*Ding dong
The doorbell rings throughout the house as Yue Ling sets the bags in her hands down. She turned in the front door direction, as did Liu Shan and the Liu siblings.
They had just entered the house, so who could it possibly be?
"It's probably Lin Hui."
Yue Ling casually spoke as she walked to the door. After she received the phone call from Lin Hui, she told him to meet them here. However, before she could take a step, Liu Shan stopped her.
"I'll get it. You stay here with the kids."
He doesn't wait for a response from her and walks to open the door.
Yue Ling doesn't think much and continues to help Liu Ye, Liu Jingyi, and Jianan unpack the shopping bags.
Watching her take out the items inside, Liu Ye felt embarrassed about all the things they had bought using her money. He and Liu Jingyi opposed the idea of shopping since they had already received enough things, but Liu Shan was adamant they buy more.
He dragged them to multiple stores and purchased anything he thought would fit them. He even took them to look at apartments out of their price ranges.
"Miss Han…"
He stutters her name and swallows a hard gulp to steady himself before continuing his words.
"I'm sorry we bought so many things with your money. I tried to stop Mr. Liu, but he didn't seem to hear us."
Yue Ling had a shirt in her hands and was holding it up to Jianan to check if it fitted the boy. However, when she hears Liu Ye's apologetic words, she smiles at him.
"You don't have to apologize for this. I gave the task for Liu Shan to do this for you three."
She turns her head to look at the young man, and her smile widens a bit.
"And you can drop the formality. You can just call me Yue Ling."
Liu Ye understood her words since she had already reminded him before, but he couldn't help it. She is the savior of him and his siblings. How can they just call her by her name?
Seeing the faint hesitation in his expression, Yue Ling picks up a navy-colored buttoned-down shirt with white stripes. She knew who it was bought for with only a glance and walked over to the person.
She stops in front of Liu Ye and takes his hand before placing the shirt in his hand.
"Also, don't think that I'm doing this because I pity you all. It's something I want to do, and I want to give you all a new life."
Hearing this, Liu Ye's eyes turned moist with mixed emotions stirring inside him. Only his mother cared about them in his entire life, but after she passed away, everyone turned a blind eye. If not, everyone acted like they weren't there.
"Thank you, Miss…"
He pauses in his words and corrects himself, then looks her in the eyes.
"Thank you, Yue Ling. Thank you so much for everything you've done for us."
His lower lip trembles, but containing his emotions so he wouldn't cry, he tries to smile.
"I will repay you for everything. I promise."
Yue Ling stared at him and was reminded of the past when she first met her subordinates.
"I don't need anything in return, but if you insist on repaying me… promise me this."
She faintly smiles at him and places a hand on his shoulder.
"Live your life."
She turns her head away from Liu Ye and looks at Liu Jingyi and Jianan.
"All of you. Live the life you want and be happy."
She looked back at Liu Ye, and this time her smile grew sentimental.
"I will be there every step of the way to help in any way that I can."
Silence grew after her words, and a sigh escaped her smile. She moves her hand from Liu Ye's shoulders and glances at the shopping bags that had yet to unpack.
"I'll prepare dinner so you three can take a look at the things you bought today."
She doesn't leave any room for the Liu siblings to speak and head for the kitchen.
Liu Ye watched her walk away, and he clenched his fists. He wasn't doing so because he was angry but because he was motivated.
He swore he would work hard and repay Yue Ling for everything she had given them. He wants to stand by her side like Shan and the others.
Behind him, Liu Jingyi thought the same. Despite the short time they've been together, she saw Yue Ling like the older sister she never had, and she could feel the warmth of a motherly figure.
She, too, wants to do her best to repay her savior.
However, unlike the two older siblings, Jianan had a different opinion from them.
He knows that Yue Ling is an angel sent to them, and when he grows up, he wants to marry someone like her. If possible, he doesn't mind marrying her, but that means his rival is Lu Tian.
Remembering the man's cold appearance that sent a chill down his spine, he shivers.
He decides it is best to marry someone as wonderful as Yue Ling.
"Woah! Did someone hit the lottery?"
A voice suddenly sounds from the side, and the Liu siblings turn their attention to the person. Liu Ye and Liu Jingyi smile a polite nod at the person while Jianan smiles with his teeth and runs to the person.
"Mr. Lin, why are you here?"
He wrapped his arms around Lin Hui and gave the man a big hug. His head tilts back, and he stares up in wait for an answer.
Lin Hui smiles a laugh at how adorable the little boy behaved. He does what he usually does and pats Jianan on the head.
"I'm here to see how you guys are doing."
He looks up, and his eyes lock on the many shopping bags and the pile of clothes laid on the coffee table and two couches.
"You guys really went all out today, hm?"
Liu Ye and Liu Jingyi blushed in shame at his words. Although it wasn't them who bought so much in one day, they were there and could be blamed too.
Seeing how Lin Hui had embarrassed them, Liu Shan couldn't help but intervene. He walks up to his comrade and crosses his arms over his chest.
"Hey, you're making them feel awkward. Besides, they're innocent. Boss was the one who assigned me to get all these things for them. She gave me one of her bank cards too."
Once Lin Hui heard this, his eyes widened with arched eyebrows. He robotically turned his head to the assistant, and his mouth opened and closed before he could utter a word.
"Boss… bank card… assign…."
He thought he could speak in proper sentences, but he ended up stuttering out broken words. He stares at Liu Shan for a long minute before raising a hand to massage his forehead.
"Explain."
Liu Shan rolled his eyes when he heard those words. He just told Lin Hui what happened, yet the man doesn't seem to understand him at all.
He places one fist on his hip and heaves a long sigh in frustration.
"Bro, it is like I said. Boss entrusted me with her bank card and assigned me to take Liu Ye and Liu Jingyi shopping."
Listening to each word that entered his ear, Lin Hui nodded his head as he understood. However, he doesn't say a word but stares into the blank space in front of him like was contemplating on something.
After what felt like an eternity had gone by but would have been only a few seconds, he finally came to his senses.
He looks back at Liu Shan but narrows his eyes as he leans towards the man.
"Did you by chance…"
He pauses midway to glance around the room and then continues but makes sure to quiet down his voice for only Liu Shan to hear.
"Did you buy anything for me?"
"…"
Liu Shan was beyond dumbfounded by the question. He thought Lin Hui was suspicious of him but to find out the man was curious if he bought anything for him, he scratched the back of his head.
"Dude, what are you talking about? Why would I buy you anything when I didn't even get myself something?"
Lin Hui gasps in horror with his mouth wide open. It was as if he had heard the most ironic thing in the world.
He stares at Liu Shan but scoffs in disbelief in the next second.
"You had boss's card, and you didn't even buy yourself something? Not even a shirt?"
Liu Shan rolled his eyes in response. His boss did tell him to buy himself something with her money, but while he was out shopping, he was too busy focusing on the children.
It was a good thing the assignment was given to him. If it had been Lin Hui, he (Lin Hui) would have undoubtedly maxed out the bank card.
He shakes his head and walks away from the man. He picks up one of the shopping bags and heads in the direction of the kitchen.
"Since you're here, I'm going to help boss prepare dinner."
Lin Hui watches as the assistant disappears from the living room and scoffs. He looked away, and he was greeted with three pairs of curious eyes staring directly at him.
"Umm…"
He chuckles in a sarcastic way with a crooked smile and averts his gaze from them.
"So… what did you guys end up buying today?"
