Peninsula's Life Begins in 2016

Chapter 81 A Different Kind of Younger ManOlder Woman

balcony.

Jiang Yan gently closed the glass sliding door, leaving only a two-finger-width gap.

The early spring night breeze carried a cool, damp air, causing the wisps of hair on his forehead to sway gently. He leaned against the cold aluminum alloy railing, looking down at the winding cobblestone path in the neighborhood.

Suppressed sobs and intermittent voices could be faintly heard from the living room.

He couldn't hear the specifics, nor did he want to. That level of heartfelt conversation was not something an outsider like him should witness.

At this moment, Lin Xiaolu floated through the glass to behind him, her semi-transparent shoulders still twitching.

Jiang Yan turned to look at her and sighed softly in his heart. Although he knew that spirits did not need physical space, he still subconsciously moved half a step to the side to make more room for her.

After a long while, Lin Xiaolu wiped away non-existent tears with the back of her hand and asked in a muffled voice, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"What did you say?"

"For example... criticizing me for crying so ugly when I'm a ghost."

Looking at the myriad lights shining in the distant buildings, Jiang Yan said calmly, "I don't want to complain about you tonight."

Lin Xiaolu paused for a moment, then let out a soft "oh," and quietly floated beside him, watching with him the warm yellow light spots shining through the windows.

A moment later, she spoke again softly, "I never knew what Taeyeon unnie was saying before. It turns out she's been carrying so much inside."

Jiang Yan took out the citrus gummies he had just taken from the table from his pocket, put them in his mouth, and didn't say anything.

"And her... that future me, when she said she was going to give up her resources, I could feel that she wasn't acting, she really wanted to do it."

Jiang Yan glanced at her sideways. Lin Xiaolu lowered her eyelashes, her fingers unconsciously twisting a non-existent hem of her dress.

He suddenly realized that no matter what Lin Xiaolu said about hating her future self, they were ultimately the same soul and would empathize with each other's pain.

"you say……"

Lin Xiaolu looked up, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "If I had gone through all that, would I have ended up like her?"

Jiang Yan swallowed the candy and silently replied in his mind, "You won't."

"What?"

"Because you have me now."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaolu was completely stunned. Her cheeks flushed a very light pink at a visible speed, and even the tips of her translucent ears shimmered.

She opened her mouth to shout "ya," but the syllable got stuck in her throat and she couldn't utter it.

Jiang Yan casually looked away, put his hands back in his pockets, and stared at the dim streetlights downstairs, as if he hadn't said those earth-shattering words at all.

"cough."

Lin Xiaolu cleared her throat forcefully, turned her face to the side, and pretended to admire the scenery: "Next time you say something like that, could you at least give me a heads-up?"

"What language?"

"You... never mind, forget I said anything."

Just then, the balcony door was gently pulled open.

Lin Yoona leaned halfway out and saw Jiang Yan leaning against the railing. She tilted her head slightly and asked, "Are you hiding here in the cold wind?"

"It's not about hiding, it's about making room for the two nuns."

Jiang Yan turned around, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment to confirm that her emotions had completely stabilized before continuing to ask, "How is Taeyeon noona?"

"Much better." Lim Yoona came out, left the balcony door slightly ajar, and stood beside him in front of the railing. "She said you can come in, it's cold outside."

"Inside."

Jiang Yan responded and, as he walked inside, took out another gummy candy from his pocket and handed it to Lin Yoona: "Have one? To make up for the candy you cried out earlier."

Yoona looked down at the small orange candy ball that had appeared in her palm, then looked up at his retreating figure, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

She unwrapped the candy and put it in her mouth. The sweet and sour citrus flavor melted on her tongue, and the stone that had been pressing on her chest seemed to lighten a little.

In the living room, three cups of steaming barley tea have been placed back on the coffee table.

When Kim Tae-yeon saw Kang Yeon come in, she scratched her head apologetically: "Yeon, I'm so sorry, I made you laugh at me. It's my first time here, and I made you watch a crying scene."

Jiang Yan sat down on the single sofa and waved his hand: "Nunna, don't say that. It's a good thing to be able to cry. It's better than holding it in."

Kim Tae-yeon paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Tiffany told me last time that you're as clumsy with words as a block of wood, but you're actually quite good at talking."

"He's just selectively bad at talking."

Lim Yoona walked in and sat down next to Kim Tae-yeon, picked up her barley tea and took a sip. "When she should speak, she doesn't mince words; when she shouldn't, she pretends to be the most taciturn person in the world."

Jiang Yan pretended not to hear this, picked up his cup of tea, and took a sip.

Lin Xiaolu, who was standing nearby, muttered softly, "She's right, you're just a selectively silent person."

Jiang Yan silently replied in his mind: "Oh."

Lin Xiaolu was so angry that she patted his head with her empty hand.

"Alright, let's get down to business." Kim Tae-yeon clapped her hands, bringing the topic back on track.

"What Yoona just said—about the members' current situation, about contract renewals, and her decision to give up resources…"

She paused, her gaze lingering on Lin Yoona's face for a moment, then turned to Jiang Yan, "Xiao Yan, you heard everything too, what do you think?"

Jiang Yan didn't answer immediately. He quickly sorted through all the information from tonight in his mind before slowly saying, "Noona, I think Yoona is right, but not entirely right."

Yoona raised an eyebrow, and Taeyeon leaned forward slightly, listening attentively.

"That's right, Girls' Generation does need a reason to continue, not a contract, not profits, but something that makes everyone feel that staying is worthwhile."

He looked at Lim Yoona with a serious expression: "But what you're saying is wrong. This matter absolutely cannot be accomplished by your sacrifice alone."

"Nuna just said she would give up most of her personal resources. I don't object to that decision, but I feel there should be a better way."

"You can reduce your personal schedule and spend more time with the team, but there is no need to completely give up core resources. Your commercial value is the most important bargaining chip for Girls' Generation as a whole in negotiations with the company. If this bargaining chip is dispersed too much, the company will be more powerful at the negotiating table."

"in addition…"

He paused, his gaze sweeping between the two women. "After listening to so much from the two women, I feel that what the other members need is not just resources that are given to them by others. What they need is for the company to truly recognize their individual development directions and to provide them with tailor-made plans."

"And most importantly, there are only the two of you here today, but this matter ultimately requires a decision from all eight of you. My suggestion is that you two communicate first and form a unified framework of demands, and then we can discuss the rest later."

After listening, Kim Tae-yeon looked at Kang Yeon with deep emotion, "Yeon, you really don't seem like a younger man at all. A younger man shouldn't..."