Chapter 207 Sick and Twisted Love (1/2)
Afar, amidst the colorful, strobing lights, a man slowly walked over. The man was momentarily stunned when he noticed Ying Qingcang. But he quickly schooled his features into a neutral expression and entered the booth.
”He'll come by to pick her up every day,” Young Master Shen said. ”And then he would bring her back here again the next day.” Young Master Shen waved his hand; the few men bowed at him before leaving. Ah Hai wrapped Tang Shuang up in a blanket and gently wiped the sweat on her face.
”Shuang Shuang, do you recognize me?” Ah Hai asked in a tender voice. Tang Shuang's expression remained vacant as she stared off into space. Her eyes were completely unfocused.
Young Master Shen frowned. ”She did try to resist in the beginning,” he mumbled. ”She tried to escape. But Ah Hai stood guard at the door. Sometimes, he would be standing right in front of her and watch her be gang-banged by other men. Not a few days later, it was like her mind had broken down. I'm guessing it's because of the extreme trauma.”
Ah Hai did not seem perturbed by Tang Shuang's unresponsiveness. Instead, he hugged her and kept talking to her, ”You don't know anything right now. I can now take you away and we can be together forever as a family. The three of us will never part again!”
It was like Ah Hai's words never registered in Tang Shuang's mind at all. Sitting there in a complete stupor, she allowed Ah Hai to pick her up. At the door, Ah Hai nodded at Ying Qingcang. ”Please arrange a flight for our departure,” Ah Hai said. When Ah Hai and Tang Shuang vanished at the end of the hallway, Young Master Shen visibly shuddered.
”The guy is a motherfucking psychopath!”
Ying Qingcang pressed his lips into a tight line. ”Do not tell Ah Qing about this.”
Both Ying Qingcang and Young Master Shen lamented the kind of twisted love that Ah Hai harbored for Tang Shuang. Ah Hai had allowed other men to rape Tang Shuang, inducing a mental breakdown in her just so he could get Tang Shuang to return with him willingly. What kind of sick, twisted love was this anyway? Could a man actually love a woman to the point where he had no scruples of hurting and ruining her? Would he rather keep the woman by his side, even if she became nothing but a walking corpse?
Ah Hai left with Tang Shuang and his son the following day. By then, Ying Qingcang had decided to put all his work on hold; Xin Qing's birthday was approaching, plus, Christmas was around the corner. This year, he decided to organize a ball. That way, he could use that as an opportunity to make a public announcement regarding Xin Qing's status as the board member of Caesar Royal Academy.
”Why do you insist on making me a member of the board, anyway?!” Xin Qing had been dissatisfied with the title ever since it had been granted to her. A lot of people had begun approaching her, hoping to strike up a connection with her just so they could enroll their kids into Caesar next year. For one, she had been receiving strange phone calls for the past few days. Some callers had been decent enough to begin the call with a few lines of pleasantries, whereas others had totally forgone all forms of decorum and jumped straight into the boot licking and arse kissing.
The front door opened with a loud bang before Ying Qingcang could even speak. Zhang Mi came bursing, towing a huge suitcase with her.
”Xin Qing!” Zhang Mi pounced on Xin Qing. ”Are you okay? Is Ah Sha okay?”
Zhang Mi had gone overseas on a business trip on the day of Xin Qing's return; there was a clash in their respective time zones. When Zhang Mi did not release Xin Qing from her embrace, Ying Qingcang frowned and pulled Xin Qing into his own arms. ”You came back so soon?”
”Haha!” Zhang Mi stared at him with a fake and unnatural smile. ”You're shitting me, right? I've been gone for a whole week. It's about time I return, don't you think?” Then, Zhang Mi narrowed her eyes and stared at Ying Qingcang maliciously. ”Don't forget, President Ying, that you're now staying in my home!”
Smiling, Xin Qing tugged at Zhang Mi's arms. ”It's my birthday the day after tomorrow. I really thought you couldn't make it back in time.”
”Well, I had to make it!” Zhang Mi stretched her body. ”You know what? I'm going to take a shower first, and then we can have dinner with Qianqian tonight!”
”She's having dinner with me tonight,” Ying Qingcang said, pulling Xin Qing back to his side. Then, he whispered a threat to Xin Qing. ”I'll fuck you until you can't get off the bed if you even think about going!”
Xin Qing lowered her head wordlessly. Zhang Mi shot her a disapproving look. ”Oh, you're so pathetic, Xin Qing,” Zhang Mi said. ”How can you yield to Ying Qingcang's threat?”
Just then, Young Master Shen walked in. His eyes brightened immediately when he saw Zhang Mi. ”You came back ahead of schedule?”
”Oh, so you don't want me back as well? Is that it?” Zhang Mi glared at him as if she wanted to tear him apart. ”What? No, that's impossible,” Young Master Shen amended quickly. ”What I mean is you should've given me a heads up if you're returning ahead of schedule. That way I can go fetch you!”
Zhang Mi curled her lips at Young Master Shen and prepared to head upstairs. Young Master Shen beat her to her suitcase and helped her carry the thing upstairs. Xin Qing watched the two of them bicker as they go. Then, she gave Ying Qingcang a look. ”Say, Young Master Shen hasn't been fooling around with women these days, right?”
”Nope,” Ying Qingcang said with a shake of his head. Then he turned to look at her, the corners of his lips lifting into a smirk. ”I'm tired. Let's head upstairs for a nap,” he said.
Just like that, Xin Qing was dragged away by Ying Qingcang. ”Just to sleep, okay! Sleep!” Xin Qing said insistently as they walked.
”Mmhm! Just to sleep.”
That night, Xin Qing inwardly cursed Ying Qingcang as she hobbled down the staircase with her hands on her waist: ”Shameless liar! Ying Qingcang, you son of a bitch!”
On Christmas Eve, for the first time in its history, Ying Enterprises held a dinner party in one of the hotels it owned. Every business associate and client of Ying Enterprises were invited to the party. Even the women from the upper-class society of neighbouring cities had made an appearance that night; this type of event was the perfect setting to fish for wealthy husbands.
What surprised Ying Qingcang was Smith's attendance. Smith had arrived that morning. Apparently, the man had some business in the neighbouring city and had decided to drop by after hearing about the event.