front of Zhou Ziyu, and he blinked his eyes as a matter of course.

However, he just said it casually. In fact, he didn't think Lin Nalian had any interest in him. How could Heizi change so quickly? If it were him, he would be chased and scolded by other fans every day, and he would almost not be able to come out. If so, I really want to blackmail that person for the rest of my life.

However, Zhou Ziyu's attention seemed to be focused entirely on Chi Jingyuan's previous sentence. After hearing this, she pursed her lips and suddenly looked at him and asked: "Is it really that many? I often hear from seniors and assistant sisters. Talking about gossip, a lot of things are said about you. Is that true or false? "

"I don't know what they said. I heard many different versions of my gossip." Chi Jingyuan didn't hide it. He glanced at her and chuckled: "But if you say 'that'... …It’s been a lot since my debut.”

"..."

It was just a tentative question at first, but unexpectedly I got the answer.

Zhou Ziyu glanced at him, then lowered her head to look at the greasy bowl in front of her, pursed her lips slightly, and muttered twice, as if she was mumbling something, but she didn't say anything.

She was quite lively just now, but suddenly became silent.

Who asked you to be so honest...

Chi Jingyuan saw that the girl was a little emotional, and he almost knew the reason. Although he didn't think he said anything wrong, seeing her look, he didn't know why the desire to tease her also disappeared a lot.

The dinner ended in a somewhat abnormal atmosphere.

"Right..."

After finishing eating, Chi Jingyuan put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth and looked at Zhou Ziyu who suddenly became a little quiet. He suddenly laughed while looking at her. When she heard the noise and looked over, he shook his head and said seriously: "Popular idols, especially beautiful idols, will actually encounter a lot of troubles. There are colleagues and seniors in the circle, and there are also many outsiders. Some ask for dating, and some directly harass. I didn't hear you say it before... But if your comeback performance is good this time, it may be unavoidable. It's normal. But if you are bullied, remember to tell me. "

Chi Jingyuan laughed, stood up and put on his shoulder bag, turned sideways, squinted his smiling eyes and naturally pursed his lips at Zhou Ziyu:

"Help you out!"

Looking at Chi Jingyuan's smiling face, Zhou Ziyu, who had been quiet just now, suddenly stagnated. She stared blankly at the man in front of her who filled her pupils and suddenly felt extremely handsome, then looked away a little embarrassedly, sniffed, and responded softly: "

"Well, I know... Thank you."

"Okay, let's go, come back and try to get a first place."

"Okay!"