"Ziyu, where are you going to eat?"

"Not today, a friend came looking for me."

While packing up his things, Zhou Ziyu politely declined his friend's customary invitation.

"Friend, are you a trainee in our company?"

"Hmm...... Not our company. ”

Zhou Ziyu didn't seem to want to talk much, so he didn't even carry his bag after thinking about it, so he directly put his mobile phone in his pocket, turned around and smiled with the other party, leaving a sentence of "Let's go first, we'll eat together tomorrow" and walked out quickly and left the practice room.

"Friends......" Several friends looked at her back, curious and puzzled at each other.

After walking out of the company building, Zhou Ziyu trotted all the way to the agreed place, the little boots made a muffled sound on the ground, the originally neat long black hair jumped and jumped in the process of running, and the oncoming cold wind blew a few rubs of bangs in front of his forehead into messy floating, so that Zhou Ziyu still had to run while lowering his head and reaching out to brush his hair.

Turning around an alley, when she arrived at the agreed place, she saw a somewhat eye-catching white coupe parked there from a distance of ten meters, some eye-catching models were very eye-catching, Zhou Ziyu walked to the back of the car two or three meters and stopped, a little afraid to confirm, and took out her mobile phone to look at the license plate number that Chi Jingyuan sent her just now, and then slowly walked over after confirming it repeatedly.

It's just that the appearance of this Mercedes is indeed a bit eye-catching, even if the license plate number is confirmed, Zhou Ziyu is still a little hesitant, she walked to the side and circled the car for most of the circle, she didn't dare to open the door, and tentatively wanted to look in from the window but was blocked tightly by the black car film, and walked to the co-pilot door was a little hesitant, and suddenly there was a soft sound, and the door handle that was originally embedded in the door automatically retracted, which directly attracted Zhou Ziyu's attention.

After getting the signal, she tried to reach out and hold it on the doorknob, and gently pulled it, and the special gullwing door opened directly upward, and she watched the door open with some magic, and her head slowly lifted along with the door, which was very synchronous.

"Come in, what are you looking at?" Hearing a greeting from the car, the voice was very familiar but the tone was obviously a little impatient, Zhou Ziyu hurriedly responded with an "ah", and sat in with his legs.

……

"Eh, Mina, you see that car is so handsome."

Ten meters across the road, a few neon trainees bought fish cakes and fried rice cakes at the door of a storefront, and when he was bored, Hirai Momo saw the somewhat conspicuous coupe parked not far away, and quickly pulled the arm of Mingjing Nan next to him, and pointed to the opposite side with some excitement.

"Well, it's pretty handsome...... It seems to be Mercedes SLS AMG, which model I don't know. Nan Mei, who was originally looking at his phone, looked up twice and nodded his head to certify.

"How do you know?" Momo Hirai gave her a surprised look.

"I've seen it in magazines." Nanai pouted, not looking very interested.

"Really, I like this model so much......" The non-cooperation of her companion could not discourage Hirai Momo's enthusiasm, she stood there and looked at the opposite side very persistently, but after she looked at it for a few seconds, suddenly a figure trotted to the car from a distance, circled under their gaze, and then opened the door and sat directly in.

Her eyes flashed, she pointed over there in disbelief, and asked tentatively: "Eh, is that a Xia Guo trainee from our company just now, named Zhou ......?"

"It's called Zhou Ziyu."

Mingjing Nan also saw it, and the other party didn't hide her just now, and she recognized it at a glance, all of them were trainees who could occasionally meet in the company, and they had two sentences together during the assessment at the end of the month before, although they were not familiar with it, but at least they could recognize people.

"Yes, it's her, I didn't expect to be a rich lady?" Momo Hirai smacked her lips as she looked at it, feeling a little unexpected.

"Maybe......"

Mingjing Nan glanced at it and retracted his gaze, and glanced at his phone a little boredly: "It has nothing to do with us, hurry up and finish buying it and go to dinner." ”

"Yes...... But this model is really handsome enough, take a second look. ”

…………

Zhou Ziyu, who was sitting in the car, followed the sound and looked over, but as soon as his eyes swept over, the whole person froze for a moment, at this time Chi Jingyuan was holding a water cup and biting a straw and drinking a drink without looking at her, the side face was still the familiar side face, but the smooth lines and the very dazzling smoky gray broken hair made her a little stunned in an instant.

