Chapter 80 - The Second Chance

"What do you mean by your girlfriend?" As soon as Bing Wen started the car, Li Juan asked in a hushed voice. "How can you tell people that I am your girlfriend?"

"Ah Sorry, I think I made a mistake," Zhang Zhi Jun corrected, "Bro Wen, this Li Juan, my fiancé."

"What? I am not," Li Juan rolled eyes at him. What is wrong with him?

Bing Wen looked at Li Juan and Zhang Zhi Jun. He knew that Li Juan left an impression on Zhang Zhi Jun's mind on their first meeting. But he never expected that they will become a "thing" within in three weeks. 

"The moment you agreed to grandpa's demands, you have become my fiancé." Zhang Zhi Jun claimed.

"No, I am the one who is supposed to pick my partner." Li Juan refused him.

"Is there anyone else is to pick?" He scoffed,

"Yes, there is someone." Li Juan argued.

"Who?"

"What about the guy from the Guan family?" Her proud face had a taunting smile,

"Is she trying to tease me?"Zhang Zhi Jun glanced at her expression and wondered.

Bing Wen who was listening to their bickering all along, got perplexed by the bonding between them. In the last five years, it was the first time he witnessed, Zhang Zhi Jun squabbling with a woman.

It took a moment for Zhang Zhi Jun to gather his thoughts. He turned towards Li Juan,

"Princess, are you going to choose the man whom you loved for five years or a random stranger?" 

"I have already told you, it was a celebrity crush, nothing else," Li repeated her lines once again.

"Crushes can get changed to something else." Zhang Zhi Jun refused to give in to the argument.

"You are crazy." Li Juan shut her mouth and looked outside. 

"So, their feelings are not mutual?" Bing Wen's thought dwelled on the couple.

"Zhi Jun, are we taking Miss Li to the condo?" Bing Wen asked in order to know the truth.

"No, 

"Yes"

Both of them replied together. Li Juan looked at the man who sat beside with a delighted face.

"Zhang Zhi Jun, I don't know what is wrong with you, but please don't be like this." Li Juan humbly requested him. 

"I understood that you are here to protect me, but I need my privacy."

"Your second uncle told me he has arranged someone to settle the matters regarding your home and the moving company will be arriving tomorrow."

"I need to clear out everything today itself?" 

"You don't believe me? Want to hear from uncle Mo?"

"No, its just I want to stay there for some more days." Li Juan fiddled with her fingers and avoided facing him.

Zhang Zhi Jun noticed her saddened face. "If that's what you want, we can talk to the moving company," 

"No, it is alright."

"As you wish," Zhang Zhi Jun didn't compel her either. Their car entered into the main circle of Jing city.

"Tell him your address," he instructed,

"I live in downtown." Li Juan replied.

"Downtown! But you said that you live next to Jing University?" Zhang Zhi Jun blurted out in disbelief.

"What? Did you think that I will reveal my address to random strangers? Especially one of them was famous for scandals?" Li Juan scoffed and asked in a slightly raised voice.

"Well, I can't blame you for that," Zhang Zhi Jun grinned in relief.

Within one hour they have reached downtown. Li Juan told Fei Yan to stop the car in the front of Mei Rong's restaurant.

"Are you hungry?" Zhang Zhi Jun asked Li Juan in confusion.

"That's where I live," Li Juan pointed towards a small house which is located two buildings away from the restaurant. She got down from the car and Zhang Zhi Jun followed her.

Li Juan walked into the restaurant. It was already passed the mealtime. The restuarant remained empty without any customers. In one of the corner, Qiao Chu who was wearing the apron was wiping the tables.

" Master Chu, can I get an autograph," Li Juan asked him in a formal tone.

"Autograph?" 

"Jie!" Qiao Chu's face brightened when he saw the owner of the voice. He ran towards her and picked her up from the ground.

"Yaaaa, what are you doing" Though Li Juan was surprised by his reaction, she immediately hugged him back.

Zhang Zhi Jun and Bing Wen who followed her to the restuarant, left clueless when they saw the pair of brother and sister hugging each other.

"I missed you a lot." Qiao Chu said in sulky voice and released her from his arms.

"Aigooo, I missed you too," She ruffled his hair with gentle eyes. "Where is aunty?"

"Ma, Look who is here? Ma, come here," Qiao Chu called out for his mother.

"Why are you shouting?" Mei Rong walked out from the kitchen, removing her rubber gloves.

"Look who is here,"

"Ah Juan, my child." Mei Rong rushed towards Li Juan,

"Aunty," both of them hugged eachother.

Even though Mei Rong was meeting Li Juan after a week, her eyes were filled with tears.

"Did you eat something?" Mei Rong asked her, "You sit, let me make something." She turned to leave.

"Ah, who are these people?" Mei Rong noticed the two men who stood frozen in the entrance.

"Sorry, we are closed now," Qiao Chu notified them.

"They came with me." Li Juan apologetically looked at the men stood at the entrance and informed Mei Rong.

