The phone buzzed, and Xia Tingwang looked down to see a message from Bai Li.
“President Xia, since Wenda University hasn’t started yet, I have arranged a hotel for them.”
She was momentarily stunned, remembering that it was the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. Tomorrow would be the first livestream after the holiday, so arranging a hotel for Sang Ying was the right thing to do. She just didn’t understand why Bai Li felt the need to report this to her.
Xia Tingwang had no time to ponder it too deeply. She was currently feeling quite depressed. It was only after boarding the Yin family’s private jet that she realized she had been tricked by Old Master Yin.
This wasn’t a vacation. She had been deceived into spending time alone with Yin Chong. Old Master Yin hadn’t even shown his face.
Shengxing Island was an island purchased by the Yin family. After the private jet dropped them off, it flew away and wouldn’t return to pick them up until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Xia Tingwang was currently sulking in her room at the resort. Old Master Yin had a cunning plan. She was completely isolated; the staff on the island all belonged to the Yin family. Even if she wanted her own private jet to pick her up, she couldn’t apply for a flight path on this private island without the Yin family’s consent.
She was stuck on this island with Yin Chong until the Lantern Festival.
How had it come to this? She was only thirty and single; why was she suddenly being eyed by everyone?
If she had known this would happen, she should have made Sang Ying take responsibility for her after their accident, which would have been better than this miserable situation.
Xia Tingwang leaned back and lay on the bed. What kind of nonsense was she thinking? Sang Ying had someone she liked. If she had asked for responsibility, she would have been rejected, and she would have looked even more pathetic.
It was just a drunken mistake!
But Xia Tingwang couldn’t let it go. Her Omega first time was just gone like that, though thankfully, she had been wearing an anti-bite collar.
Calculating that there were still eight days until the Lantern Festival, Xia Tingwang felt the urge to jump into the sea and swim to the shore. If Yin Chong were a female Alpha, she might have tried to get along with him for these eight days.
Xia Tingwang didn’t sleep well all night, and the next day she was woken up by a phone call from Yin Chong.
“Xiaowang, what would you like for breakfast?”
She was startled by the mechanical tone of his voice. No man had ever asked her what she wanted to eat first thing in the morning; her sleepiness was half-gone.
“Anything.”
Wearing sunglasses, Xia Tingwang walked into the restaurant. The scenery was beautiful, with a glass wall overlooking the sea. She sat by the window, and if it weren’t for Yin Chong sitting opposite her, it would have been a perfect morning.
Breakfast was seafood porridge, fresh and delicious. Xia Tingwang finished the whole bowl.
“Would you like some more?” Yin Chong asked.
“I am full.”
“You can go surfing to the south.”
Xia Tingwang stood up. “I didn’t sleep well last night. I am going to take a nap.”
Surfing, my foot. She didn’t like high-difficulty sports like that. If something went wrong, she would fall off the surfboard and end up soaking wet. There was no way she was going to participate in such a pathetic activity.
Actually, she couldn’t sleep right after eating. She sat on the carpet and stared blankly outside.
It was the first time she felt that going out for fun was so boring. She opened her tablet to find a movie. Watching movies required high concentration because she couldn’t hear the sound; she couldn’t let her mind wander, or she wouldn’t know which character said what.
After an hour, Xia Tingwang had a headache from all the mechanical sound, but the film’s theme was good, which made her feel a bit better.
She couldn’t help but open a recording of one of Sang Ying’s old livestreams. She needed a real voice to cleanse her ears, or she might vomit.
Sang Ying’s voice was like a sedative, and Xia Tingwang fell into a hazy sleep.
“Your skin is severely dehydrated. Would you like to try the Qingdeng hydrating mask?”
Sang Ying’s slender hands tore open a pack of masks and unfolded the sheet. “Come on, this mask is cheap but effective. You will see once you use it.”
Xia Tingwang looked at the face inches from her own and subconsciously backed away. “I have already used it!”
“When did you use it?” Sang Ying asked, confused.
“I just did, okay!”
“Use it again…” Sang Ying was persistent. “The more, the better.”
Xia Tingwang shook her head. “I know it is good, don’t get so close to me!”
Sang Ying looked at her. “Why can’t I get close to you?”
“You have someone you like already…” Xia Tingwang roared. “So stay away from me!”
Sang Ying finally stopped approaching her. The essence was dripping from the mask in her hand, and she caught it with her palm, pained by the waste. “Fine, I will use it myself.”
She applied the mask to her own face and carefully rubbed the remaining essence on her neck, not wanting to waste a drop.
