Xin Qing found herself constantly stewing over the incident. Every time she wanted to ask Ying Qingcang about it, he acted as if he was giving her the cold shoulder. Hence, she ended up agonizing over the whole thing for two days straight. But tonight, her torment finally ended when Ying Qingcang brought up the subject himself.
"This is a report of Xin Enterprises' finances. Have a look," Ying Qingcang said, passing the documents to her.
Xin Qing took the papers and started going through the pages carefully. While she read, Ying Qingcang had not made any attempts to hurry or urge her. Instead, he sat on the couch, nursing the coffee cup that was cradled in his hand. Once or twice, he would glance at her.
"This......how can the losses be this severe?" Xin Qing asked. Although she had no knowledge or understanding on matters relating to finances and accounting, she could still recognize the scores of debt payments that were listed in the document. Xin Enterprises was practically filled with unmendable loopholes at this point.
The corners of Ying Qingcang's mouth lifted as he laughed. "Now you know why he is so hell-bent on returning the shares to you," he said.
Xin Qing stared at him in alarm. She was totally clueless regarding these matters, but then she also knew that she could not allow Xin Enterprises to fall. It was her mother's wish.
"I can help you," Ying Qingcang said, lifting his brows.
Xin Qing's eyes grew several shades darker. Standing up, she began making her way up the stairs. Halfway, she noticed that Ying Qingcang had barely moved from his seat. So she said, "Well? You want me to please you again, right? Pretty sure you'd like to see the color of my bra or something."
Ying Qingcang coughed twice. Various images flashed across his mind, images of racy bras adorning Xin Qing's body. He tamped down the surge of desire in his heart. He could not afford to touch her under the current circumstances. He would only be pushing her further away if he did.
"When did I say that?" he asked, smiling.
A blank look flitted across Xin Qing's face. "What did he mean?" she thought.
Ying Qingcang stood up from the couch. The next thing she knew, he was pulling her towards her bedroom. And upon entering her bedroom, he pulled open her wardrobe and began sifting through its contents. Deep down, Xin Qing was laughing self-mockingly. "In the end, I still have to pay with my own body..." she thought bitterly.
When Xin Qing began undoing her buttons, it caught Ying Qingcang's attention immediately. He handed a set of outfit to her, a barely-there smile plastered on his face. "I definitely won't complain if you insist on changing in front of me. But are you sure?"
Xin Qing gaped at the clothes in her hands: a lavender sweater and a pair of jeans.
Ying Qingcang was already opening the door to leave. "Get changed. Then we'll go get something to eat."
Even when she was fully seated in the car, the dazed look had not left Xin Qing's face. Ying Qingcang found the look on her face highly amusing, but had kept his amusement hidden behind a straight face. Xin Qing shot him a glance, appraising him. And then she felt like testing the waters, so she asked, "Didn't we have dinner just now?"
"We're getting supper," Ying Qingcang said, pursing his lips.
Xin Qing thought for a moment, and then she added, "Can't stay out until too late. I've got class tomorrow."
The car stopped before the entrance of a hotel which looked elegant, though in an old-fashioned kind of way. At the door, they were received with utmost attentiveness by the greeter.
"Good evening, President Ying! We've reserved the Pine Room for you."
Ying Qingcang nodded and took Xin Qing's hand into his own. Xin Qing had every intention to break free from his grasp, but then she hesitated when she saw the look of pure shock on the greeter's countenance. And in her distraction, Ying Qingcang had taken the opportunity to drag her forward.
As they passed the lobby, Xin Qing immediately noticed that a lot of men there had female escorts. Those women were either following the men around, or they were practically lying on top of the men. The former did not seem to mind at all the wanton ministrations that were being lavished on their bodies.
They settled themselves into a private room with a highly-refined and tasteful decor. After the greeter left them, Ying Qingcang said, "All those women are playthings."
Xin Qing stared at him wide-eyed. Understanding dawned on her regarding his gesture just now. "Entering hand in hand. Is he telling everyone that I'm not his plaything? No wonder the greeter had that look just now," she thought.
Xin Qing felt a wave of disgust well up in her heart. He damn well knew what this place was, yet he still brought her here. Plus, she did not see the point at all in telling everyone here that she was not his plaything. After all, these people were mere strangers.
The waiter entered and left the room. Xin Qing barely noticed the dishes that Ying Qingcang had ordered for them. She sat there in a downcast mood, sipping her tea.
