Chapter 331: The Old Man is Tired Already

"You're safe from me. We're in public." He placed his hand on her waist instead to pull her in. "For now, at least."

Thankfully, the other couple had moved away for quite a bit, and they could enjoy teasing each other. But then she finally heard them. Jasmine. "So, did you end up loving it?" she asked with a big grin. 

Qian Meng had already pulled away from Mo Qingchen at that point. 

"We did. It's beautiful here," she answered.

"I'm glad!"

"Is it as good as you remembered?" Qian Meng asked. 

"Of course… Not to be a total creep, but I was playing around with my camera and snapped some awesome ones of you two over by the water."

Qian Meng stopped, caught a little off guard, and glanced at Mo Qingchen before looking back at Jasmine. 

"Oh…"

"I'm sorry. Is that creepy? It's just the photographer in me. You guys look beautiful together, so I couldn't help myself."

Qian Meng blushed at the compliment but also saw the bodyguard make his way towards them. 

"Ma'am, can I look at your camera for a second?" he announced. 

Qian Meng startled. "He's just doing his job," Mo Qingchen told her.

"Oh?" Jasmine was startled. She looked at Qian Meng questioningly.

"We're a little surprised. I hope you don't mind us going through the pictures," Qian Meng said. Jasmine had already handed the camera to the bodyguard as Qian Meng spoke. "We didn't know that people were watching us."

"I don't think anyone else was, but like I said… my eyes were drawn to you." Jasmine kept her smile, but Qian Meng could see that it was strained.

The bodyguard looked through the pictures before showing them to Qian Meng and Mo Qingchen. 

Jasmine had been right. It was really a beautiful picture. Mo Qingchen's hand was on her waist and she had a big smile on her face, in the middle of laughing as he kissed her. The background gave it an ethereal glow.

"These are really good pictures," Qian Meng told her.

"They are great," Mo Qingchen agreed as he looked through the photos.

"You think so?" Jasmine asked excitedly. "The way you two are with each other is just captivating. I can see how in love you are just watching you."

Qian Meng looked over at him and they stared at each other for a split second. Mo Qingchen looked over at Jasmine and gave her a small smile.

"Thank you," he said. "But we will have to take the pictures from you." 

"Oh. I'm sorry for intruding," Jasmine apologized quickly. 

"Oh. No. It's a security issue," Qian Meng said quickly. "Thank you for taking the pictures."

"Hey, just give me an email address and I can send it to you before deleting," the other said.

"You can transfer it to me," the bodyguard interjected. "Do you have a USB cable?"

Qian Meng was surprised at the whole ordeal. 

Jasmine nodded numbly. "I have it in my bag."

For the next five minutes, they fiddled until the photos were sent. The bodyguard took the camera again and proceeded to delete all the pictures with Qian Meng in them.

Jasmine was awkward for a second before she brightened up. "You must be looking out for something. Is everything okay?" she asked. 

"Yes. Extra precautions," Qian Meng said casually.

Jasmine eyed them with worry but shrugged it off. "Oh, that must have been nerve-wracking. I interjected in your conversation when you have security detail on the lookout. You must have thought I had some other intentions," she chuckled nervously as her eyes flitted to the cold bodyguard. 

Qian Meng waved it off.

Despite this, Jasmine decided to walk off. 

"Wow, that was embarrassing," Qian Meng cringed. 

Mo Qingchen sighed. "It's collateral damage for keeping you safe," he told her. 

"I know. You don't need to explain. I wasn't exactly comfortable with my picture being taken without my permission or knowledge either." She shuddered. "But the pictures look beautiful," she conceded. 

She turned to the bodyguard. "Would you mind sending a copy to either of us?" she asked. 

The bodyguard simply nodded.

Qian Meng, finally satisfied, looked around. "There is a lot of food here. How about we go ahead and eat some snacks?" she suggested. 

"I'll keep watch here. Buy a bottle of water and whatever you want to eat, okay?"

Qian Meng nodded enthusiastically. "I'll not pay attention to the quip about me finishing all the water," she snidely commented. "And I will be right back."

He watched her jump to her feet and shake off the sand from her back. The bodyguard silently followed and she skipped away to the food.

It was fifteen minutes before she returned. She had food in her hands and a bottle of water tucked under her arms.

She placed the food down on the blanket and proceeded to screw the top off of his bottle and handed it to him. He took it and downed half of it at once. 

"Thank you," he sighed once he pulled the bottle from his lips.

"Ah, the old man is tired already," she teased. 

He glared up at her with just a hint of a smile. 

"Hush. Funny coming from the person who I had to carry for most of the trek," he countered. She grinned as she reached to run her fingers through his hair. 

Qian Meng handed a portion of the food to the bodyguard, knowing better than to ask him to join them. For the next few hours, they walked through the beach and occasionally munched on food. Mo Qingchen was happier about the whole affair because he got free food out of it. 

Qian Meng snorted when he finally was done. 

"Do you want to call for the car to take us back?" she asked. 

"You don't want to hang out anymore?" he questioned. She shook her head. "Call, then."

She sat down on the beach and waited for Mo Qingchen to do the same. As she called, she saw him rolling his shoulders in fatigue.