"Young master, we saved the woman," one of his henchmen said as he brought Xu Li towards Young Master Shen. The woman's face was tear-stained; she looked extremely pitiable. The look on her face turned into shock the moment she recognized Young Master Shen.
"Mr- Mr. Shen?"
Young Master Shen laughed at her aghast look. He raised his hand in greeting. "Have a seat!"
After they were both seated, he asked, "You here alone?"
Xu Li glanced at Young Master Shen timidly. "I came here with a friend at first," she said. "But she met some guys and the next thing I know, she's nowhere to be seen." Xu Li pressed a hand on her chest. "Thank God I ran into you, Mr. Shen. I'm sure those men would've dragged me away today otherwise."
"You're welcome. Though things like these rarely happen in my territory. Usually both parties are consenting." He paused, glancing at Xu Li. "Then again, I'm not surprised that my house rules were broken, considering how beautiful Miss Xu is. Don't you worry, though. I'll deal with those guys later."
Xu Li stared back at him with large eyes. The longer he looked at her, the more eye-catching he found her to be. She smiled at him shyly. "I'll be more careful next time. I won't take up any more of your time, then. I'm going home."
"Right!" Young Master Shen stood up. "I just so happen to be heading home as well. Let me give you a ride!"
Xu Li's eyes sparkled. Smiling, she trailed after him. Young Master Shen had kept a smirk on his face throughout the entire drive. Only when Xu Li had gotten out of his car did he let out a mocking laugh. Then, he pulled out his phone.
"Keep digging," he said into the phone. "Something isn't right with that Xu Li woman."
Zhang Mi was engaged in a video game when he got home. When Young Master Shen removed his jacket, a lipstick fell out of its pocket. Zhang Mi, with her quick reflexes, made a grab for it and picked it up. "Tell me," she said. "Where did you fool around again?"
"Haha!" Young Master Shen glanced at the lipstick. Then, seeing that Zhang Mi was still in a state of stupor, he sneakily planted a kiss on her cheek. "Look carefully. Doesn't it look familiar?"
Zhang Mi twisted the cap of the lipstick and peeked at its color. She turned the tube around twice, studying it. Then, she clapped her hands together. "This belongs to Xu Li!"
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. She recommended this brand to me a few days ago. She even let me try out this one!" Zhang Mi paused all of a sudden and gave Young Master Shen a suspicious look. "How come you have it?"
Young Master Shen poured himself a glass of red wine, his handsome face glowing under the ambient lighting. Zhang Mi could not help but lower her head. Then, she heard his amused tone: "Say, how will a wife react if she finds her husband coming home during the middle of the midnight with a lipstick in his pocket? And what if that lipstick even belongs to her friend?"
Zhang Mi's answer came out instinctively. "She will accuse the husband as a cheater, and then divorce the shameless man without paying him a single cent of alimony!" She paused suddenly, dazed. After a long while, it hit her. "She... She did it on purpose?"
Young Master Shen patted Zhang Mi's head. "Ah, so you're not stupid after all!"
"But why? Why is she doing this?" Zhang Mi could think of no reason at all for Xu Li's actions. "Could it be... Could it be that she's fallen for you?"
The reason Xu Li had done what she did was none other than to incite an argument between Zhang Mi and Young Master Shen. Of course, she would step forward and try to clear things up later on, and would try to appear gracious and innocent while doing so. By then, any normal man would find himself drawn to this kind of woman. From there, the affair would happen eventually even if there really was nothing at the beginning. Things would escalate to the point where Xu Li and Young Master Shen did have something between them. After that, it would just be a matter of time before Zhang Mi got tossed aside.
Too bad Xu Li had completely misunderstood the nature of the relationship between Zhang Mi and Young Master Shen...
Zhang Mi chuckled. "This is like bringing a romantic gift right to your doorsteps! Why don't you just accept it?"
Young Master Shen's mood brightened instantly at the jealousy which he had detected in her tone. In one swift motion, he yanked Zhang Mi to his side. "It'll be a soul-ripping and life-threatening gift, I'm afraid!"
"Let go of me!" Zhang Mi kicked out with her leg. "Hey, stop kicking around," Young Master Shen chastised. Zhang Mi sat down across from Young Master Shen. "Something's not right with Xu Li, isn't it?" she asked him in annoyance.
