Chapter 15: Frankly Asking, "Do I Need to Know?"
15
Under the lamplight, Fang Huaixu's eyes still gleamed with lingering desire. Meng Yao, bewildered, quickly stood up and chased after him: "Wait, what do you mean...?"
"That means I've accepted your payment," he said calmly as he stood up, his expression and tone returning to normal, even carrying a hint of deliberately suppressed coldness. "And next time, I hope you won't choose this method."
Meng Yao's eyelashes were still damp, her face was pale, and she tilted her head in confusion, the faint red mark left on her neck particularly glaring.
Fang Huaixu's heart seemed to clench at the sight. He avoided her gaze and spoke with even greater conviction: "I really can't be considered a gentleman. I'm a man with normal physiological needs and emotions. I can't remain unmoved by such a sight. This way of repaying is not a pleasant thing for either of us."
Seeing that Meng Yao did not react, he convinced himself to take a step forward and stand at the boundary between light and shadow, still maintaining a safe distance from the bed: "I understand your unease, and I don't want to ignore the pain you have suffered because of your family and past environment. Since I have taken advantage of this marriage and occupied your youthful years, I should also take some responsibility for you."
He paused for a moment, then his objective and serious tone softened and became more candid: "Besides, neither of us can do it. To have a relationship with someone you have no emotional foundation with, and to continue like this, would be disrespectful to each other, wouldn't it?"
Meng Yao was speechless at his words. Every word he had said rang clearly in her ears. She stubbornly gritted her teeth, but shame burned within her like a flame, and a strange, inexplicable wavering arose deep in her heart.
He actually refused... in a way that was almost cruelly straightforward, he preserved the dignity she had almost lost herself.
Her thoughts were in disarray, and her words became hesitant: "But I don't know how to adjust my mindset. I can't come up with the money you invested..."
"Then we can use other methods."
Fang Huaixu interrupted her, as if he had expected this: "I remember you're a very good cook. If you really feel bad about it, and you don't want to accept it for nothing after I helped you, then cook a meal for me."
Meng Yao paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked up at Fang Huaixu's gentle eyes and brows: "I'll be going home a lot recently. To be honest, ever since I moved out of my family home six years ago, I've become very picky about food. No matter how many chefs I go to, it always tastes the same. Over time, I stopped paying much attention to what I eat. But since you moved in, I've found that I really like what you make."
Meng Yao was stunned. Using cooking to replace millions of dollars in investment—even a fool could tell how absurd that reason was.
This was just another way for Fang Huaixu to make amends for her, a way for her to repay the debt with a clear conscience without hurting her self-esteem.
She opened her mouth, wanting to point out that the deal was not equitable, but she felt helpless and couldn't come up with a better solution.
Fang Huaixu seemed to see through her thoughts, shook his head seriously and said, "In your opinion, the numbers that I can earn back with one or two projects are so important that you would give up your own will to repay them. But in my opinion, being able to eat a meal that suits my taste every day is more important than those numbers."
“What you consider precious, I may not care about; similarly, what you consider insignificant, I may find valuable. Isn’t the essence of a transaction that both parties agree to and are satisfied with the conditions offered by the other? That’s what fairness is.”
Meng Yao was dizzy from his explanation, but looking at his face, which looked especially clear and handsome under the light, her flustered emotions felt as if they were being soothed by a warm hand.
This strange and absurd suggestion somehow calmed her down. She slowly sat up and remained silent for a long time before nodding in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "...Okay."
Fang Huaixu breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxed, and he chuckled as he patted her head: "Okay, it's late, you should get some rest."
After saying that, he turned and left the room without looking back, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
Meng Yao sat blankly on the bed, her heart still pounding wildly, her cheeks showing no sign of cooling down after his departure.
Why does this person like patting heads so much...?
The weight on her head seemed not to have dissipated at all; her mind was filled with Fang Huaixu's words and that disordered kiss from before.
The lingering warmth on her neck was still there, and she subconsciously touched that dark red skin, as if it had been branded with a small mark that was hard to ignore.
However, Fang Huaixu was far from being as calm as he appeared.
As soon as he got back to his room, he took a cold shower, trying to get his body and mind back to normal.
But the more he tried to clear his mind of those thoughts, the more his brain would try to remind him of the sensory stimulation that was being washed over by hormones.
He couldn't help feeling a dryness in his throat, and a wave of regret washed over him.
He originally wanted to propose this fair trade plan earlier, but he never expected that her kiss would disrupt things to the point of losing control.
This was the first time he had been in such close contact with a woman. He had never imagined that another person's body could be so warm, that their hand could be so small, or that the touch on their lips could be so soft.
His mind was filled with her breath, her words, and her gently trembling gaze.
He really overestimated himself.
He has devoted himself to his career all these years, and throughout his life he has always adhered to the gentlemanly principles of self-discipline and propriety. He has never experienced anything like this before, so how could he possibly resist such an overwhelming temptation?
He himself had to admit that if he didn't deliberately suppress that desire, he would really be a rather shallow person.
