A/N: Long time no update. I’m sorry!

“Come again?” Lu Han set the magazine aside to give her full attention to her friend slash boss.

“I’d like to invite my friends over for dinner. Can you go to the supermarket with me?” Yixing patiently repeated what she said moments ago. She was sure Lu Han heard her the first time.

“But…why would you do that?” Yixing was an excellent cook. If their busy schedule permitted, she will cook for them at home. But to voluntarily invite the people she avoided for years to eat with her was something she didn’t foresee.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Yixing occupied the couch beside her, putting her feet up the flush furniture and hugged her knees. “I just felt that the fashion show was impersonal. I know they wanted to at least catch up with me, know how I’m faring all these years.”

Lu Han wasn’t a jealous person. But she can’t help but be sad that Yixing was slowly getting her old life back—the life before Lu Han. She heard stories about her friends; they sounded like great people and she was worried Yixing might not need a nobody like her anymore. “How can it be impersonal? You toiled blood and sweat for that fashion show.” She said instead.  

“It’s just that…I really miss them.” She admitted sheepishly.

Lu Han rolled her eyes. “Hao la.” She chuckled when she saw her face light up. “Do you want me to call them?”

“No need. I can do that.”

“Will you invite your ex?” Yixing wasn’t able to respond to that right away. Although she didn’t want to see him, her other friends might think that she’s still affected by his presence if she invited everyone and not Yifan.

“Should I?” Yixing bit her lip.

“If you want to.” Luhan sized her up for a moment. “I mean, I know how you’re trying to prove to your friends that you’re completely over this guy but is that more important than you being comfortable at your own party?”

******************************

“Please, Hannie-ah! Just this once, uhm?” Yixing was clinging on to Lu Han’s sleeve, the neckline of the latter’s cashmere sweater was already wider than it was when she first bought it because her friend had been tugging at it nonstop.

“Ei! Stop being a child and let me go!” The older woman snapped. She swatted her arms away and muttered a string of Mandarin profanity. She’d been trying to leave their shared apartment for the last hour but Yixing won’t let her.

“I can’t do this alone!  You totally have to be here for dinner!” The younger whined. They had this discussion many times over the past week. Yixing invited her childhood friends over for dinner and she wanted Lu Han to be there but she refused.

“It’s time for you to catch up with your friends and it will be awkward if I’m here.” She slipped out of her boots again and guided a pouty Yixing back to the main room of their penthouse. “Listen, your friends might find it uncomfortable to share their childhood stories with me. Just let them have your undivided attention for a night.”

“But where are you going?” Yixing had a full-on kicked-puppy-look and it wasn’t helping Lu Han’s resolve.

“Nothing specific. I’ll be here just before they leave so I can at least say hello, okay?” Yixing nodded hesitantly and Lu Han messed up her tresses affectionately. “Maybe you should start working in the kitchen if you don’t want your guests to starve.”

“Oh! Yeah! I almost forgot!”

******************************************

Just an hour before the agreed time though, Lu Han had to leave because there were problems with the shipment of their designs coming from Milan. A bulk of it was from the past season and Lu Han was immediately on her feet, wanting to address the issue by herself. The opening of the store was in a few days and they were worried the correct designs won’t make it for the store opening.

Yixing wanted to be there, too, but Lu Han didn’t allow her. She said she’s more than capable to take care of it and she didn’t doubt it for one second. So for the nth time that day, Yixing was pacing the length of their living room. The roast was already resting in the counter, the wine’s chilling, the salad dressing had been made and the pumpkin pie’s warming in the oven. The sound of the doorbell made her sweat a little. She took a deep breath and checked her appearance one more time in the full-length mirror before she went to open the door.

The smile that she readied froze when she recognized the person in her doorstep.

“Hi. Can I come in?” Wu Yifan was a carrying a bouquet of yellow tulips. He looked dapper in casual dinner jacket and dark jeans. Yixing was ready to swoon all over again. She didn’t remember inviting him so why was he here?

“Y-Yeah. Sure. Can I help you?” He occupied one of the armchairs without being invited to. Yixing wanted to roll her eyes. He still acted like he owned the world.

