unexpected second chance at love
After returning to De L’amour, Yue Ling and Liu Shan went their separate ways for lunch. The retired model sat near a floor-to-ceiling window inside a private room in a busy luxurious restaurant. She stares out the window with her chin in her palm, making one unable to read what is happening in her mind.
A knock at the door breaks her thoughts as a waiter enters the private room. He walks over to Yue Ling but not too closely.
“Miss, are you ready to order?”
Yue Ling looks away from the window, not looking at the waiter but down at her phone on the table. She taps on the screen and then finally looks at the waiter.
“If it’s alright, I need a few more minutes.”
The waiter was confused as it had been 15 minutes since she had been seated. However, he cannot pry into a customer’s business, so he nods.
“Alright. I’ll come back in a bit.”
His words fell, but he didn’t leave right away. Instead, he stood there staring at her with a flustered face.
Noticing this, Yue Ling looks back at him with slight awkwardness. She sees the redness on his face and makes a half smile.
“Are you alright?”
The waiter’s face flushed even more than it already was, and he vigorously nodded. His hand holding his notepad ever so lightly clutches tighter.
“Um… I don’t want to be a bother, but can I get your autograph?”
Yue Ling kept herself composed with eyes on the waiter, but deep inside, she was trying to refrain from laughing. She clears her throat a bit and stretches her arm out.
“It’s no bother, but please keep it a secret that I am here.”
Hearing this, the waiter was beyond thrilled. He hurriedly hands his notebook to her and giggles like a little girl.
“Of course Miss Han. I’m a huge fan of yours, and I promise to make sure no one bothers you and your guests.”
Yue Ling smiles at the waiter as she finishes her autograph. She hands it back to him and watches as he skips out of the room like a cheery fan at a meet and greet.
She lightly shakes her head and turns back to look out the window. She had purposely booked a private room because she didn’t want to cause a disturbance. However, her attempt seemed a failure since someone noticed her.
“I’m glad I came here. I thought I was hallucinating when you sent a text.”
From the door, an elderly man’s voice sounds with a heartfelt laugh. When Yue Ling hears the voice, she turns to look at the person with a lit-up face.
“Yeye.”
She got up from her seat and wanted to walk over to him but was stopped by him.
“I’m not so old that I need help sitting. You can sit down.”
He laughs and strolls over to the table but doesn’t forget to gesture behind him.
“Oh, someone eager to see you is also here.”
Yue Ling paused from sitting, and her eyebrows arched at his words. She shifts her gaze to the door only to see Ji Jingxu entering the room, and the smile on her face brightens more.
“Jingxu, it’s great to see you.”
Unlike their grandfather, Ji Jingxu strides over to his older sister and hugs her.
“I missed you, Jie.”
He thought they would have lunch at home, but his grandfather suddenly said there was a change of plan. He didn’t put too much thought over it, but if he did, maybe he would have been able to contain his emotions.
Yue Ling felt her heart soften to the core at his childlike behavior. She puts her arms around him to return the hug before patting his head.
“I missed you too.”
As the two pulled apart, she took the time to look at his face—her expression as if she was engraving his face deeply into her mind.
“Sorry I haven’t been able to visit. My schedule has been busy, especially with the upcoming fashion release and the wedding.”
Ji Jingxu doesn’t blame her and nods in understanding. He knows that his older sister has her reasons for not visiting, especially since Inu is still staying at the Ji Mansion.
However, if she knew the truth that their old man’s health was deteriorating, she would be just as sad as him.
“I know… it’s just…”
“Ahem.”
Before he could finish his words, Grandfather Ji cleared his throat as he (Grandfather Ji) sat down. He knows that Yue Ling is quick to grasp situations and doesn’t want her to find out yet.
“Come now. We can chat after we’ve ordered.”
Yue Ling was delighted to see her grandfather and brother again finally. She sits beside Ji Jingxu, and the family looks at the menu.
Once they had ordered, it was time to wait for the food.
Grandfather Ji stares at his granddaughter and can’t believe how mature she has become. She should have grown up like other children, but because of the many losses in her life, she had to learn how an adult does.
Seeing her finally happy, how can he tell her the news of his illness?
As his thoughts wonder, tears were ready to be shed before he knew it. However, as someone who has been in the face of war, he forces back all the solemn energy rising inside him.
“Ah Ling, how have you been? How are work and the wedding preparations?”
Yue Ling was chatting with Ji Jingxu when she heard her grandfather. She turns her head to look at him and smiles.
“Everything’s been good. The wedding is a little complicated, but we’ll manage.”
“I see. That’s good.”
Grandfather Ji did not take her words with a negative heart. He knows how Madam Lu is and with her organizing the wedding, it’ll be complicated since she is an eccentric lady.
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to let me know. As your grandfather, I will do everything I can to help.”
He has little time left and hopes Yue Ling and Ji Jingxu will depend on him more. So that when it is his time to go, he will have no regret.
Yue Ling was oblivious to his true feelings and smiled with her teeth. She nods and reaches over the table to hold his hand.
“Don’t worry, yeye. I’ll let you know if I need any help.”
She was happy to know that her grandfather never hesitated to help her. However, she wants him to see that she can manage on her own.
Ji Jingxu watched the two interact with a heavy heart. One was slowly dying, and the other was oblivious.
He wanted to blurt out that their grandfather was sick, but knowing he had promised the old man, he couldn’t. It was better for Yue Ling to hear their grandfather’s words than someone else’s.
His eyes closed for a quick second to steady himself. Once he opened them again, he plastered a smile on his face.
“Jie, where is Lu Tian? How come you aren’t having lunch with him?”
Agreeing with Ji Jingxu’s sudden questions, Grandfather Ji has a stern expression.
“That’s right. Where is Lu boy? Why is he not having lunch with you? Has he been good to you? Is he treating you well? If he’s not, I can put some sense into him. You know I can.”
pA(nD)A no ve1
After what felt like an entire day, she laughs and shakes her head.
“He’s been more than good to me and working at home today. He isn’t here because I wanted to have lunch with you both.”
She looks at her grandfather then her lips curl into a mischievous smile.
“Also, I can take care of myself when it comes to him.”
Grandfather Ji and Ji Jingxu stared with astonishment at her. Neither spoke a word for a long second before bursting into laughter.
Ji Jingxu: “Of course, you can.”
Grandfather Ji: “That’s my granddaughter.”
While Yue Ling and her family enjoy a warm lunch in the presence of each other back at her house, Lu Tian continues to remain in the study.
His dark and cold eyes glued to the monitor with his fingers gliding over the keyboard. The seriousness in his expression never faded, and he focused on searching for the person whose pseudonym was Toosexyformyshirt123.
“Boss!”
His zone of focus was abruptly interrupted by his assistant’s sudden scream. He stops typing and looks at the man.
Xu Long positioned himself on the floor with his laptop when he suddenly called out for his boss. He looks up to meet a pair of cold eyes that could suffocate a person, and felt embarrassed for his behavior.
He clears his throat and, taking his boss’s silence as a sign for him to speak, he gets up on his feet.
“I found something.”
He places his laptop on the desk and turns the screen to his boss.
“It’s not much, but we might find something here.”
Lu Tian fixes his gaze on his assistant’s laptop. Although it was a screen encrypted with numbers and letters, he knew what he was looking at.
He stands up from his chair and makes his way out of the room after grabbing his coat.
“Let’s go.”