Due to her pregnancy, Shi Qianqian did not come by Ying's residence. When Xin Qing went to visit her, the high and mighty President Ding looked as if he was preparing for a big war; he was practically running around Shi Qianqian in circles as if he were her mother
"You couldn't have picked a better time for your visit. Keep Qianqian company. I need to drop by the company. I'll be back soon, though. Please stay here for lunch today!" Ding Lei told Xin Qing. After that, he slowly placed the woman he was carrying in his arms onto the couch. With the way he was handling her, one would think that Shi Qianqian was a bubble that would pop at the merest touch.
When she saw the man glancing back at them with every three steps he took, Xin Qing broke into a huge grin, baring all her teeth. "He's already so anxious when you're just two months pregnant. I wonder what's he going to be like when you're finally in labor."
"Ugh, just ignore him. It's like he's walking on eggshells every day. Believe it or not, there were times I felt like kicking him out."
"Understandable," Xin Qing said, gazing at Shi Qianqian. "But why do you want kids all of a sudden? Ying Qingcang always said that I'm still too young. He said to wait for another few years before we try."
"Ding Lei didn't want it. He also thinks I'm too young. But well, you see, he's not young! Your Ying Qingcang is barely 30, but my man is already 35. Do you know of any married, 35-year-old male who isn't already a father?"
Shi Qianqian drank a mouthful of water before she continued her rant, "He even threw tantrums at first. He wouldn't agree to try no matter what I said. He told me that he didn't want me to suffer through a pregnancy. But isn't it better to get it done and out of the way as soon as possible? There are a lot of young mothers nowadays anyway. I mean, just look at you. A lot of people envied you everytime you brought Ah Sha out to the streets. Like, they'd probably be thinking, 'Oh, what a young and beautiful mother!'. And you know what? I want to experience the same thing too. I want to have a boy first. Then in another few years, we'll give the child a younger sister. After that, my life will be complete!"
"Tsk, tsk. You always seem to know what you want. You even had everything planned out already," Xin Qing said while she took out a huge bag containing gifts. "Ask Ding Lei to put this away for you later."
When Ying Qingcang came to pick her up that afternoon, Xin Qing asked him whether he was in a hurry to have a baby. She told him that if he was, then she would not mind getting pregnant.
"We already have Ah Sha, so why the rush? Besides, Ding Lei is older than I am. We'll wait for another few years!"
Amused, Xin Qing glanced at him, "I bet you just want to say that people are older than you!"
Ying Qingcang took her hand and gave it a bite. "Ding Lei called me this morning. He told me that it's going to be too cold during Chinese New Year, so they're planning to visit your island during the time."
"Sure!" Xin Qing nodded. "The air is nice there."
Ying Qingcang kissed her again, "I've already made arrangements. Don't worry!"
"Argh! You're going to spoil me rotten. It's like I have nothing to worry about in life anymore. My life is so purposeless now!" Despite her words, there was a kind of "tsundere" look on her face. Ying Qingcang pinched her cheek. "Who told you that? Your life's purpose is to please me. Hey, come to think of it, you've gotten used to that position last time, right? Let's try it again later!"
Xin Qing punched him, "Pervert!"
Xin Qing's hands were full for the following few days since she had to be at school to attend her examinations. She had only been to a handful of classes this semester, and although the school had made it clear that she could graduate even without sufficient credits, Xin Qing still felt she should take the examinations. Depsite her busy schedule, she managed to find time to visit Xin Yudie. She wanted to bring Xin Yudie her gifts.
"You're going into labor next month?" Xin Qing glanced at Xin Yudie's swollen tummy. "Is it just me, or is your tummy exceptionally huge?"
Xin Yudie chuckled but said nothing. "Ah," Xin Qing said. "Twins again?"
"Yep. Two boys this time!"
"Good Lord!" Xin Qing shouted enviously. "Who did you even inherit your fertility from?"
Xin Yudie flicked a glance at Xin Qing, "Not the someone from the Xin family, that's for sure."