“I guess I’m a bit early but they’re on their way, right?” He didn’t mean to stay for dinner she arranged for her friends, right?

“”Wu Yifan—“ She was cut off by the sound of the doorbell. She sighed exasperatedly and went to get the door. And once more, she was surprised to see another person she didn’t invite tonight.

“Surprise!”

“Joonmyeon! What are you doing here? When did you arrive?”

“Whoa. Whoa. One at a time, please.” His usual eye smile was in place and he looked like he stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine. Well, what did you expect from the heir of the fashion giant Moschino? He handed her a bouquet of baby’s breath. “Your favorite.” She smiled and ushered him in, completely forgetting that there was another person in there. Her eyes widened in realization. Especially when she saw that Yifan was sending daggers to Joonmyeon’s direction. “Oh. Sorry. Did I interrupt something?”

“Of course not! Actually, I invited my childhood friends for dinner. Yifan here is just a little bit ahead of the others.”

“Oh no. Should I leave? I mean—“

“No, no!” She even pinched his arm discreetly. “It’s okay. I’d like you to meet them. “Yifan, this is Kim Joonmyeon. Joonmyeon, this is Wu Yifan.”

“Wu. Yi. Fan.” He was enunciating each word while eyeing Yixing from under his lashes. “Nice meeting you, Yifan-ssi.” Joonmyeon’s eyes crinkled in mirth.

“Same here.” The taller responded coldly that left Yixing frowning. So much for playing nice.

“Anyway, Joonmyeon-ah, come help me set the table.” She scooped the tulips from the coffee table and dragged her friend to the kitchen. “What the hell? Why didn’t you tell me you’re coming here?”

“And have you fret because of it? No. Besides, if I told you, I wouldn’t have met lover boy, right?” She stepped on his foot harshly.

“Yah!” He hissed, trying not to get the attention of the person in the living room. “Why so violent?” He limped to the counter and arranged the flowers in a large jar Yixing brought out. “If anything, you should thank me for showing up unannounced.” He tsked, foot still hurting a bit. “Or maybe you’d want some alone time with him, huh?”

“Just shut up. Shut up before I kill you.” She said in Italian.

“Fine.” He focused on the flowers. “So he still doesn’t know what your favorite flower is, huh?” He said while admiring a particular tulip bud.

Yixing ignored the comment. “What are you doing here anyway?” Joonmyeon was training to take over global operations for Moschino and even in Milan, he was hard to get a hold of because of his packed schedule.

“Grandma gathered all her grandchildren, looking for a possible successor. I think she’s dying.”

“Kim Joonmyeon!” She was scandalized. She was well aware of his ill relationship with his father’s family but to say those words to an elderly woman was just unacceptable for Yixing.

“What? My mother did everything so she can accept her but turned her away time and time again. Now that she realized she’s all alone and with no prospect to take care of her crap, she’ll come to us.” Joonmyeon’s mother was daughter to a shoemaker and his father was an heir to a Chaebol family. Joonmyeon’s father was sent to Italy to study and met her mother—then working as a waitress to support matriculation for design school. Needless to say, the Kim matriarch opposed the relationship to the point of disowning her own son. Joonmyeon’s parents opened a small boutique under their small apartment in Milan and with her mother’s unique pieces and his father’s acumen for business, the fashion house steadily grew to a large enterprise it was now. But recently, the old lady was trying to reach out and make amends. Joonmyeon repeatedly ignored all invitations to visit his father’s home country until today.

“Even so, she’s still your grandmother.” She reprimanded. “I’m sure even if your father doesn’t say anything, it still hurts him to hear you say things like that.” She brought the roast out of the oven. “When do you plan to see her?”

“Do I really have to?” He pursed his lips.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Joonmyeon didn’t need to answer. His huge grin said it all. Yixing rolled her eyes.

****************************************

Yifan can’t believe he was left alone in the living room while he can hear them bickering in the kitchen. Who the hell was Kim Joonmyeon? And who was he in Yixing life? Based on what he was hearing, they seem very close. He felt left out and it was not a very nice feeling. Yixing’s reception of him was that of a stranger. He was really hurt when he heard from Kangin that they’re all invited to her house for dinner and he wasn’t invited so decided to gatecrash the party.