235: Chapter 221 The weakness of wearing braces is that you can't eat barbecue.

In the restaurant, the BBQ continued to sizzle, and the customers continued to chat and laugh merrily.

But the atmosphere at the table by the window and the one diagonally behind it was completely out of step with the rest of the restaurant.

On one side, a tense work conversation was about to begin.

On the other, "Operation Protect the Duck" was in full swing.

And then there was... Kang Hye-won, who was wholeheartedly enjoying her food.

This night, in this American BBQ joint, was destined not to be peaceful.

And in the IZ*ONE group chat, the last message was sent by Kwon Eunbi:

[Alert! Danger! Producer Jiang's visuals and scent are too lethal! Yuri, Minju, stay sharp! Hyewon Unnie... forget it, just let her eat.]

Attached was the candid photo Kim Minju had taken of Jiang Zhiyu's profile.

In the photo, Jiang Zhiyu sat under the light, his profile sharp and well-defined, his eyes focused, and a faint smile playing on his lips.

Indeed...

Very dangerous.

Dangerous for the heart.

Jo Yuri looked at her phone screen, then at Jiang Zhiyu in front of her, thinking to herself:

Yena Unnie, you're on your own. Good luck.

This Producer Jiang doesn't look like an easy person to deal with.

And... he's really handsome...

She shook her head, trying to keep herself sharp.

Operation Protect the Duck officially begins now!

—

In the restaurant, the aroma of the BBQ and the scent of ripe fruit from Jiang Zhiyu intertwined wonderfully. The window seat became a small barrier, isolating them from the surrounding noise.

Jiang Zhiyu pushed a tablet in front of Choi Yena, the screen displaying a meticulously crafted PPT—titled "Choi Yena's Individual Spin-off Variety Show Proposal."

"Prisoner of the Demon King's Castle ~ The Snack-Loving Pisces Saintess."

Choi Yena read the title word by word, her expression a bit subtle.

Jiang Zhiyu smiled and began his presentation. His voice was gentle yet persuasive, as if he were introducing a business project—in fact, it really was one.

"The plot is set like this," his finger slid across the screen. "After being captured by the Star Demons Claws, Choi Yena wakes up to find herself in a princess room decorated with all kinds of candies. There are no guards in the room, and she can move freely."

The first page of the PPT showed a concept image of a dreamlike candy room—the walls were chocolate bricks, the carpet was marshmallow, the furniture was gingerbread, and even the chandelier was shaped like a lollipop.

Choi Yena's eyes widened slightly. This scene... was actually quite cute?

"As she begins to explore the castle," Jiang Zhiyu continued, "she will encounter Golden Retriever plushies and Kitty mascot guards who have rushed over because the original guards went missing."

On the screen, concept images of Hello Kitty and Golden Retriever plushies dressed in guard uniforms appeared. Their expressions were serious (or so they thought), but combined with their plush forms, they looked exceptionally hilarious.

"During the investigation, Yena-xi will gradually discover the truth—" Jiang Zhiyu paused to create suspense. "It turns out the purpose of the Star Demons Claws is to make the Pisces Saintess indulge in sweet candies and gradually forget her mission!"

As he spoke, his tone carried a hint of theatrical seriousness.

Choi Yena couldn't help but laugh. "That's just too despicable!"

"Exactly," Jiang Zhiyu nodded. "So there's only one way to escape: find the key to open the portal—a chocolate bar with magical powers."

The PPT flipped to the next page, showing a concept image of a giant chocolate key embedded with "gems" (which were actually sugar pearls).

"But during the search," Jiang Zhiyu's voice became more tense, "the Pisces Saintess faces a challenge: her signature weapon has been taken by the Star Demons Claws!"

"Signature weapon?" Choi Yena asked curiously.

"It's the 'Bubble Mystery: Pisces Playing in Water' setting you usually use," Jiang Zhiyu explained. "But in this plot, in the initial stage, you can only use ordinary pisces dried small fish as throwing darts."

A concept image of the dried fish darts appeared on the screen—it was literally dried small fish with feathers tied to their tails, looking both funny and pitiful.

Choi Yena's expression became even more subtle.

"However," Jiang Zhiyu changed the subject, "in the level-clearing game, the weapons will gradually upgrade. From ordinary dried fish to gold-plated dried fish, then to diamond-encrusted dried fish, and finally, it might even upgrade to 'Sausage Missiles'—of course, that's for later."

When he said "Sausage Missiles," his expression was dead serious, as if he were discussing some high-tech weapon.

Choi Yena didn't know what kind of expression to make anymore.

"Throughout the process," Jiang Zhiyu concluded, "you'll need to use your ingenuity as a pisces and your agility as a Sausage Stall Owner to seize the magical chocolate and return to your companions!"

After he finished, he leaned back slightly, a "How's that? Aren't I amazing?" look on his face.

"So?" he asked. "No pranks at all, right? It's all serious adventure and puzzle-solving game settings!"

Choi Yena was silent for a few seconds.

Looking at those meticulously designed concept images on the PPT and listening to Jiang Zhiyu's complete plot exposition, logic told her: this was indeed a well-structured variety show proposal with a proper narrative structure.

But...