Xin Qing wanted to poke him, though she did not have the strength to do even that. Ying Qingcang moved his face closer. "Want to kiss me?"
"Go... Go away!" Xin Qing glared at him and started coughing. Ying Qingcang did not tease her again after that. "When you're better, I'll do anything you want! Now you just have to lie down and don't move."
This was the longest time that Xin Qing had to stay in a hospital. The worst of her wounds was so deep that even her bones were visible through its opening. One of the wounds was found behind her ear, which, according to the doctor, might leave a scar even after plastic surgery. When Zhang Mi found out about it, she urged everyone not to tell Xin Qing no matter what. After all, if the wound was behind her ear, she would never be able to see it anyway.
Ying Qingcang did not care much about it at all. Even if Xin Qing's body was covered in scars, she would still be his. But after being educated by Zhang Mi and Young Master Shen, even he was starting to feel afraid. Women most definitely cared about their appearances, especially a woman as beautiful as Xin Qing. If she ever found out about her scars, she would no doubt be crushed. That was why they had kept Xin Qing in the dark regarding the scar behind her ear.
All her wounds had begun closing up during the past few days. As a result, Xin Qing felt itchy all over. The doctor was worried that she might scratch her wounds, so they had her wearing a white mitten, which was round and shaped like cat claws.
"How did we escape that place?" Xin Qing asked. She had been dying to ask for days. Ying Qingcang had been glowering a lot recently. He was still not allowed to hug Xin Qing. Whenever he touched her, Xin Qing would complain of itchiness. All he could do was holding her hand everyday and give her light kisses. But today, even her hands were wrapped up in those mitts. In response to her question, Ying Qingcang covered Xin Qing's lips viciously and shoved his tongue into her mouth. He sucked forcefully and endlessly until Xin Qing, who was now sporting a red face, was out of breath and started pounding him with her fists.
"After so long and you still don't know how to breath?" Ying Qingcang asked in disappointment. "When you're better, I'll give you swimming lessons."
Xin Qing covered her lips which were red and slightly swollen. "What does swimming have to do with this?"
Ying Qingcang rolled his eyes. "You'll learn how to breath." Then, seeing the blush on Xin Qing's face, Ying Qingcang could not help himself and kissed her a few more times. Suddenly, Xin Qing pushed him away. "Have the scars on my face healed up?" She asked.
"Not yet. Don't touch it." Ying Qingcang gave her face a sidelong glance. Yesterday, when Xin Qing was asleep, he had secretly checked out the scar behind her ear. The scar was dark-brown in color. It looked as if a worm was living under her skin. Ying Qingcang did not find it ugly. He was just worried that Xin Qing would feel devastated if the scar never faded.
"Find me a mirror!" Xin Qing said, looking at him. She knew that the whip had hit her in the face. When she saw the reddish wounds on her arms, she dared not imagine if that was how her face would look like.
Ying Qingcang hesitated briefly, and then said, "Just look when they're healed."
"No." Xin Qing shook her head. "I want to look now."
Ying Qingcang stroke her face. "Fine," he said. "I'll go get a mirror."
When Xin Qing held the mirror in her hands, she lost the courage to take a peek.
"Do the scars on my face look the same as the ones on my arms?" She asked Ying Qingcang.
Ying Qingcang shook his head. "They aren't that serious."
Xin Qing clenched her teeth and slowly raised the mirror. She saw a scar across her left cheek. It was light-red in color. Two more were on her forehead, though the color of those was even lighter. She sighed in relief. It was much better than she expected.
"The ones on your forehead will definitely fade. But I'm not sure if the one on my cheek won't leave a scar." Lowering the mirror, she asked, "I've become so ugly, how can you even bring yourself to kiss me?"
Ying Qingcang sighed in relief. Xin Qing did not find out about the one at the back of her ear. Ying Qingcang was not too happy when he heard Xin Qing's remark. "What's that supposed to mean? It's not like I like you because of your face. I told you, even if you turn into ash, you'll still be my woman." He hugged her gently and spoke softly, "Every single scar on your body is a reminder that I hadn't protected you, that I had let you get hurt. It's a reminder that from now on I'll bind you to my side and put a stop to anything that threatens you."
Xin Qing wanted to cry. But the doctor had told her earlier that tears would affect the healing of her scars, so she held back her tears. She sniffed and raised her head from Ying Qingcang's chest. "Those are your own words. So you can't abandon me even when I turn into an ugly clown later!"
"Yeah!" Ying Qingcang nodded emphatically and then kissed her forehead.
Only then did Xin Qing feel at peace. Suddenly, she remembered her first question and tugged at his sleeve. "You still haven't told me how we escaped!"
"I didn't remember much about my childhood, so I called the old man. He told me that they had dug an underground tunnel in order to save me from the house that year. That tunnel is still in good shape even until now."
"So your people had been hiding in the tunnel?" Xin Qing felt a little bit surprised that everything turned out to be that simple. If William ever found out about this, he would have felt that he had died in vain. "He... He's dead, right?"
Ying Qingcang nodded. "He's dead. The two corpses were burnt to crisps."
"It's really a waste for Dianne to die." Xin Qing thought about that silly girl. "She gave her love to that kind of man, and yet in the end, she still paid for it with her life."
At the thought, Xin Qing felt very lucky indeed. This time, she took the initiative to kiss Ying Qingcang. "Thank you! For allowing me to give my love to someone worthy of loving."
"It's good that you know now. If you ever try to run away again, I'll break both of your legs," Ying Qingcang said in a fierce tone, though his eyes were filled with warmth and tenderness. Xin Qing chuckled and buried her face back into his chest.