"We're still looking into it," Young Master Shen said, stroking his chin. "Just be careful, okay? Don't meet up with her alone."
"Don't worry. Every time I meet her, it's either at the gym or at the coffee shop. She won't get the chance to do anything to me."
A few days later, Zhang Mi went back to the gym. As usual, Xu Li invited her for coffee.
"Are you well these days?" Xu Li asked.
Zhang Mi smiled at her. "Of course I am."
Xu Li hesitated for a moment and then asked Zhang Mi another question: "How are things between you and your husband?"
"Things are going well," Zhang Mi said, maintaining her cheery appearance. "Why are you suddenly taking an interest in my marital life?"
Xu Li smiled and gave Zhang Mi an envious look. "Argh! I was just thinking that I've run out of luck in the romance department. But of course, I do wish that you enjoy your married life. Your husband seems wealthy. Aren't you worried at all?"
"What's there to worry about?" Zhang Mi said, sipping her coffee. "Sometimes, things are just inevitable. If it's meant to happen, it will happen. Nobody will be able to stop it if a man changes his heart."
Xu Li's expression turned serious upon hearing Zhang Mi's comment. "I'm just saying, that's all! You should still be careful, though. I mean, hey, it's men! You need to keep an eye on them, or else they will make a mistake sooner or later. My friends will always check their husband's clothing, phone and even their cars everyday. You need to let your man know that you have your eyes on them every second of the day." Noticing that Zhang Mi's silence, Xu Li went on, "Have you checked your husband's clothes recently?"
"Why bother?" Zhang Mi scoffed. "If he really did something behind my back, he would've dealt with it before coming home. Why would he bring any traces of his affair home?"
Xu Li frowned and said nothing else after that. Zhang Mi glanced at her with an amused expression. "Why are you so concerned?" Zhang Mi asked. "Could it be that you've seen my husband with other women?"
"No, that's not it at all!" Xu Li stared at Zhang Mi with wide eyes. "I'd immediately take a photo as proof if I really see something like that."
Zhang Mi raised her coffee cup. "Then I guess I should thank you in advance, then!"
When Young Master Shen arrived to pick Zhang Mi up that night, Xu Li suddenly spoke up in embarrassment. "Mr. Shen... I... There's something I've been meaning to ask you... But I don't know whether I should."
Young Master Shen and Zhang Mi shared a look with each other. "What kind of question is it that you can't just come right out with it?" Young Master Shen asked. Zhang Mi deliberately clung to Young Master Shen's arm in an overly affectionate manner. "Xu Li, you don't have to act so formally," she said. "Just speak your mind!"
"That... That day when you send me home, I accidentally dropped my lipstick on your car..." Xu Li said carefully, all the while watching Zhang Mi's reaction. Seeing the crease on Zhang Mi's brows, she quickly added, "Zhang Mi, don't take it the wrong way, okay! I was at the bar that night. Mr. Shen got me out of trouble. Then, he sent me home."
"Oh?" Zhang Mi shot Young Master Shen an exaggerated glare. "And you just so happen to neglect to mention it to me?" she asked.
Xu Li answered before Young Master Shen could open his mouth. "I guess he was just worried that you might misunderstand. That's actually the reason why I gave you so many reminders just now. It's because I wanted to bring up this incident." Xu Li blushed and looked at Young Master Shen coyly.
Zhang Mi chuckled in amusement. "What? You were just reminding me to keep an eye on my husband and watch out for the fact that he might be fooling around with other women outside our marriage. What does that even have to do with him helping you out? Those are like two different things, okay?"
"Ah!" Xu Li exclaimed in surprise. She had probably not been anticipating such a reaction from Zhang Mi and was thus thrown into a state of panic. In the end, she resigned herself to giving Young Master Shen a teary look, as if she could burst into tears any second.
Young Master Shen did not even spare her a glance, though. Instead, he opened the car door for Zhang Mi chivalrously and shielded Zhang Mi's head with his palm as she climbed into the car. "Let's hurry back home," he said. "Aunt Tian has prepared hotpot for us at home tonight!"
Zhang Mi settled herself in the passenger seat. Then, she lowered the car window and handed Xu Li the lipstick. "Be more careful next time!" Zhang Mi said, and then she waved at Xu Li. The two of them drove off in the car. Lipstick in hand, Xu Li just stood there without a single reaction. After a long while, she stomped her feet and stalked off.
