"Go die, whore." And that was the last message.

  Yun Qian Meng gaped. Even she couldn't imagine someone would speak this way to her. Comments on the internet were one thing, but this direct attack from someone who knew where she lived? Despite her money and power, she had every right to be scared.

  "Geez, good thing I don't like nice men," she said.

  "Are you done?" Mo Qingchen asked, pretending he hadn't heard her attempt at lightening the mood. He glanced at her hand, took the bag from her before moving towards the door.

  Yun Qian Meng hurried, hot on his heels and slid her hand inside his free one, and laced their fingers together. He didn't protest or look down with the odd expression like before. Instead, he squeezed her hand tighter as he led her down.

  Mo Qingchen let her drive.

  He was not an invalid and he had enough sleep to function properly, but he knew Qian Meng needed something to occupy her mind at that moment. If he was right about her having a clue about what could have happened…


  Then she would be shocked by the words… maybe she had heard them before.

  Mo Qingchen didn't know.

  Sometimes, he wondered if he should ask her point-blank. But what if she didn't have the same experience. Wouldn't she look at him like a lunatic and call the psychiatrist on him instead?

  "Qian Meng, you can't put off the self-defense classes any longer."

  Qian Meng didn't protest. "I looked at the gyms near the office and decided on one," she admitted frankly. The need to learn self-defense hadn't only been motivated by Mo Qingchen's demands. She had also been motivated by watching him kick the sandbag and look amazing while doing it. Hence, she found herself interested in kickboxing.

  "Ah, the one around the corner?" he asked casually, now a little more relaxed.

  "Yeah, they have a world-class trainer in kickboxing. I signed up for one-on-one training," she admitted. Mo Qingchen's brow furrowed.

  "That's good. You'll learn faster that way. I have a membership at the club, so we can make a habit out of it," he proposed.

  Qian Meng nodded. "Absolutely, let's be the fit couple, hubby!" she cheered.

  Mo Qingchen looked sour. He didn't like the sound of that word in particular. If she had fun poking and irritating him, he would allow it.

  Xiong Hua was fast asleep when they arrived and the two parted, going their own ways.

  First on the list of her duties was forwarding the voice messages from Bai Ye Qing to Li Jun. So, she did that, adding a little line.

  [Forwarding in case you think it is important.]

  The reply came in within a minute.

  [Will notify the detective in charge. Anonymous tip will be placed in a few days.]

  Yun Qian Meng grinned.

  She performed her nightly skincare routine and snuggled into the comforts of the bed.

  Ah, now that the whole ordeal was over, she could finally call this house her home. With the agreement signed and probably notarized, there was no turning back.

  Yun Qian Meng felt secure in that. Mo Qingchen was tied to her and most likely, he wouldn't leave her.

  That was good.

  She was twisting and turning in restless sleep when another text came in. She groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. And then she remembered the time.

  There were very few people who would dare to text her at this time. It couldn't be her father or the rest of the family. They slept really early.

  It wouldn't be Bai Ye Qing. He would be too embarrassed to send texts after calling her a whore and willing her to drop dead.

  So, curiosity got the best of her. She squinted, her eyes burning at the blaring light from the screen. She had barely read the text when her body propelled her forward into a sitting position.

  [I am ready to negotiate. Let's meet.]

  The message was from Mr. Bai. She yelled in delight, throwing herself into the bed and squirming around in glee until her body grew tired.

  She could get a maximum of three more hours of sleep before she had to wake up.

  No one could preserve her beauty if she didn't sleep. So she willed it to happen. But she just couldn't fall asleep.

  So, she crawled out of her bed in her pajamas and slithered towards Mo Qingchen's room. She knocked slowly on the door and heard him hum.

  She cracked the door open and peered in. He was staring at her expectantly. There was no surprise in his eyes though.

  "You knew I would come?" she asked, straightening up before pushing the door open wider and taking a tentative step in.

  "You had an exciting day. I didn't expect you to get any sleep tonight," he admitted. The nightlight beside his bedside was bright and he was reading a book.

  His eyes dropped back to the unread page as he tried to hide his emotion. He had known that emotions, both positive and negative would grab at her heart tonight. And he had been waiting for her.

  If she hadn't come, he might have made camp outside her door. He was uneasy as the threats kept replaying in his mind.

  Bai Ye Qing, that cretin. Mo Qingchen should have crushed him under his foot when he had the chance. Maybe letting Yun Qian Meng handle him in her own way was not a good plan.

  She was kind… and it didn't do her much good.

  "Can I come in?" she asked. He looked up in surprise to find her pouting.

  "You rarely ask for permission. What's stopping you now?" he responded. Her feet padded against the floor and she moved into the room. She paused awkwardly in front of his bed.

  "Sit down," Mo Qingchen ordered, cutting her hesitations away.

  Granted, that was what she wanted to do, but she didn't want to seem too eager.