Chapter 109: Make or Break A Relationship
"And I'll need to coordinate clothes every morning?" He had a lot to whine about, it seemed. They hadn't even started laying out all the conditions.
"God, I'll be the Fifties housewife and choose your clothes, okay?"
"And where do I get these clothes?" he asked.
"I'll accompany you to my tailor and help you select materials and styles. While we are talking about your appearance… let's discuss your hair."
"My hair?" Mo Qingchen asked, unconsciously reaching up to touch the mess on his head.
"Yes, you have gorgeous hair. Give me the contact information and reference to the place where you get your customized haircare products from." She was so serious that Mo Qingchen thought she was joking for a second.
And then he burst out into laughter. "Throwing away your own brand for better hair? I like that. I'll book an appointment for you. They send over products according to the results of the tests."
Mo Qingchen didn't particularly like the thought of having to dress up every day, but it seemed a small price to pay for the gains from the arrangement. So, he decided to brush it off without any complaint.
"I have a condition to add to that. I put great emphasis on overall fitness. I don't expect you to have the body of an Olympic athlete but fitness is important to me. Especially self-defense and the ability to run from bad situations." He gave her a pointed look.
She laughed. "Well, I'll join a self-defense class when I can."
Mo Qingchen licked his bottom lip and Qian Meng had to stop herself from staring.
"I'm pleasantly surprised that we are doing so well. I was expecting us to be at each other's throats already," he commented off-handedly.
"It's because neither of us has made any outrageous demands yet. You have to give a little to gain a lot."
"Okay, shall we continue?" he asked. She beckoned him on. "We've already discussed this but we will be required to attend any events that the other needs asks them to. That is the main reason I am doing this, so I won't be lenient on this."
"So, when you request my company, you expect me to be there?" she asked. She knew Mo Qingchen was a controlling person and he was serious when he said that he intended there to be full disclosure and control in the agreement. "Okay," she answered.
"Great. That being said, we will always let one another know in advance about our social outings and events."
"Add in letting one another know our general whereabouts to keep up appearances," Qian Meng added helpfully.
He stopped and thought for a bit. "I am wondering if we should think about talking financial division in the marriage," he broached the topic cautiously.
"It's important. Money makes and breaks relationships," she quipped. "Shall I propose something?"
"Please," he coaxed. He was drawing a blank on this front.
"We should open a joint bank account and put in a set amount of money each month for household expenses." She thought for a bit. "I know you don't need my help in paying bills, but in a partnership, we need to be held accountable, so let's go the normal way and split all general costs half-and-half."
Mo Qingchen quickly typed that out. "What will you set the amount as?" he asked.
"Well, I don't have a house where I stay and you do. If we stay together in this house, you will know better how much money it takes to run it," she commented.
"Well, almost everything is solar-powered and my cars are EVs, so I have barely any expenses. But for safety measures and any insurance and policies we want to buy, I think fifteen thousand dollars set aside for general use will take us a long way."
"Seven and a half thousand dollars each, right? We'll each hold a debit card for the account, of course. And personal expenses for clothes, business dinners, and personal welfare items will be on our own money." His consent was evident from how quickly he typed that out.
"As for gifts, that is on whoever buys it. Are we on the same page?"
"Absolutely." He tapped his finger on the desk. "Staying on the finances, we have a meeting a week to re-evaluate our mutual financial goals."
Qian Meng frowned. "Use the same session to consult about our own business decisions and growth."
"Like evaluating a report card?" Mo Qingchen retorted, beyond amused.
"Yes. Gives us plenty of leeways to bicker and tease one another. We can't forget the roots of our relationship just because we marry, can we now?"
Mo Qingchen shook his head at her absurdity. But that image of them teasing one another and clawing at one another was a pleasant one.
"I'll give you more opportunities for that, then. To keep up appearances of how in love we are, we'll have lunch and dinner together. We'll take out time from our busy day to grab lunch together and have dinner every night in the dining room."
"Are you whipping me into shape for family life? What is this, Pavlov's experiment?" she groaned. "I feel like a teenager being scolded by my parent."
"You've lived alone for so long that you forgot how to take care of yourself. Food is crucial for your health. Our arrangement can only be successful if both of us are physically and mentally healthy and live very long lives."
Qian Meng tilted her head to the side. "If I didn't know better, I would think you were a hopeless romantic." Mo Qingchen rolled his eyes. "Did you just roll your eyes at me?" She gasped.
"You're rubbing off on me in a bad way," he commented tightly.
"Glad to be of service. Now, we need to figure out the bigger stuff."
"Bigger stuff… the wedding. My mother would like a grand wedding because it will speak about our love for one another. What are your thoughts on this?"
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