"Have a seat!" Xin Qing greeted and beckoned William to sit down. William noticed Ah Sha, who crawled on the carpet, having fun. "Mr. Ying's here too?"
Xin Qing picked up Ah Sha. "No, he isn't. The child's staying with me now. Come, baby. Say hello to uncle!"
Ah Sha did not know how to pronounce "Uncle", though she swung her arms at William happily and squeaked at the man for a good half day. William patted the girl's head and apologized. "I'm so sorry. Uncle didn't know you're here. Otherwise, I would've brought a gift for you! I'll make it up to you next time."
Xin Qing noticed the way Ah Che practically ground his teeth into dust as he brought out the tea. Amused, she asked, "Do you want to go upstairs first?"
"I'll help out Aunt Tian in the kitchen!" Ah Che said. Like hell he would let Xin Qing be alone together with William. He had to gauge the situation and then report everything to Ying Qingcang later.
Xin Qing paid Ah Che no mind, and said to William, "Don't ever bring her any more toys. She already has too many toys lying around."
"She's a kid. It's the time for her to play." William's smile, it seemed, was reserved for little children too. Ah Sha had taken a lot of liking to him, considering she crawled her way up William's body asking for a hug! William picked up Ah Sha and cradled her in his arms. All of a sudden, his eyes brightened. "I came to ask you for a favor," he said. "But now it seems like both of you, mother and child, can help me out!"
William represented a maternal and child product brand which was about to venture into the Chinese market. At first, he wanted to ask Xin Qing if she was interested in becoming their endorser. But now that he had seen Ah Sha, he changed his mind. He wanted to produce an advertisement that featured the two of them.
"If that's the case, why didn't you just look for a celebrity?" Xin Qing asked.
"We wanted to make it realistic. We did try a few celebrities before. Either their kids were too old, or they have no children at all," William said earnestly. "I've looked into your profile. You are very well-known here among the European Nobility. Everyone knows you as the designer who's the new generation of CK."
"But I don't know how!" Xin Qing shook her head. "I won't be able to do it."
William pinched Ah Sha's tiny face and continued persuading Xin Qing. "We will design the advertisement in such a way that will highlight your status as a designer. This will be a great help considering you're about to make your debut into the designing world. Plus, these things don't require any special skills at all. There'll just be a bunch of photoshoots and a couple of filmings. The director will guide you through everything!"
William continued, "Ah Sha is very clever, and she's not afraid of being in an unfamiliar environment. She's the perfect candidate for a baby model!" William passed Ah Sha back to Xin Qing. "I'm just here today to tell you this. Think about it and give me a call once you've decided later."
When Xin Qing sent him off, William told her again, "Look, this might sound like I'm forcing you to do something against your will, but I really need your help this time!"
"Young miss!" Ah Che ran out of the house the moment he saw the car driving off. "Are you really agreeing to his request?"
Xin Qing felt like she had been placed in a tough spot. If honest, she wanted to reject the offer. But still, she owed William a huge favor...
After some thought, Xin Qing decided to go through with it. "I'll just treat it as doing him a favor then!"
Ah Che panicked. "Young miss, do you know how complicated showbiz is?"
"Pfft! What showbiz? I'm just helping film an advertisement," Xin Qing said, waving off his concerns. "It's not as serious as you think."
Xin Qing called William the second day to inform him that she agreed to help him; however, she put in a request that the shooting should not affect Ah Sha's daily habits and schedules. William happily agreed and told her that it would not be a problem. He also told her that he would have someone deliver the contract papers to her. Xin Qing was not well-versed in legal matters, so she faxed a copy of the contract to Shi Qianqian, and asked her friend to check if there were any problems before writing her signature.
Realizing that there was nothing he could do to stop Xin Qing, Ah Che called Ying Qingcang immediately.
"She will definitely agree. William saved her life last time. If she doesn't do this to return the favor, she will feel indebted to him for the rest of her life," Ying Qingcang said after receiving Ah Che's report. Then he told Ah Che not to bother about it anymore. "You just have to follow her to work everyday and make sure she doesn't interact with William too much."
