At long last, Ying Qingcang"s mood had shown slight improvement. After hearing Ah Nan"s report, he felt that Xin Qing had handled the situation very well. At first, he had been planning to put pressure on CK, but had held back because he was worried that Xin Qing would be mad when she found out. In the end, she had handled the situation beautifully.
"Go check out that William," Ying Qingcang said, frowning. "If I"m not mistaken, that name is affiliated with the British royal family. But I don"t really recall such a man among them. Go look into it."
Ah Nan nodded and left the room the same time when Young Master Shen was entering. Young Master Shen plopped down on the couch unceremoniously and lay spread-eagled. "Xiao Qingqing is having her summer vacation now. Let"s go see her!" He declared triumphantly.
"Sure. You go," Ying Qingcang said, nodding his agreement.
Young Master Shen glared at him. "As if you"re not dying to go yourself."
"As a matter of fact, I really don"t feel like going," Ying Qingcang said, glancing at him. "I"m busy. So you go!"
"Then I"m not going as well," Young Master Shen said, his lips downturned.
"No, that won"t do. You said just now that you"ll be going. So you must go." Ying Qingcang threatened. "Otherwise... you"ll have to return to England with me."
Young Master Shen sat bolt upright on the couch. "That thing last time is coming back to bite you in the a.s.s, isn"t it?"
"The old man told me that my grandfather is facing a lot of pressure. Besides, he"s been ill. If I don"t return, I"m afraid he"ll die from anger." As expected, Molly"s family had begun making their move. The reason they were demanding a statement from the Ying family was simply to compel Ying Qingcang to marry Molly.
Young Master Shen laughed gloatingly. "When I go to France, I"ll tell Xin Qing about your upcoming engagement."
Ying Qingcang did not burst into anger at Young Master Shen"s suggestion. Instead, he nodded his agreement. "Fine. You tell her exactly that."
The hottest news in CK Academy was that the academy award had been won by a Chinese girl. Xin Qing stood at the exhibition corridor, staring as they placed an imitation of Dream Lily into a gla.s.s case. Dream Lily. That was the name she had given her design.
"Congratulations. You"ll be remembered in the annals of CK as the first Asian who got a high distinction!" said Dianne, offering her hand congratulatory. Xin Qing had no idea when Dianne had approached her.
Xin Qing smiled and returned her sights to her design. Her eyes were a little unfocused, as if she was drifting away. "The reason why there hasn"t been one before me might have nothing to do with talent or capability. I believe that the Chinese are just as talented as your people."
Realizing the insinuation behind Xin Qing"s words, Dianne went deep in thought. After a while, she said, "I"ve never had any prejudice against the Chinese." She smiled. "I lost. So I"ll treat you to a meal as promised!"
"It"s alright. I"ve got a friend coming to France for a visit. Then, I still have to go to the academy to make arrangements for my summer trip to the mines. My schedule"s a little tight." Xin Qing politely declined. Dianne"s attempts at cordiality had made Xin Qing feel unsafe. After everything that had happened with Randa, Xin Qing"s sense of self-awareness had heightened considerably. In the words of her ancestors: "Have no intention to harm, but have every intention to preserve yourself from harm!"
Dianne had probably not been expecting such a blatant refusal from Xin Qing. She was taken aback at first, but she recovered and put on a distant and cla.s.sy smile. "It"s okay. I can wait until you have time," she said before she nodded and left.
When Xin Qing found out the mining site she was visiting for her summer trip, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She rubbed her eyes hard, but yet the words written there still struck her as familiar. It was her own mining site, the same one Ying Qingcang had given her.
"It can"t be this coincidental, can it?" Xin Qing felt a bit incredulous. She pondered for a moment before deciding to make a phone call to confirm it. In the end, the teacher confirmed it. That was indeed the place that she had been a.s.signed to. At this point, her emotions were in shambles. As far as she knew, she would have two other students joining her for the trip. Dianne would be one of them. The other one would be a guy. "It"s best if I keep it to myself," Xin Qing thought. "n.o.body from the mines has seen my face before anyway. I"ll just go there as a normal student!"
The academy had set the date of departure at the end of the month, which meant she still had about half a month left before the trip. Xin Qing"s original plan was to explore the surrounding cities on her own, but Young Master Shen had called to say that he would be coming for a visit. For the past few days, Xin Qing had been living in a haze. She was afraid that Ying Qingcang would be coming with Young Master Shen. The past few months had kept her busy designing, so she had not really felt anything. But now that her mind was free from any obligations, it was filled to the brim with yearning and longing for that man. She wanted to see him, but yet she did not have the courage to do so. Out of nowhere, the lyric of a song came to her mind. Better to have you in mind than in sight.
Xin Qing had been on tenterhooks until Young Master Shen appeared at her door with a wide grin on his face. Relief came when he pulled her into a hug. Because Ying Qingcang did not come with him. She heaved a sigh of relief and at the same time, she shoved down the feeling of disappointment back into her heart. However, when Young Master Shen said something to her during dinner, she knew she could not run away from reality anymore.
"Xiao Qingqing, see? I"m so much nicer!" Young Master Shen smiled treacherously. "That b*stard Ying Qingcang doesn"t bother to come to visit you."
Xin Qing lifted her gla.s.s of water. "He"s probably busy. Plus, he isn"t obliged to come to see me, considering our current relationship."
"He"s not busy. He"s back in England to be engaged to some Molly woman." Young Master Shen threw out the words.
"Crash!" The gla.s.s that Xin Qing had been holding fell to the ground. It was as if the broken shards had sliced through her heart. She was bleeding silently, her blood pouring into a place where n.o.body could see.
