Unexpected Second Chance at Love

Chapter 990: Withdraw the ransom

The room was quiet, but not peaceful. The kind of quiet that still hummed faintly with the distant whir of electronics, the occasional creak of settling wood, and the muffled ticking of the wall clock that seemed louder in the stillness. The light from the desk lamp pooled across the coffee table, leaving the rest of the living room in a comfortable shadow.

Yue Ling didn't remember closing her eyes. One moment, she'd been sitting upright, reviewing surveillance feeds on the laptop with Lu Tian while Inu rested his chin on her lap. Then, her body had surrendered to exhaustion.

Her breathing had slowed, the phone in her hand tilted, and her head had sunk back into the couch cushion.

It was Inu who stirred first, a soft huff, ears flicking, seconds before the sharp vibration and shrill ring of her phone tore through the stillness. The sound felt like it was right in her bones, dragging her from sleep in an abrupt, almost violent way.

She startled, shoulders tensing, eyes flying open to a dim world that seemed to swim for a moment before snapping into focus. Inu lifted his head at her movement, golden-brown eyes watching her intently, tail giving a slow, curious thump against the cushion.

Beside her, Lu Tian, who had been leaning forward in his seat, straightened. His hand reached out immediately, steady and warm, landing on her forearm before she could push herself upright too fast.

"It's your phone."

His voice was low but carrying that calm authority she had always found grounding and frustrating when her instincts screamed to move.

Yue Ling's gaze dropped automatically to her hand, and only now did she feel the faint tremor in her fingers, the muscle memory of gripping the phone in her sleep. She blinked several times, trying to push away the remnants of grogginess.

She hadn't meant to fall asleep, and now that she realized she had, the faint sting of guilt crawled under her skin.

Every minute of sleep was a minute not spent working toward Ji Jingxu's safety.

She swallowed against the dryness in her throat, the weight of the phone suddenly heavy in her palm. The screen glowed with a name she recognized immediately.

Her breath caught.

The ringing seemed louder now, though she knew it wasn't. The sound tunneled her focus until it was the only thing in the world. Without breaking eye contact with the screen, she swiped to answer.

"This is Han Yue Ling."

She answered, her voice steady, though her chest had tightened with anticipation.

A faint static hiss came through before the voice answered. It was a voice she trusted, a voice she had been waiting for.

["Boss, we've got confirmation. We found him."]

For half a second, her brain didn't register the words, only the sound of them. They came from miles away and yet hit her like a direct impact to the sternum.

Her grip on the phone tightened.

"Say that again."

She spoke in an almost whisper, though not because she hadn't heard. She needed to hear it twice to be sure she wasn't imagining it in her half-awake haze.

["We found him. He's here in Retro."]

Her eyes closed briefly. Relief wasn't the right word. It was sharper than that, laced with adrenaline. The tension in her shoulders didn't release; it simply shifted into a different kind of energy, the kind that could make her heart pound without her moving an inch.

"How certain?"

She asked, her tone clipped, precise.

["One hundred percent. Qi Li and Gui Zhongmin are inside. They're affirmative."]

She inhaled slowly, her mind already moving three steps ahead.

"How is he?"

The voice hesitated just briefly, as if bracing for her reaction.

["Qi Li said he has a few broken ribs, a split lip, and maybe a mild concussion. He's weak… but he'll recover once we get him out."]

Her lower lip trembled from the anger rising inside her.

Lu Tian's eyes stayed on her, searching, measuring, but he didn't interrupt. He knew her well enough to recognize the storm behind her calm expression.

"Don't let anyone out of your sight."

Her voice was low but resolute when she finally spoke into the phone.

"Stay on him. Don't engage. I want every entrance, every exit, and every guard mapped. However, if any of those bastards so much as touch him, take them down quietly."

["Understood."]

She ended the call and let the phone rest in her lap momentarily. Inu had shifted closer, sensing the change in her. His warm weight pressed against her thigh, his gaze fixed on her face as if he too understood the significance of what had just been said.

Knowing her brother had been found, she wanted nothing more than to tear through every obstacle and bring him home. But she couldn't, not yet.

Hung Woo would panic if she moved too soon, and Ji Chu Hua would be warned before she could strike.

Lu Tian leaned forward, elbows resting loosely on his knees, his focus locked on her.

"They found him?"

