Chapter 101: The Meeting

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The new film starring Jiang Yihan and Li Xiaoli officially began filming in September. Just like the first time, there was no publicity, no opening ceremony, and only a handful of people knew about the project. The film simply started shooting quietly. Who would have believed that this was the first movie Jiang Yihan, a Cannes award winner, had taken on since winning that prestigious accolade? Regardless of the outside world's reactions, the shoot proceeded smoothly. With the experience from before, Jiang Yihan and Park Young-ho were both very familiar with the process, and since Li Xiaoli had prior experience acting in TV dramas, she adapted quickly and naturally. Thus, the film moved forward without a hitch.

Shifting our focus away from the film for a moment, who still remembers the young boy Cheng Yu? Let’s rewind to chapter 19, back when Lin Erxiang was still at ABC Company and led a fight. After the brawl, a 13-year-old boy stayed behind to chat with Jiang Yihan—that boy was Cheng Yu. Why mention him again after so many chapters? Because Jiang Yihan encountered him once more.

Watching Cheng Yu practice alone after everyone else had left, Jiang Yihan felt touched. Every move, every step, every detail was practiced over and over, repeated relentlessly. He rehearsed until utterly exhausted, sweat pouring down like a waterfall.

Finally, when Cheng Yu paused to rest, Jiang Yihan stood up from the floor and walked over to the door of the practice room.

“Ah, Senior Jiang Yihan, hello,” Cheng Yu greeted immediately, bowing upon seeing Jiang Yihan enter.

“Ha ha, ‘senior’? That makes me sound old since I’m only a few years older than you. Besides, I’m not even active right now,” Jiang Yihan joked.

Cheng Yu scratched his head awkwardly and smiled shyly. “Brother Yihan,” he tried calling him that and only relaxed when Jiang Yihan’s face broke into a smile.

“Brother Yihan, aren’t you busy with your new album? How do you have time to come down to practice?” Cheng Yu asked curiously.

“The album prep isn’t urgent, but I haven’t danced in a while, so I need to get back into it. Otherwise, when Kim Yiyun and the others choreograph for me, what if I can’t keep up? Ha ha,” Jiang Yihan replied with a lighthearted tone. Despite his busy schedule, he didn’t seem tired but rather felt a sense of fulfillment.

“Heh, Brother Yihan, your dancing skills are so strong, you don’t need to worry,” Cheng Yu said admiringly, which sounded a little strange to Jiang Yihan.

“Me? Strong dancing skills? Ha, why do you think that? I’m just average,” Jiang Yihan teased.

“I think when Brother Yihan stands on stage, you’re perfect. Everything is so coordinated, even the simplest moves shine the brightest. Lately, I’ve been so envious of your stage presence,” Cheng Yu said sincerely. “But, Brother Yihan, does everything that happened before not bother you at all? Don’t you care?”

“It would be a lie to say I don’t care. I’m just an ordinary person. How could I not be angry when people slander me, plot against me? But I have no evidence, no way to prove my innocence. Now all of Korea believes I’m a bad guy, a scoundrel. What can I do? Lately, I realized that I’ve been living for others—worried about what people think of me, what they say, their impression of me. Why can’t I just be myself? Stop caring about others’ opinions. The person they see in their hearts isn’t the real me. I’ve always been this way. Why worry about what others think? If I truly believe I’m not that kind of person, then I should live upright and proud,” Jiang Yihan said, his mindset much more mature now, able to view past events with a clearer perspective.

“No matter what others think, I’ve always watched Brother Yihan train hard, study earnestly, and work diligently with both feet on the ground. So I believe in you,” Cheng Yu’s youthful face was full of conviction.

“Many times we think no one believes in us. Not long ago, I thought everyone had given up on me. But when I calm down, I realize there are still people who believe in me, who trust me. That trust is my motivation. That’s also why I’m motivated to start anew. You believe I can do it, don’t you?” Jiang Yihan smiled happily, confidence returning to his face.

