Chapter 6: He Zhiyuan (Part 2) (Second Update Seeking Recommendations)

  Thanks to Cang Longxiangkong for the update vote! Thanks to Song Bing Shu for the evaluation vote!

  It's been so long since I last called, and now it's too late, sorry!

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  A hoarse singing voice faintly came from outside, the glass wall of the private room couldn't block the colorful lights of the rotating lamp, the beam of light flickered, downstairs were people dancing quietly in twos and threes, occasionally with faint low laughter.

  As time went by, there were more people downstairs, still with tattooed young people, but no one was noisy here, and it was rare to see the role of a little nymphomaniac, the overall tone of the bar was thus quite tasteful, almost making Hee-jin think she was in some kind of club.

  She took another sip of the liquor, and she had also forgotten how many cups she had drunk. Her eyes were already slightly blurred, her cheeks had a faint red glow, and a kind of charm called seduction began to emerge.

  She leaned lazily on the sofa, one hand propping up her chin and the other playing with an empty cup. Her gaze returned from the dance floor downstairs to Ahn Jun-hee, who hadn't spoken much, and smiled: "Is this bar yours?"

  "A friend of mine, I just occasionally come over."

  Believe it when I see it!

  Ha Ji-won raised an eyebrow, she wasn't blind after all. Looking at the young man who had just brought in the wine with a respectful attitude, she knew that the guys downstairs who seemed to be gangsters were not shallowly related to Ahn Jun-hee.

  But An Junhe didn't want to say, and she wouldn't ask more. Even close family members have their own secrets and privacies, let alone the two of them whose relationship wasn't that close. They could sit together drinking like this only because of Su Zhihao's relationship.

  As soon as she thought of Su Zhihui, her eyebrows furrowed and the relaxed mood was shrouded in gloom again.

  He silently watched her down another large mouthful of whiskey, then took the bottle from her and cautioned, "Don't drink too fast..."

  Ha Ji-won ignored him, downed the remaining liquor in her cup and lay on the table, twirling the cup to watch it spin in a daze of colors, reflecting shards of light. At one point, she suddenly spoke up: "Jun-hee, have you ever been in love?"

  An Junhe raised his cup and nodded: "I guess we've talked about it!"

  "Huh, what's the point of that..." She shook her head and asked again: "Then, have you ever experienced loving someone, and they love you too, but they're always unwilling to admit it due to various concerns?"

  Her voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of confusion, and it seemed more like she was asking herself than Ahn Jun-hee.

  But An Junhe hesitated for a moment and still replied: "Yes!"

  "Huh?" Heo Jiwon tilted her head in puzzlement, "Really? From what you said earlier, I thought you didn't have much emotional experience!"

  "Hehe, youth doesn't represent shallowness."

  "Hmm, let's hear it!"

  She seems very interested.

  An Junhe took a sip of the ice-cold whiskey, not speaking for a moment before smiling wryly: "It's a very dull story, there aren't many ups and downs. I just fell in love with a girl, she also likes me, but our distance is too far apart. She's afraid that this relationship will end as soon as it begins, so..."

  He shrugged his shoulders.

  "Hmph, just because of that?" Hee-jin scoffed, rolling her eyes. "If they truly liked each other, distance wouldn't be an obstacle!"

  An Junhe smiled wryly, "Only in romance novels can you find such deep emotions. In reality... ha! Distance usually doesn't give birth to beauty. Moreover, she and I are too far apart, in every aspect, we're not even on the same level, it's as if the air we breathe is different. If we were really in love, got married, one of us would have to make concessions to the other, just this point alone is enough to kill a relationship."

  After hearing his words, Ha Ji-won fell silent.

  The so-called distance is not only geographical but also includes identity, which is similar to her experience, and the final result is also the same.

  Thinking of this, she felt a bit resentful. "What's wrong with compromise? Can't that be used as an excuse for not accepting emotions?"

  "A short-term separation is fine, but if it's too long, it won't work. Emotions aren't a one-person thing, they need to be nurtured by both parties. If only one person is putting in the effort, how long can it last? After all, people aren't machines that can stay stuck in one mode forever."

  He smiled and said that his emotional experience may not be rich, even the so-called tragic love above was a story he made up on the spot after hearing her question, but sufficient life experience has allowed him to compile and analyze from a human perspective, even if it's just an armchair strategy, the principle is not false.

  In his opinion, Ha Ji-won must also understand this point, but she is unwilling to admit it.

  As expected, Hae Won didn't say another word and just spaced out, lost in thought. He also remained quiet, not disturbing her.

  Time flew by quickly, the fully enclosed bar couldn't see the change in daylight, only the clock's hands ticking away, clearly calculating its footsteps. As time passed, more and more people gathered below, at a certain moment the music suddenly became loud, the two people who were immersed in their thoughts just realized it was already evening, and the bar was about to officially start business.

  "It's going by so fast..." Heo Ji-won said, covering her slightly painful forehead. The aftertaste of the whiskey was long and lingering, and it wasn't until now that the effects of the alcohol were slowly spreading out. However, she had a good tolerance for liquor, and although her eyes still held a hazy, drunken glaze, her mind was surprisingly clear.

  "Yes, it's getting late, I'll send you back!"

  This time she didn't object again, silently got up and followed An Junhe out of the bar, where Cha Won-jae was already waiting outside.