Ying Qingcang hung up. After a moment of thought, he summoned Ah Nan. "Look into that brand William is representing, the one that has plans to venture into the Chinese market. Take over as the ownership of that brand, but don't do it under the banner of Ying Enterprises. Get one of the subsidiary companies to do it."
"Young Master, are you planning to ask the young miss to make an ad for us also?"
Ying Qingcang shot a glance at Ah Nan. "Do you think I'm that low?"
Ah Nan headed out without saying another word. "Yes, nobody could possibly be lower than you," he thought.
Xin Qing and Ah Sha would have to be on set for the filming during the beginning of May, which was opportune, since that was also the time academy exams ended. Due to the her agreement with CK, Xin Qing no longer searched for a place to do her internship.
She had also worked things out with CK so that she would not have to be present at the headquarters everyday, since she had to watch over Ah Sha. CK would hit her up whenever they had a job offer. Of course, this sort of arrangement meant that Xin Qing would not be given fixed wages. Instead, she would only get paid for her designs.
Xin Qing did not mind the arrangement though. Neither did she inquire into matters regarding her diamond mine. Xin Enterprises profits sufficed to support the lives of the two of them. In fact, Xin Qing even brought up the matter regarding Aunt Tian and Ah Che's wages, telling them she would bear the responsibility of paying them. The two of them refused her offer.
Today was the first day of her advertising job. Both Xin Qing and Ah Sha had to go through a series of photoshoots whose final products would be used for the print media advertising of the product. Naturally, Ah Che was there on set with Xin Qing since he acted as her assistant. He felt as if a stone lifted off his heart when he noticed William's absence.
In the end, it was during lunch break that William came by. He even bought food and drinks for every single one of the staff working on set. He did the same thing for a few days straight. After that, everyone found out that Xin Qing was the source of the benefits they reaped, so they treated her even better than before.
If it were not for the fact that Ah Sha had an Asian look, everyone would have privately claimed that Ah Sha was the daughter of William and Xin Qing. Xin Qing knew nothing about the people's chatter, of course. This time, the product was called, "The Language of Love". The design of the advertisements was filled with aesthetic quality. Everyday, Xin Qing had to be perfectly dolled up for the photoshoot. Since she had to look after Ah Sha while she worked, she did not want to appear tired or exhausted. Through the entire time, she focused on playing with Ah Sha naturally.
"I never thought it would be this relaxing to shoot an ad!" Xin Qing told Aunt Tian that night over dinner. "Before this, I watched those interviews with celebs and they all whined about how tough their shooting was. I thought it would be excruciating!" Beside them, Ah Sha made noises, which sounded a lot like words. She could already utter a few syllables now, though it depended on her mood; she would talk non-stop as long as she was in a good mood.
"Then that's perfect!" Aunt Tian ladled a bowl of soup for Xin Qing. "I've been worrying that the whole thing might exhaust Ah Sha. Young kids need enough sleep to be healthy."
Xin Qing nodded between taking sips of her soup. "Mmhm. That's why we won't be doing it after this one."
Ah Che had kept his head low the entire time, not speaking a single word. He could now say with absolute certainty that the man called William harbored impure intentions towards Xin Qing. A normal photoshoot lasted the entire day rather than the two measly hours they spent on set every afternoon. They even made it seem like it was all fun and games...
Of course, Ying Qingcang was aware of everything that happened. The document currently sitting on his desk was the result of the umpteenth investigation he launched against William.
"Still no leads." Young Master Shen said, sighing deeply. "Are certain that he's got a hand in all this, or are you just jealous that he's trying to court Xiao Qingqing?"
Ying Qingcang shot Young Master Shen a disdainful look. "Why would I be jealous of him? What does he have that I don't?"
"By the way," Ying Qingcang went on, "has Molly been found? It's nearly two months now."
Young Master Shen shrugged. "No. No records from immigration. Obviously, those guys entered illegally. How are we supposed to find them?"
