An Exclusive love

Chapter 56 (2) Swimsuit's Fabric

The following day, Xin Qing was in the middle of submitting her request for a new swimsuit—Ying Qingcang had torn her old one to pieces the day before—when the teacher in the office of academic affairs smiled cheerfully at her and told her that she was exempted from swimming classes.

Of course, Xin Qing knew immediately that this was Ying Qingcang's doing. And when she came home in the evening, she noticed that Uncle Fu had a crew over to clean the swimming pool. That weekend, both Ying Qingcang and Young Master Shen were there to fetch her from school. And the moment Young Master Shen saw her, he began dumping his tribulations on her.

"Xiao Qingqing, Ying Qingcang sold me out. You've gotta save me!"

Xin Qing shot Ying Qingcang a glance. Then, in an icy tone, Ying Qingcang said, "I arranged a date for him. With a beautiful woman."

"Bullshit!" Young Master Shen shouted, pointing his finger at Ying Qingcang, "Even if she's beautiful, I can't even touch her. So what's the point in that, huh?"

Xin Qing threw the man a strange look. "Why couldn't you touch her... Oh! Could she be...?" Xin Qing's voice trailed off. Understanding dawned on her.

"Yes. It's Monica," Young Master Shen said, his face a mixture of despair and resentment.

Ying Qingcang opened the car door for Xin Qing. "You owe me a favor," Young Master Shen told Ying Qingcang before hurrying after Xin Qing into the car.

After dinner, they ditched Young Master Shen at the restaurant's entrance. Xin Qing still had no clue why Ying Qingcang would want to arrange a date between Young Master Shen and Monica. But when they got back to the mansion, Xin Qing quickly noted Uncle Fu and Auntie Tian's absence.

"Where are they?"

"They took a day off today," Ying Qingcang told her with a straight face.

Xin Qing stared at him. "Since when do Uncle Fu and Auntie Tian have day offs?" Xin Qing thought. But before she could ask, Ying Qingcang hurried her upstairs.

"Come on, change into your swimsuit. I've already picked one out for you. It's on your bed."

"Why do I need to put on a swimsuit?" Xin Qing asked, her face darkening. Finally, she knew Ying Qingcang's plan.

Ying Qingcang had a swimming trunk in his hand, "For your swimming lessons, of course! You won't believe how dirty and contaminated the water at school is. It's better to swim at home."

At Ying Qingcang's incessant coercions, Xin Qing finally yielded and went into her room to change into her swimwear. And then she came downstairs with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. A blush formed on her face as she glared daggers at Ying Qingcang.

"The one you picked isn't even a swimsuit!"

Ying Qingcang stood in the middle of the pool with his arms crossed. Raising his head, he stared at the woman who was standing under the lights. "Come here," he said, "be a good girl!"

Somehow, Xin Qing found herself beguiled by that evil, attractive smile on his face and also the glint in his eyes. And before she knew it, Ying Qingcang had dragged her into the pool.

Xin Qing's swimwear consisted of nothing but a few measly strings. From the surface of the water, she could see the black sequins of the fabric reflecting back at her, glittering and twinkling. Unable to look at herself, she covered her face with her hands.

"Qingqing, look how beautiful you are!" Ying Qingcang said. And at that moment, he could not help but appreciate his own luck and good fortune. To him, the pool was suddenly becoming a fantastic place.

Xin Qing pointed at him, "You...what are you trying to do?"

"It was too tight," Ying Qingcang said. The swimming trunk he had been wearing was now in his hands, and he was moving towards her.

After a long while, a boneless Xin Qing was carried from the pool all the way to the bedroom. At first she thought that she could finally get some sleep. But it turned out that Ying Qingcang was still not done with her yet.

"No...I can't. I'm so sleepy."

"Then you sleep," Ying Qingcang said, lowering his head.

Xin Qing's phone pinged. She pushed at Ying Qingcang, "I've got a text...you have to get up."

"Who's texting you this late?"

After a momentous effort, Xin Qing managed to reach her phone at the headboard. Her face changed instantly when she checked the screen. "Ying Qingcang!" she screamed. A startled Ying Qingcang stared at Xin Qing, "What's wrong?"

"Qianqian, Qianqian's in trouble!" Xin Qing said, showing Ying Qingcang the screen, which displayed a text by Shi Qianqian: save me, Nobility KTV.

