Chapter 312: The Awkward Morning After

Qian Meng slept soundly for the rest of the night. She was surprised to wake up alone, though. Mo Qingchen had slept really late but had still woken up so early. This was something that happened changed since before they married. 

She didn't see him in the main bedroom or the bathroom, so she quickly got dressed and went to the dining area. Plates of food and a mug of her favorite drink were already placed on the table and Mo Qingchen was sitting there, working. 

She peered at him for a moment before clearing her throat to be polite.

"Good morning," he spoke lowly from where he sat.

She slowly inched closer to him. He was sitting at the dining table, looking intently at his laptop screen and typing away furiously.

"Hey," she said softly. 

He didn't look up at her until she spoke, and even then, it was very brief before his eyes returned to the laptop.

"Hey," he answered simply. 

She stood there like a fool, staring at him. She didn't know what she expected from him. The last time they had been intimate, the after-effects had been less than ideal. This time, she was hoping it would be different. Apparently, not. 

At least, she had thought he would have more than one word to say. 

She sat opposite from him and chomped down on her food. She knew how irritating it was to be interrupted when working. She slowly chewed on her food and then grabbed her drink.

It didn't take much time before Li Min's call came in for her to come down.

She took her bag and was stopped before she left the front door. "I'll see you in the evening," she called. She heard him hum in response and scrunched her brows. 

Sighing, she left the room.

- - - - -

When she returned late in the afternoon, she found Mo Qingchen sitting in the same spot with a look of concentration on his face. Her day had gone smoothly, really.

Li Jun had joined into the conversation with the manufacturing stakeholders and duped them into signing an agreement that would not help them in the long run.

The manufacturer wanted more per-product price. Qian Meng had signed with them because of their humane working conditions and fair prices in the first place. But since then, the owner had changed and they had been making a fuss every now and then. Her team had taken care of it before, but now, the manufacturers became too demanding. What they wanted was too expensive and reduced Venus' profit margin quite a bit.

Qian Meng didn't mind treating people well, but when the others treated her poorly, she didn't have to hold back on giving them the same treatment. 

She ended up talking to Li Jun and making sure that the manufacturer took care of this launch and made it so that Venus could break the contract without any liabilities. 

The law was the playground for good lawyers, and Li Jun made sure to play with it well.

Qian Meng had also toured some of the other manufacturers in the city that had good conditions. She was yet to decide on one, but going around each and every facility, meeting the workers, and getting the conditions were tiring.

But she was satisfied with the experience so far.

She had expected Mo Qingchen to be working, but not sitting in the same place, in the same position. It seemed that he had not even touched his food. The plates of food she had left for him still remained.

She went to the bathroom and freshened up before coming out. She just had to be sure, so she pulled up the cover to each dish and found them untouched.

She glanced towards Mo Qingchen, who seemed oblivious to her presence. 

"Mo Qingchen?" she called him softly, not wanting to bother him.

"You're back?" he said without looking up.

She was silent. "Did you have anything to eat since you woke up this morning?" she asked. That was what she was worried about.

He looked up briefly. "Don't think so. Why?" His tone wasn't welcoming. She knew he was working remotely despite the heavy workload, so she didn't scold him. 

"Just wondering. Is the food not to your taste?" she asked. 

"It's fine."

Short answers.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. I just wanted to make sure you were eating." 

Not wanting the situation to get any more awkward by her prolonged staring, she turned and headed for the bedroom.

"Qian Meng, wait!"

She stopped and turned back towards him. He had at least stopped typing and was now looking at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I am just behind on a lot of work. I have been sitting here answering emails for over an hour now," he admitted. 

She nodded in understanding. "It's okay. I understand." It was a huge sacrifice on his part to come with her, even if it was just for a few days. 

She turned more towards the door, but then he spoke again.

"Come here."

She saw him push back his chair, putting more distance between him and the desk. 

"Yeah?"

"How was work today?"

Since he seemed open for conversation, she went and sat down on one of the chairs facing him. Immediately, she noticed that his cellphone began to vibrate on his desk and she waited, expecting him to answer it.

Instead, he glanced at the screen and silenced it, apparently choosing to ignore it. 

It was odd. 

"Everything is getting sorted out slowly. I might not have to stay for long," she informed. 

"I'm glad."

"I forgot to ask you this morning. How did you sleep?"

His mouth twitched. "I slept pretty well after we went to sleep together." He smiled and began toying with the pen sitting on the table. 

"So, are you going to eat something today? Do you want me to feed you while you work?" This was an open offer. She had done it for him before. And she loved taking care of him like that. He was someone who enjoyed eating, so feeding him was such a fun activity.