"I guess your husband is pretty happy about this, huh?" Xin Qing remarked, recalling Huang Jianbin's fondness for children.
"Like crazy!" Xin Yudie smirked. "Didn't your man tell you? He's planning to make investments in Ying Enterprises."
It did not take long for the full meaning of Xin Yudie's comment to hit Xin Qing. "He's trying to earn more money for his children!" She thought.
"Is that really necessary? I mean, you guys are quite rich, after all."
In a slightly gleeful tone, Xin Yudie said, "Who knows what's going on in the minds of men. He said that if his one of his sons ends up falling in love with your daughter, then we'll be able to gain an even higher status. That's why he wants to work hard to increase our wealth, that way our children can be a good match in the future."
"Hahaha!" Xin Qing burst into laughter. "Has he forgotten that marriages between close relatives aren't allowed?"
Xin Yudie waved a hand. "Well, it's not like I'm going to say no to more money. By the way, Ah Sha will be going to kindergarten next year, right?"
"Yeah. Aunt Tian will miss her. But I still plan to enrol her into kindergarten."
"Of course you should. That's why you should start browsing for schools after Chinese New Year. You should enrol early before you miss your chance."
Xin Qing's eyes went wide, "Seriously? It's that big of a deal?"
Xin Qing told Ying Qingcang everything that night when she got home from the visit. Ying Qingcang frowned, "Why don't we wait for another few years before we enrol her?"
"She should be in primary school in another few years. We need to give Ah Sha a normal life. Being rich doesn't excuse us from giving her an upbringing similar to the ones given to one of those pretentious princesses from upper-class society. I don't want my daughter to turn out like them."
"Alright. I'll ask Ah Nan to make a few contacts later."
After that, he looked at Xin Qing and said, "Smith came by. He wants you to continue being his endorser and shoot another advertisement next year."
"Wait, aren't we the endorsers now?" Xin Qing blinked a few times. "Turning him down would look bad, right?"
Ying Qingcang's hand slipped under her shirt. "It's alright. We can find a replacement if you're not up for it!"
Of course Xin Qing was up for it. Smith had known all along that she would not turn him down, that was why he had personally come by to make the request.
After they sent Xin Qing off, Smith requested to speak privately with Ying Qingcang.
"President Ying, there's something I should tell you."
"What, are you asking him to find you a Chinese wife?" Young Master Shen cut in beside them.
"That sounds good, actually. But unfortunately, I have no say in matters regarding my marriage." Smith smiled, but then schooled his features into a serious expression when he looked back at Ying Qingcang. "Someone's been snooping around for information about your wife..."
"What?" A scowl formed on Ying Qingcang's face. "Overseas?"
Smith nodded, "Young Master Shen can probably look into it. It's someone from New York."
"Who would try to investigate Xiao Qingqing?" Young Master Shen said. His tone had turned grave too. "Does this have something to do with that thing last time involving the Malaysian casino?"
Ying Qingcang shook his head. "Probably not," he said, frowning. "Give Boss Wan a call."
A few days later, they got a call from Boss Wan, who told them, "I'll meet you in a few days" before hanging up abruptly.
"Something's wrong," Young Master Shen said with certainty. Turning to Smith, he asked, "Maybe this involves that person you mentioned to us last time?" Smith shrugged and said, "You guys still haven't found out the identity of that person?"
Smith had told them a shocking news last time. He had told them that William had a gay lover. Smith had been trying to find out the identity of William's lover; Smith had wanted to use it as a leverage to force William to give up his right to the inheritance. But Smith never did find out who William's lover was. Now that William was dead, the identity of his lover remained a secret.
Ying Qingcang had always regarded that mystery person as a hidden threat. That was why he had been very meticulous in handling matters relating to Xin Qing's personal safety. Now that someone was suddenly asking around for information about Xin Qing, could it be that the person was finally making a move?
"I'll get the old man to ask around in New York. Just chill for now, man. If someone's been acting fishy in New York, the Shen family will know about it for sure," Young Master Shen said. Rather than that, Young Master Shen was more concerned about Boss Wan's reaction; that fellow would not have come to them for a visit unless it was for serious business...
