After I had dinner with the boys, Meizuo dropped me off. That was 30 minutes ago. We were talking on against the hood of his car, steps away from my house.

"Do you really have to go? Can't you just sleep over?" I asked as I pouted at Meizuo who just laughed and hugged me from behind as I leaned into him. He rested his head on my shoulder and sighed. I closed my eyes and placed my hands where his arms were.

"I wish I could but I have to go home. I still have a paper to write that's due in the morning." He said and I got out his embrace. I crossed my arms and pouted at him.

"Okay. I won't keep you. See you tomorrow Zuo." I teased as I moved to go inside when he pulled me back and trapped me in his arms.

"Ah ah ah. You forgot something...where's my goodnight kiss?" He teased with a smile and I laughed.

"Goodnight." I said as I moved to leave but he held me there.

"Nope. I said a goodnight KISS." He teased and I leaned in closer as he closed his eyes. I silently laughed and pecked him on the cheek as I ran inside.

"Hey! Shuijing! That's not fair!" I heard him complain from the other side of the door.

"Bye Zuo!" I teased as he pouted and waved goodbye before blowing me a kiss. I smiled and waved back before heading upstairs to change and get some sleep.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I woke up early the next day to meet up with my parents and oversee the last of the decorations for the party then I was meeting up with the boys for lunch. I was sad that Jie couldn't come, she still had some things to do in Paris.

The party was going to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the ballroom specifically. It was furnished with blue velvet carpets and the walls were decorated with white flowers that were painted in different shades of blues, pinks and purples. Each table was silver in color with white chairs. On the wall behind the stage was an opal colored background with the words "Shuijing at 22" written in gold cursive lettering and under that was the time and venue of the party.

"Has Jongin contacted you? Why isn't he here?" Dad asked.

"He still had some things to look over at the company but he'll be here tonight." I said and Dad nodded. He then walked over to the party organizer and discussed the remaining details.

"Have you decided on your dress yet?" Mom asked as I looped my arm with hers and walked around the ballroom.

"Yes. A friend of mine designed it mom. It's gorgeous." I beamed and my mom laughed. We stopped walking and she held up her hand to caress my face with her thumb.

"You've grown so much dear, I can't believe you're turning 22. It feels like yesterday when I helped you walk across the floor and now, you're slowly becoming one of the most brilliant women in this era. I'm so proud of you dear." She said and I teared up as she pulled me in for a hug.

My heart raced as I thought of what would happen later tonight.

"Oh! It seems you have a visitor." My mom said as she pulled away and stepped back. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and I turned my head to see Meizuo smiling and waving at me. I laughed as he walked closer.

"What are you doing here Zuo?" I asked as he gave me a small hug.

"Well we are meeting up for lunch with Ah Si and the rest and I was nearby so I decided to pick you up." He said as he gave me a smile.

"My my. You've become such a charming gentleman Meizuo." My mom commented as she smiled at Meizuo who kissed her cheek.

"Hi Auntie. I'll be borrowing Shuijing for a while. We promised to meet up with Ah Si, Ximen and Lei for lunch." He explained and my mom smiled. She had always liked Meizuo but my dad thought otherwise. He'd make it a point to remind me about Meizuo's history with women but I never listened.

"Of course dear. Just make sure she's back before 5:30 pm okay? She has to get ready by that time. Have fun!" Mom said as I gave her a hug before walking out of the ballroom.

When we got outside, we headed for his car and I slipped inside while Meizuo got in the driver's side door. I strapped myself in and Meizuo just looked at me with a smile.

"What?" I asked, laughter escaping from my lips. He looked around, checking if someone was watching us before planting a brief kiss on my lips.

"Zuo! Someone might see!" I scolded as my cheeks turned red and hit him on the shoulder.

"Sorry. Couldn't help it Shui." He said teasingly as he reached for my hand, intertwining our fingers and gently placing a kiss on the back of my hand while his other hand was on the steering wheel.

"Stop flirting with me and just drive. I'm starving." I complained as he just laughed and drove us to the restaurant.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Shuijing! Over here!" Ximen called as he waved us over. Meizuo grabbed my hand and led me to my seat which was between him and Ximen and across Lei and Ah Si.

"How's the party preparations going Shui?" Lei asked as he sipped his tea.

