AnLing couldn't help but take a step back.
Her head instinctively ducked as a nurse passed by her.
Something was wrong... The boy could sense it. He looked up to AnLing and then his face began to pale, matching hers, as soon as he saw her. They stared at each other blankly.
AnLing could see the small tears forming at the edges of his eyes.
'Shit!'
What had she gotten herself into?
AnLing wanted to spin 180 degrees on her heel and run back towards where she had come but the teary-eyed boy at her feet prevented her from taking desperate measures.
She had to pull herself together, at least for the moment.
AnLing pushed her glasses, which had been on the end of her nose, back in place, took a big breath and steadied herself before bending down once more.
"Don't worry. Auntie will help you find your parents."
AnLing wanted to call herself sister, but she just didn't feel right calling herself that, though auntie didn't sound right either. She was something in the middle but she lacked the time to think of a better way for him to call her.
The boy looked at her, his expression as broken as she had felt moments ago.
AnLing: "Can you tell me your name?"
The boy began to quiver.
AnLing examined him well. Something was wrong but she didn't want to reach for him too suddenly. She didn't belong in this ward and she knew if she made one bad move and he started crying, it would be the end of her. So, she decided to take things slowly and cautiously.
AnLing brought her hand to his head and stroked his fluffy hair. Feeling the warmth of his head AnLing began to worry a bit.
Did he have a fever… or was it normal for a kids temperature to be this high?
Should she call someone to have the child checked?
With every person that passed by, AnLing noticed the boy sway away from them. It was just slightly but enough for her to pick up on it.
This made her rethink her previous plan.
She wasn't sure what to do next so she didn't say a word as the child tried to gather himself. She patiently looked at the boy as she tried to calm her own nerves. Without her realizing, her look softened. The expression of the boy, who had been staring at her the whole time, mimicked hers.
The more time they spent in this staring contest the calmer they both seemed to become until it felt like the only people in the ward where just the two of them.
From the other end of the ward, Kang Jun had walked in after searching the rest of the floor. Though, to his surprise, the person who he'd been searching was right in front of him.
Kang Jun was about to go over to him, but after seeing AnLing, he stopped and began to stare at the pair strangely. There was confusion and a slight bit of worry in his eyes but his demeanor remained unchanged as he patiently waited for the inevitable interaction between the boy and the bespectacled woman, who he remembered clearly from the airport.
AnLing smiled sweetly at the boy.
"We will find your family, I promise."
AnLing held her hand out to the boy who took it without a second thought.
Sometimes, building trust wasn't about words or spending a long amount of time with a person. Trust is built upon the safety you feel when with another person.
The pair walked over to a nurse. AnLing wasn't sure what she was going to say but she was going to find the boys parents. She had promised after all... but before they could reach the nurse, a piercing voice broke through the crowded hospital.
"Kang Mingyu!" The woman screamed.
Everyone turned to look its way, including AnLing.
Behind them, AnLing could see a tall slender woman wearing all designer clothing looking around as she pulled along a young girl who was her spitting image. Her face was cold but beautiful, so much so, that AnLing paused to look at the woman in awe.
Holding her hand the boy turned to look towards the woman and squeezed AnLing's hand slightly.
"ugh…" He uttered.
AnLing looked down at the boy who looked at the woman with a strange expression she couldn't understand. They looked slightly alike but not too much. The boy didn't make another sound.
At that moment AnLing realized the boy wore designer clothing himself. She looked at the other people in the ward and saw that most of them were wearing common clothing.
AnLing was convinced that this boy must have been some type of young master.
'Wow, that's your mommy?!' AnLing couldn't help but internally scream.
The situation had become a hundred times worse.
"Is that your mom?" AnLing asked, her voice as calm as it always was, masking her inner turmoil.
The boy didn't look back at AnLing. He just continued to stare but he didn't nod
A part of AnLing hoped that it wasn't his mom. By the looks of her, she was quite troublesome and AnLing didn't want to get chewed out today, but despite not answering her, the boy looked at the woman with a complex expression.
AnLing bent down beside the boy. She patted his head once more.
Feeling her touch, Mingyu turned to her.
"Go over to your mom. She seems… worried." AnLing said as she continued to pat his head gently.
Mingyu looked deep within her eyes.
AnLing felt something stir within her but she brushed it aside. The boy continued to wear the strange expression. He didn't seem like he was in a hurry to go back to his mother but AnLing felt a threat to her survival as the woman walked closer and closer towards them.
