"No, dummy!" Young Master Shen smacked Zhang Mi upside her head. "She's already married."
For a long moment, Zhang Mi just stared back at him stupidly. Then, she gave out a loud cry and dove into his arms. "Why did you take that bullet for me? Do you know how dangerous that was? You were close to... to not being able to wake up..."
Zhang Mi had bumped into Young Master Shen's wounds, which hurt like a b*tch. Still, he endured the pain rather than push her away. He even pulled her tighter into his embrace. "Now do you believe me?" he asked.
For the next few days, Zhang Mi became abnormally obedient. Heck, she even became extremely gentle. The sudden change in Zhang Mi's demeanor had sent Young Master Shen into a bit of a tailspin.
"Xiao Qingqing, are you positive that there's nothing wrong with that girl?"
Xin Qing curled her lips at Young Master Shen's question. As Ying Qingcang helped her to her seat, she flicked a glance at Young Master Shen. "Oh, how awful of you to even imply that there's something wrong with her!" Xin Qing chided.
"Oh, come on. You know as well as I do how she was normally like in her usual interactions with me. She's always so fierce and feisty. But her sudden obedience right not just creeps me out," Young Master Shen said, leaning back against the headboard. The colors had returned to his face, and he looked far better than he did just a few days ago. He could be discharged next week according to the doctor.
Just then, Zhang Mi pushed open the door and walked entered the room. She was delighted to see Xin Qing and Ying Qingcang there. "What goodies did Aunt Tian make today?" she asked.
Xin Qing handed a plastic bag to her. "Steamed dumplings and a few snacks!"
Zhang Mi took the containers from the bag and shoved a pair of chopsticks into Young Master Shen's hand. "Come. Hurry up and eat!" she said.
Young Master Shen shot a hesitant look at Xin Qing, who grinned back at him without saying anything.
However, it was Ying Qingcang who suddenly piped up. "Why are you being so nice to him? Are you afraid that he might fool around with other women once he gets better?"
Young Master Shen found himself nearly choking to death as he broke into a series of coughs. He glared at Ying Qingcang. "Do you have a fucking death wish? I'm not going to look for other women," Young Master Shen protested. Then, he flicked a nervous glance at Zhang Mi.
Zhang Mi filled up his bowl with soup and smiled at him. "I believe you!"
Young Master Shen was satisfied with that. After that, the two of them began acting disgustingly sweet by feeding each other. Ying Qingcang scowled and dragged Xin Qing away.
"Why are we leaving so early?" Xin Qing glanced at her watch. It was only 8PM.
Ying Qingcang leveled her with a serious look. "It's the fourth month today."
"Huh?" It was not until she was climbing into the car that Xin Qing finally understood it. She blushed and glared at the man who was driving the car. "Truly an animal!" she scolded inwardly.
Once they were home, Ying Qingcang carried Xin Qing and prepared to head upstairs. But Ah Sha, who was currently watching TV with Xunxun, suddenly ran over to him and hugged his leg.
"Daddy," Ah Sha said, "Ah Sha's advertisement will be aired today. Mommy, come watch it together!"
Xunxun grinned at them gloatingly. Xin Qing shot Ying Qingcang a glare and jumped down from his arms; Ying Qingcang was so startled by her actions that he nearly fell to his knees. In the end, he watched Ah Sha's advertisement patiently from start to finish, even spent a long time praising her performance.
Seeing that Ah Sha was still clinging to Xin Qing, Ying Qingcang decided that a little bit of intervention was in order. "Alright, Ah Sha! Mommy is carrying a baby in her, so she needs to rest early. Go play with Xunxun!"
Ah Sha pulled away and sat down obediently the moment she heard it. "Then, go to sleep, mommy!"
Xin Qing blushed and was carried upstairs by Ying Qingcang.
"Go take a bath first!" Xin Qing shoved him away. Ying Qingcang planted a vicious kiss on her lips and said, "Take off your clothes!" By the time he came out of the bathroom, Ying Qingcang saw that Xin Qing was already fast asleep. A certain man, whose brain had now been taken over by his dick, crawled under the covers and began working his mojo. His kisses and touches finally roused Xin Qing from sleep.
"Ah Cang... I'm so tired. Stop it!"
Ying Qingcang had kept it in his pants for a few months in a row; he was already at his breaking point. Carefully, he sought pleasure from Xin Qing's body. He dared not touch her again after the first round out of concern for her pregnancy. Instead, he bathed Xin Qing and carried her back to bed, where he pulled her into his arms. After sharing a final kiss, they went to sleep.
