Chapter 156 You Are a Stranger to Me Every Day (2/2)

”If...” Xin Qing trailed off, pausing in thought. In the end, she decided to tell him anyway, ”If I keep forgetting about you and one day you can't take it anymore, then you can tell me. I'll leave.”

Something flickered in Ying Qingcang's eyes. He clasped her hand and then yanked Xin Qing against his chest, wrapping her in a tight hug. Xin Qing could barely breathe, though she did not try to pull herself free. Right now, she was able to feel the trembles in Ying Qingcang's body.

”Listen to me. You're not allowed to leave me regardless of what happens to you.” Ying Qingcang's voice, which was laced with pain and sorrow, sounded as if it had been squeezed through a small gap between a door and its frame. ”My life will be meaningless without you by my side. You might not be able to comprehend or even believe that such deep feelings could exist. Hell, I myself couldn't believe it in the past either. But then I met you. Look, it doesn't matter whether my feelings are due to the Ancestral Behest's preordination or the totem. The point is that I can't no longer bring myself to lose you after falling in love with you.” When Ying Qingcang raised Xin Qing's face, he noticed her face tear-stained face looking back at him.

”Don't cry.” He gently kissed a tear drop away. It tasted salty and astringent, which mirrored his current mood.

Xin Qing stared at him as she sobbed. ”I... I'm not crying on purpose. My tears just... They just won't stop flowing. You need to stop feeling upset. I... My tears will start flowing the moment I sense that you're upset.”

Ying Qingcang suppressed a laugh and pulled her into his arms. Xin Qing's subconscious mind remembered him even if her conscious mind had no memories of him. That gave him hope. Perhaps she really would recover soon. At the thought, he pinched the tip of her nose. ”Then will you talk about leaving me again?”

”No! I won't mention it ever again.” Xin Qing said, shaking her head forcefully. Satisfied, Ying Qingcang joked, ”I've already given all my assets to you. I'd be penniless if you leave me.” He ruffled Xin Qing's head. ”Okay, let's pack our things and go home. Ah Sha hadn't seen her mommy for a long time. She missed you a lot!”

Xin Qing would return to Ying's residence that same night. When Ah Che came to pick her up, he had prepared a high quality leather notebook for Xin Qing on Ying Qingcang's orders. Xin Qing would use it to jot down everything that had happened throughout the day. To Xin Qing, this was a necessity; otherwise, she would be confused every morning when she woke up into a completely unfamiliar world. She would not even know who she was.

Ah Sha tossed her toy away when she saw Xin Qing entering the house. In tears, she ran towards Xin Qing. ”Mommy! Mommy! Where did you go? Are you abandoning me?”

Xin Qing was aware of Ah Sha's origins. When Ying Qingcang had shown her a photo of Ah Sha, she was surprised to see the resemblance between Ah Sha and herself. No wonder Ying Qingcang mentioned that Ah Sha looked as if she was their biological child. Now, Xin Qing's heart was practically melting as the little bundle ran into her arms and raised its face to stare at her with teary eyes.

”I'm sorry. I... Mommy had to go away for work. I'm not abandoning Ah Sha!” Xin Qing picked up the tiny figure from the floor and kissed her face, which was shaped like a bun. Ah Sha wrapped her arms around Xin Qing's neck and snuggled up against Xin Qing's face. ”Mommy must bring me with you next time! Otherwise I won't eat.”

”Haha! Okay,” Xin Qing said, kissing her again. ”Next time, I'll bring Ah Sha with me wherever I go.” Ah Sha glanced at Ying Qingcang beside them, and then added, ”And daddy too!”

Ying Qingcang took Ah Sha from Xin Qing's arms. ”Ah Sha, be a good girl. Mommy just got back and is very tired. Now let daddy hug you!”

Ah Sha nestled in Ying Qingcang's arms. Then, with bright eyes, she gazed at Xin Qing, ”Mommy, did you bring gifts for Ah Sha?”

Xin Qing glanced at Ying Qingcang. ”It really happened. Just like he said it would...” She thought.

”Of course I did!” Xin Qing said, pulling out the doll that Ying Qingcang had prepared beforehand. ”Do you think this doll look like Ah Sha?”

Ah Sha gave the doll a serious appraisal, and then she shook her head. ”Ah Sha is prettier!”

”Mm! Mm!” Xin Qing was amused. Even if this was her first time meeting Ah Sha, and even if she could not remember that Ah Sha was her own daughter, Xin Qing knew that she liked Ah Sha very much. It was a strange feeling, just like the way she felt around the others: Aunt Tian and Uncle Fu. None of them felt unfamiliar to her at all. Maybe the feelings and emotions she felt for these people were still with her even if she had forgotten everything about them in the past. She believed that she would be able to remember everyone eventually.

Three months later, on a luxurious bed, a person's body shifted underneath the blankets. A tiny and confused face peeked out. After a moment, her eyes went wide as she shrieked and pushed away the man who was hugging her. ”Who are you?”

Ying Qingcang rubbed his brows helplessly and picked up a leather notebook from the head of the bed. ”You'll understand everything once you finished reading this,” he said before he stood up and headed towards the bathroom. Such was the scene that would play out every morning: with him opening his eyes to meet Xin Qing's fearful and unfamiliar gaze. Whenever that happened, his heart would hurt as if it had been poked by a bunch of needles.

Xin Qing shrieked again when she realized the man's state of undress. After that, she lifted the blanket surreptitiously to look at her own body.

”I never touched you.” Ying Qingcang's voice came through the doorway of the bathroom. After that, the door closed.

Xin Qing heaved a sigh of relief. Then, panic rose within her. ”Who am I? Why am I here?”