It might just be her imagination, but Zhang Mi could not help but notice that Xin Qing had been smiling since they left the party. While dropping Xin Qing off at Ying's residence, Zhang Mi finally caved and asked, "Why are you so happy?"
"Huh?" Xin Qing stared back at Zhang Mi in confusion, her smile still adorning her lips since she had utterly failed to conceal it in time.
Young Master Shen opened the door for Xin Qing. "Did Ah Cang..."
"No!" Xin Qing blurted. "Look, it's so late. You guys should go home!" After that, she hightailed to the house.
She ran all the way up the stairs. She stopped by Wangwang's room first; the boy was sleeping as if he were a piglet. After that, she drew a bath for herself and then soaked herself in the bathtub. That was when she began touching her lips with her fingers and thought about Ying Qingcang.
So far, she knew one thing for sure: they had all been right. Ying Qingcang was being spied on. He could not speak his mind. The kiss tonight happened because she had deliberately seduced him. It also happened because he had been unable to keep his desires in check. Fear rose inside Xin Qing at the thought. How on earth did Ying Qingcang manage to maintain his cover before Rong Siman. Rong Siman must have heard the sounds of their kisses as well as Li Susu's voice tonight.
Rong Siman had indeed heard those things. She had listened to the recording when she got home. As someone who was well-versed in the birds and the bees, it would be impossible for her not to realize the kind of activity that would give rise to those pants and gasps she had heard. That was why she confronted Ying Qingcang first thing in the morning.
"Ah Cang, you ran into Xin Qing again at the dinner party, didn't you?"
Ying Qingcang, who was just about to head off to work, nodded when he heard her. "Yeah."
"Then?" Rong Siman just stared at him. "What did you guys do?"
"I kissed her," Ying Qingcang said smugly. "Right in front of the eldest daughter of the Li family."
Rong Siman had wanted to kick up a fuss at first, but she calmed down immediately after seeing the look on Ying Qingcang's face. "Why did you do that?"
"Sometimes I really wonder if there's even anything inside your brain..." Ying Qingcang shot Rong Siman an exasperated look. "I figured that being seen with her by anyone from capital would do the trick. If they see Xin Qing kissing another man, the news will get back to the Jiang family eventually. I didn't expect to be so lucky, though. We were seen by none other than Jiang Qianren's childhood sweetheart."
Only then did realization dawn upon Rong Siman. "That way, Xin Qing can forget about marrying into the Jiang family!"
"Now do you get it?" Ying Qingcang stood up. "We can't let Xin Qing be affiliated with the Jiang family. It would be too disadvantageous to us otherwise." "Oh, and I'm warning you. This is a very crucial time for us, so it would be best if you stay put obediently and mind your own business." When he finished, Ying Qingcang closed the door without even looking at her.
Having obtained confirmation about Ying Qingcang's situation, Xin Qing spent the following few days in a jovial mood; however, that only lasted until the end of the month when Jiang Qianren came back.
"Did you do it on purpose?"
Xin Qing had heard his cold interrogation before she even sat down.
"Hey, this place is too nice for you to be acting all grumpy!" Jiang Qianren had asked her to meet her at an upscale coffee shop. Not many customers were present at the moment, so the place was very quiet.
Jiang Qianren kept glaring at her. "You allowed Ying Qingcang to kiss you?"
"Did your childhood sweetheart tell you that?" Xin Qing asked him in return and batted her eyelashes at him.
"Jealous?" Jiang Qianren smiled. "I'm not interested in her. I only see her as a younger sister. You're the one I'm interested in!"
Xin Qing took a sip of her fruit juice. "But I only see you as a younger brother."
"Who says I want to be your brother?" Jiang Qianren was irked once again. "I'm only two years younger than you."
The man sitting across from her was now looking at her with deep, penetrating eyes. All that time spent in the military had rendered the man as hard as steel, giving him an undefiable austerity.
Xin Qing sighed. "Qianren," she said, "I told you a long time ago that I don't love you. I don't love you now, and I won't love you in the future."