Xia Tingwang couldn’t help but say, “Since you are so reluctant to lose money, why did you refuse when I suggested you raise the prices?”
Sang Ying turned her back to her. “You do not understand. The primary goal of founding this brand was to let ordinary people who cannot afford expensive skincare use good products.”
“Stubborn!” Xia Tingwang shouted.
“Whatever…” Sang Ying walked further and further away. “As long as the person I like understands me, that is enough.”
Xia Tingwang was stunned. She wanted to say something, but Sang Ying had already walked away and was out of sight. She felt anxious. If she does not understand, why can’t she just explain it to her? Why walk away?
It is fine not to raise the prices! I would have agreed if you had just talked to me properly! Why walk away with that temper!
“Hey!” Xia Tingwang opened her eyes abruptly. Everything was dim, and she sat up.
She was back in her room. It was already dark, and the ocean outside was a vast, endless darkness. Xia Tingwang stood up, pulled the curtains shut with a snap, and switched on the lights beside her bed.
What kind of dream was that? Why would I have such a dream? I am definitely not the type of person to beg for attention!
Yes, dreams are the opposite!
Xia Tingwang consoled herself. Yin Chong had called her several times; how could she have slept until past seven in the evening?
Feeling hungry, she opened the door and froze.
Standing outside were Yin Chong and several staff members. Seeing her come out, Yin Chong sighed with relief.
“I called you and nobody answered. I thought something happened…” Yin Chong gestured for everyone to leave. “I was just about to break the door down.”
“Oh…” Xia Tingwang felt a bit guilty. “I fell asleep and did not hear it. I am sorry.”
Yin Chong patted his chest. “It is alright, it is alright. You are hungry, right?”
“Yes.”
Dinner was a seafood buffet; it seemed there were no other ingredients on the island.
Yin Chong had grown up abroad and possessed a gentleman’s temperament at his core; he didn’t think it was strange that Xia Tingwang had slept for the entire day.
“There will be fireworks later…” Yin Chong said. “We can go to the beach or the resort’s viewing platform.”
He had even thoughtfully prepared a fireworks display.
Xia Tingwang was about to agree when her phone rang.
[The stream you subscribed to has started. Come join in!]
The words she was about to say caught in her throat. She swallowed them. “I have a video conference tonight. How about tomorrow night? No, let’s make it the day after.”
Yin Chong didn’t object and nodded. He was a child brought up by the Yin family, much better than the monsters and demons she had been forced to go on blind dates with.
It is a pity he is a male Alpha.
After dinner, Xia Tingwang returned to her room and clicked on the livestream. Sang Ying’s face, wearing light makeup, appeared on the screen. She hadn’t seen her in ten days, so why did Sang Ying look even better?
Which makeup artist is this skilled?
“This one probably is not suitable for sensitive skin. It is quite oily. As a streamer, I am not sensitive, so I cannot be sure, but it contains Cocamide DEA, so those with sensitive skin should be cautious.”
Her mouth is still as annoying as ever. Xia Tingwang muttered to herself, but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Sang Ying’s honest, straightforward personality and her tendency to educate viewers on chemical ingredients, combined with her face, had won over many fans. The chat was constantly filled with people asking about the streamer’s primary sex.
A group of Omegas said they wanted to marry her.
Marry her? She has someone she likes; she would not look at any of you!
Xia Tingwang rolled her eyes in annoyance and simply stopped looking at the chat, choosing only to listen to her voice.
During the livestream, Sang Ying looked through various apartments. A small two-bedroom unit started at six thousand, and a slightly better-decorated one could go over ten thousand.
“With this rent, never mind our county, even in Pingcheng…” Ding Han clicked her tongue. “The housing prices did not even hit ten thousand. Why is it so expensive just to rent a place?”
Sang Ying sighed. “Let us look around the school area.”
The school was in the suburbs, so the rent was lower. The little place she had rented temporarily for the livestreams only cost a few hundred, and while it was not great, there were nicer places nearby.
Ding Han disagreed. “The commute from Wenda University to the studio is over an hour one way, and the best hospital nearby is over half an hour away by car.”
“I did the math…” Sang Ying said. “Commuting like this will cost two thousand a month in gas, which is much cheaper than rent. It will be tiring, but I am not afraid of hard work.”
Ding Han was convinced. Finally, the two of them found a two-bedroom apartment near the school. It had no furniture, and the rent was only eighteen hundred a month.
The floor was cracked with yellowed tiles. The apartment was very old, but luckily it had an elevator. With some new furniture and a bit of cleaning, it would be livable.
