The Exclusive Bodyguard of the Top Idol - Chapter 27

During the recording session, Ren Jiao discreetly observed Ji Qingshi again and noticed that she kept glancing in their direction. Her gaze occasionally lingering on Tan Jiajia. It wasn’t exactly a glare, but there was something indescribable in her expression.

A bizarre thought suddenly popped into Ren Jiao’s mind: Could it be that Sister Ji likes Jiajia??

She immediately dismissed the absurd idea. Impossible. Sister Ji didn’t have that kind of inclination. She seemed more like the type who’d sleep with her gun for the rest of her life.

Ren Jiao’s thoughts shifted slightly as she recalled accidentally seeing Ji Qingshi’s phone screen last night, which had been open to a Weibo post related to the “Peerless JiaRen” ship. Could it be that Ji Qingshi had misunderstood her relationship with Jiajia?

After some consideration, this seemed the most plausible explanation.

Ren Jiao wanted to clarify, but reason told her it wasn’t necessary. Ji Qingshi hadn’t asked anything or indicated that she cared. Maybe she was just casually curious, what right did Ren Jiao have to proactively explain herself?

Suppressing the impulse, she pushed the matter aside and focused on composing.

By the time they finished work, it was already dinnertime. Javen offered to treat both of them to a meal, extending the invitation to Cen Shu and Ji Qingshi as well.

Cen Shu had no objections. It was a good thing that Javen was taking the initiative to bond with them. It meant more collaboration opportunities beyond this album. This was an incredible stroke of luck. As long as their partnership with Javen went smoothly, it would benefit the future transitions of all the girls in the group.

Age was a hurdle for idols, and transitioning careers was something everyone had to consider eventually. Though they were still young, planning ahead could only be advantageous.

Cen Shu hadn’t yet asked about their individual aspirations whether they wanted to pursue acting, continue as singers, or explore other paths. As their manager, she would help pave the way for each of them accordingly.

Seizing the opportunity, Cen Shu brought up the topic during dinner, eager to hear Ren Jiao and Tan Jiajia’s thoughts.

These two were the most musically talented in the group, both strong vocalists with songwriting skills. A future as singer-songwriters seemed well within their reach.

At the question about their future plans, Ren Jiao and Tan Jiajia both froze.

Noticing their expressions, Cen Shu chuckled. “What? Haven’t thought about it yet?”

That wasn’t entirely true. They had considered career transitions, but only in passing, it still felt too early to them.

Tan Jiajia spoke first. “It’s not that we haven’t thought about it. It just feels a bit premature.”

Javen shook his head and interjected, “Not at all! The earlier you plan for the future, the better. Goals are something you can never set too soon. You need to have a vision first, then work toward it. That process might take years, perfect timing!”

Cen Shu agreed. Seasoned adults always had plenty of advice to dispense to the younger generation.

Tan Jiajia scratched her head. “I’ve thought about becoming a musical theater actress.”

“Musical theater?” Everyone at the table except Ji Qingshi looked surprised.

“Yeah. I love singing, acting, and the stage. I think musical theater suits me best.”

Cen Shu recovered from her surprise and asked, “Musical theater? That’s quite a niche path. Have you…”

“The drama scene is quite niche domestically, with a small market. You should be mentally prepared. If you want to pursue this path, it’s going to be quite tough.”

Tan Jiajia laughed it off. “No worries. I think what matters most is passion. A career has to be exciting to last, right?”

Even Ji Qingshi glanced at her twice this time. The girl had a point. While making money might be the primary goal in any job, sustaining it as a long-term career requires genuine passion.

Ji Qingshi couldn’t help but think of her own past. Back then, she had joined the special police force just to escape her family and find a place to belong. But what had kept her going all this way was indeed her enduring love for the profession.

Tan Jiajia was still young and might have other aspirations in the future. But for now, her determination to stick with a career out of passion was commendable.

Ren Jiao stared thoughtfully at the tableware in front of her. Tan Jiajia nudged her with an elbow and asked, “I’ve shared my thoughts. What about you?”

Ren Jiao replied, “I’ll probably keep being a singer. I love singing and being on stage.”

Cen Shu glanced at her and joked, “Your fans are really pushing for you to act.”

After all, Ren Jiao had that kind of face. Stunningly beautiful and regal, flawless from every angle, even under the harshest camera scrutiny. It’d be a shame not to see her on screen.

Cen Shu thought so too. Even if Ren Jiao wasn’t professionally trained, her looks alone would guarantee her a place in acting.

Ren Jiao bit the tip of her chopsticks and shook her head vigorously. “No way! I’ve never studied acting, I’d get torn apart!”

Cen Shu gave her a disapproving look. “Since when do you care about criticism? I think you just don’t want to.”

Ren Jiao chuckled awkwardly. It was true. From their debut to their explosive fame, every member of S-Group had faced their share of backlash. Ren Jiao had not only been criticized but also smeared with malicious rumors. Her resilience wasn’t so weak that she’d fear transitioning into acting. She said it simply because she hadn’t considered it yet.

“Okay, fine, I’m not afraid of criticism, but it’s true I’ve never studied acting. I think it’s better to stick to what you’re good at… And honestly, I’ve never really thought about switching to acting.”

