Chapter 28: Lightning Strikes the Tallest Tree

"You don't need to tell us all of this!" Bai Ye Qing protested. "We have no dissatisfaction with you."

"As you shouldn't. I'm saying all this to assuage the fears you have with regards to me. Like a conventional daughter, I am going to let you look at me like a breeding cow that will help you solidify your foothold in your father's company." There was no emotion in her voice.

"Yun Qian Meng," Yun Sui Bo boomed. "Choose your words wisely."

Qian Meng ignored him.

"Mr. Bai, I have great respect for you. It would be my honor to have you as my father-in-law."

Chen Yue grit her teeth. On one hand, this girl was saying she wanted to be associated with her husband, on the other she was disregarding her and her son. This wench.

Just wait until she gets married into their family. This Yun Qian Meng will know what it means to enter hell.

"But Mr. Bai, the company you have worked so hard to create... are you going to underestimate that hard work and bank on a marriage agreement to flourish?" Qian Meng asked softly. The man in question remained silent.

Qian Meng felt her brother's hand press on her thighs as he pleaded for her to stop. She didn't shake it off but also didn't pay him any attention.

"It's rare to see a girl so opinionated at such a young age," Chen Yue snapped, not letting her husband get the word in.

In her dream, this man hadn't been assertive when it came to his wife and son. Believing that they had lived an unhappy life while he was struggling to get his business afloat, this man had given them whatever their heart desired when he could afford it. Yun Qian Meng understood. He was a family man with principles, but did he have to stoop so low as to converse with her father and arrange a marriage that she clearly didn't want?

Yun Qian Meng suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion pass over her. She looked at Chen Yue with resolve and then placed her napkin beside her plate. With a last glance around the table, she got up and bowed.

"My apologies for voicing out my opinions at such a meeting. I've not been able to imbibe the teachings of my parents well."

Yun Qing Yuan's hand fell to his side as he watched his sister ruin the situation further.

'Kid, this is called giving an inch and reaching for a mile. If I don't cut them off right now, who knows how far they will take this conversation.' She gave him a look of apology and slowly left the table.

"Stop right there," Yun Sui Bo called from behind her. Even that evil stepmother of hers left her seat and ran towards her.

"Qian Meng, your father only wants what is best for you. He has a lot of reasons in his mind for his choice. He knows that Bai Ye Qing and you will get along well. If you give it time, you'll be able to see that the two of you are meant to be together."

"Please don't cater to the romantic ideologies you think I hope. I don't care about destiny or eternal love. I only care that I am not being given the shorter end of the stick. And I want to be treated well. You might think I don't know what any of those means, but being treated the way I have been all my life, I know what not to expect." Her monologue ended and she took another step away.

"Qiang Meng... lightning strikes the tallest tree. That is why parents force their daughters to take a step back. The higher you go, the more pain you will be in. Let it go and lead the cushy life you deserve," the woman pleaded.

"I am not scared of the lightning. If God has it in him, let him strike me as hard as he can. I'll be waiting." Yun Qian Meng shook the feminine hand off her shoulder and walked out without a glance back.

She didn't ask the servants to bring her car. Instead, she strolled over to the garage and took matters into her own hands. She rolled out of the garage and through the front gate, the servants bowing their heads and saying nothing to stop her. In the distance, she saw Nanny Yang watching her.

From so far, Qian Meng couldn't discern her expression but she seemed to feel that the woman was looking at her with pride.

- - - - -

Yun Qian Meng slept very well the night before. When she woke up early the next morning, she felt refreshed and ready to take on the world. Everything was fine until she entered her office and saw a file residing on her desk. She sauntered forward and flipped the cover open.

The corner of her lips turned up and she began reading.

The information was solid. It spoke about the achievements of Mr. Bai and how it had taken him thirty years to build a company like his. As expected, he had worked hard throughout his life, paid bribes to officials and officers only when they demanded, but there was no forging of financials or shady business. Just the usual practices in the building business.

The woman was the same. She didn't have money to her own name but spent her husband's money freely. She was known for her uncouth mouth and flashy clothing in higher social circles. Nothing to talk home about.

What surprised her was the name Bai Wenxi. An older son whom she had never heard about. He had passed away suddenly five months ago and the doctors chalked it up to an unexpected heart attack. A shot of suspicion crawled up Yun Qian Meng's spine.

She kept referring back to that bizarre dream of hers but something just added up when she looked at that. Didn't Mr Bai pass away from a similar situation in her dream? And why had she never heard of this elder brother? Not even loud-mouthed Chen Yue spoke about this man who was on the brink of taking over from his father. A promising youth who had no vices.

Suspicious. Very suspicious.