Qian Meng was back from her long meetings and planning with the local Venus team. It was already evening and her whole body felt sticky.

  Qian Meng hopped into the shower without ceremony, feeling the need to wash up before doing anything else. She was about to step out when Mo Qingchen entered and grabbed the towel from the towel rack. He held it open for her.

  It was all too sweet.

  "Thank you," she said, smiling at him as she stepped towards him and wrapped it around herself.

  She left the door to the shower open and went to side-step around him so he could get in (which was what she presumed he was doing). But then he stopped her with his fingers at her chin. Their eyes locked briefly before he leaned down and kissed her. It was short, but it was soft and sweet and perfect.

  "I finished work. I'll get into the shower quickly," he informed her before stepping around her and walking into the shower.

  Qian Meng went to go put on some pants and one of his sweatshirts. Because she could.

  "Should I order room service for us?" Qian Meng asked him, trying not to stare through the glass as he soaped up that body of his.

  "No need. The bodyguard told me you were coming back so I ordered already. The food is at the side of the table."

  "You're the best," she announced.

  She hung her towel and went into the bedroom, ready to settle in and enjoy her food as she scrolled through social media or watch something funny. Mo Qingchen would protest a little at first, but he would know that getting Qian Meng off the bed with her plate of food was a losing battle.

  She went over to the nightstand and saw Mo Qingchen's things placed on it. This was definitely his side of the bed, then. The food was placed on top and she reached for it. But the top drawer was partially opened and something inside caught her eye.

  She startled.

  Surely, it wasn't what she thought it was.

  She wasn't one to snoop but what she thought had caught her eye reminded her of something her father kept at home. She had stumbled across it as a little girl and it piqued her curiosity.

  So, she opened the drawer and it was, indeed, what she thought she had seen.

  Why would Mo Qingchen have one here? She knew it wasn't there when she left because they hadn't decided which side of the bed either would take. And which hotel leaves such a dangerous thing in the drawer?

  Why was it there, then?

  She left the plate for then and walked back into the bathroom.

  "Hey, Mo Qingchen?" she called.

  "Yeah?"

  She walked over to stand in front of the shower door, watching him shampoo his hair.

  "Why is there a gun in your drawer?"

  Mo Qingchen froze and just stared at her for a minute. She couldn't discern the expression on his face. For a moment, she wondered if he was going to be angry for looking in his drawer or for asking about it.

  Fortunately, he didn't. He was actually calm as he answered.

  "I have had a gun for years," he said with a shrug and then stepped under the water to rinse the shampoo out.

  "You don't keep it in any of the drawers," she responded, trying not to sound too demanding. "I mean… I have never seen it before."

  "I keep mine in one of the safes. I got this after coming here," he informed her.

  "Well, is there a reason you got one? Did something happen?" The anxiety made her a little jittery. But more than that, she was curious.

  She was immediately reminded of the incident with the car and someone following her. She knew that the police hadn't made any progress on the case, but she had not really thought that the perpetrator would follow them to Hong Kong.

  She had been so wrapped up in everything, it had slipped her mind.

  Surely, Mo Qingchen would have told her if something had happened, right? She started to wonder when he took a while to answer. If something did happen, what reason would he have to keep it from her?

  To protect her?

  "Mo Qingchen?"

  Still, he took a few more minutes before he said anything.

  "There is nothing to worry about. I got a gun just to be safe. It's just a precaution."

  Qian Meng wished that he wasn't under the water with his eyes closed. It hid all his emotions.

  "Oh." She couldn't question him if he didn't respond properly.

  "Okay?"

  She hummed.

  She didn't want to stand there and watch him like a creep, so she left the bathroom to give him some privacy. She climbed into bed.

  Mo Qingchen said that she didn't have to worry about anything, so she believed him.

  If not for the threat to her life, she wouldn't have doubted him keeping a gun. She had grown up with her father having one. She didn't know how to use them but she wasn't particularly uncomfortable with them.

  But something had happened before, so she had to ask him.

  No sooner had she finished dinner than Mo Qingchen appeared from the bathroom, stark naked. She tried to keep her eyes on the television, watching the news, but she couldn't help but sneak looks at him in her peripheral vision as he walked across the bedroom.

  "You don't have to be sly. I know you are looking at me," he said with a devious smirk.

  His back was turned to her, so she was able to watch him without shame as he went through his bag and put on some black boxers.

  "My eyes keep wandering," she answered. "Your body is ridiculous. I think you've gotten more ripped since we got married."

  Mo Qingchen scoffed. "I think you're complimenting me to get into my pants."