Chen Huan and the others were standing in a line on a wooden bridge in the villa zone. Xin Qing and Zhang Mi were staring at Boss Wan with worried looks on their faces whereas Ying Qingcang, Young Master Shen, and Xunxun were looking at him gloatingly. Chen Huan stood in the front of the queue with an amused expression.
"What a coincidence!" Boss Wan said, shoving Avril away. "You're here on a vacation as well?"
Splash! The villa zone had been established in a shallow region of the gulf. When Boss Wan shoved Avril away just now, he had failed to control his strength. Avril fell straight into the sea.
"I think you should help her up first," said Chen Huan, pointing a finger at Avril. "Her bikini had fallen off."
Apparently, the bikini that Avril had worn was not designed for taking dips in the sea; the fabric came loose the moment it came into contact with water, revealing Avril's voluptuous twin mounds. Zhang Mi's first reaction was to glance at Young Master Shen, who smiled back at her before he turned away from the scene. Xin Qing did not have to worry about Ying Qingcang at all; the man's hand on the small of her back was already pushing her forward and away from the scene. Beside her ear, Ying Qingcang's menacing grumble sounded.
"Fucking disgusting."
"She's just someone asking me for directions, that's all. I don't know her!" Boss Wan said with a straight face. After that, he trailed after Chen Huan. "Here, let me take your luggage for you!" Throughout the entire exchange, Boss Wan's facial expression was completely neutral and impassive. Xin Qing wondered if he had suffered some kind of permanent damage in his facial muscle tissues.
Once they got settled, Chen Huan came to look for Xin Qing.
"You guys set me up, didn't you?"
The gears in Xin Qing's mind turned. She recalled what Xunxun had told her last time: "My mom has a very high IQ. But her EQ is practically zero. You don't have to stress too much about your plans to set her up with my old man. I assure you that she'll take the bait!"
"What? That's impossible," Xin Qing said, feigning a look of surprise. "How do we even know where to find Boss Wan, anyway? He usually just pops out of nowhere."
Chen Huan thought for a moment. "True," she said. "That man is so busy, though. How did he end up here for a vacation?"
"Who knows? Maybe he's suddenly not busy anymore?" Xin Qing said, patting Chen Huan's head. "Isn't this perfect, though? You can now enjoy a vacation together. I'm sure a chance liks this is hard to come by!"
"Hey, that's scary, okay?" Chen Huan grabbed Xin Qing's hand. "He's a frigging international terrorist, you know. It's too risky for him to even show up on your island. Ooh, I know. Why don't you chase him off the island!"
Xin Qing found the whole thing highly amusing. Based on what Ying Qingcang had told her, Chen Huan and Boss Wan had known each other for seven years. Heck, they even had Xunxun together. But the thing was, Chen Huan refused to marry Boss Wan no matter what. She kept insisting that she was the victim.
Then again, throughout the long years where Boss Wan was involved in the production of biological weapons, not a single one of the weird gadgets he used had not been given to him by Chen Huan. Not even the country had access to Chen Huan's gadgets, and yet she had given them straight to Boss Wan. It was glaringly obvious that Chen Huan cared about him. What, did she think everyone else was blind?
In Xunxun's own words, Chen Huan and Boss Wan had "fallen into bed by accident" that year; that was how Xunxun came to this world. It was also the reason for Chen Huan's long-standing belief that Boss Wan only wanted to marry her because of her son, not because he loved her. Plus, they had both been busy with their own thing all year long, so they did not really have the chance to talk and make things clear between them. This time around, Boss Wan was hell-bent on sealing the deal and finally getting himself a wife. Too bad everything was ruined before it even began.
"Don't worry about it, okay? He and Ying Qingcang are good friends," Xin Qing said. "Who knows he might join us for lunch later!"
Chen Huan thought Xin Qing had totally jinxed it; Boss Wan really did end up joining them for lunch. In fact, he was sitting right beside her. Chen Huan stood up to leave. But Xunxun slinked up to her and whispered, "If you go, he'll think that you care."
"Alrighty, then! Let's eat!" Chen Huan thought, sitting back down in a dignified and regal manner. Throughout the meal, she behaved herself and acted graciously. She even finished every bit of food that Boss Wan had placed on her plate. Still, she managed to sneak away the very instant lunch was over. Boss Wan nonchalantly took the key from Xunxun's hand. Turning to Boss Wan, Young Master Shen pressed his right fist against the flat of his palm and held them out in front of his chest, just like how a martial artist would greet his opponent before a duel. "All you need to do now is to get her on a bed and boom! Mission accomplished!" said Young Master Shen. That comment earned him a vicious kick under the table from Zhang Mi.
