Ying Qingcang's hesitation lasted only for a split second. Right when he was about to crush the pill again, Xin Qing suddenly held up a tablet and showed him the words that she had written on its screen.
"I won't make a sound. Please don't go. And don't let me fall asleep. I... I miss you."
Having read those words, Ying Qingcang felt his heart splintering asunder and shattering into pieces. How did he allow things to come to this? How could he drive his woman to such a piteous state? What about the promise of happiness and protection that he had once made to her? Was it just empty talk?
As if she had read his mind, Xin Qing quickly wrote more words on the tablet.
"None of this is your fault. I'm just glad that you made it back alive!"
Xin Qing continued writing, "To me, seeing you alive is a feeling more powerful than anything else. As long as you're alive, I'm glad. Even if it temporarily prevents you from loving me!" Xin Qing stared at him, her eyes blinking several times; that was the exact moment when Ying Qingcang felt a sudden and powerful rush of emotion to his brain. The next thing he knew, liquid heat streaked down his cheeks.
He was crying.
He did cried once when he was kidnapped all those years ago. He had never cried again after that incident. Regardless, embarassment was the last thing he was feeling at the moment. Instead, he allowed his tears to streak down his cheeks freely as he opened his arms for his little woman.
Xin Qing covered her mouth with her hands and dove right into his waiting arms. For a moment, they just hugged each other. After what felt like ages, Xin Qing raised her head and saw Ying Qingcang showing her what he had written on the tablet.
"Babe! You're amazing. Thank you for trusting me!"
Xin Qing wrote quickly and stared at him once she was done.
"Xiao Rui was the one who found out about the listening device inside your body. But we all knew that you're being coerced even before he found out. We all trust you!"
Ying Qingcang nodded and wrote another line.
"She's got the old man and the chieftain. I can't just leave them alone. The root cause of your headache hasn't been removed yet. The chieftain cannot die."
Xin Qing swiped her tears and began writing again.
"Boss Wan has already found out where they are being kept. He's working out a way to rescue them."
Ying Qingcang's face changed slightly. He quickly wrote another line.
"No. Now isn't the right time to launch a rescue mission."
"Why?"
Xin Qing stared at him. Was there something else that Ying Qingcang was hiding from her?
Ying Qingcang wrote, "Oh, what the hell... Just ask him to be careful!" Ying Qingcang sighed soundlessly. All of a sudden, his eyes grew several shades darker.
Following his gaze, Xin Qing glanced down and blushed at what she saw. She had completely forgotten about the fact that she was still dressed in her lingerie. Right now, she was practically half-naked in Ying Qingcang's arms.
Ying Qingcang frowned and wrote out a line, balling his fists when he was finished writing, "Are you trying to seduce me with that outfit?"
D*mn it to hell! He could see but not touch. He was holding the woman he loved the most in his arms, and yet he could not touch her. All of a sudden, a savage glint flashed inside his eyes. "Rong Siman! One day will come when I make your f*ck*ng life a living hell!"
Then, Xin Qing suddenly wrote down his name, "Ah Cang..."
Moments later, Ying Qingcang watched as Xin Qing tapped on the tablet's screen a few times. The melody of a symphony filled the room. Thank heavens for the room's soundproof walls; otherwise, the tunes would have woken Wangwang up.
Blushing, Xin Qing wrote another line, "She can't hear us now, right?" Ying Qingcang smiled suddenly and nodded. In the next second, he shifted their positions so that she was lying flat on her back with him on top of her.
His kisses rained down on Xin Qing's body, never missing a single spot of skin. Like a pair of burning torches, his hands roamed her body, setting her skin on fire.
Moans and gasps were masked by the symphony's tune. Then and there, a soundless act of lovemaking played out, slowly raising the temperature of the room.
"Ah! Ah Cang..."
"Babe, I love you!"
Xin Qing was woken up by Wangwang's voice.
"Mother, mother! What's wrong? Are you okay?" Having heard her son's anxious yells, Xin Qing used every ounce of her strength to open her eyes. In an instant, all her senses came flooding back to her. She felt so sore and tired that she did not feel like moving an inch.
"Mother, where are you hurting? I'm calling a doctor right now."
Xin Qing reached out and grabbed the boy. "I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well last night. Will you help me tell Aunt Monica that I won't be going to the company today?"
