Chapter 71

"Hey, you're not going back to China for the New Year, right?" After getting on the bus, the three of them found a seat and sat down. Zheng Xiuyan then asked Xia Hou Zhongying, who was sitting in front of her.

"Um, no, I'm not going back." Xia Hou Zhongying turned his head, shook it, and said, "After the movie shooting ends in the next couple of days, we need to do post-production. I can't leave, so I'll let my dad go back by himself. Besides, there aren't many relatives back home, and at most, my dad will just go back to visit some friends."

"Oh, then..." Zheng Xiuyan was struggling with how to ask him about spending the holiday at Jin Taeyeon's house but didn't know how to bring it up. After hesitating for a moment, she found a way to start the conversation: "What about the cheongsam you promised to make for me and my sister?"

"Oh, that." Xia Hou Zhongying scratched his head. If Zheng Xiuyan hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Alright, when we get home, tell me your and Xiujing's measurements, and I'll have my dad get them made for you when he goes back."

"Pervert." Hearing Xia Hou Zhongying ask for her measurements, Zheng Xiuyan's face turned red, and she couldn't help but scold him.

"How am I a pervert? Really." Xia Hou Zhongying rolled his eyes and said, "If you don't tell me, how will I know what size you wear?"

"Hmph." Zheng Xiuyan huffed. After a while, she said, "Then, why don't you come to my house for the New Year?"

Korea also celebrates the Spring Festival, though it's not as grand as in China. It's still a very important holiday, the second biggest after the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Spring Festival is a significant ancestral worship holiday for Koreans, and there are three days of holiday each year. That's why Xia Hou Zhongying said he would be free during the Spring Festival and could visit the Jin family.

He had already agreed to Jin Taeyeon's invitation, so when Zheng Xiuyan suddenly suggested he spend the New Year at the Jin family, he was a bit at a loss. He said hesitantly, "Taeyeon invited me to her house as a guest, and I've already agreed to go those days. It wouldn't be good to back out now."

"Why did she invite you?" Zheng Xiuyan asked indignantly.

"She said her dad asked her to invite me," Xia Hou Zhongying replied.

"Why did her dad invite you?" Zheng Xiuyan asked.

"How would I know?" Xia Hou Zhongying replied helplessly.

"If you don't go back to China for the New Year, do you think your mom will let you spend the holiday at someone else's house?" Zheng Xiuyan glared at Xia Hou Zhongying.

Xia Hou Zhongying was taken aback. Indeed, if he didn't go back, there was no reason for him not to spend the holiday at the Zheng family's house and go to Jeonju instead. Zheng's mother was his godmother. Thinking about this, he felt very frustrated. How could he have missed this?

"What should we do now? I've already agreed to Taeyeon," Xia Hou Zhongying asked.

"How should I know what to do?" Zheng Xiuyan huffed. "If you have the guts, go home and explain it to Mom yourself."

Seeing Xia Hou Zhongying's troubled expression, Zheng Xiuyan felt secretly pleased. Now, how can you go to Jeonju?

Xia Hou Zhongying's headache grew worse, and he couldn't help but frown.

"By the way, Xiuyan, how did you know I wasn't going back for the New Year? I don't think I told you that," Xia Hou Zhongying, unable to come up with a solution, also found it strange that Zheng Xiuyan knew he wasn't going back and couldn't help but ask.

"Xiujing told me," Zheng Xiuyan replied. As soon as the words left her mouth, she inwardly cursed her mistake.

"Xiujing, how did you know? I didn't tell you either," Xia Hou Zhongying turned to look at Zheng Xiujing, who was sitting with Zheng Xiuyan, and asked.

Zheng Xiujing glared fiercely at her embarrassed sister, inwardly cursing this ungrateful sister. She had even informed her, and now her brother's question had betrayed her.

"Brother, at noon, I was resting behind a box and accidentally overheard your conversation with Taeyeon-sshi, hehe," Zheng Xiujing laughed nervously and explained, feeling guilty.

"You eavesdropped on our conversation?" Xia Hou Zhongying's face was strange, and he asked, unable to help but laugh and cry.

