Thank G.o.d for Mr. Long, they quickly arrived at the hotel due to Kang Jun"s insane driving skills.Mr. Long hated when his boss drove but, it wasn"t like he could stop the man.
Once they arrived, Kang Jun got out to opened the door for Lu AnLing and Kang Mingyu. With haste, the two got out of the car. Kang Jun"s hand was extended in front of Lu AnLing and she instinctively grabbed it but before she stepped out, the girl turned to Mr. Long who sat silently in the back seat.
"Thank you for coming to get us."
Shocked, Mr. Long couldn"t help but smile.
"No need to thank me, Madame, It"s my job."
His answer made Lu AnLing frown. "It"s not really about there being a need for it or not, it"s about being polite. Anyone who doesn"t say please or thank you has bad manners."
Lu AnLing turned to Kang Mingyu. Understanding the stern look in her eyes, the boy turned to Mr. Long and smiled. "Thank you."
Hearing this, both Kang Jun and Mr. Long"s face twisted slightly.
The girl was not wrong, though unconsciously, she had insulted Kang Jun.
Pulling the girl out of the car, Kang Jun turned to look at Mr. Long. With this one look, Mr. Long felt a huge chill sweep past his body as if he was about to be scolded.
"Boss, please. Don"t lash out at me!"
He knew his boss, and the man didn"t like being insulted. And this time the man had been insulted indirectly because of him! Mr. Long was terrified, but the terror quickly increased when he heard the words that escaped the man"s mouth.
"Long Rui, thank you."
Immediately the man pinched himself hard. He would not believe that this was a reality, but as soon as he felt the searing pain caused by his own fingers, Mr. Long gapped at Kang Jun.
Was this the same man Mr. Long had seen mercilessly climb the ranks of Kang Corporation?!
In front of a woman, he turns into such a wife pleaser?
Feeling slightly awkward, Kang Jun turned to look at Lu AnLing.
Not understanding what his gaze meant, Lu AnLing began to blabber.
"We"re going up now. I have to shower… I stink of booze. I"ll keep Kang Mingyu with me tonight and then I"ll drop him off tomorrow okay? I—"
Kang Jun: "You don"t stink."
"Uh… Okay, well, bye now."
Lu AnLing carried Kang Mingyu into the hotel and then headed straight for the elevator. Watching Kang Jun from Lu AnLing"s shoulder, Kang Mingyu smirked his uncle"s way.
Seeing this clear declaration of war, Kang Jun pursed his lips and mouthed.
"You win, but only for today."
The man was okay with this situation, for now. He had already secured a solo date with the girl, anyway, and there was nothing the little boy could do about it.
Kang Jun smirked.
Though the man wouldn"t have been in such a good mood if he had known who else had his eyes on the girl…
From afar, a lone figure starred at Lu AnLing who cradled Kang Mingyu lovingly in his arms. The man, Yang Yize, had just been attending a business dinner in the lounge when he had the sudden urge to smoke, and as he had walked outside he had seen the woman walk into the hotel.
Outside, Yang Yize lit his cigarette.
The Lu AnLing from a moment ago entered his mind.
Seeing her with a child made Yang Yize"s heartstrings pull. The child was around five to seven years old, from what he could tell.
Since when had she had a child? Who was the father?
Yang Yize"s face blackened.
Thinking back, Yang Yize remembered the day Lu AnLing had caught him walking out of Hotel Helios with a woman.
"You want to break up?" She had asked nonchalantly.
The words so easily slipped out of the mouth of the woman he had loved so dearly that his whole being felt as if it had broken into a million pieces.
It was true that he was cheating on her, but he had only done it for one reason…
"It"s true then?" Yang Yize had asked the girl.
Looking at him, her oval face tilted in confusion.
Yang Yize felt his rage explode within him. "You"re really unbelievable you know?…"
Lu AnLing"s face revealed her every emotion. She was completely confused and hurt but at the same time, she was trying her best to be calm and composed.
"W-what are you talking about?"
"Did you seduce him and now he wants to date you? Is that why you want to break up?"
Lu AnLing"s confusion immediately mixed with anger. "What are you talking about?!"
"Just admit it… Everyone is always talking about it. We might not be in high school anymore but I know what happened back then. You were always, always with—"
The last part of Yang Yize"s thoughts were interrupted by the Hotel Manager"s call.
"President Kang!"