"It's going great but.." I trailed off and sighed as I looked down which caused them all to look at me.

"What is it Shui?" Meizuo asked as he placed his hand on top of mine.

"Dad's making me nervous and Mom has been too emotional. I don't know what's gonna happen when they find out that Jongin and I aren't getting married or even engaged for that matter." I said as I grasped Meizuo's hand tight.

"What if they hate me?" I asked as my lip trembled. Meizuo took that as his cue to put his arm around me and pull me closer.

"They won't hate you Shui. They're your parents." He comforted as Ximen chimed in.

"That's right. You may feel like they don't love you but at the end of the day, they're still your parents and they want nothing but your happiness Shui." He added as Lei reached for my hand from across the table.

"If anything does happen later tonight, we'll be right there with you." He said and I smiled.

"Yeah. You have us. The mighty F4 to protect you." Ah Si boasted and I laughed.

"Don't forget. Shancai will be there too. Maybe we can even see a reenactment of how she threw a flying kick at Ah Si later." Meizuo joked and we all laughed as Ah Si turned bright red.

"W-what? Why is that stupid girl attending your birthday Shui?" Ah Si demanded.

"Have you forgotten that I see her like a sister?" I said and he pouted.

"Whatever." He said as he crossed his arms and slumped back in his seat.

"Did you guys fight again?" I asked and he just remained silent. Meizuo and Ximen sighed. Lei got out his small novel and started to read.

"What did you do this time?" I asked and Ah Si looked at me in disbelief.

"What? I didn't do anything. That stupid girl did!" He defended as he continued to ramble on about Shancai. He talked for so long that I didn't even notice that we had finished eating at 4pm.

"I gotta go guys. I have to get ready." I said as I grabbed my bag and proceeded to stand up, Meizuo following.

"Take care Shui! We'll see you in a few hours." Ximen said as we waved goodbye, Meizuo taking my hand and leading me outside to his car. He drove me back to the hotel and sneaked another kiss in before leaving.

"See you later gorgeous." He said as he winked before driving away.

I sighed happily, unaware of the events that were about to unfold.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

GRAND HYATT HOTEL

SHUIJING'S SUITE

7 50 pm

I was in my suite with my glam team just finishing up the last minute touches. The party would start at 8pm sharp and I was really nervous even though it's my birthday so I kept fixing every little detail. I smoothed down my dress and brushed through my hair endlessly. I was fidgeting in nervousness.

"Calm down sweetie. You have nothing to be nervous about. You look breathtaking." My makeup artist said as she applied some rouge on my lips.

"Breathtaking isn't even enough to describe how you look right now. You look like a goddess." My hairstylist said as he brushed my hair. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm down.

"Okay, you're ready dear." I heard him say as I opened my eyes and stood in front of the mirror.

I was dressed in a colorful Missoni backless halter maxi dress with gold stripes. I had on a pair of silver dangling earrings with gold triangles at the tips. I also had on a rose gold colored cuff bracelet that was covered in miniature diamonds and a pair of gold ankle-strap heels. My hair was very loosely curled at the tips to give it a wavy effect. My eyes were painted a nude shimmery pattern and my lips were painted a tangy red color.

I smiled before saying thank you to my team as they headed out and left me by myself. I looked over at my appearance one more time before grabbing my phone and purse. As I headed down, I heard my phone beep.

"We're here Shui. Shancai just arrived as well along with Xiaoyou, Qinghe and Li Zhen. -Zuo"

I smiled before handing over my purse and phone to the attendant. She said she'll hold on to it because I needed to enter the ballroom through the small door near the stage. I thanked her before heading to the back. As I walked closer, I could hear the music stopping and the emcee introducing me. The lights dimmed and the door behind the stage slowly opened as I walked out confidently. Applause erupted among the crowd and I smiled.

If I wasn't the birthday celebrant, I would've stuck out like a sore thumb. Every single one of my guests were either dressed in black, white or silver.

I smile brighter before being escorted by another attendant to the stage. I saw my parents standing proudly near the stage, clapping and smiling. My eyes wandered towards my guests and I locked eyes at the person I was looking for. I gave him a small smile as he continued to clap as he mouthed 'I love you' and smiled proudly which made me slightly giggle.

