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الخلطة السرية للامتياز التجاري - قطوف وحلا/كيان

(55) | بودكاست سوالف بزنس - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNn3VO0AuAs

Transcript: (00:00) Kuttouf Sweets opened 200 branches in five years, which is unprecedented in Saudi Arabia. Others opened this number of branches within fifteen years. We, however, accomplished it in five years. Thmanyah presents Business Talks with Mashhoor Aldubayyan Welcome Our guest today has a very interesting story In the beginning, like many others, I suppose, he used to go to Al-Qassim to buy dates and return to where he lived in Al-Jubail and sold them to his family, friends, colleagues, or anyone interested, but with little profit. (00:38) After that, he sold additional products Then he opened a sweets store in Dhahran called Kuttouf Sweets. He then learned about franchising, by which he grew the business and opened over 100 branches across the Kingdom. He franchised a famous coffee shop in Al-Qassim called Kayan. He entered a partnership with the owners of Kayan when they had three branches only in Al-Qassim. (01:00) He helped them expand to more than 100 branches in record time. Our guest has a great experience in franchising, which we want to learn about today. How did he learn about franchising? What are the major problems in franchising? What are the main problems people usually encounter? Or trademark owners who want to grow with franchising. (01:19) He excelled in franchising to the point that he founded an acquisition company to acquire local trademarks to help restructure them and grow them by franchising This is an informative episode for anyone interested in expanding by franchising. And to learn all the details and requirements before starting. (01:40) I'll leave you to the interview. Welcome, Abu Anas. Thank you. We are happy to have you here. Thank you. I'm happy as well to be here. You have a rich experience that people don't know about, especially in Kayan. Today we want to hear all about it. We want to begin with how you entered the business world. (01:59) We chatted before the interview.. Yes. But I want to go into more detail. How did you first enter the business world? I started in the sixth grade. I had a passion for business, and I worked a lot. I worked and failed many times, but it was fine with me. What did you do in the sixth grade? I sold watermelon seeds. (02:19) I think this is a natural thing to do as someone from Al-Qassim... Yes. To start a business from a young age. Yes. We love business My uncle, may Allah have mercy on him, used to bring me watermelon seeds from Buraidah. Egyptian seeds, when they were first introduced to the market. I sold them in the neighborhood. (02:36) I have always had a passion for trading. When I was in Unaizah before I moved to Al-Jubail. I tried working in an advertising agency and in many other fields. However, I excelled at the advertising calligraphy business. I started with one calligrapher, then hired five more. Did you open a calligraphy store? No, I bought one in Buraidah with one calligrapher, only one. (03:03) What did you buy? A store. Nice. It had one calligrapher who I helped install store signs and so on. Then the business flourished, and I hired six or seven more employees. You provided advertising services. Yes. I had a lot of experience, praise be to Allah. I tell young people that they don’t have to succeed on the first attempt, the second, the third, or even the fourth. (03:24) When I moved to Al-Jubail, I started a car detailing business, but it failed. What a random decision! Yes. I had determination but lacked experience. What a strange shift from a calligraphy store to a car detailing service! I had an opportunity. I became an agent for a car detailing company in the Eastern Province. (03:47) The owner lacked solid business foundations; hence the business collapsed. I tried different business activities Praise be to Allah upon all conditions. The business idea started around 2012. Do you mean Kuttouf Sweets? Correct. I mainly started from Kuttouf Sweets. I want to start with Kuttouf Sweets first and discuss Kayan later. (04:22) How did Kuttouf Sweets start? As I told you, I used to go into new businesses occasionally. It started as a coincidence. My administrative manager in SABIC used to ask me to buy him dates, and the annual holiday used to coincide with the dates season. So, I used to buy dates for him, myself, and others who asked. (04:49) That year, the holiday ended before the dates season started. I returned to Jubail Industrial City. As I told you, I worked in SABIC. When I saw him in the corridor, he asked me repeatedly, “Abu Anas, where are the quality dates?” I felt embarrassed. He was a well-respected man. I chatted with my wife about the dates matter. (05:14) You know you must not ask anybody to buy you dates. Because if you consume dates regularly, you might develop a taste in dates that is different from other people. Can you explain to those who don’t know about dates? A person who consumes dates usually has a preference, such as Mufattal, juicy, or dry dates. (05:38) So, if you asked someone to buy you dates, he might buy you dates based on his preference. I once asked someone to buy me dates, but unfortunately, he brought something completely different from what I wanted. I never asked anyone after that. It’s different from asking someone to buy you a specific type of car that he can bring. (05:56) Dates have different grades or types, such as juicy, soft, and dry. So, I consulted my wife about booking a ticket to Al-Qassim, to buy dates for myself, my friends, and our manager (Abu Muhammad). He used to order about 100 boxes. Wow. did he sell them? No, he gifted them. That's why he wanted top-quality dates. (06:26) He wanted the finest dates. Yes. So, I bought dates for myself and those who ordered from me. I calculated the total cost of the plane ticket and the truck going from Unaizah to Al-Jubail. The cost was approximately 4000 riyals. I was living on my salary, I could not afford the cost. I asked my wife’s opinion about sending a text message. (06:47) I'm an expert at dates; I have always loved dates, and I used to go to the dates market and auction market. The dates that were sold in an auction in Unaizah, let's say for 60 riyals were sold in Al-Jubail for 120 and 140 riyals. Wow I know how much they gained, because i visited dates stores in Al-Jubail. (07:11) So, I asked her opinion about sending a text to our friends and people we knew in Al-Jubail, who are originally from Al-Qassim. They didn't buy dates yet. They will ask me to bring them dates. I thought of buying 100 or 200 boxes and selling them for little profit to cover the cost of the plane ticket and the truck. (07:31) She encouraged me, but I told her it was risky.. Did you want them to pay you in advance to cover the cost? I texted them, and they paid a fee. I informed them before I went to Al-Qassim that I was bringing dates for 90 riyals. I specified the types of dates, which were sold for 60 and 90 riyals. An expensive type and a cheap type. (07:51) The type I sold for 90 riyals was sold in Al-Jubail for at least 120 riyals. You had the money for the truck, but you wanted to guarantee it would be filled with goods. Yes. I wanted to have the money for the ticket and the truck. If they didn't pay me a fee, I would have paid it out of pocket. You wanted money... (08:07) Money to cover the cost of the transportation only. The fee covers the cost of the ticket … Fees from six or eight people will cover it. If I buy a box of dates for 60 riyals and sell it for 90 riyals, I would gain a 30 riyals profit. I would make 1000 riyals profit out of 100 boxes, which will cover the costs. (08:23) I didn't pay for anything because I was living on my limited salary You did this to guarantee the quality of the dates you bring. Yes, and to please my manager and friends. So, my wife encouraged me. I told her it was risky since I was buying for my salary. Right. She said, "Go ahead and send the text, and Allah will grant you success. (08:45) " My wife supported me the most during all my business decisions. I will always be grateful to her. So, she encouraged me. I wrote the text and sent it to my friends. I wrote at the end of the text, “please forward the message,” followed by my phone number. I was planning to travel after two days, on the weekend. (09:06) Before I traveled, praise be to Allah, The order number reached 300 boxes. Wow. What was your target? 100 boxes. And you reached 300! I received 300 orders, praise be to Allah. When I saw this number of orders, I felt encouraged and booked a ticket. The orders kept coming, and two days before my trip to Al-Qassim, the order increased to 600 boxes. (09:38) Amazing. People talked about the reasonable price and guaranteed quality. In this text, I stated, "if you don't like it, don't buy it." Even if someone asked personally but didn't like the quality, he doesn't have to buy it. I booked a flight to Al-Qassim, bought dates, and stored them in my friends' Estiraha in Unaizah. (10:03) My friends made fun of the dates boxes I brought daily because I had to buy 600 boxes in two or three days before returning to Al-Jubail. I experience this when I go to our Estiraha in dates season, I open the fridge and see it filled with dates boxes. I filled the room with dates boxes and turned the air conditioner on. (10:23) You store many boxes; we only have a few. In Al-Qassim, dates are sold in piles, they call it Mu’arram I bought 600 of them. What makes them different? They accumulate a large number of dates like this. So you have to flatten the dates to be able to close the box. so, two boxes of Mu'arram produce a new box. (10:47) Which resulted in 900 boxes. Now I have a bigger problem. I bought 600 boxes which resulted in 300 more. I suppose they are paid for. Yes, but the cost increased. Due to transportation? No. Oh! Because of the increased number of boxes Yes, the increased. I should have bought 400 boxes to result in 600 boxes. To have less cost. (11:15) I will explain this to those who are listening only. Customers order a closed box from you. But the market sells the dates in opened boxes because they are piled up. Exactly. Two boxes of dates result in a new box. You can fill a new box with the extra dates from the two boxes. The boxes double in number. (11:33) Yes. I had 900 boxes After I boarded the plane and started calculating the number of boxes in my notebook, I called one of my friends and told him, “I have 900 boxes now. What should I do?” He replied, “Don’t worry, things will go smoothly” I told him, “Abu Abdullah, it’s 300 more boxes!” He reassured me that everything would go as planned. (11:55) And they did. I returned to Al-Jubail, the truck arrived the day after, and I unloaded the boxes. I contacted those who placed orders. I told them their orders arrived and sent them my location on WhatsApp. I stored the dates in the outbuilding of my house. I turned the air conditioning on and aligned the boxes. (12:10) Honestly, Allah granted me great success on that business trip. I bought dates that were sold in Al-Jubail for 150 riyals instead of 90 riyals. I didn’t get greedy; I sold it for 90 riyals. People started coming to my house. My customers would come to me with their neighbors. People were amazed when they opened the boxes. (12:34) Top-notch dates. Why didn’t you sell them for a higher price? I already gave them my word and didn’t want to be greedy. I was satisfied with my profit. I earned at least 30 or 40 riyals from each box. With 600 boxes, the profits amounted to over 10,000 riyals. It was a good profit, almost as much as my salary. (12:55) Nice. People started ordering. Those who bought five boxes ordered 15 more. The demand increased. I sent another text and received around 700 or 800 orders. And by the way, the extra 300 boxes were sold very quickly. Praise be to Allah. I went back and forth between Al-Qassim and Al-Jubail to bring dates until the number of orders reached 1000 boxes. (13:19) I gained popularity. After the dates season ended, I had to buy dates from traders. Because I didn't have cash. I used to buy large quantities from the market and refrigerate them. Sorry to interrupt, but I must explain this to those who haven't been through this social experiment. Usually, when someone orders one box of dates and comes to take it, one of his friends or family members would ask him to bring them a box of dates. (13:43) The stock runs out quickly. Yes, and the quality of the dates was excellent. They were pleasing to the eye. This type of dates was expensive in Al-Jubail Industrial City. It costed around 140 riyals. Imagine that people saved 60 riyals a box. Correct. It was a great deal. After the dates season ended I went to buy from the traders, but unfortunately, their prices are high, I would not make any profit if I bought from them. (14:11) I talked to Abu Rayyan Al-Zooman, the owner of Al-Zooman Dates. I explained my situation to him and asked for his help. How did you meet the dates traders? I went to their stores and talked to them. Who brings the dates? Dates traders buy dates in large quantities. The store owners? Yes. Dates traders buy thousands of boxes and store them in freezers. (14:34) Did you ask them where they buy their dates from? No. I told them I wanted to buy large quantities from them for a lower price. You went to stores that buy from wholesalers. Yes. Abu Rayyan welcomed me. He invited me to choose from his refrigerators, and offered me a special price. I did not know him at that time. (14:57) I only told him my story and asked for his help. I gained popularity in Al-Jubail and received many orders, but there weren't any dates in the market. He was more than helpful. He sold me at a very low price. Similar to the market price. I bought four or five freezers and placed them in my garage. He sent me the dates which I stored in the freezers. They were sold quickly. (15:23) I started selling dates, then I added Al-Qassim traditional food. Why did other traders refuse to sell you dates? Because they stored dates to sell in the month of Ramadan. What they usually sell for 70 riyals, they sell in Ramadan for 100 riyals. They didn’t want to sell their stock quickly. Yes. Unfortunately, they did not cooperate. (15:41) I believe that traders should support young Saudi businessmen, even at the expense of losing some of their profit. There is a blessing in helping others. You would earn Allah's blessings If you helped one person out of ten. They were conservative, they offered me a 5 riyals discount only, which was unhelpful. (16:08) Except for this man I’m still in contact with since 2012 or 2013. My business has flourished, but I’m still working with him and I’m forever grateful to him. My wife then suggested selling Al-Qassim traditional food, such as spices and cookies, like Kleicha and Ma’amoul. The truck was already going back and forth. I welcomed the idea. (16:36) I went to Al-Qassim to pick and choose from famous sellers. I brought the goods. I turned my outhouse into a mini market, where I received customers. We created an Instagram account called Qudu’ Deerity (My Town’s Dates). That's how the business started. My wife has been running our social media accounts since 2012. (17:02) She is very influential in social media. So, we started with an Instagram account. This was before Snapchat. She posted on Instagram to advertise our products. We were the only business in the Eastern Province selling traditional Al-Qassim food. I also delivered orders. After that, the business developed, and I started selling at new locations. (17:31) On Friday at 4:00 p.m. I went to Al-Dammam and parked in front of Ramiz store. At 5:30 p.m., I moved to Abyat store next to SAAB bank in Al-Khobar. How did you choose these locations specifically? According to orders. Customers from Al-Dammam would make orders. You deliver orders to these locations at specific times. (17:53) I loaded my Ford expedition with customers' orders. I prepared the orders and drove to Al-Dammam. I contacted the customers and told them I parked at Ramiz store at 4:00 p.m. They came to pay me and receive their orders. After that, I would go to Al-Khobar at 5:30 p.m. It was very well known to people who lived there that I parked at Abyat store next to SAAB on Fridays. (18:20) I did not display the products; I only delivered the orders and left. The business evolved. We added goods from Riyadh before we had stores that sold them. The business evolved further, and we brought goods from Kuwait. There were Kuwaiti home businesses that were highly demanded in Saudi Arabia, but there were no stores that provided them. (18:48) You mean traditional Kuwaiti food. No. Sweets I see. They were highly demanded in Saudi Arabia. My wife told me she received a lot of requests to bring Kuwaiti sweets. I told her to contact the Kuwaiti stores, and she did. We started to go to Kuwait every other weekend. You received requests on... Kuwaiti goods. (19:06) Ok. I drove the Ford expedition with my wife... Why would they request Kuwaiti goods? You were famous for Al-Qassim goods. Yes. But they requested us to provide famous Kuwaiti sweets. Your wife wrote down all these requests. Yes. We provided the products that were in demand. Customers requested products from Riyadh as well, such as a famous rusk. (19:29) You brought popular products. Yes. They requested, and we provided. So, there was a demand for Kuwaiti products. My wife contacted the stores via Instagram, and we drove to Kuwait. Me and my children.. I had Anas at that time. We loaded the car’s trunk and back seats with sweets. You left Anas there and drove back. (19:56) Praise be to Allah. My whole family worked. We would arrive at our house in Al-Jubail Industrial City at 3:00 a.m. They would be sleepy, and I would wake them up to unload the car. Not to mention the humid weather. My whole family contributed to the success I have achieved so far. The Ford Expedition did a great job as well. (20:15) Indeed. I used to go to drive to Kuwait every other weekend. We gained wide popularity. After that, I delivered Kuwaiti sweets to Riyadh. They were in high demand. I went to Riyadh once a month. I went there to deliver orders and see my mother. Why didn’t you hire a delivery person? I could not afford it then. (20:44) Your business was already going well. Yes. I handled my own business very well, and nothing was disrupted. I felt more motivated after I succeeded. Our Instagram followers increased, as well as our profits. What about your job? I still worked. I worked at SABIC from 7:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. You worked after that. (21:11) I worked on weekends and delivered orders in Al-Jubail on weekdays. It was an enriching experience for myself and my family. As you know, things are different now, but 20 years ago, women lacked the necessary skills and experience. They were not allowed to work or go out of the house. They leave their family houses knowing nothing. (21:41) This business improved my wife’s skills immensely. Now she is the marketing manager of Kuttouf Sweets. A company with 200 branches across the country. Wow. I remember one time we were in Jeddah to perform Umrah. We were late for our flight. I dropped her at the airport with Anas and told her to check in for our flight because I had to return the rental car. (22:08) After I finished, I followed them and saw her standing there, not knowing what to do. Women were inexperienced in life, but they became empowered after they started their home businesses. So, this experience taught her a lot. My son also was shy. He didn't know how to talk to others. I put him in charge of the outhouse business when I delivered orders. (22:36) He dealt with customers. He was young. I brought him a cash register and he learned how to use it. He used to hear me tell customers, “Take it, and if you don’t like it, bring it back, even if you tried it.” He then imitated the way I spoke to customers. He was in elementary school, but this experience boosted his self-confidence. (23:03) He learned how to be more social because customers usually like to chat. People might not notice this, but the trade business has shaped our family. It shaped our mindset. It taught us about the economic process and how to buy and sell. It had an important influence on your family. Yes, all of us. How did you start Kuttouf Sweets, then? Since you collected goods from different places. (23:38) Because the business today is different from what you just described. How did you start selling chocolate boxes and modern products? Compared to what you sold in the beginning. Let me tell you something. Let’s say we want to open a burger restaurant. We get excited and discuss the details, such as the store’s location and the interior designer. (24:05) All these details are useless, in my opinion. Anyone can do these things. The smart and the stupid. The experienced and the inexperienced. You can work on these details, but after you open your store, you will face unexpected obstacles and difficulties that you didn't consider. Because people get carried away... (24:26) Yes, anyone can open a business. After you launch your business, you will find there are more critical things to focus on, including business operations. For example, how to store meat and deal with rotten food. How to benefit from food stock instead of wasting it. How to operate and manage the business, and so on. (24:47) These issues are very challenging. I lived in a house in front of the sea for three years. I bet that the fish that were in front of my house were one of the finest fish in the Eastern Province. Do you know why? Because If I had products that did not sell well, like Kleicha and Ma’amoul cookies, I threw them in the sea. (25:08) The fish were eating very well. These were the lessons I learned before I opened the first branch of Kuttouf Sweets in Al-Dhahran. I already had extensive experience. I had a strong relationship with a vendor I had known for three years. Whom I asked to defer my payment. Because I wanted to stock an entire store, I had to buy more goods that cost 40,000 riyals. (25:35) I built a strong relationship with the vendors because I was loyal to them and paid them on time. In 2012 you started a trade business, then in 2015, you launched Kuttouf Sweets. Exactly. I learned before opening the store to only sell products in demand. I did not make mistakes or take any risks. Instead, I knew exactly what customers wanted... (25:57) I admire this approach. I tell this to people who might not believe in this approach. But before they go into a business in general, whether to create an application or open a store. They must first acquire some fundamental business skills. Correct. Even if they don't believe they are essential, such as selling products, talking to customers, buying goods, or hiring employees. (26:19) They must acquire some skills before they make a huge business decision. Try and learn first, then... You see incompetent people who open the largest store in the city or ... You are 100% correct. This is the reality in the business world. If you want to start a car wash business, first work in a car wash. (26:40) You will dscover things you didn't know before. That's why some young Saudis open businesses and close them 6 months after. Because they decide to start a business based on a chat they had with friends or family members. They suggest opening a laundry business then they look up the cost of the machines. (26:57) All of this is pointless. Anyone can start a business! I know someone who wanted to open a coffee shop. I seriously asked him, “Have you worked at a coffee shop before?” “Why don’t you first work at a coffee shop? They want to hire Saudi employees.” He laughed and replied,” Are you crazy?" "I have passed the point where I work for someone else. I’m opening my own business. (27:17) ” I tried to convince him to try it and see how they ran the business. That's the problem. I suffered a business loss, as you know. But when I opened my first store, I was 100% ready. I was well acquainted with the products that were in high demand. I didn’t buy random products that went to waste. I had a strong relationship with wholesale traders. (27:45) All these factors facilitated the opening of my first store in Al-Dhahran... You built a good reputation. Indeed. I don’t exaggerate when I tell you I had more than 2000 customer chats on WhatsApp. In the Eastern Province alone. Wow. I invited them via text to the opening of the Dharan store, and informed them that Qudu’ Deerity business was renamed to Kuttouf Sweets. (28:10) Why did you change all your products? I sold the exact products I used to sell at my house. Products from Riyadh, Al-Qassim, and Kuwait, in addition to dates. You moved your business from Instagram to the store. Yes. Why did you open the store? Some customers wanted to see the sweets in person. They want it to taste them. (28:35) So, we opened the store. I entered a partnership with my uncle Khalid Al-Garaawi and Mohammed Al-Munif (Abu Fahad), and opened a store in Al-Dhahran. I had enough experience. Is there a reason for choosing Al-Dharam? We first looked for a store in Al-Dammam but did find one. Then we find a store in Al-Dhahran with three entrances and reasonable rent. (29:02) It was next to Abu Fahad’s house; he lived in Al-Dhahran, Me and my uncle lived in Al-Jubail. We wanted someone who lived in Al-Dhahran to manage the store. We rented the store, stocked it, and designed it with modest decor. Then we opened the store... We provided the same products I sold at my house. The store on the opening day was very crowded, you wouldn’t be able to step inside. (29:32) Because, as I said, I had 2000 customers. They already trust you Praise be to Allah, I was standing outside the store that day, and someone asked me if the store was giving products for free. Praise be to Allah. He had blessed us. That was the takeoff of Kuttouf Sweets, from Al-Dhahran. We also rented a store in Unaizah after that. (30:09) Then, we opened stores in Al-Dammam, Riyadh, and Tabuk. Who manages