"Hehe, what gave me away?" The man's face broke into a grin.
The corners of Young Master Shen's lips twitched. "Can you please not make that kind of expression with his face. It creeps the hell out of me."
"Not bad at all. I see that your observational skills haven't gone dull." A second Ying Qingcang walked out of the office's lounge. "Seems like a fake is still a fake, no matter what kind of high-tech gimmickry is involved."
Two Ying Qingcangs who were the exact carbon copies of each other now stood before Young Master Shen. One of them arched his brows. "That's impossible. I could have sworn that we were exactly alike when I put the thing on. Everyone told me that they couldn't tell a single difference."
"Everyone? Even your boss?" the other Ying Qingcang asked.
The fake Ying Qingcang paused in thought. "Nah. The boss just shook his head at me and told me that there's only one Ying Qingcang in this world."
Evidently, it was still possible to tell them apart.
"If he can't tell the difference, then I would have had the opportunity to make fun of him." Young Master Shen walked around the fake Ying Qingcang in a circle. "Well, I'm afraid you would have been able to fool me as well if you've shown me a photo instead."
"Hah! It means the resemblance is that close!" said fake Ying Qingcang smugly. "By the way, I'm Xiao Qi."
Young Master Shen's lips twisted downwards. "The whole comportment is wrong," he said, pointing at the real Ying Qingcang. "If he's a lion, then you're a mountain dog. Seriously? You think that's a good match?"
"Come on, surely that's an exaggeration?" Xiao Qi wiped a hand across his face. The action revealed a young, scholarly face that looked as if it belonged to a university student.
Young Master Shen took the object Xiao Qi had removed from his face and touched it. "The texture feels real," Young Master Shen commented. "What is it made of?"
"A high-tech artificial skin." Xiao Qi said, taking the object carefully and placing it into a box. "You better not ruin this thing. It would cost you a cruise ship just to buy one of these!"
"Well, you'll have to destroy it eventually after it has served its purpose," Ying Qingcang remarked nonchalantly.
"Huh?! Why?"
Young Master Shen patted Xiao Qi's shoulder. "Did you actually think he would allow another person to run around wearing his face?"
Xiao Qi rolled his eyes. "As if anybody would want to run around dressed up like him for no reason..." he thought.
On Chinese New Year's Eve, Xin Qing got up early and, together with the two children, hung couplet scrolls in the house. After that, she joined Aunt Tian in the kitchen where they flatten out noodles to be used for the dumplings. Young Master Shen called to inform them that Ah Che and Ah Nan would come over tonight for reunion dinner. After a giving it some thought, Xin Qing decided that it was better for them to call a restaurant and have their dinner delivered to them.
Then, Xin Qing realized something strange. "Where's Monica? What's taking her long?" she thought. She was still in the middle of wondering about Monica's whereabouts when she heard Xunxun's yelling voice from the living room. "How did you get in here, you crazy woman? Put Ah Sha down, right now!"
Xin Qing rushed into the living room and saw Monica raising Ah Sha high above her head. Then, Monica said to Xunxun. "What a pretty kid. Are you Xin Qing's bastard child? Nah. That can't be right. You're way too old."
"What nonsense are you on about?" A dark scowl formed on Xin Qing's face. "You're really a bad influence on the kids."
The moment Monica saw Xin Qing, she haphazardly dropped Ah Sha back onto the couch and went straight for Xin Qing. Ah Sha lost her balance as a result and nearly fell off the couch. Startled, Xunxun quickly reached out to steady Ah Sha before glaring daggers at Monica.
"Xin Qing! Oh, how fortunate it is that I'm able to make it back alive to see you," Monica said, wrapping Xin Qing in a hug. Then, Monica began dry sobbing. "You didn't know what that cheating bastard Ying Qingcang did to me. He thought I was getting in his way so he sent me away to that Godforsaken place in Eastern Europe. Look at me now. Do I look darker? Uglier?"
Xin Qing appraised Monica. "Nah. I think you're in rather high spirits. Also, I think you've put on some weight."
"Hah! That's because I was instantly revitalized after seeing you and little Ah Sha." Monica pointed a finger at Xunxun, who was still shooting daggers at her with his eyes. "Who's this pretty boy?"
"A friend's son. He's temporarily in my care." Xunxun was obviously dissatisfied with Xin Qing's introduction of him. He walked towards them while carrying Ah Sha in his arms. "I'm Ah Sha's fiance! That's who I really am!"
