69: Chapter 69 The Republic's Sharpest Sword!

The air seemed to solidify into a physical entity, tightly plugging this corner of the Red Velvet waiting room. Dropped potato chips made a faint "rustle" on the floor, sounding like a countdown.

Yeri's eyes, round and wide, scanned back and forth for a full five seconds between Jiang Zhiyu's frozen smile—which was clearly meticulously made up—and the "tools of the crime" (cosmetics, hair extensions) scattered on the floor.

Her brain was clearly processing a bug that transcended conventional cognition: Producer Jiang Zhiyu + Yoona Unnie's face = ???

Her mouth opened and closed several times, but she ultimately failed to produce a complete syllable. Only her trembling finger remained steadfastly pointed at Jiang Zhiyu.

This eerie silence and Yeri's petrified posture finally caught the attention of the others in the waiting room.

"Yeri-ah, what's... wrong..." Joy was the first to turn her head curiously, but before she could finish, her voice got stuck in her throat. Her gaze followed Yeri's finger and landed on the figure in front of the corner vanity mirror—a back view wearing a man's shirt and trousers, but topped with a face that bore a striking resemblance to Im Yoona's makeup and a hairstyle that tried its best to imitate hers.

The lipstick in Joy's hand fell onto the vanity with a "clack."

Next were Wendy and Seulgi, both turning their heads at the same time and then sucking in a breath in unison. Wendy even subconsciously pushed up her glasses, as if that would allow her to see more clearly.

Finally, even Bae Joo-hyun, who had been sitting in front of the main vanity mirror with her eyes closed, letting the makeup artist work, slowly opened her eyes. The makeup artist happened to be drawing her other eyeliner; her hand shook, nearly drawing it crooked. Through the mirror, Bae Joo-hyun clearly saw the figure in the corner slowly turning around, his face wearing a bizarre expectation—a mix of "the embarrassment of being caught red-handed," "the calmness of having nothing left to lose," and a hint of "look at how my makeup turned out"...

"Jiang... Zhiyu-xi?" In Bae Joo-hyun's cool voice, there was a rare, uncertain pause.

The entire waiting room fell into an even more bizarre atmosphere than before.

The gazes of the five Red Velvet members focused squarely on Jiang Zhiyu's face. Those looks were incredibly complex—shock, absurdity, a distorted expression from trying to stifle a laugh because the occasion felt wrong, and deep confusion over "what on earth is going on."

Joy was the first to be unable to hold it in. She covered her mouth tightly with her hand, but her shoulders began to shake violently, making "pfft-pfft" sounds like a leaking valve. A blank "did I not wake up yet" expression was written all over Seulgi's simple face; she looked at Jiang Zhiyu, then at Bae Joo-hyun Unnie, at a loss. Wendy had a serious, academic-like expression of inquiry, carefully examining the details of the makeup on Jiang Zhiyu's face as if studying some new type of performance art.

And the makeup artist, whose "spotlight" had been stolen, looked at the makeup on Jiang Zhiyu's face—which, though rushed, had indeed captured a few hints of Im Yoona's charm (especially the eye makeup)—then at the expensive professional tools by her hand and the top idol she was serving. Her lips twitched uncontrollably. Finally, in a tone that mixed professional admiration with a world-view-shattering shock, she dryly commented:

"...Producer Jiang... your makeup skills... are quite strong."

This sentence was like a key, instantly flipping a switch.

Lee Tima, who had been hiding behind Jiang Zhiyu trying to minimize her presence but had witnessed the whole thing, finally couldn't hold it back anymore!

"Pfft—Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!"

She burst into earth-shattering laughter, collapsing directly onto the floor, pounding the ground and rolling around as tears shot out:

"Hahaha Oppa! You... your makeup... Hahaha it looks so much like her! Are you going to participate in an Im Yoona look-alike contest?! Hahaha I can't, I'm going to die laughing! My stomach!"