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“Yes, I believe Brother Yihan is the best,” Cheng Yu said. “Brother Yihan, can you teach me some vocal exercises?”

“Your teacher doesn’t teach you?” Jiang Yihan asked, puzzled.

“No, it’s about your song ‘Castle.’ The voice transitions are too difficult; I keep messing up. So I was hoping Brother Yihan could guide me. Is that okay?” Cheng Yu asked cautiously.

“Ha ha, of course! What’s so difficult about that?” Jiang Yihan laughed. “Sing it once for me, let me get a feel for it.”

Cheng Yu cleared his throat, searching for the right pitch before starting to sing.

While Jiang Yihan practiced with his junior, an ordinary meeting on the other side of town led to unexpected consequences.

On the seventh floor of MS Company, a large group sat in a conference room. Among them was Han Geng.

Cheng Shi had been promoted and was now managing several groups and a large batch of trainees. This was the weekly meeting to review schedules, achievements, and practice progress. Usually, not all debuted artists attended due to conflicting schedules, but today, most had come.

Han Geng sat beside Cheng Shi’s desk, bored as he listened to reports from each artist’s managing agent, while Cheng Shi listened and summarized at the end.

Han Geng was exhausted from a busy schedule with no chance to rest. His mind wandered, drifting to thoughts of Jiang Yihan, who was also struggling in Korea, and the months-long turmoil surrounding him.

Even now, negative news about Jiang Yihan’s star rating still circulated online, and criticism hadn’t ceased. Han Geng couldn’t imagine the immense pressure Jiang Yihan must be under. Although Jiang Yihan’s tone always sounded relaxed when they spoke, Han Geng worried about his condition and future. Han Geng himself was vulnerable here and didn’t know how to help.

Lost in thought, Han Geng suddenly saw Cheng Shi stand up. Han Geng quickly pulled himself together to appear attentive. Cheng Shi wasn’t standing because Han Geng was distracted but because someone called him from the door. Seeing the staff member at the door, Han Geng felt relief.

After exchanging a few words with the person, Cheng Shi said, “You all rest here for 10 minutes. I’ll be right back.” The visitor was Lee Soo-man, who wanted to hear about the schedule for the next month. Recently, Cheng Shi’s team had performed exceptionally well, with Super Junior and Fly’s achievements soaring, earning Lee’s growing favor. Lee also had plans for Cheng Shi’s trainees to debut as a new group, so he needed to hear Cheng Shi’s opinion. Thus, Lee had called Cheng Shi in on short notice.

Han Geng sat idly as Kim Heechul, sitting opposite, said, “Han Geng, can you check if there’s any tissue on that table? I’m feeling a bit sick.”

“Oh,” Han Geng replied, searching the table, which was covered with documents. After a quick glance, Han Geng shook his head to indicate “no.” Heechul sighed in frustration, looked around, and said resignedly, “Check the drawers. There should be some. I’m feeling awful.”

Han Geng reluctantly bent down and opened the drawers beneath the desk. Many were locked, but since Cheng Shi had been listening to reports earlier, the keys were still in the locks. Han Geng rummaged through several drawers but found nothing. Then, on impulse—perhaps out of boredom or some strange instinct—he used the key to open a few locked drawers he hadn’t checked yet. Most contained thick files, which Han Geng casually glanced at before pushing the drawers closed. One drawer unexpectedly held only a single videotape. Han Geng didn’t think much of it and pushed that drawer closed as well.

Finally, at the bottom drawer, Han Geng found a roll of tissue paper. He tore off a large piece and handed it to Heechul, who gratefully accepted it.

Han Geng began locking the drawers again, but when he reached the empty one, for some inexplicable reason, he reopened it, took out the videotape, and examined it. On the side were a few words: “April 17, 2006, KBS, Jiang Yihan.”

Han Geng didn’t know many Korean characters, but he recognized these clearly. In an instant, his previously dull and bored mind sharpened. He realized immediately what this tape was—and how important it could be. The potential impact of this tape was enormous.

