Chapter 82: The Maidens (1)

  It wasn't until about half an hour later that the noise in the bedroom gradually subsided, and the three women finally felt relieved, feeling much better, but still cursing Zhang Chengyuan, the culprit.

  After a while, Zhang Chengyuan finished his bath and changed into new clothes. He walked out of the bedroom with a refreshed spirit and came to Li Xiaoli and others. He didn't show any embarrassment, as if nothing had happened, and greeted the three sisters calmly. The only difference was that in the past, he would always go up and hug them when greeting, but today his hands were neatly by his side.

  Lee Hyori asked: "How is Joo Hyun now?"

  "A bit tired, fell asleep and slept very well. Sister, do you need my help?" Zhang Chengyuan quickly changed the subject, afraid that Li Xiaoli and others would ask further questions.

  Li Zhen and Seong Yu-ri brought all the washed vegetables, meat, etc. to Jang Sung-won's face and said, "Cut all of these, cut them neatly." There was still some resentment in his tone.

  Zhang Chengyuan immediately responded: "Yes, sister!" and rarely gave a military salute.

  Zhang Chengyuan picked up the kitchen knife and started chopping vegetables with great effort. Although Korean knives are small and thin, without much weight, in his hands, they seemed like a large cleaver, and with a flick of his wrist, whether it was radish or beef, everything was cut into pieces, each piece almost identical in thickness, impossible to distinguish with the naked eye. Moreover, his knife skills were as fast as lightning, and before long, all the vegetables, fruits, and meats that needed to be chopped were completely processed.

  Then he put down the knife and proudly reported to his three sisters: "Sisters, I've finished cutting."

  Li Zhen came over to check and saw that everything was indeed completed, so he casually said: "Hmm, it's done, you can go out now, don't stay here getting in the way." Yet not a word of praise.

  Jang Sung-won looked at Lee Hyo-ri and Sung Yu-ri, but saw the two of them lowering their heads to look into the pot, completely ignoring him, so he could only dejectedly leave the kitchen.

  Zhang Chengyuan's knife skills were exquisite, but the girls had already seen them many times before and didn't think they were anything special. Although they had praised him every time in the past, it was just to humor him. Today, his good mood was completely ruined by him, so naturally, they wouldn't give him a good face.

  After getting ready for lunch, Ok-ju also woke up and came out to eat after washing up. Facing the inquiring eyes of her three sisters, especially Lee Jin and Sung Yu-ri, she hardly dared to lift her head. She was also a little surprised at herself for being so crazy today, knowing that her sisters were about to arrive but still getting involved with Jang Sung-won in a daze, when all she had wanted was just a few kisses from him.

  The party that day passed in an awkward atmosphere. However, the four girls were as close as sisters, and this little bump had no effect on their friendship. Zhang Chengyuan, having won over another sister, was as sweet as if he had eaten a belly full of honey.

  In late October, on a weekend morning, Zhang Chengyuan was pestered by Little Crystal to take her out for a walk. As Zhang Chengyuan had recently been preoccupied with the four sisters of Fin.K.L, he hadn't spent quality time with Little Crystal in a while and felt guilty, so he readily agreed. Holding Little Crystal's hand, they strolled along a street by the Han River, but despite dressing down, they were quickly recognized by passersby. As more and more fans came up to ask for autographs, Zhang Chengyuan was worried that Little Crystal might get hurt, so he scooped her up in his arms and made a quick getaway.

  Ran to the car parked nearby, Zhang Chengyuan didn't dare to stay for a moment and immediately drove away. In the car, Xiaoshui Jing said with a sullen face: "Brother, you're getting more and more famous now, even going out for a walk is impossible when I'm with you, it's really boring."

  Zhang Chengyuan apologized: "Sorry, next time brother has time will take you abroad to play, at that time no one will recognize us, we can play however we want."

  Xiao Jingyu complained: "It's good, but who knows when you'll have time, brother?"

  Zhang Chengyuan smiled helplessly at her, patted her head, and apologized again: "It's my fault, I'll make it up to you later. Why don't I give you all my time today? Where do you want to go?"

