Chapter 55: You are Incapable of Standing Beside Me
"Look behind you and you'll know what I mean." She felt a chuckle escape her as Bai Ye Qing swiveled around to look at the man approaching them. Bai Ye Qing turned back quickly, his eyes conflicted.
"Isn't that Mr. Mo Qingchen?" he whispered conspiratorially.
"Indeed, he is." She paused in time. Mo Qingchen had already reached the table. He flicked his wrist and an employee scrambled forward to place a chair beside Yun Qian Meng. "What brings you here?" she asked, a hint of hostility in her voice.
"You probably haven't checked the list this morning. You made more money than me yesterday. As per our agreement, you are supposed to have a meal with me when you do. Hence, you are bound to me." His explanation seemed fair, but Yun Qian Meng pulled out her phone just in case and reloaded the page.
She scrolled down and smiled.
Indeed, she made more money than him. "You made 348 million dollars yesterday. A little short of my 351 million yesterday. Good," she turned her phone downwards and let him sit beside her. "A deal is a deal."
"I had to work really hard to make you earn more," Mo Qingchen replied cockily.
"Well, if you're so bothered about earning less than me, why didn't you do it earlier, huh?" Challenge accepted. "And you..." she turned to Bai Ye Qing. "How much did you earn yesterday?"
She held in the mocking smile.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Well, I told you about the brilliant men I see every day. I told you the income of one of them. How do you fair against them?" She stared at him unblinkingly.
"I..."
Mo Qingchen interjected. "As a director in your father's company, you earned a couple of thousand dollars yesterday."
Yun Qian Meng leaned back and let the boys do the talking. If Mo Qingchen was doing her work for her, she wouldn't jump to join in.
"You have a tendency to blow away your money, so I bet you aren't left with much." He let out an amused breath.
"The depth of emotion in a relationship is not measured by the amount of money either partner has. It is decided by their support for one another," Bai Ye Qing countered. His true personality, rigidness, and fighting spirit were rearing their head.
"Good point," Qian Meng said before Mo Qingchen could say anything. He gave her an exasperated look.
'Can't you see I am fighting on your side? Why did you defend him?' his eyes asked.
"But two people can only support one another when they start from the same point. If I marry someone, I expect them to understand why I am not home all the time, why I drink with my business associates, and why my mood is foul. I expect them to help me solve problems when I am at a dead end. You have none of those qualities. You are incapable of understanding my situation because you have never worked hard for what you got. You are incapable of understanding me because your family frowns upon women in business. You are incapable of helping me because you will never be able to solve my problems." Now this attack was fatal.
"But people from different classes marry and have healthy relationships. As long as I support you, and comfort you... you will feel better." The tone was coaxing and somewhat disgusting for both Yun Qian Meng and Mo Qingchen to listen to. Bai Ye Qing spoke to her like an old lover who was coaxing his lover to make them less angry.
"Comfort me? If I lose all my money, will your comfort make me feel any better?" she challenged. "I am not a woman who wants to be subjugated by a man, but I also don't want to be the dominant one in the relationship. We should be on equal footing. If you can't help me further my career and goals, what use are you to me?" She scoffed.
"But feelings matter!" he shouted.
Qian Meng was taken aback. "Feelings?" she repeated.
"She has none for you. You have neither emotional bonds with her nor money to make her stay by your side. What is your argument?" Mo Qingchen challenged.
"Choose what you want to eat. I am hungry," Qian Meng spoke up. She really was hungry. She was at a wonderful restaurant and this conversation was wasting her time. Hence, she needed to at least eat something tasty to compensate.
Bai Ye Qing reluctantly pulled his eyes away from Yun Qian Meng and focused on the menu in front of him. He looked at the names and stared blankly. There weren't any pictures to help him either.
Bai Ye Qing had two choices. He could either ask the arrogant Mo Qingchen for help or the woman who was hellbent on refusing his marriage proposal. He would lose out if we asked either. He decided on his last option. He had to pick randomly.
He decided to leave it up to fate and closed his eyes, not opening them until his finger was firmly placed on something called renytterfile. He had no idea what it was but he wasn't a picky eater, so he would just choose it.
The entrees came in much to Qian Meng's delight. Mo Qingchen had already started to munch on something she wasn't sure of. It was caviar of some sort. Seeing her expression, he smirked softly.
He pushed the plate towards her and handed her a fork. "Taste," he commanded, his tone still soft.
"What is it?" she asked, looking down at the circular black globs in front of her.
"Taste," he repeated, this time giving her bossy eyes. She rolled her eyes.
"Alright. How bad could it be..." she grumbled as she used the side of her fork to slice a small piece of the pie. She slid it into her mouth.
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