The Chen couple walked through the airport whilsts dragging their suitcases behind them. Chen An, Sherry's mother, wore sunglasses and a comfortable dress that exuded with charisma. Her hair greatly resembled Sherry's, it was long and grew to her waist. Unlike Sherry, An had a mature and charming aura, attractive to both men and women. She conducted herself with confidence and grace, giving off a beautiful and strong impression.
Beside her, Chen Ping had an equally noticeable sense of presence. His short hair was neat and clean cut, a slight handsome beard growing on his aging face. His legs and arms were long, each step he took was elegant and with ease. A small smile hung on his face, melting his originally cold exterior and instead giving a cool and attractive image to bystanders.
Standing side by side, the two looked compatible and complemented one another. Chen An's natural grace combined with Chen Ping's cold elegance resembled that of royalty, it was satisfying to see the two together, being intimate.
"(I wonder what my precious daughter has been up to lately?)" An mused, her lips forming an intrigued smile.
"(Probably staying home all day chasing after her korean boyfriends.)" Ping impassively replied, but the smile on his face revealed his anticipation and joy as well as longing.
An took off her glasses and looked her husband in the eye, her seductive red lips curving into an absolutely beautiful smile. Although An didn't have any dimples, she, or should I say, Sherry greatly resembled her. The way the sunshine seemed to radiate from their clear eyes and warmth was emitted from their smiles, was exactly the same.
"(You're the one who missed her the most, saying you wanted to see her everyday.)"
Ping looked away, speaking with a cough, "(Let's go. She's waiting for us.)"
An rolled her eyes and said nothing. She put her black sunnies back on and walked with a fast pace, well, to her it was not fast, but not everyone was blessed with long legs like her. [Cough, ImtotallynotshortNotjealousatallofmyfictionalcharacters, cough] Very soon, the couple arrived at the front of the airport where Sherry was waiting for them with the kids.
"Mama, Baba. Here!" Sherry yelled and waved to catch their attention. She felt a surge of joy and anger and happiness rush up. Her eyes grew teary but she blinked them away and smiled brightly. Now wasn't the time to get emotional.
"(I missed you, my baby girl.)" An affectionately hugged Sherry and rubbed her cheek against hers.
"(I missed you too, Ma.)" Sherry hugged her back tightly, taking in the warmth of her dearly missed mother.
Feeling a little left out, Ping coughs and speaks. "(Hmm? You are being strange today. Usually, you would just brush us off.)"
Sherry breaks off the hug and wraps her arm around her father. He didn't have a beer belly but was not as tough and hard feeling as Dylan. Ping was pudgier and softer, though only slightly. He was fit to the extent that if he were to work slightly harder, it was possible to get a six pack. But Ping didn't feel the need to get one, only working out to maintain his health.
"(I just missed you, that's all)" Sherry rubbed her face against her father's chest. Ping awkwardly pat her head and smiled.
"Hello, Mrs Chen! Did you miss me?" Diana asked, licking her soft serve.
"Of course I did!" An knelt down and squeezed Diana's chubby cheeks. Her English was fluent and spoken like a native speaker. "I bought some snacks from Italy. Would you like to try some?"
"Yes!" Diana's eyes radiated with joy and anticipation. An laughed and hugged her, careful to not get in the way of her eating.
"It's been awhile Mrs Chen. Was your trip fun?" Yasmin stiffly greeted with her hands behind her back.
"Ai, you children. Always so stiff. Didn't I tell you to call me Aunty?" An sighed and said.
"Alright. Aunty." They obediently chimed. An smiled and pat their heads.
"We'll talk at home, I have to go pick up the other kids later." Sherry said with a smile. The five of them walked to Sherry's car and hopped in. Sherry drove and asked her parents about their trip.
"Venice was extremely beautiful. The locals were nice, the food was delicious and the sights were phenomenal. It was quite worrisome how crowded it was though. It must be incredibly inconvenient for the locals who live there." An cupped her cheeks and recounted.
"I met up with a bigshot and secured a deal with him. Now we can directly open up a branch in Italy, with his support." Ping blandly stated.
"Oh you. Always on about your business. You settled that within the first two weeks. Why don't you talk about what we did? The places we visited?" An chided playfully.
"...It was alright. Made some friends, had some fun." He continued. "What about you? Shi Ming, what did you do over the last two months?"
"Uh...Nothing special. Hung out with Janine, played with the kids, chilled with my friends." Sherry thought for a bit before answering. She couldn't possibly answer that she was swept into another world, died, came back and somehow a knight also crossed over could she?
"You should go travelling with us next time. It'll be fun." An suggested.
"Nah, not interested." Sherry rejected. In the past, she had gone with her parents to England and hated it. Her parents were always busy with all their business things and she was left to play on her own. Only on the last week did they actually start to go travelling, but even then, they were busy taking photos and visiting famous places. It was not relaxing at all for Sherry so she never went with them again.
The rest of the thirty minute drive was filled by mindless chatter and singing along with the radio.
"We're here." Sherry said as they drove into the driveway. "Ma, Ba, you guys wash up and look after the kids first. I'm going to Janine's place real quick. I'll be back."
"You should tell her to stay over for dinner. The more the merrier." An said.
"Okay. Bye!" Sherry sped off towards Janine's house.
The Chen couple walked into their house, tugging their suitcases behind them and opened the door for Yasmin and Diana. When they went in, they noticed that the house was cleaner than usual and also a little more welcoming. The couple shrugged it off thinking that Sherry must've just cleaned or something.
Ping walked into their bedroom with the suitcases while An entertained the kids. He opened the cupboard, finding his clothes a little ruffled up. The previously neatly folded clothes were slightly creased and it seemed that one of his pyjamas were missing. Ping didn't wear that pair anymore but he was very observant and so noticed this change.
He creased his brows at the percuilty of the situation and unpacked his belongings.