Relating to Episode 29 of Love O2O.

Time flew by and before Mei knew it, the day of the staff trip had arrived with a burst of sunshine.

"Hey... no one said anything about a dress code." Li Qiang, the only one not wearing a variation of black and white, grumbled as they headed out to the cars. Even the cars fit the unofficial colour scheme. Xiao Nai, Ban Shan and Li Qiang were all taking their SUV's, while Mei had splurged on a jeep. When people asked, he claimed he was too handsome to continue catching public transport- what if he got kidnapped and sold for his good looks- however the truth was that he'd gone and bought the first car he saw after KO had come dripping into the office one day. Rain and motorbikes were not a good mix, except in the movies, and while they might occasionally act like the leads in a Rom-Com, Mei knew they weren't. No, it was better to buy a car than risk KO in bad weather. Not that he was all that comfortable driving. He'd never needed to learn when he was living at home and once he was in the dorms they walked everywhere, or he caught a lift with the guys. Which is why KO was the one with the keys.

"Hey Mei, it was supposed to be a fair competition. But you straight up let KO in the back door!" Li Qiang's comment was backed up by the others. Unperturbed, KO slung his backpack into the car and stood in the open door, waiting for everyone to get their teasing out of their system.

Mei advanced on Li Qiang. "He can cook, do laundry, wash dishes, and mop floors. Can you? Can you?"

Each question was punctuated with a poke to Li Qiang's chest. He put his hands in the air and backed up.

"But I have such precious hands. Of course I can't do such menial work."

"Well if you can't, then shut up. Hurry and get in the car."

Maybe he closed the passenger door a bit too firmly, but darn that Li Qiang. Why did he have to remember his offer for someone to stay? Didn't he know Mei only made the offer because he was backed into a corner? KO reached over and ruffled his hair, before pulling the Jeep out of the car park to follow Xiao Nai's and Ban Shan's cars. Mei frowned at KO.

"What was that for?"

"You're cute when you pout."

"Zhu tou."

A cough from the back seat caught their attention.

"Please don't forget you have company," Wang Wei leaned between the front seats. "I don't think my heart could take it if I see KO acting like a human rather than a statue. The sweet would rot my teeth."

"What would rot your teeth? You're an old man- it happens with age." When Wang Wei feigned a direct hit to the heart, Mei noticed KO hiding a smile. If Wang Wei couldn't see the hacker as human than that was his loss. Mei was more than happy to keep KO's smiles a secret.

The three of them chatted while they followed Xiao Nai to pick Wei Wei up from college. It would be more accurate to say that Mei and Wang Wei chatted while KO provided the occasional grunt whenever comments were directed specifically at him. After climbing halfway out the window to wave at Wei Wei, and thoroughly enjoy the fact that someone else was turning pink, not him, Mei leaned back in his seat with a sigh.

"Four days away... laosan sure is good."

"Hmm."

Surprised to get no response from Wang Wei in the backseat, Mei twisted around. Their peer was lying on the backseat with his head leaning against the door. Each time the Jeep went over a bump, the man's head thunked against the handle. Mei blinked at him in surprise.

"He's asleep."

"Hmm." KO took one hand off the wheel and rubbed the back of Mei's neck. "He's been asleep since we hit the highway after picking up Wei Wei."

"That long?" Without noticing what he was doing, Mei reached up, putting his hand over KO's. "How can he sleep in that position?"

"Everyone is still exhausted after getting ready for the demo."

"I guess so. He's sleeping like the dead though. Are we sure he's still alive?" Mei's phone rang and he let go of KO's hand so he could fish the phone out of his pocket. One look at the caller I.D and he hung up on the call, turning the phone off and tossing it in the center console. Lips down turned, he stared out the window. Laosan had assured him that nothing could be done while they were away, so he determined not to think too hard about things he couldn't control.

"Who was it?"

"Ma."

"Still crying?"

