An Ru’s assault became just another cold case. The police couldn’t come up with any explanation for how the crime occurred. The hospital couldn’t identify what was wrong with An Ru either.
“How long does the effect of the drug last? Is there a time limit?” Wan Qingsi asked, frowning at the way Ah Sha was shoving ice cream into her mouth. “You should ease up on the ice cream, you know. Your tummy will hurt again the next time you have your period.”
Ah Sha nodded with the tiny spoon still stuck inside her mouth. “She’ll recover in three months. I’m very kind!”
Wan Qingsi’s frown deepened. “That does sound too lenient.”
Ah Sha glared at him. “What! I can’t believe you have the heart to hurt a woman who loves you that much. How could you!”
Wan Qingsi pinched her. “What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Nah, it’s probably a bad idea to tell him,” Ah Sha thought. If Xunxun ever found out that An Ru had been having lewd thoughts about him, he’d probably charge out the door right now and then strangle the woman to death. To be honest, Ah Sha felt rather disgusted by her discovery too. It felt as though someone had tainted what was hers. The effects of the drug were only supposed to last for a month. But driven by the disgust she felt, Ah Sha had done something to make the effects more potent and prolonged.
Naturally, the incident had reached Ying Qingcang’s ear as Wan Qingsi was summoned to Xin Enterprises the very next day.
When Wan Qingsi arrived, Ying Qingcang was none too pleased, as evident from the look he was giving Wan Qingsi. “Have you sent Ah Sha home?” Ying Qingcang asked.
Wan Qingsi nodded and sat down on the couch. Ying Qingcang had asked to meet him at Xin Enterprises instead of Ying’s residence. That could only mean one thing: Wan Qingsi was about to get another earful.
Sure enough, Ying Qingcang reprimanded Wan Qingsi for a good 10 minutes.
“I’ve never allowed your mother-in-law to be bullied by a woman.” Ying Qingcang ended his diatribe in a smug tone. Then, he cast a contemptuous look at Wan Qingsi. “So pathetic.”
“Well, I got the b*tch hospitalized, didn’t I?” Wan Qingsi said calmly.
“I figured it was you,” Ying Qingcang said with a frown. “If something like this happens again, then you can forget about marrying Ah Sha, you hear me?”
A moment later, Ying Qingcang tossed a stack of papers at Wan Qingsi. “There. I already found your replacement,” Ying Qingcang taunted.
Wan Qingsi flipped through the papers casually. “Wen Pintang?”
“Yeah, that’s right. He’ll be visiting S City soon,” Ying Qingcang said, pointing at a photograph of the man. “He’s got a pretty face, just like you. But he’s wealthier than you, more powerful than you.”
Wan Qingsi smirked. “Ah Sha isn’t lacking in paternal love. This guy’s way too old.”
“Old, you say? Let me remind you that he’s five years younger than me!” Ying Qingcang kept provoking him. “Besides, what’s so bad about an older man? An older man is more mature and reliable.”
“If you have that much free time on your hands, you might as well work on finding the prescription formula to cure Aunt Qing’s condition.” Wan Qingsi glanced at Ying Qingcang. “Are your employees aware that you’re slacking off?”
Just then, Ah Nan entered the office with a huge stack of documents. “Young Master, you need to sign all of these!”
Wan Qingsi chuckled and rose to his feet. “Wen Pintang is coming to S City all of a sudden? I don’t believe in this kind of coincidence. I fear that this has to do with Mo Nan. If Mo Nan collaborates with the Wen family, Xin Enterprises would be forced into a defensive position.”
“Hurry up and get out of here already.” Ying Qingcang waved him off. “Young people like you shouldn’t act like you know what you’re talking about!”
It was the beginning of March, at which time the city’s weather would experience fluctuating temperatures with intermittent temperature spikes and drops.
Xin Qing sat alone at the park, the one located at the center of the avenue in front of Xin Enterprises’ main entrance.
She hadn’t been to Xin Enterprises for more than a year. Today, she wanted to surprise Ying Qingcang by showing up here; it was his birthday today.
Xin Qing had sent Ah Sha away after the latter had dropped her off at the park. Xin Qing’s plan was to call Ying Qingcang’s cell, and then when he picked up, she would beg him to come home. The surprise would happen the moment he stepped out of Xin Enterprises building and saw her right across the street!
Unfortunately, the heaven had chosen today of all days to become a killjoy; a sudden drizzle began pouring down from the sky all. Xin Qing tried calling Ying Qingcang’s phone several times, none of which were answered. In the end, she was forced to push her wheelchair towards a tree and sought shelter from the rain under it.
