Dan was sweating buckets as he looked over the menu . The tranquil ambiance of trees, plants and bonsai beyond the vermillion walls failed to calm him down .

They took a private room overlooking the bridge outside . The cool wind was flowing freely, rustling the bamboo leaves . It was very relaxing, for a normal visitor .

Well, Verdan Zhou did not actually come to appreciate the cultural design and landscape . He came to be grilled!

Midori giggled as he continued to gulp down his cold water . His handkerchief had swept over his forehead and neck multiple times . The tie which she secured around his collar had already been loosened .

She sipped her green tea in amus.e.m.e.nt . They had arrived at the meeting place half an hour early .

____________________

Back in City S, Mich.e.l.le and Riley were playing with the dogs in the park .

After tossing frisbees for the two dogs to catch, they took a rest under the cool shade of a tree .

Riley suddenly stood up . "I'm gonna get some coffee at Zesty . What will I get for you?" he casually asked Mich.e.l.le .

"Caramel macchiato . Drop the whip on top, honey intead of sugar . " She kept on petting the b.u.t.terScotch duo . The dogs were actually more fond of her than their real owner .

Riley squinted his eyes . His girlfriend would not even look at him . Dam* friendly dogs . He should've gotten hyenas!

He stood up, defeated . As he made two steps, her voice interrupted him .

"Get something for the dogs too!"

He pouted, without looking back at her . "Got it . "

She was rolling on the gra.s.s laughing as the dogs played with her, licking her arms and face .

Then, she heard a familiar voice . "Min-hee?"

Her expression turned into shock, even prompting the dogs to stop playing and looked towards the approaching people .

Mich.e.l.le gasped as the couple came closer . "Eomma(1)"

A middle-aged Asian looking couple slowly approached her .

The lady gave a gentle smile while looking at the two fluff b.a.l.l.s . "When did you get dogs?" Her accent was a bit thick . She knew her daughter's aversion to dogs .

"And you even got two! Two big dogs!" The man chuckled . Surprisingly, his accent is a lot better than his wife's .

"Appa(2)!" There was a hint of longing in her voice . A total daddy's girl .

If we will be strict about saying so, Mich.e.l.le is not technically half-Asian, as her mom is only half-Caucasian and her dad is also Asian . The name that she heard is her original name . Mich.e.l.le is her English name .

"Min-hee, bogo sip-eo . . . (3)" the lady took Mich.e.l.le into a warm hug .

Just then, a voice rang . "What's going on?"

Riley was carrying a two paperbags with Zesty's logo .

Scotch made a friendly bark, running towards him .

___________________

Xiu Jin held his wife's hand as they walked towards the restaurant .

The private room was lined with tatami mats and there were no chairs for the low table .

Dan and Midori stood up and bowed as they greeted their elders .

There was an eerie silence in the room . After a few minutes, it was broken by the attendants who brought the food in, setting up a full kaiseki ryoki .

"Douzo(4) . " Dan gestured for the elders to begin their meal .

Aoi Xiu shot him a stern look without saying anything . After awhile, she picked up her chopsticks .

The younger ones antic.i.p.ated her verdict on the food, but to their surprise, she placed some meat and vegetables on Xiu Jin's bowl .

Midori had a suppressed smile on her face . Her dad was pleasantly surprised and was in a daze .

"Why are you s.p.a.cing out? The rice G.o.ds will get angry . " Aoi Xiu snapped him from his daze .

Xiu Jin chuckled . "I was just touched by how sweet you are lately . "

Midori snickered . Her parents had always been affectionate, even in public . However, they had some issues lately so her mother declared a cold war . It seems they had sorted things out .

"I was letting you check for poison . " Aoi Xiu had a serious face .

Xiu Jin coughed hard, trying to expectorate the food that he almost aspirated . His woman is too cruel . He reached for the water and drank half of it .

Seeing her parents were eating peacefully, Midori started eating as well, placing some food on her husband's bowl .

Aoi Xiu furrowed her brows as her daughter mimicks the actions of her father . She looked at Verdan Zhou . "CEO Zhou, we apologize for missing your engagement party . Are you here with your fiancée?"

The mushroom Dan held between his chopsticks fell on the table . A cold sweat acc.u.mulated on his forehead and nape .