The door flew open when Zhang Mi kicked it. "Say, are you guys done acting all mushy and maudlin? I've been standing at the door for ten minutes."
"I couldn't stop her. You can kick her out!" Young Master Shen trailed after Zhang Mi, shrugging.
Xin Qing hugged Ying Qingcang, feeling completely unabashed. "I could act mushy for a lifetime and it still wouldn't be enough!"
"Tsk, tsk... Even you face had gotten thicker after you cheated death."
Ying Qingcang, too, had noticed Xin Qing clinginess after her ordeal. He could not tell if she was scared or whatnot, but she would initiate hugs and would stay in his arms willingly these days. Naturally, he was very happy at this turn of events. He thought that maybe this little woman might become much more open in bed later on.
"Everything's settled. The William family wants to negotiate with you, though," Young Master Shen said with a frown. "I don't think they come with good intentions."
Ying Qingcang thought for a moment and then scoffed. "Who cares. Just tell them I'm busy and that they can come to China if they want to meet me."
Half a month went by and Xin Qing was finally discharged. Most of the scars on her body had turned into marks of a dull pink color. Young Master Shen had bought back an expensive brand of ointment, which, when applied daily, would make scars disappear in a short amount of time. The marks on her forehead had already vanished whereas the one on her left cheek had become very shallow. In fact, she was confident that it would vanish completely in another few days. The first night of Xin Qing's return from the hospital, she discovered the scar behind her ear when she was taking a bath. The outcome was exactly as Ying Qingcang had predicted.
"I don't think this one will heal. I won't be able to put on a skirt, or wear dresses, or even put up my hair." Xin Qing stared at Ying Qingcang in wild panic.
Ying Qingcang had to drag her out of the bathroom. He picked her up and then carried her to bed, where he trapped her body in his. "Yeah, right. As if it's that bad. I've already asked the doctor who told me that once the scars are fully formed, you can undergo plastic surgery immediately. With the help of modern technology, it can all be fixed with ease!"
"Really?" Xin Qing felt rather doubtful.
Suddenly, an evil grin formed on Ying Qingcang's lips, the sight of which caused Xin Qing to shudder inwardly.
"Well, they can do a transplant and replace the damaged skin with some of the tissue right here. See? How soft?" The man pinched her thigh.
Shuddering, Xin Qing raised her head. Ying Qingcang's eyes darkened instantly. "Today's the day you start fulfilling the one-year debt you owe me."
It was already night-time when she roused. Ying Qingcang had left a note on the headboard saying that he had to leave the house to take care of some business. The note also told her to lie down obediently when she woke.
Xin Qing glared. "Yeah, whose fault is it that I'm sore all over," she thought. After a bath, she got changed and went downstairs. Zhang Mi grinned at her when she came down.
"You... What are you smiling at?" Xin Qing was getting goose bumps from Zhang Mi's endless stares.
Zhang Mi kept her eyes on Xin Qing. "Just look at your face. You're glowing so much that the light is practically dripping off you. I wonder just how much love you've been showered with in one night!"
"Th-that's not true!"
"I guess Ah Sha is going to have a brother very soon," Zhang Mi said teasingly as she handed a bowl of congee to Xin Qing.
Xin Qing pretended not to hear and buried her head into the bowl instead. She ate the congee absent-mindedly.
The front door opened. Ying Qingcang walked in with Young Master Shen. Seeing that Xin Qing was already awake, he headed over and kissed the corner of her lips. "Take your time. We'll be discussing some business over there."
"Okay!" Xin Qing nodded like an obedient wife, causing Ying Qingcang to plant a few more kisses on her.
Zhang Mi rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Keep up with the PDAs and you'll break up soon!" She thought.
Seeing that Xin Qing would just ignore her no matter how much she teased, Zhang Mi decided to take a different approach.
"Tsk, tsk!" Zhang Mi said, glancing at Ying Qingcang who was currently engaged in a conversation with Young Master Shen in the living room. "Your man has quite the stamina. I mean, an entire night! I must find a man like that in the future."
Xin Qing was startled by Zhang Mi's shameless comment. "Shen... Won't Young Master Shen do?" She stammered.
"Him?" Zhang Mi said in outrage. "Why did you even mention him? He's got nothing to do with me."
"Fine, then." Xin Qing pouted and then changed the subject. "We'll return to China tomorrow. You have to hurry up and go back to class."
"Now I'm all alone," Zhang Mi lamented. "That freak, Qianqian, had finished an entire year's course in just half a semester. She graduated ahead of schedule."
"That's why you need to suck up to me right now!" Xin Qing looked at her gleefully.
"You're going back to school?" Zhang Mi's face was a mixture joy and surprise.
Xin Qing rolled her eyes. "Of course. That time, I only applied for a temporary suspension. I still haven't graduated yet!"
"But what's the point of you going back to school? You're already so famous and successful!" Zhang Mi batted her eyelashes. "Remember to give me an autograph later."
"Oh, go away!" Xin Qing tossed an apple at her. "I still have lots to learn."
The following day marked the end of Xin Qing's life abroad. Together with Ying Qingcang, she returned to S City. When Shi Qianqian was there at the airport to receive them, Shi Qianqian gave Xin Qing a long hug. Back at Ying's residence, Xin Qing removed her sunglasses and changed. When Shi Qianqian saw the scars on Xin Qing's body, that was the point where she broke down and began crying her hearts out.
Shi Qianqian was still crying when Monica came by. Monica was in tears too when she arrived. She had threatened Ah Nan to show her the footage of Xin Qing being tortured. The sight of so many weeping people huddled around her mommy startled Ah Sha, who soon joined in the crying-fest. The crying lasted until Ying Qingcang roared out loud, after which everyone quieted down.