Xunxun had never used her full name before, nor had he ever looked at her with eyes like that. All of a sudden, Ah Sha felt miserable. The floodgates opened; her tears pattered against her lap.
“Seriously? You’re crying? You think you can justify your actions just by shedding a little tear?”
It was as though a switch had been flicked; Ah Sha’s soft sobs turned into full-blown wails.
“Wuwuwuwu… I want to go home, wuwuwu…”
Releasing a deep sigh, Xunxun reached out and pulled Ah Sha into an embrace. “Now you’re crying. Weren’t you acting all tough just now?”
“I, I didn’t lie to you on purpose,” Ah Sha said jerkily.
Xunxun released her from his hug and then grabbed a towel to dry her face. “Alright, enough crying. Now tell me what the h.e.l.l’s going on!”
“The year before last year, I ran into Johns. Afterwards, when I found out that he’s acquainted with mother-in-law, I asked for his contact number.” Ah Sha stared at Xunxun. Her puckered lips and watery eyes rendered her appearance extremely pitiable.
The sight of her red, teary eyes brought a sharp pang into Xunxun’s heart. He pulled her closer. “I’m so sorry,” he said, kissing her gently. “I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you. What happened after that? How did you end up as a bounty hunter?”
“One time, he came to me to borrow some drugs for his mission. I thought it sounded pretty fun, so I tagged along.” Ah Sha’s voice was barely audible at this point. “After that… I became the poison queen.” When she finished, Ah Sha buried her head into Xunxun’s chest.
For a long while, they stayed in that same position. Then, Ah Sha shifted slightly in his arms. “I was afraid to tell everyone because I didn’t want everyone to worry. If daddy found out, I’m sure he’ll forbid me from bounty hunting.”
“Ah Sha!” Xunxun said, raising her chin suddenly. Ah Sha’s gaze met a pair of dark eyes. Once again, she felt a sting in her eyes as her tears threatened to fall.
With as much sincerity he could muster, Xunxun kissed her tears away gently. “On the contrary,” he said, “I think your daddy will be very proud of you.”
There was a few moments’ pause before Xunxun spoke again. “You’re doing this to track down the formula for Aunt Qing’s legs, aren’t you?” Xunxun gazed at her tenderly. “None of us have the heart to blame you, Ah Sha. You’re working so hard and risking your life to save your own mother.”
More tears spilled from Ah Sha’s eyes, drenching her cheeks. “How did you know…” she said.
Xunxun pulled Ah Sha to her feet. “I practically raised you. There’s nothing about you that I don’t know,” Xunxun said, leading her into the bathroom to wash her face.
Ah Sha’s boldness returned when she realized that Xunxun was no longer mad at her. “But you’ve been mad at me for the past few days! You gave me the cold shoulder! You even raised your voice at me!”
Xunxun poked her head a few times. “I wasn’t mad at you. I was just dissatisfied with myself.”
“I mean, you wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble if I found the prescription formula from the get-go, right? Everyone tried to spoil you rotten since the day you were born. I’m sure their hearts would bleed if they ever find out the real reason behind all that training you’d put yourself through back at my father’s base. You wanted to become a bounty hunter even back then. That’s why you trained so hard.”
Ah Sha raised her head from his chest. “I’m so much stronger than you guys think, you know?” she said in a serious tone. “I’m not that weak.”
“I know,” Xunxun said with a sigh. “I could tell from the way you dealt with Tang Yue. Which is why I’m worried. What if you keep soaring higher and higher and then realize one day that you don’t need me anymore.”
Ah Sha didn’t expect Xunxun to say that. Her heart ached for the man. She threw her arms around him and wiggled against him. “You have to stay with me and protect me forever. Without you, I’ll just fall to my death. If you dare abandon me, I’ll, I’ll ask Xiao Rui and w.a.n.gw.a.n.g to break your legs!”
“I’ve been giving you the cold shoulder for the past few days because I was afraid.” Xunxun tightened his arms around her. “When I was just a kid, I’ve already decided that you’re the only woman I want to be with for the rest of my life. I can’t guarantee that I’ll do better than your daddy, but I can guarantee that I won’t do worse than him.”
“I know, I know!” Ah Sha burst into tears again. She even wiped her tears on Xunxun’s pajamas. “You’re not allowed to ignore me or raise your voice at me again. You have to want me even if I’m the poison queen!”
Xunxun squinted at her. “Alright.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the bed!”
What ensued after that was a long and arduous ravishing session where Ah Sha was flipped over on the bed several times like a fish on a frying pan. When she woke up again, the s.p.a.ce beside her was already empty.
