Dazed, Xin Qing stared at the first page of the notebook, which contained a photo of that man just now with a child in his arms. She had already read the notebook's contents. She even wrote down today's date on a new page just to confirm that she was indeed the one who had written down its contents; the handwriting was exactly the same.
"Mommy! Mommy, are you awake?" A tiny head poked itself through the gap of the door, whose eyes were now staring at her.
Xin Qing glanced at the child in the photo, and then she returned her gaze to the tiny head at the door. The little person was now staring at her with a look of yearning. Xin Qing smiled at the child and reached out her hand. "Ah Sha!"
"Mommy!" Ah Sha clambered up the bed and threw herself into Xin Qing's arms. "I'm Ah Sha and I'm turning three soon! I'm also your precious daughter!"
Ying Qingcang had already told Ah Sha about Xin Qing's condition. He told Ah Sha that Xin Qing was ill and would forget about everything and everyone every morning. "Ah Sha has to help look after Mommy," Ying Qingcang had said. "Tell mommy that you're her precious daughter." Since then, this was the first thing Ah Sha did when she woke up every morning: running into Xin Qing's room to introduce herself to Xin Qing.
Actually, Ah Sha did not understand what was going on with her mommy; all she knew was that if she did not introduce herself to mommy, then her mommy would not recognize her.
Ah Sha planted a kiss on Xin Qing's cheek. Then, she stared at Xin Qing with blinking eyes. It was obvious what that expression meant, "Come on, come on, kiss me!"
"Smack!" Xin Qing planted a loud kiss on Ah Sha's face, causing Ah Sha to clap her hands happily. "Mommy, hurry up and get out of bed. You promised to take me to see Xiaobai today!"
Xin Qing flipped the leather notebook to the previous page, the one with yesterday's date written on top. The page did mention something about paying a visit to Xiaobai. There was even a drawing of a horse after the word "Xiaobai".
"Okay. I understand. I'm getting out of bed now! Why don't you head downstairs to eat something first, okay?"
Ah Sha climbed off the bed obediently. "Okay. See you in a bit, mommy." After that, her short legs began moving in tiny strides as she ran out.
When Ying Qingcang came out of the bathroom, Xin Qing was pacing the room anxiously. "This man must be rich," she thought. "Just look at this massive bedroom. He even bought a horse for his daughter." When she finally noticed Ying Qingcang's presence, Xin Qing tried to smile at him, though her expression was as stiff as a board.
"Don't be nervous. Just treat me as a friend," Ying Qingcang said, staring at her tenderly. "Go take a shower. I'll wait for you downstairs for breakfast."
Xin Qing trailed after Ying Qingcang tentatively. Afterwards, she saw that Ah Sha was not alone in the luxurious dining hall; there were two elderly people with her.
"Young miss!" Aunt Tian and Uncle Fu were smiling when they looked at Xin Qing even though they felt horrible deep down. Uncle Fu pulled out chairs for everyone. "Young miss, I'm the butler, Uncle Fu."
Aunt Tian ladled a bowl of congee for Xin Qing, "I'm Aunt Tian. And I must say that you enjoy my cooking the most. Come! Have a taste!"
Xin Qing thanked them politely before sitting down to eat breakfast. All of a sudden, Ying Qingcang held her hand. "Don't be nervous. You might not remember, but this place is your home."
"I... Am I like this every morning?" Xin Qing asked him. Ying Qingcang answered with a nod. "It's alright," he said. "The doctors said that you'll slowly recover."
For a moment, Xin Qing gave him a confused look. After that, she lowered her head and silently ate her congee. Drying her tears, Aunt Tian retreated from the dining hall. "Poor young master! He's actually the one who's suffering the most right now!" Aunt Tian thought. "He has to watch the woman he loves treat him like a stranger and then keep doing the same thing day after day. When will this ever end?"
When the family of three came home from the stables, there was an extra presence in Ying's residence.
"Why are you here?" Ying Qingcang said gruffly.
Ying Hao stared at him, "I'm here to see Xin Qing."
Xin Qing hid herself behind Ying Qingcang, wherease Ying Hao waved at her. "Xin Qing! I'm this brat's father. You should call me 'dad'!"
