444: Chapter 497 Transition

February 1, 2022, Lunar New Year. The sky over Seoul was a murky gray, with clouds hanging very low. There was no sound of firecrackers, no red lanterns, and none of the bustle of pasting spring couplets, staying up late for the new year, or giving New Year greetings. The Lunar New Year atmosphere in South Korea was only concentrated in a few specific places—Chinese posters saying "Happy New Year" were pasted at the entrances of duty-free shops in Myeong-dong, festive music played on loop in the malls of Dongdaemun, and major hotels launched "Spring Festival Packages" at prices many times more expensive than usual. As for other places, they were no different from any other day. Convenience stores remained open, coffee shops were still in business, the subway was still running, and office workers were still working overtime—except today, it wasn't the regular office workers, but the duty personnel who had to work shifts.

TG Entertainment gave a thirteen-day Lunar New Year holiday. It was originally supposed to be twenty days, but as a company in its growth phase, many things needed coordination, especially collaborations with Western countries. Western countries don't celebrate the Lunar New Year; Christmas is their new year. So, thirteen days was neither too long nor too short, just enough to go home and eat a few meals with parents, sleep in a bit, and see some old friends.

Lee Tima was taken back to her hometown in Suwon by IU. The day they left was January 30th. IU's van stopped at the entrance of the TG building. The window rolled down, and IU poked her head out to wave at Lee Tima, "Tima, hurry up." Lee Tima walked out of the building with a backpack, wrapped tightly in a down jacket, with a scarf covering half her face. She looked back at Jiang Zhiyu standing at the entrance, her eyes filled with the message "Oppa, save me." Jiang Zhiyu waved at her and said with a smile, "Have fun." Lee Tima's gaze became even more resentful. She got into the car, and the sound of the door closing was dull and heavy. The window didn't roll down. Jiang Zhiyu stood at the entrance watching the black van merge into the traffic until it was out of sight before turning back. According to IU, it was perfectly normal for a younger sister to go home with her older sister. No one cared that Lee Tima was Jiang Zhiyu's sister, not IU's.

In contrast to Lee Tima's resentful gaze, Jiang Zhiyu, leisurely enjoying his holiday, was lying in the rooftop herb garden with Kim Soo-yeon, soaking up the sun. The winter sunlight shone through the glass walls, warm but not blinding. The herbs in the garden were lush green under the constant temperature and humidity, and the air was filled with that crisp herbal fragrance.

Kim Soo-yeon sat on a lounge chair, wearing a cream-white oversized sweater with sleeves long enough to cover half her fingers. The sweater was a loose style, and the neckline was slightly open, revealing a section of her fair collarbone. Usually, she always had her hair in a low ponytail, wore black formal wear, and had a cold expression like an emotionless robot. At this moment, her hair was down, she wore no makeup, and her bare skin was so pale it was almost transparent. She held a small plate with a golden, steaming snack—Sweet Potato Cheese, an exclusive snack made by mixing sweet potato and cheese using a special technique and then specially baking it. She took a spoonful; the sweetness of the sweet potato and the saltiness of the cheese melted on the tip of her tongue, dense and soft. Her eyes narrowed slightly, like a cat having its chin scratched.

Jiang Zhiyu rested with his eyes closed, sitting cross-legged on the wooden bed nearby. His hands were on his knees, with his thumbs and index fingers lightly touching and palms facing up, his breathing steady. The sunlight shone through the glass wall and fell on him, casting a warm glow over his face.

Kim Soo-yeon was scrolling through mobile videos, her thumb swiping the screen one after another. It was all boring content—New Year specials, idols' New Year greetings, and trailers for some variety shows. She watched for a while and swiped, watched for a while and swiped. Then her finger stopped.

"Oppa, the Samsung Lee family sent us an invitation to a banquet." Her voice wasn't loud.

Jiang Zhiyu didn't open his eyes. "When?"

"February 14th. Valentine's Day."

"They certainly know how to pick a date."