these stores? We do, the three partners. You hired people to run the stores. Yes, supervisors. We followed up with them, sent them goods, and visited them on the weekends. We had the idea of growing the business by franchising. In my opinion, franchising at that time was an unpaved road. (30:43) Some people didn’t even know how to pronounce it in English. Nobody knew what it was. But it was adopted by famous trademarks. Of course, it was adopted worldwide a long time ago. Even in Saudi Arabia. Burger and pizza restaurants Yes. it was adopted by big companies, including Kudo, and so on. However, people didn’t grasp the concept yet. (31:03) They called it “agency.” They would say, “I became an agent for.” First, let’s define franchising to those who don’t know. And what made you adopt it? When I first read about franchising, I understood it is a process that helps your business grow quickly. To grant you rights to someone else... I grant him my rights and work with him as if he was my partner. (31:32) Saudi traders back then rejected the idea. They didn’t want to share their business with someone else. Although franchising helps traders grow their businesses, and it helps franchisees make money. We were looking for someone to draft a franchise contract. It was funny because we found an Arab lawyer who did not know what franchising was. (31:56) What you wanted was to give the rights of your trademark, and share your business process, your products, and so on. With other partners to expand the business in other locations. Yes. They take charge of the business operation. Yes. You expand the business quickly with less workload. Kuttouf Sweets opened 200 branches in five years, which is unprecedented in Saudi Arabia. (32:14) Others opened this number of branches within fifteen years. We, however, accomplished it in five years. How did you start franchising? We read about it. We found an Arab lawyer who did not know what franchising was. It was funny. He wrote a two- or three-page contract. Now, however, we know that a franchise contract consists of 60 pages. (32:38) What does the contract specify? Everything. Everything. Because you must completely protect the rights of the trademark. Can you give me an example? For example, setting standards for the selling process handling the customers, and the arrangement of the products. In Kuttouf’s contract for example, we listed the penalty for displaying expired products. (33:10) Also, we wanted to protect the rights of home businesses, so we added an agreement that obliged us to transfer their profits within 10 days. We transfer their money after 48 hours of the 10th day. You have to state all these details in the contract. You list operation details and... All the details. In addition to rules of tampering with the trademark and so on. (33:33) The aim is for customers to have the same experience when they visit your store and the franchise store. Precisely. Customers must have the same experience. The contract mainly protects the trademark. It doesn't protect you as a partner. So, the lawyer drafted a two- or three-pages contract. Luckily, we had great partners. (33:57) Because franchising is risky. It’s like your daughter marrying someone you don’t know well. So, you must make sure that she marries a responsible man... Because it might destroy your trademark. Yes.It can ruin the business Especially because it’s a food business, other types of businesses might survive. But restaurants, coffee shops and, sweets shops... (34:13) If someone had food poisoning, your reputation is over. Food poisoning, inadequate storage conditions, or food expiration. We were fortunate to have met respectful and honest partners How did you promote your franchise business in the beginning? We had a loyal customer in Al-Dhahran. Him and his sisters visited us regularly. (34:42) He was an engineer in SABIC but lived in Al-Dhahran. One day he asked me if he could become an agent. We were in the process of franchising at that time. We were almost ready. We agreed to work with him. He wanted to open a store in Al-Dammam, and we agreed. Nice. We signed the contract we drafted. We had identity standards. (35:13) We applied it Then he opened the first franchise store in Al-Dammam around 2016. Did this contract cause any complications? No, praise be to Allah. We were able to change it. We went to a franchise lawyer. He provided us with the operational manual to be given to the franchisee. He modified the contracts, from A-Z. We added the order note. (35:40) We accomplished all of this in a short time. We changed the contracts immediately. We started selling our rights to more franchisees. After that, Kuttouf Sweets became popular. People learned more about franchising, and started to ask about it after seeing Kuttouf Sweets' success. I remember one year, we opened 15 branches during Ramadan. (36:10) Wow. Are all of them a franchise? Yes. I was the one who opened the stores. I opened up to 106 stores. What did you do? I went to the stores to check the goods, prices, standards, and the system. We were very diligent. But now we have people responsible for this process. I believe you agreed on the contract that no store should open before you check it first. (36:37) Yes. We had to check the prices, the store's hygiene and organization. No one could have imagined that we could open 15 branches in Ramadan. Which means opening a branch every two days while we were fasting, and in different locations. South, east, north, and west. We wanted to open them before Eid, which was challenging. (37:06) My partners told me it was hard, but nothing is hard. There was one employee who would set up the stores before the opening. I used to go and help him the day before the opening. And this is a lesson for those who are too proud to work. Or who think because they are Saudis or come from this family or that tribe, they should not clean or do simple tasks. (37:32) This mentality does not exist in the business world. Someone with this mentality should stay at his house and do his manly tasks. How is this related to setting up a branch? Once, I went to Jeddah for a branch opening. The employees in Jeddah were not in the store because I assigned them some tasks. I arrived at Jeddah airport and went straight to the store. I didn't go to the hotel. (37:58) When I arrived at the store, there was a Hadhrami employee. I greeted him and asked him how the store was doing. He didn’t know who I was We went to the storage room and found some cords from the construction. They were left there. I asked him why they were placed on the floor. He told me that they were busy with other things. (38:22) I told him to help me clean the place. We arranged the cords; you know how dirty they can be. We put them in plastic bags and placed them on the shelves. Then we brought the vacuum and cleaned the floor, because we could make use of the space. My colleagues came after and greeted me, “Hello, Abu Anas”. The employee was shocked when he heard my name. (38:46) I saw him asking Abu Abdul-Aziz, “Is this Abu Anas!”. I asked Abu Abdul-Aziz what was going on. He laughed and replied, “He is asking me if you are Abu Anas”. I didn’t understand why he was shocked. I had forgotten about the storage room cleaning. I asked the employee, “Why are you asking?”. At that time, we opened around 80 or 90 branches. (39:14) He replied, “You own 90 branches, yet you come here and clean the storage room!” He was in disbelief. When an employee sees the employer doing simple chores, he would feel ashamed and work ten times harder than you. There is nothing shameful about sweeping the floor, cleaning, and unloading the truck. But the motive behind opening all these branches in Ramadan was money. (39:42) So, the idea of expanding was very tempting to you. Yes. It was an opportunity for franchisers to sell their rights, so they gain a huge profit during Ramadan. How does it work commercially? Suppose I want to buy your trademark rights. What is the procedure? You first apply for a franchise. (40:03) Then we see what your location is and if there was a branch in your location or not. I do this step before I rent a store? Yes. The very first step. We interview you, like the one we are having now. I would chat with you to find out what kind of person you are. If you had business experience or not. Although we don’t require experience in franchise, we need... (40:19) Tell me everything. We make sure that our partner is serious. Some brands require business experience in selling and buying. But I don’t. I want an earnest partner. So, I would ask him some questions that would expose his intentions. After we accept him, we ask him to choose a location. After he finds a location, we show him our standards. (40:48) After he finds a location according to our standards, he signs a memorandum of understanding, pays part of the fee and starts construction. We guide him along the way. Even before he rents the store. He pays you a fee at the beginning, right? A franchise fee. Can you tell us how much? It’s different for every brand. (41:07) Kuttouf Sweets' rights costed 60, then 90, then 120 thousand riyals. The more branches you open, the higher the fee. Kayan’s fee was 150, then 200, and now 250 thousand riyals. We will get back to Kayan later. First, let’s talk about Kuttouf. Kuttouf's rights increased from 60 to 90, and finally 120 thousand riyals. (41:24) So, a franchisee pays in advance before taking any step. He pays 30% of the fee when he signs the contract, then he pays the remaining amount after he finds a store. Which is the value of the contract. Yes, for five years. I see. he buys rights for 5 years Then it’s renewed for half of the franchise value. (41:40) Do you help set up the store and deal with vendors and contractors? We help him with contractors, cupboards, and everything else. And the amount he paid… It is the trademark value or the business license. I see. So, he pays the cost and prepares the store, then you come to check the store before opening. What happens after that? We, of course, add him to the system. (42:01) He pays a monthly percentage at the end of every month. How much? 5%. From revenues or profits? from sales. We get 5% of all sales. Do you charge him monthly? We send him a statement on the second day of every month. If his sales were 100 thousand riyals, he must pay us 5000 riyals. Does he use your system? Yes. (42:24) Then you know the number of sales without asking him. Yes, he can’t make sales outside of our system. Selling outside the system is one of the breaches many people don’t take seriously. Some franchisees do this, but it’s considered a 100% theft. You have already signed an agreement to grant me 5% of sales. (42:46) If you make sales outside the system, you intentionally avoid the 5%. You violated my right. Some people asked me to exempt them from paying the percentage because they could not afford it. And I did, for month or two, to help them. We advise people to earn money in lawful ways Do not render Haram (prohibited) to Halal (lawful). (43:05) Some people justify this by saying they suffered a loss and there is no need for Kuttouf to earn 5%. It’s my acquired right. You already facilitated things for them. It’s a contract term, Take it seriously. This is one of the breaches people or brands do not take seriously, because they don't set up a reliable system. (43:20) Do you provide payment terminals? No, he can order it by himself from the bank. We only provide him with a system that is connected to us. It connects all Kuttouf branches across the Kingdom. By which they enter orders. Orders and sales information are entered into our system. There is also an advertising percentage. (43:49) Yes. Can you explain it? We collect it and spend it on advertising. How much is it? 1% for Kuttouf. Do you deduct it from the monthly sales? Yes. But we, the board directors of Kuttouf, spend the same amount of money. What do you spend it on? Social media, participations, exhibitions, advertising, and anything that falls under marketing. (44:11) It’s documented in the contract. Franchisees have the right to see the percentages, which we present during our annual meeting. We also send it to them. Shouldn't it be included in the franchise fee? Since I pay a 5% franchise fee, it should include advertising. No. As I told you, I collect 1% and spend it on Kuttouf advertising. (44:35) If I collect 200 thousand riyals, I spend it on advertising and pump 400 thousand riyals… But you promote the trademark in general, not a specific branch. Yes, the branches will benefit from it, of course. When you advertise your business, you get more exposure. Sales will increase, of course. You know that famous story, someone was offered a million dollars for his project. (45:00) He decided to spend 100 thousand on the project and 900 thousand to advertise it. It’s indispensable. What about Kuttouf Sweets online store? Which stores supply it? From the branch of that region. Your branches or the franchise branches? Both. But currently, you use your branches to supply..., No, we don’t own a branch in the southern region. (45:20) Our partners there are responsible for the online orders. The same applied to Jizan How much does it cost for a franchisee, From buying the rights to opening the store? Without goods, it costs between 250 and 300 thousand riyals, maximum. And with goods? Goods cost around 150 or 200 thousand riyals. But goods are not included in the business costs. (45:44) Because they are sold and returned. We did a smart thing when we started Kuttouf Sweets, we did not set difficult standards. This is my advice to anyone who plans to franchise his business. Don’t pay a million riyal for interior design. I know a sweets brand that spent 800 thousand riyals on interior design alone Wow. (46:09) They bought marble tiles that cost 600 riyals a meter. We used porcelain or wood flooring, which costs 20 or 25 riyals a meter. Gypsum board ceilings and wall paint. We used wallpaper, but now we use wall paint. As for wood, we work with three carpentry companies across the Kingdom for a reasonable price. (46:26) They build the cupboards in their factories and ship them to us. The shop costs around 250 thousand riyals. Your ideal store is set up with a low budget, so it can be expandable. Exactly. We rebuilt some brands or companies we acquired. For example, a brand owner bought his store tiles from the UAE. When I visited his store, he asked me, “haven’t you noticed something?” I said, “no. (46:58) ” He said “really?” I replied, “no, what is it?” He said, “the tiles are a special order from the UAE.” I said to him, “Son, no one will notice!”. It’s unnecessary! You should focus your efforts on customer service. Customer satisfaction is more important than interior design. You should also focus on prices and quality. (47:24) Otherwise, customers will only notice the interior design the first time, then they will get used to it. What are other aspects you think franchisees should pay attention to? They should invest with a small capital to recover it faster. Don’t exaggerate, keep it simple Another point is, if you want to franchise your business, you must have something special to provide. (47:47) When we first started Kuttouf, we didn’t make our own products; we bought them from the market. But now we produce our products in Kuttouf Sweets. You must have this before franchising your business. To provide something unique from other businesses. Something you own as a trademark owner. For example, if you own a falafel business, don’t buy falafel from someone else and sell it. (48:14) Why would I buy from you? Anyone can do that! You should have your own secret ingredient, which makes the franchisee want to keep working with you. Now, we only advertise our exclusive products, which increases sales and the franchisee's loyalty. This is necessary. The franchisor and the franchisee should have a secret ingredient to have loyal customers. (48:46) The same goes for your wife, if you don’t spend money on her she will divorce you. The only thing that ties you together is money and raising the kids. Otherwise, why would she stay with you? Anas will disapprove of you. Yes, he would. In addition to establishing a franchising department because it’s a totally different domain. (49:13) What is complicated about it? Overseeing the business. You can control your branches easily because you own them. But you must oversee the franchise branches closely. You must always follow up with them, give them advice, help them If they need help, and discover their weaknesses. I know the weaknesses of Khamis Mushait’s branch and Hail’s branch. (49:44) I must close the gap quickly. This is performed by a competent, supervised team who submits reports. I have to prevent the gap from opening. If the gap widens as the business expands, it will collapse as many Saudi brands did. May Allah compensate their losses. It’s like raising your child; you should always support him. (50:21) Otherwise, you will lose control of him. Yes. If you were occupied with something else, he would get into mischief, and so on. Until you lose control of him completely. But if you catch him after the first fall, you can help him. Franchising isn't only selling your rights. Franchising is the hardest thing in the world. (50:42) Operation is very difficult. The steps you take before starting a business are very easy. It’s like someone who decides to get married. He collects the dowry, buys the jewelry, and arranges the wedding ceremony. But the real responsibilities start after marriage. The demands of the wife, the disagreements, having children and taking care of them. (51:06) You see, the marriage operation is difficult. Correct. But before that, he only had to pay a wedding venue 100 thousand riyals for a 5-star service. Does it affect you if a franchisee fails? Because if he succeeds or fails, your rights are protected; you take your 5% percentage from his sales, not his profits. (51:32) So, you don’t care. I mean, of course, you do, but in the end, it’s not as risky as running your branches. Correct I don't sell my rights to anyone. Imagine if you had ten daughters who are married. You bring us back to the marriage topic. Because it’s a topic that both men and women understand. So, ten daughters married to ten husbands. (51:59) Do you expect them all to be pious? Of course not. One might be pious, one might be good-mannered, one might be respectable, and one might be very disagreeable. So, you have an 80% success rate. Most of the marriages are going well, which means you have succeeded. The same thing goes for franchising. But is there a risk for you? Yes. (52:30) But Saudi Arabia implemented a commercial franchise law a year ago in March. What has changed? They established franchising rules because there were none. What kind of rules? They published commercial franchise regulations on the ministry of commerce website. You can read them. What solutions do they provide? It established a nonexistent law. (52:52) People did what they liked. Yes. The contract did not protect us before this law. But now, there is a law that regulates the processes and protects people’s rights. It’s still under development. We wish that the government would establish a court specialized in franchise law, with judges who are well-acquainted and experienced in franchise law. (53:32) Because the country is headed to franchising. So, we need fast decisions, unlike commercial and general courts. But, of course, there are problems and disagreements in franchising and business in general. If you don’t want to face any problems, then stay in the comfort of your house. If you stayed in your house next to your teacup and ashtray, you will not face any problems. (53:57) You wouldn't even know about the weather outside if it’s rainy or dusty. You have your bathroom and kitchen. But a hardworking person who works 18 hours instead of 10 hours is prone to difficulties, mistakes, and disasters. It’s normal because you are working. I personally lean toward franchising and encourage people to do it. (54:26) A lot of people call me the franchising godfather. Praise be to Allah. Great. I love it so much because it’s the right decision. Let’s talk about the COVID crisis. At that time, Kuttouf had 180 branches. Imagine if I owned them all. Kuttouf survived the crisis smoothly. We were not affected... Did some of the branches shut down? Not at all. (54:53) Why did you survive compared to others? Because I did not own all 180 branches. If I did, I would have endured the loss alone. Including salaries, the cost of expired goods, or dealing with landlords. But I didn’t. I own 30 branches only. The efforts were distributed among the owners. You would be responsible for your own branch and call the landlord to lower the rent, or convince your workers to take half the salary due to loss. (55:22) Did you do something different or support the franchisees? Yes. We provided them the proper procedures. How to run the business, pay salaries, and manage expired products. For example, if we had 1000 products in one branch and the others had zero, we would distribute the products among the branches. You helped them run the business. (55:42) This system helped us make it safe and sound. We didn’t endure a significant loss due to Allah’s blessings and franchising. I would have been greatly affected if I had endured the risk or the workload alone. Imagine if the 180 branches had lost 3000 riyals because of expired products, I would have lost half a million riyals. (56:07) Great. Working as a network worked to your advantage. We cooperated with the franchisees until we survived the crisis together. This is one of the franchising advantages. Here is another advantage. You have to share your business. Some traders refuse to share with other partners. Too many cooks spoil the broth, as they say. (56:26) Exactly, all of this nonsense. Now, if you open a branch that succeeds, how would you open a second one? From the profits of the first one, and so on. You would work so hard all your life for nothing in return. You would use your profits on expanding. You did not gain anything! Praise be to Allah, I made progress in Kuttouf Sweets in the first two years. (56:49) I sold franchise licenses, earned a profit percentage, and earned the profits of my own branches. I can use my profit to develop my business or buy storage, but the most important thing is that I can have a percentage. I can become wealthier or have a higher income because I benefited from my profits. On the other hand, someone who solely owns a business can only expand after five years. (57:10) You helped others make a fortune with the help of Allah. With partnership comes prosperity, and profits are gained faster. Of course, you divide profits among yourselves, but why not? Which is better? opening 200 branches in 5 years with franchising or working without franchising, like brands that opened 120 branches in 14 years? There is a big difference. (57:33) I would also like to ask you about Monsha’at franchise center. Did you benefit from it? Since it connects franchisors with franchisees. We worked with Social Development Bank in a workshop, during which I proposed this to them, and now they have a franchising office. They proposed a 50 thousand riyals fund for home businesses. (57:57) But it had many problems. Recipients would take the money, start a food business and fail. As well as those who would take out 300 or 400 thousand riyals loans. I have always encouraged franchising, so I proposed that they open a franchise department. Don't hand out money like that. If someone wanted to open a burger business, show him a list of burger restaurants to choose from. (58:21) Then he signs a contract. Whether you are interested in car detailing, cosmetology, hair salon, or whatever. This is the list of brands to choose from. Choose what you like, and I will fund you. You minimize the risk this way. Because the franchisor, with Allah’s help, helps you with market competition, marketing strategy, and choosing products. (58:43) All I need from you is to focus on your branch hygiene… To operate as you instruct him. Exactly. Run your little store. Leave the rest to me. Market competition, new products, advertising, and marketing. These are my responsibilities. Was your franchising experience what led you to Kayan? Yes. How did you join Kayan? I know that you joined after the business started. (59:07) Yes. How many branches were there before you joined? Three branches. How did you meet the partners? Three branches that opened from 2009 until 2019 Were they all in Al-Qassim? Over a ten-year period They did not open at the same time. Three branches only in ten years? Yes. The founder of Kayan is Mohammed Al-Harbi (Abu Hamad). (59:31) He started the business from scratch, just like me. He worked with his own hands, mixing tea with milk. He also had a job and worked hard. I always stress this point; He was already an employee in the water and sewer commission with a decent salary. And despite that, he goes to his tea stand and works. He enjoyed it. (59:55) Yes, and he worked on himself, unlike those who stay at home and refuse to start from the very beginning. Start working! He was an employee who sold tea from his stand, and I was a SABIC employee who sold food. So, he was the founder of Kayan. How did you meet him? Via our mutual friend Mohammed Al-Dabibi (Abu Saleh). (1:00:16) Nice. Abu Saleh told me that he and Abu Hamad wanted to franchise their business like Kuttouf. I talked to Abu Hamad, and we negotiated for a year. I was going back and forth to Al-Jubail. Until I finally told him not to call me unless he was... He was obsessed with quality. He was worried about selling his trade name to someone who might not maintain the quality of the service. (1:00:44) When was this? 2019 You already had franchising experience at the time. I reassured him and told him it was normal for a service to change slightly. Was it the same year the rumor about Kayan using alcohol started? No, it was a little while before that. For those who are puzzled, there was a rumor that Kayan mixed alcohol with their coffee... (1:01:19) Yes, a