News about Tang Yue’s accident spread like wildfire over the internet. Social media posts and articles were all over the place, and they even came with photos that showed the exact moment Tang Yue got burnt. Nobody accused Ah Sha directly, of course. Even so, the contents of those posts alluded to Ah Sha’s guilt. Very soon, the reporters came to the hospital to visit Tang Yue.
“I hope everyone can give Mei Jing a chance. I believe she didn’t do it on purpose. The friendship between us is still strong!”
Ah Sha shut off the TV and turned around to face Wan Qingsi. “If you hadn’t already known Tang Yue from Caesar, would you be fooled by her appearance?”
Wan Qingsi snorted. “Only a fool like Wen Pinyu would see anything good in her,” he said, pinching Ah Sha’s cheek lightly. “I could see through her acting skills in seconds.”
“Well, I think Wen Pintang wouldn’t be fooled too,” Ah Sha said, suddenly remembering the elegant looking man she met last time. “It’s amazing how they were born from the same mother. Like, the difference between them is so vast!”
Wan Qingsi gave her a sidelong glance. “He seemed to have left a good impression on you, hm?”
That “hm” triggered the alarm bells in Ah Sha. “Oops,” she thought. After spending a moment thinking of a good response, she said, “Yeah! Don’t you think he’s a bit like my daddy?”
“I’ve already placed him in the ‘elders’ category,” Ah Sha thought. “You have no reason to feel jealous?”
“Well, you’re similar to Aunt Qing in that regard,” Wan Qingsi said, slipping his palm into Ah Sha’s pajamas. “He seemed to have left quite an impression on her as well.”
Before Ah Sha could ask him what her mommy felt about Wen Pintang, she felt a surge of heat in her chest. Then next thing she knew, she was picked up and repositioned so that she was straddling Wan Qingsi’s thigh. Wrapping her arms around Wan Qingsi’s neck, she said, “No. Not here. Take me to bed!”
“Oh. You don’t like it here, is that it? Fine. Let’s take this somewhere else!” Wan Qingsi lifted her up again and carried her into the dining room. He placed her down on the dining table.
It’s definitely true what they say about a man who is finally allowed to end his abstinence — he’ll transform into a hungry wolf. Before, he would only touch and kiss her. Now, he was holding nothing back. A long while later, when Ah Sha felt as though she had been thoroughly f*cked (literally and figuratively), she pushed him away to take a shower. But before she even reached the bathroom, she was dragged back into the bedroom.
By the time Wan Qingsi stopped his sadistic torture, Ah Sha could barely keep her eyes open.
Wan Qingsi bit down on her earlobe and whispered into her ear, “I won’t tease you anymore, go to sleep.” They drifted off into sleep in each others’ arms.
Ah Sha woke up at noon the following day.
“You’re up? Are you hungry?” Wan Qingsi had just stepped out of the bathroom; his hair was still dripping wet.
Ah Sha glared at him. “I’m giving you two options! One, we have sex once a week but we can go for as many rounds as you like. Two, we have sex every day, but only one round per day.”
Wan Qingsi chuckled in amusement. Her angry rant was so adorable that it just about melted his heart. He walked over and peeled the blanket away, wanting to get on top of her again.
Much to his disappointment, the woman was one step ahead of him this time. She leaped up and ran to the bathroom, locking the door. “Hurry up and make your choice! Otherwise, you can forget all about sex!”
Wan Qingsi leaned beside the door and yelled, “I request an amendment to be made to the second option. Sex every day, but unlimited rounds each day!” A moment later, he heard the sound of running water. Obviously, this conversation was over.
Wan Qingsi was already ordering their lunch by the time Ah Sha got out of the shower.
“Aren’t you going to the company today?”
Wan Qingsi pulled out Ah Sha’s chair for her and shook his head. “Nah. There’s a charity auction tonight. Let’s attend together!”
S City was a city with a long history. A lot of foreigners lived here during the Qing dynasty, a fact that had indirectly helped in the city’s growth. Since the early stages of the country’s economic reform, the city had already become a Special Economic Zone. Over the years, S City had become a metropolitan which was the perfect amalgamation of ancient and modern values. Needless to say, it was commonplace for business empires in the city to fall and be replaced by another.
A few months ago, a foreign investor made a failed investment, which was why he had now returned to S City to sell all his assets. So far, his ancestor’s estate had already been sold to the government. The only things left to sell were antiques and rare items, which would all be sold off via an auction.
