Chapter 18 The fox is "my lovely and lively wife"
18
Fang Huaixu was somewhat taken aback after hearing her words. He roughly knew that Meng Yao's situation was not good, but he did not have a real understanding of what she was facing.
Meng Yao noticed his surprise and laughed to ease the tension: "Mr. Fang, it seems you know nothing about your wife's family situation."
These words were originally meant as a joke to ease the tension, but unexpectedly, Fang Huaixu's expression gradually became serious, and he solemnly said in a deep voice, "It was my oversight."
He truly felt guilty. He had previously adhered to the principle of not disturbing the other party's life and hadn't bothered to understand or enjoy the convenience brought by this cooperation, but had overlooked the other party's heavy burden.
"Stop, stop, stop... You're too easily amused."
Meng Yao quickly stopped him, gently brushing her hand across his mouth with an exaggerated expression: "I was just joking, why did you take it so seriously? We're business partners, not a real couple. There's no need for such detailed reporting. Why are you actually feeling guilty?"
Her fingertips, cool to the touch, gently brushed across his lips, like a feather.
Fang Huaixu's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. He unconsciously recalled the similarly ambiguous kiss they had shared earlier, and a slight warmth crept up his ears. He quickly changed the subject to cover it up: "Is your grandmother sick?"
“Yes, brain tumor,” Meng Yao didn’t notice the little incident and sat back down to explain calmly: “When it was first diagnosed five years ago, I had surgery, but the location was bad and I was unlucky. It has recurred twice in the past few years, and the condition has not been stable. There has been no suitable time to have surgery, so I have been receiving conservative treatment.”
When her grandmother was mentioned, she became unusually serious and downcast: "She is my only family member, and I can never give up on her. But all the expenses before the next surgery are not a small amount. I need a lot of money to prepare for the future, so I found this live-streaming job."
She glossed over the hardships of the past few years in a few words, as if she were telling a story unrelated to herself.
Fang Huaixu couldn't help but frown, recalling what he knew about her predicament. He found it hard to imagine how she had endured so much pressure to get to where she was now.
Meng Yao didn't react much and got back to the main point: "Now I want to make a long video about this, to be honest about everything, and to thank all the haters and fans for their traffic and donations, which allowed me to raise enough money to save my life... At the same time, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for my previous offense to Lin Yue and to thank her for her magnanimity, which gave me the opportunity to make money."
Fang Huaixu pondered: "Apologize?"
Meng Yao nodded: "Of course it's not a sincere apology. I've taken the blame for a lot of things for her over the years. Apologizing is just to flatter her and make her have no choice but to forgive me. This way, I can both give an explanation for the past and avoid offending either side, generate some traffic, and completely sever ties and clear my name."
Fang Huaixu found her plan novel and had to admit that it was indeed a bold and clever approach. By using the emotional core as a fulcrum to leverage public opinion, reversing public opinion would not be a problem.
This requires immense courage and precise control over online public opinion, however...
Fang Huaixu cut to the chase: "You should have thought of this too, that your grandmother might be dragged into the public eye afterward. Have you prepared a plan to deal with it?"
“Of course…” Meng Yao shrugged: “There’s no way around it. There are so many people in the world, I can’t sway everyone’s opinion.”
Fang Huaixu looked worried, but Meng Yao was very calm: "Plans are rigid, but reality is flexible. I can't control things and make sure they develop in the best direction I envision. I can only ensure that as little information about her as possible is exposed in this video."
After thinking for a moment, Fang Huaixu gave an objective suggestion: "I don't really recommend doing that."
Meng Yao nodded: "If I could, I wouldn't want to do this either. But unfortunately, it's no longer a choice; I have to make this decision."
She answered quickly, her eyes sharp: "I'm not just trying to clear my name for myself. For the past three years, I've maintained a controversial online image, constantly exposed to the public eye like a target. It was bound to happen sooner or later, and it would inevitably disrupt my grandmother's life. Rather than waiting for them to take action and sit idly by, I'd rather seize this opportunity to turn things around and take control of my own life."
Her tone carried a decisiveness and calmness beyond her years: "Besides, you underestimate my grandmother. She used to be a renowned actuary in Beijing. She shouldered all the pressure and raised me single-handedly. Even after two relapses of cancer, she still cheerfully cooperated with the treatment every day. Her vitality is much stronger than most people's. She won't be defeated so easily. If I were still hesitant and timid, waiting for others to come knocking on my door, I would be a real fool."
Fang Huaixu was stunned. Before this, he had indeed felt that she was a resilient and intelligent girl, but he had never felt her courage and boldness so clearly.
She tilted her head back and calmly planned for the future, unlike those carefully nurtured flowers, she was like a wild rose growing wildly.
His gaze unconsciously lingered on her face, with a new kind of scrutiny and appreciation.
Meng Yao noticed his gaze, suddenly blinked and leaned closer, a sly and smug smile returning to her face: "Did you see something that appeared behind me?"
Fang Huaixu was taken aback by her question, and as he pulled away slightly, he subconsciously asked in return, "What?"
"Radiance!"
She spoke nonsense with a straight face, gesturing exaggeratedly behind her back, her bright eyes sparkling mischievously: "Look at that face full of admiration, don't you see the shadow of the Valkyrie in me? Aren't you captivated by my intelligence and rationality?"
After she finished speaking, she deliberately made a gesture of enjoying worship, which was lively and vivid.
Fang Huaixu finally realized he'd been tricked again, but looking at the cocky yet adorable girl in front of him, he couldn't bring himself to be angry. He quickly went along with her lines: "Then did you see something else behind me?"
Meng Yao was surprised to find herself in a Q&A session and asked in confusion, "What?"
"The Holy Sword."
