"Ah Qing..." Ying Qingcang said, his tone laced with pure agony. He stared at Xin Qing blankly for a moment. "Boss Wan's guys are following them as we speak. Xunxun is with Ah Sha too. We'll make a move the moment there's any danger."
"So what?" Xin Qing stared back at him icily. "What about tonight? How's Ah Sha going to get through tonight? Will she be scared on her own? Xunxun? What does that kid even know? He's only ten years old, for God's sake!" Xin Qing burst into tears once again. "What if Ah Sha misses her mommy tonight? What if she cries?"
Ying Qingcang moved in to hug Xin Qing. Once again, Xin Qing pushed him away harshly. "I truly wonder what your heart is made of. Even now, Ah Sha still thinks that she was having some kind of fun outing with her daddy. She had no idea. No idea, that you've sent her straight into the arms of a kidnapper! I won't ever forgive you if I were Ah Sha."
"Ah Qing!" Ying Qingcang grabbed her arm. "Calm down. I had to do it. If we don't catch him now, you'll be even more danger!"
Xin Qing leaped off the bed and began shoving his chest as if she had gone hysterical. "So what if I'm in danger?!" she yelled. "What is this? Trading my daughter for my safety?! God, I swear you're the only one who's capable of something like that! Oh, yeah, that's right. Ah Sha isn't your real daughter anyway, right? Your blood son isn't even here. So why don't you go back to your house and watch over your wife and son."
A dark, scary look formed on Ying Qingcang's face. His eyes were like twin icicles when he stared at her. "Do you know what you're saying right now?"
"Of course I know!" Xin Qing retorted, completely unperturbed by the savage aura radiating off Ying Qingcang in waves. She raised her chin and met his eyes defiantly. "It's all because of you that I'm in this state today. And now you've just handed my daughter to a kidnapper. I'll never forgive you for the rest of my life."
Ying Qingcang clenched his fists, pain and agony pooled within his dark eyes. "Is that really what you think?" he asked. His voice had come out shaky.
"Yes!" Xin Qing yelled, shoving him out the door forcefully and then locking him outside.
Zhang Mi and Young Master Shen stood at the top of the staircase, watching Ying Qingcang's stiff posture. Young Master Shen cleared his throat twice. Then he walked over to pat Ying Qingcang's shoulder. "Xiao Qingqing isn't in the best emotional condition right now. I don't think she even knows what she's talking about, so don't take her words to heart..."
Zhang Mi gave Ying Qingcang a cold stare. "Neither of you is a mother. You can't possibly understand what she's going through right now," Zhang Mi said. "A mother is willing to sacrifice her own life for the sake of her child. Right now, you're sacrificing her daughter to save her. The person she hates most right now isn't you. It's herself."
Ying Qingcang's arm swung out viciously; his fist smashed into the wall. Young Master Shen quickly held him back. "Hey, what do you think you're doing? Acting like this doesn't solve the problem. You have to talk things out after she has calmed down."
"I'll watch over her. You guys should go!" Ying Qingcang turned around. "I'm worried she might have another headache."
With a curl of her lips, Zhang Mi turned around and walked back to her own room. Young Master Shen heaved a sigh of relief. "I assume you've already made appropriate arrangements back at home since you've no plans of returning?"
"Xiao Qi's there," said Ying Qingcang. Then, as if all the energy was drained from his body, Ying Qingcang supported himself against the wall and stumbled towards the chaise lounge nearby. "I need a moment alone," he said, sitting down.
The sky slowly darkened as night arrived. Xin Qing finally snapped out of it and stopped staring off into space. She got up and went into the bathroom where she washed her face. After that, she climbed back into bed. She pressed the TV remote; the nightly news was airing right about now. The TV screen showed a bunch of reporters gathered outside a villa. Recognition flashed in Xin Qing's eyes; it was Ying Qingcang's villa. On screen, the villa's front door opened and Ying Qingcang stepped out to answer the reporters' questions. He had one arm wrapped around Tang Shuang while carrying his son with the other.
