Chapter 1699: Farewell Dinner

After sending off Lee Soo-man, Zhao Fusheng and the others got into the car and returned directly to Walkerhill Hotel.

Over the next few days, under Song Qian's guidance, Zhao Fusheng and his group toured all the scenic spots near Seoul.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was almost time to leave Korea.

Song Qian and Fan Beibei had formed a deep friendship over these days. The little girl really liked the older sister who played with her all the time, and Song Qian, though initially approaching deliberately, had grown to genuinely like Fan Beibei as time went on.

"We're leaving Korea tomorrow."

On the last day, Zhao Fusheng said to Song Qian, "I have time tonight; let me treat you to dinner."

"Ah?"

Song Qian was startled, then quickly bowed: "You're too kind. I should be the one treating you to dinner to express my gratitude."

She wasn't stupid. Over these days, she had basically been freeloading. When Zhao Fusheng took Fan Beibei shopping and sightseeing, he would also buy her a gift if the little girl liked something.

Honestly, these recent days had been the happiest time of her life.

So even though she knew he didn't care about her treating him, she still wanted to invite Zhao Fusheng for a meal.

Zhao Fusheng laughed: "Forget about dinner. When you debut and start making money, I'll wait for you to treat me back in China."

"Really?"

Song Qian's eyes lit up, somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected Zhao Fusheng to say that to her.

Of course, she knew he couldn't have any ulterior motives.

Even Teacher Lee Soo-man had to wait respectfully outside the dormitory to see him; how could he have any designs on her?

Besides, if he wanted something, he would have acted long ago, not waited until today.

So that meant this Mr. Zhao really had high hopes for her and wanted to recruit her?

At that thought, Song Qian's heart began to race. The confidence that had been battered since coming to Korea finally showed signs of revival.

"What, not willing?"

Seeing Song Qian in a daze, Zhao Fusheng smiled and teased her.

"No, no." Song Qian quickly shook her head, her head wobbling like a drumstick, looking quite adorably dazed.

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily: "Don't overthink it. It's not easy for us Chinese to develop in Korea. We're fellow townsfolk; we should help each other when we can. I've met Han Shi before; he's a good guy. You can go to him if you need anything."

"Ah?"

Song Qian was taken aback, then nodded: "Okay, thank you so much."

She knew Zhao Fusheng was introducing her to connections.

"So, I'll treat you to dinner tonight. We won't go to a fancy restaurant, just a barbecue place near your company. How about that?"

Zhao Fusheng said lightly to Song Qian.

The reason he didn't choose a fancy restaurant was partly to avoid making Song Qian nervous, and partly because he didn't like the atmosphere of such places—too formal, which made him uncomfortable. Street-side restaurants were more relaxing.

This was probably because Zhao Fusheng himself never considered himself a true member of the upper class.

"Alright, thank you." Song Qian quickly nodded, hesitated, and then said softly, "Um, can I bring my friends?"

"Friends?"

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then smiled: "Sure, no problem."

He could understand Song Qian's thinking. It wasn't necessarily to show off; more likely, since he mentioned treating near her company, she wanted to take the opportunity to treat her friends.

After all, if it were on her own, treating someone to dinner would be a huge expense.

Zhao Fusheng didn't call her out on this little scheme. He wasn't the type to be overly strict. If he were in her position, he might have been just as calculating.

As they say, poor children learn to manage early. In truth, it's all forced by damn life.

…

…

True to his word, Zhao Fusheng arranged the dinner spot near SM Entertainment's headquarters in Seoul's Gangnam District.

"This is the best barbecue place near our company."

Song Qian led Zhao Fusheng and the others inside and said to him.

"Fine."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and waved his hand dismissively. He instructed Wu Sijie behind him, "Go ask the boss for two private rooms and book the whole place."

The reason for two rooms: one for the bodyguards and such, and the other for himself, Song Qian, and her trainee friends.

"Okay."

Wu Sijie nodded repeatedly and had Song Qian follow him to find the restaurant owner to arrange the rooms.

After all, he didn't know Korean and couldn't guarantee the owner would speak English.

Soon, they booked the rooms, and Song Qian sent a message to her friends to come over.

"Um, I'll go pick them up."

