Xin Qing thought it was normal for Ying Qingcang to know nothing about Ling Lang; he never watched any TV. Just then, Smith headed over, raising his glass at them. "Mr. Ying, do you enjoy the crowd?"
"No," Ying Qingcang said curtly, not giving face at all.
Nodding, the other man seemed very satisfied with the answer. "Neither do I. So. Let's take this conversation to a quieter spot, then!" Smith said.
"Allow me to officially introduce myself!" said Smith. "I'm the current successor of the William family, Smith. It's a real pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ying Qingcang and Miss Xin Qing, or should I say... Mrs. Ying! And Young Master Shen, of course, Your father's great name is very well-known to me. Too bad I haven't had the chance to visit the old sir!"
Young Master Shen sat down on the couch and crossed his legs. Ling Lang was not with him at the moment; a mere bed mate had no right to sit here.
"Looks like you have a decent information network!" Young Master Shen glanced at Smith. "Speak. State your purpose."
At the moment, Ying Qingcang was fussing over the state of Xin Qing's appetite. He was asking Xin Qing if she was hungry, since he knew that she had skipped dinner tonight. Ying Qingcang acted as if he had never heard the exchange between Young Master Shen and Smith. Smith did not seem to mind Ying Qingcang's taciturn behavior. Smith took a seat and spoke to Young Master Shen, "We hope to have Ying Enterprises act as an agent for the baby product that Miss Xin had once produced an ad for."
"What's in it for you? What do you stand to gain from it?" Finally, Ying Qingcang looked at Smith. "The William family had always centered their market in northern Europe and eastern Pacific region. Since when have you decided to extend your market into China?"
"That's because the old dudes are too close-minded. They're a stickler for the rules set by their predecessors. And, to be honest, right now they're just waiting for the time to come for them to kick the bucket," Smith said as he poured out a few glasses of champagne for everyone. He picked up a glass and took a sip. "I will bring a revolutionary change to the William family with my own two hands."
"You want to collaborate with me?" Ying Qingcang raised his brows. "The reason is?"
"Win-win!" Smith stared at Ying Qingcang. "I know you've been trying to get a foothold in the European market. The William family can help ease your passage."
Ying Qingcang laughed softly. "I mean... my reason."
Smith stared wordlessly at Ying Qingcang. After a long moment, Smith laughed. "If a win-win collaboration between the William family and Ying Enterprises isn't enough reason, then how about to keep the dead bastard's greatest secret out of public eyes? I bet that's enough reason!"
That remark made Xin Qing shudder. Ying Qingcang noticed immediately and tightened his grip on her hand. "It's alright. He's already dead!"
"Hm. It's just an instinctive reaction," Xin Qing said, giving him a smile.
Young Master Shen rapped the table with his knuckles. "Do you have to mention that sick son of a b*tch?"
"I thought you guys are interested to know," Smith said with a shrug.
Xin Qing stood up. "I think I'll leave you guys to it."
"Will you be okay on your own?" Ying Qingcang was not reassured.
"I'm not a child!" Xin Qing shot him a glare, which was about as soft as cotton candy and completely harmless.
Ying Qingcang planted a kiss on her forehead and personally walked her to the door. "Don't go running off on your own. I'll be done soon!"
Xin Qing stood against a wall, holding a glass of fruit juice. She tried to keep her presence to a minimum and appear as inconspicuous as possible. She knew none of these famous members of the Nobility nor did she have any plans to know them.
"Hello!" Ling Lang greeted Xin Qing with a tiny smile as she walked towards Xin Qing.
Xin Qing nodded in response. "Hello!"
"Did I interrupt anything?"
"Haha. No, not at all!" Xin Qing laughed. "Why aren't you socializing with them?"
Ling Lang shook her head. "Those people? Other than who's wearing the most expensive jewelry or whose man is the wealthiest, they have nothing else to talk about!"
"You're very different," Xin Qing praised her.
