The dream replayed itself in her mind. Was it real? Had it been a memory of her past?

Was Chao Yan real? Was it her words which led to the current Crimson Sand Organisation? Had he worked so hard and forced himself to live as long as possible because of that one promise they made to each other?

Qin Shu stared at her phone for a long time. Eventually, she worked up the courage to dial Chao Yan’s number.

The truth would unveil itself once she asked him whether it was real or not.

“… The number you have dialled is currently unavailable…”

Unavailable?

Chao Yan had said she should call him using this number if she ever needed help. Why was his phone switched off?

Was it because of what had happened last time?

She had said they would be enemies the next time they met. Chao Yan was the master of the Crimson Sand Organisation, an assassination troupe that would kill anyone for the right price. Qin Shu could not abide by such an organisation and left Chao Yan with those harsh words; it would have been strange if he had not turned off his phone afterwards.

“Meow!”

She heard President Ba’s telltale cry. Lazily stretching at one corner of the sofa, President Ba arched his back, purring happily. It seemed that he had slept enough.

Madam?

Lan Qi had always called President Ba ‘Madam’. Moreover, when they first met, he had said that President Ba was ‘Madam’.

Similarly, in her dream, the cat Chao Yan gifted her with was called ‘Madam’.

Qin Shu pulled President Ba into her arms, smoothing his fur to comfort him for suddenly doing so.

“President Ba, were you called Madam before? Did I give you that name too?”

President Ba eyed his mistress curiously, meowing twice by way of response.

“Why don’t I call you Jiaojiao instead?” Ye Luo chipped in just then.

President Ba was dissatisfied with Ye Luo and hissed angrily, “Meow!”

“It doesn’t matter… we’re family, aren’t we?” Qin Shu rubbed President Ba’s fur affectionately as she teased details of her dream from her mind.

When she went to bed that night, Qin Shu found herself awake, staring at the ceiling. She usually slept early, but it was proving quite a challenge today. No matter how she tried, sleep would not take her.

Fu Tingyu came out of the shower. Qin Shu was probably asleep at this hour. When he lifted the blanket and lay down beside his wife, Qin Shu turned around and faced him. Her eyes locked with his, and he realised she had not slept yet.

Qin Shu’s amber eyes burned in the soft darkness of their room. It was a rarity he seldom saw since she preferred dying them black with a special dye she procured.

He wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her into his warm embrace. “It’s late. Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Qin Shu nestled against her husband’s firm chest, her fingers drawing circles around his washboard abs. Her slow, rhythmic ministrations elicited a groan of pleasure. “I want to look for my mother.”

Fu Tingyu stared at the dainty hands working mischief, his arms tightening, “I’ll go with you.”

Qin Shu already knew what he would say before he said it. She understood her husband well.

“While you were indisposed, many things requiring your attention occurred. You’ll need to take a look at them. Besides, I’m not a child; there are things I can do myself.”

Fu Tingyu was unhappy with his wife’s response and flipped her over, kissing her roughly. He exerted some pressure, biting her lips to show his dissatisfaction. “You want to leave me alone at home? I beg to differ.”

Qin Shu wound her arms around Fu Tingyu’s neck and said, “I’ll leave Xiao Jiu with you so that you won’t be alone.”

“That doesn’t count. Can a son be compared to my wife?”

Qin Shu looked at Fu Tingyu’s aggrieved look and kissed him gently, hoping to appease him. “I’ll go to Mount Qi to search for clues; there might be something we missed. I don’t want to go around searching for Master like some headless chicken.”

Fu Tingyu stared at his wife for a long time and said helplessly, “Do you want to go alone?”

Qin Shu nodded. “Yes. Have a little faith in me; aren’t we inseparable? Once you’ve tidied up things at the company, you’re more than welcome to join me. That is if I’m not back yet.”

Fu Tingyu mulled over Qin Shu’s proposal and said, “I’ll have Ye Luo accompany you.”

“Alright. I’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.” Qin Shu could not wait to find her mother.

Fu Tingyu knew that she was eager to find Master and Long Ziling, so he reluctantly allowed her to go off on her own. “Shouldn’t you make it up to me? Don’t you think I deserve a reward? Imagine how hard it’s been for me, silently enduring all this time…”

He did not need to spell out what he wanted since they were husband and wife, sharing the same bed. How could she not know what Fu Tingyu wanted?

“Shall we try for a girl?”

“Didn’t I say that we won’t have another child? If you have the energy to think of having another child, you should spend it thinking about how you can please your poor hubby.”

Fu Tingyu’s half-lidded eyes bore down on her. their lisp merely inches apart. He could not help but kiss her again.

It had been so long since they shared such intimacy. Fu Tingyu wanted to give his wife everything he had, but another child was pushing it. He did not want to cause Qin Shu any more pain than was necessary.

Qin Shu still wanted to fight for it, but Fu Tingyu’s flat refusal stopped her; he did not even give her a chance to speak!

Xiao Jiu was already five years old. He was a coolheaded, handsome, and sensible young boy.

She did not want to wait too long before having another child. She could not think of anything better than a cute little sister for him.

…

It was Fu Tingyu who asked her to help him put it on.

He was determined not to have a daughter.

–

It was late morning the next day when Qin Shu woke up. The space beside her was conspicuously empty.

She tried moving around but found that her limbs were sore and weak, a feeling not unlike stuffed cotton.

Qin Shu looked out the floor-to-ceiling window. It was bright outside, and judging from the sun’s arc, it was around ten in the morning.

If she knew he would be so rough, she would have kicked him out of bed before he had the chance to do the deed. He was utterly despicable!

It did not look like she would be going anywhere this morning.

Qin Shu had her branch and asked Ye Luo to book a plane ticket to Nan Yue’s Ancient City of Wind and Moon at the same time.

After lunch, she went upstairs to pack her luggage.

While Lizhi tidied up the dishes, she watched Young Madam Fu head upstairs. She looked tired and barely able to walk, her skin a pale feverish hue. “Is the Young Madam alright?”

Wang Ma happened to come over to help with the packing when she heard Lizhi’s words. “Child, what nonsense are you spouting?”

Hearing this, Lizhi turned her attention to Wang Ma, who came round to help her. “Wang Ma, I’m worried about Young Madam Fu. What’s wrong with that?”

Wang Ma sighed, leaned over and whispered a few words into Lizhi’s ear. Lizhi’s face turned red, and she said softly, “The Fourth Young Master is too evil! Couldn’t he have let the Young Madam sleep in peace?”

“What do you know of the birds and the bees? You’re not young anymore. It’s time for you to find a husband. You’ll know when you get married. The Young Madam wouldn’t have been able to sleep if the Fourth Young Master insisted on having his way.”

“Wang Ma, you know that I’m from the Mushroom Liang family, yet you’re still telling me this. It’s mortifying!”

Lizhi walked out with her bowl and chopsticks in her hands, her face beet-red. She was not paying attention to where she was going and bumped into Ye Qing, knocking the bowl and chopsticks out of her hands.

Fortunately, Ye Qing was quick-witted. He supported Lizhi’s slender waist with one hand and caught the bowl with his other. Returning the dishes to her, he asked, “Lizhi, are you okay?”

Lizhi thought she would fall and hurt herself. She did not expect Ye Qing to catch her so easily. “No, I’m fine,” she answered.

Ye Qing sighed in relief. “Please be careful. If you fall while carrying plates and bowls, you’ll hurt yourself.”

“I will, thank you,” Lizhi accepted the bowl from Ye Qing and hurried away, fighting the blush colouring her cheeks.

…