"You have to take care of yourself and Ah Sha once you"re over there. Just a.s.sume that I"m the one who betrayed you, and don"t feel sad because of me. It isn"t good for your health," Ying Qingcang said, staring down at her. Xin Qing"s long lashes fluttered twice like a pair of wings flying straight into his heart, completely untouchable.
"I just want to say goodbye to you," Xin Qing said, standing up, spreading her arms wide. "Give me a hug as a parting gift!"
Ying Qingcang reached out to her with trembling arms. Carefully, he embraced her. This was something that he had desperately wanted to do for the past six months. Too bad a farewell turned out to be the price he had to pay in order to fulfill that wish. Xin Qing felt the sheer force behind his embrace. Although being squeezed like that brought her slight discomfort, she did not try to break away. Instead, she patted his shoulder and brought her lips closer to his ear. "Understanding you is more worthwhile than loving you!" she whispered.
Ying Qingcang was stunned, as if he had just gone through the most shocking experience of his life. He stared after Xin Qing"s leaving form, the way she was walking away from him without so much as a backward glance. For a very long time, he stood there alone in his stupor, not moving an inch. Then, he sprinted out of the airport as if he had gone mad. Once outside, he raised his head to the sky. As he watched the plane soar past him aloft, he released a deafening roar.
Understanding you is more worthwhile than loving you!
Xin Qing knew! She knew everything! She remembered all of it: Tang Shuang"s ident.i.ty, as well as the reason he was doing all of this. No wonder. No wonder she never doubted him. Her sadness was due to their parting, not the fact that he had chosen to marry Tang Shuang. This was her way of showing her support in whatever he was planning to do. She was doing this to ensure that he could take care of everything without having to worry about her safety.
"Oh, Ah Qing! My Ah Qing! How can I ever not love you!" Ying Qingcang"s laughter grew louder and louder as it resounded through the horizon.
Young Master Shen nearly jumped in shock when he found Ying Qingcang; he thought Ying Qingcang"s misery had finally driven him nuts.
"I"m fine." Ying Qingcang said, getting into the car. Young Master Shen sat across from him in the car and studied his face for a long time. "Did Xiao Qingqing say something to you?" Young Master Shen asked. Human emotions never lie. Throughout the past six months during which Xin Qing had lost all her memories, Ying Qingcang"s entire being had been surrounded by an aura of sadness and hopelessness. When Tang Shuang appeared after that and forced Xin Qing away, Ying Qingcang became the living personification of irritability; he could literally start throwing punches any second. But now... What the heck? Why did it seem like all his negative emotions had suddenly vanished?
Ying Qingcang stared out the car window with an unreadable expression. "To the church we go! The members of the press are still waiting!"
As if he would tell Young Master Shen about his true feelings; this was a little secret between him and Xin Qing, one that he would guard until the day he could finally stand before her!
That night, the second wedding of the President of Ying Enterprises was all over the news. Apparently, the groom was late and was not even dressed in proper groom attire when he arrived. Throughout the entire ceremony, Ying Qingcang never smiled. A few reporters had managed to snap a picture of the Ying Qingcang and Xin Qing"s parting embrace at the airport, which was why everyone was in a controversial mood as they awaited the bride"s arrival. A few celebrities began making their moves, thinking that now was their chance to make a play for Ying Qingcang; if Ying Qingcang could enter into a second marriage so soon, perhaps there was a chance for them after all!
Shortly after a wedding, a famous model deliberately provoked Tang Shuang at a charity ball. As a result, she was instantly tossed out of the event"s venue by Ying Qingcang himself. Everyone present witnessed the caring way in which Ying Qingcang had asked if Tang Shuang was alright. Of course, the act itself would not be considered gentle by the usual standards. Still, it sufficed to shock everyone considering Ying Qingcang"s loathing of women in general. Soon, the endless whispers and speculations began: Could it be that President Ying was in love with his second wife for real?
Whatever that was happening in S City had nothing to do with Xin Qing, who had officially begin working for CK. Zhang Mi"s dream of becoming Xin Qing"s a.s.sistant had to be put on hold for the time being; she had to undergo a year of training in CK"s academy first. She was lucky that Xin Qing had already reserved a spot for her in the intake enrolment list. She could enter the academy straightaway during the September intake.
