Unexpected Second Chance at Love

At the same time, in another part of Imperial, Lu Corps stood imposing beneath the winter sky.

The towering building of steel and dark glass disappeared into heavy gray clouds, its sharp architecture seeming almost as cold as the weather surrounding it. Snow had yet to fall, but the scent of it already lingered in the air.

Inside, employees went about their afternoon as usual.

Phones rang.

Keyboards clicked.

Meetings continued behind glass walls.

Everything moved with the precision expected of one of Imperial’s most powerful corporations.

Yet on the highest floor, the atmosphere was entirely different.

Inside the CEO’s office, the air felt colder than the winter beyond the windows.

Lu Tian stood before the floor-to-ceiling glass.

A dark tailored suit fit his tall, powerful frame like a second skin.

The expensive fabric stretched neatly across his broad shoulders before tapering along his waist. His posture was perfectly straight, his hands clasped behind his back.

There was nothing relaxed about his stance.

He did not resemble a businessman admiring the city he controlled from above.

He looked like a commander surveying a battlefield.

Still.

Patient.

Waiting for someone to make the mistake of moving first.

His dark eyes traveled over the streets far below.

People moved like scattered dots between buildings. Cars crawled through intersections.

The entire city continued unaware of the suffocating pressure building inside the office high above it.

Several feet behind him stood Xu Long.

A thin layer of sweat had already formed beneath the collar of his shirt.

He didn’t dare wipe it away.

He didn’t even dare move unnecessarily.

The silence had stretched for so long that Xu Long could hear the ticking of the clock on the opposite wall.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Each second seemed louder than the last.

He swallowed.

Lu Tian had called him into the office nearly thirty minutes ago.

Thirty minutes.

Not a single word had been exchanged.

Xu Long would have preferred yelling.

At least yelling ended.

This silence was torture.

Then—

”Now is the time to come clean.”

Lu Tian’s deep voice finally broke through the room.

Xu Long’s heart dropped into his stomach.

Lu Tian did not turn.

His gaze remained on Imperial.

Only his head shifted slightly, revealing the sharp line of his profile.

”Xu Long.”

There was no anger in his voice.

That somehow made it worse.

Xu Long lowered his head. His palms had begun to sweat.

Did his boss find out?

He had genuinely believed he could hide this.

One week.

That was all he had promised Liu Shan and the others.

One week to investigate Liu Peng and Choi Li Sun.

If they uncovered nothing concrete by then, Xu Long would personally tell Lu Tian everything.

It had sounded reasonable last night.

This morning, he had walked into Lu Corps determined to behave exactly as he normally did.

He arrived on time.

Reviewed Lu Tian’s schedule.

Attended meetings.

Delivered reports.

Answered questions.

He had done everything he normally did.

Or at least, he thought he had.

How wrong he had been.

His boss was Lu Tian.

This was a man who could sit across from seasoned executives and know when they were bluffing before negotiations had even begun.

A man who noticed a hesitation that lasted half a second.

A misplaced glance.

A subtle change in breathing.

A hand tightening beneath a table.

And business was only one part of Lu Tian’s life.

There was another side of him.

A side most people in Imperial would never see.

When the government required someone for assignments that couldn’t be handled through ordinary channels, Lu Tian was the one they called.

Wolf Team did not follow him because he had money.

They followed him because he could command.

Because when situations turned violent, Lu Tian became frighteningly calm.

Xu Long had seen it before.

That was precisely why standing behind him now felt less like reporting to his CEO and more like being interrogated by the King of Hell himself.

Xu Long slowly clenched his fists.

”I’m sorry, Boss.”

Silence.

His throat tightened.

”But...”

He drew in a quiet breath.

”I can’t tell you.”

The temperature in the room seemed to plunge.

Xu Long immediately regretted his choice of words.

Lu Tian didn’t move.

Didn’t speak.

Didn’t even turn around.

Yet the pressure radiating from him suddenly became suffocating.

Xu Long’s back stiffened. Sweat was undoubtedly forming under his clothes.

A long second passed.

Then another.

Finally, Lu Tian’s fingers moved behind his back.

A tiny movement.

His thumb slowly brushed across one knuckle.

Xu Long knew him well enough to understand what it meant.

His boss was irritated.

Extremely irritated.

Lu Tian’s gaze remained on the city.

From the moment Xu Long entered the morning meeting, he had known something was wrong.

His assistant had been distracted.

Not obviously.

To anyone else, Xu Long had behaved normally.

But Lu Tian noticed everything.

During one report, Xu Long had paused half a second too long before answering.

During another, his attention had wandered.

Then their eyes had met.

Only briefly.

Xu Long had immediately looked away.

That single movement told Lu Tian everything he needed to know.

Something had happened.

Something Xu Long knew about.

Something serious enough that a man who had worked beside him for years was actively attempting to conceal it.

Lu Tian had said nothing during the meeting.

He had allowed Xu Long to continue.

Allowed him to believe his strange behavior had gone unnoticed.

Only after lunch did Lu Tian summon him.

