At the dining table, Yi qing continues to eat his food calmly. He paid no attention to the fuming Jiangyu sitting next to him. However, looking at the boy seated across from him, he stops eating and grins.
"l'm Yiqing. If this scary man over here is giving you a tough time, just let his tamer know."
By tamer, he was referring to the little monkey, Ju Suo.
Jiangyu's face reddens as embarrassment replaces his anger. He wanted to retort back at Yiqing, but knowing that Ju Suo was in the kitchen a few feet away, he could only try to calm himself down.
It was best not to cause trouble and make his woman angry. If she gets mad, no one can stop her from hurting Yiqing.
He inhales a deep breath and decides to ignore Ying ing. He looks at Liu Ye and grins a smile that reaches his eyes.
"Hey kid, l'm Jiangyu. I may look scary, but don't worry. I don't pick on the innocent. Anyways, you should eat while the food is still warm."
Liu Ye didn't understand why they were nice to him. He was a stranger they had only met and barely held a conversation.
However, for some reason, he felt a sense of relief.
His head nods in understanding, and he looks at the plate of food in front of him. It has been so long since he had a proper meal.
A very faint smile curls on his trembling lips as his eyes turned moist. Not wanting the others to see him this way and pity him, he keeps his head down. He picks up his chopsticks and eats the food Ju Suo and Lian Ni Shang prepared him.
He could tell from his first bite that the food was from an expensive restaurant. The food melted in his mouth, and he began to eat like a person who had been starving for years.
However, with each bite that he took, he wanted to cry more.
He is here eating this delicious meal, but what about his sibling? Are they eating well? Does his father hit them when drunk?
Yue Ling arrived downstairs, and her heart turns warm at the sight of her home crowd with people. This scene reminded her of the past before Fate left the underworld.
Her bluish-green eyes scan the crowd, and without needing to look for long, she spots a person. Although everyone surrounds the person, she knew that he must feel like an outsider.
She stops in front of a chair and pulls it back before casually taking a seat. She stares at the young man and sighs with a soft smile.
"Hi."
Liu Ye was about to take another bite of his food when he sees a figure from the corner of his eyes. He doesn't dare to look at the person but froze in place as the person sits down on the chair to his left.
He was taken back by this because the chairs to his left and right had been empty.
However, suddenly hearing an angelic voice greet him, he was even more surprised.
"Hello…"
He returns the greeting in a quiet voice and lifts his head to look at the person. He only wanted to take a slight glance. However, the second he saw the person's face, he felt like time had stopped.
Yue Ling knew she had surprised him but doesn't too much into it. She has encountered this situation too many times to remember since she kept her personal life hidden from the world.
"l'm Han Yue Ling."
She smiles a soft sigh and glances down at Liu Ye's plate of food.
"Is the food here to your liking? If it is, you can grab more."
Liu Ye could only stare at Yue Ling in silence. He was stuck in a daze as he remembers seeing her while he was being stuffed in the closet by Liu Shan and Xu Long.
He thought he might have mistaken the person since he only saw her for a brief second. However, to see her again and up close, he can confirm that he wasn't seeing things.
The person in front of him right now is definitely Han Yue Ling. His favorite idol, who retired from the modeling world only to return as the mysterious designer of De L'amour and CEO of An Qing.
He blinks his eyes as he returns from his daze. Remembering where he was, he averts eyes with Yue Ling and looks down at the table.
"It's nice to meet you, Miss Han. I am Liu Ye. I'm sorry for being in your home without your permission."
He slowly put his chopsticks down and held his hands on his lap.
"The food here is delicious…"
His eyes quiver as he wasn't sure if he was rude.
"I'm sorry for being rude. I can leave right away."
During his time at Red Moon, whether he was asking a question or answering, he would often get beat up in return. Tao Meng and his men would reason that he was rude and bothersome.
Ever since then, he would keep quiet and kept his head down in fear of being beaten to death.
Yue Ling's smile disappears, and she could only stare at Liu Ye. Neither she nor the young man noticed that the room and everyone near had their attention directed at them upon hearing the small conversation.
With eyes never leaving the young man, a small smile curls on Yue Ling's face again.
"You didn't do anything that needs apologizing."
Even without asking, from the report Liu Shan had shown her, she was able to guess that life for Liu Ye hasn't been easy.
She raises her hand closest to him and gently pats his head.
"No one is ever going to hurt you again."
Liu Ye stiffened when he saw her hand raise out to him. He thought Yue Ling was going to hit him, but to another surprise, she was patting his head.
Her words and the feeling he got from her felt like an older sister caring for her younger brother.
A feeling he has never felt before since he is the oldest of his siblings.
His eyes gradually turn moist as tears began to form, but he presses his lips together to keep himself from crying. He shouldn't cry in front of the people who are treating him like a human being.
However, as much as he fought his tears, Yue Ling's following words made his lips tremble, and his tears found their way out as he sobs.
"Everything will be okay from now on."
Everyone remained silent as they felt an unexplainable feeling stir inside them from Yue Ling and Liu Ye's conversation. Some wanted to cry with the boy, while others were able to control their emotions.
Jiangyu and Yiqing watched the scene unfold and were touch by Yue ling's words full of warmth. When they saw Liu Ye cry, they couldn't help but felt tears fill their eyes.
Both men stare at their lady boss, and their lower lips uncontrollably tremble as they choke a sob without any tears.
Jiangyu: "Mommy…"
Yiqing: "Mother…"
Yue Ling's hand patting Liu Ye's head froze when she heard Jiangyu and Yiqing's words. She thought she had heard wrong and turned her head to look at them.
She was at a loss by everyone's direct eye contact, but the moment her eyes locked on the two men's seat across from her, she was beyond dumbfounded. She didn't need to ask either man to repeat their words because the look on their face said it all.
Jiangyu and Yiqing were staring at her with bright eyes full of admiration like little boys proud of their mother.
"Uh…"
"What's going on here?"
Just as she unknowingly makes a sound, a deep and familiar voice intervenes from behind everyone. She decides to turn a blind eye to everyone's gazes and looks at the owner of the voice.
She was able to spot the person quickly, and her lips are up into a big smile.
"Tian."
Lu Tian had only walked in after inspecting the renovations that had finished. He saw that everyone was eating the food they bought from Elegancy but was amused to see each person seemingly distracted.
He followed their gazes and saw that his wife was the cause. However, having passed only two people, he notices her hand was on the head of a person he has never seen before.
His brows furrow as he comes back to his senses, and he walks up to his wife and the young man. He takes a seat next to her and stares at the boy with a face void of any emotions.
"Who is this?"
No one told him that there was a stranger in his and his wife's home.
