Chapter 171

Xin Qing watched as the man helped Zhang Mi to the couch.

“She’s had too much to drink. I’m just bringing her back!” the man explained courteously. He seemed like a European. Frowning, Xin Qing thanked him. “Thank you, and sorry for troubling you. Are you a student at the academy?”

“Well, technically, you’re my junior.” The man smiled. “I’m Meyer’s classmate. You can call me Anthony.”

“Ah! Is that so?” Xin Qing felt relieved. “Then, thank you so much, senior.”

Anthony waved her off. “Take care of her, then. I’ll be heading off first.” He stopped suddenly when he reached the doorway. “I feel obliged to tell you that I’ve accepted a job position in Meyer’s studio. I’ve also found out that you’re the real boss,” Anthony said sheepishly.

“Oh, that’s great! Welcome aboard!” Xin Qing believed that anyone Meyer picked would be exceptionally skilled. Plus, he was a student of the academy, so he was definitely more guileless compared to other designers out there who were already working in society.

Anthony rubbed his head shyly. “I’ll be going first, then!”

When Xin Qing returned, Zhang Mi was yawning on the couch.

“Why did you pretend to be drunk?” Xin Qing glared at her disdainfully. This girl could go toe to toe with Young Master Shen. No normal person could drink her under the table that easily.

Zhang Mi stretched out her body on the couch. “What do you think of this Anthony guy?” she asked, smiling strangely.

“So that’s the senior you were talking about?” Xin Qing seemed a little surprised. “Are you serious about him?”

Zhang Mi nodded. “Of course, I am! I’m already 22, and yet I don’t have any dating experience at all. For once, I want to experience the wonders of a torrid and passionate relationship!” she said, striking a pose by holding her hands to her heart in an impersonation of the infamous Xizi. Xin Qing responded by pouring cold water on Zhang Mi’s enthusiasm. “Your grandfather will never allow you to marry a foreigner. I suggest you drop the idea!”

“Hah!” Zhang Mi said, touching Xin Qing’s head. “Big sis, I was only talking about dating. When did I say anything about marriage? And for the love of God, you’re an international celebrity. Why are you still so uptight? If I were like you, I’d probably end up crying and chasing after that animal Shen.”

Xin Qing recalled the time when Zhang Mi aborted that child and was hit by a feeling of regret. “Are you really not going to consider Young Master Shen at all?”

“Stop right there! What are you even saying?” Zhang Mi gestured with a hand. “Tell me something, are you really willing to marry a guy like him? He sleeps with a different woman every day, and he treats practically every woman kindly. Who would even want a husband like that?”

“Maybe he’ll change for the better after he’s married?” Xin Qing came to Young Master Shen’s defense.

“Hah!” Zhang Mi rolled her eyes. “Have you ever seen a wolf grazing on grass? Do dogs ever stop eating their poop?”

Zhang Mi sighed and stared at Xin Qing helplessly. “You really think I never tried considering him? He’s the first man I ever had, after all. But no. I just can’t do it. I can’t tolerate cheating and infidelity. If a man can’t even stay loyal to you, then you can forget all this talk about loving you and whatnot…”

Xin Qing gave up right then; she herself had very little faith in Young Master Shen, to be honest. Everyone had different worldviews and ways of living, after all. They were better off as friends!

Zhang Mi had made it clear that she intended to date Anthony. Xin Qing had no idea how Zhang Mi had pulled it off, but Anthony would come over to their place for lunch whenever Zhang Mi had no afternoon classes. Meyer dropped by on several occasions to keep her abreast with any developments on his new firm. During the weekend, Meyer had finally decided on the physical address of his firm and had wanted to check out the site together with Xin Qing. Xin Qing and Meyer were just about to leave the house when they saw a car parked at the roadside. A black man got down from the car and opened the door. Xunxun stepped out of the car.

“Are you guys going out?” Although the little boy was not wearing Caesar Academy’s uniform, he still looked like a pretty boy! Zhang Mi was practically drooling when she saw him. In Zhang Mi’s own words: “Xunxun is just like one of those young lords portrayed in Japanese mangas. He could bring out the sexiness in any clothing. Too bad this lord has such a high IQ, so no teasing or flirting would work on him at all!”

