Chapter 206 - A Chaotic Booth

Chapter 206 A Chaotic BoothAh Hai stared at Tang Shuang, completely taken aback. “He’s your son, too,” he said.

“He and I aren’t related,” Tang Shuang fired back, her face filled with contempt as she stared at Ah Hai. “Why on earth would I want your son, huh? What good will that do?”

What she wanted was to have Ying Qingcang’s son. She wanted to show everyone that she was Mrs. Ying. But now, everything was ruined. It was like she had just woken up from a sweet dream.

Darkness pooled in Ah Hai’s eyes as he gazed at the woman before him. “If that’s how you want to play it, then forgive me for being cruel,” he said. Then, the moment those words left his mouth, his body moved in a flash, and before she knew it, Tang Shuang felt a sharp pain behind her neck. She was unaware of anything else after that.

Soon, the entire press of S City was overflowing with articles regarding Ying Enterprises, the contents of which involved none other than Xin Qing’s secure position as the rightful mistress of Ying Enterprises as well as her status as the largest shareholder of Ying Enterprises. Tang Shuang’s involvement was barely mentioned. On the occasions that Tang Shuang’s name did pop up, most women reacted with snorts. They mocked Tang Shuang for biting off more than she could chew and thus meeting such a pathetic end.

The controversy over recent events did not affect Ying Qingcang and Xin Qing at all. Xin Qing busied herself with Ah Sha’s transfer procedures; Ah Sha could no longer continue her schooling at Caesar academy since they were all returning to China. Still, none of the kindergartens in China could compare with Caesar be it in terms of learning environment or teacher qualifications. Xin Qing was worried that Ah Sha might be unaccustomed to a change in her schooling environment. But at the same time, she also did not have the heart to leave Ah Sha all alone overseas just to attend school.

“Get ready, babe. We’re going to France tomorrow.” Ever since they were allowed to be with each other openly, Ying Qingcang loved to call her “babe”. As a result, Ah Sha had also begun imitating him by asking Xunxun to call her “babe” as well.

“Wait, why are we going to France?” Xin Qing asked in surprised. “If it’s about my job at CK, then I’ve already made proper arrangements!”

“Weren’t you worried about Ah Sha’s schooling? So why don’t we cut a deal with Caesar academy? If they launch a branch in China, wouldn’t that solve all of our problems?” Ying Qingcang said in a light tone. “Actually, they’ve already gotten in touch with our ministers a few years back. The problem was that the country didn’t have enough funding for education back then. But it should be okay now.”

The spark in Xin Qing’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. “So, what you’re saying is that we make an investment?” she asked happily.

“Mmhm,” Ying Qingcang said. “Ying Enterprises has already drawn up a plan. Ah Nan and the team had already gone over there yesterday.”

For the first time in her life, Xin Qing truly felt the convenience of being wealthy. No wonder those princesses from upper society always acted as if they were better than everyone else. Indeed, there were a lot of human needs that money could satisfy. When it came to bodily and psychological needs though…

At the airport the following day, Xin Qing ran into not only Chen Ming, but Ding Lei and Shi Qianqian as well. Previously, Ding Lei’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, so Shi Qianqian had been staying at the hospital to take care of her.

“Is your mother-in-law alright?” Xin Qing asked her surresptiously. Shi Qianqian answered her with a hum. “Died last week,” she said.

“She died?” Xin Qing stared at Shi Qianqian. “But how come her death is kept so quiet?”

Shi Qianqian laughed. “What, you think we should set off a bunch of fireworks and announce her death to the whole world?”

Throughout the period of her mother-in-law’s hospitalization, Shi Qianqian was nearly tortured to death by her mother-in-law’s nonsensical whims. She barely had time to call Xin Qing to inquire about Ah Sha’s kidnapping. Now that her mother-in-law had passed, Ding Lei intended to keep things quiet. There were not many relatives in their family after all. They figured they would just secure a lot at the cemetery and that was it.

“Well, everything’s good now, isn’t it? Now there won’t be anyone else getting in the way of your life,” Xin Qing said. Then, a sudden thought occurred to her. “Although… Why are you guys traveling to France with us?” she asked.