"He's Ying Hao," said Ying Qingcang with a scowl. Xin Qing did recall seeing that name on the leather notebook. But to call him "dad"...
"Ignore him," Ying Qingcang said, pinching her hand lightly. She never noticed it, but he had been holding on to her hand the whole time. Xin Qing found that the feeling did not repulse her at all. "We're husband and wife, for goodness' sake!" She reminded herself. Even if she could not remember anything, she could still see the love and devotion contained within the depths of this man's eyes.
After dinner, Ying Qingcang had to drop by the company. He had not been to the company much these days; most of his time had been spent with Xin Qing. Before he left, he gave Ying Hao a glance. After that, he pulled Xin Qing upstairs. "Stay in the bedroom and watch TV," he told Xin Qing. "If that old man comes up to look for you, just ignore him."
Xin Qing nodded like an obedient child. Ying Qingcang's eyes turned a few shades darker. Unable to hold himself back, he lowered his head in an attempt to kiss her. Xin Qing panicked and took a step back. Sighing, Ying Qingcang patted her head. "I'm leaving now. Go to bed first if you're tired."
Not long after Ying Qingcang had left, Ying Hao indeed came knocking at Xin Qing's door. "Don't be afraid. Let's have a chat?"
Xin Qing answered the door and allowed Ying Hao to enter. She felt a bit hesitant, as if she had no idea what to do next. Ying Hao stared at her, shaking his head. "Xin Qing, it will do neither you nor Ah Cang any good if things go on like this. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Xin Qing remembered the way she had rejected Ying Qingcang's intimate gesture just now as well as the hurt she had seen in the man's eyes after her rejection. Xin Qing bit her lip, "I understand."
"It's not that I'm trying to be cruel. But if things go on like this, Ah Cang will be done for. The entire Ying family will be finished," Ying Hao said in a helpless tone. "The Ying family needs a normal mistress. With the state you're in right now, you aren't suitable at all. Do you want Ah Cang to live the rest of his life in pain?"
Ying Hao left without saying anything after that; he believed he had made himself very clear. Ying Qingcang returned to find Xin Qing sitting alone in the veranda, staring off into space.
"Why are you out here? What if you catch a cold?" He said with a frown. He tried pulling Xin Qing to her feet. Xin Qing did not get up. Instead, she stared at him. "Were we deeply in love with each other?" She asked.
Ying Qingcang eased his grip on her arm. He went back inside to grab a blanket. When he returned, he draped the blanket over her shoulders and sat down beside her. "Yes! You were willing to die for me."
"What about you?" Xin Qing questioned.
Ying Qingcang stared at her. Shrouded by the veil of the night, Xin Qing's eyes seemed exceptionally bright and clear. Still, her eyes lacked the yearning and love that he craved for.
"I can't live without you," he answered.
"You can't live without me..." Xin Qing thought. "But will you really be happy if you have to go through this kind of torture every day?" As she listened to the sounds of running water from the bathroom, Xin Qing filled up a couple more pages of the leather notebook. When she raised her head, her eyes landed on the wedding photo on the wall. The woman in that photo was smiling beautifully like a flower. The man's face contained nothing but adoration.
"But what about now?" Xin Qing thought. Closing her eyes, Xin Qing made a decision.
The following morning was routine; nothing had changed. It was as if the morning activities in Ying's residence was a replay of the same scene. One thing he did notice was that Xin Qing had spent a much longer time to read the leather notebook today. There was an important meeting that required Ying Qingcang's attendance, and Xin Qing was still reading the notebook before he left the house.
Ying Enterprises. All of a sudden, Ah Nan ran into into Ying Qingcang's office excitedly. "Young master, Young Master Shen has returned."
Ying Qingcang sprang to his feet. "Where is he?"
"In the elevator. He'll be here in a moment," Ah Nan said. Sure enough, just when Ah Nan had finished speaking, Young Master Shen entered the office in a frazzled state. Ying Qingcang stared at him for a long time, not daring to speak.
Young Master Shen poured himself a glass of red wine and then sat down limply on the couch. "What, it's only been a month since we last saw each other. Don't tell me you don't recognize me anymore."
"How did it go?" Ying Qingcang asked. Ying Qingcang clenched his fists. "From the looks of it, you've found him, haven't you?"
