Chapter 168 Woman, Did You Just Give That Man Your Money? (1/2)
”Your family is willing to let you go?”
Meyer laughed bitterly. ”I was disowned by my family. Right now, other than a house, I've got nothing else.”
”So that's the price of freedom, then,” Xin Qing said, expressing her sympathy. ”Where are you getting the funds to start your firm from?”
”Well, I was planning to look for my teacher,” Meyer said a little sheepishly. ”I wanted to ask if any of them are willing to be my guarantor for my bank loan.”
Xin Qing lowered her head and stared at the coffee cup on the table. Meyer could barely sit still; he had no idea what was going through Xin Qing's mind right now. His actions had nearly killed Xin Qing before. Facing her right now no doubt came with a certain amount of guilt.
”Meyer, will you allow me to make an investment?” Xin Qing asked all of a sudden.
”You... What did you say?” Meyer looked at her in shock. ”You want to invest in my start-up?”
Xin Qing laughed. ”You haven't heard me wrong. Yes, I want to make an investment. We'll each own half of the shares. Well, your half would consist of technical skills, of course.”
”But you'll be at a disadvantage.” Meyer disagreed. ”Plus, you nearly died because of what I did...”
Xin Qing nodded. ”That's right. That's why you have to repay me by helping me earn money!”
”Xin Qing!” Meyer exclaimed. He was too worked up to say anything else.
”Calm down,” Xin Qing said. ”I'll give you three years. I'll withdraw my funds if you don't make any profits within three years.” Xin Qing laughed. ”However, I trust you. Although I know nothing about business, I know a thing or two about design. You're a brilliant designer. So I believe that you'll be successful!”
Meyer stood up. ”I won't let you down. Thank you so much, Xin Qing!” Meyer grabbed her hands and burst into tears.
Xin Qing was aghast at Meyer's outburst. ”Hey, aren't you overacting? Why are you crying?”
”You've got no idea...” Meyer's expression turned melancholic. ”There's been a new development in Ailey's case. There is new evidence to prove that she wasn't at the scene at all. There was a change in the judge's ruling. She was now charged with illegal distribution of prohibited drugs. She'll be released at the end of this year. But right now, I can't even take care of myself let alone take care of her. As an ex-convict, her reputation is already in shambles. The family had decided to marry her off to an old widower. I can't just stand by and watch her be the family's sacrificial lamb. Therefore, I must succeed. Thank you for giving me the chance!”
A wave of emotions swarmed Xin Qing's heart. Although she disliked Ailey, that did not change the fact that Ailey was not a murderer. She truly hoped that Ailey would have a good head on her shoulders after getting out of prison instead of acting like the way she did in the past.
”Come on, that's enough. Instead of crying, it's better to use your time to come up with a plan. You also have to decide on your company's location, addresses and all that stuff. You have to go plan out everything in detail and make necessary start-up preparations. Don't look to me to do anything, because I'm just a someone who gives out the orders!”
Meyer was still emotional when he left the house. He vowed to come up with a plan as quickly as possible. After that, Xin Qing sent an email to her lawyer; she wanted to see how much money she could use for the investment. Unless she was mistaken, she had just over ten million she could use. Her lawyer got back to her quickly and the actual amount turned out to be more than she had expected; she currently had nearly twenty million worth of liquid assets. That had greatly reassured Xin Qing. Now she only had to wait for Meyer to do his part before they kickstarted the preparation works.
Around the same time, Ying Qingcang received a phone call from the lawyer. What Xin Qing was unaware of was that the woman who acted as her lawyer was actually the wife of that bespectacled lawyer who did their asset transfer last time; hence, her lawyer had notified Ying Qingcang immediately.
”Ah Cang!” Tang Shuang said, looking at him caringly. She had noticed the change in Ying Qingcang's expression after the phone call.
Ying Qingcang kept a straight face and went back to his meal. ”It's nothing. Just work stuff.”
Rong Siman's gaze kept going back and forth between Ying Qingcang and Tang Shuang. ”I heard that you haven't had your honeymoon yet,” she said. ”Why don't you stay in England for a few more days. You can treat it as your honeymoon!”
During Ying Hao's birthday party yesterday, Rong Siman had noticed something: Ying Qingcang did not seem to be so enamored with Tang Shuang like the press had claimed. At least he was able to look at Tang Shuang with calm eyes, unlike the way he had looked at Xin Qing as if she were a precious treasure. Whenever Ying Qingcang looked at Xin Qing, his eyes were practically dripping tenderness and affection.
At that comment, Tang Shuang turned to look at Ying Qingcang expectantly. The latter nodded after a few moments of thought. ”Alright. Then let's depart this afternoon.”
”Wow, Ah Cang is so nice to you!” Rong Siman said in a strange tone, though Tang Shuang paid her no mind at all. Instead, Tang Shuang was grinning happily. Just when she was about to open her mouth to thank him, she heard Ying Qingcang said, ”We'll go to France.”
That was when her face fell. ”Why go to France?” Could he be planning to visit Xin Qing? Tang Shuang's heart was suddenly thrown into a state of turmoil.
”Oh, dear. I think it's better to listen to the woman when it comes to things like honeymoons. Ah Cang, you should ask Tang Shuang for her opinion! Besides, wouldn't it be awkward if you run into a certain someone in France? Right, Tang Shuang?” Rong Siman said with a smirk.
Tang Shuang glared at Rong Siman. She was not blind. The way Rong Siman had behaved during last night's party told her that this stepmother had intentions towards her own stepson. Shameless indeed!
”If you don't like it, we'll go somewhere else. I'll still go there later,” Ying Qingcang said slowly. ”Something went wrong with the shipments in France. They were the ones who called me just now.”
Tang Shuang thought Ying Qingcang was trying to explain things to her. Still, how could she allow Ying Qingcang to go there alone? She nodded quickly. ”I'm good! Anywhere will do. After all, I've never been to France before. So I'll listen to you!”
Rong Siman was about to say something, but Ying Qingcang shot her an icy look, causing her to shudder. She clamped up instantly.
”You should go pack our luggage. I'll say goodbye to the old man in the study.” Now was not the time to deal with this woman. Did Rong Siman really think that they were unaware of what she had been doing behind their backs? Rong Siman and Tang Shuang, neither of them could get away with this unscathed. He would deal with them one after the other!
Ying Hao had obviously been waiting for Ying Qingcang to come to him; he snorted the moment he saw Ying Qingcang entering his study. ”I thought you aren't planning to explain anything to me.”
”Oh, no. I have no intentions of explaining anything to you. I'm just here to tell you that I'm leaving.” Ying Qingcang sat down on the couch, his attitude as obstinate as ever. Ying Hao was so furious at that point that he felt an urge to pick up his walking stick and then bludgeon his own son with it.