One week later

Ruolan smiled and waved at her fans as she pulled her suitcase along the airport hall on the way to her flight to China. She paused briefly to sign a few autographs, and smiled as she noticed that the amount of supportive signs had increased since the dating scandal had broken out.

Good, this means less negative attention will be focused on my members.

A gentle arm wrapped around her waist, and Ruolan turned to see Yixing standing next to her, smiling at the fans.

“You seem to be in a good mood today.” He murmured. Ruolan grinned and patted his hand for effect.

“That’s because you’re going to be with me in China again.” She replied smoothly, lacing her fingers through his. For a moment, she was surprised at how easily the words slipped out of . Was it because of what had happened last week? Yixing looked slightly surprised at her words as well, but smiled and tightened his grip around her hand.

“I’m always happy to be with you.” He returned smoothly, “Now, let us get onto our plane before we’re late.” Yixing leaned his head down towards Ruolan’s ear as they walked away.

“Your acting has gotten better.” He murmured in her ear. Their close proximity sent a slight shiver down Ruolan’s back, but she lifted her chin and kept a placid smile on her face.

“So has yours.” She replied, “All those Mainland dramas must have paid off.” Yixing smirked.

“I expect it to get even better.” He responded, “After all, I have a whole year to practice.” Ruolan stared at him incredulously as he let go of her arm and walked off to check something with his manager.

What a shameless man!

____________________________________________________________________________

Shanghai, China, Yixing

Yixing tugged at the dark blue band wrapped around his waist and examined himself in the mirror carefully. It had been some time since he had last worn ancient style clothing, but he always liked how the cloth fitted loosely around most of his body, allowing for a wider range of movement than some of the stage outfits he often wore. He and Ruolan had been picked to star in a popular Chinese artist’s new music video, and the storyline revolved around a princess and the man who became her bodyguard after she saved him in the wilderness. He heard the soft pad of slippered feet, and turned to see Ruolan approach him. Yixing’s jaw dropped slightly, his body freezing as he saw Ruolan in her princess’s outfit. The soft blue fabric patterned with white swirls flowed like water down her body, the design made to show off her slim figure while giving off an air of elegance. Her long black hair had been tied up into an intricate hairstyle, the blue and silver pins in it twinkling in the studio lights. To describe it in one word it was…

Beautiful..

The word crept up into Yixing’s mind before he could stop it, startling even himself at the sudden thought.

“Yixing?” Ruolan’s voice drew his attention out of his thoughts, and Yixing blinked as he realized she was waving her hand in front of his face.

“Is something wrong?” She asked curiously. Yixing cleared his throat and shook his head.

“Nothing.” He replied nonchalantly.

“He’s stunned by your beauty!” One of the staff members called out cheerfully, sending laughter rippling through the others. Ruolan’s cheeks turned pink.

“Oh shush!” She called back, folding her hands over her cheeks in embarrassment. Yixing found himself smiling slightly at the motion, and hesitated for a moment before pulling her hands away.

“They’re right.” He said softly, “You look...beautiful.” A look of surprise flashed briefly across Ruolan’s eyes as she looked up at him, then a soft smile settled onto her lips. Yixing felt his heart begin to pound at the sight. Her smile was so light, so small, and yet...for a moment, it was reminiscent of the smiles she used to give him. He remembered that when he had given her small, shy kisses when they were dating, she had pulled away with the exact same small pleased but shy smile on her face. Ruolan folded her hands in front of her and gave him a small curtsy.

“In that case, shall we get going, my lord?” She asked softly, peering up at him, drawing Yixing from his thoughts. Yixing took a moment to calm himself before reaching out and gently taking her hand.

“We shall, my princess.” He answered softly.

____________________________________________________________________________

Later that day, Ruolan

For the most part, filming moved smoothly throughout the course of the day. The weather had cooperated, and most of the scenes hadn’t been difficult to act out. Difficulty did occur though, as it came time to film the scene showing the princess and the bodyguard’s first kiss.

“Cut!” Yixing sighed as he heard the director call for them to stop again, and he paused from where he had been awkwardly bent near Ruolan’s face to look up at the director. The older man was shaking his head.

“Zhang Yixing, you two are lovers! Why is one kiss so difficult?” He asked, “You’re acting like an adolescent having his first kiss!” Ruolan let out a soft giggle at that, and Yixing shot a glare at her before looking apologetically at the director.

