"Yixing, why is Liu Yifei here?" 

Jisoo was agaped, like, for the umpteenth time since she stepped her feet in this country, to see the actress Liu Yifei sprinted her way to the palace as she got off from the helicopter. She couldn't help to shake her head in disbelief to see this strange thing of helicopter parade seemed to be something common here, this rich families and their lavish style of life—Jisoo sighed—she had to start believing that they would be their future family, it felt so fictitious.

"You remember the cousin I told you about back in Myeongdong? the one with overloaded hormone."

Yes, she still clearly remembered that particular talk about his cousin who had been crazy over BTS like a teenage fangirl, but then her eyes landed on that great actress whose movies she had been following for ten years and her jaw dropped. Liu Yifei is Yixing's cousin? The Liu Mulan Yifei? And she's like, BTS fangirl??

"No way." she shook her head, refusing to believe. Because no, it's just too good to be true. Jisoo remembered the first time she found Yifei with Jackie Chan and Jet Lee in the Forbidden Kingdom that she watched on a plane ten years ago, and since then she had always watched all of her movies, no matter how the story went or who the co-stars she stared with. And she was really happy when she found out that she would be the heroine of her favorite Disney movie, in simple words, Liu Yifei is her ultimate female idol.

And her idol apparently her fiance's cousin, which she only found out just now. What an odd encounter.

"Oh, yes way." Yixing retorted amusingly, "And please, pretty please, don't mention anything about BTS or she won't stop talking about them for hours. I've learnt my lesson the last time I gave her the stickers we bought in Myeongdong."

"Okay. I'll keep that in mind." Jisoo nodded her head, and then gritted her teeth for feeling so excited. "Oh, I can't believe I'll meet Liu Yifei, I'm so nervous." 

She grasped YIxing's arm while tapping her feet to the floor with a muffled squealing from excitement. Yixing just laughed at her, the fact that Jisoo was fangirling over his cousin might sound funny in his ears, especially since he had only seen her this excited since he'd known her for four months.

They turned to the window to see who else was coming. For the past hour Yixing had been telling her who the guests had just gotten off the helicopter. His father was three siblings, and he was the oldest. The second child of his grandparents was Yifei's mother, and the third was his uncle, who took care of their company in Taiwan now. His uncle had two twin girls who were the same age as Jisoo. Yixing said that compared to Yifei, these two girls were quite different. At first Jisoo couldn't see where it went, but as soon as the two girls got down from their ride with their parents, Jisoo began to see what he meant by his words.

Both of them looked so standout despite the magnificent light emitted by the palace. Their appearance looked like the stereotypes of rich girls who were often shown in TV dramas, whether it was intentional or not. Even in the cold of winter, short and tight dresses wrapped their bodies underneath the exposed fur coats. The thick makeup and jewelery sets adorning their bodies, branded shoes and bags, all these just explained everything about them. This was not the first time Jisoo saw this kind of scene, because there were so many them among the socialites in her mother's inner circle. She wasn't surproised to be honest.

"My uncle spoiles them too much." he commented while staring at the cousin twins climbing the stairs at the backyard.

"Don't all fathers like to spoil their daughters? My father spoils me so much too." she retorted beside him, peering out through the window.

Yixing squinted at her, "And I wonder why they can be so different from you." he said. And Jisoo just scoffed.

Another fifteen minutes, and the sky was dark by now. They were waiting their last guest before they made their way to the living room where everyone were gathering right now. And Jisoo was about to suggest him to greet his aunt's and uncle's family when another helicopter flied approaching the palace. Yixing took a deep breath, and Jisoo could feel his body tensed when they saw his father got off from the helicopter, followed by an old man a few moments later.

And Jisoo could understand why their presence made Yixing looked so nervous. Even from a distance like this, she could feel a very strong aura emerging from his grandfather's figure. Under the beret covering his head, she could see a pair of eyes with sharp beams, his tall stature and broad shoulders still leaving the glory that he once had during his youth days. 

