Chapter Eighty-Eight: Gone Mad

I glared at the little devil’s excited face, so eager that it seemed she could hardly wait for the curtain to rise on some grand performance, and my temper flared all the more. I almost wanted to drag her over my knee and give her a sound hundred smacks on the backside. Grinding my teeth, I thought darkly that those four lashes with the belt had not made enough of an impression. I had to find another chance to teach her a proper lesson, to make sure she never dared run wild again!

The Mercedes turned and sped toward the location of Xu Shu’s luxurious villa. I let out a long breath and turned my thoughts elsewhere.

What had to come would come. Some things could be hidden for a while, but not forever. Since there was no way to avoid it, then I would not dodge it. Besides, though I had concealed certain facts myself, in the main I had acted uprightly and cleanly; there was nothing dishonest in what I had done. When the truth finally came out, I would have no reason for shame, only a little awkwardness for everyone involved. After all, many matters are merely private little secrets, things one would rather keep from others.

With my mind made up, I no longer worried. I looked ahead with composure. The Mercedes soon left the city and entered the mountain road of Jade Gathering Mountain. Before long it reached the middle of the slope, turned into a private driveway, and stopped before a huge iron gate. Somewhere, perhaps, a surveillance camera had been installed; no sooner had the car arrived than the gate slowly opened of its own accord.

The Mercedes and the Ferrari went in one after the other, then stopped in front of the villa. The little devil was the first to jump out, running forward as she cried, “Sis! Sis! We’re here!”

Hua Jingjing and I got out in turn, and the two cars were taken away and parked by two bodyguards. Hua Jingjing came to my side, slipped her arm through mine, and said with a smile in a low voice, “Please, in front of Xiao Shu we’re an engaged couple. You can’t embarrass me now, so just pretend one more time, all right?”

I shook my head and sighed. “Do you really plan to fool people like this for the rest of your life? Lies are bound to be exposed sooner or later.”

Hua Jingjing shot me a glance and said, “Not necessarily. If you really fall in love with me later, then it won’t count as deception, will it? I don’t care. Anyway, today you still have to pretend to be my fiancé. Otherwise, where am I supposed to put my face?”

I sighed again and said nothing. Fine, let her keep pretending for now. Once we met Xu Shu in a moment, the lie would surely be torn apart in just two or three sentences. Then don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Hua Jingjing and I walked intimately toward the villa. Then I suddenly remembered something and said with a smile, “Last time I came, I was decked out in a suit and tie, all polished and impressive. Today I’m dressed like a peasant. How are you going to explain that to your classmates when they see me?”

Hua Jingjing said, “That’s nothing. Last time it was a formal social occasion, so of course you should have dressed properly. Besides, I never said what you do for a living. Seeing you like this now isn’t hard to explain.”

I scoffed. “Keep making it up. Let’s see whether you blush when your lies get exposed.”

Hua Jingjing said confidently, “That won’t happen. As long as you don’t say anything, who would know?”

As we spoke, we entered the hall. There we saw Xu Shu coming down the stairs with a smile, dressed in a plain sweater and ordinary jeans.

Hua Jingjing let go of my arm, spread hers wide, and called happily, “Big star, I’ve finally seen you again.”

Xu Shu opened her arms as well. “Jingjing!” The two good friends embraced warmly. Then Hua Jingjing pulled me over and said to Xu Shu with a smile, “You’ve seen him before too. My fiancé.”

Xu Shu looked at me with eyes full of meaning, her face wearing a smile that was not quite a smile, and extended her hand. “Yes, I have. How are you, Mr. Tang?”

I gave her a bitter smile and shook her hand, but could not utter a single word.

Then from the stairs came a burst of laughter. The little devil, holding an apple from who knew where, was coming down with her hand over her mouth, bouncing lightly as she walked.

Xu Shu first greeted us. “Jingjing, Mr. Tang, come upstairs and sit for a while.” Then she turned to the little devil and said, “Xiao Xin, come here. Where were you running wild just now?”

The little devil grinned and darted to Hua Jingjing’s side, clinging to her as she said playfully, “Nowhere! I was with Sister Jingjing, behaving myself.”

Xu Shu said angrily, “You think I don’t know? Did you run to the living room? And start a fight too, didn’t you?”

The little devil stuck out her tongue. “Huh? Someone reported me that fast? I’m doomed!” Hua Jingjing hurriedly stepped in and said, “Xiao Shu, she’s just a child. It’s normal for her to be a little naughty. Besides, those little hooligans were trying to take advantage of Xiao Xin. They deserved the beating. Don’t blame her.”