  Xiao Jingyu finally smiled happily and said, "Then let's go visit my sister first, then pick her up to eat steak together. After that, you can take me home and play with me until I fall asleep before you can leave."

  Zhang Chengyuan pinched her delicate nose and replied: "Mm, whatever you say."

  Because it was the weekend, Jang Sung-won knew that Jung Soo-yeon would definitely be at the company practicing, so he drove to Gangnam. When he arrived near the company, he found a parking lot and parked his car, then entered the building with a small gift under the pretext of visiting relatives. It had been a long time since he last visited Jung Soo-yeon here, the most recent time being in early 2002 before he enlisted in the military.

  I still remember when I first met Zheng's two sisters, Zheng Xiuyan was about the same age and figure as Xiaoshuijing now, but her attitude towards him was completely different. Xiaoshuijing is passionate and lovely, not afraid of him at all, while Zheng Xiuyan is cold and icy, never taking the initiative to speak when interacting with him. However, after getting along for a long time, it was discovered that her inner warmth was not inferior to her sister's. After Zhang Chengyuan retired from the army, he had been reflecting on whether he was too strict and indifferent to Zheng Xiuyan in the past, which made her dare not get close to him. Therefore, over the past half year or so, her attitude has become more gentle, but because of the limited opportunities for contact, he feels that the effect is not very obvious. Zheng Xiuyan still seems a bit cold towards him, but compared to two or three years ago, it's slightly better.

  When Zhang Chengyuan and Little Crystal saw Zheng Xiuyan, Zheng Xiuyan was practicing dance with several female trainees without noticing their arrival. They stood aside and watched quietly. Little Crystal was small in stature and couldn't see her sister from behind Zhang Chengyuan's back, so she asked Zhang Chengyuan to put her on his shoulders. This way, she could see better and the view was wider. At this time, one hand grasped Zhang Chengyuan's neck, while the other hand kept waving at her sister.

  The strange posture of these two siblings quickly attracted the attention of several other female trainees sitting nearby, and also caused a small commotion.

  "Huh? Isn't that Sika's sister Shoujin? Who is that tall guy, he looks kind of familiar!"

  "Ah! It's Jang Sung-kyu oppa, I'm his fan, I'll go ask him for an autograph."

  "Xiu Ying, don't rush over there, he's Xi Ka's brother, he'll sign for us later, don't disturb him watching Xi Ka practice."

  "Do you know Yu Li?"

  "I remember, I and Xiaoyuan even took a photo with him. In the past, he would come to visit Xika every few weeks, was very strict with Xika but also took good care of her, but for more than two years, he hasn't come at all. According to Xika, he went to join the army and just returned half a year ago, busy filming and working, so didn't have time to come see Xika."

  "I arrived at the company earlier than you, how come I've never met him? What a pity!"

  ……

  Similar topics also appeared in the conversations of several other girls next to them, and Zhang Chengyuan, with his extraordinary hearing, heard everything clearly. He took a glance and vaguely remembered that two girls named Kwon Yu-ri and Kim Hyo-yeon had interacted with him a few times before, but it had been more than two years since they last met. The two girls had grown up a lot and also became prettier.

  Jang Sung-won smiled and waved at Kwon Yu-ri and Kim Hyo-yun, who immediately bowed back with a smile that wouldn't close their mouths. Although they often saw those senior artists who had already debuted in the company, the feeling they gave was completely different, as if Jang Sung-won had more of a star aura around him, which might just prove the saying "a monk from outside can chant sutras". If one day they became familiar with Jang Sung-won, maybe they wouldn't have this kind of excitement anymore.

  After a few minutes, Zheng Xiuyan stopped to rest and saw several sisters pointing at her side, feeling a bit strange, so she turned back to take a look, seeing Zhang Chengyuan and her sister, the corners of her mouth immediately burst into a smile, but her smile was just put on and then collected, if not for the eyes still having a hint of hidden joy, it would be hard to detect that she had just smiled.

  ;