Meanwhile, inside a car, Secretary Wu turned his head around from the front seat to look at Wen Pintang. “Young Master, we’re here at Xin Enterprises. Shall we drop in for a visit before we leave?”
“Not today,” said the man at the backseat, glancing out the car’s window. “We’ll meet with Mo Nan first before we meet Ying Qingcang. Xin Enterprises is far more powerful than the Mo family.”
Secretary Wu nodded. “Yes, sir. So are we heading back to the hotel now?”
“Hold on a second,” Wen Pintang said suddenly. “Pull over.”
Under the tree, Xin Qing stretched out her hand and stared relentlessly at the rainwater gathering at the center of her palm. A man suddenly appeared in her line of sight. As the man slowly approached her with his umbrella, his handsome features became clearer and clearer through the haze of the rain.
“Do you need help?” The man’s voice was gentle and soft. “The rain has gotten heavier. Where is your family? Is there someone I can call?”
Xin Qing shook off the water droplets in her palm. Then, she pointed across the street. “Do you mind taking me to the entrance of Xin Enterprises?”
Wen Pintang nodded and held the umbrella over Xin Qing’s head. Then, he pushed her wheelchair across the street towards the building. The lady from the front desk ran out the moment she saw Xin Qing arriving at the lobby.
“President Xin? How come you’re here?”
Seeing the look of panic on the poor lady’s face, Xin Qing gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s alright. Please give President Ying a call for me.”
Wen Pintang’s eyes turned a shade darker when he saw the man making his way over to them with feverish haste.
“Ah Qing!” Ying Qingcang said, stopping in front of Xin Qing and giving her a thorough once over. “I was in a meeting and I didn’t have my phone with me.”
Xin Qing nodded. “I wanted to give you a surprise. Too bad it started raining. But thanks to this mister… eh?” Xin Qing realized that the man who had brought her here was now nowhere to be seen.
Ying Qingcang frowned. “Let me take you upstairs first. We’ll head home once the rain stops.”
Ying Qingcang turned to Ah Nan. “Go to the security control room. Find out who the guy is.” Ah Nan nodded.
In the privacy of Ying Qingcang’s office, Xin Qing pouted. “I thought I could surprise you,” she said dejectedly, “but I ended up giving you a scare instead.” Xin Qing had seen the look of sheer panic on Ying Qingcang’s face just now. God, she must’ve scared the poor man sh*tless.
“Oh, no! Not at all!” Ying Qingcang picked her up from the wheelchair. “I’m very surprised! Honest!”
Xin Qing buried her head into his chest. “I guess I’ve never really given you a perfect birthday, have I?”
For the past few years, Ying Qingcang had organized her birthday celebration to perfection. Last year, Ying Qingcang took a culinary class and then cooked her a meal while dressed in a playboy bunny costume (Xin Qing had laughed so hard that her tummy hurt for the entire night). The year before that, Ying Qingcang brought her to a vineyard where they made their own red wine together.
This man had spent his whole life loving her. He had given her his whole heart. Xin Qing wanted to give Ying Qingcang the chance to experience the same kind of happiness at least once. Deep down, she knew that getting herself to stand up again was the best gift she could give him. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure if that was even possible in this lifetime.
Ying Qingcang raised her chin suddenly. “Don’t! I know you’re thinking about that again! So stop!” He said sternly. “To me, the best gift is to be able to see and spend time with you every day, and to watch you smile and be happy.”
“We’ve been through so much together. If we can stick together through thick and thin, then it would be such a huge blessing, wouldn’t you say?” Ying Qingcang dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Now. Tell me what you feel like having for dinner?”
Xin Qing sniffed. “I’ve already made your dinner back home.”
“Wonderful!” Ying Qingcang shouted theatrically. “Not even the dishes served in Michelin star restaurants could hold a candle to my wife’s delicious cooking!”
“Humph!” Xin Qing poked his cheek a few times. “Nonsense. I like what they serve at the restaurants.”
Ying Qingcang kissed the corner of her lip. “Then tonight, we shall head home and enjoy the delicious feast you’ve prepared for us. And then tomorrow, I’ll treat you to another feast! How about that?”
“Young Master, the lady in the wheelchair you meet at noon is the President of Xin Enterprises, Xin Qing. She’s also Ying Qingcang’s lover.”
Wen Pintang rubbed his forehead. “Can’t believe she’s so young.”