Yue Ling's mind was in turmoil, but she was able to give him a nod.

"Retro. He's in bad shape but not life-threatening."

His mouth pressed into a hard line. Retro was a labyrinth of danger; its streets were more familiar to criminals than law enforcement, and its rules were written in shadows. Retrieving Ji Jingxu from there wouldn't just be difficult for him and his wife, it would have to be surgical, precise, invisible until the very last moment.

He reached out to her and pulled her into his embrace.

"We'll get him back."

She closed her eyes to ease her pounding heart, but she could feel the weight of the moment settling over the room like a dense fog.

He places a small kiss on her head and pulls her closer to his chest.

"I'll have some of my men surround Red Militant. The remaining will be on standby when you meet with Hung Woo."

Yue Ling nodded, and for the first time in hours, Yue Ling felt a surge of certainty. They had a direction. They had confirmation. And that meant she would move heaven and earth to bring Ji Jingxu home.

She will act according to what Hung Woo wants, and once she has her brother, she will make Hung Woo pay, and then her cousin.

Still, she didn't move immediately. She let herself breathe once, twice, anchoring herself in the stillness before the storm. Inu's slow, steady breaths matched hers, a quiet reminder that the following steps had to be calculated, not

Her fingers flexed slightly, brushing against the cool glass of the phone.

"It's time for another round of spring cleaning in Retro."

She murmured, almost to herself.

Lu Tian's hand covered hers briefly, firm and grounding.

"I'll help you."

Yue Ling looked up at him, and for a fleeting moment, the weight of their world seemed to ease. She couldn't help but wonder how she had gotten so lucky—how this man, of all people, had stepped into her life and chosen to stay. Gratitude swelled in her chest, unspoken but heavy with meaning.

Across from the couple, Liu Shan and Xu Long exchanged a glance. They had been sitting on the floor, silently listening to the call. Now, watching their bosses, neither man knew whether they should clear the room or keep still.

Xu Long exhaled quietly, a pang of longing stirring in him. Seeing the couple made him miss Zhao Ya'Er all the more. It was late, far past a reasonable hour, but the thought of sending her a simple goodnight message tugged at him.

Beside him, Liu Shan caught the lovesick look and rolled his eyes. Lucky him, still stuck with the single life. He shook his head and forced his gaze back to his boss, reluctantly breaking the moment hanging between her and Lu Tian.

"Boss," he said, clearing his throat, "what do you need me to do?"

Yue Ling eased from Lu Tian's embrace, her focus shifting. Her gaze dropped to the laptop on the coffee table, the one Lu Tian had been working on before the call. She parted her lips with calm precision.

"Withdraw the ransom money."

Lu Tian's brows drew together slightly at the mention. His hand came to rest on her knee, warm and grounding.

"We can take it from my account."

His voice was firm, with eyes on his wife.

"I don't want you having to use your money."

The corners of Yue Ling's mouth softened briefly. She appreciated his instinct to protect her in every way, but shook her head.

"I've got it. Besides, it's not like Hung Woo will actually get the money."

Her eyes returned to her assistant, and the softness vanished, replaced with the cold edge of resolve.

"Tomorrow, Hung Woo will personally take me to where he's keeping Jingxu. From there, I'll do the rest."

Lu Tian turned sharply toward her. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

His wife still intends to walk straight into the den herself. Yes, she was capable, deadly even when she chose to be, but that didn't erase the gnawing dread of sending her into the enemy's hands alone.

Before he could voice it, she caught his gaze. She knew exactly what was in his mind. A faint, almost mischievous smile curved her lips.

"Trust me…"

She spoke to him, her voice low but steady.

"I've got this."

Lu Tian stared into her bluish-green eyes, searching them as if he could memorize every shade before tomorrow came. His chest tightened, his heartbeat quickening with the weight of what lay ahead.

Slowly, he leaned forward, resting his forehead against her shoulder, drawing in her faint, familiar scent.

"I know you do…"

He murmured, his voice low and rough.

"You're strong… but I can't imagine what I'll do if something happens to you."

Yue Ling let out a quiet sigh, the corners of her lips curving into a faint smile, not because she took his words lightly, but because she understood the fear beneath them.

Turning toward him, she cupped his face in her hands, guiding his gaze back to hers. Her thumb brushed against his cheek, steady and reassuring, before she softly spoke.

"And I know you will never let anything happen to me."