292: To fool a group

Xu Zhiyou originally wanted to be modest, but seeing her and Lee Ji-eun staring at her with bright, expectant eyes...

Her playful heart that loved to tease others couldn't be contained.

She blurted out on the spot, "Skincare? The steps are quite complicated. Just for the morning, there are eighteen steps."

Worried that the wretched Park Chaeyoung would pull the rug out from under her, she didn't wait for Park Jiyeon to ask and continued her nonsensical chatter.

"First, there are only three steps to wake up the skin."

"One, use chilled cotton pads dipped in small-molecule toner. Apply as a wet compress around the eyes and nose wings for 2 minutes. The purpose is to shrink pores and wake up the skin..."

"Next, after waking up the skin, we move on to the base layer, which is divided into seven steps."

"Ninth, choose based on skin type (whitening/anti-glycation/brightening). Take half a pump and focus on the T-zone and cheekbones for targeted improvement..."

"Finally, we come to moisture locking and protection, which has another eight steps."

"Thirteenth, localized cream: apply moisturizing cream to dry areas (cheeks and chin) to lock in moisture by zone and avoid acne..."

Lee Ji-eun, who wasn't familiar with Xu Zhiyou's bad habits, looked at her with a completely different expression.

She thought to herself, "Goodness, this level of perseverance is really something else. No wonder her skin is so good. Tsk tsk! Impressive!"

On the other hand, Park Chaeyoung's eyes were rolling so far back they almost reached the sky.

She thought, "Normally, if I didn't keep a close eye on you, you'd dare to go out without even washing your face. Now you're putting on an act."

"How can someone be so thick-skinned? I wonder if she'll get struck by lightning. Ptooey!"

Kim Jennie and Lisa exchanged a glance, then shook their heads with bitter smiles. They thought, "You really can't compare one person to another."

Most of what Xu Zhiyou said was what the makeup artist had chatted with her about during styling sessions.

Not only could she remember it, but what was even more outrageous was her ability to reassemble it into steps. This talent made them green with envy.

Park Jiyeon, who was slightly familiar with Xu Zhiyou's bad habits, scratched her head feeling something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Unable to figure it out, she stopped trying. She turned to Park Chaeyoung and whispered, "Is she really this hardworking?"

Park Chaeyoung first gave the talkative Xu Zhiyou a look of disdain, then leaned in to whisper in Park Jiyeon's ear.

She whispered back, "She can't even wake up in the morning. Just listen to it for fun."

Park Ji-yeon was all too familiar with these two; their 'Unlucky Duo' reputation wasn't for nothing. Curious, she asked, "Then why don't you expose her?"

Park Chaeyoung spread her hands helplessly. "I want to, but I just bluffed her a moment ago. Exposing her now would be asking for a beating. Let her show off."

"Uh... that makes sense." Park Jiyeon was actually speechless.

"That's basically it for the morning. Next, let's talk about the evening, which is the most important part..."

Park Chaeyoung couldn't be bothered to listen to her nonsense anymore. She grabbed her arm and said, "Talk while we walk. Jieun Unnie is hungry; let's eat first."

"OK, let's go." As soon as Xu Zhiyou heard about food, she shut up without a second thought and looked at Lee Ji-eun. "Let's go, time to eat."

"Eh?" Seeing her stop so abruptly, Lee Ji-eun asked in confusion, "Not going to finish?"

Xu Zhiyou waved her hand. "We can chat anytime, but skipping a meal affects the mood. I know what's more important. Let's go, let's go."

"Uh???"

Lee Ji-eun and Park Jiyeon looked at each other, unable to keep up with Xu Zhiyou's erratic behavior.

Kim Jennie and Lisa both covered their faces. If they had a choice, they really wouldn't want to know this version of Xu Zhiyou. It was a bit embarrassing.

Xu Zhiyou didn't care what they thought. She hooked her arm around Lee Ji-eun and dragged her out.

