Ying Qingcang's jaw hung agape and eyes bulged at the news, although it only lasted for a short while. After that, he nodded and went back to playing with Ah Sha. Seeing Ying Qingcang's reaction, Young Master Shen made no further comments. Instead, he went into the kitchen and brought out the bowls and chopsticks.
Xin Qing cradled Ah Sha in her arms at all times not because she wanted to, but because Ah Sha cried unless she played with Ying Qingcang while being in Xin Qing's arms at the same time. Otherwise, Xing Qing would not want to sit close to Ying Qingcang.
"Are you really not planning to be engaged with her?" Xin Qing finally yielded and asked, though she regretted it the moment the question left her mouth.
Ying Qingcang glanced at her. "She repeatedly wronged you and made you unhappy. The prior agreement between us had been nullified."
"Then why imprison her?" All of a sudden, Xin Qing felt as if she realized something important, but the feeling vanished instantly.
"She concealed some things from me. Those things are important to me..." Ying Qingcang trailed off, and then paused. But he did not continue. "If I hadn't searched to find out the truth about why you were so dead set on leaving me, I wouldn't have ended up breaking your heart at the auction hall," Ying Qingcang thought, finishing the words left unsaid. Everytime he thought of that, Ying Qingcang's heart throbbed. But now, he knew better than to mention anything of the sort in front of Xin Qing. He did not want to remind Xin Qing of those things that scared her.
There was nothing left for Xin Qing to say at that point. She knew Ying Qingcang would never tell her all the details. Otherwise, Young Master Shen would have blabbed when begging for her forgiveness on Ying Qingcang's behalf. "But what could be so important to Ying Qingcang that he would go to such lengths?" she wondered.
"Do you want to know?" Ying Qingcang guessed what went through her head the moment he saw her face. He smiled at her suddenly. "Move back to the house with Ah Sha, and I'll tell you everything!"
Xin Qing pursed her lips. "There isn't a single part of me that wants to know. That's your business. It has nothing to do with me."
"Then why did you ask just now?" Ying Qingcang suddenly moved very close to her. Xin Qing felt his breath tickling her forehead. She leaped up and placed Ah Sha into Ying Qingcang's arms. "I'll help set the table!" she said and then made a dash for the kitchen.
Just then, Young Master Shen strolled out, carrying a glass of red wine. He shot a glance at Xin Qing's back and asked Ying Qingcang curiously, "Man, what did you say? You just gave Xiao Qingqing quite the scare!"
"Nothing. I was just testing her body's reaction to me," Ying Qingcang said, grinning from cheek to cheek.
Xin Qing's mood was the opposite of Ying Qingcang's. In fact, she covered her own face in that moment, berating herself for how utterly pathetic she was.
"Your hair's about to fall into the fish!" Shi Qianqian took care of the food sent over for their reunion dinner. From Xing Qing's appearance, it would not take much to guess what happened to her. "What did Ying Qingcang do to you?" Shi Qianqian asked.
"Ah?" Xin Qing gave a start at first, and then hurried out a denial. "Nothing!"
"Nothing?" Shi Qianqian looked at her. "Then why's your face so red?"
Xin Qing patted her cheeks a few times. "Is it very red?"
Shi Qianqian nodded. "Very."
"Damn it..." Xin Qing cursed inwardly and made a beeline for the bathroom. By the time she regained her composure, everyone sat down for dinner.
Ying Qingcang and Young Master Shen stayed until midnight before leaving. Before he left, Ying Qingcang looked at Xin Qing and said, "If you really want to bring Ah Sha with you, then I'll send Aunt Tian to France with you." After that, he left without giving Xin Qing a chance to refuse.
"Have you thought things through? You really want to take Ah Sha?" Shi Qianqian went to Xin Qing's room after showering. "If you do, then I'm afraid there really isn't much chance for you to see each other again."
Xin Qing nodded. "That's exactly why I need to take Ah Sha with me."
"You still love him, don't you?"
Xin Qing's mind went blank. "Do I still love him?" she thought. Hell if she knew.
"If you don't love him, why bother leaving?" Shi Qianqian said sagely before patting Xin Qing's shoulder and walking back to her own room. Xin Qing lay on her bed, staring at Ah Sha who made drool bubbles in her sleep. Xin Qing's heart softened instantly. She kissed Ah Sha's cheek and said, "Baby. I still love him. That man is your daddy. Too bad we're destined to be apart. When you grow up, will you help mommy take care of him?"
The only answer she got in return was a bursting bubble at the corner of Ah Sha's lips.
Back at Ying residence, Ying Qingcang and Young Master Shen sat in the study. Standing before them was a middle-aged man, whose entire face lined with vicious muscles that bespoke menace and brutality. From head to toe, the man emanated murderous vibes. One could tell from a single glance that this was a man who lived among knives and swords and who once wallowed in blood. A man of the mafia.
"Speak!" Young Master Shen looked at the man. "What happened?"
The middle-aged man gave a nod and quickly began his report. "Young master, the boys didn't slack off. They watched the woman like a hawk. But a bunch of men came out of nowhere. They definitely didn't seem local. Also..." The middle-aged man paused in thought for a while before continuing, "It didn't seem like they were out for blood. They seem reluctant to hurt the boys, just rescued the woman, that's all."
"Reluctant to hurt?" Ying Qingcang clenched his fist. "Are you positive?"
"I'm sure of it!" the middle-aged man said with conviction.
"Are they people we know?" Young Master Shen frowned. "What can you tell from their tactics? What about their techniques? Anything?"
The middle-aged man nodded. "They look like westerners."
"How can you tell?"
"From the way they fight!"
Young Master Shen waved a hand. "Very well. You're dismissed!"
The middle-aged man bowed and retreated from the room.
