Chapter 17 Mischievous "You care about me that much?"
17
Meng Yao is a strong-willed person, so when Fang Huaixu discovered that the more he tried to do something for her, the more nervous she became, he decided to just help her quietly.
Since it's all just so the two of them can have a reasonably pleasant time, and she's already offered a solution that she herself feels comfortable with, he should just accept it.
That was my initial thought.
However, Fang Huaixu was surprised to find that his work efficiency was unusually slow today.
It wasn't that anything insurmountable went wrong, and it was just another routine task, but between emails, his gaze kept drifting uncontrollably to his phone screen.
He left in a hurry this morning, and after being bombarded with a bunch of "precious values" from Meng Yao, he only realized now that he hadn't quite figured out what exactly she meant by "playing the role of a radiant wife."
Choosing a way he can accept, warming his life, not letting him be lonely... does that mean playing the role of an ordinary lover, just like in a normal marriage?
Distracted for the third time during the meeting, he couldn't help but put down the document and sigh, feeling exhausted and unable to judge whether the decision was right or wrong.
But realizing that her unauthorized decisions and actions would offend her, Fang Huaixu sighed, feeling a strange sensation about this unfamiliar future that was about to arrive.
He didn't dislike Meng Yao; on the contrary, this girl, always full of quirky ideas, often surprised him. But his current feelings weren't entirely resistance, nor were they purely anticipation; rather, they were more of a... subtle tension and worry.
So far, most of Meng Yao's thoughts and actions have been outside his expectations. He doesn't know if this young and lively girl will turn his life upside down. So much so that he is always on high alert whenever he hears a letter or a phone call.
This feeling of being out of control made him slightly uncomfortable, yet strangely it also stirred his nerves.
But Meng Yao didn't send him any messages until evening.
Thinking that she might have made preparations at home, he unusually did not work overtime and left the company at almost the usual time to leave work.
Chen Jie, who always knew Fang Huaixu's movements perfectly, was somewhat surprised to see Fang Huaixu appear in the parking lot on time, but wisely refrained from asking any further questions.
The car drove smoothly back to the apartment. Fang Huaixu stood in front of the door, took a deep breath, and opened the door after confirming that he was prepared to deal with any unexpected situation.
However, none of the outrageous situations expected occurred. The apartment was unusually quiet as always, with only the air purifier making a faint sound. The air was filled with a light fragrance mixed with Meng Yao's faint citrus scent, and everything was as clean and tidy as usual.
He paused for a few seconds, then realized he had come home too early today, and Meng Yao might not be home yet.
Thinking that his early return would give him time to deal with any unexpected situations she might have, he put down the documents he was holding and went upstairs.
But when they reached the second floor, the study door was ajar, and Meng Yao appeared directly in his sight, her back to the door, wearing glasses and holding a laptop, intently flipping through it, her fingertips occasionally tapping rapidly on the keyboard, with many open notes beside her.
Bathed in a pale yellow light, her expression was focused. A few strands of hair fell across her fair cheeks, while the rest were neatly combed up, revealing her handsome profile. She seemed completely absorbed in her own world, unaware of his arrival.
Fang Huaixu had forgotten what he originally planned to do upstairs, and for a moment he didn't know whether he could go in or not. It wasn't until the lingering tension in his heart completely dissipated that he pushed open the door, cleared his throat, and tried to attract some attention.
Meng Yao did notice, but only glanced at it quickly before turning back: "Oh, you're back so soon?"
"Hmm..." There was no further reaction. For some reason, Fang Huaixu's mood inexplicably sank a little, a complex emotion lingering in his heart, like a sigh of relief, like curiosity about what would happen next, yet clearly mixed with an unknown... disappointment.
Are we just going to stay in our respective areas peacefully, as usual?
Fang Huaixu was filled with longing, but remained expressionless. He took a few steps over and pretended to look for a book on the bookshelf: "I didn't have much work today, so I came back early."
Meng Yao paused in her typing, her gaze still fixed on the screen, but her eyes curved into a smile as he spoke: "It's rare to see you get off work so early. You must be tired."
Her words were natural, just a casual greeting; her mind was clearly still on the work at hand.
Fang Huaixu couldn't quite put his finger on the reason for his resentment. He continued flipping through a few books and casually asked, "You didn't have many classes today?"
"It's alright, just some finishing touches," Meng Yao replied vaguely.
The air fell silent again. Fang Huaixu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he spoke again: "Have you had dinner tonight?"
"I ate. Uncle Zhou made pork rib soup. If you didn't eat it, I remember he made some for you too," Meng Yao replied briefly.
Fang Huaixu straightened up awkwardly, looking at the girl who was completely immersed in her own world, and a rare feeling of being "ignored" quietly arose within him.