Xu Shu finally gave Xiao Xin a stern look and said, “I’ll deal with you later.” Then she smiled and took Hua Jingjing’s hand. “Come, let’s go upstairs and have a proper chat. You left in such a hurry last time that I didn’t get to say half the things I wanted to.”

Hua Jingjing followed Xu Shu upstairs with visible excitement and asked, “By the way, Xiao Shu, where is your Heavenly King Zhang? Why didn’t he come out too?”

Xu Shu blushed and said with annoyance, “I’ve told you already, he’s not my boyfriend. What do you mean, my this and my that? He’s already gone back to Hong Kong to film. Do you miss seeing him that much?”

Hua Jingjing gave a giggle. “He still owes me an autograph! I don’t care. Next time you see him, you have to get one for me.”

I trailed behind them. The two women were both exquisitely lovely, graceful and enchanting, a sight that immediately lifted the spirit. Especially Xu Shu: before, I had only known her to be incomparably beautiful. Today, wearing tight jeans, her legs looked even more perfect than ever. I had seen her younger sister Xiao Xin’s legs many times and thought that such long, straight legs were already among the finest one could hope to see. But compared with her sister’s, they now seemed a touch too slender, lacking fullness. And when my gaze moved higher, the difference became even more apparent.

My mouth went dry at once, and I could not help swallowing hard.

So that is the difference between a woman and a girl! Xiao Xin’s backside had been punished by me more times than I could count; I knew perfectly well how large it was, how small, how much flesh there was. The girl’s body had not yet fully matured. That place was certainly perky, but how could it compare with her sister’s, so full and round, with curves that were simply astonishing?

After only a few glances, I felt heat rising in my nostrils, as if something might come spilling out. Afraid of making a fool of myself, I hurriedly sniffed and looked elsewhere.

Xu Shu led us into a small reception room upstairs. We sat on the sofa, and soon a maid brought tea and fruit. Xu Shu dismissed them, then sat close with Hua Jingjing and began chatting animatedly, as though I did not exist.

After sitting for a while, I grew bored. I stood and said to Hua Jingjing, “You two talk. I’m going outside for a cigarette.” Hua Jingjing did not mind; she only assumed my craving had hit and I was shy about smoking in front of women. She nodded and said, “All right. Anyway, you can’t join the conversation here. Just don’t wander off. There are bodyguards everywhere in this place, and if you’re not careful they might mistake you for a thief and catch you. That would be embarrassing.”

Xu Shu looked at me once more and said with a smile, “Mr. Tang can go to the third room on the left and get his fix there. It’s a lounge, and there’s even a television inside. Sorry to neglect you. Jingjing and I still have a lot to talk about. You don’t mind, do you?”

I could only say, “Me? I don’t mind.” With that, I turned and left the reception room, finding the lounge on the left. I took out a cigarette, lit it, and sat down on the sofa. As I smoked, I pondered. Xu Shu really was deep. She acted as though nothing at all had happened, and did not show the slightest surprise that Hua Jingjing and I were together. She even pretended not to know me well, mentioning nothing about me at all. Could it be that all my worries were needless? Could Xu Shu possibly have no intention of exposing anything?

While I was thinking, the door behind me opened softly. I heard the sound and was just about to turn around when I caught a whisper of movement, a soft laugh, and a fragrant body launched itself at me from behind the sofa, wrapping both arms around my neck in an instant.

I did not even need to look to know that only the little devil, Xiao Xin, would dare behave so outrageously with me here! I had been fretting over not having a chance to teach her a lesson, and unexpectedly she had delivered herself right into my hands.

I made no sound, but reached back and grabbed her vest, then with one forceful tug dragged her in front of me. Xiao Xin cried out, and in the next instant I had pressed her face-down across my lap. I did not hold back for a second, raising my right hand to strike at once. Xiao Xin struggled and said, “Brother Tang Qian! Brother Tang Qian, wait.”

I stopped my right hand but kept her pinned with my left, and I hissed, “Little devil! Do you think teasing me is fun? The lesson from those four belt lashes wasn’t deep enough, was it? Then I’ll beat your backside until it blooms. Let’s see whether you dare to run wild again!”

The little devil turned her face toward me and laughed cheekily. “Brother Tang Qian, I was wrong. But I wasn’t running wild. I did it on purpose.”

