The atmosphere on the flight back was very strange. This was something Zhuang Yan felt keenly. Last night’s events had led him to believe he was about to have a new mistress; he had been sure Sang Ying would become Xia Tingwang’s girlfriend.
Having braced himself for that reality, things did not go as he had expected.
On the flight over, Xia Tingwang and Sang Ying had sat facing each other, with Sang Ying even reading aloud to her employer. The atmosphere had been harmonious. On the way back, however, the two sat on opposite sides of the aisle, each with their eyes closed, sleeping and ignoring one another.
Zhuang Yan was filled with question marks. What was going on?
He had been Xia Tingwang’s bodyguard for six or seven years. He had never seen her in a relationship. Outside of work, she stayed at home; she was quite the homebody. This might have been due to her hearing impairment, which made her somewhat resistant to socializing, especially after that incident which made Xia Tingwang even more averse to male Alphas.
There had originally been three Alpha security guards, but Xia Tingwang had dismissed two of them. It was only because Zhuang Yan was an Alpha without pheromones that he had been kept on.
Zhuang Yan had not been surprised that Xia Tingwang and Sang Ying had gotten together after last night’s intensity. After all, from the moment Xia Tingwang began visiting that dilapidated little rental house across from Wen University, he had been shocked enough.
However, his master’s thoughts were beyond his ability to fathom. Later, seeing that Xia Tingwang treated Sang Ying differently from everyone else, he had gradually digested these surprises. Just two days ago, she had even sent Sang Ying a new car. It was claimed to be in the company’s name, but in reality, Xia Tingwang had picked it out and purchased it herself, driving it to Wen University the moment she got it.
So, how did they become like two strangers, minding their own business, today?
Zhuang Yan muttered to himself, thinking on one hand that his master’s affairs were not for him to guess, while on the other, his curiosity got the better of him, and he kept looking back.
It finally reached a point where Bai Li could not stand it and asked in a low voice, “Did you sleep with a stiff neck last night?”
“What?”
“You keep looking back to the right. Is your neck stiff on the left side?”
Zhuang Yan rubbed his neck. “Ah, yes, it is a bit.”
Bai Li rolled up her sleeves. “Come here, I will knead it for you.”
“That is probably unnecessary.”
“Tsk.” Bai Li clicked her tongue, pushed him, and made him turn his back to her. “You talk too much. Can I really ruin your neck with a massage?”
Bai Li’s strength was just right, and the way she kneaded the muscles on the back of his neck felt uniquely comfortable. “Quite professional.”
“Of course. I grew up kneading my mother’s shoulders.”
Zhuang Yan smiled. Bai Li was a Beta with no pheromones. Zhuang Yan had accidentally become an Alpha without pheromones after a surgery as a child, and the two individuals of different genders shared some similarities.
By the time they returned to the country, Xia Tingwang and Sang Ying still had not spoken a word to each other. The driver waited at the airport. Xia Tingwang, wearing sunglasses and high heels, walked with her head held high to the car and slid inside.
Yin Wei followed her in.
In the rearview mirror, Sang Ying, standing by the roadside with her suitcase, became smaller and smaller. The lingering pain from last night still remained on her body, a slight burning sensation in that area.
She had spent hours on the plane trying to recall what had happened last night, but she could remember nothing, only the sensation.
It seemed very comfortable, yet mixed with a hint of pain. Ultimately, the comfort outweighed the pain, but unfortunately, she could no longer recall what that feeling of comfort had actually tasted like.
It was a pity. Her first time, and she had no memory of it at all.
Sang Ying’s reaction was also strange. She had not asked for any responsibility, so why was she acting so cold? It made Xia Tingwang feel embarrassed to ask her to read aloud, and she had endured seven-plus hours on the plane in silence.
She was truly heartless! She looked like a very proper person on the surface, but after eating her clean, she turned and walked away! How could she be like that? Had she, Xia Tingwang, lost her charm?
“Yin Wei!” Xia Tingwang took off her sunglasses. “What kind of Omega do you think I am?”
Yin Wei, who had been brooding since last night, was startled. “What?”
Xia Tingwang said, “Setting aside our friendship, objectively evaluate me from the perspective of an Alpha. What kind of Omega am I?”
Yin Wei pursed her lips and replied truthfully, “Beautiful, sexy, cute, kind, and innocent. In short, a very outstanding Omega.”
This evaluation left Xia Tingwang satisfied, though she remarked, “How can sexy and cute appear at the same time? Is that not a contradiction?”
“It is not a contradiction.” In Yin Wei’s mind, Xia Tingwang’s stunning figure appeared. Xia Tingwang herself did not realize where her body was so impressive, but she perfectly embodied both sexiness and cute qualities.
Yin Wei turned her head and coughed. Just thinking about it made it difficult for her to control her instinctive reaction.
“You and Sang Ying…” Yin Wei eventually could not suppress the urge to ask, “What is your relationship?”
“There is no relationship,” Xia Tingwang snapped. “And there never will be!”
