While Zhou Ziyu was packing her things, she declined the usual invitation from her friends.
"Friend, are you a trainee in our company?"
"Well...not from our company."
Zhou Ziyu didn't seem to want to talk much. After thinking about it for a while, she didn't even carry her bag. She just put her phone in her pocket. She turned around and smiled at the other party, leaving the words "Let's go now. Let's eat together tomorrow."
Then he walked out quickly and left the practice room.
"Friends..." Several friends looked at her back, looking at each other curiously and doubtfully.
After walking out of the company building, Zhou Ziyu trotted towards the appointed place. Her boots made a thumping sound on the ground. Her long black hair, which was originally neat and tidy, jumped and jumped as she ran towards him.
The cold wind blew the bangs in front of her forehead in messy directions, causing Zhou Ziyu to run while lowering her head and reaching out to smooth her hair.
After turning around an alley and arriving at the appointed place, she saw a somewhat eye-catching white coupe parked there about ten meters away. Some eye-catching models were very eye-catching. Zhou Ziyu walked to the car.
She stopped two or three meters behind and was a little afraid to confirm. She even took out her mobile phone and looked at the license plate number that Chi Jingyuan had just sent her. After confirming it again and again, she slowly walked over.
It's just that the appearance of this Mercedes is a bit eye-catching. Even after confirming the license plate number, Zhou Ziyu was still a little hesitant. She walked to the side and circled the car for most of the time, but she was a little afraid to open the door. She tentatively wanted to go in through the window.
His sight was strictly blocked by the black car film. He was hesitant when he walked to the passenger door. Suddenly, there was a soft sound, and the door handle that was originally embedded in the car door automatically extended and retracted, directly attracting Zhou Ziyu's attention.
The force attracted it.
After getting the signal, she tentatively stretched out her hand to hold the door handle, and pulled it gently. The special gull-wing door opened directly upward. She watched the car door open with some magic, and her head slowly raised along with the door.
It's sync.
"Come in, what are you looking at?" Hearing a greeting from the car, the voice was very familiar but the tone was obviously impatient. Zhou Ziyu quickly responded with "Ah", opened his legs and sat in.
…
"Hey, Mina, look at that car. It's so handsome."
About ten meters across the road, several neon trainees were buying fish cakes and fried rice cakes in front of a store. When they were bored, Hirai Momo caught a glimpse of the conspicuous car parked not far away.
The coupe quickly pulled the arm of Ming Jingnan next to him and pointed to the opposite side, feeling excited.
"Well, it's quite handsome... It seems to be a Mercedes SLS AMG. I don't know which model it is." Nai Minami, who was looking at his mobile phone, looked up twice and nodded in approval.
"How do you know?" Hirai Momo glanced at her in surprise.
"I saw it in a magazine." Najing Nan pursed her lips, not looking very interested.
"Really, I like this model so much..." Her companion's lack of cooperation could not dampen Hirai Momo's enthusiasm. She stood there and looked at the opposite side very persistently, but after she looked at it for a few seconds, a figure suddenly ran away from a distance.
He went to the car, walked around under their gaze, opened the door and sat in directly.
Her eyes flashed, she pointed over there in disbelief, and asked tentatively: "Hey, was that a Xia Guo trainee from our company just now, named Zhou..."
"My name is Zhou Ziyu."
Mingnan also saw it. She recognized the other person at a glance without covering up. They were all trainees who occasionally met in the company, and they had exchanged a few words with each other during the month-end assessment. Although they were not familiar, they were still familiar with each other.
At least you can recognize people.
"Yes, that's her. I didn't expect she was a rich girl?" Hirai Momo looked over and smacked her lips, feeling that it was a bit beyond her expectation.
"Maybe……"
Mingjing Nan glanced at it and then withdrew his gaze. He looked at the phone with some boredom: "It has nothing to do with us. Hurry up and finish shopping and go to dinner."
"That's true...but this model is really handsome. Let's take another look."
…………
Zhou Ziyu, who got into the car, looked over following the sound, but as soon as his eyes swept over, his whole body froze. At this time, Chi Jingyuan was holding a water glass and biting the straw, drinking the drink without looking at her. His side face was still expressionless.
