Mo Qingchen felt her mouth cover his hungrily before he'd even seen the move coming. His body betrayed him and he reached up to grasp her waist, pulling her to him and kissing her ferociously. They devoured one another, the animosity and attraction evident in the force of their kiss.

She towered over him, the closeness of her body forcing him to lean back. Their mouths never separated and he felt her nudging him to turn ever so slightly. He spun his upper body, letting her have her way. Her other hand came up to grab his shirt. She pressed into him, her mouth, lips, and teeth consuming his. He felt her hot breath fan over his cheeks. No sooner had he reached the brink of his control than she pulled her mouth away from his.

"I hope I don't see you again, but I guess it's inevitable. Have a great day." Her eyes pierced his. Mo Qingchen had stopped breathing altogether, his mind turning into mush. Stuck in his own mind, he watched as Yun Qian Meng straightened up and left him sitting there.

She was gone before he could get back his wits.

He sat dumbfounded for a moment and looked around him, noticing a few other patrons staring his way. He turned to the older woman seated next to him and asked, "Did that just happen?"

"For your sake, I sure as hope it did." The woman smirked and turned away.

"This girl. Who taught her this!" He ran his hand through his hair, took in a cleansing breath, and then downed his cup of coffee without considering how hot or bitter it was.

- - - - -

Yun Qian Meng had walked out of the coffee shop and back into her office looking like nothing was wrong. When the door closed behind her, the image changed drastically. She ran to her bag and pulled her mirror out.

Her lipstick was transfer-proof, so not much had smudged onto her face but the slight trace of color on Mo Qingchen's lips flashed in her mind and she groaned.

What possessed her to kiss him like a savage? She just wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine and shut that pretty mouth up. How dare he comment about her clothes when he looked like a hobo? How dare he touch her inappropriately?

Furthermore, she hadn't refused his touch. She hadn't disliked it. The wretched man had played with her like an instrument and she had let him. She had been right to toy with him, she told herself.

Despite her conviction, she found herself pulling at her hair without a word. When she went into the team meeting with the executives, she buckled up and presented a calm facade. The room was crowded and people whispered despite her presence in the room. One could call it rowdy.

Contrary to what Mo Qingchen believed, her executives were of the younger generation. Having joined early in the game, they had climbed the ladder with their sheer work ethic and excellence. So, they were meant to be a rowdy bunch, still not being exposed to the harsh environment of the corporate culture in other companies.

Yun Qian Meng was in a foul mood. She told herself that it had nothing to do with the bastard Mo Qingchen and his constant appearance in front of her in the recent past. She told herself she was not angry at her impulsive reactions.

The result? She was harder on the executives and team leaders than they had expected her to be. She tore apart the recent designs that had been submitted, pointing out their flaws without holding back and berating the marketing and sales team for the slump in sales in the last quarter.

The employees knew by that point that the boss bitch was fuming. They steered clear off her path and glanced pleadingly at Li Min to help them get out of the conference room alive. Li Min ignored their pleas and kept to herself, pretending to be deaf and blind.

As long as she was not at the receiving end of Yun Qian Meng's wrath, she would be fine.

It was around midnight when Qian Meng finally finished her work. She had an investment conference coming up in a couple of days and her schedule would be packed for the week. Li Min entered wordlessly and placed a file on her desk.

Perks of being an entrepreneur. Work can come at any time and you need to finish it. Forget going home or getting sleep. That was a thing of myths. She looked at Li Min calmly, tired out of her mind.

"Why are you still here? Get going. I'll just wrap up these papers and head home." She scrubbed her face with her hands, widening her eyes to get the sting out of them before waving her off.

"I was just about to leave. I have put together your itinerary for your trip. Please go over it." Li Min left and silence engulfed the room again.

Qian Meng signed the marketing report and the plans before closing the file and placing it on the side. Then she leaned over and reached for the slim file that Li Min had brought over.

The file flopped open and the contents became clear. The name of speakers, companies participating, and the schedule was written down in detail.

The flight was in two days. She would have to take the red-eye flight to Paris and reach in the early hours. Post that, she would have breakfast with the other investors, go to the investment conference, and listen to companies present their case for the next ten hours. Once that finished, there would be an after-party where all the stakeholders would participate.

This meant she needed to pack at least one fancy ensemble to wear at the party. Which was good, she was itching to break in the new dress she had received from her personal designer.

She continued reading.