Cornered by the CEO

"What do you think you are doing?" he asked, horrified.

"Paying the bill," she said matter-of-factly.

"You must have lost your brain cells talking to Bai Ye Qing," he taunted. She wanted to cuss at him but he spoke before she could start. "I invited you out to eat, so I should be the one to pay," he said in a normal voice.

"But you didn't invite Bai Ye Qing to eat. I'm just paying for his part of the bill. You can pay mine, okay?" She shook his hand off and went through the bill to pinpoint what Bai Ye Qing had ordered. She calculated it in her head and added in the tips. Not bad for such a fancy place.

"You're going to pay for him?" he asked with the deepest scowl. "He's a scumbag who didn't even pay for a meal when he was dining with a lady. He shouldn't be allowed to exist," he argued.

"You are correct, but I am not letting you pay for his share. Neither am I letting the restaurant lose out on money. I'll just consider it my father's debt and pay for it." She pulled out her credit card and was about to hand it over when Mo Qingchen stopped her again. ƒ𝚛𝐞𝚎𝑤𝘦𝚋𝓷o𝚟e𝘭.c𝐨𝙢

"You don't have to pay for that vermin. There are only so many hotels that he would live at. Let me call them and ask where he is."

Yun Qian Meng had never thought Mo Qingchen could be so petty over such a small amount of money. But this was not about money, this was about teaching Bai Ye Qing who he was messing with and how far they were willing to go to show him his true place in their lives.

Mo Qingchen called every hotel he could think of until he found the one Bai Ye Qing was staying at. He proceeded on to explain the situation, get Bai Ye Qing's hotel room number and make sure the restaurant got paid from Bai Ye Qing.

Qian Meng couldn't stop chuckling throughout the whole ordeal. She pressed the back of her palm to her lips to stop from making too much noise as Mo Qingchen spoke to the managers in a grim and professional voice.

"Done?" she asked finally. Mo Qingchen had already asked for the manager of the restaurant and written down all the information necessary.

"Yes. As a good samaritan, I shouldn't let people dine and dash." He had a boyish smile on his face. As they walked back to the waiting cars, Mo Qingchen's smile remained prominently on his face. Light rain fell from the sky, shimmering around them.

Qian Meng slowly realized that Mo Qingchen and her could be friends. They could ease into a love-hate friendship from this bitter rivalry they had. She strongly sensed that he thought of her as something more than just a rival. He was far too stubborn to admit it though, which of course provoked her to fight him further.

With their business partnership in the works, it would be best if they weren't constantly fighting. But their association was interesting because they fought like cats and dogs. What fun would life have without banter every other day with Mo Qingchen?

In the middle of a certain presentation, Mo Qingchen leaned towards her. She looked over at him curiously.

"Bai Ye Qing paid. I've been told that he did throw a fit about it, though." The snob chuckled in delight and Qian Meng had to watch him in wonder. Well, this man did have boyish charm, she would have to give him that.

And that was that. That evening the investors and founders all donned on pretty clothes and strutted like peacocks in the dining area. Qian Meng laughed and talked to everyone, making connections and making fake promises to others that she knew she would never keep.

The best part was, they wouldn't remember when they woke up the next morning. Just like that, the conference was over and Yun Qian Meng had signed a couple of contracts and given out some Angel investments. A few years of work on these investments would yield high returns. Then she could sit back, relax, and count her money.

When she was returning to her room, she found something strange. There were suitcases in front of Mo Qingchen's room. Most flights back were a week later and polite conversation with him had let her know that he would be staying for longer... a whole week, actually. ƒ𝒓e𝐞we𝚋𝙣ｏ𝚟𝚎𝘭.co𝙢

"You left the party early?" she asked passively when I crossed him. Their rooms were two doors apart, so they could converse without shouting across the hall.

"Yes, it was boring and unproductive." Qian Meng glanced down at his luggage. "We have a family property in town, so I am moving there. No use wasting money here." He shrugged.

"Good on you," she commented. "I'll be switching hotels tomorrow morning." Li Min had done this because the conference had paid for food and boarding for those two days. On the other days, Yun Qian Meng had to spend her own money to book a hotel. So, she went for a less expensive but better option.

"Where are you shifting?" he asked curiously. The bell boy was making his way towards them, so Qian Meng knew that this would be the last time they would see each other this week. She told him the hotel and he stopped.