The press conference ended on a high note. Soon, Xin Qing's photo began popping up in all of S City's major newspapers. This woman had waltzed right into a male-dominated field like a boss. From that day onwards, she would continue Ying Qingcang's legacy. Or, more accurately speaking, begin her own legacy.
"Tsk, tsk. Look at these people," Zhang Mi said, brandishing the newspaper in her hand. "Made you sound even more like The Black Widow right now. A woman who killed her own husband and took over his company and all his money."
Monica let out a derisive laugh. "It's all because of those imbecilic women in the upper society. It's like their jealousy had sucked their brains away," Monica scoffed. "Ying Enterprises has always been yours. Right now it has merely changed into a new name, that's all. None of them could conceal the darkness in their hearts anymore."
The three women were currently sitting in the garden of Ying's residence. Xunxun, Ah Sha and Xiao Rui were having fun in the swimming pool beside the garden. At the moment, Xin Qing was listening intently to the life lesson that Xunxun was trying to give Ah Sha.
"Ah Sha, don't casually show yourself in front of others while you're in your swimwear, okay?"
Ah Sha was still mad at Xunxun for not letting her put on her floral-themed swimsuit. "But this little bee swimsuit doesn't look pretty at all."
"But it isn't as revealing!" Xunxun protested inwardly. Beside them, Xiao Rui was staring at Xunxun with a knowing look on his face. Ah Sha decided to ask her little brother for help. "Xiao Rui," Ah Sha said, "don't you think the floral swimsuit is prettier?"
Xunxun shot Xiao Rui a warning look. Xiao Rui smiled at Ah Sha. "Brother Xunxun is right. The one you're wearing right now looks very cute too. Sis, you shouldn't be showing yourself to other people while you're in a swimsuit!"
"But neither you nor Brother Xunxun are 'other people'!" Ah Sha pouted. Xunxun corrected her immediately. "Anyone else other than me is 'other people'."
Ah Sha glared at him. "No way Xiao Rui would count as other people. He's Ah Sha's little brother!"
Xunxun decided to wait another few more years to discuss this issue with Ah Sha...
Xin Qing heard the entire exchange between the three children in amusement. Then, she waved Ah Sha over for some snacks. Xiao Rui took the opportunity to swim up to Xunxun. "You owe me a favor now. So you have to teach me how to use a computer."
Xunxun narrowed his eyes at Xiao Rui. "You dare threaten me?"
"No, this isn't a threat," Xunxun said, narrowing his eyes as well. "I'm just telling you, that's all. And by the way, I'd also like to remind you that a little brother plays a very important role in a girl's life!"
"Fine. I'll teach you every week for an hour," Xunxun said in annoyance. "And don't look so smug. You haven't even been through kindergarten yet, right? Even so, my demand to you is that you must attend first grade together with Ah Sha when school reopens. You can forget about getting any lessons from me if you fail to keep up in class."
Xiao Rui smiled. "Don't worry. I will definitely keep up."
Smith personally came to Xin Enterprises one week after the press conference.
"Huh, I can't believe that Mrs. Ying had become President Xin!" Smith sat down across from Xin Qing with a huge grin plastered on his face.
Xin Qing tilted her head to one side. "You can call me Mrs. Ying as well. That'll just mean our discussion is of a personal nature rather than the business."
"I'll stick with President Xin if it's alright with you!" Smith waved his hand. "I'm here to confirm the final candidate for the new endorser. Well, it's not like we can ask you, the president, to film the commercials herself, right?"
"The main problem is that I'm physically indisposed right now," Xin Qing said, patting her swollen belly. "We'll definitely need a new endorser for the next season."
Smith nodded. Then he went on, "I still hope Ah Sha can carry on with her branding role, though. Her image has already found its way into the consumers' heart. I'm concerned that it might give rise to emotional conflicts among the consumers if we suddenly use another kid."
"I didn't say we should take Ah Sha off the role," Xin Qing said. She handed a stack of documents to Smith. "These contain a list of our candidates. You should check it out and pick a suitable one from there."
