288: Chapter 268 The Theory of World Collapse

Plan A (market teaching) was declared a total failure and had almost caused a commotion.

Kim Taeyeon rubbed her temples, looking at Lee Tima, who was still slightly out of breath but whose eyes were still sparkling (as if she found the chase just now quite fun), at Im Yoona beside her who had a look of utter despair and a massive shadow of trauma from the "Oscar Fish Mount" and "alley warfare training," and at Sunny, who was struggling hard to hold back her laughter. She sighed helplessly.

"It seems that the path of on-site teaching at the market is temporarily unfeasible," Kim Taeyeon made a calm judgment. "There are too many people, the target is too big, and Im Yoona's identity is too easy to expose." She paused and looked at Im Yoona, "How about... we be a bit more pragmatic and start with the basics? Buy a fish that has already been processed, or... at least a dead one, and practice the subsequent steps like gutting, removing the innards, and filleting? The part about killing a live fish... we can figure that out later?"

This was a compromise, and although it deviated from the original intention of a "real experience," it could at least make some progress.

However, this proposal was immediately met with strong opposition from Lee Tima.

"Unnie!" Lee Tima sat up straight abruptly, her little face clearly saying "You are insulting my profession." "What do you mean by this? With me, the little cook of TG Entertainment, a top-tier chef (Jiang-school certified) here, you actually suggest using a dead fish? And a processed one at that? Isn't this just not trusting my ability!"

She put her hands on her hips, looking aggressive, and even the scent of wintersweet seemed to carry a note of protest: "Our 'Squirrel Mandarin Fish Girl Special Forces' (a name she remembered very well) first mission, how can it end in such a compromised way? No! Absolutely not!"

Kim Taeyeon was left speechless for a moment, but Sunny asked with interest: "Then what do you suggest? We can't go to the market, we can't bring back a live fish (referring to the situation just now), can you conjure up a live sea bass suitable for teaching out of thin air?"

Lee Tima rolled her eyes, and a mysterious and smug smile suddenly appeared on her face. The previous indignation was swept away, replaced by a cunning look that said "I was prepared."

"Who says I can't conjure one up?" She lifted her little chin, took out her phone from her pocket, and shook it, "I have an outside helper!"

"An outside helper?" The three of them said in unison, both stunned for a moment. Kim Taeyeon's heart skipped a beat, and a name instantly surfaced in her mind.

Lee Tima had already lowered her head, her fingers operating quickly on the screen, typing while giggling: "Just wait! My outside helper is omnipotent!"

For the next two hours, the atmosphere in the apartment became somewhat subtle. Lee Tima appeared full of confidence, even starting to leisurely organize her set of "professional kitchenware" (actually just a special chef's knife brought from TG Entertainment and a few small bowls). Kim Taeyeon was somewhat restless, looking towards the door from time to time. Im Yoona was still half-doubting, and still felt ashamed about the chaos at the market and the "Fish Mount" meme. Sunny, however, keenly sensed an unusual aura, her gaze shifting between the thoughtful Kim Taeyeon and the smug Lee Tima, her internal gossip antenna and "Pink Lemm Plan" antenna both standing up.

Just as the atmosphere was brewing—

"Ding-dong."

The doorbell rang.

Lee Tima, like a puppy hearing the dinner bell, instantly sprang up from the sofa, dashed to the door at a hundred-meter-dash speed, and pulled it open.

Standing outside the door was none other than Jiang Zhiyu, standing tall with a straight posture, wearing a well-tailored dark custom urban suit, holding a transparent oxygenated water bag. Inside the water bag, a lively sea bass with shining scales was swimming leisurely.

"Oppa!! You finally came!" Lee Tima cheered, then stared intently at the fish, asking impatiently: "Where is the fish for my 'Best Actress Synthesis Recipe'? Is this it? Is it right? I can tell from its eyes that it's very 'Oscar'!"

Jiang Zhiyu was clearly used to his sister's flighty nature. He first looked up, his gaze sweeping calmly over the room, and nodded politely at Kim Taeyeon, Im Yoona, and Sunny, who had stood up, greeting them: "Taeyeon Noona, Yoona Noona, Sunny Noona, good afternoon."

