Chapter 121 On the Brink of Truth (1/2)
The two of them sat in a coffee shop. ”I was busy recently, so I didn't call you,” William said, a slow smile forming on his face. ”But I haven't forgotten what I said. Xin Qing! Have you come to a decision?”
Xin Qing stared at the man in front of her. He was, from all perspectives, the ideal marriage partner. He had money as well as status. He was gentle and polite too. No woman on earth would say no to a man like that! If she had not met Ying Qingcang first, she might have fallen for him. At the thought of Ying Qingcang, Xin Qing's heart stung a little. But she quickly told herself not to dwell on him anymore. Something like yearning and longing would turn into a disaster if it got out of hand...
”Actually, nothing happened between us that night, right?” Xin Qing said slowly. Clarity shone through her eyes when she stared at William.
William's smile widened. ”Indeed, it's like I said. You're a clever girl,” William said a bit helplessly. After a brief pause, he went on, ”Although I have no idea what happened between you and Mr. Ying, but I can see that you don't want to be with him. If that's the case, don't you think I'm your best choice?”
Xin Qing nodded in agreement. ”It's not that I don't want to be with him. It's just that we can't be together,” she thought.
”Marry me. I am confident that I can win your love someday in the future,” William said, placing a red, velour-coated ring box on the table. ”I'll give you more time to think about it and give yourself a chance to start over!”
Xin Qing stared at the ring in her palm, her mind muddled and confused. The diamond, which was about as large as a soybean, shone brightly at her. Xin Qing showed the ring to Shi Qianqian on the screen. ”Do you think I should say yes?”
”Of course not. You don't love him.” Shi Qianqian glared. ”Good thing Zhang Mi was out of the country for her vacation. Otherwise she'll rush over to you when she finds out.”
”Where did she go this time?” Xin Qing placed the ring back in the box. ”The diamond is too big. It doesn't look good.”
Shi Qianqian laughed surreptitiously before schooling her features into a serious expression. ”She went to Egypt.”
”Wow. She sure knows how to travel,” Xin Qing said and then paused in thought. ”Alright then. I guess that's all for now. Let's hang up!”
Neither of them knew that Zhang Mi's trip to Egypt would result in a major turnaround.
Young Master Shen stared at Zhang Mi, who was stealing his red wine. ”Aren't you supposed to be on your vacation?” Young Master Shen asked with a frown. ”How come you're back so soon?”
”Soon? Please. It's already been ten days.” Zhang Mi planted herself beside him and then produced a couple of photos from her handbag as if she was handling some kind of treasure. ”Come, come! Indulge yourself in the photos of me in another country.” Young Master Shen took the photos with a look of disinterest. He flipped through a few of them half-heartedly before throwing them back at Zhang Mi.
”Your nude photos do not interest me in the slightest,” said Young Master Shen.
Zhang Mi smacked the photos against Young Master Shen's head. ”Are you looking for a fight? Are you going to give face or not?”
Young Master Shen was just about to throw out a snarky rebuttal when he suddenly went still as if he was possessed.
”Hey! What's the matter with you?” Zhang Mi nudged him. ”I haven't even hit you yet. Why are you looking so stunned?”
Young Master Shen leaped to his feet and grabbed the photos. Then he ran, dragging Zhang Mi with him. He drove all the way to Ying Enterprises' main building. Excited, the two of them burst into Ying Qingcang's office.
”Ying Qingcang, how are you going to thank me!” Zhang Mi exclaimed dramatically. Ying Qingcang raised his head from the paper he was reading and glanced at her. Then he ignored her.
Young Master Shen shoved the photo at Ying Qingcang's face. ”This time you really do need to thank this girl!”
”What the heck are you even—” Ying Qingcang and sprang to his feet. ”Where is this?”
Zhang Mi said smugly, ”Haven't you noticed the huge pyramid? It's such a rare thing after all.”
”Ah Cang, you've found him without even trying. The Uncle Ying at the hospital is a fake!”
There on the table was a photo of Zhang Mi posing in an Egyptian costume. Standing beside her in the photo was none other than Ying Hao who was supposed to be lying in a hospital. There was someone else standing beside him, though the photo did not contain a full view of that person.
”I've already sent over some guys to Egypt,” Young Master Shen said, sitting down on the couch. ”Who do you think is with Uncle Ying?”
Ying Qingcang gave a cold sneer. ”Humph. I didn't see this coming at all. Looks like he really is the one pulling the strings after all. Now I have to ask him the reason he's scheming against me and Xin Qing.”
”Hey, hey, hey!” Zhang Mi said in dissatisfaction. ”You guys better have some kind of explanation for what's going on here.” On the way here, Young Master Shen had told her that the man in the photo was Ying Hao. Then he told her that Ying Hao was faking his presence at some hospital. Despite having been told all that, she was still clueless about what was really going on!
Young Master Shen chuckled in delight. He tugged her towards the couch and got her to sit down. After that he began giving her the rundown of the situation. After digesting everything, Zhang Mi finally understood.
”So it means your father had forced Xin Qing to leave you?” Zhang Mi stared at Ying Qingcang. ”Hah! I bet your dad wants you to marry the daughter of some wealthy family! I guess it totally slipped his mind that you're a psychopath whom no woman would ever consider marrying.”
Ying Qingcang was in a good mood, so he let Zhang Mi's snide remark slide. ”Xin Qing will marry me!” He said.
”Tsk, tsk. When I got back, Qianqian told me that William had already proposed to Xin Qing. It's all over for you!” Zhang Mi gloated.
Young Master Shen quickly covered her mouth. ”Do you want to die! You could've said anything but you just had to open that can of worms, didn't you?”
”Proposed?” Ying Qingcang let out a cold sneer. ”I'll just have to see if she had the guts to say yes!”
In the dark and gloomy hut, creaks could be heard from the old ceiling fan that hung over their heads. Something in the corner of the hut moved. Someone peered in through the small window beside the door.
”Young Master, Young Master Ying. The woman is up.”
Molly shook her head. ”Where am I?” She thought. She could have sworn that she was in the middle of her hydrotherapy back at the hotel. ”And why does my head hurt so much...”