After a long and torturous journey, they finally reached Qing Qing's place. Xu Jing slowed the car to a halt and he cleared his throat before announcing, "We have arrived."
Qing Qing pulled her legs off the dashboard and prepared to descend from the car. Xu Jing did not turn to acknowledge her at all. He kept his eyes on the windshield and the darkened street beyond it.
Qing Qing stood beside the open door and she said, "Brother Xu Jing, hugsies?"
Xu Jing frowned but did not react. He waited patiently to the young woman to take the hint and leave him in peace. However, he had underestimated Qing Qing's persistence and guile.
"Brother Xu Jing, I do not even deserve a good night hug?" she pouted, "Has our relationship been so sullied that even an innocent hug between friends is forbidden or Brother Xu Jing has even stopped considering me a friend? Then, what am I to you? Just a tool of convenience for you to use and then abandon? Is that it?" Qing Qing even managed to work in a few choking tears in her remonstration.
The years of acting classes definitely did not go to waste.
According to the Chinese idiom, even the strongest hero could fall prey to the charm of a woman, and the best weapon at a woman's disposal is her tears.
Qing Qing's lips turned upside down and the corners of her eyes quivered from the formation of tears. She looked innocent and pitiable like a doll that one felt the need to cherish.
As the young woman's sobs and sniffles drifted into Xu Jing's ears, his indifferent front started to crumble. He sighed weakly before opening the door, walked around the front of his car to stand before the young woman.
"Here, here. Don't cry," he consoled as he opened his arms.
Qing Qing curled into his embrace immediately. As she felt the man's powerful arms close around her, she lifted her one of her legs to brush up against the man's crotch. She could feel the man's body shudder as a tingle surged through the man's senses.
It is best to strike while the iron is hot so Qing Qing leaned in close to Xu Jing's ear and whispered in a seductive manner, "Brother Xu Jing, remember when I said you are the best? I mean it in more ways than one…"
She quickly extricated herself from his embrace when she felt the lower part of the man's body react. Her goal had been achieved. She was not going to give herself away that easily, because oftentimes, the man enjoyed the game as much as the reward waiting at the end, and Qing Qing was a masterful player.
Who is going to buy the cow after you give away all the milk, right?
After Qing Qing parted from Xu Jing's embrace and stood a respectable distance away, the man was still in a daze. The young woman smiled to herself before saying, "Brother Xu Jing, thank you for driving me home.
"You better depart for your own home soon, Sister Joann will be worried sick if you stay out any longer. Good night, Brother Xu Jing." In a smaller voice, she added with a pout, "I would have loved for you to stay but you know how it is."
He was pulled out of his reverie by her words. Xu Jing nodded dumbly as Qing Qing smiled sadly at him before she wandered back to her house. She waved at him before entering the door. After some hesitation, Xu Jing decided to wave back. Her face blossomed into a bright smile. Xu Jing was reminded of a fresh spring flower, one that needed to be taken care of and cherished inside the green house and too fragile to be exposed to the ravages of nature.
After the lights in Qing Qing's house went off, Xu Jing crawled back into the driver's seat and drove off. Xu Jing did not know there was a young woman standing behind the curtained window watching him leave with a calculative smile on her face.
Back at the steering wheel, there was a small voice at the back of Xu Jing's head that said, 'Was she worried about me earlier? Worried that I will be exposed? Does this mean that she is worried the affair will be forced to stop after it is exposed? So in a way, she value this relationship?'
…
After the baby naming ceremony was concluded, Elder Lin left the country once more on official business with his son, Lin Kang in tow. This meant that the seat of power at Lin family had temporarily fallen unto Mrs. Lin. She rocked the household like a typhoon as if she was venting the humiliation she had received during the ceremony.
The maids avoided her like she was the plague and most of the time, if their mistakes were not obvious enough, they could avoid her wrath. This was because Mrs. Lin's pointed anger had two focused targets, one was Xiu Ling, the other Mrs. Xiu. The others could have relative peace provided they watch themselves around Mrs. Lin.
Mrs. Lin negated Lin Kang's suggestion of hiring a nanny for Lin Xi with the reason that she was fearful of having an outsider look after the baby boy. However, to her, Xiu Ling was no different from an outsider so the real reason was she wanted the woman to be as overworked as she possibly could, Mrs. Lin was not going to allow Xiu Ling to have a day's break as long as she was still around.
In any case, her plan backfired because both Xiu Ling and Mrs. Xiu appreciated this arrangement. They could not have been gladder to be allowed to spend more time with Lin Xi.
As mentioned above, Xiu Ling was one of the targets in Mrs. Lin's crossfire but she was spared from the majority of Mrs. Lin's wrath because she had the most powerful protective seal at her disposal.