Chapter 96

"Hello, I'm Xia Hou Zhongying." Xia Hou Zhongying took two steps forward, looking at Zhang Liyi and introduced himself with a smile in Chinese.

"Ah, you..." Zhang Liyi, who was missing her hometown, suddenly heard Chinese and felt a tremor in her heart, a long-lost sense of warmth. She stared at Xia Hou Zhongying, speechless.

"Hehe, Sister Liyi, Brother Zhongying is also from your hometown, China," Huang Meiyi said with a smile.

"Ha..." They say that when fellow countrymen meet, tears well up in their eyes. Although Zhang Liyi didn't shed any tears, she felt very warm. "Hello, I'm Zhang Liyi from Chengdu."

Since Xia Hou Zhongying and Zhang Liyi were both from China, they naturally felt very close after meeting a fellow countryman in a foreign land. They happily chatted as soon as they met. Although their conversation wasn't particularly special, it was mostly about things back home and the Spring Festival, they both enjoyed it very much.

At the same time, Zhang Liyi was very curious about Xia Hou Zhongying. This fellow countryman seemed to have a good relationship with several girls in the company. What was their relationship?

"Brother, you can't speak Chinese, you have to speak Korean." The other four girls couldn't understand their Chinese conversation, and the extremely curious Jeong Soo-jung felt like her heart was being clawed by a cat. She wanted to know what they were talking about and shook Xia Hou Zhongying's hand, objecting.

"Tsk, really, you won't even let me chat in peace." Xia Hou Zhongying rubbed Jeong Soo-jung's head and said with a smile, "Of course, fellow countrymen should chat in their own language. Would you speak English to a Korean you met in America?"

"Who knows?" Jeong Soo-jung said with a grin.

"Alright, I don't want to argue with you. Go play your pirate ship." Xia Hou Zhongying said, then turned to Zhang Liyi, "It's really rare to meet a fellow countryman in Korea. Let's keep in touch when we have time."

"Sure, I will." Zhang Liyi smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Since we've met today, why don't you play with us?" Xia Hou Zhongying said with a smile.

"Sure." Zhang Liyi had been feeling very lonely during the New Year, which was why she had come to the amusement park and kept riding the carousel. Now, with friends to play with, she was naturally very happy, especially since Xia Hou Zhongying was her fellow countryman, giving her a sense of familiarity. She nodded in agreement.

"Let's go, let's go." As soon as she heard about playing, Jeong Soo-jung couldn't wait and pulled Xia Hou Zhongying's hand, dragging him forward.

"You go play, I'll wait for you down here." The girls continued to play a few more attractions, and each time, Xia Hou Zhongying would say this to them, leaving the other girls, except Jeong Soo-jung, speechless. Zhang Liyi also didn't seem to like the thrilling rides and always waited for the four girls with him.

"Brother Zhongying, you seem to be very familiar with them." Zhang Liyi had been holding back, embarrassed to ask about Xia Hou Zhongying's relationship with the girls, but she couldn't resist her curiosity. After the four girls went on the bungee jump, she finally asked.

"Ha ha." Xia Hou Zhongying looked at Zhang Liyi and couldn't help but laugh. "I was wondering how long you could hold back. You finally asked."

"Hehe." Zhang Liyi laughed awkwardly. "It's really strange. How do you know so many girls from our company, and they all seem to have a good relationship with you?"

"Jeong Soo-yeon's mother is my godmother." Xia Hou Zhongying smiled and said.

"Ah." Zhang Liyi let out a light exclamation, seeming to understand, nodding in a sudden realization. Jeong Soo-yeon had been with the company for a long time, joining in 2000, and it had been five years already.

Although Jeong Soo-yeon usually had a cold and expressionless demeanor, she was very kind and had an unusually good relationship with everyone in the company. Almost all the teachers liked her, and she got along well with the already-debuting artists. Since she was Xia Hou Zhongying's sister, it made sense that he knew the girls in the company.

"Hey, Brother Zhongying, is there any girl among them that you like?" Every woman has a gossipy heart, and Zhang Liyi was no exception. She quickly shifted her attention to the topic of love, leaving Xia Hou Zhongying speechless.

"Why do you always like to ask such questions? I've been asked this at least a hundred times. Everyone who meets me asks the same thing." Xia Hou Zhongying said, exasperated.