"Send someone to England," Ying Qingcang said, rapping the desk with his knuckles. "Station him at the hospital to keep an eye on my dad."
Young Master Shen stared at him. "What do you mean? You're suspecting your father?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Ying Qingcang loosened the knot of his tie. "The timing of his accident is too much of a coincidence."
"But... But he's most certainly lying in the hospital everyday. Haven't you been calling them once every few days to ask?"
Ying Qingcang started to feel a little irked. "Just send someone there to keep at eye on him. Even if he's got nothing to do with it, there's still Rong Siman."
"That dumb bitch only cares about your family inheritance. She's not interested in anything other than that." An evil smile formed on Young Master Shen's face all of a sudden. "Well, I bet she's still interested in you. Her life's greatest wish is probably to climb into your bed."
"Man, you're disgusting," Ying Qingcang said, kicking him.
The door opened and Ah Nan entered the room. His face did not look positive at all. "Young master, William's company refuses to give up the brand's ownership."
"And the reason?"
"They didn't say. Just that it was the board's decision."
Ying Qingcang sneered coldly. "If he agreed, I would've been surprised."
Ying Qingcang went on. "Call Ding Lei. Tell him I'm treating to a meal."
"That's too rash. You're already showing your hand by doing that," Young Master Shen said in disagreement. "Even if Ding Lei steps in, I'm afraid the guy would still know that you're behind it."
"Isn't Ding Lei trying to compete with the He family for a piece of land recently? I heard that it's become quite a party. If Ding Lei put the word out that he's interested in owning the brand of the product, the He Family will fight tooth and nail to take it away from him." Ying Qingcang smirked. "When the time comes, I'll just have to snatch it from the He Family."
Young Master Shen raised his head and looked at the ceiling. "Man, good thing I'm not on your sh*t list," he said with a sigh.
"If I have the likes of you as my opponent, then I would be bored to death," Ying Qingcang said, taking a jab at him.
"Pfft..." Young Master Shen rolled his eyes. "Keep talking and I won't let you borrow my guys anymore."
Ying Qingcang stood up. "I need to take a trip to France."
"Why go to France out of the blue?" Young Master Shen blocked the exit.
"I miss my wife and my daughter," Ying Qingcang said, glancing at Young Master Shen. Young Master Shen snorted. "As if they really are your wife and daughter!"
Ying Qingcang shoved him aside and opened the door. "Eventually, they will be..."
The photoshoot for the print media ads concluded after half a month. Xin Qing and Ah Sha were given a one-week break. After this, they had to film a TV ad. Warmth slowly returned to the weather, and since she had nothing better to do, Xin Qing decided to take Ah Sha on a trip to the local farms, where they would stay for two days. She did not know if it was a coincidence, but Ying Qingcang arrived the night before their trip.
"Why are you here?" Xin Qing stood blocking the doorway, refusing to grant him entrance.
Ying Qingcang did not mind the denial. "I miss Ah Sha, so I came to see her," he said without much emotion.
"Young master!" Ah Che pulled Ying Qingcang into the house. "Come on in. You're here just in time for dinner!"
When Ah Sha heard Ying Qingcang's voice, she waddled towards him in a hurried pace. "Daddy! Daddy!"
"My precious Ah Sha!" Ying Qingcang picked up the little person and kissed her. "Did you miss daddy?"
Ah Sha tilted her head to one side and mulled over the question. After a while, she hugged Ying Qingcang's face and licked him. "Miss... miss..." she said.
"Oh, what a good girl!" Ying Qingcang gave her the toy he brought. "This is a gift!"
Overjoyed, Ah Sha clapped her hands vigorously. Xin Qing tried to take Ah Sha from him, but found that Ah Sha clung on to Ying Qingcang's neck for dear life, refusing to let go. "What an ingrate!" thought Xin Qing, who practically fumed at that point.
Seeing the pout forming on Xin Qing's lips, he reached out and patted her head. "Aww. Good girl. I missed you too."