204: Chapter 202 is unedited and can be skipped. I will rewrite it if you wish to read it.

The inner room was a traditional Korean-style Hanok living room, with soft cushions spread on the floor and a low table placed in the center.

Mother Kim had already laid out the snacks on the table: golden and crispy pancakes, soft and chewy glutinous rice cakes, and a pot of steaming barley tea placed to the side.

Lee Tima was already sitting cross-legged at the table, her eyes fixed intently on the glutinous rice cakes, but out of respect for Mother Kim not having spoken yet, she could only wait obediently.

Kim Taeyeon sat down next to her mother, her posture upright, clearly a long-formed habit.

Jiang Zhiyu chose a spot near the door, neither too close to seem intrusive nor too far to seem distant.

"Everyone sit, don't be formal." Mother Kim greeted them with a smile, personally pouring a cup of barley tea for each person.

The fragrance of tea mixed with the sweet scent of snacks permeated the room, and the atmosphere became warm and relaxed.

But Jiang Zhiyu knew that this kind of family-style tea party was often accompanied by some "necessary" inquiries.

Sure enough, Mother Kim pushed the teacup toward Jiang Zhiyu, her tone gentle but carrying the concern typical of an elder: "Zhiyu, how did you and Taeyeon meet? She rarely tells us in detail about her work."

Jiang Zhiyu took the teacup with both hands and replied politely: "I met Taeyeon Noona at SM in 2017, when I joined the company as a song producer."

He paused, and seeing Mother Kim's encouraging gaze, he continued: "At that time, Noona was preparing for a new solo album, and the company arranged for me to participate in the production. Later, we collaborated on a few songs, including 'Prince Rupert's Drop'."

"Ah! That song!" Mother Kim's eyes lit up, and she turned to her daughter, "Is that the one your father listened to and said had a lot of depth?"

Kim Taeyeon nodded, her expression somewhat unnatural: "Yes."

She picked up her teacup and took a sip, avoiding her mother's inquisitive gaze.

Mother Kim turned back to look at Jiang Zhiyu, her smile deepening: "And then what happened? How did you end up starting your own company?"

"After working at SM for a while, I felt that I had some other ideas I wanted to realize," Jiang Zhiyu said tactfully, "so I came out and founded TG Entertainment. It's just starting out now, and there is still a lot to learn."

His tone was humble and appropriate; he neither boasted excessively nor belittled himself, handling the boundaries perfectly.

Mother Kim nodded with satisfaction, but the next question was more personal: "Zhiyu, your family... what do your parents do? Do they also work in music-related fields?"

The air in the room seemed to freeze subtly for a moment.

Lee Tima, who had been secretly reaching for a glutinous rice cake, stopped when she heard this.

Kim Taeyeon also looked up at Jiang Zhiyu, a flicker of complex emotions flashing in her eyes.

Jiang Zhiyu's expression did not change at all, still wearing a gentle smile, but deep in his eyes flashed a faint, almost imperceptible shadow.

"My parents passed away early." His voice was calm, as if he were stating something that had nothing to do with him, "I grew up in the United States and was raised by relatives. They are ordinary people and have nothing to do with music."

The smile on Mother Kim's face stiffened for a moment, then immediately turned into sincere apology and heartache: "Aigoo... I'm sorry, Auntie didn't know..."

"It's okay." Jiang Zhiyu shook his head, his tone relaxed, "It was a long time ago."

He paused, as if to change the subject, or perhaps to add something, and continued: "I have two younger sisters at home now. Besides Lee Tima," he looked at the girl who was secretly stuffing a glutinous rice cake into her mouth, who immediately sat up straight, "there is another one who is the president of the company."

"President?" Mother Kim was a bit surprised, "Zhiyu's sister... is already a president?"

"Yes, Kim Soo-yeon, a very capable child." There was a hint of imperceptible pride in Jiang Zhiyu's tone, "TG Entertainment is mainly managed by her now, and I am mainly responsible for content production."

Kim Taeyeon listened quietly, her fingers unconsciously stroking the rim of her teacup.

She recalled some rumors she had heard while at SM—about how Jiang Zhiyu went from a producer intern with no background to becoming the company's most notable rising star step by step; about his mysterious musical talent, which seemed to appear out of thin air without warning; and about the maturity and sense of detachment he occasionally revealed that did not match his age.

