Ying Qingcang rushed to the airport after he got the call. Young Master Shen went with him too.
"Things can"t go on like this. I think it"s best to ask Xin Qing to come back here!" Young Master Shen looked at Ying Qingcang. The man"s face had been tense ever since receiving the phonecall just now. The aura he was giving out could probably freeze someone to death. At Young Master Shen"s words, Ying Qingcang clenched his fists.
"I"m thinking the same. This time I"ll bring her back no matter what."
Ah Che"s call came through again. Ying Qingcang suppressed the fear in his heart and answered the phone.
"Young Master, Young Miss had been taken away by William."
In that moment, Xin Qing was unable to cry even if she wanted to. She never thought Ailey would do such a thing...
"Ailey, hurry up and open the door," Meyer said. His face was abnormally flushed and his clothes were unkempt. He looked utterly dishevelled.
"Bro!" Ailey said through the door. "I"m doing this for your own good. Haven"t you always been in love with Xin Qing? After all, she"s divorced now. You can be with each other once you slept together. I"m doing this for you."
Xin Qing was sipping on ice water to alleviate the burning sensation she was feeling in her body. In between sips, she laughed humorlessly and said, "You"re just worried that you"ll be forced into a marriage by your family. That"s why you"re so desperate to get your brother married. But how could you drug us? That"s illegal!"
"Xin Qing!" Ailey shouted. "Just stop resisting. My brother will treat you well. And if you marry into our family, we will treat you well too!"
The heat inside her body was getting out of hand. Xin Qing knew this sensation. She had experienced this before. That last time, Ying Qingcang had been there to save her, but now? Xin Qing felt scared and queasy at the same time. But hearing Ailey words, she felt a surge of anger so strong that had her trembling all over.
"I thought you were just young and immature, but I was wrong. You"re selfish and shameless." It had been a long time since Xin Qing had felt such an intense hatred for another person. In that moment, Meyer was in no better state than Xin Qing herself. He was standing at the door, trying to force the door open with his shoulder.
"Bro, stop wasting your energy. All the doors in this hotel are custom-made using high quality, sound-proof material. You"ll never be able to break it."
Meyer had also become furious at this point. He faced the door and yelled, "Ailey, do you still see me as a brother?"
"Aww, come on. I"m doing this for your own good. You two need to just stop resisting. I"ll come back and let you both out tomorrow morning." After that, nothing else could be heard from outside the door except silence.
Xin Qing climbed to her feet, wobbling and knocking on things while doing so. Then, she stumbled towards the bathroom, where she turned on the shower and doused her body with cold water. After that, she took a bath towel and wrapped it around her body. She ran out and said to Meyer, "Come on, get in."
Meyer understood what she meant and went to stand directly under the shower. The icy water had temporarily calmed the two of them down. Meyer looked at Xin Qing with an expression of pure agony. "I"m sorry..."
"That"s enough. This isn"t your fault." Xin Qing shook her head weakly. "Now I just hope the cold water can help us get through tonight."
"Don"t worry. I"ll find a way to make everything right." Meyer stood under the shower, his hands clenched into tight fists. His body was getting out of his control. He was a man, and the drug would have a greater effect on men compared to women. He thought things over in his head, and then he told Xin Qing, "Do you see that ashtray on the table? If I lose control later, you have to grab that thing and smash it on my head."
Xin Qing released a bitter laugh. "I only hope I have the strength by then."
Neither of them said a word after that exchange. It was a long and arduous night. The raging drugs within their bodies had nearly driven them out of their minds. Meyer"s eyes were already bloodshot. He had tied himself to the faucet using a towel. Xin Qing was not faring any better either. She was sobbing quietly and was trying her most d.a.m.n not to take off her clothes right then and there. Both of them knew that they were nearing their limits.
Suddenly, Ailey"s voice was heard outside the door. "Let me go!" There were also sounds of frenzied footsteps after that.