Ling Lang blinked. "Well... Let's just say that I know how to adapt to the situation."
"Oh, no. Please don't take it the wrong way. What I mean is you can find a better man!"
"I know!" Ling Lang laughed. "But not everyone is as fortunate as you though! Do you know what those women have been saying behind your back?"
"Wait, how did I even become the topic of their discussion in the first place?" Xin Qing asked curiously.
"Oh, that's a given. Before this, they were placing bets on the exact time you'll be dumped by Ying Qingcang. Now they're claiming that you have some kind of hold on Ying Qingcang, like you're blackmailing him or something." Ling Lang sighed. "Anyway, they're just unwilling to admit that it's because he loves you."
"Understandable!" Xin Qing said, pausing in thought, "Well, in the past, I wouldn't have believed it either."
Ling Lang approached her quietly. "I know it might be impolite for me to ask, but did he really give all his assets to you?"
Xin Qing tilted her head to one side and looked at Ling Lang. "Wasn't it already stated in the papers?"
Ling Lang's eyes gleamed. "Those women are saying that you're the one who released the information to the press in order to draw attention!"
"Hahaha!" Xin Qing burst into laughter. As Ying Qingcang was walking towards Xin Qing, he caught a glimpse of her lowered head, which contained her beautiful smiling face. Ling Lang stood very close to Xin Qing; their foreheads were nearly touching.
Ying Qingcang face darkened. "You better keep those women of yours away from Xin Qing."
Behind him, Young Master Shen looked towards the two women flippantly. "It's just a woman," he said, "What's there for you to be so wary about?"
"It's precisely because it's a woman that I'm wary." Ying Qingcang glared at Young Master Shen and then walked towards Xin Qing in hurried steps. Now standing beside Xin Qing, Ying Qingcang said, "Sounds fun! What are you girls talking about?"
Xin Qing felt a familiar embrace. She took half a step back and leaned against Ying Qingcang. "Oh, Miss Ling Lang was just telling me something funny. Are you guys done?"
"Yep!" Ying Qingcang wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her towards the exit. "Let's go home?"
Xin Qing nodded and then turned around to wave at Ling Lang. "Goodbye, Miss Ling Lang. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The honor is mine. Goodbye!"
Staring after their retreating figures, Ling Lang told Young Master Shen smilingly, "She's a good woman. No wonder Mr. Ying loves her that much!"
"Then you should stay away from her. Ying Qingcang doesn't like it." Young Master Shen gave her a meaningful look. A tepid smile formed on the corner of Ling Lang's lips as she nodded.
That night, Ah Sha threw a tantrum and refused to go to sleep. It took Xin Qing a long time to finally coax the child back to sleep. When she returned to the master bedroom, she saw Ying Qingcang sitting on the porch, smoking.
"What did that Smith say?" Xin Qing headed over. Ying Qingcang put out the cigarette immediately. He reached out and embraced her. "He told me about all the stuff that William had done in the past. Nothing of importance."
Xin Qing lifted his chin from his chest. "Liar. If it's nothing important, then why were you smoking!"
Ying Qingcang would only smoke when there was something bothering him. Xin Qing knew this about him very well.
"Well, it's really nothing." Ying Qingcang tried to shake his head, but Xin Qing held his head in place with both hands. "Fine," he said, relenting, "I'll tell you."
Xin Qing eased her hand off his head. Ying Qingcang leaned his head against her chest. "Smith told me that William had somehow gotten his predecessor to like him, so much so that his predecessor was willing to name him the successor of the William family. Smith learned that William had been keeping tabs on me as early as ten years ago. William never had a chance to make a move because he couldn't find my weakness. Until you showed up."
Ying Qingcang stroked the back of Xin Qing's hand gently. "To him, maybe that's the only purpose in his life."
"Thank God!" Xin Qing hugged him. "Thank God we're so happy!"
