Tang Yue looked pleasantly surprised when she saw Ah Sha.
“Oh, so you’re alright? That’s great!” Tang Yue said in greeting.
Ah Sha glanced at Tang Yue who still had a cast fitted to her leg. “Looks like you won’t be moving around for at least three months.”
Beside them, Tang Yue’s a.s.sistant, Xiao Zhao, piped up, “Oh, lucky you,” Xiao Zhao said. “If Sister Yue hadn’t pushed you away in time, you are the one who’d be lying here right now.”
“Is that so?” Ah Sha smiled at Tang Yue. “I guess I should thank you properly, then!”
Then, Ah Sha narrowed her eyes and leaned down so that her lips were right beside Tang Yue’s ear.
“I’ll remember that push you gave me that day,” Ah Sha said. “One of these days, I’ll repay you for what you did.”
The color drained from Tang Yue’s face. Panic filled her eyes in an instant. But she recovered quickly and smiled. “Don’t mention it,” she said smilingly. “We’re all part of the same company, right? Of course I wouldn’t want to see you hit the ground!”
“Hehe. Take good care of yourself then,” Ah Sha said. For several seconds, she gave Tang Yue a pointed look. Then, she turned around and walked away.
As expected, a photo of her and Tang Yue appeared on Weibo that same night; in it, she and Tang Yue were smiling at each other. Tang Yue didn’t add any caption for the photo, but a lot of people a.s.sumed that Ah Sha had visited Tang Yue in order to thank her.
In an interview, Tang Yue told a reporter that she had pushed Ah Sha during the fall; that was why she had landed on the pavement outside the movie props and broke her leg while Ah Sha only suffered surface wounds. Only Ah Sha and insiders (such as the filming crew), who worked on the movie set, knew the truth: if Ah Sha hadn’t shielded her face in time before she crashed, a facial disfigurement was only the best case scenario for her.
Meanwhile, An Ru suddenly became docile and compliant; she hadn’t caused any more trouble ever since the accident. That was probably due to the fact that the filming of her movie had begun. Even her Weibo posts were focused on her interesting daily experiences on the movie set.
“Don’t worry, she’s going to be crying very soon,” Wan Qingsi told Ah Sha when he came home today.
Ah Sha chuckled. “What did you do?”
“Giving her a taste of her own medicine, that’s all.” Wan Qingsi scratched the tip of her nose lightly. “And there’s something else.”
“What’s that?”
“Congratulations! You’ve been nominated as the best supporting actress for the Hundred Flowers Award!” “You’re going to win an award for your first movie!” Wan Qingsi leaned in and kissed her. “My Ah Sha is the best.”
Ah Sha grinned. “Oh, come on. I’m just a nominee. We don’t know if I’d win yet,” she said humbly.
“Well, I, for one, can’t wait for that day to come!” Wan Qingsi said, staring at her. Ah Sha met his gaze and noticed the strange glint in his eyes.
She might have been imagining things, but Ah Sha kept having this feeling that she and Wan Qingsi were happy about two different things…
That night, An Ru made the headlines of the entertainment news: Popular singer, An Ru, encountered an accident this afternoon during the filming of her upcoming movie. She was. .h.i.t in the head by a board (over 10 meters long) used as the scene’s background before rolling off a tall platform.
Wan Qingsi and Ah Sha were both seated on the couch, watching the news. Ah Sha, who was sitting with her back leaning against Wan Qingsi’s chest, suddenly turned around to look at him. “You did something to the board, didn’t you?” Ah Sha asked. “But how did you get her to roll off the platform?”
Wan Qingsi chuckled. “That’s just her sh*t luck, because I had nothing to do with that,” he said. “She rolled off the platform on her own.”
Ah Sha rewarded him with a kiss. After that, one thing led to another, and she ended up being carried to bed and having her body kissed all over!
In order to remind that foolish woman that she had something to do with her accident, Ah Sha deliberately visited An Ru at the hospital two days later. Of course, Ah Sha had also made sure that she was dressed to the nines when she showed up at An Ru’s hospital room.
“Oops! Sorry. Wrong room.”
There were only several occupants in the room. Other than An Ru, who was lying on the bed, several others were standing around the room. None of them could come up with a reaction when they heard Ah Sha’s words.
An Ru’s high-pitched voice pierced through the silence. “Mei Jing! You dare show your face here!” An Ru screamed. “Was it you? Were you the one behind my accident?”
“Oh. I didn’t know you’re staying here!” Ah Sha walked in and stopped beside An Ru’s bed. Then, she stared at An Ru and batted her eyes innocently. “Me? How am I capable of something like that?”
Ah Sha’s face, however, conveyed the exact opposite, “So what if it was me? What are you going to do about it?”