coffee shop in Unaizah that added alcohol to its beverages. Which made it very popular. Not exactly. This is how the rumor started. It started from the clock square branch. I mean the Western ring branch between Unaizah and Buraidah. You can find the video of this incident and see the exact date of it. (1:01:43) Before the case took place. The gossip started because there were two long car lines at Kayan. The last car waited two hours before it received its order. Why would they wait that long for a coffee? We had a signature drink. What was it made from? Kayan mixture. It's similar to a virgin mojito. That’s why they suspected alcohol. (1:02:09) Yes. They were suspicious of this long line. You can see the video on YouTube showing the exact date. Someone filmed the long line of cars that waited for two hours People started gossiping. I don’t know what the intentions behind it were, jealousy or spitefulness. Anyway, he was imprisoned. Wow. Praise be to Allah, Kayan's founder was acquitted. (1:02:40) It was published in newspapers that he was 100% innocent. They tested samples from the mixture, and they were proven to be alcohol-free. He was a virtuous man, and Allah granted him victory. Kayan was already successful but after this incident, customers doubled in number. People sympathized a lot with him a lot. (1:03:03) Because they didn't believe that someone would be this careless. It was a ridiculous rumor. He is a God-fearing man who has good intentions. As I told you, he didn’t want to franchise his business out of consideration of his customers' rights. He is a man who pays vendors in cash. No one pays vendors in cash. (1:03:21) He is a straightforward man who does not want to owe anyone money. Did that incident change his mind about franchising? We negotiated that same year, Abu Saleh mediated between us, and he agreed eventually. He worried that he might face problems or be put over a barrel. I told him that problems are inevitable in businesses but they can be solved. (1:03:55) We signed a contract in 2019. We founded Kayan franchise company at the end of 2019. As you mentioned, you needed to establish a company to operate on a larger scale. Yes. Abu Hamad manages Kayan branches in Al-Qassim. We founded our own company, bought a warehouse, and started franchising. Then we granted licenses. (1:04:23) A warehouse for what? Four our goods. So you ran the whole operation, including supplying and things like that. Yes. In addition to storage, management, system, and employees. It’s essential. Because there is a lot of work, and if you didn't have the right foundations you will not be able to control it. (1:04:44) You built the infrastructure of these branches. We entered a franchise partnership. Abu Hamad contributed a lot and brought new partners, Abu Mohannad and Ali Al-Saifi. They were already working with him and helping him. Because they were his friends, they loved him. They joined our franchise partnership, as well as Abu Saleh. (1:05:09) We became five franchise partners. We worked together, and each one of us oversaw a side of the business, construction, IT, logistics, and so on. Each one of us was assigned a role. I oversaw franchising and Abu Hamad oversaw quality. Since he was obsessed with it. He asked for this role, and we assigned it to him. (1:05:30) You can just take it. Nothing goes into the business without your approval. I asked Abu Hamad when we started, “How many branches do you think we would open in the first year?” He replied, “if we signed for 30 branches, I would kiss your head”. It was my first experience after Kuttout, I was confident yet scared We received a lot of franchising applications. (1:06:02) We contacted them and interviewed them. We signed contracts for 30 branches. Wow. From the first attempt. The first branches we opened were in Az Zulfi, Khamis Mushait, and Tabuk. After we opened them, people saw how successful and crowded the stores were. How did people there know about Kayan? It was successful in Al-Qassim only. (1:06:31) After the defamation case, people watched the video and saw how popular it was. The video spread across the Gulf countries. The story actually served Kayan. We should believe that the good is in what Allah chooses. Whatever you encounter in life, know there is good behind it, If you did not see it first, you would see it later. (1:06:53) Kayan was famous in the gulf countries. After opening three branches, we couldn’t keep up with the franchise appllications. Although we did not make an announcement. Because people start telling each other. We signed for 30 branches at the beginning of 2020. In total, we opened around... How many branches of Kayan have you opened to this day? Maybe 200 branches. (1:07:21) I honestly don’t know how many branches we have today. Before I asked the question or after it? No, I’m telling you the truth. I told someone that we have 215 branches and he said we actually have 218 branches. So, over 200. Yes, probably 227. Do you have more than 200 branches in Kuttouf Sweets and Kayan? Yes. Praise be to Allah. (1:07:40) We granted around 30 licenses for Kayan. Then we received up to 100 requests, but then we stopped granting them. We needed to prepare the ground because the vendors could not keep pace with the high demand. They were not able to supply us with 100 espresso machines because they have a limited supply. So, we stopped granting franchise licenses. (1:08:08) Even the raw material vendors could not satisfy our demands, because international shipping takes a long time. We stopped for six months. When people asked me about licenses, I told them “We finished the first stage, and the second stage will start on the first of June”. We stopped in 2020 and 2021. We opened 200 branches over 18 months. (1:08:40) We estimated that a new Kayan branch opens every 48 hours. I bet that this is unprecedented in Saudi Arabia Can you give me an estimate of Kuttouf Sweets and Kayan's revenues? They generate high revenues, praise be to Allah Can you give me a number? If it's alright with you. I don't want to pressure you. (1:09:07) Millions. Tens or hundreds of millions? From sales? Yes. Hundreds of millions annually. You raise hundreds of millions annually. Yes, praise be to Allah. In both companies? Yes. It's over 100 million. Yes. Kayan still has new branches under construction. Our target in 2022 is around 300 branches. We signed contracts for two branches in Bahrain and two in Oman. (1:09:47) We finished negotiating with Kuwait. As well as Jordan. We are expanding across Gulf and Arab countries in 2022, God’s willing. Before the episode, you told me you started Hemam company Yes. There are several brands that fall under Kayan. A boulevard, a factory, and a top-quality roastery. We built foundations that support the mother company, Kayan. (1:10:29) We franchised Roshan & Kayan, a specialty coffee, owned by Abu Hamad. We sold around 15 licenses across the Kingdom for a specialty coffee shop. The most important news is, that we, Kayan franchise company, acquired Al-Qassim branches. We acquired all of Abu Hamad's branches. I thought you acquired Al-Qassim Province. (1:10:56) A franchise branch of Al-Qassim in the southern region of the Kingdom. Abu Hamad started with three branches. Now he owns ten branches. Nice. He built more courage as we expanded. You own Hemam, a company that acquires trademarks. It is another brand we did not announce yet but I think it’s the first of its kind in the Kingdom. (1:11:23) We established strong management run by a professional team who I previously trained on different brands. What it does is acquire start-up brands or brands that lack the elements of success. For example, a young Saudi started a business and succeeded. But he does not have components of sustainability and growth. (1:11:48) so we acquire his company. We have acquired four brands so far. We want to learn and gain experience first. So, you look for new trademarks that have one branch only and have strong qualities that enable them to franchise. you buy the businesses, and…. No, I join as a partner. So, you don’t take over the business? No, I acquire the business and receive a percentage. (1:12:17) I don’t ask for a specific percentage as many businessmen do, like 51% or 60%. No, I take 40% or 45%. As you said, someone who has special qualities but lacks the experience that pushes him forward. I ask young Saudi businessmen about the cost of a product, but they don't know the answer. Then how did you price it? How much profit do you make? What is your net profit? They don't take it into consideration. (1:12:44) We first teach him how to calculate costs. He should learn all the details. The cost of operation and raw materials, and the break-even points. If he sold a product for ten riyals, and he had a thousand in stock but the profit is only ten halalas. Then he better stop selling it. Nice. He must focus on profitable products. (1:13:08) What makes a business eligible for franchising? If it was in demand and it had a unique service or product. Whether it was a special recipe or a special packaging. The whole experience, from products to services. We develop it financially and prepare it for franchising. We create operational management and modify the brand identity if needed. (1:13:34) After finishing these steps, we franchise the business together. What is unique about Hemam is that it acquires brands and helps them with the operation process… You can come to Hemam to buy a brand or sell yours. It connects investors. If we both owned brands, Hemam can sell my brand to you and vice versa, as a franchise It's a process of exchanging interests. (1:14:18) If you own a shawarma brand, for example, you can go to Hemam and buy a juice brand, and so on. But we did not announce it yet We will prove our success with the four brands we acquired with numbers. We will not brag; we will show numbers only. I will tell you that this person bought a franchise license from me, opened his branch on this date, and recovered his capital in 6 months. (1:14:47) His income is this much, and his net profit is this much. A very simple and clear equation. Hemam will grow and … What did you mean when you said you did not announce yet? Because you have just announced it. You forced me to announce. Don’t worry. We will air the episode after the announcement. It’s all right, you can air it. (1:15:11) We are planning to make a strong announcement, and arrange… A marketing campaign. A unique campaign that shows exact numbers. Great. Another thing is that it’s the first brand in Saudi Arabia that acquires, develops, sells rights, and buys them simultaneously. Nice. I provide the two services. If you decide to sell your brand, I have investors who want to buy it. (1:15:45) And if you decide to buy a brand, I have brands to offer you. At the same time. I’m enjoying talking with you, but we are running out of time. I want to end this episode with a question I always ask my guests. If you can go back in time, particularly when you started Kuttouf Sweets. But with the experience you have today, what would you change and what would you avoid? I honestly don’t know. (1:16:17) We made a lot of mistakes of course, but we learned from them as well. We made a lot of mistakes. My personality changed a lot. I used to be an angry and violent person. Oh my God. Because of work pressure and ignorance. I was under a lot of pressure and would explode at minor things. My personality is different now. I have more control over myself. (1:16:49) I did a lot of work on myself and acknowledged my mistakes. I examined my conscience and started to change As you know.. Today, I'm a partner in 14 brands. Including a shawarma brand, a juice brand, holic and Chic salon. Chic salon is a famous women's beauty salon in Al-Qassim. I was talking to my friend and told him that I had become a partner in a woman's beauty salon, And I was thinking of franchising it. (1:17:35) There was a well-known businessman sitting with us. When I succeed, I will make him come here and acknowledge it. I don’t want to say his name. As I was talking to my friend, the businessman heard me. We are all friends, by the way. He looked at me and laughed. I immediately looked at him and asked, "What are you laughing about?” He replied, “a woman's beauty salon!”. (1:18:07) I said "Yes, why not?" Even my friend, who is very dear to me, asked me, “How would you franchise a service business?” I replied, “We have a plan. You will see." He said, “I dare you to succeed.” You took it personally. It was discouraging. When the businessman looked and laughed at me. “Say a good word or remain silent. (1:18:45) " Do not discourage people. You can give them advice, but not in this manner. Their reaction fueled me with determination. He is my close friend, but I told him, “I swear by Allah, I will prove it to you.” He said, “my wife does her nails at the worst beauty salon." "she goes there for the manicurist only. (1:19:10) How can you franchise a manicurist across the Kingdom?” I replied, “give us a chance, and we will surprise you. Do you accept the challenge?” And he accepted the challenge. We sold four licenses for the salon across the Kingdom. Nice. Praise be to Allah. That was the first stage only. After that, the salon will take off. I own many brands, praise be to Allah. I worked hard until people trusted me. (1:19:34) There is another important point. I’m honest, trustworthy, and brutally honest. I don’t fear honesty. I’m very straightforward in business. I also don’t enter a partnership with a brand without reviewing its account and sale performance. Because it’s my responsibility. You come to me because you know my company, not the brand I’m selling. (1:19:58) You will follow my advice. It’s like going to a land agent you trust to buy a piece of land. You will buy land according to his recommendation, not knowing if the land is good or not. I also centralized my business. I was talking to a Saudi businessman. I told him that I sat in the warehouse with a vacuum, a flask of green tea, a cup, and a calculator. (1:20:22) I did not have an office. I loaded the goods and supervised the work. He asked me “how long have you been doing this?” I replied, “a round two years.” He told me to stop, and I asked him why. He explained that centralization is very effective at the beginning of a business. And that I have learned everything about the work, including where to store the goods, and how long transportation takes. (1:20:40) I agreed with him. He told me that if I continued doing the same work and did not move to the next step, my brain would not develop. Because it is only concerned with minor issues, such as truck malfunction. He told me that I have learned everything I needed to learn, and it was time to hire an employee with a 3000 riyals salary to take my place. (1:20:59) I agreed with him. He advised me to move up the ladder. To be able to manage the business from a higher level. So, I can develop my skills, set a good organizational structure, and manage marketing. I learned from people. I'm the type of person who doesn’t look down on anyone or any business. If someone asked me to go and see his 2x2 restaurant, I would. (1:21:22) I don’t belittle people. Everyone is welcome to come to visit me in Unaizah. Everyone. If someone called me, I would set a meeting with him even if he has nothing to present. Do you live in Unaizah? Yes. I retired from SABIC in 2018. I will come to visit you. Of course. You didn't retire until 2018? Yes, I resigned in 2018. (1:21:44) Why didn’t you retire earlier since your business was going well? I was afraid to take the step, but I resigned after Kuttouf flourished in 2018. Kuttouf offered me the same salary I received at SABIC. In addition to their salary and a two-year contract. Because I had three or four years left until retirement. (1:22:07) They wanted to ensure all my needs. Resigning from my job at SABIC was a positive step. Then I moved to Unaizah for my mother. I did not mention her in the interview. I noticed that some people don’t care enough about this point. I wasn’t very attentive to my father because I lived in Al-Jubail. I realized my shortcomings after he passed away. (1:22:45) I immediately changed and improved my relationship with my mother. I will do anything my mother asks me to, even if I despise doing it. I promised myself never to refuse her requests. I call her my business partner. After I opened my first store in Al-Dhahran, I wanted to invite her to the opening. But you know, older people don’t like traveling far from home. (1:23:17) I had an idea when I was driving from Al-Jubail to Al-Dammam. I called her and said “Someone invited me to his wedding in Unzaiah, should I go?” She replied, “is he a dear person to you?” I replied, “Yes, but it’s not worth booking a plane ticket for a five-minute visit." She said, “if he is a loved one, then you should come. (1:23:46) ” I replied, “Then you are invited to come to my store opening in Al-Dhahran next Friday.” You tricked her. She cried for half an hour at least. I asked her later why was she crying, and she explained that I left her no choice in the way I asked her. After that, she attended the opening of the seven branches, including the one in Tabuk. (1:24:27) We opened our branches on Fridays I told this to one of my friends, who said, “You people from Qassim like to benefit from everything, even your opening day!" Because we opened our stores on Friday an hour before Maghrib prayer (the time of answering prayers). He said, “You timed your openings on Friday at the last hour of the afternoon while your mother prayed for you, surely Allah will grant you success”. (1:24:48) I used to hear her supplications. It was time to cut the ribbon. People were standing behind her. I asked her to cut the ribbon, but she was busy supplicating to Allah. You know how older people supplicate; may Allah have mercy on their souls. They were more devoted than us. I waited for her until she finished supplicating, for ten minutes! She didn't know people were waiting. (1:25:28) She would say, “May Allah subject the angles of the sky and the soldiers of the earth for him." I always say that Kuttouf was a great success. However, it was due to the blessing of Allah first, then the supplications of our mothers. My mother prayed for me during the day and night. My siblings told me they were jealous of how much she prayed for me. (1:26:00) They wanted her to pray for them but only heard my name in her supplications. Her supplications contributed to my success after the aid of Allah. She was behind my personal success, me Ahmed Al-Tamimi, in Kuttouf Sweets and Kayan. In addition to the businesses I acquired after that. And I say this with modesty. (1:26:35) I receive offers from two or three brands monthly because of my name. I worked very hard and achieved success with the aid of Allah first, then my mother’s supplications day and night. I always tell her that she shares my wealth. When I give her money, she tells me to give it to my children instead but I insist to her that she is my business partner and that is her share. (1:27:06) Allah has blessed me along the way. And now I can say He granted me provision from sources I could never imagine. I worked at SABIC for 15 thousand riyals at the end of the month, and after five or six years, I achieved much more than I had wished. I advise businessmen to be sincere with their actions for the sake of Allah And not to be greedy, to have good intentions, and not to belittle small things. (1:27:44) Blessings are found in little things. So, seize small and big opportunities. I talked for a long time. No, I enjoyed listening to you. I will return to your question… You covered topics guests don’t usually talk about, That's why I was listening attentively. Praise be to Allah. I have a strong bond with my family. (1:28:08) And people who know me from before know that I haven't changed in that respect. I worked at SABIC for 20 or 22 years. This experience added to my knowledge and shaped my way of thinking. It taught me how to plan, save, follow up, etc. I will forever be grateful for SABIC. After that, I worked on myself. (1:28:37) I used to work 24 hours. After I finish my job, I arrive at Al-Jubail at 3:30 p.m. I take a bath, greet my kids as I descend the stairs and leave for my second job. Three months have passed without going out with my wife in my car. I told her I would be absent for two years when I started. But she encouraged me to work. (1:28:56) I used to come back from my second job at 1 or 2 in the morning, sleep, and wake up the next day to work at my first job. I faced many problems and obstacles, which improved my personality. You asked me if I regretted anything. But I don't consider them mistakes, because I achieved great success. Of course, I made mistakes, but my behavior and mindset improved. (1:29:23) Abu Anas from 2015 is entirely different from Abu Anas now. My mindset, manners, and temper. With the aid of Allah, business has improved my whole personality. My mentality, relationship with others, and speaking and listening skills. I believe that I achieved something worthwhile. Because Allah blessed me with success. (1:29:47) And because I pleased Him and my mother. I achieved my aspirations to the point where I feel 100% satisfied. I'm satisfied with where I am today. I only ask Allah for a good death and to bless me with what he granted me. And also to prevent me from committing injustice and having bad intentions. This is all I can ..... (1:30:26) Thank you so much. That was an answer with twists and turns. But thank you so much. You shed light on untouched topics. Frankly, I didn't expect this question. No one has asked me this before. But maybe because I'm very satisfied with my life, I don't remember the negative experiences of my past. (1:30:49) Probably that's why. Or probably because I learned from them and moved on quickly. I think I will make you rethink your past tonight. I will answer your question. I won't forget it. To which question? The last question. Don't worry about it. Thank you very much. We are pleased to meet you. We prepared for a one-hour or one-hour-and-a-half interview. But time flew by. (1:31:11) Thank you. I hope that it was... I was surprised by this interview. Interviews are usually very formal. They put guests under pressure, which makes them worried about what to say or do. But I ... How long was the interview? Around an hour and a half. Although we said that an hour would suffice. I congratulate you on this podcast. (1:31:43) This is how it is supposed to be. I brought my ghutrah, shemagh, and agal. But you told me there is no need for them because you want me to feel comfortable. This program, or interview, was without any restriction. We did interviews before where they had some rules. They told us what to do and what not to do and did many cuts. (1:32:12) You, on the other hand, made me feel very comfortable, especially when you told me that we are going to chat And I believe this is the best way to share information with people. To talk naturally without pretending to be someone else. Frankly, I feel like I'm sitting with my friends. Thank god. I feel at ease as if I was talking to one of my friends. (1:32:38) Or someone new who asked me about my story. I didn't feel like there was any pretension. I didn't feel like .... there was any tension. I only felt at ease. I congratulate you on this successful podcast and the podcast policy. We always say that you have to stand out to succeed in business. You have to do something different from others. (1:33:05) I believe that this podcast is unique. Because of its policy or strategy that allows the guest to talk freely and speak his mind. Yes, we want to benefit from your experience. This is what matters to us. And this is exactly what happened. We don't want to talk about controversial topics like some media outlets. (1:33:24) They like to portray their guests as winners or losers. We believe that Ahmed Al-Tamimi has excellent expertise in franchising We want people, franchisers or franchisees, to benefit from this vast experience before going into business. I'm very pleased with this interview. It was one of the best interviews I have done because it was very casual. (1:33:52) We didn't realize time had flown by. I'm worried about you since you had to meet someone ten minutes ago. Honestly, I learned from this episode as well. I spoke my mind and talked naturally the way I talk to my close friends. I want to thank you. I know I didn't make it easy for you to set a date for this interview. (1:34:19) Not at all. You were determined. You have a great team. This is a great podcast. I really enjoyed it. If you ever need anything, please get in touch with me. I give consultations for free. Some consultants charge 1000 or 2000 an hour. I advise people to stop charging money. I know it's a source of income, but you already have a business. (1:34:44) There is no need to charge 1000 or 2000 for a piece of information. This is my personal opinion. I consulted someone with my house plan and asked him for his consultation's cost. He said it was for free. After I insisted, he said, "this is my zakat of knowledge." "Allah has granted me the knowledge of architecture, so I consider this my zakat of knowledge. (1:35:11) " So, followed his lead. Please don't hesitate to call me or come to me in Unaizah or Riyadh, as long as you are serious about it. Please don't hesitate. You can go to Kuttouf or Kayan's Instagram page and ask for my number. I'm afraid you will regret it, considering the large number of followers. (1:35:34) Not at all. As long as they are serious. They can come to me in Uniazah or call me on the phone. I'm happy to help others. Especially if a young Saudi succeeded because I helped him. I will be the happiest. I have to end this interview. Thank you so much Abu Anas. I want to save you time for your other engagements. (1:35:57) I'm delighted, and I hope this is not our last meeting. I hope to see you when I visit Unaizah. Of course. You have to. We will move this studio to Unaizah. Thank you very much. I apologies for all my shortcomings. Thank you.