“Men with blue b.a.l.l.s are scary creatures!” Ah Sha thought. She doubted she would even be able to get out of bed when they finally went all the way.
Ah Sha ploughed through her morning routine with a hand supporting her aching waist. By the time she was done, the aroma of ham wafted from the kitchen.
“Looks like you’re in a good mood today, milord. You even took it upon yourself to make breakfast!”
Xunxun gave her a hug and then stole a kiss from her lips. “Well, I’m more than happy to prepare all your meals if you let me have my way with you every night!”
“Oh, by the way. You should give your daddy a call first,” Xunxun reminded and said.
Without ado, Ah Sha called Ying’s residence. Almost the entire call was spent explaining her abrupt departure to Xin Qing. For breakfast, Xunxun had prepared porridge and ham sandwiches—the only things he knew how to make.
“You should just stay home since you don’t have to work during Chinese New Year,” Xunxun said.
Ah Sha nodded. “Then should we go to the Great Barrier Reef with daddy and the others?”
“Do you want to go?”
“I think it’s best if I stay away from my family for the time being,” Ah Sha said, sounding a little dejected. “I don’t want to cause trouble for them.”
Xunxun ruffled her hair. “Don’t use the words ’cause trouble’. You’ll hurt their feelings if they find out.”
Before they dealt with Bai Qi, it would be dangerous to stay by Ah Sha’s side.
“Ah! c.r.a.p!” Ah Sha leaped to her feet. “I forgot about my three friends!”
Xunxun pulled her back down. “Relax,” he said, “Xiao Hua had already sent them back.”
“Then, I guess we should spend this Chinese New Year together, just the two of us!” Xunxun declared, pulling out his phone. He called the Ying family first to greet his in-laws. Then, he made another call and asked the person on the line to reserve a room for them. After hanging up, he said, “Shall we head to the underground hot springs?”
Ah Sha agreed right away. It was warm and cozy there; besides, their Buddhist cuisine was to die for!
After packing their suitcases, the two of them departed immediately. When they arrived at the mountain, they stopped by the stables first to visit Xiaobai and its pony. Upon their arrival at the hot springs, they were told by the staff that their suite was ready. Now, the two of them took the moutain path—made as good as new during the reconstruction—leading to the deeper part of the forest. Along the path, they pa.s.sed by block after block of small villas.
“President Wan?” A person suddenly yelled from behind them.
Ah Sha turned around just as Xunxun whispered beside her ear. “The head of the Mo family, Mo Nan.”
Once Mo Nan got close enough, Ah Sha began scrutinizing him, the man who had ordered the death of his own brother; he looked rather handsome, just that his eyes seemed malicious, like he was scheming and plotting against the people around him every second of the day.
Mo Nan recognized Ah Sha.
“This is… Miss Mei Jing?” Mo Nan glanced at Wan Qingsi briefly before a look of realization formed on his face. “Wow, looks like you’re in the mood to enjoy yourself, Boss Wan!”
Xunxun nodded casually, his face devoid of expression. “I recall there are hot springs in the neighbouring district as well. So why did President Mo come all the way here?”
“Haha. To deal with my brother’s death, of course.” Mo Nan’s eyes darted briefly to Ah Sha. “There’s been some misunderstanding with Miss Mei before this. Since we’ve run into each other today, we might as well make things right. How about this? Tonight, dinner is on me. Consider it reparation for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”
Like a meek little girl, Ah Sha leaned herself into Wan Qingsi’s side. Mo Nan held a calculating look on his face as he watched them; in fact, Ah Sha was pretty sure that several schemes had already taken form in Mo Nan’s mind already.
“Will Boss Wan be so kind to join us, then?” Mo Nan asked again.
“Sure. See you at the restaurant tonight,” Xunxun said before he led Ah Sha away.
Inside their villa, Ah Sha placed her suitcase beside the bed. “What do you think Mo Nan is up to?” she asked.
“If my guess is correct, he’s trying to gain a foothold in S City.” Xunxun released a derisive laugh. “He’s way too ambitious.”
Ah Sha didn’t share Xunxun’s amus.e.m.e.nt though. In fact, she felt rather worried. “But that’s going to affect Xin Enterprises.”
“Hah. Please. His petty schemes don’t stand a chance against your daddy.”
“Is he really the one calling the shots in the Mo family, though?” A skeptical look formed on Ah Sha’s face. “Didn’t you say that there’s a young son in the Mo family?”