They found a lot of cheap furniture at a second-hand market, hired a small truck to take it to the rental, and finished setting up by the time it was dark.
Sang Ying was satisfied. The bed, table, chairs, and cabinets were all there. The essential furniture only cost a little over a thousand, and anything else they needed could be added slowly later.
“Not bad!” Ding Han looked around. “Now we just need to bring Uncle over.”
“Let us go eat first…” Sang Ying locked the door. “Let us have something good for the Lantern Festival.”
Ding Han stopped on the stairs. “Holy crap, it is the Lantern Festival already?”
Time flew by. After returning on the seventh day, they had done two livestreams, and the rest of the time had been spent apartment hunting. By the time they were done, it was the Lantern Festival.
“One sweet and sour pork, one braised fish, and a plate of stir-fried greens…” Ding Han closed the menu. “Do you have yuanxiao?”
The proprietress looked down and wrote on the menu. “We do.”
“Great, then make those the main course.”
“Got it.”
They said they were going to have something good, but they ended up at a local restaurant by the school gate where the meal cost less than a hundred.
Ding Han unpacked the bowls and chopsticks and looked at Sang Ying, who was busy with her phone. “What are you researching?”
“Trying to figure out the most convenient way to bring my dad over.” Sang Ying poked at her screen.
“Take a plane, obviously…” Ding Han said. “You can bring a wheelchair.”
Sang Ying was definitely going to bring her father by plane, but the distance from their hometown to the provincial airport was vast. Taking a train would be difficult, so it seemed the best option was to hire a private car.
“When do you plan to bring Uncle over?” Ding Han asked.
“In a few days. The prosthetic he was fitted for before the New Year is not ready yet.”
“Sigh.” Ding Han sighed, resting her head on her hand and looking at Sang Ying. She admired Sang Ying from the bottom of her heart. She asked herself, if she encountered these things, not to mention whether she could handle it this well, her heart would not be able to accept it in the first place.
Sang Ying did not just carry her own life on her shoulders, but also the life of the mobility-impaired Sang Cheng.
Xia Tingwang stepped off the plane and felt much better breathing the winter air. After living on the island for eight days, smelling the ocean for eight days, and eating seafood for eight days, she was about to throw up.
“Would you like to come to my place for dinner?” Yin Chong followed her out. “It is the Lantern Festival today.”
“No.” Xia Tingwang refused flatly. She could not even force a polite expression anymore; if people do not push themselves, they would never know how much patience they actually had.
Seeing her car waiting outside, Xia Tingwang headed straight for it. She had just sat down when she noticed Yin Chong following her.
Xia Tingwang’s expression soured. “What are you doing?”
“Xiaowang, your luggage.” Yin Chong held a white suitcase, which was indeed Xia Tingwang’s.
Zhuang Yan took the suitcase and put it in the trunk. Xia Tingwang turned her head away, not even wanting to say thank you. She hoped Yin Chong could see from her attitude that she had no interest in him.
She instructed the driver to go straight to the hospital. The driver, Old Chen, was a long-time employee of the family. Hearing this, he asked with concern, “Miss, are you feeling unwell?”
“My stomach. I probably ate some bad seafood over the last few days.”
Xia Tingwang pressed her hand lightly against her lower abdomen. It had been uncomfortable since yesterday, but she had not taken it seriously. Today, the pain had worsened. On the plane ride back, she had wanted to lash out at Yin Chong several times, but she reasoned that Yin Chong was likely forced by Old Master Yin as well, so why bother?
On the way to the hospital, Zhuang Yan had already contacted them, and the doctors in surgery and internal medicine were ready.
When the car stopped at the hospital entrance and Zhuang Yan opened the door, Xia Tingwang was in too much pain to take a step.
Zhuang Yan scooped her up, and the nurses waiting at the hospital pushed a gurney over. Zhuang Yan placed her on it, and Xia Tingwang’s lips were already pale from the pain.
The doctors from surgery and internal medicine hurried over.
“Miss, what are your symptoms?”
Xia Tingwang bit her lip and squeezed out three words, “Cramping pain.”
She curled her body into a ball, and everyone saw that the pristine white sheets were stained with blood.
The surgeon immediately said, “It could be signs of a miscarriage! Quickly, call Director Huang from Obstetrics!”
Xia Tingwang was in too much pain to hear what the doctors were saying, but Zhuang Yan paused. Miscarriage?
He did a rough calculation: it had only been 21 days since the incident in Country S. A miscarriage? No, wait! A miscarriage would imply pregnancy!
Zhuang Yan did not dare think further and hurriedly followed them.