Ying Qingcang had extended the lounge area behind his office; he had been staying there for the past month. Still, tonight he was forced to return.
Standing outside the door of the master bedroom, he forced himself to calm down and suppress the coldness in his eyes. Here was the haven he had once shared with Xin Qing; it was once his favorite place. But now, it was occupied by a disgusting woman.
He opened the door and was met with a voice whose tone was a mixture of nervousness and joy. "Oh, you"re back!" Ying Qingcang raised his head, and darkness instantly filled the depths of his eyes. He clenched his hands into fists. "Are you done with the pill?"
Smirking, Tang Shuang ran towards him and tugged his arm. "You"ve been busy with that buyout thingy, and we haven"t even spent our first night together as a married couple yet. Now that you"re back, why are you still asking about that woman? I don"t like it!" she said, acting like a spoiled and petulant child.
The meager silk fabric of the lingerie did a poor job in covering the twin mounds of her chest. Tang Shuang deliberately rubbed herself against Ying Qingcang while glancing down at her own snowy, white figure in satisfaction. Little did she know that the only thing Ying Qingcang felt about her body was disgust.
"Haven"t I told you before? She"s in that state in order to save my life. You don"t want me to keep carrying that debt in my heart, do you?" Ying Qingcang said. With a blank expression, he released his arm from her grip, retrieved his pajamas, and then walked into the bathroom.
Tang Shuang stared at Ying Qingcang as he shut the door. She wanted to join him, but she was too embara.s.sed. She stood outside the door and asked, "Do you want me to scrub your back? In our village, women are required to scrub the back of their man."
"No need. I"ll come out after a quick shower. Sleep first if you"re tired." The sound of water running was heard after that. Tang Shuang was hung up on the fact that Ying Qingcang was about to come out. She smiled, covered her face, and leaped onto the bed. She crawled under the covers before she suddenly paused in thought. Then she got up and switched off the lights, leaving only the beside lamp on.
Ying Qingcang emerged shortly. His steps faltered when he noticed that all the lights had been switched off. He resumed walking towards the bed, where he saw Tang Shuang lying there, staring at him expectantly. He turned around to leave.
"Ying Qingcang!" Tang Shuang cried out in a hurt voice.
Ying Qingcang halted at the door. "I"ll be back soon."
Overwhelmed by frustration, Tang Shuang stared at the gaping doorway. Ying Qingcang returned a few minutes later with a gla.s.s of milk in his hand.
"Having a gla.s.s of milk before bed is good for you," he said, handing the gla.s.s to her. After that, he released a few awkward coughs.
"Thank you!" Tang Shuang"s heart nearly leaped out of her rib cage with joy. "So Ying Qingcang is feeling shy!" she thought. "Does it mean that he"s starting to like me?" A sweet sensation flooded Tang Shuang"s heart. She would officially become Mrs. Ying after tonight!
After Tang Shuang finished the gla.s.s of milk, Ying Qingcang drew the covers aside and climbed into bed. Tang Shuang wanted to snuggle up to him, but was once again too shy to act on her desires. Just when she was debating with herself whether to reach out to him, she felt a sudden warmth on her waist. Ying Qingcang"s hand traced her waist line before it slid upwards, bit by bit.
To every young woman, wedding nights were always characterized by endless fantasy and antic.i.p.ation. Tang Shuang gazed at the man on top of her, savoring his gentle treatment of her. Little by little, the man took her with him as they soared towards a place she had never been before. When she was finally there, it felt as if though she had gone to paradise. When it was all over, she clung to the man"s body as she pa.s.sed out in a bout of shudders.
"Come on, man. It"s not like you actually touched her. All you did was lay on the same bed as her for a short while. Do you really have to take three showers?" Young Master Shen said, rolling his eyes at him.
Young Master Shen had been watching Ying Qingcang taking endless trips to the bathroom since early that morning.
"d.a.m.n it. Why do you have to mention it again? Do you know much it took me to feel just a tad bit cleaner? Great. Now I feel disgusted again," Ying Qingcang said and then he ran into the bathroom for his fourth shower that morning.
When he came out later, Young Master Shen asked, "You sure that drug"s going to work? Will she really hallucinate and think that you"ve slept with her?"
