Finally, Young Master Shen remembered. There was actually a moment that night when he was conscious and aware. That realization brought him a sudden feeling of panic.
If he was unable to remember anything about that night, he could at least use that as an excuse for his actions back then. After all, Zhang Mi remembered nothing as well, and neither of them had ever mentioned that night again. Since neither of them remembered how it all began as well as any of its details, they would be free from any emotional burdens that their tryst might incur. However, the images that had popped into his mind just now involved Zhang Mi moaning and writhing beneath him as their bodies fitted together in unmatched perfection.
All of a sudden, every sensation he had felt that night magnified in his mind. Heck, now he even remembered that crucial moment when he held down Zhang Mi's thighs and said, "God, baby! Your body is so f*ck*ng awesome. I like it so much. I can't take it anymore!"
He knew damn well that she was still a virgin back then, and yet he had gone against principles by taking her. To think that he had actually forgotten about everything after it happened? What an outrage indeed. Young Master Shen stared blankly at the steering wheel in front of him. Suddenly, he felt a sting on his cheek; Zhang Mi had slapped him while he was distracted.
"What kind of weird ideas are you having, huh? Hurry up and unlock the damn doors. I'm going back for Xin Qing. You men are all thrash. So Ying Qingcang wants to two-time his wife? Hah! Not a chance in hell! I tell you what, I'm going to look for that Tang Shuang right this instant and then I-"
Zhang Mi's eyes went wide as her vision of Young Master Shen's face magnified suddenly. She opened her mouth to scream, but Young Master Shen had used that as an opportunity to stick his tongue into her mouth. Slowly, he began to suck, bit by bit, his tongue grappling forcefully with the tip of her tongue.
"Close your eyes..." Zhang Mi heard a hoarse voice, which sounded as if it came from a place far, far away. She nodded instinctively and shut her eyes. After that, she felt the assault of his tongue once again, probing and exploring every nook and cranny of her mouth. Then, all of a sudden, she snapped out of it. She shoved Young Master Shen away and gave him another slap.
"You son of a bitch! How dare you kiss me with that filthy mouth of yours. Are you trying to give me AIDS?"
Young Master Shen glowered at her. "You won't get AIDS from kissing. And also, what do you mean by 'my filthy mouth'?"
"What, didn't catch the message?" Zhang Mi was still wiping her mouth forcefully, all the while entertaining thoughts about rinsing her mouth with a bottle of antiseptic when she got home later. "How many people have you kissed before? Can your mouth be anything but dirty?"
Young Master Shen gave her a deep stare. Then, he started the car without saying another word. They rode silently for a brief while, and then Young Master Shen decided to tell her the truth about Ying Qingcang and Xin Qing. After listening to him, Zhang Mi's first reaction was silence. After that, she pulled out her phone and dialed Xin Qing's number. "You shameless woman! How dare you keep things from me! Our friendship ends today!" Zhang Mi yelled into the phone before hanging up completely.
Young Master Shen let out a snort. "I only found out about it much later as well. Their plan was to keep it a secret from everyone, although not telling you is the right move, in my opinion." Young Master Shen turned and gave Zhang Mi a look when he sensed that was about to hit him again. "Would you have reacted like this, all angry and indignant, in front of Tang Shuang if you knew the truth? Yeah, that's right, you wouldn't have. You would have gloated and tried to mock her. But what if Tang Shuang felt humiliated and refused to make Xin Qing's pills? You want Xin Qing to die from pain?"
Zhang Mi pouted. "Okay, fine. I won't be able to control my emotions, that's true. They were right not to tell me."
"No wonder Ying Qingcang tossed the ashtray at me that time. I knew something didn't feel right," Zhang Mi said, glancing at him. "What's that look for? I know the severity of this matter. I won't tell anyone."
Young Master Shen nodded. "All we need to do right now is to make the mastermind believe that Ying Qingcang had fallen for Tang Shuang. That way, he would target Tang Shuang instead of Xin Qing. That's how we can keep Xin Qing safe."