His voice was gentle and clear, as always. But when he turned to Lee Tima, the expression on his face turned into helplessness mixed with indulgence. He reached out and tapped Lee Tima's forehead not too lightly.

"I heard you formed some 'Squirrel Mandarin Fish Girl Special Forces' with Taeyeon Noona and the others, and even caused a small chase in the market?" Jiang Zhiyu's tone carried teasing, but there was no blame in his eyes. "The online discussion is about to explode, with all sorts of guesses. The fish is here, take it." He handed the water bag to the eager Lee Tima.

And at this moment, from the moment Jiang Zhiyu appeared at the door, Kim Taeyeon's gaze was like it was drawn by a magnet, unable to move away from him.

It had been a while since she last saw him, and that unique, sweet, warm fragrance on him, like a ripe, full-bodied fruit, seemed to have become even richer and more mellow, quietly permeating the air of the apartment. It overlapped with the scent in her memory, yet seemed to have something more. His suit was crisp and well-fitting, outlining the lines of broad shoulders and a narrow waist, the standard look of an urban elite, yet it didn't seem so distant due to that gentle temperament.

However, Kim Taeyeon's gaze involuntarily, as if it had a will of its own, moved down along the contours of the suit jacket... That morning, in the kitchen of the house in Jeonju, half-dreaming and half-awake, the warm and firm sensation her fingertips touched... abdominal muscles...

"Gulp."

Kim Taeyeon clearly heard the sound of her own swallowing, and then, a surge of hot heat rushed from her neck to her cheeks, instantly dyeing her fair face bright red. She suddenly lowered her head, her heart beating wildly in her chest, almost about to break her ribs.

On the other side, after Jiang Zhiyu handed the fish to Lee Tima, his gaze naturally turned to the protagonist of tonight's "fish killing experience"—Im Yoona. A faint smile hung on the corner of his mouth, and there was obvious mischief in his eyes.

"Yoona Noona," he began, with obvious laughter in his voice, "Why did you suddenly think of... wanting to eat fish? And with such a big fuss?"

The teasing in these words was almost overflowing, clearly referring to Im Yoona "peeking" at his script for "the crab," which led to this series of "first fish-killing experience" farces.

Im Yoona was originally surprised by his sudden appearance and that lively fish, but upon hearing this, her face also grew hot. However, her tsundere instinct made her immediately straighten her back, lift her chin slightly, snort through her nose, and turn her face away, looking like "I don't understand what you are talking about, but I'm right anyway."

Her reaction seemed to please Jiang Zhiyu. The curve of his mouth became more obvious, and he let out a low laugh. That laughter brushed across the eardrum like a feather, carrying an indescribable magnetism.

And Sunny, who had seen all of this, felt her heart already flooded with joyful fireworks!

Lee Tima! Well done! Unnie loves you to death!

She had originally been worrying about how to create an opportunity for a "natural" contact with Jiang Zhiyu, but she didn't expect that after searching high and low, it would come so easily! Lee Tima, this "outside helper," had brought the main character straight to her door! And looking at this atmosphere... Taeyeon's suspicious blushing, the subtle (and obviously story-filled) interaction between Yoona and Jiang Zhiyu...

God helps me! Sunny seemed to have already seen the Pink Lemm waving at her, and her "get drunk plan" and "business negotiation" had finally found the most perfect entry point!

In the apartment, the fresh sea bass was wagging its tail in the water bag, making a faint sound of water. Lee Tima was hugging her "Oscar hope," her eyes shining. Kim Taeyeon was red-faced, trying hard to calm her heartbeat. Im Yoona was pretending to be calm, but the roots of her ears were glowing pink. Jiang Zhiyu stood at the door, gentle and smiling, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and finally lingered for a moment on a certain bowed figure.

And Sunny wore a triumphant, "calculating" bright smile.

A new chapter seemed to be officially starting in this apartment filled with fishy smells (now mixed with fruit and wintersweet scents), awkwardness, shame, and undercurrents.

