For the life of her, Xin Qing could not comprehend the foreigners' penchant for costume parties.
Somehow, a supposed auction turned into a costume party and none of its attendees were allowed to show their faces. The only means of identification was the number printed on the paddles assigned to each bidder. As one of the sellers, Xin Qing was given a special magnetic card, which, if kept on her body at all times, allowed her to be identified by the scanners at the entrance when entering.
Xin Qing hated the idea of dolling herself up for the event, which was why she chose to dress herself as an Arabian woman. A pale, golden robe covered her body from head to toe. Only her eyes remained unconcealed. When she headed out, something made her pause. After a moment of thought, she decided to grab a ruby necklace, which she wore around her forehead as a headdress. The ruby was shaped like a water droplet. At first glance, it appeared as though its colors dripped off its surface like water droplets. All in all, the ruby necklace added a mysterious aura to the robe, otherwise looking rather stiff and uptight.
Rang stood behind her. He dressed like a Greek warrior, making him look outrageously hilarious due to his short stature and wide girth. Rang did not seem to mind his comical appearance at all. He was too busy boasting about the fact that their mine produced three other diamonds that auctioned today aside from the pink one.
Just when the auction began, Xin Qing saw a man entering the room. The man dressed like some kind of royal prince, and for some reason, Xin Qing discerned the man's identity with just a glance. The man seemed to glance back at her too, though she could not tell if it had been deliberate.
The bidding for the pink diamond would be held last, since it was the main event. Just when they transitioned into the bidding of the pink diamond, another man entered the auction room. This man wore a black tuxedo, and although his face hid behind a silver mask, Xin Qing noticed the way his eyes scanned her body shamelessly. Xin Qing's eyes widened as she stared him.
"Ying Qingcang!! What on earth is he doing here?" she thought.
The auctioneer announced the start of the bidding. Xin Qing raised her hand to her forehead as she watched Ying Qingcang and William outbidding each other. Both men were relentless and neither seemed to willing to give up the diamond. William was the man dressed like a prince. Xin Qing had no idea how she identified him that quickly. She thought because of the man's comportment. The man carried himself like he some kind of royalty from the past. He was warm and gentle. A prince usually associated with a piece of jade, and William was the perfect example of that. Unlike a certain someone...
Xin Qing glared at Ying Qingcang, who once again raised his paddle. "Is he out of his mind?" Xin Qing thought. Why was he even splurging on that diamond? If he wanted it, why not just ask her for it? That stuff belonged to him to begin with, for God's sake. Xin Qing tried her best to stop herself from wondering if he planned to use that diamond when proposing to Molly.
Neither man showed no signs of giving in. Beside her, Rang gushed with excitement, the effect of which seen from the way his huge tummy trembled. "Miss Xin, it looks like our diamond was about to surpass that blue diamond from a few years ago. Well, it's not that big of a deal anyway. It's true that our diamond is slightly smaller in size. But let's not forget that things like diamonds are usually bought for women, and you can bet your life that most women will prefer pink, the most romantic color of all," Rang said self-indulgently. "I wonder which two women are those two men trying to buy it for."
Annoyed, Xin Qing said, "Can't they just be buying it for themselves?"
Her tone failed to strike Rang as odd. Completely oblivious, Rang began another round of good-natured explanation. "Miss Xin, that's impossible! Within the Nobility's circle, a man wearing a pink diamond sent all kinds of wrong signals!"
"What do you mean?" Xin Qing never heard of such a saying before.
Lowering his voice, Rang said, "It implies that he's some kind of sugar daddy."
"Huh?" Xin Qing said. In her mind, the life of a nobility was confusing indeed.
The gavel sounded. The excited voice of the auctioneer rang out. "Congratulations! With a bid price of 14 million, the diamond will go to Mr. 99!"
The look on Xin Qing's face darkened. 99 was Ying Qingcang.
"I don't feel too good. I'm heading off early. You handle the rest of the things here!" Xin Qing threw out the words and stood up to leave.
