An Exclusive love

Amidst her inattention and wool-gathering, Xin Qing heard Monica's shouting voice. "I didn't say anything at all, so don't mind me! You and Xin Qing should go ahead and make another baby!" Xin Qing glanced furtively at Ying Qingcang, who just so happened to be fixing his gaze on her at the same time.

She was just about to tear her eyes away from him when she heard Ying Qingcang's words. "Honey, pay more attention. Look at Ah Sha!"

Xin Qing glanced down. While Xin Qing was being distracted, Ah Sha had pushed the milk bottle that was meant for the lamb into her mouth. Now, Ah Sha was sucking on the teat with puffed cheeks and all. Xin Qing jumped and immediately snatched the bottle away from Ah Sha. Apparently, Ah Sha was not at all happy with that and started crying. Ying Qingcang came over. From the thermos, he took out the baby bottle that he had prepared earlier and then slipped the teat into Ah Sha's mouth. Ah Sha sucked on it happily, humming at Ying Qingcang the entire time.

"Little ingrate, if you like him so much, then I won't hold you anymore!" Xin Qing placed Ah Sha into Ying Qingcang's arm. Then, she stood up and ran aside. Ying Qingcang ambled towards her while holding Ah Sha in his arms. "You need to watch out before the lamb starts kicking you."

"Why would it kick me?" Xin Qing asked in annoyance.

Ying Qingcang pointed at her and said, "You're pulling off its wool."

Only then did Xin Qing realize that she had been tugging on the wool on the lamb's back. The poor animal was staring back at her with large, innocent eyes. Xin Qing turned her head around sharply. "What do you want from me? I told you I don't want to see you anymore. Seeing you makes me suffer and brings me pain. Why did you insist on coming here?"

"I already told you that we've broken up and that everything is over between us. Go ahead and get engaged to whomever you wish. Whether it's a real or fake engagement, it'll have nothing to do with me. Fine, you had your reasons for not saving me back then. So what? You did it for my sake. So what? I told you before that it's impossible for us to be together, and that's final!" Xin Qing had kept these feelings bottled up for far too long. She ended up blowing a fuse and shouted out the words that she had been keeping to herself all this while.

"I beg you. Please. Don't come here to look for me again. You want me to wallow forever in the memories of you, unable to crawl out and move on? Are you satisfied with that? Is that your goal?"

Watching from afar, Ah Che and Monica dared not even breathe loudly. Xin Qing's outburst had startled Ah Sha, who had suddenly tossed the baby bottle aside and was stretching out her hands towards Xin Qing for a hug. Ah Sha was also wailing at the top of her lungs. Xin Qing sniffed and managed to hold back her tears. She took Ah Sha back into her arms and walked off. Monica pondered her options before hurrying after Xin Qing. Ying Qingcang strolled out of the sheepfold in his usual nonchalant way.

"Young... Young Master," Ah Che said, glancing at Ying Qingcang warily.

Ying Qingcang glanced at him briefly. "What?"

"You... Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Ying Qingcang said, the corner of his lips holding the beginnings of a smile. With that, he walked away slowly.

It was good for her to feel anger towards him. For so long, Xin Qing had either treated him politely or she had avoided him and refused to speak to him altogether. The way she had yelled at him today proved only one thing; Xin Qing had not changed; her feelings towards him were the same as his own feelings towards her. Ying Qingcang refused to admit that he was scared. But he was, in fact, scared. He was scared that Xin Qing would hate him for what happened at the auction ring. He was afraid that Xin Qing's feelings for him would fade away with time and all the misunderstandings between them. On top of all that, there was still the threat of William, who was watching from the sidelines, ready to pounce anytime.

Ying Qingcang was dying to ask Xin Qing whether it was Ying Hao who forced her to leave him. He wanted to ask her what the hell it was that Ying Hao had told her. But he did not have the courage to ask. He was afraid of his own anger after he had learned the truth. What kind of thing could have caused Xin Qing to abandon him? Was the love between them so feeble and fragile that it could not even withstand tests? He was terrified that he would start resenting Xin Qing for her lack of courage. Even more terrifying was the possibility that he himself might not be able to accept the truth.

