Author's Note: I've only watched until about episode 36 of Meteor Garden 2018 and I've made some assumptions about how the show will end. I know there are a bunch of images of them at a wedding but I wasn't sure how far into the future that would be. If they do get married before Shan Cai graduates, then I'll write a new story for that!

Shan Cai POV

"Shan Cai, what do you want to do as a nutritionist?" Dao Ming Si asks nonchalantly. We're sitting side by side at his desk in the Dao Ming Group office. The stupid boy bought a giant matching desk chair for me so that I can sit next him and work. I tell him it's stupid that he spent so much money on a chair when I don't even work for the company but secretly it's one of my favorite places to sit.

...Also, I really enjoy being able to sit next to him like this. He's such a domineering presence that sitting beside him as an equal makes me feel powerful, as if I can take on the world as long as I'm by his side.

I'm reading and writing notes in preparation for an exam and he's doing whatever it is that directors of international business conglomerations do. I know that Dao Ming Group has a very diverse portfolio but I don't care enough to learn about its every part. All I care about is its director and whether or not he's eating and sleeping well.

I pause and bite the back of my pen, "I want to work in food innovation. I want to make nutritious snacks for kids that they'll love and that's affordable."

"That's really thoughtful of you. Do you want to start a snack business?" he asks without looking up from his screen.

I go back to writing, "Not necessarily, I'm more interested in creating the snacks."

"So where do you want to work right after you graduate then? What company?"

"Hm, right after graduation I want to work at an elementary school as a nutritionist. I hear it's a great environment for new graduates and I'll learn what kids like to eat! I'm looking at elementary schools for openings."

"How long would you like to be a school nutritionist?"

I shrug, "Three years maybe?"

"So after three years you would like to start a business?"

I put my pen down and turn to look at him, "Why do you keep asking me about starting a business?"

He shrugs, "I'm working on the business plan for your snack company."

"You're making up a snack business as a mental exercise or something? Is this what you do instead of sudoku or crosswords?" I scrunch my face at him.

"No, I'm making a business plan for your future snack company," he reiterates casually.

"What?! I never planned on making a snack company!"

He raises a cock eyebrow at me, "Shan Cai, you said you want to work in food innovation for children's snack food. Don't you need a snack company to do that?"

"Dao Ming Si! I don't want to run my own business!"

"That's no problem, you can just focus on creating the product and someone else can deal with the business side of things."

"But I don't want to own a business, it's too much!" My heart starts to pound at the idea of being in charge of something like that. Sure, I've helped out with my mom's business but knowing Dao Ming Si, his plans are bigger than a small catering service.

"So what, you're going to work for some other company and make another man richer?!" he says seethingly.

"What? No, I'm not even thinking about that!" I am starting to get a migraine.

"You're going to be my wife! If you're going to use your talents anywhere, it had better me for our company!" he shoots back with folded arms.

Our company? For the first time since getting engaged, I'm starting to see how our impending marriage is going to affect our professional lives. Up until this point, this marriage seemed personal to me. I'm starting to feel anxious; he really is a lot to take on.

"Dao Ming Si, I don't know what you expect of me but I don't know how I'm going to start a business. I really don't want to use your family's money to start a business that might not be successful…"

He swivels his chair to face me and he has his arms folded, "Shan Cai! Once we're married, my family's money is your money too. Besides you're going to be a Dao Ming, the business is going to be successful! We have the best financial advisor in the country working for the company - me!"

I swivel my chair to face him and fold my arms too. I roll my eyes at his cocky self-assured smirk, "Dao Ming Si! I'm not using the money your family made before we were married to start a business even though I'd be married to the country's best financial advisor!"

"Then use your own," he shrugs.

I start laughing. What money is he talking about? I can barely pay him back the 500,000 that my family borrowed ages ago. How could I possibly start a company?

"Why are you laughing? Use your own money, you can afford it!" he reaffirms.

"I can barely afford to pay rent, how am I supposed to afford the capital on a business? You have a degree in business administration, you probably know the state of my finances. How does that work?!" Now I'm starting to get really irritated. Is he making fun of my poverty?