"Xiao Qingqing!" Young Master Shen called a waiter immediately. "Don"t move! Otherwise you"ll cut yourself."
Xin Qing sat there quietly, biting her lips. She kept staring intently at the broken gla.s.s on the floor.
When the waiter had cleared up the mess, Young Master Shen sighed. "If it"s so unbearable, then why did you leave in the first place?"
"I"m fine," Xin Qing said, raising her head. Her eyes held calmness and composure. Young Master Shen stared at her for a long time and found that he really could not detect anything from her eyes. He frowned. "If you"re fine, that thing just now wouldn"t have happened."
"I don"t know why you left," Young Master Shen said. "I just know that you love him very much. Are you really going to watch him marry someone else?"
A tiny smile formed on Xin Qing"s lips. "It never really was about love. The only thing between us is the Ying family"s Ancestral Behest. It"s all because of the Totem on our backs."
"You really believe all that superst.i.tious c.r.a.p? This is nothing but a mockery to the feelings you share with each other," Young Master Shen said disapprovingly.
"It"s over between me and him. It"s all in the past now. Aren"t things good now? He has a fiancé, and I can fulfill my dreams in peace. If we ever see each other again in the future, we can shake each other"s hand like buddies. That"s good enough!" Xin Qing smile. "Can we not talk about him again in future conversations?"
Young Master Shen glared at her. "Didn"t you say you"re fine with everything?"
"It isn"t the same," Xin Qing said, shaking her head. "The things he had done to me run deep. In the beginning, it was detest and hurt. After that, came protection and affection. To a woman, all those are unforgettable memories."
Xin Qing blinked. "Which is why I need to bury these memories quickly. That way I can meet another prince charming!"
Young Master Shen chuckled, but he did not say anything.
"Meet another prince charming?" he thought. "As if that guy will give you that kind of chance..."
The following day, Young Master Shen dragged Xin Qing to some kind of fashion show event. He had outright refused to take no as an answer.
"You"re actually here to check out beautiful women, aren"t you?" Xin Qing glanced at him disdainfully. Young Master Shen raised his hand as if he were making an oath. "Nonsense. I"m here to see Xiao Qingqing... while at beautiful woman in the process."
Xin Qing rolled her eyes at him. Distracted, Xin Qing glanced at the T stage, where a model wrapped up in a few pieces of clothes stood. All of a sudden, she noticed someone waving at her. She turned her eyes away, pretending that she had not seen anything. Young Master Shen asked, "Saw someone you know?"
"Aren"t you here to stare at women? I"m surprised you even noticed that."
"It"s not like looking at them demands my full attention. My main purpose is still to spend time with you!" Young Master Shen nudged her. "Look over there, someone"s heading over."
"Ah," Xin Qing said, raising her head. Ailey was standing before her.
"Xin Qing! Are you still mad at me?" Ailey said, pouting, though her eyes kept glancing at Young Master Shen.
Feeling helpless, Xin Qing shook her head. "No. Not for a trivial thing like that."
"That"s great! That means we"re still friends," Ailey said, sitting down beside Xin Qing.
Xin Qing remained tight-lipped. Ailey did not mind Xin Qing"s silence at all. She waved at Young Master Shen. "Hi! Nice to meet you. I"m Ailey. Are you Xin Qing"s boyfriend?"
"Oh, how I wish I were. Too bad though... Xiao Qingqing has no eyes for me!" Young Master Shen said, grinning. Xin Qing kicked him. "What are you babbling about?"
Ailey, on the other hand, nodded. "Yeah. It"s best if you aren"t together with Xin Qing. She"s going to be my sister-in-law."
"Ailey, your brother and I are just normal friends," Xin Qing said, frowning. "Why does she always have to pair me up with Meyer?" she thought.
Ailey pressed a hand to her mouth. "Okay, okay!" Then, she stood up and went to sit beside Young Master Shen. "Are you here in France for a vacation? How about I become your tour guide?"
"Tsk, tsk. I don"t need a tour guide," Young Master Shen said, a devilishly attractive smile forming on his face. Ailey"s heart began to race. "Then, then what do you need," she stuttered.
Young Master Shen leaned in close to her and blew into her ear. "I need women," he said in a deep voice. "The kind that I can sleep with."
"You, you..." Ailey shoved him away. Blushing, she jumped up from her seat and ran off.
Xin Qing chuckled at Young Master Shen, so much so that it was beginning to creep him out.
"What?"
"You"re so screwed. You"ve just brought trouble right to your doorsteps."
"I was just teasing her," Young Master Shen said nonchalantly. "You know I only go for women who are s.e.xy and mature. She isn"t my type."
"Well, don"t say I didn"t warn you. That girl isn"t right in the head." Ailey might very well have taken Young Master Shen"s flirting seriously and thought that he really was interested in her. At least that was what Xin Qing"s gut was telling her.
Xin Qing"s gut feeling had been spot on. The following noon, Ailey was standing at her door.
"Xin Qing!"
"How did you know I"m staying here?" Xin Qing asked with a frown.
"I asked around," Ailey said gleefully. "There"s only one Chinese staying in this area, so it"s easy to find!" Ailey walked into the house as if she owned the place and began sizing the place up. "Where"s your friend? He"s not staying here with you, right?"
"He didn"t come back last night." Xin Qing sat down and returned to her lunch.
"So you two are really staying together?" Ailey said with a hint of displeasure in her tone. "Are you guys dating or not?"
Xin Qing was rendered a bit speechless. "Is that any of your business?"
"Of course it is. I..." Ailey hesitated, as if she suddenly thought of something. "Anyway. When will he be back?"
Xin Qing pretended to think hard. "I guess it depends on how long he spent working out last night."