"Xin Qing..." Monica walked up beside Xin Qing and crouched down.

"I'm okay," Xin Qing said. She was sitting on a pile of haystacks. Ah Sha had already fallen asleep.

Monica fixed a look on her, "Although I don't know what happened between the two of you, but it's obvious to anyone that you're unable to let him go and that you're the only one in Ah Cang's heart. Why are you two so intent on torturing each other like this?"

"He's the one who's tormenting me," Xin Qing said, swiping her tears away harshly. "He's the one who keeps appearing before me, making things uncomfortable for everyone."

"Why did you leave him, huh? I mean, really." Monica grabbed a handful of her own hair. "Can't you just be together?"

Xin Qing stared at the sleeping Ah Sha. Right then, her face broke off into a smile, one that looked worse than a crying face. "We can't together. We can't."

"Why?" Monica stared at her intently. "Is it because somebody had threatened you? Tell me. I'll take care of it for you."

Xin Qing picked up Ah Sha and grabbed Monica's hand. "Let's head back!"

"You haven't told me yet. Hey, talk to me!" Monica had spent their entire walk grilling Xin Qing for information, but Xin Qing had kept her lips sealed. In the end, Xin Qing threatened Monica out of desperation. "If you ask again, I'll run off to a place where nobody can find me."

"Don't!" Monica raised her hands. "Fine, I'll stop asking. I'm not going to ask again, okay?"

Xin Qing nodded. "Mm. Come on, let's go!"

They had the farm's special roast whole lamb for dinner. There was a tall grape trellis in front of the villa they had rented. Underneath the trellis was an apple tree, which the chef had used to support the lamb as he roasted it on the spot. They were also served with wine that had been brewed at the farm. Xin Qing had expected Ying Qingcang to be angry at her. Considering his personality, he would probably just walk away. In the end, it turned out that he had not acted any differently at all. When he saw her return, he grinned at her and then took Ah Sha from her before pulling her to sit down.

Ying Qingcang noticed Xin Qing endless stare. He leaned his face to her and asked, "What? Still angry? Planning to chew my head off again?"

"I'm not mad," Xin Qing said, pursing her lips. "I was—"

"Alright!" Ying Qingcang interjected. "After I return this time, it's hard to tell when I'll have time to come for another visit. Can we not fight?"

Xin Qing fixed him a look. "I wasn't trying to pick a fight with you. I was just stating the truth."

"Okay," Ying Qingcang said in a serious tone. "If you tell me why you're so dead set on leaving me, then I'll leave right now and never appear before you again."

"You..." Xin Qing bit her bottom lip. "I've told you before, haven't I? I don't want to marry a man who only likes me because of some Ancestral Behest."

Ying Qingcang stared at her. "So the reason you like me is because of the Ancestral Behest?"

"Yes," Xin Qing said and then paused in thought. "That's why I'm leaving." She went on.

"What did Ying Hao say to you?" Ying Qingcang asked all of a sudden.

"He..." Xin Qing shut up instantly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ah Sha had somehow gotten her hands on a grape stalk. She put the whole thing into her mouth, munched, and then spit it out upon learning that it was not delicious at all. She tried to push the stalk into Xin Qing's mouth instead. Ying Qingcang pulled Ah Sha's hand away from Xin Qing's mouth and took the stalk into his own mouth. Ah Sha clapped her hands happily.

"Alright. Let's stop talking about this!" Ying Qingcang said, taking the plate that Ah Che was offering him. "Let's eat."

Ying Qingcang was the one who had planned their activities for the second day. He took Ah Sha to the stables and pointed his finger at a few newborn ponies. "Ah Sha," he said, "which one do you like?"

"Don't tell me you're planning to buy her a pony?" Xin Qing asked in shock.

Ying Qingcang laughed. "Indeed, we should get her one."

"That's way too extravagant," Xin Qing remarked. She knew that buying a horse would not be all that expensive per se, but rearing one would certainly be. Even more so if the horse was to be raised on a farm. The service fee alone would cost a few hundred thousands a year, and that was without considering various additional expenses. "She's so young. What's she going to do with a horse?"

