After a couple of hours;
Hyerin, who finished her audition, met with Xueli, and together, they began walking along the corridors.
She fell into step beside Xueli, chatting like nothing had changed, while Tianzhu and Jingmin kept to the rear.
But Tianzhu could feel it, those occasional glances from Hyerin. He was slightly puzzled but didn't care much about it.
Tianzhu wasn't the only one who felt it. Xueli didn't miss the way Hyerin flicked toward him now and then. Something tells her that it wasn't the usual kind of curiosity one has, either.
And as they reached the elevator, only the two actresses got into it at Xueli's insistence, leaving the managers to stay behind and follow them.
Once the elevator moved down, Xueli faced Hyerin. "Sister Hyerin, out with it."
"Eh? What do you mean, senior?" Hye-rin was taken aback.
"About my manager, Tianzhu."
"What about him?" As Hye-rin feigned ignorance, Xueli spoke. "I notice you are stealing glances at him, like a teen looking at her crush. I know that he is handsome, but he isn't that handsome that you will have to do that publicly. So, did you know him before?"
"Ah, no. It is not like that, senior," Hye-rin hurriedly waved her hands, her ears slightly reddening in embarrassment. Taking a breath, she said, her voice dipping. "I didn't want to say anything, but I think I saw that guy at the Four Seasons hotel last month. He was sharing a room with a minor girl, looking a bit foreign. And they were… really affectionate. It looked off."
Xueli arched an eyebrow but stayed calm. "Minor?"
"I confronted the hotel staff about it, but they said they are related," Hyerin muttered.
"Foreigner, you say?" Xueli's lips curled up as she heard her. She swiftly pulled out her phone from her bag and opened her photo gallery. "You mean… this girl?"
Hyerin took one look and gasped. "Yes! That's the one."
Xueli burst into laughter, taking her by surprise. "That's his daughter, dummy."
"Wait. What?"
"She is his daughter?" Xueli repeated.
"But he looks so young." Hye-rin blinked. "Stepdaughter?" She wondered aloud.
"Biological daughter. He's not some predator. Just a father staying with his kid." Xueli said, letting out a chuckle.
Hye-rin's mouth opened and closed. "He has a teenage daughter? That big?! How old is he, anyway?"
Xueli looked thoughtful. "Two years older than you, I think?"
Hye-rin's eyes widened. Suddenly, her ears reddened deeply as a few things came back to her. "Sh*t, I misunderstood and came to wrong conclusions, again."
Xueli then leaned to the side, whispering in her ear. "Also, this is confidential information. So, keep it yourself. We actually knew each other, and it was I who recommended him for this job. Putting his own reasoning aside, like why he was sacrificing his high-salaried job and becoming a road manager, the reason I'm keeping him close is to look for the bride."
"Bride?" Hyerin blinked.
Xueli nodded, letting out a smile. "He is single right now, and his daughter requested me to find someone for him in my social circle, feeling that he was wasting away his youth. Honestly, I agree with her, too. I mean, he couldn't date anyone properly for the past decade as he had to raise his two children, all alone. Now that both of them have grown up, he should move on with his life. So, I intend to set him up with someone if he doesn't find one."
"Ah, I see…"
*Ting*
The elevator opened, and both of them walked out, going through the parking lot.
Soon, Tianzhu and Jingmin also caught up to them. Hyerin wanted to apologize, but since all of her misunderstandings never came out of her head, she felt too embarrassed to admit it. As a result, she acted as if he were a stranger and a road manager with whom she had nothing to talk.
Hyerin and Xueli slipped into the backseat, continuing to chat comfortably about various things, many of which were insider gossip.
Manager Jingmin drove in silence, while Tianzhu sat beside him, seemingly absorbed in his phone. Of course, as the two women weren't exactly talking in a low volume, he couldn't help but overhear many things.
"Ugh, ever since my age crossed 30, my mom won't stop nagging me about getting married," Hyerin groaned, leaning against the headrest. "She's setting up blind dates like it's her personal mission. C'mon, Senior. Which celebrity is getting married at 31 these days? It's fine if they are worth dating, but seriously, all of them looked like hyenas that can't wait to jump on me if any opportunity arises…"
Xueli chuckled. "Sister, let's be honest here. Isn't it because their looks aren't up to par for you? After all, you had extremely high standards as far as I know you. Just admit that you are all about the looks."
Hyerin nodded without hesitation, crossing her arms to her chest. "Of course. Looks are as important as personality. If we weren't beautiful… if we weren't in, say, the top five percent of beauty standards, do you think we'd even have survived in this industry? Without my looks, I wouldn't have even been allowed into the agency, much less debut as an idol. Then, why shouldn't I look for good looks too?"
