Unexpected Second Chance at Love

As Lu Tian's silver metallic car sped through the streets of Imperial at the designated speed limit, back at Jade Condos, Xu Long was in a chaotic mess.

His entire penthouse was turned upside down with clothes everywhere. The bed that he sleeps on could no longer be seen while the floor barely had any room to walk.

He stood in front of a full-body mirror in the bedroom and pout his lip in pondering. He was wearing a white-collar shirt with thin black strips and a simple black trouser.

"Why am I so horrible at this?"

He couldn't help but mumble to himself as he stares at his reflection.

After his short encounter with Zhao Ya'Er on the balcony, he decided to take a shower to freshen up then leave for lunch. However, he suddenly had a thought. What if he runs into Zhao Ya'Er while leaving his penthouse?

With this in mind, he had to second think about his choice of clothes before leaving.

He glances at his outfit in the mirror again and sighs deeply. His left-hand raise and he runs his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Ahh… I look so unstylish…"

Every piece of clothing he has is mainly related to work. It was normal because, he barely has any days off and on the days that he is off, he is often called back to work.

Looking at his outfit again, he clicks his tongue and turns around to look at all the clothes he had taken out of the closet.

"Hm… I need something that says, 'I have a sense of fashion, but I like women and not men.'"

He purses his lip in thoughts and fists his right hand on his hip as his left-hand touches his chin.

"Something that is also simple, yet, stylish."

He thought deeply, but like his brain had been shut down, his mind was a complete blank in pitch darkness.

A long sigh escapes from him and he scratches the back of his head.

"Should I call and ask the experts?"

By experts, he meant Liu Shan and the others. Compare to him, those men are in the fashion industry and whenever he is with them, he can tell that they have a better sense of fashion than he does. Even Qi Li who is always wearing a simple turtleneck under everything can look as elegant as an immortal.

Thinking this, he blows another sigh and felt even more depressed. His boss who is always wearing black has more style than he does.

"No. This won't do. I can't bother them with this. They're all working."

Deciding on this, he makes his way to the pile of clothes on the bed.

"What to wear, what to wear."

He glances down with both hands on his hips, but unable to think of anything, he plops down onto the bed on his stomach.

His head turns to the right of him and he stares into the blank space in front of him. Doing so, he would pick up a piece of clothes to look at then toss it aside.

"So many clothes, but nothing to wear."

Just as his words fell, his eyes caught sight of something, and an outfit quickly comes to mind. He jolted up at the speed of lightning and rummage through the pile of clothes for the pieces he needed.

After a long minute passes by, he stood back in front of the mirror with a smile. He had changed out of his previous shirt and was now wearing a plain black turtleneck with a black wool coat over. He kept the black trousers but folded the bottom to reveal his ankles to let others see his cute panda socks.

"Fabulous! This should do it."

A satisfied smile curls on his lip and he reaches for the finishing touch. A simple black baseball cap. He smoothly brushes his unfixed hair to the back and puts on the cap.

He had remembered seeing one of the Gui twin brothers wearing a baseball cap, so it gave him the perfect idea. Why not put the styles of those stylish men into one?

Glancing at his reflection one more time, he sends himself a flirty wink.

"James Long Bond, you are looking more handsome than ever."

As he walks out of the bedroom, he grabs his wallet on the kitchen counter and places it inside his coat pocket. He was full of confidence until he opened the front door.

His head slowly and cautiously pokes out to look left then right.

After his two previous misunderstandings with Zhao Ya'Er, he isn't sure if he is ready to run into her.

Seeing that no one was outside, he takes a deep breath to calm himself.

"The coast is clear. If you can make a run for the elevator, you're in the safe zone."

He spoke to himself as he wasn't sure if Zhao Ya'Er was home. The last thing he wants to do is attract her attention.

He quietly tiptoes out the door and closes it like a burglar sneaking out of a house after stealing enough goods. He locks the door and makes a run for the elevator.

"Assistant Xu?"

He had only taken three steps when a familiar voice sounds from behind him. His entire being froze like he was in the middle of a blizzard, but he robotically turns his head to look at the person.

The corners of his lip twitch up before he forces out a sarcastic chuckle.

"Hah… Hah… Miss Zhao. What a coincidence to see you again."

Zhao Ya'Er stood outside her front door in a tan trench coat with a black jumpsuit underneath. Covering her short Pixi-cut hair was a black beanie.

She looked stunning, but at the same time, comfortable. However, her expression was full of bewilderment.

She was surprised to see Xu Long as she had only stepped out because she felt like going out to have lunch. Never did she expect to see him leaving his place at the same time as her.

In a daze, her eyes subconsciously eye the man from head to toe. Compare to the other times she had met him, today he looked more casual.

Not only that, she found him even more attractive.

However, reminding herself that he likes men, she sighs with disappointment before casting a polite smile.

"Good afternoon, Assistant Xu."

She greets him as she did not want him to feel awkward around her. Especially since she knows his sexual preference and the encounter they had on the balcony.

Without thinking much, she locks her front door and head in the direction of the elevator.

"Ah, Miss Zhao, please wait."

Seeing her enter the elevator, Xu Long finally came to his senses. He runs after her and waves his arms for her to hold the elevator for him.

"I'm going down too!"

Zhao Ya'Er had only taken a step inside the small metal box when she heard him. She thought that he was just now returning home, but brushing this thought aside, she presses the button to keep the elevator doors from closing.

Xu Long sighs in relief when he saw that the door was not closing. He increases his pace and dashes inside the elevator like Superman.

"Ahh—!!"

However, in his manly act of trying to impress the beauty, he trips on his own feet and his eyes widen.

"I'm so sorry—"

A look of horror flash on his face and he apologies as he stumbles forward. Not knowing what to cling onto for support, he grabs onto whatever was in front of him.

Zhao Ya'Er's eyes widen in worried and shock for the man. Like it was the naturalist thing to do, she takes a step forward and helps support the assistant.

As this took place, the elevator door slides closed like the curtains at the end of a stage performance.