The two of them quickly got changed. In the car, Ying Qingcang threw his phone to Xin Qing. "Ding Lei's number is inside. Find it and call him."

Xin Qing nodded vigorously and then she fumbled with the phone in search for the number.

"Ding Lei, this is Xin Qing. You have to get to Nobility KTV right now. Qianqian's in trouble," Xin Qing said. Ying Qingcang took back the phone and dialed Young Master Shen.

"Nobility. Qingqing's classmate is in trouble."

An anxious Xin Qing was at the verge of tears. Getting into trouble at that kind of place? It would not take much imagination to know exactly what kind of trouble it would involve. Would they make it in time?

"Don't worry. Young Master Shen's people got eyes in that kind of place. They'd be able to save her quickly," Ying Qingcang said, caressing her cheek. "Don't cry. We'll get there in time."

When Ying Qingcang and Xin Qing arrived at Nobility, they found Shi Qianqian sprawled on a couch. Some men were standing guard around her. When the men noticed Ying Qingcang, they immediately came forward to speak with him.

"President Ying, about five people were trying to inebriate this lady. And then another one came in, trying to take her away," reported one of the men. Someone was pushed into their view. Xin Qing noticed that it was Jian Bai.

"At first we thought he was here to save the lady. But who knew this son of a bitch was a member of this bunch of trash."

Ying Qingcang glanced at Jian Bai, who had been knocked out cold, "Call the cops. Let the cops handle this."

"Shi Qianqian!" Ding Lei rushed into the room. He picked Shi Qianqian up and gave her body a thorough observation. Ding Lei found nothing wrong with Shi Qianqian other than the fact that her face was red and that she was as drunk as a skunk. Her clothes were fine.

"Thank God. Thank God you're alright..." Ding Lei mumbled to himself repeatedly. It did not escape Xin Qing's eyes that Ding Lei's hands were shaking. Ding Lei was just about to carry Shi Qianqian into his arms when Shi Qianqian suddenly came to herself. Shi Qianqian squinted and then—it was unclear if she actually knew who was before her—her hand swung out in a slap.

"You...didn't you say...didn't you say that she's a good woman? Haha... So this is...ugh...this is the brother of your so-called 'good woman'. Your...good...good woman was planning to let her brother rape me... Hahaha..." Shi Qianqian said in between laughs. Tears spilled from Shi Qianqian's eyes as she tried to bat Ding Lei away.

In that moment, Ding Lei's countenance was filled with anguish. All he could see before his eyes were endless pain and hurt. But when he turned towards Jian Bai, a cold rage filled his soul.

"I told them to call the cops. Or do you prefer to handle this privately?" Ying Qingcang sought Ding Lei's opinion.

Ding Lei nodded, "Call the cops. I'll clean it up later," he said, picking Shi Qianqian up. "I owe you again, President Ying. Ding Enterprises will withdraw from the development project at West City that'll take place at the end of this year," Ding Lei said before leaving with Shi Qianqian in his arms.

"What an arduous night," Xin Qing thought as she leaned against the car seat. Ying Qingcang was worried that Xin Qing had been traumatized by the night's event. So with one hand on the steering wheel and another holding on to her, he consoled, "Everything's alright now. Close your eyes and try to get a little sleep."

Back home, sleep eluded Xin Qing as she rolled from side to side on the bed. Hugging her, Ying Qingcang joked, "If you still have energy left, then why don't we go for another round of lovemaking?"

"I'm worried about Qianqian," Xin Qing said, snuggling closer to Ying Qingcang, "do you think I should call her? Is she even awake yet?"

Ying Qingcang's lips lifted into a smile, "She's woken up ages ago."

"Ah! Then let me call her," Xin Qing said before making a grab for her phone. Ying Qingcang stopped her by trapping her in his arms. "Don't bother. Even if you call her now, she won't be picking up."

Xin Qing gave him a puzzled look. "Why? Oh, no. She isn't just drunk, is she? Where else is she hurt?" Xin Qing pulled at her hair anxiously.

"Oh, she's fine. More than fine, in fact. She's got Ding Lei, so she'll be fine and dandy," Ying Qingcang said, feeling a little envious. Sullenly, he said, "It's better if you don't call her tomorrow too."

