“Are you in pain?” Wan Qingsi asked, his eyes filled with a pained look.
The woman on the bed turned around and returned his hug; however, she was shoved away harshly by Wan Qingsi a second later.
“Who the hell are you?”
The woman on the bed raised her head to look at Wan Qingsi. “You didn’t even spare a second thought before pushing me away,” she said. “Is there really that big of a difference between me and her? Aren’t we both women?”
“You truly disgust me,” Wan Qingsi bit out coldly as he made his way to the door. “If this happens again, I might just end up killing you.”
A strange smile formed on An Ru’s face as she watched him leave the room.
Wan Qingsi’s face was filled with rage as he stormed into Ying’s residence. When he saw the bandage on Ah Sha’s forehead, he quickly tamped down his anger and put on a neutral face. He walked up to Ah Sha and asked, “How are you feeling?” He reached out to touch her, but when his hand was inches away from her skin, a thought occurred to him and he stilled his hand. He clenched his teeth and held himself back.
“I’m fine,” Ah Sha said, looking at him. “Mommy already applied ointment onto my bruises. What’s the matter with you?”
Just then, Ying Qingcang wheeled Xin Qing out from the dining hall. Xin Qing waved at Wan Qingsi when she saw him. “You haven’t eaten yet, right, Xunxun? Go on, help yourself to something.”
“Eat?” Ying Qingcang glared at Wan Qingsi. “Look what happened after we left our daughter in his care? Apparently, this is his idea of ‘protecting’ our daughter. What a joke. He doesn’t have the right to eat.”
“Daddy!” Ah Sha shouted, angered by Ying Qingcang’s accusation. “None of this is his fault, okay?”
Xin Qing patted Ying Qingcang’s arm comfortingly. “Hey, that’s enough, okay? Can’t you see that the kids are already having a hard time? You’re making them feel worse than they already are.”
Ah Sha reached for Wan Qingsi’s hand and said, “I’m going with you! Let’s eat something together!” Wan Qingsi’s reaction, however, was not what she had been expecting; he took a huge step away from her and yelled, “No! Don’t touch me!”
What ensued was an eerie silence which permeated every corner of the large mansion. Ying Qingcang broke the silence first by charging towards Wan Qingsi in an attempt to kick him. Then, Ah Sha reacted by standing up in order to stop Ying Qingcang from hurting Wan Qingsi. A sharp pain shot through her leg the moment she stood up. Ah Sha’s knees crashed into the floor as she knelt down in pain. Horrified, Wan Qingsi’s hand shot out by instinct in order to help Ah Sha to her feet. But once again, his hand stopped short when it was just about to touch her.
“Ah Cang!” Xin Qing yelled. “Help our daughter up first.”
Ah Sha brushed off Ying Qingcang’s attempt to help. “I’m fine, daddy. Leave me alone.” Ah Sha stared at Wan Qingsi. “What on earth is going on with you?”
Wan Qingsi balled his fists and stared at the floor, his body shaking all over. Ah Sha frowned at his behavior. “Did you touch something?”
“I… I…” Wan Qingsi stammered. Then, all of a sudden, he raised his head, revealing a pair of eyes that were filled with hatred. His eyes looked so scary that it made both Xin Qing and Ah Sha jump slightly.
“It’s okay, Xunxun. Just tell us what’s bothering you. Come, my dear boy. You can tell us!” Xin Qing said, reaching out to take Xunxun’s arm. But before Xin Qing could even reach him, Ying Qingcang stepped in and dragged Wan Qingsi to the couch. After that, Ying Qingcang helped Ah Sha up from the floor.
“Spit it out, kid. We don’t have all day,” Ying Qingcang said. “You’re a big man. What are you so scared of?”
With his head hanging low, Wan Qingsi spilled his guts about what happened at the hospital. As he talked, Ah Sha just stared at him with a look of incredulity; she honestly didn’t know whether to cry or laugh at how ridiculous his behavior was.
“So, let me get this straight,” Ah Sha said. “You just hugged her, that’s all.”
“Yes. I swear to God that’s all I did. Just for a brief moment. I don’t think it even lasted for a second.”
Ah Sha patted Wan Qingsi’s head. “It’s okay,” she said. “It’s not like you did it on purpose. Besides, you didn’t know it wasn’t me!”
Xin Qing stared at Wan Qingsi in amusement. “Seriously, kid, why are you so finicky!”
“Hahahaha!” Ying Qingcang was the only one who reveled in Wan Qingsi’s predicament.
Realizing that Ah Sha wasn’t mad at him, Wan Qingsi stood up with a frown. “I’m going to take a shower first,” he said. Then, he made a beeline upstairs.
Ah Sha smiled cheekily at Ying Qingcang. “Sometimes I wonder if Brother Xunxun is your biological son. You two are so alike.”
“Nonsense,” Ying Qingcang said. “You think I’m as stupid as he is?”
Xin Qing pointed a finger at Ying Qingcang. “But his OCD could give yours a run for its money!”
Ah Sha took out her laptop from her bag and logged on to Wan Qingsi’s Weibo account. Then, she uploaded a photo of the two of them hugging each other. She added a short paragraph to the post.
