The long separation had turned Ying Qingcang into a Taotie monster with an insatiable appetite.
By the time Xin Qing opened her eyes again, she found herself lying on a bed inside the castle's bedroom. Ah Sha was perched on the edge of the bed, staring right at her. Ah Sha was delighted to see that Xin Qing had woken up. Her first reaction was to throw herself at Xin Qing. But she held back all of a sudden. Instead, she pouted, removed her shoes, and climbed onto the bed to sit beside Xin Qing's leg. "Mommy, are you well? Is it okay for you to give Ah Sha a hug?"
That soft, gooey voice coupled with those large, watery eyes was Xin Qing's undoing. Unable to help herself, Xin Qing reached out and pinched Ah Sha's tiny face. "Oh, but mommy isn't sick at all!"
"But daddy said that mommy's unwell, and that mommy can't give Ah Sha hugs."
A blush crept onto Xin Qing's face. She cleared her throat twice and extended her arms towards Ah Sha. "Come here! Let mommy give you a hug!"
Ah Sha wasted no time and dove right into Xin Qing's open arms. Once secured inside Xin Qing's embrace, Ah Sha rubbed herself against Xin Qing's chest. "Mommy, am I your baby?" she asked curiously.
"Of course you are!" Xin Qing bit down playfully on Ah Sha's chubby, bun-like face. "Ah Sha has always been mommy's baby!"
"So if I'm mommy's baby, and mommy is daddy's baby, then what about daddy? Whose baby is daddy?"
The corners of Xin Qing's lips twitched. "Who told you that I'm daddy's baby?"
"Daddy said so himself!" Ah Sha paused in thought. "This morning when daddy carried mommy back, Ah Sha heard daddy say it. He said, 'Get some sleep, baby. Afterwards we'll have lunch together!'"
Xin Qing inwardly chastised Ying Qingcang. Then, she carried Ah Sha off the bed. "Ah Sha," Xin Qing said, "why don't you go look for brother Xunxun? Mommy's going to take a shower!"
"Okay! Go ahead, then, mommy baby!" Ah Sha said in a tone of reverence, causing Xin Qing to chuckle. She decided to forbid Ying Qingcang from simply calling her names from now on.
Xin Qing finished her shower and descended the stairs while drying her hair with a towel. Ying Qingcang and Young Master Shen was just coming out of the study when she came down. When he saw her, Ying Qingcang closed the distance between them in several quick steps. Reaching out, he took the towel from her and led her into the living room. "Don't move," he said. "Let me dry your hair for you."
Just then, a grinning Aunt Tian came in with their congee and brunch. "Ah! Young miss! We can finally have meals together as a family again! How wonderful!"
"Yeah, that's right! A family!" Xin Qing thought. "Mmhm," Xin Qing said, nodding at Aunt Tian. "I'm planning to take care of you once you're older!"
Once Ying Qingcang had dried her hair and she had finished her meal, Ying Qingcang handed Xin Qing her phone. "Zhang Mi called just now. I don't think it's anything important."
"I bet she wants to ask when we're heading back!" Xin Qing said, taking the phone before dialing Zhang Mi's number. True enough, Zhang Mi was screaming her head off the moment she picked up. Young Master Shen snatched the phone away and winked at Xin Qing.
Xunxun ran over with Ah Sha in his arms. "Ah Sha," Xunxun said, pointing at Xin Qing, "your mommy is your daddy's baby. But you can't call her that."
Xin Qing shot Xunxun a glare. "Don't be a bad influence on her."
"Even so, we can't allow her to call you 'baby mommy'!" Xunxun sat down on the couch with Ah Sha. "The term 'baby' can only be used by a man when addressing his woman," Xunxun told her with a straight face.
Ah Sha bit her fingertip. "Then why don't brother Xunxun call me 'baby'!"
"Of course," Xunxun replied. "It goes without saying that Ah Sha is my baby. The same way your mommy is your daddy's baby!"
Ah Sha clapped her hands. "Then, say it! Hurry up! Say it!"
"Baby!" Xunxun called out and then gave her a kiss. Ah Sha dove right into his arms and planted a loud smack on his cheek.
Ying Qingcang and Xin Qing shared a look. Then, in a fierce tone, Ying Qingcang said, "Let's kick this brat out!"
"Yeah, well, you should ask your daughter for permission before you do that." Xin Qing had pretty much thrown in the towel already. At this point, Xunxun was already treating Ah Sha as if she was his wife. Then again, Ah Sha would end up marrying that brat anyway. Might as well let him do whatever he wanted.