"Boss Wan found it, so it probably works," said Ying Qingcang. "Even with her medical skills, she won"t find out anything unless she took her own pulse in that moment. She won"t be able to find out anything after a night."
Young Master Shen suddenly chuckled. "What about the blood? How did you pull that off?"
"Don"t know. Uncle Fu probably slaughtered a chicken or something."
Ying Qingcang waved his hand. "Enough. Let"s not talk about this anymore. You can get your people to relax now. Boss Wan said he might have a way to cure Xin Qing"s headache once and for all."
"Wonderful! Tell him to hurry up. Although we"re using Tang Shuang to bait out the mastermind, we still can"t keep Xiao Qingqing on tenterhooks like this. Everyone"s a nervous wreck at this point," Young Master Shen said. Suddenly, Young Master Shen"s eyes glinted brightly. "I suggest you start attending more parties and bring that woman with you. Let everyone know that you"re happy with her. The better you treat her, the more danger she"ll be in, and the sooner the mastermind will make his move."
Ying Qingcang smirked. "I"m thinking the same thing." He pressed a call b.u.t.ton on his desk. "Ah Nan, get in here."
The door was pushed open, and Ah Nan entered. "Young Master?"
"See if you can fit in more parties into my schedule. I"ll attend as long as it"s suitable," Ying Qingcang said. Ah Nan took a moment to process the directive before he nodded. "I understand," Ah Nan said, then he paused in hesitation. "Young Master, the old master said he"s sending some people over for supervision..."
"Oh?" Ying Qingcang laughed. "It"s been many years since he pulled this kind of gimmick. I wonder why he"s thinking of sending someone over now!"
Ah Nan pondered for a moment. Then he said, "Probably as a gesture of reconciliation. Because the person he"s sending over is Elder Li."
"Haha!" Young Master Shen cracked up. "Elder Li is your dad"s loyal sidekick! "Sending Elder Li here for a supervison?" said Young Master Shen. "I mean, come on. That"s just a waste of resources. This is obviously an olive branch. Look, just quit the tough guy act when the guy gets here later. No quarrel between a father and son can last more than a night, after all!"
Ying Qingcang snorted and said nothing.
Tang Shuang felt sore all over when she woke up, especially in her waist and legs. Then she recalled the events from last night, which brought a smile to her lips. Grinning, the turned her head to the side. Her heart dropped when she saw the empty s.p.a.ce beside her. Then she saw a note on the pillow.
"I"ve got a meeting this morning, so I left early. Rest well. I"ll have dinner with you tonight," the note read.
Chuckling, Tang Shuang cradled the note against her chest. Leaning against the headboard, she pushed herself up and out of bed, wanting to take a shower. That was when she saw the blood on the sheets. Blushing, she lowered her head and made her way into the bathroom and soaked herself in the tub. The smile never left her face...
Ying Qingcang saw Elder Li in his office three days later. This man had joined Ying Enterprises when Ying Qingcang was ten years old. Back then, the man himself was only a teenager. Still, Elder Li was highly capable, and he was loyal too; Ying Qingcang"s father had rescued him from the claws of gangsters. Before Ying Qingcang took over Ying Enterprises, Elder Li was one of the most powerful decision makers of Ying Enterprises, second only to Ying Hao. After Ying Qingcang"s return to China, Elder Li had been running things on the side of England.
"Ah Cang! It"s been a while," Elder Li greeted. The man was a mixed-blood; he was half Chinese and half French. A tall guy who constantly had a smile on his face, Elder Li was someone who gave an impression of being a highly amiable person. Well, that was what he was actually like too. At least Ying Qingcang had never seen the guy losing his temper before.
"How are you?" Ying Qingcang smiled. "Can"t believe the old man has sent you here. Don"t tell me you made a mistake and got banished."
Elder Li shot him a helpless look. "Every time you two got into a quarrel, it"s the people among your circle like us that suffer the most. Don"t tell me you"ve forgotten that it"s his 60th birthday next month?"
"Oops!" Ying Qingcang arched his brows. "I actually forgot."
Elder Li did not look surprised at all. "That"s why the old man has sent me here to remind you! Also... To meet your current wife."