Looking at the Manager who had just come running out from the building, Yang Yize took a drag from his cigarette.
From a black car, Kang Jun walked towards the entrance of Hotel Helios. The manager ran to him, greeted him and then whispered something Yang Yize could barely head.
It was something about a woman and a private detective…
Yang Yize wasn"t sure, but he wasn"t too interested. His whole mind was consumed with thoughts of Lu AnLing. The girl who had broken his heart.
***
Walking into the hotel, Kang Jun continued to speak to the Hotel Manager. By his side, Mr. Long, who had been singled by Kang Jun, accompanied them.
"What did they ask? How much did they pay?" Kang Jun asked, without looking at the man.
"They asked many questions but they all lead back to one place. They were trying to get Miss Lu"s name and information. As for the amount, they told me to name a price. I didn"t tell them anything but I don"t know how many of the hotel staff they spoke to."
"That"s fine."
The Hotel Manager brought them to the security room. There Kang Jun, Mr. Long, the General Manager, and a security guard looked through the security footage on the floor where room 976 was located.
They checked for any and all suspicious activity and finally, something caught everyone"s attention. Two days ago, the room right across from Lu AnLing and Kang Jun had become vacant. Their neighbor, an elderly lady who had been living there for 6 years had moved out. Upon some checking, Kang Jun found out that she had sold her suite to a man with the name Rong.
On the day the new tenant moved in, the man, around his 30"s, was someone Kang Jun recognized.
Back when he"d been engaged to Rong Yue Wan, Kang Jun had been forced to attend certain events against his will. At one of those event"s his grandfather had also attended. Along with his grandfather had come a couple of bodyguards, including a young trainee. Despite the man"s face having aged considerably, Kang Jun knew that this was the same man.
Seeing the man, Kang Jun frowned.
***
Once Lu AnLing stepped foot in the room, she put Kang Mingyu down and felt her whole body sag. All of her limbs felt like overcooked noodles and she just wanted to drop herself on her bed and sleep.
It had been a long day.
Even longer considering how it had all ended.
All at once her frustrations dawned on her, causing her eyes to water. She was so screwed.
Lu AnLing walked over to the bed where Kang Mingyu sat. She went to sit beside him and then said,
"Honey, auntie"s going to take a shower so be good and wait for me okay?"
"Okay." The boy said before he smiled at her brightly.
Seeing his cute cheeks puff up when he smiled. Lu AnLing couldn"t help but kiss them.
"I"ll be back."
Lu AnLing turned on the TV and then handed the boy the remote control before she left. Usually, when she could babysit him, Kang Mingyu wouldn"t mind what she put on TV. He would watch it obediently.
Entering the bathroom, Lu AnLing immediately stripped and threw her clothing to the floor. She then proceeded to wipe off all of her makeup before stepping into the shower.
Feeling the warm water wash over her body, Lu AnLing sighed.
He life was a mess.
First, her grandmother pesters her about getting married, then she loses her job as a singer, then she finds out that w.a.n.g Tingting knows her deepest darkest secret and now she got fired from yet another job…
Lu AnLing wished she could go back abroad but now, there was no way she was going back.
Her grandmother was sick, and she needed her here, clues about her child were here and now, she had people she cared about here…
Her mind wandered from one place to the next until her skin began to prune. Lu AnLing decided it was best to step out of the shower.
Once out, she got dressed and then picked up her phone. She had seven unread messages; two were from Sheng, one from Xiao Mian, one from Lu Xia, two from Lu Shuya and one was from Madame Liu.
Two days before the Starlight Event, Lu AnLing had gotten a message from the woman at the lounge. Since then, she had not opened it. The only thing she could view was the beginning of the message that said,
"h.e.l.lo, Miss Lu, This is Madame Liu, I"m sending you this in order to inform you…"
Lu AnLing wasn"t curious to see whether she had gotten the job or not because she had planned to reject the offer anyway, but now that she found herself pretty much jobless she couldn"t help herself from pressing on the message.
Reading it, Lu AnLing heard her heartbeat in her ears.
"h.e.l.lo, Miss Lu,
This is Madame Liu, I"m sending you this in order to inform you that you have been chosen as Hotel Helio"s new lounge singer. Congratulations. If you wish you accept or reject this offer please send me a message before Sunday.
Best Regards, Madame Liu."
Feeling herself at a dead end, Lu AnLing took a deep breath and then she began to type.
"I accept."