139: Liberated

After returning to the company, Kim Ji-soo and the others began filming the MV, simply following the plan Xu Zhiyou provided.

Park Chaeyoung, lying on the ground on set, was quite frustrated. Last time, she was made to drag herself on her back, and this time, she had to crawl on the ground, doing it eleven times in a row.

Lisa saw her lying there in a daze and poked her butt, "Chaeyoung, what are you doing? Move! Are you playing dead?"

"Yah! Try poking me again?" Last time she poked her hair, this time her butt. It seemed she was destined to be poked.

Kim Ji-soo saw the director's displeasure, apologized to him, and then quietly said to them, "Don't space out! Do you think you're the director or Zoe?"

"Sigh! We've had eleven NGs. If we don't get it right this time, my clothes will be worn out. Does the director have a problem with me?"

"Uh? Every director has their own habits, and most of them have bad tempers. Be serious! Otherwise, you'll feel even worse when you get yelled at later."

"Sigh!"

Filming MVs used to be easy and enjoyable. They could even take off their shoes and chase the director around sometimes. Now, they were so worn out they had no temper left.

There really was no harm without comparison. Before, that was called living. Now, being an idol was exactly as Xu Zhiyou said, worse than a pet dog.

After filming the MV and returning to the practice room, Kim Jennie exclaimed, "I've never filmed an MV so fast. Two days and we're done, tsk tsk tsk!"

"Jennie-oni! This is the true reality of an idol. Who has that much time to nitpick details?"

"Sigh! I've decided, if Zoe leaves the group, I'm quitting too. I'll start an entertainment company and have her be my boss."

"Jennie-oni, then sign me when the time comes. We'll form a three-person team and conquer... Ouch, that hurts!"

"Are you two crazy? Can you just say things like that?" Kim Ji-soo gave Park Chaeyoung and her friend a smack on the head.

"Tsk tsk tsk! Before, only Zoe thought about running away. Now, Jennie-oni and Chaeyoung, you two are also thinking about it. It seems I need to make a plan too. Ouch! That hurts!"

"Pffft, hahaha! Lalisa, are you brain-dead? You're practically asking for a beating. Didn't you see Jisoo's face?"

"Shut up! Don't say that again. It would be very bad if it got out."

"Jisoo, there's no one here. We're just joking. Don't take it seriously!"

"Do you think Jennie-oni looks like she's joking? A rich sole daughter, you can't say she doesn't have that idea."

"Jisoo, you think too highly of me. If I had that ability, why would I come to YG to be a trainee?"

"Hmph! I know you. What conflict is there between starting a company and being a trainee here? You're really bold to think of having Zoe work for you. Be careful, she might beat you."

"I said I'd have her be the boss and I'd work for her, okay?"

"See, see, you're still saying you don't."

"Uh? Jisoo, you tricked me!"

"President Kim, I'll send you my resume later. See if I'm suitable... Uh? Jisoo, I'll shut up, don't flick me."

Park Chaeyoung was about to be playful but received a death glare from her eldest sister and immediately caved.

Lisa quietly said to Kim Jennie, "Me too! President Kim, remember to check my resume later."

"If the beam is not straight, the lower beams will be crooked. With a leader who's always ready to run away, she'll only produce people like you. Sigh!"

"Achoo~ Achoo!" Xu Zhiyou rubbed her nose. "Sigh! My body is severely depleted. Now it's starting to warn me. No, I need to escape this misery as soon as possible."

"Zoe, what are you mumbling about?"

"Nothing, Senior Sister! How's your team's progress?"

"With ample funding, there's no need to raise investment. If things go smoothly, it should be fully launched in a month and a half."

"Too slow! Teacher's project ends in a few days. I'll go to the company to supervise then."

"That's best. You provided the plan, so you know best how to push it forward."

In a blink of an eye, it was July. Binance officially launched. The professor, seeing their impressive work, also gave her freedom.

After supervising for another week and watching the transaction volume's exponential growth on the dynamic chart, she decided to leave. It was just a casual move to begin with.

"The rest is up to you all. I'm finally liberated. I'll never set foot in this sad place again, boo hoo hoo~~"

"Heh heh! I remember you promised the professor you'd continue your doctorate before he let you go, right? Child, you can't escape!"

"I promised, but I didn't say when. I'll come back when I'm fifty and have had enough fun. Smart as I am."

Aria and the team members present twitched their mouths, feeling a bit of sympathy for the professor. It must be very difficult to deal with such a stubborn person.

"Never mind, come with me." Pulling her into her office, she took out a stock equity agreement from a drawer. "20% fixed equity, which won't be diluted after listing. Any problems?"

"Tsk tsk tsk! You're really generous. I originally thought you'd give me 5% at most. What are you thinking? So generous!"

It wasn't surprising that Xu Zhiyou found her generous. According to the current growth trend, the company's market value would exceed 100 billion US dollars by 2019.

Although she provided the plan, she wasn't the one doing the work. 5% fixed equity was already good enough, since she was just a freeloading idler.

"I still think it's too little. You've been instrumental in reaching the current scale. Just take it. I'll send you updates every quarter, and you can help me keep an eye on things."

"Okay, but you must maintain control when you go public. I don't trust your family, otherwise, I won't play with you. Also, you'll hold my 20% on my behalf."

"I know all this. I knew you'd say that." She then handed her a proxy share agreement. "Sign it!"

While she was signing, Aria looked at her with confusion.

"Zoe Unnie! You say you're not interested in fame and fortune, yet you're a celebrity. With such a great opportunity, you don't want public exposure. What exactly are you thinking?"

"A gentleman doesn't stand under a crumbling wall. Being famous and being rich are two different concepts. If you're famous, people might just be a little jealous. If you're rich, they might actually take action. Being both visible and hidden is life."

"What? Is there a difference?"

"Different personal pursuits. I just want a stable life and don't crave excitement. It's that simple."

"Never mind! Let's not talk about this. When are you planning to leave?"

"Immediately. Please courier my coffee machine to Peninsula, and also those coffee beans. If I had known the coffee machine was so expensive, I definitely wouldn't have wanted it."

"Expensive? That's how I always give gifts!"

"That's why I say you're a rich dog. I used to think I was rich, but it turns out I was shallow. Don't send me anything else, you're busy. Contact me if anything comes up."

The first thing she did after finishing was to go home and visit her mother. She had been living a reclusive life for the past six months.

"Wenwen! Do you think that thing Yu You is doing is reliable?"

"Dad! I've checked, and it's actually pretty good. As long as it doesn't get caught by the officials over there, our family should have a big rich person in two or three years."

"They wouldn't dare! Anyone who dares to steal my daughter's money, I'll kill them."

"We'll talk about it later. Wenwen, go pick her up. She should be arriving soon. Your dad and I are going to buy groceries."

Jiang Ling always believed that just being alive was enough. Being able to eat, run, and jump was more important than anything else. As for everything else, she could do whatever she wanted.