The familiar side face, but the smooth lines paired with the dazzling smoky gray hair made her instantly stunned.
The silver-white hair swayed slightly, and it looked fragmented but very layered after being carefully taken care of. Chi Jingyuan might have been working before he came, and there was obviously some light makeup on his face, which made countless boys who screamed and fell in love with Ellie.
Sitting next to her casually like this.
Although they have known each other for a long time and have met in person many times, Zhou Ziyu still felt an indescribable strong shock at this moment, which made her mouth slightly open. Her heart was beating fast but she could not speak.
, as if stuck.
"close the door."
"……oh."
Just when she was also a little sluggish, an angry voice suddenly came out, which made Zhou Ziyu wake up suddenly. She responded like a reflex and quickly turned her head, feeling a little hot on her face.
Chi Jinyuan released the straw from his mouth and turned his head to give her a strange look.
Today, Zhou Ziyu is wearing a dark green long down jacket. The brim of the hat is wrapped around the plump raccoon fur collar, which looks very warm at first glance. The long black hair is also a little messy at the collar, making the whole person more lively.
, but did not wear her beloved blue headband.
Underneath the slightly longer hem were black tight-fitting casual pants, with the outline extending all the way to the calf, where they were blocked by a pair of dark blue velvet snow boots.
The furry snow boots looked soft and cute when stepping on the chassis. Combined with Zhou Tzuyu's somewhat confused expression at this time, her whole person looked even more silly.
She looked up for a long time, wondering how to close the door...
Just when she was a little anxious, Chi Jingyuan behind her sighed, and a helpless voice came: "Sit up a little, do you see the armrest under the door? Pull it and press it down."
"oh…"
"boom"
After two consecutive blasts, the raised gull-wing door was finally closed. The cold air and noisy sounds outside were instantly isolated, and the car suddenly became quiet.
Zhou Ziyu was sitting in the passenger seat. He glanced around the interior of the car with his peripheral vision, then withdrew his gaze and lowered his head slightly. He pursed his lips and felt a little cramped and uncomfortable.
She just didn't know whether the tension was brought to her by the car or by people.
"What are you doing, you're mute? You haven't recovered yet?"
Chi Jingyuan glanced at Zhou Ziyu and pointed to a plastic bag hanging next to the car door: "Drink the drink I just bought for you while it's hot."
"..." Zhou Ziyu looked at him, blinked, then reached for the bag, inserted the straw in and took a small sip. The slightly sweet and slightly hot warmth flowed into the body, which seemed to alleviate the inexplicable pain just now.
The tension made her gradually become more natural.
Putting down the drink cup, Zhou Ziyu looked over: "Why did you suddenly call me out?"
Yesterday, Chi Jingyuan called and asked if she was free at night. He said he would send her a message in the evening and hung up in a hurry. Although he had some guesses in his mind, Zhou Ziyu still wanted to confirm.
"Didn't I say before that I would treat you to dinner if I was selected?"
Chi Jingyuan shrugged his shoulders and said naturally, then raised his chin towards her: "Seat belt."
"oh."
Zhou Ziyu responded again, turned over and tried to pull on the seat belt, and at the same time she said in a muffled voice, "But I wasn't selected."
His tone was aggrieved, as if he was being bullied.
"Didn't you say that you are very valued and popular? I feel that you will definitely be selected. Let's celebrate in advance." Chi Jingyuan saw her looking back and forth several times but couldn't find where the seat belt was, and felt a little sad.
Tired, she shook her head and reached out, pressed the button, and pulled the seat belt out from her right side.
However, she only pulled the seat belt halfway and then released it. She handed it to Zhou Ziyu's hand and asked her to fasten it herself.
Sitting back in his original position, Chi Jingyuan added: "And the Spring Festival is coming soon. We will be very busy after the new year, and we won't have much time by then."
After fastening her seat belt, Zhou Ziyu pursed her lips after hearing the words. Chi Jinyuan looked confident, but she had no confidence at all.
