Ying Qingcang was once again at the brink of utter devastation. The last time he felt this way was during Xin Qing's abduction. At the auction just now, he could not believe his eyes that he would be seeing Xin Qing in a place like that. She was locked up in a cage, looking at him with tearful and helpless eyes. What he hated the most about the whole situation was the fact that he was unable to go rescue her. Ah Che had gone to the auction on his orders, but William had beaten him to it.
The door opened. William stood in the doorway, blocking his path.
"Out of my way!" Ying Qingcang did not spare the man another glance.
"It's not that I won't let you in." William said in a helpless tone. "It's just that Xin Qing refuses to see you."
Ying Qingcang scowled. "I'm going to see her."
"Don't come in!" Xin Qing's voice sounded from inside the room. Even though it was not loud, the sound of her voice still made him feel as if someone had stabbed his heart with a sharp knife. It pained him so much that he wanted to die. "Let me in, please. I'll leave after I see you." He said. The pain in his heart had brought a tremor to his voice.
"I'm fine and dandy. Even if I'm not, it's got nothing to do with you." Whenever she recalled the way Ying Qingcang had turned his back on her at the underground auction, she would feel a chill right down to her bones. She did not want to see Ying Qingcang again for the rest of her life.
William tilted his body to the side to block Ying Qingcang's attempted entry. "Mr. Ying, you already know what she'd gone through tonight. Just let her rest. Anything you want to discuss can wait until tomorrow."
"I want to know how she ended up in a place like that," Ying Qingcang said, taking a step back. He stood outside the door, staring at William with a probing look in his eyes.
A small crease formed on William's brows. "She and her companion got separated on the streets. She ran into the people responsible for the auction. They knocked her out and brought her there."
"Out of so many people, why only her?" Ying Qingcang stared at William.
"Are you suspecting me, Mr. Ying?" William said, his lips still had a trace of a smile. "I'm not entirely sure of the specifics. If you can find something out, then that would be best."
"I will." Ying Qingcang said, turning to leave. Then he paused in his steps and angled his head to look at William. "I hope it has nothing to do with you."
Xin Qing looked at William who was walking back in. After a while, she peered at the space behind him. William laughed. "What are you looking at? He left already."
"He left? Good, then." Xin Qing stated coldly. She turned to her sides and went back to sleep.
Last night's ordeal had rattled Xin Qing greatly. The second day, she pulled herself together nonetheless and was fully intended on making an appearance at the competition. She got dressed in a pink cheongsam but realized that the color would bring out the paleness in her face. After some thought, she decided to do something she had never done before in her life. She put on heavy makeup; she rouged her cheeks, applied heavy eyeshadow, and had even used a bright pink lipstick.
"Very pretty!" William praised when he saw her. "Are you sure you're able to last until the end of the competition?"
Xin Qing pulled in a breath and puffed out her chest. "That goes without saying. I'm here to claim first place!"
The competition's venue was at the hotel's top floor. Dianne had arrived there early and was already waiting for Xin Qing. When she noticed Xin Qing, she rushed over and stared at Xin Qing's face. After a long while, Dianne asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Xin Qing said, shaking her head. "Thank you for calling the police."
Dianne heaved a sigh of relief, and then stepped forward to give Xin Qing a hug. "Thank goodness. Or else I'll live with that guilt for the rest of my life. I was the one who had brought you out, and yet I lost you." Dianne said. Then she nodded at William. "Mr. William, thank you so much for rescuing Xin Qing!"
"Xin Qing and I are friends. It's the least I can do." William said with a smile. Then he turned to Xin Qing. "Hey, I have to go sit with the judges now. I wish you the best!"
"I will, thanks!"
The designs of all participants were placed onstage during the first round. The judges were supposed to pick out ten designs to qualify for the next round. The designers of the ten selected designs would then be asked to present their design concept to everyone. Xin Qing breezed through the first round with ease. When she got down from the stage, she saw Ying Qingcang. Molly was once again standing beside him. Ah Che stood behind them with a dejected look on his face. Noticing Xin Qing, Ah Che hurried over.