“You should probably put more effort into your recovery,” Ah Sha said, pointing at An Ru’s battered face, which was covered in patches of green and purple bruises. “Things aren’t going to work out well for you if you end up ruining your face. I bet no man would want you if that happens!”
Driven by fury, An Ru sat up abruptly and pounced on Ah Sha; however, with those wounds covering her body, there was nothing she could really do. Pain shot through her the moment she moved, and she was forced to lay back down again. Ah Sha was still basking in feelings of smugness when she heard the voice of a man behind her.
“Haha. You truly live up to your name, Miss Mei Jing!”
Ah Sha turned around and saw the men (who’d been standing around An Ru’s bed) in the room stepping aside to reveal another man who was sitting on the couch. One glance at the man, and Ah Sha was already regretting her decision to come here today.
“Well, well, well. From the look on your face, I’d say that you already know who I am,” the man said, rising from the couch. The sunlight from the window fell upon the man, revealing his harsh figure and sharp features. The man looks very fit, like one of those buff, beefy types who spent a lot of time pumping iron at the gym.
His eyes held traces of feminine warmth and had a slight upward curve at their corners, giving him a distinguished yet dangerous air.
Behold, Lin Musheng… the head honcho of the Triad!
Ah Sha’s blood roiled inside her heart. “When the heck did this guy even get here?”
Time to put her acting skills to the test. “Who are you?” Ah Sha asked in a light but clear tone.
Lin Musheng approached her slowly. “I’m Lin Ru’s big brother,” he said matter-of-factually.
“Lin Ru?” Ah Sha chewed on the fingernail of her index finger as she pretended to think hard. “Ah! You mean An Ru? So you’re the boss of the Hong Kong Triad?”
Lin Musheng stopped before Ah Sha; one more step and their toes would be touching. He smirked. “You know me, then?”
“You’re An Ru’s backstage supporter,” Ah Sha said. “I mean, it’s all over the Internet.” Keeping her face completely neutral, Ah Sha circled the man, appraising him from head to toe. It was also a subtle way for her to put some distance between them. “But you don’t seem like the Mafia type!”
“Oh?” Lin Musheng’s gaze were trained on her. “Then what type do I seem like?”
Ah Sha clapped her hands together. “Like a good person!”
“Haha!” Lin Musheng laughed. “Well, then will you join this good person for lunch?”
Now, it was Ah Sha’s turn to be baffled. The corners of her lips twitched as her eyes darted to An Ru, who was staring back at her with eyes full of hatred. “Oh, of course I’ll join you! But I’m pretty sure An Ru wouldn’t be too happy about that,” Ah Sha quickly said.
Lin Musheng’s reaction to her words took Ah Sha by complete surprise: he headed for the door without sparing An Ru a single glance. “Whether or not she’s happy has nothing to do with us.”
Ah Sha was about to say something else, but swallowed her words when she saw Lin Musheng’s henchmen stepping up to her. From their gait, Ah Sha was pretty sure that these men would manhandle her if she didn’t comply. She decided to bite the bullet and followed Lin Musheng out of the room.
“The lobsters here are pretty good,” Lin Musheng said. “Let’s try it!” Lin Musheng obviously knew S City pretty well; he had brought Ah Sha to an exquisite seafood restaurant.
Ah Sha felt a strong urge to spread a handful of itching powder onto Lin Musheng’s plate. Too bad she couldn’t do that; it definitely wouldn’t be fun if the head honcho of the Hong Kong Triad knew that she was the poison queen.
“I don’t like seafood,” Ah Sha said, reaching for the gla.s.s of water and taking a sip.
Lin Musheng smiled at her. “That’s too bad,” Lin Musheng said. “You’ll just have to watch me eat.”
Ah Sha balled her fist. She had already sent Wan Qingsi a text message on the way here. Now she just had to wait for him to show up.
Moments went by with him eating and her watching. Wan Qingsi arrived before Lin Musheng could even finish half of the lobster.
“Qingsi!” Ah Sha threw herself into Wan Qingsi’s arms. Wan Qingsi lowered his head and took a good look at her. Once he was certain that Ah Sha was unharmed, Wan Qingsi leveled a cold stare at Lin Musheng. “You should’ve come straight to me if you have anything to say,” Wan Qingsi said. “You don’t have to give my woman a scare just to see me.”
Lin Musheng wiped his lips with a napkin. “You’re indeed as clever as they say, President Wan,” Lin Musheng said, glancing at Wan Qingsi briefly. “Well, since you know that it’s you that I truly wanted to see, then I’ll be straight with you.” Lin Musheng stood up. “Now, about my sister’s accident, I hope it ends here. If this happens again, I’ll just have to ask your woman…” Lin Musheng glanced at Mei Jing. “To be a guest at the Lin family!”