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pterodactylterrace · 2 years ago

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Maybe it’s just me, but I think of the trial of grasses as a sort of medieval super soldier serum. It fixes a lot of problems the trainees may have had before them.

Lambert, for instance had the worst asthma any of the trainers had ever seen. On the way up he’d only stopped cursing and trying to escape when he would start coughing and wheezing. Lambert barely even noticed how much easier he could breathe after his trial. He was just vaguely aware that it was somehow easier to spurt insults at his teachers. He thought it was because of the instilled confidence that he had SURVIVED and was just as strong as them. While that may be true, the increased ability to breathe also had a huge impact.

Eskel was insanely far-sighted. He could see distances just fine. Anything closer than arms length was just a vague blur. His teachers just assumed he was “dumb hill-folk” that likely didn’t know how to read well and always wrote in giant clunky letters with no flourish. Turns out he is an avid reader once he can see things close up, and his penmanship is very different now. Normally he adopts a very clear, thin scrawl that is easy to read and to the point. He also likes to show off with a very flashy and embellished calligraphy that could almost be considered artwork had it not been some random, bawdy ballad that he had found in one of the dilapidated books he’d dig out of the library.

Geralt used to have horrible back pain and a slightly uneven step that matched his slanted shoulders. “Bent spine.” Vesemir had noted, grabbing the boy by the scruff of the neck and bending him over to examine the odd curve in the boy’s back. “No wonder your footwork is shit.” His first trial had straightened the curve so he no longer in pain and his gait is an easy stroll now. His posture was effortlessly perfect after his second trial. Vesemir never has a problem with his footwork after that.

#kaer morons #eskel #lambert #Geralt #vesemir

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skzsauce01 · 4 years ago

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Cutie Pie

Synopsis: Who’s your secret admirer? Guess you’ll have to unmask him at your academy’s end-of-term ball.

Warning: none

Word Count: 5.1k

Pairing: fem!reader x Bang Chan, best friends Sana and Nayeon

Saturday was the most anticipated day of the week. The academy only allowed mail to be collected on Saturdays, so Jihyo, the unofficial resident adviser, would head down to the mailroom early in the morning and collect all the packages and letters for everyone in the hall. She didn’t need to do such a thing when everyone had access to the mailroom, but it was a passed down ritual from the opening of the girls’ dorm. There would always be a few girls in the common room, waiting for their deliveries of skin products and 3 AM impulse buys. You would know; you were a sucker for a sale, no matter how much money your parents made.

However, this particular Saturday, every single girl was awake at seven o’clock and impatiently waiting for Jihyo to appear. Even you, who had pulled an all-nighter on Thursday to cram study, had let your excited roommate and friend Sana drag you into the common room with no complaints. Despite how exhausted you felt, you wanted to know what the theme of the end-of-term ball was as well.

You yawned and huddled closer to Sana on the plush velvet couch. You wished she would have let you grab your thick comforter before you left. The usually lit fireplace — though more for decoration than actual function — held nothing but ashes, and the big, drafty room was colder than usual. You shivered and mumbled a few choice words to your roommate, who was in too good of a mood to retort back. Luckily, Nayeon, who was on Sana’s other side, threw a section of her own comforter to you, and you gratefully snuggled under it.

“Thank you,” you said, nose already buried by fluffy white fur.

Sana poked your arm. “What do you think the theme is this year?”

You shrugged. You were always bad at guessing. “Winter Wonderland?”

“That’s what we did two years ago!” she shook her head. “Hey, Nayeon. What about you?”

However, before Nayeon could reply, Jihyo entered the room with an armful of boxes. “Mail!” she cheerfully announced.

Normally, girls would descend upon her like a murder of crows to pick up their packages, but everyone stayed still and stared at the rolled up poster at the top of the mail pile. They all watched as she slowly set down the boxes in the middle of the room and eagerly waited for her to say the theme. But Jihyo only grinned and teasingly asked why no one wanted their orders.

“Jihyo! Tell us already!” Momo whined. She raised the pillow she was previously hugging, threatening to throw it at the older girl.

“Okay, okay,” Jihyo smiled. Agonizingly slow, she unrolled the theme announcement poster. “This year’s end-of-term ball is… Midnight Masquerade!”

A wave of gasps and whispers rippled across the room. This was something no one was expecting; more often than not, themes were recycled from the ones twenty years ago. Thrilled by the prospects of daring new outfits and dancing with a boy, the murmurs evolved into full length conversations. You slunk low into your seat while half listening to Sana and Nayeon decide what color to wear. A masquerade, huh? Not only were there now dresses and shoes to discuss, but also masks. Since everyone would be less noticeable wearing them, then maybe…

“Maybe your secret admirer will ask you to the ball!” Sana suddenly said out loud.

“Shh!” you hissed. You quickly scanned the room to make sure no one heard. Fortunately, everyone was engrossed in their own worlds.

Your roommate rolled her eyes. “Who doesn’t know about him at this point? He bought all your leftover apple pies during the Fall Festival.”

“Who could forget?” you said, remembering how fifty apple pies were bought in a single purchase.

You paced the tiny area inside the booth. It was the last day of Fall Fest, and there were still boxes of unbought apple pies. If you didn’t sell them all in an hour, the club would lose money. Not that it really mattered, you thought to yourself, as JYP was a private academy that received exorbitant amounts in donations and tuitions anyway. Surely the student council would allocate some funds for the Astronomy Club. However, the club’s reputation would be hurt, and selling apple pies had been your idea. Being president sucked sometimes.

Seungmin, another board member of the club, soon returned from his break, and you guiltily dumped the task on him. You promised to come back ten minutes before Fall Fest ended, and he merely waved you off. You spent the rest of the time doing your best to steal customers from other food booths, but no one seemed to want gourmet apple pie when there was a lobster food truck around.

When your time was up, you headed back to the booth with a frown and a posture that would have been deemed unacceptable by your mother. To your confusion and delight, there were no more pies left. Seungmin explained that someone purchased all of them on behalf of his employer. He also offhandedly mentioned that the man muttered, “What is that boy going to do with all this?” while handing him the money.

You prodded Seungmin for more answers, but that was all he knew.

“And he sent you that cute card after, too!” Nayeon chimed in.

You received the card the next Saturday after the festival. When you went to check if you got any mail, there was a horde of girls surrounding the coffee table. Momo had an envelope in her hand, and you assumed it was another letter for her from her long distance boyfriend, but to your surprise, Momo herself presented it to you with a flourish. The fancy white envelope had your name inked across the center in rose gold.

“Who is it from?” Dahyun asked, standing on her tiptoes behind you, trying to read over your shoulder.

You carefully opened it and immediately felt heat rushing to your face when you read the simple message on the creamy paper: “I think you’re a cutie pie” followed by a line drawing of an apple pie.

Dahyun had read it out loud, and news that you had a secret admirer spread throughout the academy like a wildfire. Even after a month, no one could even mention pie without a teasing glance in your direction.

“What if he reveals himself to you at the ball?” Jeongyeon stage-whispered. Evidently, no one wanted to talk about dresses anymore when a mysterious boy was involved. “Wouldn’t that be romantic?”

Too flustered by being the center of attention, you didn’t respond. You had to admit, Jeongyeon was right. Six-year-old you would have swooned at the current situation, and bold thirteen-year-old you would have pestered anyone and everyone for more information. Fall Fest you simply kept the note hidden in your desk drawer and secretly reread it. Sana caught you once, and it was embarrassing to say the least.

“Y/N, are you busy then?”

Sana’s words snapped you out of your haze. You looked at her. “Hm?”

“Shopping next Sunday!” she brightly answered. “Nayeon said she’ll drive us!”

So, it was set. You and Sana would meet Nayeon in the common room at 9:30 to check out the new boutique downtown. However, you already had an idea of what you wanted to wear and were starting to draw the design in your head. You made a mental note to call up your favorite fashion house to place an order. You would go shopping for shoes, but the dress and its matching mask was a done deal.

Sana and Nayeon had similar ideas, and the three of you made a promise to each other and yourselves to only focus on accessories though you were sure that pact would be broken the moment you all stepped foot into downtown.

The rest of the week flew by quickly. Amidst doing homework and studying, you chatted with the other students about the masquerade, which was only a month away. Some of the boys started asking girls to the ball with elaborate bouquets, self-composed songs, and in one case, a choreographed dance number. Sana and Nayeon crossed names off their “Who Could Y/N’s Secret Admirer Be?” list with each asking. By Friday night, their list was tacked onto the bulletin board in the common room so other girls could contribute. You stationed yourself on a nearby couch, pretending to be busy typing an essay on your laptop. You were too curious to actually write anything, so instead you watched like a hawk whenever someone even came close to the bulletin board.

“... and Ok Taecyeon,” Dahyun read aloud. “So, it’s not them. How about…” She closed her eyes and jabbed her finger to a random spot. “The wall?”

“Definitely not the wall,” you giggled.

“He’s kind of cute though. Dark blue paint, random fliers.”

You laughed at her as she began cooing at the wall, telling how dashing it looked in dark blue. Dahyun was always trying to make you feel better about the situation. She was the last person to come by for the night, and you begrudgingly headed back to your dorm to go to bed an hour after Dahyun left.

Saturday afternoon you went to check your mail after waking up. The winter coat you ordered arrived on Wednesday, and you desperately needed it now that temperatures were starting to drop. To your surprise, the common room was nearly full, and the commotion turned into silence as you came into view.

“Hey,” you cautiously said. “Did something happen?”

“You got a letter,” was the simple answer.

Like people passing each other buckets of water to put out a fire, the girls passed down the letter to you. You didn’t miss the sly looks that were exchanged. Once the thick envelope was in your hand, a sense of deja vu washed over you. When you glanced down, your name was written in rose gold, in the same loopy calligraphy from the Fall Festival. Your heart fluttered, and you knew why, but the lump of anxiety in your stomach you didn’t understand. Maybe it was because you wanted privacy for such a momentous moment. Maybe it was because you had fifteen pairs of eyes on you.

“What does it say?” Jeongyeon asked, graciously not saying what everyone wanted to know — “Who is it from?”

You might as well get it over with, you reasoned, since everyone would badger you with questions anyway. You lifted the flap, breaking the red wax. You noted that the family coat of arms featured two floppy-eared dogs and branches with rounded leaves. The last letter didn’t have a seal, you remembered. The same cream-colored stationery as before greeted your eyes, and you opened the card with gentle fingers, taking care not to crease it.

Meeting you would be grand. I’ll be waiting with a red rose in hand.

A pressed rose petal decorated the bottom half of the note, and you absentmindedly touched it while trying to slow your racing heart. Your eyes were glued to the message, rereading it over and over again. This was it, your chance to finally meet him. A hint of a smile started to show on your face, and Mina, observant as always, pointed it out.

“Is it something good?” she said, already knowing the answer.

You nodded, hiding your visibly flustered face with the envelope. Cheers erupted throughout the room, Sana being the loudest one of them.

“So, who is it?” Nayeon asked. “Is it BamBam? He’s been acting suspicious lately.”

“Jeongin? He always asks you for help,” Chaeyoung suggested.

You reread the card, searching for a signature, an inside joke, something to indicate the sender. Unfortunately, all you had was the seal, but you recognized none of the elements that would help you narrow down your search.

You showed everyone the broken wax. “Anyone know whose family seal this is?” You handed the envelope to the closest girl, who glanced at it and passed it to the next person.

When it reached Sana, she brought it centimeters away from her eyes, scrutinizing every little detail she could pick out. “It looks familiar, but I don’t know,” she finally said out loud. “I’ll ask around. Okay if I take a picture, Y/N?”

“Please.” You wanted to know who this mystery boy was more than anyone.

The envelope came back to you, and you carefully tucked the card inside. The crowd started to thin out as girls started to head back to their rooms or out of the dorms. So did you.

Once inside your room, the package that held your much needed winter coat was left discarded at the foot of your bed. With shaky hands, you reopened both the cards you had received from your secret admirer. You traced the words with a trembling finger, feeling the imprints made by the fountain pen, marvelling at how elegant his handwriting was. It was written by someone with a firm hand and a delicate touch, you imagined. Someone who was deliberate and kind and…

You shook your head. There was no sense in projecting your hopes of him on him, especially since you didn’t even know who he was.

Yet with only a slight feeling of embarrassment and some guilt, you lifted the stationery to your nose in a poor attempt to sniff out his cologne. All you smelled was expensive paper, and your whole body heated up when you realized how shameless you were a mere two seconds ago. Thank goodness Sana was busy and had no chance of bursting in.

You hid both letters inside your desk and opened your package, pretending that the past five minutes didn’t happen. The whole day was like that, pretending that you were cool, calm, collected when you really had the energy equivalent of five cups of black coffee coursing through your veins.

Sana came back with no new answers. At night, you drifted in and out of sleep, wondering who he was and how he would reveal himself to you.

As decided, you and Sana met up with Nayeon in the common room at 9:30 the following day. You yawned, regretting not taking any melatonin before you went to bed; you were tired from hours of unrestful sleep. Luckily, Nayeon, the driver, was in a much better state than you.

“I asked BamBam yesterday,” she said as she pulled out of the parking lot, “and he says it’s not him. I asked about his seal, and his is completely different.”

“He could be lying. What if he used someone else’s seal to trick Y/N?” Sana gasped.

“But why would he even do that? There wasn’t any seal on the first letter I got,” you replied. “It’s probably just a hint.”

“Ah! So he wants you to know who he is but is too shy to say it outright!” Sana declared. “But someone has to know. Is it too much if I post an ad in JYPaper?”

“Yes.” The school newspaper had many readers, and you didn’t want to be known as The Girl with the Secret Admirer again. “I don’t think they even allow things like that. We have at least three weeks to figure out who he is anyway.”

“Killjoy,” Sana pouted.

Soon, the three of you arrived in front of the boutique. As expected, the promise to buy only accessories for the masquerade was broken when Nayeon spotted an emerald green dress with lace details.

“Maybe I’ll wear this instead,” she wondered out loud. Before any of you could stop her, she grabbed it off the rack and brought it to the register, not even bothering to check the size.

You and Sana shared looks before heading over to the display of shoes. A cursory glance told you that none of them would match your dress the way you wanted. Despite that, you tried on a silver heel bedazzled with possibly real diamonds as Sana selected a black velvet pump. Nayeon returned with a brand new bag with the boutique’s name emblazoned on the front.

