msmithbooks Chapter 26 First Meeting with Liu Zhimin
Chapter 26 First Meeting with Liu Zhimin
Jiang Yan watched Cui Xueli's figure disappear through the revolving glass doors, standing there for several seconds before being pulled back to his senses by the "ding" of the elevator behind him.
He glanced down at the employee badge in his hand, face down, with the three characters "Choi Jin-ri" lying quietly under the plastic wrap. The handwriting was neat and clear, each stroke written with exceptional care, and you could even see the pen tip pause slightly when finishing the stroke.
Jiang Yan gently rubbed the words with his thumb, then flipped the name tag over and hung it back on his chest. He took a deep breath and walked towards the practice department.
After communicating with the staff inside, I took out my work ID and explained repeatedly that I was just picking up a girl I knew from the practice room for dinner.
Only then was someone led into the underground practice room.
It only takes a dozen seconds to walk from the first floor to the basement, but Jiang Yan felt that those dozen seconds were exceptionally long.
As he walked down the stairs, the scene from the elevator kept replaying in his mind.
Choi Sulli crossed her arms, lowered her head and bit her lip, and above her head was a ball of green light that was peeling off its edges.
And then there was that line, "You should have my phone number; contact me tonight."
How did she know I had her phone number?
Yes, the nun mentioned that she had been sending things to the orphanage all these years. She must have heard from the nun that she was also in Seoul, but she obviously didn't know that he had joined SM Entertainment, otherwise she wouldn't have been stunned just now.
Pushing open the door to the basement, Jiang Yan shook his head, temporarily suppressing these chaotic thoughts, and stepped into the B1 corridor.
The corridor in the B1 training area was narrower than upstairs. Jiang Yan followed the people from the practice department toward small practice room number 3. As they turned the corner of the corridor, they could hear faint piano music leaking from a crack in a room door.
He walked to the door of practice room number 3, glanced inside through the observation window, and then stopped.
A girl with a low ponytail sat on the piano bench, her profile soft, playing a simple etude, her fingering still showing the awkwardness of a beginner.
Kim Minjung was standing next to the piano, holding an unopened bottle of mineral water, humming the scales softly along with the piano melody.
The two were very close, glancing at each other every now and then, and then laughing at the same time, like old friends who had known each other for a long time, rather than new colleagues who had only known each other for less than an hour.
Jiang Yan leaned against the door frame for a moment, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved up.
The oppressive feeling in my chest from the gray fog in the elevator has been gently eased by this scene, making me feel much better.
He gestured to the staff next to him that this was the place, then raised his hand to knock on the door frame and pushed open the slightly ajar door.
The piano music stopped abruptly, and both girls turned around at the same time.
Kim Minjung's eyes lit up when she saw who it was, and she skipped over, "Oppa, what brings you here?"
"Mmm." Jiang reached out and ruffled her hair. "It's noon. Let's go eat. We can practice again this afternoon."
Kim Minjung said "Oh," and was about to follow him when she suddenly turned around as if she remembered something. Then she looked troubled and said, "Oppa, I just promised Jimin unnie that we would eat at the cafeteria together, but now I want to eat with you. What should I do?"
Jiang Yan glanced at her irritably, then flicked her forehead lightly with his finger. "Keep your cleverness to yourself. I know what you're trying to say. Go invite her, and we'll go eat together."
"Oppa, you're so smart." Kim Minjung grinned and covered his forehead, then ran to the piano and took Yoo Jimin's hand: "Jimin unnie, let's go eat together, my oppa's treating."
Liu Zhimin was pulled to her feet, her gaze passing over Jin Minzheng's shoulder and landing on the man in the dark blue denim jacket at the door. She subconsciously bowed slightly, her expression polite but a little awkward: "Ani-yo, no need, I can go to the cafeteria by myself, I won't bother you."
Kim Minjung wasn't about to let go, so he grabbed her arm and shook it. "Let's eat together, let's eat together again tonight. We'll have Oppa take us out for something delicious for lunch. And it'll be much more fun for you to come with me than for me to eat alone with Oppa."
Jiang Yan couldn't help but shake his head with a smile as he watched his younger sister acting spoiled and unreasonable.
He took two steps forward and stopped about two meters away from Liu Zhimin. He bowed slightly and said in a gentle and polite tone, "Liu Zhimin-xi, right? Minzheng just messaged me saying he made a new friend. I thought he was lying to me, but it turns out it's true. This kid has always been a bit timid, so I feel more at ease knowing he has a friend he can talk to. Let's have lunch together to get to know each other. It's on me."
Liu Zhimin glanced at Jin Minzheng's bright eyes, then at Jiang Yanwen's expression, hesitated for a few seconds, and nodded with a smile: "Then I'll trouble you, senior. How should I address you, senior?"
Kim Minjung quickly answered for him, "His name is Kang Yeon, Kang as in ginger, and Yeon as in delay."
"Senior Jiang Yan..." Liu Zhimin silently memorized the name and was about to bow again when her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the name tag hanging around Jiang Yan's neck.
The silver-gray card faced outwards, with the SM ENTERTAINMENT logo embossed in gold foil, and below it a line of clear bold text.
Producer: Jiang Yan.
Producer.
Not a trainee, nor an intern.
He is the producer.
Liu Zhimin's gaze lingered on the employee ID for less than two seconds, her pupils dilated slightly, and her lips moved silently.
She did a lot of research before coming to SM.
So it's very clear what this silver-gray name tag means. In the entire SM production department, there are no more than ten full-time producers under the age of thirty, and each one of them is a genius selected from among thousands.
The man in front of me looked to be only about twenty years old.
Meanwhile, Kim Minjung, looking down at his phone screen, angrily held it up in front of Kang Yeon: "Oppa, look! You didn't reply to the message I just sent you!"
"There was no signal in the stairwell," Jiang reached out and slammed her phone down. "Aren't we here to find you now?"
"An excuse!"
Liu Zhimin looked at the noisy brother and sister, and the smile on her lips froze for a moment.
Minjung seems completely unaware that her brother is a producer.
She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing the emotions within them, as she rapidly calculated in her mind.
A student at Seoul Arts University, a newly hired full-time producer.
They are either exceptionally talented geniuses who were exceptionally admitted by SM Entertainment, or they have powerful connections that allow them to be directly recruited into the production department.
But neither of them is something she, a weekend trainee who has only been with the company for less than a week, should be exploring.
"Liu Zhimin-xi?"
Jiang Yan's gaze suddenly fell on her. "What's wrong? You seem a little distracted."
Liu Zhimin snapped out of her daze, straightened her back immediately, and gave a proper bow: "Oh my! I just didn't have a chance to formally greet you, senior. I am Liu Zhimin, born in April 2000. I just joined last week through the weekend audition. I'm in the vocal department."
As she spoke, she carefully avoided looking at Jiang Yan's name tag and instead focused on his eyes. Her face regained its polite and obedient smile, without a trace of suspicion.
Jiang Yan looked at her and nodded gently.
The girl in front of him was smarter than he had imagined.
He speaks clearly and logically, his bowing posture is impeccable, and his eyes show the nervousness that a newcomer should have, but without the timidity and panic often seen in newcomers. If he notices something he shouldn't be looking at, he can immediately and calmly cover it up.
"No need to call me senior." Jiang Yan smiled, his tone relaxing a bit. "You and Minjun are friends, so you can call me oppa in private from now on."
Liu Zhimin paused for a moment, then smiled just the right amount of time, her eyes crinkling: "Yes, senior."