"So, he was sitting beside you?" he asked.

"Is that entertaining news?" Qian Meng questioned.

The reporter nodded. "It's not part of the main interview, mind you. It's service to your CP fans," he said with delight.

Qian Meng understood that. "I'll keep that in mind. People want pictures… it seems." She chuckled.

"But don't you think long trips away from each other will cause problems? My wife already fusses that I am not home enough," he said.

Qian Meng contemplated that. It was a reasonable problem couples had. "I don't know yet. I just married. How about I get back to you after a few decades of marriage?"

And with that, the conversation ended.

- - - - -

Qian Meng had never cooked a full meal before, but she wasn't worried. How hard could it be? Growing up, she had seen her grandma and the nannies cook. It didn't look too difficult.

Qian Meng wanted to give Mo Qingchen a grand birthday dinner. He probably hadn't had one in quite a long time, if ever. And she wanted one, too. This was his first birthday since they got married and she didn't want to let the chance pass.

Actually, she had been planning this since the trip to Hong Kong. She just hadn't told Mo Qingchen about it. She wanted it to remain a surprise.

Since the interview, quite a few things had happened. The perpetrator who had made her fear for her life had been caught in the act. He had apparently set fire to one of the biggest private ports and had been caught on CCTV and identified. Shockingly, just when the owners of the port came to claim damages, it turned out that they had paid this man to burn down the port and all the products in it! The mentioned owner of the port? Boomer A and Boomer B who were in cahoots.

Qian Meng had only looked at Mo Qingchen curiously and known from his little smirk that he had designed the whole thing. Devious Dragon.

As the date for the reports of the external audit came near, Qian Meng got a lot of calls from the other shareholders. She usually spoke to them and then worked.

Since coming back to Shanghai, she had cut down on the excessive amount of meetings with staff. They just sent her the conclusion in the form of minutes and resolutions. This worked just as well. Now that her company was a couple of years old, she could slowly let the others take over and only focus on the big things.

What happened when she cut down on the minor tasks she used to micromanage? She finished work on time and even took her Saturdays and Sundays off. She could enjoy the time nagging Mo Qingchen to eat and sleep or just watch him work from home. Even Mo Qingchen seemed to be taking to the new routine.

What people said was correct: when one is single, they can do things according to their wishes and prioritize everything over themselves, but when they are in a relationship, they need to rethink their priorities. And she quite liked these changes. The kickboxing sessions, the rituals of a married couple… they made her feel secure for the first time in her life.

Also, her husband was kind of cute when he was not working.

Mo Qingchen hated the word cute and lord knew no one would dare use it to refer to him other than her.

Stubborn, arrogant, impatient, hot-headed, and aloof were a few words that came to mind when thinking of Mo Qingchen. Cute would be the last word anyone would ever use to describe him.

Over the past couple of weeks, Qian Meng had developed new words for him, words like playful, funny, passionate, and protective. No one saw that side of him except for her, he made sure of that. It certainly wasn't easy to get to this point with him.

They worked like hell for it, but that didn't bother either of them. It may sound cliché but it was completely true.

Which was exactly why she was standing in front of the kitchen, ready to feed her man a meal he would never forget.

Birthdays had never been of much importance to her. She tried her best to do as she wished all throughout the year. But this time, it was about giving Mo Qingchen a priceless memory.

Xiong Hua scurried out of the kitchen upon seeing her, eager to help. She wouldn't let Qian Meng lift a thing. Even though Qian Meng had personally gone shopping after checking if all the ingredients were at home.

"I'm making a birthday meal for him," Qian Meng told her as if she couldn't tell by the bags of groceries in Qian Meng's hand.

"Yes, I guessed," Xiong Hua beamed happily.

"You did?" That surprised her since she hadn't told anyone about her idea.

Xiong Hua nodded. "When you went out in the morning, I figured you wanted to do something special for Mr. Mo. You're just on time, I was about to start cooking. You can take over, though!"

Qian Meng clapped her hand in enthusiasm. "You don't need to work harder because of me."

"Not at all," Xiong Hua shook her head. "I will leave after you finish cooking. I don't think Mr. Mo will come down. He also guessed what you were up to. He must think you will do a great job."

Qian Meng could tell the other wanted to say more but held back. Xiong Hua couldn't hide how delighted she was though.

"I don't know about that. His standard for food is so high. No one can reach it."

Xiong Hua smirked knowingly. "Mrs. Mo, you've already climbed very high." She stopped. "I won't take up more of your time. Would you like me to show you where the other ingredients are?" she asked.

Qian Meng shook her head. "I remember where everything is. I'll find my way," she reassured.