The west wing of the castle had been modified and renovated into a hotel. Most of the attendees resided there. Xin Qing went back to the hotel. Once there, she awaited Ying Qingcang. She was so anxious she barely sat still.
She waited until the sky grew dark. Still, Ying Qingcang did not show. At that point, she panicked a little. Did he leave right after obtaining the diamond? Did he not plan to see her at all? Then again, why would he want to see her? There was no longer anything between them.
Xin Qing tried everything to comfort herself, though none of her efforts stopped her tears. She covered her face with her hand and cried her heart out. Exhausted from sobbing, she got up and took a shower. After that, she went down to the dining hall for dinner.
"Miss Xin!" She just sat down when someone from the table beside her's greeted her. It was William. He sat there, looking at her with a faintly noticeable smile. Then he hand gestured to express his wish for them to share a table. Xin Qing got up and went to sit at his table. "Too bad you didn't manage to get the diamond. Now you can't give it to that lady in your heart."
William smiled. "How did you recognize me?"
"Just a feeling," Xin Qing said, giving him an open-palm shrug. "Or should I say... a woman's intuition?"
"Hehe! Then can your intuition reveal the identity of the man who stole the diamond away from me today?"
Xin Qing slumped into a state of stupor. "Could it be that he knows that it was Ying Qingcang who has the diamond?" she thought.
At her reaction, William's smile widened. "Fine. Fine. I was just messing with you!"
Xin Qingm laughed artificially and changed the subject. "Right. Why don't I treat you to dinner tonight. Consider it repayment for all the help you've given me before." Xin Qing felt bad for William. Before, William presented his statement and managed to get CK to call off their attempts to purchase the diamond outside the auction. Although he claimed that he had not done it for her sake, the fact remained that he failed to obtain the diamond.
... Considering it was Ying Qingcang who snatched the diamond away from him, Xin Qing felt as if she was the one who stole the diamond away from William.
"Sure!" William said without standing on ceremony. He summoned the waiting staff, who took their orders shortly. Throughout the dinner, they were like two old friends, chatting eagerly as they ate. Xin Qing learned William was very well-versed in Chinese culture, though it surprised her that he never actually visited China.
"If you ever find the time to visit, I'll be your tour guide!" Xin Qing said, raising her wine glass.
Gently, William clinked her glass with his own. A deep, profound smile on crossed his face. "That day will come for sure!"
When Xin Qing set down her wine glass, she unintentionally turned her head. Her body stiffened at what she saw. Ying Qingcang was there, sitting at a table to their left. She had no idea how long he had been sitting there. From his face, she was unable to tell if he was happy or mad, though his eyes gave him away. The way he looked at her right now was as if he wanted to pounce on her any second.
Xin Qing felt like her entire being ripped asunder. She shuddered. William noticed the sudden paleness on her face. When he followed her gaze, Ying Qingcang headed towards them.
"You are..." William thought for a moment, and then stood up. "You're Miss Xin's husband?" He glanced sideways at Xin Qing and joked, "Why do you always act like you'd just met a ghost every time you see your husband."
After a long tumultuous moment, Xin Qing regained her calm composure. "What's there to be nervous about," she thought, bringing the color back to her face. She sat there unmovingly. "Mr. William. You've misunderstood. We aren't husband and wife."
"What? You aren't?" William said in surprise. "Then your child..."
Ying Qingcang interjected before Xin Qing explained further. "You're abandoning Ah Sha?" He stared at her coldly.
Xin Qing's face darkened. She sat there without saying a word.
"I'm so sorry that you have to see this. She's throwing tantrums!" Ying Qingcang's expression changed into that of relief. Without waiting for an invitation, he pulled out a chair and sat down.
William shook his head and smiled. "Now I finally understand why... Oh. I still don't know your name?"
"Ying," Ying Qingcang said, playing along. Right then, his behavior was completely unlike his usual impatient and brusque attitude.
