Chapter 41 Confess Honestly

"Is it Lim Shou-xia?" Kim Winter still remembered seeing the captain's absent-minded look by the edge of the stage that day.

She also remembered Karina's explanation that he was just a friend's younger brother. The moment Karina mentioned the younger brother of the sister-in-law from the Han River, that person's figure naturally surfaced in Kim Winter's mind.

"Huh?"

"Lim Shou-xia?" Upon hearing this name, Giselle instantly became alert, growing excited as she waved the inflatable hammer in her hand repeatedly, as if she were about to start writing.

The captain had a potential love interest, which meant her fan fiction finally had some material!

When were these two planning to have a proper, out-in-the-open collaboration?

She was going to create a ship tag, set up a ship fandom club, and write fan fiction about them!

"What are you doing?"

That sense of unease grew increasingly intense. Karina shrank carefully into the small corner of the sofa, clutching the hem of her clothes and shivering slightly.

"Confess honestly, how far have you two gone?"

"How far have what?"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Karina's face was flushed red. She thought of her small hands being wrapped tightly inside his big ones, and she recalled the sensation of the man's fingertips.

"Your face is really red." Ning Ning was waiting on the side to deliver the finishing blow; gossip wasn't just something fan fiction writers enjoyed.

She had long since noticed something unusual about the captain—staying up late instead of sleeping properly, hiding under the covers making phone calls. There was definitely something fishy going on!

"It's just hot. Is the air conditioner set too high?"

"Nice try. Unnie, didn't you bring back any good food after your date?"

Kim Winter perked up for half a second, then rubbed her flattened belly, pouted her lips, and started acting spoiled.

Gossip and the like could never be more important than filling an empty stomach.

"Winter..." Giselle was speechless. Even more terrifying than a god-like opponent was a soft and cute teammate; she was right in the middle of extracting information, and over there, someone was acting spoiled just to get food.

Setting aside whether there was any food to begin with, even if she had really brought something back, that would be someone else's loving late-night snack—what business did Kim Winter have with it?

"Rina's loving late-night snack, none of you are allowed to snatch it from her. If they break up later, you'll be the ones to blame."

"Yah!"

"I didn't bring any late-night snack back." Karina felt like she must have forgotten to check the fortune calendar before going out today—how else could she have been ambushed by this bunch right in the act?

"No, there is no loving late-night snack."

"Pffft, I'm not dating!!!"

That face, small as a quail egg, was covered in a rosy blush. The girl was burning up all over; even taking a cold bath wouldn't save her now.

Why were these people so excited today?

Clearly, they had been feeling emo just a few days ago.

"Yeah, you're not dating, just ordinary colleague relations," Giselle's voice sounded sarcastic, making the guilty person feel rather uncomfortable.

"What ordinary colleagues? Didn't you hear? He's a friend's younger brother." Ning Ning picked up the thread. The two of them sang in harmony, making one person's face turn dark while the other rubbed her head, her train of thought still unable to completely keep up with her teammates' rhythm.

Winter didn't know, Winter just wanted to eat a late-night snack to fill her stomach.

"Yah!" Someone, driven to shame and anger, attempted to counterattack and re-establish her dignity as the captain of the group. Unfortunately, two fists were no match for four hands, especially when those two fists were tiny and possessed zero deterrence.

As one teammate piled on top of another over her, Karina had no choice but to surrender and beg for mercy.

"Tell us, how far has it gone?"

"It's just... it hasn't really gone anywhere yet."

Actually, Karina was quite conflicted herself.

As for liking him, Lim Shou-xia's appearance hit her aesthetic preferences perfectly, and being around him brought a sense of relaxation and happiness.

She would feel excited upon seeing him and miss him when she couldn't see him.

When that person slowly leaned in close to her, her heartbeat would race, her whole body would tingle as if struck by a mild electric current, and she would find it hard to breathe, unable to move a muscle.

But then again...

Romance between celebrities required taking many things into consideration.

Like the agency, like the fans, and like the subsequent public opinion.

"What do you mean by it hasn't gone anywhere?" Giselle frowned, already feeling a headache coming on.

She would not allow any external force to stop the ship she rooted for from getting together.

"It just hasn't reached the point of being together." Karina's thoughts were quite chaotic right now.

She actually wanted to find someone to help her puzzle it out, but she also felt that since this was her personal business, it would be terribly embarrassing to bother others.

So she could only stay frozen right in her spot, figuring that if she didn't make a move, she wouldn't make a mistake.

"Does he like you?"

"Probably?"

"Or maybe he doesn't like me that much, I don't know."

"And you?"

"I... of course I like him just a tiny bit."

"How much is a tiny bit?"

"Just a tiny bit." The girl suddenly collapsed onto the sofa behind her like a deflated balloon. She was so clumsy; she had gone on a date all night long, only to figure out very little.

"Alright, I'm just a little scared."

"The state the two of us are in right now probably isn't very suitable for dating." Apart from the man's thoughts, the remaining thing that troubled Karina the most was those external interfering factors.

You might choose not to consider them temporarily, but you could never ignore the interference of outside public opinion.

"It's very suitable. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Knowing each other well, understanding each other's roots, and liking one another—what part of that isn't suitable?"

"But..."

Karina wanted to argue further, but Giselle caught her hand.

"Rina, some things indeed require considering many aspects, but other things might turn out better if you just follow your inner guidance."

There were indeed many things that needed to be considered over and over again in one's career.

Like the selfies posted on Instagram, or the clothes to wear and words to say every time meeting fans.

Yet... for certain matters, there wasn't nearly as much to weigh.

Affection is subjective. Especially romance.

After falling deeply in love, there is no need to overthink things. Following one's true heart is far better than hesitating repeatedly.

"The timing isn't right now."

Karina shook her head, still firmly rejecting Giselle's persuasion.

The group was currently at a crucial turning point. With a half-year hiatus and a prolonged shelving by the company, the cheers at the Music Festival showed that even a girl group launched by one of the top three agencies would be forgotten if they disappeared for too long.

Romance could wait, but not right now.

Happiness had to be grasped in one's own hands, but sometimes one also had to briefly sacrifice personal happiness for the sake of more important matters.

"Actually, the timing is quite good."

Seeing Karina's bitter little expression, Giselle felt quite regretful. It was clear that their captain definitely liked this so-called ordinary colleague.

It was just that, perhaps due to various reasons, she had no choice but to hide and wrap up her feelings for Lim Shou-xia.