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lily of the valley | xu minghao

pairing: non-idol!minghao (svt) x fem!reader

notes: meet-cutes, preschool teacher!reader (sorta), grumpy x sunshine (sorta), tooth-aching fluff, crack, established relationships, a series of flashbacks, hao doesn’t like cliché things! yet he’s the most romantic cliché ? loosely based on the song 은방울 lily of the valley by DANIEL

word count: 3.7k

summary: hao thought the idea of a meet-cute was corny, impossible even. however, when he recalls the first time he met you, he knew he had to swallow a few choice of words and his pride.

part of the to x, with love mini series

shuahoonie's masterlist | to x, with love masterlist

hao scoffs at the screen when the main lead from the movie that you two are watching meets for the first time, at the most ridiculous instance. the meet cute being: the guy practically throws himself to save the girl from a moving vehicle.

hao believes that is not cute.

his reaction caused you to look up at him with a glint in your eyes, ready to annoy your boyfriend even more.

“where is the hostility coming from, lovey?” you asked, sitting straight.

hao sighs, “i know that look.”

“what look?” you blinked innocently at him, knowing full well you’re going to pick on his hatred for romantic clichés.

minghao mutters a long string of words as he pulls you back in his chest, wrapping his arms around you.

you let out a chuckle, you knew what he was trying do. it’s cute, that your haohao would do anything to disassociate himself from romantic clichés, but the man was the most romantic person you’ve ever known. he was your romantic cliché.

“baby,” he practically whines “can we watch something else?”

“what do you mean? you promised you’d watch this with me,” you said as jennifer lopez’s the wedding planner played on the screen.

“you don’t even like this movie,” hao reasons out. “i don’t even know why you’re willing to sit through this.”

“it was included in the list of films that has the best meet cutes,” you said reading off your phone.

“are you still on that?” he dreads, you felt his chin rest on the top of your head.

“it’s because what we had was a meet cute!” you insisted. “don’t you remember?”

“oh, i remember alright,” hao mutters into your head.

it was a rainy friday afternoon, the sound of children were slowly starting to dissipate as the day goes longer.

“ms. ln,” min tugs on your skirt as you watched the rain pour harder than what was anticipated in the weather forecast. “do you have an umbrella?” her eyes practically sparkled as soon as the words left her mouth.

“why sweetie? do you need one?” you asked her, crouching down. “i don’t have one with me, but i can text miss lee if she has an extra one in her classroom that you can borrow.”

she shook her head no, her pigtails swinging along, making you smile. “my uncle is picking me up and i want to know if you’re getting home safely.” she says with a smile. liu xiaomin has always been looking out for her peers and it was no wonder that her warm-hearted nature reaches you. she is a bundle of sunshine and you're lucky enough to have her in your class.

“that’s so sweet of you min," you replied with a soft smile "but i think i'll just wait for the rain to stop."

"what if it doesn’t miss?” she asked with a pout.

“then i’ll just find a way to enjoy the rain,” you said, patting her head. or you can call a cab, but that doesn’t sound as romantic as enjoying the rain.

“okay,” she sighs, sitting at the front steps of the school. “i hope uncle haoi gets here soon.”

you glanced at your watch, it was 10 minutes past dismissal. although min’s uncle is not extremely late, she has been waiting for quite some time now. and with the non-stop pouring rain? it was bound that traffic is up on the horizons.

“do you want me to wait with you, min?” you asked her, feeling bad that she’s the only student left waiting for her ride. xiaomin nods eagerly as she scoots to the side, signalling you to sit next to her.

you two were quietly watching the rain hit the pavement when min asks suddenly, “miss ln, do you have a boyfriend?”

you practically choke on your spit at her question. how does a five-year old even know about that? “sweetie, how do you know about that?”

“i’m five years old, miss, i’m not a baby,” she said with a huff, making you laugh.

“of course,” you tried your best to rationalize, giving her a smile. “but no, i don’t have one.”

“oh, you should meet my uncle haoi then,” she smiles, satisfied with your answer.

you raised an eyebrow at her sudden interest. “and why’s that?”

“i keep hearing my mom tell uncle haoi to get a girlfriend.”

“okay…” you trailed off— you don’t really know how to respond. you barely know this uncle haoi that she keeps bringing up because you’ve only met min’s parents— both of whom usually take turns in picking and dropping her off.

“i think uncle haoi will like you because you’re pretty and you’re very kind and you like painting and you like painting your nails and you like clouds…”

as min went on an endless ramble about how her uncle haoi would like you immediately, you received a text from min’s mom, saying that min’s uncle will be a couple more minutes late.

you tried to suppress a sigh, knowing that you were going to stay a little longer. maybe it was the friday rush, but you were hoping to get home earlier so you can crash on your sofa, catch up on your shows, and be completely static for hours on end.