—

Lee Tima happily took the oxygenated water bag containing the "Oscar candidate fish," and a smile ten times brighter than when she was taking pictures in the market bloomed on her little face. She carefully held the fish as if holding some holy relic, took light steps, and walked purposefully toward the kitchen—and Im Yoona, who had a complex expression at the kitchen door.

"Yoona Unnie! Come and see! This is the fresh sample truly suitable for teaching!" Lee Tima's voice was full of energy, "With the fish Oppa brought, and me, the top-tier little chef, I guarantee you will learn it at once and remember it for a lifetime! Let's start by observing the vitality of the fish..." She had already started to chatter endlessly about planning the teaching steps, completely ignoring everyone else in the living room.

Jiang Zhiyu looked at his sister's energetic appearance, a trace of a smile flashed in his eyes, and he shook his head, obviously accustomed to this. His gaze then shifted from Lee Tima and naturally turned to the living room.

Kim Taeyeon still maintained her previous posture, her back straight, her hands properly placed on her knees, but her head was hung very low, and black hair slid down her cheeks, covering most of her expression. Only her small chin and the earlobes, which were still glowing with a suspicious blush, could be seen. She seemed determined not to look at him.

Jiang Zhiyu's eyes flickered, and he was about to speak, perhaps wanting to say "Taeyeon Noona, sorry to bother you," or ask how she had been lately, to dissolve the faint awkwardness in the air (at least on the level he perceived).

However, before the words could be spoken, a figure agilely inserted herself in, with an extremely bright, even somewhat "excessively" enthusiastic smile, precisely blocking the line of sight between him and Kim Taeyeon.

"Oh! Zhiyu-ah—!" Sunny's voice dragged out, sweet enough to make one's teeth ache, her face piled with an exaggerated expression of "surprising reunion," "It—really—has—been—a—long—time—!"

While speaking, she "naturally" reached out her hand, seemingly wanting to pat Jiang Zhiyu's shoulder, but then "reservedly" stopped in mid-air, just smiling until her eyes narrowed, her body language full of dual signals of "senior's kind concern for the junior" and "I am very, very interested in you."

Jiang Zhiyu's original intention was interrupted, but his expression remained unchanged, maintaining that gentle and polite demeanor. He turned slightly to face Sunny directly, his lips curling into a perfectly measured smile—neither distant nor overly enthusiastic.

"Sunny Noona," he nodded in greeting, his voice clear and mellow, "Long time no see. How have you been lately, Noona?"

His greeting was conventional, his calm gaze resting on Sunny's face as he waited for her reply, while simultaneously skillfully picking up the social thread she had offered and temporarily yielding the initiative. That warm, ripe-fruit-like fragrance wafted toward Sunny with his subtle movements.

Sunny was overjoyed inside, but she didn't show it at all on the surface. Instead, she put on a look of "wistfulness": "Sigh, what else? Same old, same old! Eating, sleeping, playing games, and occasionally getting 'bothered' by the younger sisters." As she spoke, she glanced pointedly toward the kitchen, from where Lee Tima's voice could already be heard instructing Im Yoona to "wash your hands first" and "feel the water temperature," followed by Im Yoona's somewhat flustered responses.

"But you, Zhiyu," Sunny shifted the topic, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Jiang Zhiyu, her tone full of "sincere" admiration, "You're really getting more and more impressive! TG Entertainment is really taking off now; I heard you even wrote a movie script? And you've got your 'eyes' on our Im Yoona?" She deliberately used the word "eyes," a word that was both a bit ambiguous and teasing. As she spoke, she used her peripheral vision to quickly scan the stiffly sitting Kim Taeyeon and Im Yoona, who was pricking up her ears at the kitchen entrance.

Hearing this, Jiang Zhiyu's smile deepened slightly, a flash of realization crossing his eyes; he didn't seem surprised by Sunny's probing. Just as he was about to answer, a high-pitched, protesting shout came from the kitchen from Lee Tima:

"Oppa! Sunny Unnie! You two can catch up later! Come watch me handle this 'Best Actress Fish' first! Yoona Unnie, watch closely, the first step is to soothe it like this..."