Secretary Wu nodded. “I know, right? Apparently, there’s quite an age gap between her and Ying Qingcang. Oh, by the way. She’s the same age as you, Young Master.”
“Her leg…” Wen Pintang said, trailing off. The information he had read just now came to mind.
“A few years ago, the Ying family got into a car accident during a vacation trip. Xin Qing tried to save Ying Qingcang and ended up crippled.”
“Haha. I really wonder how much of that information is true.”
Wen Pintang’s reaction confused Secretary Wu. “Shall I look into it again?” He asked carefully.
Wen Pintang shook his head. “No need,” he said. “Let Mo Nan know that I’ll be meeting with him tonight.”
Meanwhile, Ah Nan was also reporting his findings to Ying Qingcang. “Young Master, the man who brought Young Miss here is the oldest son of the Wen family.”
“Wen Pintang?” Ying Qingcang frowned. “He’s here ahead of schedule?”
“Who’s Wen Pintang?” Xin Qing asked curiously.
“The Wen family of the capital has a status equal to that of the Jiang family,” Ying Qingcang explained. “Wen Pintang was the best among all the members of that family.”
“Ah, but he looks so kind and gentle!” Xin Qing hadn’t been expecting that kind of gentle disposition to be found in a man born and raised in a military family.
Ying Qingcang looked at her in annoyance. “You say that he’s kind and gentle just because he lent you his umbrella?”
“Hehe!” Xin Qing smiled back at him sheepishly. “Well, at least he has a gentle appearance!”
“Yeah? You better not be fooled by his outward appearance.” Ying Qingcang decided that now was a good time to start smearing Wen Pintang’s name. “He’s the black sheep in his family. For centuries, the Wen family’s sole focus had been on military affairs. He’s the only one who took an interest in corporate matters. Some of the elders disagreed with his policies, so they slighted him.”
“And you know what he did to those relative who had slighted him? Well, he leaked discrediting information about them straight to the press. Then, he threatened to sever ties with them and was only dissuaded from doing that when his grandfather intervened,” Ying Qingcang said. Apparently, Ying Qingcang wasn’t done trying to scare Xin Qing. “He once broke the legs of his cousin and then left the poor guy to a sexual pervert.”
“Also, there was always a hidden agenda behind the kindness that he’d shown to women. A lot of women back in the capital ended their lives by jumping off buildings because of him.”
The more Xin Qing listened to him, the more ridiculous she found his claims to be. Not even Ah Nan could listen to this any further.
“Young… Young Master. The rain has stopped,” Ah Nan said. “Please take Young Miss home!”
Ying Qingcang stood up immediately. “Let’s go. Time to go home.”
Once the two of them had gotten into the elevator, Ah Nan could still hear his young master rambling on about how awful of a man Wen Pintang was.
“That’s why, my dear wife, you cannot allow yourself be fooled by what you see on the surface. Which is why you must ignore the man the next time you see him.”
“Why do I feel like you’re just pulling my leg?”
“Pulling your leg? Now why on earth would I do that? All I’ve told you is the truth; you see…”
…
Mo Nan was a little surprised when he found out about Wen Pintang’s wish to see him.
“I expected you to negotiate with Ying Qingcang first,” Mo Nan said frankly. “Xin Enterprises’ strength is pretty obvious, after all.”
Wen Pintang smiled at him lightly. “Well, he is stronger than you. That is why I’ve decided not to meet him first. In chess, you usually start by capturing the pawns.”
“Haha! You live up to your reputation indeed, First Young Master Wen.” Mo Nan put out his cigarette. “I want to gain a stable foothold in S City, so I need your help.”
“I like your frankness. It is an admirable quality,” Wen Pintang praised Mo Nan. “So. What’s in it for me, then?”
Mo Nan clenched his jaw. “All the assets of Mo family in the capital would become yours.”
There was a split second when Wen Pintang was taken by complete surprise. Then, he arched his brow. “Oh? So you’re the one calling the shots in the Mo family these days? Will your father agree to this?”
“I’m a man of my word,” Mo Nan said, glowering. “So long as you help me, of course.”
The filming had gone smoothly for the past few days. Once again, Ah Sha had proven to everyone that she was more than just an eye candy. Even the movie’s director, who initially had doubts about her, was now singing her praises. When Wan Qingsi came to pick her up, he could feel the positive vibe among the entire production crew. Of course, it helped that he brought some snacks over for everyone.
On the way home, Wan Qingsi suddenly became serious. “There’s something I have to tell you,” he said. “An Ru is missing.”