By the time Ying Qingcang was spooning her and they were both preparing to sleep, Xin Qing was feeling so exhausted that she barely had the will to move a finger. A thought occurred in her hazy mind. "Do you think it's time for me to terminate the contraceptive?"
"Yeah. I've already made plans. A doctor will fly in from New York next week and take the implant out of you." Ying Qingcang peppered her shoulder with gentle kisses, causing Xin Qing to pull back her neck. "Why the trouble? Won't any hospitals in the country do?"
"It's better to be careful. We ran into problems last time. We can have the doctor examine you along the way." Ying Qingcang was not entirely sure if Xin Qing's abortion would have any major effects on her body; therefore, his plan was for them to start thinking about kids much later. Xin Qing was only 20 years old. They would wait until she turned 23 first!
Recently, Fang Lu was starting to grow antsy. Ying Qingcang had outright refused to see her. Even Monica had become immune to her attempted blackmail. Also, Fang Lu's stepfather had been demanding an update from her multiple times regarding the joint investment deal that she was supposed to liaise. If she was still unable to secure the deal, she would be forced to return home. She would no longer have a chance to approach Ying Qingcang if that were to happen. No matter how she thought about it, Fang Lu could only put the blame on Xin Qing. Without Xin Qing, it was impossible for Ying Qingcang to refuse to meet her; therefore, she had to first get Ying Qingcang to hate Xin Qing. That was the only way for Fang Lu to have any chance in approaching Ying Qingcang.
If Monica knew about the thoughts going through Fang Lu's mind right now, she would have sent the latter into a mental institute straightaway. This woman had a bad case of delusional disorder...
Fang Lu did not know many people in the country. After going through her options, she could only think of one person capable of helping her, and this person was set to arrive today. Fang Lu became excited at the mere thought of her plans. She lay down on the bed without a single stitch on. Then she took out a mega-sized dildo and began pleasuring herself, screaming Ying Qingcang's name as she did.
"Ying Qingcang, you're my man... God, you're so wonderful!" A quick shudder coursed through her body as a faint smile formed on her face.
Zhao Jiali pouted her red lips as she acted coy for the man beside her.
"If you didn't mention it, I would've pegged you as someone in her early twenties! Damn, you really look so young!" Fang Qingping squeezed the woman's hand and grinned eagerly.
Zhao Jiali pulled her hand back. Smiling coyly, she gave the man a shove. "Oh, you're such a charmer, Mr. Fang. I'm already forty, 8 years older than you, in fact!"
"But you look like you're 8 years younger than me!" Fang Qingping pulled the woman into his arms. Zhao Jiali gave him a half-hearted shove. "Hey, we have to watch it. We're on a plane," she said.
She met Fang Qingping at the airport during her shopping trip to Hong Kong. It was Fang Qingping who had noticed Zhao Jiali first. It only took him a glance to compel him to approach and start flirting with her. Coincidentally, they had the same flight bound for S City. With that, the two of them hit it off quickly and formed an immediate rapport. On the plane, they took their flirting up a notch and engaged each other in steamy canoodling sessions. Seeing Zhao Jiali in his arms as well as the way she was looking at him sultrily, Fang Qingping felt an uncontrollable urge to take off his pants and take her right there.
When they landed, Zhao Jiali hailed a cab, and they parted as if they did not know each other at all. The truth, however, was that they had already left each other their contact details. In fact, they had decided to meet each other in a hotel the next day. By the time Fang Qingping got to the hotel and found Fang Lu, the latter barely had time to put her dildo away.
"Get over here!" Fang Qingping removed his clothes quickly. He got Fang Lu to kneel on the bed. Biting the corner of her lips, Fang Lu played along, all the while screaming at him to take her harder. When they were done, Fang Qingping smacked her ass. "So. You called me all the way here to do you a favor. What's in it for me?"
Fang Lu did not bother dressing herself. She sat at the head of the bed and lit a cigarette. "I want you to seduce a woman for me!"