Shi Qianqian poked Xin Qing’s head. “Oh, look at you, acting like a typical wealthy mistress. Everything in your life is perfectly arranged by Ying Qingcang. Your only job is to eat and sleep.”

“Nonsense. I still have to comfort him!” Xin Qing said. The moment those words left her mouth, she realized just how shameless they were. She slapped a hand to her lips and released two chuckles.

“Getting more and more thick skinned now, I see,” Shi Qianqian thought, giving Xin Qing the stink eye. “Do you really think Ying Enterprises owns a piece of land big enough to set up an entire school?”

Xin Qing stared at Shi Qianqian with blank confusion. “So?”

“So, we, as well as the Li family, had decided to offer the lands we had acquired from the development area last time as part of our investment. Other than providing the land for development, Ying Enterprises had to cover the building and maintenance costs as well,” Shi Qianqian said smilingly as she patted Xin Qing’s head. “Congratulations. You’re about to become the first board member of the Royal Caesar Academy!”

In other words, Xin Qing was only coming along to enjoy the show. In France, she watched the heated debate between Shi Qianqian and Caesar academy’s staff. She also watched the way in which Ying Qingcang had wrapped up the discussion like a boss.

“Ah Qing,” Ying Qingcang called out to her with a look of pure adoration on his face. “Come and sign your name!”

Shi Qianqian shot her a glare. “Oh, my. Lucky you. We’re the ones doing all the heavy-lifting, while you only have to sign a name.”

Ying Qingcang had always been swift in any of his manoeuvres; once the deal was sealed, Ying Enterprises had begun working on publicizing the establishment of the new academy all over China. At the same time, Ying Enterprises, Ding Enterprises, as well as the Li family, which was now run by Chen Ming, had made alterations to their original plans for each of the lands they had invested: all half-constructed buildings on site, which were originally meant to be used as holiday villas, were redesigned as school buildings. The presence of a complete capital chain allowed all construction works to commence quickly. It was estimated that the academy could officially begin their first intake by September next year.

The first thing that came to Xin Qing’s mind once they got back to S City was the fact that recent events had caused Xunxun to miss out on a lot of his school work. Surely, his school fees for this entire semester would be wasted if he stayed with them in S City. “Xunxun, do you want to go back to school first?” she asked. “You can come back to China again in September next year.”

Xunxun was currently watching an anime with Ah Sha. He answered Xin Qing without even raising his head: “I’ve already passed the entrance exams in Cambridge last year. They say I can enroll with them any time for my PhD.”

Xin Qing curled her lips at the same time Ying Qingcang walked in. She flew into his arms and pretended to cry.

“Wuwuwu… And I’ve only just graduated from university.”

Xunxun glanced at her. “Graduating from university isn’t too bad of an achievement considering your IQ level.”

With an arm on her waist, Ying Qingcang guided Xin Qing towards couch, where they both sat down across from Xunxun. Ying Qingcang waved at Ah Sha. “Come to daddy!” he beckoned. Ah Sha happily obliged and dove right into his waiting arms. Ying Qingcang stroked Ah Sha’s tiny head and shot Xunxun a glance. “What say daddy and mommy take Ah Sha to a parent-child workshop? How about that?”

“Okay!” Ah Sha replied, staring back at Ying Qingcang with large, round eyes. “Alright. Say goodbye to Xunxun, then!” Ying Qingcang added.

A dark scowl formed on Xunxun’s face. “Sneaky, despicable old man…”

“Brother Xunxun can’t come along?” Ah Sha asked cluelessly.

“Well, the workshop only allows parents and their children to attend together!” Ying Qingcang lied through his teeth, all the while keeping a straight face. “We’ll be done soon, though. You should let Xunxun get some sleep. We should be back by the time he wakes up.”

Ah Sha nodded and turned around to face Xunxun. “Brother Xunxun,” she said. “Go to sleep, then. Ah Sha will bring back a cake for you!”

