279: Chapter 259 The "Madman" Disrupts Things, the Wedding Ceremony and the Business Blueprint

The private booths at the "Cloud Realm" restaurant are famous for their excellent soundproofing and elegant decor. At this moment, the massive round table was filled with exquisite dishes. Honey cheese roasted ribs glistened enticingly under the warm light, but the atmosphere at the table was subtly divided into several distinct "war zones."

War Zone One: The Chu-Han Border

At one end of the long table, Jiang Zhiyu and Bae Joo-hyun sat in slightly offset positions. What separated them wasn't an empty seat, but rather an invisible, icy Mariana Trench.

Both maintained perfect dining etiquette. Jiang Zhiyu cut the steak on his plate slowly and methodically, every slice precise and restrained. His gaze was focused on his own plate and the occasional glance at his phone screen, never crossing the boundary by even half an inch.

Bae Joo-hyun nibbled on her salad, her posture as elegant as if she were shooting a pictorial. She occasionally whispered a few words to Wendy beside her, her voice soft and her eyes calm. Between her and Jiang Zhiyu, there wasn't a single direct eye contact, not a single redundant verbal exchange, and even their physical movements deliberately avoided any arc that might point toward the other.

The air between them solidified, forming a low-pressure "absolute forbidden zone."

War Zone Two: The Crazy Game Table

In stark contrast to the coldness at that end, the other side of the table was a scene of bustling excitement.

Lee Tima, the "atmosphere-maker genius," truly lived up to her reputation. Within ten minutes of the meal starting, she had already successfully incited Yeri and Joy. The three of them were holding juice glasses and playing a simplified version of a drinking game—"Fifteen-Twenty."

"Fifteen! Fifteen! Hahaha, Yeri, you lost again! Drink!" Lee Tima slapped the table, her eyes shining with startling intensity. One couldn't tell at all that she was the person who had been warned to "shut up" in the car earlier.

Although Yeri lost, she tilted her head back and drank half a glass of juice with a grin, not backing down: "Again! I'll definitely win this time!"

Joy participated with ease, wearing her signature, slightly "bluffing" smile. She occasionally used a few little tricks, drawing shouts and yells from Lee Tima.

War Zone Three: The Focused Gourmet

Kang Seulgi seemed to be in a parallel universe. She was completely immersed in a sea of delicious food. On her left were the fragrant roasted ribs, and on her right was the vanilla ice cream with chocolate lava cake she had specifically ordered, piled up like a small mountain. Her cheeks were puffed out as she ate, her eyes squinting happily into slits. She was completely oblivious to the "warfare" and "ice" around her, occasionally letting out a sigh of satisfaction.

War Zone Four: The Calm Observer

Wendy sat next to Bae Joo-hyun, relatively quiet. She sipped her juice slowly, her gaze occasionally shifting between Jiang Zhiyu, Bae Joo-hyun, and the wild Lee Tima trio. A knowing smile hung on the corner of her mouth; she was clearly enjoying being an "outsider watching the show."

After this strange balance of fire and ice had been maintained for about twenty minutes, the moment to break the deadlock was initiated by the most impatient maknae duo.

Yeri and Joy quickly exchanged a look during a gap in their game.

Yeri's eyes darted around, and her face was immediately covered in the sweetest, most harmless smile. She picked up her juice glass, cleared her throat, and her clear voice rang through the private booth:

"Everyone! To thank our handsome and talented President Jiang for taking time out of his busy schedule to tailor-make the exclusive variety show 'the collapsed daily life' for us Red Velvet—"

She deliberately dragged out her tone, successfully attracting everyone's attention. Even Kang Seulgi, who was buried in her food, looked up blankly.

Jiang Zhiyu's movement of cutting the steak paused almost imperceptibly.

Bae Joo-hyun also put down her salad fork and cast a calm gaze toward Yeri.

“—Let's all toast to President Jiang together!” Yeri said with a grin, raising her glass. “Thank you, President Jiang! Cheers!”

This proposal was reasonable and impossible to refuse.

Wendy immediately raised her glass in agreement with a smile: "That's right, thank you for your hard work, President Jiang."

Seulgi also quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and scrambled to find her glass.

Joy raised her glass, but her eyes were playful as they swept between Jiang Zhiyu and Bae Joo-hyun.

After a brief pause, Bae Joo-hyun also elegantly raised the water glass in front of her (she had only asked for warm water, citing the need to maintain her condition after the schedule).

The pressure was on Jiang Zhiyu.

He put down his knife and fork, picked up the glass beside him (which contained soda water), put on that gentle social smile again, and stood up: "You're all too kind. I look forward to a pleasant cooperation."