The subtle atmosphere in the living room was interrupted by this shout. Jiang Zhiyu smiled apologetically at Sunny, gestured toward the kitchen, and said gently, "Noona, it seems Tima can't wait to show off. Shall we go over and take a look?"

His suggestion was reasonable; it responded to Lee Tima without neglecting Sunny.

Sunny immediately went along with it, nodding repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! Of course, we must see Chef Tima's skills! Let's go, let's go!" She turned sideways very "naturally," gesturing for Jiang Zhiyu to go first, but the moment he turned around, her gaze swept rapidly over his tall, upright back and the pocket where he might keep his phone. Her brain had already begun to rapidly calculate step one of the "get him drunk plan": establish a harmonious (and conducive to later toasting) conversation atmosphere—accomplished!

Only then did Kim Taeyeon imperceptibly let out a sigh of relief. She quietly raised her eyelids, her gaze following that slender back walking toward the kitchen, her heartbeat still somewhat disordered. As for Im Yoona, she had been forcibly pulled to the water basin by Lee Tima, forced to observe that lively sea bass at close range, with no time to pay attention to anything else for the moment.

The small apartment kitchen was about to become the practical teaching classroom for the "TG Little Chef," and it might also become the first temporary front line for Sunny's "Pink Lemm Seizure Operation." And as for that sea bass, on which such high hopes of "opening the door to the Oscars" had been placed, what would its fate be?

— —

The kitchen space for five people could not be called spacious, but it definitely didn't feel crowded. At this moment, the small area was divided into several invisible zones.

The core was naturally by the sink. Lee Tima stood at the very front, her back straight, the armband on her right arm reading "TG Little Chef Exclusive Master Chef" shining under the lights, her small face filled with unprecedented seriousness and focus. Beside her was Im Yoona, looking nervous but with a touch of go-for-broke determination, carefully reaching out her hand according to Lee Tima's instructions, attempting to touch the sea bass swimming in the basin. The two of them, one teaching and one learning, formed a tight little circle of teacher and student. The sound of water, Lee Tima's clear instructions ("Yes, the movement must be light but steady, approach from above the back..."), and Im Yoona's occasional gasps were intertwined together.

Sunny, meanwhile, occupied an excellent "observation point." She leaned against the wall between the kitchen doorframe and the refrigerator, holding her phone, the camera seemingly aimed at the teaching scene, while from time to time she would make supportive sounds like "Wow, Tima is so professional," or "Go Yoona," looking every bit the faithful documentarian. But in reality, at least a third of her visual focus was on Jiang Zhiyu, who was a little further away. Her brain was running at high speed: How should she bring it up? Asking for Lemm directly would be too abrupt... Should she praise TG Entertainment first? Praise his script writing? Then take the opportunity to mention the cuteness and utility of Lemm? Then hint at the 'benefits' of Girls Generation as seniors? Or... should she first find a way to make the atmosphere warmer, preferably invite him to a meal? Her eyes wandered between Jiang Zhiyu's profile and the water cup in his hand (the water Kim Taeyeon had subconsciously handed him when he entered just now), searching for the best entry point.

In the corner furthest from the "fish-killing scene," near the connection between the kitchen and the living room, stood Jiang Zhiyu and Kim Taeyeon.

The two were separated by about half an arm's length, neither far nor near, yet it formed a subtle aura. Kim Taeyeon was almost leaning against the kitchen's glass sliding door, trying to use the cold touch to calm the lingering heat on her face and her racing heart. Her gaze rested on the sink, pretending to earnestly observe the teaching, but in reality, all her senses seemed to be occupied by the person beside her.

Jiang Zhiyu stood slightly in front of her to the side, facing away from her, his figure tall and straight. The sweet, warm fragrance of ripe, juicy peaches that seemed to emanate from him, in the already complex air of the kitchen, was not covered up by the smell of fish or detergent; instead, it seemed to have substance, creeping into Kim Taeyeon's nostrils and even her skin, strand by strand, inescapable. It made her breathing involuntarily lighten, her heart drumming in her chest. This fragrance was richer and more... alluring than she remembered, carrying a strange, unsettling power of penetration.