He stood in between Ximen and Ah Si with Lei on the other side. Shancai, Xiaoyou, and Li Zhen stood in front of them. Qinghe was clapping and cheering loudly which prompted Ximen and Meizuo to hit him on the back of the head. I laughed at that and the lights went back on. The emcee handed me the microphone.

"Good evening everyone. I want to thank you all for coming to my 22nd birthday party. I hope you all enjoy and have fun because the night is just starting. Thank you!" I said as I handed the microphone back to the emcee as the attendant helped me down from the stage and handed me my purse and phone before I walked over to my parents.

"Sweetie! You look so beautiful." Mom said as she pulled me in for a hug.

"Thanks mom." I said as I turned to Dad.

"Run along. Don't be rude and say hello to the guests." Dad said and I nodded before walking away. After about 30 minutes, I had already said hi and exchanged pleasantries with everyone in the room except for three tables. Jongin's table with his family and friends, my friends from Korea and America and Meizuo's table with the F4 along with Shancai, Li Zhen, Xiaoyou and Qinghe.

I headed for Jongin's table first.

"Hi Jonginie." I greeted as he stood up and kissed my cheek.

"Hey Shui. You look gorgeous." He said and I nodded in thanks as he handed me a bouquet of red roses. I pulled away and turned to his parents.

"Hello dear. Happy birthday." They happily said and I gave them both a hug each.

I looked at the table and noticed some unfamiliar faces. I assumed they were the rest of Jongin's friends. I had only met a few of his friends namely Chanyeol, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun. Chanyeol was a really nice guy and I've heard that he has produced most of the songs under the music label that Jongin was planning on joining. Baekhyun is this really loud but super nice guy who has an amazing voice and the opposite of him was Kyungsoo who was the closest to Jongin. He's really smart and quiet and I actually had the chance to taste his amazing cooking.

"Let me introduce you to the rest of the group." He said as he introduced the rest of the boys. First was Junmyeon who was the 'mom' of the group and according to Baekhyun was the richest among them. Next was Minseok who was the eldest and cutest one in the group (according to him). Then after him was Jongdae who was actually already married and had a cute little daughter. Next was Yixing who was a little bit high-strung but nonetheless kind. Next to him were Luhan, Yifan, and Zitao. The three were very successful artists here in China along with Yixing and they often stayed here while the rest stayed back in Korea. Lastly was Sehun who was the youngest and the most good looking I might add. He seemed rather shy and gave me a small wave which I returned.

"Wow. There's a lot of you." I joked and they all laughed before I said goodbye to say hi to my friends at the next table across from them.

"Shuijing!" They all shouted as they pulled me in for a hug.

"How come you keep getting taller?" Sunyoung, the shortest of all of us complained. I met Sunyoung when I travelled to Korea and she is an amazing dancer and a breathtaking singer.

"You look gorgeous Princess." Yiyun chimed in as she twirled me around and I laughed. Yiyun was my personal assistant and the 'tomboy' in the group. There was even a time where she walked me home and this guy was hitting on me and to get him to go away, she wrapped her arm around me and pretended to be my 'boyfriend'. We both laughed it off and I'm actually the only one who knows that she has a boyfriend.

"You've grown up so much Shui. My God! I feel so old!" Qian jie said. I met Qian jie at one of my fashion shows when she walked alongside me and we've friends ever since.

I looked around and saw that someone was missing from our group. I frowned as I remembered Jinri. Oh, what would I give to have her here with me right now.

"Sorry I'm late!" I turned around and smiled before breaking into a run.

"Jinriii!!" I shouted as I pulled her into a hug as she laughed and hugged me tightly.

"Shuijing! Happy birthday!" She greeted as she pulled away and I led her to the table where the rest was waiting.

"I thought you couldn't make it." I said and she smiled.

"You're my sister. I wouldn't miss this for the world." She said as I pulled her in for another hug. Jinri has been my best friend for more than 10 years and she's the closest thing to a sister that I have alongside Sunyoung, Yiyun, Qian, the F4 and Shancai.

"Well, I'll catch up with you guys later okay?" I said as they led Jinri to eat and sit down while I headed for the F4's table.

"Why don't you all look nice dressed up?" I teased as I stopped near Meizuo who secretly grabbed my hand.

"Hi Shuijing! You look gorgeous!" Qinghe exclaimed.