Now, she seemed to have found some fragments of the answers.

Mother Kim was clearly touched by this information, and the look in her eyes as she watched Jiang Zhiyu became more affectionate: "It must be very hard to take care of two younger sisters and start a business at such a young age, right?"

"It's alright." Jiang Zhiyu smiled, "Although Lee Tima is naughty, she is very sensible. Soo-yeon is even more capable than I am. With them around, it's actually me who relies on them more."

This was said sincerely, without any affectation.

Upon hearing this, Lee Tima's eyes immediately lit up, and she puffed out her small chest with an expression that said, "That's right, I'm just that reliable."

Kim Taeyeon watched her, unable to help but curl the corners of her mouth upward, but she quickly suppressed it.

"What a responsible and good older brother." Mother Kim sighed, then as if remembering something, turned to her daughter, "Taeyeon, you should also take care of Zhiyu more; he doesn't have any relatives in Korea..."

"Mom!" Kim Taeyeon interrupted her mother, her cheeks slightly flushed, "Zhiyu has his own life, I..."

She stopped halfway, meeting Jiang Zhiyu's gaze as he looked over. Those eyes were clear and calm, without any expectations or demands, just simply looking at her.

Kim Taeyeon suddenly couldn't continue.

At this moment, Lee Tima swallowed the glutinous rice cake in her mouth and raised her hand like a student wanting to speak in class: "Report! I have something to say!"

Everyone looked at her.

"Although Oppa says I'm his younger sister," Lee Tima said seriously, "but in fact, we are not biological siblings!"

Mother Kim was taken aback: "Not biological siblings?"

"Yes!" Lee Tima nodded vigorously, "We are... a fated encounter! A destiny picked up by the Han River!"

She said it so earnestly, coupled with that serious little face, that one couldn't tell for a moment if it was a joke or the truth.

Jiang Zhiyu covered his forehead: "Lee Tima..."

"It's true!" Lee Tima said righteously, "Oppa picked up the homeless me by the Han River, and then we became siblings! This is a bond stronger than blood!"

After she finished speaking, she turned to Mother Kim, blinking her eyes: "So Grandma, would you like to pick up a granddaughter too? Like me?"

Mother Kim was amused and laughed out loud, reaching out to rub her head: "Aren't you my granddaughter already now?"

"Yay!" Lee Tima cheered and stuffed another piece of glutinous rice cake into her mouth, her cheeks bulging like a hamster.

Kim Taeyeon watched this scene, and that complex emotion welled up in her heart again.

She looked at Jiang Zhiyu—this man known in the industry as a "genius producer," who was currently looking helplessly at his "sister" fooling around, yet there was not a hint of impatience in his eyes, only gentle indulgence.

He lost his parents and struggled alone in a foreign land with two non-biological younger sisters.

His smile was always just right, his words always appropriate and polite, but Kim Taeyeon suddenly felt that beneath that perfect social mask, there might be more stories she didn't know.

"Zhiyu," Mother Kim spoke again, this time with an even gentler tone, "come to Jeonju often in the future. Treat this place as your own home, don't be formal."

Jiang Zhiyu was slightly taken aback, then immediately revealed a sincere smile: "Thank you, Auntie."

That smile was more relaxed than his previous social smile, with a faint light flickering in the depths of his eyes.

Lee Tima raised her teacup: "Cheers! To our new family!"

Jiang Zhiyu and Kim Taeyeon looked at each other, sighed simultaneously, but still raised their teacups.

The three teacups clinked gently in the air, emitting a crisp sound.

Outside the window, the early summer sun was just right, and the pine trees in the courtyard swayed gently in the breeze.

This afternoon, in this traditional Hanok in Jeonju, some subtle things were quietly changing.

And Lee Tima, after finishing her tea, quietly leaned into Jiang Zhiyu's ear and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear:

"Oppa, wasn't I a great wingman just now?"

Jiang Zhiyu looked at her eyes, which were filled with "hurry up and praise me, hurry up and praise me," and finally just lightly flicked her forehead:

"Eat your snacks."

His tone was helpless, but the corners of his eyes and brows carried a hint of tenderness that even he himself had not noticed.

A lively sound came from the porch, accompanied by the rustling of plastic bags and messy footsteps.