Stare at Her All Day

"I'm not picky when it comes to food. I'll have anything that tastes good. I don't have a gourmet palate." What a fat cat, she thought in her head.

"This is because you've not tasted good food before. Once you taste actually good food, you'll not want to go back to plain old food cooked by subpar chefs." The seriousness and passion with which he spoke made her turn to take a closer look at him.

"Well, you'll have to wait for the day I make more money than you to show me what good food is, then." She chuckled. The elevator dinged and she bounced out without a goodbye.

Mo Qingchen shook his head as he watched her hop away. She really liked to test his patience. He followed behind silently, his hand placed firmly in the pockets of his pant. She swiped her keycard quickly and shut the door without glancing at him.

Mo Qingchen took his phone out and checked the earnings for that day. A small smile played on his lips as he dialed a number and put the phone to his ear.

- - - - -

Yun Qian Meng found that she had overestimated herself. After the whole day of the convention and then laying out the contract with Mo Qingchen, she was dead tired. The balcony attached to her room had a beautiful view of Paris. She slumped down on the chair on the balcony and stared at the starry skies for a long time. She even ordered some non-alcohol drinks to sip on as she drew in the essence of the city.

She could barely keep her eyes open by the time it was eleven at night and found herself trudging to the bed. She was out cold the moment her head hit the pillow. If anyone had seen the scene, they would find her cute or worry about how overworked she was. The twelve hours of sleep she got on the plane was probably the most sleep she had gotten in a year. The last time being the investment conference last year. Unlike others, Yun Qian Meng could fall asleep just about anywhere. She didn't have a place to call home and the hotel bed wasn't familiar even after years of sleeping in it.

So, because she had no place where she could just place her head without worrying, she had learned to fall asleep anywhere she thought suitable. Sometimes her back would hurt because of her practice, but her young age made recovery easy.

When she woke up, she felt refreshed after a long time. She looked at the clock, wide awake, and had to rush.

For some reason, the investors had collectively decided that they wanted to eat outside the hotel. That was fine by Yun Qian Meng. She got into the designated car without objection.

The car came to a smooth stop and the driver opened her door. She had no idea which way to go, so she silently waited for the rest to come out. Mo Qingchen walked out of the next car that arrived shortly followed by some other investors. He took his place on her side effortlessly without caring for the other.

Two Chinese investors around the same age were supposed to get along so people didn't think much about it. Businessmen rarely gossipped about such things.

"Let's go," he commanded, irritation lacing his voice.

"Yes, sir," she saluted.

His eyes looked at her disapprovingly before turning away and leading the others in. When he realized that she hadn't followed in, he turned and waited impatiently. She made her way slowly to his side. She was just about to ask if she should keep her distance from him when he interrupted her thoughts.

"Have you tasted Scandanavian cuisine before?" his deep voice resounded. The others stepped away, letting them talk.

"No," she shook her head. "We're in France, why should we eat Scandanavian?" she argued.

"Because this restaurant is world-famous for Scandanavian food and I don't want to miss out," he reprimanded.

"So, you enjoy food." That was a surprise. From his clothing sense and drinking habits, he didn't seem particular about such things. Surprisingly, he was a foodie. Good. She enjoyed good food, as well.

"I do. This morning, I'm going to introduce your mouth to something new." His smirk was crooked and utterly devilish. For a second, she was captivated.

He went from a sour and intimidating mood to excited in a fraction of a second. His mood swings were going to give her whiplash. She found herself smiling as she walked down the path that led to the restaurant.

"You act as if you were the one who made this trip happen," she teased.

"Well, I did. Why else would these people know of this exquisite place? Peasants." He scoffed. Qian Meng rolled her eyes.

How was it possible for someone so infuriating to be so charming?

The decor was sleek and modern. The place was crowded but the moment they entered, several members of the staff nearly tripped over themselves to get to them.

"Mr. Mo," a tall and handsome man stood before them. He smiled eagerly at the party.

Mo Qingchen barely nodded his head in acknowledgment. The man's eyes looked over her from head to toe before flashing towards Mo Qingchen. He said something in a foreign language and winked at Yun Qian Meng.

Mo Qingchen stiffened. "How observant," he said in a low, dissatisfied voice. Mo Qingchen shifted his body so that he was blocking the man's view of her. She didn't understand a single word spoken but thought it extremely rude that Mo Qingchen had done so.

She stared at his back for a moment before huffing and walking around him.

"Do you plan on seating us or will you stare at her all day?" Mo Qingchen snapped.

"Of course, sir. Right away." The poor guy jumped into action and guided the group to their seats, apologizing to Mo Qingchen along the way.