“Check this one out,” Wan Qingsi said, pointing at a jade box printed on the auction’s pamphlet. Ah Sha took a glance and a look of surprise formed in her eyes; there were twenty-four silver needles inside the box.
“Used by Li Shizhen himself?” Ah Sha frowned. “They might as well just say that Hua Tuo had used it before!”
Wan Qingsi laughed and squeezed her hand. “Regardless of which legend had used it before, I think it’s pretty.”
“Mm, I agree. They do look pretty!” Ah Sha ran her fingers over the picture on the page. The upper portion of the needles was made from suet white jade. Even if the needles had no historical value, the body of the needles alone would cost a fortune.
When Wan Qingsi noticed the yearning look on Ah Sha’s face, he brought his face closer. “Kiss me, and I’ll buy it for you!”
“I can buy it on my own!” Ah Sha said with a pout.
“What? Are you using your card? Aren’t you afraid of your daddy finding out?” Wan Qingsi said, looking at her without fear. “Come on. Give me a kiss!”
Ah Sha had wanted to give the man a light peck. But that ceased to become an option when she felt Wan Qingsi’s thumb on her chin, tilting her head upwards. The next thing she knew, a touch of wet heat on her lips, which parted inadvertently. Soon, her tongue was entwined with Wan Qingsi’s.
The people around them were young ladies of note and wealthy businessmen, all of whom reacted to Wan Qingsi and Ah Sha’s public display of affection differently. The women had looks of jealousy and disdain in their eyes. The men, on the other hand, were calm and poised, since they’d seen pretty much everything there was to see out there — the crazy ones would even have sex right in public. A little kiss was nothing.
Then again, not all men shared the same view. Definitely not, Ying Qingcang, who had just stepped into the room to see his precious little girl canoodling with Wan Qingsi.
“Hey! Wan Qingsi! What the hell do you think you’re doing!”
Ah Sha jumped and would’ve fallen off her seat if it weren’t for Wan Qingsi’s quick hands. Wan Qingsi glanced at Ying Qingcang coldly. “I almost thought you wouldn’t come.”
It turned out that there was a tourmaline necklace to be auctioned tonight, which, apparently, had once been worn by Empress Dowager Cixi of the Manchu Yehe Nara clan. Needless to say, Ying Qingcang would definitely buy it for Xin Qing.
“Mr- Mr. Ying…” Ah Sha said, covering her face.
Ying Qingcang snorted and glared at Wan Qingsi. “Kissing her in public! You’ve got some nerve!”
Wen Pinyu and Tang Yue, sitting nearby, watched the scene gloatingly. To outsiders who knew nothing about Ah Sha’s cover, the situation was straightforward: Wan Qingsi had pissed off his future father-in-law by kissing another woman in public. “Looks like I don’t have to do anything at all. Mei Jing is pretty much finished the way I see it,” Wen Pinyu said smugly.
“But I’ve seen her sharing a meal with Mr. Ying,” Tang Yue said, disagreeing with Wen Pinyu’s take on the situation. If the Ying family hated Mei Jing that much, they would’ve acted a long time ago.
Wen Pinyu laughed. “Didn’t you say that Ying Xin was obedient to Wan Qingsi back in school? You see, Ying Qingcang loves her daughter a lot, so he probably doesn’t want things to get out of hand. Think about it, if the Ying family ends up severing ties with Wan Qingsi, where is he going to find another husband for Ying Xin?”
“True,” Tang Yue said with a nod. “Ying Xin loves Senior Wan deeply.”
“Will you sit down, please?” Wan Qingsi said calmly. “Everyone’s watching us.”
Ying Qingcang glanced at their surroundings, and the effect was almost instantaneous: everyone turned their gaze away. They knew how powerful Ying Qingcang was. The Ying family controlled everything in S City. Even if Wan Qingsi and Mei Jing had made their relationship public, there weren’t a lot of news articles featuring them, because they were afraid to provoke the Ying family.
“Daddy!” Ah Sha whispered. Before Ying Qingcang could reach out to pat her head, Wan Qingsi gave him a sidelong glance and said, “Watch yourself.”
Ying Qingcang scowled, all the while entertaining thoughts of kicking that damned brat to death. How dare he come between a father and his daughter!
“President Ying!” During the exchange, Wen Pinyu had taken a seat beside them. “Although I wasn’t in S City until recently, I still heard about the relationship between Miss Yang and Mr. Wan.” Wen Pinyu suddenly looked at Wan Qingsi. “Honestly, Mr. Ying, even I feel bad for you considering what happened.”