Pfft... Monica was laughing her head off at that point. "Oh my God! That's just too cute. Seriously, how old are you right now? And yet you're already trying to make moves on our Ah Sha?"
"This has nothing to do with age. Aunt Qing had already accepted the wedding gifts. We'll marry when Ah Sha is older!"
Monica glanced at Xin Qing, who quickly changed the subject. "Come on, go put your luggage away and get changed. After that help me cut up the fruits."
Xin Qing kept feeling as if Xunxun was trying to remind her of the fact that Ah Sha had been sold off whenever he mentioned the two words "wedding gifts". Admittedly, there were occasions where Xin Qing would find herself worrying about this betrothal. What if Ah Sha did not love Xunxun when she grew up? Zhang Mi, on the other hand, thought that Xin Qing was fretting over nothing. "Xunxun will definitely grow up to be a man who is even more outstanding than Ying Qingcang. What reason does Ah Sha have to not like him?" Zhang Mi had told her.
Like Xin Qing, Tang Shuang was busy as well, though she was busy dressing herself up. She had survived through the long and arduous day until the evening. Even by then, Ying Qingcang did not return. He called home instead and asked her to come to a hotel.
"Why aren't you coming home?" Tang Shuang asked him curiously.
"There are strangers at home. It won't be nice for them to hear," Ying Qingcang said on the phone.
Tang Shuang blushed. "Mm," she said and then hung up. She had totally forgotten about the fact that Ah Hai was still staying here. She did some final touch-ups on her appearance and put on the bra she had deliberately chosen for the occasion. When she was leaving, she ran into Ah Hai who was just returning home.
"Ah Hai, you should go out on your own if you're bored. I won't be coming home tonight."
Ah Hai's face seemed rather unwell. In fact, Tang Shuang had noticed that Ah Hai looked rather unwell recently. She did not pay any mind to it, though. She thought he was just unused to living in a big city.
"Ying Qingcang and I have some activities tonight! Oh, and we'll give you your red envelope tomorrow!" After that, Tang Shuang waved at him and left.
Ah Hai stared after her leaving form, clenching his hands into fists. He yanked the door open and ran after her.
Amidst the dim ambience of the hotel suite and the sounds of running water in the bathroom, Tang Shuang gave herself another pulse diagnosis. This time, everything was normal. She kept her eyes trained on the bathroom door until it opened and Ying Qingcang walked out. Water droplets slid off his naked torso. He wore only a towel underneath.
Tang Shuang blushed. Ying Qingcang slowly approached her and pulled the covers aside. He immediately noticed the fishnet underwear that Tang Shuang was wearing. He could see every part of her body with distinct clearness. He lowered his body onto the bed.
Tang Shuang felt a weight on top of her body. Reaching out with a hand, she touched his face and moaned. "Ah Cang, it really is you. My wish finally came true!"
Her cries of pleasure filled the room as she relished the man's "services". Amidst all that, she secretly reached for her phone and tapped on the "send" icon on it.
Xin Qing was carrying a plate of dumplings when her phone pinged. She pulled out her phone and checked it. Young Master Shen and the rest were playing with Ah Sha in the living room. That was when they heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen. Monica, being the one who was nearest to the kitchen, ran into the kitchen straightaway. The first thing Monica saw was Xin Qing kneeling on the floor while holding her head with both hands. Glancing down, Monica saw the bloodied mess that was Xin Qing's knees courtesy of the shards of the broken plate. Then again, it was as if Xin Qing had no clue about her wounds at all, like she could not even feel them. Monica watched as Xin Qing held on to her head for dear life and then banged it repeatedly against the fridge.
Monica ran over and dragged Xin Qing to one side, away from the fridge. Young Master Shen yelled at Ah Che, "The pill! Quickly! The pill!"
With haste, Ah Che retrieved the pill box and rushed back indoors. Young Master Shen held Xin Qing in a death grip to prevent her from moving around while Ah Nan stilled Xin Qing's head.
"Hurry up! Put the pill into her mouth!" Young Master Shen yelled at Monica who was still in a daze. It was Monica's first time witnessing one of Xin Qing's episodes. She never expected Xin Qing's condition to be this serious and was startled by what she saw, hence her stupor. When she heard Young Master Shen yelling at her, she snapped out of it and quickly inserted the pill into Xin Qing's mouth. Ah Che brought over a cup of water and poured a mouthful into Xin Qing's mouth.
