She made it about halfway across the ballroom before she spotted Mo Qingchen. Conveniently for her, he was standing in the corner chatting with his brother Mo Xiao Chen.

  It would be too awkward for her to approach him. She sauntered over to where they were standing, taking another sip of her wine like she belonged there.

  "Miss Yun, hello!" Mo Xiao Chen greeted in his usual happy and loud voice.

  "Oh hello. How have you been?"

  "Oh, nothing. Just trying to see if there are any females here under forty that I am not related to," he confessed.

  "I see. Creeping around the Mayor's party… classy. But there are plenty of women here who are not related to you," she added.

  "Ah, well, the Mayor's wife is a distant relative. If I hook up with someone here, I'll be in trouble." He looked abashed. The second son of the Mo family was really different from his older brother.

  Qian Meng glanced over at Mo Qingchen. He was looking at her but his eyes were shifted down a little, not looking at her face. Speaking of faces, he had a curious expression on it. When his eyes moved further down and then up, Qian Meng realized what was going on.

  The high and mighty Mo Qingchen was checking her out.

  "Up to your high standards?" she said out of the blue, startling Mo Xiao Chen.

  Mo Qingchen had a small, barely-there smile on his face. He took a sip of his champagne as he proceeded to look her body up and down again. This time it was quicker and with less of a weird look on his face.

  The guy had no shame and Qian Meng liked that. He was bold, just like her.

  "Yes." Concise, as usual. Mo Xiao Chen slowly drifted away from them, confused about the dynamics between the two of them. "Your fiancé's family is prancing around and making connections," he commented.

  "They're spreading rumors, too," she said quietly. "Mr. Bai seems to be on my side, though." She looked at Mo Qingchen meaningfully.

  "Be quick," he said quietly. "I can see them looking over here and contriving." Qian Meng glanced towards the direction of his stare and saw that Mo Qingchen was correct. "I'm about to step outside, would you like to join me?"

  "Okay," she said immediately. "These people will have lots of fun talking about me behind my back."

  She turned back to Mo Qingchen, who gestured for her to lead the way outside. She made her way to a set of French doors and pulled one of them open. She was expecting the outside area to be a concrete patio or something, so she was surprised to find that it was actually a tiny cobblestone patio surrounded by a really beautiful garden.

  There were twinkling lights that resembled the Christmas lights hung from the awning above them. She stepped outside and looked around, momentarily mesmerized by all the gorgeous flowers and stone pathways that led through them.

  The fact that there were no dudes in tuxedos outside helped the scenery. There was a long table set up with champaign and various cocktail foods.

  "This is better," she commented as Mo Qingchen closed the door behind them.

  "Yeah, it's nice," he said, sounding unimpressed. Qian Meng rolled her eyes at his attitude.

  "I wonder why nobody else is here," she said. "Probably too busy flattering others," she answered her own question.

  "You know they are. They probably don't even realize this is even out here."

  There was silence.

  "Why are you loitering around the party and not stuck beside people you know?"

  "I don't want to meet Mrs. Mayor. What is her name, though?" she scrunched her face. "I'm not her biggest fan."

  "Lord. Me Either. I've only by the grace of God been able to avoid her since I got here. Can't believe we're related." His face showed his apparent disgust. "But that's not the only reason we are out here, is it?"

  "Well, you just saved me from a painful evening. Do you have a habit of helping damsels in distress? Practical strangers?"

  "You're not a stranger or a damsel in distress." As much as he would like her to be. She might need saving but he knew she was capable of it with just a little help. She got overwhelmed too often, but the change in her attitude told her that she wouldn't make the wrong choice this time around.

  "But you are making me out to be one, aren't you?" she countered. "Following me around every time I might get into trouble, making sure I am not cold. The snide remarks about making the right choice."

  He laughed and leaned back on the bench, putting one arm up across the back of it.

  "You're a spitfire, you know that?" he said softly.

  "Don't change the subject," she warned. "You never told me why you approached me. You don't even seem to know it yourself." She would rather he made his intentions known. She was tired of tiptoeing around everything and guessing what his intentions were.

  "Yes, I have been intersecting in situations that I thought would bring you harm. Happy?" His voice was hard.

  Finally. An answer.

  "Thank you," she said hesitantly. She was a stubborn bitch and apologies and thanks didn't come to her easy.

  "You're welcome," he said with a nod.

  "Those interventions were more helpful than you probably realize. I felt like I had someone backing me up after a long time. Even though you are the last person on the planet that I wanted to be helped by, I am glad it was no one else." She stared off into the night sky. "I wouldn't be able to take it from anyone else."