Chapter 1132: I Want to Make You Stay (10)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Henry agreed to talk to Hu Xin as An Xiaoning had suggested, simply because he felt that there was bound to be unnecessary trouble in the future if he did not make things clear. For example, the Weibo incident might happen again. Hu Xin entered with her bag, and she caught sight of An Xiaoning and Xiao Chenyang, whom she could recognize. She had read about Fang Erlan’s das.h.i.+ng bodyguard on Weibo. Hence, she was not surprised about his presence since Fang Erlan was an artiste who was signed to An Xiaoning’s entertainment studio.
As soon as she entered, she said to An Xiaoning, “Did you threaten Mr. Jin into filming that video?”
“Why don’t you just ask him yourself? Ms. Hu, you’d better know your limits and stop all this wishful thinking on your part,” An Xiaoning sneered with a sarcastic smile.
Hu Xin s.h.i.+fted her gaze toward Henry and questioned, “I already said that I’d be rescuing you. Aren’t you embarra.s.sing me by filming such a video?”
“Do I need you to rescue me? Don’t be nosy and poke your nose into others’ business that you should be staying out of. Xiaoning and I are getting along well and there’s nothing wrong with our relations.h.i.+p. We just had a minor tiff last time.”
“What!?!” Hu Xin exclaimed in astonishment. She felt dizzy and she grew pale, feeling as if she had instantly become a fool.
In fact, she even felt like Jin Qingyan had returned to the state that he was in when he gave her the sack.
“Why are you acting like a completely different person again? Did An Xiaoning manipulate you with witchcraft and the black magic that she practises?” she asked in puzzlement, completely flabbergasted.
“If she could manipulate one’s thoughts and consciousness with her fortune-telling skills, wouldn’t yours have been controlled by her as well? Stop looking me up from now on. We’ve only met a few times. I’m not that close to you.”
Hu Xin’s pride and dignity still mattered to her. Since he had already stated things so clearly and bluntly, there was nothing else she could really say. “I was initially thinking of using everything within my means to rescue you. I didn’t expect that you would actually say this. In that case, I’ll be taking my leave now.”
When the door of the ward was closed again, An Xiaoning asked, “Did you mean those words that you said to her just now? Or were you just playing along with me?”
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we achieved our end-goal, isn’t it?” he said coldly, though he was not exactly upset.
An Xiaoning did not answer him and instead asked Xiao Chenyang, “What would you like to have for lunch? I’ll get Auntie Chen to prepare it in advance.”
“Anything is fine.”
“What about you? Do you have any cravings for lunch?” she asked Henry.
“I’m fine with anything too.”
“…”
“You shall just have whatever’s delivered to us, then,” said An Xiaoning, who constantly wondered just how Xihou Jiaping had found out about Jin Qingyan’s dissociative ident.i.ty disorder.
Although Xiao Chenyang told her to ignore it, she could not help but dwell on it.
We were extremely secretive about the disorder.
Only a few people know about it, and it would be impossible for Qingyan’s former psychiatrist, Dr. Zhang, to divulge any details since he was well aware of the pros and cons. The rest who are aware of the disorder are the bodyguards and Yu Yiwei. They’re not very likely to…
Could it be that Xihou Jiaping had hypnotized one of them?
Or did he make that conjecture because he knows that Yu Yiwei is a psychiatrist who had moved into Wei Ni Estate?
Anything was possible.
Her heart grew heavy, and she simply hoped that the Yin family would update her with some news again soon. Only then can she deduce if Yin Cun still existed…
“Do women nowadays move in together with their boyfriends shortly after they get into a relations.h.i.+p?”
An Xiaoning was snapped out of her trance by Xiao Chenyang’s question. She asked, “Move in together?”
“I don’t mean simply cohabiting, I mean… you know what I mean…” he said awkwardly.
An Xiaoning understood what he had meant. She answered, “Ninety-five percent of women these days would. Don’t you know that even schoolgirls are getting intimate with their boyfriends after some casual dating? That’s why those motels near university campuses are doing so well. Most women who have stepped into society won’t be able to resist their urges to act recklessly during the honeymoon period of their relations.h.i.+ps.”
Xiao Chenyang’s face grew sullen and he asked, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Is it possible to win the heart of a woman who’s already in love with someone else?”
An Xiaoning picked up her cup and took a few sips of tea before saying slowly, “I can’t vouch or speak on behalf of other women. After all, all women are different. You can’t treat every single one of them the same. But at the very least, I’m very certain about something. If a woman is deeply in love with a man who dotes on her and she has given herself to him, it would be very unlikely to win her heart no matter how hard you try.”
Xiao Chenyang’s heart sank, for he had thought about that too.
“Call your bodyguards and tell them to split up into two s.h.i.+fts. They must stand guard outside Fang Erlan’s room at night until I’m back.”
An Xiaoning agreed with a nod, “Alright, but I still think you should give Erlan a call now.”
“Nah, I’ll talk to her when I return.”
“Let me call her, then.”
He did not stop An Xiaoning from dialing Fang Erlan’s number. The call went through quickly, and An Xiaoning deliberately put her on speaker.
“Sis Xiaoning,” Fang Erlan answered softly in a hoa.r.s.e voice, seemingly having just wept.
“Erlan, how are you now?”
“I’m alright. I’m still on the set right now. There are scenes to be filmed this afternoon.”
“Why don’t you just take a break today and resume tomorrow?” An Xiaoning said, staring at Xiao Chenyang.
“I can’t afford to cause any delay in the production. It’s alright, I heard from Sis Yangyang that the producers have increased my salary. That means I didn’t get whipped for nothing. Sis Xiaoning…”
“Yes? What’s wrong?”
“When would Xiao Chenyang be back?”
There were… two meanings to her question.
One would be that she was concerned about when he would be returning because she was looking forward to seeing him; and the other would be that she wanted to know the date of his return so that she could prepare herself mentally.
“Do you hope for him to come back sooner or later?” An Xiaoning asked.
Greatly taken aback, Fang Erlan said, “I was just casually asking. He may go ahead with whatever he’s busy with. I have some bodyguards here to fill in for him anyway.”
An Xiaoning took another glance at Xiao Chenyang before saying, “Yes, it’s better to be careful at all times. By the way, I heard that our television series is now in post-production. The first publicity event will occur very soon. Do keep a lookout and be cautious; don’t let the paparazzi snap any photos of you and spark unwanted rumors.”
Feeling a little guilty, Fang Erlan answered, “Yes, got it. Don’t worry, Sis Xiaoning.”
“Okay.”
—
The lady boss of the nightclub got a huge shock the moment she saw all the debris of smashed items on the ground. She said prudently, “Simmer down, Master.”