Continue from Chapter 23
We 7 have our academic path we are going to follow. Yuji decided to study at Oxford University, Somi decided to study at Stanford, while Hani and Lily decided to study at MIT, Chaeyeon at Yale, and Haeven at Cambridge University, while I am at Harvard University.
So before the new year started, I went to my company, Elitéra, to have a tour with Xingyi and also the newly founded company. It's a gaming company, and I couldn't visit the company. I was glad that I had Xingyi to look after the company and my private assets.
Aaron was ordered to manage the gaming company while I sent Hyunwoo to his house. Since he will be going to the military at the end of next year, he decided to spend more time with his family. So, I helped him to take a job while enrolling in the military.
Edward still worked at the company as I had to promote the brands I am an ambassador ingrained in, and I let Ah Xuan work at the Elitéra headquarters and Isuki work in the Osaka branch of Hotel Elite.
I also decided to go shopping for my university. I decided to buy some non-famous high-quality things so that I could have less attention at university and focus on studying.
I customized my self glasses with slim frames of gold and tortoiseshell.
Also, Minimalistic customized jewelry, such as a delicate necklace with a personal pendant, simple rings, and small hoops and stud earrings.
Cashmere sweaters in neutral and pastel colors. Plaid and pleated skirts, well-tailored, and high-waisted pants. Stockings, with a subtle pattern like polka dots and delicate laces. Polished loafers and heeled oxfords in leather.
Since I am going to journal in a new book in the new year, let me write some things to fill up the book.
Let me tell you more about myself. Even though my family name is Lee, we have direct ancestors of the Jeonju Yi clan of Joseon and also the House of Li, the family of the Tang dynasty. So my family clan name is Ryuyang Yi Clan, and a dozen people in the clan can count by the fingers of their hands and legs.
로양이 (pronounced "Royang") but written as 류양이 (Ryuyang Yi). The family is very small because in each generation there is only one heir and for some miracles sometimes there will be two heirs as recorded in the family book but the youngest one would never survive the age of 10 and I am the 23rd generation of our family and until now there was only male heirs in the family and I was the only female heir that was born since the founding of our family. Which leads my grandparents to have a DNA test for me and my father. And even for my father and my grandfather.
My grandmother is from the Jeonju Yi clan, and there is a rule in the family. To continue the true blood lineage, the heir should marry someone from the Jeonju Yi clan or the house of Li. This rule was broken by my dad by marrying someone from the Jeon Damyang Clan, There are many hidden secrets in the family that even I don't know of.
My mom's godfather is Zhong Shanshan, who is a Chinese entrepreneur. It happened when my mom was in China; my mom went to China and stayed there for about 2 years, learning traditional embroidery and coloring. She rescued an old woman in a sudden accident, leading her to get to know Zhong Shanshan, who is her son.
My mother was born in Busan. Her story with my father began during a casual visit. My dad had gone to Busan with his friends, seeking relaxation, when he first saw my mother; she was feeding a stray cat on the street. At the time, she was in middle school and he was in high school, though they were only a few months apart in age. Captivated, my father began visiting Busan regularly just to see her. After a year of silent admiration, he finally asked her out, and she accepted after a full year of persistence.
Their young love faced opposition. My grandmother discovered the relationship during my mother's second year of high school and, disapproving, forced them to break up. She even arranged for my mother to study abroad. Obediently, my mother left for China, pursuing her education there on a scholarship while being quietly supported financially by my dad's mother, her future mother-in-law. It was not my mother who was afraid of her, nor my grandma who threatened her. My mom said that at that time, she just wanted to study well and didn't have that much feeling that she needed to give up her dreams for love.
Eventually, she enrolled at the University of Bologna in Italy, majoring in Political, social, and international sciences. During her sophomore year, she was accepted into an exchange program with Harvard University. Fate intervened." My dad, now a senior at Harvard, was there. Despite their history, he pretended not to know her for three months. This time, it was my mom who confessed. From that moment, their story resumed anew.
Though originally on the path to diplomacy, my mom's hidden talent for fashion design emerged during her freshman year in Bologna. She submitted designs for a competition and unknowingly won first place. Her distinctive style caught attention, and before long, she was working under Yves Saint Laurent as an assistant designer. Later, she moved to Gucci, quickly rising from team member to team leader, and within a year, she became the assistant to Alessandro Michele, the creative director. That same year, she found out she was pregnant with me.
She remained at Gucci for five years before moving to Louis Vuitton at LVMH, where she eventually became a major shareholder. Today, she continues to influence the fashion world from the top tiers of LVMH and also owns 5% of Kering. She is a recognized social figure, deeply connected in the global fashion elite, with friendships extending to Anna Wintour's children, Bee and Charles Shaffer.
Unlike my mother, my father came from wealth but never leaned on it. At Harvard, he majored in business and began investing early. With saved pocket money, he bought a failing restaurant. With no prior culinary experience, he learned to cook and rebranded it as Hotel Elite Boston. By the time I was born in 2005, he had turned it into a profitable boutique hotel.
His entrepreneurship flourished. By 2022, Hotel Elite had expanded to over 30 cities worldwide, including New York, Paris, Tokyo, London, Dubai, and more. In 2012, he diversified into tourism, launching elite city tours tied to his hotels. Now, Hotel Elite is not only a hotel chain but also a luxury travel brand with a strong international presence.
My brother, Ivan, is our family's business genius. Adopted into our family, he carries himself with quiet intensity and intelligence. He attended the prestigious Eton College in Windsor, UK, from 2018 to 2021, where he graduated as the top student. Known for his sharp intellect and strategic thinking, Ivan was admired by both students and faculty. During high school, he had already applied to Harvard Business School, an extraordinary feat supported by his school's faculty, thanks to his outstanding grades and leadership.
He began his Harvard journey in August 2021, majoring in Business and minoring in Psychology. By January 2022, just a few months into his first year, Ivan launched his own company. He is currently in his sophomore year, balancing his rigorous coursework with his entrepreneurial ventures. Calm, composed, and always three steps ahead, Ivan is a true strategist.
As for me, I've recently been accepted to Harvard as well. Like the rest of my family, I've always been surrounded by high expectations, yet my path has been different, a mix of creativity, performance, and strategic planning. I manage my finances across several elite accounts: an American Express Centurion card for entertainment earnings, J.P. Morgan for allowances and gifts, a Dubai First Royale Mastercard for business profits, and a Chase Sapphire Reserve for daily use.
Beyond that, I diversify my investments across stocks, government bonds, mutual funds, and real estate. I also own valuable commodities, including gold, antiques, and farmland. My agricultural holdings include wheat, corn, and soybean farms in China, a cocoa plantation in Indonesia, and a coffee estate in Vietnam, both of which were gifted by close family friends. Since 2018, I've even had a retirement account, and I treat my finances with the same precision and discipline as the rest of my life.