Xin Qing and Zhang Mi glanced at each other. After that, Xin Qing picked up a teacup lazily and took a sip. Looking at Rong Siman briefly, Xin Qing said, "Well, go ahead. I"m all ears!"
"Ah Cang and I used to be lovers. We"ve slept together before," Rong Siman said. As she stared at Xin Qing, the smile on her face held nothing but malice.
"Aunty. I don"t know what you"ve been smoking or what kind of loose screw you have in your head. But I suggest you go back and take your meds," Zhang Mi spat out.
"Oh?" Xin Qing smiled, her expression bland. "Where"s the proof? Do you have proof that you"ve slept with each other?"
Rong Siman raised her chin proudly and leaned back in the couch. "He has a small mole on his lower abdomen. It is impossible to see it without taking off his underwear. You still don"t believe me? Stop lying to yourself."
"Haha!" Xin Qing nodded her head. "If you"re referring to that time when you drugged him, dragged him to bed, and then afterwards he would rather watch you die than save you, then sure, I"ll believe you. Is there a second time?"
Rong Siman"s face changed instantly. "You... How did you know?"
"My husband told me, of course!" Xin Qing blinked. "Or shall I jog your memory about everything which happened after that?" Rong Siman"s face was now as white as a sheet.
All of a sudden, Xin Qing"s face turned stony. "Rong Siman," Xin Qing said in a harsh tone, "I don"t know why you"re so r.e.t.a.r.ded to believe that Ying Qingcang has feelings for you. But right now, he"s my husband, so rein in those delusions and petty tricks of yours. Don"t embarra.s.s yourself before me again."
The two years she spent living alone in France as well as her abduction by William had toughened Xin Qing up; now, she was someone with so much more grit and courage. She would put on the little lady act only in front of Ying Qingcang because she was sure that Ying Qingcang would stay by her side no matter what. When she was facing other people on her own, however, never again would she allow herself to be treated as if she was some small lamb waiting to be slaughtered!
"How dare you bully my mommy, you filthy b.i.t.c.h!" Ying Muhai stood up all of a sudden and dashed towards Ah Sha. Xin Qing jumped up in horror, but still, she was too late. Ying Muhai was quicker than her as he pushed Ah Sha right off the couch.
Ah Sha, who had been fast asleep, crashed to the floor. A split second later, a heart-wrenching cry sounded.
"Ah Sha!" Xin Qing quickly picked her up and began soothing her by patting on her back gently. Zhang Mi touched Ah Sha all over to check for any injuries. When she found no major injuries, Zhang Mi sighed in relief. "Thank G.o.d for the carpet. She didn"t hurt herself from the fall," Zhang Mi said. After that, she stalked over to Ying Muhai and gave the boy a hard slap.
Rong Siman shrieked, and then she pounced on Xin Qing. Xin Qing dodged the attack with Ah Sha in her arms. Right then, Zhang Mi"s attention went to Rong Siman and she gave the latter a harsh smack across the cheek. "Like mother, like son! You have no right to be a mother!"
"Wa..." Ying Muhai dove into Rong Siman"s arms and started to wail. Xin Qing did not wish for Ah Sha to witness all the violence, so she turned around and kept her back towards what was happening. Just then, the door opened and Ying Qingcang walked in. Ying Hao was behind him too.
Noticing the newcomers, Rong Siman tugged Ying Muhai and ran towards Ying Hao. "Ah Hao, we were both a.s.saulted." Rong Siman got out in between sobs.
Ying Qingcang was already taking quick strides towards Xin Qing. A dark look formed on his face when he saw that both Xin Qing and Ah Sha were crying. "What happened?"
"Go ask that good little brother of yours. He tossed Ah Sha off the couch!" Zhang Mi yelled. "And after that your stepmother tried to hit Xin Qing."
Ying Qingcang"s eyes sliced through the air like a pair of daggers where they finally landed on Rong Siman and her son. He walked over with steady steps. "You think I won"t hit you, is that it?"
"Ah Cang, listen to..."
"Smack!" Ying Qingcang"s palm connected with her face before she could finish. Rong Siman toppled head-first into the floor. "Did you just hit me?" Rong Siman said, holding her swollen cheek.
