An hour later, Zhang Liling and Mr. Fang went down for breakfast together.
After having a light meal, they got ready to leave for the airport.
Almost, Zhang Liling wasn't able to finish her food even though she served herself a little quantity, but Mr. Fang had to force her to finish it.
"I know you are probably still feeling sad, but you have to eat a little more. Your flight is a long one, and you may not be served good food on the plane."
With his urging and caring gaze monitoring her, she had no choice but to listen to him.
Finally when she was done eating and it was time to leave, she bade farewell to the butler and the housekeeper.
Butler Gu helped her to roll out her luggage, but when they all stepped outside, they saw Bolin and Chuanli waiting next to the black Rolls-Royce.
Immediately, Bolin stepped forward to take the luggage from him and rolled it away till he got the back of the car.
After putting it away in the trunk of the car, he came to stand beside the car door, ready to open it.
"Miss Zhang!" Chuanli called out calmly as he took a few steps forward. He only stopped when he came to stand in front of her.
"Hello, Dr. Li," Zhang Liling greeted with a small smile.
She was surprised to see him and wondered if he had an appointment with Mr. Fang, but to her speculation, he gave her a response that explained his presence.
"I heard what happened and had to come over. I'm sorry about your mother's health. Do you know the details of her illness, maybe I can offer my assistance from here?"
As a doctor, he couldn't look past the health challenge her mother was going through. It was his habit to concern himself with stuff related to it.
Without letting her responsd, Mr. Fang interjected. "She doesn't know the details yet. Gradually, she will be able to learn the details related to it."
Zhang Liling felt touched with Chuanli's concern and thanked him with gratefully.
"Thank you Dr. Li, for taking care of me and looking after me." She said with a small bow.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtChuanli smiled at her and waved his hands about in front of his face. "It was no trouble at all. Do take care of yourself over there. Don't be unhappy. If there is anything you don't understand, you can reach out to me. I can always offer my assistance from here."
"Thank you," Zhang Liling replied in understanding.
Mr. Fang glanced between the two of them before taking her hand and leading her away.
"You don't want to miss your flight do you?" He said, in a bid to explain the reason he had to take her away.
A smile played at the corner of Chuanli's lips as he turned around and followed behind them.
Before and after getting into the car, Zhang Liling waved at butler Gu and Ms. Chu who stood from a short distance and waved at her.
Feeling nostalgic, she turned her face away and covered her face with her palms.
Seeing her getting emotional of a sudden, Mr. Fang who was sitting next to her failed to understand the reason.
He had to glance through the tinted window of his side to glance at the Butler and the Housekeeper to see what was there.
'Is she missing them already?' he thought.
Feeling the need to know the sudden change in her emotions, he asked, "What is it? Why are you crying again?"
Bolin who was in the driver's seat glanced at her through the rear-view mirror, while Chuanli who was sitting comfortably in the front passenger seat had to turn his gaze behind in curiousity.
Both men felt pity for her and could relate to the pain and agony she must be going through.
They were both aware that her mother was the only family member who cared for her, and she was the only person that had shown her maternal love since she came into the world.
It would be hard for her not to get emotional because of her current health challenges.
Gradually, Zhang Liling released her hands from her face. Her eyes were teary, but thankfully, they were not red and not tear had dropped yet.
"Miss Zhang, are you fine?" Bolin who was yet to speak to her since he saw her, asked while peering at her from the driver's seat.
Nodding, she hurriedly tried to explain. "I'm fine. I'm just feeling nostalgic now that I'm leaving Mr. Fang's place."
"Why? You don't want to leave?" Chuanli inquired with a curious gaze.
At that question, a smile finally appeared on her face, waving half of the sadness away.
"Apart from my mother's house in Paris, Mr. Fang's villa is the next place that makes me feel at home. In my 4 years of living with my father and his family, I had never felt that way."
'Oh...'
'That's why she is reluctant to leave?'
Her response was touching. Imagine leaving a place you have known all your to come to a far away City to continue your education, only to receive a contrasting treatment from before?
That must have been hard for her to take. No wonder she never wanted to leave Mr. Fang's place, apart from not wanting to lose her chance in winning him over.
Mr. Fang, not liking the mood in the car, decided to liven things a bit.
Staring at her, he asked as his brows arched, "Does it mean that I treated you well?"
Hearing his probing voice next to her, Zhang Liling immediately shifted her attention to him, and replied, still with a smile on her face.
"Of course, you are next in line after my mother."
"Oh..." Mr. Fang trailed off. "I thought I was strict with you, who knew you were enjoying it. Maybe I should let us repeat that part again."
Bolin chuckled at his Boss's joke and moved his gaze back to the road after a brief glance at the rear-view mirror.
Although knowing it was a joke, Zhang Liling frowned and immediately pulled his arm and protested with her pouted lips.
"Mr. Fang, we can't go back to the relationship of the past. We should be moving forward and not moving backwards."
'Go back to the old relationship?' Zhang Liling would never allow that.
After making an effort to ensure that she captured Mr. Fang's heart and finally succeeded, she would never allow anything to take them back to the beginning.
Although she couldn't control what will happen in the future, but she could make an effort from her end not to let herself be the one to ruin their relationship.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmA smirk turned up on Mr. Fang's face, but he tried to hide it with a scowl.
'Moving forward? What a smart girl!' he could very well tell how lazy she was to start work from the begining.
After chuckling for a bit, Chuanli felt that there was something he had to point out in order to help their relationship become closer.
Tilting his head to the side, he focused his gaze on Zhang Liling as he asked curiously, "Why do you keep calling him Mr. Fang? You know, his name is Fang Bingwen. Why don't you make your mode of address less formal?"
They were no longer Master and servant. Their relationship had already progressed, so it didn't make any sense for her to keep addressing him formally, but Zhang Liling had s different idea.
Shaking her head to refur his suggestion, she explained with a smile that reached her eyes. "I like to address him as Mr. Fang. It doesn't sound formal to me. But maybe I will change it when we get married."
The happiness she felt when said that enveloped the sadness in her eyes.
Those who didn't know would think she was about to cry because of it, not knowing it was because of another reason.
For her, addressing the man after heart do formally made it sound so endearing. She thought it was a lot intimate than calling him by his first name even thought to others, it looked like there was a distance in their relationship.
'Marriage?'
All three men. "..."
At last, Chuanli was the one that broke the silence by erupting in laughter. 'This young Miss is faster than her shadows.'
A small smile played on Bolin's face as he shook his head in amazement.
As for Mr. Fang, he released a long sigh before throwing his face away. He had no words for her.
He was not even surprised anymore.
Having been with her for some time and studied her personality, he wouldn't be surprised with any statement she made that meant to take their relationship further.
"Miss Zhang, are you not in a hurry?" Chuanli asked in-between laughter.
Zhang Liling shook her head. "No. It's always good to think ahead."
"Motivational speaker." Mr. Fang muttered under his breath.
With the lively atmosphere, Zhang Liling felt the sadness in her heart completely wash away, making her wish for only the good moments to continue till eternity.
She would be forever grateful to these three men for cheering her up in one of her darkest moments in life.