Unexpected Second Chance at Love

Chapter 993: Predatory air of a hunter

The sun disappeared behind the horizon as darkness came over Imperial. The bustling streets of Retro began their wake as the underworld rose from slumber.

Yue Ling’s car pulls up to a stop in front of the building that Hung Woo had directed her to. She steps out of the car just as the man steps out of his.

Hung Woo turns to look at Yue Ling and scoffs a chuckle. He still could not believe that she was so trusting of him and did not run away.

"Miss Han, your brother is in there."

He nudged with his head towards the building while ignoring the noise coming from the connecting building. He knew that the gambling den was a full house tonight. No one would even stop to look in this direction.

Yue Ling stared at the man before turning her head to look at the rundown building. Her bluish-green eyes scanned the place before looking back at the man.

"Let me see my brother."

"Of course."

Hung Woo kept his smile and walked towards the building. He didn’t forget to signal with his eyes to his men a nonverbal order, unaware that Yue Ling had seen the quick exchange.

"Let’s go see your brother then."

He took the lead with Yue Ling following him and two of his men behind her.

Upon their entrance, Yue Ling slightly scrunched her nose at the stench of mold, rot, and rust mixed with blood. She could see a maze of narrow hallways, each lined with cracked plaster and warped floorboards. If one did not know the place well, they would undoubtedly get lost.

Watching her closely, Hung Woo was taken aback by the retired model’s composure. He had seen grown men walk into this place only to vomit from the overwhelming stench. Yet this woman—someone who had lived a sheltered life—seemed completely unaffected by it.

Ignoring the way Hung Woo was observing her, Yue Ling never let her guard down. Though the place was dimly lit, she could spot the men hiding in the shadows as they walked towards her brother.

It didn’t take long before she was led into a room guarded by two men in ski masks.

"Open the door."

Hung Woo orders the men and the two did not hesitate to do as they were told. One unlocks the door while the other pushes it open.

"Your brother is inside."

He enters the room like he was taking a stroll in the park and turns around when he notices that Yue Ling did not follow him.

"Well? Aren’t you here for your brother? Why are you still standing out there?"

He gives her a huge grin that turns his eyes into upside-down crescents.

"Don’t be afraid. Your brother is perfectly alive."

Yue Ling stared at the man in front of her for a long moment before taking a step forward, then another. She entered the room, which was illuminated only by the pale light filtering through the high windows.

The sound of chains rattling broke the silence. Yue Ling turned toward the source, her gaze immediately settling on the movement in the shadows.

Just as she looked in that direction, the room brightly lit up causing her eyes to close from the sudden brightness.

When she reopened her eyes, the sight in front of her made her heart stop before being replaced with immense rage.

Ji Jingxu remained suspended by thick, rusted chains that groaned whenever he moved. The cuffs dug into his wrists, the metal biting until skin split and bled.

The bruises on his face had darkened and unlike in the video call, his feet were flat on the ground, allowing him to steady himself. Even the blood on him had dried.

"Jingxu..."

She called out to him, and upon hearing her voice, he slowly lifted his head.

The moment their eyes made contact, tears gathered in the boy’s eyes and his lower lip trembled.

"Jie..."

Yue Ling drew in a deep breath and took a step forward, only to be stopped by Hung Woo.

"Not so fast, sweetheart."

He blocked her view of her brother and pointed down to the suitcase while smiling at her.

"We had a deal. Money then your brother."

Yue Ling clenched her teeth and glared at the man.

"You said he was safe. Is this what you consider safe? Being chained up and beaten?"

Hung Woo threw his head back and howled with laughter, his men quickly joining in. He shook his head as though he had just heard the funniest joke imaginable.

"Darling, in a world like this, your brother is considered safe."

He put his palm out towards her and leaned closer to her.

"Now, give me the money before I change my mind."

Yue Ling’s glare did not quiver at his closeness. She stared at him for another long second before handing him the suitcase.

"I kept my part of the deal. Now do yours."

Her words fell with a strength that sent a sudden chill down Hung Woo’s spine. He stared into her bluish-green eyes and didn’t know why but he suddenly felt they looked familiar.

