Ah, so this was the source of his joy. Qian Meng picked up the glass of water and took a sip to hide her smile.

  "I am not clear about this matter." Mo Zichen nodded sagely at that response.

  "Well, I was going to object to the marriage but seeing that you are not on good terms with your family, your unsuitability goes down. Moreover, I am sure Yun Sui Bo will do an excellent job of opposing this union." He shook his head.

  Li Li Hua coughed to catch her husband's attention. "It's okay as long as you tell your elders, right?" she looked around the room for agreement but it never came.

  "If you are waiting for something to go wrong, you are sorely mistaken," Mo Qingchen spoke up, his voice commanding. Qian Meng sensed that there was an underlying meaning but she didn't ponder much on it. "I don't care about what you believe."

  Qian Meng raised her brow, wondering what he meant before she realized Mo Qingchen was referring to Mo Zichen's suspicions about this romance they spoke of.

  Qian Meng heard the cutlery clatter on the table and froze for a fraction of a second. "I found an interesting thing on the internet," he said after a second of fuming silence.

  He played what sounded like Mo Qingchen telling someone off. Qian Meng thought it sounded familiar but couldn't place it.

  "The Bai person your fiancé was embroiled with says she is no saint and was double timing with some other person." Qian Meng saw the twist of his lips. A flash of a man who enjoyed the misery of others could be seen and suddenly she knew part of the reason why Mo Qingchen disliked his father.

  Li Li Hua gasped and took the phone from her husband's hand. She seemed to frantically read through the post before sighing. "It's just a recording from when he called her and Mo Qingchen spoke on her behalf. The response is neutral, too."

  Qian Meng didn't want to speak about the matter so openly.

  "Aren't you going to take care of this?" Mo Zichen asked. "You used this scandal to raise your sales, you should use this scheme again," he insinuated.

  Qian Meng gritted her teeth. She saw Mo Qingchen's fingers curl into a fist and placed her palm on top of it, stopping him from snapping back.

  She could handle these situations very well. He needed to understand that.

  "Constant negative publicity is a bad foundation for a business. My business thrives of treating people as humans. Its good reputation that drove my sales up. It was not a gimmick to make money," Qian Meng said firmly. "I can see you think I am not suitable for your son, but you are wrong. Your son will never get married if it is not with me."

  Qian Meng felt Mo Qingchen relax. His thumb peered out and caressed the spot between her thumb and pointed finger. A small smile crawled up Qian Meng's face.

  "You think too highly of yourself," Mo Zichen barked.

  "You could try. He wouldn't look at any of those women you put in front of him. Even if they are the most beautiful women on the planet, this man won't think of them for a second longer."

  From the corner of her eyes, she could see Li Li Hua press her hand to her lips to hide her smile.

  "Do you know why?" Qian Meng continued. She gave the older man a piercing look, leaving the reason unsaid and going onto another trivial and foolish explanation. "It's because in his eyes, I am perfect. There is no one prettier, smarter, or richer. I'm the only choice." She gave him the broadest grin she could muster.

  "Narcissist," Mo Qingchen grumbled but his thumb still traced a pattern on her skin. He turned his palm and twined their fingers together for a quick squeeze.

  Mo Zichen might have choked on his saliva upon seeing this open display of affection but he kept it inside him. He looked at them suspiciously, but for the life of them, couldn't see a contradiction in his son's eyes.

  This fool!

  "Have you two thought about a particular date for the wedding?" Li Li Hua commented to lighten the mood. "Or should we plan an engagement party. It would be the most spoken about event of the year." Her eyes gleamed and both the prospective bride and groom knew that the business professor in her was cooking up all the strategies they could use to exploit the wedding.

  "Well, we plan on a short engagement," Qian Meng answered. "We've spoken about this at length and neither of us want to invite thousands of people to an event so personal to us. We want to get our marriage certificate shortly after my family is informed."

  "Absolutely not," Mo Zichen barked. "I am already allowing the two of you to marry and now you are not even having a proper wedding?" he asked. "What's the point of getting married then? What, did you get her pregnant and now you don't want to wait to get married?"

  Qian Meng frowned.

  "Marriage is not about bearing children. Moreover, I am not getting married so that you can brag to your peers and get benefits from it," Mo Qingchen hissed.

  Qian Meng turned to him, wondering why that last comment had bothered him so much, but instead, she found Mo Qingchen looking at her with worry.

  Mo Qingchen prayed that the talk of children didn't hurt her. They hadn't been to the hospital yet or spoken about the prospect of children in their marriage. If… if it was not possible, he didn't want her to be sad over it.

  He wouldn't allow anyone to talk down to her about that matter.

  "Then how do you respond to a rushed and secret wedding?" Mo Zichen challenged.

  "When you're in love as much as Mo Qingchen and I are… you don't want to wait a moment longer than necessary to start a life together."