"You shouldn't be drinking tea at this hour. Do you want trouble falling asleep later?" Ying Qingcang poured her a glass of fruit juice.
Xin Qing ignored him, but she picked up the glass and took two sips. Shortly, the course was served. Well, at least Ying Qingcang had not been prodigal when making the orders. The course consisted of two cold dishes, two hot dishes, and a bowl of soup.
Xin Qing did not have much appetite at first. But that quickly changed when she casually took a mouthful of the portions that Ying Qingcang had placed on her plate. "The food here isn't bad at all! Delicious. No wonder the place is swamped," Xin Qing thought.
Ying Qingcang gave her another slice of pork ribs. "You can have more," he said, "it's vegetarian meat."
Xin Qing stared at the pork ribs slice in shock. "You mean this isn't real pork ribs?"
"Of course not. Didn't you notice the signs at the entrance?"
Xin Qing shook her head, still pushing and turning the slice of pork ribs in her plate.
"Well, this is a clubhouse that is open to members only. Health-preserving vegetarian dishes are their specialty." Ying Qingcang ladled out a bowl of soup and said, "You haven't been eating well for the past few days. So I thought the food here might be better."
Xin Qing did not utter her word. Instead, she buried herself in the bowl of soup. "If you hadn't told me about all the troubles at Xin Enterprises, would I have lost my appetite? Seriously..." she thought. What she did not notice was Ying Qingcang's pursed lips as he laughed at her silently.
"This girl is the type who is incapable of letting go of anything that troubles her," Ying Qingcang thought. She had spent the past few days obsessing over her family's actions in returning the shares to her, obviously thinking that it was some kind of trap. He had already figured it all out of course, though he had not intended to tell her at all, since he had already found a solution anyway. But later on, he noticed her stressing over the whole thing. And she even went as far as neglecting her meals. So today, he had decided to divulge just a bit and let her in on the going-ons at Xin Enterprise. As for the solution to the problem? Well, he would tell her about it some time later.
Xin Qing's behavior ended up being exactly as Ying Qingcang had predicted. Now that she was no longer in the dark about the affairs at Xin Enterprises, her appetite returned to her in full-blast and she ate heartily. But after she had wolved down her meal, the issue started to plague her again.
"What about Xin Enterprises?"
Ying Qingcang looked at her for a while. "Leave it to me," he said, "I will return to you a Xin Enterprises that's as good as new."
Xin Qing thought for a brief moment before she nodded. "Okay!"
It had been a pleasant meal. But as they were leaving the hotel, a man and a woman were approaching them from the opposite direction. Xin Qing had not intended to pay them any heed, but her eyes had swept to the two figures anyway. But what she saw had her standing rooted on her spot. Obviously, the man and the woman had noticed her and Ying Qingcang too.
"President Ying!" said the man who had just stepped through the entrance and was walking towards them briskly. Xin Qing turned her head to the side and looked away. If given the choice of the people in this world whom she never wanted to see again, then the first would be everyone from Xin family. This man would be the second.
Huang Jianbin, the man who had almost raped her. And following closely behind him was none other than Xin Yudie.
"Never thought I'd meet you here. Why don't we share a table?" Huang Jianbin had recognized Xin Qing when he saw her. Fleetingly, his eyes darted across Xin Qing's face. He was not an idiot. The fact that Xin Qing could stay beside Ying Qingcang for so long nothing but proved that Ying Qingcang saw her differently compared to any other women. If that were not the case, then Ying Qingcang would not have appeared out of nowhere and took her away in the first place. So Huang Jianbin acted as if he did not know Xin Qing at all.
Ying Qingcang remained silent as the greeter from before passed him the car keys. Huang Jianbin noticed the keys. "Oh. So you've finished your meal! Well, next time if the opportunity arises, let's have a meal together, President Ying," he said before glancing at Xin Qing, who had remained silent throughout the entire exchange. Lowering his voice, he said, "There's something very important that I need to let you know, President Ying."
"Come to my office tomorrow." Ying Qingcang threw out the words before leaving together with Xin Qing.
Xin Qing and Xin Yudie brushed past each other. They perused each other wordlessly.
Xin Yudie watched Xin Qing's leaving form. And then she turned around and caught up to Huang Jianbin. All the hatred she felt were now contained in her eyes. If it were not because of Xin Qing, she would not be in her current state. Word had already spread like wildfire that she was raped by Du Zekai. Now, it was no longer possible for her to marry into a wealthy family. Xin Pengfei had utilized whatever worth she had left and gave her over to Huang Jianbin.
