Unexpected Second Chance at Love

By the time Yue Ling finished visiting An Qing, the time had already reached noon. She exits the building after bidding farewell to Liu Yilong and waits for Liu Shan to bring the car around.

Of course, she didn't forget to give the elderly man an autograph for his son.

However, the moment she stepped outside, she saw a familiar black car parked in front of An Qing.

Her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and she watched as the driver's side door opened.

When she saw the tall figure of the person she lives with step out into view, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Tian? Why are you here?"

Lu Tian smiles at the sight of his wife. He walks up to her and takes her by the hand.

"I booked an appointment with you."

He walks her to the car and opens the passenger side door for her.

"Did you think about where you want to go for lunch?"

Yue Ling was in a confused state of mind. Before she realized it, she was already sitting inside the car, and they were driving away from An Qing.

"What about Liu Shan? He left to get the car. What if he sees that I'm not waiting for him?"

Lu Tian smiles and gives her a side glance.

"I sent him a message when I got here."

As the couple left to have lunch, back in An Qing's underground garage parking, Liu Shan sat in his car with heavy eyes. He stares down at his phone with Lu Tian's message that arrived when he got to his car.

[Lu Tian: 'Yue Ling. Lunch.']

"Wow… This guy is really something else."

He laughs at the ridiculous message and shakes his head. It was short, but he understood its meaning like the back of his hand.

Lu Tian is picking up Yue Ling from An Qing, and two are going out for lunch.

However, he can't help but wonder about something.

How in the world does Lu Tian even communicate with people over the phone or through messages? Do people even understand him?

He suddenly felt sorry for Xu Long and Wolf Team when thinking about these questions. The men must have difficulty trying to decipher Lu Tian's short words.

He cuts his thoughts short and calls Xu Long.

The line quickly connects, and before the person on the other line could speak, he spoke first.

"Where are we meeting for lunch?"

Once he got confirmation for their meeting location, he ended the call and drove out of the garage parking.

While everyone went on their way to have lunch, in another part of Imperial, the school bell rang, and students left for the cafeteria.

"Hey Jingxu, are you going to skip lunch today too?"

Zhuang Li asked as he stood up from his desk. He noticed Ji Jingxu had been skipping lunch for a while and worried about the boy.

"You go ahead. I'm going to the library."

Ji Jingxu replied and walked out of the classroom without looking back at his friend. He didn't have an appetite, and he needed to do something.

As students headed in one direction, he headed in the opposite. He soon arrives at the school library and stops in front of the medical section.

He reaches for a thick book on diseases and treatments.

This is the reason why he had been skipping lunch. 

Ever since he learned about his grandfather's illness, he had been trying to find a way to treat the old man.

While students enjoy their lunch, he sits down on the floor and opens the book. As he began to read, he took out a notebook and didn't forget to jot down the necessary things.

*bang-!

A hard-covered book is thrown at him in the middle of his reading but lands in front of him. His focus on the book he was reading fades, and he glances at the object inches away from him.

"Oops. I guess my hand slipped."

A voice full of ridicule sounds from the side, and he knew who it was. He reaches for the book and turns his head in the direction the book was thrown. 

He sees the young man he bumped into in the morning and his friends but kept a calm expression.

"Deng Xian, the library is a place for quietness. If you are going to be loud, you should leave."

Deng Xian sneers at how calm Ji Jingxu is behaving. He walks over and kicks the book in Ji Jingxu's hand. It was the book he had thrown.

"Quietness? Why should I be quiet in here when there's no one here?"

When he saw the book Ji Jingxu was reading, he snatches it and flips through the page.

"What the hell is this crap? Diseases?"

He looks at Ji Jingxu and mockingly laughs.

"Are you trying to find treatment for your Freeloading Disease?"

His laugh echoed in the library along with his group of friends, but Ji Jingxu remained the same.

Calm and collected.

He stood up from where he sat and looked at Deng Xian in the eye.

"Give me the book."

He has better things to do than to affiliate himself with these people. His grandfather is ill, and he cannot waste any time.

Deng Xian felt his blood boil inside at the expression on Ji Jingxu's face. He smirks and rips a few pages out before throwing it at the person he loathed.

"Here. I'll give you these pages to help you find a cure for your disease."

The papers fluttered in different directions before landing on the floor. However, Ji Jingxu never once winced his eyes or flinched.