"Oh," Wangwang said. Then, he gave his mother a suspicious glance. "Mother, were you bitten by something?"
That question put Xin Qing in a momentary daze. After that, she glanced down and noticed the kiss marks lining her arms.
"Ahem! Ahem!" She quickly shoved her arms back under the covers. "I have an allergic reaction. Go on, now! Go downstairs to have your breakfast!"
Wangwang strode off and mumbled to himself, "Have to ask Brother Xiao Rui later if he has a way to fix this. That looked like some serious allergy that mom has."
After the boy left, Xin Qing strained to shift her body into another position. A glass of water sat beside the bed, on the nightstand. She took the glass and drank a few mouthfuls. Then, she picked up the tablet. Indeed, the screen showed the message that Ying Qingcang had left for her.
"I'm sorry, babe. I have to leave first. Please give me more time. Love you!" He added another line after that, "Oh, and stay the hell from that army neanderthal!"
Hahaha! Xin Qing read the message over and over again for a few times, sporting a massive grin on her face all the while. Then, she felt a sticky sensation in her crotch, which brought another blush to her face. She climbed out of bed with difficulty and went into the bathroom to clean up.
Zhang Mi came to check on Xin Qing in the afternoon. Zhang Mi walked into the house to see a certain someone sprawled on the couch, grinning stupidly at the TV screen where some lame show was playing.
"Say, aren't you supposed to be sick and unwell?" Annoyed, Zhang Mi plopped down beside Xin Qing on the couch. "It turns out that you're just slacking off at home so that you can watch a bunch of stupid rom-coms."
Xin Qing lowered the volume, picked up a bag of potato chips, and started munching. "I am unwell, that's why I'm watching rom-coms to cheer myself up!"
"You haven't done this type of thing for quite a while, you know," Zhang Mi said, opening a new bag of chips. While munching on chips, Zhang Mi gave Xin Qing a sidelong glance. "Hey, I suddenly feel like you've been treated like a slave for far too long. I can't even remember the last time you ate chips in front of the TV."
"Here!" Xin Qing said, tossing another bag of chips to Zhang Mi. "Then I shall refresh your memory today."
Xin Qing had planned to give herself a few days' break. Then again, that plan bit the dust when she received a call from Boss Wan that night.
"We still can't find a way to infiltrate the place."
Boss Wan was referring to the private residence where Ying Hao and the chieftain were being held captive.
Xin Qing felt a bit puzzled. "You can't get in? Not even with all your tricks?"
"Other than getting groceries every day, that woman doesn't leave the place much. Also, we've found out that she's actually mute and deaf, so we can't even approach and interact with her." "At first, I thought we could plant a bug on her. But she'll have to go through security clearance every time she returns to that place, so that won't work. I don't want to risk spooking the enemy and let them know that they're being watched."
What were they supposed to do now? They would never be able to free Ying Qingcang from Rong Siman's control if they did not somehow find a way to rescue Ying Hao and the chieftain. Xin Qing clawed at her hair in frustration.
"We'll find another way, don't worry." After that, Boss Wan said a few more lines before he hung up.
Xin Qing went to the company the next day, wanting to discuss the problem with everyone and come up with a solution together. When she arrived, Ah Nan handed her a white card.
Xin Qing took the card and realized that it was a thank-you letter sent by the foster home that she had funded on behalf of Randa. Apart from expressing their gratitude, they had also invited Xin Qing to be their guest whenever her schedule was clear. She would receive a card like this every year; it was how the people from the foster home expressed their gratitude to her.
"Remember to wire the money to them on time this year," Xin Qing said. She glanced at the card again before putting it in her drawer.
Ah Nan was just about speak when he saw Xin Qing suddenly taking the card out from the drawer. Then, she jumped to her feet.
"Is something wrong?"
Xin Qing smiled and pointed at the address printed on the card. "Make the arrangements. We'll be going to France."
Three days later, Xin Qing, Zhang Mi, Young Master Shen, and Ah Che hopped on a plane and arrived at a small town in southern France.
This town was where the foster home was. At the same time, it was also where Ying Hao and the chieftain were being held.
Xin Qing would visit the foster home as its benefactor, after which she would make a donation to help rebuild the entire foster home. She was also here so that she could personally select the new site to set up the foster home.
Regarding Xin Qing's visit to the small town, the townsmen were nothing but thrilled. The town's mayor had even come to welcome their arrival in person.