“miss ln?” min calls your name as you’ve spaced out for a bit. “i think that’s uncle haoi’s car,” min says as you two stared at the black suv that pulled up in front of the school.

“okay, sweetie, let’s just wait till your uncle introduces himself and picks you up personally from me, okay?”

min was more than happy to do so. “uncle haoi!” min calls his name as she waves her hand, practically jumping in excitement.

one look at min’s uncle and you knew exactly who he is. you’ve recognized that tall build that’s approaching you, especially with an umbrella in hand— umbrella man finally has a name.

‘uncle haoi’ looks to be in the same case as you. as soon as his eyes landed on you, he recognized who exactly you were— the girl in the rain.

min makes a run for it and greets her uncle with a hug, making sure to stay under the umbrella. this makes hao melt a bit, lowering his guard down. his features soften at the sweet gesture of his niece.

“it’s you again,” hao mutters as he reaches you, noticing the familiar glint in your eyes.

“uncle haoi, i presume?”

“xu minghao,” hao clarifies curtly, “or just hao.”

“well, okay, hao,” you forced a smile. “here are min’s things.” you said as you handed him her things.

hao puts on min’s backpack and picks his niece up, settling her in his left arm as min clings onto him with a smile on her face.

“miss ln, did you bring your umbrella?” min asks as she whips her head to face you.

hao looks at you for an answer, he had an inkling of what your answer is going to be.

you gave her a forced smile, avoiding eye contact with minghao— his piercing stare was practically boring a hole in your skin. “i’ll just call for a cab, sweetie, don't worry about me."

"uncle haoi," min pouts at her uncle.

"yes, honey?" hao's expression softens upon hearing the soft call from his niece.

"can miss ln come with us?" her eyes practically twinkled as she gave hao the cutest puppy dog eyes she could muster.

hao was caught off-guard, this was the first time min expressed this kind of closeness towards her teachers.

the truth was, you were min's favourite teacher— or in this case, substitute teacher. you were only filling in for the last three months of the school year due to a teacher's personal emergency. but within the short amount of time you had with the students, they found a surprising pull towards you— a bond so tight that even surprised yourself.

unbeknownst to everyone, including min herself, min was playing matchmaker. since uncle haoi and miss ln were her favourites, it would only make sense to combine them together. right?

"um," hao turns to you, but you had an unreadable expression on your face. "i can drop you off at your place, if you want? it'll save you time, and the faire."

"thank you, but it's fine, you two go on ahead." you said, trying your best not to sound dismissive. hao, however, picked up on your tone and gave you a curt nod. "maybe next time, okay?"

"you promise, miss ln?" min asked with a pout. you gave her a nod, making her smile again— satisfied with your answer. "okay, bye miss ln!!" min enthusiastically waved goodbye.

you watched hao skillfully settle min onto her car seat as he tried his best not to get her soaked from the rain. you were about to order yourself a cab when hao approached you with an undiscernible look on his face.

"yes, mr. xu?" you looked up from your phone and blinked at him innocently.

with no other words, hao hands you his umbrella— the exact same way he did the first time he met you.

you just stared at his hand that was firmly grasping the handle of the umbrella as the rain poured down on him, effectively soaking his hair and the white cardigan he was wearing.

"just take it,” was all he said as he forced the umbrella on your hand and ran back to his car.

“okay, but that was not the first time we’ve met, lovey,” you said as you looked up from his chest. the movie was now forgotten.

“i know, but that was the first time jiejie teased me about you,” hao practically grumbles upon memory, his cheeks were turning red.

your eyes sparkled as soon as the words left his mouth. “how did i not know about this?” you practically squealed at the information.

“oh shut it, yn,” hao playfully puts his hand over your mouth, prompting you to bite it. “ya!”

“well, i’m waiting, lovey,” you practically sang.

“why are you soaking wet, hao?” minghao’s older sister asks as soon as hao and min entered the house "did you forget to bring an umbrella? today of all days? is minnie okay?"

hao sighs at the instantaneous nagging of his older sister. "min's fine. she didn't get wet, don't worry about it." xiaomin makes a run towards her mom, giving her a giant hug as soon as her shoes were off.

"okay," his sister sighs and hugs her daughter back, kissing the top of her head, before min runs to her playpen. "so why are you?"

"remember the girl i told you about before?" hao starts off, removing the soaked cardigan he was wearing. "the one from the heaven’s cloud café?"

"the one you practically bullied into accepting your umbrella because it was raining and she was just casually walking under the pouring rain?"

"yes..." hao frowned at his sister's overtly detailed description. "well, i met her again, jiejie. today. at minnie's school."

it took hao's sister a minute before she realized what minghao was implying. "you mean it was yn?!" a pleasant look of surprise takes over her face.