“Brother Xunxun!” Ah Sha ran towards Xunxun, her tiny legs swinging with her strides. When she got near, Ah Sha hugged the pretty boy’s thigh and climbed her way up his body onto his chest. Xunxun quickly reached out his hands to hold her against his body. Ah Sha planted a kiss on his cheek with a loud smack while Zhang Mi watched in envy.

Ah Sha liked Xunxun very much, probably because Xunxun was her first ever playmate. Xunxun would go to the kindergarten to visit Ah Sha at noon pretty much every day. Ah Sha would then proudly show him off to her friends: “Look at me, I have a brother and you guys don’t.”

“Mommy! Can Ah Sha and Brother Xunxun stay at home to play?”

“Of course you can!” Smiling, Xin Qing patted Xunxun’s head. “Then please look after Ah Sha!”

“It’s much less of a hassle to look after Ah Sha than to look after my mommy,” Xunxun said with a straight face. After that, he ignored them and carried Ah Sha indoors. Soon, the front door slammed shut with a bang.

Zhang Mi clawed her chest and bellowed, “Argh!!!! I want to give birth to a pretty boy like that in the future!”

Xin Qing sighed. “Yeah, if only your intelligence isn’t your Archilles’ heel…”

When they came home that night, Xin Qing noticed a strange tint on Xunxun’s face.

“Xunxun, are you unwell?” She touched the boy’s forehead, though she found his body temperature to be normal.

Xunxun took a step back and then bowed. “Aunt Qing, I’ll take full responsibility. I’ll marry Ah Sha when I grow up!”

Pfft…

Zhang Mi and Xin Qing nearly spit out their saliva.

“Pretty boy, why do you want to marry Ah Sha? Did you do something you shouldn’t while we’re not here, hm?” Zhang Mi teased.

Xunxun turned beet red. Then he pointed at Ah Sha, who was sitting on the couch, munching on chocolate. “She changed her clothes.”

“Mmhm. And then what?” The two adults stared at him.

“Because Ah Sha got her clothes wet. And at that time, Grandma Tian had gone to the market. So I helped Ah Sha get changed. I saw her chest and her butt. I’ll take full responsibility!”

Zhang Mi pounded on the floor with her firsts as she laughed. “Hahahaha! Oh, my god! You are so cute, pretty boy!”

“Xunxun…” Xin Qing, on the other hand, could not decide whether to laugh or cry. “Ah Sha is only three years old. It’s alright even if you saw her body!”

The pretty boy looked completely unamused as he shook his head. “No, that won’t do. My mommy told me to be a responsible man. She warned me not to become someone like Boss Wan.”

“Ahem! Ahem!” Xin Qing knew she should not be poking her nose into Boss Wan’s personal life. Still, she could not help herself. “What’s wrong with your father?” she asked.

Xunxun curled his lips in disdain. “He cast my mommy and me aside.”

Although Xin Qing found the boy’s words to be lacking in credibility, now was not the time to dwell on that; Ah Sha had already finished her chocolate and was holding out her hands to Xunxun. “Wipe! Wipe!” said Ah Sha.

Xunxun picked her up. “Good girl, Ah Sha. Come, let’s go wash your hands!”

Zhang Mi stared after the two children’s backs, one big and the other one smaller. “Tsk, tsk. He must be trained from a young age to have this kind of bearing,” Zhang Mi said, nudging Xin Qing. “Looks like our Ah Sha had struck gold this time. Xunxun is a high-IQ genius, you know. The lineage of your family is about to experience a boost in quality!”

After they sent Xunxun off, Xin Qing told Zhang Mi every bit of information on Xunxun that she had obtained from Young Master Shen.

“Xunxun’s mother is a formidable figure. Apparently, she is considered as a national treasure. She holds three professor titles, and if I’m not mistaken, her research has to do with biogenetics!”

Zhang Mi nearly bit off her own tongue when she heard Xin Qing’s description. “No wonder her son has such a high IQ,” Zhang Mi said. “The kid must have inherited it from his mother!”