“Really?” Yin Wei’s voice rose in pitch, betraying her surprise.
Xia Tingwang did not speak. Her darkened expression was enough to explain her current irritation. Yin Wei, conversely, felt relieved.
That made sense. An adult having a one-time encounter did not mean anything. If one truly wanted to marry Xia Tingwang, a status like Sang Ying’s was simply not up to par.
That meant she still had a chance.
When Xia Tingwang stepped out of the car, she was caught off guard by a hug. “My lady, I missed you to death.”
“I missed you too.” Xia Tingwang patted Butler Xu.
“Let me see if you have lost weight…” Butler Xu released her and looked at Xia Tingwang’s face. “Hmm, you have not lost weight, but your spirit is not very good. Are you not rested well? Xiao Liu, hurry and run a bath for the lady!”
She had only been abroad for four days, yet they acted as if it had been four years. Xia Tingwang was used to it. After all, it was good to be home. She had a comfortable bath and observed her own figure in the mirror.
She was 164 cm tall and weighed 46.5 kg, with a waist of 61 cm and a bust of 82 cm. The tailor who made her clothes had praised her figure more than once.
Naturally, she had heard enough praise growing up that she mostly just listened to such sycophantic words and did not take them to heart.
She knew her figure was not bad, with a thin waist, full breasts, and good posture. So why was Sang Ying not interested?
Forget it. She would not think about it. She would be cool and not let such things occupy her thoughts.
Xia Tingwang put on her bathrobe and went downstairs. Butler Xu was holding a paper box. “We received a delivery two days ago. Did you buy something, Miss?”
“No…” Xia Tingwang sat at the dining table. A servant started to cut her steak, but she signaled she would do it herself. “Open it and see.”
Butler Xu opened the package. “Oh, it is all skincare products. It is that brand you bought last time, Qingdeng.”
Xia Tingwang paused. What Butler Xu held was indeed Qingdeng hydrating masks.
“There is also a note.” Butler Xu took a slip of paper from the box and walked over to unfold it by Xia Tingwang’s side.
【Stock from the warehouse. Due to other reasons, all goods cannot be sold for the time being. You always told me Qingdeng is great to use, and it is a waste just leaving it there. These are for you.】
The signature was Sang Ying.
Xia Tingwang set down her knife and held the note between her fingers. The handwriting on the note was dashing and scrawled, looking very good—it did not look like the boring Sang Ying at all.
She could be so kind to a customer online she did not know, yet she was so heartless to her.
Xia Tingwang tossed the note aside. It drifted slowly onto the carpet, and the servant nearby hurriedly stepped forward to pick up the note that had been treated like trash.
“Wait.” Xia Tingwang stopped the servant who was about to throw it into the trash can.
The servant’s hand shook, and the note fell into the trash. The servant hurriedly lowered her head and bent down. “I am sorry, Miss!”
Xia Tingwang walked over and looked; the top layer of the trash can was the delivery slip Butler Xu had just removed, so it was relatively clean.
“Pick it up.”
The servant picked it up without a word. Fortunately, the note was not dirty.
“Laminate it and make it into a specimen,” Xia Tingwang said.
“Yes!”
Ten minutes later, the servant handed over the laminated note. Xia Tingwang took it; the transparent covering provided a protective film, ensuring it would not get dirty or damaged.
She stared at the note, remembered something, and pulled out her phone to send Sang Ying a private message. In any case, Sang Ying did not know who “Yinyin77” was.
【Yinyin77: I received the items. Thank you. I like them very much.】
She glanced at the delivery box, took out a few boxes of masks, and said to Butler Xu, “Give the rest of the items to those from last time and have them continue to write usage reviews for me.”
She went upstairs with the masks and the note and received a reply from Sang Ying.
【I am glad you like them. If you need more, you can come to the VW live stream to buy products and get Qingdeng skincare as a gift. I am sorry, I am not trying to advertise in the live room, please do not mind. How about this: I will notify you the moment Qingdeng products are back on sale.】
【Yinyin77: I will support your live stream and your products.】
Xia Tingwang laughed out loud. This person was remarkably straightforward. However, Sang Ying seemed exceptionally concerned about Qingdeng. She looked at the masks in her hand, tore one open, and after hesitating for a long time, applied it to her face.
This was the first time in her life she had used such cheap skincare. Fortunately, she spent the time wearing the mask chatting with Sang Ying, which made her quickly forget she had low-priced products on her face.
【Qingdeng Skincare: Based on my experimental results, using three boxes consecutively can help improve your skin’s dehydration, peeling, and dryness.】
【Yinyin77: Is that just your experimental result? Have you used it yourself?】
【Qingdeng Skincare: I do not have dry skin, but before I opened the shop, I had my Omega father try it for 39 days. He has dry skin, and it significantly improved his skin condition.】
【Yinyin77: Oh, I will persist in using it.】
【Qingdeng Skincare: Hmm, good.】
Fifteen minutes later, Xia Tingwang removed the mask. She could not really see any result in the mirror, since all her skincare products were custom-made for her skin type, but her face felt cool, refreshing, and comfortable.