"Last time, I didn"t manage to strangle you to death. And it looks like you"ve forgotten all about my warning." Ying Qingcang followed up his strike with a kick. "Argh!" Rong Siman shouted in pain. Ying Muhai rushed over and tried to kick Ying Qingcang. "You hit my mommy! I"ll kick you to death. I"ll kick you to death!"
Ying Qingcang shoved the boy away, moving past him to pick up Ah Sha instead. After that, he was prepared to leave the room with Xin Qing. When he walked past Ying Hao, he said, "Deal with it however you see fit."
"Daddy, big brother bullied me. You didn"t scold him. Are you my daddy?!" a crying Ying Muhai yelled at Ying Hao. From the beginning till the end, Ying Hao never uttered a single word. Instead, he stared at Rong Siman coldly. Rong Siman stood up and wrapped an arm around Ying Muhai.
"I"m sorry," she said to Ying Hao. "It"s my fault. I won"t do it next time."
Ying Hao"s eyes never left Rong Siman. "If this happens again, then you"ll no longer be part of the Ying family. I have ways to prevent you from starving to death even when you"re no longer Mrs. Ying."
That night, Ying Hao brought Rong Siman back to England. Ah Sha was unable to sleep soundly after being startled by the incident. Xin Qing placed Ah Sha in their bed while Ying Qingcang held both the mother and daughter in his arms. "I shouldn"t have left your side. I knew that lunatic was up to no good, and yet I still left your side. I"m sorry," Ying Qingcang said apologetically.
"It"s not your fault," Xin Qing said, leaning into his body. "I was the one who didn"t pay enough attention. I can"t believe a boy that young is capable of such violent and unhealthy intent."
A cold glint formed in Ying Qingcang eyes. "I"ll find out whose child that boy is, and then I"ll chase her away for good."
"It"s not going to work," Xin Qing said with a sigh, "Your father is trying to atone for his mistakes. He won"t touch Rong Siman."
"He doesn"t have a say in this. If that mother and child step out of line again, I won"t give face to the old man at all."
The next day, Young Master Shen was yelling at the top of his lungs as he burst into Ying Qingcang"s office. "Has Uncle Ying gone back?!"
"I"ll kick him out myself anyway if he doesn"t leave," Ying Qingcang looked at him in annoyance. "What"s that got to do with you?"
"Why didn"t he take my dad away too?" Young Master Shen said in a pained voice.
"When Uncle Shen chooses to leave is his own business." Ying Qingcang waved his hand. "I"m trying to go through these doc.u.ments and you"re in the way."
Shen Batian was having the time of his life. He went out with Zhang Mi and had tons of fun everyday. Zhang Mi acted like his tour guide, bringing him around to every corner of the city. It did not seem likely that Shen Batian had plans to leave anytime soon.
"Didn"t he say he"s going to attend my wedding? Well, just endure for another half a month." Ying Qingcang stood up and began walking out of the office.
Young Master Shen went after him. "Where are you off to?!" he yelled.
"To have our wedding photos taken!"
The photographer had always given Xin Qing the impression of being nervous and agitated, as if he was constantly breaking out in cold sweat. The guy"s body would probably be sporting holes soon considering that it had been the subject of Ying Qingcang"s constant glaring. And yet the clueless photographer was still bold enough to demand Ying Qingcang to once again shift into a new pose. It was not easy, but they managed to complete the indoor photoshoot. By the time they were done with the indoor photoshoot, Xin Qing could not help but voice out a suggestion. "Why don"t we just skip the shooting at the beach?" she said.
"Why? Tired already?" Ying Qingcang asked. When he spoke, Ying Qingcang"s expression was one of tenderness.
"I just saw how uncomfortable you were when they asked you to pose over and over again," she said.
"I"m fine!" Ying Qingcang shook his head. "It"s a once in a lifetime thing after all. I"ll just endure it and it"ll be over soon."
Xin Qing burst out laughing. She knew Ying Qingcang well. Anyone would feel grouchy and annoyed if they were to be ordered around to strike various uncomfortable poses for three or four consecutive hours. Xin Qing found the activity bearable but only due to the fact that she enjoyed having beautiful photos of herself taken. Ying Qingcang, on the other hand, was forced to endure such torture for her sake.
"I"ll make it up to you when we go home tonight!" Xin Qing said, blushing.
Ying Qingcang smirked and kissed her lips. "You"re the one who said it, so I"ll hold you to that. And does that mean you"ll do whatever I ask?"
