"No, that is not necessary." She hung up and felt like an impolite bitch.

  She was high-strung and no one apart from her employees should have been near her. She was close to bursting as it was. At least she could spare the people who she didn't pay to put up with her.

  She went back to work and kept getting pings on new articles that came out. Within 8 hours, there were about seventy-two articles with different aspects of the whole thing that came out. Some exposed her college life and when she was a teenager. All rumors had come out.

  They were dragging her name through the mud.

  Her stock prices dropped 12.7% when the stock market closed for the day.

  Her eyes stung with exhaustion and she closed them, finally done with work.

  She got into her car and drove aimlessly for the longest time. So, how did she end up parked in front of Mo Qingchen's gigantic house like a stalker?

  How did she know about where he lived? Li Min had given her additional information when Mo Qingchen resurfaced. Qian Meng knew of the fancy house Mo Qingchen had built recently.

  When she was walking towards the exit, she saw some media people waiting outside. Unwilling to show herself, she went to the parking block and told the designated driver to come back and leave the car.

  She drove towards the hotel and found more people there. So, she decided to shop for some food and wat it in her car. As she strolled through the aisles looking for ready-to-eat food, she was reminded of Mo Qingchen and how disgusted he would be if he saw her eat something like this.

  If she was with Mo Qingchen, she wouldn't be here. At least, she would have a place to go back to. She could scream and rant her frustrations and banter with him until she felt better.

  'Why can't I stop thinking about him? His proposition was insane. That was why I had said no,' she reminded herself.

  Despite the pep talk, Mo Qingchen's house just happened to be on her way to nowhere. She decided to stop by for some recreational stalking.

  She hadn't bought anything perishable at the store, so she could stay out here for as long as she desired.

  She wanted to take a better look at the house in which Mo Qingchen lived. So, she parked on the street in front of his house and just sat there staring at it like a crazy person.

  His house was set back at the end of a long, winding driveway, so she couldn't get a close look at it. But she could see the beauty of the architecture. The house was in the middle of multiple million-dollar homes, but each house was spaced so far apart that the privacy of the residents was guaranteed.

  Mo Qingchen's house was at the center of the property, surrounded by a body of water… a huge swimming pool. The bridge connecting the main house with the world was the driveway that extended onto a bridge.

  She couldn't see more because of the darkness, but she could tell the grounds were beautiful. She could see the tall trees surrounding the property, giving it a more natural and forest-like terrain. A safe haven in itself.

  She shut off her car and gaped. It looked like her dream home. The perfect blend of old and new and nature and concrete. She wondered what it would be like to live there.

  Her family house was more of a British-style architecture that placed importance on more rooms and decoration, so she had never tasted the life of living in serenity.

  What would it feel like to wake up to the sound of crickets and lounging in front of the pool? What would it be like to live with Mo Qingchen?

  When she started to think about the possibilities, she realized that he had been right about one thing. Qian Meng would gain more than him if she accepted his proposal.

  He was willing to give her access to everything he had and all he wanted in return was her presence in his social life. All he requested was for her to live in his house, go to places with him and discuss business ventures with him. She would have someone she could lean on and bounce ideas, as would he.

  'And why do I have a problem with that?' a part of her asked.

  'Because you're a stubborn pessimist, Yun Qian Meng,' she told herself.

  The more she thought about it, the more seriously she took it. Was it really so crazy? Maybe she was stuck in society's idea of normalcy without knowing it. Maybe she wasn't okay with living with someone without feelings.

  But then, she was going to be alone regardless. What was so bad about a marriage that could only bring her gain?

  It wasn't wise to let her fear and uncertainty hold her back. She would not be abandoned. That was why contracts would be put in place.

  Yes, she wouldn't be abandoned. She could trust him.

  She needed to suck it up and go back to the hotel. Maybe she could take a couple of shots and think it over a little more. She turned on the engine, but all she got was a sputter. She tried it a few more times and got the same result.

  She groaned.

  Just her luck. The only day she brought out her non-electronic car, it broke down.

  "Damn it!" she yelled, tossing her head back. She sat there for ten more minutes and briefly considered walking home. She couldn't call a mechanic out here. This was not the locality for it.

  She looked up at Mo Qingchen's house once again. He was home. He had to be.

  She grabbed her purse and got out of the car, locked it, and began her trek up the driveway. As she got closer to the house, she noticed more details.