It did not feel like she had used a cheap mask at all.
Qingdeng Skincare, fine. Since the little streamer did not care for her figure, she would surely care for her money, right? If she spent money to promote Qingdeng products, could the little streamer still ignore her?
Xia Tingwang worked quickly. After Sang Ying’s final live stream before the New Year ended, she told Sang Ying her thoughts.
Sang Ying’s reaction was just as she had expected—a mix of surprise and joy. “How should we promote it?”
Xia Tingwang spoke enthusiastically about this: “Register it under VW, treat it as a sub-brand of VW, find celebrities to shoot commercials for Qingdeng, and raise its price. With celebrity endorsement and the VW brand name, your Qingdeng will be a household name sooner or later.”
Sang Ying was almost stunned into silence. There were many things she did not understand, so she could only say what she knew. “Can we not raise the price? My original intention in creating Qingdeng was to make it an affordable domestic product that everyone can afford.”
Xia Tingwang shook her head. “Impossible. Registering it under VW requires raising the price. First, VW is not an affordable brand. If your product does not raise its price, it will never pass the audit.
Second, this is the psychological effect on people. As a brand that has always created luxury products, if we suddenly release a low-priced series one day, do you think consumers will believe this low-priced product is reliable?
Or do you think consumers will believe that all our previous VW products were deliberately overpriced and not worth the price?”
Xia Tingwang spoke with perfect logic, and Sang Ying could understand it, but she still insisted on her own ideas. “I cannot betray my original intention, and besides, Qingdeng’s products cannot be compared to VW. Their formulas and ingredients are very simple.”
Xia Tingwang clenched her fists and exhaled. Could this person’s brain not be so stubborn? She was clearly helping her! How could she feel so infuriated?
She resisted her temper, her tone becoming somewhat unpleasant. “Then have you ever considered whether the factory processing your product requires labor costs, machinery costs, packaging costs, and material costs? Do these costs add up enough to justify increasing your product’s price?
Furthermore, your products have already gone out as gifts. Many people have them, and they have likely used them. Once your products hit the market and they realize the products we gave away as VW gifts are actually sold so cheaply, have you ever considered the impact on VW’s reputation?”
Xia Tingwang’s explosive tone left Sang Ying confused. She lowered her head and remained silent, unwilling to compromise yet not wanting to make Xia Tingwang angry.
Xia Tingwang walked out to the balcony. The cold wind helped her calm down slightly. She truly did not understand why Sang Ying refused to raise the price; this was clearly a case of only benefits and no downsides. How could there be such a stupid person?
She returned and said, “Sang Ying, trust me. As the CEO of VW, having managed VW for over eight years, I am better at marketing than you.”
“You are a big boss,” Sang Ying interrupted her, her voice low. “But do you understand our product?”
“What?” Xia Tingwang found it both infuriating and funny. “Our company is a luxury brand with over a decade of history.”
“Yes, I know your company is impressive,” Sang Ying looked up and stared at her quietly. “But my product is just a new product, and the users don’t understand it yet. I founded this brand to allow those who cannot afford good skincare to also take good care of their skin. I do not want to sell it so expensively. Is that wrong?”
Xia Tingwang was blocked and had nothing to say.
Yes, she was right! The one who was wrong was Xia Tingwang! She must have had a brain cramp to want to help her. She had lived for twenty-nine years; when had she ever been spoken to like this? When had she ever suffered such grievances? Why did she have to go out of her way to be rejected?
Only this little streamer, who had not even graduated and did not understand how hard it was to make money, would dare to say that to her!
She was done!
“OK.” Xia Tingwang picked up her bag. “I don’t understand your product. If you want to make affordable products, do it yourself. From now on, it has nothing to do with VW. Someone will contact you tomorrow to renegotiate the contract.”
After speaking, she did not look at Sang Ying again, turned on her high heels, and walked away with a clatter.
Sang Ying stood up subconsciously, watched Xia Tingwang’s silhouette disappear, and was filled with bewilderment.
Ding Han, who had been huddled in the warehouse, covered her mouth and emerged. “Why didn’t you agree? What a great opportunity! What on earth were you thinking! Oh my god, you are done for now. President Xia is angry, and you have to renegotiate the contract tomorrow!”
Sang Ying sat back in her chair, feeling decadent, and said slowly, as if she had lost her soul, “Wasn’t our original intention to make affordable products?”
“That may be so,” Ding Han was furious. “You could have waited until we had made a name for ourselves and everyone knew about Qingdeng! We could have lowered the price then! Oh, I can’t take it.”
Ding Han clutched her heart. “Such a good opportunity! Such a good opportunity! She was even going to find celebrities to shoot commercials. Such a good thing I wouldn’t even dare to dream about. I can’t take it. I might pass out tonight.”
Ding Han pounded her chest and stomped her feet. Sang Ying did not feel good inside, either; Xia Tingwang’s attitude just now had felt like she never wanted to see her again for the rest of her life.