Xin Qing stared up at Ying Qingcang reverently. Then, she ran upstairs to get changed. Just like that, Xunxun watched the family of three leave the house. A smirk formed on Xunxun’s lips by the time their car had driven far away. He began reflecting on his failed attempt this time; he wanted to ready for his next showdown with Ying Qingcang.

Ying Enterprises’ marketing department had decided to produce several advertisements to promote Caesar Academy within the country, and they were looking for several kids to star in those advertisements. Ah Nan suggested to Ying Qingcang to have Ah Sha and Xunxun fill in the roles.

Xin Qing had always been against Ah Sha making too many public appearances. “I don’t want her to be exposed to these things at such a young age,” Xin Qing said. “She’ll become a child celebrity at this rate.”

Ying Qingcang thought for a moment. Then, he held Xin Qing’s hand in his. “Do you remember Ah Sha’s performance during the ad filming?”

“She did great!” Xin Qing had to admit that Ah Sha was talented. In fact, Ah Sha’s performance behind the camera was even better than her own!

“If this is where Ah Sha’s talents lie, then shouldn’t we let nature take its course and allow her to grow her talents?” Ying Qingcang kissed Xin Qing on the corner of her lips. “I think the injection that Chen Huan had given Ah Sha last time has begun to take effect.”

Xin Qing still had a look of reluctance on her face. “But it’s the showbiz! There’ll be a lot of complications!”

“Silly girl!” Ying Qingcang kissed her again. “Those complications only apply to others. If Ah Sha really wants to be involved in showbiz, then of course I’ll pave the way for her. It’s not like I’ll just stand by and let things like the unspoken rules of society to affect our daughter,” Ying Qingcang said, raising Xin Qing’s head so that their eyes meet. “You need to trust me. We should allow Ah Sha to do whatever she wants to do. I’ll always be there to support her. She can go to places of her own choosing, and I’ll make sure I’m the one to send her there. Besides…” Ying Qingcang trailed off, snorting.

“You think Xunxun’s presence is only for show?” Ying Qingcang said. He had a feeling that even as Ah Sha’s father, he had nothing to worry about. That brat would probably handle everything before he himself even had the chance to do something about it.

Xin Qing remained pessimistic even after her talk with Ying Qingcang. But Ah Sha seemed pretty happy when she was told about the advertisement, so in the end, Xin Qing decided to ask Shi Qianqian’s son as well as Xin Yudie’s twins to join the filming.

With increasing coverage and publicity, the news of the upcoming Caesar Academy in China spread like wildfire; soon, the news was known not only to S City, but the entire nation as well. Every single wealthy family in the country now had their sights set upon S City, bidding for their time to enroll their children in the academy.

Ying Qingcang had been occupying himself with matters regarding the academy. Today, however, he received a call from Young Master Shen asking him to meet up somewhere.

Young Master Shen had asked Ying Qingcang to meet him at a bar which was ran by his men. “Why, did Zhang Mi run off again?” Ying Qingcang said in greeting.

“Don’t even mention that heartless woman,” Young Master Shen said in annoyance. “Come, let me take you to see someone.”

Ying Qingcang followed Young Master Shen to a private booth. Young Master Shen slid the door open, and music blasted through the opening. Inside, a naked woman lay on the couch. She was pinned down by three men, and judging from the movements of their bodies, it was obvious what it was that they were doing to her.

Seeing the frown on Ying Qingcang’s face, Young Master Shen patted his shoulder. “Take a look at the woman. Recognize her?”

All of a sudden, one of the man, the one holding down the woman’s head, quickened his movement. Then, the man released the woman’s head as the woman broke into coughs. The woman’s mouth dropped open in agony and she looked like she was about to throw up. However, another man came up and muffled her mouth.

It was Tang Shuang. Ying Qingcang did not expect to see her here.

“Something’s not right with her eyes,” Ying Qingcang said. He had been looking at Tang Shuang for a long time, and yet Tang Shuang barely reacted at all.

Young Master Shen suddenly glanced behind them. “Well, I guess you should ask the person responsible for this, then!” he said with a smile.