For the next few days, Ying Qingcang would tease her every night, asking for at least one round of sex. Because of that, Xin Qing felt too lethargic during the day to even visit the hospital. Today, she caught a glimpse of the calendar as she was sending Xunxun and Ah Sha off. Only then did she realize, much to her surprise, that it would be Ying Qingcang's birthday tomorrow. In recent years, she had never done anything for his birthday. She would have to make it up to him this year.
At the thought, Xin Qing quickly got changed and asked Ah Che to drive her to the mall. She wanted to shop for Ying Qingcang's birthday gift. She even made a reservation at a restaurant for a candlelight dinner. After that, she would put on sexy lingerie and please him in bed. It was the perfect plan. But as she was coming out of the mall, she felt a sharp pain inside her head as if a needle had pierced through her skull. She held her head and released a scream, which startled Ah Che who was opening the car door for her.
"Young miss?" Ah Che moved quickly and was already there beside her, holding her up. "What's wrong?"
Xin Qing shook her head and was just about to say that she was fine when another surge of pain, more intense this time, shot through her head. The pain was so unbearable that she had to lower herself to the ground. Down on the ground, Xin Qing began screaming in agony. Ah Che knew immediately that things were starting to get out of hand, so he struck Xin Qing at the back of her head, knocking her out. Then, he carried her into the car and drove swiftly to the hospital while he called Ying Qingcang.
Xin Qing was still being examined when Ying Qingcang arrived at the hospital. Zhang Mi and Young Master Shen were waiting outside the examination room as well.
"Calm down, man. Maybe the problem lies elsewhere," Young Master Shen said in a low voice. "The doctors did a neuroimaging just now. They still haven't figured out the problem yet."
"But it's already been half a year. Could it be that Chen Huan's medication..." Zhang Mi trailed off worriedly. All of a sudden, Ying Qingcang's gaze swept towards Zhang Mi. His eyes were like glaciers, so incomparably dark and cold.
"I believe she will be fine. No matter what the cause is, she will be fine," said Ying Qingcang. A murderous aura surrounded Ying Qingcang right then, as if he was prepared to bring utter destruction anytime.
Young Master Shen wrapped his arm around Zhang Mi and patted her shoulder. Zhang Mi sniffed and leaned into his embrace without saying another word. Sometime later, the doctor emerged from the examination room while Xin Qing was wheeled out by a nurse. Her eyes were shut and her brows were pulled into a slight frown. Her entire face was as white as a sheet. Ying Qingcang squeezed himself into the space behind the wheelchair, pushing the nurse aside. He wanted to push Xin Qing himself. His eyes sought out the doctor's.
After a moment of hesitation, the doctor started to speak. "Mr. Ying..." said the doctor, "The neural configuration of Mrs. Ying's brain seems very strange to us. It's like her brain had been penetrated by something before it was compressed forcefully, causing a build-up of pressure. Right now, the pressure is too overwhelming, so her entire cranial cavity is like a balloon."
"Why is this happening?" Ying Qingcang asked calmly, though his eyes held nothing but panic.
The doctor considered his words carefully. "I'm guessing it has something to do with her pregnancy. Fetal growth will stimulate the nerve cells inside her brain."
"What if we abort the child?" Ying Qingcang asked without hesitation, causing Zhang Mi to cover her mouth and stare at him with wide eyes.
"I can't make any guarantees..." The doctor sighed. "I've already put in a call to a hospital in the United States. Tonight, an expert neurologist will be here to work with us. We'll do further examinations for your wife by then."
Ying Qingcang carried Xin Qing onto the hospital bed and draped a blanket over her. His fingers caressed Xin Qing's cheek. "Will she be in constant pain? Or can it be controlled?" he asked.
"No, she won't be feeling constant pain. And based on my estimation so far, the time between each episode of pain is probably quite long. But in the future..."
In that instant, Ying Qingcang's eyes grew as dark as the night sky, as if they were capable of swallowing a person whole. A long moment passed where silence reigned. Seeing that nobody had spoken, the doctor left quietly. Zhang Mi tugged at Young Master Shen's sleeve.
"Why don't you step outside for a bit? I'll talk to him," Young Master Shen said and gave Zhang Mi's hand a squeeze. Zhang Mi nodded, shot a worried glance at Xin Qing before turning around to leave.
Ying Qingcang had kept his eyes on Xin Qing the whole time. Whatever it was that was going through his mind right now was anyone's guess. After a while, Young Master Shen was prepared to say something, but then he detected a slight movement from Ying Qingcang's body.
"You're alright now, right?" Ying Qingcang asked.