Ying Qingcang noticed the cryptic look Young Master Shen shot him. "Why are you looking at me like that? Spit it out if you have something to say."
Young Master Shen cleared his throat twice. "You've guessed it already, haven't you?"
"It's either my grandfather or my father." A cold laugh escaped Ying Qingcang's throat. "If it's my grandfather, I can understand. He couldn't just stand by and watch the offspring of his good friend tortured, so he got her out. But if it's my father..." Ying Qingcang stood up abruptly. "Then it means he had a hand in all of this."
"If Uncle Ying was the one who drugged you and forced Xin Qing to leave you, what's his purpose?" Young Master Shen stroked his chin, very puzzled with the turn of events. "Wasn't he the one willing to move heaven and earth just to get you two together in the first place?"
Ying Qingcang frowned. "Actually, I should've considered this possibility ages ago. Other than him, who else could've forced Xin Qing to leave me?"
"But what possible reason could he have used to force her to leave?" Young Master Shen shook his head repeatedly. "None of this makes sense!"
"It's pretty easy to find out the answer. We just have to make him talk."
"You're going back to England now?" Young Master Shen stood up. "I'm going with you!"
All of a sudden, Ying Qingcang's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and picked up.
"Young Master! The old master is in trouble," Ah Nan's voice blared out the phone's speaker. It boomed so loud even Young Master Shen heard it. Young Master Shen stroked his chin harder. "What the... What a real coincidence!"
It turned out when Ying Hao headed back from meeting his friend, he ran into a demonstration by an anti-government group. The rioters clashed with the police and Ying Hao was injured in the process. Amidst the pandemonium, Ying Hao's head was smashed into a explosion-proof plate, knocking him out cold instantly. When Ying Qingcang and Young Master Shen arrived in England the following day, Ying Hao was still in ICU.
"Ah Cang!" A devastated Rong Siman came over the moment she saw him. Young Master Shen greeted the woman with overt courtesy. "Aunt Ying!"
The look on Rong Siman's face changed instantly, though she did not pay Young Master Shen any mind. She threw a helpless frown at Ying Qingcang. "If something happens to your father then I... I..."
"Oh, I don't think you have anything to worry about. He won't die that easily. Scourges can live thousands of years, after all," Ying Qingcang said without even looking at her. He walked past her and went straight to speak to the doctor in charge. Not five minutes later, he emerged, dragging Young Master Shen. "There's someone here. Let's go back to the house."
"Ah Cang!" Rong Siman said in a panic. "Aren't you going to stay?"
Ying Qingcang turned around and shot her a glance. "Were you whining last time about him not being able to last long enough in bed for you to service him? Well, right now he's lying there in bed. Now, you can service him to your heart's content." Ying Qingcang walked away, leaving a very humiliated Rong Siman in his wake.
"Hahahaha!" Young Master Shen laughed as he drove. "That woman's face is truly... Hahaha!"
Ying Qingcang glared at him. "Keep your eyes on the road."
"Don't worry!" Young Master Shen said and then went back to laughing his head off. After a long, intense bout of laughter, he remembered something. "Why go back to the house all of a sudden?"
"What do you think it is that drove the old man to go behind my back and force Xin Qing to leave? And even drug me?" Ying Qingcang asked with a look of pure derision on his face.
Young Master Shen pondered those words. After a moment, his eyes gleamed. "The Ancestral Behest!"
Ying Hao's obsession with the ancestral behest appeared obvious even from back then when he still desired Ying Qingcang and Xin Qing together. If the ancestral behest stated that his death could propel the Ying family into generations of glory, then Ying Hao would not hesitate to take his own life. In this vein, the ancestral behest must also be the reason that had caused him to change his mind about Ying Qingcang and Xin Qing.
When they were both standing before the door of the underground cellar, Young Master Shen held up his palm. "Don't you have the keys?"
Ying Qingcang shook his head. "This door can only be opened by the current generation's head of the house."
"Then why are we even here?" Young Master Shen asked, rolling his eyes. "You knew damn well you wouldn't be able to open it."
Ying Qingcang forwned in pity "Come on, let's go check out his study."
In the end, they were met with more disappointment. They found nothing. Ying Qingcang left the place silently. It was as if he already expected such an outcome.
"Why don't... Why don't we go check out your grandfather's place?"
"This has nothing to do with him. I'm sure of it. So let's not waste time there." Ying Qingcang paused in thought. "Since the old man was lying in the hospital right now, the situation is in our favor regardless of whether he's the instigator behind everything. Think about it. Where do you think he'll keep her?"
"When we get back, you should have Ah Nan look into the immigration records, see if we can trace those guys from there. I'll get my boys to make a list of people who entered the country illegally." Young Master Shen smirked. "Though I hope that they entered legally."
"How so?"
Young Master Shen's eyes darted towards Ying Qingcang. "Think about it. If they entered legally, then there has to be some kind of paper trail or record when they passed the border. But now that they have Molly with them, leaving the country legally is no longer an option. If that's the case, then we can pretty much trace them in just one go."
"Because there will only be official records of their entry and not of their departure. That will make it so much easier for us to trace them!" Ying Qingcang said, finishing Young Master Shen's line of thought.
"Exactly!" Young Master Shen winked. "Now we just have to try our luck!"
Xin Qing thought she would still see Ying Qingcang, but he never came by again after that day. It was through Ding Lei, who heard the news from Ah Nan, that Xin Qing learned of what happened to Ying Hao.
"His father is in a coma, and he isn't even there in England. I heard he's back in the country already," Zhang Mi said, mocking Ying Qingcang as she ate. "Such an unfilial man, I bet he won't treat his own wife well!"
Shi Qianqian glared at Zhang Mi. "Stop making random comments about other people's business."