"That's the big boss." Yixing reached her hand and held it tight. "Let's go."

Jisoo was fully aware that almost all eyes were directed at her as she came down the stairs with Yixing. She had been keeping her chin high and a smile on her face to look confident, but no one knew how hard it was her grasp while she had her arm wrapping Yixings.

"Here we come the lady of the day," Yifei was the first to greet them as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Yixing introduced them both and Jisoo had to hold herself to be an obvious fan, but she knew she just couldn't hide her foolish grin in front of her.

"Yifei, this girl right here is apparently your biggest fan. She was so excited in her room, jumping-jumping like a bunny for the expectation to meeting you." he told her cousin to , but Jisoo wouldn't just let him rubbing it on her face by throwing a counterback.

"Yixing failed to inform me that my favourite actress happens to be his cousin. If I only knew much earlier, I've packed all merchandises with your face to have you sign them." she said in English. For a few moments Yifei stared at her and Yixing alternately confusedly as if she was trying to comprehend what was happening before her, and Jisoo started to realize that the girl probably didn't get the sarcasm that she phrased,

"That's a joke, sorry I'm really bad at this." she added immediately, feeling a bit embarrassed. But then Yifei bursted in laughter altogether.

"Oh, my God, you're so cute. Of course I know that's a joke. Geez, Yixing, I like this girl." she said with the laugh still on the way that she started to wipe the tears on her eyes, "I'm the one who should be a fan of you, Jisoo. Yixing told me sooo many good things about you like an overloaded hormonally fanboy. Jisoo this, Jisoo that, I just can't stop him..." she threw her hands up in the air, which was funny because Yixing just said the same thing about her. "But in the end I'm hooked. And now I know why he's acting like that."

"Well now you know I'm not exaggerating." Yixing defended himself.

"Yeah, yeah, of course you're not." she teased, "Anyway, I'm so flattered. Never thought professor Kim Jisoo would ever watch my movies, I'll invite you to Mulan's premiere. You have to come, okay? Promise me you will."

Jisoo beamed, "Of course I'd love to, that would be an honor."

"Noooo, the honor is mine. I'll give you a call when it's due. Oh! By the way, show me the diamond." Yifei crooked her fingers to ask for her hand, and when Jisoo showed her the ring, the girl squealed in excitement. "Oh, Yixing, you're so romantic, it's so pretty! I never thought you have this side on you, it's so disgusting. Pardon my words, but it's really not Yixing, you know. The idea of him to finally settle down, a marriage, a fiancée, and then a ring that he designs himself, I can't believe you finally do this. I'm so happy for both of you! I hope you'll make it alive tonight with grandpa, he's hard to please, but I believe you'll slay him—"

"Okaay, let's get you greet the other guests." Yixing spun her shoulder around and it left Jisoo with a big question look, she caught him glaring at his cousin and she couldn't help to think that something was off.

"Hey, what was that about?" she asked to see if he would break it down to her. What did Yifei mean by saying that she would make it alive with their grandfather?

"She's talking too much, it's what it's all about." he replied her in his most calm voice. He was too calm that Jisoo could see they way he tried to divert her attention to a lady who was talking with her husband and younger brother at the corner of the room. "Jisoo, I'd like to meet my aunt, it's Yifei's mom, her husband and also my uncle."

While she was exchanging words with Yixing's aunt and uncles, she couldn't help to have another part of her attention somewhere else. The twins were talking about her with their mother across the room. No one paid attention to them including Yixing, thinking that Jisoo had no idea about what they were talking about since she's been speaking either in English or Korean with those Yixing had been introduced her with. But she could catch everything they said, and she understood every single word of it.

"Oh, Mama, look at that dress. It's so two-year last season, oh my God, I can't believe biaoge let her wear that rag to the dinner banquet. Has she no shame at all?" said one of the girls. 

Rag she said? Jisoo mentally scoffed, so rude.

"She's trying to pull off chic, but it's totally failed. Who is she trying to cosplay? Bella Swan?"