Smith took the document. "Tsk, tsk," Smith said, "I see you've planned for this conversation, haven't you? Were you really that confident that we would continue our partnership with you?"
"Well, I know you're not an idiot," Xin Qing said, reclining in the wide leather swivel chair. "Other than being the new president of Xin Enterprises, I'm still the main designer for CK. You've already heard of CK's impending partnership with Xin Enterprises, I presume?"
For a brief moment, Smith seemed to be deep in thought. Then, in a serious tone, he said, "The world has underestimated you. You're very capable."
"Haha. Thanks!" Xin Qing shrugged. "Come on, take your pick!"
Smith pulled out a piece of paper from the stack. "How about her?"
Xin Qing glanced at the paper and arched her brows. "Not bad. She's the one we had picked as well. So. There you have it, then! She's our new endorser!"
Zhang Yafei had never once dreamt of having Xin Enterprises approach her to be their celebrity endorser. On the night before the contract signing, Zhang Yafei was so anxious that she could barely sleep a wink. She stayed up until midnight just for the task of picking out her outfit for tomorrow's meeting. Early the next morning, she left her child in the nanny's care and told her to take good care of the child. Then, she left her place an hour ahead of schedule.
Meanwhile, Xin Qing was having breakfast with Monica. Monica had been staying at Ying's residence recently, since it would make her task of taking care of Xin Qing much more convenient. The two women were chatting over breakfast regarding their meeting with Zhang Yafei today.
"How did you guys end up picking her?" Monica held Zhang Yafei's photo in her hand. "Well, she is quite beautiful. But her popular days have long passed. And apparently, her reputation isn't stellar, either!"
Zhang Yafei had been a bigshot model a few years back and had even managed to star in several movies. After that, she had left the showbiz for the sake of a man. In fact, she had delivered her child just last year. Too bad her taste in men sucked. A daughter from a wealthy family had had her eyes set on Zhang Yafei's husband. The woman then threatened Zhang Yafei to divorce her husband through violent means. Apparently, Zhang Yafei had refused to accept any alimony payments. The only thing she wanted was custody of her child. As a result, she was now unemployed and living in a state of poverty.
Xin Qing held up two fingers. "Two reasons. Personally, I feel sorry for her, and I admire her as well. Professionally, don't you think that someone in her position will most likely be putting everything into her job?"
Xin Qing went on, "She has run out of options now, so much so that she can't even afford to pay her rent. If we come to her with an opportunity at a time like this, she will definitely give us everything she's got. To her, this might be her only, and final, chance in life." The corners of Xin Qing's lips lifted. "Right now, she's the living personification of independence and strength. Plus, people tend to resent the rich and wealthy. Her circumstances will resonate easily with a lot of people."
For a long while, Monica just stared at her quietly. Feeling a little creeped out by that stare, Xin Qing set down her glass of milk and touched her face. "Is there something on my face?"
"You should probably take a look at yourself in the mirror. God, the way you're talking right now is becoming more and more like Ah Cang!" Monica said and then immediately smacked herself on her head for bringing up Ying Qingcang so callously. "Oh, crap!" Monica thought. "Xin... Oh, Xin Qing. You... I..."
Xin Qing burst out laughing. "Why are you stammering? I think you're right!" With a calm smile, Xin Qing spoke slowly as if she were telling a story. "Whenever I run into any problems these days, I'd always find myself thinking, 'what would Ah Cang do if he were in my place?'. I'm learning about how he lives his life, about how he deals with life's problems." Xin Qing dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "That way, I'll never make a mistake!"
Monica stood up. "Mmhm. Hey, it's getting late. Let's head to the company!"
Then, Monica turned away from Xin Qing and wiped her own tears. The person who used to be a little lady was now forcing herself to grow up. Only Xin Qing herself could know just how arduous and cruel the process was. "Oh, Ah Cang! Please, you must come back, okay? Or else..." Monica dared not finish the thought.