When that kiss happened, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to her cheeks, lips, and undulating body, and even his breath became hot.
A primal urge made him want to simply turn over and hug her, or just rub against her with that novel warmth, throwing all those worldly conventions to the winds.
Just as this idea was about to break free of its constraints, reason suddenly emerged, giving him a rude awakening and making him feel ashamed and embarrassed by his lack of self-control.
Therefore, he must prevent such a thing from happening again.
The next morning, Fang Huaixu woke up as usual, his mood and condition had returned to normal.
When he finished getting ready and went downstairs, he was surprised to smell the aroma of food coming from the restaurant.
He paused slightly, and after taking only a few steps, he saw Meng Yao busy in the kitchen.
She turned around and met his gaze, and the two of them simultaneously looked away.
Meng Yao placed the last plate of stir-fried vegetables on the table and looked at Fang Huaixu, who was standing not far away: "Aren't you... coming over?"
Fang Huaixu assumed she already knew that last night was just an excuse he made up and would easily dismiss it. He was surprised that she actually got up and made breakfast: "How come you...really made breakfast?"
Meng Yao jolted as if she'd been poked: "Didn't you say you wanted to eat that yesterday?"
Fang Huaixu helplessly relaxed his brows, sighed softly, and walked to the dining table in a cooperative manner: "Yes, what I mean is, I forgot to say last night that I don't need to make breakfast. I leave early every morning, and you may not be able to make it in time."
Meng Yao shifted her gaze and sat down, muttering softly, "I don't know, but it's already done."
Fang Huaixu, not wanting to spoil the mood, said, "Thank you."
He sat down as well. In front of him were two bowls of rice porridge. Apart from eggs and side dishes, Meng Yao had prepared a total of six dishes.
A family-style Manchu Han Imperial Feast for breakfast.
His gaze slowly shifted from the food to Meng Yao. Meng Yao knew she had made too much, and, unable to save face, she tried to argue, "I called Uncle Zhou, so I made a bit more."
Seeing the girl who was so arrogant yesterday, scolding everyone she met, now blushing and unable to find a more reasonable excuse, Fang Huaixu couldn't help but chuckle at the inexplicable cuteness of this contrast.
Meng Yao dropped the pretense and glared at him: "If you're not eating, what are you laughing at?"
Fang Huaixu shook his head: "As for Uncle Xiao Zhou, he'll probably have to lean against the wall to get out of the house today."
Meng Yao was annoyed but couldn't find an excuse to make amends, so she simply gave up struggling. Anyway, Fang Huaixu wouldn't keep bringing up other people's embarrassing moments.
The two began eating in silence; the atmosphere was quiet but not awkward.
After taking a few bites, Meng Yao seemed to have mustered up her courage and said softly, "I was too busy arguing yesterday, but I still want to thank you for helping me resolve my work issues."
Fang Huaixu wiped his mouth calmly: "No need to thank me. I made the decision without asking your opinion beforehand. I should be the one thanking you for this generous meal."
Meng Yao's cheeks flushed slightly, but her eyes remained fixed on him: "Didn't I also not ask you if you wanted to eat breakfast?"
“But I have already chosen to enjoy it,” he said, his words carrying a deeper meaning, making it clear: “So you can also choose to accept my reward without hesitation.”
"I can't."
Meng Yao felt a chill run down her spine, unconsciously poking at the porridge in her bowl with her spoon to hide her embarrassment, but her tone remained as decisive as ever: "Last night you led me astray. When I said I didn't want to owe you a favor, it wasn't out of gratitude or guilt for what you did for me, but because I wanted to be able to move forward in the direction I wanted without any burdens in the future. So I wanted to repay you, but I didn't care whether it solved your immediate problem or not. As long as you accepted it, I felt it was equivalent, so I considered the repayment complete. However, I really couldn't fool myself with the ridiculous deal we made last night."
Fang Huaixu was about to say something when Meng Yao added, "But I think what you said makes a lot of sense. There are many kinds of transactions, and I have many ways to get a return. There's no need to choose this method when you don't want to."
Seeing that she was clear-headed, Fang Huaixu agreed and said no more, only teasingly remarking, "Your way of speaking is more interesting than before."
Meng Yao said shamelessly, "You're the one who told me to be more genuine, and I like my frank side too."
Fang Huaixu couldn't help but chuckle again: "Yes, that's good."
Meng Yao also breathed a sigh of relief and looked at him inquisitively: "So last night I was also thinking about what kind of person you need that I can give you. I thought about it for most of the night and realized that I don't seem to understand you at all."
Fang Huaixu paused slightly: "Do you need to know?"
Meng Yao looked at him with unwavering eyes: "Yes, it is necessary."
Their eyes met until Fang Huaixu gave in, put down his cutlery, and said solemnly, "Okay, we've been married for a while now, so I should really formally introduce you to my family and past."
Author's Note: This will be posted on the 28th, no update on the 27th [droopy-eared bunny head emoji]. Two chapters will be updated on the 28th [heart emoji].
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