On the day of Ying Enterprises' annual general meeting, Boss Wan arrived in S City. Despite Ying Qingcang's effort in keeping everything under wraps, Xin Qing had been sensitive enough to notice that something was wrong.
"A batch of my designs has gone missing. Robbed, in fact," Boss Wan said without beating around the bush. "I didn't manage to find out the culprit."
"Someone related to us?" Young Master Shen asked, staring at Boss Wan.
"Nobody has the guts to smuggle weapons within the country. Besides, how many people do you think have the balls to steal from your hands?" Ying Qingcang said. Ying Qingcang had been in a foul mood for the past few days. He had barely left Xin Qing's side. Even now as they spoke, Xin Qing was waiting in the next room with Monica accompanying her.
Boss Wan gave him a glance, "Not from my hands, but from the hands of the supplier. In New York, someone who's known as 'Water Fiend' owns a bunch of military weapons. The original deal was for him to sell those weapons to me, but he changed his mind just before the transaction could take place. I've collaborated with the guy many times, so I know for certain that he'll never turn down my purchases unless he has a very good reason. After that, I personally went to New York to see him, and he told me that he had traded the goods for a piece of information."
A tense look had formed in Ying Qingcang's face at the mention of New York. "What information? Do you know?"
"That's the reason I'm here today," Boss Wan said, pulling out a photo before handing it over to Ying Qingcang. "Your wife happen to be in possession of this thing."
Understanding dawned on Ying Qingcang the moment he laid eyes on the object shown in the photograph. "So we just have to give it to you?"
"Sure," Boss Wan said and gave him a nod. "Water Fiend had intended to send someone here to retrieve it. But he must've found out that you guys aren't people that he can mess around with, that's why he never made any moves. I told him that you're someone I know, so he asked me to bring it back to him."
"Won't they suspect that we've peeked into its contents?" Young Master Shen asked all of a sudden.
Boss Wan glanced at Young Master Shen, "I pledged on my life that you guys never did."
Xin Qing was scared out of her wits when she found out that the CD which had fallen out of her handbag was something that had nearly killed her.
"They won't try to assassinate me to keep my mouth shut, will they?"
Ying Qingcang put the CD away and glared at her. "What nonsense are you talking about? Boss Wan will return it back to those people. After that, you'll have nothing to do with them."
"But... Do they really trust Boss Wan that much? They believe that we didn't look just because Boss Wan said we didn't?!"
Sensing her fear, Ying Qingcang reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Boss Wan has a good reputation in that line of business. If he pledged with his life that you never saw the contents, nobody will suspect you."
Xin Qing clung to him tightly, "But I'm scared. How did that thing even get into my handbag in the first place..."
"You were with me during the entire trip. Now, I need you to think back carefully. Did you interact with anyone else when I wasn't with you?" Ying Qingcang's eyes held a dark and stormy look. Someone had deliberately planted the CD onto Xin Qing. But why? What was their purpose? Was he their target?
Xin Qing shook her head, "No. Other than Meyer, I never spoke to anyone else."
"Meyer?" Ying Qingcang lips formed a tight line, "Did he hug you when he left?"
Xin Qing carefully recalled her interaction with Meyer that day, "I think so. Wait, you mean he's the one who had slipped the CD into my handbag?"
"Who else if not him? You said you didn't come into contact with anyone else."
Boss Wan left with the CD. Still, Ying Qingcang did not feel reassured at all, which had affected Xin Qing's mood as well, causing her to be in low spirits. Everyone started feeling better when Chinese New Year's eve arrived. It was the new year after all; nobody would want to feel all gloomy and unhappy during the festive season.
Young Master Shen was still not reassured, so he decided to personally return to New York. The thing that nearly drove him out of his mind was that Zhang Mi would be tagging along with him this time. In fact, Shen Batian himself had sent someone to receive her, saying that he missed the little lady and wanted her to celebrate Chinese New Year with him in New York.