"And I have told you as well that I will make you love me one day." There was a faraway look in Jiang Qianren's eyes when he gazed at her now. "Ying Qingcang betrayed you. He had repeatedly toyed with your feelings. Why are you still so hung up on him?"
Xin Qing set down her cup and looked at him seriously. "I love him. No matter what kind of person he turns into, I'll still love him. Qianren, I see you as a friend, and I really hope that you can do the same as well. It will only make things difficult for everyone if you can't."
A dark shade slowly took over Jiang Qianren's eyes and he released a bitter laugh. "So that was why you dressed like that to attend the party. You were deliberately showing off how you would look like when socializing among men, deliberately allowing Li Susu to see you and Ying Qingcang locking lips."
Jiang Qianren stood up. "Xin Qing, do you even have a heart?" He said, grabbing Xin Qing's hand and placing it on his chest. "Can't you feel it? Can't you feel that it's beating just for you? Why don't you want it?"
The sheer pressure Xin Qing felt on her wrist made her wince. She freed her hand from his grip with all her strength and said, "I think there's no point in carrying on this discussion." Xin Qing stood up, grabbed her handbag and headed for the exit. At the door, Jiang Qianren blocked her path.
"How do you know you won't be able to accept me if you don't try?" Then, before Xin Qing knew what hit her, he pulled her into his arms and covered her lips with his own.
Xin Qing's eyes went wide. Twice, she pounded him with her fist, though the act only made Jiang Qianren tighten his hold on her. She panicked and was just about to knee him in the groin when she heard a voice, one that was infused with mockery.
"Even if you want to make out, at least have the decency to avoid doing it at the doorway. You'll just be getting in other people's way."
Xin Qing knew that voice far too well. Mortified, she shoved Jiang Qianren away from her violently and covered her lips with her hand. Ying Qingcang was already pushing the door open and stepping inside. Rong Siman was right beside him.
Rong Siman's hateful gaze skimmed along Xin Qing's body. All of a sudden, she smiled at Jiang Qianren. "Mr. Jiang, you should open your eyes and look closely at who she really is! Some women might seem refined and respectable on the surface, but they are, in fact, quite free with their favors."
Jiang Qianren regretted his actions deeply; more so after he noticed the fact that Xin Qing was almost in tears and the smug look on Rong Siman's face. He scowled, and then he yelled at Rong Siman, "I like her no matter how she is, and it's none of your d*mn business!"
Xin Qing did not want to linger at this place for even a second longer. With all her strangth, she tried to shake her hand loose from Jiang Qianren's grip. Instead of releasing her, Jiang Qianren tried to pull her into his arms. Xin Qing panicked and raised her head to yell at him, "Please! I beg you! Let go of me!"
"Xin Qing!" Jiang Qianren was startled by Xin Qing's outburst. He had never seen this side of Xin Qing before, the one where she had tears streaking down her cheeks and was biting into her lips so hard that it might draw blood. "What's the matter? I... I didn't mean to hurt you. Please don't cry!"
A series of color transformations occured inside Ying Qingcang's eyes right then. First, there was a dark, murky color, which slowly turned pale. Then, the paleness disappeared and was instantly filled with pitch-black darkness. He stared at Jiang Qianren coldly. "Obviously, you have yet to bag this woman. Want me to give you a few pointers?"
Xin Qing took the opportunity to push herself away from Jiang Qianren and ran out. Outside, Ah Che had already begun to notice something wrong; he rushed in and brought Xin Qing away.
Jiang Qianren still wanted to give chase, but Ying Qingcang stopped him.
"Just give up, man. The one she loves is me."
A dark look formed in Rong Siman's eyes, though she stifled her anger and lowered her head.
Jiang Qianren glanced at Ying Qingcang and laughed. "So what? Right now, you're with another woman."
"So..." Ying Qingcang smirked. "Even if that's the case, she won't love you."
"We'll see about that!" Jiang Qianren took off in huge strides.
Only then did Rong Siman muttered in a disgruntled tone, "He's not serious about marrying Xin Qing, is he?"
"What can you do about it?" Ying Qingcang lowered his head and laughed. "If Xin Enterprises really does end up having the Jiang family's backing, we can forget about ever reclaiming it."
