enjoyebooks Chapter 67 Zheng Zhemin's Visit
Chapter 67 Zheng Zhemin's Visit
At 2:45 p.m. the next day, Su Yu sat in the temporary reception area of the new building waiting for Zheng Zhemin.
The office hasn't been officially moved into yet, but the sixth floor is already set up. Yoon Shi-yoon had the sofa and coffee table arranged yesterday, and the coffee machine was plugged in. Su Yu arrived an hour early and asked Lee Soo-min to make two cups of coffee, one for herself and one to keep.
"Representative Su, should I stay?" Kim Dong-wook asked from the side.
"No need. You go and do your thing."
"That person is no pushover."
"I know."
Kim Dong-wook glanced at him, said nothing more, and turned to leave. He stopped at the door, turned back, and asked, "Did you bring the voice recorder?"
Su Yu patted his shirt pocket.
Kim Dong-wook nodded and left.
At 3:00 sharp, the elevator doors opened.
Zheng Zhemin came alone, without bodyguards. He wore a dark gray suit, his hair was neatly combed, his leather shoes were shiny, and he wore a low-key Patek Philippe watch on his wrist. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, not particularly handsome, but he had a strong presence, walking in as if he were entering his own office.
Su Yu stood up but did not reach out.
Zheng Zhemin didn't reach out, but glanced around and smiled.
"Representative Su, this place is more rudimentary than I imagined."
"A small company can't compare to President Zheng."
Zheng Zhemin sat down, crossed his legs, glanced at the cup of coffee on the coffee table, picked it up and smelled it.
"American style?"
"Um."
"I like Italian style." Zheng Zhemin put down his glass without drinking. "But it's okay, I appreciate Representative Su's kindness."
Su Yu sat back on the sofa, looked at him, and didn't say anything.
Zheng Zhemin leaned back on the sofa, placed his hands on his knees, and looked Su Yu up and down.
"Twenty-three years old, Chinese, studying linguistics at Dongguk University. This March, she registered Influence Entertainment and filmed a drama called 'Model Taxi,' which achieved a viewership rating of over 16%. She also bought a building and a house." Zheng Zhemin listed them one by one, his tone as if reading a resume. "Representative Su's resume is more impressive than most young Koreans."
"President Zheng has done his homework quite well."
"When doing business, you always need to understand your competitors."
"I am no match for you."
Zheng Zhemin smiled. It was a small smile; his lips twitched, but his eyes held little joy.
"Representative Su is too modest. You're investigating me; it would be too unreasonable for me not to fight back."
The air was silent for two seconds.
Su Yu picked up his coffee, took a sip, and put it down.
"President Zheng has misunderstood. I'm doing my business, and it has nothing to do with you."
"It's okay?" Jung Cheol-min leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. "Then what do you mean by having Kim Dong-wook bring up all those old grievances of mine?"
Su Yu's expression remained unchanged, but his heart skipped a beat. He now knew Kim Dong-wook's name.
"Kim Dong-wook is my company's media consultant; his work has nothing to do with President Jung."
"Representative Su," Jung Cheol-min's voice turned serious, his smile gone, "I don't like beating around the bush. I've checked. Kim Dong-wook was investigating me two years ago when he was at Seoul Economic Daily, and he was later transferred to Daegu. You didn't just bring him into the company as a media consultant, did you?"
Su Yu looked at him and remained silent for three seconds.
"If President Zheng thinks so, then it is."
Zheng Zhemin stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed. This time the smile was wider than before, but colder.
"Representative Su, I admire you. You're bold and intelligent. You're the first person at twenty-three to dare speak to me like this."
"Thanks."
"But," Zheng Zhemin's tone shifted, "the bold die quickly. I'm not threatening you, I'm warning you. The Korean entertainment industry is more complex than you imagine. As a Chinese person doing business here, there are certain lines you can't cross, and certain people you can't mess with."
Su Yu leaned back on the sofa and tapped her knees lightly with her fingers.
"What kind of line is President Zheng referring to?"
"The line of law."
"Which law is President Zheng referring to?"
Zheng Zhemin's smile froze for a moment.
Su Yu took out a voice recorder from his pocket, placed it on the coffee table, and pressed the pause button.
"I recorded everything that just happened. President Jung, would you like to hear a replay?"
Zheng Zhemin looked at the recording pen, remained silent for a few seconds, and then smiled. This time it was a genuine smile, tinged with surprise and a hint of appreciation.
"Representative Su, you're more interesting than I thought."
"President Zheng too."
Zheng Zhemin stood up, straightened his suit, and took a business card from his pocket, placing it on the coffee table.
"This is my personal number. If you need anything in the future, you can contact me directly. There's no need to have your subordinates relay messages."