The corner of Kim Soo-yeon's mouth curled slightly. She continued reading the contents of the invitation, noting that Samsung Group's CEO and several Executive Directors would be attending. "It should be because of the family," Jiang Zhiyu's voice was calm. "They must have heard something and intend to test the authenticity of the rumors. Of course, even if we aren't the heirs of that family, it's not beneath Samsung's dignity to be on good terms with us." Kim Soo-yeon nodded. TG's current size was naturally not in the same league as Samsung. However, TG's development speed was so fast that even Samsung had to take notice. Moreover, the rumors about that Chinese-descendant family were no longer a secret in the circles. Samsung wanted to know the truth, so they invited them to eat, drink, and chat, looking for answers in their speech and behavior. Kim Soo-yeon saved the invitation to her schedule and continued scrolling through her phone.

"The Chinese side has already confirmed the meeting time." She flipped to another message. "Regarding the Yunnan filming plan we proposed, there seems to be some loosening over there." Her voice softened a bit as she looked away from the screen and onto Jiang Zhiyu's face. "It's likely because of the recent presidential election; perhaps a neutralist coming to power fits their interests better."

Jiang Zhiyu opened his eyes. The corners of his mouth curled into an arc that carried a mysterious "I know something you don't" vibe. "Neutralist?" His voice slowed down. "Soo-yeon, being a leader is a bad job, especially being the President of South Korea. Suppose Yoon Suk-yeol becomes the President—" His gaze fell on the murky gray sky outside the glass wall; the clouds were thick, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. "As a pro-American, he will definitely not be on good terms with China." Kim Soo-yeon tapped her fingers lightly on her knee twice. She naturally knew Yoon Suk-yeol, the candidate for the People Power Party, former Prosecutor General, and a representative figure of the conservatives. His campaign platform was to "strengthen the ROK-US alliance," taking a hardline stance toward China and advocating for the deployment of more THAAD systems. If he were elected, Korea-China relations would drop to a freezing point. TG's projects in China would be impacted—not directly "banned," but visas would be harder to approve, reviews would be stricter, and processes would be slower. If every link is a bit slower, it accumulates into a time difference of several months.

"Why do you think the Chinese side agreed to our cooperation at this time?" Jiang Zhiyu pulled his gaze back from the sky and looked at Kim Soo-yeon's face.

Kim Soo-yeon thought for a moment. Her finger lightly rubbed her chin as her gaze fell on a pot of mint in the distance. The mint glowed green in the sunlight. "First, our virtual VR technology and the security of our AI intelligent systems. China's competitiveness in the technology field still has a gap with the United States, especially in terms of underlying technology. Although TG's technology isn't the absolute top tier, it's at least from 'one of their own.' Investing in TG is safer and more controllable than investing in an American company." Jiang Zhiyu nodded. Kim Soo-yeon continued, "Second, if American companies steal intellectual property, they can effectively stop the action. China has paid more and more attention to IP protection in recent years, not because they suddenly became kind, but because they have reached a stage where they need to protect their own IP. TG's cooperation with China is equivalent to putting the technology under China's umbrella; if American companies want to steal it, it won't be that easy." She paused, "Third, using TG Entertainment as a forward base to gather information on the Korean political scene."

Jiang Zhiyu shook his head. The movement was very slight, like a breeze blowing through his hair. "Points one and two are well said. Using our high-tech technology and China as a background check to exchange for necessary protection is the core of how we can guarantee our autonomy." He paused, "As for your third point about gathering political intelligence—actually, I'm more inclined to think it's about China's more open tourism industry. After all, they wouldn't look at a small company like ours for intelligence gathering." His mouth curled into a self-deprecating arc.

Kim Soo-yeon also smiled. She naturally knew that in the eyes of those great powers, TG Entertainment was just a small toy. An entertainment company with a market value of tens of billions of won was less than a hundred million US dollars. Those giants could blow TG away with a single sneeze, and in their eyes, TG wasn't even worth the effort of sneezing. So she never positioned TG as an "intelligence agency"; that would be thinking too highly of themselves.

"Speaking of which, there's a certain amount of controversy in the online public opinion regarding China." Kim Soo-yeon swiped her phone screen again. "If we use the visa-free policy to let foreign tourists experience it for themselves and let them promote it spontaneously, some old rumors will be debunked."