His heart pounded wildly, almost to the point of numbness. The surrounding noise faded until there was only silence. His first instinct was to hide the tape in his waistband under his clothes. Then he locked the drawer again, but his hands trembled so much he almost couldn’t lock it properly. After several attempts, he finally secured it. Hastily, he locked the other drawers and returned the keys to their place before sitting down.

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Though it felt tense and drawn-out, barely a minute had passed. No one noticed Han Geng acting differently. His entire back was soaked with sweat, yet everyone continued chatting happily.

Han Geng nervously drank almost all the water in his cup. At that moment, he watched everyone else as if in slow motion, every movement replayed frame by frame. He fidgeted for what felt like an eternity but was actually only two minutes. He decided to go to the bathroom or leave—he just needed to get out before he lost control.

Just as he was about to stand, the door opened again, and Cheng Shi returned. The slow motion snapped back to normal.

Han Geng sat back down, lowering his head slightly, watching Cheng Shi from the corner of his eye. Cheng Shi walked from the door to his seat and sat down. Han Geng noticed Cheng Shi glance at the keys hanging on the drawer but, fortunately, Cheng Shi simply took the keys down and pocketed them. Then he signaled for the meeting to continue.

Han Geng felt as if countless ants crawled on his chair. He couldn’t sit still, shifting positions constantly but afraid to reveal his anxiety. He endured, stealing glances at Cheng Shi, fearing that Cheng Shi would open the drawer and discover the tape missing.

With sweaty palms and time seeming stretched a hundredfold, Cheng Shi stood again. Han Geng’s breath caught instantly. But this time, Cheng Shi stood to announce, “Next week’s schedules are out. They’ll be with your agents tomorrow. Keep up the good work.”

Just as Han Geng thought it was over, Cheng Shi added, “Also, there will be new trainee auditions in a month. Everyone, do your best. Director Lee will personally attend. That’s all for today’s meeting.”

The trainees cheered, but Han Geng heard only the word “ended” echoing endlessly. As others stood to leave, Han Geng carefully stood, trying to keep his body tense so the tape’s shape wouldn’t show under his clothes.

After only a few steps, Cheng Shi suddenly called, “Han Geng.”

Han Geng tensed, ready to flee, but then heard, “You forgot your bag.”

Han Geng turned swiftly. “Thanks, Brother Cheng.” He picked up his bag and walked toward the door step by step.

He made every effort to act normal, chatting casually with nearby people, nodding and smiling, controlling his urge to run. Finally, the crowd led him out of the office.

Once inside the elevator, as the doors closed, Han Geng realized he had been holding his breath for a long time. His clothes were soaked through. Thankfully, Cheng Shi hadn’t noticed. But Han Geng still didn’t know if the tape was what he suspected: the original footage from that day’s altercation between Jiang Yihan and Ryu Seon-bong. If so, Jiang Yihan might finally clear his name.

Back at the dormitory, Han Geng excused himself to the bathroom, locked the door, and examined the tape carefully. Nothing else was written on it except those few words: “April 17, 2006, KBS, Jiang Yihan.” Without hesitation, Han Geng dialed Jiang Yihan’s number.

“Hello, Yihan? During today’s meeting, I found a videotape in Cheng Shi’s drawer. It looks like the original footage from your fight with Ryu Seon-bong,” Han Geng explained quickly.

“What? A videotape?” Jiang Yihan was momentarily stunned.

“The one from April, the KBS fight incident. I found a tape that might be the original. I’m not sure yet. If it is, this could clear your name.” Han Geng’s words shocked Jiang Yihan. Clearing all the facts—that was something Jiang Yihan had only dreamed of. Now, there was a real possibility.

To stay discreet and protect Han Geng, the tape was passed from Han Geng to Kim Jae-joong, then from Cheng Yu to Jiang Ziyi, before finally reaching Jiang Yihan and Li Ran. Holding the tape, Jiang Yihan still found it hard to believe this could become reality.