Pan saw the fire of resentment in Li Yuhao's heart flare up again as he spoke, and decided not to bring up the matter again. Since Li Yuhao had said to let it go, why should she bring it up again and trouble herself?
Seeing Li Yuhao eating with great enjoyment, Pan showed her first smile since coming to the company. "Li Yuhao, you haven't answered me yet. How did you know this fried rice was made by Taeyeon?"
"The taste. Taeyeon is the one who often cooks in your dorm, so she has a good grasp of the seasoning. Kimchi fried rice is tricky because kimchi is already salty. If you don't control the amount, it will either be bland or too salty. Although you often help with cutting vegetables, you never cook, so you're not as good at controlling the taste as Taeyeon."
"Although YoonA likes cooking, she just likes it, not excels at it. So when I tasted this, I knew it was definitely made by Taeyeon. If you had brought a sandwich, it would have been made by you. Your cooking skills are limited to simple Western breakfasts. I hope one day I can eat breakfast made by you. But I won't eat any cereal with milk."
Hearing Li Yuhao's last sentence with a hint of mockery about "cereal with milk," Pan complained, "What? Do you look down on me so much? I can fry eggs, make sandwiches, and even cook steak."
"Oh? You can cook steak? I'd like to try it sometime. But I plan to send your songs to your company soon, and you'll be busy. I've bet all my 'money' on you. If you don't get at least five consecutive wins, I'll come to your dorm every day to collect my 'debt' and eat for free."
When Li Yuhao mentioned the songs, Pan angrily said, "Who... who asked you to be so foolish? Talking about five consecutive wins, do you think it's that easy? Even the seniors like TVXQ only managed it twice, and BIGBANG, despite their popularity, only once. So far, only a few groups have achieved five consecutive wins."
"Ha ha, I have confidence in the songs I've created, and more importantly... I have confidence in you, 'Girls' Generation'! If you get nine consecutive wins, I'll treat you to the best Korean beef until you're sick of it."
"What? If we get nine consecutive wins, you'll earn a billion in song royalties. You'll only treat us to Korean beef? At the very least, we should have a shark fin banquet."
Hearing this, Li Yuhao was taken aback by the thought of YoonA and S Yuri, the food gods, and exclaimed, "Pfft~ You're too cruel. Shark fin? You want to bankrupt me? That stuff isn't just for filling your stomach." Li Yuhao then puffed out his chest, acting righteous, and said, "Besides, we should care for our planet and the environment. Refuse to buy shark fin. No buying, no killing."
Seeing Li Yuhao's expression, Pan couldn't help but laugh. "Ha ha... 'No buying, no killing.' You should go to the World Wildlife Fund and say that."
Li Yuhao shook his head and said seriously, "No time, I'm busy. Why don't you send them an email for me?" Pan laughed again at Li Yuhao's words, and Li Yuhao smiled and started eating quickly.
Li Yuhao finished the entire box of rice in a few minutes and drank a big gulp of water. "Full, not bad. Tell Taeyeon that I forgive her for her effort in making this fried rice. Let's go to the staff lounge and make two cups of coffee. I don't know how late I'll be working tonight."
Li Yuhao and Pan went to the staff lounge and made two cups of coffee. The staff in the lounge smiled strangely when they saw Li Yuhao and Girls' Generation's Pan, but no one interfered with Li Yuhao's private affairs. Li Yuhao's status in the company had risen, and even many team leaders would greet him first.
Li Yuhao gave a cup of coffee to Pan and then saw IU's manager. "Uncle, why are you here? Doesn't IU have any schedule?"
"No, she only has music shows, no other schedules or program invitations. So without any schedule, she comes back to the company to practice. Sigh~" Faced with IU's debut failure, her manager was helpless, blaming his bad luck. Unlike Li Yuhao's manager, who now walked with pride due to Li Yuhao's success.
"Ha ha, tell her not to lose heart. And encourage her to lose weight quickly, to the standard 45 kg for an idol. Then I'll consider writing a song for her." Hearing this, IU's manager beamed. "Okay, okay, I'll tell her right away."
Seeing IU's manager about to leave, Li Yuhao said, "By the way, Uncle, can you go to the instrument room and bring a guitar to my studio?"
Since the instrument room was on the same floor as the practice rooms, Li Yuhao asked him to bring it on his way down.
Seeing IU's manager nod, Li Yuhao and Pan left. As soon as they left the staff lounge, the female staff started gossiping. "Look, is Li Yuhao dating Girls' Generation's Tiffany?"
"I think it's very likely. The company has set up a strict security system around Li Yuhao's studio. No one can enter without Li Yuhao's or the CEO's permission, not even the department heads. It's a strict company order. Anyone caught loitering around Li Yuhao's studio will be fired without question. Tiffany is the first person from another company that Li Yuhao has brought to his studio. If they weren't close, he could have taken her to the practice room."
"Right, it's said that Li Yuhao's studio has many precious songs, though I don't know if it's true. But for an artist from another company to enter Li Yuhao's studio... it does prove that their relationship isn't simple."
...
Li Yuhao and Pan returned to the studio. Pan sipped her coffee and asked, "Why did you ask someone to bring you a guitar? Aren't you going to work soon?"
Li Yuhao smiled. "Secret! You'll know soon."
"Hmph... if you don't want to say, fine. By the way, who is Li Ji'en you mentioned?"
"Yes, she's a new artist. On her debut day, the company used my name to get her some news coverage, but unfortunately, she still failed. But she's only 16, so... Hey, why are you here, Li Ji'en?" Li Yuhao hadn't finished speaking when Li Ji'en appeared at the studio door with a guitar.
Before Li Yuhao could ask, Li Ji'en bowed deeply to Pan. "Tiffany senior, hello. I'm the new artist IU, Li Ji'en." Pan smiled at Li Ji'en. "Hello."
After greeting Pan, Li Ji'en replied to Li Yuhao. "Li Yuhao oppa, I came to bring you the guitar."
Li Yuhao smiled and teased IU's manager. "Your manager is really lazy. I asked him to bring it, but he sent you instead."
"No, I came on my own." Li Ji'en shook her head and quickly defended her manager.
Li Yuhao smiled at Li Ji'en. "Alright, I understand. Consider this a part of your weight loss plan. Go practice, but don't stay too late. Get some rest."
"Okay. Li Yuhao oppa, are you really going to write a song for me?" Before leaving, Li Ji'en mustered the courage to ask her question.
"Yes, but only if you get your weight down to 45 kg. I know you're currently 54 kg. Alright, exercise more every day, and remember to lose weight healthily. Don't starve yourself; you're still growing. Alright, go."
Hearing this, Li Ji'en smiled. "Ha ha, I understand. Thank you, Li Yuhao oppa. I'll go now."
After Li Ji'en left, Li Yuhao got up and closed the studio door. The soundproofing in Li Yuhao's studio was excellent. No one would know what happened inside. Of course, there were cameras, but they were only aimed at the door, not at Li Yuhao's work area.
Seeing Li Yuhao close the door, Pan was a bit nervous, but when she saw him pick up the guitar, she knew he might be about to perform an unreleased song. Pan guessed that Li Yuhao might be performing a song for Girls' Generation.
Li Yuhao sat down, strummed the guitar to test the sound, and then said to Pan, "Pan, you've always been jealous about me writing songs for Taeyeon, right? Actually, I've written one for you too..."