"And did Bai Ye Qing know this?" she asked.

  "He did. He was a little bitter but he smiled and nodded as always."

  Qian Meng felt pity for this man.

  "Receiving a favor can be oppressive. It means he was chosen because he was family and not because he was deserving," Bai Yu said slowly. "Ye Qing wasn't very friendly with his brother for a period of time, but he was still nice."

  The fake niceness had ebbed away.

  "Friends and family are like the jaws and teeth of a dangerous animal. If you are not careful, you will find them chewing you up," Qian Meng warned. "I find the circumstances of Bai Wenxi's death suspicious."

  "And now, I can't even trust my own son…" he trailed off.

  "Do you really wish to retire, Mr. Bai?" Qian Meng asked finally.

  The man nodded. "I want to enjoy the last few years of my life. I want to go fishing and watch opera. Thirty years of struggling to build a name for myself and my company and now that I am finally there, I want to give it to someone who can carry on the legacy and rest."

  Qian Meng nodded. "People think that being at the helm of a successful company is a powerful position to be in. In reality, we are all alone, surrounded by enemies, always having to look over our shoulders. We are in the least powerful, least secure position in the world." Qian Meng gave a sad smile of her own.

  Bai Yu looked at her with fascination. "Did you know, I only agreed to meet you because I thought you would be the perfect person to carry my company on. I wanted you to marry one of my sons. I had known of you for a while and last year when Mr. Yun approached us, I thought it would be best for Wenxi and you to get to know one another. I really thought you would hit it off."

  "Your eldest son?" Qian Meng was surprised. She hadn't known that the arrangement had been in planning for so long before she found out about it.

  "Yes. You would have been great friends. Your personalities are much alike. Fiercely loyal and business-minded. You would have got along well." He shook his head to clear his mind of the thought. "I wanted you as a daughter and I loved the possibility of it."

  Qian Meng felt her eyes water. "I would have enjoyed being your daughter." God knows she had lucked out in the parent department. She hadn't received a shred of affection in that department. Seeing this man who could so easily tell him that he would have liked to have her as a daughter, she really wanted to go to another world where he, indeed, was her father.

  "Mr. Bai, please consider letting someone else take over your company," Qian Meng pleaded.

  "Isn't that why you called me here?" Bai Yu cracked a smile. "I knew what you wanted, Qian Meng. And call me Uncle."

  Qian Meng tested the word on her tongue. "Uncle…" she whispered. It felt right. He sighed before starting. "If you want to retire, please do. But please let me get a stake in the company. I fear for you and your life." She gave him a pointed stare.

  "Why so?" he asked, startled.

  "Bai Wenxi passed away shortly after Ye Qing felt threatened. And now he has seen you here… with me."

  "And you think he will attack me?" He sounded shocked.

  "I know you don't think he is capable of it, but it is possible. I want to safeguard you. He looks at me like a threat now and he knows he can't do anything to me. So, he will target you. So, please be careful." She quieted down.

  "What are you going to do to him?" he asked.

  "Make sure he doesn't hurt me and my company any longer. I am not going to send him to jail or get him punished. He will live comfortably if he doesn't do anything bad to me," that was all she could tell him.

  "The company… the price, will it drop?" he asked.

  Good thing he was thinking about his company a little more than his son. "It might."

  "And are you taking advantage of my vulnerable state and buying my company by planting the seed of doubt in my head, Yun Qian Meng?"

  She didn't know how to respond. "I won't lie about that. I am saying all of this to you because I want to buy the company from you. But I want to do so before the price drops and investors start pulling out. I want to buy it out fairly because something is pushing my father to go to any lengths to get me married to your son." She stopped to think. "I genuinely like you, Uncle. I feel a deep connection with you and I want to be associated with you in the long run and I don't mean as business partners. And I worry about your health. I don't want you to end up as another victim."

  Bai Yu grew silent. "Thank you for your honesty. I didn't think you would admit to manipulating me. And thank you for your concern." He looked at Qian Meng with a desolate look. "I don't know if I can condemn my son… but give me some time, okay?"

  Qian Meng nodded. "Why don't we finish our game? Let's not let this taint our date." She smiled.

  Bai Yu broke out into laughter. "I have never been on a date. I met my wife through arrangements and never had a daughter to go out on dates with. So, I am pleased!"

  The game continued and slowly but surely, Qian Meng found herself lagging behind. She was a good player, an excellent player, but she wanted Mr. Bai to win this round.

  He shouldn't need to feel defeated in front of her. She had appealed to him unlike ever before. She was unused to being emotional in front of others when it came to business, but this man was trustworthy.