The silver and white hair swayed slightly, and after careful care, it looked fragmented but very layered, Ji Jingyuan may have been working before he came, and he obviously had some light makeup on his face, so that countless girls who were screaming and obsessed with Ellie sat next to her casually.

Obviously, they have known each other for a long time, and they don't know how many times they have met in private, but at this time, Zhou Ziyu still felt an indescribable strong sense of impact, which made her mouth open slightly, her heart beating violently, but she couldn't speak, as if she was stuck.

"Close the door."

“…… Oh. ”

Just when she was also a little sluggish, a sudden angry voice woke Zhou Ziyu up suddenly, and after a reflexive response, she quickly turned her head, feeling a little hot on her face.

Ji Jingyuan let go of the straw with his mouth, turned his head and glanced at her strangely.

Today, Zhou Ziyu is wearing a dark green long down jacket, the brim is bad, and the plump raccoon dog fur collar is very warm at first glance, and the long black hair is also a little messy around the collar at this time, which makes the whole person a lot more vivid, but she did not wear her favorite blue headband.

Underneath the slightly long hem were black leggings, which were cut down to the calf and blocked by a pair of dark blue fleece snow boots.

The fluffy snow boots looked soft and cute when stepping on the chassis, and with Zhou Ziyu's somewhat confused expression at this time, her whole person was even more silly.

She looked up for a long time, not knowing how to close the door......

Just when she was a little anxious, Chi Jingyuan behind her sighed, and a helpless voice came: "Sit up a little, do you see the handrail along the door side?" Pull it down and press down. ”

"Oh..."

"Bang"

After two consecutive sounds, the raised gullwing door was finally closed, and the cold air outside and some noisy sounds were also isolated for a moment, and the car suddenly became quiet.

Zhou Ziyu sat in the co-pilot, after scanning the interior of the car, he retracted his gaze and lowered his head slightly, pursed his lips and felt a little cramped, not very comfortable.

I just don't know if this tension was brought to her by the car or by people.

"What, dumb? Still haven't recovered yet? ”

Chi Jingyuan glanced at Zhou Ziyu and pointed to a plastic bag hanging next to the car door: "The drink I bought for you just now, drink it while it's hot." ”

"......" Zhou Ziyu looked at him, after blinking his eyes, he reached out and took the bag, inserted the straw and took a small sip, and the slightly sweet and slightly hot warm current poured into his body, which seemed to relieve the inexplicable tension just now, making her slowly become a lot more natural.

Putting down the drink cup, Zhou Ziyu looked over: "Why did you suddenly call me out?" ”

Yesterday Chi Jingyuan called to ask if he was free at night, and after he said that he would send her a message at night, he hung up in a hurry, although he guessed something in his heart, but Zhou Ziyu still wanted to confirm it.

"Didn't you say before that you were selected and invited to dinner?"

Chi Jingyuan shrugged his shoulders and said very naturally, and then raised his chin at her: "Seat belt." ”

"Oh."

Zhou Ziyu responded again, turned over and wanted to pull on the seat belt, and at the same time did follow in a sullen voice, "But I wasn't selected." ”

The tone was aggrieved, as if he had been bullied.

"Didn't you say that you are very valued and popular, I feel that you will definitely be selected, so let's celebrate it in advance." Chi Jingyuan saw that she flipped back and forth a few times and couldn't find where the seat belt was, and felt a little tired, shook his head, took the initiative to lean over and stretched out his hand, pressed the button, and pulled the seat belt out of her right side.

However, she only pulled the seat belt halfway and released it, handed it to Zhou Ziyu and asked her to fasten it herself.

Sitting back in place, Chi Jingyuan added: "And the Spring Festival is coming soon, we are expected to be very busy after the New Year, and there will be no time at that time." ”

Fastening the seat belt, Zhou Ziyu pursed her mouth when she heard the words, and Chi Jingyuan looked determined, but she had no confidence at all.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Uh...... As you see fit. ”

"I knew it."