"But that won't do!" Rong Siman's eyes widened in a glare. Then, she tried to feel him out, so she asked, "Ah Cang, why don't you work on Xin Qing again? Maybe try seducing her?"
Ying Qingcang stared at her. "Why? You're willing to trade me with Xin Enterprises?"
"Come on, it's not like you love her for real, right? If you can coax her into handing Xin Enterprise over to you, isn't that good?" All of a sudden, Rong Siman was excited with her own idea. Why did she not think of that before? After all, it was impossible for Ying Qingcang to betray her now. He would just be using Xin Qing's feelings to get what they wanted, that was all. Surely, that much would not hurt.
Ying Qingcang tilted his head and thought for a moment. "And what if I have to sleep with her to do that?"
"No!" Rong Siman shook her head. It turned out that she had forgotten one thing: Ying Qingcang would only get an erection when he was with Xin Qing. How could she allow those two to be on the same bed? No! Absolutely not!
"Okay, then. We'll just wait until Xin Qing marries into the Jiang family, and then we'll figure something out." Ying Qingcang began to make his way to their table and said, "I'm hungry. Let's eat."
Jiang Qianren knew that he had really screwed up this time; he had made Xin Qing angry. She would never pick up no matter how many times he called. Left completely helpless, he could do nothing else but return to the capital for the time being. He had even sent her a text before he left. In his text, he told Xin Qing that his mother wanted to meet with her. He asked her to give them a call when she had time.
Xin Qing ignored him entirely; she had deleted his text without even reading it. Then, she burrowed herself under the blanket, biting her nails as she cried.
The fact that she had allowed another man to kiss her in front of Ying Qingcang had left Xin Qing feeling dirty and utterly mortified. When she recalled the look in Ying Qingcang's eyes this afternoon, she felt a strong urge to give Jiang Qianren a beating. After spending a long time crying, she suddenly sat up.
"Ah Cang must be so angry today. Will he sneak in here again tonight?" That thought swirled inside Xin Qing's mind over and over again. During dinner, her mind was scattered and unfocus, like she was miles away. Monica had been coming home late for the past few days, so it was just her and Wangwang tonight.
Wangwang asked her what was wrong, and she told him that she did not sleep well last night. After dinner, she ran back upstairs. First, she took a bath, and then she changed into Ying Qingcang's favorite lingerie.
"Why do I even bother dressing up like this?" Xin Qing glanced at herself in the mirror and noted just how enticing her body looked. Xin Qing glared at the mirror and patted her cheeks. "He even had a lunch date with that woman this afternoon! Hell, he was even living together with that woman!" Some time during her one-sided rant, her tears had slid down her cheeks.
Rationally, she understood the predicament that Ying Qingcang was in. But once rationality ebbed away, all her woes and suffering came pouring out.
In the end, she dove onto the bed in tears, curling herself up as she cried. Some time later, she became too exhausted from all that crying and fell asleep...
At midnight, Ying Qingcang silently pushed open the front door. Right now, he rejoiced at the fact that he had forbidden Xin Qing to get another dog after Le Le's accidental death; he would not have been able to sneak into the house otherwise. Just like last time, he slowly crept up the stairs and got to the second floor, after which he opened the massive purple door. Inside the room, he saw a long, caterpillar-like bundle on the bed.
He crept forward silently and sat down on the edge of the bed. Then, he reached out and tugged the blanket downwards, revealing a tear-stained face.
Ying Qingcang's heart soften instantly. On the way here, all he could think about was giving this little minx a good spanking the moment he saw her. How dared she allow another man to kiss her. But now that he had seen the redness and puffiness of her eyes as well as the drops of residual tears still clinging to her lashes, all his anger dissipated and was replaced with hurt.
Reaching out, he ran his fingers over the planes of that tiny face. He lowered his head and kissed her eyes. That blue pill appeared between his fingers again. He was moments away from crushing the pill when he suddenly saw the woman on the bed opening her eyes.
Those eyes held a brightness far clearer than even the moonlight outside the window. Just like that, the light from those eyes shone straight into his heart!