Lack of training could be remedied, but if she had no interest in the first place, that was another matter entirely.

Cen Shu didn’t press further. It had just been a casual remark, not something to seriously consider yet.

After dinner, Javen’s driver picked him up, while Cen Shu arranged company cars to take Ren Jiao and Tan Jiajia home.

On the way back, Tan Jiajia suddenly leaned in close to Ren Jiao. “We got photographed again.”

Ren Jiao shot her a look. “You make it sound like we were caught dating.”

Ji Qingshi, sitting beside her, discreetly perked up her ears and quietly pulled out her phone to check online.

“Ugh! The paparazzi snapped us having dinner with Javen! The way they’re framing it is shady probably trying to imply he’s taking advantage of us!” Tan Jiajia fumed.

Ren Jiao remained calmer. She skimmed the paparazzi’s caption and smirked without a word.

Cen Shu naturally noticed all this and said, “This shady character really knows how to manipulate the narrative. Clearly an experienced paparazzo. I’ll look into who he is later. It’s common knowledge in the industry that Teacher Javen isn’t interested in women, and this paparazzo obviously knows it too. That’s why he carefully crafted his post to imply that Teacher Javen took you two to meet some other big shot.”

“Sharp mind, but too bad it’s not used for good!”

Cen Shu first contacted Javen and briefed him on the situation.

As expected, Javen was furious and immediately wanted to find out who this paparazzo was, vowing to make sure he’d never work in the industry again.

“We plan to release photos from today’s recording session. Not only will it hype up the new album, but it’ll also clear things up right away,” Cen Shu shared his idea.

Javen agreed at once: “Fine, do what you need to do. As for this reckless fool, I’ll deal with him myself!”

Javen was notoriously unapproachable in the industry, with extensive connections. This paparazzo had kicked a steel plate while he might’ve gained some short-term clout, he was in for trouble later.

Cen Shu didn’t dwell on it and quickly got in touch with the company’s team to set the next steps in motion.

The paparazzo’s insinuations did stir up some haters and paid trolls to push the narrative, but it also gave the “Peerless Jia-Ren” shippers new material to obsess over. As fans, they had unwavering faith in their idols’ integrity and completely ignored the paparazzo’s implications. Their focus was solely on the fact that their favorite pairing had given them another sweet moment!

[Even having dinner with Teacher Javen together, joined at the hip like conjoined twins! Power couple energy is just unmatched!]

Seeing the fans’ comments, Tan Jiajia couldn’t help but laugh. “They’ll soon find out it wasn’t a ‘couple’s date’ but just us working!”

Ren Jiao glanced sideways at Ji Qingshi, who was staring at her phone with an unreadable expression.

“We’re not a ‘couple’ at all,” Ren Jiao deliberately said in front of Ji Qingshi, making a very “pointed” clarification.

She was a little nervous, unsure how Ji Qingshi would react. But she wasn’t disappointed. Ji Qingshi finally looked up, a flicker of something unreadable flashing in her eyes.

The look was gone in an instant, leaving Ren Jiao unable to decipher its meaning before it vanished entirely.

“Fans are something else, watching them ship us is kind of fun!” Tan Jiajia cheerfully browsed on her alt account. “If I didn’t know better, I’d believe their analysis posts too! ‘I love you, dear captain-jiejie, come give me a kiss!’”

She playfully leaned into Ren Jiao’s space.

Ren Jiao pushed her face away with one hand. “Hard pass! You’re not my type.”

“Tch.” Tan Jiajia flopped back. “Then what is your type?”

“Someone older than me.”

Ji Qingshi subtly clenched her fist.

“Huh?” Tan Jiajia’s eyes widened, immediately sitting up straight and leaning in again. “Wait, what does that mean? Is there something going on?”

Cen Shu also glanced over.

With nearly everyone in the car now looking at her, Ren Jiao choked slightly and shoved Tan Jiajia away. “Cut it out! What ‘something going on’? You asked my type, and I just said ‘older than me’ does that automatically mean there’s something?”

“No no no, we’ve known each other for five years since our trainee days and been teammates for three. I know you too well! If I’d asked you this kind of question before, you’d either call me boring or say nothing suits your taste! But today, you actually said ‘someone older than me’! Something’s off with you. Something’s seriously off!”

Ren Jiao felt a pang of guilt but kept her expression unreadable, gritting her teeth to avoid admitting anything. “Stop talking nonsense! I was just giving you a contrast! Didn’t we discuss our CP before? If you’re not my type, then my type must be someone older than me.”

Tan Jiajia: “…”

Damn it, that logic actually makes sense.

Ren Jiao’s explanation was flawless, and no amount of pressing from Tan Jiajia would crack it. Yet, her gut still told her something was off about Ren Jiao though she couldn’t figure out what. As teammates, they were practically inseparable. Aside from the few days off during New Year, it was impossible to imagine Ren Jiao meeting anyone.

Ji Qingshi straightened her posture before slumping back lazily like a carefree fish, though her gaze kept drifting unconsciously toward Ren Jiao. A peculiar feeling gnawed at her, urging her thoughts toward an uncontrollable direction.

Cen Shu lowered her eyes in contemplation, then stole another glance at Ji Qingshi, her expression thoughtful.