Xin Qing's original plan was to bring Zhang Mi around the island to do some sightseeing, since Zhang Mi would be heading to New York with Young Master Shen tomorrow to spend the Chinese New Year with Shen Batian before rejoining the group on the fifth day of Chinese New Year. Too bad Ying Qingcang had other ideas in mind when he dragged Xin Qing back to their room after the meal.
"Let's take a nap," Ying Qingcang said, his hands working on taking her clothes off as they headed in the direction of the bedroom.
Xin Qing smacked his hands away. "I can get changed on my own."
With darkened eyes, Ying Qingcang watched as Xin Qing ran off to get changed. The corners of his lips tugged into a smirk and he stripped himself naked. Then, he lay on the bed and waited for her return. Xin Qing had changed into a pair of long pajama bottoms and a long-sleeved shirt. When she pulled the covers off, she shrieked.
"Why are you naked?!"
Ying Qingcang rolled over and trapped her body beneath his. "We're going to sleep, right? Of course we have to be naked." After that, he tugged her shirt upwards and over her head. When the shirt reached her wrists, he paused and tied the shirt together in a knot.
Beside the bed, the vast and endless expanse of blue ocean lay. Tall conifers swayed in the breeze. Xin Qing felt her thoughts growing heavier as it sank lower, bit by bit. It felt as if she was now wrapped up in the warmth of the ocean, like she had been turned into to pieces of seagrass...
Some time later, Ying Qingcang carried her to the water where they took a dip together. Her smooth, lustrous skin gleamed amidst the cerulean sea water, rendering Ying Qingcang incapable of taking his hands off her. He felt himself sinking deeper as his entire being drowned in the beauty that was Xin Qing.
Limp and languid, Xin Qing leaned herself against his chest, humming appreciateively as she allowed him to make love to her.
It was already nightfall when Ying Qingcang finished off their final round of lovemaking. By then, the sea water had gone still and, due to the villa's lighting, was starting to resemble a piece of beautiful sapphire. Light reflected and glimmered on the water surface like layers of fish scales. The water splashed against both of their bodies as Xin Qing shifted in Ying Qingcang's embrace. Ying Qingcang had no intention of letting her go.
"Hey, hold on. Let me just stay like this for a while!"
Xin Qing glared at him, and the look in her eyes made Ying Qingcang's length hardened again. Xin Qing felt the change in his body and quickly sat still.
"It's easier to get pregnant this way according to the doctor!" Ying Qingcang bit down on her earlobe. "We need to hurry up and make a son."
"What's wrong with a daughter?" Xin Qing grumbled in dissastisfaction.
Ying Qingcang stroked the flesh around her waist, pinching it occasionally. "A daughter's fine, too, of course!" he said with alacrity. "But it will have to be after we have a son."
"You're a sexist!"
"No, silly!" Ying Qingcang kissed her. "Do you really want our daughter to inherit Ying Enterprises and be buried in an endless pile of work?" He paused. "Daughters have to be spoiled, just like Ah Sha. I will give her whatever she wants. I just want her to grow up happily, that's all. And then when the time comes, I'll hand her over to the care of another man. That way, she can live out the rest of her life in happiness."
"Pfft!" Xin Qing released a muffled laugh. "What about your son, then? Your son will have to work his ass off, is that it?"
"My son must take over Ying Enterprises," Ying Qingcang said, his tone turning serious. "He has to expand the business empire that I've built with my own two hands. He has to carry the torch of my legacy." Ying Qingcang lowered his head and stared at Xin Qing. That was when he noticed the pensive look on her face. He chuckled and pinched her cheek. "Come on, don't start having weird ideas, now. Worse comes to worse, we just have to have a few more children. I mean, if we have more children, one of them will surely want to inherit the family business, right?"
"We'll have two!" Xin Qing held out two fingers. "Any more than that won't do! We already have Ah Sha. By adding two more, we'll have three children in total."
Ying Qingcang nodded. "As you wish."
"Only if it's two sons, of course," he thought. "Daughters won't count..."
