The flight to England took ten hours. Xin Qing had spent half of that time lying on top of Ying Qingcang's body while the other half was spent in slumber. After they had deplaned, Xin Qing yielded and voiced out her request to Ying Qingcang.
She stared wide-eyed at Ying Qingcang. "Let's not use a private jet next time."
"Why?" The man leaned back smugly. "Ooh... I get it."
Xin Qing looked at him warily. "What did you get?"
"Our Ah Qing has a kinky streak in her. I bet the reason she wants to fly commercial is so that she could have her wicked way with me in the lavatory!"
Xin Qing sniggered. "How did you even survive before I came along?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" asked Ying Qingcang who was, at that moment, thoroughly sated. Because of that, he was in a jovial mood. Not even the thought of returning to that home could vex him.
Xin Qing flicked a sidelong glance below his waist. Ying Qingcang glared at her. "You're my first woman!"
"I know," Xin Qing added quickly, "But what I mean is that if your urges are this strong, how did you cope with them in the past?"
Ying Qingcang frowned. "It's because I never had a taste before. So I had no idea how it feels like." When he noticed the darkening of Xin Qing's eyes, he continued in an earnest tone, "I don't know how I'd coped in the past. But now, I just know that I want you. I want you whenever I see you."
Satisfied with that response, Xin Qing turned her sight towards the window to check out the passing sceneries. They had already passed the entire city. By then, the car had entered a lush, green suburban area. Vast fields stretched out on both sides of the road. At a glance, the fields gave the impression of being boundless expanses of green. It almost seemed like they had reached the end of the path when finally, a building came into view. It looked like a medieval castle with a long history.
"My grandfather bought this castle back in the day. Apparently, it's got over two hundred years of history." Ying Qingcang saw the look of surprise in Xin Qing's eyes, which then reminded him of the subject that she was specializing in. "There are a lot of artworks in there with high historical values. So if there's anything you like, we can bring it home with us."
Xin Qing glared at him. "How can we do such an uncivil thing?"
"This place will be mine in the future. Whatever that's mine will be yours too. So we'll just be moving stuff out in advance. I don't see anything uncivil in that." Ying Qingcang helped her straighten out her clothes when the car slowed to a stop. When car door opened, Xin Qing noticed a handsome elderly man standing nearby. He was smiling at her.
"Xin Qing! Welcome to Ying Ancestral Home." The elderly man's features slightly resembled Ying Qingcang's. But then, the elderly man possessed a mien so exceptional that he almost looked like a saint. Well, perhaps "elderly" was a bit of an overstatement. In truth, he looked about fifty, though Xin Qing already knew his true age to be sixty. That man was Ying Qing Cang's father, Ying Hao.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, father!" Xin Qing bowed politely. Beside her, Ying Qingcang pulled her back up, his face devoid of expression. Ying Hao did not mind at all. Smiling, Ying Hao told Xin Qing. "I just knew you'd come here one day. Quickly, come inside!"
Ying Hao turned around and led them into the castle. As they walked, Ying Hao introduced the various parts of the castle. "I heard you're an excellent designer. There are a lot of curios in this castle that are from the previous century. Feel free to have a look around later and see which ones might be useful to you. After that, I'll have them shipped to you."
Ying Qingcang gave Xin Qing a look that said: I told you so. Xin Qing ignored him. Ying Hao ignored him too. In fact, Ying Hao had barely acknowledged Ying Qingcang's presence from the very start of the meeting.
They entered a saloon. As expected, Xin Qing's attention was drawn to the murals on the wall and the sculptures that were on display. She was still engrossed in the artworks when a sweet, feminine voice rang out. The voice came from outside.
"Finally, you guys are here! Just in time for dinner." Xin Qing looked towards the source of the voice. A beautiful woman in a red Cheongsam slowly entered the room, her hands and hips swaying as she walked. A mass of curly, wavy tresses framed her head, accentuating the beauty of her features. The woman was the epitome of sensuality and sexiness. Every single movement of her body was eye-catching.