"Young Miss, are you alright?"
Xin Qing shook her head. "I'm fine."
"Ah Che." Xin Qing went on, "Please don't address me as 'Young Miss' anymore. I no longer related to your Young Master."
"No, Young Miss. Please, let me explain." Ah Che was so agitated that his face had changed. "Young Master gave me the order to save you last night. But when I got there, William was already there. I was one step too late, so he beat me to it. If you want to blame someone, please blame me. It isn't Young Master's fault. He would never just sit by and watch you be sold off to others."
Xin Qing had kept quiet and had allowed Ah Che to say his piece. When Ah Che was done, she drawled, "You mean to say that he has his reasons? That he was in a tight spot at the time?"
"Yes! Yes! That's right!" Ah Che nodded vigorously.
"So he turned a blind eye just because he was in a tight spot. Because he was in a tight spot, he decided to crush all the hope I had in that moment..." Xin Qing sighed. "Ah Che, you'll never be able to understand what I was feeling back then."
Xin Qing turned around and walked away, ignoring Ah Che who was calling out her name behind her.
Last night, when she saw Ying Qingcang, it was like he was standing there with light rays radiating out from behind him as he stretched out his hands to her. But just when she was about to reach out to take his hand, he turned his back on her and left without a backward glance. In his departure, he took all the light rays with him. The fact that William had saved her last night could not erase the cold and glacial hopelessness that she had felt back then. It was a gut-wrenching despair, one that abraded her bones and seeped through her blood. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to stab Ying Qingcang a few times with a knife.
"Xin Qing!" Dianne was waving at her. "It's your turn."
On stage, Xin Qing was like peach blossoms. At the sight of her, Ying Qingcang's heart was filled with pain and regret. She must be feeling terrible right now. She would not have put on heavy makeup otherwise. When he thought of what Ah Che had told him just now, Ying Qingcang wanted to kill himself. This time, he had really broken Xin Qing's heart.
Was this the final straw for her? Would she refuse to see him after this? Instant panic rose in Ying Qingcang's chest.
"Ah Cang! Isn't that Xin Qing? Can't believe she didn't get eliminated?" Said Molly, who was standing beside him and grabbing his arm. Look in Molly's eyes held nothing but jealously and disdain.
Ying Qingcang flung her hand off his arm and shot her a cold look. Molly pulled back her hand in fear.
"Are you still angry? Didn't you let Ah Che save her?! Look at her. Isn't she up there, fine and dandy?"
"Shut the hell up." Ying Qingcang growled. Right then, his eyes were as sharp and cutting as a pair of scalpels. "It's best if you don't speak to me ever again. Or else I don't think I can stop myself from strangling you to death." Ying Qingcang stood up and went to sit in the back row. Not once did he look at Molly.
Molly clenched her teeth. Inwardly, she gave a cold sneer. "You're treating me like this because of that b*tch. I'll deal with her later!" She thought.
"Everyone yearns for a love that is both beautiful and filled with happiness. In China, Mandarin ducks represent undying love. The entwining tree trunks represent the way in which two people can be bound to each other, never to part for all eternity. There is a beautiful Chinese poem that goes, 'when in the sky, aspire to be Mandarin ducks; when on the ground, aspire to be entwining trunks'." Xin Qing stood on the stage, slender, elegant, and with so much poise. "Happiness", the necklace that was her masterpiece, was held in her hand. She had a faraway look in her eyes. Nobody knew where or what she was gazing at.
"Although right now, at this stage of my life, I don't believe in love, too. But in our lives, there will come a time for us to experience an ardent and selfless love because of another person. We will live for that person, and we will die for that person. I hope everyone here can find someone like that in the future. And when you do, I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that your love will transcend the boundaries of causality and the past, and that you love that person with every fiber of your being. Even if it ends up becoming your downfall, even if you perish and have your bones and body crushed into dust, your love would forever be remembered as the wind carries it into the sky. Through the billowing red dust, your love will remain, now and forever..."