She would never be able to forget the fact that her own mother had inebriated her and sent her into Huang Jianbin's bed. This was all Xin Qing's fault. Why would Xin Qing be shipped off into the arms of Ying Qingcang while she herself got turned into a mere plaything? After all, it was Xin Yudie who was the family's princess. "Xin Qing, I will never forgive you. You'd ruined my entire life. What right do you have to find happiness?" Xin Yudie thought.
"Don't let it get to you," Ying Qingcang said as he clipped the seat belt around Xin Qing, "coincidences like these won't happen often."
Xin Qing understood the message. It was coincidential indeed that they ran into Huang Jianbin. "I can't believe that Xin Yudie she..."
"That has nothing to do with you. Don't think too much about it," Ying Qingcang reminded as he fired up the engine. "It's best if you avoid any interactions with that woman in the future. She has malicious intent towards you."
Xin Qing naturally would not give Xin Yudie much thought. She brought everything upon herself. What surprised Xin Qing though was the fact that Lin Xiaoyu, who she had not seen for quite some time, had moved back into the dorms.
"Why is she back?" Xin Qing was having lunch with Zhang Mi and Shi Qianqian at the cafeteria, staring at Lin Xiaoyu who was queueing up to get her lunch.
Zhang Mi turned her head to look at Lin Xiaoyu. "Who knows. Says that none of the students at the dorms she'd previously moved to stay there, so the dorms are pretty much empty. She got scared, so she applied to move back here," Zhang Mi said in a tone of displeasure.
"I thought she wasn't staying in school too?" Xin Qing asked. When she was kidnapped by Xin Haoyu, he told her that Lin Xiaoyu was the one who had seduced him first. He also told her that if it had not been for the fact that she was obedient and a virgin, he would not even have bothered to play with her.
"Probably broke up with her boyfriend," Shi Qianqian said, hitting the truth in just one line.
"I bet the guy dumped her!" Zhang Mi said gleefully, "Serves her right."
Lin Xiaoyu's return would not affect Xin Qing at all. Zhang Mi, on the other hand, had lots of grievances regarding the matter, but other than complain, there was really nothing she could have done about it. After all, chasing other people out was not an option. A few days later, Xin Qing bumped into Lin Xiaoyu at the dormitory's ground floor. Although this time, Lin Xiaoyu did not hurry away like she used to. Instead, she stood there staring at Xin Qing.
"Xin Qing, can I talk to you?" Lin Xiaoyu seemed highly anxious and on edge. Xin Qing also noticed that she looked more haggard than the last time they had seen each other.
Seeing that Xin Qing had ignored her, Lin Xiaoyu once again walked up to Xin Qing. "Just a few words. It won't take too much of your time," she implored.
Xin Qing strolled to a bench on the side of the pavement and sat down. "Okay, talk," she said.
Lin Xiaoyu hurried after her and sat down on the bench. There were a few times when Lin Xiaoyu had opened her mouth to speak but then changed her mind shortly afterwards. For a moment, Xin Qing watched the other woman sitting on the bench. Lin Xiaoyu's face sported a deep frown and her head hung low. After a while of silence, Xin Qing had no other choice but to ask the question herself, "Didn't you say you have something to tell me?"
In truth, Xin Qing did not bear much ill will against Lin Xiaoyu. Of course, Lin Xiaoyu's past actions had voided her right to Xin Qing's friendship. But afterward, Xin Qing did not feel it necessary to start hating her. Humans are selfish, after all. And if Lin Xiaoyu would betray her friends for money, it only meant that friendship meant little to her deep down. Since that was the case, Xin Qing would avoid any further association or relationship with Lin Xiaoyu beyond just being normal classmates.
"I...I know I did something horrible to you. You...would you forgive me? It was a moment of greed and I...it clouded by conscience." Lin Xiaoyu looked at Xin Qing with tearful and red-rimmed eyes.
Xin Qing frowned. She did not understand at all what Lin Xiaoyu was trying to get out of this.
"Just say what you want to say. The rest aren't necessary."
Lin Xiaoyu was visibly deflated at Xin Qing's response. It was clear that Xin Qing no longer saw her as a friend. But now, Xin Qing was also her only hope. Gritting her teeth, Lin Xiaoyu decided to bite the bullet. "Xin Qing, please! Please, you gotta help me, please! You're the only one who can help me right now."