Just as everyone was preparing to clink glasses and drink this superficially harmonious "thank-you wine"—

"Wait a minute—!!!"

Lee Tima's voice exploded like a thunderclap.

She stood up with a "whoosh," her eyes flashing with the light of a prankster who had succeeded. She grabbed Kang Seulgi, who was still blankly raising her glass beside her.

"Seulgi Unnie!" Lee Tima's voice was slightly distorted with excitement. "Just clinking glasses is so boring! Come on! Let's do something exciting!"

Kang Seulgi: "...Huh? What?"

Before Seulgi could react, Lee Tima had already forcibly crossed their arms, forming a standard "nuptial cup" pose, except that both were holding juice and ice cream drinks.

"Cross cups! Cross cups! Cross cups!" Lee Tima began to cheer, while frantically signaling Yeri and Joy with her eyes.

Yeri immediately understood and laughed while clapping: "Cross cups! Cross cups! You have to drink it all!"

Joy also joined in with a laugh: "That's right, it doesn't count if you don't finish it!"

Kang Seulgi's face flushed red instantly. She froze in place, her arm held up by Lee Tima, caught in a dilemma: "Hey! Lee Tima! This... what kind of behavior is this..."

"What do you mean, 'what kind of behavior'!" Lee Tima said righteously. "This is for celebration! For friendship! Drink!"

As she spoke, she tilted her head back first and gulped down her suspiciously colored mixed drink in one go, then stared at Kang Seulgi with wide eyes.

Everyone's gaze was gathered on the red-faced Kang Seulgi. Even the low-pressure "Chu-Han Border" from before was diluted quite a bit by this sudden farce.

Jiang Zhiyu held his glass, watching this farce before him, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

As for Bae Joo-hyun, she held her water glass and looked calmly at Kang Seulgi, who had been "kidnapped" by Lee Tima. Then, very quickly and almost imperceptibly, she glanced at Jiang Zhiyu's expression out of the corner of her eye.

In the private booth, for a moment, only Lee Tima's cheering, Yeri and Joy's laughter, and Kang Seulgi's helpless protests remained.

This dinner, which was supposed to "maintain friendship," was racing toward some completely out-of-control and ridiculous direction. And the instigator, Lee Tima, was immersed in the joy of creating chaos, completely ignoring the almost murderous gaze Jiang Zhiyu was casting her way.

—

Under Lee Tima's "unreasonable" coercion and Yeri and Joy's fanning of the flames, the thin-skinned Kang Seulgi finally closed her eyes with a red face. With the aura of a hero making a sacrifice, she gulped down that cloyingly sweet ice cream drink.

"Wow—!!! Seulgi Unnie is so cool!" Yeri immediately clapped and cheered.

Joy also laughed and gave a thumbs up.

Lee Tima was triumphant, as if she had accomplished some great feat.

With this "successful case," the scene that followed spiraled completely out of control.

Yeri's eyes darted around, and she grinningly took Joy's arm: "Joy Unnie! Let's do it too!" The two of them giggled and performed a cross-cup action, drinking it all in one go, more like they were just playing around.

But the real "main event" wasn't over yet.

Lee Tima's gaze locked onto the relatively quiet Wendy, who was smiling and watching the fun.

"Wendy Unnie! It's your turn!" She scurried over like a happy puppy.

Wendy was startled and quickly waved her hands: "Hey, I don't need to do this..."

"No way! Everyone else drank! Long live friendship!" Lee Tima gave her no chance to refuse, forcibly hooking Wendy's arm.

Wendy was caught between laughter and tears, but under Lee Tima's pestering and the smiling gazes of the others, she eventually cooperated with a helpless smile, completing this slightly ridiculous "cross-cup juice" ritual.

For a time, the private booth was filled with the laughter and cheering of the young girls and the flustered sounds of Kang Seulgi trying to find a napkin to wipe her mouth. The stagnation caused by the subtle atmosphere between Jiang Zhiyu and Bae Joo-hyun had been diluted significantly.

However, once everyone's "cross-cup ritual" was complete, a tacit, teasing, and expectant gaze began to move collectively and slowly toward the end of the long table.

Jiang Zhiyu.

Bae Joo-hyun.

These two had seemingly carried a "do not approach" force field since entering the room, members of the "frozen duo" who had zero communication throughout.

Yeri's eyes were startlingly bright, Joy's mouth held a playful curve, and even Kang Seulgi, who had just finished her "ordeal," forgot to wipe her mouth and widened her eyes in curiosity. Wendy had an expression of someone watching a good show. The instigator, Lee Tima, was resting her chin in her hands, her face written with the excitement of "Fight! Fight!"