From the judges' panel, William led the applause. The rest of the judges had joined him shortly. Even the other participants stood to their feet and gave her a standing ovation. Xin Qing was the rightful winner of the "Tears of an Angel" trophy.
During the award ceremony, one of the judges told her, "Your words just now had made us feel as if your design is alive. To all of us, it was like your design has its own soul! Congratulations. You will become a brilliant jewellery designer. We're looking forward to seeing more surprises from you in the future!"
When Xin Qing was coming down from the stage with her trophy in hand, she heard a surprised female voice shouting among the crowd, "Hey, aren't you that girl in the photo? You were the one being sold by the man in the underground auction last night!"
All of a sudden, all traces of blood left Xin Qing's face. Not even her heavy makeup could cover up her paleness this time. Her body began swaying from side to side. In an instant, Dianne had rushed over to support her. Molly was walking through the crowd towards them. She had her phone held up and was showing it to the people around her. "Come! You guys have a look. See if it's her?"
On the phone was a photo of a woman in dark lingerie. The woman was enclosed in a cage and was trying to avoid being whipped. The photo only revealed half of the woman's face, which indeed bore much resemblance to Xin Qing's.
Ah Che was the first one to act. "I ask you to please leave." Ah Che said with a scowl on his face.
"Who do you think you are to be speaking to me like so?" Molly glanced at Ah Che contemptuously before going back to the task of showing the picture on her phone to the crowd. A hand shot out from the crowd and snatched the device away. A split second later, the device was smashed into the floor. Before Molly could speak, she was slapped so savagely that her entire body tumbled onto the floor like a rag doll.
"You... You hit me?" Molly whimpered, holding her jaw with a hand. Her mouth was filled with the tang of blood.
Ying Qingcang's entire body exuded a murderous aura. He stepped forward and held Molly up by her throat. "I warned you not to test my patience."
"You... Don't you want to know about..." Molly was lifted up from the ground by Ying Qingcang, who still had her in a choke hold. She struggled, trying desperately to pluck Ying Qingcang's hand away from her throat.
Ying Qingcang tossed her onto a nearby table. Molly crashed onto the table's surface, rolling over twice before she fell back to the floor. She looked up at Ying Qingcang with one hand cupping her throat. She did not dare utter a single word. Tears had stained her entire face. Right then, there was nothing in the woman's eyes other than fear.
"I have many ways to collaborate with you. I hope you don't force me to use the cruelest way of all." Ying Qingcang said. When he was done, he ignored Molly and strode towards Xin Qing. It took him only a few strides to reach her.
Xin Qing took a step back. She lowered her gaze, completely unwilling to see him.
"I'm sorry..." Ying Qingcang did not know what to say. "Tell me. What do I have to do to have your forgiveness..." He reached out, wanting to hug Xin Qing. Xin Qing's head shot up, and on her face, Ying Qingcang saw a pair of guarded eyes which contained a mixture of caution, mockery, and hatred.
Ying Qingcang could not help but take a step back. "How? How could you hate me?" He thought, feeling his heart clench as if someone was squeezing it tightly like a vice. He found himself incapable of catching his breath no matter how hard he tried. Ah Che came over quickly and supported him, all the while shooting a pleading look towards Xin Qing.
"What's going on here?" William walked over and stood beside Xin Qing. "Hey, you know what? That restaurant we went to last night seems pretty awesome. Why don't we go there again later? After dinner, we can even go for a stroll at the beach like we did last night."
Dianne smiled suddenly. "Oh yeah! Good idea! But let's go there a bit earlier today so that we won't have to stay out late like last night!"
Xin Qing shot a grateful look at the two people who had just spoken. Then she turned around and walked away. William stood in the way of Ying Qingcang who was about to give chase to Xin Qing. In a low voice, William said, "Are you planning for everyone here to find out about her experience last night? Let's talk after we get out of here."