They spent one day in England to recuperate. The next morning, when they boarded the chopper for their return journey, Xin Qing suddenly remembered something.
"Why didn't we see Rong Siman around?"
"The old man said that she's in the US with her son to visit a friend," Ying Qingcang said. He thought for a moment, and then added, "Why don't we take a trip to the US as well. It's time to remove your contraceptive implant." That was how they ended up taking a detour to the US. After dropping Young Master Shen off at Uncle Shen's place, Ying Qingcang and Xin Qing paid the hospital a visit. After that everything was settled, they reunited with Young Master Shen, and together, they all returned to S City.
Due to the difference in time zones, it was already midnight by the time they arrived in S City. Ying Qingcang balked at the idea that Ying's residence had once been occupied by Tang Shuang. He decided that the entire Ying's residence needed reworking, which was why they all stayed at Young Master Shen's house for the time being until the renovation works were done.
That night, Young Master Shen and Ying Qingcang sat in the study. The two men were discussing on the best ways to deal with the fallout of recent events.
"Ah Hai hasn't left yet?"
"Nope," Ying Qingcang said, letting out a sneer. "I bet that woman hasn't given up yet."
Young Master Shen thought for a moment. "Let's alert the reporters tomorrow," Young Master Shen said. "Then you can bring Xiao Qingqing and Ah Sha along to the company!"
"That's my plan, too," Ying Qingcang said, nodding. "Since Ah Hai is unable to take her away, let's give him a hand!"
The next day, Ying Qingcang and his family of three arrived at the main entrance of Ying Enterprises' building, which, by the time they showed up, were already teeming with reporters.
"President Ying, can you explain why you're back together with your ex-wife?"
"I heard Miss Tang Shuang had already moved out of Ying's residence. Will you divorce her?"
"President Ying, I heard Miss Tang Shuang had taken your son with away her when she left. Will you fight for custody through legal means?"
It was complete mayhem with a bunch of microphones and cameras all over the place.
"Xunxun, take Ah Sha with you and head inside first," Ying Qingcang said. Then, he gave Ah Che a look. Ah Che nodded at him and led the two children into the building.
Ah Nan stayed behind and began working on maintaining some form of order. Soon, the reporters quieted down. Ying Qingcang held Xin Qing's hand as his eyes swept across everyone present. When his eyes moved to one spot in particular, a cold smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.
"I never did divorce my wife in the first place," Ying Qingcang said. "The woman standing beside me right now is the only person I love. And she is also the person I'll love for the rest of my life. Today, I would like to make a statement, the same statement that I had made last time during my marriage proposal when I transferred all my assets to her. She is my life. She, and she alone is Mrs. Ying."
A ruckus broke out among the reporters. Then, silence descended upon the crowd, which lasted for a brief moment before someone broke it by asking: "So everything that happened before..."
"That woman from before had made use of her medical skills in order to gain some kind of leverage on my lover, thus forcing me into a fake marriage with her." Ying Qingcang laughed. "A disgusting homewrecker, that's what she was. Her actions had driven a wedge between me and my lover. And because of her, my daughter was unable to see her father. If possible, I wish she would never show her face in front of me again. This forced separation had brought enough grief to my wife and me."
A shrill female voice sounded the moment Ying Qingcang stopped speaking: "Ying Qingcang! I dare you to tell her that you've slept with me before!"
The crowd parted in search for the owner of the voice. Tang Shuang walked over with a look of pure hatred on her face. She looked as if she had barely slept a single wink for several nights in a row. It was like she had aged a few years. Even her clothes were filled with wrinkles and creases. Her eyes, however, remained sharp as she glared at Xin Qing. "Your man had slept with me," Tang Shuang said ferociously. "Even if everything was a lie, are you really willing to put aside the fact that he had slept with me?"
Sensing that Ying Qingcang was about to speak, Xin Qing stilled Ying Qingcang with her hand. Then, she met Tang Shuang's eyes calmly. "You knew from the start that things would end up like this, and yet you still went through with your schemes. Ying Qingcang had told you from the start that he'd never fall in love with you. He'd warned you against forcing things to go your way. But instead of repenting, you decided to take things further. Whatever end that befalls you today is what you have brought upon yourself."
"Hahaha!" Tang Shuang's body shook erratically in hysterical laughter. When Tang Shuang smiled at Xin Qing, a glimmer of tears was noticeable in the corner of Tang Shuang's eyes. "So what? Having your man touch me should be enough to disgust you, isn't it? His performance in bed is impossible to forget, you know. Besides, do you think you can handle him with that weak body of yours?"
