Chapter 13 Heartbeat "My Heartbeat"

13

The two returned to the apartment in silence.

Meng Yao bent down, took off the high heels that had tormented her all day, and stepped barefoot onto the cold floor. She didn't look at Fang Huaixu behind her; her back was stiff until the light was gently turned on.

The familiar, light fragrance still lingered in the air. She knew Fang Huaixu had been watching her, but even though the lights were on, she avoided looking back at him. Instead, she changed into slippers and casually took a wet wipe to dry her hands. Suddenly, she realized that she had become incredibly familiar with this place without even realizing it.

After all, he and Fang Huaixu had already spent a month in this space.

She paused, finally choosing to face the problem head-on, and turned to look at Fang Huaixu.

He did indeed follow her the whole time, and when he saw that she wanted to communicate, he took off his suit jacket, casually put it on the back of a chair, and looked at her.

The two were a few steps apart, the air tense like a fully drawn bowstring.

"you……"

They spoke almost simultaneously, then paused at the same time.

After a long silence, Fang Huaixu spoke calmly: "You go first."

Meng Yao sighed calmly, "I don't know where to begin. Just ask me whatever you want to know."

Seeing her looking so alarmed, Fang Huaixu walked to the bar with complicated thoughts, poured himself a glass of water, but didn't drink it. He just held it in his hand and said, "At today's wedding, Lin Yue's friend mentioned... your live stream. I didn't know about it beforehand."

really.

Meng Yao's heart raced a little, but she still forced herself to face it calmly: "I thought Lin Tianhai told you that I have a part-time job doing online live streaming for an entertainment company."

Fang Huaixu seemed to be thinking: "I know part of it. What kind of content do you usually stream?"

“Lin Yue is a singer who is very popular online. I look a lot like Lin Yue and I’m using her popularity to attract traffic to myself.” Meng Yao’s breathing gradually tightened. She originally wanted to be honest about everything, but she couldn’t help but hide the more unsavory details: “I mainly rely on imitating her style and talking about controversial topics to attract her fans, or the traffic and rewards from her haters.”

Is this type of live streaming highly profitable?

Fang Huaixu pondered, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. The frown between his brows deepened, or rather, this was completely beyond his comprehension: "The controversial topic you mentioned? You mean..."

He paused subtly for a few seconds, then asked, "Are you referring to the kind of topic you and Lin Yue discussed in the restroom today? It was quite a hot topic?"

What controversial thing was said in the restroom?

Meng Yao frowned and thought for a moment. It was probably those sarcastic and mocking things she had said to Lin Yue.

She was truly exhausted, and a hint of coldness crept into her eyes. She decided to throw caution to the wind: "You could be more direct. You're asking if I usually portray the same shrewish image in my live streams as I do today, right?"

“That’s not what I meant,” Fang Huaixu released his cup, his tone remaining objective: “I don’t use the internet much, so I wanted to understand the nature of this job. If you think…”

"That's right, just as you think."

Meng Yao interrupted him. Her anger, suppressed all day, now burned even brighter, and her voice unconsciously rose: "Exactly as you think. This is my daily life. She's absolutely right. I'm just imitating her, feigning madness, putting on a smile, parroting others, and relying on a few tips to keep me alive. Mr. Fang, isn't it a bit too late to start assessing the potential risks of my partnership? Or is it only now that we need to recalculate the negative impact my profession has on you? Why weren't these things clarified before the marriage?"

Fang Huaixu was stunned, seemingly not expecting her to interpret his question in this way. Recalling his words, he was about to speak when he said, "I didn't mean to discriminate..."

“No need to explain, I find this kind of life disgusting myself,” Meng Yao interrupted him again, the mocking smile on her lips deepening. “Is it that I don’t want a more decent life? Have you people who were born on cloud nine ever experienced what it’s like to wallow in the mud? I don’t care how many people look down on me, how many people step on my back and laugh at me. For me, survival is my only principle.”

She took a step forward, her gaze sharp as she looked him straight in the eye, no longer concealing her emotions: "Attention-seeking? You probably think it's a despicable term, but it's the only way I can make the most money the fastest right now. I don't need your approval, I don't need your understanding, I don't need any of you to respect me. I'm going to live a wretched life in this way that you see as the most despicable and wretched. What the hell is face? I need to be well-fed to have dignity, so that one day I can repay you a thousandfold for what you despise!"

She finished speaking in one breath, her chest rising and falling slightly, her eyes stubborn and cold, like a cat whose fur had suddenly stood on end. It took her a long time to calm down and say, "If you find it unbearable, if you think I am vain, disgusting, jealous, and a disgrace to your Fang family, you can go to Lin Tianhai to end this farce."

She was utterly exhausted. She pulled up a chair, sat down, covered her head, and slowly lowered her head, as if she had exhausted all her strength.