  As she sat in the car, she leaned against the window and gazed out at the buildings, pedestrians, and various lights whizzing by, their distorted shadows shifting and morphing into faces filled with uncertainty, also flickering between light and dark, appearing unpredictable. Then suddenly she asked softly: "Junhe, is it really impossible for me and him?"

  An Junhe shook his head: "I don't know!"

  Hae Soo was taken aback and then shot him a reproachful glance, "Hey, why be so honest? Can't you just lie to me and say something nice for once?"

  Perhaps it was a subtle revelation of her emotional secret, even if only for an afternoon, she seemed to be affectionate towards him, and at this time, she spoke naturally without much reserve, lightly lifting her foot to kick him: "You're really a despicable guy!"

  "What if you really believed what I said? What if... just in case, you and Zhi Xiong weren't together, would you still not kill me?" He smiled innocently, which made her so angry that she kicked him two more times, laughing and scolding: "I'll kill you right now!"

  The atmosphere, which had been dull and oppressive, was suddenly swept away.

  Ha Ji-won currently lives alone in Cheongdam-dong, and with her current popularity and income, she certainly has the confidence to settle down here. As night falls, a black Kia stops in front of a small villa, Ahn Joon-young tries to get out of the car, but is stopped by her.

  Facing his subtle doubts, Ha Ji-won raised her chin and nodded towards a small path not far from here that was not illuminated by the streetlights: "There's my private fan nearby. If they take pictures of you and me together, you're dead!"

  As soon as she finished speaking, there were a few flashes of light over there. She let out a sigh and had an "I told you so" look on her face.

  "Every day, I have to waste a lot of time getting rid of them when I go out, it's so annoying!" She said with a sullen tone, as she got off the car, the flashing lights on the other side flashed even faster, and the sound of continuous camera shutter clicks could be vaguely heard.

  An Junhe smiled, "Alright, I won't send you in then. In the future, if you want to drink or find a place to gather with friends from the circle, you can go to that little monkey place I took you to today. You saw it too, it's very safe."

  "Alright!" Hae Lin replied briskly, "I'll take care of your business... and another thing, stop calling me 'senior', just call me Hae Lin sister or Hae Lin, I've told you several times already, can't you remember?"

  An Junhe didn't correct who was in charge of the bar again, nodded and watched Heo Jiyoon open the door and go in, then instructed Wonseong to drive.

  The car had just started, and Hye-yoon, who had already entered the gate, turned back and called out: "Hey, in a few days it's Mid-Autumn Festival, I'm telling you ahead of time, 'Happy Mid-Autumn'!"

  "Mid-Autumn?" He was slightly stunned, the car had already driven away from the villa, so he could only take out his phone and send her a blessing text message.

  "Yuancheng, is it almost Mid-Autumn Festival already?"

  "Yes, brother, it's on the 28th!"

  "So fast..."

  In the past half year, I have experienced many things, whether in reality or in dreams. My previous life has been completely overturned. When I recall it now, each event is vividly before my eyes, as if it happened just yesterday. It wasn't until now that I suddenly realized how far time had gone. This isn't because of a delay in cognition, but rather because every day was spent going through the motions, repeating the same process, making it seem like every day was the same. When encountering a clear holiday, the difference between them is suddenly revealed, and the feeling of fleeting time instantly fills my heart.

  After being dazed for a while, he said to Yuan Cheng: "I'll give you a holiday on Mid-Autumn Festival day, go home and accompany your aunt."

  "Got it......" Yuan Cheng responded, then said: "Brother, you should spend more time with Zhi Xiu too. Although there are those few girls who accompany her every day when you're not around, she's still very unhappy."

  "Hmm!"

  It's time to spend more time with Ji Hye, Mid-Autumn Festival is extremely important for Koreans, similar to Chinese New Year and Christmas in the West, so the crew should also be on holiday that day.

  An Junhe thought silently, where should he take Zhi Xiu to play that day, or just stay at home? He had been thinking for a whole night and was still undecided.

  The next day he went to report to the crew and was still thinking about this matter, but soon after that he didn't have the leisure to think about it anymore.

  In the afternoon, he rushed back to the temporary office from the outdoor location. The director called him to the office separated by iron wire mesh and a newspaper was spread out in front of him. "Is this you?"

  An Junhe took a look and it was an entertainment tabloid, with the big headline written in the exaggerated style of gossip tradition: "Han Chae-young's boyfriend surfaces"

  Here is a relatively clear photo, Ha Ji-won standing in front of a black Kia, the background is her villa, you can clearly see her smiling and chatting with someone in the car.

  Haha!

  An Junhe couldn't help but laugh, this should be the photo taken by a paparazzi last night at a private dinner, uploaded online and used by gossip journalists to attract attention. Although it was a bit unexpected, he wasn't worried, after all, he didn't show his face, and the photo only captured his car. This kind of gossip that doesn't reveal the identity of the protagonist is pointless, even if it's sensationalized, not many people will be interested.

  Director Li Henmin must have known it was him, probably also saw him using this car today.

  "Ah, it's me!" An Junhe nodded his head. He knew the director's intention in finding him, so he said: "I won't be using that car for a while now. This small scandal will pass quickly."

  "Alas!"

  Li Hengmin let out a sigh, and his face suddenly revealed a look of sorrow, which made An Junhe's heart sink.

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