“I’m sorry!” He called, “I will try again!” Ruolan tugged on his sleeve as the crew prepared to film the kiss scene again.

“Focus!” She whispered, “If we look awkward kissing, they’re going to see through us!”

“Do you feel comfortable kissing me at this point?” Yixing challenged in a low whisper, and Ruolan’s eyes widened slightly before clearing .

“Let’s keep work and private separate.” She answered instead, tugging at her dress. Yixing scoffed.

“Those two spheres merged a long time ago, Huang Ruolan.” He reminded her. Ruolan frowned, seeming to remember that he was right.

“Just focus.” She repeated simply as they returned to their starting positions. The music for the new song began to play again, and Ruolan grinned up at Yixing as they walked along the grassy field. The princess and the bodyguard were on an outing, and she had given the order to be left alone with the bodyguard. At this point, both were having feelings for one another already, it was just that neither was fully aware of it yet. On cue as the music cut off briefly, Ruolan slipped forward with a little cry, and a moment later, she felt Yixing’s arm wrap around her waist, yanking her back from her downward fall. The motion brought her into his arms instead, and Ruolan found herself staring up at Yixing, their faces closer together than socially acceptable for master and servant. She saw Yixing swallow hard as they stared at each other, then, he began to lean in closer for the scripted kiss. He was still hesitant though, moving slower than a snail in Ruolan’s opinion. The time was ticking; there was only a certain amount of time the director would wait before the music was supposed to start again. Ruolan took one second to let herself think, then let impulse take over. Reaching out to put her hands on Yixing’s face, she pulled him down towards her and closed the short distance between them.

____________________________________________________________________________

Yixing

Yixing almost lost his balance as Ruolan suddenly pulled him down towards her, and before he could realize what she was doing, he found his lips pressed against hers.

What…?

Logic whispered the reason why she was doing this at the back of his mind; he had been hesitating, so Ruolan was improvising to make sure they finished filming. Still, he had never imagined that this would happen. Yixing could feel Ruolan’s heart hammering against his chest, and her hands trembled slightly as they came to rest on his shoulders. Yixing’s own heart pounded in his ears. There was no way to use words to express how Yixing felt at that moment. Indignance and surprise was followed by brief outrage at her unannounced act, which was followed by…

What is this I am feeling?

The warmth of Ruolan’s lips against his created a soft buzzing sensation in Yixing’s head, and slowly, he felt his chest grow hot with indescribable emotions. It had been so long since he had kissed Ruolan, he had almost forgotten what it had been like. His arms came down to wrap around Ruolan’s waist, and she let out a soft squeak of surprise as he pulled her tightly against his grasp, never even bothering to break their kiss. If Yixing kept his eyes closed, he could almost pretend they were not in 2018, but in 2012, before all the chaos and misunderstandings had happened. All that had mattered then was that he liked her, and she had liked him in return.

Please, don’t ever let this moment end.

The thought rose in his mind almost naturally, but before Yixing could place where it had come from, he heard the director’s voice call out,

“Cut!” The older man’s voice cut through the cloud that had descended over Yixing’s mind, and it took every last shred of self control for him to pull away from Ruolan. The younger singer’s eyes were wide as she stared up at him, her chest heaving slightly as she fought to catch her breath. At some point, Yixing’s fingers had found their way into Ruolan’s hair, and he pulled away quickly as the director laughed.

“Now that is the emotion I wanted!” He declared, “Well done! Go and freshen up, then we will move onto the next scene!” Ruolan tore her gaze away from Yixing, and she cleared awkwardly as she bowed at the director.

“I will be back soon!” She called, and cast a quick look back at Yixing before hurrying off towards one of the trailers. Yixing stood frozen in place as he watched her go. His heart was still pounding in his chest; whether it was from trying to catch his breath or something else entirely, he wasn’t sure. He could still feel the warmth of Ruolan’s kiss, his hands still remembering the way her body folded perfectly into his embrace. What had happened during that scene? He had done romantic scenes in dramas before, but he had never felt that way towards his acting partners before. Yixing shook his head to clear his mind, then headed off for his own trailer.

It’s nothing, just nothing. Don’t think too much about it, Zhang Yixing!