"Which Bella Swan? the human or the vampire?"

"That's not important, Mama. And the pumps, oh, no. She looks like someone going to a funeral. No, I can't see anymore, it's the pain for my eyes."

Don't listen to them, Jisoo, don't listen to them. She kept replaying the words on her head, she was supposed to play the Chinese-dumb, she had to act ike she couldn't understand them. But the more she listened to them, Jisoo started to think why she would act that dumb? Just to play around with Yixing, she let people step on her dignity as if she was the foolest in the room. She wanted to say something, something that would at least, stop them saying mean things like she was clueless when she actually knew what it meant. She felt so stupid suddenly, it was the first time she had people treating her disrespectfully, and she let them.

"Ladies, I can hear you from here." Yixing suddenly said after it seemed like he just couldn't stay silent, he sounded upset himself that he skipped them to introduce her and went straight to the livingroom when her aunt told him to greet his grandfather.

The old man was having a conversation with both Yixing's parents when Yixing took her hand to walk up to him. His mother saw their presence the first time and beckoned them to come near. Yixing greeted his father first, and then to his grandfather, who only looked up when they stood right before him.

"Oh, Yixing. Happy new year, Young Man."

"You too, Yeye. I would like you to meet my fiancée, it's Kim Jisoo here." Yixing said as he introduced her to his grandfather.

Jisoo bowed lightly, "It's nice to finally meet you, Sir, xīn nián kuài lè." she greeted formally in Chinese. Yixing had taught her what to say in front of his grandfather, he even asked her to rehearse it back in her room, even though she actually didn't need that.

His grandfather glanced sideways to Yixing's father, "Fiancée? I thought you're kidding me when you said he's enganged. Who told you to proceed this without my permission?" 

Jisoo was stunned by his words, why did his grandfather said that? Didn't he have an idea that his son's family came to hers to propose her? She knew something was off, and Yixing was leaving her out from it again. Damn, Yixing, what's happening here exactly? She couldn't help to curse him in her mind.

 "Father, we've talked about this. We agreed on this." his father said to him softly, trying to sound collected so Jisoo wouldn't feel the tense among them.

But it's too late. Jisoo glanced up to meet Yixing's mother, who was looking at her in concern, and then she turned to Yixing. He bit his inner lower lip, and she could see that he was trying to hold back himself to say anything that it was on his mind, and she just knew that the tense was boiling up here.

"Alright, Everyone. The dinner's ready, let me walk you all to the diningroom." Yixing's mother suddenly announced just to ease the tension among the men around her. She stepped out from the livingroom after giving her a light squeeze on her shoulder and asked Yixing to take her too.

Jisoo was trying to control herself not to confront Yixing right here and right now for the confusion that she witnessed just now. She was thinking of what to do, did she have to keep playing dumb? Or did she just go all Mandarin out of the blue just to let them know that she wasn't that clueless about the situation? At least until right now, except the twin girls, their mother and the big boss, Jisoo felt that everyone welcomed her well. She had no idea if their familiarity was only for courtesy, because she was the fiancée of their oldest brother's only son, or they're just really being genuinely kind to welcome her. But one thing that she found it clear, Yixing was lying about the proposal was on behalf of his family. His grandfather didn't seem like he would approve her anytime soon, or maybe forever, and although Sehun had warned her about this, she was still shocked.

She didn't say much during the dinner. She was flanked between Yixing and Yifei at the huge round table, but the only people who would talk to her were Yixing, Yifei and her mother. She was upset, and Yixing could sense that because he kept throwing her a guilty look. She was sure that he had no idea why she was upset, but she completely aware why he was feeling guilty.

"Yixing is a grown up man, it's hard for me to believe it. It felt like yesterday when he was six and he would run around the house playing hide and seek with Yifei, and now he's getting himself a woman for his future. I don't know if I should be happy or sad about it, I'm so old now." Yifei's mother said in the middle of their conversation. 