Wen Pinyu’s plan was to pour oil on the fire and provoke Ying Qingcang even more. Sitting not too far away, Tang Yue was stifling her laugh by pressing a hand to her mouth. Under her palm, however, was a smug smile.
“That’s our business,” Ying Qingcang said. “What’s that got to do with you?”
Ying Qingcang glanced at Wen Pinyu and snorted. “How arrogant, just like your brother.”
Wen Pinyu’s face changed. He had a few things to say to that comment, though he held his tongue. He glared at Mei Jing before turning around and storming off.
“Watch out for this guy. He seems to hate Ah Sha very much,” Ying Qingcang told Wan Qingsi. “If anything happens to Ah Sha again, I’ll take her home!”
Wan Qingsi gave him a look and then changed the subject. “Wen Pintang never came to see you again?”
Ying Qingcang scowled. “He did,” Ying Qingcang growled. “If that guy comes again, I’ll make sure he leaves in a stretcher.”
“He’s from the Wen family. It won’t benefit the Ying family if you make an enemy of him,” Wan Qingsi reminded him. That comment earned him a derisive laugh from Ying Qingcang. “That depends on what he wants,” Ying Qingcang said. “There are some things that don’t belong to him. And if he insisted on touching them, he’ll damn well pay the price.”
Ah Sha hadn’t said a word ever since they sat down. For one, she was embarrassed. Then, there was also her fear that people might start suspecting things if she kept talking to her daddy. However, when the topic of Wen Pintang came up, and her daddy mentioned something about things that “don’t belong to Wen Pintang,” Ah Sha’s curiosity could no longer be contained. “What are you guys talking about? Why can’t I understand anything you’re saying?” she whispered.
“These? Why do you care about these things? Just ignore what you heard and focus on the pamphlet. If there’s anything you like, daddy will get it for you!” Ying Qingcang patted Ah Sha’s hand surreptitiously. All of a sudden, Wan Qingsi piped up, “I’ll do it! I’ll buy you anything you like!”
Before Ying Qingcang could argue, Wan Qingsi said something that rendered him speechless: “If you buy gifts for Ah Sha, then I’d buy gifts for Aunt Qing as well.”
Ah Sha hid her laughter behind her hand. “Daddy always lost in his bickers with Brother Xunxun…”
“How nice it’d be to have a strong and capable son like Brother Xunxun…” Ah Sha thought. Ah Sha was already planning to ask her mother-in-law later to give her an injection when she was pregnant!
“Come on, Pinyu, let it go already,” Tang Yue said tenderly in an attempt to placate the man beside her. “Maybe Mr. Ying was just embarrassed about the incident, and didn’t want too many people to know about it.”
“I thought he’d at least chase Mei Jing out,” Wen Pinyu said. “I can’t believe he actually allowed that woman to stay.” For the life of him, Wen Pinyu couldn’t make sense of Ying Qingcang’s behavior. How on earth could he allow his son-in-law to see another woman aside from his daughter?
Tang Yue smiled at him. “Maybe he already has plans in private, just that we don’t know,” she offered.
“Right!” Wen Pinyu nodded. “That has to be the case. He probably wants to wait till Ying Xin gets back before he acts.” Wen Pinyu wrapped an arm around Tang Yue’s waist and lowered his head to kiss her. “Just wait for a while longer. When Ying Xin comes back, and the Ying family makes a move, I’ll have Mei Jing kneeling before you, begging for your forgiveness!”
Tang Yue smiled coyly. “Mm, I know you’re doing it for my sake, but please go easy on her.”
“Oh, you!” Wen Pinyu said affectionately. “You’re just too kind-hearted!”
The attendees of the auction were all people with deep pockets. When Ying Qingcang was bidding for the necklace, nobody tried to outbid him. Everyone there knew that Mrs. Ying had a liking for pieces of jewelry, so they didn’t want to get in Ying Qingcang’s way.
Then again, it was an entirely different story when it was Wan Qingsi’s turn. Wen Pinyu was matching him bid for bid.
“You like needles?” Ying Qingcang asked Ah Sha. “What do you need them for?”
Wan Qingsi raised his bidding paddle and said, “Well, she likes them, so I’m going to get them for her. She can do whatever she wants with them.”
“Oh, then keep calling out prices. Don’t slack off,” Ying Qingcang said, sneaking a glance at Wen Pinyu. “What a vast difference when compared to Wen Pintang.”
Meanwhile, Ah Sha noticed Tang Yue smiling at her smugly. Ah Sha sneaked a peek at the pamphlet that Tang Yue was holding. Ah Sha’s lips tugged into a smirk.