Jiang Zhiyu smiled. That smile was exceptionally warm in the sunlight. "Exactly." He picked up the teacup next to him and took a sip. "So the fact that the Yunnan trip was approved so smoothly is actually because they saw TWICE's popularity on the international web. Not as a formal variety show, but as a team-building activity video filmed as tourists; it doesn't trigger the bottom line of the Korean Wave restriction and can promote the tourism industry."

Kim Soo-yeon stuffed the last bite of the Sweet Potato Cheese into her mouth and chewed. The taste was sweet and salty, dense with a toasted aroma. She swallowed and wiped the corner of her mouth with a tissue. "But this also gives a signal to other companies. The Chinese market is a piece of fatty meat. The Korean idol industry is developed, but in China, it's still a niche. Moreover, the core of so-called K-pop is actually the assimilation of thinking and cognition. As public figures, idols have a huge influence on the development of the worldviews of some young people." Jiang Zhiyu fell silent. His gaze fell on the murky gray sky outside the glass wall; the clouds were thick, and the sun was slowly moving behind them.

"The tides of the times will drown many people." His voice softened. "The principle of national interests being supreme will also change as the times change." He turned his head to look at Kim Soo-yeon, "For example, when I was in the Tianxuan Continent, I was called a genius at first, but later I became a Great Demon King. Why?" Kim Soo-yeon tilted her head. "Because the songs I wrote were too good, leaving a lot of creators with no way to make a living. And my songs were only given to specific groups I was on good terms with, so those management companies naturally had to unite to resist." The corner of his mouth curled into an arc filled with a hint of nostalgia. "Otherwise, there wouldn't have been any Anti-TG Alliance."

Kim Soo-yeon suddenly laughed. The laughter overflowed from deep in her throat, carrying a sense of excitement as if she had remembered something very interesting. "Speaking of which, before I crossed over, the Anti-TG Alliance introduced a little girl as a contestant to compete against Jieun."

Jiang Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Kim Soo-yeon spoke slowly. "Oppa always said that a future daughter must be raised just like her. Jieun's good little sister, Yangsan's super warm and cute little sun, ASB's secret weapon, the mainstay of the Anti-TG Alliance—" She paused. "Kim Jeong-gi."

Jiang Zhiyu's mouth curled into a gentle arc. "Jongjong-ah." The voice was very soft, each word sounding as if it had melted on the tip of his tongue before being spoken.

Kim Soo-yeon suddenly remembered something, "Ah! Speaking of which! Jongjong looked a lot like Minjeong Unnie when she was a child!" She flipped through her phone's photo album and found a photo; it was a stage photo of Kim Jeong-gi. The girl in the photo was wearing a white dress, her hair was in pigtails, and her smile was as bright as the first flower blooming in spring. Her eyes were large, bright, and round, like two black grapes. Her face was small, sharp, and pale, like a peeled egg. The arc of her mouth when she smiled, and the way her eyes narrowed—

Kim Soo-yeon moved her gaze from the photo to Jiang Zhiyu's face.

Jiang Zhiyu caught that gaze and looked elsewhere out of embarrassment. The tips of his ears turned slightly red, the color spreading from his earlobes upward, through the auricle, to the skin behind his ears. He picked up the teacup and took another sip; the tea was already cold.

Kim Soo-yeon looked at his guilty side profile and smiled in her heart. As expected. Oppa really was raising Kim Minjeong as a daughter. Not a sister, but a daughter. Those photos, records, designing the birthday party, personally making the kings card, giving the 'Heart of Leino'—it wasn't a brother's pampering of a sister, but a father's love for a daughter. She didn't say it out loud because she knew Jiang Zhiyu wouldn't admit it, and she had no evidence herself. But her intuition told her that this answer was very, very close to the truth.

The sunlight shone through the glass wall and fell on the two of them. Jiang Zhiyu had his eyes closed, his breathing steady. Kim Soo-yeon leaned back in the lounge chair, her gaze falling on the murky gray sky outside the glass wall; the clouds were thick, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. She looked down at her phone—no new messages. She put the phone aside and also closed her eyes.

The herb garden fell silent, with only the hum of the air conditioner's outdoor unit and the occasional sound of birds. The sweet fragrance of sweet potato and cheese still lingered in the air, mixed with that crisp herbal scent; it was hard to describe what it smelled like, but it was very pleasant.