RYENNE

[ 3.11 ] - Intermediate: Children are meant to surpass their parents.

Intermediate: Children are meant to surpass their parents.

[ 3.11 ]

R Y E N N E A T S T E L L I

『 Year 12 』

It was an exciting day. Actually, it was Grandpa Mel's birthday—also known as one of the most exciting events in a year.

Why?

Mel Alpheus has been known for a few things: a, a taekwondo champion; b, a man who appreciates oriental fashion; and c, games. When combining some of these interests of his, you get his birthday celebration in which the game is to try and figure out which oriental style he will be wearing.

Although seemingly simple, with so many attendees each year, one must be specific when choosing their clothes.

Of all guests attending, I must say that my family surely has the advantage. With my father spending most of his life interacting with the Alpheus family and attending their events, my father should have enough experience to be able to land us our first win, right?

I watched my father who paced around the living room anxiously, wearing a sunflower yellow Ao Dai, gold embroidery embellished beautifully to bring attention to the clothes. It was well fitted to my father's body, showing off the fact that he had not yet grown a belly despite his age, but his nervous expression completely threw off the would-be regal and elegant look.

I didn't bother trying to hide my frustration as I let out a sigh and pressed my palm onto my forehead.

"Daddy, you're going to create wrinkles in your clothes if you keep moving about like that. Mom isn't going to be happy when she sees you." I advised as I fixed up Ryec's clothes that had become wrinkled after lying on the floor.

"Yeah! Mommy won't be happy!" Ryec echoed as he stared at our father with stern eyes, but he didn't react in the slightest. My father then stopped in movement, seemingly in deep thought. I was curious about what was going on in my father's brain to make the usual calm man become so anxious.

"Rynnie, maybe we should change back into the qipao—"

"—Daddy..." I quickly cut my father's words off and pressed my lips together. "You're too scared to branch off into the clothing of other cultures, which is exactly why we will never be able to catch Grandpa Mel at his own game."

My father became silent as he let out a sigh. "I'm not used to wearing these clothes..."

"Daddy, don't you want to learn more about the Vietnamese culture so you can open up a branch there?" I asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

My father paused for a moment as he stared at me with an unreadable expression. Then, I felt pinching at my cheeks. His lips were pursed together as he scrunched up his eyebrows together and tugged at my cheeks just enough to make them a bit sore.

"I don't need my twelve year old daughter to lecture me on how to do business." I couldn't help my laughter that came out as I tapped on my father's wrist to let go. When he finally did, I massaged my cheeks that had been abused.

In defense to my father's remark, with a pout, I told him straightforwardly, "Daddy, I was just telling the truth."

"Our Rynnie is right, Dear."