After sitting for a while, Song Qian's phone rang. She glanced at it and quickly said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Go ahead."

"I want to go too!"

Fan Beibei suddenly spoke up at that moment.

She had grown closer to Song Qian over the past few days, and with the separation imminent, she naturally felt reluctant to part.

Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment, then nodded: "Then let Uncle Fan accompany you, okay?"

Fan Beibei blinked, stood up with a grin, and followed Song Qian out.

Zhao Fusheng nodded to Chen Zhen, who quickly followed them out.

"This girl is quite interesting."

Wu Sijie, watching Song Qian's retreating figure, suddenly said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Someone destined to be an idol can't possibly be stupid."

"Makes sense."

Wu Sijie deeply agreed; clearly, he too had seen through Song Qian's intentions. But since she laid her cards on the table, it was actually less off-putting.

After all, both Zhao Fusheng and Wu Sijie were sharp; if anyone tried to play tricks in front of them, they would see through it at once. Instead, putting things out in the open like this was quite commendable.

...

...

At the entrance of SM Entertainment, a few girls were standing there.

"What is Song Qian unnie doing..."

"Yeah, calling us out so late."

"If the room leader finds out we're gone, we'll be in trouble."

"But she said there's meat to eat!"

The girls whispered among themselves, carefully avoiding the nearby crowd.

Just then, Song Qian approached with Fan Beibei, followed by Chen Zhen in a black suit.

"Song Qian unnie, who is this..."

The girls looked at Fan Beibei and Chen Zhen in surprise, somewhat puzzled.

They all knew that Song Qian had no relatives in Korea, so why was there suddenly a little girl with her, and even someone who looked like a bodyguard behind her?

What was going on?

Anyone who could become a trainee wasn't stupid; they had good observation skills.

"This is a little sister I met while working part-time these days. Her name is Beibei," Song Qian introduced haltingly in Korean.

"Ah, hello."

The trainees were all teenage girls, not much older than Fan Beibei. Seeing how cute the little girl was, they found it amusing and greeted her with smiles.

Fan Beibei, using the Korean she had learned from Song Qian, said "Annyeonghaseyo..." to them.

Well, that was the only phrase she knew.

As for Chen Zhen, he figured the chairman only asked him to protect Fan Beibei, so he simply stayed quiet.

"Who is this person..." Someone pulled Song Qian aside and whispered, glancing at Chen Zhen.

"Beibei's brother is a boss, and this is his bodyguard. That gentleman is my employer. He's Chinese, traveling in Korea, and hired me as a guide."

Song Qian explained honestly: "They're leaving Korea tomorrow, so this is the last time. That's why I called everyone to have a meal together."

The girls exchanged glances, finally understanding why Song Qian hadn't been at practice these past few days—she was earning extra money.

"Let's go now."

Song Qian said to her companions.

The girls didn't mind and followed Song Qian toward the barbecue restaurant.

"Hello, I'm Soojung."

"Hello, I'm Yiyun."

"Hello, I'm..."

In the barbecue restaurant, the girls bowed respectfully to Zhao Fusheng, thanking him for the meal.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Hello, I'm Zhao Fusheng, a fellow townsman of Song Qian."

He said this in English.

Because these girls looked familiar; if he remembered correctly, they seemed to be Song Qian's future teammates, and he recalled that some of them had American citizenship.

Sure enough, after Zhao Fusheng spoke, the two named Soojung and Yiyun's eyes lit up.

Clearly, they understood English.

"Eat up..."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to the girls.

They were just a bunch of kids; in their eyes, Zhao Fusheng was undoubtedly an adult. Being treated so politely, they naturally felt flattered.

It had to be said that SM Entertainment's training for trainees was impressive. Even while eating, these children maintained very polite manners, bowing respectfully to Zhao Fusheng to thank him before starting.

Watching a group of beautiful girls eat in front of him put Zhao Fusheng in a good mood. As they say, beauty is a feast for the eyes; sometimes looking at pleasant things really does make one happy.

Since they were girls, they didn't eat much, occasionally chatting with Fan Beibei. The atmosphere was quite pleasant.

Just then, a commotion came from outside the door; someone seemed to be shouting curses.

Zhao Fusheng frowned slightly. Wu Sijie immediately stood up and walked out.