Xueli hummed in agreement, then grinned. "Want me to introduce someone?"
Hyerin made a face. "A guy from the same industry is fine, but definitely not an actor. Those relationships never last. Too many egos, and too many scheduling conflicts. I'm past the age to look for short-term relationships."
"So, what? A stylist? A choreographer?"
"Maybe. But most stylists are women." Hyerin wrinkled her nose. "Money is also not a thing for me. I earn well. Of course, the guy's personality should be all gentlemanly and…" While she was speaking of those things, she was looking in for a man, she couldn't help but just give a glance at Tianzhu's back, especially his broad shoulders, although only for a moment before she continued to pay attention to the veteran actress.
Meanwhile, Tianzhu continued to scroll through his phone as if he were checking out articles.
When they finally pulled up to Hyerin's apartment complex, she unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to Xueli. "Thanks for the ride."
"Anytime."
Hyerin leaned forward slightly to nod at Manager Jingmin. "Thanks, Jingmin-oppa." Then, hesitating for the briefest moment, she glanced at Tianzhu. "You too, Tianzhu-ssi."
Tianzhu turned his head just enough to offer a polite nod. Nothing more.
Hyerin lingered for half a second longer before stepping out of the car and disappearing into the building without another word.
As Hye-rin strolled toward the entrance of her apartment complex, she flashed a bright smile at the security guard, asking him how his health was today before disappearing inside.
Tianzhu, watching the interaction, leaned back in his seat and remarked, "she seems like a nice person."
From the backseat, Xueli's lips curled into a mischievous grin. "Oh? It looks like someone is interested in someone."
Manager Jingmin nearly choked on his own spit, stealing a glance at Tianzhu in surprise. But Tianzhu remained as composed as ever, merely shrugging.
"I just meant that it's rare for someone from this country's top 0.1% to be so polite to security guards," he said, his tone casual. Then, without missing a beat, he added, "unlike Jiejie."
Xueli blinked, taken aback. "W-What? What do you mean?"
Tianzhu glanced at her briefly, then back at his phone. "You don't do that."
Xueli's mouth opened and closed before she quickly retorted, "I do! It's just that I'm always busy, and by the time I get home, I'm exhausted, so I don't notice them sometimes."
Tianzhu nodded without looking up. "Sure. I believe you."
Xueli squinted at him. "I do!"
Tianzhu, still focused on his screen, responded flatly, "Yes, yes. I believe you."
A soft flush crept up Xueli's neck. This little brat…
She smacked the back of his head with a firm slap. "Don't tease your elder sister, you punk!"
"Ow." Tianzhu rubbed the sore spot, turning to face her. "Jiejie's tomboyish personality hasn't changed a bit. Even after reaching middle age."
Xueli's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" She looked like she was surprised by his comment, mildly offended.
Tianzhu, looking unfazed, tilted his head. "Is it perimenopause or something?"
A deep blush of embarrassment spread across Xueli's face. "I am still in my prime, you little…"
Tianzhu scoffed lightly, hitting back at her right away. "Yeah, right. As if you are still in prime. You've already crossed 40. You are a middle-aged woman now."
Xueli let out a sharp hiss, raising her hand again threateningly. "Say that again, and I swear…"
Tianzhu, for once, wisely chose silence. But deep inside, he felt warmth spread through his chest.
In his past life, he could never ever meet his sister again, much less act like this.
But now, he could do things like this, too.
And somehow, that made him feel at home.
Meanwhile, at Tokyo's Interpol office;
Noa stood straight in her sharp office suit, hands clasped behind her back, jaw tight.
"Sir, according to the suspect we interrogated, Twilight's main goal is to bring forth a Grade-0 dungeon, and they chose Hangzhou city as their first choice, as a testing ground before they move on to other cities. If the culprit's word is to be believed, the recent instant dungeon at Hangzhou city that I was locked in was created by a device they call the Eclipse Core. At the moment, they can bring forth grade-5 and grade-4 dungeons at any time, but not easily create a grade-3. And right now, the Twilight seems to be holding a prototype that can create a dimensional-type dungeon, too."
Across the desk, the division chief let out a tired breath, fingers tapping the desk. "As if we aren't facing any problems, this Twilight has just increased our headache."
Taking a deep breath, he said. "Alright. I'll transfer you to Hangzhou City Awakened Crimes Division. Unfortunately, we don't have the Interpol office there, and Beijing isn't that near either. But, I will talk to the chief and appoint you as the special inspector to cooperate with their special squad for the secretive operation."
Noa clenched her fists and opened them a few times, wondering whether she should tell anything about Storm's appearance and possible Pavel's involvement, but in the end, she gave a salute. "Sir."