That only made me angrier. “So you really are itching for a beating! You call that on purpose? Don’t think that because we’re in your house I won’t dare hit you. If you’ve got the nerve, call your sister over and see whether I don’t tell her everything you’ve been up to!”

Xiao Xin said, “I don’t want that! Brother Tang Qian, listen to my explanation. Everything I did had a purpose. Really, I wasn’t just being naughty.”

I froze, then said in exasperation, “I don’t know your purpose? You just wanted to gather us all together, then expose the fact that I have another girlfriend so everyone could look down on me, didn’t you?”

Xiao Xin gave a sly little laugh. “You guessed half of it!”

I sneered and raised my right hand again. “To tell you the truth, Hua Jingjing knows about my other girlfriend, and even your sister knows too. Your little scheme was aimed at the wrong target. But what you’ve done is so vile and shameless that if I don’t beat you, you’ll never feel regret. Don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

As I spoke, I brought my hand down with force. Xiao Xin hurriedly twisted free, rolled off my lap, and scrambled up from the floor. Before I could grab her again, she waved her hand at me and said, “Brother Tang Qian! If you’re going to hit me, at least wait a moment. It’s too dangerous like this.”

I stared, baffled, and said angrily, “What? You still dare kick me?”

Xiao Xin laughed. “No! How would I dare kick you? Just wait a moment.” With that, she ran to the door in a few quick steps and locked it from the inside.

I was startled. It seemed the little devil meant to fight me to the death in here. Her spinning flying kick was so formidable that I could never beat her bare-handed!

I dropped the cigarette from my mouth and instinctively reached for my belt. The little devil turned back with a soft giggle and said, “Hey, let’s agree first: you’re not allowed to hit people with your belt. It really hurts!” Then she did something even more astonishing.

She walked two steps up to me, gave me a shy yet delighted glance, and said coquettishly, “What are you standing there for? Sit down!”

Then she gave my chest a gentle push and pressed me back onto the sofa.

I hissed in a low voice, “What game are you playing?” and was just about to stand up when the little devil sprang forward and lay across my lap, lifting her little backside slightly. Her face was red, her eyes closed, and she murmured softly, “Brother Tang Qian, if you hit me, be gentle. You absolutely must not beat my backside until it blooms, or someone will see.”

I was drenched in sweat.

This... this little devil couldn’t be sick, could she? Or was I the one who had gone mad and was hallucinating?

I was so shocked I sat there like a wooden rooster, my mind in complete disarray.

The little devil kept her eyes closed for a while, but when I still did not react she opened them and looked up at me with deep affection. In a soft voice she said, “Aren’t you hitting me now? It’s all right. As long as Brother Tang Qian is willing, Xiao Xin can let you spank her any time for the rest of her life. I know you like spanking me best, don’t you? From now on, whenever I do something wrong, or whenever you’re in a bad mood, you can hit me to vent your anger. As long as... as long as Brother Tang Qian can always be with me.”

Sweat poured down my forehead, and in my head there was only one voice: She’s gone mad! The little devil has gone mad! What am I supposed to do now?

Seeing that I was still staring at her in shock, the little devil gave a light laugh and said, “Did I scare you? That was the other half of my naughty little plan. Brother Tang Qian, do you understand now?” As she spoke, she turned on my lap, stretched out both arms, and clung tightly to my waist.

I steadied myself and was just about to scold her and tell her to get down at once when, suddenly, the doorknob began to turn. It twisted a couple of times but failed to open, and then there came three soft knocks on the door.

The little devil’s expression changed. She immediately sat up from me, raised one forefinger to her lips in a gesture for silence, and then pricked up her ears.

After a moment, there were three more light knocks, but still no one spoke. Xiao Xin pressed her mouth right against my ear and whispered, “Whatever you do, don’t say I’m here.”

She slipped down quietly, gestured to me, glanced left and right, and quickly hid behind the enormous curtain.

Only then did I finally regain a measure of calm. Xiao Xin’s behavior just now had nearly scared me to death! That intimate display was something I absolutely could not let anyone else see, or they might think I was seducing an underage girl.

Even if I explained, who would believe me? To be honest, even I could hardly believe this was real. What on earth was going on? Someone, come and tell me!

The knocking came again, this time more urgently, showing that the person outside was growing impatient. I wiped the sweat from my brow, composed myself, and walked over to open the door.

Standing outside was Xu Shu, looking somewhat anxious. When she saw me open the door, she slipped inside at once and said with annoyance, “Why did you lock the door from the inside?”