"Did you both know about this?" Zhu Lang asked his parents who were seated opposite him inside his VIP room.

"I swear we had no idea." His mother answered.

"Even though we agreed for everyone boarding this ship to stay anonymous, I should have checked. It's my fault." His father said guiltily when he saw the obvious eyebags under their son's eyes. They could tell he hadn't slept at all the previous night. They hadn't been able to fall asleep too but they made sure not to trouble him until this morning when his emotions were stable enough.

Liang turned to look at the side blankly before asking... "So.. what do you want me to do?" He asked in a quiet voice which sounded like he was pleading for them to come up with a solution for him.

His parents understood him perfectly. He never was serious about any girl until he met Heya.

They had liked Heya not only because she was from an influential family but because she was pretty, talented, well cultured and looked healthy. So when they tried to matchmake their kids but Heya's mother refused, Madam Zhu had been disappointed but surprisingly, Liang confessed right there that he liked Heya and was going to court her.

When they began to date, they noticed how happy their only child always looked. He brought Heya home a couple of times and Madam Zhu Zhu sure to always cook them a nice, warm meal. When they broke up, it was as if Zhu Liang died. He didn't go to work, he didn't leave his apartment, he rarely ate, rarely slept and ignored all the projects that had been placed under him. Madam Zhu had promised to speak with Heya but he forbade her from doing so. When he could not take it anymore, he swallowed his pride and begged his mother to go plead with Heya to take him back but was informed Heya had travelled and changed her number. They didn't know where she was.

Heya had left an instruction for her family members to tell them not to give out her new number to anyone, especially the Zhu's (although she had doubted they would ever ask). She also forbade them from raising his name so they all assumed he broke up with Heya and because they were pissed and wanted Heya to recover soon, they kept every information about him from her.

"You can just pretend she isn't here."

"HOW CAN I.... do that!" He raised his voice but quickly kept it down and took in a deep breath to calm himself.

"She is in the same space with me. She even acted like she doesn't know me." He laughed dryly.

"It doesn't matter." His mother said, trying to calm him down. "She broke your heart so I really do not care about that girl—"

"Li Heya." He corrected.

"Li Heya." His mother corrected herself and continued. "Besides, it seems there is a kind of relationship between her and Yan Shen. You shouldn't worry about her anymore and think about Suyin instead." She spared her husband a quick glance before looking at her son to inform him, "Madam Yan was suggesting we hold your engagement party in the island." She bit her lower lip and clenched her fists as she waited for his answer.

"Are you asking for my opinion right now?" Liang asked with an emotionless smile.

"Of course. This has to do with you so your opinion is the most important." She said passionately.

He sat up to look his mother straight in her eyes. "So... if I say I am not interested in any of this, are you willing to cancel it all and let me be?" He asked, his gaze peering at the couple opposite him.

Madam Zhu shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked at her husband for help but he was also quiet.

Liang scoffed, "I thought so too." He stood up and grabbed his coat which was on top of his king sized bed.

"You all can continue doing all you do. I do not care about whatever you are planning so make the plans as usual, and trust me to show up." He said before leaving his room without looking back at them..

He saw Suyin already in the hallway heading towards his room.

"Babe!" She called with a smile before hurrying to link her arm with his. "How did you sleep?" She smiled warmly at him.

*******

"Are you going to stay inside this room all day? We are here for a vacation. Go out and see how pretty the sea is and also make friends!" Reen scolded Joreen who was going through her social media account and reading the love messages from fans. Hoy had asked her to stop reading those kind of messages but sometimes, she just liked to go through them. Also, they were a lot of 'fans' asking her to help them with money for school, or to help their sick mother, or money for flight ticket to come meet her wherever she was.

"I'll just stay here. I feel it's going to be really cold outside and you know how I get with cold weathers." She replied Reen without moving her eyes away from her laptop.

"That wasn't the plan right? Should I remind you you wanted to have fun and also find uncle Li a woman? You suddenly do not want that anymore?"

"I'll have fun tonight. Remember it's clubbing night and we are going to partyyyyy!" Joreen squealed with a happy grin on her face.

Reen rolled her eyes. "If your darling uncle Hoy permits you. Besides, why did you go to his room earlier?" Reen narrowed her eyes suspiciously to look at Joreen who had returned her gaze to her laptop.

Joreen shrugged. "I had a bad dream. Wanted to check he was okay." 'And confirm whether that girl was inside his room.' She added in her head.

Reen simply tsked at her before facing the mirror, wondering aloud whether it was best to pack her hair or let it down.

"Just let it down. You have a short hair. If you tie it at the top, you'll look like an ostrich with you long neck." Joreen 'advised'.

"What the hell! How dare you call me that!" Reen threw her powder brush at Joreen and it hit her directly on her forehead.

"What was that for?!" Joreen asked angrily.

"Serves you right." Reen stuck out her tongue before brushing her hair down.

"Just go have fun with your boyfriend and stop disturbing me. You are so annoying." Joreen frowned at her.

Reen turned to look at Joreen who was busy typing on her laptop now. She watched Joreen for a while before asking, "What do you think about Kyle?"

"He is annoying." Joreen answered absentmindedly. She quickly looked up when she realised what she had just said and shook her head. "I didn't mean that. He is your boyfriend so of course he is a great guy and also good looking too."

Reen pursed her lips. When Joreen was done rambling, she simply nodded before heading towards the door.

"I'll see you when I see you—" Before she got to the door, they both heard a knock. Since Reen was almost at the door, she opened it and was surprised to see Cixi.

"Mum, what are you doing here? Where is dad?" Reen asked while Joreen put down her laptop and looked at her mother.

"He's on the upper deck." Cixi said excitedly before walking inside to sit on the bed.

"I think he has finally met a woman!" She announced, getting the two sisters' attention. Reen closed the door and went to join them on the bed.

"Who met a woman?" Joreen asked her mother curiously.

"Hoy of course! I saw him with my own eyes. They look like love birds. And I am certain his attention is going to move from you to her. And you'll finally enjoy your trip. Hehe!"

"Really? Wow! That was fast." Reen said in awe.

"Yes. I saw the girl with him last night. She sat down beside him. And she's really pretty."

When they both turned to look at Joreen, she looked like she was about to blow up.

"SHE IS NOT PRETTY!" Joreen said angrily as she jumped from the bed. Cixi and Reen were startled by her sudden outburst and watched as she grabbed a jacket to wear on top of her pyjamas.

"Where are you going to?" The two women asked when Joreen began to wear her slippers clumsily.

"He lied to me. He told me he was going to a boring business meeting." She gritted her teeth in anger as she began to march towards the door like someone ready for war.

"Is she okay?" Cixi asked Reen who also looked confused.

"Where are you going to? You need to dress properly it's cold outside!" Cixi called after her and began to follow but Joreen wasn't listening. She already left the room.

*********

NEXT EPISODE ON HML:THE CHRISTMAS TRIP.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"What do I think I am doing?"

"Are you... spying on me?"

"Why would I spy on you? Who cares if you're on a date?!!!"