"You do?" His brow furrowed.

She nodded at his confusion. "I'm sorry for taking out my frustration on you. It's not every day I get slapped by my sperm donor or humiliated in front of all my acquaintances." She sniffed.

Mo Qingchen stiffened. "Yun Sui Bo hit you?" His eyes flickered to her face and he could see it was slightly swollen.

The lust he was restraining vanished, replaced by rumbling rage.

Her rain-soaked body quickly felt the full effect of the cool evening breeze once his warmth was gone. Since he was no longer keeping her warm, she started to shiver. Mo Qingchen noticed and pulled out his phone, calling his driver.

Within minutes, they were sitting in his warm and dry car. Mo Qingchen looked so distracted sitting there, dripping water on the plush leather seats. She wanted to know what he was thinking. What had possessed him to stop her in the hallway? What had possessed him to follow her in a frenzy?

An uncomfortable silence surrounded them.

It was driving her insane.

"Can I ask you a question?" She side-eyed him. Black eyes flickered to her as he nodded.

"What did you mean when you said you would take up the challenge?"

He leaned back into his seat. "I'll tell you when you are dry and warm." He sighed deeply. "But I meant it."

"I have no idea what you would do without me. You can't even express your emotions without being barraged by a thousand questions." A slight pain twinged at her sides as she laughed teasingly, trying to ease the awkwardness.

But he wasn't laughing. His face flashed several emotions before settling on annoyance. "When someone is approaching you on a dark, deserted street, you do not just stand there like senseless prey," he bit out angrily.

"I was planning to protect myself," she argued calmly.

"Really? Exactly how were you going to do that?" His jaw tightened as he stared her down.

"I was going to punch you in the face," Her smooth demeanor was in direct contrast to his.

"That is absurd. As if you could take down an assailant with those small fists." He glared at her manicured fingers with disgust. "What if I had a weapon?"

She shrugged it off. "I can't live my life with what-ifs." She didn't like worrying about things. Though, at that moment, she had realized how defenseless she actually was. "I don't walk around on streets, for one. And if it makes you feel any better, as soon as I find some time, I promise to become a ninja."

Suddenly, she noticed that her shoes were ruined. She lifted her leg to fully assess the damage.

"Look at me!" he demanded impatiently.

Qian Meng's eyes turned up to his. He was so angry. She frowned at his scowling face.

"Your lack of self-preservation is unacceptable," he paused before adding. "In so many ways."

She lowered her foot to the floor. "And you are too cautious."

"We'll need to shower," she said as the car came to a stop in front of her hotel. "Separately," she added, just to make things worse. "You know… since we're so wet."

She had to laugh at her own ridiculous babbling.

Mo Qingchen laughed too. Good lord, it was boyish. Who would have guessed that his laughter would be so sweet and melodic? The fact that she made him laugh had her grinning like a fool.

Mo Qingchen wasn't a dragon after all. There was hope left for him.

- - - - -

She walked out of the bathroom after a steaming hot shower and saw him sitting on the floor.

"Why are you sitting there?" she asked with the raise of her brow.

"I don't want to get your bed wet," he told her. He was a lot calmer by then and typing away at his cellphone.

"I wouldn't mind if you got it wet. Go in and shower. You'll catch a cold." He looked at her incredulously. "Don't feign modesty. You can wear one of my oversized pajamas for the time being. I'll call the staff to dry your suit."

Mo Qingchen nodded numbly. He scurried into the bathroom and she ventured into the closet to find a pair of clothes that would fit him.

Purple silk pajama set, it was. She walked over and knocked on the door. He opened it a crack and Qian Meng saw his toned arms. The hot water and steam had left a brilliant sheen on his skin. What skincare product did he use? She could only wonder.

She got lost in her thoughts for a second before shaking herself awake and pushing the towel and clothes into his hand.

She sat down on her bed and dialed the dining room for room service. She heard him groan inside the bathroom and snickered.

Soon enough, he was out, wearing her clothes and looking mighty fine in them.

"I ordered some sushi and rice bowls for us. We didn't eat anything today…" she trailed off. He was towelling his hair dry and plopped down on the bed like he owned the place.

Which he did.

They remained silent for the longest time, both drying their hair and looking through their cellphones before the doorbell rang.

"I'll bring it," he offered and shot to his feet. He sauntered to the door and opened it to find a gaping female employee. "Thank you," he said politely and took the plates off the woman's hand.

He shut the door and went back, leaving the woman a bumbling mess. There was a man in Miss Yun's room and it was the Young Master of the Mo family. What exciting gossip.

But they knew better than to spread the word. They'd never get a job in this industry if they spilled the secrets of the rich and famous.

He placed the plates on the dining table and called for her. She padded to the table and saw him setting everything up. She noticed with a hint of warmth that he placed the dishes she enjoyed more on the other side of the table.