Chapter 40: Match Made in Heaven
"That's my car. Why are you inviting people without my permission?" Qian Meng turned to him coyly and said nothing.
"The two of you match. You look great together," the man said in an open attempt to butter them up.
They looked down simultaneously and frowned.
"I look like an egg yolk," Mo Qingchen grumbled. The man choked on his breath.
'Sir, can you kindly give a warning before dropping a bomb? Aren't you also implying that she looks like egg yolk?'
"What's your name?" she asked, feeling a taste of sourness in her mouth.
"Jiang Da," he answered immediately. Mo Qingchen turned to look at the man before walking over to his side.
"Get in," he barked. Qian Meng pointed at the man to get into the back seat. When he did, she opened the passenger's side door and slid in.
Inside, Jiang Da had scooted to the other side to make space for Qian Meng. In the driver's seat, Mo Qingchen was internally daring Yun Qian Meng to sit in the backseat and treat him like a chauffeur.
When he saw her take the seat beside him, he sighed in relief. She knew some manners.
"Mr. Jiang, flattering Mr. Mo will get you nowhere. I, on the other hand, am prone to flattery." She turned her body slightly to look at the man. He looked bewildered.
"Narcissist," she heard Mo Qingchen say under his breath. She decided not to pay him any attention.
"Having my name in the same sentence as his isn't going to float my boat, though." She smirked. Mo Qingchen's fingers tightened over the steering wheel.
"Ah, I just assumed you had a romantic relationship as you came out at the same time and wore matching clothes. You really do look like a match made in heaven." Jiang Da chuckled. "I saw that you had couple fans, too. I can see what they mean."
"This man would be the last person on the planet whom I would marry," she voiced with conviction.
"You've read too much Jane Austen and not understood what she tried to say," Mo Qingchen countered. "When Elizabeth says the same things to Darcy, she's already on the path of hopelessly falling in love with him. She ends up irrevocably in love with the man whom she despised."
Yun Qian Meng remained silent for a minute. "It sounds like you want me to fall in love with you." She scoffed. "Or do you want to marry me?"
Which gave her a brilliant idea. Her father wanted her to marry Bai Ye Qing. If she was already married, he wouldn't have the power to get it annulled. She could find the worst man on the planet and tie the knot with him so that her father threw up blood.
The plan sounded good in idea, but at the end of the day, she had other methods to avoid the marriage. And living with a man wouldn't be to her advantage either. Corporate spies were running amock aplenty.
Jiang Da sat silently at the back, watching the two people in the front seat exchange scorching glances.
'Is this enmity or repressed desire for the other? Will I ever find out?' He shook his head.
"Mr. Jiang. Tell me why you want me to invest in your company. Pitch it to me." It was a challenge. "You have forty minutes to convince me. What do you say?"
Mo Qingchen turned to look at her incredulously.
"Eyes on the road," Qian Meng reminded sternly. He turned back, shaking his head.
The man began, talking in detail about his company and his aspirations for it. After about twenty minutes of projected membership and profit in the next five years.
"A dating application in the Chinese market?" Qian Meng finally spoke. "The industry is already developed and in its mature stage. Creating disruption in this space will be very difficult for you, especially as you are not a Chinese resident and not in touch with the dating culture."
Her words were clear and concise, giving her opinion without holding back.
"While your messaging and selling point is unique, improper execution will be disastrous. It has a very high chance of drowning out and being ignored by the masses when it launches here." And that was her verdict.
"Wouldn't you consider it despite the projected profit in five years?" Jiang Da spoke, distraught.
"Sure, I will. I will remember 1314 and you." She stopped and then gave him a look. "Are you attending the Investment Convention in Paris?"
Jiang Da nodded. "I present day after tomorrow," he said slowly. He had scooted forward and leaned towards Yun Qian Meng to keep their conversation going on.
"So you must know that I will be attending as well. Then why did you approach me beforehand?" Now, this was the million-dollar question.
"I firmly believe that the early bird gets the worm."
Mo Qingchen chuckled. "Mr. Jiang, rushing into a meeting without preparation can be to your utter disadvantage. You came all the way to her to call her and embarrass her into talking to you in front of a crowd. Do you think it would bode well for you?" He watched the man from the rearview mirror.
"No-" Jiang Da began, but he was interrupted by Mo Qingchen.
"Furthermore, your presentation skills are lacking. You based your goals on absurd projections that you will not be able to achieve. You haven't done enough research about the market to give us proper figures."
Yun Qian Meng wanted to stop Mo Qingchen but she knew of his formidable front when doing business. She just never thought she would hear it first-hand.
No wonder they called him the fire-breathing dragon in the industry. He did breathe fire and he incinerated his opponent and subordinates. She was impressed. Yet, she couldn't say that his method was a good one.