It was a similar experience at the other stores the three of you later visited. At least one of you would buy an unneeded item, while the main purpose of buying shoes for the masquerade was forgotten. The topic of your secret admirer, however, was not as lucky. At the end of the day, you had learned far too much about the Hwang family’s supposed seal, and Nayeon’s trunk was filled with shopping bags of various sizes and multicolored tissue paper. No progress was made.

“Y/N,” Sana started, her voice in an uncharacteristic lilt that typically meant she was going to ask for a favor, “can you take my bags too? Chan says he’s free now, and I want to ask him about the seal.”

“Can’t you just do it over text? I bet Chan wouldn’t mind,” you said. You threaded the handles of as many bags as you could through your arms. “You bought so many things.”

“If I do it in person, I’ll know if he’s lying or not.”

“He’s on the student council,” Nayeon pointed out. “We voted for him because he’s honest and trustworthy.”

“Please? He’s my friend, and I haven’t talked to him in ages,” she tried. For some strange reason, you couldn’t help but feel that it was a flimsy excuse for her not to take her fifteen bags back to the dorms.

“I’m your friend too,” you huffed. Despite your show of annoyance, you grabbed one of her bags as well. The last time she and Chan spoke face-to-face was two weeks ago, which was ‘ages’ since they usually had dinner together at least twice a week. “Fine. But he better know something useful.”

Sana lit up and eagerly waved goodbye. You called after her, “You’re treating me to dinner tomorrow!”

Nayeon added, “Me too!” as she picked up a black bag with gold ribbons for handles.

After three trips back and forth, Nayeon’s car was finally empty. Sana still had not returned, so the two of you went to the dining hall for a late night snack. Nayeon checked the “Who Could Y/N’s Secret Admirer Be?” list and read off the names still not crossed off.

(Apparently, Jeongyeon had created a spreadsheet and shared it with all the girls, so the list could be updated in real time. You were both surprised and not surprised at this news.)

“What about Felix?” she suggested. She flashed her phone screen at you, and Lee Felix had no strikethrough. “He’s a new transfer, so maybe that’s why no one recognizes the seal. Or maybe he doesn’t have a seal.”

You shrugged, more focused on the cheese platter on a nearby table. “Maybe,” you said, loading your plate with delicious morsels.

Nayeon mumbled something about your disinterest when food was in front of you, but she did the same. Chaeyoung, seated in a booth near a window with her own plate of cheese and crackers, waved you over.

“Rumor has it that your secret admirer is Lee Felix,” she said, forgoing a greeting.

Right beside you, Nayeon hissed, “See! I was right!”

“Someone saw him with some red roses last week, and your card did have a rose petal on it,” she continued. She nibbled on a small block of cheese as she looked for your reaction.

You chewed on your bottom lip. Was it really him? Was Lee Felix your secret admirer? You only knew him by a string of associations — Chan’s friend. Sana’s friend’s friend. He was pretty cute, you admitted.

“Maybe,” you replied, already thinking about his sharp jawline and the dusting of freckles across cheeks. “But only three more weeks until I find out.”

Sana had been acting strangely recently. She had started asking lots of specific questions about things you liked in guys. While you would have normally brushed this aside as Sana being Sana, she would follow up with questions like, “What do you think of this quality in a boyfriend?” Your answers were noncommittal, but she always smiled far too innocently and typed it on her phone. When your star-embroidered dress and its matching mask for the ball had arrived, a hint of a grin had appeared on her face. Then she had squealed, “He’ll love it!” and immediately clasped a hand over her mouth, like she had just told a huge secret. During the latest shopping trip with her and Nayeon — where you finally found a pair of heels you liked — Sana had smirked when the three of you unexpectedly ran into Chan and Felix, also shopping for the ball.

“Is it Lee Felix?” you asked moments after the boys were out of earshot.

She pretended not to hear you. “Hey, Nayeon, what do you think of that dress over there?”

You frowned, debating whether this meant it was Felix was not Felix. But it was clear that she knew something.

Weeks passed, and there was no new information about who your admirer could be. Much to your disappointment, Sana kept her lips sealed and tactfully changed topics whenever the masquerade was brought up.

Now that everyone was getting ready for the masquerade, she was dancing about you, deciding where to best place the decorative pins in your hair. You were fine with the situation earlier since you were waiting for Momo to finish Dahyun’s makeup, but Dahyun had been long gone.

“Here! No, here!” Sana selected a new location, deemed it not perfect, and took out the pin.

Momo, who had been patiently waiting to start on your makeup for a solid five minutes, gave you a sympathetic smile. “Sana, are you close to done yet?” she asked. “We’re going to be even later than we are now.”

“But she has to look perfect! She’s about to meet her secret admirer!”

The few girls present in the common room — where Momo had set up for the night — murmured in agreement.

Sighing, you snatched the handful of pins away from her and stuck them artfully into your curls. Or as artfully as you could in five seconds. It didn’t matter; they were shaped like stars, so they would look nice anyway. “There. Hair, check.”

After makeup was complete, Nayeon carefully tied your masquerade mask back, and Tzuyu held up a mirror for you. With Momo’s handiwork and half of your face covered, you barely recognized yourself. Your heart raced at the discovery; would he recognize you then? The letters he sent rested on your lap, and you absentmindedly touched the broken wax seal.

“All ready to go!” Sana cheerfully said. She pulled you up from your chair and linked arms with you. “Let’s find out who he is.”

Would it be Lee Felix, the top candidate among the girls, or someone who had gone by unnoticed? You gripped your skirts tighter in anticipation, and Sana slapped your wrist away in fear that you would wrinkle the fabric.

Downstairs, the ballroom was packed. Nayeon opened the double doors with bravado, and dozens of eyes looked in your direction. You thought everyone with their masks on looked like great horned owls staring you down, and you self-consciously adjusted yours, to Nayeon’s chagrin.

“What do I do?” you whispered to yourself. All the onlookers had returned to their own business, and you followed your friends through the crowd. “How do I even find him in all this?”

Nayeon had great hearing. “Red rose, remember?” she said. The baroque music nearly drowned out her answer. “He’s waiting with a red rose.”

“We’ll meet you by the punch table!” Sana shouted, already disappearing into the throngs of people. She grabbed Nayeon by the elbow, and you were left alone.

Stricken by the fact that you had no idea what to do and that your friends had basically ditched you, you stood in place. The letters were hidden in the folds of your skirt, and you repeatedly tapped on the sharp corner of the envelope to calm your anxiousness. You had imagined a Cinderella-like reveal, where the crowd would part and your prince would be waiting on the other end of the ballroom. Then he would reveal himself, and the two of you would dance the night away. Though in hindsight, the current situation was much more likely to happen.

You scanned the room, looking for any sign of red. Ties, dresses, masks, but not a single flower. Why was red such a popular color for masquerades?

“Y/N?” you heard to your left.

Eyes wide, you turned in that direction, only to see a boy with a rose in hand talking to a girl with a midnight blue feathered mask. Dahyun, you realized. Dahyun laughed and shook her head before pointing in your direction. Her and her eagle eyes, you gratefully thought.

The next part felt like a dream. Like a princess from a story, you picked up your skirts and walked up to him. It was him who was frozen in place now as you neared him. The background blurred as you focused solely on him, surreptitiously studying the exposed part of his face. His black mask blocked you from seeing his eyes, but the embarrassed smile was familiar.

“Hi,” he breathed, holding out the rose to you.

Heart beating, you took it and replied, “Hi.” After a beat, you blurted out, “Who are you?”

The smile turned into a grin, and you felt your cheeks growing hotter as you realized that his grin was just for you. Oh, he was cute. Or the lower half of his face was at least. “Don’t recognize me?”

“Should I?” You checked the broken seal on the second letter. Was there a secret message on there that you missed or something? It was still the floppy-eared dogs and what you learned from Jihyo’s research was eucalyptus branches.

“Wow, Sana actually didn’t tell you?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I thought she would have.”

“Sana? What does she have to do with this?”

“She’s a mutual friend of ours. She’s one of my closest friends too. We’ve known each other for years.”

Then, it all dawned upon you. Sana, who thought the seal looked familiar, who wanted to speak to an old friend in person, who looked like she had been hiding a secret from you during the past three weeks. Sana, who had fussed over your appearance, who left you in the center of the ballroom for no real reason.

“Chan?” you whispered.

“Yeah. Are you disappointed?”

“No! I’m just surprised! I didn’t think that— Everyone thought it would be Felix, so I… kind of believed it…”

“If you want to dance with Felix, then I can get him for you,” he quietly offered, his face falling.

You caught his sleeve before he could turn away, and you didn’t miss his shocked expression when you quickly said, “No! I want to dance with you. Really.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to—”

“Yes, I’m sure. Please stay.”

You loosened your own mask and let it hang around your neck. Suddenly you felt shy now that all of your face was showing. You vaguely knew Chan from years of being friends with Sana, but this was a completely new experience and feeling.

“You look really beautiful,” he softly said. “I like the stars on your dress and in your hair.”

“You look handsome too,” you shyly replied. Sensing a possible awkward lull in the conversation, you asked, “So… why did you think Dahyun was me?”

He groaned and looked away. The tips of his ears matched the flower you were holding. “Sana told me your dress was dark blue, and Dahyun’s was blue as well.”

You smiled, remembering Dahyun loudly announcing that the common room wall was her date and that she would be matching with it for the ball.

“Did she tell you that I would be waiting here, too? She and Nayeon ditched me here.”

“Yeah,” he admitted. With a sudden burst of confidence, he stepped forward, his hands hovering around your waist. “She told me a lot of things, but especially about you.”

“Like what?” You hesitantly wrapped your arms around his neck, and he jumped but pulled you closer nonetheless. The two of you began to sway to the music. “That I wake up in the afternoon on the weekends and she hates it because she has to tiptoe around?”

He laughed, and the lines around his eyes crinkled. “Yes, but other things as well. That you like stars and that you stayed up late to help her study for an exam even though you pulled an all nighter the night before.”

“Oh?” You remembered it, but you didn’t think she told anyone.

“Yeah. She made you sound unreal. I checked out the Astronomy Club booth in Fall Fest to meet you myself, but I got shy. You looked really pretty that day,” he added, making you blush. “And then I heard you and Seungmin talking about how many pies you guys had left, so I decided to help out.”

“By buying all of them.”

“Yeah. Kind of a stupid idea, now that I think about.”

“You definitely got my attention.” You rested your head on his shoulders and felt him sharply inhale. He relaxed soon after, and you continued with, “I couldn’t stop thinking about your card for weeks.”

“And I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he quietly replied, earning yet another blush from you.

He leaned closer, and you felt a breath get hitched in your throat until he whispered, “Not to alarm you or anything, but everyone’s watching us.”

A quick peek was all you needed to confirm his words. Dahyun was still lingering around, and Sana miraculously showed up, looking like the cat who swallowed the canary. Seungmin looked like he was giving Chan overly enthusiastic thumbs-ups.

“Do you wanna still wanna dance?” he mumbled. The music was loud enough that no one would be able to hear, but it was something intimate in a scene where the two of you were being gawked.

“Come with me,” you said.

“To wh— Oh!”

You slithered out of his hold and led him by the wrist through the crowd of onlookers to a more secluded spot near one of the giant windows in the hallway. Groups of people parted for you like the fairy tale scene you had imagined earlier. With your skirts flowing back and a handsome boy behind you, it certainly felt like a fairy tale. Once the two of you were alone, you leaned against the wall and looked up at him.

“So, who exactly is the guy beneath the mask?” you ask, pointing at him with the rose. “I wanna know more about him since he already knows so much about me.”

He pushed his mask up to his neatly combed hair and smiled at you, full dimples on display, galaxies in his eyes. “Just someone who thinks you’re a cutie pie.”

~ ad.gray

#stray kids #skz #bang chan #chan #stray kids scenarios #stray kids imagines #fluff #skz scenarios #skz imagines #skz fluff #bang chan fluff #stray kids x reader #twice #20201203

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britishassistant · 4 years ago

Text

But I Like One Piece (17)

Unsurprisingly, they stay in for the rest of the day.

Naruto and Lee badger her to show them more of the “singy thing language”, so she writes out the alphabet for them.

It’s actually a bit difficult to translate individual letters back into the language of this world, which is based on grouping sounds that all involve vowels. The idea of singular consonants without that does take a bit for them to grasp.

Eventually she just grabs paper and some pencil and shows them how to write their names.

Lee’s name is easiest, and he delights in how quickly he masters the curves of the “r” and “e”s to write it out over and over again, each version getting a little bit more of a flourish.

Naruto struggles a bit more with his, given the larger number of letters in both his first and last names and his insistence on trying to write the cross of the “t” and then the stalk, like it’s a hiragana character.

“But why can’t I write it that way?” He whines.

“Because that’s not the way it’s written.” She replies primly, avoiding her mother’s knowing gaze and memories of being gently scolded for writing hiragana characters like they were “t”s.

Years of giving up pudding cups have proven that she’s weak to Naruto’s whining, so eventually she just gives up and lets him write it whatever way he wants to.

It’s not long until the adults join in as well.

Okaa-san’s handwriting is flawless like her calligraphy, producing the most legible iterations of her name once she’s got the spelling down.

Gai-sensei produces the most written versions of his name, though that’s probably her fault for telling him his name could either be spelled G-A-I or G-U-Y. He seems to have decided to claim both spellings for himself, if his dedication to making sure he can write each properly is anything to go by.

Otou-san is just worrying over whether his name looks better with or without the “u” on the end.

Gai-sensei is also very interested in directions as well, for some reason. He makes her go over «left», «right», «up», «down», «behind», «ahead», «go», and «stop» until he, Naruto, and Lee have them all quasi-memorized.

Then her mother asks her about English swear words.

It isn’t until she’s finished running through them all and Okaa-san sweetly says, “If I catch you saying any of those, you’ll be banned from cooking for a week, alright?” that she realizes she’s been tricked.

Otou-san and Gai-sensei are awful at muffling their snickers.

They end up preparing a very late lunch/early dinner.

Turns out divulging her biggest secret and trying to guide her family through the travesty that is the English language is long and hungry work.

A few filets of the lamb come out to rest for an hour, because Naruto asks about some of the dishes from her past life.

While the idea of making a Proper Roast Dinner on her own still turns her stomach, she figures she can at least adapt the meat into the “plate-2-bowls” format.

She crushes a clove of garlic and takes a generous donation from Habu-san to prepare a marinade. “So, any more questions?”

“What kind of training did you do in your Springtime of Youth?” Lee asks, eagerly.

She feels sweat trickle down the side of her face as she finishes marinating the meat and sets it aside to rest before grilling. “Ah, not much really. I was more the... scholarly type—I’d rather have my nose in a book than do much physical activity.”

The thought of her past self trying to tackle anywhere near the amount of exercise she does now...

“I would die.” She states. “That me would die even trying to do a half-lap around our training field.”

There’s a moment of silence that feels highly judgmental.

“...That’s kinda lame, Mayu-chan.” Naruto says.

“I know.” She hides her face in her marinade-covered hands. “Can we not talk about it please?”

“You were the one who opened the topic of conversation, sweetheart.” Okaa-san says, putting the rice on.

“Regardless of the folly of the past, your determination to fulfill your creed has allowed you to blossomed into the Springtime of your Youth!” Gai-sensei shoots her a thumbs-up and a reassuring beam.

She smiles back weakly as Otou-san starts wiping the bits of rosemary and garlic off her face with a wet cloth and a chuckle.

After the marinade is cleaned off and the meat is grilling, she’s left to puzzle over what side dishes to make.

Traditionally, the lamb would be served with root vegetables—potatoes or turnips or swedes, parsnips roasted in honey—but alongside the rice, that many carbohydrates in one meal would be far too heavy, especially for the others who are used to smaller, more balanced portions.

Just as she’s wondering what to do, a bunch of green onions appears on the counter in front of her.

Her mind ticks over possibilities. They’re not leeks, but maybe roasted and served in miso soup...

She grins and grabs a knife.

The onions are diced into perfectly even rounds, sizzling to a perfectly browned texture before the dashi comes to a boil and tofu is cubed and dropped in alongside the onions and some dried seaweed to mellow the flavor.

Somehow a red cabbage appears under her knife, and is chopped into manageable slivers, joining orange slices without the skin and a light vinaigrette that tastes a little sharp, like lemon, on the plate.

The lamb filets come off the grill, each one a warm pink in the middle when they’re sliced against the grain.

The scent of cigarette smoke is barely noticeable under the delicious smells of food.

The cuts of lamb are arranged against the little piles of salad, the umami of the meat and its marinade balanced by the more refreshing flavors of fresh fruit and vegetables.

The miso barely splashes as she pours it into six bowls, onion and tofu bobbing merrily as she spoons generous portions of rice into the rice bowls.

She turns around, ready to serve—

Only to find the other occupants of the kitchen staring at her, frozen.

Gai-sensei’s mouth is hanging open. Otou-san has a hand on his bokkem.

Lee’s eyes are wide and starry. Naruto’s mouth is curving into an excited grin.

Her mother swallows and takes a breath to compose herself. Her voice is slightly strangled.

“Mayu. Let’s talk about boundaries for y—for those deities to follow when they’re interacting with my little girl, alright?”

A shiver goes down not-her spine at the look in Okaa-san’s eyes.

Late lunch/early dinner is delicious, even with the revelation that she had had help (Sanji’s help!) for cooking a lot of it.

According to Lee and Naruto’s enthusiastic descriptions, he’d actually appeared behind her, washed out and slightly blue and see-through, like an underdeveloped photograph, but there. He’d nudged ingredients towards her, steadied her hands while cutting and pouring, then looked over to them with a press of his fingers to his lips and a wink before vanishing just as she turned around.

She has to cover her face with her hands and turn to the side in her chair so she can kick her legs wildly at the thought of receiving Sanji’s unseen aid, let alone him actually touching her.

Her cheeks feel like they could melt snow, they’re so hot.

Gai-sensei volunteers to search all over Konoha in order to find Sanji for her mother, who is not very happy that the chef escaped before she could Have A Word with him.

To be fair, if she were Sanji, she’d probably run away before her mother could Have A Word with her too.

Lee is also on board with this plan, though both he and Gai-sensei are stumped when Naruto asks where to start looking.

Otou-san suggests they build a shrine for the StrawHats in the back garden.

“After all,” He says, swallowing a bite of lamb. “Providing these deities with a place of worship might help...ground them, somewhat, lessen anything nasty if they’re accidentally offended. It’ll give us a sure way to contact them whenever we want too, rather than just waiting for them to pop up willy-nilly.”

“An excellent idea, Jirou!” Gai-sensei cheers. Her father flushes bright red and shoves more food into his mouth.

On Monday, she goes to the Academy flanked by Naruto and Lee.

The masks are in the branches of practically every tree they pass.

She keeps her gaze on the ground and clutches Lee and Naruto’s hands a little tighter in her own.

Lee doesn’t seem to want to let go when it’s time for them to go to their separate classes. She gives him a hug, and that seems to placate him a little.

Naruto just doesn’t let go.

For the entire morning.

Even when it becomes difficult to write down notes for Iruka-sensei’s lectures, he holds on tight to her hand or her wrist.

She feels a bit bad for feeling grateful when they take their usual places at either end of the lunch table, but she was beginning to get worried he wouldn’t even let go if she needed to use the restroom.

Everything seems to pass as normal, even with Sakura’s strange behavior and Chouji’s continual bouts of summer flu. She’s getting quite worried about his health at this point.