The air seemed to have all sound sucked out of it at this moment.

Pressure—invisible, mischievous, and full of gossip-seeking intent—bore down like a mountain on that "Chu-Han Border."

Bae Joo-hyun still maintained her elegant sitting posture, her fingertips lightly resting on her warm water glass. There was no extra expression on her face, as if she hadn't received those teasing glances at all. But if one looked closely, they could see her fingers gripping the glass tighten for an almost imperceptible moment.

And Jiang Zhiyu—

He seemed completely oblivious to those burning gazes falling on him, which were almost enough to set him on fire. He didn't even look at Bae Joo-hyun.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he naturally put down his glass (soda water) and picked up a napkin to lightly dab the corner of his mouth. Then, he looked up, his gaze sweeping over the Red Velvet members peacefully, wearing that usual, gentle, and professional "President Jiang" smile.

It was as if the farce just now had never happened, as if what was flowing through the private booth at this moment wasn't mischievous expectation, but the atmosphere of a serious business meeting.

"Speaking of which," he began, his voice steady, carrying a composure that pulled the topic back on track, "I previously had some preliminary communication with Teacher Lee Soo-man and President Kim Young-min of your company."

He paused to ensure everyone's attention was captured—including Bae Joo-hyun's cold gaze, which finally turned slightly toward him.

"Regarding the possibility of TG Entertainment and SM Entertainment establishing a deeper, more systematic cooperation framework." He spoke at a moderate pace, every word clear and powerful. "At this stage, besides aespa, with whom we already have a successful foundation of cooperation, we believe that the group with the highest potential and value in terms of concept plasticity and individual member ability expansion is precisely you, Red Velvet."

He used words like "value" and "potential," which were both business flattery and statements of fact.

"Whether it's the group's unique and varied musical concept," his gaze swept over Wendy, Seulgi, Joy, and Yeri in turn, and finally, for an extremely brief half-second that was almost impossible to catch, lingered on Bae Joo-hyun, "or the individual abilities that the members have already shown and those that may be further stimulated given the right opportunities, TG has great interest and believes there is ample room for in-depth development through cooperation."

These words instantly pulled the atmosphere of the private booth from a "mischievous dinner game" back to a "serious discussion of business cooperation prospects."

The mischievous smiles on Yeri and Joy's faces froze, turning into astonishment and contemplation.

Wendy sat up straight, her expression becoming serious.

Kang Seulgi also blinked, seemingly trying hard to keep up with this sudden change of topic.

Bae Joo-hyun looked at Jiang Zhiyu with deep eyes. She could naturally hear the multiple meanings behind these words: it was both a response to (or rather, an evasion of) the awkward "cross-cup" hint just now, a re-emphasis of TG's regard for Red Velvet, and a subtle gesture of goodwill and strategic planning—he was telling her, and everyone else, that he didn't just value Red Velvet because of Bae Joo-hyun (or some shadow on her), but because of the comprehensive value of the entire team.

This was a very clever and appropriate response. It both resolved the immediate awkwardness and elevated the other party's status, while also painting an enticing picture of future cooperation.

Lee Tima curled her lip, seemingly both impressed and a bit bored by Jiang Zhiyu's ability to "switch channels instantly"—she hadn't seen the good show yet!

After Jiang Zhiyu finished speaking, he picked up his glass again, this time addressing all of Red Velvet with a sincere tone:

"So, this toast is not just to celebrate the variety show cooperation," he raised his glass slightly, "but also to look forward to the future where TG and Red Velvet, and even SM, can explore more mutually beneficial possibilities."

He successfully turned a "joke" that might have made both him and Bae Joo-hyun look bad into a blessing for the team's future and business cooperation.

Wendy was the first to react. She immediately raised her glass and responded with a smile: "We also look forward to cooperating with TG, President Jiang."

The others also raised their glasses one after another.

After a brief silence, Bae Joo-hyun also raised her water glass, nodded almost imperceptibly in Jiang Zhiyu's direction, and then took a shallow sip.

A potential "social disaster" was thus eliminated by Jiang Zhiyu's polished diplomatic words.

But only he knew that as he spoke those words, the palm of his hand holding the glass was slightly damp. And his heart, at the moment he caught Bae Joo-hyun finally raising her glass out of the corner of his eye, skipped a beat unhelpfully.

The ice seemed as solid as ever, but the undercurrents flowing quietly beneath seemed to have become a bit more complex. And that suffocating dinner finally managed to continue in a relatively "normal" atmosphere—though a certain little troublemaker was still muttering regretfully about missing a "legendary scene."