"I think we need to cure Xin Qing's condition first. Otherwise, everything else is moot." Zhang Mi shot Young Master Shen a glare. "Why did you kiss me just now?"
"Just to verify a few things," Young Master Shen said with a straight face.
"Haha!" Zhang Mi looked at him sneeringly. "Don't tell me you've actually fallen for me and is willing to give up your forest of women for my sake."
"Are you fully awake?" Young Master Shen gave her a sidelong glance. "What kind of sleep-talking nonsense is that?"
Zhang Mi snorted. "So. Don't ever touch me again next time. I'm still looking for a good man to marry."
Young Master Shen sneaked another glance at her before he went back to driving.
That night, Xin Qing took the initiative to call Zhang Mi. The first thing they did was apologize to each other. After that, they cried together. Finally, Zhang Mi clenched her fist as she swore an oath of allegiance to Xin Qing.
"I will stay by your side no matter what. I believe that Ying Qingcang will deal with the problem soon. You guys will be happy!"
After listening to Young Master Shen's account, Zhang Mi now knew that the person trying to harm Xin Qing was William's gay lover, the thought of which caused her body to tremble all over. The memory of Xin Qing's torture at the hands of that psychopath was still fresh in Zhang Mi's mind. This gay lover of William's must be an even greater lunatic that William was. If Xin Qing somehow fell into his hands, she would no doubt be put through the worst kind of torture.
When Ying Qingcang returned to the company, he found Young Master Shen wasting his alcohol in his office.
"How come you aren't hooking up with women right now?"
"I just kissed a woman," Young Master Shen declared, raising his glass at Ying Qingcang. "Have a drink!"
Ying Qingcang poured himself a glass. Loosening his tie, he sat down across from Young Master Shen. "You mean you actually kissed a woman? On the mouth?"
Young Master Shen nodded. Ying Qingcang raised his brows. "Didn't you say that you'd never kissed any of those women on the mouth?"
"Well, she isn't one of those women," Young Master Shen said, rubbing his forehead. His beautiful eyes glazed over slightly as it held a hint of confusion.
Ying Qingcang had a sudden realization. "Who is she?" he asked.
"Zhang Mi."
"Can't say I'm surprised." Ying Qingcang laughed. "She's way prettier than that Ling Lang chick."
Young Master Shen's gaze darted around the room. "It's got nothing to do with her pretty face."
"Then, what is it? Her smoking hot body?" Ying Qingcang teased. "Did you have drunken sex with her again?"
"I just kissed her on the mouth, that's all. Just wanted to see how it feels like."
"Oh," Ying Qingcang said. "Then? What's the verdict?"
"Not bad at all!" Young Master Shen recalled that kiss in the car. "So damn sweet!"
"Have you thought this through?" Ying Qingcang's demeanor suddenly became serious. "You know as well how close she is with Xin Qing. Xin Qing won't let you off the hook if you ever hurt Zhang Mi, which means I can't let you off the hook as well."
"Hah! So that's how it's going to be, huh? You'd betray your friends for love, you swine." Young Master Shen waved his hand lightly. "Man, don't worry! We're still not at that stage yet. I'm just saying that kissing her felt rather nice, that's all." Young Master Shen paused for a moment as he remembered Zhang Mi's words. Then, he went on, "I'm not willing to give up my entire forest of women!"
On the third day of Chinese New Year, Xin Qing brought Xunxun and Ah Sha to Shi Qianqian's house for dinner. She met Shi Qianqian's son that day: a tiny baby who was barely a year old and whose face looked like a complete replica of Shi Qianqian's.
"Holy cow, I bet he won't go missing even if you leave him out on the streets. People could tell from a glance that he's yours," Zhang Mi blurted out heedlessly. "Then again, it's hard to tell who the father is!"
Ding Lei, who was now sporting a scowl on his face, took the baby from Zhang Mi. "It doesn't matter that people can't tell. I'm still the father."
Shi Qianqian had long since heard about this "bride-buying" trade that Ah Sha was caught up in; right now, she was staring at Xunxun with a scrutinizing look on her face.