She had to act fast, or else.
"Look, I don't know what fight you had with your mom but take it from someone who knows, it's best to try to make up with the ones you love you rather than running away from them." AnLing wasn't sure if the boy understood what she was hinting at, so she added. "If you're a man, you shouldn't keep a lady waiting."
Mingyu looked at her and nodded. He gave AnLing a bow before running towards the woman. When she saw him she looked at him with an indescribable expression and then she bent down to hold him in one arm, the other hand was reserved for the little girl to hold.
AnLing breathed a sigh of relief until the realization set in.
She was still in the maternity ward...
Her throat began to burn. She couldn't take being there anymore so she ran out, accidentally bumping into Kang Jun, who had been staring at her the whole time.
His sweet scent filled her body. It was just a whiff but the familiar smell filled her heart; it was like breathing in a meadow of flowers on the most beautiful spring day.
Her heart almost skipped a beat.
Shocked, AnLing pushed herself away from him and stumbled back.
Believing that she was going to fall, Kang Jun acted fast. He reached for her and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Are you alright?" He asked both concerned and playfully as he looked down at her.
AnLing didn't look to meet his gaze but she could hear a smile in his voice.
Right now, all she could concentrate on was the fact that the man wore a very very expensive suit. AnLing had noticed this on the first contact. Seeing the suit made her heart fall into her stomach. He was not someone she could afford to offend. She backed away from him.
Her flushed face began to darken.
What if he was one of those aristocrats who hated touching commoners? Not that she was a commoner, but to anyone, she would look like one next to him.
She wore a plain white shirt and ripped jeans. For the first time, she felt ashamed by her taste in clothes.
AnLing looked up a bit but she didn't meet his eyes.
She believed that It would be a mistake for her to expose her face to this powerful man so she didn't, and before she ran away, she bowed and muttered a small apology before disappearing down the hall.
Kang Jun stared at her figure as it disappeared from his sight.
He stood there a moment still staring down the hallway after she had left. It was as if he was staring into an abyss.
His face was blank.
Anyone who looked at him would wonder what thoughts were playing around in his mind. A curious smile tugged at his lips but he refused to allow it to fully manifest.
He was not alone, so it was best to keep his public persona, but a part of him wanted to chase after AnLing. It was his second time meeting her and both times she hadn't acted as people usually did when they meet him.
Other than that he had the strangest feeling as if he had seen her before... Before the airport that is, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. He dwelt on it for a small while but nothing came to mind.
He then turned to the man who walked his way. It was his secretary, Mr. Long.
"Are the plans set for tonight."
Mr. Long gave his boss a quizzical, yet slightly worried look, but still replied, "Yes sir."
Mr. Long had been searching for the little young master until just a while ago. When he finally made his way back to the maternity ward he had seen a sight that made his blood run cold.
A girl had dared to touch his boss! He was worried about how they would both react. It had been a long time since he'd seen a person brazen enough to do what the girl had done. In the past, many people had tried to cop an 'accidental' feel, but most of them had been treated with disgust and contempt or worse...
Unlike those other times though, the girl had left without so much as a second look. He wanted to probe the matter but he had been at this job for a while and knew that it was best for him to keep quiet.
The secretary sighed.
"Kang Jun!" the beautiful woman called.
Upon hearing her voice, all warmth within Kang Jun dissipated. He looked at her coldly before he made his way to her side.
The woman held a fidgetting Mingyu in her arms.
When the boy laid eyes on the tall figure. His eyes glazed over, but he didn't cry or smile. His expression was as blank as the man's in front of him. They didn't look too similar in appearance either but the aura around them both was almost identical.
The boy reached his hands towards the man, begging to be held.
As they stood side by side, Mr. Long couldn't help but want to distance himself from the family. They were way too beautiful. They looked like they had come out of a painting...
He got his wish when Kang Jun dismissed him.
Kang Jun: "Go get the car."
Once Mr. Long was out of earshot, Kang Jun's cold demeanor grew colder and the woman's sweet smile disappeared.
Kang Jun: "I told you to be more responsible"
The woman looked at the Kang Jun and then towards Mingyu and crossed her arms over her chest.
The people around them just stared at the man and the woman as they spoke with low voices. No normal person could hear or feel the contempt and tension that seeped out of their polite speech.
All anyone saw was their beauty...
Ignoring the storm brewing below the surface.