Now, his gaze slowly lifted toward the sky.

Heavy gray clouds had gathered above Imperial.

The first few snowflakes began drifting past the windows.

”Does this involve Fate?”

Xu Long flinched.

It was small.

Almost imperceptible.

But Lu Tian saw it reflected in the glass.

Xu Long lifted his head.

”Yes.”

He wouldn’t lie.

Not now.

Lu Tian’s jaw tightened.

Barely.

”And my wife?”

The question came immediately.

Xu Long’s lips pressed together.

He suddenly wished Lu Tian had asked anything else.

His thoughts returned to Liu Shan’s condo.

How Liu Peng escaped when Fate entered Red Militant.

The surveillance footage.

Liu Peng entering the private room.

The coded knock.

The five men rushing Qi Li.

The luxury sedan disappearing into traffic.

Then—

The three men leaving the room.

The third man turning toward the surveillance camera.

Shoulder-length blond hair.

A jagged scar cutting across his right eye and down his cheek.

And a face that had made Liu Shan, Lin Hui, and Qi Li stare at the monitor as though someone had crawled out of a grave.

Lee Shin.

Except it wasn’t Lee Shin.

It was Choi Li Sun.

A man who had somehow changed his face until he resembled the man Fate knew.

A dead man.

Xu Long didn’t know what it meant.

He didn’t know whether Yue Ling was the target.

But there was no denying there was a connection.

”It’s not confirmed yet.”

Lu Tian went completely still.

Something changed in his eyes.

The darkness there deepened.

Xu Long immediately felt it.

He had seen that look before.

It was the expression Lu Tian wore when something threatened Yue Ling.

Not anger.

Something far colder.

Dangerous calculation.

Lu Tian’s wife was the one subject capable of stripping away the small amount of mercy he possessed.

”It’s not confirmed,” Lu Tian repeated.

His voice was low.

Xu Long swallowed.

”No, Boss.”

”Meaning there’s a possibility.”

Xu Long couldn’t deny it.

”Yes.”

The word had barely left his mouth when Lu Tian turned.

Slowly.

Xu Long instinctively straightened.

For the first time since entering the office, he was forced to face his boss directly.

Lu Tian’s expression was unreadable.

His dark eyes were not.

They were cold enough to make Xu Long feel as though every secret inside his head had been exposed.

Lu Tian took one step forward.

Then another.

His shoes struck the floor with quiet, measured sounds.

Xu Long resisted the instinct to step backward.

Lu Tian stopped several feet away.

”Is she in danger?”

Xu Long forced himself to meet his gaze.

”I don’t know.”

Silence.

A muscle moved once along Lu Tian’s jaw.

Xu Long quickly added, ”That’s what we’re trying to confirm.”

We’re.

Lu Tian caught the word immediately.

His eyes narrowed.

Xu Long realized his mistake.

Too late.

”So you’re not working alone.”

Xu Long said nothing.

Lu Tian stared at him.

The silence became oppressive again.

Xu Long could practically feel the questions forming behind his boss’s eyes.

Who else knew?

How long had they known?

Why had no one told him?

And most importantly—

Why was Yue Ling somehow involved?

Xu Long’s fingers curled at his sides.

”I gave them my word.”

Lu Tian’s gaze became colder.

”Your word.”

It wasn’t a question.

Xu Long nodded.

”One week.”

Lu Tian’s eyes sharpened.

Xu Long immediately realized he had revealed more than intended.

But he continued.

”I promised them one week to confirm what we’re dealing with.”

”And afterward?”

”If we still don’t have answers, I was going to tell you everything.”

Lu Tian stared at him for several long seconds.

Anyone else might have mistaken his silence for acceptance.

Xu Long knew better.

His boss was deciding whether to force the truth out of him.

Then Lu Tian spoke.

”Find out.”

Xu Long blinked.

”Boss?”

”I don’t care what agreement you’ve made.”

Lu Tian’s voice remained quiet.

That quietness made every word heavier.

”If this poses a threat to my wife, I want to know.”

His gaze hardened.

”Immediately.”

Xu Long straightened.

”Yes, Boss.”

”Not tomorrow.”

”Understood.”

”Not when your week is over.”

Xu Long swallowed.

”Yes.”

”The moment you confirm she’s involved, you come directly to me.”

Lu Tian stepped closer. His eyes locked onto Xu Long’s.

”You do not wait.”

The pressure became almost unbearable.

”You do not discuss whether I should be told.”

Xu Long’s expression turned serious.

”And you do not decide for me what information concerning my wife I should or shouldn’t know.”

Xu Long lowered his head.

”Understood.”

A long silence followed.

Then Lu Tian stepped away.

Xu Long finally breathed again.

”I’ll report to you the moment I know more.”

Lu Tian studied him.

He hated this.

Every instinct told him to order Xu Long to speak.

Now.

No promises.

No delays.

No secrets.

Especially not where his wife was concerned.

But Lu Tian knew his assistant.

Xu Long had followed him through situations where death had been a far more realistic outcome than survival.

He had never betrayed him.