Chi Jingyuan glanced at her, hung up the gear and started the car directly, the roaring engine exploded, and the white coupe rushed out like the wind, producing a strong feeling of pushing back that made Zhou Ziyu shrink back and stick to the chair a little nervously.

This car is actually quite satisfied with both the appearance and the driving feeling, the only point is that the engine sound is a little too loud when it starts, and it is really eye-catching when there are many people.

"Then go to a Western restaurant I went to before, it happens to be quite close to your company in Cheongdam-dong, and I have been there a few times, and it tastes good."

Although it hasn't been long since he got his driver's license, Ji Jingyuan is still quite talented in driving, and it is very smooth to shuttle back and forth on the road skillfully at this time, but the road conditions in Seoul at this time are not very good, and there are many cars on the road that can only stop and go.

Stopping in front of a red light, Chi Jingyuan noticed that Zhou Ziyu was always secretly looking at his hair with his spare eyes, and every time she looked over there, she immediately withdrew her gaze and pretended that nothing happened, and the corners of her mouth twitched and felt a little funny: "This is our XO return to my new look this time, and I only dyed it a few days ago." ”

His small movements were discovered, and Zhou Ziyu didn't pretend anymore, and after a smile, he looked over curiously, staring at Chi Jingyuan's side face and hair: "What color is this, silver?" ”

"Smoky gray, that's what Cody said." Ji Jingyuan shook the bangs in front of his forehead, and turned his head to look at her: "I think it's good-looking, and when you make your debut in the future, let your JYP cody dye one for you." ”

"Don't!" Zhou Ziyu snorted lightly, turned his head, and looked at the street scene outside through the window.

Different cars flash by the window, roadside storefronts are lined up one after another, and occasionally passing by the mall, you can also see the large vertical advertisements of Chi Jingyuan.

"What time do you want to go back in the evening?" At this time, Chi Jingyuan's voice came, Zhou Ziyu glanced back at him who was looking at the road in front of him, and sat back: "I usually go back after eating at night, less than an hour...... There are no restrictions, but I have a dance class at eight o'clock in the evening. ”

"You're really busy, so we'll eat later."

Chi Jingyuan hit the steering wheel to the left, speeding up a little.

In fact, he also has a lot of work waiting for the meeting, and this time he also took time to come out, but there is no need to say this.

After a while, when he arrived at the location and drove the car into the parking lot, Chi Jingyuan put on a mask and a knitted hat to cover his hair, put on his bag and took the elevator with Zhou Ziyu upstairs, and walked into this Western restaurant that he had been to several times.

The restaurant, Grand park, specializes in Italian cuisine and is located on the upper floor of a commercial building in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, close to SM and JYP, less than 10 minutes by car.

Speaking of which, this place was brought to him by Pei Xiuzhi, and after eating it once, Chi Jingyuan felt that it tasted good and wrote it down.

The interior of the store here is very well decorated, the overall European style Athens is neat, the direction near the road is still a high floor-to-ceiling window, and there is a balcony surrounded by green trees on the north side, if you dine there in the summer, the feeling should be very good.

"Mushroom truffle pasta, seafood gratin, egg benett...... Two servings of vegetable broth. ”

found a small box, and after Chi Jingyuan finished ordering, he chatted with Zhou Ziyu.

This time I suddenly asked her out mainly to see that this girl was not selected and was very depressed, and I wanted to chat with her to relax, but with Chi Jingyuan's character, I was too lazy to say anything to comfort and relax, gag a few words, and have a meal together to make Zhou Ziyu clear in his heart, just want to open a little.

However, this girl's mentality is actually quite good, and she is a relatively lively character, and under the guidance of Chi Jingyuan, she quickly became more talkative.

In fact, she is really smart, and Zhou Ziyu also understood why Chi Jingyuan suddenly called her to eat by car, and a smile quickly appeared on her face.