I have absolutely no clue.

What should we do next, and how should we explain this to Lin Tianhai?

But she's had enough of this life of constant fear, being excited in the live stream while acting nonchalant in front of her grandmother, and now she also has to find the time to maintain a respectful relationship with Fang Huaixu.

She was just a girl in her early twenties, and she had really reached her limit.

Never mind, it's worth it to have a good time. Anyway, everything she has now is earned step by step by herself, and there will always be a chance to win it back.

As long as a person is alive, there's always a way out. If you can't stand this kind of life, there are always other solutions.

She was already planning for the days to come, unaware that Fang Huaixu had fallen completely silent.

He simply looked at her intently, as if he were finally seeing her clearly for the first time, sensing the intense emotions and profound humiliation hidden beneath her calm exterior.

A crack appeared in the usual calm mask on his face. After a long silence, he took a deep breath and said in a low voice with unprecedented sincerity, "Meng Yao, I'm sorry."

Meng Yao's chaotic thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a question: "Does 'I'm sorry' mean you're preparing for a divorce? Or does it refer to future arrangements?"

She didn't move, preparing to continue listening to Fang Huaixu's statement.

“It was my fault,” he continued, his gaze falling on her thin back. “I’m used to communicating by first assessing the value, and I’ve neglected your feelings. You might have thought my tone was condescending and critical, but I didn’t mean to belittle you. It’s just… I don’t really understand this industry, and I wanted to understand your situation first.”

"Do you understand now?"

Meng Yao sounded tired as she raised her heavy head to look at him: "So what do you want to do next? I can accept whatever arrangement you make, but as for Lin Tianhai, you might have to... never mind, I'll talk to him myself."

"No need. If you don't get along with him, then I'll talk to him."

After Fang Huaixu finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and asked Meng Yao for her opinion: "You and he probably don't have a very good relationship, right?"

Meng Yao hesitated for a moment, thinking that she and Lin Tianhai didn't get along, and she really hadn't played the role of a loving father and daughter in Fang Huaixu's eyes much. Anyone with eyes could see that, so it wasn't surprising that Fang Huaixu knew.

However, after thinking it through, she still managed a bitter smile and thanked Fang Huaixu for his kindness in her heart. It was something she couldn't bring herself to say about divorce in the past, but with Fang Huaixu's instructions, Lin Tianhai couldn't say anything more, so he agreed to his plan: "Then I'll trouble you."

Fang Huaixu nodded, his tone softening considerably: "I need to confirm my judgment one last time. What you just said actually indicates that you don't like this job, right?"

Meng Yao had barely felt relieved when she was speechless again at why Fang Huaixu had brought up this inexplicable topic again. But having just vented her anger, she didn't have time to say much more. She simply let out a long breath and said firmly, "I don't like it."

Fang Huaixu was relieved: "Okay, leave this to me. I know you don't have much energy, but I'll try my best to make sure this process doesn't become a burden for you."

A hint of relief flashed in Meng Yao's eyes. She couldn't quite describe her complicated feelings. Although she knew that the two of them would eventually reach this point, she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

But the weight on her heart was lifted, and aside from the uncertainty about the future, she felt much more relaxed: Fang Huaixu was indeed a very good person who hadn't caused her any trouble and had remained so dignified and gentle even at the very end.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work," Meng Yao said, feeling a little guilty for her earlier criticism of him. "I was too emotional today, but thank you very much."

Fang Huaixu seemed about to say something, but looking at her slightly trembling eyelashes and tightly pursed lips, he hesitated for a moment, then finally stepped forward and raised his hand with a stiff expression.

Meng Yao was confused until she felt warmth on the top of her head. Fang Huaixu awkwardly and clumsily touched her head, his movements slow as if he were soothing a frightened little animal.

Meng Yao unconsciously straightened her back, looking at Fang Huaixu with a blank expression, but he had already quickly withdrawn his hand, his calm tone carrying a hint of gentleness: "It's nothing difficult, don't worry. It's late, go back and rest."

Meng Yao was completely stunned. That brief touch was like a drop of warm water falling into a lake, rippling outwards. The resentment and despair that had been weighing on her chest were gradually pushed out by the pounding of her heart.

"...Oh, then I'll go back."

Just as her heartbeat was about to fill her eardrums, she quickly stood up and walked upstairs toward her room.

Even after closing the door, the sound of her heartbeat continued. She instinctively wanted to cover her ears, but before she could, she felt the heat spreading from her cheeks to her ears, and finally realized the source of the heartbeat.

What exactly is this Fanghuai preface doing?

A note from the author:

The next chapter will be available for purchase! Thank you all for your support, I will continue to work hard.

The pre-order is for a sweet story of a broken relationship mended. If it gets a lot of favorites by the end of the month, I'll start updating it then! [droopy-eared bunny head]