____________________________________________________________________________

Ruolan

Ruolan shut the trailer door behind her and tilted her head back against the cool metal surface. She let out her breath slowly, her heart pounding in her chest as she closed her eyes. She could still feel the strength of Yixing’s kiss, the strong grasp of his arm around her waist as he had pulled her in for a deeper kiss. She hadn’t thought it would get so far when she had first initiated the kiss, but now that it had...Ruolan’s fingers trembled slightly as she reached up to touch her lower lip. A strange feeling had taken over in that moment while they were locked together, something that Ruolan hadn’t felt in a long time. So long in fact, that she couldn’t place what exactly the feeling was. Ruolan rested her hand on her chest, the flutters inside refusing to die down.

What is going on?

___________________________________________________________________________

The remaining filming finished without any other issues, and both Ruolan and Yixing hurried for their company vans as soon as they were free to go. While neither wanted to look at the other person, the kiss was still fresh in both their minds, as was the confusion that had come with it. Their schedules were packed for the next week, meaning that they would not be seeing each other for a good seven days. It was clear to both of them though, that no matter how many things they had to do, they were bound to see each other face to face again. And when that happened, things were going to be very awkward.

_________________________________________________________________________

One week later, Beijing, Ruolan

Ruolan jumped slightly as she heard a knock on Eight For Fate’s dressing room door. Her chest constricted slightly as Somi hurried to open it, already certain of who was going to be standing on the other side. Sure enough, Yixing stepped through the doorway a moment later, looking every bit as uncomfortable as she felt at that moment. His eyes met hers, and Ruolan’s heart began to pound as her eyes moved uncontrollably towards his lips. The memory of their kiss came rushing back with full force, and from the look on Yixing’s face, she was certain he was thinking the same thing. He looked at the curious gazes coming from Ruolan’s members, and cleared his throat to clear the slight tension before walking over to Ruolan’s side.

“Lan’er.” He greeted, pressing a small smile to his lips. Ruolan took a deep breath and returned the scripted smile.

“Yixing.” She answered simply. A soft laugh bubbled up from Ruolan’s members.

“You don’t have to act so awkward just because we’re here!” Hayoung called, the other girls chiming in their agreement. Ruolan forced a small laugh.

If only they knew why we’re feeling so awkward!

Yixing shifted slightly on his feet.

“That day…” He began, but a female voice rang out before he could finish.

“Xing Xing gege!” A chirpy feminine voice cut through the air, and Ruolan stared in surprise as a young woman bounced without so much as a knock on the door into the dressing room and over to Yixing’s side. Immediately, her arm looped around Yixing’s, tugging him close to her.

“Xing Xing gege!” She whined slightly as she looked up at him with wide adoring eyes, “You said you were going to come see me! Why haven’t you stopped by yet?” Ruolan looked from the girl’s grasp around Yixing’s arm to Yixing’s startled expression and back to their linked arms. An ugly, unfamiliar feeling rose up in her chest and wrapped around her heart in a vise. She swallowed hard, her hands clenching tightly in her lap.

“Yixing, this is…?” She prompted, breaking Yixing out of his reverie. Yixing blinked and looked down at Ruolan, quickly seeming to realize his blunder.

“This is Huilian, my junior from acting lessons.” He introduced quickly, “Lian’er, this is Ruolan, my girlfriend.” The girl, Huilian, looked down at Ruolan, her eyes quickly scanning her from top to bottom. Ruolan felt an uncomfortable chill run down her spine from the scrutiny. The girl was smiling, but the way she looked at Ruolan made it seem like Ruolan was a bug she wanted to step on.

“So you are my future sister in law!” She said with a smile, “It is so nice to finally meet you! Xing Xing gege talked a lot about you to me!” Ruolan turned a questioning gaze to Yixing, and he shook his head subtly in response. Ruolan met Huilian’s gaze firmly as she pressed a polite smile to her lips.

“It is nice to meet you as well.” She returned smoothly. Their words were pleasant enough, but Ruolan knew better than to relax around this girl. The way she latched onto Yixing and hadn’t let go for even a second, the way she had entered without so much as an attempt at basic pleasantries, the way she looked down at Ruolan...this girl was challenging Ruolan’s position, and wasn’t even trying to hide it. Huilian grinned up at Yixing.