In fact, when she knew that Chi Jingyuan's newly dyed hair was because EXO was preparing to return, and she was still busy to death every day, but she still took time out because of her affairs, Zhou Ziyu's heart was filled with warmth, and she was more moved than happy.

Even if it's to thank the other person, she definitely has to be happy.

When the food came up, she seemed to have completely walked out of the previous loss, tasted a mouthful of vegetable soup, bia bia's eyes lit up, took a spoon and drank happily, and after a while, she wiped her mouth with a tissue, and naturally chatted about recent things.

"During this time, all the female trainees have been practicing a lot, and many people don't even eat much, and they are desperately managing their bodies in order to be selected."

Hearing this, Chi Jingyuan looked up at the vegetable soup that had bottomed out, and the seafood noodles that had been taken away with a large number of chopsticks at once, and nodded silently.

As if thinking of something, Zhou Ziyu grimaced: "There is a roommate who shares a dormitory with me who was also selected, she is about the same age as me, and I felt a little lost at that time...... I heard that there are also post-00 trainees who have also been selected by the company. ”

"Among the female trainees in your company, who is most valued by the company, the strongest and stable to make their debut?" Chi Jingyuan pondered for two seconds, drank a sip of water and asked.

After hearing this, Zhou Ziyu couldn't help but put down the fork in his hand, raised his eyes and thought about it, and said with some uncertainty: "I don't know if I can make a stable debut, but the most valued and strong strength should be Lin Nalian, usually at the end of the month, her grades are very good, and she is the first every time, she was in the 6MIX debut group before, and I heard that this time she was also the first trainee to be selected for the survival draft." ”

"Lin Nalian?"

Chi Jingyuan repeated the name, and after thinking about it for a while, a face appeared in front of him, and he said clearly: "That rabbit tooth, right?" ”

I saw her stage when I was a trainee, and I saw her backstage when I was singing with Pei Xiuzhi's "Some", and the other party also took the initiative to introduce myself, which was quite impressive.

"Giggles, it's a bit of a rabbit tooth indeed." Zhou Ziyu smiled when she heard it, and nodded certically: "It's her." ”

"How old is she?"

"It seems to be 95 or 96, anyway, it's a senior, and it's also a sister." Zhou Ziyu is not so sure.

"That's okay, you have a chance."

Ji Jingyuan took a bite of pasta and said a little muttering while chewing.

If what Zhou Ziyu said is right, then this Lin Nalian must be a core member of JYP's new girl group, if it is determined that she is the core, then the age of the other selected members must not be too different from her, otherwise sometimes the style cannot be unified after debut.

It is best not to have too much difference in the age of a group member, Zhou Ziyu's difference of four or five years in 99 is still within the range, which is a normal age difference, such as EXO's eldest brother Kim Min-seok and Busy Neichi Jingyuan are only 4 years apart.

So how did the girl group Red Velvet come together? How was Jin Yilin chosen? Why is the difference between the largest and smallest of a girl group almost ten years old?

After eating for a while, Zhou Ziyu seemed to suddenly remember something, and sat straight at him with a smile: "By the way, I'll tell you good news!" ”

"What's the good news?"

Chi Jingyuan looked lazy and didn't care, and didn't raise his head after taking a sip of soup: "Is your strength improving again?" Or was the practice praised by the teacher again? ”

"You...... You're really locomotive! Seeing the other party mercilessly sarcastically mocking her with an indifferent expression, Zhou Ziyu suddenly surged with anger and blood, a little angry, and looked at him indignantly and couldn't help but scold.

Didn't you just want to be a little bit of a little bit of a show, why do you keep mentioning it?

"Hahaha......" I don't know why, seeing Zhou Ziyu's anxious and angry look, Chi Jingyuan wanted to laugh, but he couldn't help laughing a few times, and when he saw the other party's increasingly ugly face, he quickly waved his hand: "Okay, when I didn't say it, what good news?" ”

The more Chi Jingyuan was like this, the more angry she became, Zhou Ziyu pursed her mouth, wrinkled her nose and said directly: "I won't tell you." ”

Still angry as she spoke, she directly picked up the fork next to her, stretched it into the salad that Chi Jingyuan was talking about and stirred it vigorously a few times, not only knocking out the lettuce that had been nagged, but also messing up the entire bowl.