"Thanks Qinghe. You too." I said back as I took in his appearance and slightly laughed. He was wearing a light pink tuxedo top with blue trousers and sitting in between Ah Si and Meizuo who were wearing black and dark blue tuxedos just made him stick out even more.

"Shui, happy birthday. I'm sorry I couldn't get you a better gift." Shancai said as she stood up and handed me a small blue box with a silver-colored ribbon.

"Thank you Shancai. You shouldn't have." I said as I opened the box to see a simple silver bracelet with a small opal colored heart as a charm.

"I love it. Thank you so much!" I said as I fastened on the bracelet on my other wrist and hugged the small girl. I could tell she was a little scared and uncomfortable knowing that Ah Si's mom was in the same room with her but she was far from where they were sitting. She was sitting with my parents.

"I'm glad you like it." She said as she sat down in between Lei and Xiaoyou. Xiaoyou then proceeded to hand me her gift which was a pair of rose gold earrings that formed the shape of the Libra constellation which was my star sign. I thanked her and Qinghe stared at them in disbelief.

"Hey! You all got gifts? Why didn't anyone tell me?" He complained and I laughed.

"Why didn't you think to get one? It's her birthday. Shouldn't you have figured it out on your own?" Ah Si said and Qinghe turned to him.

"Hey! I didn't see you guys give Shuijing anything! So I guess we're all even." He stated and the 4 of them just laughed and looked at him.

"What?" Qinghe asked in confusion.

"Qinghe, they already gave me their gifts." I said as the boys smiled.

"Tch. I'm sure they're not as good as the gifts that Shancai and Xiaoyou gave." Qinghe scoffed as he crossed his arms.

" I gave her a box of all her favorite books and vintage movie vinyls and a pair of earrings that were once worn by the last queen of Burma." Ximen stated before turning to Lei.

"I sent her the entire spring and summer collection of Louis Vuitton and a cube of pink roses." Lei chimed in and turned to Ah Si who smirked.

"I bought her a private jet and 20 boxes of Christian Louboutin boots and heels." Ah Si prodded and Qinghe's mouth dropped.

"And you? You didn't get her anything? Aren't you her best friend?" He chided Meizuo who I now realize had yet to give me something.

"Oh shut up. I have a gift okay and I'll give it to her in private." Meizuo defended as he sent me a smile which I returned.

"Why in private? It's a lousy gift isn't it?" Qinghe joked and I could feel Meizuo getting mad so I gripped his hand tighter.

"At least I have a gift." he retorted which prompted to open his mouth again.

"I'll have you know that I-"

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. May I have your attention please?" I turned my head to the stage and saw that my Dad had taken the microphone. Everyone in the ballroom had stood up and tuned in to what my Dad had to say.

"Shuijing, Jongin. Can you come up here please?" He said and I walked away from the table. I walked over to Jongin who offered me his arm as we walked to the stage. He placed his arm on my lower back as my Dad started to speak.

"Tonight is a night of celebration. Not only because it's my daughter's birthday but also her engagement." He said and people gasped. Jongin and I exchanged a knowing look.

"My dear daughter is set to be married to the son of the Kim Corporation, Kim Jong-" He started before Jongin stopped him.

"Excuse me sir, if I may?" He asked and my dad, confused, passed him the microphone.

"Good evening everyone. I'm Kim Jongin. I'm a good friend of Shuijing's and I'm here to tell you that she and I aren't engaged nor are we set to be married." He stated and more gasps ensued.

"Young man, what are you saying?" Dad asked in a low but angry voice which prompted Jongin to pull me behind him. I noticed that the boys and Shancai were now at the very front alongside mine and Jongin's friends and family.

"Sir I have no intention to get married any time soon and Shuijing doesn't either. We're both too young and I think it's better if we stayed friends." He said he turned to me and smiled.

"What? Do your parents know about this?" Dad asked which prompted Mr and Mrs Kim to answer.

"We stand by what Jongin wants. Shuijing is a wonderful girl and extremely kind but if Jongin doesn't want to marry her, we'll stand by him. I hope you'll do the same with your daughter and think about what makes her happy rather than what can benefit your business." Mrs. Kim said and my mouth dropped and eyes water as I flashed her a grateful smile which she returned.