Love O2O- Beyond a Beautiful Smile

Chapter 33- The Talk. Kind of.

A/N: let's celebrate me finishing last weeks assessments (albeit one was reeeeeally late) with a new chapter. I only have one assessment this week (20 min oral presentation- sweet) so I can update this without feeling stressed or guilty! Yay!
And now... who's mind shall we delve in to today?

After KO's ominous words outside the restaurant, the pair somehow ended up at Hao Mei's hotel room. Explaining the situation with his parents distracted Mei from his earlier discovery.

    "Have they really 'bought' your apartment?"

    "Hmm." Mei nodded. He was lying face down on the bed with his feet dangling over the end. KO leaned against the frame of the doorway.

    "What will you do?"

    "I have another place but it has tenants in it. I can wait until their lease is up, or I can use the money Pa transferred for the sale, and just buy somewhere else for me."

    "What if they do the same thing again?"

    "I'll talk to Xiao Nai, get him to buy part of it so it's a business investment. Then they can't touch it without his signature too."

    KO considered that for a moment. "That could work." He wasn't too happy about the situation but right now there wasn't anything he could do about it.

    Mei rolled over on the bed and threw his arm over his eyes. "As for the random women in my bed..."

He shuddered theatrically and KO watched his shirt ride up, exposing a sliver of creamy skin.

    "Lesson learned. My mother is never getting a spare key to my place again."

Sunlight filtered through the gauzy hotel curtain, painting Mei in a soft, golden haze... fuck. KO shook his head. He was in a bad place if he was getting all fucking poetic over sunlight. (A/N: KO, honey, it's not the sunlight you're getting poetic over. And wash that mouth out with soap. Who knew you were hiding such a potty mouth behind that silent demeanour!)

    He cleared his throat. "It's only natural for them to want their son to marry and continue the family name."

    Playing devil's advocate sucked.

    Mei sat up on the bed and stared at him. "What did you just say?"

    "Uh..." He looked at a spot in the wall behind the bed. The other man's face was clouding over and he looked fit to spit fire.

    "Don't worry. I heard it." Mei scowled. "I'm giving you a chance to rethink what you said."

    "As parents, its natural..."

    "No. As parents, it should be natural for them to want the best for their only child. The best being him happy with the choices he has been strong enough to make for himself. The best being a mature, functioning, productive member of society. The best being a son who wants his parents to be proud of him and love him as much as he loves them instead of seeing him as an obedient clay doll that they can mould as they see fit." He rose to his knees on the bed as he spoke, face flushing with anger. KO watched him, heart swelling with pride even while it ached for Mei.

    "If I didn't care about the company, I wouldn't have busted my arse through university. Yes, I majored in Computer Sciences against my father's wishes, but what he doesn't know- because he never bothered to come to graduation- was that I also minored in Business... because I care about his stupid company!" Mei sank down, kneeling in the middle of the bed as his energy left him.

    "Mei..." KO's voice was rough with compassion as he left the doorway, standing next to the bed and cupping Mei's cheek. His thumb wiped away a single tear that had escaped during his outburst. "Why do you always have to choose the hardest path?"