Chapter 329: Mourn Over Her Singleness

Halfway through the afternoon, both Mo Qingchen and Qian Meng finished work. He looked up from his laptop curiously and placed his elbows on the table. "Tell me. What did you plan for the evening?" he asked.

She was surprised. "I thought you would have a lot of work. Is this how you usually do it? Do you finish this early?" she asked.

He shook his head. "The heavy period of work is over. And I took a page from my own preaching and trusted my employees to do their work well."

She bit her lip trying to suppress her smile. "Well, it seems, I have more time on my hands when I am not running around like a headless chicken," she admitted. 

"Stop changing the topic. Where are we going?" she asked.

She looked at the time and frowned. "I was sure we would finish late so I wanted to go to the beach for a night swim and some leisure," she admitted. "But if we have time, we can catch the sunset on a hike. I actually wanted to go. Apparently, it's really beautiful."

Her eyes glowed. 

He nodded. "You brought appropriate clothes, right?" he asked. 

"I have a swimsuit ready for the water and track pants and sneakers for the hike. I don't have a bag to take the things, though." She pouted. 

"We'll buy one on the way," he told her.

The hiking trail was about eight kilometers in total and the pictures of the place were breathtaking. Qian Meng had figured that it would be a relaxing time out. 

But she was wrong.

Not to say that it wasn't beautiful or fun. It was both. But it wasn't relaxing. It wasn't a mere walk as people advertised. And the eight kilometers turned out to be a long day.

And it was rather hot. Mo Qingchen was carrying their stuff in the bag he had purchased, but Qian Meng couldn't help but think that it was a whole workout. 

"You okay?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"Why is it so hot?" she complained, shifting her shirt to get some air.

There were other tourists walking around them and her bodyguards lingered behind him, probably wondering why he had to hike with them.

Qian Meng was only exerting herself to try to keep up with her husband. Not only was he in phenomenal shape, but his legs were also much longer than hers. He could cover a lot more distance naturally. 

"Take my hand," Mo Qingchen offered.

"No," she protested. "I can do it myself."

Everyone around them seemed to be doing just fine on their own. So, she wasn't about to give up and hold his hand. She had some pride. 

"I want to hold your hand. Please?" When he said it like that, she couldn't resist. 

He wasn't even breaking a sweat. He acted like he was out on a leisure stroll. It was rather annoying.

"How are you not even sweating?" she demanded. 

"I work out every day."

"So do I," she challenged. He raised his brow at her. "Well. I do work out a lot."

"You do. But the training to build stamina is slightly different. You focus on short spurts of energy and strength. Do you want to work out with me from now on?"

She made a distasteful face and Mo Qingchen laughed. "I still need to beat you at kickboxing to redeem my pride."

"Best of luck on that, baby."

She squeezed his hand in protest. 

"Why did Li Min not come along?" Mo Qingchen asked? 

"She said she didn't want to look at the happy couple and mourn over her singleness," Qian Meng responded nonchalantly. "I feel a little sorry for the bodyguard now. Wonder if he has a partner." She looked over her shoulder and gave the man a smile.

She turned back and her smile dropped. "Surely, it can't be much further," she stated. 

"Once we are on the beach and the water hits our feet, it will all be worth it. Trust me," a female voice said from somewhere on the other side of her. 

Qian Meng looked over to see who was talking and found a woman smiling at her brightly. She hadn't expected anyone to approach her, especially with the stone-faced iceberg of a husband who seemed to repel humans. 

"I hope so," she answered, blushing as she smiled politely back at the woman. 

She hadn't even been aware that anyone else could hear their conversation. 

"I'm sorry," the woman apologized quickly, apparently understanding the look on her face. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Mo Qingchen's hand gripped her a little tighter but he didn't say anything. "You're fine," Qian Meng answered with the shake of her head. "I am not usually a whiner. I didn't realize it was a physically demanding hike when I planned this, unfortunately."

"That's understandable. It's longer and harder than people make it out to be. But it's worth it once you get there."

Qian Meng nodded. The woman kept looking in her direction, so Qian Meng continued to be polite. It didn't seem like the woman recognized her or anything, so she was safe.

"Have you done this before?"

"This is my seventh time," the woman answered excitedly. "It's a wonderful experience, so we keep coming back each time we're here."

"I'm glad to hear that it is worth it."

"What tour group are you with?" the woman asked. 

"A what?" Qian Meng responded, confused. 

"We're not in a tour group," Mo Qingchen answered. "We're just here for business."

When Qian Meng looked over at him in confusion, he pointed to the others. "This is a popular location for major tour groups to visit," he explained.

"My mistake!" the woman continued as Qian Meng looked back at her. "I assumed. I thought everyone here would be from the tour groups." She chuckled nervously. 

"I've never been in a tour group before. Do you like it?" Qian Meng asked, interested.