"Ying Qingcang, don't forget that I'm still your father!" Ying Hao exclaimed. He was so incensed at that point that he could barely remain upright.
"I don't have a father like you," Ying Qingcang said in a voice so cold that it would bring goosebumps to anyone's skin. Still kneeling on the floor, Rong Xiao's sobs became even louder. Ying Hao raised his walking stick in the air, fully intending to strike Ying Qingcang. Just like that, the house had turned into a state of utter chaos.
"Ah!" Xin Qing's hands went to her head suddenly as she shouted in a shrill voice. Despite Ying Qingcang's strength, he had failed to keep Xin Qing upright; Xin Qing collapsed to the floor and fell flat on her butt. "It hurts! It hurts!" Xin Qing said in a trembling voice as she pounded her head with her knuckles. In that split second, all traces of blood left Xin Qing's face; she had gone completely pale. Hugging her tightly, Ying Qingcang reached out with his hand. "Ah Qing! Ah Qing, stop! Stop biting. You'll only hurt yourself. Here, bite my hand!"
Xin Qing shoved him aside and released a stream of horrifying screams as she tried to smash her head against the floor. Ying Qingcang's hand reached out just in time to prevent her head from connected to the hard floor. He drew her into his arms once again. The front door was kicked open suddenly. Boss Wan and Chen Huan came running in.
"Hold her in place, don't let her move!" Chen Huan barked out the order as she retrieved a syringe. Ying Qingcang and Boss Wan held Xin Qing down on each side while Chen Huan pushed the needle of the syringe into Xin Qing's arm. Soon, Xin Qing quieted down. Ying Qingcang's entire body was taut and stiff with tension when he picked her up from the floor. After that, he carried her upstairs without a backward glance.
Ying Qingcang's cold voice came from the staircase. "Boss Wan, have your men force these people back to England." Ying Hao was just about to say something when Boss Wan stepped in front of him. "Just go," Boss Wan said. "I won't be using force seeing as you're his father."
The doctor was just wrapping up his examination when Xin Qing woke up the next day. The moment she opened her eyes, Ying Qingcang quickly said, "Don't worry. The child's fine."
"It's all my fault. I didn't keep my emotions in check," Xin Qing said with a shake of her head. She stared at Ying Qingcang. "Where are they?"
Ying Qingcang got her to sit upright. "They've been sent away. Come, finish the milk."
Xin Qing finished the milk and leaned into Ying Qingcang's embrace. "I thought I heard Chen Huan's voice. Was she the one who saved me?" she asked. "I wonder if she has a solution to all this..."
Chen Huan was enjoying a bowl of dumplings when Xin Qing got downstairs. Chen Huan greeted Xin Qing the moment she saw her. "Are you okay now? Hey, come eat something! I swear, Aunt Tian makes the best dumplings in the world!"
"Have some more if you like them!" Xin Qing said, sitting down across from Chen Huan. "Thank you so much for saving me this time."
Chen Huan bit into a piece of sweetened garlic. "Oh, you don't have to thank me. I should've come earlier. It's all that brute's fault. He insisted on-" Chen Huan's words halted suddenly as an unnatural blush crept up her face. Xin Qing winked at her. "Are you talking about Boss Wan? What did he insist on doing?"
"I insisted on fucking her!" Boss Wan appeared behind Chen Huan like a phantom, causing Chen Huan to choke on the piece of dumpling she had been chewing.
Xin Qing stood up, wanting to retrieve a glass of water for Chen Huan. Ying Qingcang pressed her back down into her seat. "Hurry up and eat. The food will be cold in a while."
"Have some water," Boss Wan said, bringing a glass to Chen Huan's lips while his hands stroked Chen Huan's back a few times.
Chen Huan took the glass from him roughly and then glared daggers at him. "Are you trying to choke me to death? Also, what kind of disgusting nonsense are you on about anyway?"
"I'm just telling the truth," Boss Wan said. Then, with a glance at Xin Qing, Boss Wan added, "You get it, right?"
Xin Qing raised her hand. "Oh, I understand it all too well. Look, if you guys have some free time on your hands, why don't you stay here for a few more days? I mean, ahem, ahem... Our walls are pretty soundproof."
"I know," Boss Wan said. "Ying Qingcang had obtained the special raw materials from me in the first place. You can shout or moan however loud you want, nobody outside the room could hear a thing as long as the door is closed."
