Fates Gate was a quaint little coffee shop with not enough place for the sheer amount of people who visited it on the daily.
To get inside there was a long line that extended a little beyond another shop, but Kang Jun completely ignored the line and walked inside. It was to order anyways and he wasn't planning on ordering anything.
He made his way inside, slightly shoving those who were blocking the doorway.
Feeling the shoves, some people began to complain but once they saw Kang Jun, they felt his regality like a slap in the face and when they examined what the man was wearing they quickly shut their mouths.
Despite the fact that they couldn't put their finger on who exactly he was, they could tell he was a tier above anyone in the room.
He had the presence of a king or a god.
Once Kang Jun stepped foot into the place he suddenly felt his body turn rigid. There were way too many people inside and he hated feeling the touch of others, even if it was on accident. As he maneuvered around the people he felt someone brush up against him causing a wave of nausea to wash over him and with nausea, brought his wrath.
Kang Jun began to glare, and a cold air began to resonate from his body.
Feeling this, some people backed away from him, bumping into other people in the room through most of the people in the room didn't react. They were longtime customers after all. Around noon to five, Fates Gate could become worse than rush hour traffict.
Kang Jun couldn't take being in such an enclosed space with so many people for too long so he quickly began to search the room for Qiao Lan.
Despite the room being packed with people, Kang Jun knew that It wouldn't be too long before he laid eyes on the woman.
She was hard to miss.
Though it wasn't because of her beauty. In fact, Kang Jun had always found her pretty average. He had been surrounded by women like Qiao Lan since he was a child; pretty, and bratty with a knack for choosing clothing that suited them and applying makeup that accentuated all their good parts.
To him Qiao Lan was a normal socialite.
But to others, she was not just any socialite, but a socialite of the Kang family. That gave her rights and powers far beyond those of a normal rich girl.
Because of that, people treated her like the finest jade, causing Qiao Lan to grow into more of an insufferable brat.
Searching the room, Kang Just came across Qiao Lan's figure sitting by a window with Mei Xue to her right and Mingyu right across from her.
Both kids faces were slightly pale.
A man was hovering at their table, serving them with a smile.
"Mrs. Kang, here's what you ordered. Would you like anything else? Remember, anything you need, I'll be glad to serve you." The young waiter sucked up to her.
Qiao Lan began to giggle. "Thank you so much."
Seeing as she didn't answer his question the waiter assumed that she might want something else so he didn't leave.
There were plenty of other people around waiting to be served but Qiao Lan was the most important in his eyes.
Some people around them were getting annoyed but once they heard the words 'Mrs. Kang' they quickly turned their attentions elsewhere. They didn't want to stare or do anything to offend the Mistress of the Kang Family.
They did not have a death wish.
The Kang family had always been secretive. There were a limited amount of people who knew how the sons of the Kang family looked like. Even the illegitimate children kept themselves out of the spotlight. There was only one of them who could easily be recognized but Qiao Lan took that do another lever. She broke the tradition of the Kang Family and increased her appearances after getting married and spent her time telling people of her title.
A title Kang Jun didn't believe she deserved.
Kang Jun walked over to her. As he approached, his cold aura announced his arrival. But being unafraid and use to it as she was, Qiao Lan didn't turn to face Kang Jun until he arrived at the table.
"We need to talk." Kang Jun pretended as if the waiter didn't exist.
Seeing Kang Jun, Mingyu's eyes glistened. Since before, he had been sitting at the table far from Qiao Lan and Mei Xue picking at his food but not eating a single bite.
Qiao Lan didn't make a move.
"Qiao Lan, Now."
Kang Jun spoke to her like he would speak to a naughty kid or worse, as he would speak to an employee. Hearing this, Qiao Lan's anger was beginning to flare, but as a lady, she wouldn't react in public.
Seeing the man walk up to Qiao Lan and speak to her with no respect, the waiter was shocked.
How could this man speak to 'Mrs. Kang' like that?
He was courting death.
Of course, the waiter could see that Kang Jun was no ordinary man but he believed that Kang Jun couldn't possibly be any more important that the mistress of the Kang household.
Weighing the pros and cons, the waiter spoke.
"How dare you speak to her like that? Don't you know who she is? Mrs. Kang is the sole heiress of the Kang Family. Watch your tongue!" The waiter sneered. He spoke to protect Qiao Lan's pride but also because he hoped that by doing this he could gain a bit of favor with the Mistress of the Kang household and in turn, the Kang family.
On any other day, if he was talking back to any other person, that might have been the case but he was speaking to Kang Jun...
The man who was most likely to become the true heir of the Kang's.
He thought that Kang Jun had been courting death? He was sadly mistaken. It was actually he who did such a thing.
At first, Kang Jun was planning to ignore the man. He wasn't worth his time anyways but hearing him speak such vile words made Kang Jun's aura darken considerably.
Who was Mrs. Kang?
Who was the sole heiress of the Kang family?
Surely not Qiao Lan.
Who had decided that?