"Mr. Ying, I'm William. It's a pleasure to meet you!" William extended his hand, which Ying Qingcang shook. William went on, "No wonder you're willing to splurge 14 million on the diamond. You're trying to coax Miss Xin!"
"How did you know it was him?" Xin Qing said, but regretted it the moment she said it. In her attempt to conceal the truth, she ended up letting the cat out of the bag instead.
William winked at her. "Call it a man's intuition!"
"Your intuition is accurate," Ying Qingcang said with a lopsided smirk. He looked at Xin Qing with narrowed eyes. "Honey, are you done with your meal?"
Xin Qing's nerves were so overwhlemed that she stammered. "Wh- what do you want?"
"If you're done, then let's head back to our room. I already got you the diamond. Don't you think it's time for you to stop sulking?" he said. Not bothering to wait for Xin Qing's reply, he pulled her to her feet. Turning around, he said to William, "Then we'll be heading off first!"
William stood up as well. "Let's have a meal together if we have the opportunity."
"The opportunity will come for sure," Ying Qingcang said, smiling meaningfully. For some reason, Xin Qing kept feeling like something weird went on between these two men.
In the room, Xin Qing stared at Ying Qingcang's cold face. Something popped into her mind all of a sudden. She rushed to the bedroom and groped at the wall behind the headboard. Ying Qingcang strolled into the room casually and leaned against the doorjamb with arms crossed across his chest. "Looking for anything in particular? Well, this hotel doesn't provide that kind of service. Then again... Even if they do, we won't be able to use it, considering the current status of our relationship."
Xin Qing glared at him furiously. "What the hell do you want?"
"I don't want anything." Ying Qingcang walked over and sat down at the edge of the bed. Xin Qing stepped back warily. "Then why come here and make a bid for the diamond?"
Ying Qingcang leaned back casually against the headboard. "I was planning to give someone a necklace. Coincidentally, it lacked a diamond. So here I am."
"If you want it, you could have taken it. There's no need for you to splurge on it. It's yours to begin with." Xin Qing's heart stung as she clenched her fists.
Ying Qingcang glanced at her. "I can't do that. It would've lacked sincerity," he said, removing a box from his pocket and tossing it on the bed. "Here, I'm giving you the diamond."
"I don't want it!" Xin Qing screamed. "Aren't you planning to give it to someone else?"
Ying Qingcang stood up, his eyes fixed on her. "What are you imagining in that head of yours? I'm asking you to design a necklace for me. What, am I supposed to give an unprocessed diamond to someone?"
He asked her to design the necklace he planned to give to another woman? The nerve of him! A fuse blew in Xin Qing's mind. She picked up the box and tossed it at Ying Qingcang. "Go to hell! I'd die before I design anything for you." After that, she grabbed her suitcase and ran out the door. She ran the hell out of there. She would not stay with this man for another minute.
Xin Qing hailed a cab to head back to the city. During the ride, she rolled down the side window and kept it down, allowing the wind to carress her face. She was afraid her tears would fall again. With her mind muddled and hazy, she failed to realize another car trailed after her.
"Young Master, something's wrong with the young miss," Ah Che said as he slowly parked the car on the roadside. He watched as Xin Qing exited the cab before standing unmovingly in front of her door. The sky went completely dark, so Ah Che could not make out what she was doing.
Ying Qingcang frowned and was just about to get down to go check on her. All of a sudden, he saw Xin Qing's limp body. She crumbled to the ground. Before Ah Che said a word, Ying Qingcang was already out of the car. Ying Qingcang crossed the streets in a few strides and picked her up. Ah Che hurried after his young master and opened the front door.
"Go buy some medicine. She has a fever." Ying Qingcang's face contorted gravely. He touched Xin Qing's forehead. "I really can't leave you alone at all," he said. "What were you thinking, having the wind blow at your face like that? Look at you now..."
In her haze, Xin Qing felt someone taking off her clothes. She struggled, but possessed little strength. All of a sudden, she cried. Muddled words formed on her mouth as she screamed.
"Ying Qingcang, save... me."