"that’s her name?" hao wonders out loud “you know, jiejie, minnie was surprisingly fond of her.”

“really?” hao’s sister almost looks relieved upon hearing hao say those words “she always had that charm, it’s no wonder that her students are enamoured by her.”

“you knew her?”

“yeah, university,” she smiles at hao.

“how come you’ve never mentioned her?” hao asks with a frown.

this piques her interest. “well, i haven’t talked to her in years since she moved away.” she says, watching her brother’s steady reaction “i only found out she’s back when word got out that min’s class were getting a sub. yn made sure to personally let the parents know about what’s going to happen.”

hao just hummed, taking all of the information in. hao’s sister uses this to her advantage. “you sure do ask a lot of questions about her.”

minghao scoffs at his sister’s implication. “i’m just making sure that minnie’s in good hands,” hao replies almost defensively.

“oh, she’s in great hands,” hao’s sister smirks “why, do you think yn’s pretty?”

“stop trying to play matchmaker, jiejie!” hao throws a pillow at his sister “it’s rubbing off on minnie!”

hao’s sister laughs “what do you mean?! i did not teach my daughter that!”

“well, she must have seen it somewhere! she asked me the if i thought ‘miss ln was pretty,’” hao pointed out, frustrated.

“uncle haoi?” minnie calls from the backseat.

“yes, honey?” he looks at the rearview mirror to check on his niece.

“do you think miss ln is pretty?” min asked innocently, making hao choke on his own spit.

“well,” hao’s sister grins “what did you say?”

hao’s silence and the fact that his face was turning red was enough of an answer for his jiejie.

“aw, lovey, you had a crush on me from the start?” you beamed at him, adjusting your position from the couch. you were still practically glued to his side, tucked under his arms, but now you were just looking at him— chin resting on his chest.

hao playfully scoffed at your implication “baby, i think it was the other way around.” his answer prompts you to smack his chest lightly. “i was always wondering why you kept taking my umbrellas.”

you gasped, appalled. “you wish, xu minghao!”

“i did,” hao smiles at you. “you know whenever it rained, i always wished that for some reason you would forget your umbrella— which i knew you would, i’ve come to learn that after the first 2 weeks of dating you.”

“i have like four umbrellas from you,” you muttered shyly. hao laughs at your timid confession, softly caressing your cheeks.

“i know, i kept buying new ones,” he replied with a soft smile. “and since i knew you were eventually going to forget to bring one with you, i started offering you a drive home.”

“aha! so that was your tactic of wooing me then,” you squinted your eyes at him.

“uh, no?!” hao was almost offended, making you laugh. “it was the lilies, remember?”

“uncle haoi,” min calls for her uncle’s name excitedly “look what i’m giving miss ln!”

hao looks back at the driver’s seat to find min waving a pink ‘happy birthday’ card. he smiles at his niece’s sweet gesture.

ever since hao’s jiejie started working back in the office, he’s been frequently dropping off and picking up his niece. his work schedule conveniently fits min’s school schedule so this means more encounters with yn.

it’s funny, hao thinks. he’s somehow formed an indescribable bond with you. the fifth time that hao was actively aware that you forgot your umbrella (again), he insisted that he can drive you home.

“what kind of teacher am i if my students knew that i willingly went inside a stranger’s car?!” you argued.

“the kind of teacher that accepts help from those who are willing to give it,” hao argues back. this was your what— fifth meeting? it was refreshing for hao to see this side of you. “and i’m not a stranger! you know my jiejie.”

“yes, but i don’t know you,” you crossed your arms, childishly.

this makes hao crack a smile. this was the first time you saw hao smile— or rather, the first time hao smiled because of you.

“xu minghao,” hao extends his hand “you can call me haohao.”

hao checks the time on his car’s dashboard, it was still quite early since they beat the morning traffic. “should we buy flowers to go with that card, minnie?” he asks his niece who nodded excitedly.

“okay, why did you get me lilies though?” you asked him.

“heaven’s cloud café,” hao answered simply. “you were carrying a bouquet of white lilies.”

“and you presumed i just liked them?” you were teasing, of course. you liked white lilies. after receiving the bouquet of white lilies from hao for the first time, you’ve come to love them. you even kept some of the dried lilies on a frame— something to remember by.

“well, i made sure that i asked the right source.”

“still don’t know how you’ve managed to know him.” you grumbled “i feel betrayed.”

“i keep telling you that i met them during our university days!” hao laughs.

“how come he’s never mentioned you?!”

“jun never mentioned you either!”

“what about that one,” you asked jun, pointing at the red velvet cake “oh no, but that bear-shaped tiramisu looks adorable.” you pouted as you continued to browse the dessert section of the café.