"Hey, brother, I already said I was resting behind a box. How could it be eavesdropping? How can you doubt your sister's character so much?" Zheng Xiujing said indignantly.

"Alright, no need to explain anymore." Xia Hou Zhongying was extremely frustrated. After being with Zheng Xiujing for so long, he knew exactly what kind of person she was. When she put on a righteous and noble face, it was definitely because she had done something bad and was feeling guilty, so she used an angry expression to bolster her courage.

Xia Hou Zhongying turned back to look out the window, thinking about how to solve the problem.

Zheng Xiuyan, with her mind full of worries, didn't know how to bring up the topic to Xia Hou Zhongying. She leaned over to her sister's ear and whispered, "Xiujing, ask him if he likes Taeyeon."

"Sister, can't you ask him yourself?" Zheng Xiujing also leaned over to her sister's ear and whispered.

"I can't ask him directly, that's why I'm asking you," Zheng Xiuyan continued to whisper.

"What's in it for me?" Zheng Xiujing, known for her shrewdness, immediately started to extort her sister.

"Ten thousand." Zheng Xiuyan angrily held up one finger.

"Sister, are you trying to treat me like a beggar?" Zheng Xiujing rolled her eyes and held up a cross, meaning at least 100,000.

"Twenty thousand." Zheng Xiuyan's face turned dark, and she angrily held up two fingers.

"Eighty thousand." Zheng Xiujing also held up a cross and countered.

The sky had already turned dark, and the bus windows could be used as mirrors. Xia Hou Zhongying, seeing the two sisters constantly gesturing with their fingers through the window's reflection, was puzzled and turned to ask them, "What are you two doing?"

"Hehe, nothing, just playing with my sister," the two sisters seemed to have agreed on a price, and Zheng Xiujing laughed and said, "By the way, brother, I have a question. Do you like Taeyeon-sshi?"

Zheng Xiuyan tensed up, focusing on Xia Hou Zhongying's response.

"Why do you ask that?" Xia Hou Zhongying asked.

"I saw you agree to Taeyeon-sshi's invitation to visit her house," Zheng Xiujing said with a smile.

"No, I don't." Xia Hou Zhongying laughed and said, "Her dad asked her to invite me. I don't want to go, but I can't refuse. I'm already having a headache over it."

Zheng Xiuyan's body relaxed, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. Although she had been swindled out of a lot of money by her sister, getting this answer made her very happy. She couldn't help but look at Zheng Xiujing with satisfaction.

"If you don't want to go, just don't go. What's so hard to refuse?" Zheng Xiujing said.

"Cough." Xia Hou Zhongying coughed twice and laughed awkwardly, "Didn't Taeyeon's dad invite us to dinner yesterday? He found out that I pushed Taeyeon into the Han River and scolded me. Now he's inviting me to Jeonju as a guest. Do you think I dare to refuse?"

"Serves you right." Zheng Xiuyan giggled, and Zheng Xiujing also laughed.

"Hey, do you think it's possible that Taeyeon's dad wasn't satisfied with just scolding me yesterday?" Xia Hou Zhongying said with a worried expression. "He might have thought about it more and decided to bring me to Jeonju for a family-wide criticism session?"

Thinking about this, Xia Hou Zhongying felt a chill run down his spine. Such a thing wasn't impossible. He had only met Jin's father twice, and there was no way they could have any real connection. Liking him was even more absurd. Not hating him enough to tear him apart was already a good thing. Why would he invite him? Apart from a criticism session, Xia Hou Zhongying couldn't think of any other reason.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Xia Hou Zhongying deeply regretted agreeing to Jin Taeyeon's invitation to spend the New Year at her house. He had already refused, but for some reason, he had agreed. He felt frustrated and bumped his head against the bus window.

"Brother, it's really possible," Zheng Xiujing thought for a moment and said with a smile.

"Ha, that's definitely it. Otherwise, why would Taeyeon's dad, who you're not familiar with, invite you?" Imagining Xia Hou Zhongying being criticized by the Jin family, Zheng Xiuyan was extremely amused. It was such a fun thing, but she couldn't see it herself. Her parents wouldn't allow her to go to Jeonju for the New Year, which made her very regretful.