Turning to look at the man with a cold glare, Kang Jun didn't speak. His aura screamed, 'do you even know who I am?'. The waiter's blood began to go cold. Being under Kang Jun's glare was like being stuck in an ice storm but he didn't take the hint and still wouldn't shut up.
"Apologize to Mrs. Kang right now." The waiter said, trying his best not to stutter.
Kang Jun scoffed: "I refuse."
Waiter: "W-what?"
Kang Jun didn't repeat himself. He just stared at the man. That was the most he would say. He didn't want to waste more of his breath.
If the man didn't leave him be, Kang Jun would destroy him with no second thought. Testing him, Kang Jun controlled his aura to make himself seem slightly less frightening.
Suddenly, the waiters face began to redden with rage. He was going to speak again.
No one around them dared to look their way. They could feel Kang Jun's oppressive aura but fear prevented them from gazing upon his face.
Seeing the scene unfold, Qiao Lan smirked. She then pushed herself up from her chair and put herself between the two men.
She turned her attention to Kang Jun.
"Okay, Jun, it's best to stop teasing the waiter. You're scaring him." Qiao Lan said in a coquettish voice. She purposely didn't say 'Kang Jun' not to cause a scene but also to keep the attention on herself.
The illusive Kang Jun had appeared at a coffee shop. What a good piece of news that would be. But Qiao Lan wouldn't have it.
If they knew that the man who had walked into Fates Gate was THE Kang Jun, they would try to sneak a picture and gossip about him, which in the end would just force Kang Corporation to use their PR to destroy all traces of the events that transpired and Qiao Lan didn't want that.
Smiling, she dismissed the waiter then turned to Kang Jun.
"What do you want?" Qiao Lan said, commandingly.
"Out. Now." Kang Jun didn't like wasting his breath on her or her condescending tone.
Who gave her the right to speak to him like that?
Not turning back, he began to walk out and Qiao Lan followed after telling Mei Xue to stay put. Though even if she didn't It was okay to leave the kids by themselves because in the coffee shop there were a few bodyguards dressed as civilians.
Outside, Kang Jun and Qiao Lan walked over to a quieter place. There were many people around but they ignored the pair. They were too busy concentrating on what to order once they entered Fates Gate.
Though some people turned to stare at Qiao Lan strangely. This was because of her looks and their location the people had mistaken Qiao Lan for a small-time celebrity.
If she had known their thoughts she would have been angered.
Qiao Lan: "Now, what do you want?"
"Give me Mingyu" Kang Jun didn't beat around the bush or mince his words.
A disturbed look flashed across Qiao Lan's face. It was a mix of anger and fear, but not the type born out of motherly love. It was something different that even she didn't know how to explain.
"Who are you to take him away from me?" Qiao Lan didn't hold back her voice. Thank god for the sound of traffic or else, many people would have turned to look their way.
Kang Jun: "I'm not taking anyone away, yet. I'm giving you the chance to let him go willingly."
"Oh, you're saying that he will choose to leave me? I doubt it. I'm his mother. He would always choose his mother." Qiao Lan scoffed.
'You're no one's mother, Qiao Lan.' Looking at her made Kang Jun's head throb. The woman was toxic and he couldn't understand her at all.
They sounded like a mother and a father fighting over the custody of their child but in this instant, Kang Jun found that Qiao Lan resembled a kid fighting over a toy, instead.
Unlike Qiao Lan, Kang Jun was calm and composed. Not even allowing his voice to raise.
"I just came here to tell you that I'm not holding back anymore." He said.
Qiao Lan felt her nails dig into her palms. "Whether you hold back or not you will not win against me."
Win?
This wasn't a game.
At the moment it seemed that only Kang Jun noticed that.
Every time he found himself talking to Qiao Lan the more he would have to admit that he didn't understand her train of thought. He understood her personality and her temper well but her brain was too complicated for anyone to decipher.
A part of him believed that she herself didn't understand it.
When analyzing the situation, many people would have thought that what Kang Jun had done was stupid and senseless, but it wasn't.
He always did extensive research on his enemies and when it came to Qiao Lan it was much easier than any normal enemy. They'd grown up together and when she married into the family, everyone had seen it coming from a mile away
He had long determined the best ways to deal with her and since the beginning, he'd always known the best way to fight against Qiao Lan but he never made a decisive move.
That was because...
The problem always lied with him.
Before today, he wasn't sure if it was the best for Mingyu to be by his side. He wasn't confident enough to provide warmth for the child since his specialty was cold.
Kang Jun wasn't afraid that Qiao Lan would go and take Mingyu away before the three months was done either. He knew for a fact that she couldn't just take Mingyu away without Elder Kang's permission and because of the deal between the two of them, Elder Kang would do all in his power to make sure Qiao Lan remained in the country for at least three months.
Though it was never Kang Jun's style to act in the shadows.
He wasn't completely sure he would be able to marry before 3 months but he would do whatever possible to get Mingyu by his side and the sooner the better.
Kang Jun felt as if a wall around his heart had fully tumbled down and the chains that once restricted him had broken.
He was free to act as he wished.
A new found fire had ignited inside him. One he had thought he had lost long ago.