This time, it was Xin Qing who blushed. She shot a glare at Ying Qingcang. The latter ladled a bowl of soup for her innocently.
When the two women were done with their meal, they moved into the living room and got down to business.
Ying Qingcang draped his arm over Xin Qing's shoulder and looked at Chen Huan gravely. "Give it to me straight," he said. "How long can the injection you've given Ah Qing yesterday keep her condition under control?"
Chen Huan gave him a thumbs up. "Smart man. You figured out that it's only a temporary solution," Chen Huan said, sighing. "That shot is a modified version of the previous drug. I made it with the leftover samples of the previous drug. It might be able to keep the symptoms under control for half a year tops. Also... You must prepare yourself for one more possibility since Xin Qing is pregnant right now. I can't make any guarantees that the drug will not negatively impact the fetus."
"What?" Xin Qing panicked. "Then what should we do? Is it... Is it too late to do something about it?"
Ying Qingcang covered Xin Qing's hand with his own and squeezed with quite a bit of strength. "Hey, don't panic. It's bad for your body."
"I brought a genetic modifying drug with me," Chen Huan said in a comforting tone. "And I want to ask if you're willing to take it. This is my latest creation, by the way. It's even better than the one Xunxun had taken last time."
"Will it affect Ah Qing's body?" That was the only thing that Ying Qingcang cared about.
"In theory, no," Chen Huan said, taking out a tube of green liquid from her pocket. "I recommend taking the shot. Whatever the outcome is, it won't be the worst."
Xin Qing glanced at Ying Qingcang. She understood what Chen Huan meant. The painkiller injected into her last night had detrimental effects on the fetus, that was already an established fact. Even if this genetic modifying drug also had an effect on the fetus, the side effect would still not be worse than the previous one.
"Take it, then." Ying Qingcang dropped a kiss onto Xin Qing's forehead. "We have to at least try something."
Chen Huan took out the syringe. "Come, stretch out your arm!"
Young Master Shen and Zhang Mi came by that night. They both had to return to New York as per Shen Batian's wish. Apparently, they were only allowed to leave New York after Zhang Mi had gotten pregnant.
"Xin Qing... I can't be here to keep you company anymore. You have to take care of yourself, okay?" Zhang Mi held Xin Qing's hand, her eyes misty with tears.
Ying Qingcang scowled. "You're the one who needs to take care."
Young Master Shen glared at Ying Qingcang. Then, he pulled Zhang Mi into his arms. "Come sit down," he said.
Seeing that everyone was here, Boss Wan spoke out in his deep voice, "We've decided to return to that village where you had obtained the prescription last time."
"Is Xiao Qingqing's body really in the right condition to go?" Young Master Shen asked doubtfully. That was a primeval forest, for goodness' sake.
Chen Huan waved her hand. "What's there to be scared of? I'll be there!"
"We think it's better for the chieftain to have a look at Xin Qing himself," Boss Wan said. "Huanhuan and I will tag along."
Ying Qingcang nodded. "You guys go get the equipment ready. We'll depart in three days."
In bed, before going to sleep, Xin Qing kept staring at Ying Qingcang. Amused, Ying Qingcang pinched her nose. "You want some, don't you?"
"Oh, shut up!" Xin Qing smacked his hand away. Shamelessly, Ying Qingcang kept on teasing her. "Oh! So, I'll take that as a yes? It means you want me to fuck you?"
Xin Qing panicked. "Stop saying such vulgar things! Let me ask you something. What are you up to?"
"What do you mean what am I up to?" Ying Qingcang pulled her closer. "I'm thinking of having sex with you, that's what I'm up to!"
"You'll be sleeping on the couch if you don't come clean right now!"
Ying Qingcang laughed. "Ah, my babe is so clever these days!" He lowered his head to look at her. "Look, you can't possibly understand how annoying it felt after that stunt they pulled. I've got to at least try to pay them back for what they did and reap some benefits out of it. Besides, it'll be a good idea to keep that damned old man busy. Otherwise he'll just be bugging us constantly!"
Realization dawned on Xin Qing instantly. "You're planning to do something to Ying Enterprises England, aren't you?"
"Mmhm. Three days is enough time for me to torture them."