"What to eat?"
"Uh...whatever."
"I knew it."
Chi Jingyuan glanced sideways at her, put the car into gear and started the car. The roaring engine roared, and the white coupe sped out like the wind, creating a strong push on Zhou Ziyu's back.
It's a little tight when it's pressed against the chair.
Chi Jingyuan is actually quite satisfied with this car in terms of its appearance and driving feel. The only problem is that the engine sound is a bit too loud when it is started, which is really eye-catching when there are many people.
"Then let's go to a Western restaurant I've been to before. It happens to be in Cheongdam-dong and very close to your company. I've been there a few times and the food is pretty good."
Although he just got his driver's license not long ago, Chi Jingyuan is still quite talented in driving. At this time, he skillfully drove the Mercedes-Benz back and forth on the road very smoothly. However, the road conditions in Seoul at this time were not very good.
There are so many vehicles that we can only stop and go.
Stopping in front of a red light, Chi Jingyuan noticed that Zhou Ziyu was always secretly looking at his hair with her peripheral vision. Every time she looked there, she immediately looked away and pretended that nothing happened, and the corners of her mouth twitched.
It felt a little funny at first: "This is my new look for our XO comeback this time. I just dyed it a few days ago."
After his little trick was discovered, Zhou Ziyu stopped pretending. He smiled and looked over curiously, staring at Chi Jingyuan's profile and hair: "What color is this? Is it silver?"
"Smoke grey, that's what Cody said." Chi Jingyuan shook the bangs on his forehead and turned to look at her: "I think it looks good. When you debut in the future, let your JYP Cody dye it for you too.
.”
"No!" Zhou Ziyu snorted, turned her head, and looked at the street scene outside through the window.
Different cars flash past the window, and roadside stores are lined up one after another. Occasionally, when passing by a shopping mall, you can see Chi Jingyuan's large vertical advertisement.
"What time do you want to go back tonight?" At this time, Chi Jingyuan's voice came. Zhou Ziyu looked back at him who was looking at the road ahead, and sat back: "I usually go back after dinner in the evening.
It will take less than an hour...but there is no special limit, but I have a dance class at eight o'clock in the evening."
"You are really busy. Let's eat quickly later."
Chi Jingyuan turned the steering wheel to the left and sped up a little.
In fact, he also has a lot of work waiting for him later, and he took time out specifically this time, but there is no need to say this specifically.
After a while, they arrived at the location and drove the car into the parking lot. Chi Jingyuan put on a mask and a knitted hat to cover his hair. He put on his backpack and Zhou Ziyu took the elevator upstairs and walked into this Western restaurant that he had been to several times before.
Dining room.
This restaurant called Grand Park specializes in Italian cuisine. It is located on the upper floor of a commercial building in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam District. It is very close to where SM and JYP are located. It takes less than ten minutes to drive there.
Speaking of which, Pei Xiuzhi brought him here. After eating it once, Chi Jingyuan thought it tasted pretty good and wrote it down.
The decoration here is very good, the overall European style is Athens and clean, there is a tall floor-to-ceiling window near the road, and there is a balcony surrounded by green trees on the north side. It would be nice to dine there in the summer.
After finding a small private room, Chi Jingyuan started chatting with Zhou Ziyu after ordering his meal.
The reason why I suddenly asked her out this time was actually because I was very depressed because this girl was not selected, and I wanted to chat with her to relax. However, Chi Jingyuan's character is too lazy to say anything to comfort her, so she just made a few jokes and ate together.
This meal made Zhou Ziyu clear in his mind, just be more open-minded.
However, this girl actually has a pretty good attitude and has a lively personality. Under Chi Jingyuan's guidance, she quickly became more talkative.
In fact, she is indeed quite smart. After riding all the way here, Zhou Ziyu understood why Chi Jingyuan suddenly called her to eat, and a smile soon appeared on her face.
In fact, when she learned that Chi Jingyuan had newly dyed her hair because EXO was preparing to come back and was extremely busy every day, but still took time out for her affairs, Zhou Ziyu felt a warm current in her heart, and she was even more happy.
