Behind an ordinary residential house was an abandoned parterre where layers upon layers of dead leaves had accumulated. Someone in a crouching position was there on the ground and, with the aid of the dim lighting from the street lamps, was scribbling something onto a piece of paper:
"You're ready to return?"
A broken-down fence formed the boundary of the parterre. Very soon, a piece of paper was slipped into the parterre from the outside of the fence.
"I can't wait any longer."
The person on the inside of the fence began scribbling again:
"Are you really able to steel your heart enough to hurt her? You love her so much." The writing paused for a moment, and then it continued, after which two more lines were added onto the paper:
"No matter how much you love her, right now you've got to endure, because the thing inside your body is something that not even Boss Wan could remove. If you die, everything will be over."
The scribbling stopped, and the paper was shoved through the fence once more. The reply came fast.
The person inside the parterre quickly retrieved the paper, which read:
"I will definitely return to her side..."
For a long while, things were quiet across the fence. The person inside the parterre sighed and stood up before slowly walking away. Under the moonlight, a tiny wildflower sprouted up from the heap of dead leaves, its young and tender shoots swaying with the breeze!
A week had passed since Ying Qingcang's reappearance, and Xin Qing was still acting as if nothing had happened.
Monica stared at Xin Qing, who was currently performing some inspection work, and mumbled quietly to Zhang Mi: "Hey, do you reckon she still thinks that day is just a dream?"
Zhang Mi lowered her head and whispered back: "How am I supposed to know? I've already told her that it wasn't a dream. That son of a bitch has really returned and he really did have a change of heart."
Some time after Ying Qingcang's appearance at the company, Young Master Shen had told Monica and Zhang Mi that he and Boss Wan had already met with Ying Qingcang prior to that day. It turned out that even Monica and Zhang Mi had trouble believing the truth back then, let alone Xin Qing. Still, the reality was such. Monica had confronted Ying Qingcang the day he came, demanding to know if he was somehow trapped in a tight spot. She ended up being ridiculed by Ying Qingcang for her efforts.
"So, now what? We just return the company to him?" Monica asked.
Zhang Mi glared at the other woman. "Yeah? On what grounds? He was the one who had handed the company over to Xin Qing. While he was missing for three years, it was Xin Qing who had been busting her ass during those three years in order to keep the company up and running. And now, what, he shows up and then tries to reclaim the company just like that? Who does he think he is?" Zhang Mi suddenly looked at Monica sharply. "Don't tell me that you're switching over to his side?"
"Nonsense," Monica retorted with a frown. "I'm not stupid, okay? It's obvious that something's wrong with Ah Cang."
Xin Qing walked over to them. "What are you two mumbling about?"
"Ah! Oh, it's nothing," Zhang Mi said hurriedly.
Xin Qing gave Zhang Mi a look. "Come over for dinner tonight. Bring Young Master Shen, too. I've got something to say."
The vibes surrounding the dining table that night was depressing to say the least. Xin Qing had remained silent throughout the entire meal. When everyone was almost done, only then did she speak: "It's time for us to come to a decision. But before that, I need to make my stance clear." Xin Qing's gaze swept across the entire table, traveling from person to person. "I'll never hand the company over to them. This is Ah Cang's life's work and I've promised to guard it for him. I won't allow it to be destroyed, even if it's by his own hands."
Xin Qing's gaze felt onto Young Master Shen last. Young Master Shen stared right into her serious and resolved eyes. A few seconds later, he smiled. "You have my full support!"
Both Ah Che and Ah Nan raised their hands: "Ours, too!"
"And us!" Zhang Mi and Monica both said with a smile on their faces.
Every single one of them knew just how much Ying Qingcang loved Xin Qing. No. A man like that would never try to hurt the love of his life unless he had a very good reason. Whatever his reasons were, they would stand by Xin Qing's side and be her shield.
Chen Huan, whose attention was focused on feeding Liuliu until now, nodded in satisfaction. "That's more like it, you guys!" she said. "Have you guys forgotten about that time I was hypnotized?"
A glint of understanding shone in everyone's eyes.
