Lu AnLing was going to go home and pick up the children.
It was already a bit late in the afternoon and Lu AnLing knew that at the Tang home, since Tang Bingyi and Elder Tang had been at work, that maybe only her father would be home. Lu AnLing wanted to see her father fast and so, after picking up the children, with the exception of Lu Yuxi who still lived at the Lu household, Lu AnLing had brought them to Fates Gate in order to pick up some sweets. She knew the kids wouldn't like it there due to how crowded it was but, Lu AnLing thought that the sweets would be a nice gift to bring to the Tang's.
Since it was late the place was not as packed as it usually was. Though there was still a few people there and this manifested itself into a very long line. Seeing this, Lu AnLing, along with Rong Xin, who accompanied her, made sure to keep watch over the children.
Looking at the time, Lu AnLing said, "It's a bit late, I think you should go pick up Yuxi, I'll wait to order the cakes."
Kang Mei Xue: "I want to go with Xin! I want to see Yuxi."
Hearing this, Lu AnLing exchanged looks with Rong Xin and then she nodded. She then turned to Kang Mingyu who stoood close to her and said, "What about you, cutie?"
The boy shook his head.
Kang Mingyu: "I want to stay with you."
With that said, everything was decided and so, Rong Xin and Kang Mei Xue left.
It took a very very long time for Lu AnLing and Kang Mingyu to get to the front where they could order.
At the counter, when Lu AnLing was ordering the sweets, the boy who had been holding himself back said, "Mommy, I need to pee!"
Lu AnLing was busy ordering so she hadn't heard the boy's voice, but assuming that she had heard, Kang Mingyu left her side and maneuvered his way to the bathroom.
After a small bit, Lu AnLing had finished ordering.
"I got you some chocolate ca—" Lu AnLing began to say, but then she laid eyes on the empty space by her side.
Not seeing Kang Mingyu behind her made Lu AnLing's whole body freeze and her throat dry. Her first instinct was to scream and look around briskly but at first, she couldn't move at all. But then, with a sudden jerk, the woman began to run.
"Mingyu! Kang Mingyu, where are you!?" Lu AnLing screamed as she looked around.
Every second that passed Lu AnLing felt her breath getting sharper and her whole body ripping apart and only the worst came to mind.
Kang Mingyu had been kidnapped?!
The whole Kang family wouldn't forgive her...
Kang Jun would hate her! She would never seen him again! Why hadn't she been watching him properly?!
Lu AnLing wanted to die as she called to the boy one more time, her throat burning, "Kang Mingyu!"
But with that last scream, Kang Mingyu appeared from the crowd and said, "Mommy?"
Seeing his small chubby figure and hearing his soft spoken voice, Lu AnLing dropped to her knees right in front of the boy and then she checked the boy if he had any wounds. When she saw that the boy was completely safe, Lu AnLing almost burst into tears as she brought him into a hug.
"Mommy, what's wrong?!" Kang Mingyu said with worry, but Lu AnLing didn't answer his questions. She just continued to hold him and breathed in his sweet milky scent.
After a small bit, she pulled the boy away from her.
Realizing the girls red eyes, Kang Mingyu felt his world freeze.
"Baby, never leave my side, again! I was so worried about you." Lu AnLing said but they sounded more like sobs.
Hearing this, Kang Mingyu's heart broke and so he touched Lu AnLing's face lovingly and then, the boy began to cry,
"I...I'm sorry m-mommy!" The boy said as he cried.
Seeing this, Lu AnLing felt bad. She had scared the boy, and so she held the boy to her heart and said, "I know baby, I'm sorry I scared you..."
The two held each other for a moment, without letting go, suddenly, a voice called from behind.
"Miss Lu?" A familiar voice said.
Hearing this, Lu AnLing froze for a moment.
Once Lu AnLing turned around and she laid eyes on the man's face, which bore a familiar scar, Lu AnLing couldn't believe her eyes.
Lu AnLing: "Zeke? What are you doing here?"