"President Ying, can you tell us how you managed to rescue your son from the kidnapper?"
"President Ying, I heard the kidnapper wanted your ex-wife's daughter in exchange for your son. Since your son is here, it means that you've agreed to the kidnapper's demands. Does that mean that your daughter is now in the hands of the kidnapper?"
"Do you think that's the right thing to do? What would you say to your ex-wife?"
Xin Qing stared coldly at the Ying Qingcang on the TV screen. The screen now showed Ying Qingcang fending off the reporters' questions in an aloof manner. Xin Qing's mind barely registered what he was saying. Meanwhile, Tang Shuang kept smiling gleefully at the camera. It was as if she knew that Xin Qing would be watching. Xin Qing found that image, the one showing their family of three, to be a complete eyesore. A tight fist formed in Xin Qing's hand; her fingernails dug into the flesh of her palm and broke her skin, though she barely felt it. In the end, she raised her hand and flung the remote control at the TV.
SMASH! Sparks flew from the TV, and a billow of white smoke appeared. Almost at the same time, the door burst open and Ying Qingcang rushed in. He moved towards her, grabbed both her shoulders, and perused her from top to bottom. "What's wrong? What's the matter? Is it another headache?" That was when he noticed the blood dripping down her clenched hand. He quickly pried open her fist. Four alarming wounds were etched onto the center of her palm.
"I'll get the medical kit," Ying Qingcang said. He was out of the door before Xin Qing even registered his words. After a while, he ran back into the room with the emergency kit. He disinfected her wounds first. Then he covered the wounds with a layer of gauze. Xin Qing had finally stopped trying to push him away. Instead, she was compliant, staring at him blankly as he worked. Still, her demeanor did not put Ying Qingcang at ease. "Are you feeling unwell anywhere else?" he asked.
"How come you're here?" Xin Qing asked him instead of answering his question.
Ying Qingcang released a bitter laugh. "I was worried about you. I know that deep down you're feeling terrible right now. But take your anger out on me. Don't hurt yourself."
"But you were on the TV screen just now. I saw you-" Xin Qing clammed up suddenly. "That... That guy on TV is a fake?"
"That's Xiao Qi," Ying Qingcang said, pouring her a glass of water. "He's impersonating me right now. That way everyone will know that I've..." Ying Qingcang dared not finish his statement in fear of further provoking Xin Qing. Xin Qing took the glass and stared at its contents.
Ying Qingcang sighed and took the glass from her. Then, he brought the glass to her lips. "Take a sip. Even your voice had gone rough." When she did not move, Ying Qingcang added, "Drink it. After that, I'll let you speak with Xunxun."
Xin Qing's head snapped up suddenly. "Spe- speak? With Xunxun?"
Ying Qingcang's hand reached past her hair to press the button behind her neck. A blue light radiated from the ring on Xin Qing's finger. A hologram of Boss Wan's head appeared in mid-air.
"What's up? Didn't we have a call just now?" Boss Wan asked.
"I haven't had the chance to tell Ah Qing. She's very worried," Ying Qingcang said, stroking Xin Qing's hair. "Put us through to Xunxun."
Boss Wan's eyes held a contemptuous look. "Your wife misunderstood, didn't she?"
"That's none of your damn business," Ying Qingcang said in annoyance. "Hurry up and get Xunxun on the line." Xin Qing stared right at Boss Wan without saying anything.
Xunxun's voice sounded a few seconds later. "Aunt Qing!"
"Xunxun?" Xin Qing glanced around, though she saw no holograms other than the one with Boss Wan's head.
"I can't activate the holographic imaging right now. It's too risky," Xunxun's spoke again, his voice slow and soft. "I can only whisper. Ah Sha's fine. She's already asleep. The kidnapper didn't try to torture us or anything. Right now, we're on a yacht. Ah Sha had eaten her meal already, and she isn't scared. She missed you before falling asleep though. But I managed to calm her down, don't worry."
