"Shanghai Love" ♥

上海爱

    Username: izzie_inlove

Name: Isabel (but I prefer Izzie, if you don't mind ^^) 

Level of activeness: 7.5~8 on the week | 9 on weekends

Character: Xi-Gua | Scarred Introvert

»I love you 我爱你

Name: Fang Mei Ling

Nicknames: Lili 

Ethnicity: Half Chinese, half Filipino 

Languages: English (fluent) | Chinese (fluent) | Tagalog (conversional)

Age: 20 years old

Birthday: June 9th, 1992

Birthplace: Caloocan, Philippines

Hometown: Quezon City, Philippines 

Background: With her simple but happy childhood memories from Caloocan, at the age of 14 her parents decide to move to Quezon City in order to branch out the father's business. From a simple but fairly happy life with a loving mother and a funny yet over-protective dad, she meets the Big City life. She will meet many enemies along her way in Middle and High School, but will survive through any hardships thanks to her two friends Jia and Lim, who make life in the big city worthwhile. 

As to her father, after becoming almost immediately succesful, power gets to his head and he starts cheating on her mother. At first, it's very subtle (so much, that Mei Ling doesn't notice, despite being overly analytic and having quite an eye for details), but as the years progress, her father starts being more and more blatant about his affairs. She's forced to see her mother succumb to depression and, later on, suicide, which changes Mei Ling completely; even worse, when she sees her big brother side with his father, she vows to never, ever let a man into her life, let alone her heart.

She moves out shortly after her mother's funeral, not being able to take all the jokes and insults from the two men she loved the most. Being granted many scholarships for her outstanding curriculum, MeiLing attends university while having a part-time job to meet the months' end. She keeps in touch with her aunt from her mother's side, and although unable to visit her often, they become close. Her aunt becomes a pillar for MeiLing, and she hopes to be able to live in China after graduating to be able to visit her more often. 

Occupation: University student majoring in System Security Engineering, part-time job at an Internet Cafe (working in Maintenance of the Internet systems, as well as the cash register) 

Why Shanghai: Having been on the top of the class last semester, she was offered many interships across Southeast Asia. Since she happens to have family from her mother's side in Beijing, she chose the only internship available to her in China, which happened to be Shanghai. 

»You’re beautiful 你真美

Ulzzang name: Baek Su Min (aka, Yuko)

Ulzzang Picture links: ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ 

Back up Ulzzang Name: Ryn

Back Up Ulzzang Pictures: ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ | ♥ 

Height/ Weight: 162cm / 61kg 

Appearance: Has a star tattoo behind her ear.  

Style: 

» Casual: Neutral colors are best, and comfiness is a must, but MeiLing likes to occasionally done on cute outfits. 

» Formal: Neutrals and dark colors are a girls best friend, and this is no exception for MeiLing. She likes demure outfits the most. 

» Sleepwear: Simple pijamas are MeiLing's thing, although during the summer she'll done on sleeping in nighties. 

» Swim-wear: Although the most comfortable for her is a one-piece swimsuit, her best friends get rid of all of them. She's often forced to wear two-pieces bikinis, but she puts her foot down and wears something to cover it (similar to a scarf, its name escapes me). 

 » Shanghai Lover 上海爱人

  Personality: MeiLing used to be a pretty carefree and optimistic child, but grew up to be the complete opposite. 

Nowadays, MeiLing comes off as aloof and cold to the untrained eye. She easily focuses on studies and work, and doesn't let shallow things like good looking guys or cutesy animals distract her. She's very to-the-point, and never seen beating around the bush: if she's got something to say or ask, she'll be pretty straight-forward. She doesn't like mingling or talking to strangers; she's pretty closed to having new experiences, whichever the area, excepting studies and work. 

She only opens up and has fun with her two friends, who often take her out and try to get her to meet new people, although they fail  miserably. They're very supportive of MeiLing however, and don't push her too much knowing her past. They're very protective of her, because they know deep down MeiLing's pretty fragile and easy to break. 

Although her past is rough, it's made her tough on the outside: harsh words don't hurt her as much. Since she's used to the cold, unmerciful world, she easily gets flustered from her friend's compliments. However, normal flirting from the rare bold guy won't get her to blush or stammer: to get to her, you've got to get under her skin, past the gates that guard her heart like a maximum security prison. However, once you gain her trust, it's hard to break it. 

  Optimist/Pessimist/Realist: Realist bordering on Pessimist.

  Likes: 

• ​Hot beverages;
• Sweaters;
• Gadgets and electronics;
• Bunnies.

  Dislikes: 

• Men in general;
• Sushi and trying unfamiliar dishes;
• Aegyo;
• Insects.

  Habits: 

• Having everything clean/organized (bordering on OCD);
• Hides her mother's photo under her pillow and talks to it every night before going to sleep. 

  Hobbies/Talents: 

• Putting together puzzles;
• Cooking and baking.

  Trivia: It irks her when people crack their knuckles, or any joints for that matter (it makes her uncomfortable); 

» The Read Thread 呢个红线

Love Interest: LuHan || 21 years old || University Student in Languages 

Back-up Love Interest: Lay || 21 years old || University Student majoring in Litterature & Education

Scene Suggestion: One where, for one reason or another, LuHan finds her mother's picture under her pillow and confronts her about it.  

   » Our Family 我们的家

Family (max 4): 

Fang AiLing || 45 || Deceased || Mother || Loved her very much, was her idol and now her Guardian Angel in Heaven

Martin De La Cruz || 47 || Alive || Father || Hated by MeiLing, and she's not about to forgive him; doesn't want to ever hear of him again

Michael De La Cruz || 24 || Alive || Brother || Given that he sided with his Father, he's also in MeiLing's black list; used to be the one person that protected her and made her feel like a princess when she was younger

Fang Min || 42 || Alive || Aunt from Mother's side || Is the one pillar left in MeiLing's life; they have a much closer relationship ever since MeiLing's mother died

Friends (max 3): 

Jia || 20 years old || High School best friend

Lim || 20 years old || Middle & High School best friend

Anything else: Her Aunt often looks out for her relationships, and says that MeiLing reminds her a lot of her deceased sister. 

» We’re almost done 我们好了

Comments/ Questions: Hmmm.. Frankly, I'm curious: does this story have to do at all with the red string of fate ?

 Password: Shanghai Love

Scene suggestions: None at the moment^^