After that, they made themselves presentable and headed down to the restaurant, where they saw Young Master Shen and Boss Wan sitting there, scowling. Xin Qing glanced around. "Where's Chen Huan and Zhang Mi?" she asked. They heard a gloating laugh from Xunxun, who was enjoying a swim with Ah Sha in the pool beside them. "They went to check out the dolphins. They've been gone for the whole afternoon."
No wonder those two men looked so grumpy like they wanted to kill themselves. Xin Qing chuckled and pulled Ying Qingcang to sit down. "Well, it's probably game over for Young Master Shen anyway. But there's still hope for you, Boss Wan. You've got to keep it up! Tonight, we'll lock the door. Chen Huan won't be able to run."
"I think you've underestimated her lethality," Xunxun said, dousing Xin Qing's plans with cold water. "Will you believe it if I say she's capable of melting the whole frigging villa?"
Xin Qing gulped. She would totally believe that.
Boss Wan stood up. "I'll go hide out in the room first," he said.
Everyone looked at each other silently. Somehow, they had a feeling that things would end up in a disaster. The following morning, Chen Huan showed up for breakfast full of energy. Boss Wan, on the other hand, walked in with a stiff posture.
"What's the matter with you?" Zhang Mi asked him quietly. "Did you overdo it?" Then again, that did not seem like the case at all...
Boss Wan glowered wordlessly. Chen Huan chuckled. "Last night, a certain someone tried to climb into my bed. But my reflexes were too quick and I poured a handful of petrification agent on him!"
"Pfft!" Xunxun burst out laughing. "Hahaha!" He pointed at Boss Wan. "No wonder you look so stiff. So you've been hard for the whole night!"
"Give me some! Give me some!" Zhang Mi yelled enthusiastically.
Young Master Shen quickly yanked down Zhang Mi's outstretched hand. "What do you want it for? You're so clumsy, what if you poured it onto yourself?"
Amidst their bickering, a knock sounded at the door.
"Hi, everyone! Nice to meet you all! Can I come in?" Avril stood at the door, dressed in a white chiffon dress. As if on cue, an ocean breeze wafted in, lifting her skirt slightly to reveal her toned thighs.
Xin Qing stared at her. "This is a private area."
"Mrs. Ying," Avril said in a hurry. "I'm here for Boss Wan!"
Boss Wan, who was already in a foul mood, felt even worse now all thanks to the appearance of this shameless bitch. He was just about to speak up, but Chen Huan beat him to it. "Then I suggest you both catch up with each other elsewhere," Chen Huan said in a strange tone. "It's so cramped here. We don't have enough room to fit you in."
"That's perfect!" Avril glanced at Boss Wan with a deeply affectionate look. "Let's go to the restaurant across and catch up over breakfast!"
Boss Wan's dark eyes traveled all over Chen Huan's face. Chen Huan could feel his eyes on her, causing her flesh to break out in goosebumps. Before Chen Huan could return his stare with a glare of her own, Boss Wan stood up and smiled. "Alright then!" he said. "Let's go."
As they left, Avril had even attempted to shove her huge boobs onto Young Master Shen, rubbing them against his body.
"See that, folks? That's a man for you," Chen Huan said in annoyance, stabbing the lobster on her plate with more force than necessary.
Xin Qing shuddered and glanced at Ying Qingcang. Ying Qingcang peeled a piece of shrimp for her. "It's okay," he said. "Let's eat!"
"Say..." Zhang Mi whispered beside Young Master Shen's ear. "Do you think Chen Huan will head over there?"
Young Master Shen glanced at Chen Huan, who was stabbing the ever-loving shit out of the lobster head. He pursed his lips. "Oh, yeah. She most definitely will. And then that woman will meet a terrible end."
As he commented, Young Master Shen's thumb made a horizontal movement across his neck, mimicking a throat-slitting gesture.
"I, on the other hand, hope she would kick Boss Wan's arse, too."
Young Master Shen shoved a piece of meat into Zhang Mi's mouth. "Oh, just eat your food!"
Avril raised her glass of red wine and leaned herself against Boss Wan. "Come, let's drink!"
Boss Wan took the glass and brought it to his lips. His nostril flared, and the corners of his lips tugged upwards. He emptied the glass in a single gulp. Seeing that he had drunk the whole thing, Avril happily poured herself another glass. Just like that, the drinks kept coming, and soon, Boss Wan was standing up on unsteady feet, holding his head with his hand.
Avril stood up smugly and stepped forward to support him. "I'll take you back to your room!"