A Second Chance at Love
The atmosphere in the grand ballroom was very lively.
There were splashes of color all around and the champagne rose was used to decorate the hall.
On this day, the three years old Zhang Li Xue was assigned as the flower girl for her auntie, Zhang Yu Ying.
Initially, she was not interested when her mother told her that she was going to be the flower girl. However, once she saw the pink fluffy dress with little flowers scattered on the skirt and the small flower crown, Zhang Li Xue finally agreed to her auntie's request. Her job today was to look pretty and scatter the flower petals on the floor for a wedding.
Hearing the adults praise that she looked just like a flower fairy, the little girl was very happy and she could not stop from walking over here and there as if to parade her pretty dress for everyone to see.
Xu Yilan, her maternal grandmother, smiled as she continued to watch over her granddaughter who ran around with her short leg.
The little girl would stop when she saw a kid her age and watched them curiously for a long time.
Seeing that the kids would turn to look at her with the same curious look, Zhang Li Xue then run over to her grandmother and hide. Because she seldom met a kid her age, Zhang Li Xue was very shy. She did not know how to make new friends.
This situation made Xu Yilan worry about what will happen if this little girl started going to kindergarten next year as she was too timid with the kids her age.
After peeking at those kids for a while, the group of people finally noticed her.
A boy probably two years older than her bravely approached her. Even though the girl was hiding behind her grandmother, the boy continued to approach her. "Hello. I am Mu Zhen Yu. What is your name?"
Zhang Li Xue's eyes widened, realizing that the boy was speaking to her. She peeked at him from her grandmother's skirt and looked up as if asking for her grandmother to help her with this situation.
"What's your name?" Xu Yilan repeated the question to her granddaughter. "Baby, go ahead and say your name."
"Zhang Li Xue," the little girl replied with a voice that was loud enough for the boy to hear.
The little boy stretched his hand towards her and smiled. He glanced towards his group of friends who were watching them and spoke, "Do you want to play together? We're going to play hide and seek. You can hide with me."
Zhang Li Xue did not answer. She turned to her grandmother as if asking for her opinion.
Xu Yilan laughed upon noticing the girl's expression. It seemed that she was interested to play with this group of friends. "If you want to go and play with them, go ahead," she encouraged. "I'll stay here and look at you, alright?"
The little princess thought over the invitation and nodded. "Alright." She had seen the group of kids play together earlier and thought that it was fun to play together too.
Zhang Li Xue placed her hand on the boy's palm and he had led her towards his group of friends.
"Everyone," Mu Zhen Yu spoke as the other kids surrounded them. "This is our new friend, Zhang Li Xue. She's going to play hide and seek with us."
Because he was the eldest in the group, he was automatically elected as the leader and the other kids would listen to his instruction.
The others quickly agreed to their leader's words. They were going to play hide and seek and were deciding who should be the seeker.
At this time, a boy who stood beside Mu Zhen Yu gave Zhang Li Xue a look over before he approached her.
Why do you have a flower crown?" the boy narrowed his eyes.
"Mummy said that I'm the flower girl today. I have to wear this flowery crown," Zhang Li Xue answered. She touched the crown with her tiny hand to make sure that they were still on her head.
The boy suddenly went over and pulled at her flower crown. "Take it off. You look ugly."
Zhang Li Xue yelped in pain. Her scalp felt painful as the boy tugged at the crown flower which was attached to her hair and her eyes started to sting.
"Xiao Bai, are you crazy?" Mu Zhen Yu shouted at his friend. He was the closest and had seen what was going on between the two.
Annoyed at how the boy had suddenly treated her rudely, Zhang Li Xue lifted her short leg and kicked him on his knee before she fled.
The boy groaned in pain as he touched his knee.
The commotion was too loud. Hearing the sounds of a child crying, the adults turned around to look at what was happening.
Zhang Li Xue disappeared through the crowd and her grandmother had to run after her anxiously.
Once Zhang Li Xue found the person she was looking for, the tears that she had been holding streamed down her face. "Daddy!" With that, she then wrapped her small arms around her father's calf.
"Li Xue, what's wrong?" The little girl's father, Zhang Yu Han bent down to pick up his daughter. His eyes darkened upon seeing her messy hair and the tears on her face. "Why are you crying? Who bullied you?"
Zhang Li Xue did not answer and instead buried her face in her father's shoulder as she cried silently. Her soft sniffle made his heart tighten.
Suddenly, the atmosphere around him turned colder.
The group of men who were having a conversation with Zhang Yu Han earlier froze upon seeing the change in his expression. Their gaze fell on the little princess in his arms and finally understood something.
Xu Yilan appeared on his side just in time and explained what happened. Once Zhang Yu Han found out what happened to his baby, he immediately patted her on her hair and tried to coax her.
"Mom, it's alright," Zhang Yu Han looked at her mother-in-law who was watching him with a guilty expression. "It was probably just a fight between kids. I will look after Li Xue and coax her," Zhang Yu Han continued.
Xu Yilan heaved a sigh. She was worried about her granddaughter after watching the scene. Although she wanted to scold the boy, Xu Yilan was worried that her granddaughter would run off somewhere. Fortunately, she had gone to her father's side.
Once his mother-in-law had disappeared in the crowd, Zhang Yu Han beckoned towards one of the hotel staff and gave his instruction.
Someone had bullied his daughter on his turf. No matter what, he could not let this boy go. At least, he will need to warn the boy's parents to teach their kids properly.
Zhang Li Xue's tears had stopped but she continued to cling onto her father's neck and refused to let go.
Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, Mu Zhen Yu was watching her from a distance. Once the little princess noticed his presence, she quickly turned her head on the other side and tightened her grip around her father's neck.