Y/n was still in China after several weeks. Manami, Ruiqi, and Jia decided to accompany her to take care of her, and there, they met Y/n's mother and cousin Jiaqi, who stayed unexpectedly longer despite her tight schedule.

"So Y/n is going to act? Like... real acting?" chuckled Kiki as she chatted with the YXY members, Ziyin translating. Y/n rolled her eyes and sipped her hot milk. She made it herself. "Among the three of us, Y/n sucks the most in acting," Ziyin said, to which Kiki agreed. "But that was before; let's see how it goes now," Kiki said, lovingly patting Y/n's head. The youngest member of the family is the most adored.

"By the way, unnie, we thought there was a ghost in your room because there was this buzzing sound. Ruan got brave and barged in, it was just your phone being flooded with messages," Manami said, making everyone laugh. "And now the batteries are dead," Ruiqi said as she took Y/n's phone from her bag and returned it. "I think it's better if you don't use your phone for a while, because social media is very stressful," Kiki advised, and everyone agreed. Y/n was planning to shut down everything and live privately for a short period of time during her group's 2-3 month vacation, so she instructed 2Y1C1A1M1S-CHN to cancel her solo message subscription on their fan app.

She appears to have vanished like a bubble in the air from the public eye, raising more questions about her dating life. Many people believed the rumours were true, but because Kyungsoo is a good CEO, he asked the other members, particularly Ziyin, for confirmation before denying the rumours. Even so, Y/n's media problem was not resolved yet. Kyungsoo then issued a statement about Y/n's health which caused widespread concern. Finally, he did nothing about Y/n's rumor about an SNH48 member because Yixing will handle that. Mrs. Song also informed their Chinese CEO that Shiyu was her sister, so Yixing did not issue a public statement in response to her mother's request. Shiyu, on the other hand, received a lot of attention and interviews about this, which she immediately declined, claiming that they're just close friends like sisters and nothing more. Mr. Song has already told her that she cannot simply say they are sisters because of the ongoing threats against the family.

Xiaoting was mentioned by everyone in the house, including the members. Y/n still thinks about her of course, but she doesn't want to interfere with the other girl's schedule so she kept her distance. It's for the best for the both of them. Xiaoting, on the other hand, was told not to be concerned about Y/n. Kyungsoo called her once and told her that everything was fine for Y/n and that she needed to shut down everything for her emotional and mental health. Xiaoting understood and prioritised her promotions.

With the break in China, everything was going swimmingly. After a few more days, Y/n insisted on starting the web drama right away. They shot some scenes in China while they were still there because the two main characters were present. After seeing Y/n in public again, some fans recognised them and felt relieved. Their Chinese fans were courteous, allowing them to shoot without interfering.

Mrs. Song returned from her other business trip in Thailand and sent the group off during their final days in China. Y/n was disappointed that her father had not returned home to meet her this time.

"Be sure to drink your vitamins, alright?"

Mrs. Song tucked her daughter's hair behind her ears. "And don't overstress yourself," Y/n nodded with a genuine smile. "Mom, our plane is calling. I'll be back soon," she promised, taking her luggage from the driver's grasp. "Love you," she kissed her mother before sprinting to her group, who had already arrived at the gate.

The entire three-hour flight back to Korea was not quiet. They are all conversing and going over their scripts. They were too preoccupied with Jia's project as they take it seriously.

The arrival of the paparazzi was not unexpected for them. Even if Kyungsoo does not inform the media of their arrival, the paparazzi will be aware of their plans, which is strange. The company guards escorted them to the house, where they were greeted by all of the members except Hikaru and Xiaoting. Both had no idea Y/n was returning.

"Look at you! You look fantastic now!" Dayeon said this while pinching both of Y/n's cheeks. Y/n dyed her hair blond and cut it short, just above the shoulder. She did this before the filming began so that the project timeline would not be ruined.

"You and Jia are twinning," Kotone said, amusingly crossing her arms. Y/n sighed contentedly as she looked around. She yearned for the house and its inhabitants. "Where have Xiaoting and Hikaru gone?" " she questioned. Of course, she never forgot about her girlfriend, even after they stopped talking after their argument.

"Kep1er is in Japan, unnie," Ruan announced. Y/n closed her eyes for a short time, inhaling deeply. After opening them, she smiled naturally and hummed. Y/n stopped herself from overthining about it, but if she were her old self, she would spend the entire night worrying about Xiaoting's safety in that country. She needs to take a good control of her self.

"So... when is the next schedule?" " The members smiled at her as she stopped asking questions about Xiaoting. Everyone ate dinner together again, and this time Y/n cooked. She didn't bring any Chinese food to the members because she forgot her credit card in Korea. She didn't want to ask her mother for money as well.

