"Oh, that is precious!" Li Li Hua said, smiling and putting her hand over her heart.

The biting remark had been directed towards Mo Zichen but he seemed unhindered by it.

Mo Qingchen smiled back and Qian Meng was sure that she saw a hint of amusement on his face. He brought her hand to his lips to kiss the back of it.

"Qian Meng is absolutely right," was all he said.

"Of course!" Li Hua chimed in. "If everything has happened fast, why slow things down now? They know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are meant to be. No need to wait for other people."

"You guys are going to make me puke my food out," Mo Xiao Chen said, crinkling his nose at them in disgust.

"I am glad you two found happiness together," Li Li Hua sighed.

Mo Qingchen hummed in agreement.

- - - - -

"How do you think it went?" Qian Meng asked as she rubbed moisturizer on her hands.

"Well, it wasn't perfect but I would say it was fairly successful," Mo Qingchen commented.

"I mean it went better than I expected. Your father was an asshole, though." She scrunched her nose in distaste.

"He was always an asshole. I wasn't there to ask for his permission. Neither were you. He just happened to be there." There was no emotion in his voice. "But I was impressed by how you spoke to him. I had thought you would try to appease him."

Qian Meng scoffed. "I only placated my own family because on paper, I have ties to them. Yours? Don't care." She stuck her tongue out at him even though he couldn't see it.

"Once your name is on my family registry, you'll allow my father to bully you?" he asked. There was slight anger in his voice.

"Of course not. You're the one I am marrying. Who cares about what your stupid father thinks?" She huffed. But he wasn't looking up. How infuriating.

"Good girl," he hummed.

"So, how do you plan on telling your family? I mean, do you want me to go with you? I'm interested in speaking to your father man-to-man," he announced.

Qian Meng raised her brow, but she could hear how protective he sounded. She felt a warm hand slither to her heart and squeeze it gently. Look at this man, trying to shield her from her own family.

How cute.

"Our family dinner is in three days. I have been avoiding it for a week or two, but I can call them and say that I am bringing someone over." Qian Meng shrugged.

"Will your mother be upset if you don't tell her in person? I could arrange our flights if that is a problem."

Qian Meng noticed the frown.

"You don't have to go to that extent to accommodate me, Mo Qingchen," she whispered. "My mother will be fine. We're not close and marriage isn't a big deal to her. She was married twice and she doesn't look like the kind who wants a connection with her failures." Qian Meng chuckled humorlessly.

"Well, a phone call will suffice then," Mo Qingchen ended that conversation quickly.

"You really didn't eat all day?" Qian Meng asked after a beat. He didn't answer. Qian Meng knew that his mind had drifted away and he hadn't heard her. So, she cooked up a little thing in her head to get him curious and excited.

"So, I was thinking," Qian Meng announced to Mo Qingchen, who was sitting on the bed. Just like last night, he had his glasses on and was reading a book.

He glanced up at her. "Are you going to offer me another deal?" he asked.

Qian Meng scowled. "How did you know that?"

"You have no poker face." He observed from beneath his lashes.

"What does that even mean?" she laughed. "I've been in business for so long, I can hide my intentions very well."

"It means, I can see you plotting. You want something." Mo Qingchen extended his arms towards her. He settled back in the headboard and looked at her with his full attention.

"Why must you make it sound so shady? I'm not trying to take anything from you." She dropped down on the chair across from the bed. She held back a smirk at his dissatisfied expression.

"You want to give me something?"

"Yes. Something you need."

Mo Qingchen shook his head in disbelief. "You realize you don't have to entice me into letting you sleep in my bed, right?" he announced.

Qian Meng gasped. "I have no idea what you mean. I was talking about something else," she stubbornly protested.

"And what is it I need?" he asked, his eyes flitting closed as he rubbed his temple.

"I will provide you with a meal in exchange for each lesson you give me." She played with her fingers in her lap, waiting for his response.

"The classes to make you a ninja?" he countered.

"Yes." She smiled with pride. "I am extremely spry."

"I saw that earlier," he noted dryly.

"What you saw earlier was an improvisation. I created my own version of the kick… that is what genius ninjas do," she insisted.

"Is that what that was?" he eyed her as she nodded. "Because it looked like you fell on your ass and couldn't get up."

Her eyes narrowed into slits. "That's how I wanted it to appear. If I fooled you, I must have even more talent than I thought initially."

She grinned at him.

He remained silent. He opened his eyes, his dark eyes grabbing her, not a single shred of anger or turmoil in them.

"Indeed, you are extremely talented," he said, holding her gaze. "Now get in bed and sleep."

Qian Meng put one hand on his bicep and then stretched up to place a light kiss on his cheeks. As she pulled away, she caught a whiff of his scent and he smelled delicious. She shifted her eyes back up to look at his face, which had a smirk on it. She couldn't help but smile just a little bit herself.

"Good night," she said quickly

"Good night, Qian Meng. Sleep."

She followed his order without dispute.

The bedsheet, mattress, and pillows were a lot more comfortable in his room anyway.