Chapter 290: Barefoot and Disheveled
"The police will find the culprit, right?"
"They couldn't find anything conclusive, Qian Meng. They are still trying to identify the car at any traffic signals but they don't have any leads. It will take some time."
"Oh god…" she cried, her hands grasping at her already aching stomach as her sobs returned.
Mo Qingchen took her other hand and held it in silence as she cried herself to sleep.
- - - - -
Qian Meng didn't sleep for long. She was surprised to discover that she had actually fallen asleep in the first place. She blinked her eyes groggily and looked up to see a sleeping Mo Qingchen.
She wondered how long he had been out. She knew that he had fallen asleep after her. After all, he did vow to stay awake as long as she did.
She lay there for a few moments, feeling numb before the need to relieve her bladder was too pressing to ignore. Her eyes were heavy and her muscles ached as she peeled herself out of bed. She was completely exhausted, but she didn't need to sleep anymore.
After relieving herself, she was delighted to discover that her period was over. She washed her face and brushed her teeth.
That made her feel a little human. She thought about taking a shower as well, but she was too thirsty to think about anything other than a tall glass of water.
She pulled on a hoodie and tied her hair up on the way out of the bedroom. The house was eerily cold and as she made her way down the staircase, she found herself wishing she had put on some socks.
She could smell the coffee in the air. Normally, it would wake her up and make her feel good but that day, she was too tired and it was too early. The smell made her queasy.
She turned the corner into the kitchen and found Xiong Hua standing at the kitchen counter and fixing up their breakfast. She had a cup of coffee beside her area of work and she sipped on it occasionally. Qian Meng hadn't expected anyone to be up and about and she wondered if she had missed out on Xiong Hua every morning.
"Mrs. Mo, you're up," she observed, her expression sad when she noticed me.
"Yeah," Qian Meng shrugged.
There was an awkward silence between them for a few moments. Qian Meng went to retrieve a bottle of water and Xiong Hua cleared her throat before speaking again.
"Did you get any sleep last night?" she spoke.
"A little." Qian Meng realized that Mo Qingchen had asked Xiong Hua to come early and prepare food for them.
Xiong Hua put aside food in some bowls and plates and placed it on the dining table. Qian Meng followed.
"Mr. Mo is still sleeping?" she asked, trying to make small talk.
"Yeah," Qian Meng answered with a nod.
"He asked me to make something warm and homely for you in the morning. Usually, you don't eat much, but today, please do. You look tired," Xiong Hua coaxed.
"Mo Qingchen did?" Qian Meng asked, knowing the answer.
"What about me?"
They both looked to the side, following the sound of the new voice in the room. Qian Meng saw her husband come around the corner. He was barefoot, dressed in some athletic shorts and a plain grey t-shirt. His hair was disheveled, making it known that he had not showered yet either. It was rare to see him to mused up, especially in front of other people.
He was normally put together at all times. Qian Meng suspected that this had something to do with what happened last evening. He must have rushed down when he didn't see her sleeping beside him in bed.
"Good morning, Mr. Mo," Xiong Hua greeted.
"Good morning," Mo Qingchen responded with a nod in her direction.
"I was just telling Mrs. Mo that she should eat more food," Xiong Hua mentioned, sensing that these two weren't keen on speaking.
"She is right," Mo Qingchen responded.
"I'll take my coffee outside. It's a beautiful day out and the backyard is gorgeous. Mr. Mo, please help yourself to breakfast."
Xiong Hua left the room quickly, coffee cup in tow. Mo Qingchen came up and kissed her head before sitting down beside her, turning his chair sideways so that he was facing her directly.
She looked over at him and his eyes carefully assessed her. Tears rolled down her cheeks slowly, but for that moment, the sobbing was absent.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"No," she answered quickly. "I keep remembering whenever I…" she sighed. What did he expect? For her to simply forget?
"Take some rest. Take the day off. Recuperate. I am not working today, so I will be beside you all day long. Understood?" He patted her head.
She hummed and sniffled. And just like that, she called in for work, only letting them give her updates. Just like Mo Qingchen had said, he became a boss because he liked the idea of taking time off when he wanted to.
But once she started to check her emails, she shifted in her seat.
It was a mass email from Li Jun. She opened it and scrolled through the contents. He had sent it late last night; therefore, she had not checked it.
Sophie's Secret had filed for design copyrights for new products. This meant that they were going to launch something new. But it would take at least a few weeks for it to happen, so Qian Meng wasn't really upset.
She picked up her phone and asked Li Min to put on a video conference.
The team sat down for a short meeting, everyone present was in their home clothes.
"As you have seen, Sophie's Secret is going to launch a new jewelry line soon. We couldn't get our hands on the contents, but Li Jun received news that it was jewelry."
"That was why they were trying to create problems right before our product launch," Ma Qui spoke under his breath.
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