Hiraeth ; Meteor Garden 2018

Chapter 40

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THE NEXT DAY

Meizuo and I were meeting Sooyeon, Tyler, and Mr. and Mrs. Jung at their house for lunch. To say that I was nervous was an understatement. I didn't know if it was true or not but I didn't want to be told wrong either.

"Shui? You ready?" I heard Meizuo ask as he popped his head in the doorway. He was dressed in a white t-shirt tucked into light beige trousers and a matching oversized coat that reached his ankles and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had on black sneakers and a silver necklace that I got him for his birthday.

"Well don't you look dashing Zuo." I teased as I gave him a smile. He smiled back and held my hand, twirling me around.

"And you, my love, are a goddess." He said, briefly kissing my cheek. I had on a flowy white spaghetti strapped sweetheart neck-lined dress that reached just a little below my knees and had small roses all throughout the dress. The back was neatly tied with a black satin ribbon. I had on some black ankle strap heels and a matching black purse. My hair was slightly curled and a pale pink color was painted on my lips. On my neck was a small gold pendant that was a Valentine's gift from Meizuo and the ring he got me rested on my right ring finger.

I giggled as he twirled me around again before heading out to my car and driving to the Jung mansion.

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"Shuijing! Meizuo!" Sooyeon yelled as she waved happily at us. She had on a black and red polka dot puffy long-sleeved romper that had a matching ribbon necktie. She had on red ankle strap wedges and her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. She had minimal makeup and long diamond drop earrings.

"So glad you guys are here." She greeted as she hugged me and Meizuo.

"Thank you for having us." I replied, smiling at the older girl.

"Well, come in. Lunch is about to be served." She said, walking inside as Meizuo and I followed, hand in hand.

Sooyeon led us to the garden where Tyler and her parents were. They were seated inside a marble gazebo. There was a large table with an abundance of food and a fresh bouquet of flowers was placed in the center of the table.

As we approached, I could feel my heartbeat faster and faster. Mr and Mrs Jung gave me a warm smile and Tyler proceeded to show us to our seats.

"Nice of you dears to join us. Well, come now. Let's eat." Mrs. Jung said as she smiled at me and Zuo. Zuo secretly held my hand under the table, giving me a small smile. 'Relax.' He mouthed and I nodded with a smile.

We began to eat and talk about random things.

After a while, I took a deep breath before asking Sooyeon about BLANC & ECLARE. She then proceeded to talk about its history and how she and Tyler worked together.

"Actually Mom was a huge factor in the brand's aesthetic and style." She said.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I've always been interested in fashion but Mom was a huge influence and she always said that I should make it my own rather than following trends. Travel had a lot to do with it too." She explained and I nodded, giving Meizuo a side-eye glance.

"And what about the logo? Why BLANC & ECLARE?" Meizuo asked.

"Tyler had suggested the name to me and as for the logo well, we had an old one that we used when mom was still managing it as the CEO before she passed it down to me. It was like this gold intricate seal with cursive lettering. It was the one she made in honor of my younger sister who was born that very year. We changed it eventually after I had taken over the brand." She said and my breath caught in my throat. I shakily reached inside my bag and took out a small plastic that contained a gold wax seal.