Lately, Xin Qing had been picky when it came to her food choices, though she had yet to show any signs of morning sickness, which delighted Ying Qingcang very much. Whatever Xin Qing feel like eating, he would give it to her. Every night, Zhang Mi and Young Master Shen would come by to enjoy free dinner. Here, they got to enjoy any kind of food that existed on Earth.
"So there was something wrong with that Xu Li after all! Tsk, tsk," Xin Qing remarked after Zhang Mi had filled her in on everything. "It's obvious that she's targetting you and Young Master Shen!"
Ying Qingcang placed a piece of Matsutake mushroom on her bowl. "Don't think too much when you eat," he said. "It's bad for your digestion."
"Only a pig doesn't think of anything while it eats!" Xin Qing rolled her eyes at him. "Didn't you guys already run background checks on her? How come she's still able to take advantage of you both?"
"If her target is you, I would've made my move ages ago, regardless of what the background check says," Ying Qingcang said, glancing at Young Master Shen who was still fighting with Zhang Mi over a piece of abalone. Then, he said to Young Master in an irritated tone, "What are you planning to do?"
"Nothing," Young Master Shen said, shoving the piece of abalone into his mouth. "I won't make any moves until my guys report their findings to me. I very much want to know why she's trying to approach me."
Having failed to acquire that piece of abalone, Zhang Mi glared at Young Master Shen with a look of hatred. "See? She was indeed targetting you. I'm just collateral damage!"
"Aww!" Young Master Shen placed the half-bitten abalone onto Zhang Mi's bowl. "This is a test of our feelings for each other!"
"Bullshit! Who has feelings for you?" Just like that, the piece of abalone, the one that Zhang Mi had just placed into her mouth, spewed out and ended up on the table. At that sight, Xin Qing suddenly covered her mouth, pushed away from the table and bolted straight to the washroom.
Startled, Ying Qingcang leaped to his feet and caught up to her in a few steps. "Slow down, slow down!" he yelled. Xin Qing threw up violently, and when she was done, she looked as if she had been to hell and back. Ying Qingcang carried her out from the washroom towards the dining table. The moment he got her settled in front of the dining table, Xin Qing's mouth dropped open and she started gagging again. Nothing came out this time, and she ended up dry-heaving.
The few of them bustled about pouring water, bringing milk, or doing whatever it took to make her feel comfortable. Aunt Tian and Uncle Fu quickly put the hotpot away and they opened all the windows in the house for better air circulation. After a long while, Xin Qing finally calmed down. She leaned against Ying Qingcang with her hand pressed to her chest.
"This sucks," she sobbed into Ying Qingcang's chest, her hands clawing at his shirt. Tears swirled around in her eyes. Ying Qingcang stared at her tiny face, which was now increasingly pale. Waves of pain tugged at his chest at the sight of her teary eyes, and yet he had no idea what to do other than patting her back gently. "Fine, fine. Let's stop eating and smelling food. Let's visit the hospital tomorrow, okay? There should be a way to stop the vomitting."
With that kind of ignorant mindset, they went to the hospital. Xin Qing's countenance was even paler when they returned, and the space between her brows was marred with a deep frown. Ying Qingcang scowled darkly. According to the doctor, there was nothing to be done; morning sickness was a normal symptom of pregnancy. The sickness would be mild for some people while intense for others. Xin Qing belonged to the latter group. She would basically throw up whatever that she put into her mouth. The only thing they could do was to wait for the sickness to slowly disappear.
From then on, Xin Qing had slowly begun losing the weight that she had put on for the past few months. There was literally nothing she could stomach. Ying Qingcang had practically been to all the restaurants in S City just to bring her food. Heck, he had even tried to buy her food from one of those roadside stalls. Still, Xin Qing would vomit. In other words, the only thing that Xin Qing could consume without throwing up was plain water. As Xin Qing lose more and more weight, Ying Qingcang's emotional state was growing more and more unstable as well. Today, when he was in a meeting with Ding Lei, Ding Lei shot a helpless look at him.
"Look, man. Why don't you just go home?" Ding Lei said. "You're going to scare people to death looking like that. Our Qianqian had heard about it. I'll send her over to visit Xin Qing tomorrow."