FYN Chapter 69 Thank you, Jiang Yan
Chapter 69 Thank you, Jiang Yan
Kim Min-soo sat down in front of the computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard. The data tables on the screen refreshed line by line, and the printer hummed, spitting out sheets of A4 paper.
Jiang Yan stood aside and waited, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the desk next to her. On the desk was a framed photo of a company unity meeting.
He saw Choi Sulli, standing in the corner with a smile on her face.
Sulli in the photo looks younger than she does now, with a bit of baby fat on her cheeks and bright, sparkling eyes.
Kim Min-soo noticed his gaze, stopped typing, glanced at the group photo following his line of sight, and then explained, "This photo was taken in early 2014, when I had just joined the company. Kang Yeon-ssi, don't be envious. The company will also be holding a unity meeting to celebrate its 20th anniversary this year."
"Yes." Jiang Yan replied absentmindedly, then stared at the group photo, lost in thought for a moment.
Lin Xiaolu floated to his side and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Yan shook his head without answering, looked away, and then reached out to take the stack of printed documents that Jin Minxiu handed him.
"Thank you, senior."
"You're welcome," Kim Min-soo said with a smile, waving her hand.
After saying goodbye to Kim Min-soo, Jiang Yan left the marketing department. Instead of going straight back to the recording studio, he went down to the lounge area on the first floor.
He sat by the window, quickly flipped through the data in his hand, and gained a clearer understanding of the market analysis report.
Jiang Yan then took out his phone and sent a message to Cui Xueli: "[Zhenli, are you free tonight? I'd like to have dinner with you.]"
About two minutes later, Sulli replied: "[You're free, where should we eat?]"
"Come to my place, I'll cook for you." After thinking for a moment, Jiang Yan added, "It's nothing, just celebrating the perfect completion of my work."
This time, the reply was almost instantaneous: "Okay, I'll be there at seven."
Jiang Yansuo put his phone in his pocket, stood up, and walked towards the elevator.
Lin Xiaolu asked thoughtfully, "Are you going to tell her everything you know?"
Jiang Yan did not answer, but Lin Xiaolu heard a clear "hmm" in his mind.
She was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Then talk to her nicely, don't scare her."
Jiang Yan pressed the elevator's up button and thought to himself, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I won't say anything I shouldn't."
Jiang Yan spent the rest of the afternoon filling in the details for the market analysis report.
At six o'clock in the evening, he packed his things and left the company. He made a special detour to the best-reputed imported supermarket in Jiangnan, where he picked out fresh mushrooms, bacon and heavy cream, as well as some prepared eel pieces and a box of vanilla ice cream.
When he got home, he first marinated the eel in sauce before starting to prepare the other ingredients.
Tonight's menu was something he had written down after going through all her interviews and variety shows. Creamy mushroom pasta is her absolute favorite, and she can eat a whole grilled eel by herself. It's served with a plate of chilled soft tofu and cheesy corn, and the meal ends with ice cream.
At seven o'clock sharp, the doorbell rang on time.
Jiang Yan wiped the cream off his hands and went to open the door. Cui Xueli was standing outside. She tilted her head, glanced at him, and then smiled, her eyes crinkling: "Oh, what delicious food did Chef Jiang make tonight?"
"You'll see when you come in." Jiang Yan stepped aside to let her in.
Choi Sulli took off her shoes and walked into the living room as if she knew the way well. Her eyes swept over the dishes that had already been set on the dining table, and she suddenly paused.
Steam rises from the creamy white pasta, sprinkled with chopped parsley, while glistening eel bastes the grill, garnished with chopped basil leaves.
There was also a plate of cold tofu salad on the side, drizzled with soy sauce and sesame oil, and a plate of golden, stringy cheesy corn.
These are all her favorites that she casually mentioned in countless interviews, some of which she herself couldn't even remember.
She turned to look at Jiang Yan, her nose tingling slightly: "What's up? You've been really free lately, haven't you?"
Jiang Yan walked into the kitchen nonchalantly, taking off her apron as she said, "Didn't you say the army stew I made last time was too salty? Today I'll make something else for you to try. Don't be too touched, I just made something simple. You eat first, I'm going to wash my hands."