She laughed until she was out of breath, yet she still stubbornly pulled out her phone, her hands trembling as she unlocked the screen, shouting intermittently:

"Something... Hahaha... something this funny... definitely can't be known only by us! Hahaha... I have to tell... tell Jieun Unnie!! She'll definitely... Hahaha... want to see you like this!!"

Faster than words can say, Lee Tima's fingers had already quickly opened the chat window with IU (Lee Ji-eun). Without giving Jiang Zhiyu a chance to stop her, she aimed right at his face—which was still in makeup and written with a look of having given up on life—and "click," took a high-definition close-up!

Then, her fingers flew across the screen, typing rapidly. She attached the photo and sent it!

[Tima]: [Unnie!!!! Look quick!!! A live Im Yoona!! The Jiang Zhiyu version!!!! Hahahahaha help me!!!]

[Tima]: [He's secretly putting on makeup in the Red Velvet Unnies' dressing room!! I'm dying laughing!!!]

Almost the moment the message was sent, IU's side showed "Read."

Then—

[IU]: [?????]

[IU]: [Photo? What is this? Jiang Zhiyu?? Yoona???]

[IU]: [Where? Where???? Quick! Video! I want to see it live!!!]

The three messages came one after another, each more urgent than the last, filled with disbelief and a blazing fire of gossip.

Seeing the reply, Lee Tima laughed even harder. Wiping her tears, she waved her phone at Jiang Zhiyu: "Oppa! Jieun Unnie wants a live broadcast!! Hahaha!"

At this point, Jiang Zhiyu had given up struggling.

Still wearing that "Im Yoona-inspired makeup," he looked expressionlessly at the laughing Lee Tima, then at the Red Velvet members who were hesitating to speak and struggling to hold back their laughter, and finally at the makeup artist's "should I quietly leave" gaze.

Might as well just let it all go.

Anyway, it couldn't get any worse than this.

He took a deep breath, straightened his back (though it was a bit jarring with the female makeup), and spoke in an unusually calm, even desperate "all-in" tone:

"That's right, just as you all see."

He pointed to his face:

"I am currently conducting some... necessary technical preparations and character study for the role of 'Dazed Angel Lim Ying-er' played by Senior Im Yoona in the special episode of 'destined kim hyo-soon'."

His gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Bae Joo-hyun's cool, inquisitive eyes. His tone suddenly became impassioned, even carrying a missionary-like fervor, as he began to recite his "notorious" script passages:

"The angel descends!" He spread his hands slightly, imitating holy light shining down.

"The angel falls into the toilet!" His body made an exaggerated "falling" motion, his expression solemn.

"Start spinning!!" His hands quickly drew circles in front of him, his body following with a dizzying spinning posture. Although he stayed in place, he actually managed to act out the feeling of "being hit by a water current."

Red Velvet: "..." Their expressions shifted from stifled laughter to horror.

"The angel crawls out of the toilet!" He made a slightly disheveled motion of trying to break free from a narrow space.

Immediately after, he stood firm, his face trying to squeeze out an expression like Kim Hyo-soon (played by Lee Tima)—one of amazement mixed with a salesman's pitch. He gave a thumbs up to the void (the imaginary magical toilet) and said clearly in a tone that mixed street-smart air with an advertising flair:

"Ad slogan: 'This toilet really has some kick, hey~'"

"..."

In the waiting room, even Lee Tima's laughter hitched for a moment.

Jiang Zhiyu seemed to have entered a state of "character demonstration" frenzy, completely ignoring the dead silence around him and everyone's jaws which were about to hit the floor. He continued his performance:

He quickly did a "soaking wet" shivering motion, then made a "spellcasting" gesture with his hands in front of him. His expression became focused and "sacred" as he imitated the angel using a drying spell:

(Silent drying special effect, but the subtle smugness of "done!" on his face was captured perfectly.)