He didn't know why he cared so much about Meng Yao's reaction. He tried to start a conversation for the third time, his tone already carrying a probing tone that he himself didn't realize: "You seem very busy today. Are you rushing to finish your thesis?"
This time, the sound of typing stopped abruptly.
“My thesis defense ended a week ago,” Meng Yao slowly turned around, her clear eyes looking directly at him, her gaze flashing with undisguised cunning and all-knowing amusement, like a little fox who had discovered a secret: “But Mr. Fang… you’re unusually talkative today, as if you’re paying a little too much attention to me?”
Fang Huaixu was caught off guard by her sudden bluntness, but he quickly regained his composure, his voice as calm and even as ever: "...Yes, I have something I want to ask you. If you have time, I would like to confirm with you again what exactly you mean by 'warmth' this morning."
His calm explanation made it almost impossible to detect any tension in his tone.
"Oh... Mr. Fang is just curious?" Meng Yao drawled, leaning forward slightly, resting her elbow on the table and propping her chin up. "When did you become so polite?"
She tilted her head, her smile growing even brighter, tinged with the smug satisfaction of a successful prank: "Have you been preoccupied with what I said this morning all day? Are you perhaps hoping your lively and lovely wife will bring you some kind of surprise to enrich your lonely life?"
She boasted without any shame, as if testing the limits of her relationship with Fang Huaixu. Since her last confession, she had become exceptionally bold, and her words had become particularly precise and direct.
Fang Huaixu gave up, forced himself to remain calm, put down his book, and walked closer, sitting down not far from her: "Yes, I'm looking forward to it and curious, so have pity on my heart and give me a general idea so I won't be overwhelmed by your surprise later."
He used a seemingly honest, yet high-sounding excuse to cover up his embarrassment at having his true intentions exposed.
But his words also revealed that he was indeed concerned about her actions.
Meng Yao sensed that Fang Huaixu's personality was strangely similar to her straightforwardness, which was strangely interesting and gave her a mischievous thought: "I already said it's a surprise, it's precisely this kind of unknown thing that makes it novel."
Fang Huaixu had figured out her temperament over this period of time: she wouldn't give in until she saw someone else lose.
So he quickly looked up and, as she expected, pretended to be helpless, sighing and accusing her: "Naughty."
Meng Yao couldn't help but laugh out loud, her eyes sparkling as she shrugged: "Okay, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Fang. I was indeed busy with my own work today and haven't been able to prepare any surprises for you. But don't worry, even if I want to enrich your life in the future, I won't do anything out of line or unpleasant, and it won't affect your normal work."
Fang Huaixu was reassured by her promise, and his attention was drawn back: "So what were you busy with just now?"
“My work,” she pointed to her computer, and commented sharply, “is overwhelming and I can’t be in two places at once.”
Upon hearing about work, Fang Huaixu paused for a moment, then asked, "I remember there were no problems with the investment contract. Was there some disagreement in the communication?"
Meng Yao shook her head, leaned back slightly in her chair, and looked tired: "No, it's just about the transition in live streaming. The company wants me to continue live streaming normally for a while, gradually dilute my own style, and transition into a regular singing streamer focused on looks."
As she spoke, the cunning in her eyes gradually disappeared, replaced by a subtle determination: "But I am not reconciled to this arrangement."
Fang Huaixu raised an eyebrow, admiring the vibrant light in her eyes, and gestured to continue listening: "Do you have any other ideas?"
“Of course,” Meng Yao said bluntly, “You’ve already invested money in the company, so I certainly can’t waste this rare investment.”
She organized her thoughts and continued, "If I gradually transform into an ordinary singing blogger according to the company's plan, I will eventually disappear from the internet. And many years later, whenever someone remembers my name, the first thing they will think of me is that I am a petty person who imitated Lin Yue to start a business, who made a fool of myself and is not worthy of respect."
Fang Huaixu was quite pleased that she accepted the investment without any pretense and had her own ideas. He praised her generously: "I was surprised that you made such a decisive decision."
Meng Yao paused subtly for a moment: "I've taken the blame for so many things for her with this face. I finally have the power and resources to make my own decisions. No matter how I can repay this favor in the future, I definitely have to make use of it first and solve the problem at hand."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a resolute determination.
Fang Huaixu watched her quietly, listening to her decisions that were even more calm and rational than those of many elites he had met, and a deeper appreciation had already welled up in his heart.
"So what have you decided to do?" he asked, his voice gentler than usual.
Meng Yao sat up straight and met his gaze: "I want to clear my name."
Her goal was clear, and she said it clearly: "The reason I started doing live streaming in the first place was to raise money for my grandmother's medical treatment. I want to use the current popularity to make this information public."
Author's Note: I'm late [droopy-eared rabbit head] There's one more chapter, I'll try to post it before midnight ww Thank you all for your support
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