"I'll get myself discharged right away," Young Master Shen said quickly. "Then I'll get in touch with Ah Hai. Look, don't worry, okay? Nothing is set in stone yet. If all else fails, there's still the village chieftain."
After Young Master Shen's phone conversation with Ah Hai, both he and Ying Qingcang finally understood the true reason behind the perverse and extreme measures that Ah Hai had taken against Tang Shuang.
"I'm guessing she's running out of time, huh? Indeed, you guys still come crawling back to us after everything. I know Tang Shuang too well. I knew that she would never give a chance to any of her opponents. She had already done something back when she was saving Xin Qing's life. If you guys hadn't screwed her up, maybe we can still work something out. But you guys had destroyed her. I know I don't have the means to get revenge for what you guys did to Shuang Shuang, but I have the power to destroy your chances of fixing Xin Qing. Right now, Tang Shuang remembers nothing and her IQ is that of a child. You only have yourselves to blame."
Ah Hai had chosen such a cruel and sadistic measure just to avenge Tang Shuang. Neither Young Master Shen nor Ying Qingcang could express with words what they were feeling right now.
"Why don't we just grab Tang Shuang and hold her captive?" Young Master Shen suggested. "Perhaps Ah Hai knows a way to deal with this."
Ying Qingcang shook his head. "No, he doesn't."
If Ah Hai was willing to go through such lengths, it was obvious that he would be merciless, be it to himself or to others. It would not do them any good even if they killed him; he would most definitely be willing to die together with Tang Shuang. Ying Qingcang deeply regretted his decision now. He should have forced Tang Shuang to treat Xin Qing in the first place.
Even if he had to torture Tang Shuang to death, it was still a much better option than all the suffering that Xin Qing had to go through right now.
"Okay, so now we know that's a dead end. But I've already contacted Boss Wan yesterday. He told me he would get Chen Huan here as quickly as possible," Young Master Shen said comfortingly. "Look, it's already been three days, and not once had Xiao Qingqing experienced any headaches. I think it's just like what the doctor said. The time period between each episode is probably long. Other than that..." Young Master Shen trailed off. After a brief moment, he picked up where he left off. "Have you told her about your suggestion about getting an abortion?"
Ying Qingcang's fist slammed down on his office desk. "How am I supposed to tell her something like that?"
Xin Qing, like himself, was looking forward to the birth of this child. It would destroy her if he asked her to abort the child now of all times...
Before Ying Qingcang could even come up with a way to broach the subject to Xin Qing, he came home that night to find that they had an uninvited guest over at their house.
Frowning, Ying Qingcang stared at Ying Hao who was sitting in the living room. "What the hell are you doing here?" Ying Qingcang asked. Ying Hao answered him in a tone of annoyance. "If I hadn't shown up, would you have told me that Xin Qing is starting to have headaches again?"
Sensing the burgeoning argument between the father and son, Xin Qing quickly dragged Ying Qingcang towards the dining hall. "Come, come. I've been waiting to have dinner with you!"
After dinner, Ying Qingcang was summoned by Ying Hao into the study.
"Give it to me straight. Are her headaches due to her pregnancy?"
Ying Qingcang's brows creased, and he stared back at his father coldly. "Who told you that?"
"Hmph! I knew it!" A dark expression formed on Ying Hao's face. "The Ancestral Behest has already hinted at something like this. The daughter of the Gui family is unable to bear the successor of the Ying family. Xin Qing would never be able to give birth to your children."
A loud smash sounded as a chair toppled over after Ying Qingcang had shoved it aside. "So that's why you're here? To tell me that my wife will never be able to bear my children?"
"Yes," Ying Hao said with a serious look on his face, completely unaffected by Ying Qingcang's violent conduct. "The Ying family cannot be without a successor. I don't care how you do it. You must produce a son."
Noticing the glower on Ying Qingcang's face, Ying Hao softened his tone. "Come on, Ah Cang," Ying Hao said, "just find some random woman. I'm sure that will do. Just pay her a sum of money after she gives birth. That way you can gain custody of the child and raise it together with Xin Qing. Your lives will still go on the same way. There won't be any difference at all!"
At the door of the study, Xin Qing stood there with her hands pressed to her chest with her face completely pale. She could no longer hear Ying Qingcang's reply after that. All she could hear was a constant buzzing punctuated by the occasional roar by Ying Hao. By the time she regained her senses, she had already walked all the way back to the bedroom.
Xin Qing sat down limply on the bed, tears blurring her vision.
"Ah Cang... What are we supposed to do?"