Just as Kim Taeyeon felt she was about to be "drowned" by this fragrance and had to find something to say to break this silence that was making her heart race, Jiang Zhiyu took the first step, turning his head slightly and lowering his voice, speaking at a volume only the two of them could hear.

His voice was very soft, carrying his habitual gentleness, yet it seemed to have a little bit more of an imperceptible... apology than usual?

"Noona," he called out, his gaze still looking forward, but his words came through clearly, "I apologize to you on behalf of Tima."

"Eh?" Kim Taeyeon was stunned, subconsciously turning her head to look at his perfect side profile, a look of genuine confusion on her face, "So sudden? But... why apologize?" She hadn't expected him to say this at all. Lee Tima was a bit rowdy, but today... she didn't seem to have done anything that really required an apology, did she? Except for the dash through the market and coming up with a weird team name?

Jiang Zhiyu seemed to laugh softly, a very faint breath of sound, fleeting. "That child Tima, she acts on impulse and often doesn't consider the consequences. Today, dragging you Noonas to the market, almost causing trouble, and then calling me over so rashly... it must have disturbed you, Noona." His explanation was reasonable, his tone sincere, as if he were truly just apologizing for his younger sister's rashness.

Kim Taeyeon's heart stirred slightly; the heat caused by the fragrance and the awkwardness seemed to be smoothed out a little by this sudden, thoughtful concern. She shook her head quickly, her voice also unconsciously lowering: "No... it's nothing. Tima meant well, she wanted to help Yoona. Besides, she knows a lot and taught very seriously." She paused, then added, "It's actually us who have caused you trouble, making you come all this way to deliver the fish."

"It was no trouble at all." Jiang Zhiyu's tone remained calm, yet it carried a reassuring power.

A brief silence fell again, but this time it didn't seem as suffocating. Jiang Zhiyu's gaze remained on Lee Tima, who was teaching in front, seemingly observing his sister's "teaching results." After a few seconds, he asked another question in a seemingly casual, low voice, changing the subject naturally:

"What have you been doing lately, Noona? I mean... outside of filming the 'music steps' variety show."

This question stunned Kim Taeyeon again. What had she been doing lately? Aside from the necessary schedules and that variety show which had already finished filming...

Her cheeks felt a bit hot again, a sense of guilt emerging, similar to being spot-checked by a teacher for homework when she had handed in a blank sheet. She couldn't possibly say that she had spent most of her time at home being a "salted fish," lying around scrolling through her phone, watching dramas, and occasionally being dragged into various kinds of chaos by her teammates (like today), right? Especially in front of someone like Jiang Zhiyu, who seemed to be forever operating efficiently and whose career was flourishing.

"No... nothing much," Kim Taeyeon shifted her toes somewhat uneasily, her voice even lower, carrying a hint of imperceptible embarrassment, "Just... at home. Resting, listening to music... yeah, just that."

She was vague, not daring to say the word "playing dead."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhiyu turned his head and glanced at her. The gaze was very brief, but it seemed to carry a hint of realization, or perhaps it was just an illusion cast by the lights in his eyes. He didn't press further, just let out a soft "Hmm," indicating he had heard, and then turned his gaze back to the sink.

But that brief glance and that faint response made Kim Taeyeon's heart skip a beat. Did he... hear through her evasion? Would he think she was boring? Very... unmotivated?

Various messy thoughts began to tumble in her mind, mixing with the lingering, inescapable fragrance of ripe peaches at the tip of her nose, making her even more agitated.

In the kitchen, Lee Tima's teaching was going well, Sunny's phone recording was still ongoing (though her mind had long since flown to the step-by-step design of "how to get Jiang Zhiyu drunk"), and Im Yoona had finally succeeded (with Lee Tima's help) in scooping the fish out of the water and was holding her breath to proceed to the next step. Meanwhile, the two in the corner appeared calm, but were actually undercurrents surging; one was troubled by an inexplicable fragrance and heartbeat, while the other seemed to just be offering a casual greeting, yet had inadvertently stirred up another pool of spring water.

In the kitchen, the teaching entered a critical stage.