Chapter 147: A Family of Four

Our country does not recognize dual citizenship.

For a situation like Liu Yifei's, renouncing her US citizenship is the first step, and one must also consider whether she can acquire Chinese citizenship afterward.

The admission criteria include whether one is a close relative of a Chinese national, whether one is settled domestically, and other reasons.

The main focus below is on the issue of renouncing citizenship in the US.

Before this, she had already submitted an application to renounce her US citizenship at the US Embassy in Beiping, which is also a requirement of US law.

It sounds a bit of a mouthful.

In short, she must first declare her renunciation to a consulate in a region outside the US, then go to the US to process it, and it is only considered successful after obtaining a Certificate of Loss of Nationality.

But there is a major problem here, which remains the issue of timeliness.

Before 2008, there was no "exit tax" for renouncing citizenship, but the entire review and issuance process for the Certificate of Loss of Nationality was extremely slow; according to later statistics, it could take as long as over a dozen months at its slowest.

Therefore, with the help of Liu Yifei's biological father, An Kang, the entire process was expedited through diplomatic channels, allowing this matter to be accomplished within two months.

US time, January 30, 2003, New York, Douglaston.

This is the small town where Liu Xiao and her daughter previously lived, located at the border of northern Queens and Zhang Dao.

This is also a "back garden" near Queens that possesses both seaside charm, a beautiful environment, and historical culture, reflecting the beauty of Great Neck, Zhang Dao, which is separated by a stretch of water.

"Look at that green space. When I first came to the US, I was so socially withdrawn, and my mother would take me there to fly kites."

"And this post office. I would write down all the unhappy things on paper, the recipient would be my father, and I'd just write a random address. Anyway, I knew it couldn't be sent because there was no stamp."

Liu Yifei seemed to have returned to when she was ten years old, strolling with Lu Kuan around the small town near her old residence.

Calling it a small town, it actually belongs to a wealthy area, sparsely populated with beautiful scenery.

Boss Lu laughed, "What do you mean 'when you were little'? Wasn't that just 6 years ago? You're not even 16 yet."

Liu Yifei was stunned upon hearing this. That's right, that was only 5 or 6 years ago.

Why did it feel as long as a century had passed?

The concept of time is just a paradox; the thing called time does not exist in the world.

The reason Liu Yifei felt that it was a long time ago was simply because she had experienced too much in the year since returning to the country.

First meeting Lu Kuan in the villa in Beiping;

Learning acting from him on the set of *The Story of a Noble Family*;

Being scolded to tears by him during the filming of *Whiplash*;

Being taken by him to Xiangjiang to meet Mei Yanfang, record songs, and follow the crew on roadshows;

And the series of storms and anecdotes from attending the Golden Horse Awards.

Unknowingly, this year since she returned to the country seemed to be related to the man beside her.

The evening breeze was noisy; Liu Yifei tucked her flowing long hair into her scarf and stepped on Lu Kuan's shadow under the streetlights, feeling incomparably peaceful and serene in her heart.

The two paced for a long time, not turning back until the sky grew dark.

Liu Xiao, An Kang, Hu Zi, and Yang Siwei had likely already returned from driving to the Asian supermarket in the city; in a foreign land, today was a special day.

Today is January 30th, Beiping time, which is also New Year's Eve.

In the villa, An Kang and Liu Xiao were tidying up the kitchen.

"Why hasn't Xixi come back yet?"

Liu Xiao didn't even lift her eyelids: "It's fine, she went for a stroll with Li Xiaolu."

An Kang was naturally a man of few words; he was testing the oven when he suddenly remembered something, appearing hesitant to speak.

"Speak!"

Liu Xiao glanced at him, very familiar with this ex-husband's temperament.

"He and Xixi..."

"There's no such thing! Don't look at the nonsense on the internet; it's all unscrupulous media talking rubbish and putting on a show."

Liu Xiao was so agitated that her Wuhan dialect burst out; "talking rubbish" means speaking blindly, and "putting on a show" means acting for attention.

An Kang didn't say more upon hearing her unfriendly tone, but he was worried about his daughter, so he thought for a moment and gave a few more instructions.

"The entertainment industry is too chaotic. If she doesn't want to be an actress anymore, she can come to France to study."

"I'm being transferred there to work this year."

The organization's transfer order had already been issued, so this wasn't a secret.

Liu Xiao seemed unusually irritable today: "I've said it so many times, I will protect her well, you don't need to worry about it!"

She was annoyed by the rumors on the internet.

Things like entertainment industry "hidden rules," the US-citizen teenage girl putting on a show at the Golden Horse Awards...

Liu Yifei had a thick-skinned, carefree personality, but Liu Xiao had already begun to feel the terror of cyberbullying.

Hu Zi and Yang Siwei at the dining table in the hall exchanged a glance, shrinking their heads like two quails to pick vegetables.

"Sister Siwei, are we here... isn't it a bit awkward?"

Yang Siwei saw that even the usually slow-to-react, cold-faced Hu Zi had sensed something was wrong, and could only sigh silently in her heart.

A "family of four" was spending the New Year together; what was it for them to get involved!

"We're back!"

Liu Yifei entered the door excitedly, flipped through the ingredients they had purchased with an exaggerated expression, and then entered the kitchen.

Her mother was stir-frying, and her father was chopping.

Seeing this made her feel both comforted and heartbroken.

"Why did you stroll for so long? Look at your little face, it's frozen."

An Kang rarely had the chance to interact with his daughter, so he hurriedly put down the trivial matters in his hands and came over with a smile to warm his daughter's face.

"Where's Li Xiaolu?"

"He's outside making a phone call."

