Mo Qingchen was engrossed in his work when the communicator buzzed. He looked at it with irritation and saw it was the security team calling him. He tapped on the communicator immediately, sure that Bai Ye Qing had been spotted near the property.
"Is he nearby?" he asked impatiently.
"Mr. Mo. The threat is not in the vicinity. A teenager is looking for you and Miss Yun, though."
Mo Qingchen furrowed his brows as he thought about it. "Description," he asked.
"Teen male. About five foot eight inches in height. Looks polite."
Mo Qingchen blinked. "Turn the video feature on," he ordered.
The video came on and she saw the little man look around the property wildly. He looked up at the camera and his smile widened. He was waving enthusiastically.
Mo Qingchen steeled his heart and looked around to see any sign of luggage but couldn't find it.
"Bring him to the gate. Ask Xiong Hua to lead him to the office," he instructed. He cut the call and then went back to work.
Because of tightened security, the process of bringing Yun Qing Yuan into the house would take longer. The security team was taking the threat seriously, so they patted down Qing Yuan and asked him the purpose of coming before guiding him to the door. They didn't want him running around in the property unchaperoned.
The security team didn't know that this kid was Mrs. Mo's younger brother, so the treatment was gruff. Qing Yuan looked unperturbed as he walked in.
He marveled at the decoration, stopping ever so often in front of a furniture piece or wall extension that he liked. Xiong Hua patiently waited for him to be done with his inspection before finally depositing him in front of the office.
"Please go in. Mr. Mo is waiting inside for you," she said. With a small bow, she turned to leave.
Qing Yuan scratched his head and slid the door open. He peered in and saw Mo Qingchen working seriously at his laptop. He was alternating between writing on the laptop and his notepad.
Qing Yuan knocked on the door and waited for Mo Qingchen to look up. It took a minute before Mo Qingchen looked up. He looked as fierce as always. Without Qian Meng in the room, he had no reason to pretend or be friendly.
But he was courteous. "Come in," he said shortly.
"Brother-in-law, am I interrupting your work?" he asked.
Mo Qinchen felt a hit of sweetness in his chest at the first few words. Last night, he had been preoccupied with getting Qian Meng out of the Yun Sui Bo's house that he hadn't appreciated her little brother.
Though he didn't look cunning, he was smart and regarded people's feelings. This was an excellent quality to have.
"No," Mo Qingchen responded casually. "Why didn't you bring your luggage and stay with us for a few days?" he asked.
Qing Yuan shook his head. "They will think I ran away from home. It will be a storm that I don't want Sis to face," he grumbled.
"You are an adult. You can move away from home if you want," Mo Qingchen told him. Qing Yuan looked up at him, his eyes shining.
"Brother-in-law, thank you," he said suddenly, taking Mo Qingchen by surprise. "I am not like Sis. I can't stay away from the family." He itched the back of his neck, feeling ashamed.
Mo Qingchen frowned. "You're Qian Meng's brother, I don't believe that," he said kindly. "What do you enjoy doing the most?"
Qing Yuan shrugged. "Father wants me to go into business but I don't really like it. I don't have a golden hand, either."
The adversities of being born in a rich family were getting complacent. He didn't need to work to get something to eat, so he never thought deeply about it. But it could also be a form of freedom. He didn't need to work but he could do what he wanted to do without reserve.
"Apart from business, what do you like?"
"Are you doing my career counseling?" he asked with a broad smile.
"Of course not. I am not certified to help you with that. I can only advise you," Mo Qingchen said with a shrug.
"I like to eat and write."
Mo Qingchen blinked. "Are you any good?" he asked.
"At eating? Yes. Don't know about writing, though," he shrugged.
"If you don't have to fuss about money, why don't you explore what you like to do? Eating and writing are both sectors related to consumer enjoyment. You can go the journalist path, where you get to eat and review foods and restaurants. Or you could write fiction. What do you like?"
Qing Yuan thought about it. "Brother-in-law, you make it sound so easy. I am sure it's not!" he claimed. He hadn't considered writing fiction or reviewing things professionally.
"Don't ask me about how to turn this into a profession. I am sure Qian Meng can help you with that more than I can," he said. "But if you don't want to go into business, you don't need to."
His youngest sister, Mo Yize had gone to business school because everyone expected her to. In the end, she had lost her way, too. Actually, Mo Qingchen knew she earned money… good money, but he didn't really know how. He had to find out about this.
Looking at Qian Meng's little brother reminded him that he hadn't spoken to his siblings in a really long time. How were they doing? He wondered.
They spoke about inconsequential things for the most part. Qing Yuan was just as much of a foodie as Mo Qingchen, so they had a lot to speak about. Qing Yuan enjoyed roadside stalls as much as fancy restaurants, so there was a point of debate there.
Mo Qingchen found him to be rather similar to Qian Meng. A little naïve and pampered but nothing bad.
Soon enough, Qian Meng was back. She sprinted to the office and found Mo Qingchen and Yun Qing Yuan seriously speaking about some cuisine she had not tasted. Their conversation had jargon she didn't care about, so she watched them with a pleased smile for a few minutes before Mo Qingchen noticed her.
He paused midsentence and looked at her. "Back?" he asked.