"As your financial advisor, I can tell you that you have about 2,000,000 in your account and it's building interest steadily," he replies matter-of-factly.

I blink at him. What?

"What? How is that possible? Did you put money in my account?!" I jump out of my chair and shake my finger accusingly at him. I'm going to kill him if he put money into my account.

He puts his hands up, "I simply took the money you won from the Chinese Cuisine Cooking Contest, invested it in your name, and it's been growing interest ever since."

"Dao Ming Si! That's your money! I was paying you back!"

"I didn't see it that way. You earned that money! I didn't win a difficult competition!"

"I didn't even win!"

"You won Special Prize which is something they don't give out very often!"

"But I was paying you back! You invested your own money in my name! That's not my 2,000,000!"

"Yes it is! I don't want you to pay me back, I just want you!"

My mouth drops open, "Are you saying you paid 1,000,000 to get me?!"

"Shan Cai! Of course not! I'm saying that if your family needed 50,000,000 I would've given you the money. I told you, you're my life now and I'll do whatever is necessary to keep you happy. If your father went to jail, you'd be unhappy. It's that simple!"

This man is insane. He's talking about millions as if they were chocolates. How can I reason with him?

"We talked about this - we're supposed to be equals! You throwing all this money my way and making me reliant on you makes us unequal!" I fume.

"We are equals! We love each other and take care of each other!" he shoots back.

I rub my temples. How am I ever going to get through his thick skull? "Dao Ming Si, when you throw your money around like this, I feel inferior and powerless. That's not equal."

He stands up and grabs my shoulders, "Shan Cai, you are the most powerful woman I know. You have a willpower and determination that matches mine. You also hold my life in your hands. If you left me tomorrow and never came back, nothing would matter to me. Money is nothing compared to what I get from being with you."

And there he goes, making my heart clench in my chest again. I can live a thousand lifetimes and I still would not be able to understand why this man loves me so much. All I want to do is return what he's given me tenfold. But how can I measure up?

"Dao Ming Si, I don't think I do as much for you as you have done for me. I feel so powerless!"

"Powerless? If you told me that you hated this building, I would tear it all down the next day!"

"Dao Ming Si!"

"If you wanted me to fire everyone in Dao Ming Group, I would!"

"Dao Ming Si!"

"If you told me to leave my family, friends, and inheritance, I would in a heartbeat!"

I shake out of his grasp and push him backwards a few steps, "Dao Ming Si! I would never tell you to do any of those things! That's crazy!"

He steps forward with a smirk, "I know you wouldn't. You know that this lifestyle makes me happy. You know that I'm good at my work and don't want me to settle for anything less than my ultimate potential."

Tears spring to my eyes and I nod, "I don't want you to leave any of this just because of me! I don't want to hold you back. I want to help you but I don't know how."

He takes me into his arms and I bury my face into his chest. He says softly, "Don't you see that's what I want for you too? You've been able to do so much in life with so little. Don't you see that I'm determined to make sure you get anything your heart desires and reach your ultimate potential?"

"But you've done so much for me and I…"

"And you've done so much for me! I wasn't a man till I met you. I needed you. I continue to need you. No one makes me feel like I can do anything. Like I said before, as long as I am happy anything is possible. You make me the happiest."

I pull back without letting go and look him in the eyes. I can see the sincerity. I smile at him, "You make me so happy too. I-I just feel like I don't do anything for you."

"Shan Cai, who goes out of her way to make me delicious breakfast every morning? Who makes sure that I eat three nutritious meals a day and keeps track of my blood pressure, weight, and sodium intake? Who forces me to bed so I can have enough sleep?"

"Dao Ming Si, I…"

"Who talks to the doctor for me because I'm too stubborn to listen?" he asks.

"Of course I had to talk to the doctor! You had bronchitis but kept yelling to leave the hospital without finding out what you had to do with the medicine! You kept saying 'I'm not sick! I'm fine, it's just a stupid cough!'" I respond laughing. Stupid boy.