"Oh, you are Juan's friends. Please come inside and take a seat, let me arrange your meals." Mei Rong invited them.

"Please," Li Juan led them towards the table.

Within a few minutes, Mei Rong and Qiao Chu appeared with food and drinks.

"Aunty, please join us," Li Juan asked them.

"No, no, we already ate," Qiao Chu politely refused them.

"Are you working with Ah Juan?" Mei Rong glanced the men who remained silent.

"No, aunty, this Mr Bing and" Li Juan stopped for a moment and glanced at Zhang Zhi Jun.

Zhang Zhi Jun immediately removed his mask and sunglass. 

"Zhang Zhi Jun!" 

Qiao Chu was the first one to recognize to the man who sat next to Li Juan. "Oh my God, its Zhang Zhi Jun."

Mei Rong examined the devilishly handsome man sitting next to Li Juan and recollected his face in the posters kept in Li Juan's room.

"Good afternoon, I am Zhang Zhi Jun. Nice to meet you," He introduced in his iconic sexy baritone.

Mei Rong and Qiao Chu gaped at Zhang Zhi Jun in surprise.

They couldn't believe that the nation's superstar has paid a visit to their house. 

"How, how, do you know him?" 

"Isn't he is the guy she had a crush on for a long time?" Mei Rong suddenly asked Li Juan, "don't tell me he is your-"

"Boyfriend," Zhang Zhi Jun completed her words. Li Juan looked at him with a bewildered face.

"What is he doing?" 

Zhang Zhi Jun exchanged glances with a flustered smile.

Li Juan rolled her eyes at him, 

"Ah Juan, aunty is so happy for you. Finally, you listened to me." Mei Rong affectionately glanced at the man who is looking at Li Juan.

"Please have some, young man," Mei Rong place more food into Zhang Zhi Jun's bowl.

"Thank you, aunty," Zhang Zhi Jun said in gratitude.

"What are you doing?" Li Juan asked him in a low voice.

"Aunty, I am planning to take Li Juan with me." Zhang Zhi Jun shared his purpose of visit.

"Huh?" 

This guy, he is purposefully making this difficult for her.

" Aunty, you are mistaken, he is not, Li Juan tried to explain her relationship with Zhang Zhi Jun.

"I met my dad's family in Xi city and he is my cousin."

"You have met your relatives?"

"Wait, are you saying that "the Zhang Zhi Jun" is your cousin?" Qiao Chu asked her for clarification.

"I apologize for confusing you all, Let me introduce myself properly, I am Bai Jun, Li Juan's father, Bai Ze is my uncle."

Qiao Chu and his mother remained speechless. They knew Li Juan's father belongs to a rich family in somewhere south. But they didn't expect that one day they will accept Li Juan. 

"Grandpa Bai and our family want Li Juan to stay with us.

Since aunty and little brother are the ones who took care of Li Juan until now, will you allow me to take her with me?" 

Qiao Chu and Mei Rong looked at Li Juan who remained expressionless. She didn't know how to explain things to them.

"Ah Juan," Mei Rong called her." Aunty is happy that my Juan is not alone anymore." She smiled with tear-filled eyes. 

"We are only glad to hear that Ah Juan has got a family." Mei Rong said to Zhang Zhi Jun.

"Thank you so much for taking care of her all this time, aunty. Entire Bai family is thankful to you." He bowed to them.

Mei Rong and Qiao Chu looked at each other in disbelief.

After the meal, Li Juan joined with Mei Rong to clean after the dishes. 

Zhang Zhi Jun and Bing Wen were left with Qiao Chu, who looked at them with hostile eyes.

"Do you like my Jie?" Qiao Chu asked him.

"Huh?"

"You didn't correct my mom when she referred you as Jie's boyfriend?"

Even Bing Wen had similar doubts, he was also confused about Zhang Zhi Jun's relation with Li Juan.

He said that Li Juan is his fiance, but how can he have romantic feelings for his cousin.

Zhang Zhi Jun looked at the boy stood before him. The expression in his dubious eyes was familiar.

It clearly depicted his protective nature towards Li Juan.

"Why little bro, am I not allowed to become your sister's boyfriend?"

Qiao Chu smirked, "Oh, so you do like her."

"Yes, she likes me too." Zhang Zhi Jun claimed.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't think my Jie has any romantic feelings for you."

"Don't see her as one of your die-hard fans who live in an imaginary bubble and treats you as a boyfriend, she is different."

"I don't want to become her boyfriend, I am planning to start a life with her." Zhang Zhi Jun refuted back.

"Well, it will be quite difficult to understand our relationship and titles, but little bro, you can definitely address me as Brother-in-law."

"I would love to call you my Brother-in-law," Qiao Chu said in a steady voice, "but only when my Jie says so,"

"As far as I know, my Jie had eyes for only one person in all these years. And I really hope you can replace him," Qiao Chu swallowed the words which he was about to say.

"If God is giving Li Juan a second chance at her life, then he will not do anything against it."