"We have to let her get used to being on a pony. That way, they will have had a bond with each other when she and the pony grow up in a few years. She won't be scared of it when she learns how to ride by then." Ying Qingcang paused for a moment. "Don't you think it's important for girls to know how to ride a horse?"

Xin Qing stared at him. "What's so important about that? It's not like we can ride a horse on the streets."

"If she knows how to ride, then she won't be bullied on the horse when she goes riding with another man in the future, wouldn't you say?" Ying Qingcang gave her a pointed and meaningful smile. Heat rose on Xin Qing's face and her cheeks were instantly flushed. She kicked him and bolted out from the stable.

"This damn man," she thought. "How dare he bring up that time when they both went horseback riding in England." Xin Qing covered her face with her hands, replaying every scene from that day when they had both ravished other on top of a horse. Monica saw the way Xin Qing was stomping her foot repeatedly, and had thought that she was feeling unwell.

"Xin Qing, you alright?" Monica approached her and gave her a once over. "My God. Are you ill? Why's your face so red?!"

Xin Qing's hand shot out and covered Monica's mouth. She peered towards the stable and whispered, "Can you please not shout? I'm fine."

"You... Oh, don't tell me you're being shy?" Monica's eyes shone brightly. "Hehe. What did he say to you again to make your face this red?"

Xin Qing panicked. "Shut up."

While the two women were bickering with each other, Ah Che ran out from the stable. "Young Master wants you to come look at the pony that Ah Sha had selected," he said.

"Ah Sha's so young, how would she know which one to pick? I bet he's the one who picked it," Xin Qing said as she pulled Monica to enter the stable. Once inside, she saw that Ah Sha was hugging a white pony. From the looks of it, she would not be letting go of it anytime soon.

Ying Qingcang had heard her comment, so he pointed at the little ponies there. "Ah Sha had picked this one on her own. That's the only one she kept hugging."

"Tsk, tsk. Our little Ah Sha had picked out a prince!" Monica crouched down before Ah Sha and ruffled the pony's head. "Very beautiful!"

It was as if Ah Sha knew that the pony of her choice had just been praised. She leaped up happily and toddled towards Xin Qing. Ah Sha tugged Xin Qing's hand and guided her towards the pony. When they got close enough, she pulled Xin Qing's hand and tried to get Xin Qing to touch the pony's head.

Xin Qing hurriedly patted the pony's head and praised, "Ah Sha's pony is so pretty!"

"Let's give it a name. After that we can head down and take care of the paperwork," Ying Qingcang said, fixing his eyes on Xin Qing. "You're going to have to name it, though. If I give it a bad name, Ah Sha will be unhappy when she's older."

Xin Qing rolled her eyes and went over a few names in her mind. After a while, she said, "Let's call her Xiao Xue, then. We shouldn't give it a complicated name, otherwise she won't be able to remember it."

"Young Miss, the pony is male," Ah Che reminded her.

"Huh?" Xin Qing said. "How can it be male when it looks so elegant?"

"Don't horses all look the same?" Monica said and began appraising the few ponies in the stable. "Can't believe you can tell which one looks elegant."

"Call it Xiao Bai, then." Three pairs of eyes were all staring at her when she finished. "Ahem, ahem. A common name implies low maintenance!"

Ying Qingcang laughed and patted Ah Sha's head. "As of today, this pony will be Ah Sha's Xiao Bai!"

"Bai...!" Ah Sha took everyone by surprise when she pronounced a full syllable. Overjoyed, Xin Qing said, "See? I told you we should give it a simple name. Ah Sha can start calling it immediately."

The few of them took care of the papers and signed the contract. Ah Sha was now the official owner of Xiao Bai. The farm would be in charge of looking after and feeding Xiao Bai, Ah Sha was allowed to visit it anytime. Once the pony grows up, someone from the farm would start teaching Ah Sha how to ride it.

They drove back in the evening. By the time they arrived home, it was already midnight. When Xin Qing was going upstairs, Ying Qingcang called her.

"Monica and I will return to China tomorrow morning. Let Ah Che know if there's anything instead of shouldering everything on your own. Don't go around owing favors to other people in the future. Otherwise, it won't be as easy as shooting an advertisement next time."

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