Once he arrived, Kang Jun parked across the street, right beside the Halo Stars Entertainment building. He gazed at the building for a little while, feeling his heart beat hard against his ribcage.
He couldn't get out of the car.
He just thought.
When he first left the office the first thought that came into his mind was that he wanted to drive straight to where AnLing was. Though he wasn't sure what he would have done once he had gotten there. He couldn't simply walk into the building and find her.
She seemed like the type who hated attention and that would attract a lot of it. Though he couldn't deny himself any longer. He just wanted to see her and talk to her face to face... but it wouldn't have been a good idea, mostly because the media was there.
So, instead, he had decided to go find Qiao Lan and clarify two things he wanted to for a long time.
Both of them requiring him to see Mingyu.
Since Mingyu was young he was always a great kid. He was calm and composed, albeit a bit sickly, but unfortunately for him, he had landed in the hands of Qiao Lan. In truth, it wouldn't have been so bad if Kang Jun's older brother was still alive, but as things were now, he did not want to leave Mingyu in Qiao Lan's hands.
Ever since her marriage into the Kang family, Qiao Lan had been a perfect lady in front of the majority of the family members but he knew her better than that. He had gone to school with her, after all.
He clearly knew that the woman couldn't be responsible for anyone, not even herself.
And when it came to taking care of kids, he noticed she was barely qualified. Though she treated both of them differently.
Mei Xue's experience with Qiao Lan was different. Kang Jun wasn't sure if it was because she was a girl but Qiao Lan treated Mei Xue like a princess. As for Mingyu, Qiao Lan went from one extreme to the other but on most days she bordered on indifference.
Seeing the way Mingyu acted with AnLing during dinner made Kang Jun's heart warm. The usually reserved boy had spoken and eaten jovially which Kang Jun had rarely seen.
It felt right and finally, he understood that sometimes things got to a point where a person could no longer stay on the sidelines. A time where words no longer held much weight and action must be taken.
The only reason he was able to gain this courage was due to one person.
AnLing.
Though she didn't really do anything. It was more of an indirect connection.
AnLing was the first person Kang Jun ever liked romantically.
In the past, he had been engaged twice by order of his parents but due to certain circumstances, Kang Jun had annulled them both. His parents were rightfully angry and disappointed but believing it to be a childish whim, his parents accepted.
Back then he'd been in his 20's but time quickly began to tick away and now he was in his 30's and his parents wanted him to get married even more than before. They even went so far as to set up random blind dates disguised as business dates.
This annoyed Kang Jun to the core.
Everyone in the Kang family was beginning to pressure him into getting married but he never had any interest in marriage or relationships, including many familial ones, until now.
He wasn't sure what attracted him to AnLing but that didn't mean that the attraction wasn't there.
For the first time, he could see himself loving someone forever and being by someone's side.
Never had he ever felt that way before.
In the past, as much as he hated to admit it, he had to agree with Elder Kang.
Kang Jun had always been the type of person to be cold and disconnected. If he had taken Mingyu in his previous state he couldn't say with certainty that the boy would have a better life than he did in Qiao Lan's care.
He would most likely spend many days alone, as Kang Jun spent the majority of his free time working or planning for work.
But now it was different.
Love had a way of melting even the coldest of men.
Kang Jun could say with certainty that what he felt for AnLing was love. He could tell the day his heart skipped a beat when she had bumped into him at the hospital and he could see that AnLing liked him also but he wasn't sure about the extent.
That scared him a little and as he sat in the car gazing out the window, he knew that he didn't have much time to get her to fall in love with him.
It was way too early to tell the extent of her feelings but at the same time, he felt as if he would never be able to get her to fall in love with him enough for her to want to marry him.
Let alone in three months.
The uneasiness began to eat him alive.
However, he refused to use underhanded methods that some of the rich men used to get women into their beds. He wanted to show her respect and allow her to make her own decisions based on what was right for her.
No matter the outcome, he would have to prepare himself for a battle.
Gathering his resolve, Kang Jun got out of the car and walked towards the coffee shop. He needed to confront both Qiao Lan and Mingyu first. He needed to make his intentions clear.
It was time for Kang Jun to declare war.
****
It had been around thirty minutes since Manager Hong and Ning Jie had begun fighting and they were beginning to tire themselves out.
Already, Manager Hong was in tears and Ning Jie, out of breath.
As she watched them, AnLing held her head in her heads and yawned. That day was supposed to be a simple day where they just came to work, and let Ning Jie get interviewed a few times as they silently watched the scene unfold but life never seemed to be that simple.
"I'm tired of fighting with you." Ning Jie whined. Tears began to form in her eyes but she refused to cry.
"Then stop trying to piss me off." Manager Hong sighed as she plopped down on the sofa.
Looking at the two tired women would make a person believe that they had done some strenuous exercise. Seeing them in that state, both AnLing and Lin Li knew that the worst was over and that calmness would soon be fully restored.
Manager Hong and Ning Jie had been together for so long that they'd already reached a point where no matter how much they fought they never hated each other and always forgave one another.
It was a relationship unique to them.
It was pretty amazing to the spectators.
AnLing found it very beautiful also. She'd never gotten to that point of having a special connection in any of her relationships. Everyone she was close to was loved by her but not to the point where she could love them regardless of their flaws. She could accept them, but loving them was a completely different thing.
For a moment, the whole room grew quiet. Everyone was tired already, be it physically or mentally, despite being only midday.
Noticing the low morale, AnLing knew what to do. She stood up and said,
"Do you guys want something from Fates Gate?"
Fates Gate was the coffee shop next door. They were famous for having the most delicious pastries and coffee in the whole area. The only downfall was that everyone at Halo Stars went there, so the prices were ridiculously high.
Hearing the words 'Fates Gate' caused Ning Jie's face to brighten up.
"Yes yes! Get me the usual and can you get me some small pastries. You chose whichever you like best, I like anything sweet."
Seeing Ning Jie smile for the first time since they'd entered the room, Manager Hong couldn't help but smile herself.
"Make sure to not bring back too many, you don't want Ning Jie to get fat do you?" Manager Hong giggled.
Suddenly, Ning Jie's face turned red.
"You're such a bitch."
"I'm your manager if I wasn't a bitch, how would you survive in this industry?"
Watching Ning Jie and Manager Hong joke around, both AnLing and Lin Li smiled. As the two friends continued to banter happily, Lin Li turned to look at AnLing and gave her a thumbs up.
Lin Li: "There's going to be too much for one person to carry. I'll come with you."