On the night of their arrival, they met up with Boss Wan.
"What exactly do you have in mind?" Boss Wan asked her.
Xin Qing grinned at him and said, "I've checked. The people of this town earn their keep through farming. Also, most people who remain in this town are either senior citizens or children. Other than a foster home, I'm planning to set up a school and a library as well."
Everyone's eyes were on Xin Qing as they waited for her to finish.
"I'm a Chinese businesswoman, and China is a place where Feng Shui is highly emphasized. Which means that I'll be calling the shots regarding the location we use to establish those facilities." Xin Qing met everyone's gazes. "We know that Ying Hao and the chieftain are both being held captive inside a private residence in this town. Now, if we include that entire residential area as part of our list of sites to choose from and then announce to everyone that we'll be using that area to set up a library, we'll have a legitimate excuse to gain access to that place. We'll give out compensation fees to the existing residents and then provide free housing for them. If we do that, nobody will reject the offer, right?"
Boss Wan nodded. "That's a good idea."
"Damn, you're brilliant!" Young Master Shen exclaimed, giving her a thumbs up. "Our Xiao Qingqing has truly grown. Now she's even capable of coming up such devious schemes."
Zhang Mi kicked his shin. "It's called being clever!"
Rong Siman was in the middle of her beauty treatment when she received a phone call. When she answered the call, she nearly leaped off her seat.
"Are you sure that the person is called Xin Qing?"
The person on the other end said something that filled Rong Siman's face with a look of pure hatred. "I understand," Rong Siman said. "You guys should watch yourself. Don't rouse any suspicion."
She rushed to the company after hanging up. When she got there, Ying Qingcang was still in a meeting. As she paced around Ying Qingcang's office, a sudden calmness washed over her.
"What if it's all just a conicidence?" Rong Siman thought, calming herself down. "No, I should do some digging first," she said to herself. "I need to verify that she had indeed been making donations to the foster home all this while." Then, Rong Siman suddenly slapped the surface of the desk. She was an idiot. Why on earth did she come to Ying Qingcang for help? The man had no idea that she had been holding Ying Hao and the chieftain captive.
When Rong Siman hypnotized Ying Qingcang, the idea she had implanted into Ying Qingcang's subconscious was that Ying Hao's anger at Xin Qing had led Ying Hao to his death. What she was doing now was practically self-sabotage!
Just then, the door opened and Ying Qingcang strode into the office. "Is there something you need?"
"I came to see you!" Having recovered from her earlier discomposure, Rong Siman leaned towards him sultrily. Ying Qingcang sidestepped her and sat down behind his desk. "Have you read today's paper?" He said, picking up the newspaper from his desk and handed it to her.
Rong Siman took the newspaper and saw an article about Xin Qing's overseas trip in support of charity.
"What a coincidence indeed. That's the place we used to stayed at," Ying Qingcang said with a cryptic smile. "I wonder what was on your mind back then. Why did you pick such a small town?"
"Ah! It was because of the nice environment there! It's quiet. It's a good place for recuperation," Rong Siman said nervously.
Ying Qingcang nodded. "I wonder what Xin Qing is up to this time. Why don't we return to check things out?"
"I'm thinking the same!" Rong Siman said quickly. "But I can return on my own. You shouldn't trouble yourself with trifling matters like this."
"But..." Ying Qingcang stood up and walked until he was standing in front of Rong Siman. Then, he lowered his head to look at her. "I can't bear to part with you. I'm used to having you around every day. It'll feel weird if I don't get to see you for even a day. You know what? Forget it! You should forget about going back and just ignore them."
The corners of the man's lips tugged into a seductive smile as he stared right into her eyes. Dazed, Rong Siman nodded and said, "Fine, ignore them."
"Let me treat you to something nice. What would you like?" Ying Qingcang picked up his jacket. Only then did Rong Siman recovered her senses. "Thai cuisine?" Ying Qingcang asked.
"Sounds good!"
"Ah Cang, why are you suddenly interested in symphonies?" Rong Siman had caught a glimpse of the symphony playing on Ying Qingcang's computer when they left the office.
"I haven't been able to fall asleep recently. The doctor told me that listening to symphonies might help. I got used to listening to them at night, so I kept them playing during the day, too. Why? Do you like them too?"