They stay behind after the Academy day ends to ask Iruka-sensei about shrine-building. While he personally doesn’t know much about it, he very helpfully points them towards a few stores that do specialize in that sort of thing.

Okaa-san and Lee are waiting outside the gates to walk them home.

She sleeps in the big bed with Okaa-san and Otou-san like she did over the weekend.

A week goes by.

Nothing out of the ordinary happens.

She trains with Gai-sensei in the mornings, they all eat breakfast together, she, Lee and Naruto go to the Academy, she and Naruto eat with their friends at lunchtime, either Okaa-san or Gai-sensei escort them home, the saga of convincing a store to sell them the components for shrine building continues, they eat dinner together, and she sleeps in the big bed.

The problem isn’t that shrine components aren’t available for sale. They are. There are even little kits for mini home shrines that people can build.

The problem is that those shrines are all designed to be dedicated to this random sage guy or to dead people. And she doesn’t really think it’ll be well received if they make a dead person shrine for any of the StrawHats except maybe Brook.

But making one of those for him and a different one for everyone else would also be discriminatory and break his heart. Except he doesn’t have a heart to break.

Yohoho, Skull Joke.

Only Otou-san finds that funny. She sulks a little, but digresses.

Even the store owners who make personalized shrines get suspicious when they hint that maybe they would like something for worship that wasn’t dedicated to the sage guy.

They’ve been turned down in three stores so far, and outright banned from one.

In her defense, she wouldn’t have said anything about the owner’s mother if he hadn’t called Naruto a demon and those other awful things.

She gets another cooking ban anyways.

By the start of the following week, her parents don’t quite look at her like she’ll disappear if they take their eyes off of her.

Naruto and Lee stop keeping a death grip on her hands as well, though they do still hug her a lot more than they used to.

She likes the hugs, so she doesn’t bring it up. She’s mostly just glad she gets to sleep in her own bed again.

Chouji’s illness seems to be clearing up too, slowly but steadily. He still has a few hot flushes, but he’s a bit more alert now. When her current cooking ban is over, she plans on making him some chicken noodle soup to help speed up his recovery.

Shikamaru keeps laughing when she tries to enlist his help in identifying if there’s any flavors he particularly likes or doesn’t like, which is beginning to irritate her a little bit.

Sakura’s...not getting better. At all.

Ino’s face seems to be set in a smiling rictus these days, desperately trying to bridge the growing distance between her and Sakura.

Shikamaru and Chouji have been doing more stuff with her, like partnering up for group projects and walking home together, which helps a bit she thinks.

Naruto and Kiba are just on eggshells. Naruto is tiptoeing around them, trying not to do anything that sets off another scolding.

Kiba’s reached the stage where he’s yelling back in self-defense the moment Sakura turns to him and opens her mouth, though every argument leaves both of them looking even more miserable than before.

Hinata’s tried having a word with her, but she just reported back that Sakura either genuinely doesn’t seem to think there’s anything wrong or is doing a very good job of pretending.

She’s putting money on the latter, because the idea of the former being true is too unpalatable for her to swallow.

The weirdest thing is that aside from Ino, Naruto and Kiba, Sakura’s been treating the rest of them like normal.

It does throw her off kilter somewhat. Still, she, Hinata and Shino do their best to adhere to their plan of “be civil, but shut down any attempts to belittle Naruto and Kiba before it gets too bad”.

Uchiha has surprisingly been the best enforcer of this particular policy. All it takes is one disapproving look from him, and Sakura freezes in the middle of what she was saying like a rabbit in front of a hunter, then quickly turns to talk to Hinata about something.

She’d never thought she’d say this, but borderline assaulting chunin together may’ve been the best thing to happen for the three of them.

Still, Sakura is their friend after all. They’re not just going to abandon her. Even if she’s going through...whatever this is.

She’s asked Okaa-san and Otou-san covertly, but apparently all is well in the Haruno household according to Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno, so she’s at a bit of a loss as to what could be going on.

It had better not be a weird, warped form of puberty, courtesy of parasitic chakra somehow turning people into jerks. She’ll—she’ll—she doesn’t know what she’ll do if it is, but she won’t be very happy, that’s for sure.

To add to this confusion, this year boys and girls get split up for lessons after lunch.

The girls are taught by a different teacher to Iruka-sensei, a mousey woman with glasses who tells them that they will be learning how to blend in to civilian society as kunoichi.

She had no idea what that word means.

When she asks the teacher, the woman looks like she might burst into tears for some inexplicable reason. She then refuses Hinata’s offer of a tissue violently, as if the poor girl had offered her a bomb instead of something to blow her nose on.

It does not get better from there.

She’d anticipated that getting The Talk from Otou-san and Okaa-san, or from Gai-sensei, would be awkward enough. She thinks that even Gai-sensei would do it better than this teacher though.

At least he wouldn’t cry at every mention of the word “sex”. Probably.

She makes a mental note to give her friends the less confusing version later.

Hinata is constantly praised in this class for her ability to appear harmless and ladylike, while Ino is chastised for being too overtly “ninja”, whatever that means.

She gets told that, while her feigning ignorance is extremely credible and will serve her well on intelligence missions and under interrogation conditions, she needs to work on being less... memorable.

She’s...fairly certain that’s positive? Relatively certain. Kinda.

The way the teacher’s lower lip is set to a permanent wobble makes it hard to tell.

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yafaemi · 4 years ago

Note

✍ - Can your muse write? How well? (Your pick)

Amandine’s handwriting is probably the most elegant of the bunch. There’s a few flourishes in her handwriting, some manner of weird cursive-normal writing mix. It makes more sense than it looks like it should on paper. Though, it’s probably a safe bet not to make Amandine write anything when she’s not fully awake. Then, it becomes far more alike chicken scratch than anything. Then again, who does have good handwriting while they’re half asleep, anyways?

As for actual, like... writing writing, it’s generally the same on matters of elegance. Her mother spared no chance to impart all of her eloquence to Amandine, and to her credit, she retained most of it. Amandine doesn’t really brag about it much, though she’s always been proud of it. She just likes looking smart sometimes.

It’s fairly solid, as far as writing goes! She’s far better with things like prose, poetry, or generally writing things down, though. Storytelling has never really interested her as much. Actually reading it is more her cup of tea. Though, it’s not like she’d be opposed to learning.

Oliver has very small handwriting. It’s really light on paper most of the time, just present enough to make out the fact that its there, but not much else. One brush of an eraser would probably be enough to wipe it away, unless it was written with ink, or something. He has a habit of making little asterisks on the i’s. (Some habits-- and years-old jokes with your sister-- die hard, after all.)

Being that Eorzean isn’t his first language, writing in it can be a headache, sometimes. There’s... so many small rules to remember. He’s far better than he used to be, though some of them just make no sense in the slightest. Were he spiteful enough, he’d probably just start making up random rules. That’s what it seems like it is.

Though, even despite that, he’s probably the best off when it comes to writing stories and the like. It was pretty much his sole source of escapism during some... dire times as a kid. A lot of the stories are rather more grim than you’d expect from him, but. Such was the way of the time. No one’s actually ever seen what’s written in the notebook that those stories are in, either. From family, or close friends. That small fact is unlikely to change soon.

And then... there is Aurora. She was every grade teacher’s nightmare as a kid. Her handwriting would probably make a doctor’s look like calligraphy. It’s not like she can’t write nicely, she just doesn’t. As she puts it, it’s her own way of making a code. The more incomprehensible it is, the harder it is for people to actually forge it. Almost everything Aurora does is fueled by spite, in some way, really.

Eorzean isn’t Rory’s first language, either, same as Oliver. The only difference is she’s been speaking Eorzean exclusively for longer-- at least 6 years, or so? Given how Aurora... is, usually, she probably wouldn’t be terribly offended if someone thought she was illiterate. The only problem is that she isn’t. She’s far smarter than she lets on, and her literacy is one of those things. In order to even be allowed to travel, she had to learn Eorzean. That was one of the biggest requirements her mother gave her when she was preparing to go and travel.

As for actual story-writing, Rory’s happy to leave that part to Oliver and Amandine. She doesn’t really have any interest in writing. It’s not for lack of ideas, just for lack of patience to sit down that long and just have to get them all out. Maybe if it was something like a play, or a story told through active means, she’d be more into it. She was a dancer for a decent number of years, so it’s not that far off.

(thanks for the ask, @nekun-uul ^-^ Decided to do this one just with all of them lol)

#peering in rory's mailbox #| a path in falling snow ; a prelude in violet #| star-eyed traveler‚ you walk with fire in your soul #| a wanderbound soul with his eyes ever forward #nekun-uul

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starkersenses · 5 years ago

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What I Want For Christmas

For @cipherstarker on this year’s @starkersecretsanta

Merry Christmas!!

Summary:

Weathered mob boss Tony Stark does not expect to find his muse through a misdirected text. But he finds the young boy on the other side of the line every bit endearing and pretty.

As he learns that Peter Parker is every bit a young hero in the making, can he keep his secret intact or will he have to risk losing Peter forever?

Read in ao3

Excerpt:

Tony Stark has only two things on his mind that fateful Tuesday night.

One of them is that he’s meeting the Russians tomorrow morning. The other is that it’s been a while since he’s had sex.

Tony Stark, notorious kingpin of New York, known by all those seedy and decrepit, unknown by those who remain in the light, away from the sewers and the bad news, sits patiently awaiting his second in command’s text. He’s in his Stark penthouse, gazing directly through his sunlit windows. The penthouse sits beside direct view of the ocean, on the edge of a cliff. It would be an understatement to call it large--it resides over ten acres of land--and it would be an overstatement to call it cheap in Tony’s terms. He’d handed over the money without a blink of an eye, glass of red wine in hand and a gold calligraphy pen in the other.

He’d signed his name with a flourish and smirked as the previous owner was dragged out, paid close to nothing but a debt of half a million forgiven. It was a done deal, and that was that.

Tony Stark sits on the small table staring out the sunset. The tiled floor is sparkling clean, set in a minimalistic pattern that he’d had a famous designer create all the way from Italy. The pattern provides a stark contrast to the mahogany coffee table, where Tony sits alone, tapping his foot against the floor. His phone sits beside him, beside his porcelain plate.

There’s a sudden vibration, and the phone hits the corner of his plate with a tap.

Tony sets dark eyes on the screen for a mere second. He grabs it, but he turns when he hears Happy enter.

“Sir,” Happy says in greeting. “Good evening.”

Tony sits back on the chair, and he can’t help the snicker that leaves his lips.

He’s been waiting to see Happy close to three hours.

“Any updates?” Tony asks, knowing very well that if there had been something wrong, he very well would have heard about it hours ago.

Happy is standing stiffly by the doorway, awkward in his penguin suit.

“The Roman statue you ordered was shipped less than an hour ago,” Happy tells him, clearing his throat directly afterwards. Tony grabs his bottle of wine, unable to help the smirk on his lips.

“Good,” he says smugly while he starts to pour an inordinate amount of wine right to the brim of his glass. He stops right at the top, where the liquid trembles for a spare second in fear before taking its place.

“Don’t forget to place it right at the entrance,” Tony orders, unable to help himself.

“Of course, sir,” Happy says. “There’s not one person that will be missing sight of it.”

Tony snickers one more time before he brings the wine glass to his lips.

He’d had it stolen from one of his rivals, who’d had stolen it from an art museum in turn. He’d make damn sure that no one that didn’t know about it.

“Is there anything else?”

Happy shakes his head.

“No, sir,” he assures.

“Good,” Tony answers, taking another sip from his glass and eyeing the steak he’d had made just before his trip downstairs. It sat in front of him, waiting.

Tony waves Happy away dismissively, and the man leaves without a word.

Tony remembers the notification he’d received on his phone and turns his phone around to see the message.

“Hey,” the text reads, and Tony scrunches his eyebrows. “It’s Peter.”

He almost chokes on the wine as it seems to go sour in his mouth.

He’s pretty damn sure that he hadn’t given his number to anyone named Peter.

He only had five people--people that he could count on one hand--who he’d willingly given his personal number to. And they were exclusively the only people that he’d resolutely handed his trust to.

This wasn’t it.

“How did you get this number?” Tony types, fingers flying rapidly over the keyboard.

Three typing bubbles popped up in quick succession, barely a second after he’d sent the text.

“Ned gave me this number,” Peter sends.

Tony’s eyebrows furrow even deeper, a crease forming between them. Tony’s thumbs floated over the keys.

Some other bubbles popped up before quickly being replaced by another reply.

Tony’s eyebrows arched in surprise.

“Did you know that a cloud can weigh more than a million pounds?”

Tony stares at the text, not typing one word as he sees more bubbles popping up in quick succession.

By now, he’d figured out what was the issue here. And it wasn’t that somebody had betrayed his trust or hacked his phone.

“About 1.1 million pounds, actually,” Peter sends. “A single cloud.”

Tony lifts his phone, making up his mind. He’s going to type. He’s not sure what at that point, but he isn’t allowed too much time to ponder on a decent response.

“If you calculate the water density and multiply it by its volume that’s what you get,” is the text that is sent by the so-called Peter.

“But it can still float at that weight because the air below it is even heavier,” Peter sends directly afterwards.

“Just in case you were wondering,” is the last thing he sends.

Tony had figured out almost immediately that this was an error, and error is not something that Tony is usually greeted with. Especially recently.

But this was a real nice treat.

“I wasn’t wondering,” Tony finally sends after a long moment of silence. “But thank you for the random, unneeded trivia.”

The person on the other side of the conversation is undeterred.

“On the contrary,” says the ball of spunk, “How can we go along in life not knowing this very important part of life and science?”

Tony stares down at his Stark phone and very much squints at the screen.

“You have the wrong number,” he finally types down after about five minutes of staring.

“This isn’t MJ?” the person asks.

“No,” Stark sends.

He pauses for a moment, unable to help himself. As he usually does.

“Is there really someone that would find any of your trivia vaguely funny or interesting?”

Tony smirks down at the phone when no response comes back for a while.

The cream plate sparkles ivory underneath the golden lights above Tony’s head, and he lifts his knife and fork, placing his phone beside him once again. He only manages to place a miniature cut on his medium rare wagyu beef before he’s interrupted.

“Rude,” Tony’s phone vibrates.

Tony raises a dark, thick brow, large eyes focused on the small screen beside him as it glows valiantly with subsequent texts.

“There’s a McDonalds in every country but Antartica,” he reads.

Then.

“Frostnip is what you call the stage before frostbite.”

And then.

“A duel between three people is a truel.”

Finally.

“You can report spies in South Korea if you call 113.”

Tony puts down his utensils, wiping his hands haphazardly on his napkin before placing it beside his plate.

“This isn’t how flirting works,” he sends.

He keeps his phone in his hands and sees the bubbles pop in and out.

“I’m not flirting,” the new text reads.

“Your desperate attempts to impress say the contrary,” Tony retorts.

“That sounds like the opinion of someone who is either used to fighting or flirting or both at the same time,” the person on the other side of the line comments.

Both of Tony’s eyebrows are raised, his skin stretched enough that he wouldn’t be surprised if they disappeared behind his fringe.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Tony snarks back, and the phone pings with another text, this one from Pepper. Tony dismisses it, waiting for Peter’s reply.

His phone pings again, and he notices Pepper asking him if he’d eaten yet. Tony glances down at his uneaten food.

He pulls down the notification and types out a no.

He quickly moves back to open the text conversation for the unknown number’s response.

“Flirting was the first thing you thought to mention,” Peter says.

“So I’m betting my money on you being the flirt.”

There is a small pause.

“You know,” Tony reads. “That thing with Freud… Projection?”

“I’m not the one trying to flirt by giving useless facts,” Tony sends back quickly.

Tony puts his phone down in an attempt to eat his food again, but his eyes keep flitting back to the phone beside him. Innocuous yet now full of possibilities.

Tony picks it up quickly when it pings, only to see that it’s Pepper.

“No to the food or no to the Russians?” she asks.

Tony opens the message to view the conversation fully.

“No to the food. Yes to the Russians,” he sends after prompt consideration.

After still not seeing a response from Peter, he puts down the phone resolutely. Considering himself the victor, he eats the rest of his meal in peace.

It isn’t until he’s in bed, an hour after his meal and a half hour after getting ready to go to sleep, his phone pings one more time by his drawer.

Tony frowns, scooting over the edge of the bed to snatch his phone and open up the screen.

“Sounds like something an intergluteal cleft would say,” the text reads.

Tony Stark, feared mob boss and even more notorious weapons dealer, stares down at the phone in his hands in intrigue, his mouth agape. His eyebrows now for sure disappearing behind his fringe.

He goes to sleep thinking about the person behind those juvenile message, very resolutely trying not to think about the fact that he’d very bluntly called him a butt crack.

Continue reading in ao3

#starker secret santa 2019 #starkersecretsanta2019 #starkersenses #mystarkersensesaretingling #starker

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deliciousscaloppine · 5 years ago

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The Blood is the Life

Vampire AU. NieYao and SangYao- everyone is of age. Nie Mingjue is captured by the vampire coven of Qishan and turned into a vampire so he can wipe out the monster-slaying Nie Clan of Qinghe for them. Meng Yao is his mortal lover, a witch’s son and a witch himself who covets his vampire gift of immortality. And Huaisang is the empath prince who observes their relationship through his trained birds vying for recognition and affection. Their characterizations are bit post Sunshot Campaign, because I wanted a slightly edgier Huaisang. This is going to be from his pov. There is going to be sex in this, a lot of vampire sex hopefully. There are some parody elements as well. Also Huaisang’s girl harem from their arrival at Sun Scorching Palace is making a guest appearance here.

His brother was gone for several days now. The entire castle was on edge. Qinghe was a bright, sunny place, where the sunlight bathed everything white. The vast empty plains, where the sun rose and set left not room for shades that bred monsters. If anything it was the safest place from the cursed coven of Qishan. Not only every man and woman was a fearsome warrior, but their lands were also protected by vast deposits of silver that made the placement of protective wards particularly easy and efficient.

They made ornaments with this very silver, they even threaded it through the weave of their clothes. Most of their warriors would even drink this Qinghe soil mixed with their wine when they fought with the ghouls of Qishan. It was said to make them impervious to harm. But perhaps their greatest safety were the very leaders of the Nie Clan, who from ancient times were ruthless and cunning in their pursuit and slaughter of evil dead things.

So for Nie Mingjue to have vanished from the very face of earth, it was an unanticipated terror that set everyone on edge. And if anything, Huaisang feared civil strife more than he feared the vampires of the Wen. They had been subdued in this ancient conflict, and were in the habit of even culling their own, and so they relied on mortal servants, and other supernatural horrors that the Nie were well practiced in exterminating. So it should have been expected that in one way or another they would turn to different tricks.

Perhaps this disappearance was a trick as well. Perhaps Nie Mingjue had only been delayed at Gusu, and it was the messengers and envoys carrying the news that had been ambushed and killed. Nie Huaisang liked to entertain such hopes, while feeding his finches and his nightingales, simultaneously cursing his affinity to such small and delicate birds.

If he had practiced early on with birds of prey like hawks and eagles, perhaps now he could have sent one to search for his lost brother. Only such birds could repel an attack from the dire owl of the Wen. But the minds of predators were difficult, not as pliant and malleable as that of songbirds, and Huaisang's consciousness had difficulty entering them, perhaps because he also feared them.