"Sounds good! In fact, it"s perfect timing. We"re attending a charity auction tonight. Join us!"
"Tell me if you see something you like later. I"ll buy it for you as a gift!" Ying Qingcang whispered into Tang Shuang"s ear as they entered the banquet hall.
"Anything?" Tang Shuang glanced at him teasingly.
Ying Qingcang answered with a tiny smile. "Of course. As long as it"s something you want."
"Ah Cang!" Young Master Shen ran over. "Where"s Elder Li?"
"Ah Che"s picking him up," Ying Qingcang said, glancing at the woman standing behind Young Master Shen. Somehow, the woman looked familiar; she had been Young Master Shen had brought around to various events during the past two years. In fact, the woman had even shared a conversation with Xin Qing before. Ying Qingcang felt a sharp pain in his chest at the thought of his woman.
"What"s the matter?" Tang Shuang asked when she noticed Ying Qingcang holding his chest. "Are you feeling unwell?" Then she placed her finger on his wrist to take his pulse.
Ying Qingcang stopped her. "It"s nothing. Probably just overworked myself a little."
Tang Shuang was far from rea.s.sured. Just when she was about to say something, she noticed Young Master Shen waving at someone behind them.
"Ah, so this is my sister-in-law?" Elder Li closed the distance between them in a few strides. He stopped and gave Tang Shuang an appraisal. Then he nodded. "Such a young lady. Ah Cang didn"t bully you, did he?"
Tang Shuang blushed. "As if he"d bully me!" she mumbled.
Ying Qingcang smiled and began making the introductions. "This is Elder Li, an auditor sent from Ying Enterprises" HQ."
They exchanged further pleasantries until the auction began. The charity auction this time involved the bidding of the designs produced by an avant-garde artist. The money raised from the auction would be used to reward fellow startup artists. A sculpture caught Tang Shuang"s eyes, so Ying Qingcang bought it for her. Every now and then, Elder Li noticed Ying Qingcang leaning down to whisper something into Tang Shuang"s ears. Then he recalled what old man Ying had told him before he came here.
"I know that brat too well. He once said that Xin Qing is his life. And now, all of a sudden he"s in love with another woman? I don"t think so. There"s some kind of trick involved. There has to be. I want you to check it out and report your findings back to me. I want to know what that little brat is planning!"
Admittedly, Elder Li was feeling a little uncertain at this point. He had seen Ying Qingcang"s att.i.tude towards Tang Shuang, which was most certainly different from the way Ying Qingcang usually treated others. It was already a rare sight for Ying Qingcang to treat a woman that courteously and with such good-humor. Could it be that the old man was wrong this time? Could Ying Qingcang really have fallen in love with this Tang Shuang?
When the auction ended, Ying Qingcang chivalrously opened the door for Tang Shuang and shielded her head as she entered. Then, Ying Qingcang turned around to address Elder Li. "I should"ve given you a proper welcome. But I"ve just married Tang Shuang, so I have to go home and accompany her! So... I"ll have Young Master Shen keep you company."
"You little brat. Since when did you become so caring?" Elder Li stared at him in disbelief. "Can"t believe you"re actually the type who spoils the wife!"
Young Master Shen pulled Elder Li towards another car. "That"s why it"s time for you to stop being the third wheel. Come on, let"s go have a drink!"
Back at Ying"s residence, a grinning Tang Shuang handed Ying Qingcang a box when he came out of the bathroom after a shower. "The pill for next month!" she said.
"Thanks for the hard work." Ying Qingcang took the box and casually tossed it onto the table. That was when he noticed Tang Shuang"s blush and also the way she kept sneaking glances at him. Raising his brows, he turned around and left the room. This time, Tang Shuang never made a sound. She climbed onto the bed and waited for his return obediently. Indeed, she saw Ying Qingcang entering the room with a gla.s.s of milk. As usual, he stood there and watched her finish the milk. Then he climbed into bed after switching off the light.
Once again, Tang Shuang experienced the ineffable bliss resulting from the union between a man and a woman. It felt as if her entire body had caught fire under Ying Qingcang"s teasing strokes. The scorching flames of pa.s.sion seared her until she was reduced to nothing but screams.