"You're saying that Ah Cang was hypnotized by someone?" Young Master Shen smacked his palm on the table. "Damn, why didn't we think of that before?"
Chen Huan nodded. "I can't make any guarantees. But I think it's very likely to be the case."
"Based on what he had told me before, it was Rong Siman who had saved his life back then," Young Master Shen said. "But it's a frigging jungle deep inside the mountains! What the heck was Rong Siman doing in that kind of place? Shopping? No. You can bet your ass that Rong Siman was the person behind those explosions. That must be how she was able to get Ying Qingcang out of there so quickly."
"Lin Quan was the first step in her scheme," Chen Huan said. "Once he revealed his hypnotic abilities to me, he knew that I would seek him out and try to learn from him. If he had hypnotized me straight away, the chances of success wouldn't have been that great. But things wouldn't be the same if I personally sought him out. The same applies to Ying Qingcang's case. Moments after his rescue, Ying Qingcang's psyche would have been in its most relaxed and vulnerable state. It was easy for him to be hypnotized in that state of mind." The mirth in Chen Huan's eyes slowly diminished and was replaced by a look of coldness. "Rong Siman had carefully planned out all her steps just for this day."
"That makes complete sense!" Young Master Shen nodded. "If that's the case, we just have to hire a skilled hypnotist to break the hypnosis."
Chen Huan shook her head. "It's not that simple," she said. "Forget the fact that we might not even get a chance to perform hypnosis on Ying Qingcang. Even if we do, we have no idea the kind of directives he had been given when he was first hypnotized. If we force another hypnosis on him, it might damage his mind and cause a psychotic breakdown. He might end up becoming a retard."
"Are you suggesting that there's no other way?" Ah Nan asked worriedly. "Will the young master really spend the rest of his life like this?"
"No hypnosis is absolute. There might be a turning point, or an event which provides enough stimulation to wake him," Chen Huan said. "Actually, hypnosis is all about utilizing the power of suggestion. The moment the hypnotized begins to doubt the suggestion underlying the hypnosis, there's a chance that he or she will wake up."
Chen Huan glanced at Xin Qing. "Then again, there's also a chance that he might never wake up. Do you still want to keep this up if that were to happen?"
"Are you positive that he's been hypnotized?" Xin Qing asked. Plastered on Xin Qing's face right now was a look of joy, the joy of having survived a calamitous event. Chen Huan nodded and said, "I don't think I'm mistaken."
"I'll never give up!" Xin Qing rose from her seat. "As long as there's still a chance, as long as he still loves me, I will never ever give up."
Young Master Shen raised his glass. "That idiotic bastard," he said. "Allowing himself to be hypnotized? We must make fun of him properly after we wake him up!"
All of a sudden, everyone's mood took a lighter turn. Everyone was smiling. There was a word for the kind of look on their faces right now: hope
Half a month later, every celebrity in S City's business world received an invitation. It shocked them that the three words "Ying Qingcang" as well as the name of the company that he represented were printed on the invitation. Soon, everyone was aware of Ying Qingcang's comeback. Reporters swarmed the entrance of the Xin Enterprises, hoping to get an interview with Xin Qing, though they did not manage to stop her. In the end, they resigned themselves to interviewing Xin Qing's employees. Through the employees, they confirmed that it was indeed Ying Qingcang, the president of Ying financial group, who was making a comeback.
As an overseas firm looking to make investment in China, Ying Enterprises had launched a dinner party and had sent out invitations to people from all fields. Pretty much all celebrities and bosses were in attendance of tonight's event.
Xin Qing stirred up quite a bit of ruckus when she arrived. Everyone eagerly awaited how this formerly married couple would act around each other tonight. One reason for that was because everyone had already noticed the beautiful woman currently standing beside Ying Qingcang, the same one who had yet to release her arm from the crook of Ying Qingcang's elbow.
"This is such a huge deal. Why didn't you give me a heads up?" Shi Qianqian and Ding Lei walked towards Xin Qing. Closely behind them were Chen Ming and Huang Jianbin.
