Celebrity Neighbor: My girlfriend is a big star?
Chapter 146. Plan to Go Home Together for the New Year (Subscribe! Monthly Ticket Request!)

Chapter 146: 146. Plan to Go Home Together for the New Year (Subscribe! Monthly Ticket Request!)

Regarding the duck neck, even though Liu Xin’an and Li Chenglu weren’t particularly good with spicy food, they could still eat a substantial amount with a lot of "hissing" and effort.

Especially with sugar-free cola as a pairing.

As for Bae Juhyun, this sweet and spicy snack instantly won her over.

Her ruby lips became glossy from the duck neck’s oil, and with gloves on, she casually grabbed a can of sugar-free cola and bit onto the straw.

After the can made a sound as it emptied, she raised her hand and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her oil-free hand.

"We must buy some to take back. I want Seulgi to try it," she said with admiration, pointing to the table full of duck snacks.

"That’s easy,"

Liu Xin’an naturally wouldn’t refuse such a small request. He chewed on a duck wing tip and looked at Li Chenglu.

"After this event, are you coming with us?"

Li Chenglu was eating lotus root slices. She shook her head upon hearing this.

"No, I have to go back to work, or Lao Wang will get mad at me."

Lao Wang was her direct superior at work.

Liu Xin’an knew him too. They weren’t much older, and when Liu was still in China, he often brought barbecue to share with Lao Wang and Li Chenglu.

Of course, Lao Wang was married. His wife knew everyone, so there was no melodramatic plot like Lao Wang secretly loving Li Chenglu.

"By the way, what excuse did you use to take leave this time?"

"Annual leave."

"Annual leave? Isn’t your annual leave only seven days?"

"He’ll dock my pay for the extra days. Anyway, the studio can’t function without me."

Li Chenglu was indeed quite arrogant. She was the star of the studio, and unless Lao Wang was out of his mind, he would never think of firing her.

"What does Chenglu do?"

"Me? I’m a simultaneous interpreter."

"Oh..."

Bae Juhyun knew about this job but also knew that someone with a slow mind couldn’t manage it.

Like herself, for example.

Actually, SIMs weren’t rare; genuinely rare were those who could handle business interpretations.

Such SIMs required extensive knowledge because they dealt with lots of specialized terms. If not specially trained, it wasn’t an easy job to land.

Li Chenglu was undoubtedly a linguistic genius.

With her natural humor from being a Tianjin native, she was well-known in the SIM field.

And she was very beautiful.

"So, if we have events abroad in the future, can we hire you?"

"If Irene ever needs me! I’d walk through fire for her!"

"Ah! That’s too exaggerated,"

Liu Xin’an chuckled. "Your company wouldn’t spend that much. She specializes in corporate interpretation, so you wouldn’t need someone as professional as Li Chenglu. She charges a lot."

"Right, that makes sense."

Bae Juhyun nodded. Indeed, SM wasn’t very generous. For translation tasks, they could probably just hire a local student.

No need to spend much money.

"I wouldn’t charge to be Irene’s translator!"

"Go, go, your spoken language isn’t even as good as mine."

"...give me a month."

Li Chenglu sighed. This wasn’t entirely untrue. No matter how gifted she was, she couldn’t match Liu Xin’an, who spoke Korean with Park Jinsuk since childhood.

Too bad she didn’t learn it back then; otherwise, she wouldn’t be mocked by Liu now.

"A month later it’ll be New Year’s... Ah!"

Liu Xin’an suddenly remembered he hadn’t mentioned the idea of Juhyun accompanying him for New Year celebrations.

He quickly put down the duck wing and took a big sip of cola, then turned to Bae Juhyun.

"Juhyun-ah, can we discuss something?"

"Huh? Do you need my help with something?"

"Yes,"

Bae Juhyun became interested. During their time together, she hadn’t had a chance to help Liu Xin’an.

This time, with her boyfriend facing a difficulty, she decided to agree to anything he asked.

A minute later.

"Ha?! No, no, no!!"

Bae Juhyun’s beautiful face showed a horrified expression. She waved her hands and instinctively stood up, as if confronted by something terrifying.

Because just thirty seconds ago, Liu Xin’an officially extended an invitation to her...

He wanted to invite her home for the New Year celebrations.

Though not Chinese, she understood what the traditional Chinese New Year meant to a Chinese person.

Being invited by Liu Xin’an in such an official manner thrilled her.

But what followed was the fear of meeting Liu Xin’an’s parents.

During her conversation with Li Chenglu in the afternoon, asking about his parents, she was already trying to prepare mentally.

Yet, she didn’t expect the day to come so quickly.

So fast that the sweet and spicy duck neck choked her.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Liu Xin’an quickly handed over a drink.

