His adamant denial of guilt was the very thing that spurred Qian Meng on. He hid so much from her. All the time. And it ate away at her. It was cute at times to think he was taking care of her, but when he evaded questions like this… a pattern emerged in her head.

What was he guilty about? She needed to find out.

"I just don't understand why you are so secretive about these things, Mo Qingchen."

"And I don't understand why you are so adamant about needing to know all of the details about something that has nothing to do with you."

She sucked in a deep breath. "Nothing to do with me? I am married to you. Is it so wrong of me to want to know something about you?" she asked.

Mo Qingchen scrunched his eyes closed. Qian Meng sat up, growing more and more agitated.

"Seriously? You never speak when I ask you an important question. There are things about me that I haven't wanted to talk to you about, but you always make me spill them out to you. But I can't ask you anything? There is something you are hiding from me and it means that it has something to do with me. Whatever happened in your past impacts me too and it is not fair that I am not allowed to ask you questions."

He was silent for a long minute. He should have remained silent for a little longer.

"And what about the issues you keep bottled up?" he asked, his tone almost demanding. "That impacts me, and I am not allowed to ask questions about it. What is the difference?"

"Issues?" she seethed. She threw her cover of her, her blood boiling. "Just because I think about certain things and not divulge it to you does not mean I have issues, Mo Qingchen."

She stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut, fuming.

Mo Qingchen was the most frustrating man on the planet. Why must he be so stubborn? Something at the back of her mind was telling her that he was sitting on top of the bed, thinking the exact same thing about her.

And that thought frustrated her even more. The truth was… they were both stubborn. Neither wanted to feel vulnerable. Neither of them wanted to let their walls own when they felt like the other person wasn't willing to do the same. It was the waiting game of who was going to bend first but while they waited, the tension was going to build.

And someday, it was going to explode.

They were fiery personalities by nature. How could they do well if they continued this way?

Qian Meng placed her hands on the counter and leaned forward, taking in a deep breath. Mo Qingchen pissed her off, telling her that she had issues. He didn't know anything about her history or the voices that kept pulling her back. Yes, she had boundaries with him but every relationship had that.

Who did he think he was, berating her that way?

She heard a soft knock on the door and she groaned.

"Leave me alone, Mo Qingchen."

The door opened slowly and through the mirror in front of her, she could see him enter the bathroom. She stared at him in the mirror as he approached her and then turned to face him, looking up at him expectantly.

Qian Meng was waiting for him to speak. But he said nothing. He approached until he was standing right in front of her, and then he stopped and placed his hands on the counter at her side so that she was caged between his arms.

He leaned down towards her and she wondered. That was when the kiss landed on her lips. She contemplated pushing him away but he kept it short and looked down at her again before she could think too much.

"I don't want anyone else, Qian Meng."

Is that what she was really worried about? Was she so adamant about getting the details of her past relationships and the reasons for his proposal because she feared that he wanted someone else? That he would, someday, want someone else.

Without knowing anything about the matter, Qian Meng couldn't tell if he was lying or not. She was happy with the situation with Mo Qingchen. The thought of someone jeopardizing that made her feel somewhat defensive.

Maybe she was on the brink of exploding because she wanted him to want her. Really want her.

"They all want you," she whispered.

It was the first thing that popped into her mind. Most men she knew cheated. It haunted her. Mo Qingchen searched through her expression for something.

Qian Meng could only see curiosity and worry but not anger.

"They all know nothing is ever going to happen with me," he responded after a while. "I am taken."

I didn't quench her worries. But he had told her what she wanted to know in a way. If he understood that he wasn't going to stray, then Qian Meng didn't have to worry about those women messing up her situation with Mo Qingchen.

"Okay," she answered him, not knowing what else to say.

"I am telling you right now." He leaned in slightly to look into her eyes. "Nothing is ever going to happen with anyone else."

He spoke slowly and carefully as if he was explaining it to a small child. "Even if you and I decide to part ways, I have no interest in pursuing any type of relationship with anyone. You have no reason to be concerned about any contact between me and a woman. Therefore, I do not want to hear another word about this. I am not having this discussion again. Do you understand?"

She just looked at him, feeling defeated. His words sounded condescending, but she just didn't have the energy to continue having the never-ending argument with him. She couldn't force him to be open with her. If he didn't want to tell her about what he was hiding, then he wasn't going to.