“No! You can’t do this!” Ah Sha yelled. The green dots moved nearer. Through the night, she could even hear the sound of their pants. The sound of gluttony, that was what it was. It was their cue for a feast.
A loud and long howl echoed through the woods. What followed were the howls from the other wolves. Lin Musheng slowly approached Ah Sha. “Miss Meijing,” he said. “Are you going to walk over on your own? Or do I have to pick you up and throw you over?”
Ah Sha backed away from him. Then, there was a rustling sound followed by the sudden jerk of Ah Sha’s head. For the next few moments, Ah Sha watched in horror as several wolves leaped across the brook, charging straight at them. Bang! One of the wolves, the one that had been about to pounce on Lin Musheng, dropped dead. By now, the wolves animal instincts had told them that Lin Musheng wasn’t a safe target; they were all looking at Ah Sha.
Ah Sha stole a glance at Lin Musheng, who was holding a gun in his right hand. The bastard was smiling as if he was waiting for a beautiful show to unfold.
“Damn it!” Ah Sha ripped the necklace off her neck. In the next instant, several things happened at once: A cloud of white powder enveloped the wolves; Lin Musheng’s eyes went wide before he made a hasty retreat towards the tent.
The wolves’ horrifying howls echoed in the woods like a scene from a horror movie. The wolves went limp as their flesh began to rot. In just a matter of seconds, the ground was littered with carrion and carcasses. But it didn’t end there; like some fast-forwarded rotting process, the carcasses kept melting away into the floor, revealing the wolves’ bones. In the end, even the bones melted away, leaving only a sea of crimson behind.
“Well, well, well,” Lin Musheng said, clapping his hands as he approached Ah Sha. “If it isn’t the infamous poison queen! So it is you!”
Ah Sha stood there, stunned. Then, she burst into tears and started throwing up. “Th- that’s disgusting…” Ah Sha heaved. “So scary!”
“Look, just drop the act,” Lin Musheng said, crouching down in front of her. “I already suspected you since the first time I saw you.”
“Go away!” Ah Sha sobbed. “You refused to use your gun, that was why I’m forced to use the drug that Qingsi gave me. He said that it can save my life, but why is it so disgusting?”
Ah Sha shoved Lin Musheng, and he fell. He got back to his feet, chuckling. “You think I’d buy that crap? How the hell is it possible for a normal person to own such a powerful drug?”
“How am I supposed to know how he got it!” Ah Sha wiped her face and found that it was wet. It turned out that it had begun raining some time ago. When it rains in the mountains, it pours. Soon, fat drops of rainwater were pelting down.
Lin Musheng suddenly came up to her and held out his hand. Ah Sha leaped away from him and ran into the tent. “I’m ignoring you!” she yelled. “You’re a bad person!”
Lin Musheng frowned. Then, his eyes glinted brightly, and he entered the tent as well. Ah Sha had picked at a corner of the tent where she lay down and covered her entire body with the parachute. In the middle of the tent, Depp was sleeping like a dead pig. The guy was even grinding his teeth in his sleep.
Lin Musheng closed his eyes and lay down.
Early next morning, Ah Sha was roused from her sleep when Depp shouted outside the tent. “Wow! Did it rain last night?” Ah Sha glanced at Lin Musheng and noticed that his eyes were still shut. She patted her face a few times and climbed out of the tent.
Outside, Ah Sha was looking at Depp in disbelief. “Depp, didn’t you hear anything at all last night?”
Depp was crouched down beside the brook, washing his face. The rain had long since washed away the traces of blood from last night, leaving nothing behind.
“Aha!” Depp said, staring at her. “Is this your way of telling me that you snore in your sleep? Don’t worry! I heard nothing!”
The corner of Ah Sha’s lips twitched. “So he’s the type who could sleep through anything,” she thought. “I bet he wouldn’t wake up even if he were kidnapped and sold off by a bunch of human traffickers.”
Lin Musheng had come out from the tent some time ago; when Ah Sha turned around, he was staring straight at her.
Depp waved at him happily. “Mr. Lin, come on! Wash your face! Let’s go food hunting after this!”
“What did he think we’re here for? Camping?” Ah Sha thought exasperatedly. Even Lin Musheng was pinching the bridge of his nose when he heard Depp’s enthusiasm. Still, he walked over to the brook and washed his face before leaving together with Depp.
When she could no longer see the two men, Ah Sha crouched down beside the brook. She dared not wash her face; she hadn’t removed her mask for a few days’ straight. The mask had already gotten wet yesterday due to the rain. It was too risky for her to take off her mask now. Lin Musheng would get suspicious if she accidentally stained her mask or something.