“There was an accident at the movie set today. Had an encounter with An Ru (not sure what kind of health problem she has) while getting Mei Jing her treatment at the hospital. I always thought An Ru was some kind of wacko and a pervert. But surprisingly, we managed to have a civil conversation, which led to my revising my opinion of her. I find her to be quite reasonable, and we’ve now reached an understanding.”
In another post, Ah Sha wrote, “We’ve agreed to keep our relationship strictly platonic. I even gave her a friendly hug. I hope you get well soon, my friend!”
Then, Ah Sha wrote one last post, “Of course, I’d like to express just how lucky we are that our Mei Jing is fine. I’ve already brought her home!”
Not five minutes after Ah Sha had made that last Weibo post, An Ru posted a photo on her own Weibo account. The photo was captured at the exact moment where Wan Qingsi had hugged An Ru at the hospital. An Ru had even added several flirtatious remarks to the post; something about her being in a good mood because the man she loved had come to visit her.
“Gee, what is the matter with this woman?” Xin Qing said, clearly appalled by An Ru’s behavior. Then, she turned to look at Ying Qingcang and said, “She’s even more obsessed than those women who chased after you back then.”
Ying Qingcang’s face darkened instantly, and he stole a kiss from Xin Qing.
A while later, Ah Sha received two calls, one from Qi Xiu and the other from Zhou Na— most likely because neither of them could get a hold of Wan Qingsi. Ah Sha requested Qi Xiu to get a new phone and number for Wan Qingsi. She also told Zhou Na about what she did on Weibo and asked Zhou Na to pick up where she had left off.
It wasn’t until Ah Sha had finish making all the necessary arrangements that a freshly showered Wan Qingsi came back downstairs.
Ah Sha turned to face him with her hands outstretched. “Hug!”
“Okay!” The man didn’t try to avoid her this time; he sat down on the couch and held her tight. “I’m not hurting you right?” He asked warily.
Ah Sha grinned at him and told her everything she had done just now. “That does it. I’m going to order Wan Yi to toss her ass into the Red Light District.”
“I’ve already look into it,” Ying Qingcang said. “The retired old man from the Lin family has taken quite a liking to her. But Lin Musheng, the one actually calling the shots, not so much.”
Wan Qingsi pondered Ying Qingcang’s words. “So, you’re saying that it’s possible for us to cut a deal with the Lin family? As long as Lin Musheng is happy with the bargain, he’ll turn a blind eye to whatever happens to her sister?”
Ying Qingcang nodded. “They’re born from different mothers anyway.”
“In a way, An Ru is lucky. If she were born as a son, she would’ve been screwed by now,” Ah Sha remarked. “Tsk, tsk. I bet Lin Musheng wouldn’t want to share his family inheritance with his brother.”
Xin Qing frowned and glared at Ah Sha. “Tsk. Speak nicely,” Xin Qing chastised. “What do you mean ‘screwed’?”
“Yes, Ma’am!” Ah Sha said, bowing deeply. “I guess I should’ve said, ‘killed’.”
Wan Qingsi quickly cut in. “Are you hungry?” He said. “Come eat something with me?”
“Okay!” Ah Sha said. When she tried to stand up, she was stopped by Wan Qingsi, who insisted on carrying her to the dining hall; he was worried that it would hurt to much for her to walk on her own. Meanwhile, Ying Qingcang was pushing Xin Qing upstairs to rest. Before she retired upstairs, Xin Qing had ordered Ah Sha and Wan Qingsi not to leave and to stay at Ying’s residence for the night.
The next day, the public was debating heatedly on the internet regarding the veracity of Wan Qingsi and An Ru’s Weibo posts: whose posts should they believe in? Meanwhile, the internet ghostwriters that Zhou Na had hired were relentlessly spreading the news about Wan Qingsi and Mei Jing’s blossoming relationship; someone had even leaked a photo which showed Wan Qingsi and Mei Jing walking hand in hand at a mall.
Mei Jing was wearing a cap and sunglasses in the photo. She and Wan Qingsi were sharing a look with each other. Both of them had smiles on their faces. They looked happy and very much in love.
While netizens bickered with each other on the internet, Zhang Yafei, former superstar who had gone into hiding for two years, suddenly made a Weibo post.
“I’ve retired from the showbiz a long time ago. I’m currently staying overseas with my husband, living a peaceful and quiet life. Which is why I find it immensely appalling that someone would threaten me to terminate my contract with Stars Entertainment.” Zhang Yafei went on and rebuked such unethical behavior through her Weibo account. She had even attached an audio file to the post. The file contained a recording of the phone conversation through which the threat was made.
Shortly after Zhang Yafei’s post, someone wrote on the comments’ section that An Ru was the one responsible behind the threat.
Zhang Yafei followed up with another Weibo post, “My husband and I had already sent our lawyer’s notice to Miss An. Miss An, I hope you give a proper explanation to me and my family!”
