enjoyebooks Chapter 77 The Pit Digger
Chapter 77 The Pit Digger
Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu.
The ginkgo trees on both sides of the street had not yet sprouted new buds, and their bare branches cast menacing shadows under the streetlights.
Jiang Yan parked his car on the side of the road at his destination and sent a message to Lin Yoona.
Less than five minutes later, Lim Yoona walked out of the nail salon on the street corner, which was lit with warm lights.
She wore a burgundy hooded sweatshirt, black leggings, and white sneakers, completely covered up, looking utterly different from the radiant Girls' Generation visual on stage.
Lin Yoona came to the car, opened the passenger door, and got in. A delicate fragrance instantly filled the car.
Yoona took off her hat and casually brushed her disheveled hair aside. "Pretty fast, huh? Is the driving going smoothly?"
"Nuna's car, of course it's convenient," Jiang Yan casually replied, then restarted the engine. "Where do we go now?"
Yoona didn't answer immediately. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "Let's go to the supermarket first. We can't go to Taeyeon unnie's house empty-handed."
Jiang Yan nodded, thinking to himself that he was indeed going to Kim Tae-yeon's house, and then turned on his turn signal and drove toward the nearest large supermarket.
Lin Xiaolu floated in the back row, resting her chin on her hand and looking at the two people in front of her. Her deer-like eyes darted around, and she had a feeling that her future self was up to something again.
Once inside the supermarket, Lim Yoon-a pushed a shopping cart.
Jiang Yan followed at a distance, neither too close nor too far. If Lin Yun'er hadn't insisted on pulling him out of the car, he would have preferred to stay inside.
There was no way around it; the paparazzi on the peninsula were everywhere, and he didn't want to inexplicably end up on the entertainment front page tomorrow.
Yoona picked out a box of organic strawberries and a case of Jeju Island tangerines from the fresh produce section, and also took two boxes of beautifully textured Korean beef and pork belly.
As she passed the vegetable section, she suddenly slowed down and picked up a box of exquisitely packaged enoki mushrooms.
Then she tossed the enoki mushrooms into the shopping cart, turned around and waved: "Jiang Yan, do you know? When I was filming in China, there was a Sichuan restaurant near the set. Their boiled fish was absolutely amazing, piping hot with red oil. They also had Mapo Tofu and Spicy Chicken. Every dish was so fresh, spicy and addictive that you'd want to swallow your tongue."
Jiang Yan watched her actions, which had no sense of boundaries, and felt his temples throbbing.
He casually grabbed a bottle of soy sauce from the shelf, glancing at two girls picking out yogurt a short distance away, and said in a low voice, "Noona, have you forgotten who you are?"
"Hmm?" Lin Yoona was holding a bag of dried chili peppers and studying its origin when she heard the voice and looked up.
"Girls' Generation's Yoona, the face of the nation's girl group." Jiang Yan put soy sauce into the shopping cart, then took two steps forward. "You've been strolling around the supermarket like this for almost ten minutes, not wearing a mask or a hat. Do you think that's appropriate?"
Upon hearing this, Lim Yoona turned her head and glanced at him, blinking her doe eyes with an innocent expression: "What's inappropriate about it? I'm not a wanted criminal, what's wrong with shopping at a supermarket?"
"Noona, weren't you quite careful when you came to my house last time? You took off your mask as soon as you came in, and then put it back on when you left."
Jiang Yan paused, glancing around to the side. "Why are you letting loose like this today?"
"Last time I went to your house, it was a private trip, and I was afraid of being photographed and causing you trouble."
Yoona tossed the dried chili peppers into the shopping cart, clapped her hands, and said matter-of-factly, "I'm just here to shop at the supermarket today. This is just part of my daily life. So what if I get photographed? It's nothing to be ashamed of."
Jiang Yan sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Noona, if you go grocery shopping with me and get photographed, it won't be considered everyday life anymore. Tomorrow's headlines will be about Yoona being spotted shopping at a mysterious man late at night, behaving intimately, and sparking rumors of a new relationship."
