peninsula asteroid.

Chapter 1370 Let’s Go Back

"...It won't be a delay."

Hearing the stubbornness hidden in Sana Minatozaki's noticeably hoarse voice, Chi Jingyuan glanced at her face, which was mostly covered by a mask, and said nothing more.

"..."

He had only nodded slightly and taken a few steps when Chi Jingyuan turned back, as if remembering something: "And this voice, are you sure..."

With Minatozaki Sana's voice so hoarse, even speaking is difficult for her, let alone singing live.

"If I haven't recovered by the time of the performance, I might have to turn up the backing tracks during the live performance."

JYP's manager immediately understood what Ji Kyung-won meant, and leaned over slightly, saying the solution he had already thought of: "Or, for the sake of the performance, we could consider not using microphones at all."

"..."

Hearing his words, Chi Jingyuan glanced at Minatozaki Sana again. She just lowered her head and didn't say anything, seemingly having no objection.

Chi Kyung-won didn't have any thoughts on this suggestion, because to be honest, although Sana Minatozaki sang well during that cover and in private practice, it was different when she was actually on stage. Her singing skills and live performance level were still a bit lacking, and she couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't make mistakes when she went live.

If a live performance goes wrong, it's a disaster. So they have to use backing tracks during their performances. It's just a matter of how much. Ji Kyung-won himself uses backing tracks... It's not a big deal if they don't use a microphone. On a stage like MAMA, not many people use microphones.

"Okay, then that's settled."

Chi Jingyuan nodded slightly and didn't say anything more: "Then let's get started quickly."

He walked over and said a few words to the dance teacher before preparing to begin. But as he passed the sofa, he casually grabbed the air conditioner remote that was lying on it, tapped it a few times to turn the heat up a bit, and then tossed the remote back.

Seeing Chi Jingyuan's actions and hearing the 'beep' of the air conditioner, Minatozaki Sana paused for a second, turned her head to look at Chi Jingyuan, then walked to the side, unzipped her jacket, and took off the oversized down jacket she was wearing and put it aside.

However, he didn't take off his mask, probably because he wasn't feeling well and didn't want to spread his cold to others.

Chi Jingyuan looked at Minatozaki Sana who had walked to the side. She was wearing a simple dark gray sweatshirt underneath. After taking off her oversized down jacket, she seemed to look thinner and smaller in comparison.

The fruity scent that lingered on her body during their previous practice sessions, which had left a lasting impression on him, seemed to have faded considerably today.

One was sick and in poor condition, and the other... had something on her mind, so Chi Jingyuan and Minatozaki Sana didn't talk much. Soon, the dance teacher played the accompaniment, and the two got into the zone and started practicing.

"Fireworks come into view."

Summer is definitely not over yet.

The practice room floor was covered with colored tape marking the coordinates of the stage positions. Blue indicated the opening position, pink indicated the turning point of the chorus, and yellow indicated the position for the ending harmonies.

Accompanied by music, the two rehearsed all the procedures on stage from beginning to end, from adjusting the distance when moving, controlling the camera, and even the rhythm of eye contact.

Although it had been more than half a month since the last joint rehearsal, there was still an indescribable tacit understanding during this rehearsal. Moreover, Sana Minatozaki was really skilled. Whether it was the positioning or the interaction, she knew all the stage procedures that had been agreed upon before. This was something that could not be achieved in just two days of practice. It was obvious that she had practiced privately after returning home.

...Perhaps the practice time has been quite long.

But after only two or three rehearsals, Chi Jingyuan hadn't even warmed up properly when he turned his head and glanced around and noticed that Minatozaki Sana was slowly sweating. There were obvious sweat stains on her forehead, and even a few strands of hair were stuck to her forehead.

The slight sweat and the occasional slowing of her movements made Sana Minatozaki look even weaker, as if her 'recovered a lot' body wasn't really supporting this level of stage practice.

However, she didn't say anything. Apart from occasionally being in a daze, she remained very focused and attentive, earnestly rehearsing the stage procedures with Chi Jingyuan.

"Oppa, would it be better if we added a moment of eye contact during this part?"

"And this area, should we add some more interaction? I think..."

She even occasionally discussed performance-related issues with Ji Kyung-won, as if she had come up with a lot of ideas after going back.

When Sana Minatozaki, wearing a mask, walked up to Ji Jingyuan, but then seemed to remember something and took a step back, offering some suggestions while maintaining a distance, Ji Jingyuan looked at her eyes, which were much brighter than before, beneath her sweat-drenched forehead, and clearly noticed that her breathing had become very heavy.

