Chapter 12

Qi Mo and Qi Shaobai ate dinner quietly like chickens.

It made Sheng Mumu feel embarrassed to even open her phone.

Usually when she was home alone, she would watch variety shows while eating.

Because it was so quiet, she was bored and thought back to what Qi Mo had said last night before going to bed.

He said she could do anything she wanted.

Did that mean if she didn't want to be a full-time housewife, he wouldn't mind if she went out to start a career?

Sheng Mumu had been a little worried before that since the Qi family was so wealthy, Qi Mo would reject it if she brought up wanting to do something.

But now, her concerns were gone.

Sheng Mumu even had a bold idea - why not ask Qi Mo for advice?

Starting a business was just the beginning. There would definitely be a lot to deal with when actually implementing it.

Managing such a large conglomerate, her little startup would be nothing for Qi Mo.

Adults should learn to make good use of all the resources around them.

She secretly decided to try and test the waters with Qi Mo when there was a natural chance.

Just as she was thinking about how to start the conversation with Qi Mo, Qi Shaobai's voice rang out, breaking the quiet at the dinner table.

"Dad, I have something I want to show you."

Without even lifting his eyelids, Qi Mo asked, "What is it?"

Hearing the conversation between father and son, Sheng Mumu's curiosity was also piqued. She looked towards Qi Shaobai.

Qi Shaobai carried a laptop out from his room and opened it on the table. He stood next to Qi Mo with his hands clenched, seeming a little nervous.

Sheng Mumu noticed his hands were clenched, as if he was a little nervous.

Qi Mo's gaze shifted to the computer.

Sheng Mumu also looked over.

On the screen was the backend for an e-commerce website.

The page was simple, and the website functionality was incomplete.

This was something Qi Shaobai had spent a month writing.

Sheng Mumu's eyes shifted between Qi Mo and Qi Shaobai's faces.

Combining what she knew about the plot of the novel, she roughly understood.

Qi Shaobai was showing his self-written program to Qi Mo, hoping to get his father's approval.

When Qi Mo first started his business, he was a typical tech guy.

Later as the conglomerate grew bigger and bigger, he gradually moved away from the technical front lines, shifting his focus to enterprise management and development. Qi Shaobai seemed unruly, but he actually longed for his father's approval all along, taking his father as a goal, wanting to become the same kind of person as him.

Sheng Mumu remembered searching online for Qi Mo's resume before.

He had made his first bucket of gold through a program he wrote himself.

Qi Shaobai probably wanted to prove to Qi Mo that he had the same genes and talents that were inherited.

Qi Mo's expression didn't change much. He just casually glanced at it a few times before shifting his gaze away from the computer.

He said flatly:

"You're still a student. Don't spend your time and energy on these kinds of things."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Shaobai's shoulders sank and his jaw tightened.

This wasn't the result he had imagined.

In his imagination, his dad might have pointed out where he could improve, and given him some guidance.

Or maybe, with a very slim possibility, he might have praised him for doing a good job.

The cold, brief words extinguished all his expectations.

The program he had spent months working on seemed to be of no significance in his dad's eyes.

Sensing the subtle atmosphere, Sheng Mumu shrank her neck, minimizing her presence as much as possible, and silently shoveled the sautéed shrimp in her bowl.

The emotion in Qi Mo's eyes was hard to discern. He glanced at Qi Shaobai.

"You're about to be a high school senior."

That was all he said, not continuing further.

Qi Shaobai already knew what his dad meant. A hint of gloom flashed through his eyes and he lowered his head.

"I know what I should do."

Qi Mo: "Mm."

This "Mm" represented both ending the conversation and hinting that Qi Shaobai could leave now.

Qi Shaobai left without even taking his computer back, going straight to his room.

Bang -

The door didn't close loudly, but it sounded especially depressing to Sheng Mumu.

This was the first time Sheng Mumu had personally witnessed how Qi Mo and Qi Shaobai interacted, and she couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

She knew their relationship was just average, but didn't expect the coldness to be to this degree.

She pursed her lips, but ultimately didn't say anything.

After all, she was a stepmother, and even a fake stepmother.

It wasn't her place to chime in.

After eating a few more bites, she pushed back her chair. "I'm full, I'll go upstairs first."

She thought the taciturn Qi Mo would just give an "Mm" as a response like before.

Unexpectedly, when he heard her speak, he slowly lifted his head, looking over with a gentle gaze, and suddenly asked:

"You've been going out a lot recently?"

He had heard from Butler Zhang that she had been going out a lot lately.

Sometimes she would have the driver take her around the villa district.

She had even taken the initiative to visit two of the neighboring households and added the lady next door as a friend. Sheng Mumu was a little surprised to hear this.

What?

Did he get addicted to controlling his son, and now wanted to control her as well?

"Yeah, so what?"

Although she felt a little unhappy inside, when facing the daddy with the money she still answered calmly.

Qi Mo: "If you find it too boring staying at home, you can go to the vacation villa and walk around. The scenery there is nice. If you want to go, I'll have Butler Zhang arrange it for you."

Sheng Mumu clearly didn't expect him to say this.

She blinked. She felt ashamed for her earlier conjecturing.

Turns out he wasn't trying to control her, but was worried she found being a full-time housewife too boring.

Sheng Mumu's eyes curved into crescents. "I'm not bored at all. I have more than enough to do every day."

Just investigating how many households lived in Xiyu Yue Court, and getting to know the neighboring ladies had already taken up quite a bit of effort.

Qi Mo murmured in acknowledgement. "That's good if you're not bored."

Sheng Mumu suddenly didn't want to leave anymore. She pulled out the chair and sat back down.

She might as well bring up her business ideas while she had the chance.

Now was a good opportunity to ask his opinion.

If she missed today, who knew how long it would be before she saw him again once he got busy.

"Recently I've been thinking of starting a business. Can I get your advice?"

After deliberating for a few seconds, Sheng Mumu spoke up. Then she looked at him steadily, waiting for his reply.

Qi Mo's expression was subtle. Clearly he had never imagined hearing the words "start a business" come from her mouth.

"Start a business?"

"Mm-hmm, start a business," Sheng Mumu put her hands on the table and shifted a little towards Qi Mo. "I want to open a flower shop, is that okay?"

Qi Mo's sharp jawline gradually softened, and a hint of laughter flashed through his jet black pupils.

"Of course that's okay. You don't need my permission to start a business. It's not really asking for advice, just chatting. If you want to talk to me about it, I'm willing to listen."

His response made her feel like a spring breeze was caressing her face.

Sheng Mumu instantly felt the man in front of her had become more handsome.

She cradled her chin in her hands, eyes curved into happy crescents, red lips parted, "I really want to discuss it with you."

He was the most suitable person she could think of to discuss business ideas with.

Sheng Mumu started chattering away enthusiastically about what she had been mulling over the past few days.

"To be more precise, I want to open a flower shop focused on flower delivery services, without a physical storefront. Every day we could deliver fresh bouquets to customers' doorsteps."

"I did some market research. A lot of families here in our villa district have a habit of buying fresh flowers every day."

"There are over 50 households living here. If I could get all their fresh flower business, the profits would be quite considerable."

As she talked, she would occasionally make exaggerated hand gestures, a habit formed from giving PPT presentations to superiors in her previous job.

Gazing at her bright, energetic eyes, Qi Mo felt an indescribable sensation arise in his heart.

It was as if he was looking at his young entrepreneurial self again.

Yet it also seemed he had unintentionally stumbled upon a shining, independent soul.