Choi Sulli watched his retreating figure, sniffed, and silently walked to the dining table, sat down, picked up her fork, and twirled a large mouthful of spaghetti into her mouth.
The rich milky aroma melts on the tongue, and the freshness of the mushrooms and the saltiness of the bacon blend perfectly, making it even more to her liking than the Italian restaurant she usually goes to.
Jiang Yan came out of the kitchen with two glasses of lemon water, sat down opposite her, and picked up a piece of eel for her: "Try this and see if it's flavorful. I marinated it for about 30 minutes."
Choi Sulli held the cup with both hands, lowered her head and took a small sip of lemonade. The sweet and sour taste was just right to cut through the richness. She didn't eat the eel, hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Don't you want to ask me what happened after I rejected 'Real' that day?"
Jiang Yan wrapped a piece of eel in lettuce and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling, "Let's not talk about this while we're eating. We'll talk about it slowly after we finish eating."
Choi Sulli glanced at him and didn't insist any further.
The two ate for nearly forty minutes without bringing up any heavy topics, just chatting about random things.
Sulli talked about the books she's been reading lately, mentioned that a calico stray cat had recently moved into her friend's art studio, and complained about how her manager was trying to get her to give up late-night snacks.
Jiang Yan shared the good news that the recording session was finished for the day. He said he was researching how to make sushi and also talked about Lin Xiaolu's embarrassing moments. Of course, he didn't mention a word about Lin Xiaolu's true identity, only saying that she had a friend who was a bit annoying but not a bad one.
Lin Xiaolu, who was standing next to him, rolled her eyes as she listened. When she got impatient, she even kept hitting Jiang Yan's head with her little fists, although it didn't do any good.
After finishing his meal, Jiang Yan took out the vanilla ice cream from the refrigerator, scooped out two scoops, put them in a glass bowl, and handed it to her.
Choi Sulli took the spoon, scooped up a big mouthful, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction.
Jiang Yan then cleared the dishes and chopsticks into the kitchen and soaked them in the sink. He then went to the living room, sat down opposite Cui Xueli, watched her eat her ice cream in small bites, sat quietly for a while, and then spoke.
"Truth, now we're getting down to business."
Choi Sulli tightened her grip on the spoon slightly, but still smiled and said, "Okay, go ahead."
Jiang Yan slowly exhaled, stood up to retrieve the first draft of the "Real" project analysis report, and placed it in front of her. "Regardless of whether you act in the movie 'Real,' it will be a failure. So no matter what others say, you must stay firm in your convictions, understand?"
Choi Sulli looked down at the densely packed analysis report, flipped through a few pages, then looked up at Jiang Yan, a thin layer of mist in her almond-shaped eyes.
"Jiang Yan, do you think I'm very fragile?"
Jiang Yan was taken aback by her question.
"I don't think you're weak. I just want you to know that this has never been your fault."
Choi Sulli gently closed the report, then stood up and walked to Kang Yeon, looking down at him.
"I know you want to protect me, but Jiang Yan, you must promise me one thing: don't confront Chief Kim head-on."
"I've been with SM for so many years, I know better than you how difficult those people are. You've just joined the company, your future is bright, and I don't want you to ruin yourself because of me."
Jiang Yan also stood up, looked into her eyes, and suddenly smiled.
"Nuna, you are not alone now."
He raised his hand and gently patted her shoulder. "So from now on, you don't have to carry this burden alone anymore. If you want to eat creamy pasta, just call me anytime. If you don't want to eat the company's lunchbox, I'll make it for you. If anyone bullies you, I'll still protect you like I did when we were kids, so don't worry about me."
Choi Sulli stared at him blankly, then lowered her head and wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. When she looked up again, she had a smile on her face.
"Pabu, when you say things like that, don't pat someone on the shoulder. You should do it like this."
As she spoke, she reached out and gently wrapped her arms around Jiang Yan's waist, burying her face in his chest: "Thank you, Jiang Yan. The ice cream was delicious, and the pasta was delicious too."
Jiang Yan froze for a moment, then relaxed and gently patted her back.
Upon seeing this, Lin Xiaolu's expression froze for a moment, then she pursed her lips, quietly turned her face away, and looked at the gradually darkening night outside the window.