"It's better, but I also think the stage design for this part is a bit boring."

Chi Jingyuan shifted his gaze upwards, pondered Minatozaki Sana's suggestion for a moment, and nodded in agreement: "As for interaction, what do you think would be better?"

"Get a little closer, and then... what do you say?"

"Okay, let's give it a try."

"Then let's give it a try this time!"

As if she was happy that Chi Jingyuan agreed with her idea, she responded in a hoarse but energetic voice, and when Minatozaki Sana returned to her place, her steps seemed a little lighter.

She had only taken a couple of steps when she suddenly felt dizzy, her steps faltered, and she swayed back and forth, looking as if she was about to collapse.

Chi Jingyuan, whose gaze hadn't left his eyes, noticed immediately and stepped forward to support Minatozaki Sana's arm.

"..."

Once she had calmed down, Minatozaki Sana gently shook her head, turned to look at Chi Jingyuan, her gaze lingering on his face. After a slight pause, she bowed and thanked him, "Th-cough, cough, thank you, Oppa."

He gave a brief thank you and coughed a few times.

This is what it feels like to have a fever and feel physically exhausted. Sometimes you feel weak and your head suddenly feels dizzy. She was like that occasionally when she was practicing, so Sana Minato didn't think anything of it... or rather, even though she felt very dizzy and uncomfortable, she kept going.

Just as Sana Minatozaki was about to return to her starting position to continue practicing, Kei-Yuan Chi suddenly spoke up: "Never mind."

Before anyone else could react, he looked at the dance teacher not far away and waved his hand, saying, "I'm a little tired, let's take a break."

Although they had only been practicing for less than half an hour, since Ji Kyung-won had said so, the dance instructors and assistants from SM Entertainment naturally didn't say anything. They simply gave an OK sign and immediately went into break time.

When Sana Minato heard this, she was stunned for a moment. She looked at Ji Jingyuan, who had stopped practicing and walked straight to the sofa to sit down. She gently bit her lower lip under her mask and sat down on the side.

JYP's manager was momentarily stunned, but after glancing at Ji Kyung-won's expression, he didn't dare say anything.

Just a minute ago, the background music of "Uchiage Hanabi" was still echoing in the practice room, but now it suddenly fell silent. Several assistants and dance teachers were sitting on the wall of the practice room, whispering to JYP's manager. Ji Kyung-won was sitting alone on the sofa on the right, scrolling through his phone, while Minatozaki Sana was sitting on the stool on the left. The atmosphere suddenly became a little strange.

"Hush-huh-"

"Blow..."

In the silence, Chi Jingyuan, who had been lost in thought, was suddenly startled awake by a somewhat jarring sound. Looking in that direction, he saw Minatozaki Sana with her back to him, hunched over and head bowed.

Blowing my nose...

Chi Jingyuan remembered glancing over there when he first sat down. At that time, Minatozaki Sana was sitting sideways to his side, but now she had deliberately turned her back to him.

She deliberately turned her back, clearly not wanting anyone to see her like this... so Chi Jingyuan glanced at her and then looked away, continuing to look down at his phone.

Once you catch a cold, you can't control it. The sound of wiping your nose keeps coming, every now and then. Although the sound isn't loud, it's very noticeable to Chi Jingyuan.

Hearing the voices around him, Chi Jingyuan unconsciously frowned, feeling a sense of irritation for some reason.

"Blow..."

When he heard the sound again, he suddenly stood up and walked towards Sana Minatozaki.

Turning her head at the sound of footsteps, Sana Minato saw Ji Jingyuan walking nearby out of the corner of her eye. She hurriedly tidied herself up and then quickly pulled her mask down to cover her face again.

Then she looked up at Ji Jingyuan, who was sitting to the side, and asked with a slight hint of doubt, "Oppa... what's wrong?"

Whether it was because she wasn't feeling well or because her manager was nearby, her tone was quite normal, exactly the same as when she was practicing. It was different from the somewhat affected and provocative words she used when she was alone with Chi Jingyuan last time.

But Chi Jingyuan's gaze swept over Minatozaki Sana from head to toe before locking onto her face. Under her somewhat evasive gaze, he asked softly, "Why aren't you saying anything this time?"

"Ok?"

Sana Minato was caught off guard by Keigen Chi's sudden question.

You look uncomfortable.

Their eyes met unexpectedly. Chi Jingyuan pursed his lips slightly, his tone calm but his words hitting the nail on the head: "Last time you hurt your foot, didn't you say you used my name to avoid dance practice at the company? Now that you're sick, you should be able to get some leave if you continue like that, right? Why didn't you say that this time?"