"Is this the room?" Asked a man"s voice.
Ailey"s angry voice sounded again, "I won"t give you the keys. Break down the door, see if you can!"
Following that was a series of thumps on the door, which came as many as five or six times. There was a crash, and the door swung open. Huddled up against the corner of the room, Xin Qing shook her head and tried to clear away the blur in her vision. A few people burst through the door. One of them was walking towards her in a hurried pace.
The incoming person picked her up. Xin Qing did everything in her power to make out the person"s face, but all she could see was a blur. It took every single ounce of her strength to make a sound, "Ying... Qingcang..."
When she regained consciousness, she felt as if her brain had been filled with lead. Xin Qing rubbed her eyes before she opened them abruptly. She discovered that she was lying on the bed, fully naked.
"You"re awake!" A voice, which sounded slightly worried, rang out. Xin Qing turned her pale face towards the source of the voice. There was a door, and she saw William standing at the doorway in a bathrobe.
William placed the milk he had been holding his hand beside the bed and then looked at her. The look in his eyes right then was honest and without any pretence. "Xin Qing," he said, "I rushed to save you yesterday. But you were given an overdose of a very potent aphrodisiac. The drug had been in your system for far too long and I don"t think I"d be able to get you to a hospital in time. Your life was in danger."
"Stop talking." Xin Qing"s vision had long since gone blurry due to the tears that had welled up in her eyes. Her entire face was already drenched in tears as she wrapped blanket around herself and stumbled into the bathroom.
William stood at the bathroom"s entrance. He thought about what he was going to say. After a brief moment, he said, "I"ll take responsibility. Let me look after you and Ah Sha!"
From inside the bathroom came the sound of running water along with Xin Qing"s sobs. William did not know what else to say, so he turned around and retrieved the clothes that he had prepared beforehand. Then, with his back facing the door, he went inside the bathroom to deliver the clothes.
"Ding Dong!" The door bell suddenly rang when William was just about to start putting on his pants. William, still bare-chested, went to answer the door. There was a forceful shove on the door the moment he opened it. When Ying Qingcang saw William, his entire being began to radiate a dark, icy aura. Young Master Shen stood closely behind Ying Qingcang, ready to help him take out anyone standing in their way.
"Mr. Ying," William said as he calmly put on his shirt. Then he flicked a glance towards the bathroom.
Ying Qingcang shoved the man aside and opened the door to the bathroom. Inside, Xin Qing"s shriek could be heard.
"Ying Qingcang? You... What are you doing here— Hey, let me go! Ah! What the h.e.l.l are you doing?!"
"Don"t move," Ying Qingcang said. "I don"t want to hurt you."
Ying Qingcang carried Xin Qing out and walked straight to the door without sparing William another glance.
"Xin Qing," William said, "I"m serious about the stuff I said just now. Please think about it."
In the car, n.o.body said a word. Young Master Shen and Ah Che sat in the front seat and were sneaking glances at the two people in the backseat. Ying Qingcang was still holding Xin Qing in his arms as if his life depended on it. Xin Qing kept her head low the whole time. Her hair was still dripping with water.
"Ailey had been apprehended and was currently held in detention. I"ll make sure that she rots in jail for the rest of her life," Ying Qingcang said all of a sudden. "Last night is already the past. Nothing happened."
Xin Qing"s head shot up. She looked at him for a long while and then laugh self-deprecatingly. "You"re lying to yourself. Haven"t you seen everything?"
"What have I seen? That he was naked from the waist up while you were in the shower?" Ying Qingcang kept his eyes lowered, rendering those orbs unreadable. "Did you offer yourself to him? Do you like him? And you"re willing to sleep with him?"
"Does it even matter?" Xin Qing"s face paled. "Regardless of whether I had consented to it, it already happened."
Frowning, Ying Qingcang held her chin. "Don"t try to provoke me. I"m very angry right now. When I lose it, I can"t promise that I won"t end up killing him first before I kill you."