The tales were that empaths who would frequent the minds of large animals could easily become trapped in them, and if harm came to them, then they would also die. If Huaisang had a mentor, a powerful witch to formally instruct him into such a process, to monitor and assist him, he would undoubtedly pursue this rare talent of his. He wanted to become strong, he wanted to become slick, he hated that he cowered and hid and pretended to be clueless and ignorant because the burden of Mingjue's responsibilities could crush him.

In their court, there was of course a witch. Or at least someone who was rumored to be a witch. But the Nie had no love for such people and their tolerance of him had been on account of this Nie Mingjue who was gone now.

Huaisang had never attempted to approach this person, not even when his brother was here, and had placed him graciously by his side. Now that the people spoke frequently and publicly against him he dared not even pass by him in the courtyard.

“Tell us again about this Meng Yao” Biyu asked, as if she had prodded his thoughts.

“Meng Yao? How did you know he was on my mind?”

“But with everything that has been happening, is it possibe he is not related at all! Everyone here says he is a dangerous person, but in our family no one even dares mention him.”

The other girls hummed in agreement.

“Such a sordid affair, how could he not be connected to it! Is it not true that he is a witch's son?” Fengfang muttered.

“Ah, these are only rumors. My brother has the greatest respect for him. If he was not a reputable person, he would not have brought him to court.” Huaisang said, hoping to dissuade the conversation.

Meng Yao intrigued him, if everyone was incited against him, he would have no choice but to flee Unclean Realm, and his brother might have need of him still.

The girls were disappointed at that, but the topic of discussion did not change

“I heard he is the son of the witch Meng Shi who had ensnared the lord Jin Guangshan. She took his seed inside her and then gave birth to a black egg. And from this black egg a white snake hatched. This white snake is supposedly his true form. In my family home it is even said that lord Nie Mingjue caught this white snake in one of his night hunts and struck it. He would have killed it too if it hadn't taken human form and begged him to let it live. This person they say is Meng Yao and he can take many forms. There is a servant who told me once that in his room he has that white snake skin and if anything that proves his true identity” Mingzhu said and all the girls were enthralled.

Of all of them she had the vividest imagination and that's why she was the president of their literary club. Her stories thrilled as much as they horrified and there was no one more respected among them for her ability to conjure them on spot.

“That's a story we must drink to!” Huaisang exclaimed, rising to pass around the wine. “Truly original!” he said pouring all the girls a drink, as they huddled close around their little table. “But we must not forget ourselves and repeat these things to outsiders. Remember I want to remain neutral most of all. My brother surely lives, and if he returns to find this Meng Yao gone, I certainly wouldn't want this pinned on me, or our merry company.”

The girls emptied their cups in agreement. If things had gone differently one of them would have certainly been his wife by now. But with Mingjue gone, and the fortress on lockdown, all of them had bonded over their artistic interests and frequently drunk together; entertaining each other in their rooms by composing poetry, doing calligraphy, and reading aloud stories from books.

Only recently had they forayed into telling stories they made up and it was honestly a sublime pastime, great for easing the tension of their situation. Huaisang would have offered to marry them all on the spot, if that wouldn't offend the great clans that had sent them there and sought an exclusive bond with the Nie.

Huaisang had been raised with great austerity. Unlike other noble heirs who had whole retinues of charming maidens, his only company had been books, and birds he liked to catch himself.

When Nie Mingjue had brought the handsome Meng Yao to court, he had been thrilled to see another boy close to his age. But Meng Yao, who had attended him once or twice on Nie Mingjue's commands, was an aloof, tight-lipped presence, whose enigmatic face was only occasionaly graced by strange smiles- mostly directed to his big brother.

Of course he too had heard the dreaded “Witch's son!” flying around like a trapped bird in silent corridors, and their many shaded halls. Close as Meng Yao was to his brother, he himself would never frequent the places this fluttering bird brushed its wings. When he wasn't at his brother's side at court, he would remain in his rooms, mostly alone and silent as if in meditation.

It was then that even more sordid tales would start to flourish, things that made one snap his fan disdainfully when he was within earshot. Lovers. The very idea was ridiculous.

It had, however, made him a little curious to say the least. The austere upbringing of the Nie precluded such foolishness as taking up lovers and having casual and random affairs outside of strict political matchmakings.

Even Huaisang's late mother had been taken formally into the Nie Clan as a consort, and when she had died her body had been interred in the royal tomb with every honor. Illicit affairs, no less between men existed only in vulgar books and ugly gossip.

Even though Meng Yao was very handsome for a man. And if one was to be honest, despite his dubious origins, he had a demeanor of bewitching guile. Huaisang would be lying to himself if he did not admit this curiosity itched and begged to be scratched. So one night some years ago he had decided to scratch that itch.

Nie Mingjue had need of him most in the aftermath of his bloodiest battles. It was then that they would seclude themselves to an empty hall at the fringes of the fortress. They were hardly alone, the hall was guarded heavily and several trusted stewards and attendants would attend to them, making this hardly a scandalous encounter, but Huaisang had needed to know what exactly it was they were doing behind these heavily guarded doors.

Especially when at nightime one could hear the chords of a guqin resounding in the air. It wasn't music exactly, more like a single note hanging until even its echo disappeared, before another note took its place.

So Huaisang had taken one of his finches out of its cage and told it where to go. It had flown under the roofs of the complex in the night, and through a half-opened window it arrived in the remote hall to observe for him the secret encounter between Meng Yao and his brother. And it had seen truly the strangest thing; A ritual that while uncommon did not seem in any way evil or scandalous.

Nie Mingjue would sit at the center of a drawn circle. Before him a small table with various objects displayed would be set- among them a hammered silver basin that was filled with water. Truly a snake skin did exist, splayed right under this basin, but to Huaisang it had seemed a shamanic object rather than a proof of witchcraft. Along Meng Yao there were also an elderly steward and a couple of servants.

Meng Yao would remove the silver ornaments from Mingjue's hair and would place them carefully on a tray one of the attendants held. This tray would later be placed right next to the silver basin. Meng Yao would comb and unbraid Mingjue's hair with something akin to tenderness indeed, but after that he would rise and seat himself before a curious instrument that resembled a guqin. There he played those same notes through the night, the same notes Huaisang had come to recognize.

The water in the basin would tremble and resonate with the sequence of notes. And while it did the two attendants would unfold between them a clean sheet and raising it they would hold it above their master's head.

Meng Yao then would take the silver basin and pour this cultivated water over the sheet and Nie Mingjue's body. He poured this water carefully so it wouldn't splash around or fall all at once over his brother’s head. Like a gentle stream falling from a rock, it licked at him and laved him .

By the time he was finished his brother was properly drenched. Then the attendants and the steward left the room for a few minutes and Meng Yao would prepare a concoction Huaisang was unsure of what exactly it was made of.

He would offer this drink to Nie Mingjue and while his brother drunk, Meng Yao would take a very shallow saucer, and collect in it the water that dripped from Nie Mingjue's hair. To Huaisang's astonishment Meng Yao would drink this water. He drank it with the outmost care as if he was taking an elixir of some sort.

Then he would call back the attendants, who would bring in dry clothes for their lord. Under the directions of the steward they would set up a screen and help their lord undress and change into his new clothes, while Meng Yao himself bowed deeply with his forehead touching the floor.

Meng Yao would prostrate in this position as if he was in the presence of some golden emperor, until his brother actually left. Seemingly no magic had ever been performed, which baffled Huaisang as to why it remained such a guarded secret.

He had to spy on this ritual several times before realizing that Meng Yao would disappear for a few days after it. Deciding to spy on him with one of his birds had required an impressive show of nerves. For some reason, even if he didn't believe Meng Yao was really a witch, he couldn't shake off the fear that his trick would be discovered and he would be exposed.

There was no one in the Unclean Realm that Huaisang knew who wouldn't shun a method that was unlike direct confrontation. And he feared that if this skill of his would be discovered he would be pressured into destroying it.

After ruminating on these issues, but not backing down from his decision to spy on Meng Yao he finally deemed a bird in a small space would be something too conspicuous, so he trained a moth. He sent that moth to Meng Yao's rooms to flutter about, and he discovered him there alone, sitting on the floor. He was dressed simply, in a thin gown with his hair worn loose around his face. It seemed to Huaisang as if he was ready to lie down and sleep.

However Meng Yao for the duration of an entire night just sat with his back as straight as he could, breathing swallowly as if in a pained trance. Huaisang had been almost sure this was an effect of the shamanic ritual he had observed. Then suddenly as if shaken from some invisible violence Meng Yao keeled over, bracing himself against the wooden floor. And coughing he expelled blood from his mouth.

Huaisang had been so frightened to see this. He had only heard mentions of blood magic and those were so vague he never had formed an image of it, but such a sight had caused an instinctive reaction to him. Like withdrawing his hand from an invisible flame, he had summoned back his consciousness.

Were there impure things in the water from his brother's hair Meng Yao had drunk? Or was it a reaction to something else, was the conconction and the water somehow connected, did it mediate between the two alleviating some secret suffering his brother had?

Once Huaisang had found himself again in his room by the muted light of a single candle he had the strangest sensation; as if he was being also watched. He had attributed that to his easily frightened nature and never thought of it again. In fact he kept on spying on Meng Yao until he became as bold as to send an actual bird.

The weather had been warm and undoubtedly some window or door would be left open to let in the delicate breeze. He thought there would be no harm in flying through the room. He had wanted to see if Meng Yao would react to such a thing.

His bird had fluttered about for several minutes, even passing before Meng Yao's serene face, seemingly unaware of the disturbance. But then, suddenly he moved, his fingers capturing the bird mid flight. Huaisang had been so shocked.

He had found himself on the floor, a burning sensation slicing through his head. He hadn't known if the pain was something the bird had experienced, or if it was the result of flinging his consciousness through space and form so fast, or something else entirely. Nevertheless he had vowed to himself never to spy on Meng Yao again.

The following day as he was airing the cages of his precious birds, setting some free so they could fill the garden with music, Meng Yao had arrived with the tiniest cage he had ever seen. Inside it was the prisoner; the pink canary he had used to spy on him. Meng Yao had bowed respectfully before leaving the cage in front of his feet.

“I found this little delinquent in my room last night” he had pleasantly said. “I believe the prince appreciates such things.”

Before Huaisang could say something, Meng Yao had bowed again and already said his farewells. He had steered clear off him to the present day, but perhaps the time for a more intimate introduction had arrived. He snapped his fan open waving it slowly before his face.

“Ladies!” he said. “How about one more round and then we all go to bed?”

The girls nodded all in agreement.

#the untamed #cql #the untamed fic #nie huaisang #meng yao #nie mingjue #jin guangyao #the untamed vampire au #the blood is the life #nieyao #sangyao

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huyhoangdao · 6 years ago

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Random ink on tracing paper . #huyhoangdao #calligraphy #penmanship #handwriting #lettering #typography #flourishing #birdflourishing #copperplate #spencerian #pointedpen #obliqueholder #iampeth #vsco #photography https://www.instagram.com/p/BvE5yEehV5Z/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ht2t4f3wvrda

#huyhoangdao #calligraphy #penmanship #handwriting #lettering #typography #flourishing #birdflourishing #copperplate #spencerian #pointedpen #obliqueholder #iampeth #vsco #photography

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wannawrite · 7 years ago

Text

In Your Area

who?: Yuehua’s / Idol Producer’s Zhu Zhengting genre: 🌸 type: bullet point - I’m sorry I promise scenarios soon

blog navigator.

neighbours! AU

• you aren’t quite sure what to make of your new neighbour but hey, he’s nice and pretty cute

Zhengting is so boyfriend material no one understands how I feel :”) I thought Justin was immortalised as my YH baby but Zhengting popped off ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ Thanks for requesting fluff anon!! I really needed it

- Admin L

a/n: sorry this took like two decades and can y’all vote if you want us to start writing for IP in 2018. drop us a message/ask!!!

disclaimer: pictures used do not belong to be and credit goes to their original owners.

everything written is purely fictional

ZT’s diary: (/^▽^)/ moving day

what. the. hell. is. happening.

the dream that played out like a perfect movie scene in your head was VERY rudely interrupted and ruined by the ‘clings’ and ‘clongs’ scarring your ears

wrapping your stuffed pillow around your ears weren’t providing much help either

‘you’ve got to be joking...’

you groaned, realising there was, in fact, a new neighbour moving into that empty apartment next door

eyes closed, paradise fought to overpower your current reality

it was drifting in the distance, just out of reach, beckoning you to immerse yourself in the paradigm once again

but a loud crash resounded through the atmosphere and shattered whatever serenity there was

muttering complaints under your breath, you peeled your eyes open and slowly clambered out of bed

sickening...who moves in at this unholy hour

it was 9am

I found out that sleeping until 9am isn’t a hard task I thought it to be

do these people have a conscience? are they not aware that weekends are time for people to sleep in?

while complaints and rants ran through your mind, your cousin and flatmate, Wenjun, threw the door open and barged into the room

‘WAKE UP!’

his face displayed an enthusiastic puppy-like smile. ‘WE HAVE NEW NEIGHBOURS!’

great

‘wonderful, I can tell. Now, go give them some gifts and greet them,’ you tell Wenjun before flipping over and pulling your blanket over your head

‘NO! You come with me! Aren’t you supposed to be the older cousin?’ he complains. ‘It’s rude if I go alone.’

saying hi isn’t exactly the first thing I want to do

you sigh. ‘Okay, okay but later. We should give them some time to settle in. Besides, we need time to get a proper gift.’

I just really need a couple more hours of sleep why can’t you get any hints Wenjun :((((

huh maybe this is why you’re still single even though all of the college kids are in love with you

I follow the confessions page on ig, you don’t even know

oblivious, really

‘just go get something appropriate from the mall nearby.’ you shove Wenjun, eyes still shut and head still resting on your pillow

‘we have to choose it together so it’s more meaningful,’ he says. ‘sleep can wait.’

this child knows nothing about junior year in college

lucky sophomore

sunlight begins to gently flitter in from the curtains, you almost enjoy the warm sensation as it lulls you back to sleep

that is before Wenjun decides to be a little pest and yanks the material apart, bathing your room in ample sunlight

it tickles your face and burns into your eyes, effectively driving you out of bed

‘OKAY! Just let me get ready first,’ you huff grumpily. ‘Wait till your mother hears about this.’

Wenjun just sticks his tongue out and prances off

brat

hastily and half asleep, you pull on a random college camp shirt and walk out in your sleeping shorts

‘get me my sunglasses like qinfen’s and car keys,’ you order Wenjun since it is HIS fault for making me arise so early

I can’t let Mrs Lau on the 8th floor see me like this...geez that nosy auntie

she’ll tell this whole block for sure

I know she secretly tracks our movement to arrive at the lift and the exact time when the gossip is fresh

she really has too much time on her hands being the newest third wife of her current sugar daddy of a husband

I hope our new neighbours aren’t like her...I also pray they know what they’re getting themselves into by moving into this condominium

if we get just ONE more snobby, rich, gossip digger neighbour, I’ll gladly pay for that 11.2 million mansion Wenjun was looking at

there’s no denying the estate you and your cousin resided in was a rich one, flourishing with the younger generation of old-money families

it didn’t help that prestigious universities were planted nearby

okay fine, you and Wenjun lived big because of your family

but y’all weren’t stuck up, gossipy or as gold-digging, as the majority of the neighbours you had encountered

the new ones next door better not be any of the above

click click click

Wenjen pops his head over your shoulder to stare at your phone. ‘Why are you searching up that mansion? Are we moving house?’

your eyes swivel to check if anyone was lurking in the corridor before whispering in a hushed tone, ‘No but we will be if our new neighbours are anything like the existing ones.’

Wenjun sighs and shakes his head dramatically but his lips quirk up playfully

‘I’m sure they aren’t that terrible. C’mon, let me get my new Gucci sneakers.’

remind me why my kid cousin wants to wear his 2K shoes to the mall smh

no one is going to see them

besides, isn’t Gucci a little overexposed nowadays?

yes, I went to the local Gucci store to check it was like 1.9K? but round it up

pushing the gate open, you manoeuvre your way around the piles of cardboard boxes

simple cardboard boxes

nothing at all like the usual sleek black boxes embellished with the family name in silver calligraphy font

all of which ended up in the trash bin afterwards

dumb

flip flop flip flop

‘...could you at least get a new pair of...marketing slippers?’ Wenjun pointed out, blinking in horror at your worn out slippers, the left side’s sole was loose and threatening to fall

‘oh stuff it rich kid. These were from Rubi and there was a sale!’

that led to a family bicker over slippers right outside your front door

the two of you were so engrossed that you didn’t hear the pairs of footsteps drawing closer

‘um hi?’

you froze

Wenjun had a faster reaction time. He beamed brightly and cleared his throat. ‘Hi! Welcome to the neighbourhood! Have you guys eaten yet?’

吃饭了吗？

your eyes scanned over the two boys who would now occupy the last flat at the end of the corridor

they both had dyed hair just in differing colours, one blonde and the other jet black

both were tall

one seemed older and more athletic than the other

‘I’m Bi Wenjun and this,’ Wenjun paused to shove you the in ribs. ‘Is my cousin, Y/N.’

the boy with the blonde hair spoke first, smiling to reveal pearly whites. ‘I’m Zhu Zhengting and he’s my brother, Justin.’

not related but YH are so close they’re all fam

OH SHIT

AM I SERIOUSLY GREETING TWO HOT NEIGHBOURS IN MY PYJAMAS AND FLIP FLOPS

WITH MY HAIR LOOKING LIKE A FRICKIN BIRD’S NEST

at least there are Coach sunglasses perched on my head,,,not so bad not so bad

Wenjun had already started making small talk. Just smile and wave!

THIS IS SO HUMILIATING

I’M NEVER WEARING THIS SHIRT AGAIN

i need new shorts and slippers pronto!

• UGH

‘oh! China School of Fine Arts! I go to the same college,’ Zhengting suddenly spoke up.

at which Justin rolled his eyes at. ‘Pfp, not for a term. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise him, he never actually attends classes.’

Zhengting blushed and elbowed Justin away

hm cute

‘oh cool,’ your tone was clipped and you feigned disinterest, trying to get your burning face to cool off. ‘I suppose I’ll see you around.’

m o v e you tried to send a telepathic message to Wenjun

I CAN’T STAND ANOTHER SECOND BEING IN ZHENGTING’S PRESENCE WHEN I LOOK LIKE SHIT

times Wenjun has been oblivious today: 2

the wait seemed excruciating and when Wenjun finally bid them goodbye, you took of in the direction of the lift with a carelessly wave

it was good that your neighbours were people around your age

just so happened that Zhengting was incredibly good looking and currently the only dateable candidate available

IF YOU CHANGED YOUR OUTFIT, THINGS WOULD HAVE TURNED OUT SO MUCH BETTER

all drive long, Wenjun kept teasing you about your appearance or gushing about how well he and Justin got along

he insisted on gifting them the most expensive hamper from Tangs

you didn’t see a need for two young adults to have bone strengthening essences meant for elderly

but they were complementary in the particular hamper so...

supermarket was particularly quiet that morning

and it seemed to be offering an alarming amount of samples and candy promotions

candy was more suitable for a high schooler and college student but you weren’t up to argue with Wenjun

he seemed too whipped for Zhengting and Justin

‘I need ice cream to get over this,’ you moaned. ‘There’s no way I can ever look our neighbours in the eye again!’

call me overdramatic but you would have done the same

I haven’t even had breakfast yet

stupid Wenjun

I think it’s low blood sugar that’s causing me to be like this

‘sweetie, it’s 10.30am in the morning and you are on a strict diet. Remember that detox tea you ordered a week ago?’ Wenjun reminded, shovelling free samples of chocolate chip cookies into his mouth

why does my kid cousin always have a point...but my day was absolutely terrible!