Once the drying was complete, he immediately switched postures—hands on his hips, chin slightly raised. He tried his best to put on Lim Ying-er's tsundere and forced composure of "although it was embarrassing just now, I am the protagonist now." His eyes tried to look down on everyone. In a pretentious tone that tried to be ethereal but was somehow inexplicably weak, he said the ultimate line to the imaginary Kim Hyo-soon, one word at a time:

"'Foolish... (cough)... mortal, I am... the angel... who has come to save you...'"

As the last word fell, he maintained that pose—hands on hips, chest out, chin slightly raised—and gazed "steadfastly" into the distance (actually at the waiting room wall).

The entire performance was seamless.

From "falling" to "spinning," from "crawling out" to "the advertisement," from "drying" to "the declaration." Although it was in a simple corner of a waiting room, wearing his own clothes and topped with an "Im Yoona-inspired makeup" that hadn't been removed, that sense of seriousness actually... bizarrely recreated that absurd and somewhat tragic scene from the script.

The performance ended.

Jiang Zhiyu slowly lowered his hands from his hips and exhaled a breath of turbid air, as if he had completed a great work of art.

He looked at the Red Velvet members, his eyes clear (?), as if asking: How was it? Do you understand the essence of this role now?

Red Velvet: "..."

Bae Joo-hyun was expressionless, but her fingertips curled unconsciously.

Joy was already covering her face, her shoulders shaking like a sieve, completely unable to look at Jiang Zhiyu.

Seulgi's mouth was open, her eyes blank, as if her CPU had fried.

Wendy pushed up her glasses, her expression more serious than ever, as if contemplating the ultimate mysteries of the universe.

Yeri... Yeri had already picked up a potato chip from the floor, stuffed it into her mouth, and was chewing mechanically, her eyes glazed over, as if she could escape reality this way.

Dead silence.

A dead silence that lasted for ten seconds.

Then—

"Pfft—!!!!!!"

This time it wasn't just one person laughing; several people failed to hold it in at the same time.

Joy was the first to break, laughing out loud and pounding the table: "Hahahahaha help! The ad slogan! 'Really has some kick, hey'! Hahahaha Producer Jiang, you're too talented!!!"

Seulgi also started to laugh simply; although she might not have fully understood, she found it very fun.

Wendy couldn't help but smile too, shaking her head as she laughed.

Even the corners of Bae Joo-hyun's mouth curled up imperceptibly. Although she quickly returned to her cool demeanor, the smile in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

Yeri laughed so hard that potato chips sprayed out, and she couldn't stop coughing.

The makeup artist had already silently turned around, her shoulders shaking suspiciously.

Meanwhile, Lee Tima's phone was vibrating frantically. IU's relentless calls and message bombing had clearly arrived.

Jiang Zhiyu stood in place, wearing that "Im Yoona-inspired makeup" he'd spent so much effort on, listening to the laughter filling the room. He felt the complex gazes coming from all directions—a mix of absurdity, admiration (?), and "this guy is a lost cause."

He knew that his "genius" "body double plan" might have completely failed and become a laughingstock in an even more dramatic way before it even began.

But for some reason...

Seeing everyone laughing so happily (even if they were laughing at him), a hint of... accomplishment bizarrely rose in a corner of his heart?

At least he made everyone laugh, didn't he?

This could be considered a kind of... comedic effect, right?

He silently raised his hand and touched the meticulously drawn "Im Yoona-style" eyeliner on his face, which might be a bit smudged by now.

It felt...

Like... it really was... a bit ridiculous.

The explosive laughter in the Red Velvet waiting room gradually subsided like a receding tide, but the lingering "never been so speechless in my life but it's so funny" vibe still filled the air. Jiang Zhiyu, wearing that now somewhat patchy "Im Yoona-inspired makeup," switched back to "work mode" with a strong psychological resilience under the gaze of those complex eyes.

He cleared his throat, ignoring the itchy false eyelashes and smudged eyeliner on his face, and looked with bright eyes at Lee Tima, who was still slumped on the floor wiping away tears of laughter.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"Tima," his voice returned to its usual calm, even carrying a hint of urgency from "catching inspiration."

