Chapter 354 - Pompous Ass

Xie Changying tore the photos that was sent to her for the night. "That boy doesn't know what he's doing," she muttered under her breath.

She was in her husband's office and he was behind his huge desk with piles of papers in front of him. Take home work. He told her, "We are starting a company. It's important that we are not going to be making any mistakes. The time will come that we will just sit back and watch this baby make us millions. But for now, it needs my attention."

Xie Changying had nothing against her husband prioritizing their business. It was a must. If they wanted to get out of the mafia then they should do whatever they can.

Now her husband laughed. "Just let him be. He will be fine."

"He will not be fine!" she pressed and grabbed a sliced picture of her son from the floor and slapped it to her husband's desk. "Will you look at that face? Does that say 'Father, I am going to be fine'?!"

He smiled back at the picture of his son. "He looks great. He looks happy." Then he took the picture and wedged it between the frame and the glass of one of the photos on his desk. Yeah, that picture belonged there.

He turned back to his wife. "Does that picture scream 'Mother, come and help me!'?"

Xie Changying glared at her husband. "He's going to fall at the deepest pits."

He waved a hand. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. He's having fun. So what if he's fooling around a woman?"

"What if he gets her pregnant?"

"Then, welcome to the family," he shrugged. "So what? It was not like Zihao would need an advantageous marriage," he chuckled. "We're going to be rich enough as it is. He can marry who he wants."

Her jaw tightened in frustration. Just when she thought her husband would side with her on this… "You're going to regret this."

"My son's happiness?" He shook his head. "I don't think so."

**

Qing Zihao knew that his mother was having him followed. He could feel them following him, making his stomach drop and the hairs on his arms stand. When he had undergone his tranings, it was like he had earned himself a sixth sense that would tell him that danger was near—it was something like a superhero quality.

"What did your mother say?" Christina asked him as they were walking around the block again at night. 

"Nothing," Qing Zihao smiled.

"Isn't that great?"

"Not really," he answered, kicking a rubble from a near construction site away. "She literally says nothing. She's giving me the silent treatment."

"Oh," she said, her mood turning down. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be," he sighed. "One way or the other she's going to have to learn to stop controlling my life."

"It's a big part of the culture, isn't it?"

"Well, if you don't follow what your parents want for you, you're going to be labeled as an ungrateful child." He tilted his head to the sky. This part of the town was still fortunate as the light pollution was minimal and they were able to see the stars at night.

"So are you an ungrateful child?"

"No. I… I want to do what I want. I want to be able to decide for myself. And I say, I don't want to go to another blind date. I don't want to marry a pompous ass and be stuck with her for the rest of my life."

"I think you're the pompous ass," Christina joked.

"Yeah, in some other's perspective, I guess I am."

They continued walking. Qing Zihao liked walking with her. She had long legs and he did not need to take smaller steps to prevent distance between them. 

"Say," he began. "Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Ever been kissed?"

She felt her face grew hot. "Once or twice."

Qing Zihao chuckled. "Good for you."

"You?" she asked. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"Eh," he answered. "I did when I was younger. Nothing serious. I had one in high school. Another one in college."

"Has your mother got in the way of your relationship?"

"I think my mother gets in between everything," he smiled. "Well, that's her job, isn't it?" He turned to her. "What were your parents like?"

Christina's mind went blank. "You already know," she said.

"I knew you ran away but I don't know the story behind that."

She breathed out. "My parents are selfish. They only thought about themselves. I didn't come from a wealthy family like yours." She did not know what else to say. "There are parents that deserve to have children. And there are parents who deserve to die. My parents is the latter."

Qing Zihao wanted to ask what her parents had done but he didn't want to impose so he continued walking with her in silence. It was on the last turn that she asked, "What are you doing here, Zihao?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you wasting your time on me?"

He stopped walking and so did she. They were under one of the very few lampposts in the street. "Do I look like I'm wasting my time on you? I like talking to you."

"And?"

"There's no 'and'," he laughed. "What is it that you want me to say? That I just want to spend time with you so that I can get in your pants next week?"

"Next week?! Just what made you think I would let you sleep with me?"

"Exactly," he said. "Why are you even asking anyway?"

She shrugged, looking confused herself. "I don't know. I just want to know your intentions."

That seemed to sober him up as he put his hands in his pockets. "I don't know anything yet. But I just want to hang out with you. Is that too much?"

She shook her head. "Not at all."