Su Yu did not take the business card.
"President Zheng, I have a question for you."
"ask."
"Did you take my building because it was in your way, or because you wanted to see how I would react?"
Zheng Zhemin looked at him, and a smile slowly crept onto his lips.
"Yes, we have them all."
Su Yu nodded. "Then you see it now."
Zheng Zhemin didn't say anything, turned around and walked towards the door. He stopped at the elevator and glanced back at Su Yu.
"Representative Su, I apologize for the building incident. But I need that building, so I can't give it up. We can cooperate on suitable projects in the future."
Su Yu neither stood up nor spoke.
The elevator doors closed, and Zheng Zhemin left.
Kim Dong-wook emerged from the stairwell, holding his phone with a recording interface displayed on the screen.
"The sound reception in the hallway isn't very good, but it's still barely audible."
Su Yu handed him the voice recorder. "Save both of them."
Kim Dong-wook took the recorder and hesitated for a moment. "What do you think he's here for?"
"He's here to probe." Su Yu stood up and threw Zheng Zhemin's business card into the trash can. "He wants to know if I'm afraid of him."
"Are you scared?"
Su Yu glanced at him but did not answer.
When I got home, Cai Xiubin had already prepared beef bone soup.
The soup was bubbling away in the pot, its aroma filling the entire kitchen. She was wearing a floral apron, her hair was casually tied into a bun with a hair tie, and her face was a little oily, but Su Yu thought she looked better than ever.
"You're back?" She poked her head out from the kitchen. "Wash your hands and eat."
Su Yu changed his shoes, went into the kitchen, and hugged her from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder and nuzzled her neck with his nose.
"Stop messing around, the soup is going to overflow." Cai Xiubin tried to stop it with a spatula, but failed.
"Then let it overflow."
"You really are..." Cai Xiubin chuckled, turned around to face him, and placed her hands on his chest. "What's wrong with you today? Why are you being so clingy?"
Su Yu didn't speak, but lowered his head and kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and finally stopped at her lips.
Cai Xiubin was so kissed by him that she lost her balance and took a step back, her waist resting on the stove.
"Wait a minute, the soup is really going to overflow..."
Before he finished speaking, the soup in the pot bubbled over and splashed onto the stove.
Cai Xiubin exclaimed "Ah!" and pushed Su Yu aside to turn off the stove. Su Yu leaned against the refrigerator, watching her frantically wipe the stove, and a slight smile curved her lips.
"What are you laughing at? It's all your fault." Cai Xiubin glared at him, but there was a smile in her eyes.
"It's my fault." Su Yu walked over, took the rag from her hand, wiped the stove clean, and then ladled two bowls of soup and brought them to the dining table.
Cai Xiubin sat down, took a sip of soup, and squinted his eyes.
"Is it good?"
"Um."
"Just one word?"
"It tastes great."
Cai Xiubin was satisfied and took two more sips. Suddenly remembering something, she put down her spoon and looked at him.
"Did Zheng Zhemin come today? How was it?"
Su Yu picked up a piece of beef, chewed it slowly, and then spoke.
"They came, they left. That's all."
"What do you mean by 'that'? Did he make things difficult for you?"
"No. I just came to say hello."
Cai Xiubin stared at his face for a few seconds, not quite believing it, but didn't press him. She picked up a piece of beef bone and put it in Su Yu's bowl, saying, "Eat more, you've lost weight recently."
Su Yu looked at the beef bones in the bowl, then at Cai Xiubin.
"You eat too."
"I'm drinking soup."
The two ate a quiet meal, neither mentioning work. The TV was on, playing a variety show that punctuated the air with bursts of laughter. Su Yu didn't laugh much, while Cai Xiubin occasionally chuckled, then felt embarrassed and covered her mouth.
After dinner, Cai Xiubin went to wash the dishes, while Su Yu sat on the sofa looking at his phone. Jin Dongxu sent a message saying the recording was transcribed and three backups were saved. He replied with "Okay" and put his phone down.
After Cai Xiubin finished washing the dishes, she came out, sat down next to him, and leaned on his shoulder.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
"If anything happens to you in the future, can you tell me? You don't have to tell me everything, just a little bit will do."
Su Yu turned to look at her. Cai Xiubin didn't look at him; her eyes were fixed on the TV, but her lips were pursed, and she seemed a little nervous.
"When Zheng Zhemin came today, I kept thinking about you meeting him at the company, wondering if something bad might happen. You came back without telling me, so I was even more worried." Her voice trailed off. "I'm not trying to interfere in your affairs, I just... wanted to know if you were alright."
Su Yu was silent for a few seconds, then reached out and pulled her into his arms.
"It's alright. He won't dare to touch me."
