Chapter 42: Forgot the Reason for Her Hatred

"Never underestimate the market. As a disruptor and founder, you should know that we are always looking for solutions and gaps in the market that we can fill and capitalize on. In that case, if one day we had to collaborate, would you deny yourself that?" Mo Qingchen threw her the fish that she could recognize.

"There are no enemies in making a profit. If we generate high profits, I wouldn't turn away from that. Even if you are my arch-nemesis." Qian Meng smirked. If her plan worked out, she would loop Mo Qingchen into her next investment. He didn't need to know that, though. She would have to wait and boil the frog slowly until it couldn't jump out of the pot.

"Arch-enemies are only created when two people with similar aspirations and personalities clash. It's a waste of energy."

"You seem to cancel out the biggest factor." She stared at him. "Hatred for one another."

The small smile tugging at Mo Qingchen's lips disappeared. "You hate me? Why, exactly?"

"Do I need to report the reason to you?" she answered, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Well, I think I have a right to know why I am disliked." Absolutely had that right. He had done nothing wrong to her. They had encountered one another a handful of times and none of them had been unpleasant. "If it is because of some incident involving our ancestors, I don't want to hear about it."

"Why would I hang onto enmity from dead people or the previous generation?" she asked. She rolled her eyes and tapped her foot, wanting the conversation to move along.

"Then why do you hate me?" He stopped the car in the middle of the road. The horns blared and Yun Qian Meng turned to him in surprise.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. Her cheeks colored with embarrassment as cars pulled over beside them and yelled at them to move. There were some choice words said as well.

"Answer me, Qian Meng." His eyes were hauntingly serious.

"I forgot the reason," she spat. No way in hell she would answer that question.

"You forgot?" His voice became a few pitches higher. She hummed in acknowledgment. Seeing her so apathetic to the situation, he turned the car on and sped away.

He stopped in front of their local cafe and slid out of the car. "Don't you need your daily dose of coffee?" he asked.

It seemed he was really pissed off. Not that she cared.

She followed him after slinging her bag over her shoulder. Instead of standing in the line, he was waiting by the door. It was very polite of him to let her stand in line first but he could have saved them some time. Wretched and petty man.

She reached the front and made her order as usual. But then she searched her bag for her purse, she didn't find it. And her cash app? Wouldn't start.

Terrible day!

Whose face had she seen when she woke up.

The wretched man behind her, of course. A hand came from behind her.

"My usual. I'll pay for both of us."

'Young Master, are you kidding me? I'd never take your treats twice. I feel like I will have to pay back hundred-fold every time.'

He extended a large bill. She could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke. "Keep the change."

Her expression twisted into a frown. To pay him back or to be shameless, that was the question.

The girl behind the counter who saw them every day felt a burst of joy in her heart. 'Sir, she could just open a tab. She's a regular. But for the sake of your romance, I'll pretend this didn't happen.'

They went to the next counter and received their drinks of choice. She took hers first and turned to walk away. She had barely crossed him when she felt his hand grab onto her wrist.

"You don't seem like someone who gets drunk easily. Why did you get so drunk last night?"

Qian Meng thought about her answer. She bit her lip. She didn't know what possessed her but she said the truth. "I get drunk easily when I am comfortable."

She shook his hand away and walked out.

Mo Qingchen stared at his palm, feeling the warmth of her skin still radiating from his where he had grabbed her. He picked up his cup of hot coffee, the feeling replicating that of her hand.

Scorching and necessary.

Yun Qian Meng stormed into her office and closed the door behind her. Picking up her phone she called Li Min into her office.

"Get an intern to turn go to the nearest bank and exchange a 100 yuan bill to the lowest denomination they have... preferably fen." [1] Li Min stared at her for a long while. "Oh, I forgot my wallet. I'll pay you back for the 100 yuan when I have it."

Li Min tucked her head and didn't question. This seemed like a case of petty revenge. The boss wanted to annoy someone by sending them coins. It just seemed wasteful to use the intern's time for her personal pleasure.

She hunted down an intern and apologetically asked her to do Qian Meng's bidding. She pulled out a 100 yuan note from her purse and gave it to the girl.

She hadn't signed up for these tasks when she wanted to become an executive assistant. Was there any guarantee that the boss would remember a petty 100 yuan?

But a debt was a debt. She was now Miss Yun's benefactor, she told herself.

An hour later, the intern came back, red-faced. She handed over a packet to Li Min and scurried away. It seemed that the bank teller had told off the little girl. Li Min shook her head and brought the coins to Qian Meng.

[1] 1 yuan = 100 fen.