“Xing Xing gege, can you and the other girls leave us alone for a little bit? I’d like to talk more with my future sister in law.” She requested. Ruolan looked up sharply, and upon catching her expression, Yixing frowned.

“I don’t think that would…” He began, but Huilian let out a soft whine.

“Come on! I don’t want you to listen in on girls’ talk!” She protested, “It won’t take long!” Ruolan shook her head subtly at Yixing, but he sighed and nodded.

“Don’t take too long.” He warned, and Huilian grinned reassuringly as she waved him and the other girls out. As soon as the door closed behind them, the pleasant smile slipped off of Huilian’s face, a sharp glare darkening her doll like features as she turned to look at Ruolan again.

“So you’re the witch who seduced my Xing Xing gege?” She asked coldly. Ruolan frowned as she rose from her seat to keep them at equal height.

“Seduced?” She repeated, “I think you’ve got the order wrong. Yixing was the one who pursued me in the first place.” Huilian crossed her arms and scoffed.

“Please!” She retorted with a flip of hair over her shoulder, “Yixing would never fall for someone like you! Only someone like me can match his caliber.” Huilian leaned close to Ruolan and sneered in her face.

“What dirty trick did you pull to make Xing Xing date you?” She asked, “Did you get him drunk and crawl your way into his bed? Or perhaps those pictures that were leaked were all manufactured by you!” Ruolan felt anger begin to rise in her chest as she narrowed her eyes.

“I would watch what you’re saying, if I were you.” She warned. Huilian laughed.

“Are you trying to threaten me?” She sneered, “That is useless against me. Let me tell you, Huang Ruolan, my father owns the entire building that you are about to perform in, and many others as well. I may have debuted later than you, but there’s absolutely no need for me to show any deference. All I need to do is say one word, and you would never have the chance to perform in China again.” Ruolan laughed.

“Little girl, I think you’re overestimating your influence.” She responded, “Your father is the one who contacted my CEO to ask him to send JYP artists to perform here. In fact, he asked for my group in particular.” Ruolan rested her hands on her hips and leveled her gaze coldly at Huilian.

“If I were you, I’d stop acting like a spoiled petulant brat and stick to my proper place.” She concluded, “I don’t think it would look very good, either on you or your father, if the media caught wind of a rich CEO’s daughter being highly disrespectful to her seniors.” She smirked.

“Don’t you think so, junior?” She asked rhetorically, drawing out the last word for emphasis. Satisfaction filled her chest as she watched Huilian’s face pale, her lips spluttering as she tried to retort but couldn’t find the right words. There was no reason to doubt the possibility of the media hearing about her disrespect; JYP’s influence throughout Asia was a well known fact. All it took was one tip to a well connected reporter, and the press coupled with the internet would take care of the rest. Fury filled Huilian’s face.

“You dare to threaten me?” She shrieked. Her hand rose into the air, and Ruolan instinctively stepped back. Huilian’s hand only hit empty air as it came down, sending her flailing as the motion tipped her off balance. Before Ruolan could move to catch her, Huilian tipped backwards as she attempted to catch herself, only to crash onto the ground with a loud shriek a few seconds later. Ruolan sighed.

This is not going to end well.

The sound of running feet came towards the door, and moments later, the door opened to reveal Yixing and Yifan standing there. Both men looked from one woman to the next, unsure of how to react. Yifan moved first, his long legs swiftly taking him to Ruolan’s side.

“Are you okay?” He asked, touching her shoulder lightly. Ruolan nodded.

“I’m fine.” She assured him. Yixing looked at Yifan by Ruolan’s side, then walked over to help Huilian up.

“Lian’er, are you okay?” He asked, brushing off her arms. Huilian’s eyes filled with tears, back to being the gentle junior from Yixing’s acting lessons.

“Xing Xing gege!” She wailed, burying her face into his arms. Yixing patted her on the arm soothingly, the tiny motion causing the same ugly emotion to rear up in Ruolan’s chest again.

“What happened?” He asked. Huilian hiccuped and pointed a finger at Ruolan.

“It was her!” She cried, “She told me to stay away from you, and then pushed me to the ground when I refused!” Ruolan’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor as she heard the accusation.

“What did you just say?” She exclaimed incredulously.

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Author's note: What will Yixing choose~? How will he react?~