#
Wan Qingsi wrapped an arm around Ah Sha’s waist. “I was just about to say the same thing to you, Mr. Lin,” Wan Qingsi said in a stern tone. “I hope you control your own sister. The next time I do it for you, she wouldn’t end up in just a hospital.”
The smile on Lin Musheng’s face slowly faded. The warmth in his eyes vanished and was replaced by coldness. “I’ll remember your words today, President Wan. Let’s have a proper chat next time if opportunity permits.”
“I don’t think there’s any such opportunity.” Wan Qingsi took Ah Sha’s hand and led her out.
One of Lin Musheng’s henchmen came up from behind. “Boss, shall I teach that woman a lesson?”
“Huh? How are you planning on doing that?” Lin Musheng gave Ding Quan a look. Ding Quan quickly lowered his head and said, “But the young miss…”
“She had it coming,” Lin Musheng said, cutting him off. “I’m warning you guys here and now. n.o.body does anything without my permission.”
“Why?” Ding Quan asked.
“Wan Qingsi is very close with the Ying family. Do I have to explain to you what the relationship is between the Ying family and the Shen Family?” Lin Musheng said in a harsh tone.
“No, sir. I understand.”
The sour look on Wan Qingsi’s face had lasted the entire journey home. Ah Sha sat quietly in the pa.s.senger seat, not daring to make a single sound. When they reached home, Wan Qingsi pressed her down on the couch. “Who told you to see An Ru, huh?”
“I just… thought… I’d see her…”
“And look how that turned out?” Wan Qingsi grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “You were nearly abducted by Lin Musheng!”
Ah Sha dove into his arms. “Well, I’m still here aren’t I? I didn’t get abducted,” she said in a playful tone. “He wanted to see you, that’s all. That’s why he offered to treat me to a meal.”
“You know how dangerous it is if he ever finds out about your true ident.i.ty.” Wan Qingsi cradled her face between his large palms and kissed her pa.s.sionately. “I can’t handle a scare like that. I don’t want to go through the same thing that Aunt Qing and Ying Qingcang did, being forced apart and living with the fact that being together would come at a price.”
“No, no. That won’t happen!” Ah Sha quickly said. “If he really does find out my true ident.i.ty, he wouldn’t be able to abduct me either. I’m the poison queen, remember?”
“You’ll be even more danger if he finds out!” Wan Qingsi stared at her sternly. “You can never ever let him find out that you’re the poison queen, you hear me? The Lin family had lost over 100 million over those firearms last time. And that’s on you.”
Ah Sha nodded obediently. “Hmm. So I’ll have to pay with my life if they catch me.” Ah Sha paused in thought. “Wait a minute. If he lost 100 million because of me, then how much did he pay Bai Qi to kill me?”
Clearly, this discussion didn’t go as Wan Qingsi had planned. He had expected Ah Sha to be wary or fearful after his warning, not a.n.a.lyzing the G.o.dd.a.m.n situation with interest. Wan Qingsi scowled and pressed her down on the couch, covering her body with his. Then, he ravished her, thoroughly and mercilessly. By the time he was done, Ah Sha was trembling all over, right down to her fingertips.
Ah Sha’s hopes of spending a few more days resting at home were dashed the moment Zhou Na called; Ah Sha had been called back to the movie set.
“Tang Yue’s is back to work?”
“No. There’s at least three more months to go before she fully recovers. For now, we’ll film her close-up scenes and use a double for her action scenes,” Zhou Na explained to Ah Sha over the phone.
The next day, Ah Sha arrived at the movie set on time.
Meanwhile, An Ru was sulking at home after she’d been released from the hospital; Lin Musheng had given her a strict warning, asking her not to mess with Mei Jing. On this day, Lin Musheng had sent Ding Quan to keep an eye on her. An Ru hadn’t stop crying ever since he got there. Ding Quan watched her cry, his heart aching at the sound of every sob. Still, he couldn’t say anything; the differences in their status deemed it inappropriate for him to do so.
“Will you lend me your shoulder?” An Ru said, looking up at Ding Quan with piteous eyes. Ding Quan complied immediately and sat down beside her. An Ru leaned into his arms and allowed his scent to envelop her like a coc.o.o.n.
An Ru had splurged a huge sum of money on a surgery to repair her hymen, all because Wan Qingsi had seen her as a tainted woman. She had never touched herself after the surgery. Now that she was in the arms of a man, she was starting to lose control of her own l.u.s.t. One thing led to another, and the next she knew, she was straddling Ding Quan’s thighs.
Feeling the man’s hardness beneath her, An Ru reached out and pulled Ding Quan’s head to her breast.
“You want me!”