"Mm!" Xin Qing pounded him with her fist and then went off to reapply her makeup.
That night, Ying Qingcang did not get to savor Xin Qing after all. The reason for that had to do with something he had overheard while he was waiting for Xin Qing to get changed. He overheard the conversation between two staff members, where the subject of weddings cropped up. One of them had mentioned that everything involved in a wedding had to be brand new; even the house had to be renovated and redecorated beautifully for the occasion.
That had surprised Ying Qingcang; he did not have the house cleaned up at all. He realized that even now, he had been sleeping in Xin Qing"s room; they did not even have a bridal chamber set up yet! That thought literally made him jump. That night, he immediately hired an interior design company and asked them to renovate their house. The designer spent a whole night to come up with a design plan; the construction process would begin the following day.
Early morning the next day, Xin Qing and Ah Sha moved into a hotel. When Ying Qingcang asked her opinion regarding the style she preferred, Xin Qing responded by patting on his shoulder. "Well, the time has come to test your sincerity. Let"s see if we truly are kindred spirits!" In return for that tongue-in-cheek comment, Xin Qing was shoved up against a wall by Ying Qingcang. Following that, she was given a searing kiss until her lips became swollen.
While it was all fun and joy on this side, Zhao Jiali"s circ.u.mstances were the exact opposite; she was in an exceptionally foul mood. Ever since Li Guihai returned from Ying Qingcang"s party, he had changed his mind and decided not to collaborate with Fang Lu. More than anything else, he refused to b.u.t.t heads against Ying Enterprises.
Now, Zhao Jiali felt so much regret that she wanted to die. The reason she had avoided that party was because she was afraid to run into Xin Qing there. She was afraid that Xin Qing would reveal all her secrets. Somehow, things ended up like this. Even worse was the fact that she had accidentally overheard a conversation between Li Guihai and his lawyer.
It turned out that she would not inherit a single penny from the Li family after Li Guihai"s death; all she would get were a house plus a sumptuous monthly allowance. Everything else would go to Li Xiaoru. Anyone else in the same situation would have been satisfied with just that instead of being overwhelmed with greed. Then again, the person involved was Zhao Jiali! She would not just stand by and watch everything fall apart, not when she had already come so close to having everything!
"So what should we do now?" Fang Lu asked her. They had agreed to meet at the coffee shop to talk this over.
Zhao Jiali did not even bother putting any makeup on. Right now, she looked the worse for wear. "I don"t know. Too bad I don"t own the Li family. I don"t have a say in matters related to the company."
"Then find a way to make the Li family yours!" Fang Lu stared at her. "Go persuade the old man, get him to alter his will."
Zhao Jiali shook her head. "I"ve tested the waters with him a few times. It"s useless."
A scary look formed on Fang Lu"s face. "He only has a daughter who will eventually get married to a man in the future. I really have no idea what"s going on in that idiotic old man"s head. He should just die and be done with everything," Fang Lu cursed.
Suddenly, Zhao Jiali sat bolt upright. "What did you just say?"
"Why? You feel bad because I cursed him?"
"Not that one." Zhao Jiali smacked the table anxiously. "Before that."
Fang Lu recalled her words. "I said he only has a daughter, who will marry a man eventually..."
"That"s the one! That"s it!" Zhao Jiali said, her eyes glinting brightly. She called the service staff, "Open a bottle of red wine for me!"
Seeing Zhao Jiali"s sudden jubilance, Fang Lu stared at her strangely. "Think you can clarify first before you start celebrating?"
"You"re exactly right. She"s a girl, and she will marry someone in the future. When that happens, the Li family will rely on her husband. So if the husband is someone who"s on our side, then..."
"Then we"ll have full control over the Li Family!" Fang Lu said with an exhilarated look, "Find a man to court Li Xiaoru and then get her to fall in love with that man. After that, we"ll have a say in everything!"
Zhao Jiali agreed. "Exactly. That"s exactly what we need to do. Now the question is who? Who should we find to seduce Li Xiaoru? This person has to be skillful enough to get Li Xiaoru to agree to marry him. The most important thing is that he needs to be of the same mind as us and will not betray us."
A smile suddenly formed on Fang Lu"s face. "I think I know someone who"s up for the job."
Zhao Jiali stared at Fang Lu"s face. Then it hit her. "You mean..."
"That"s right! My brother."