‘whatever, f*ck it. I’ll just pass those to Cheng Cheng.’ It was your turn to sample those cookies

don’t you just love supermarkets?

you didn’t think the back seat of your car would be stocked with boxes of biscuits

morning supermarket runs are interesting in the Bi household

luckily, there were no snooping neighbours in the lift lobby to witness the Bi cousins haul about a dozen plastic bags filled with questionable groceries

such as croutons without a leaf of a lettuce

lift buttons were nearly hidden from view by white plastic

bring your own bags to shop!

there were no longer any boxes lining the corridors when you guys arrived home

thank god

imagine going all American Ninja Warrior with arms full of grocery bags

there was a lot of packing going on in the kitchen

and ripping open almost all of the cookie boxes by the time y’all were done

Wenjun went over to lend a helping hand while you hibernated in your room, reflecting over your outfit choice and eat more

it was just sheet embarrassment that plagued your mind and influenced your actions

might as well be all comfortable and sappy around them because they’ve seen me in my pyjamas

AND ZHENGTING IS PROBABLY MY BATCHMATE

i hope he doesn’t follow the school’s confession page

those thoughts made you crunch down on the biscuit with unnecessary strength

ding dong

the melodious - rather generic - chime of your doorbell broke your train of miserable thoughts

‘hamper delivery!’

as you were still clad in your wonderful get up, you opened the door wide enough for only your head to be seen

‘send it next door,’ you hissed quietly. ‘Say it’s from your new neighbours with love. Thanks!’

oh my god

WITH LOVE?

HEY ZHENGTING AND JUSTIN I LOVE YOU

WENJUN IS GOING TO LAUGH HIS HEAD OFF LIKE A DAMN HYENA

you slammed the door faster than the delivery man’s reply and raced to your bedroom

‘i’m ruined.’

*cue dramatic Disney princess sob fest on bed*

a few heart-pounding minutes passed, you strained your ears for any sign of reaction

unfortunately, people paid for soundproofed walls around here

yet, there seemed to be a sound coming from outside

out of curiosity, you peeled away your balcony door to take a look

lo and behold

Zhengting was standing on the balcony, tossing small pebbles onto yours

visual reference: Songyi and Minjoon’s apartment balconies from Kdrama ‘My Love From The Star’

is...he really wasting the decorative pebbles...

SHIT I’M STILL IN THE SAME OUTFIT NO NO NO

battling a blush of complete mortification, you gestured for him to say something

‘Thanks for the hamper!’ Zhengting yelled with a bright smile. ‘We appreciate it!’

on impulse, your lips stretched into a grin. ‘No problem! Welcome to the neighbourhood!’

he looked at the small trench of bamboo and pebbles separating the two balconies and then back at you

please please please stop judging my outfit

‘hopefully, we’ll see each other a lot.’

HUH?

he shot one last smile, maybe a soft chuckle before stepping back into his room

his words confused you

maybe he meant to spite your outfit choice

or maybe he genuinely felt like seeing you more often

that’s because he’s new and probably needs someone to show him around the estate and would rather have a friendly next-door neighbour do it than the security guard

get your head out of your ass he doesn’t mean it like that

hmm...

ZT’s diary: one 1/2 months of living with Justin╰( ･ ᗜ ･ )╯

over the course of a month, you learnt that Zhengting and Justin were very inconsiderate neighbours

there was always some loud music playing from their flat at every time of the day

fortunately for them, you and Wenjun were the only neighbours on the right side of the 12th floor and you didn’t really care much to complain

the resident care committee was rather useless anyway

regardless, their music still annoyed and distracted you to an extent

according to Wenjun their apartment was larger and thus, they had extra rooms to build a dance studio in

that was how you found out Zheng Ting was a dance major in CSFA

he just had to be under Professor Zhou or Professor Cheng

Cheng xiao’s real name is so cute omg

at least he was in a different major

you wondered if he knew Professor Wang

Professor Wang knew everybody and Zhengting looked like a popular kind of guy

+ the guy who actually liked his major

while it was touching to see how hard he worked, you wished ‘I am the sheep’ wasn’t stuck in your head while you were studying for a quiz

the clock read 2am, that was the time you finally snapped

popping panadol pills wasn’t going to take a headache away

the soundproofing here sucks! it only works whenever it wants to

shockingly, Wenjun was tucked away in his dreamland, wrapped up in a cocoon of his blankets and oblivious to the world that surrounded him

you grabbed your phone and stormed to your neighbour’s apartment, pounding furiously on the front door

it took a while but the music stopped playing and a few clicks of locks could be heard

‘hi,’Zheng Ting panted out, wiping the sweat that was beading on his forehead. ‘It’s about the noise level isn’t it?’

suddenly, the want to yell at him was gone

he! was! just! too! knowing!

it made you feel a bit ashamed

not to mention that his white shirt was slowly becoming see-through

you clasped your hands together, grinning.

‘No! Not at all! I-I j-just wanted to find out the song you’re dancing to.’

lie lie lie?

Zhengting seemed to ponder about that for a moment before beckoning you to enter his apartment

not shady at all

let’s go

be sure to take off your flip flops before entering houses

each room was slightly larger than the ones in your home

surprisingly, the house was kept neat and tidy, minus the odd one or two boxes that had yet to be unpacked

‘where’s Justin?’

the lack of the younger boy’s presence in the flat noticeable

Zhengting revealed that Justin was away for a week visiting his family

no wonder Wenjun seemed a bit sulkier

Zhengting pushed open the door to his cosy little dance studio

honestly, it was spacious enough to have a group of dancers practice

very well lit by the fluorescent spotlights and outfitted with a panel of mirrors

there was even a ballet bar on the other side

and Zhengting had hidden this treasure how?

his personal studio was comparable to the ones at school

suddenly, you came face to face with an iPad, an iTunes tab open

‘these are all the songs I’ve been choreographing to recently, and uh...loudly as well,’ Zhengting said, handing you the device

all of his fancy music equipment was organised in a small shelf

cut

he’s so damn invested into his dancing career

‘why are you working so hard for?’ you wondered out loud

even during finals, Professor Wang never gave your class so many assignments to work on

this is so inaccurate ^ btw, don’t take my word for anything

Zhengting nibbled on his bottom lip and nervously readjusted his headband. Pink flushed his cheeks as he took a step closer to you

with his lips so close to your face, you could feel the ba-bumps of your heart quickening

if I tell you, will you promise not to reveal it to anyone else?’

so secretive

you nodded, eager to find out what Zhengting was hiding

‘all these are for the school’s dance showcase. this year is more exclusive and getting a seat in the audience is invite-only,’ he disclosed. ‘Scouts from all the prestigious academies are coming to take a look.’

a small gasp of astonishment left your mouth, hands flying into a congratulatory clap

*iPad falls from your grip and your reflexes aren’t quick enough*

forget the iPad

rip screen

ZT has a million more in some boxes anyway

showcases were a MAJOR event for CSFA students, this had to be out of the world spectacular!

discovery: praise only caused your neighbour to turn redder than a tomato

‘will I receive an invitation any time soon?’ you teased, gently nudging his side with your elbow

please say I didn’t smash his iPad screen

hey, I placed it on the floor G E N T L Y

a mischievous glint twinkled in Zhengting’s brown orbs

you guys KNOW that look

he let out a huff and pretended to be in deep thought, weighing out the pros and cons

arms akimbo, you willed for him to stop teasing and provide an answer

he genuinely has no idea if Professor Zhou will grant him so many passes, stop being so pushy😫😔

Zhengting clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth triumphantly, finally able to decide on his answer

‘okay, IF you help me fine tune my choreography a bit more, I’ll beg Professor Cheng to save you a seat,’he offered

SCORE!

‘sure, of course! I am a composer and rap study though,’ you quipped in reply, hoping he would still go through with the proposal

ZT shrugged nonchalantly, ‘the more diverse an opinion the better. And please, you’re all Prof Jin and Prof Jackson brag about to our classes.’

now was your turn to blush and deny his claims

who cared if his iPad was broken

at least his heart wasn’t

ZT’s diary: month two of living with Justin＼(・ω・)/

commotion

yet again

and it was early in the morning

history does repeat itself

thank goodness it wasn’t the sacred hour of 9am but 11am

still early on in the new day

however, havoc seemed to be wrecking your neighbours flat

• one moment, the sharp charring of a vacuum cleaner could be heard and the next, shattering items or dropping of boxes boomed through the flat

basically, just huge chaos

not wanting to seem too nosy, you kept yourself from going over

however, the level of pandemonium was getting so out of hand that Wenjun put down his gaming control and asked if he should check it out

what could be so wrong on a Saturday morning?

you opened your mouth to answer but was abruptly cut off by two urgent knocks on the front door

the door creaked open to reveal a panicky, oddly-dressed Zhengting holding onto handles of pet crates

‘hi,’ you quickly greeted, unable to stand the awkward silence. ‘Is everything alright?’

‘just peachy,’ he replied, tongue slipping over his chapped lips

ZZT WITH CHAPPED LIPS ???

WHAT WAS UP WITH HIS CLOTHING CHOICE TODAY?

my most fashionable neighbour is clad in a shirt that cost more than my life from some new streetwear brand and lounge pants - probably from the market - with yellow butterflies on them

what a fit, a fashion statement

such fittingly random sense of style today

something obviously wasn’t right

yes, I’m referring to his pyjamas featured on idol xinfan

YH sprouts rlly wear questionable clothes to sleep no offence

...at least they don’t sleep nude right?

like that’s living life on the edge imagine getting your period while sleeping that’ll be awful

anyway

turning your gaze on the pet carriers, you spot a pretty white kitten and a caramel coloured puppy

in separate carriers

‘I’ll explain later but um our parents are coming for a surprise visit and they don’t know about my babies yet so could you please look after them for an hour or so?’Zhengting begs, desperation creeping into his voice

an ear-splitting crash echoes from their apartment before Justin yells, ‘ge! I can’t get the cat fur off our clothes!’

this is an emergency!!!

you take the pets from his hands gleefully and throw out your lint roller in exchange

‘try this!’

in no way am I advertising lint rollers I don’t even think I have one

Zhengting shoots you the brightest smile you’ve ever seen and hurriedly dashes over to Justin

Wenjun joins in a few moments later, leaving you alone to bond with your neighbours’ pets

a puppy and a kitten? sign me the f*ck up

sorry, couldn’t find if he was more a dog or cat person so you get the best of both worlds

the snow white kitten cautiously pads onto your ottoman while the more adventurous puppy bounces happily onto your bed

I think your heart just melted into a puddle of goo

just imagine Zhengting playing with these two cuties

ba bump, ba bump, babump, babumpbabump

since you’re worried the young animals might pee on your bed, you take them out to the balcony to play

an animal approved balcony

they mess with a collection of small potted

after which, grow tired and begin snuggling up to you for comfort

without caring you’re attempting conversation with pets - that are not even yours, you pose shy of a billion questions

like ‘is ZT treating you well?’, ‘does he look better with his hair up or down?’,‘isn’t he so cute?’

‘Zhengting’s so attractive,’ you muse wistfully not realising the man standing on the neighbouring balcony

ZT chuckles, feeling red tint his cheeks

he only emerged from his room to inhale a breath of fresh air before the intense grilling by his parents could pepper him

yet he felt his heart grow warmer than ever, prior to your heartfelt confession

*intermission*

the front door clicked shut behind Justin and the brothers flopped onto the living room carpet, finally able to breathe normally

we pulled it off, we did it,’ Justin gasped in disbelief, wondering if all the cleaning he had done was a lucid dream

but the realness of Zhengting’s high-five and sparkling counters proved him wrong

ah ha! whatever ge’s parents said to him also proved it happened!

‘soooo,’ he drawled out teasingly. ‘pa and ma think you’re attracted to our neighbour.’

Justin’s hand reached to pinch Zhengting’s steadily crimsoning cheeks

He only snickered when his ge swatted his fingers away as if they were pesky flies

puppy love

speaking of puppies, Justin insisted that Zhengting collect their babies back

knocking at your door, Zhengting had no idea why he felt more anxious than usual

his throbbing heart seemed to want to jump out of his chest

at least he was momentarily distracted by your endless gushing of love for his pets

compliment after compliment, love confession after love confession

shhh...he kind of wished you were referring to him

‘they’re such great listeners too!’

oh!

they admitted that I’m handsome!

Zhengting raised a smug eyebrow, mouth curling upwards. ‘So, you think I’m attractive huh?’

ABORT MISSION ABORT MISSION I REPEAT ABORT MISSION

*sweats nervously*

thankfully, he doesn’t prompt for a reply as he takes the pet carriers from your grasp

with a wink, Zhengting walks off

leaving you in a frantic yet charmed mess

you: ZZT, you did NOT hear that

the text is fast, your fingers flurry over the keyboard

his answer isn’t delayed either

zhengting: hear what? your Romeo&Julietesque confession of your love for me?

you: pft just bc we both have balconies doesn’t mean we’re Romeo and Juliet

you: it didn’t happen

you: I take my words back

zhengting: mhm and you definitely did not talk to my pets as if they were humans

you: SHUSH

zhengting: no :)

zhengting: come to the balcony

zhengting: please

zhengting: where are you

zhengting: :(

zhengting: come out or I’m calling Wenjun and exposing you

you rolled off your bed and onto your balcony faster than Usain Bolt

Zhengting had already propped his arms on the dividing decoration, awaiting your arrival

‘hey, secret lover,’ he poked. ‘Missed me?’

your orbs rolled in perfect circles,

‘please, I saw you a couple of minutes ago. If anything, I miss your puppy more.’

‘come over tonight.’

what? excuse me?

‘I really need help with my choreography. Please? You promised!’

Zhengting looked needy enough for you to say yes...plus, you wanted tickets to the showcase...and it couldn’t hurt to spend more time with help him right?

also because you wanted to see his pets again

you told him you would come over after dinner

the temptation would be too great to arrive on an empty stomach when a full-course meal awaits

Justin was clad in his baby blue onesie and carrying the small white kitten when he opened the door

how childlike

I should get matching pjs for Wenjun too

with a knowing smirk, he mentioned that Zhengting was in his room

in return, you filled him in on the new video game that Wenjun bought

and then let him into your apartment to bug Wenjun

hehe

family goals

you ventured further into the flat, a tad bit more familiar with your surroundings

Zhengting must be playing with his puppy as excited barks were coming from the inside

you rapped your knuckles on the door then entered

bc you’re a cultured person who knocks the door before entering!

you learnt you to knock after walking in on many...unpleasant things

such as wang ziyi and cai xukun proclaiming their eternal love

then catching xukun on a date with zhang yixing a few days later

not the kind of things you want to recall

as you expected, Zhengting is on his bed, playing with his puppy

oh wow can I just say

bedhead ZZT with his shirt sliding off one shoulder to reveal a defined collarbone

his grey sweatpants have loosened around the waist to reveal his Calvins and the very tip of his waist tattoo peeking out

wow

so sexy

but no, in reality, he’s just cradling his puppy and cooing sweet nothings into his ear

‘what’s his name?’ the puppy pads over to greet you, flicking his small tongue over your hands

‘Justin and I decided to name him Ry, taken from the end of Jeffery,’ Zhengting replies while casually fixing his top

...as in Jeffery from school?

oh goodness, of course, these boys had connections

they must be popular

even though ZZT never attends class???

what sorcery

an awkward silence passes

you both communicate without opening your mouths

eventually, you’re seated on the floor of ZZT’s dance studio, cuddling Ry - not exactly paying attention to his dance

honestly, I think Zhengting’s focus is unbreakable

but when it breaks...it shatters

you go from trying to explain that his left arm needs to be at the same height as his right arm

to ‘oh my god I really like your new phone case.’

and then he’ll pick up the conversation from ‘thanks my phone case is from bare bears official.’

he loves being cute deep down and we all know it shh

then it goes back to ‘one two...three...stop! pose. Wow, you’re a great choreographer.’

not even dance counts ^

blame Professor Wang for influencing my class with dance

I’ve been dragged to deep down

eventually, the night wears on and the two of you simply sprawl out on the dance floor

tired

Ry cheers you up by licking your face though, cutie

you’re curious to find out more about zhengting, now seems like the perfect opportunity to pose questions

‘what other animals would you want as a pet?’ Though, you can’t picture Ry and the kitten having TOO many friends yet.

you watch as Zhengting pouts, thinking hard

‘maybe a pet piglet. My friend, Mubo has one and I played with it once at his place. It was so adorable that all my friends were in love with it.’ Zhengting laughs fondly at the memory.

‘my mother would kill me though,’ he adds quickly

idk man we could like share a pet so we both gain from it and become piglet parents

wh00ps did I say that out loud? Why is he giggling at me?

‘yes, yes you did,’ Zhengting speaks between his chuckles. ‘I already am a Zhu so might as well be a piglet parent.’

朱 (last name) and 猪 (pig) are both ‘zhu’

jokingly, you say, ‘I’ll choreograph a celebratory dance if you take up my offer.’

that’s when Zhengting gets all excited and seriously considers buying a pig

one hour passes just researching on pigs

how to care for one

what to feed it

where to buy one

is it legal

how much does one piglet cost

not that the cost affects his decision ^

‘let’s do it,’ Zhengting decides surely, the determination in his tone. ‘Let’s be piglet parents.’

‘you’re kidding...’ your voice trails off when you see he is COMPLETELY on board with the idea

what :) have :)) I :))) done :)))

I CAN’T BE A PARENT TO EARLY ON

yet I really like the idea of Zhengting as a pet dad

with me

it’ll be a small family

‘we’ll work out the custody issues later,’ he jests. ‘Are you ready to sign some adoption papers? I found a reputable place.’

there’s this look of certainty and assurance in his eyes that only read ‘with me, everything’s going to be fine.’

maybe that was when you realised you were SO ready to admit you wanted to be with him

maybe confession could come later but for now

piglet parenting?

hell yeah

‘I’m in on it.’

I’m so glad you moved in next door

I’m so happy Justin chose the right apartment complex

worked on this for one whole week oh my god and this lowkey became crack

rlly wanted to get this up for his birthday!!!

so happiest 22nd/23rd to the gorgeous Zhu Zhengting!!

can’t believe he’s joining the old men club on Idol Producer I’m so proud :)

I fell for him on Pd 101 but unfortunately, his incredible talents weren’t recognised

he and Justin were my Chinese kings and now they’ve both come back to claim their kingdoms

Zhengting is just so talented, hardworking, kind-hearted and humorous

I love

tbh idk what lies ahead for his future bc YH’s plans look a bit scattered for the SKR and CH side

but whatever happens, I only wish the best for him and I hope that he would achieve his dream

literally, I would marry this man if the age gap wasn’t so big and if we shared the same religion

God bless him and his household, they deserve love and grace too

@ zhu family, thanks for raising such a wonderful man

朱正廷，祝您生日快乐！我希望正廷哥哥会得到耶稣的祝福，会继续努力也会好好照顾自己的身体。我希望有一天我们可以见面。加油吧！我一定会支持您。我爱您。💝💞💘

pls don’t bash me for my errors, my ancestors are disappointed enough already :”)

#HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZHU ZHENGTING #zhu zhengting #yuehua trainees #idol producer #produce 101 #idol producer scenarios #produce 101 scenarios #yuehua sprouts

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