"That take just now felt right! It had flaws, but you captured the core state! Come on, let's strike while the iron is hot and record the video properly! I'll play the angel, and you play the part where Kim Hyo-soon delivers the ad line! Just a few key movements and expressions, we'll record it and study the results carefully when we get back!"

As he spoke, he scrambled to wipe away some of the overly obvious makeup on his face, trying not to look so much like a "failed Im Yoona impersonation show." But the more he wiped, the messier it got, so he finally gave up and just messed up his wig a little to make it look more like a "post-accident" state.

Lee Tima finally managed to stop laughing, but upon hearing that they had to act again—and perform a scene opposite an Oppa wearing that face—her little face immediately scrunched up like a bun, and she instinctively wanted to refuse.

But Jiang Zhiyu's unquestionable gaze made her swallow her words.

She stood up sluggishly, brushed the dust off her clothes, and before she could even strike a pose, she heard Jiang Zhiyu urging, "Hurry up! Get your phone out! Use your phone to record, the resolution is high!"

Lee Tima pouted and slowly fished her phone out of her pocket. She unlocked it, opened the camera, and switched to video mode...

Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, her eyes darted away. Her fingers tapped quickly on the screen, a mischievous smirk of success playing on the corners of her lips. She pointed the front camera directly at Jiang Zhiyu's painted face and herself as she prepared to start, saying in an unusually "normal" tone:

"Oppa, are you ready? I'm starting the recording now~ Three, two..."

Jiang Zhiyu didn't notice her little trick. He took a deep breath and got into character: "One! Start!"

He took two steps back, simulating the starting position of "falling" from a distance. Lee Tima tried her best to stiffen her little face, attempting to replicate the exhaustion and dead-eyed look of Kim Hyo-soon, the impoverished, precocious girl.

Just as Jiang Zhiyu was about to perform the "falling" motion—

A crisp, sweet, familiar female voice, barely able to contain its laughter, suddenly burst from the speakers of Lee Tima's phone:

"He~ Hello, gaga haha...! Tima! What is this!! What am I seeing?! Is that really Jiang Zhiyu?! That face, hahahaha!!!"

It was IU (Lee Ji-eun)!

That brat Lee Tima! She wasn't preparing to record a video at all; she had opened a video call livestream interface! IU had obviously been online waiting to "watch the show," and the connection was instant!

"!!!!" Jiang Zhiyu's "divine fall" pose, half-brewed, froze mid-air, like a comical statue that had suddenly lost power. He whipped his head around to look at the phone in Lee Tima's hand, which was pointed right at him, its screen clearly displaying IU's face—laughing so hard she was shaking, clutching her stomach, and about to roll off the sofa (judging by the background, she was at home)!

"Lee! Ti! Ma!!!" Jiang Zhiyu's voice cracked.

"Ah! My hand slipped! I clicked the wrong thing!" Lee Tima shrieked without a shred of sincerity, but the smile on her face completely betrayed her.

IU, on the screen, was laughing so hard she was pounding the sofa: "Hahahaha, I can't! Jiang Zhiyu! Your makeup! Your expression! Hahahaha, what kind of performance art are you doing in the Red Velvet dressing room?! Does Im Yoona know?! Hahahaha, I'm going to take a screenshot! I'm going to make it into a meme!!"

The members of Red Velvet were also stunned by this sudden "livestream accident," and then erupted into even more intense laughter. Even Bae Joo-hyun couldn't help but raise her hand to cover her mouth, her shoulders shaking slightly. This turn of events was just too absurd!

Jiang Zhiyu's face flushed red and pale (though it wasn't very obvious under the smeared makeup); he wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, or rush over and strangle Lee Tima. But his remaining sanity told him that the top priority was to end this public execution!

Just as he reached out to grab the phone, a gentle yet slightly urgent voice came from the side:

"Producer Jiang! Over here! Use my phone to record! I'll help you!"

It was Wendy! She had pulled out her phone at some point and opened the recording function, her face wearing a serious expression that said, "I can't watch this anymore, let me help end this farce," as she pointed the camera at Jiang Zhiyu.