Three days later, after Ying Qingcang and the others had entered the jungle, the dispute between the father and son of the Ying family began receiving a wide coverage from the press. Ying Qingcang had publicly bought the shares of Ying Enterprises England and had attributed the shares to Xin Qing's name. In three short days, forty percent of Ying Enterprises England's shares had undergone an ownership change. Ying Hao was thrown into a fit of panic and anger, and had been trying to locate Ying Qingcang's whereabouts ever since. He had searched all over the globe for Ying Qingcang, though none of his search efforts panned out. Driven by desperation, Ying Hao had no choice but to seek his father-in-law for help. Little did he know that Ying Qingcang's grandfather was taking Ying Qingcang's side on this one; not only had Ying Hao failed to receive any help from his father-in-law, but had ended up getting an earful from the old man.
Another few days later, whatever that Ying Qingcang had done quieted down. Ying Hao quickly took the opportunity to repair the damage as best as he could and to minimize his losses. Right now, he wanted so much to strangle his ingrate son to death!
Meanwhile, Ying Qingcang did not give a single rat's ass about his father's feelings. They were already deep inside the jungle by then. Indeed, it was like what Young Master Shen had told them, none of their electronic devices could function in the jungle. They could not even access the satellite signals, which meant no GPS. The only thing they could rely on was the compass.
"Based on Young Master Shen's map, we should be reaching the cliff in two days," Chen Huan said, glancing at the map in her hand. "Let's set up camp here for tonight!"
Xin Qing glanced aloft and saw that the sky was still bright. "I'm really not that tired," Xin Qing said in a tone of mild amusement. "We can keep moving." Everyone had been fussing over her health for the past few days. They would only trek for one hour during the morning and then another hour during the afternoon. Otherwise, they would have reached their destination a long time ago.
"Oh, come on! Let's just take it as a fun outing or something. What's the hurry? You might not be tired, but I bet the baby in your tummy feels tired!" Chen Huan said. Chen Huan was confident in the drug she had created. It was impossible for Xin Qing to experience another bout of headache after just a short amount of time the drug had been administered. Naturally, Chen Huan thought there was no need for them to hurry at all.
"Alright! The tent is all set. Go take a nap. I'll wake you up when it's time to eat!" Ying Qingcang said, urging Xin Qing to take a break. Ying Qingcang completely agreed with Chen Huan's reasoning. Seeing as there was nothing she could do to persuade the others, Xin Qing gave up and crawled into a tent obediently. Despite the fact that she had not been feeling tired at all, she fell asleep after a while of lying down. A pleasant aroma wafted into the tent some time later. Xin Qing was roused from her sleep by hunger.
Ying Qingcang was sitting beside her when she woke. He was carrying a bowl of food in his hand. Seeing that she was awake, Ying Qingcang smiled at her. "What a pig," he teased, "waking up the moment you smell food."
After the meal, they took a stroll in the camp's vicinity. After that, everyone called it a night and entered a tent. Well, everyone, except Boss Wan and Chen Huan, who was once again engaged in their nightly bets. If Boss Wan won the bet, Chen Huan would have to sleep in the same tent as him. On the other hand, if Chen Huan won, she could sleep in her own tent. Regardless, the end result of the bet was, unsurprisingly, the same every night.
"You motherfucking son of a bitch! You tricked me again!" Chen Huan roared as Boss Wan hauled her into a tent...
Two days later, they arrived at the cliff as indicated on the map. A few of Boss Wan's men climbed down the cliff first. After they had measured the height and steepness of the cliff, they dug a trench along the slant of the cliff, and then fitted an iron ladder in the gap formed by the trench. That would allow Xin Qing to walk down the cliff.
Once everyone had made it down the cliff, Boss Wan's men removed the ladder from the cliff efficiently. Seeing the look of surprise on Xin Qing's face, Chen Huan could not help herself but brag a little: "How about that, huh? Not bad, right? I borrowed this thing from the US military. It can be used for any type of cliffs, no matter how steep or tall they are."
"Really? Will it work for bottomless cliffs, then?" Xin Qing asked casually.
The corners of Chen Huan's lips twitched a little. "Um, I guess not..."
Before they reached the village's entrance, Boss Wan's men suddenly drew their weapons and formed a protective circle around everyone. That was when Xin Qing saw a wild boar falling down from the sky! Ying Qingcang and Boss Wan shared a look with each other, and then they each grabbed their woman and dove aside swiftly. The ground shook slightly as the wild boar collided with the ground in a loud smash.
An excited Chen Huan was just about to run forward. "What happened? What happened? Is it dead yet?"