***
It had been more than a week since Tang Yiling had gone to find comfort at Ning Jie's house.
And in more than a week, none of her family members, excluding Tang Luoyi, had called to check up on her.
This fact gnawed at the girls mind until she was broken and numb.
Tang Yiling finally knew that she was not loved. She was not special. She wasn't even her father's daughter! And this devastated her. It broke her heart to a point when she had been crazy enough to ruin her relationship with the Tang's almost completely.
Remembering how she'd flown into a rage and almost attacked Lu AnLing made her mind blur. She knew she had bit stupid, and she had realized that as soon as she had felt her arm hurt but what truly pained her was the distinct image of Tang Yian wrapping his arms protectively around Lu AnLing.
Her father!... no...
The thought made Tang Yiling become pissed but, she had no right, but other than that it hurt her heart.
Tang Yian wasn't her father...
This thought got her mind thinking.
If Lu AnLing was a Tang then what was she? Was she a fake? Tang Yiling worries about this... The Tang's were the only family she had. What would happen if she lost them completely? She'd just be a lame, forgettable orphan... she worried about her life; her future, but worrying was useless.
She was worthless and now, The Tang's now had a shiny new toy with the name Lu AnLing to play with. One who was a true Tang, and this was a fact.
These thoughts had swarmed her mind day and night.
When Tang Yiling had first gotten to Ning Jie's place and had explained what had happened, Ning Jie had given Tang Yiling a pitying look. The girl could not console her because as much as she wanted to make her friend feel better, she couldn't quite work up the courage to lie to the girl and tell her that she hadn't made a horrible mistake.
But Tang Yiling wasn't the only one who had made a mistake...
Ever since she had won Trailblazers, Ning Jie had felt empty. She had thought that winning over Lu AnLing would make her world feel whole again but after winning she had never felt more empty.
At first, Ning Jie didn't know why but after a small bit of contemplating she had noticed that it was because every win or loss she had ever experienced in the entertainment industry, Manager Hong had been there... but now, she wasn't... and this wasn't Lu AnLing's fault. Ning Jie realized this; It was her own. She had driven Manager Hong away and this pained Ning Jie.
And so, with depressing thoughts in their minds, the girls just sat on the couch, unmoving, watching whatever there was on TV.
Watching their pity party for what seemed like the ten thousandth day, Lin Li, who had been with them the whole time, had had enough. Picking up an empty latte cup, Lin Li threw it towards the girls and said,
"That's enough! I'm sick and tired of you two!"
Lin Li's mind felt like it was going to explode. After the two girls had managed to win the Trailblazers competition she had thought that her life as a manager would have simplified but when the contest was over, laziness had overtaken Ning Jie, who would not do anything related to music, unless it included flirting with men!
How Manager Hong had gotten Ning Jie to work had really eluded Lin Li...
"If you guys want to be trash, so be it, but understand that if you stay like this nothing will ever be fixed. Ning Jie, you'll still be fighting with Manager Hong and Tang Yiling, your family and you will never make up! Don't just stay there like bumps on logs, do something for Christ sake, or else, I'll go crazy and so will you two!" Lin Li said loudly, almost screaming. By the time she gotten to the end, she was breathing heavily. After saying this, her eyes examined the two girls on the couch, who no longer sported blank looks and she said, "Now, are you guys going to do anything about this!"
"We know that we need to do something... but how do we do that..." Tang Yiling said with annoyance as Ning Jie nodded.
Hearing this, Lin Li couldn't held herself but to put her hands on her hips and roll her eyes.
"Are you both stupid? You go talk about it with those you hurt and apologize!" Lin Li said with annoyance and exasperation. "It's your job to fix this."
By now, she didn't care about if Ning Jie would get Manager Hong back or about Tang Yiling's life, she just wanted the two to get off their asses.
If she could do that, she'd feel like she succeeded.
And just as she thought this, Tang Yiling pushed herself up and said,
"You're right..."