Xin Qing had dressed Ah Sha in a beautiful dress early that morning. Today was a very important day; it was Ah Sha"s first day in kindergarten. The kindergarten was near their place, just at the end of their street, in fact. It was an inst.i.tute that had been set up by the local community.
"Didn"t you mention that you still own Xin Jewelries" diamond mine? Why aren"t we sending Ah Sha to a special kindergarten for n.o.bilities?" Zhang Mi tied a b.u.t.terfly knot on the belt of Ah Sha"s dress. After that, she gave Ah Sha a kiss.
Xin Qing adjusted her own clothes before glancing at Zhang Mi. "We"re not even members of the n.o.bility. Why bother with that kind of school?"
"Girls have to be brought up in wealth! Haven"t you heard of that?" Apparently, Zhang Mi held different views. "Also... that private school is so pretty! Just look!" Zhang Mi grabbed a magazine and showed it to Xin Qing. There was a page which introduced an academy established for members of the n.o.bility. Apparently, even members of the royal family attended that school.
Xin Qing tossed the magazine aside. "Are you coming or not? We"ll be leaving you behind if you"re not going to come!"
"Okay! Okay! I"m coming!" Zhang Mi quickly got dressed and rushed out the door.
Ah Sha settled down in her seat. Xin Qing was just about to drive off when she heard Ah Sha"s excited screams. "Daddy Shen! Daddy Shen!" Ah Sha squeaked, waving her tiny arms about. Xin Qing raised her head to see Young Master Shen standing on the pavement, grinning at them.
"What the heck!" Zhang Mi poked her head out of the car"s window. "Why are you here again?"
Young Master Shen opened the door and sat down beside Zhang Mi. "Our Ah Sha is attending kindergarten today. Of course, I have to attend! It"s an important event after all." Young Master Shen held out his arms to Ah Sha. "Right, my little princess?!" he said.
Xin Qing unbuckled Ah Sha"s seat belt and pa.s.sed her to Young Master Shen. Ah Sha planted a kiss on his face, and then she asked, "Daddy hasn"t returned yet?"
Silence pervaded the entire s.p.a.ce of the car. In the end, Xin Qing broke the silence by firing up the car engine. Smiling, she said, "Daddy still has work to do. Mommy will take Ah Sha to see daddy during the Chinese New Year holidays, okay?"
"Mm! Mm!" Ah Sha clapped her hands. "Then does the Chinese New Year start tomorrow?"
"No..." Xin Qing trailed off. She had no idea what else to say.
Young Master Shen gave Ah Sha a few kisses. "The new year will be here when it starts snowing. Ah Sha will be able to see Daddy then!"
"You"ll turn into a big dog if you lie!" Ah Sha said, holding out her pinky. Young Master Shen hooked his own pinky with hers and sealed their thumbs together. Satisfied, Ah Sha settled back in her seat. When they arrived at the kindergarten, Xin Qing was worried that Ah Sha might cry, so she lingered at the door and kept glancing inside. Instead of crying, Ah Sha sat on the small bench, glancing and taking in her new surroundings without a single hint of fear. When the teacher started the game session, Xin Qing left with the others.
Inside the car, a sombre expression suddenly formed on Young Master Shen"s face. "Xiao Qingqing, I"m also here to tell you something else."
His appearance unsettled Xin Qing who instantly felt nervous. "What is it?"
"Chen Ming... Chen Ming"s missing," Young Master Shen said, dropping the bomb.
Xin Qing nearly stepped on the wrong pedal. "Missing? How can a person just go missing like that? Was he abducted?"
Zhang Mi rolled her eyes at Xin Qing. "Come on, not everything has to do with abductions, you know?" But Young Master Shen nodded his head and said, "I found out that he had gone a vacation before this. He was last seen at a temple in a small town in India. There was a woman with him."
"A woman?" Xin Qing frowned. "You mean someone he met during his trip?"
Young Master Shen shook his head. "Didn"t seem like it. It"s likely someone who went there to just to meet him."
"Could it be Li Xiaoru?" Xin Qing thought, though she did not voice out the thought since it concerned the reputation of others.
"So they both went missing together?"