"The crying is harder to listen to than the shrieking. But the crying is starting to sound purposeful."

"Purposeful?"

"I get the feeling that she's planing something even more outrageous than her last attempt to marry me off."

"I didn't think that was possible."

"Yeah... but if anyone can do it, Ma can. And after my serious case of 'foot in mouth' syndrome, she'll be planning some sort of intervention." Mei sighed. "It's harder to hang up on her than it is when Pa rings. Someone finally told him I majored in Business and he's taken that as his cue to try and push the company angle. I have a responsibility to the family name, the family business, the company employees.... you name it, I apparently have a responsibility for it."

"You should let me answer for you."

"No... I can't do that to you."

"Let me take care of you."

Mei chuckled. "You already do. Who has been making me congee for breakfast every morning and not even letting me put the aloe on by myself?"

"It's the least I can do. It's my... responsibility...."

"Oooh... he jokes. Be still by beating heart." The pair smiled at each other, unaware that the sleeping beauty in the back seat had woken up. Wang Wei cushioned his head with his arm and kept his eyes closed. To begin with, he'd been too stunned at hearing KO speak in full sentences, to let them know he was awake. Then the conversation turned personal and as educational as it was, he knew Mei wouldn't want him knowing he was having family trouble. Hearing KO make a joke, albeit a very cold joke, almost made him blow his cover. He swallowed his laugh, covering it with a sleepy snort.

Folding his arms over his chest, Mei pouted at his partner.

"I thought we agreed it was more my fault than yours?"

"I never agreed."

"You stopped arguing though."

"You were happier thinking you'd won."

"Arrogant..." when KO ruffled his hair, Mei pushed his hand away. "I can blame you if you want. Especially if this trip goes poorly. Argh. I can't believe we're staying at such a high class resort and I can't enjoy all of it."

"What? Why not?"

"It has a huge pool with a glass roof: I wanted to go swimming with you at night so we could see the stars... seeing as you ruined my romantic gesture with the keys."

"We can still do that."

"No. We can't."

"Why not?"

"Have you forgotten about these?" Mei lifted his shirt up, the bruising around his torso still visible in a dark purple that was only just starting to mottle into greens and yellows. In the back seat, peering through slotted eyes, Wang Wei was only able to see Mei lifting his shirt. Curiosity itched at his brain. Tucking his phone down the side, near the door, he quietly sent off a group text to all other members Zhi Yo Technologies who were on the trip... all others except for Xiao Nai and Bei Wei Wei. He knew them well enough to know that neither would cooperate with the plan starting to emerge from that itch.

"Ah..." After a few days of tending to his lover, and Mei's physical reassurance that a bit of bondage hadn't traumatised him, KO was starting to feel a deep satisfaction whenever he saw the bruising. Even more than the possessive love bites he'd previously marked Mei with, these bruises were a demonstration of his lover's surrender to him... and he was finding he quite liked that.

"We can go swimming when everyone else has gone to bed."

"But what will I say for why I'm not swimming through the day?"

"Say you can't swim."

Mei scoffed. "Yeah right. I grew up next to the ocean with a lap pool in the backyard. And I can't swim."

"You're a Young Master... isn't the pool for lounging next to, not swimming in?"

"Ay, this man...." movement from the backseat reminded Mei that they had company. Thanking the gods that Wang Wei had slept through their conversation, Mei nevertheless guided their subject matter into calmer waters. The discussion about aspects of the game led, somehow, to which paint colours would suit the apartment best. That topic kept them occupied until they pulled into a scenic lookout behind the other cars.

With an elaborate stretch and a yawn loud enough to unblock his eardrums from the drive up the mountain, Wang Wei 'woke up'. His performance was unappreciated however, as both KO and Mei had got out to check on the whereabouts of Xiao Nai and Wei Wei.

Unbeknown to the HoK couple, the phones of their peers were overheating with secret plans. It wasn't going to be the relaxing weekend Hao Mei was looking forward to....