At the moment, she was cleaning her teeth with her finger. Swish! Suddenly, she felt a breeze beside her face, as if someone had disturbed the air with their palm. Ah Sha quickly leaped aside, her hands raising to shield her face.
“Lin Musheng?”
Lin Musheng sneered and raised his leg as if he wanted to kick Ah Sha in the stomach. Ah Sha didn’t plan to defend herself, thinking that she’d just endure the hits and be done with it. But the next second, Lin Musheng shot towards her face. Ah Sha reacted instantly by pushing his arms away with one hand while blocking his kick with the other.
“You’ve been wearing a mask all this time! This isn’t your real face!” Lin Musheng said, stepping in closer into her personal space. After that bout just now, Ah Sha realized that he was a skilled fighter. She could never beat him in a hand-to-hand fight. She was just about to start calling Depp’s name when she felt a cool sensation on her face. The next thing she knew, she saw a thin mask dangling between Lin Musheng’s fingers.
Ah Sha covered her face. “Fine! Whatever! I’m the poison queen. Just kill me, then. Make it quick.”
“Lower your hand.”
“It’s not like you know me!” Ah Sha swung out her hand and let them fall to her sides. She glared at the man in front of her.
Lin Musheng’s eyes shone brightly. Moments later, he smirked. “Well, well, well, so it is you. Ying Xin, the daughter of the Ying family.”
“You know me?” Ah Sha sounded taken aback. “You’ve known me all along?”
“I only guessed,” Lin Musheng said, tossing the mask back at Ah Sha. “Stop wearing that thing, by the way. It’s too f*cking ugly!”
Ah Sha lowered the mask into the brook and cleaned it. Then she put the mask back on. “Well, I like it. And you don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“Why did you return with a different identity?” Lin Musheng asked her curiously.
Ah Sha curled her lips in disdain. “Stop playing around,” she said, avoiding his question. “You lost one hundred million because of me. You want me to pay with my life, right?”
“Oh right, that,” Lin Musheng said. “I’ve already forgotten about that
“Forgotten?” Ah Sha shot a menacing glare at him. “What, you’re just going to let me live and forget all about your one hundred million?”
“Oh, right. I guess I should give it some thought,” Lin Musheng said, stroking his chin. “How about this. I wonder what would happen if I announce to everyone that Mei Jing is the daughter of the Ying family.”
Ah Sha stared at him icily. “Then you have my word that you’re going to lose another one hundred million.”
“Yikes. Can’t afford that,” Lin Musheng said with a shrug. “Well, I already know who you are anyway. Just know that you’ve got nowhere to run. As for that one hundred million, I’ll have to think carefully and come up for a way for you to pay me back!”
This guy gave him the creeps. The longer she stared at him, the more crept out she felt. If she hadn’t run out of drugs, she would’ve poisoned him to death.
“Ah Sha! Look who’s here!” Depp cried out excitedly. Ah Sha turned her head abruptly. Wan Qingsi stumbled out of the woods and walked towards her in unsteady steps. She screamed and ran at him.
Wan Qingsi opened his arms wide and allowed Ah Sha to throw herself at him. Then, he hugged her tight. At that moment, Wan Qingsi felt as though he had a heart again. He placed a finger below Ah Sha’s chin and tilted her head up. He lowered his head and started kissing her like there was no tomorrow, screaming her name between kisses.
“Ah Sha! Ah Sha!”
“Shh, shh, it’s okay, I’m here! I’m alright!” Ah Sha burrowed herself deeper into his chest. “I’m sorry that I made you worry.”
Wan Qingsi was trembling all over. Days of stubble peppered his jaw, making him look like a complete mess. Despite his disheveled appearance, Ah Sha noticed that his eyes were sharp and clear, so much so that she could see her own reflection in them.
“It’s alright. I’m just glad you’re okay! So glad.” Wan Qingsi slowly calmed down and began to check her thoroughly for any injuries. He found, much to his relief, that she was relatively unharmed except for a few cuts and scrapes on her arms. Once he was sufficiently reassured of her well-being, his eyes found Lin Musheng, who was standing nearby.
“You’ve been too careless, Boss Lin. How could you lose your communication equipment?” Xiao Hua said, fishing out a device from her pocket before tossing it to the ground. Few of Lin Musheng’s henchmen scrambled towards the device and picked it up.
“Boss, are you alright?” They were scared out of their wits when they lost contact with Lin Musheng.