Like he had seen them somewhere before but could not pinpoint when or where.

However, quickly brushing this feeling away, he took the suitcase from her.

He took a leisurely step back and laughed.

"Wow. The look in your eyes can definitely kill someone."

His shoulders shook as he continued laughing and walked away from her.

He waved his hand to his men and walked towards the door to leave.

Yue Ling watched as two men in ski masks approached her brother. They began lowering the chains, but Hung Woo’s voice from behind her stopped them.

"Actually, I changed my mind."

He stopped at the door and turned back to look at her. The smile on his face turned malicious.

"Your brother is hanging on to life by a thread and I have you here..."

He looked her up and down.

"Did you seriously think I would let you leave?"

Yue Ling looked away from her brother to Hung Woo. Hearing his words, she did not cower in fear but kept a calm expression.

Her head was slightly tilted to the side and the corners of her lips curled up.

"You’re right. There was never a deal between us."

Hung Woo frowned at her words and watched as his men continued to lower the chain holding Ji Jingxu captive.

"What the hell are you guys doing? I didn’t give the order to remove those!"

His words seemed to have no effect on the men, confusing him even further. His eyes quickly met Yue Ling’s again, and another wave of unease crawled through him.

"You..."

Anger boiled inside him and he strode towards her.

"You bitch! What did you do?! Did you pay off my men?!"

*Swooosh—

Just as he stepped in front of Yue Ling, she raised her right arm and aimed the gun at his forehead. He abruptly stopped and stared at her with widened eyes.

Yue Ling’s smile never left her face as she leaned towards him.

"How does it feel to be on the receiving end?"

She wanted him to know how her brother felt when a gun was pointed at his head. The fear that Ji Jingxu felt while being held captive, she wanted this man to feel the same, even if it was only for a split second.

Hung Woo was beyond shocked by the sudden shift in her behavior. Even he was caught off guard by the way she handled the gun, momentarily forgetting to question when she had managed to pull one out.

However, the mistake was entirely his own. He had failed to have his men conduct a thorough search for weapons, assuming that someone as docile and sheltered as Yue Ling would never go near a gun, much less know how to handle one.

Before he could recover from his initial shock, the two men who were releasing Ji Jingxu, removed their ski masks. The moment he saw who they were, another wave of disbelief crashed over him.

The two men he had ordered to guard the door before he left for Quaint Alley were not these two.

"You—!"

He roared in anger before breaking into a hysterical laugh, his attention snapping aggressively back to her.

"I thought you were just some rich kid but I guess I was wrong."

He looked away from Yue Ling to Qi Li and Gui Tian Lan.

"Looks like I underestimated you."

His demeanor transformed, taking on the predatory air of a hunter as one corner of his mouth curled into a sinister sneer.

"But you seem to be unaware of who I am."

He doesn’t flinch and takes a big step back from the gun pointed at him.

"Red Militant! Capture these intruders!"

His words roar to life and Liu Peng, who had stood outside the room and witnessed everything, rushes away to alert the other men.

"Intruders! Intruders! Capture the intruders!!!"

Liu Peng’s voice echoed throughout the building before gradually fading into the background as he ran farther away.

Hung Woo laughed at the sound of multiple footsteps approaching in the distance. He knew it was only a matter of time before his men rushed inside to come to his aid.

"I will give you a chance. Drop the gun and no harm will be done."

Despite the sudden commotion, Yue Ling remained unfazed with her eyes on the man.

"That’s where you are wrong, Hung Woo."

Her attention never faltered away from him.

"Your fate was sealed the moment you sent your men after my brother."

Her unexpected proclamation of his name made Hung Woo’s eyes go wide. Throughout his entire interaction with her, he had never once mentioned his name.

He takes a small step back and a frown replaces his shocked expression.

"H-h-how..."

He stutters in confusion before an unexplainable nervous feeling crawls inside him.

"W-who are you?"

Seeing confusion and fear reveal themselves in his eyes, the corners of Yue Ling’s mouth raise. Now, she was the one who carried the predatory air of a hunter, while he had become the prey.

"I am here to collect your fate."