Chapter Six: The Journey About to Begin

After quickly washing up in the en suite bathroom, Chen Zhe hurried downstairs for breakfast. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he saw his sister sitting there with a demure expression, eating her breakfast with the utmost grace and propriety. When she looked his way, Chen Zhe rolled his eyes at her, mouthing silently, “Serves you right for being scolded by Mom again.” This made her grip her chopsticks a little tighter in annoyance.

“What are you standing there for? Come eat, now!” Their mother, who had been quietly eating her breakfast, looked up when she noticed Chen Zhe had come down but wasn’t moving.

“Okay, Mom!” Chen Zhe, who had been standing behind his mother and teasing his sister, immediately stopped and put on his best well-behaved face, pulling out a chair beside Chen Yuqi and sitting down.

He took a sip of his porridge and was just about to reach for some food when a sharp pain shot through his foot, making him gasp involuntarily.

“What’s wrong?” His mother paused, chopsticks in midair, and looked up to see her son’s strained expression, the corners of his mouth twitching as if suppressing something.

“It’s nothing. Oh, by the way, Mom, where’s Dad today?” Originally, Chen Zhe had wanted to complain, but when he caught his sister’s warning glare, he swallowed his words and quickly changed the subject to his father’s unusual absence.

“Your father had to go back to work. There’s a lot to deal with at the company. He was able to spend a couple of days with us, and that’s already very good!” His mother took another sip of porridge to moisten her throat before answering.

“Alright, I have an early class today. After you two finish eating, remember to wash the dishes.” Their mother stood up, ready to head out to teach, handing over the dishwashing duties to her children.

Hearing their mother’s orders, Chen Yuqi and Chen Zhe both nodded immediately, assuring her that she could leave it to them.

—Breakfast and Dishwashing Interlude—

After breakfast, the siblings lounged in the living room watching a movie. Chen Yuqi, sprawled on the sofa, seemed to remember something. She nudged Chen Zhe, who was sitting on the carpet leaning against the couch, with her foot.

“What?” Chen Zhe, who had been engrossed in the movie, was jolted back to reality by the kick and replied irritably.

“I heard from Mom you won a grand prize—a seven-day trip to Korea!” Hearing his impatient tone, Chen Yuqi frowned slightly and propped her foot up on his shoulder.

“Yeah, so what?” Chen Zhe twisted his head away to avoid her foot in his face, sounding even more annoyed.

“That means I’m the one going with you! Ugh, I have to go back to school early. How annoying!” Chen Yuqi, unfazed by his attitude, waggled her foot and made her displeasure clear.

“Why do you have to go with me?” Chen Zhe retorted instinctively, but as soon as he said it, he remembered: he was still a minor. To travel abroad, he needed an adult guardian. With both parents busy with work and unable to accompany him, the only one available was his sister. Besides, she was studying in Korea and knew the place well, so she was the natural choice.

“Obviously, you’re a minor, and I’m the only one in the family who has time to go with you,” Chen Yuqi explained, giving him a strange look before continuing.

“By the way, when do you leave? Mom told me, but I forgot.” She nudged him again, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“…My flight is on June 24th,” Chen Zhe replied after a moment, digging through his inherited memories to find the departure date for the trip.

“June 24th? Okay, I’ll book my ticket.” Annoyed by the way her brother looked at her, Chen Yuqi jabbed him with her foot again, then pulled out her phone to buy her ticket.

“Hmm? Why is Sooyoung calling me all of a sudden?” Just as she finished booking the flight and set her phone down, it rang again. She glanced at the screen—it was her close friend, Choi Sooyoung.

“Yoboseyo, is that Yuqi?” As soon as Chen Yuqi answered, a female voice came through, one that Chen Zhe found oddly familiar.

“Yoboseyo, it’s me. What’s up, Sooyoung?” Chen Yuqi put the phone on speaker and lazily greeted her friend.

“Nothing much. You’ve been back in China for days and I just miss you, isn’t that allowed?” The woman on the other end paused for a moment before responding in an exaggeratedly affectionate tone.

“Ew, Sooyoung, that’s so cheesy and gross!” Chen Yuqi shuddered with mock disgust.

“Hahahahaha!” Chen Zhe, who had been listening to their conversation, couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing, clearly amused.

“Wait, was that Zhe I just heard? Yuqi, is he there with you?” Sooyoung paused, then seemed to realize something and asked quickly.

“Yes, annyeonghaseyo, Sooyoung noona, this is Chen Zhe,” he replied politely, stifling his laughter.

“Zhe, didn’t you say you were coming to Korea to visit? You said you wanted noona to show you around. Why haven’t you come yet?” Sooyoung responded, feigning seriousness.

“Yes, noona, I’ll be traveling to Korea with my sister in a few days,” Chen Zhe quickly explained, recalling that he really had talked about this before.

“Oh, that’s great! Then our plan can—” Sooyoung started, sounding excited, but suddenly cut herself off.

A finger had already pressed the speaker button, and Chen Zhe, momentarily puzzled, looked up to see his sister, Chen Yuqi, giving him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Um, sis, I need to go to the bathroom!” Sensing trouble, Chen Zhe abandoned his question and made a quick escape, knowing from experience that her current expression meant he was about to be in trouble.

“Go on, then!” Chen Yuqi waved him off, still smiling that unsettling smile.

“Sooyoung, you almost let it slip! Good thing I stopped that brat just in time,” Chen Yuqi sighed in relief, patting her chest as she complained to Sooyoung over the phone.

Meanwhile, Chen Zhe had no idea that his sister and his beloved Sooyoung noona were planning a huge surprise for him in Korea—one that would shatter his peaceful life and set off a series of events that would make things more exciting than he could ever have imagined.