"Are you envious?"

Kang Seulgi was taken aback and then a ridiculous expression suddenly appeared on her face.

"Hey, I’m quite popular too!"

Don’t think that Kang Seulgi is a bear who never gets angry; when she gets mad, she’s not afraid to shout "Ya" at Bae Juhyun!

Well... but that’s about the extent of it.

If it really came to being genuinely angry and falling out with Bae Juhyun, she’d still have to rely on Son Seungwan.

As for her... she’s not the kind of person to get angry to begin with.

"Then you should find someone too."

"I’m just too lazy to look, there’s no rush, after all, I’m only 27 this year."

With Kang Seulgi’s sarcastic remark, Bae Juhyun was the first to get defensive.

After all, the level of attack between the two wasn’t in the same league.

At most, she jokes about using her boyfriend to tease Kang Seulgi, but once Kang Seulgi finds a boyfriend, she can tease back just the same.

But age... she could never use age to ridicule Kang Seulgi for her whole life!

She can’t exactly age backwards either.

"Ya!"

Kang Seulgi let out a guilty laugh and then hurriedly changed the subject: "It’s rare for Liu Xin’an to visit, why don’t we go to that restaurant we usually go to?"

Near S-M, there’s a restaurant they really like. Since it’s rare for Liu Xin’an to come to watch their practice and even treat them all to coffee, considering Liu Xin’an used it as a supportive gesture for the staff, Kang Seulgi felt it was only right to return the favor.

If they were to treat him to a meal, they would surely use the group’s fund, yes, they do have something like a "group fund."

"A restaurant? What kind of restaurant?"

"A Chinese restaurant, uh... but it’s a localized one here, with dishes like black bean noodles and sweet and sour pork. Do you like that kind of food?"

Nowadays, Kang Seulgi knows very well what truly good Chinese food is, not to say that black bean noodles and sweet and sour pork aren’t tasty, but for Liu Xin’an, these likely don’t count as authentic Chinese cuisine.

It’s better to be a bit more precise.

Liu Xin’an isn’t picky; he nodded and looked at Bae Juhyun, who was reaching out to toy with her hair.

"I’m okay with it, but are you all fine eating those?"

"It’s okay to eat them once in a while, especially during our downtime... Why don’t you ask if Seungwan’s radio work is finished? If it is, bring her along too."

Kang Seulgi nodded and took out her phone, while Bae Juhyun turned to look at Liu Xin’an.

"How did you get here?"

"Me? I drove."

"Hmm... Seulgi and I also drove here. I’ll send you the address, you go ahead, and Seulgi and I will quickly head back to the company, and then we’ll come find you."

"Sure."

Without a second thought, Liu Xin’an agreed to this small request.

"Alright... I sent it to you, you go ahead first."

"Okay, drive safely."

"Nae~"

Bae Juhyun smiled and agreed, then she and Kang Seulgi both waved at Liu Xin’an.

Liu Xin’an exited the elevator and parked his car in the lot outside, while Bae Juhyun and Kang Seulgi took the more convenient underground parking.

Following the address sent by Bae Juhyun, Liu Xin’an drove to an inconspicuous little restaurant, pushed open the door, and asked the host for a private room.

What surprised him was that the host at the door actually recognized him.

"You’re Mr. Liu Xin’an, right?"

Liu Xin’an was momentarily stunned, nodded, and then realized.

Since it’s a little place Bae Juhyun and her friends frequently visit, it also proves they probably have the restaurant’s contact information.

The host’s following response confirmed this point.

"Irene already booked a private room in advance, please follow me."

"Oh, okay."

As he followed the host upstairs, Liu Xin’an couldn’t help but feel curious: "Do Irene and her friends come here often?"

"Well, as long as it’s a Chinese meal for S-M, we usually provide it, don’t worry, we won’t expose your visit here."

Clearly, the host misunderstood Liu Xin’an’s intent, but he didn’t plan to explain. High confidentiality is a good thing, after all, as he’s always said, stay low-key!

...though it seems like it’s not him who should be saying that, since the episode of "Knowing Bros" he recorded a while back is about to air.

He hasn’t seen the final edit yet, but judging by the atmosphere on the recording day, it’s bound not to turn out too poorly.

Since he was the only one there at the moment, Liu Xin’an didn’t rush to order food, instead, he took out his phone to check out the friend group’s chat.

Just the fact that he suddenly took the day off had everyone discussing actively all afternoon, and the consensus they came to was... he was with his girlfriend.

Is it fitting to say that his friends are as sharp as always for correctly guessing it?

Still, Liu Xin’an had no intention of admitting it.

As he was skimming through the chat history, the door to the private room suddenly opened, and a surprised "Oh?" made Liu Xin’an look up.

And upon seeing who it was, he himself was slightly surprised.

"Oh, Seungwan."

"Juhyun and the others aren’t here yet?"

The person was none other than Son Seungwan, who returned to the company after finishing her radio gig.

Bae Juhyun and Kang Seulgi wrapping up their choreography at this time wasn’t without reason; they timed it to coincide exactly with Son Seungwan finishing her work, which led to the scene of Seungwan arriving even before the other two.

"Not yet, they said they were going back to the company first."

"Hmm... I saw you treated everyone to coffee?"

"Yeah, did Juhyun tell you?"

"No, someone posted it on Instagram, and they guessed it was you."

Son Seungwan placed her phone on the table and casually answered Liu Xin’an while taking off her thick coat.