"He's a very beautiful boy. Does he really have a high IQ?"
Zhang Mi nodded. "He tricked me into doing an IQ test with him. And then he destroyed me in seconds," Zhang Mi whispered.
"That's because you're too dumb," Shi Qianqian said mercilessly. Zhang Mi glared at her. "He really has an IQ of 180. He wouldn't be able to skip grades otherwise."
Shi Qianqian thought for a moment. "So Ah Sha took the shot as well?"
"Yeah, she did." Xin Qing said in resignation. "People already had their eyes set on her. I don't even have a chance to turn them down."
"Then be sure to observe her carefully. If you find out later on that it works, I'll give my son a shot as well," Shi Qianian said. "Oh, and watch out for the side effects. That's the main thing you should be watching for," she added at the end.
Xin Qing gave Shi Qianqian a look of disdain. "Oh, so you're using Ah Sha as an experimental tool. Also, that type of thing is rare, you know. I doubt you could even buy it."
"Aren't you my son's godmother?" Shi Qianqian smiled, earning her contemptuous looks from Xin Qing and Zhang Mi.
Not once had Shi Qianqian mentioned about Xin Qing and Ying Qingcang, not even until they left the house that night. When they were all about to drive away, however, Shi Qianqian suddenly waved her fist at Xin Qing and told her: "Good luck!" Zhang Mi, on the other hand, found herself especially unsettled by Shi Qianqian's parting words.
"Do you think she knows that you and Ying Qingcang aren't separated for real?"
Xin Qing thought it over for a while. "Well, with her IQ, she probably guessed it. Even if her guess isn't perfectly accurate, I bet it would be pretty close."
"I'm the only idiot who took it for real." Zhang Mi pouted. "Argh! Maybe I should just let Chen Huan give me the shot after all."
Xunxun suddenly cut in. "At least you're smarter than a retard right now. You'll end up worse than a retard if you take the shot."
A sobbing Zhang Mi dove into Xin Qing's arms.
As they took a turn into the villa district, not even Ah Che, who was driving, managed to notice the car that had suddenly switched direction in order to tail them. The car followed them until their car stopped. Then, having ascertained where their car had stopped, it made a 360 turn and drove off.
Two days later, Xin Qing ran into the last person she wanted to see.
"I can't believe you're staying here, too. Looks at us! We're neighbours!" Tang Shuang appeared at their door bright and early that morning. Tang Shuang had seen Ah Che's car on the way home that night and had thought that Ying Qingcang was inside the car. But when the car stopped, she saw Xin Qing getting down instead. That was how she found out that Xin Qing was staying here too.
Ying Qingcang had never touched her again after that night. In fact, they barely saw each other. Whenever she called him, he would just say that he was busy. When she went all the way to Ying Enterprises, she found that he was indeed having a meeting. None of this sat right with Tang Shuang, especially after finding out that Xin Qing was staying here. That was why she had come here today; she wanted to check for herself whether this was Ying Qingcang's house.
Xin Qing gave Tang Shuang a glance. "Take the kids upstairs," Xin Qing ordered Ah Che. Xunxun picked up Ah Sha and guided Le Le along. Ah Che led the kids away while giving Young Master Shen a call.
Tang Shuang was relieved to see Le Le there. Previously, she had noticed Le Le's disappearance and had asked Ying Qingcang about it. Ying Qingcang told her that he had ordered Ah Che to send the dog over to Xin Qing who wanted to see it. "Well, at least he hasn't been lying to me," Tang Shuang thought. Tang Shuang made several rounds in the house, though she did not find anything special. When she was about to sit down, she saw a collar pin sticking out from the gap between the two cushions of the couch.
Xin Qing's heart went still. "Shit. Ah Sha must have taken Ying Qingcang's collar pin to play and then left it there..."
"Explain yourself!" Tang Shuang said, stepping forward. "If I'm not mistaken, this is Ying Qingcang's collar pin! How come it's here, at your house?" At Xin Qing's silence, Tang Shuang turned around and ran up the stairs. "I want to see if his underwear is also here."