“yn, seriously, just pick one,” jun groans as he watched you struggle. “wonwoo’s going to bite our head off.”

“i heard that,” a deep voice appears behind you two.

“i heard that” you mocked your friend, earning a smack in the head from wonu. “ya! i’m telling!”

jun laughs at you two. you, jun, and wonu grew up together. for three people who spent most of their lives intertwined, it’s amazing how you three are not still sick of each other.

you three even made a pact to have a mandatory weekly meeting. if one person can’t make it, they have to pay for the next meeting. since you’re all stingy, you three have done your own ways of going through hell and back just so you couldn’t miss a meeting.

“just pick the red velvet, ynnie,” jun says without even looking up at you, totally engrossed on his phone. “ynnie, you still like lilies, right?”

“yeah…” you said, watching jun type furiously on his phone. “who are you texting?”

“no one,” jun says not-so-innocently. “so what are we doing today aside from giving our hard-earned money towards cheol & han?” jun’s sentiment makes you three laugh.

“you know i keep hearing good reviews from this place from my co-workers,” you said as you eyed the chocolate cake.

“seriously! have these two never heard of a friends and family discount?” jun wails even more, obviously not done.

“what’s all this yapping about?” someone emerges from the backroom, carrying a fresh case of cupcakes.

“jeonghannie!” jun greets him with a smile. “if we buy three slices of cakes, do we get the next one free?”

“no, you get it for an additional 20% of the price,” jeonghan says making you laugh. jeonghan spots you— a new, yet oddly, familiar face. “you must be yn!”

“hi hi, yes!” you smiled at him. you’ve only heard jeonghan through stories from your friends— wonu and junnie. as a matter of fact, you’ve yet to meet their gigantic friend group. “i’ve heard lovely things about your place!”

jeonghan smiles, pleased. “and because of that your entire order will be on the house today!” he beams, before he turns to wonu and jun “you two have to pay full price.”

“that’s not fair, we’ve been friends for years!” jun whines, making jeonghan laugh.

“oh, it’s fine, i’ll be happy to pay— no worries!” you say with a kind smile.

“okay, fine all of your orders are on the house,” jeonghan rolls his eyes playfully. “only because you’re sweet and hao just can’t get enough of you.”

you were about to say something when jun places his hand over your mouth. “thank you so much jeonghannie! i’ll make sure to put in a good word to my co-workers!” jun says in one breath, pushing you towards one of the empty booths.

“junnie,” you eyed him warily “what was jeonghan talking about?” you asked with your arms crossed.

“well, it’s a long story actually…” jun trailed off, scratching the back of his head.

“how does he know about minghao?”

jun was about to answer when wonu interrupts him as soon as he finished ordering for the rest of you. “we’re all friends, yn,” wonu starts off “it’s quite impossible for our circles not to cross.”

“okay, but that doesn’t explain what’s going on,” you said, confused. “and how come i’ve never heard of hao when i know literally everyone else.”

“yes, you do!” jun counters “it’s just sometimes we’re used to calling him his korean name.”

“he’s myungho?” you were flabbergasted, somehow the dots never aligned. “god, that man has so many names,” you muttered to yourself “then how—“

“university days,” wonu answers for you “you went to a different school, you even met hao’s sister.”

“you even moved out of town,” jun added, practically resting their case. besides, it’s not like you always kept tabs on who their friends were. however, the latter part of jeonghan’s sentence got you intrigued.

“okay…” you were unconvinced “but what about the other thing that jeonghan said?”

this makes jun smirk, using it to his advantage. “about what you being sweet?” jun asks innocently, making wonwoo laugh.

“wen junhui!” you smacked his arm playfully “i’m being serious here!”

“i’m serious too! i’m not too sure about you being sweet though,” jun says teasingly, making you roll your eyes at him “hao, however…”

wonu watches your reaction, he noticed your attention perked up— eyes practically dancing in anticipation. “aw, our little yn has a crush,” wonu says with a teasing smile.

“psh, me? having a crush? what am i, 5?” you were getting defensive, which means they were correct with their assumptions.

“aha, so you did have a crush on me!” hao exclaimed, pulling you closer to him— as if you could get any closer.

“yes,” you muttered through your teeth “however, you liked me first! you kept bringing me coffee every time you dropped off min at school.”

hao didn’t want to argue so he nodded, smiling softly at you. “yeah, i sure did.” his comment makes you melt into a puddle. one year of dating and he still manages to make your heart burst. “and i think if i had the chance to do it again, i wouldn’t change a thing.”

“you’d still give me your umbrella?”

“i’d still give you my umbrella,” hao murmurs before giving you a kiss on the lips.

hiyaa friends! we're almost halfway through the series and i alr want to start a new mini series 😭