Fang Huaixu's lips curled up, his tone carrying an unconscious indulgence as he explained, "I am the holy sword that provided the Valkyrie with her weapon, and I have fought alongside our Valkyrie on the battlefield. I am honored to be a part of it."
"you……"
Fang Huaixu telling jokes with such a serious face was such a stark contrast and impact that Meng Yao stared at him blankly for a few seconds before finally letting her guard down, completely amused: "Fang Huaixu, why are you laughing so hard..."
Fang Huaixu was infected by her hearty laughter, and the two of them couldn't help but laugh. Meng Yao laughed until her eyes crinkled: "I really didn't realize... how could you be so good at praising yourself."
The atmosphere became much more relaxed and harmonious.
After a long while, Meng Yao rubbed her eyes, which were wet with tears from laughing, and got back to the point: "Okay, stop joking. What's really bothering me this time isn't the whitewashing, but which path to take after the transformation."
"What is that?" Fang Huaixu also regained his serious expression.
"After the transformation, I need to solidify my public image," Meng Yao said helplessly, explaining in detail: "I have too much traffic right now, and in the short term, I can indeed use this sob story as a reason, plus exposure from a few authoritative third-party media outlets, to whitewash my image. But sympathy and curiosity will be exhausted. Once my reputation reaches its peak, if I can't quickly come up with a new direction that is consistently attractive and has enough refinement and value, my past scandals will still be dug up. The backlash will be many times more intense than the traffic. I will go from being a filial daughter to a laughing stock who failed to whitewash her image by using family ties. That's what I'm most worried about."
She sighed and showed Fang Huaixu the screen on her computer: "It's true that I did a live stream to help my family with their medical treatment, but it's also true what I said and did when I was doing my "black-and-red" (controversial online influencer) activities in the early days. I can't guarantee that every word I say is absolutely neutral and correct, and with a lot of traffic, sooner or later, people with ulterior motives will dig it up. To gracefully fade out of the public eye, I need to figure out a new path where I can land safely, and then slowly disappear from the public eye later on, only then can I be considered to have cleaned up my image. The problem is... I haven't figured out the right way to do it yet, do you have any suggestions?"
After she finished speaking, she handed the computer to him.
Fang Huaixu listened quietly. Work was his forte, and when Meng Yao showed confusion, he subconsciously took the computer to look for a solution.
His gaze swept over her clearly outlined thoughts and annotations, and he could sense her serious attitude towards this matter. It was not a decision made on a whim, but a plan that had been carefully considered countless times.
"If there is no more perfect solution, and your only request is to gradually fade from public view, I have a very simple solution."
Fang Huaixu flipped through his notes, offering his indirect advice as he read: "I am already engaged in medical research and have sufficient and suitable resources to provide you with a safe environment. I can guarantee that during this period of fading out of the internet, you will not have any concerns, nor will you need to go to great lengths to take on more risks."
This is the most direct and safe solution he proposed based on inertia.
However, Meng Yao firmly shook her head, and Fang Huaixu could guess her answer: "I can't repay the favor I owe you?"
“If this is a problem that can be solved by running away for the time being, then emotionally, I wouldn’t care about this dignity for my grandmother’s sake. But obviously, the risks of this path are no less than my plan. You can’t protect us for a lifetime.”
Meng Yao's answer was surprisingly frank: "Personally speaking, this account is also the result of my hard work over many years. Although it is a case of being famous for being infamous, every joke and every live broadcast is something I have worked on little by little in front of the computer like tonight. This whitewashing is the final path I have been thinking about for a long time."
Her voice carried an undeniable resolve: "I will not let the fruits of my hard work, time, and health be used as a foil for Lin Yue, and be despised for the rest of my life. Hard work and effort only have meaning when they are seen. If I do three parts, I want people to see five. I have suffered in silence for so long, and I am not willing to disappear in disgrace."
Fang Huaixu's feelings were complicated. Everything he had heard tonight made him want to wholeheartedly support this girl who was struggling to move forward in the quagmire. Just as he was about to say something, his gaze stopped when it swept across a page on the computer screen.
His gaze lingered on that page of densely packed plans, the familiar name of the group: Tianmu Group.
In just a few seconds, he suddenly realized.
His actions tonight were guided: knowing her situation, understanding her ambitions, and confronting her problems.
She was guiding his emotions, leading him from curiosity and sympathy to passionate indignation and placing him on her side.
And now, we've successfully shown him this page of the plan.
At this moment, he finally understood everything and looked up at the girl full of vitality: indeed, one cannot be deceived by appearances. Just as she said, if you do three parts, you should let people see five.
Cunning and unruly.
He thought for a moment, a faint sigh escaping his lips: "...So everything you said tonight was a deliberate attempt to lead me to this notebook, wasn't it?"
"Chatting with Mr. Fang is so relaxing."
Meng Yao took off her glasses, squinted her eyes, and revealed a charming and cute mischievous smile: "After all, this is a collaboration that benefits the image of the other party's headquarters and my personal development. Tianmu Group should also need this kind of exposure, right? It just depends on whether President Fang is willing to accept my 'repayment'."
She actually came up with a return that he himself could hardly have imagined, almost equivalent to what he had expected. Looking at the mysterious and cunning smile in her eyes, Fang Huaixu felt no displeasure at being schemed against, but rather was gratified by her open ambition.
He did laugh, a laugh tinged with helplessness, relief, and a hint of indulgence that he himself was unaware of.
“Well, there’s really no other way,” he said, accepting the document and closing his notebook, his smile still bright. “After all, this is the first time my lovely and lively wife has formally made a cooperation request to me.”
"I feel like I have no reason to refuse."
Author's Note: Adorable little fox cub (I want to pinch it!)
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