Another voice cut in. "I'm glad you found my performance satisfying. I always try my best when it comes to bringing women pleasure." Then, a man stepped out from behind Ying Qingcang. At that point, not only Tang Shuang, but everyone present was taken by utter shock.
"It's... It's the same?" A loud gasp was heard from the crowd.
Standing before everyone were two Ying Qingcangs which were the exact carbon copies of each other. The only difference between them was the demeanor of each one: one carried himself with a haughty and prominent air whereas the other had a tiny smile on his face.
"Two Ying Qingcangs?" Tang Shuang's eyes widened in fear, completely clueless as to what was happening.
All of a sudden, there was a change in the voice of the second Ying Qingcang. He pointed at himself and said, "Looks like the plastic surgery is successful. None of you could tell the difference!"
"Oh, so it's done by plastic surgery!" The reporters broke out in whispers.
Shaking her head, Tang Shuang began yelling hysterically. "It was you! The one who showed up at Ying's residence that day was you?"
"That's right!" Xiao Qi looked at her in contempt. "You can't even tell the difference between a fake and the real one. And yet you have the nerve to claim that you love President Ying."
"So it was you who had slept with me?" Tang Shuang yelled in despair. Ying Qingcang released a mocking laugh. "Do you think I'd actually touch you? Since when have I touched you after our fake marriage?"
"Like I said before, you're just another foolish woman who can't even tell if a man truly loves you!" Xiao Qi went on.
Still, Tang Shuang remained in denial. "How dare you lie to me from the start?" Tang Shuang lashed out at Ying Qingcang in between sobs. Ying Qingcang held Xin Qing against his body and returned Tang Shuang's accusations with a cold look. "I've already told you hundreds of times that I'll never ever fall for you. You're the one who were so hell-bent on playing this game. What I did was to set the rule of the game. From the start till the end, you're the only one who's being played."
Tang Shuang covered her face with her hands and fell limply to the ground. She kept sobbing and chanting to herself: "It's fake. All of it is fake..."
Ying Qingcang lowered his head and spoke softly to Xin Qing. "Let's go," he said. Then, with a hand on the small of Xin Qing's back, he led her into Ying Enterprises' main building.
Xiao Qi waved at the reporters before he, too, turned around and followed them. Ah Hai emerged from the crowd, hoping to carry Tang Shuang away from the scene.
"Ah Hai!" Tang Shuang clung to him tightly. "I don't believe any of this. None of this is real. Tell me that none of this is real!"
Ah Hai placed a hand on her shoulder and sighed. "I've told you a long time ago that he'd been lying to you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given me a chance."
"I don't believe it!" Tang Shuang snapped, laughing through her tears. She stood up, fully intending to chase after Ying Qingcang. But Ah Hai held her back. "Stop this nonsense. There are so many reporters here. Do you want to make a name for yourself?"
"I don't care!" Tang Shuang shouted hysterically. Then, she began screaming in the direction that Ying Qingcang had just gone, although Ying Qingcang had already vanished through the building's main entrance at that point. "Ying Qingcang! Why did you treat me like this? Why? I love you! Is that so wrong?! Is that really so wrong?!"
Seeing that Tang Shuang was becoming more and more hysterical, Ah Hai decided to knock her out and then carry her away.
Back in the hotel, Ah Hai deposited Tang Shuang on the bed. After that, he picked up the baby and watched Tang Shuang's unconscious form. He smiled. "This is for the best, isn't it?" he thought.
When Tang Shuang woke up, she saw Ah Hai in the middle of packing. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked angrily.
Ah Hai approached her and stroked her cheeks gently. "I bet you've given up this time, right? We'll leave after I'm done packing."
For a moment, Tang Shuang just stared back at him. Then, all of a sudden, the look in her eyes transformed into a glare and she leaped off the bed. In one swift motion, she picked up the baby and raised it high above her head.
"Like hell I'm going back with you. I'm going to smash this damned child to death! And then I'll look for Xin Qing to get my revenge. I want her to suffer in pain. And then I'll force Ying Qingcang to get on his knees and beg me for forgiveness!"
The insanity contained in Tang Shuang's eyes appalled Ah Hai. Once he had recovered from his shock, a dark look formed on his face.
"Are you aware of what you're doing?"
Tang Shuang laughed. "Of course I'm aware. I told you I'm looking for revenge. I don't want this child!"