"Hehe, women love gossip. By the way, Brother Zhongying, who else has asked?" Zhang Liyi asked.

"Many people. Everyone who knows me has asked, even Sister Hyori." Xia Hou Zhongying said, frustrated. "Do you women have to gossip to live?"

"No, but life would be a lot less fun." Zhang Liyi laughed, then noticed the person Xia Hou Zhongying mentioned. Sister Hyori? Lee Hyori? She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Brother Zhongying, you mean Lee Hyori?"

"Yep." Xia Hou Zhongying nodded.

"You know Lee Hyori?" Zhang Liyi was immediately excited.

"Yes." Xia Hou Zhongying sighed. Lee Hyori's fame was no joke, almost everyone who heard her name got excited. She had to cover herself up when she went out, and being famous wasn't always a good thing. He couldn't help but feel sympathy for celebrities.

"Brother Zhongying, can you get me an autograph? I really like Lee Hyori." Zhang Liyi grabbed Xia Hou Zhongying's hand excitedly.

"Uh." Xia Hou Zhongying was speechless.

"Hey, what are you doing?" As Zhang Liyi was excitedly holding Xia Hou Zhongying's hand, Jeong Soo-yeon and the others came down. Seeing Zhang Liyi and Xia Hou Zhongying's intimate actions, she was immediately annoyed, cursing Xia Hou Zhongying in her heart for being a playboy. She had only been gone for a while, and he had already hooked up with a fellow countryman. She couldn't help but shout at them in a harsh tone.

"Ah." Zhang Liyi realized her actions were too intimate and laughed awkwardly, quickly letting go of Xia Hou Zhongying's hand. "Senior Soo-yeon, I just wanted Brother Zhongying to get me an autograph from Lee Hyori. I got a bit too excited, hehe."

As Zhang Liyi spoke, her expression became increasingly strange. She looked at Xia Hou Zhongying and then at the angry Jeong Soo-yeon, understanding something but still feeling a bit incredulous. Cold and expressionless Jeong Soo-yeon? And Xia Hou Zhongying? Step-siblings, a sibling romance? This combination was quite interesting.

"Oh, I see." Jeong Soo-yeon knew Lee Hyori's charm. In Korea, almost no one could resist her. Even she had been excited the first time she met Lee Hyori at the ZX studio. It was natural for Zhang Liyi to be excited. She smiled and nodded, "Getting an autograph from Sister Hyori isn't hard. Just have him take you to meet her."

"Really?" Zhang Liyi was immediately excited, looking at Xia Hou Zhongying hopefully.

"Sure, why not?" Xia Hou Zhongying smiled indifferently. For ordinary people, meeting Lee Hyori was difficult, but for him, it was no problem. Taking someone to get an autograph was as easy as drinking a glass of water, especially since Zhang Liyi was his fellow countryman.

"Great!" Zhang Liyi jumped up happily, spinning around. She couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zhongying, when can you take me?"

"Anytime, as long as you're free." Xia Hou Zhongying said.

"I'm free now." Zhang Liyi blurted out, then realized that Xia Hou Zhongying couldn't possibly take her to meet Lee Hyori now with the four girls around. She laughed awkwardly and quickly corrected herself, "Tomorrow, can we go tomorrow?"

Xia Hou Zhongying was speechless. Thinking about starting work again the next day, he nodded, "Let's do it at noon tomorrow. Come to this address and call me."

Xia Hou Zhongying gave Zhang Liyi the address of the film post-production team and his phone number.

After the girls played a few more attractions, it was already noon. Xia Hou Zhongying took them to a small restaurant, ordered some food, and they had lunch.

"It's been a long time since I've had so much fun," Huang Meiyi said while eating. "Today was really enjoyable."

"Hehe, what's so fun about this? Next time, I'll take you somewhere even more fun," Xia Hou Zhongying said with a smile.

"What's more fun?" Jeong Soo-yeon was curious. Since meeting Xia Hou Zhongying, she had never seen him interested in anything other than food. Hearing that he had a favorite activity, she couldn't help but ask.

"Paragliding, you've never tried it, right?" Xia Hou Zhongying grinned, with a nostalgic look. He used to go paragliding often in China, but he hadn't done it since coming to Korea. He heard it was available here and wanted to try it again sometime.