Bae Juhyun took a sip to suppress the itch in her throat, then looked pitifully at Liu Xin’an.

"I’m not mentally prepared yet."

Alright, she was crafty, even bad.

When she brought Liu Xin’an home before, he didn’t hesitate much.

Back then, he was so nervous that he was walking out of step, but still agreed to go home with her.

But her?

She felt uneasy and panicked.

Panicked about not being in her best state to meet his parents.

Uneasy about...

Her identity as an artist.

In her country, artists could be admired, but no one wanted to marry one.

"Yeah, Liu Xin’an. Why so hasty? It’s not been long, and you already want to bring Irene home! I won’t agree to this!"

Li Chenglu joined the fun, though she was just meddling.

Whether Bae Juhyun went home with him didn’t affect her. She’d still get her red packets from Liu’s parents.

Yes, she was already 27... Wait, it’s January, so 28.

At 28, she still received red packets from both her parents and Liu’s parents.

It wasn’t shameful!

Before marriage, you’re always a child!

"Uh... actually, it’s because I made a bet with my dad."

"Hmm?" Li Chenglu was puzzled.

Bae Juhyun didn’t quite understand but still perked her ears up.

Liu Xin’an knew explaining his mom’s situation was complicated, so he turned to Li Chenglu.

"You know why I went to Korea, right?"

"Uh... you haven’t given up yet?" Li Chenglu was initially puzzled, then her eyes widened.

Now Bae Juhyun was even more confused, sensing Liu Xin’an didn’t want to explain to her.

She quickly grabbed his arm.

"What are you two talking about? Why did you come to our country? Didn’t you say it was for tourism?"

Because of the unknown, Bae Juhyun started to panic.

She feared Liu Xin’an had another purpose, that once achieved, he’d leave.

She couldn’t accept that.

Seeing his girlfriend’s panic, Liu Xin’an coughed, took off his gloves and gently squeezed her ungloved hand to comfort her.

"You misunderstood, Juhyun. I came to Korea because of my mom. She ran to China alone over 30 years ago and met my dad there. They got married, but she never mentioned her life in Korea. I was always curious, but never had the chance. Now that I’m free, I want to see if I can find my mom’s family."

Liu Xin’an tried to simplify his family’s situation.

After digesting this, Bae Juhyun’s first reaction...

"But if Mom ran away, doesn’t that mean she doesn’t want to face her family?"

Liu Xin’an nodded. Initially, he gave up on this idea due to such thoughts, but...

"Every family reunion holiday, she seems a bit lonely."

Over the years, he often saw his mom sitting quietly, looking nostalgic.

When he asked, she only smiled.

It made him very frustrated.

No matter what, he wanted to understand everything.

Family shouldn’t have so many secrets.

Bae Juhyun nodded, understanding but quickly had another doubt.

"What’s that got to do with me going to your house?"

Now it was Liu Xin’an’s turn to feel embarrassed.

He smiled awkwardly. "I made a bet with my dad. He said if I bring my girlfriend home, he’ll tell me everything."

"..."

"..."

Both Bae Juhyun and Li Chenglu fell silent.

Bae Juhyun didn’t think much further. Knowing how important this was to Liu Xin’an, she pondered whether to agree or not.

As for Li Chenglu...

She just thought her childhood friend was a bit stupid.

"So dumb, really."

"Dumb? Me? What did I do?"

"Do you think hiding your relationship from your parents gives you the upper hand?"

"What else? My dad doesn’t know I’m dating here. Also, I’m warning you, don’t spill it!"

"I have better things to do, but think about it. How does it hurt them whether you bring a girlfriend or not?"

Liu Xin’an was stunned. Following her logic, he realized something.

Well, indeed, exactly!

"Oh damn, I got tricked by my dad!"

Realizing the situation, Liu shouted, startling the pondering Bae Juhyun.

She pursed her lips, unable to find a good answer, showing a distressed expression.

"Can I think about it... I need to ensure I’m free then."

If she went, it was easy. She still had her visa, and New Year’s wasn’t far off. She could use it immediately.

But she hadn’t convinced herself to face this yet.

Was Liu Xin’an this nervous when he visited her home before?

Bae Juhyun suddenly felt immense respect for her boyfriend.

"Ah, no rush. There’s still time. Take your time to think. You don’t have to agree," he said.

"Huh?"

Liu Xin’an, chewing his lip and not answering her confusion, left Li Chenglu laughing breathlessly to explain for him.

"No... nothing. This guy was tricked by his dad. He’s angry now."

"Tricked?"

"Yeah. Think about it, Irene. Whether he brings you or not, it’s a win-win for his parents."

Bae Juhyun showed a puzzled expression. "Huh?"

Alright, it seemed Liu wasn’t the only one behaving foolishly.