"Childhood friend..." Xin Qing thought. Those words had popped into her mind before she knew it. Instinctively, her eyes sought out Ying Qingcang. When he felt Xin Qing stiffen in his arms, Ying Qingcang shot another look at the approaching woman. After that, he smiled without saying a word.
"Oh, what a little beauty indeed. No wonder you could have our Ah Cang falling head over heels!" The sensual beauty stopped before Xin Qing and gave her a once over. Then, she held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Rong Siman, Ah Cang's aunt."
Ah Cang's... aunt? As Xin Qing wracked her brain, Ying Qingcang had noticed her befuddled look and he felt a strong urge to laugh. However, he held it back in fear of causing her humiliation. Instead, he whispered beside her ear, "She's the woman the old man married afterward."
"What a young stepmother!" Xin Qing thought in shock. The woman looked to be around the same age as Ying Qingcang.
"H...Hi... Nice to meet you!" It took Xin Qing momentous effort to find her voice and sputter out a proper greeting.
Smiling, Rong Siman nodded at Xin Qing. After a moment, Rong Siman's turned her head and her sight settled on Ying Qingcang. "Ah Cang, it's been a while!"
Ying Qingcang did not acknowledge the greeting at all. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Xin Qing and led her away. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."
"Huh?" Xin Qing looked over her shoulder, wanting to give Rong Siman an apology. But then she detected no anger in Rong Siman's comportment at all. Instead, Rong Siman was smiling beautifully as she leaned towards Ying Hao's side. Rong Siman tugged at Ying Hao's arm. "Come on. Let's go eat too."
After a traditional British-style dinner, Ying Hao pulled Xin Qing aside to talk. Throughout the conversation, Xin Qing kept noticing the smiles and glances that Rong Siman was directing at her. A few times, those glances would land on Ying Qingcang who was standing beside Xin Qing. Later that night when she retired into their bedroom, Xin Qing noticed the huge wooden bed which she deemed as a true antique. Soon, Xin Qing found herself lying on the bed blissfully. Getting off the bed was the last thing on her mind.
"We can bring it home if you like it." A freshly-showered Ying Qingcang entered the bedroom and saw Xin Qing grinning at the bed like an idiot.
Xin Qing sat up hurriedly and schooled her features. "You didn't mention that you have an aunt."
"Because it isn't important." Ying Qingcang got under the covers and pulled Xin Qing into his arms.
Xin Qing poked at his chest. "How could something like that not be important? Isn't she your dad's legal wife?"
"So what if she is. It's got nothing to do with us."
"Don't tell me you're worried about splitting inheritance once she has kids," Xin Qing said. It came to Xin Qing's mind that Ying Qingcang had not spoken a word to Rong Siman throughout the entire evening. It seemed to her that Ying Qingcang hated Rong Siman's guts.
Ying Qingcang pinched her nose. "You've been watching way too many dramas. What, you think this is a scene from Dallas?"
"Isn't it?" Xin Qing thought for a moment. "Could it be that she can't have kids?"
Ying Qingcang scoffed, a strange smile forming on his face. "Her son is already 12 years old. He's now at school. You'll see him when he comes home for the weekend."
"Ah! Then it means you're no longer the sole heir of the Ying family." Xin Qing levelled a stare at him. "You wouldn't do anything to harm your brother, would you?"
Ying Qingcang face turned sour. "He's not my brother and he has no right to inherit anything. Everything owned by the Ying Family will go to me. That's been set in stone a long time ago." Noticing the furrowed brows of the woman in his arms, Ying Qingcang reached under the covers and gave her a pinch.
"This castle and everything in it belong to me. Ying Enterprises belongs to me too. If you're that worried, then why don't I ask Ah Nan to show you my balance sheet?" Ying Qingcang teased.
Xin Qing gave him a dirty look. "I'm just curious about her age. I mean, how come she's so young? Also, is she the woman Monica was referring to?"
"Of course, she's young. She's two years older than me. And yes, she's the one Monica was referring to." All of a sudden, Ying Qingcang looked at her. "What do you think of her?"
