She swore in her mind. "We need to celebrate," she whispered. Her eyes gleamed with excitement. "I know just the place!" she shouted. She grabbed Mo Qingchen and led him outside without a goodbye.

  "Where are we going?" he asked.

  "Secret," she whispered conspiratorially.

  They drove for half an hour before Qian Meng turned off the engine and faced him. "We're here!" she exclaimed.

  He looked around. "Lovely neighborhood."

  Qian Meng gasped. "Do you mean it?"

  He scanned the parameter of the car. "No, I don't mean it. We are in a filthy, rundown neighborhood."

  Qian Meng glanced over and saw a woman who had stuffed herself into a neon pink, leopard print jumpsuit. Mo Qingchen was looking at the woman in question with horror and Qian Meng couldn't help but think that he was exaggerating.

  They weren't in a rundown neighborhood. If she ever brought his snobby ass to an actual bad neighborhood, he would get a rude awakening.

  "I wasn't talking about the neighborhood," she let out a sigh. "Which, by the way, is urban."

  "Urban decay," he argued with his snobby nose in the air.

  "Urban art!" she countered, her arms folding over her chest tightly.

  Underground artists from all over the city flocked to this area. Untapped brilliance surrounded them. Mo Qingchen couldn't see it at the moment, but he would soon.

  She slid out of the car and looked at him. "Get out," she ordered.

  He grudgingly came out and made sure to lock the door.

  As always, he managed to look impeccable. The man could easily become a model. Even with his 'stay away or I will kill you' attitude, he mesmerized people. The light from the street lamp illuminated his penetrating stare as she walked towards him.

  "When you offered to celebrate, I thought we were having dinner. I didn't expect dinner to be at a dumpster, though. I suppose that makes me a snob?" he asked quietly. His eyes roamed around them to make sure the coast was clear and there were no threats.

  "Completely," she huffed. "Dumpster dining is not only cost efficient, but offers great variety. You never know what you might find," she managed to say with a straight face.

  "I'll pass." He grimaced, nauseated by the thought.

  "Actually," she smirked. "I have other plans for you."

  "Do you?" his tone was sinful. A wicked grin spread across his face. Her heart rate doubled instantly. Why did she react to his dark side so intensely? She wished she knew.

  "I'm so excited about it. Come on." Without even thinking, she grabbed his hand, linking their fingers together.

  There was no one around to watch them. They didn't need to pretend to be in love. But he didn't pull away.

  Yes, it was a small gesture, but it connected them and knowing neither people pulled away or liked making connections… It was huge.

  "Meng'er!" a man exclaimed, clapping his hands together as he rushed towards her. They had barely made it through the front door. He kissed her on each cheek and smiled widely. "I knew you would come."

  Qian Meng kissed his cheek. "As if I could ever stay away." His eyes sparkled with happiness.

  Mo Qingchen stiffened beside her. She tightly gripped his hand as she glanced over at him. He gave the poor owner his most deadly glare, but he, not having an angry bone in his body, didn't even notice. A more joyful man didn't exist. Maybe Marcus… but he was doped up most of the time.

  "This is my… uh Mo Qingchen," she blurted out awkwardly, having no idea how to label him.

  His eyes shot over to Mo Qingchen and brightened immediately. "How lovely to meet you Qian Meng's Qingchen! I am Xuxu. Welcome to the Incarnadine!" he yelled pretty much everything he said with enthusiasm.

  Mo Qingcheng gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. That was all Xuxu was getting. At least his death glare lessened a bit.

  "It's the perfect night. Are you hungry?" he asked, grabbing Qian Meng's free hand.

  "Yes, we're starving. Do you have a table available?" Qian Meng should have called ahead, but she didn't expect it to be so crowded. It was a reasonably private place and not many outside the creative sphere knew about it.

  Xuxu nodded vigorously. "Come. Let me feed you." He pulled her forward and into the crowd. Mo Qingchen was tugged along.

  Xuxu whistled as he brought us over to her favorite table, a small booth near the gallery. He released her hand and spun around to face them.

  "I will return with your food! Show your Qingchen the gallery while you wait. He will love it!" He kissed both of her cheeks again and then leaned in to kiss Mo Qingchen.

  At warp speed Mo Qingchen's hand landed firmly at the center of Xuxu's chest, keeping him at bay. The death glare returned, far more lethal than before. Xuxu noticed this time.

  "Oh, what a hungry man! I'll get your food right away!" he exclaimed before dashing away to the kitchen.

  Qian Meng turned to face the dragon. "Could you please try to be less hostile?"

  "He tried to kiss me," Mo Qingchen barked as though he had been brutally assaulted.

  Qian Meng's laughter made him scowl, which in turn made her laugh harder. "He kisses everybody!"

  "Not everybody," he grumbled.

  "Prude," she teased. "Fine. No kissing, but no death glares either."

  Mo Qingchen yanked her body closer to his. "If he tries again, he'll get far more than that."

  Qian Meng rolled her eyes. "Stop. It's just a friendly greeting." She lifted up on her ties and placed a soft kiss on his left cheek. She pulled back slightly and placed another one on his right, lingering a few seconds as she fought the urge to lick his chiseled jaw.

  Bad Qian Meng!

  "There. Was that so bad?"

  His eyes flickered mischievously, turning her bones to jelly. Her gaze shot away before the scoundrel frazzled her.