It's touching.
Even to thank the other party, she must behave happily.
When the food arrived, she seemed to have completely come out of her previous disappointment. She tasted the vegetable soup happily, licked her lips, her eyes lit up, and drank happily with a spoon. After a while, she wiped it with a tissue.
He opened his mouth and naturally chatted with Cai Ke about recent events.
"During this period, all the female trainees have been practicing a lot harder. Many of them don't even eat much and are working hard to manage their bodies in order to be selected."
Upon hearing this, Chi Jingyuan raised his head and glanced at the vegetable soup that had bottomed out and the seafood noodles that were suddenly taken away by a large chopstick, and nodded silently.
As if thinking of something, Zhou Ziyu made a bitter face: "A roommate in the same dormitory as me was also selected. She is about the same age as me, and I felt a little lost at the time... I heard that there are also trainees born in the 2000s.
Selected by the company.”
"Among the female trainees in your company, who is the most valued by the company, the strongest and most stable enough to debut?" Chi Jingyuan pondered for two seconds and asked after taking a sip of water.
After Zhou Ziyu heard this, he couldn't help but put down the fork in his hand, raised his eyes and thought about it, and said with some uncertainty: "I don't know whether she can debut stably, but the most valued one, if she is relatively strong, it should be Lin Nalian. Usually at the end of the month
During the assessment, her scores were very good and she ranked first every time. She was in the 6MIX debut group before, and I heard that this time she was also the first trainee to be selected for the survival audition."
"Lin Nalian?"
Chi Jingyuan repeated the name, and after thinking about it for a while, a face appeared in front of him, and he said "Oh" clearly: "Is that Rabbit Ya?"
I saw her on stage when she was a trainee at a showcase, and later I met her backstage when she was singing with Bae Suzy in "Some". The other party even took the initiative to introduce herself, which left a deep impression on her.
"Giggle, it does have a bit of a bunny tooth." Zhou Ziyu laughed when she heard it, and nodded in confirmation: "That's her."
"How old is she?"
"It seems to be 95 or 96. Anyway, she is a senior and a sister." Zhou Ziyu is not sure.
"That's okay, you have a good chance."
Chi Jingyuan took a bite of spaghetti and said somewhat fluently while chewing.
If Zhou Ziyu is right, then this Lin Nayeon must be a core member of JYP's new girl group. If she is confirmed to be the core, then the age of the other selected members must not be too different from hers.
Otherwise, sometimes the styles won’t be consistent after debuting.
It is best not to have too much age difference between the members of a group. The age difference between Zhou Tzuyu in 1999 is still within the range. It is a normal age difference. For example, the age difference between EXO's eldest brother Kim Min-seok and maknae Ji Kyung-won is just that.
4 years.
So how did the girl group Red Velvet form? How was Jin Yelin selected? Why is it that the oldest and youngest member of a girl group are almost ten years apart?
After eating for a while, Zhou Ziyu seemed to suddenly remember something. She sat upright and looked at him with a smile: "By the way, I have good news for you!"
"What good news?"
Chi Jingyuan looked lazy and unconcerned. He didn't even raise his head after taking a sip of soup: "Did your strength improve again? Or was your practice praised by the teacher again?"
"You...you are really cool!" Seeing the other person mocking her mercilessly with a nonchalant expression, Zhou Ziyu suddenly felt a surge of blood and became a little angry. She looked at him angrily and couldn't help but curse.
Didn't you just say it just to make a little fuss and show off? Why do you keep mentioning it and exposing others' shortcomings?
"Hahaha..." For some reason, Chi Jingyuan wanted to laugh when he saw Zhou Ziyu's anxious and angry look. He couldn't help but laugh a few times. Seeing the other person's increasingly ugly face, he quickly waved his hand: "Okay.
Just pretend I didn’t say it, what’s the good news?”
The more Chi Jingyuan acted like this, the angrier she became. Zhou Ziyu pursed his lips, wrinkled his nose and said directly: "I won't tell you anymore."