"Well, who makes sure that that I don't get sick? Who takes care of me every day?"

"Dao Ming Si, that's nothing compared to what you do for me. I'm studying to be a nutritionist. Of course I worry about your health."

"I have a degree in business administration and run a large company - of course I worry about your future. Don't you see, all these spreadsheets and business plans are my equivalent of you taking care of my health?"

I finally understand. These plans are not to control me; they're his affection. I smile at him, "Stupid boy."

He puts his forehead against mine and closes his eyes. I close mine. "Don't you see we need to plan for our future and protect each other?"

I nod, "But you have to start telling me about these plans. You know that I don't like not knowing what to expect, it makes me nervous…"

Suddenly, he pulls back and grabs my shoulders again. Gone is the gentleman and the ill-tempered adolescent has returned. "Were you planning on running away again, stupid girl?!"

"Stupid boy! I told you I wasn't going to run away again!"

"You better not! I'll call the police again and this time I'll let them put you in jail!"

"Dao Ming Si!" I slap his chest hard and he flinches. "You better not! If I get a police record, no one will want to do business with us!"

"Us?" he echoes with a cocky smile.

Oops. I guess I didn't need that much time to get used to the idea of being a Dao Ming. I look down embarrassed, "Yes, we're getting married and people will see us as a unit and I don't to make us look bad…"

He lifts my chin and I see he has a hungry look in his eyes. Well, if he's hungry, what kind of fiance would I be if I didn't feed him? I close my eyes and prepare to be kissed. He takes my face into his hands and puts his lips over mine.

I wrap my arms around his waist and pull him closer. His lips are so addicting. I try to refrain from asking for kisses but he doesn't hold back at all. He tries to kiss me everywhere - especially at inappropriate locations! We get lost in our passionate kiss and forget that that we're in his office.

A throat clears loudly at the door and we pull away. Standing by the door is his blushing secretary. "Sir, um, I need your signature on a few documents. Should I come back later?" she asks nervously.

As he shouts "Yes!", I say "No!" and pull away from him. He looks at me disgruntled but I push him down into his chair. I pick up his pen and hand it to him. I gesture for the secretary to come over and she quickly steps forward.

She smiles gratefully at me as he reviews the documents and signs at the right spots. He's grumbling but he's doing it. I smile back; I know how scary he seems when he deals with other people. I'm scared of him too sometimes but for different reasons.

He scares people because he's domineering and controlling. He scares me because of how much he wants me. His temper doesn't faze me, I match it with my own. But when we're alone and there's a bed nearby… he scares me. He really knows how to cut through my defenses and make me want him back. It scares me how much I desire him in those moments.

When he finishes up, he sits back and tells his secretary that he wants to be notified as soon as the documents have been delivered. He folds his arms and glares at her back as she scurries out of the room. I slap his arm and he yelps. "She interrupted us! She should know better!" he complains.

"Dao Ming Si, you're at work and not at home. It's her job to interrupt you when you're not focused on work!"

"But she should know that when I'm with you, I don't like to be bothered!"

"Stop complaining! You should get back to work anyway and I need to continue studying!"

He puts his hands on the arms of his chair suddenly and he looks like he's about to pounce. He has a mischievous grin on his face and I know I'm in trouble. "I'll get back to work as soon as I get a reward for those important signatures," he says with faux innocence. Oh no, I know what kind of rewards he likes.

Before I can turn and run away, he grabs me and pulls me into his lap! I scream but he covers my mouth with his. I continue to struggle out of his arms but I'm giggling too much to put up a good fight. Finally, I'm able to pull my head away and come up for air. "Dao Ming Si! I'm still mad at you for all the secret planning you've been doing! I don't want to kiss you!" I yell playfully.

He grabs my chin and looks into my eyes with a naughty glint, "If you're mad about those plans then I should probably tell you about the plans I made for our five kids!"

"FIVE! Are you cr-" he cuts me off with another searing kiss.