“The Mo family has always been conservative and orthodox,” Xunxun said in a deep voice. “But Mo Nan is actually someone who keeps up with the times. He’s cruel and ruthless, that was why he’d never been able to garner the family’s full support. But now they don’t have a choice. The youngest son of the Mo family is only ten years old.”
Ah Sha sighed. “He seems pretty desperate, I guess. He just came into power recently, and yet he’s already trying to expand his territory.”
Xunxun chuckled darkly. “That’s why I said he’s way too ambitious. You don’t have to bother with him. It’s just a matter of time before your daddy tears him apart.”
“Then why bother joining him for dinner?” Ah Sha stretched her arms above her head and yawned. “I actually planned to soak in the hot springs and then try some Buddhist cuisine!”
Xunxun rubbed Ah Sha’s hands between his palms. Once he was certain that her hands were warm, Xunxun said, “He definitely didn’t come here alone today. We should check out what kind of connections he has made inside S City.”
Much to their surprise, Mo Nan only brought one person with him that night. In fact, it was a woman.
The woman was dressed in a red fur coat. “It’s been a while, Boss Wan,” she greeted with a seductive smirk as she held out her hand.
Instead of shaking the woman’s hand, Wan Qingsi merely nodded at her. “You haven’t changed at all, Miss Zhuang.”
“Do you know her, Ah Sha?” Wan Qingsi helped Ah Sha into her seat before Mo Nan had the chance to shake Ah Sha’s hand.
Ah Sha seemed pleasantly surprised. “Yeah! Of course I know her! The queen of acting, Zhuang Yan!”
Zhuang Yan’s eyes scanned Ah Sha’s face before she nodded. “I keep hearing your name from the news. Now I finally get to meet you in person.” Then, Zhuang Yan gave Wan Qingsi a cryptic smile. “So, Boss Wan, you prefer the young ones, I see. Haha. No wonder An Ru didn’t stand a chance!”
An Ru? Ah Sha began sifting through her mind for information. It didn’t take her more than a few moments to figure it out; An Ru was a very popular singer in the past few years. Ah Sha seemed to recall a news article she had read online t.i.tled “Gorgeous Singer, An Ru, Publicly Professing Her Love to Her Boss”.
Ah Sha trusted Xunxun fully, which was why the article had never bothered her at all. What seemed strange to her was the fact that there hadn’t been any news about An Ru recently. Ah Sha had been back in the country for so long. Surely, any news regarding her scandal with Boss Wan had spread across the entire city like wildfire. So how come An Ru hadn’t made a single appearance?
As if he had read her mind, Xunxun suddenly lowered his head and whispered into her ear, “An Ru had gone to the United States to study music.”
“That’s right! An Ru is working very hard, and it’s all because of a certain someone!”
“Miss Zhuang, do you have a secret crush on me?” Wan Qingsi asked coldly.
Mo Nan, who had been watching the show quietly beside them, suddenly froze. Zhuang Yan was his female companion for the night, so what the heck did Wan Qingsi mean by that…
Zhuang Yan could barely react to Wan Qingsi’s sudden question; for a while, she just stared blankly at Wan Qingsi. “Do-Don’t joke around, Boss Wan!” she spluttered. Even if she did have a crush on Wan Qingsi, she wouldn’t want to openly display it in front of Mo Nan, for heaven’s sake!
“Then you should stop mentioning the names of other women in front of my partner here. You’ll cause a lot of misunderstanding,” Wan Qingsi said, wrapping an arm around Ah Sha. “Ah Sha had just made her debut recently. She can’t handle jokes like that.”
Sensing Zhuang Yan’s eyes on her, Ah Sha quickly clarified and said, “Oh, Ah Sha is my nickname!”
Zhuang Yan studied Ah Sha’s face and noted the mindless and vacuous look she saw there. “What’s so great about this childish girl?” Zhuang Yan thought. Then again, none of this concerned her. Zhuang Yan had already seen through Wan Qingsi’s ways a long time ago; a man like him would never a.s.sociate himself with female celebrities like them.
As for An Ru, well, she would be back very soon, and Zhuang Yan was pretty sure that an interesting drama was about to unfold!
Sensing the awkward atmosphere in the room, Mo Nan quickly played the good host. “Come, come, come! The dishes have all been served. Let’s not just sit around and talk. Try the dishes!”
Ah Sha had never been one to disappoint her own appet.i.te; she quickly picked up her chopsticks and dug in. But when she was reaching for a piece of food with her chopsticks, Ah Sha caught a glimpse of the man who had just entered. Her eyes widened instantly.
“It’s alright. He won’t make a move here.”
Evidently, Xunxun had noticed the man too.