Still not relieved, she directly picked up the fork next to her, reached into the salad that Chi Jingyuan was cooking, and stirred it vigorously a few times. Not only did she knock off the lettuce that had been cooked, she also messed up the entire bowl.
Messy.
"By the cup!"
Chi Jingyuan was caught off guard and cursed out loud. When he wanted to fight back, Zhou Ziyu had already retracted his hand keenly. He looked a little annoyed: "I won't listen anymore."
"Hahaha...your accent is nothing like it!" Zhou Ziyu laughed as soon as she heard it, her eyes curled into two crescents, and she made a very eloquent comment.
"It doesn't look like it?"
Chi Jingyuan blinked and laughed: "I will say another thing... You are so stupid."
Zhou Ziyu didn’t want to be fooled, he raised his head with a smile and showed no sign of weakness:
"Hehe, you are so inferior."
…………
SLS stopped at the familiar alley near JYP. After several times of use, Zhou Ziyu was able to open and close the gull-wing door skillfully. She opened the door and got out of the car, standing outside the door with her hands clasped together in front of her.
He looked at Chi Jingyuan in the car with a smile. The incandescent street lights opposite reflected little bits of silver light in his eyes, making his dark eyes look even deeper.
Chi Jingyuan didn't comfort her much before. Not only did he not say any nonsense like "Don't be discouraged if you're not selected," he also mocked her without giving in and kept talking to her. But for some reason, this time
My son Zhou Ziyu's heart, which had always been a little depressed and lost, may have dissipated a lot without realizing it. Now, standing outside, the evening breeze blows, and I feel refreshed and particularly vivid.
"The Spring Festival is coming soon. Is your mother going to come over to see you?"
Chi Jingyuan leaned on the driver's seat, measured his body and looked at Zhou Ziyu outside, whose hair was swaying slightly in the wind.
"Well, she called last time and said she would come around the 16th." Zhou Ziyu nodded obediently, showing that she had no intention of hiding anything.
Chi Jingyuan checked the time on his phone, nodded and waved his hand: "Okay, go back to class quickly, the teacher won't praise you if you are later... By the way, remember to report good news if you are selected."
At the end, Chi Jingyuan smiled, made a fist gesture, and raised his chin: "Come on!"
Zhou Ziyu gently closed the door and stood there cutely watching the car start and then turn into the intersection in front of it and disappear, grinning and waving goodbye.
"Thanks."
…………
"Did you finish the date?"
Chi Jingyuan parked the car and returned to the company. As soon as he entered the practice room, he was dazzled by the gazes of the members. Jin Jun looked over with a faint smile, which was a bit mean.
"No date, just having dinner with friends." Chi Jingyuan put down his bag and denied it while walking into the crowd.
"cut……"
As soon as he said this, several disdainful voices came from nearby, obviously not believing it at all, but Chi Jingyuan's expression did not change, and he raised an eyebrow provocatively at Wu Shixun, who was the loudest, and Kyungsoo looked at it
He had an awkward suppressed smile on his face.
"Okay, let's continue practicing. We already know the process of the first stage. Let's get familiar with it first. Time is running out." Jin Junmian didn't bother to ask any more questions. He stood up, clapped his hands, and connected the speakers with his mobile phone.
Chi Jingyuan blew out a sigh of relief, stood up and walked to the middle of the practice room, jumping up with the members.
Except for the shooting of some pictorials and postcards, all preparations for the single album "E" are nearing completion, and now EXO has begun practicing for the first stage of their comeback.
This time the singing of "Call Me Baby" is different from usual. The company specially designed a special stage performance process for them, which is similar to the pseudo one-shot mode in the MV, and because the camera positions of each TV station are different,
Similarly, there are different versions of songs played on different TV stations.
According to their progress, the company has officially determined the time for this comeback during the meeting the day before yesterday. The production meeting for the second tour concert has also reached a critical point. They will soon start practicing for the concert while preparing for the album return.
Every day is very stressful.
Those members who have to film can go to bed at three o'clock in the evening, which is considered as getting off work early.
After more than a week of careful, busy and exhausting preparations, on February 15th, SM finally announced the news of EXO's upcoming comeback.