Not a Double-date

It finally was the weekend and Zhao Xing excitedly prepared to go to the cinema.

"Xing Xing, isn't it at five? Why are you busy choosing clothes?" Her mother asked as she passed her room which was now in a mess because of all the clothes scattered around.

"You won't understand, you have to prepare these kind of things early enough."

Mrs. Zhao pursed her lips as she rolled her eyes. She was clearly excited about going to the movies and here she was preaching about preparing on time, if her daughter really was like that, then she wouldn't have to worry about her going to school on time every morning.

"How you found what you're going to wear?" Her mother asked.

Zhao Xing frowned and turned to her in frustration, and shook her head. Living with the Crown Prince had raised her taste, now when she looked at her clothes she only saw rags.

"Heh, you should have told me earlier, I would have had you buy some new clothes."

Zhao Xing heard this and her ears perked up. "Really?" She asked.

Her mother shrugged, "It depends if you're willing to pay the price for it."

'Why do I have a feeling like I should have seen this coming?'

Her mother smiled and pointed to Zhao Yun in the living room all dressed up. "Mom promised Xiao Yun that I'd take him to the aquarium today, but mom has to meet someone really important…"

Zhao Xing eyes dropped, and she stared at her mother blankly. But Mrs. Zhao continued, "When you complete your mission, you just send me a text and a picture, mom will send you a red packet." She said as she waved her phone at her, with a grin.

Zhao Xing shook her head in disbelief, "Madam Zhao, you're no longer the mother I used to know…now you're acting like those aunties on the street that trick children into doing their biddings..."

Zhao Xing didn't manage to finish speaking as she quickly fled, before her mother unleashed her wrath.

"Xiao Yun let's go." She said as she grabbed the hand of the little boy. But Zhao Yun didn't budge, he looked up at his sister, then at his mother who had broken her promise once again with teary eyes.

Mrs. Zhao walked up to him feeling a bit guilty. "Baby, mom has some important things to attend to and can't follow you today, but Xing Xing is following you instead, she'll take care of you and you'll have tons of fun."

After a few words of persuasion the obedient little Zhao Yun complied.

"Aiyo, Xiao Yun always acts like you were an old man, in the end you're just a kid." They were on their way to the bus stop and Zhao Xing held her brother's hands tightly for fear he'd get lost. She remembered the scene before they left home, and how Xiao Yun was sulking and couldn't help but remark.

Zhao Yun was silent. But Zhao Xing continued to talk, "Sigh, it's been a long time since we went out like this right Xiao Yun? The last time, where was it again…I think it was to the book store…there was this book you really liked, that time we didn't have any money on us, in the end the book store owner let you have it for free…mom was mad when she heard it, she said we swindled the old man with our cuteness."

When Zhao Yun heard the last part of her sentence he looked up at her scornfully, "Humph, mom was talking about me not you, Big sister isn't cute!"

"Now you know how to talk?" Zhao Xing turned to look at him, she felt this little fella was looking for a fight. "How can you say your big sister isn't cute? How you be like this, huh? Baby brothers are supposed to be cute and lovely, ever praising their big sister as if she were a goddess alright? Look at you, you're a bad example of a smaller brother!"

"I didn't receive smaller brother training, I only learned that I should tell the truth and stand by it." Zhao Yun retorted making Zhao Xing speechless.

"You…never mind, as your elder sister I won't argue with you." She said this and refused to mind him anymore. While the argued they had long reached the bus stop, and before they knew it the bus came.

Soon they arrived the aquarium, it was the weekend so the place was a bit crowded. Zhao Yun looked around curiously, then sighed bowing his head with a frown. Seeing her younger brother looking down she knew he would have wanted their mother to be here. Zhao Xing bent down to his level, "Xiao Yun? Hey, Mom is a bit busy, she'll accompany you next time, today just bear with, let's have lots of fun so when we return mom will be jealous and would definitely come next time."

Zhao Yun stared at his sister from the corner of his eyes, he didn't look happy that she was being so mushy, but in the end he still nodded.

"Yeah, let's go have some fun, ok?" She stood up and both want to explore their aquatic friends, just the two of them.

Of course, they were envious of other complete families that were having fun together at the aquarium, but they didn't mind. When other families' fathers carried their children on their shoulders, Zhao Xing did the same for her brother. There was no way she was going to let him feel inferior in anyway.

They watched shows, bought ice cream, took pictures, bought a plushie…or two, and had a lot of fun.

When it was time to go home it was already passed lunch time, around 3 pm. They arrived home only to find their mother was also back.

"I didn't know when you guys would be coming back, so I panicked a bit."

"Then did you manage to meet with your client?" Zhao Xing asked as she put the sleeping Zhao Yun into his room. Mrs. Zhao nodded, with a smile. Zhao Xing didn't say much. "Didn't work yourself to death."

"This child, stop saying unlucky things."

Zhao Xing looked at her phone and saw the red packet her mother sent her, and smiled. She would just admit she was poor, this doesn't matter, right now she was as good as someone with two lives, in one she was poor in the other she was rich and lived lavishly. She didn't need to change that fact at least for now.

So this money was for her alone, she needn't get any clothes.

It was soon time for her rendezvous with her friends. It was supposed to feel good since they finally had the time to get together and just have fun. But the recent happenings made the meeting bland to a certain someone. Lu Yang felt he had been fooling himself all this while, Shan Shan didn't like him, she had been completely oblivious, and so this invitation he had used to get even closer to her was pretty much useless. Well we really say it was that bad since Jiang Chen was very happy to be here, as well as Zhao Xing, who wanted to eat more melons, she had an audience back at the prince manor, she had to update them on recent happenings (Lu Yang x Xue Shan Shan). Shan Shan was also on the same agenda, she came for gossip, and had her eyes were on both Jiang Chen and Zhao Xing who sat together, the whole time.

Well they had no idea what was actually going on amongst them. Of course none of them did, the group was suddenly filled with so many secret. So whatever this rendezvous was about it was definitely not a double-date.

.......

Zhao Yun: Jie, I want that plushie.

Zhao Xing: The dolphin plushie? First say 'Big sister is the cutest, the prettiest' and I'll surely get it for you.

Zhao Yun: Mom said I can't lie.

Zhao Xing:….