"You guys... Are you guys really okay?" Xin Qing was still in a state of disbelief.
"Didn't my future father-in-law tell you all this?" Xunxun whispered back.
To Ying Qingcang's ears, that remark was no different than the contemptuous look Boss Wan had given him just now. "Like father, like son indeed," Ying Qingcang thought. They were both equally annoying.
"Look, I can't really talk right now. Those people are right next door. I'll protect Ah Sha. Don't worry, Aunt Qing!"
Silence descended upon the room the moment Xunxun's voice dissipated. Xin Qing sneaked a glance at Ying Qingcang. She did not know what to say; deep down, she still felt a little bit of resentment towards him. She crawled back into bed and hid herself under the covers.
After a while, she felt a dip on the bed, right beside her where her body lay. A warm body leaned in and enveloped her, blanket and all.
"When we met the kidnapper today, the plan was to capture him on the spot. But Boss Wan had discovered that there were other satellite signals besides ours back there. The kidnapper can't trace us, but we can trace his every move clearly. Here's the thing. That kidnapper is just another pawn who takes orders from someone else. Catching him will only arouse suspicion. That's why we decided to let things play out for a bit. We allowed him to take Ah Sha away. Like you, there's a GPS tracking device on Xunxun. Boss Wan can contact Xunxun anytime."
When he felt the tension ease from the body in his arms, Ying Qingcang sighed in relief. "Xunxun had brought a lot of Chen Huan's gadgets with him. Not even a trained soldier could go toe to toe with him let alone a lowly thug. He'll be able to protect Ah Sha. Even if he can't, Boss Wan's men are stationed on the boat right beside the kidnapper's yacht. There's a sniper on standby. The sniper will take those people out the moment they try to harm Ah Sha."
Ying Qingcang tried to tug the blanket downwards and found that his efforts were not met with any resistance at all. Joy surged in his heart and he yanked the blanket off straight away. Xin Qing was biting down on her lip as she sobbed. She covered her face with her hands the moment she saw him. "I'm sorry," she got out in between sobs. "I shouldn't have doubted you!"
"Oh, silly girl!" Ying Qingcang embraced her as relief settled in his heart. Lowering his head, he kissed her forehead. "You knew damn well that I would've given my heart to you if I could. And yet you stomped all over my heart with those hurtful words."
Xin Qing hugged him tighter and sobbed. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't do it on purpose. I don't even know why I said those things. I... I just... I'm just so scared... I mean what would I even do if something were to happen to Ah Sha..."
"How could I not love Ah Sha when I love you so much?" Ying Qingcang pinched her face with slight anger. "Ah Sha is your daughter. She's my daughter as well. I'm her daddy. How can I not worry about her? You've occupied every single corner of my heart. Anyone you care about is under my protection. I won't ever hurt you. Look, I've already told you a long time ago that your sadness is my suffering."
Xin Qing buried her face against his chest guiltily. Ying Qingcang hooked his finger under her jaw and lifted her head. "Just trust me, okay? No matter what happens in the future, don't ever doubt me again. Think you can do that?"
Xin Qing felt a painful tug in her heart at the hurt she detected in the man's eyes. She nodded forcefully. "I was wrong. I'll trust you from now on, I promise. I won't hurt you again!"
"Alright. Now, time to have a glass of milk and go to sleep." Ying Qingcang climbed off the bed and retrieved a wet towel for Xin Qing to wipe her face. After that, he went downstairs to get a glass of warm milk. When he returned, he saw Zhang Mi and Young Master Shen standing outside Xin Qing's room, giggling. Ying Qingcang gave them both a look of disdain before he opened the door and entered the room.
Young Master Shen turned his head sideways to look at Zhang Mi. "Do you want some milk as well, honey?" he asked.
"You have some?"
Young Master Shen leered at her bosom. "Yours doesn't taste too bad at all. You can taste mine too, if you don't mind!"