The moment she left De L'amour, she had already noticed the black car. Although it kept a reasonable distance behind her vehicle to not attract attention, she knew it was tailing her.

However, when she arrived at Imperial Military Hospital, whoever it was didn't follow her inside.

Ending her short flashback, she nears the car. The dark-tinted windows made it impossible to see who was inside the vehicle, but she raised an eyebrow.

The driver-side window was rolled down, and she could make out the silhouette of her person.

She walked up to a stop in front of the window and crossed her arms.

"If you plan to follow me without being caught, you're doing a horrible job."

Her voice was calm as she stared inside the car.

"Yiqing, did your boss put you up for this?"

Inside the car was none other than Yiqing.

He had headphones on with the music muting out her footsteps when she approached the car. His head bumped with the beat of the song, and his shoulders moved like he was on the dance floor.

When he saw a figure suddenly stand next to the window, he nonchalantly turned his head to see who it was. However, when he stares into a pair of bluish-green eyes, he inhales a deep breath in shock.

He thought it might be the owner of the person parked next to him. However, it was actually his lady boss!

His entire being froze in place, and his mouth opened into an O shape. He quickly removes his headphones and does his best to smile at her.

"Uhh… You see… the thing is… heh…"

He chuckles after being unable to find the right words to explain himself. His eyes dart in different directions like he was praying for someone to pop out of nowhere and save him.

However, knowing he had been caught, he turns his head away from her and stares ahead.

"Yiqing was never here."

His eyes closed, and he pressed the recline button, making his seat slowly fall back.

"This is all an imagination."

"…"

Yue Ling was beyond dumbfounded by the man. She stared at him with heavy eyes as the seat was slowly reclining back. However, even with the chair pushed back, she could still see him.

She heaves a sigh and massages her forehead as if to ease the frustration growing inside her.

"Why are you here? I thought you were supposed to go with Tian to City Z."

Yiqing didn't dare to open his eyes. He wished a hole would magically appear so that he could hide away his embarrassment.

However, knowing that he couldn't escape her questions, he opens one eye before opening the other one.

Seeing that she was standing there, he gathered his courage and put his seat back in place.

"Ahem."

He clears his throat with a slight cough and brushes the tip of his one with his index finger.

"I wasn't following you. I just happened to be going in the same direction as you."

Yue Ling stares at the man without batting an eye. Did she believe him? Of course not.

She heaves a long sigh and unfolds her crossed arms. Her right-hand reaches inside her coat pocket, and she takes out her phone.

"Oh, it's Tian."

Her voice sounds with amusement as she stares at the screen of her phone. She made it seem like Lu Tian had called her out of the blue.

She looks back at Yiqing and smiles.

"My apologies for the misunderstanding. If you'll excuse me, I need to take this phone call."

Watching her leave, Yiqing felt his heart drop to his stomach before panic washed inside his body. 

"W-Wait. Lady boss!"

He calls out to stop her and sits up in his seat. He fumbles to unlock the car door before frantically getting out.

"I lied. I was actually following you."

He increases his steps to catch up to Yue Ling.

"I'm sorry for lying to you. I was supposed to go to City Z with Boss, but I put in a request to stay behind."

His words of explanation continue with Yue Ling's back turned to him. However, unlike his panic expression, Yue Ling had a teasing smile on her face.

She puts down her phone and turns to look at him. The smile on her face disappeared and was replaced with seriousness.

"Why?"

Yiqing didn't need to think about her short question. He stood five feet away from her and held his hands in front of him. He looked like a child in the presence of his teacher.

"I… well you see, the thing is…"

He swallows a gulp and ponders how to answer the question. After thinking over and over in his head, he could only sigh, and his shoulders droop.

"I requested to keep watch over you while Boss is away. I was worried that something might happen and didn't want to make boss worry."

He told her the truth. He was afraid of failing his boss and lady boss like in the past.

If something terrible happened to Yue Ling while Lu Tian was away on business, he would live in guilt for the rest of his life.

Yue Ling stares at the man standing across from her. She knew the meaning behind his words, and she sighed.

"You don't have to do that, and you have nothing to worry about."

Her eyes slightly lower, and a faint smile appears on her face. She couldn't help but think about the life that once lived inside her, and a tight sensation wrapped around her heart.

However, before that feeling could deepen inside her, she cast it aside.

"Everything that happened is not yours or anyone's fault but mine."

Hearing this, Yiqing's eyebrows creased as he shook his head.

"No. It is our fault for failing to protect you. If we had paid careful attention, everything wouldn't have happened to—"

"Stop."

Before he could finish his words, Yue Ling cuts him off. She looks at him with an unexplainable expression hiding how she feels towards his words.

"I'm thankful that everyone still remembers what happened, but that's in the past. No one should blame themself for what happened and move on."

Her words may sound harsh, especially coming from someone who lost something important. However, it was the truth.

She doesn't want her and Lu Tian's subordinates to live in guilt of the past. 

Every day continues as if nothing had happened, but she can still see the guilt in her subordinates' eyes, and that is the last thing she wants them to feel. Neither does she want to see Lu Tian's subordinates think the same way.

She knows that each person blames themselves for the loss of her and Tian's unborn child but it was an incident no one predicted.

What happened should only be for her to carry on her shoulders and not others.

The corners of her lip curl into a smile filled with a mixture of warmth and sorrow as she stares at Yiqing.

"I can take care of myself, so you don't have to follow me anymore."

Her words fell, and she walked away without looking back.

Yiqing was unable to say a word. He could only watch her get into her car and drive away.

He stood unmoving from his place and eyes staring into the blank space in front of him. Thousands of things ran through his mind, and he didn't know what to do anymore.

Yue Ling's words somehow lifted a weight off his shoulders, but he can't help but still want to do his best for her and his boss. 

He wants to help and protect the two people who always protected people like him without expecting anything in return.

After what felt like an entire day had gone by, he finally moved. His head tilts back, and he stares up at the sky like he is searching for something or someone.

"Little boss, if you can hear me, I am sorry for not being able to protect you."

His eyes gradually turn moist, but he holds back his tears from falling.

"Your mommy and daddy's lives may be stained with blood, but they are people with good hearts."

His lower lip trembles, and he sounds a sniff.

"Please watch over them from up there."

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