"How did this happen? How did this happen?" Monica said. Xin Qing's eyes fluttered close as she went limp in Monica's arms. In just a matter of seconds, Xin Qing's body was drenched in sweat.
Young Master Shen heaved a sigh of relief and took Xin Qing from Monica. "I'll carry her upstairs," Young Master Shen said to Monica. "Go get the first aid kit. We have to deal with the wounds on her knees." When Young Master Shen carried Xin Qing past the living room, Xunxun covered Ah Sha's eyes, not wanting her to see. Ah Sha was sobbing softly. "Mommy's head is in pain again. Must be because Ah Sha is disobedient. Ah Sha must have made mommy mad. Ah Sha is a bad girl, bad girl!"
"Ah Sha isn't a bad girl at all. Ah Sha is the most obedient girl in the world," Xunxun cooed beside her ear. "Your mommy is just ill. Right now, we're all trying to find the right medicine for her. Once she eats it, she'll no longer be in pain!"
With red-rimmed eyes, Ah Che and Ah Nan followed the two kids out of the living room. While she was retrieving the first aid kit, Monica caught a glimpse of the photo on Xin Qing's phone. She laughed bitterly and sent Ying Qingcang a text.
Ying Qingcang was in his car, speeding towards Young Master Shen's house. He would be able to spend the whole night with Xin Qing tonight until morning. He had even returned to Ying's residence to bring Le Le along as a surprise for Xin Qing. He had already arrived and was parking his car when his phone pinged, alerting him to a new notification. He tapped on the notification icon. All he saw was a single sentence:
"When you are fucking another woman, Xin Qing was fighting for her life."
Ying Qingcang sprinted into the house. He saw a crying Ah Sha the moment he pushed open the front door.
"What's the matter?"
"Young master! The young miss had another headache just now," Ah Che explained hurriedly.
Ah Sha's sobs turned into an all-out wail the moment she saw Ying Qingcang. "Daddy! Daddy!"
"Shh. Good girl, Ah Sha. Good girl. Don't cry, okay? Daddy's here now." Ying Qingcang picked her up. Just then, Monica walked out with the first aid kit and saw him there. She picked up a stool and tossed it at Ying Qingcang. Ah Nan stepped forward and kicked the stool away.
"What are you doing? You'll scare Ah Sha."
Monica sneered. "He doesn't even care about the mother. And you're hoping that he'll care about the child?"
Young Master Shen ran back downstairs and saw Monica's near hysterical state. He came over and struck Monica behind the neck, knocking her unconscious. Then, he tossed the first-aid kit to Ying Qingcang. "Go!" he said.
Ying Qingcang did not even bother to comfort Ah Sha. He carried the kit and hurried upstairs. He opened the door carefully and saw Xin Qing lying there completely still, like a porcelain doll. One would not even be able to detect the rise and fall of her chest if one did not watch carefully.
"Ah Qing!" Ying Qingcang caressed Xin Qing's face gently. "I'm here. I'm here now!"
Then he remembered the first aid kit Young Master Shen had given him. "Xin Qing must be hurt somewhere," he thought. He carefully pulled the covers away and saw her bloodied knees, which still had shards sticking out from the flesh.
"Damn it!" Ying Qingcang's fist hammered down on the nightstand. A loud bang sounded, and a crack formed right down the middle of the solid wood nightstand. The figure on the bed shifted slightly, her lashes fluttering lightly. Slowly, her eyes opened. When she saw the dejected face of the man beside the bed, there was a moment when Xin Qing thought she was dreaming. However, the wounds on her knees quickly reminded her that this was the reality.
"Ying Qingcang! You're here," Xin Qing said. Her tears had begun spilling from her eyes the moment she opened her mouth.
The first thought that came to her mind when she saw the photo was that it was impossible. Shortly after that, she had confirmed that the man was not Ying Qingcang. Although the incident was mind-bogglingly bizarre, she knew in her heart that Ying Qingcang would never betray her.
The only problem was that she could not control her body's reaction to what she had seen. Her body had broken down in just a matter of seconds.
Ying Qingcang cradled her into his arms carefully. "I'm here now. I'm so sorry! I've caused you pain yet again. I didn't tell you beforehand that the man wasn't me."