If Ying Qingcang was really dead, Xin Qing would no doubt want to follow him to death. That was an ending that nobody desired to see.
Zhang Yafei was a little surprised when she saw Xin Qing, particularly at the latter's young age. Three years ago, Zhang Yafei had once caught a glimpse of Xin Qing from afar at a ball. Now that three years had gone by, the physical appearance of that little girl had not changed at all, only that she now had an air of maturity about her, which added to her appeal.
Zhang Yafei schooled her features and mentally prepared herself. "President Xin!" she greeted graciously. Failure was not an option today. She had to grab this opportunity no matter what!
Xin Qing smiled. "Miss Zhang, please, have a seat!"
After Zhang Yafei sat down, Zhang Mi handed her the contract. "This is the contract," Zhang Mi said. "Please have a look through."
"Thank you!" Zhang Yafei flipped into the document and studied the pages diligently. She no longer had an agent, so she had to do everything on her own.
The contract had very clearly stated that she would act as Xin Enterprises' endorser for one year, during which she would be involved in the filming of four TV commercials as well as other print advertisements and business activities. After that, Xin Enterprises would extend her contract only if her performance was up to par. Zhang Yafei was honest-to-God shocked when she caught a glimpse of the endorsement fee that she would be receiving. The shock was then engulfed by a colossal sense of joy.
With the amount that Xin Enterprises was offering her, she would be in the same league as most second class celebrities. Zhang Yafei quickly calmed herself down. Then, she looked at Xin Qing warily and asked, "President Xin, please pardon my asking this. But why? Why me?"
"Oh, we have our own reasons for picking you, of course." A diplomatic smile formed on Xin Qing's face. "You just have to decide whether or not you want to sign the contract!"
Zhang Yafei thought for a moment. Then, she signed the contract decisively. Considering her present circumstances, this was still an opportunity even if she really was being used by others.
"Welcome aboard! And we look forward to working with you!" Xin Qing stood up and offered a handshake. Zhang Yafei reached out and shook Xin Qing's hand. After a brief moment of thought, Zhang Yafei said, "Thank you, President Xin!"
Zhang Mi stretched out her hand in a welcome gesture. "Follow me," she said. "The company had assigned an assistant, as well as a car and a personal driver for you. You can get acquainted with them first."
After giving Xin Qing a parting nod, Zhang Yafei left the office. After a while, Zhang Mi returned to the office and raised her hand above her head in a stretch. "Alright, then. It's done. Let's go home. You woke up so early today. You definitely need a nap!"
"Okay!" Xin Qing said in full compliance. She knew that everyone was very worried about her. Plus, she did not wish to run into any complications seeing as she was expected to go into labor two months later. She had to deliver this baby smoothly no matter what.
As usual, time flies. After receiving tons of enrolment applications, the opening day of Caesar Academy's first term was finally arriving. Due to the sheer number of enrolment applications (some through the means of social connections) that the academy had received, the actual number of failed applications was unclear. Xin Qing did not have to concern herself with such matters though, since Ah Nan and Monica had already taken care of them.
Still, Xin Qing had to deliver a speech on the academy's opening ceremony today. The largest hall of Caesar Academy had been ostentatiously decorated for the occasion with festoons adorning all corners of the place. Students from each grade were dressed in uniforms of different colors. When they all sat down below the stage, they made the entire hall look like a colorful drawing.
Xin Qing saw Ah Sha leading Xiao Rui by hand to sit down at the front row designated to the first grade students. She smiled at them furtively. She had already memorized her speech, the one that she had written herself, last night. She truly hoped that all the children here could truly grow in Caesar. None of them had expected the thing that happened next, though. Just when Xin Qing was about opening her mouth to deliver her speech, she felt a strong kick in her belly. Her hand went to her belly as her jaw clenched. Zhang Mi, who had been following Xin Qing around the entire time, immediately noticed that something was wrong. Zhang Mi quickly walked up to her.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Mi asked.
"My tummy... It hurts all of a sudden." Xin Qing took Zhang Mi's hand. "I... I think I'm going into labor..."