Sheng Mumu did not expect to run into Qi Mo by the roadside.
In the spacious back seat of the car, Qi Mo leaned against the leather seat with his legs slightly spread, his posture naturally relaxed.
His knee rubbed against Sheng Mumu's knee, seemingly accidental.
She was about to shift away a little when the man's mellow, deep voice interrupted her train of thought.
"What did she talk to you about? Did she offend you?"
Sheng Mumu instantly understood he was referring to Qu Hui.
She glanced at the driver's seat.
The driver kept his eyes steadily on the road.
Being able to work by the side of someone like Qi Mo, keeping one's mouth shut was the top prerequisite.
But with the conversation involving Qi Shaobai's background, Sheng Mumu was reluctant to discuss it with a third person present. She did not immediately respond to Qi Mo.
Suddenly, the small partition between the front and back seats slowly rose up, isolating the two spaces.
"It's fine, they can't hear anything up front," Qi Mo gave her a reassuring look.
At the same time, she noticed the corner of the man's lips quirk up slightly.
It seemed to be a kind of... approval, for her considerate discretion.
Sheng Mumu relayed the main points of what had happened, focusing on Qu Hui baring her heart and looking down on her. She did not elaborate too much on that part.
Firstly, she felt Qi Mo would not want to hear all that. She simply summarized it in one sentence, "She seems to like you a lot," and saw the man's eyebrows furrow, not bothering to hide his irritation.
Secondly, complaining too much would make it seem like she was tattling and asking him to stand up for her. Since she did not take Qu Hui seriously at all, naturally she would not keep mentioning her either.
Qi Mo gazed at her with inscrutable eyes, the color difficult to discern.
He noticed that when she spoke, she was always vivid and beautiful, with bright eyes.
Probably mindful of the driver up front, her voice was lower than usual, yet still clear and melodious.
Recalling how she had hesitated and waited for the partition to fully rise before speaking, a trace of obscure delight rippled through him.
She had been considering him.
Sheng Mumu did not notice the shift in the man's emotions. After finishing what happened with Qu Hui, as if thinking of something, she said,
"Oh right, I went to the hot springs this afternoon. The manager there asked if I needed dinner arrangements and I asked him to deliver some hot pot ingredients to the villa. We'll just eat in tonight instead of going out. What do you think?"
Qi Mo mildly responded, "That's good."
"Then it's settled, we'll eat in the villa." Sheng Mumu smiled.
Due to being outside the car earlier, the tip of her nose and ears were still flushed pink from the cold.
Thinking about the spicy hot pot they would have tonight, she felt happy.
It was only July. If they were in Jing City, she would never consider having hot pot.
The stickiness and sweat were unbearable.
But Shen City's weather was completely different from Jing City's. Plus, with the snowy scenery in plain view of the resort, eating hot pot here had a unique flavor.
Qi Mo understood that her sudden mention of these things was definitely not just to discuss what to have for dinner.
Rather, she did not want to keep talking about Qu Hui bringing up Qi Shaobai's background, unwilling to make him recall unpleasant memories.
She was clever, knowing how to subtly steer the conversation away from sensitive topics.
He admired her intelligence, always feeling relaxed around her.
However, this time, he did not intend to go along with her change of topic.
He loosened his tie, fingers deft.
While Sheng Mumu was still thinking about whether to have carbonated drinks or fruit juice with the hot pot, a large hand suddenly covered her hand resting on the seat, patting it twice.
It was like the most natural physical gesture between chatting spouses.
Qi Mo's compelling gaze followed.
"Did she speak rudely to you just now?"
His tone was light yet carried a kind of indescribable domineering firmness.
As if determined to get to the bottom of it.
Sheng Mumu paused briefly.
Perhaps it was in this moment that she truly felt the man's aura of control and suppression.
It was not the aloofness cultivated from long-term power.
But the confidence ingrained in him from birth, supported by his innate talents and abilities, fused into his very bones, blood, and sinews.
Enveloped by the powerful aura, Sheng Mumu did not dare lie:
"The tone was impolite, but she was just talking to herself. I was too lazy to respond."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw him narrow his deep-set eyes slightly.
The hand covering her wrist tightened perceptibly.
The sharp lines of his jaw obviously tensed, his obsidian eyes unfathomable, emotions indiscernible.
This was the second time she had seen such an expression on this handsome, rugged face.
The first time was in the Qi Group building's parking garage when he took the post-it note from her car.
Seeing that he did not want to avoid the topic, Sheng Mumu asked directly:
"Does she know about Qi Shaobai's background? Could she spread it around and cause trouble?"
She also hoped this woman would not throw the Qi family into chaos.
Although there was only a monetary and fragile contractual relationship between her and the Qi father and son before, after spending time together, now she truly cared about them.
She did not want to see this man, whose back was always straight, and the outwardly rebellious but inwardly sensitive seventeen-year-old boy, hurt by rumors.
The man's pupils were jet-black as ink, staring at her unwaveringly.
The broad palm slowly moved from her wrist, up, to the top of her head, ruffling her hair.
His long fingers slid down her hair to the ends, lingering briefly for a few seconds before withdrawing.
The motion was gentle and restrained.
Without crossing that blurred boundary line in their "contract marriage".
Sheng Mumu blinked blankly, her watery eyes confused and flustered, inexplicably endearing.
Along with the subtle sensation on her head came the man's low, magnetic voice:
"It's fine as long as you're not affected. Don't worry about the rest, I'll make sure she stays silent forever."
That chilling line of words jolted Sheng Mumu out of her daze.
She hesitated, stammering as she lowered her voice to ask:
"Silent forever...k-kill..."
The man's expression suddenly relaxed. Low, muffled laughter emanated from his chest.
The handsome corners of his eyes slowly curved up, a smile hinted in his voice:
"Not what you're thinking."
Sheng Mumu clutched her chest and let out a breath.
Scared to death.
If she knew the man sleeping next to her every day was some unfettered outlaw, she really would be scared to death.
Qi Mo's gaze slid to the side, looking out the window.
His eyes did not focus, seemingly lost in thought.
The snowy scenery outside set off his sharp side profile even more coldly.
Sheng Mumu did not ask how he planned to deal with Qu Hui.
Some things were better left unsaid plainly.
The understanding and wordless communication that should exist between adults their age, they had long since developed.
But the main reason she lost the inclination to ask more was not just because of that.
Sheng Mumu lowered her eyes to the culprit that had stopped her curiosity and disrupted her thoughts——
The large hand still covering her wrist.
With the clothing in between, she could not feel the actual temperature.
She guessed his hand must be warm.
Otherwise, why was her palm damp with sweat?
She also could not figure out exactly what this feeling was.
Unlike before at the banquet, or in front of the villa district madams during their affectionate act.
This time, it was completely private, just the two of them.
The tenderness and possessiveness he had unintentionally revealed for that brief moment when stroking her hair.
She could tell.
And he knew she could tell...