Jisoo turned to see Yixing's reaction, but the said man only gave her a small smile. He didn't translate her words this time like he always did before, and Jisoo was wondering why he didn't do that. Some similar expression were thrown here and there, and Jisoo couldn't stop herself to steal a glance to his grandfather, who only scoffed on it but said nothing about it.

"Biaoge is nothing fun anymore. He only gave me 50,000 this year for the red packet, and when I asked him about this he said he used up all his savings to buy her a diamond ring. That's why he couldn't send more money, he becomes stingy all of sudden." said one of the twins, the one who called her Bella Swan, Jisoo was trying to recall her name again.  Xiaotong? Xiaogong? Xiaolong?

But anyway, she still failed to laugh quietly. It's really hard to believe that such complaint came from the mouth of a twenty-six years old girl, it's really amusing.

"Yixing didn't give you as much as previous years because you two are adults now." Yifei retorted, "Try to learn from Jisoo here. You guys are the same age, and while she's trying to educate the children of nation, how come all you can do is wasting money down the drain at the same time?" she teased.

"Jie, that's too much of you. We're talking about ge just now, why you're suddenly targeting us?" the girl's twin defended themselves.

For some moments later the girls were bickering about money and stuff, and Jisoo took a glance to Yixing again only to have him waved his hand while chewing his grilled duck.

"Don't mind them, they're being senseless." he said quietly. Jisoo didn't say anything and kept eating while watching the girls having their good bickering time. Although the girls were zeroed in manner, Jisoo was enjoying this scene to be honest. She didn't have a sister, so she was never having this situation where she would bicker and throw nasty words to each other just to save her pride. Or actually, she never really bickered, period. Minseok was too senseful to have an argument with her, and even though Sehun and she was often involved in squabbles, he always let her win in the end.

She envied them.

"Youngsters these days," the grandfather suddenly said that made the table turn in silence in a second. "I don't understand why they love to do useless things, like buying diamond.  That's really a waste of money. Tsk tsk tsk..."

No one said anything at first, and Jisoo could see that Yixing was slightly offfended by that. And she knew he was about to say something to counterback, but she held his hand. She shook her head to tell him not to say anything, and he frowned, but he didn't say anything in the end.

"Ey, Baba. Kids these days are not ones you'd see in your generation. Some things might be useless, but diamond is exactly not one of them." Yifei's mother replied him to ease the flash tension going on.

"I have to second that, though." Yifei added, which then was responded by Xiaotong who said 'I third that' with her hand raised.

"Jisoo, isn't it?" 

Jisoo looked up, grandfather finally had his attention put on her for the first time in the evening.

"I was curious. Why don't you tell us about yourself, not everyone here is knowledgeable about you." he said.

"Yeye, Jisoo is—" Yixing was trying to save her by being some kind of her spokeperson, only to be cut by his grandfather.

"Let the girl talk, Yixing. I'd like to hear it from her." grandfather's eyes darted from Yixing to her, "Say something." he said to her.

As she met his eyes, Jisoo could see exactly what it meant. She recognized that look, and it was a challenge. The old man was trying to challenge her to please him, maybe he wanted to test her language ability, or maybe he just wanted to know whether she was worth the fight that his son's family had been fighting for. That look was directed to her to intimidate her, with the purpose to push her end and see her giving up her future with his grandson.

But Jisoo knew it better that it would never happen. What these people didn't know about her was that she got that look so much since she was so young that she had been growing with it. The same look that always told her to be strong and strived her best not to let people look down on her. They were wrong if they thought the biased and unkind gesture would made her feel discriminated, oh well, it did, but it didn't bother her a single bit. It just sparked that strong determination to prove them that she was worth any man in the world. Heck, she could even be be a princess of England if she put her mind into it, that, also if prince William had another brother.

She glanced sideways to see Yixing, who was looking at her worriedly. And then she threw her glance to Yixing's mother, who smiled at her. And when she nodded as if it was the cue for her to speak, Jisoo decided that it was the time for the show to begin.