Unexpected Second Chance at Love

The time arrived at 5 pm for the employees to leave home after a long shift at De L'amour. Yue Ling walks out of her office and stops at her secretary's desk.

"Secretary Jiang, you can leave since there's no more work to handle."

Jiang Shengyi was overseeing the schedule for the week when she heard her boss. She looks up from her monitor screen and looks at the retired model.

"Oh, okay."

She had been so distracted that time seemed to have sped up without her realizing it. She turns off her computer then reaches for the tablet at the side before handing it to Yue Ling.

"I've transferred the weekly schedule to this. Also, Cloth Co. sent an email requesting to meet."

Yue Ling takes the tablet and smiles at her hardworking secretary.

"Thank you. I'll take a look at it and schedule the meeting myself. You have a safe drive home."

She doesn't say anymore and turns away to head back into her office.

Jiang Shengyi bids the retired model a good day then puts on her coat. However, when she reached for her handbag, she noticed that Yue Ling wasn't leaving.

She walks around her desk and looks at the back figure of her boss.

"CEO Han, are you not leaving home?"

Yue Ling had just reached the door to her office when she heard the woman. She turns around and smiles.

"I'll leave after looking over the schedule and a few other things."

She turns away and enters her office. 

Jiang Shengyi was in awe of how hardworking Yue Ling was when it came to working. When she worked at Fang Fabrics, President Fang was always the first to leave before the employees. 

The man would come up with an excuse and ignore work like a plague.

However, compared to Yue Ling, she could tell that her new boss is a person who values her work.

She decides not to bother her boss anymore and heads in the direction of the elevators.

As the building gradually became vacant of employees, Yue Ling remained seated behind her desk. The tablet she took from Secretary Jiang was in her hand, and she scanned through the weekly schedule.

Once she confirmed that nothing was amiss, she closed it and moved on to send an email to Cloth Co. concerning the requested meeting.

She decided tomorrow would be the best day since her schedule was open for the afternoon.

Hitting the send button, she sighs and leans back on the chair.

She turns her head to look out the window and heaves a sigh again.

"Lu Tian said he is working late, and I sent Liu Shan home early. How will I get home?"

As the words fall from her mouth, she laughs in ridicule at herself. She had been so preoccupied with work and worried about others that she forgot to worry about how she was going to get home.

She stares at the sky outside, and realizing it has stopped raining, she gets up from the chair.

"Well, on the bright side, it stopped raining."

She puts on her coat and reaches for her handbag. Since it is rush hour, she will not call for a taxi, but walk home.

*Knock knock

The second she was ready to leave her office, a knock sounded from the door to her office. She looks with surprise when she sees her illustrator.

"Why are you still here? I thought everyone left home?"

Qi Li's expression was as emotionless as usual. When he heard her questions, he shrugged his shoulders and placed his hands in the pockets of his coat.

"Shan stopped by my office earlier. He asked me to take you home."

Yue Ling arch an eyebrow. She never thought Liu Shan would ask Qi Li to do something like this. After all, the man was quite competitive when it came to his tasks.

However, brushing the thought away, she walks towards the door to leave.

"Alright, let's go."

She exits the room but pauses after taking a few steps. She turned to look at Qi Li and slightly pursed her lips with a contemplated expression.

"Um…"

She ponders on her words before making an awkward smile.

"Do you have an extra helmet?"

From what she is aware, Qi Li always comes to work on his motorcycle whether it rained or shine. However, the problem was that it was implausible that he would carry an extra helmet with him daily.

Qi Li had just finished locking the door to her office. When he heard her unexpected question, he turned to her while reaching inside his pocket.

"I changed vehicles with Liu Shan."

Seeing him take out a set of keys, Yue Ling arched an eyebrow in amusement. Never in her entire life did she think Qi Li would let anyone drive his motorcycle or even exchange vehicles, especially with Liu Shan.

However, finding it reasonable, she doesn't question him further and turns for the elevator.

Qi Li watched her walk closer to the elevator. He quietly reaches for his phone in the other pocket of his coat and sends a quick message to someone.

Once he presses the send button, he walks to follow his boss before she leaves his sight.

The boss and subordinate soon leave De L'amour, and the scenery from the busy heart of Imperial gradually changes. 

Yue Ling's head was down as she looked over some work documents, but finding it odd that the time home was longer than usual, she lifted her head.

She parted her lips to ask Qi Li if everything was alright, but something caught her eyes. She doesn't say what is on her mind and glances out the window.

The dense forest that greeted her was a beautiful scenery that could take one's breath away.

However, she knew right away that Qi Li was not taking her home.

"Qi Li, why are we here?"

Her voice was calm, but it sent an unexplainable chill down Qi Li's spine. He swallows a gulp with difficulty and ponders on how to answer.

"I was asked to bring you here."

He didn't hide anything from her, but at the same time, he didn't tell her the whole truth.

Yue Ling stares at his reflection in the rearview mirror. Noticing how he didn't dare to make eye contact with her, she decided to wait until they arrived at the destination.

Thirty minutes pass by, and they finally reach their destination. Qi Li drives the car into a cemented parking lot and parks it.

Yue Ling sat in the back seat with a quizzical expression. She stared out the window then furrowed her eyebrows when she saw people walking back and forth.

"What's going on here?"

The people outside were not strangers to her but her subordinates. To be precise, her assistant and design team, including Xu Long.

She was curious as to why they were here, but that curiosity soon turned into confusion.

"What is Tian doing here?"

When they had lunch, he clearly said he would be working late. That was the reason why her subordinate had to drive her home.

However, why is he here?

She sees him directing orders to the others then heading towards her and Qi Li. By the time she remembered to blink her eyes, his hand was already on the door handle.

He leisurely opens the rear door, and a smile curls on his face when he comes to view.

"Hello, wife."

Yue Ling stares up at the man with slightly agape lips. She was in a blank state of mind and could not comprehend what was happening.

After a long moment passed, she came out from her daze.

"Why are you here? I thought you were working late."

Lu Tian's smile did not disappear from his face. He stretched out his left arm to her with eyes never leaving her bluish-green ones.

"I am working late."

Although the sky was grey, Yue Ling swore his smile was bright enough to blind her. She places her palm over his, and with his guidance, she gets out of the car.

"You did answer my question. Why are you here?"

Lu Tian wasn't the least bit offended by her words. He held a firm grip on her hand and walked towards the others.

"It's a surprise."

Hearing this, Yue Ling pouts and gives him a side glance before turning her attention to the other people on the premises. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she leaned a little closer to the man walking next to her.

"What are we doing here?"

Lu Tian gazed down at her, but his steps did not cease. 

"Do you know where here is?"

Yue Ling moves away from him and a smile plastered on her face.

"Of course, I know where here is."

The moment she saw the scenery outside the window, she knew right away where Qi Li was taking her. 

This place was none other than the lake where Lu Tian proposed to her for a second time.. It is also the lake where they lit up water lanterns for their unborn child.