After filling their stomachs, Xu Zhiyou remembered Leah mentioning the Running Man promotion for the collaboration song.

"Oh... right, Jieun Unnie, my manager asked me to check if you'd be willing to go on Running Man to promote the collab."

Hearing about Running Man promotion, Park Chaeyoung blew away the toothpick in her mouth and asked in confusion, "How come I didn't get notified?"

"It's still being discussed. I'll let you know once it's settled."

"Uh???"

Park Chaeyoung strangely felt like a robot, just following the program without needing to worry about anything else. This was... so damn great.

Her chair clattered as she pushed it aside and moved behind Xu Zhiyou to massage her shoulders.

She said with a giggle, "Hubby Zoe, it's so good to have you. Hehe!"

Xu Zhiyou pulled her hands away and said with disdain, "Go, go, go, go play somewhere else. Can't you see we're talking business?"

"Alright, you guys talk." Park Chaeyoung didn't argue and sat back down, happily sipping her tea.

Seeing this, Park Jiyeon's mouth practically watered with envy. She wanted this kind of easy-win life too. So envious!

Lee Ji-eun felt much the same. If she were given a Xu Zhiyou, she'd even be willing to warm the bed for her.

Kim Jennie thought about being 'blacklisted' by her eldest sister and leader, and couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.

Running Man and such probably had nothing to do with her again. "Sigh!"

Seeing Kim Jennie's dejected look, Xu Zhiyou wondered what was wrong and asked curiously, "Dumpling, why are you sighing?"

Kim Jennie didn't hide it and spoke directly to Xu Zhiyou.

"I want to go to Running Man with you guys too. If you all go to record the show, I'll be the only one left at home. I'm scared."

"Uh... just that?"

Xu Zhiyou was truly speechless. What kind of people were these? Their logic was weirder than the next.

Seeing that she didn't object, Kim Jennie's eyes lit up. There was hope. "Can I go too?"

"This is yours and Show Ge's home ground. Running Man has such big exposure; would it be reasonable not to let you go?"

Lisa remembered what was said during her livestream, that her second Unnie could only film one variety show this year.

"Zoe, didn't you say Jennie-oni could only film one variety show this year? If..."

"Ya!"

Kim Jennie glared fiercely at the big-mouthed Lisa, looking like she wanted to swallow her whole in the next second.

"Eek!" Lisa shivered in fear and scurried behind Xu Zhiyou for protection. "Zoe, help!"

Xu Zhiyou swatted away the hand clutching her and said speechlessly, "Don't pull on me. Is she going to eat you?"

"Jennie-oni has been depressed more than once lately because of the blacklist from you and Jisoo. It's hard to say."

"Blacklist?" Lee Ji-eun felt there was some gossip to be had.

Park Jiyeon's innocent eyes widened as she followed up, "Is it Zoe and Jisoo?"

Xu Zhiyou turned around and, feeling the two pairs of intense gazes sniffing for gossip, said speechlessly.

"What? Please, we're talking business. Can you be a bit more professional?"

Lee Ji-eun waved it off. "It doesn't matter on my end. Just give me a time once you guys decide. For now, let's talk about the blacklist."

"Yeah, yeah, let's talk about you and Jisoo blacklisting Jennie first," Park Jiyeon added.

"I was just talking big," Xu Zhiyou brushed it off.

Then she looked at Lee Ji-eun. "I'll go back and discuss it with my manager, then let you know when it's decided."

"OK."

Lee Ji-eun was quite observant. She glanced at the happy Kim Jennie; her joy didn't seem faked.

It was clear she really had been 'blacklisted' by the two, but since Xu Zhiyou didn't want to mention it...

...she couldn't be bothered to ask. The biggest taboo in socializing is prying too deep; she had that much class.

"Tch!" Park Jiyeon thought there was some juicy gossip, but it turned out to be nothing. Boring.