Four members of the Ying family were having dinner in the dining hall. Ying Qingcang couldn’t help but notice the way Xunxun kept piling food onto Ah Sha’s plate. He also didn’t miss the way in which his own daughter was sweetly grinning at that brat. The mere sight of it brought up a bad taste in Ying Qingcang’s mouth.
“Ah Sha, you should move back home now that he knows you’re back,”Ying Qingcang said. “Your brothers miss you.”
Xunxun’s eyes darted briefly over to Ying Qingcang. “She’ll move into my place.”
Ying Qingcang’s hand slammed down on the table. “She’s my daughter!”
“You already promised her to me when we were young,” Xunxun said, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. “I still have the recording from that year, just in case you’re wondering. You wanted to watch the video of Aunt Qing, so-”
“Shut up,” Ying Qingcang snapped. Now he was p.i.s.sed off. How dare this d*mned brat mention that incident again. If that rascal hadn’t colluded with his father, Ying Qingcang never would have agreed to it.
Xin Qing stroked Ying Qingcang’s arm. “Hey, don’t lose your temper while eating.”
Ying Qingcang’s face instantly changed. His face went all warm and tender. “Help yourself to another bowl of soup!”
Ah Sha grinned from ear to ear and placed a piece of fish on her father’s plate. “Oh, daddy! If I move back in, you and mommy would no longer have your private time.”
“That ship has already sailed. Chengcheng stays home every night,” Ying Qingcang said disapprovingly. “You aren’t married yet. I won’t allow you to live together.”
“We’ve all been sleeping in the same room for ten years now,” Xunxun countered in an icy tone.
“Alright, that’s it. Go back to your own home. You’re forbidden to linger in my house for even a second longer!” Ying Qingcang deeply regretted the fact that all of his sons were younger than Xunxun, none of them stood a chance against Xunxun. Even the fifteen-year-old, Xiao Rui, had become speechless due to Xunxun’s poisonous tongue.
Xunxun calmly stood up before reaching for Ah Sha’s hand and pulling her to her feet. “Come on, let’s go home!”
In the end, Xin Qing dragged Ah Sha away to have a chat in the master bedroom, leaving Ying Qingcang and Xunxun in the dining hall to engage in a mega staredown. After a long while, the two men got down to business.
“You still haven’t found out who’s behind the attack?” Ying Qingcang questioned.
Xunxun shook his head. “No. I’ve asked Uncle Shen to look into the bounty hunters. He didn’t find any of them entering or leaving S City around the time of the incident. Dad couldn’t find a person that fits the description back at the base.” Xunxun paused. “As for the army… Why don’t you ask Jiang Qianren?”
“He’ll be back at the end of this month and I’ll ask him then.” Ying Qingcang frowned slightly. “From the looks of it, it’s likely that the attacker’s appearance at Tang Yue’s home that night was meant as payback for what she’d done to Ah Sha.”
Xunxun’s eyes darkened. “I agree. By the way, Tang Yue just got released today from the hospital.”
“She’s recovered?”
“Yep. She got better on her own.” Xunxun laughed. “This was clearly just a warning. Tang Yue slapped Ah Sha, so they put her in hospital for half a month.”
“We might not even have to bother,” said Ying Qingcang pensively. “That person will appear again the moment Tang Yue does something reckless.”
“I won’t let that imbecile touch Ah Sha again,” Xunxun said in disagreement. “I’m still trying to figure out a way to ruin her.”
“I suggest you talk to Ah Sha first before you do anything.” Ying Qingcang stood up. Then, he shot a warning look at Xunxun. “Don’t you dare touch her before you two are married. If you do, I’ll end you!”
As they were leaving Ying’s residence, Xunxun noticed there was deep blush to Ah Sha’s face.
“What did Aunt Qing tell you?”
Ah Sha looked at him teasingly. “I’m not telling you!”
Xunxun’s eyes grew several shades darker. “Oh, babe,” he said in a deep, husky voice,” you really shouldn’t look at me like that. Otherwise, I won’t be able to withhold my desire to take you right here!”
“Mommy said that a twenty-year-old young man like you is full of vigor. She said that you’ll definitely not be able to hold back your desires and that I must lock the door before I go to sleep every night.” When Ah Sha spoke to Xunxun, her demeanor was still the same as it had been when she was just a child – delicate and childish, just like a young girl.
That pleased Xunxun. She was still the girl whom he had brought up, after all. No matter what kind of strange facade or persona she put on in front of others, in private, her att.i.tude towards Xunxun remained unchanged. Ah Sha’s words brought a smile to Xunxun’s lips, though he chose not to comment.
The following day when Ah Sha was removing her make-up after the crew had wrapped up that day’s filming, she heard a commotion outside the make-up booth.