Jiang Zhiyu felt like he'd been granted amnesty. He didn't care who was recording, as long as it wasn't being livestreamed to IU! He immediately reset his pose and shot Lee Tima a look (filled with murderous intent), signaling her to cooperate.

Caught between her Oppa's death stare promising "settling accounts later" and IU's excited heckling from the screen, "Continue, continue! Don't stop!", Lee Tima reluctantly reined in her laughter and re-entered her Kim Hyo-soon state.

This time, no one interrupted.

With Wendy's steady handheld filming, and under the gaze of the other four members of Red Velvet (plus IU on the screen) who were trying hard to suppress their laughter, Jiang Zhiyu and Lee Tima completed an unprecedented pre-recording of a scene between "Jiang Zhiyu's version of Im Yoona" and "Lee Tima's version of Kim Hyo-soon" in the private lounge of Red Velvet at SM Entertainment.

From "the angel (Jiang Zhiyu) frozen in a pathetic state (simulating being stuck after falling)," to "Kim Hyo-soon (Lee Tima) walking over with a deadpan expression and reaching out to press the void (the flush button)," to "the angel (Jiang Zhiyu) making dazed expressions and body movements as if being spun by the impact," to "Kim Hyo-soon (Lee Tima) giving a thumbs-up to the void and reciting the ad line in a monotone: 'This toilet is really powerful, hey~'", and finally to "the angel (Jiang Zhiyu) drying off, putting hands on hips, and saying with all his might: 'Foolish... mortal, I am... the angel who came to save you...'".

Throughout the process, Jiang Zhiyu went all out; his expressions were exaggerated and his movements were on point. Even though he was wearing smeared makeup and men's clothing, that "seriously funny" energy was strangely infectious. Lee Tima was also drawn in, becoming exceptionally immersed. The sense of deadpan sarcasm in her monotone delivery of the ad line unexpectedly fit the character perfectly.

"CUT!" Wendy called out at the right moment and saved the video.

Jiang Zhiyu let out a long breath, feeling as if he had run a marathon, his whole body exhausted. He quickly took Wendy's phone, thanked her, and rushed to the mirror, furiously wiping the disastrous makeup off his face with makeup remover wipes.

Behind him, the Red Velvet members could no longer hold it in and erupted into enthusiastic applause mixed with astonishment and laughter (along with the continuous honking laughter of IU from the phone).

"That was amazing... Producer Jiang, I'm starting to believe you can pull this off..." Joy said, wiping away tears while applauding.

"That spinning expression... how did you manage to make it both painful and funny?" Seulgi asked innocently.

Yeri had already started eating potato chips again, her eyes filled with admiration (?): "Oppa, you could open a comedy acting class in the future."

Bae Joo-hyun didn't speak, just watched Jiang Zhiyu's back as he hurried to remove his makeup, her gaze deep, wondering what she was thinking.

Late at night, the basement of TG Entertainment.

The makeup on Jiang Zhiyu's face was finally completely removed, restoring his original handsome (though currently exhausted) appearance. On the computer screen in front of him, the video Wendy had helped record was playing.

The footage was rough, the background cluttered (Red Velvet's lounge), and the actors comical (him and Lee Tima), but the core comedic rhythm and sense of absurdity had been captured unexpectedly well.

"I have the material... but the sound isn't right." Jiang Zhiyu stroked his chin, his eyes sharp. "My voice doesn't sound like Im Yoona-sunbaenim, and Tima's ad line is too stiff."

He switched software and opened a deeply hidden folder containing... a library of audio clips of Im Yoona from various variety shows, interviews, radio programs, and even early films and dramas! It was categorized: cheerful laughter, gentle speaking, angry rants, and even a few singing clips. This was something he had secretly collected (within legal copyright limits?) as a preparation (excuse) for potential voiceovers or interludes needed for the main destined kim hyo-soon production.

"Audio editing master, activate!" Jiang Zhiyu put on his headphones, his expression becoming extremely focused and... fanatical.

