Chapter Ninety-Seven: Leisure Moments Before Joining the Crew

Time flew by swiftly; three days had passed since Chen Zhe filmed the music video. Since it wasn’t yet time to join the new cast and the single’s music video had already been completed, Chen Zhe found himself utterly idle lately. However, to prepare for upcoming acting roles and promotions, he had resumed his routine: vocal training in the morning, acting classes in the afternoon, and dance lessons at night.

“Good afternoon, Ji-eun!” As Chen Zhe stepped into the acting classroom, his eyes immediately landed on Lee Ji-eun, who was seated at the front desk.

He was somewhat surprised to see her attending class today, but out of courtesy—and to avoid giving her any excuse to tease him—he quickly greeted her.

“Hehehe!” The moment Chen Zhe entered, Lee Ji-eun noticed him.

With a gentle smile on his face, Chen Zhe waved at her. Ji-eun gave him a few appraising looks before letting out a strange, mischievous laugh.

Hearing that odd laugh sent a slight chill down Chen Zhe’s spine, as if some peculiar gaze was fixed upon him.

Since the acting teacher had yet to arrive, Chen Zhe instinctively shifted his gaze back to Lee Ji-eun and immediately noticed a somewhat lecherous expression on her face.

“By the way, A-Zhe, I heard from Ji-yeon that you two met last night, and the situations were quite similar—both waiting for your managers to pick you up. What a coincidence!”

Noticing Chen Zhe’s peculiar stare, Lee Ji-eun quickly suppressed her sly smile, composed herself, and smoothly diverted his attention.

“Yes, Ji-eun. I did run into senior Park Ji-yeon last night. As you said, she really is an interesting person.”

Thinking back to Ji-yeon’s adorably goofy demeanor from the night before made Chen Zhe want to cover his face and burst into laughter.

“Right? I told you! Our Wuil’s Ji-yeon is amazing and super cute. I can’t believe you didn’t believe me before!”

Upon hearing Chen Zhe’s words, Lee Ji-eun’s eyes lit up as she instantly shifted into full fangirl mode, enthusiastically raving about Park Ji-yeon to Chen Zhe.

“Senior Ji-yeon is indeed cute and fun, but Ji-eun, why are you so eager to promote her like this?”

Initially a bit confused by the rapid-fire praise, Chen Zhe nodded along, subconsciously agreeing with the merits and charms she described.

However, when he snapped back to reality and thought it through, something felt off. He quickly interrupted Ji-eun’s enthusiastic pitch, his eyes filled with caution.

“Ahem, I’m not trying to do anything! I just want more people to like our Wuil’s Ji-yeon!”

After sensing Chen Zhe’s wary gaze, Lee Ji-eun realized she had been too impulsive just now.

Now that he was suspicious of her, things could get difficult. She quickly pretended to clear her throat and paused her sales pitch.

But Lee Ji-eun wasn’t about to reveal her true intentions to Chen Zhe. She would let him guess—if he figured it out, she’d count it as a loss.

“Ji-eun, the real reason you’re promoting Senior Ji-yeon is that you want to set me up with her, isn’t it?”

Chen Zhe rubbed his chin thoughtfully as countless possibilities flashed through his mind. Finally, he decided to voice his boldest guess.

With a somewhat uncertain tone, he spoke his suspicion, his eyes fixed intently on Lee Ji-eun, watching for her reaction.

“Of course not! How could you think that, A-Zhe? You’re overthinking it. Why would I want to play matchmaker for you and Ji-yeon?”

Lee Ji-eun’s startled reaction was like a frightened rabbit’s. She instinctively stood up, avoiding Chen Zhe’s gaze, her tone flustered.

“Oh? Really? Can you guarantee you’re not lying to me?”

Chen Zhe raised an eyebrow, silently wondering if he had hit the mark. Could it be that Lee Ji-eun really was trying to set him up with Park Ji-yeon?

His mind raced as he decided to press further, hoping to coax out the truth.

Stepping closer, Chen Zhe’s gaze burned into her, as if attempting to peer into her heart.

“Wait, A-Zhe! Don’t look at me like that or come so close. I’m really not lying!”

Feeling the heat radiating from Chen Zhe’s body, Lee Ji-eun suddenly felt uncomfortable and flushed. She quickly put her hands up defensively, trying to keep him at bay.

“Is that so? Well, alright, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt this time.”

Seeing her gesture, Chen Zhe halted his advance and straightened up, folding his arms but still eyeing her warily.

Though he claimed to believe her words, deep down Chen Zhe didn’t trust Ji-eun at all.

Judging by her intense reaction earlier, his boldest guess might just be correct—otherwise, she wouldn’t have reacted that way.

“By the way, A-Zhe, your joining date for the new cast is coming up soon, right?”

After seeing Chen Zhe stop and sensing his suspicion, Lee Ji-eun let out a quiet sigh and wiped imaginary sweat from her brow before quickly switching topics.

“Yes, Ji-eun. After the press conference in a couple of days, I should officially start shooting with the crew.”

Though the topic shift was abrupt and a bit forced, Chen Zhe immediately saw through it.

But he chose not to call her out, instead cooperating with the change in subject. After all, continuing the matchmaking talk felt awkward.

“I see. Then I’ll find some time to visit the set and cheer you on to boost your morale!”

Relieved by the topic change, Lee Ji-eun patted her chest and began planning to visit Chen Zhe on set.

“Ji-eun, you’re not going to ditch me like last time during the MV shoot, are you?”

Hearing this, Chen Zhe didn’t immediately thank her but instead scrutinized her, suspicion flickering in his eyes.

Last time, she promised to support him and Jung Soo-jung during the MV shoot but never showed up. Now, he remained doubtful about her promises to visit the set.

“Hahaha, of course not! Don’t worry, A-Zhe. I’ll definitely come visit you this time!”

Embarrassed, Lee Ji-eun scratched her cheek. She had promised last time but had to cancel due to an urgent engagement, leaving Chen Zhe and Jung Soo-jung hanging.

Being called out on it made her a bit awkward.

But this time, since the drama shoot would last longer, she was certain she could find time. With that in mind, she solemnly promised she would visit.

“Alright then. Thanks for agreeing to visit the set, Ji-eun.”

Seeing Ji-eun’s earnest expression, Chen Zhe couldn’t maintain his skeptical demeanor and smiled, expressing his gratitude.

“Uh, I think you two have chatted enough.”

Xu Eun-hye, who had been watching the interaction from the side, stood up, stretched, and clapped her hands to draw their attention back.

“Yes, Teacher Xu. We’re done talking.”

Hearing this, Chen Zhe and Lee Ji-eun realized where they were—it was acting class, after all. They quickly answered in unison.

“Good. Then let’s begin the lesson!”

Satisfied with their response, Xu Eun-hye nodded approvingly.