“What’s going on?” Ah Sha asked Xiao Hua.
Xiao Hua put aside the gla.s.s of water that she had been holding. “Let me go out and have a look.”
Xiao Hua was just about to open the door when it flew open. Chu Yi walked in and handed Ah Sha a copy of the day’s newspaper.
“Look at this. You guys were way too careless.”
Ah Sha took the newspaper and gave it a brief glance. There was a large color photo printed on the page. The photo had clearly been taken at night, and even though the lighting was insufficient, the reporter’s professional camera still managed to capture a clear image: Xunxun was holding the door open for Ah Sha to climb into his car.
“Is this… a scandal?” Ah Sha asked after her mind had fully registered what she had seen in the newspaper.
Chu Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at her reaction. “I think you’re kind of missing the point here!”
“Okay. So, what do I need to do?” Ah Sha had gathered herself into a look of seriousness, though Chu Yi still had the distinct impression that the scandal didn’t bother her in the slightest.
Xiao Hua came closer to look at the newspaper over Ah Sha’s shoulder. “What? They didn’t even manage to take a nice picture of you. It’s so blurry!”
Chu Yi frowned. “What the heck? What kind of a.s.sistant would say something like that?” he thought. All of a sudden, Chu Yi felt as if all his worries were completely unfounded…
“The company will most likely turn this scandal into hype soon enough. They will use it to create more publicity for the movie,” Chu Yi said. If she really did have a relationship with Wan Qingsi, and if the guy refused to acknowledge their relationship later on, she would be the one taking the full brunt of the scandal.
Ah Sha looked at Chu Yi. “Thank you for your concern,” Ah Sha said earnestly. “You have nothing to worry about. I know what I’m doing!”
Chu Yi sighed. He could tell that there was a good person in this girl before his eyes, someone with a lot of potential. With proper nurturing and guidance, without a doubt she’d become world famous, provided that she could resist the temptation to stray from the right path, of course.
“Just look out for yourself, then. I’ll be going now.”
After Chu Yi left, Xiao Hua said gleefully, “This is great, isn’t it? Now that they’ve all found out about your relationship with the young master, they’ll stop trying to suck up to Tang Yue.”
“Tang Yue?” Surprise flashed up inside Ah Sha’s heart. She had nearly forgotten about that person.
At the hospital, Tang Yue was reading the newspaper that Xiao Zhao held before her. In a sudden fit of strength, her hand rose in the air and she slapped the newspaper to the floor.
“Sister Yue! You can move your arm now?” Xiao Zhao yelled excitedly.
Tang Yue froze for several moments, and then a look of joy spread across her face. “I… I’ve recovered?” She moved both of her arms again and found that everything had returned to normal.
“Sister Yue! You’ve really recovered! Thank G.o.d. It’s alright now. Everything’s alright now!” Xiao Zhao ran to the door and yelled, “Doctor!”
Tang Yue gave the newspaper lying on the floor a death glare, several schemes already forming in her mind. Tang Yue refused to believe that she would lose to a girl whom Wan Qingsi had practically raised from a young age, let alone some girl who just appeared out of nowhere.
“Xiao Zhao, do me a favor and buy some snacks. After that, let’s head back to the movie set!”
Having finished removing her make-up, Ah Sha sat outside, waiting for the director to brief everyone on tomorrow’s schedule. Sounds of whispers filled her surroundings. Everyone was talking behind her back, and Ah Sha didn’t even have to think to know what they were all talking about.
As usual, Tian Yiyi, the imbecile that she was, had volunteered to become everyone’s cannon fodder. Tian Yiyi approached Ah Sha. “I really have to hand it to you!” she said in an odd tone.
Whenever she had to deal with strangers or people she didn’t give a c.r.a.p about, Ah Sha would always put on a dispa.s.sionate front. That was why Tian Yiyi’s words didn’t incite any kind of reaction from Ah Sha. Beside Ah Sha, Xiao Hua snickered. “Miss Tian, I suggest you worry more about yourself if you have that much free time.”
“How dare you mock me, you little b*tch,” Tian Yiyi growled. Tian Yiyi had starred in several commercials as well as a TV series before, she, therefore, considered herself to be a celebrity. She had already been enraged before this but having a puny little a.s.sistant mock her in such a way was the final straw.
Ah Sha gave Tian Yiyi a look. “Everyone’s staring at you.”
Tian Yiyi scowled and was just about to say something when she caught a glimpse of the movie set’s entrance. All of a sudden, Tian Yiyi’s eyes sparkled. At the same time, a weird smirk formed on her face. “Yo, a certain someone thought she caught the big fish, huh? Now I’m interested to see if the big fish still wants you!”
Ah Sha followed Tian Yiyi’s gaze towards the entrance. She saw Xunxun walking in, and beside him… was Tang Yue.