"Indeed. Both of them were never seen again after they left the temple. Don"t worry. I"ve hired a few bounty hunters to track them down. These guys are professionals. If they take the mission, they will find the person they are looking for, dead or alive."
As worried as she was, Xin Qing knew that there was nothing she could do. She only hoped that they would soon be found. Young Master Shen would stay for a night and leave the next morning. At their house, Young Master Shen launched himself into a bout of tinkering, checking the pipes and wires for problems, all the while nagging at the ineptness of the three female occupants of the house.
"I don"t believe it for a second that you"re able to do it," Zhang Mi said. Then she tossed a pipe to Young Master Shen. "Here. Replace the pipes below of the sink in the kitchen."
Young Master Shen let out a mocking laugh. Then he replaced the pipe effortlessly. "You think that everyone is like you, who knows nothing except for eating?"
After that, the two of them started bickering again. While Young Master Shen and Zhang Mi were chasing and trying to hit each other, Aunt Tian whispered to Xin Qing, "I think Young Master Shen and Zhang Mi is a good match for each other."
"I think so too..." Xin Qing said, but only for show. Deep down, she was sighing. Those two did not see eye to eye on anything, and not to mention their tendency to chew each others" head off every time they saw each other. As if there could be any feelings between them!
All of them went to pick up Ah Sha that night. The teacher told Xin Qing that Ah Sha was clever and obedient, and that everyone liked Ah Sha a lot. In fact, other kids were very curious about her dark hair and dark eyes since she was the only Asian kid there!
As they were about to leave, a blonde boy dragged his father towards them.
"Aunty, are you the mother of this doll?"
Xin Qing noticed the boy"s gaze on Ah Sha. Understanding dawned on her. Smiling, she said, "Her name is Ah Sha. I"m her mother!"
"This is my son, George. And I"m Jack. Nice to meet you!"
"h.e.l.lo. I"m Xin Qing!"
Then, George"s father addressed his son. "Didn"t you have something to tell Ah Sha"s mom? Go on, say it!"
"Aunty, I like Ah Sha very much. Can I bring her to visit my house?" George asked softly with his head lowered. The boy was actually blushing.
Xin Qing found the whole thing amusing. Seeing that Ah Sha was already fast asleep in Young Master Shen"s arms, she bent down and told George, "But young children should go back to their own homes at night! How about you come over to Aunty"s house to play with Ah Sha during the weekend?"
Lifting his small head, George asked anxiously, "But I want to bring her back to our house. Can"t I trade her with my little sister?"
Pfft! Young Master Shen and Zhang Mi burst into laughter. Amused, Xin Qing patted the boy"s head. "Then you need to ask your dad. See if he agrees!"
George quickly turned to Jack. "Daddy! Can we have little sis swap places with Ah Sha?"
Poor Jack looked as if he did not know whether to laugh or cry. He picked George up instead. "Fine. Go home and ask your mother and sister. If they all agree, we"ll trade!" After that, he chuckled at Xin Qing and bid them farewell.
On the way home, Young Master Shen glanced down at the slumbering Ah Sha in his arms. "Bewitching a man on the first day of kindergarten. Only our Ah Sha can pull off something like that!"
"Man my a.s.s! He"s just a kid. You"re too dirty-minded."
Young Master Shen glanced at Zhang Mi. "I think you"re the dirty-minded one here."
That was how the both on them went on another bickering spree, this time lasting all the way until the second day when it was time for Young Master Shen to leave.
Back in S City, Tang Shuang had already moved into Ying"s residence. During her stay, she discovered something in the house: an underwear cabinet within the walk-in closet, which was filled with lingerie. A wave of embarra.s.sment surged through her, though at the same time, she also felt the antic.i.p.ation. So Ying Qingcang had a thing for this type of thing after all, despite his outward coldness.
They had been married for an entire month, during which Ying Qingcang never once came home. She had never tried to look for him at the company either. However... Xin Qing"s pill was going to expire soon. Ying Qingcang will come back tonight for sure! Tang Shuang ambled towards the balcony, where she saw Ying Qingcang"s car entering the driveway. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Through the mirror, she stared at her own body which was clad in the see-through underwear she had donned earlier. Tamping down her shyness, she sat at the edge of the bed to wait for him.