“Mmhm,” Xin Qing said. “And it seems like even now, Boss Wan has not been successful in his marriage proposals. Apparently, he would propose to Xunxun’s mother once every year, but the woman shot him down every time.” All of a sudden, a hopeful look formed on Xin Qing’s face. “How awesome it would be if we have a chance to meet his mother!”

“I know, right? Before a woman like her, men are literally nothing!” Zhang Mi said angrily. “If I know kung fu, I would have kicked Young Master Shen’s ass and have him flat on his ass a long time ago.”

Xin Qing found Zhang Mi’s behavior highly amusing. No matter what a woman says, she could always insert a particular man into the topic. She would then fill her daily journal with that man’s name. And yet Zhang Mi claimed to feel nothing for Young Master Shen. Yeah, right. Hell would probably freeze over first!

Ying Qingcang received a call from Boss Wan early this morning.

“Any new developments on the medicine?”

“… Not so far.”

Perhaps he had imagined it, but Ying Qingcang got the impression that Boss Wan was stalling… Since when did the guy even pick up that skill?

“Ah Cang, what do you think about me as a man?” came Boss Wan’s gloomy voice. Ying Qingcang pondered the question for a brief moment, and then he said, “You’re excellent.”

“Then if you have a daughter, would you marry her off to me?” Boss Wan asked again.

“Hell, no,” Ying Qingcang said, rejecting him without a hint of hesitation. “You’re too old.”

The line went silent for a while. “Then what about my son?” Boss Wan added.

Ying Qingcang had lost his patience at that point. “Spit it out if you have something to say,” he snapped.

“Oh,” Boss Wan said. “Well, my son claims that he has seen your daughter’s naked body. He says that he’ll take full responsibility and marry her when she grows up.”

This time around, it was Ying Qingcang who had grown silent. Boss Wan was not in a hurry, so he kept quiet and waited for a response.

“I’ll consider it if you cure Xin Qing’s condition,” Ying Qingcang said, giving his answer. “Deal!” Boss Wan said with alacrity before he hung up.

Far away from them in France, Ah Sha had no idea that she had literally been regarded as an object of a trade. Right now, she was in the middle of showing off to her friends in the kindergarten the little rabbit that Brother Xunxun had made for her today…

Days passed by, and soon, it was the day before Xin Qing’s birthday. She had been busy for the past half a month; CK would be releasing a Christmas-themed product line before Christmas day itself, and Xin Qing was in charge of producing the final version of the products. One day before the product line was released to the market, which also happened to be her birthday, something happened.

That day, she received a call from CK. “Xin Qing, hurry up and check out the news,” said the caller. Feeling bewildered by the sudden request, she turned on the TV and saw footage of a reporter interviewing the owner of a jewelry store regarding the store’s Christmas product line. As it turned out, the store’s product line had designs that were almost identical to her own except for a few minor differences. Although she would not deem it as plagiarism, the style and design were too similar to hers.

Xin Qing called CK. “Do you know who’s the designer?”

After hanging up, Xin Qing walked towards the window dejectedly. White snowflakes fluttered in the air as it snowed heavily outside. The sky was dark and gloomy. All of a sudden, she felt very cold. The man she loved was on another side of Earth; she could neither see him nor love him completely. Now, she had to face everything all on her own. Otherwise, she would be reduced to a mere dodder, forever leaning and relying on him for support and protection. Peals of laughter sounded. She saw Zhang Mi dragging a small pine tree towards the house. Ah Sha was stumbling behind Zhang Mi as they both entered the house. After she entered, Zhang Mi saw Xin Qing standing by the window, staring off into space. She picked off a few snowflakes on her clothes and tossed it at Xin Qing.

“Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up and help us decorate this Christmas tree!”

All of a sudden, Xin Qing laughed. “Even if that’s the case, so what?” she thought. Happiness had to be created. As if she would be so easily defeated by others. It was a mere accident this time. They were beaten in terms of time, not design quality. They would not lose so easily next time. “Very well. Since you’ve thrown out a challenge, I won’t give you an easy retreat,” she thought.

“Haha… Then again, I’m surprised to see that you can produce such a close imitation to my design,” she thought.