By Ah Sha’s count, Tang Yue should have been fully recovered by now. And yet here she was, out leaping around as soon as she’d recovered. “She really hasn’t learned her lesson at all, has she?” Ah Sha thought.
Tang Yue greeted everyone the moment she walked in. “Come, everyone! I brought some snacks!” Tang Yue had a stellar public image and she had great social skills too. When everyone saw that she had been discharged, they all hurried over to greet her. Tian Yiyi gave Ah Sha a smug look and joined the others.
“Sister Yue, congratulations on being discharged,” Tian Yiyi said. Then, like a presumptuous smart-alec, Tian Yiyi looked at Wan Qingsi, who was speaking on his phone beside Tang Yue. “You really know how to make an entrance, Sister Yue. I mean, having the boss himself fetch you from the hospital? Wow. And I bet it was the boss who had bought these snacks.”
In her folly, Tian Yiyi had completely missed the stiff look that had taken over Tang Yue’s face. Not only that, Tian Yiyi had even begun to holler in Ah Sha’s direction. “Hey! Looks like we’re about to have another cast change! Don’t you think so too, Sister Yue?”
Wan Qingsi hung up the phone. Tian Yiyi was just about to greet him when he strode past her.
“Are you ready to go?” Wan Qingsi said, lowering his head so that Ah Sha was the only person who could see the warmth in his eyes.
Ah Sha stood up. “Mm, let’s go!”
Tang Yue forced a smile. “You guys have misunderstood. I only just ran into Boss Wan at the entrance.” Deep down, Tang Yue felt the urge to strangle Tian Yiyi to death. That foolish woman had completely ruined the big appearance that she had planned.
When Wan Qingsi and Ah Sha walked past the group of people gathered around Tang Yue, Wan Qingsi suddenly stopped in his tracks. “Qi Xiu.” he said.
“At your service, boss.” Qi Xiu said, running out from the back.
Wan Qingsi’s cold gaze landed on Tian Yiyi briefly before it moved away. Tian Yiyi’s face turned pale. She suddenly had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“End our contract with Miss Tian once this movie is done.”
Tian Yiyi’s body swayed as a wave of vertigo crashed over her. “But boss!” she yelled, shooting a pleading look at Tang Yue. She did not expect the “serves-you-right” look from Tang Yue. Everyone else was watching quietly on the sidelines, not daring to make a sound. Panic rose inside Tian Yiyi. “You… You can’t end my contract. You have to pay me double the penalty fees if you do that!” she protested.
Wan Qingsi didn’t spare Tian Yiyi another glance. He turned his head to the side to look at Ah Sha. “Let’s go.”
“Okay!” The sh*t-eating grin on Ah Sha’s tiny face amused Wan Qingsi. “This girl is still trying to pretend!”
Once the two of them had left the movie set, Qi Xiu turned to Tian Yiyi and said, “Don’t worry. We can afford even ten times the penalty fee.”
Inside the car, Ah Sha felt Xunxun’s lips before she was even fully settled in her seat. A long, intense make out session ensued, after which Xunxun fastened Ah Sha’s seat belt for her. “Let’s go have lunch first. You don’t have any scenes to shoot this afternoon. I’ll help you move,” Xunxun said.
This time, they went to a restaurant known for its Sichuan cuisine. Ah Sha’s preference had always been for flavorful foods, she especially enjoyed spicy foods. This restaurant was hidden somewhere within a deep alleyway. Inside, they chose a table in a well-concealed private booth. Once they had taken their seats, Xunxun began to fill Ah Sha’s bowl with rice. “Before this, I allowed Tang Yue to act freely because I wanted you to see how she falls from the top, but she tried to harm you, I therefore no longer plan to keep her around.”
“No.” Ah Sha said without even thinking. “I’m not a child anymore. I want to handle her myself.”
Xunxun frowned. “What if you get hurt again?”
“She’ll never hurt me again, I promise!” Ah Sha said, raising her hand. “Last time, I slapped her too. So I’m not at a disadvantage!” There was a bright glint inside Ah Sha’s eyes. “Besides, she paid for what she did, right? She spent half a month lying in the hospital!”
In the end, Ah Sha resorted to a more physical method of persuasion; she threw herself at Xunxun which, of course, led to another bout of kissing and fondling by the man. It worked though. Xunxun agreed to let her deal with Tang Yue on her own. After lunch, they went to Ah Sha’s apartment to pack her bags, all of which they then moved into Xunxun’s home.
Ah Sha did not have the chance to check out the place. The man had trapped her back against the door the moment they stepped through. Ah Sha felt Xunxun’s warm breath tickling her ear before her earlobe was pulled in by his lips.
“Babe, let me touch you!”