Xin Qing was dressed in a pale purple, modified cheongsam which left the lustrous skin of her shoulders bare. Her hair was pulled into a high French twist. The only adornment on her body was the deep purple tattoo on her neck. The beauty she was exuding was utterly bewitching and spellbinding.
Xin Qing smiled at Shi Qianqian. "I'll fill you in on the details later."
Chen Ming and Huang Jianbin each gave Xin Qing a nod. "Your sister says she'll visit you tomorrow," Huang Jianbin said.
"Mm, got it!" Xin Qing said. Slowly, Xin Qing's gaze zeroed in on the man at the center of the banquet hall. Even if she knew that he no longer loved her, that he had forgotten all about her, Xin Qing could not help but stare at him, at the face that she had been dreaming about for three years. At the same time, she noticed the smug and gloating look Rong Siman was shooting her.
A sudden silence descended upon the hall. Ying Qingcang stood on top of the tall podium. His cold gaze traversed the entire hall before it finally landed on Xin Qing. The glint in his eyes had eluded everyone. Only his voice, cold and aloof, travelled into everyone's ears:
"I have returned to reclaim what used to be mine." After just one statement from him, the entire hall broke out into whispers and everyone's gaze fell upon Xin Qing. Ying Qingcang slowly walked down from the podium. Xin Qing kept her eyes fixed upon the man as he approached her. Although he was drawing closer and closer to her, she knew he would never pull her into his arms again.
Ying Qingcang stopped when he was only a few steps away from Xin Qing. "Miss Xin, I hope I've made myself clear," Ying Qingcang said. Leaning snugly into Ying Qingcang's side, Rong Siman gave Xin Qing a once-over. Jealousy leaked from Rong Siman's eyes. "Three years ago, you've made Ah Cang disappear and have shamelessly claimed all of Ying family's assets. It's about time you return everything."
The crowd's reaction to that statement was varied: Some appeared highly shocked while some merely threw contemptuous looks at Xin Qing.
"See? I knew that there's something wrong with that woman. She has indeed obtained everything through shameless means!"
"What a vile woman. How could she do such a thing when President Ying had treated her so nicely."
The sounds of debate became louder and louder. Xin Qing clenched her hands into fists and stared relentlessly at Ying Qingcang. Still, she could not detect a single emotion on his face. Shi Qianqian suddenly took a step forward. "This... aunty," Shi Qianqian said aloud. "Please watch your tongue. In the absence of evidence in support of your claim, your words just now will be considered a libel. We can totally sue you for slander."
"Pfft!" Zhang Mi snorted. Then, she deliberately asked Young Master Shen: "Hey, is it just me, or does this aunty look somewhat familiar?!"
"Ah Nan," Young Master Shen yelled, "you're from the Ying family, so surely you know best? Who might this aunty be?"
Ah Nan glanced at Rong Siman's face, which was now pale with fury. "She's the woman whom our old master had remarried. She's the young master's stepmother."
The crowd burst into laughter. "What the fuck! What a young stepmother!" Then, a few perverted mumbles emerged from the crowd: "With a stepmother like this, who would even bother looking for other women! Tsk, tsk. Hahaha!"
Rong Siman's face turned green as she shot a look of hatred at Xin Qing and her companions. "Hmph, keep talking then. Let's just see how long you can keep up with your smugness." She glared at Xin Qing. "You should hurry up and hand over everything that you had stolen from the Ying family. If you do, I'll give face to Ah Cang and pay alimony for you and your children. Otherwise, you won't be getting a single cent."
Neither Xin Qing nor Ying Qingcang had spoken from the very beginning of the exchange. Rong Siman had noticed it too. An idea occurred to her. She placed her palm on Ying Qingcang's chest and smiled at him sweetly. "Ah Cang, why aren't you saying anything? I'm not wrong with everything I said just now, right?"
Only then did Ying Qingcang finally speak. "If you won't return it, then I'll just take it all back through my own means," he said icily as he levelled a steady gaze on Xin Qing.
Xin Qing sighed inwardly. "Then, Mr. Ying, I'd very much like to see these means of yours," she said without relenting. Then, she turned around and left.