Upon hearing this, Yoona did not distance herself from him; instead, she pulled the shopping cart forward two steps, her shoulder almost touching his.
She tilted her head and said with a smile, "Jiang Yan, do you feel ashamed to have rumors about me?"
Jiang Yan turned his head to look into her eyes, which flashed with obvious provocation.
He looked away, took the shopping cart from Yoona, and pushed it forward, saying, "It's not shameful, but it will be a lot of trouble."
Are you worried about the company causing you trouble?
"The company's talk to me is secondary; the main thing is that the reporters will dig up all the male artists you've worked with before, compare them, and then write a five-thousand-word analytical report."
"I can already picture headlines like, 'A Complete List of Yoona's Past Rumored Boyfriends, and Her New One Is...?' followed by a picture of me. Should I be scared?"
Yoona was amused by his serious tone. "Oh, I didn't realize you knew so much about the media."
Jiang Yan quickened his pace as he looked at the shelves. "So, Nuna, for your own good and for mine, you should keep your distance from me."
Looking at his tall figure, Lin Yoona smiled slightly and walked briskly to Jiang Yan's side again. "Don't worry, am I such an irrational person? I definitely have my reasons for doing this."
As she spoke, she grabbed Jiang Yan, who was about to leave the ingredient section, and gestured with her chin towards the shelf. "Just tell them you're a friend who can cook Chinese food. My fans know I love to eat, so they won't doubt it. But there's one thing I need to confirm with you: you should be able to cook Chinese food, right?"
Lin Xiaolu, who was standing to the side, almost burst out laughing when she heard this. She covered her lips and her eyes curved into two crescent moons.
Here it comes, my future self is indeed up to no good, digging a pit for Jiang Yan again.
Jiang Yan stopped walking and turned to look at Lin Yun'er, who was looking back at him with an innocent and pure expression, her doe-like eyes full of innocent curiosity.
It's as if that comment, "You should be able to cook Chinese food," was just a casual remark, without any intention of testing me.
Keep pretending.
Jiang Yan snorted inwardly, but put on a gentle smile.
"I know a little."
He reached for a bottle of dark soy sauce, a bottle of balsamic vinegar, and a packet of Sichuan peppercorns on the shelf, and casually said, "If Nuna wants some, how about I make some boiled beef later? Although I don't have Pixian chili bean paste, I can use Korean soybean paste and chili powder to make a base flavor, which should be enough."
He took two more steps forward, grabbed a bottle of oyster sauce and a packet of white pepper powder from the condiment section, and muttered, "It's a pity they don't have Erjingtiao peppers, but Qingyang peppers are okay as a substitute, though the flavor won't be quite the same. Oh, by the way, is there an imported condiment section here? If so, I'll have to buy some Pixian chili bean paste, that would be more authentic."
As Lin Yoona watched Jiang Yan pick and choose in front of the shelves, listening to him mutter those half-understood Chinese food terms, the smile on her lips gradually froze.
This guy... he really knows how.
She originally intended to set a trap for him.
If he stammers and says no, that would be perfect for exposing his persona as a Chinese transmigrator, making him instantly discredited, and serving as a small revenge for his previous deception.
If he stubbornly says yes, that would be even more fun, and then she could make fun of him in front of Taeyeon unnie.
But to her utter surprise, this guy not only knew how, but also seemed quite professional.
Lin Xiaolu floated in mid-air, looking at Lin Yoona's embarrassed expression, and finally couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahaha, you've finally met your match! Trying to trick him? He's been thinking straight for ages, he saw right through your scheme, but he just wouldn't say anything, waiting for you to jump right into the trap!"
Of course, only Jiang Yan could hear these words.
Jiang Yan took a bottle of Shaoxing cooking wine from the shelf, turned to look at Lin Yoona, and put on a standard junior smile: "Noona, is there anything else you want to eat? Since we're having a rare get-together today, I'll cook a few more dishes so you can taste authentic Chinese food."
Yoona took a deep breath and put on that elegant and composed smile again.
"Alright, then I'll wait and see."