"Are you certain you'll be okay now, Laoban?"

Ruiqi inquired as she walked alongside Y/n on the streets. They went with Jiyoon because Y/n wanted to see the Han River firework display that will end this season because it's November already next week. "Of course, how about you? Have you moved on from Luofei? " Luofei went to college in Boston, which was the catalyst for their breakup.

"Hm? Of course," Y/n noticed Jiyoon shifting beside her. Something is fishy about these two.

"And how about Ruan and Kotone? Why did they stop talking like... after I returned a few months ago? I noticed that but didn't ask for it," she inquired of the two.

"Basically, Kotone confessed to Ruan, but Ruan was taken aback and walked away. They didn't say anything after that," Y/n sighed. She was the one who persuaded Kotone to confess to Ruan, and it didn't go well. "Do you believe I can assist them? Myself this time? I actually pushed Kotone to confess and well, it didn't worked" Jiyoon's head nodded.

"You're like... a cupid, unnie," she said. Y/n then smiled to herself as she watched the fireworks pop in the air by the river. "A cupid who is unstable with her own love," she said quietly, but the two heard her. "Jie-jie... that's not the case. There's nothing wrong with you and her... well, she's just... possessive and stuff, but there's nothing wrong with you," Ruiqi patted her on the back.

"We used to be healthy, you know, but being in the industry separated us." Jiyoon then comforted Y/n by hugging her arm alongside Ruiqi. "You're thinking like this again," Ruiqi said quietly.

"Do you think breaking up with her will fix everything?"

Y/n's statement surprised Jiyoon and Ruiqi. They had no idea Y/n could think of such things. She adores her girlfriend and has promised to be by her side forever, but the Y/n in front of them is slightly different. For Y/n, this may be the only way for her to focus on her work and recover from her emotional state. She adores Xiaoting, but this breakup will not last forever; she will return to her once everything is back to normal for her.

"Are you sure you want to do that, unnie?" Jiyoon asked.

"I love her and will always love her... I just need to focus on myself and my work. I don't want to fight with her any longer because it will only harm both of us, so I think this is the only solution," Y/n said, painfully smiling. "But if she doesn't want to, that's fine. When we fight, I'll keep my cool around her so-"

"No, jie-jie, do it for your health. I'm sure she'll see your point of view." Y/n nodded. But she knows deep down that she doesn't want to abandon Xiaoting. The plan was difficult. Mrs. Song will surely explain everything to Xiaoting's parents if they become angry at her.

Mrs. Song has already given her approval to her decision. She would rather have Y/n be healthy than continue to be injured. She now understands why Y/n has recently gone down. The incident involving Yurina and Xiaoting. Y/n explained it well to her so she didn't get too angry at Xiaoting, even though she is disappointed in what she did to her daughter. Knowing that Nakamura was threatening them, Mrs. Song also returned the guards for Y/n and Xiaoting.

"Did you speak with Ziyin-jie already?"

Ruiqi inquired. She moved her head. She knows Ziyin will approve her decision right away, and her hatred for Xiaoting will never fade.

"I'll tell her once me and Xiaoting are through"

"Unnie... I just realised Xiaoting unnie's birthday is coming up in a week... When are you going to break up with her?" Jiyoon questioned. "On her birthday," the two people behind Y/n gasped. That's a terrible way to end a relationship. Probably the worst break-up. Imagine your partner breaking up on your supposedly happy day!

"What? You're going to end your relationship with her on her birthday? " Y/n smiled sadly.

"And our engagement anniversary? Yes." Another gasp was heard from Ruiqi and Jiyoon. "Unnie... that'll be very sad for her," Ruiqi agreed to Jiyoon.

Ruiqi and Jiyoon exchanged frowns as they said, "I know." It made them sad just imagining it.

"I will always love her... and I will definitely get back to her once I'm fully healed," Y/n sighed as she watched a couple walk past them. 

"I promise to make her the happiest when I return."

Meanwhile, in Japan, the group has just completed their promotional trip. They went to a variety show earlier to promote their new song, WING WING, and Xiaoting was busier than ever, but she never forgot about Y/n, who she had no idea had returned.

The manager informed Xiaoting that someone was looking for her in the changing room as they exited the broadcast room. She went there right away, thinking it was just their make-up artist.

"Xiaoting," she came to a halt as she heard her name being called in an empty room next to their changing room. A girl in a cap approached her. "It's been a while."

"Yurina-chan?"

Yurina giggled and removed her cap, beaming brightly at her bestfriend, whom she hadn't seen in months.

"Let's go out to eat."