Xin Qing batted her eyes. "She's very beautiful. And sexy!"
"What's with that look in your eyes?" Ying Qingcang glared at her in annoyance. "How could she be anywhere near as beautiful as you? Not as sexy as you too."
Xin Qing was not in the mood to carry on with that debate, though deep in her heart, she was pleased.
"Remember, you don't have to give face to anyone in the family other than me. If she gets on your bad side, just slap her as hard as you can." All of a sudden, Ying Qingcang's tone turned serious. "Also, you shouldn't believe anything she says. She's sick in the head."
As it turned out, Xin Qing learned that Rong Siman was not the only one who was a little off the rocker. Soon, it seemed to her that the entire family was acting abnormally. The following morning, Ying Qingcang brought Xin Qing to the woodlands behind the castle. Ying Qingcang wanted to show her the elaphures that lived in the area. These woods had never been developed before, so the air was fresh and invigorating. It was also teeming with small animals who had found their homes in it.
On their way back, Xin Qing dug up a truffle by a stroke of luck. Because this was the first time she had dug up her own truffle, she was also excited at the thought of making a meal out of it on her own. So while Ying Qingcang was showering and changing, she headed downstairs.
"Morning!" Xin Qing raised her head at the voice and saw Rong Siman standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"Uh... morning!" Xin Qing had no clue how to address Rong Siman, so in the end, she opted to forgo the title.
Rong Siman did not seem to mind at all. Smiling, she noticed the truffle cradled in Xin Qing's palm. "Now's the season for truffles! Our family owns the lands in this area. Due to the high quality of our truffles, many chefs who run Michelin-rated restaurants often order their truffles from us. Too bad our truffles are scarce, so they have to fight tooth and nail for it every year!"
Xin Qing stared at the truffle in her hand, not knowing how to respond. "Is she trying to tell me that I shouldn't be digging up these truffles because they are so rare?" Xin Qing wondered.
"What's mine is mine. Who cares about them?" Ying Qingcang's voice rang up from upstairs. He stood at the staircase quite some levels above, looking down at Rong Siman with the cold gaze of an emperor.
"Then let's make porridge! There's only one, so it should be enough for porridge," Xin Qing said, smiling at Ying Qingcang like a flower. "He came just in time," she thought.
Ying Qingcang approached Xin Qing and wrapped an arm around her waist. He lowered his head and planted a kiss on her lips. "If you really like truffles that much, then I'll have some guys go dig up some more later."
"I love truffles!" Xin Qing nodded vigorously. It was true that she really enjoyed truffles. In fact, they were among the luxurious foods that she constantly missed.
Ever since Ying Qingcang's appearance, Rong Siman's smile had grown wider. She did not mind Ying Qingcang's attitude towards her at all. She covered her lips with a hand and smiled. "You're right. Since Xin Qing love truffles, I'll send the guys out to dig more later."
"Thank you." Xin Qing felt she should treat Rong Siman with courtesy regardless of Ying Qingcang's attitude towards the woman. After all, Rong Siman's was a woman of status, and right now, her status was on full display!
Ying Hao only made his appearance while breakfast was being served. He noticed that only one bowl of truffled was served, which was placed in front of Xin Qing. Then, he smiled and told her that she should go dig up more truffles if she liked them. After breakfast, Ying Hao asked Ying Qingcang to follow him to his study.
"Go get changed. We'll go horse-riding later." Ying Qingcang stole a kiss from her and left.
Only Xin Qing and Rong Siman remained. Just when Xin Qing was about to excuse herself, Rong Siman spoke, "I've never seen Ah Cang treat anyone so well before! Even when he was with me, he hadn't shown me this gentle side of his. You're truly lucky, Miss Xin."
"... When he was with you. What's that supposed to mean?" Xin Qing thought, looking at Rong Siman as if she had just seen a monster. It was also then that Xin Qing saw something else. A glint of provocation had flashed across Rong Siman's eyes before it vanished. Xin Qing got the message loud and clear. This Rong Siman was provoking her.
As a stepmother.