Xin Qing did not dare speak again after that. She had felt the truth behind Ying Qingcang"s words. In that split second just now, Ying Qingcang"s eyes had gleamed with something akin to total annihilation. Although that look had vanished quickly, it had been enough for Xin Qing to feel its effect.
Back at home, Ah Sha, who had not seen her for an entire night, ran into her arms. Xin Qing began crying when she saw Ah Sha. Auntie Tian stood at one side, wiping her tears, mumbling the repeated words: "Thank G.o.d you"re back! Thank G.o.d you"re back!"
Xin Qing sniffed and handed Ah Sha back to Auntie Tian. "I"m going to get changed."
Ying Qingcang followed her into the bedroom.
"I"m very tired. I don"t have the mood to fight with you." Xin Qing leaned herself weakly against the headboard. Ying Qingcang"s eyes never left her as he walked towards her. "Pack your things. You"re going back to China tomorrow."
Xin Qing sat up instantly. "Me? Back to China? Why would I go back?"
"Do you want a repeat of last night?" Ying Qingcang stated coldly. "Next time you might not even live to see another day. I"ll have to send Ah Sha to a foster home by then."
Ying Qingcang"s tone was rather caustic and uncivil. The truth was that he had been suppressing his rage. He feared that he would end up hurting her if he lost his temper.
"I won"t go back." Xin Qing stood up and opened the door. "Thank you for coming to save me. Now that I"m fine, you can leave."
Ying Qingcang stared at her. The corner of his lips twitched all of a sudden. "Don"t forget our previous agreement. If I insist on it, then you must come with me." He left before Xin Qing could even react. The door slammed shut behind him.
Xin Qing sighed and smacked her own head. When she checked her phone, she noticed a lot of missed calls. Surprisingly, some of them were from Zhang Mi and Shi Qianqian. She thought for a moment and then called Shi Qianqian.
"You"re alright now?" Shi Qianqian had picked up after two rings. "We heard about everything from Young Master Shen. Seems like they"ve brought you back."
Zhang Mi"s voice blared through the speaker. "Xin Qing! I heard you were brought away by that William. Did he get you to a hospital?"
"No..." Xin Qing bit her bottom lip. "He brought me to a hotel."
The line went silent for a few seconds. Zhang Mi screamed, but Shi Qianqian managed to quiet her down. After that, Shi Qianqian asked Xin Qing, "Did you have s.e.x?"
"According to him, we did."
"What do you mean, "according to him"?" Shi Qianqian asked. "Don"t you know it yourself?"
Xin Qing touched herself around the waist. "I don"t think we did. I mean, I know my own body well. Also, I have memories of what happened last night. He gave me some kind of medicine. After that, I dozed off. Although he claimed that we had s.e.x, I don"t think we did."
Seemingly relieved, Zhang Mi cried out, "Oh, you nearly scared me to death! Then why would he lie?"
Xin Qing said nothing. Shi Qianqian released a derisive laugh. "He likes you. Looks like he"s using this as a ploy to get you to agree to be with him."
Xin Qing had also come to the same conclusion after she had gone to the bathroom at the hotel. Plus, based on what William had done for her recently, Xin Qing also felt that it was likely that he had feelings for her.
"He told me he"ll take responsibility and asked me to consider marrying him." Xin Qing shut her eyes. "What if I just agree and be done with it."
"Are you nuts?" Zhang Mi yelled. "What about Ying Qingcang?"
Shi Qianqian spoke calmly, "If you"re just trying to get Ying Qingcang to give up, then there"s really no need to sacrifice yourself unless you really like that William. Otherwise, Ying Qingcang will never give up even if you"re married to another man."
Xin Qing remembered the way Ying Qingcang had looked on the way home. She shuddered.
"I"m hanging up." She said.
"Okay. Think about everything carefully!"