Lin Musheng shook his head. “I’m fine,” he said. “Let’s go.”
“Ah Sha, I look forward to our next meeting,” Lin Musheng meaningfully said when he walked passed Ah Sha.
Frowning, Wan Qingsi watched the man leave. Pulling Ah Sha to her feet, Wan Qingsi said, “Let’s get out of here first.”
Depp spent the entire journey back blabbering on about their adventure for the past two days. Anyone who heard Depp talking right then would’ve thought of Ah Sha like some invincible female warrior. When he reached the end of his narrative, Depp gave Wan Qingsi a severe look.
“Ken, tell me the truth,” Depp said. “Is Ah Sha some kind of super android that you ordered from somewhere?”
Everyone in the car was looking at Depp like he was the biggest moron in the history of morons. “Where did you get her? I want one, too. Hell! It’s so cool! If I’m getting one, I’m getting one that comes with two different types of attributes. The loli and the female warrior!” Apparently, Depp was entirely clueless about the looks that he was receiving from everyone in the car.
Wan Qingsi gave Depp an eerie stare. “If one more word comes out of your mouth, I’ll toss your ass out of this car,” Wan Qingsi said. “Good luck making your way back to S City on foot.”
Depp clammed up instantly. Ah Sha buried her face in Wan Qingsi’s chest, trying her best not to laugh.
“Get some sleep,” Wan Qingsi said, kissing her. “We’ll be home once you wake up.”
Ah Sha nodded weakly. She’d been wrong in thinking that she couldn’t fall asleep because of that confrontation with Lin Musheng. It didn’t take her long to fall into a deep sleep at all. By the time her senses returned, five whispering voices were all she could hear.
“Why isn’t sis waking up?”
“Because she’s tired.”
“She’s not dead, right?”
“No, she’s not. But you will be if you keep saying things like that and Brother Xunxun hears you.”
“Brother Xunxun isn’t here!”
Ah Sha wanted to laugh, but she did not have the strength to open her lips.
“She’s waking!” Wangwang was the first one to notice her fluttering lashes.
Chengcheng cheered. “I’m going to tell Brother Xunxun!”
Very soon, a series of erratic footsteps echoed in the hallway. Ah Sha glanced at the door and saw Ying Qingcang carrying Xin Qing into the room with Wan Qingsi walking behind him. Chengcheng took advantage of his small stature by slipping into the room through Ying Qingcang and Wan Qingsi’s leg. Chengcheng pounced and rested his elbows on the side of Ah Sha’s bed. “Sis, are you hungry? Let’s go have pizza!”
Amused, Ah Sha flicked her brother’s forehead. “You just want to eat pizza, don’t you?” she said. Chengcheng was about to make one more attempt to fight for a chance to satisfy his pizza cravings when Wangwang suddenly came up behind him and dragged him away by the collar.
On the bed, Xin Qing took Ah Sha’s hand. “Oh, sweetheart, were you planning to give mommy a heart attack?”
“Mommy, I’m fine now, aren’t I?” Ah Sha leaned into Xin Qing’s warm embrace. “Remember how we used to play wilderness survival games when we went to father-in-law’s island? Those skills come in handy!”
Ying Qingcang glared at Ah Sha. “How can that be the same?” he said before turning his glare to Wan Qingsi. “It’s all this brat’s fault. He and his philandering ways had brought this upon you.”
“Are you hungry? Have some porridge first?” Ah Sha licked the corners of her lips and stared at the bowl of porridge in Wan Qingsi’s hand. “Yup. I’m famished!”
Xin Qing reached out to take the bowl from Wan Qingsi. Wan Qingsi looked at Xin Qing. “Allow me to do it, Aunt Qing.”
“Fine,” Xin Qing said. When picking her up, Ying Qingcang heard Xin Qing’s mumbling: “Can’t even feed my own daughter because of you. Why do you have to take that chance away from me every time…”
Ying Qingcang’s next plan of action was to chase Wan Qingsi out of the room. But Xin Qing stopped him before he could follow through. “Oh, come on. I was complaining a little,” Xin Qing said. “Let’s go downstairs. I’m starving too!”
Just like that, Ah Sha and Wan Qingsi were the only ones left in the room. Wan Qingsi fed, and Ah Sha ate. Not a single word was exchanged between them.
“That was good!” Ah Sha wiped her mouth after finishing her meal. “What’s the time now?”
Wan Qingsi put the bowl aside. Then, he took off his clothes and climbed onto her bed. “It’s afternoon now. It’s been a day since we got home. We got in yesterday afternoon.”