Chapter 223 Hes Dead... (1/2)

Then, the entire scene shattered before her very eyes, and Xin Qing felt herself propelled further and further away from it. She tried to reach out with her hands, but her grasp caught nothing but emptiness.

A loud, heart-wrenching yell sounded: ”Ah Cang!” Xin Qing's eyes shot open, and she realized that she was still inside her own room. There she lay, on top of the bed that she and Ying Qingcang had shared, covered in sweat.

The door opened with a bang. Chen Huan rushed in and pulled Xin Qing into a tight hug. ”Xin Qing! Xin Qing, calm down, okay? You need to calm down. It was just a dream. You were only dreaming!”

”I saw Ah Cang! I saw Ah Cang!” Xin Qing's arms started to swing wildly in the air. She glanced around and pushed Chen Huan away. ”He's waiting for me. I'm going to look for him!”

Holding back her tears, Chen Huan helped Xin Qing put on her shoes. Then, she grabbed a jacket and draped it over Xin Qing's shoulder. ”Xin Qing, it's so late right now. Why don't we go look for him tomorrow?” Chen Huan said, not daring to try to stop Xin Qing from doing whatever she wanted. It seemed to her that Xin Qing was getting more and more agitated.

”Ah Cang will get anxious. I have to go to him!” Xin Qing hurried to open the door and saw Boss Wan standing at the door. Chen Huan gave Boss Wan a look, and the two of them helped Xin Qing down the stairs.

In one corner of the room, Ah Sha was hugging Xunxun, her head leaning against his shoulder as she bit her lip and cried.

”Ah Sha...” Xunxun felt his heart shattering into oblivion. Still, he had no idea how to broach the subject to Ah Sha. The young mind of the girl seemed to have sensed that something had happened to her daddy. Her mommy had spent every second of the day crying and ignoring her. Nobody bothered to speak to her too. Xunxun was the only one who had kept her company.

”Ah Sha, don't cry, okay? Ah Sha is the bravest. What did daddy tell you to do when he isn't around? That Ah Sha must protect mommy!” Ah Sha got out a few words through her sobs. ”But mommy is ignoring Ah Sha. Mommy doesn't even want to hug Ah Sha anymore.”

Xunxun brought his face closer to Ah Sha's tiny face and stroked her back comfortingly. ”Ah Sha, mommy is just feeling very sad right now. It's only temporary, so we need to give her some time,” Xunxun said. ”It's just like what your daddy told you. When he isn't around, Ah Sha has to protect mommy!”

”Brother Xunxun!” Ah Sha's eyes slowly close. ”Will you protect mommy together with Ah Sha?”

Xunxun kissed her. ”Yes, I will! Now, let's go to sleep...”

Xin Qing was still asleep when Zhang Mi and Young Master Shen arrived the next day. They walked in to find Chen Huan and Boss Wan sitting at the dining table, staring blankly at a pot of congee.

The sight of the two of them looking so unwell made Zhang Mi anxious. ”What's wrong?” she asked in a panic.

Boss Wan gave Young Master Shen a look and said, ”She had a dream last night and insisted that Ying Qingcang was waiting for her. None of us could stop her, so we went outside and walked around with her until morning. She fell asleep just moments ago.”

”Things can't go on like this!” Zhang Mi slumped against the dining table. ”Even if she can, the baby won't be able to endure it! Right now, Xin Qing's ignoring Ah Sha entirely. She couldn't see anything other than her pain. She'll fall apart eventually if things go on this way.”

For the whole time, Chen Huan had not spoken a single word. She sat there with her head hung low. Boss Wan drew her into his arms and patted her shoulder.

”Look, we need to figure out a way to deal with this mess. We can't let things go on like this,” Young Master Shen said just as Zhang Mi's phone rang. She picked up and hummed into the phone twice. After hanging up, Zhang Mi said, ”Qianqian will come by later. We should let Qianqian have a go at persuading her!”

Xin Qing did not feel like waking up; she felt she would see Ying Qingcang again as long as she was asleep. Still, she kept hearing someone calling her name beside her ear. Bright lights streaked into her eyes, and Xin Qing saw Shi Qianqian sitting by her bed.

”You're awake?” Shi Qianqian was holding her belly as she stared back at Xin Qing.

Xin Qing still had a vacant look on her face, and Shi Qianqian had no idea what was going on inside Xin Qing's head. Shi Qianqian stood up and handed her a glass of milk. Xin Qing took the glass and gulped down the milk. After that, she continued to stare blankly.

”So you're planning to keep living like this?”

Something flashed inside Xin Qing's eyes. Shi Qianqian took the glass from Xin Qing's hand. ”Aren't you the one convinced that Ying Qingcang isn't dead? Okay, so what's going to happen to his children if you're like this every day? What's going to happen to the business empire that he had built?” Shi Qianqian gazed right into Xin Qing's eyes. ”What do you have to show for once he returns? And what about Ah Sha? Are you abandoning her?”

Shi Qianqian gave a cold sneer. ”You should make it clear now if you no longer plan to keep her. Ask Xunxun to take her away and forget a mother like you.”

Xin Qing's eyes slowly refocused. Tears slid along her cheeks and dripped onto the back of her palms.

”Stop lying to yourself,” Shi Qianqian said, raising her voice suddenly. ”Deep down, you're thinking that Ying Qingcang is already dead, aren't you?”

Xin Qing raised her head suddenly. ”Nonsense! He's fine. I saw him. I know he'll return!”

”Then what the heck are you doing now? You want him to return only to find you and your child buried under a gravestone?” Shi Qianqian's voice pierced through Xin Qing's heart like a scalpel.

”You need to think carefully about your actions! The baby in your body, Ah Sha, as well as the entire Xin Enterprises. All of them could very well be in shambles because of your decision.” Shi Qianqian stood up and walked towards the door. ”The Xin Qing I knew isn't like this at all. The Xin Qing I knew is brave, and strong! She never lost her courage even when she was betrayed by her own father and got traded away as a slave. Right now... I still believe that she won't allow herself to be defeated that easily.”

Everyone else was waiting outside the door. When Shi Qianqian stepped out of the room, they helped her to go to the living room to rest.

”Qianqian, I think you were too harsh just now,” Zhang Mi said, handing a glass of water to Shi Qianqian. Shi Qianqian took the glass and glanced at her. ”Oh yeah? Ever heard of the phrase 'rising like a phoenix from the ashes'?”

Boss Wan nodded in agreement. ”We've been too afraid to provoke her before. Still, the root cause of her sadness needs to be addressed directly. Hopefully, she'll be willing to face reality after this.”

”That's right. It hurts whenever we peel open a wound. Right now, her wound is filled with pus, and we need to peel it open to remove the pus. Otherwise, the wound will stay there forever and never heal.” Shi Qianqian glanced up the stairs. ”I believe she'll be able to cheer up finally!”