He first isolated the audio of his line "Foolish... mortal..." from the video, reduced the noise, and then began complex processing. Using software, he used certain syllables and intonations from Im Yoona's audio library as a "base," combining powerful audio editing techniques to distort, graft, and adjust his own voice...

This wasn't a simple voice changer, but a precise operation bordering on voice forgery. What he wanted was for it to sound like Im Yoona's usual way of speaking, while also carrying a bit of that "role-playing" affectation, along with the contradictory feeling of being weak yet putting on a brave front.

On the other side, he also extracted Lee Tima's line, "This toilet is really powerful, hey~." He found some ad dubbing samples with a strong, everyday, down-to-earth vibe and fused them, making Lee Tima's originally monotone line sound more like the real, subconscious reaction of an exhausted girl, filled with a bit of numb sarcasm.

For the entire night, the only sounds in the basement were the clicking of the mouse and keyboard, and the faint glow of the jumping audio waveforms.

At dawn.

Jiang Zhiyu's eyes were bloodshot, but he was buzzing with excitement. He clicked play on the final synthesized video.

The footage was still rough, but after his simple color grading and editing (cutting out the excess, focusing on key movements), the viewing experience was much better.

Most importantly, the sound—

In the video, when "Jiang Zhiyu's version of the angel" declared with hands on hips, it emitted a crisp female voice with a hint of deliberate etherealness, trembling slightly due to "weakness." Listening closely, it was actually 60-70% similar to Im Yoona's voice and perfectly matched the character's state at that moment!

And "Lee Tima's version of Kim Hyo-soon's" ad line had also become much more natural, carrying a bit of everyday roughness and helpless humor.

The overall effect, while still far from a finished film, was a "proof of concept video" that clearly showcased comedic potential, character state, and—most importantly, as requested by the sugar daddy—the "toilet flushing function demonstration" and "ad line placement," all of which were incredibly clear and highly effective!

Jiang Zhiyu packed this carefully processed video, along with detailed scene descriptions and storyboard sketches, and sent it to Director Park from the home furnishing group.

Then, came the anxious wait.

That afternoon, the email reply arrived.

Director Park's reply was only a few short lines, but it made Jiang Zhiyu's hanging heart drop heavily, only to be immediately overwhelmed by ecstasy:

"Producer Jiang! Watched the video! Very good! Full of creativity, the demonstration is on point, especially the ad integration part—natural and interesting! My friend (the bathroomware agent) is very, very satisfied! He has decided to sign the contract formally based on the terms we discussed! The advance payment will arrive within three days! Looking forward to the official filming!"

"We've got money! Guys!!"

Jiang Zhiyu jumped up from his chair and shouted, lowering his voice but full of passion, to the empty basement (except for Lee Tima, who was still sleeping).

Funding! The biggest problem was solved! TG Entertainment's first independent project could finally be launched without any worries! Although... there might still be a volcano named "Im Yoona's Wrath" on the lead actress side that needed to be resolved.

But that was a problem for later!

At this moment, looking at the bank account balance notification (in his imagination) on the computer screen, Jiang Zhiyu wore the brightest, most genuine, and most "villainous scheme succeeded" smile he had had since transmigrating.

He walked to the window and watched the sky gradually brightening outside.

He took out his phone, snapped a photo of Lee Tima's sleeping face, and sent it to Lee Ji-eun.

Caption: "Investment secured. Ready for takeoff."

Then, he thought for a moment and clicked on Im Yoona's chat window.

Looking at that rabbit profile picture, he was silent for a few seconds.

Then, solemnly, he typed out word by word:

"Im Yoona-sunbaenim, regarding the angel's entrance, I have another... more refined plan that can definitely balance artistic effect with commercial value, and I'd like to discuss it with you in detail. I wonder when you might be free?"

Click send.

Jiang Zhiyu turned off his phone and looked out the window, his gaze deep.

He knew that the real hard battle was only just beginning.

But at least now, he had plenty of ammunition.