Two years ago, Xin Qing had set Zhang Yafei up with a man called Ryan. The relationship worked out really well and the two got married shortly. Now, the couple had a twin together. One year ago, when Wan Qingsi returned to start a branch of Stars Entertainment in China, Zhang Yafei signed a contract with Stars Entertainment, but only for appearance’s sake. The fact was that she’d been staying overseas this whole time and hadn’t been involved in any of Stars Entertainment’s projects.
It was beyond everyone’s comprehension how An Ru, that imbecile, had thought it was a good idea to start targeting Zhang Yafei.
“Remember to let me see your twins when you come back to China!” Xin Qing was having a phone call with Zhang Yafei in the living room. “Hmm, sounds good. Goodbye!”
“She’s pretty sincere, isn’t she?” Ying Qingcang remarked. He was giving Xin Qing a leg massage.
“I know, right? She actually ignored An Ru’s threat,” Xin Qing said. “She released the voice recording after she read about the whole An Ru fiasco on the internet yesterday.”
Ah Sha shoved a grape into her mouth. “I think the most bad-ass thing of all is her habit of recording all her phone conversations with strangers,” Ah Sha remarked as she chewed. “That’s such a clever move! I’ll do the same from now on.”
“By the way, your Aunt Mi is about to go into labor,” Xin Qing said. “We’re flying to New York tonight. Why don’t you and Xunxun stay here for now?” Xin Qing reached for an apple and started peeling its skin. “You can ask Aunt Tian to make something delicious for you. At least that’s better than those junk you eat outside.”
Ah Sha pondered Xin Qing’s suggestion. “We’ll stay at Xunxun’s place,” Ah Sha said after several moments. “It’s too far from his company here.”
“See? I told you it’d be pointless to ask. She’ll always put the brat first,” Ying Qingcang said with an envious look on his face. Ah Sha leaned into Ying Qingcang’s shoulder. “Awe. Come, daddy, my lord. Allow me to give you a massage!”
Inside the office of Sky Entertainment’s headquarter, Mo Nan and An Ru were in the middle of a face-off. The look on Mo Nan’s face looked outright murderous when he hurled the lawyer’s letter at An Ru.
“For once in your life, will you use your brain, Big Missy? Do you even know who Zhang Yafei’s husband is? You think you can just run around and mess with them?”
A look of disdain formed on An Ru’s face. “So what? What do we have to be scared of? Is he more powerful than the Lin family?”
Mo Nan felt an urge to strangle this dumb-ass bitch to death. What? Did she think that the Triad was a global superpower or something? Outside of Asia, nobody knew jack sh*t about her oh-so precious Triad. Heck, the Shen Family alone was already difficult enough to handle; and yet this moron thought it was a good idea to start pissing off other powerful people. Yeah. F*ck his life. Worse, things over at the Wen family had suddenly gotten quiet ever since he announced his collaboration with An Ru. When he called, he was told that Wen Pintang had left the country. Whether or not that was really the case was anyone’s guess.
“An Ru, however large the sky is, there’s always something bigger. Call it outer space, the universe, or whatever. The point is, no matter how powerful the Lin family is, I don’t think your brother would want you to cause trouble everywhere, right?” Mo Nan had tried to sugar-coat his words. “Fine, you have the hots for Wan Qingsi, and you want to jump his bones, or whatever. That’s none of my business, so I don’t really care about what you do about that. Just make sure that your actions don’t affect Sky Entertainment.”
An Ru’s face changed. “Seriously? You’re criticizing me before the movie even started filming?”
“Oh, great, now you know that the movie is about to start filming!” Mo Nan said in a tone of annoyance. “That wasn’t a criticism. It was a reminder. Don’t forget that you yourself have invested a sum in this movie, too. And you know better than I do from whom you’ve gotten that money. Just think about the consequences if the movie tanks and you lost all the money you had invested. Even if you don’t have to answer to the Lin family, how are you going to make your future investments?”
“Didn’t you say that the movie is going to be a big hit?” An Ru asked with a baffled look.
Deep down, Mo Nan was cursing himself for choosing to collaborate with this imbecile. Well, newsflash! Wan Qingsi didn’t want anything to do with this woman. Big surprise there.
“That’s not going to happen if you keep messing around like this. The movie’s going to tank at the box-office if you keep creating negative news,” Mo Nan said with a sigh. “Don’t worry. Wan Qingsi is not going to marry Mei Jing no matter how smitten he is with her. The one from the Ying family will return at the end of this year. She’s your real opponent!”
An Ru froze. “Ying Xin is coming back?”
“Yeah. She’ll be back at the end of this year the soonest, and next summer the latest.” Mo Nan smiled. “What are you afraid of, anyway? With your current status, it’s totally possible to go up against the Ying family. As for that Mei Jing, she’s merely a plaything. So why are you even wasting your energy on her?”
Ah Sha’s injuries had pretty much recovered by the time she and Wan Qingsi returned to their home. Still, the movie’s filming had to be postponed; Tang Yue was still lying in the hospital. The truth was that Ah Sha had pretty much forgotten about Tang Yue, since she’d been busy dealing with An Ru.
There was, however, a niggling thought at the back of her mind. Something was bugging her, something that had to do with the accident that day. She was pretty sure that Tang Yue had pushed her moments before they hit the ground that day…