Chapter 54 You Are Also Just "Ordinary Colleagues"

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Inside a certain building in the Jiangnan region, the aespa members who had no scheduled activities were lounging on the sofa, playfully teasing one another. Liuzhimin, dressed in loose pajamas and wearing glasses, rested her head on Giselle’s lap, comfortably holding her phone as she prepared to enjoy some gaming.

However, the two youngsters beside her kept making murmuring noises, huddled together, chatting about something she couldn’t quite catch. Initially, she had no intention of paying attention.

That changed when she vaguely heard the names Lin Shouxia and Shen Youna amid their murmurs.

Two seemingly unrelated people mentioned together immediately reminded her of that unsettling year-end collaboration stage that had put her in a bad mood.

She’d heard it was quite popular online, but that was ages ago—why were they still talking about them?

She sat up from Giselle’s lap, brushed her tangled long hair aside, and with a bare, fresh-faced expression, focused intently on the two children’s conversation.

“I just saw that Allure announced Lin Shouxia and Youna xi’s joint cover,” one whispered.

“Are they trying to stir up a CP (couple pairing)?” another asked.

“Their year-end stage was pretty hot, right? Now bringing up the CP hype to grab some traffic—it’s not a bad move.”

Ning Yizhuo spoke cautiously, keeping her voice low. She wasn’t a naive puppy without tact; she knew better than to mention such things in front of Liuzhimin. After all, their leader was involved in some ambiguous situation—what if the pink bubble burst?

“Isn’t Onni into him?”

“Right?”

“Then why is he doing CP stuff with someone else?”

“It’s work, something he can’t refuse. Just a magazine cover shoot, no big deal.”

Ning Yizhuo noticed the sharp look their leader shot her way and swallowed nervously, trying to end the topic quickly.

“Why not hype with our Onni then?”

“Zhimin Onni also did TikTok shoots with him!”

“Who knows what the magazine company wants. Onni, just enjoy a candy first.” Ning Yizhuo peeled a piece of chocolate and popped it into Dongtian’s mouth as she spoke.

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Gossip was one thing, but gossiping about the leader’s love life right in front of her was risky—it could lead to retaliation.

Besides, these pairings were decided by the brands themselves; it was only natural that Shen Youna, who had year-end plans, was favored.

Given the current situation, even they weren’t confident about next year’s results.

The internal company strife weighed heavily.

As a girl group personally formed by Lee Sooman, even though they hadn’t taken sides in this matter, both factions within the company tacitly shelved them.

This year was over, but many long-awaited fans had drifted away. What about next year? Would it get better?

“Mmm, so sweet…”

“I just saw fans saying that Loen’s official account has been hyping Lin Shouxia’s upcoming livestream.”

“Should we watch it?”

Jin Dongtian rubbed her frozen, stiff little feet, completely forgetting Liuzhimin sitting beside her. She was all about the gossip, wanting to figure out the relationship between Lin Shouxia and Shen Youna.

It was fine for some liking, but their leader couldn’t take a big hit.

“No, let’s not watch.” Ning Yizhuo felt a bit guilty under the leader’s gaze. She scratched Jin Dongtian’s arm and offered an escape plan: “Onni, let’s go for a walk. There’s a new Taiyaki shop nearby. I want to try it.”

Since chocolate couldn’t shut Jin Dongtian up, Ning Yizhuo decided to take her away. If the leader got mad later, she could just vent on Aeri Onni—just not her.

“Taiyaki?”

“Sounds great!”

Though missing the livestream was a pity, the sweet-toothed pup preferred the soft, chewy red bean-filled Taiyaki.

Soon enough, they were fully dressed and standing at the door.

Having spent months cooped up in the dorm, with no stages coming up, it was better to cheer themselves up with sweets.

Liuzhimin only glanced at them briefly without saying much. She tapped Giselle, who was scrolling through videos, then put on her headphones and quietly clicked into Lin Shouxia’s livestream.

“Oh, you mean Youna xi?”

“We’re just colleagues at work. The photos we took today should be released in a few weeks.”

As soon as she entered the livestream, Lin Shouxia was openly discussing his relationship with Shen Youna. Liuzhimin’s expression darkened as she pulled out her second phone from the room.

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[“Just Colleagues”]

While editing her message, Liuzhimin clearly recalled having used the same phrase to describe her relationship with Lin Shouxia.

“Just colleagues, my foot.”

“What kind of colleagues are you, huh?”

“Lately, I’ve not been very busy. My year-end schedule is done, so I should be able to rest for a while.”

“The new song should be coming soon too—I’ve already created the folder on my computer.”

Lin Shouxia was quite talkative during the livestream, chatting about topics fans cared about and occasionally making Liuzhimin in front of the screen smile.

At that moment, the manager knocking gently at the dressing room door placed the ordered takeout on the table. Lin Shouxia, hungry all day, grew restless.

“Don’t eat yet, it’s still hot,” the manager kindly stopped him as he reached for his chopsticks.

A singer’s voice was precious; a burn could ruin it.

“I’m not eating yet, bro. I’m just cooling it off,” the man obediently put down his chopsticks and pretended to scroll through fan comments. Only after the door closed again did his hand move impatiently once more.

Fans watched helplessly as their oppa picked up a piece of fried pork drenched in sauce and skipped the cooling step to swallow it whole.

“…”

Lin Shouxia’s eyes suddenly widened as he shifted around the dressing room, mouth agape.

It was hot—so hot it felt like the tongue’s skin would peel off.

He barely swallowed the piece, his throat burning fiercely, prompting him to gulp down several mouthfuls of cold water.

Liuzhimin observed the scene on screen, a subtle smile curving her lips—this guy was quite the performer.

Could it really be that hot?

“Everyone, don’t rush when you eat. Don’t be like me just now—I was giving a bad example. I’m actually okay.”

After downing a large bottle of water, Lin Shouxia finally stabilized his condition. This time, he didn’t dare tempt fate but leisurely chatted with fans on the livestream.

Only when the manager urged him to eat did he reluctantly say goodbye to the fans, ending the livestream.