He stares at Deng Xian then bends down to pick up the ripped pages scattered in front of him.

Deng Xian grew even more agitated by his behavior. He thought that by now, Ji Jingxu would retaliate. However, the more he saw how calm the boy was, the more rage grew inside of him.

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue, and out of anger, he threw the book in his hand. This time, hitting Ji Jingxu on the head.

"Pick this us while you're at it too."

He howls a peal of laughter like he had heard the funniest joke in the world, but his friends didn't. 

Each person glanced at one another and didn't know if they should stop Deng Xian or follow along.

Ji Jingxu stops what he is doing for a second before continuing. He finished picking up the torn pages along with the book then straightened his posture.

"If you're done being immature, then leave. I have more important things to do."

He can only steady himself because he cannot let his grandfather and sister down. If they heard that school isn't pleasant for him, they would be sad.

Not only that, his grandfather is hospitalized. He cannot put more stress on the old man.

Deng Xian's face turned red when he saw that Ji Jingxu was ignoring him again. He strides over to the boy and grabs him by the collar.

"You think you are better than everyone here?!"

He slams Ji Jingxu against the bookcase causing a few books to fall from the shelf.

"Remember. You are nothing but a freeloader. Without that old man's help, you wouldn't even be able to attend this school or look down on us!"

His eyes burned with intense rage, and he glares sinisterly at Ji Jingxu.

"Once that old man dies, you will be nothing. Without him, no one will protect you."

*bam-!

When Deng Xian's last word fell, he was suddenly punched in the face. He stumbles back but is unable to steady his feet. He hits the bookcase behind him and falls to the ground.

He looked up at the person who had punched him in the face and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"What? Did that hit your soft spot?"

He sneers a laugh, knowing he has gotten under Ji Jingxu's skin.

"If so, that old should just die-"

*bam!

Before he could finish his words, Ji Jingxu threw another punch at him, then another and another. He falls back onto the floor and tries to fight back, but he can only try to block.

He thought he was strong, but Ji Jingxu was stronger, to his surprise.

Ji Jingxu's patience exploded like a dam, and rage engulfed his mind. He held Deng Xian down and never ceased his punches once.

He had been nice enough to ignore the bullying. However, never will he let anyone badmouth those he loves.

He grabs Deng Xian by the collar and slams his head hard on the floor.

"Shut up! Shut up! Take back your words!"

His voice, now full of rage, echoed in the library along with the sound of fists hitting the skin.

Not one of Deng Xian's friends was in their right mind to intervene.

They thought the plan was to beat up Ji Jingxu after school. How did the situation escalate to now?

It was as if Deng Xian had become a punching bag for Ji Jingxu.

"You don't know anything!!!!"

Ji Jingxu was angry. 

Angry that the man who showered him with love was going to leave this world and Deng Xian dares to mock death like it was a joke.

"H-H-Help…"

Deng Xian was beaten black and blue by Ji Jingxu but could only squeeze out a word to his friends. His voice brought them back to their senses, and each person jumped forward to get Ji Jingxu off of their friend.

"Get off of him!"

"Stop! You're going to kill him!"

Three young men tried to pull Ji Jingxu away, but the moment their hands touched the boy, he averted his fist towards them before landing back on Deng Xian.

There was no way of stopping him (Ji Jingxu) now.

However, each person continued to try their hardest to stop the fight.

"Get away from him!!!"

Before another person could grab Ji Jingxu again, Zhuang Li's thunderous roar suddenly sounded from behind them. 

Each person was taken aback by surprise and turned to look at Ji Jingxu's reinforcement. The moment they turned around, they were met with either Zhuang Li's fist or foot.

Zhuang Li kicked one of Deng Xian's lackey in the stomach since he was in the middle then threw a punch at the one on the right then the left.

The three young men stumble to the ground, and Zhuang Li glares down at them.

"How dare you all gang up on my friend while I was eating!!!"

He grabs the person he had kicked on the stomach and starts punching him in the face.

"Just because we don't ever fight back doesn't mean we are weak!"

He threw fist after fist and roared like a fierce lion in battle.

"Today, I, your grandfather, am going to teach you a lesson!!!"

Seeing that the situation has come to this, one of Deng Xian's friends held his cheek that Zhuang Li punched.. He gets up from the floor and scurries out of the library to seek help.