At this point, Xin Qing was utterly befuddled by Ying Qingcang's cryptic words. Now she did not even know if she should call Shi Qianqian at all. So Xin Qing turned around and ignored him. Ying Qingcang pulled her back into his arm and said, "Silly, she's busy in bed right now. You'll just ruin the mood if you call her!"

"Be...bed?" Xin Qing stuttered. Finally, understanding dawned on her. "Qianqian and her brother-in-law?"

Ying Qingcang bit the tip of her nose. "I told you long ago that your friend is smart. Go ask her later, then you'll understand." Ying Qingcang pressed Xin Qing's head against his chest. "Close your eyes and sleep now. Otherwise, I'll put little Qingcang in."

"I'm asleep!" Xin Qing's eyes slammed shut in an instant.

Ying Qingcang watched her trembling eyelashes with much amusement. The tiny smile on his lips lingered even as he reached over to turn off the lights.

When Xin Qing woke up the following day, it was already noon. She felt like calling Shi Qianqian, but hesitated when she recalled Ying Qingcang's words last night. Amidst her dithering and vacillations, her phone rang. It was a call from Zhang Mi.

"Xin Qing, can you reach Qianqian? I called a few times, but her phone seems to be turned off."

So Ying Qingcang was right all along.

Xin Qing gathered her thoughts and began filling Zhang Mi in on last night's event. Throughout the entire recollection, Zhang Mi was yelling at Xin Qing for not calling her when it happened.

"Well, since she's busy rolling in bed right now, I guess we should wait for her to reach out to us!" Zhang Mi threw out the words.

Ying Qingcang had roused during the middle of Xin Qing's phone call. He ogled at Xin Qing, who was then sitting in bed with a bare shoulder peeking out from the sheets. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms around her and pull her against his chest, "I'm not going out today."

Xin Qing glared at him. "Then we need to go downstairs to eat. I'm hungry."

"I'm hungry too. Very, very, hungry," Ying Qingcang said, slipping his hands lower. Xin Qing pushed him away, "No, we can't."

Ying Qingcang grabbed his 'junior' with a hand and began prodding Xin Qing's body with it, "Look, he's hungry. Very hungry. Feed him!"

Well, Xin Qing soon found herself enduring the price of his 'hunger'. Ying Qingcang fed himself to his heart's content before he went into the bathroom alone to take a shower. After that, he went on and helped clean up Xin Qing, who was still hazy with sleep. He helped dress her, and then he carried her downstairs in a bridal style.

"Ah Cang, you're treating Xin Qing so well!" said a smiling Monica, who was sitting at the dining area and had seen Ying Qingcang descending the stairs with Xin Qing in his arms. But then she noticed the slight red tinge on Xin Qing's face and found herself gritting her teeth.

It was only then that Xin Qing finally noticed that she had been carried downstairs. She quickly clambered off Ying Qingcang's arms and sat down at the dining table to eat. "Xin Qing, since it's a weekend today, so if you're free later, do you want to go shopping with me?" Monica said out of nowhere.

Before the word 'Yes' could even form on Xin Qing's lips, Ying Qingcang had already interjected, "She's got something on later. Ask Ah Che to accompany you."

"That's not the same!" Monica gave Ying Qingcang a wide-eyed stare. "A woman needs another woman as a shopping partner. Only then we can speak the same language, right, Xin Qing?"

Beneath the table, Xin Qing kicked Ying Qingcang's leg. "Monica will be leaving in a week. I'll take her shopping. It'd be nice to buy some local products as the souvenir."

Monica's expression changed when she heard those words. Originally, she had noncommittally mentioned that she would be staying for a month. But in reality, even she herself knew that she had no plans of returning after she got here.

"Fine. I'll ask Ah Che to go with you. That way you won't tire yourselves out," Ying Qingcang told Xin Qing. And then he turned to Monica and gave her a meaningful look, "I'll be sending you off properly."

Coldness seeped into Monica's heart. She knew that if she insisted on staying, Ying Qingcang would have found a way to send her away, even if it meant kidnapping her.

She had to find a way. She had once been so in love with Ying Qingcang, and yet she still ended up being treated so coldly by him. So what right did Xin Qing, a woman who had suddenly appeared, have to monopolize him?