Never deliberately endangered Yue Ling.

Never given Lu Tian a reason to doubt his loyalty.

If Xu Long was willing to stand before him visibly terrified yet still refuse to break his word, then whatever was happening involved people he trusted.

Lu Tian would give him that trust.

For now.

His expression remained cold.

”You’re dismissed.”

Xu Long immediately bowed.

”Yes, Boss.”

He turned toward the door.

His hand had just touched the handle when Lu Tian’s voice stopped him.

”Xu Long.”

His entire body stiffened.

He slowly looked back.

Lu Tian had returned to the window.

”If I discover you’ve withheld something that places my wife in danger...”

He paused.

Xu Long waited.

Lu Tian did not finish the threat.

He didn’t need to.

Xu Long’s throat went dry.

”I understand.”

He left.

The door closed quietly behind him.

For several seconds, Xu Long simply stood there.

Then—

”Haaa...”

He released the breath he had been holding and pressed one hand against his chest.

His heart was hammering.

He leaned his head back against the door.

”I thought I was going to die in there.”

Secretary Ye walking down the corridor glanced at him.

Xu Long immediately straightened.

”I’m fine.”

The woman hurried away.

Xu Long adjusted his tie and looked back at Lu Tian’s door.

The humor disappeared from his face.

”I won’t disappoint you.”

The words left him quietly.

Like an oath.

Then he headed toward his office.

Inside the CEO’s office, Lu Tian remained before the window.

Snow had begun falling steadily.

Tiny white flakes struck the glass before disappearing.

His reflection stared back at him.

Cold.

Expressionless.

Yet his thoughts were anything but calm.

’Fate.’

’His wife.’

’Not confirmed.’

His eyes narrowed.

Something was happening around his wife.

Something people close to her knew about.

And they had deliberately decided not to tell her.

The realization alone told Lu Tian something important.

Whatever it was, they weren’t only worried about Yue Ling’s safety.

They were worried about how she would react.

His jaw tightened.

What could possibly be serious enough for them to keep silent?

His phone rested on the desk behind him.

For one brief moment, he considered calling his wife.

He could hear her voice.

Ask if she had lunch yet.

Tell her he would pick her up earlier.

But he stopped himself.

If she knew nothing, he wouldn’t be the one to make her uneasy without a reason.

Not yet.

Besides, her grandfather and brother were visiting her with her mother’s dress.

His dark eyes returned to the snow-covered city.

”One week.”

The words were barely audible.

Xu Long might believe he had a week.

Lu Tian had never agreed to give him one.

Xu Long dropped into his chair and opened his laptop.

For several seconds, he merely stared at the screen.

Where did he even begin?

Liu Peng was a dead end.

They had lost him again.

Choi Li Sun was a dead end.

His whereabouts were unknown.

The two men seen leaving the private room with him had provided little useful information.

Even the sedan used to retrieve Liu Peng had led nowhere useful so far.

Xu Long rubbed his face.

”Think.”

There had to be something.

Liu Peng.

Choi Li Sun.

Red Militant.

The lounge bar.

The private room.

The men accompanying Choi.

What connected them?

Then another thought surfaced.

Xu Long’s hand slowly lowered.

’Lee Shin.’

He stared at the laptop.

The face.

That was the strangest piece of everything.

Choi Li Sun had people searching for him.

Changing his appearance made sense.

But why that appearance?

Why change his face to resemble a dead man?

And not just any dead man.

Someone Liu Shan, Lin Hui, and Qi Li knew instantly.

Someone connected directly to Yue Ling.

Xu Long sat straighter.

According to them, three years ago, Lee Shin died.

They had seen the body.

They had buried him.

Yet now Choi Li Sun was walking through Imperial wearing a face close enough to Lee Shin’s to shock the people who had known him.

Xu Long’s brows pulled together.

”Why him?”

His fingers slowly settled over the keyboard.

Why Lee Shin?

Did Choi Li Sun know him?

Had they crossed paths before his death?

Or was there something about Lee Shin himself that none of them knew?

Xu Long’s expression sharpened.

Maybe they had been searching in the wrong direction.

Everyone was looking for the living.

Liu Peng.

Choi Li Sun.

The unidentified men.

But perhaps the answer was hidden with someone who had already been dead for three years.

His fingers moved.

LEE SHIN

He pressed Enter.

The clicking of keys soon filled the office.

Xu Long searched archived records.

News reports.

Business registries.

Government databases he had access to.

Anything mentioning Lee Shin before his death.

One search became another.

Then another.

The outside world slowly disappeared.

He no longer noticed the snow thickening beyond his window.

He no longer heard employees passing in the corridor.

All he could see was the information appearing across his screen.

There had to be a connection.

A reason Choi Li Sun had chosen that particular face.

Because after what he had just endured in Lu Tian’s office, Xu Long was certain of one thing.

He needed answers.

Fast.

His fingers moved faster across the keyboard.

Somewhere inside the life of a man buried three years ago was a missing piece.

And Xu Long intended to find it before Lu Tian decided that his patience had run out.