"..."

Hearing Chi Jingyuan's calm words, Minatozaki Sana finally understood what he meant and realized that her previous and subsequent actions seemed somewhat contradictory.

Yes, if she's that kind of woman, how could she not fight for the benefits she sees?
Sana clenched her fist awkwardly, and suddenly she didn't know what to say. She just felt dizzy and her throat was dry.

"I just... don't want to miss this performance and practice."

She avoided eye contact slightly, offering a seemingly reasonable explanation.

"so……"

But Chi Jingyuan immediately spotted the flaw: "You just got sick today?"

If someone just got sick today and didn't want to delay treatment, that would be understandable. But judging from the agent's words, it's clear that they've been sick for a while, so this explanation doesn't make sense at all.

"Does Oppa really have to ask that?"

But when he asked her question repeatedly, Sana Minatozaki rebelled. Her eyes, which had just been looking away, met Chi Jingyuan's gaze again. Her eyebrows and expression returned to their previous state, only her hoarse voice sounded somewhat out of place.

"It's just that I already said it once in Oppa's name last time, and it doesn't feel right to say it again... Even if it is me, I would have to be careful."

She tilted her head back, looked at Chi Jingyuan, her eyes crinkling as if she were laughing, and her voice did indeed carry a hint of laughter, yet it sounded provocative and strangely awkward: "I also really want to go back and rest... Why don't you go and talk to my manager for me, Oppa?"

Although she put on such an expression, Sana Minatozaki's heart was heavy.

She only said that on purpose to annoy him; she knew he... wouldn't care what she did.

But as soon as she finished speaking, the smile on Sana Minato's face froze instantly.

Because she saw that after hearing her words, Ji Kyung-won beckoned to JYP's manager without even thinking.

"Europe……"

Finding that things weren't quite what she expected, Minatozaki Sana immediately tried to speak up to stop him, but Ji Jingyuan ignored her. He looked at the man pointing at him, seemingly to confirm if he was calling his JYP manager, and nodded again to signal him to come over.

While Sana was feeling a little dizzy, her manager quickly walked over, smiling, and asked curiously, "Keiyuan-ssi, I noticed you weren't talking to our Sana about stage performances... Is something the matter?"

Chi Jingyuan nodded very slightly to him, then gestured with his lip to Minatozaki Sana beside him: "Are you sure... there's no problem? I felt like she was about to lose her balance when she was moving around just now."

"Don't worry, Jingyuan-xi..."

Upon hearing this, the manager quickly smiled and confidently assured him, "It absolutely won't interfere with practice or the stage performance, and it's already almost fully recovered..."

The agent's explanation was exactly the same as when they first met, but Ji Kyung-won's reaction was different.

"How can I not be at ease? Didn't you hear me? I just saw her struggling to even stand. How can she practice like this?"

But the smile from his manager was met with a sudden, harsher tone. Chi Jingyuan interrupted him abruptly, his previous gentleness gone, replaced by obvious displeasure: "Won't it interfere? Practice won't be interfered with? What about your health?"

"Uh……"

JYP's manager was taken aback by Ji Kyung-won's blunt words and tone, unsure of what he had done to anger the man. He opened his mouth but remained silent.

Meanwhile, Sana Minatozaki, who was being discussed by the two, was a little confused by this sudden change. She didn't expect that Chi Jingyuan would actually call his manager over and question her fiercely, as if he was really speaking up for her.

Even though she was the one who provoked him by saying those words, now that he has actually done it, Sana Minatozaki doesn't feel happy or smug at all...

However, they seemed somewhat at a loss.

"How can she practice when she can't even stand up straight? I'm starting to doubt whether she'll even be able to perform on stage the day after tomorrow."

Ji Kyung-won looked at JYP's manager without any politeness, and became even more aggressive: "If you're not feeling well and are sick, then take the time to recover. Who are you trying to fool by bringing you here looking like this? From what you're saying, it sounds like you've been sick for several days. Has JYP reached the point where you can't afford to let your artists see a doctor?"

"You guys clearly know there's going to be a collaboration stage soon, are you just not taking it seriously at all?"

A barrage of questions left JYP's manager speechless. He stood there with his hands clasped together and his head bowed, as if being lectured by a company executive, not daring to utter a single word of rebuttal.

"There's no need to continue practicing in this state, and... actually, I've already practiced very well, so there's no need to practice anymore."

Chi Jingyuan stood up, stopped cursing, waved his hand impatiently, and turned to leave.
"Now, go back and recuperate. Don't schedule any work for yourself. Get some rest... I don't want to be like this when I perform the day after tomorrow."