"Mom, I honestly don't know what you want. I already went to three stores. They don't have the stockings that you are looking for." Da Xia was getting frustrated by the second. She already had a long day and she just wanted to lie down her bed and think about her shame.
But her mother had put her on the mission of making herself feel better. "Shop, that'll distract you."
It would be bad for the people to know that she was shopping at other brands just right after hers was launched so she wore these oversized glasses she had always kept in the car and put her hair down to hide the majority of her face. Shopping bags were already hanging from her arms.
She knew retail therapy was not the way to go but it was making her feel better. So she slashed and slashed her card to the reader.
"Alright," her mother said from the other end of the call. "Just go home now so we can have dinner."
"Okay," she said and brought the last items she randomly grabbed to the counter. The woman behind it seemed to recognize her by the way she kept on looking at her face. Da Xia only smiled until the cashier handed a paper bag to her.
She walked to the parking lot, struggling a little with the weight. She was just about to press the button when her phone started ringing again. "What?" she asked her mother.
"I forgot to ask you. Can you buy me those face masks that make my skin glow? I can't find my reserve packs. I think one of the maids took it."
"Mother," she said, trying to make her patience last longer. "I am already in the parking lot."
"But what if we suddenly had to go to a party?! My skin would be ruined!"
Da Xia groaned. "Fine."
She was only a few feet away from her car and when she pressed the button to unlock it, it exploded.
Da Xia felt herself thrown in the air and banged her lower back to the nearest car before she dropped to the ground in a coughing fit. Her ears were ringing and she suddenly have a headache. One of her ears cleared a little and she heard footsteps and screams.
A person was tapping her on the shoulder and on her back, asking if she was okay. She wanted to answer but black spots suddenly danced in front of her eyes and then it was too many and her vision turned black.
**
"Do you think it is a stunt?" Feng Xuan asked Qing Chen while she rubbed a wet cotton pad on her cheeks. "The accident? Because it surely did stop all activities in the world."
Qing Chen was already buried in the blanket, watching her. "Who's crazy enough to do that?"
"Your ex-girlfriend?"
"She seeks attention but I don't think she would be that desparate to put her own safety on the line."
Feng Xuan discarded the pad and got into bed. She hugged Qing Chen, seeking for comfort. She was feeling disappointed that the night didn't play out the way she thought it would.
She gave it some thought. "Any ideas on who might bring her to danger?"
Qing Chen twisted and looked at her in the eyes. "Are you not the one who planted the bomb in her car?"
Feng Xuan's eyes widened. "And then she dies and I would have one less plaything? I don't think so."
Qing Chen's lips slowly lifted upwards. "Just making sure."
"If I was planning something that big I would've told you." Amongst her plans with Da Xia, had she ever thought of really hurting the other girl? Sure, but to execute it? No, not really. "So do you have any idea?"
"No," he answered. "I don't really care about their family and their matters."
"Weird," Feng Xuan commented. "I didn't think she was that important that someone would try to take her life."
"I'm just glad it didn't happen in The Kingly. I can't imagine the mountain of paperwork for it. You have to be careful though," Qing Chen warned. "You could be one of the suspects for this because of your feud."
"Oh please," she waved a hand but could not remove that feeling in her stomach.
The team had already finished the first cut by the time the explosion happened. If not for Wang Yimin's connections with the media, they wouldn't have gotten first hand information about the explosion.
She immediately called the date off. They didn't want to appear insensitive and she was sure that the journalists that tore the others to get an exclusive spot with A Day of Firsts were itching to write about the explosion. Feng Xuan had to get rid of them. Leave before they were left.
The evening news had already plastered Da Xia's face all over the television. That kind of coverage… Feng Xuan silently whistled under her breath. If it was Da Xia's plan to be in the accident then she really had to hand it to the other girl. That was the most instant public relations that she needed.
She tugged at Qing Chen's sleeve. "You seem quiet tonight." She raised herself on to her elbows and held her husbands face in both her hands. "Is something bothering you?"
Qing Chen looked exhausted, his eyes that were usually a bright bluegreen looked dim. He ran a hand on her bare shoulder. "I'm just tired, wife. It was a long day."
Her eyebrows furrowed but pressed no further because the look on Qing Chen's face told her that she shouldn't ask more. "Okay," she said quietly. "You'll tell me if it's something big, right?"
"Of course," he said and changed the subject. "Father is having a massive surprise party tomorrow."
"What for?" she asked.
Qing Chen shrugged. "I think he just misses to party."
Feng Xuan smiled. "I know what just to wear."