"No shit, Sherlock. Come on, man. It's me! Of course I'd be able to track him down!" Young Master Shen declared smugly.
A month ago, Boss Wan had told them about an old doctor in Vietnam capable of performing miraculous healing feats. Apparently, the old doctor had used acupuncture to cure a lot of people with mental problems, including those with amnesia. Ying Qingcang had sent out a team to investigate the truth of such claims. What he found was that there were indeed a few cases where the old doctor's patients had successfully recovered. The only problem was that the old doctor lived in the mountains where modern communication tools were inaccessible. Anyone who wished to see the old doctor would have to travel into the mountains instead. Young Master Shen had gone ahead to carry out a recon mission. They would take Xin Qing there after Young Master Shen had ascertained the location.
"Good. I'll make the necessary arrangements now. We'll depart as soon as possible."
Young Master Shen raised his hand. "Dude, chill. I'm not finished yet. The old doctor is dead. He died last year."
A cold aura shot out of Ying Qingcang's body. "Dead? Did you just say that he's dead?"
"Man, I wish you'll take a look at yourself right now. I told you to chill, alright?" Young Master Shen patted his shoulder. "Yes, he's dead. But he has a daughter. She was attending to a patient when I was there. It was a wealthy businessman with Alzheimers'. Apparently, he's been allowing her to poke needles into his body for nearly half a year and was now almost recovered."
Ying Qingcang's taut body relaxed instantly. "Then when will she be available to see Xin Qing?"
"In two months, the latest. That's what she promised me. And she'll come here herself."
"She's coming to us?" Ying Qingcang frowned. Young Master Shen laughed. "She wants to get out of the mountains. The old doctor didn't allow her to leave back then. Now that she's no longer answering to anyone, she doesn't want to stay in the mountains."
Ying Qingcang nodded. "Just as well. As long as she's able to cure Xin Qing, she can have a house, money, or whatever she wants. I'll give her anything."
"I told her the same thing," Young Master Shen said. Suddenly, Young Master Shen appraised Ying Qingcang from head to toe. "You don't look so well, dude. Listen, you've got to take care of your own health first. We wouldn't want you to end up collapsing once Xiao Qingqing is cured."
"I'm fine. I know my own body." Ying Qingcang sat down across from Young Master Shen. The relief he felt was colossal. There was now hope that Xin Qing's ailments could be cured. He glanced at Young Master Shen. "If you're free, you should pay Boss Wan a visit."
"We still haven't ferreted out the person behind the kidnapping. It's safe to say that the harder he tries to cover his tracks, the greater it is the hatred he felt towards you," Young Master Shen said with a sombre look on his face. "It's like a ticking time bomb buried somewhere. When are we ever going to dig it out?"
"At least we now know that he's William's gay lover. We also know that his goal is to kill me."
"Are you absolutely certain about that?" Young Master Shen stared at him. "If you're wrong, we'll end up going about everything in the wrong angle."
Ying Qingcang shook his head. "I'm the person William hated the most in this world. If it's true that he had a lover, I must be the person that the lover hates the most too. Because I killed William."
Young Master Shen suddenly smiled, "You know, it's actually a good thing that he's gay. Otherwise, you'll be in even more trouble if his lover was a woman."
"I don't think women are harder to deal with than an explosive." Ying Qingcang shot him a contemptuous look. "I'm not like you, someone who has no idea how to deal with women."
"Tsk, tsk. Haven't you heard the things they say about the sting of a wasp? Trust me, it's the most venomous of all. As long as your enemy is a woman, she'll use 1,000 ways to approach you. And that, my friend, is even more lethal than actual guns and knives!"
Young Master Shen's remark suddenly reminded Ying Qingcang of Rong Siman. That woman was starting to step out of bounds again recently. Time and time again, she had been coming into contact with the Mafia in England. Now that Ying Hao was here, Ying Qingcang decided to talk things over with Ying Hao. Xin Qing's condition was his top priority right now. He did not wish for any other accidents to happen.
His phone rang suddenly. Ying Qingcang glanced at the screen and saw that the call had been made from Ying's residence. He picked up quickly and immediately heard Aunt Tian's anxious voice.
"Young Master! The young miss is missing."