An Kang glanced at the sulking Liu Xiao, gave Liu Yifei a wink, and the two walked to the corner of the stairs.

"Xixi, is there anything you want to say to your dad?"

Liu Yifei was confused: "No."

The old father glanced at Lu Kuan smoking outside the house with an unfriendly expression, speaking earnestly.

"Xixi, you're still young. If you want to act, work hard; if you don't want to act, continue your studies. As for relationships..."

Liu Yifei looked naive: "What do you mean, Dad? What about relationships?"

The old father looked closely at his daughter's expression, which didn't seem fake, and thought to himself that he must be overthinking it, so he stopped talking.

"Nothing, I'm just jealous of the relationship between you and your mom, haha."

The father and daughter were affectionate for a few moments before separating. Liu Yifei, who had turned around, looked at the figure outside the house and stuck out her tongue guiltily.

Good thing my acting skills have improved!

Lu Kuan was remotely directing Emil on the editing over the phone; he didn't know he had already become a "yellow-haired" person.

Dinner was ready. The ingredients simply purchased from the Asian supermarket were presented as a variety of delicacies through everyone's joint efforts, finally having a bit of the New Year's feel.

"Come on, raise your glasses!"

"Cheers!"

"Happy New Year!"

An Kang and Lu Kuan drank alcohol, while the others drank beverages.

At this moment, only Wuliangye could be bought abroad; Moutai was still the second-best and hadn't yet stepped out of the country.

Hu Zi didn't drink because he was on security duty, especially in the "Free America," where there's a shooting every day.

An Kang laughed: "Li Xiaolu, come, try your aunt's cooking."

"Hu Zi, Xiao Yang, use your chopsticks, don't be restrained."

Liu Xiao also smiled and served everyone lotus root and pork rib soup, temporarily casting aside her worries about her daughter.

After all, no matter how you look at it, you can't blame Lu Kuan; the fault lies with the unscrupulous entertainment reporters.

Boss Lu laughed: "You can even buy lotus root here? Can this be considered a Wuhan dish?"

"That's right, the lotus root soup simmered with pork bones that must be eaten during the Wuhan New Year, as well as the 'Huang Pi Three Delicacies'—fish balls, meat balls, and meat cakes—you can't eat them in the US, haha."

"Haha, this is 'no roundness, no feast'."

Liu Xiao said regretfully: "It's just that time is too tight, it's too late to make dumplings today. Let's boil two bags of frozen ones later."

Liu Yifei ate until her mouth was oily, too lazy to even speak.

She enjoyed this atmosphere, even if the location were changed to a cramped rental house, she would still be happy.

No matter how you look at it, it was much warmer than a cold, large villa.

Lu Kuan raised his glass: "Come, Uncle An, I toast you."

"Good, good, Director Lu is truly young and promising, winning glory for our countrymen!"

"Where, where, you flatter me."

Wuhan people are accustomed to drinking morning liquor, and An Kang's drinking capacity is not small.

Boss Lu doesn't need to be mentioned; they were soon clinking glasses, and the atmosphere quickly became familiar.

Liu Yifei frowned: "Dad, you and Lu Kuan should both drink less. Alcohol isn't a good thing."

She knew Lu Kuan's drinking capacity and was worried that her old man wouldn't be a match.

Liu Xiao also chimed in: "That's right, eat more food. It's not worth putting it in the fridge if you can't finish it."

Boss Lu smiled and didn't speak, but An Kang's heart raised a level-ten alarm!

Are you feeling sorry for your old father or for someone else?

His face stiffened, and he assumed the posture of a university professor: "I'm in academia, and Li Xiaolu is in the arts. Both are jobs that require deep research."

"Research means cigarettes and alcohol. How can a man not drink?"

"Come, Li Xiaolu, today we two men won't stop until we're drunk!"

Boss Lu naturally had no objections, just worried that if he got him drunk, the scene wouldn't look good later.

He glanced at Liu Xiao, and a plan came to mind.

"Liu Ayi, anyway, there's nothing to do today, why don't you have some too?"

"I've always heard that Wuhan people, regardless of gender or age, like to drink morning liquor, and their drinking style is fierce!"

Liu Xiao was stunned: "This child, fine, today Auntie will also let go and drink for once."

Wuhan's folk customs are fierce, and jokes are frequent.

There's a popular saying, "Everyone is from E," and "Don't look at the traffic lights, just gather three people and you can cross the street," and so on.

Soon, everyone realized the "gold content" of "Everyone is from E" from Liu Xiao.

Liu Yifei and the other two watched in a daze as they finished two bottles of Wuliangye and opened another one.

That gentle and elegant couple had already started rolling up their sleeves and slapping the table.

Liu Xiao's face was flushed: "Old An! Let me tell you, you can absolutely rest assured leaving our daughter to me!"

"I will definitely cultivate her into a big star! You'll have to make an appointment if you want to see her then!"

"And you, Li Xiaolu, you're very good in other aspects, but..."

"But... sigh!"

"Forget it, Auntie can't say it either, let's drink!"

"An Kang! Are you raising fish? Drink quickly!"

Liu Yifei had never seen her mother like this, and mischievously took out her phone to secretly film Liu Xiao.

The scariest thing isn't having a blackout; it's having someone help you recall it the next day.

An Kang and Lu Kuan both became her drinking buddies.

Listening to her lecture, accompanying her to drink, and also being responsible for sweeping up the leftovers on the table.

Full? Full after eating only a few bites? Are you complaining that your Liu Ayi's cooking isn't good?

If you don't eat it, take it out and feed the dog!

The host and guests enjoyed themselves, and there was no more talk throughout the night.

(End of this chapter) ===== CHAPTER 148 =====