How do you know he wouldn't dare?
"Because he's afraid of me."
Cai Xiubin looked up at him, her expression somewhat complicated, as if she wanted to laugh but couldn't.
"You're a 23-year-old international student, and he's a real estate tycoon from Gangnam District. Does he think he's afraid of you?"
Su Yu looked down at her. "You don't believe me either?"
Cai Xiubin stared into his eyes for a long time, sighed, and leaned back into his arms.
"I don't know whether I should believe you or not. But since you said so, I'll believe you."
Su Yu gently rubbed her hair.
The variety show on TV finished and was replaced by the news. It was about the acquisition of a building, and the camera showed Zheng Zhemin's back as he signed a contract, surrounded by reporters.
Cai Xiubin stiffened when she saw that scene.
"Is it him?"
"Um."
"He doesn't look like a good person."
Su Yu's lips twitched slightly. "A good person wouldn't look like that."
Cai Xiubin was amused by him and playfully punched him. "The way you talk makes it sound like you look like a good person."
"I was never a good person to begin with."
"So you're a bad person?"
"Not for you."
Cai Xiubin was stunned for a moment, her face slowly turning red. She lowered her head, buried her face in Su Yu's chest, and mumbled something.
"You don't even blush when you say things like that."
Su Yu didn't reply, but slowly drew circles on her shoulder with his fingers.
The lights on the Han River outside the window were on, and cruise ships were slowly passing by. The living room was quiet, with only the voices of news anchors and the occasional horn of a ship.
About ten minutes later, Su Yu looked down at Cai Xiubin and found that she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Her breathing was very light, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and the corners of her mouth were still slightly curved.
Su Yu didn't move, just sat there, letting Cai Xiubin lean against him.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn't take it out to look at it.
What could be more important than work? That's what's on his shoulders now.
Cai Xiubin woke up after a while and asked groggily, "What time is it?" Su Yu said, "It's still early." She said, "Then let's watch one more episode." Su Yu agreed.
She picked up the remote and flipped through the pages, finding a rerun of episode 5 of "Model Taxi".
"I haven't watched the full episode yet." Cai Xiubin nestled into the sofa and pulled the blanket up to cover the two of them. "There were so many takes that didn't turn out right during filming. I want to see which take the director used."
Su Yu pulled the blanket closer to her, and the two of them squeezed together.
The drama has begun. In episode five, there's a scene where Ahn Go-eun is retaliated against by a school bully and cries alone in an alley.
Cai Xiubin felt a little embarrassed when she saw herself on the screen and hid her face on Su Yu's shoulder.
"I looked so ugly when I cried back then."
"fine."
"What do you mean by 'alright'?"
"It's not ugly."
Cai Xiubin punched him lightly and continued watching. When she saw An Gaoen being pushed to the ground, she whispered, "That was a real fall; there was nothing to cushion it."
Su Yu tightened his grip on her arm.
"Does it hurt?"
"It hurt at the time, but I forgot about it later."
Su Yu didn't say anything, but kissed her on the forehead.
When the show ended and the ratings came out, Cai Xiubin sat up from the sofa and rubbed her eyes.
"It broke twelve? Really?"
"real."
Why didn't you tell me sooner?
You were asleep just now.
Cai Xiubin glared at him, then smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
"Our show has become a huge hit."
Su Yu looked at her, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"It's not the show that's popular, it's you."
Cai Xiubin was stunned for a moment, then rushed over and hugged him, burying her face in his neck. Su Yu felt her tears falling onto his skin, warm to the touch.
"Thank you," she said sullenly. "Thank you for letting me play An Go-eun."
Su Yu put his arm around her waist and rested his chin on the top of her head.
"You're welcome."
That night, the two of them snuggled on the sofa and watched TV for a long time, neither of them going to sleep. Cai Xiubin later fell asleep in Su Yu's arms again, this time sleeping very soundly, and they couldn't be woken up no matter how they tried.
Su Yu carried her to the bedroom, put her on the bed, and covered her with a blanket.
He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her peaceful sleeping face, and reached out to tuck the stray hairs from her face behind her ears.
My phone vibrated. It was a message from Kim Dong-wook.
"Episode 5 achieved a 12.7% viewership rating, and online discussion tripled. Ahn Go-eun is trending, but some people have posted malicious comments saying that Chae Soo-bin got the role through connections. Should we take action?"
Su Yu glanced at the sleeping Cai Xiubin and typed a reply.
"Let's find out who posted it. We'll talk about it tomorrow."
He turned off his phone and lay down next to Cai Xiubin.
Cai Xiubin rolled over in her sleep, snuggled closer to him, and mumbled something under her breath.
Su Yu hugged her and closed his eyes.