"By the glass!"

Chi Jingyuan was caught off guard, and blurted out a curtain, and when he wanted to fight back, Zhou Ziyu had already keenly put his hand back, and he looked a little annoyed: "I haven't listened yet." ”

"Hahaha...... Your accent doesn't look like it at all! Zhou Ziyu smiled when he heard this, his eyes were bent into two crescents, and he had a very vocal evaluation.

"Isn't it like?"

Ji Jingyuan blinked and laughed: "I'll have another ...... You're dead. ”

Zhou Ziyu was not fooled, and tilted his head with a smile without showing weakness:

"Hee-hee, you're dead."

…………

SLS stopped at the familiar alleyway near JYP, after a few uses Zhou Ziyu has been able to skillfully open and close the gullwing door, she opened the door and got out of the car, stood outside the door with her hands clasped in front of her, smiling and looking at Chi Jingyuan in the car, the incandescent street lamp opposite reflected a little silver light in her eyes, making her dark eyes appear more profound.

Chi Jingyuan didn't comfort her much before, not only didn't say any nonsense such as 'don't be discouraged if you weren't selected', but also didn't give in at all and ridiculed and kept fighting with her, but I don't know why, at this time, Zhou Ziyu's heart had been a little depressed and disappointed, and it dissipated a lot unconsciously, and now standing outside with the evening breeze blowing, I only feel refreshed and extraordinarily vivid.

"It's the Spring Festival soon, is your mother coming to see you?"

Chi Jingyuan leaned on the driver's seat, measured his body and looked at Zhou Ziyu, whose hair was gently swaying by the wind outside.

"Well, the last time she called and said she would come over around the sixteenth." Nodding obediently, Zhou Ziyu didn't have any intention of concealing it.

Chi Jingyuan looked at the time on his phone, nodded and waved his hand: "Okay, hurry back to class, the teacher won't praise you later...... By the way, if you are selected, remember to report the good news. ”

At the end, Ji Jingyuan smiled and compared his fists and raised his chin: "Come on!" ”

Zhou Ziyu gently closed the door, stood there playfully and watched the car turn into the intersection in front of it and disappear, grinning and waving goodbye.

"Thank you."

…………

"Finished the date?"

Ji Jingyuan parked the car and returned to the company, and as soon as he entered the practice room, he was caught by the eyes of the members, and Jin Junmian looked at it with a smile, and smiled a little cheaply.

"There's no dating, it's just having dinner with friends." Ji Jingyuan put the bag down and walked into the crowd while denying it.

"Cut ......"

As soon as he said this, several disdainful voices immediately came from nearby, obviously not believing it at all, but Chi Jingyuan's face did not change, and he raised his eyebrows provocatively at Wu Shixun, who was the loudest, and looked at Du Junxiu with an awkward smile on his face.

"Okay, let's continue to practice, the process of the first stage is already known, let's get familiar with it first, time is running out." Jin Junmian didn't bother to ask again, stood up and clapped his hands, and connected to the stereo with his mobile phone.

Chi Jingyuan blew a sigh of 'hmm', stood up and walked to the middle of the practice room, and jumped up with the members.

Aside from the shooting of some pictorials and postcards, all preparations for the single album "E" are nearing completion, and now EXO has begun to practice for the first stage of his return.

This time, the singing of "Call Me Baby" is different from usual, the company specially designed a special stage performance process for them, which is similar to the pseudo-one-shot mode in the MV, and because the camera position of each TV station is different, there are different versions of the singing on different TV stations.

According to their progress, the company had already officially decided on the time of this return when the company held a meeting the day before yesterday, and the production meeting for the second tour concert had reached a critical point, and they were about to start practicing for the concert while preparing for the return of the album, and the time was tight every day.

The few members who are going to film can go to bed at three o'clock at night, which is already considered to be early from work.

After more than a week of meticulous, busy and exhausting preparations, on February 15th, SM finally announced the news of EXO's upcoming return.

(End of chapter)