Chapter 24 Teasing "Yan is Very Naughty"
twenty four
The air in the private room seemed to freeze for a moment because of Lin Yue's greeting.
Chen Xiang pulled Lin Yue behind her. A hint of barely perceptible annoyance flashed across Lin Tianhai's face, but it was quickly covered up by a deeper smile. As if he hadn't heard Lin Yue's words, he invited the two of them to sit down: "Come, come, don't stand, sit down quickly. Yao Yao can sit next to Daddy."
The way she addressed herself almost made Meng Yao vomit, but she maintained her composure and sat down naturally next to Lin Tianhai.
Fang Huaixu sat down next to her. Lin Tianhai, seeing that things had gone on for a while, kept talking. After putting a shrimp on Meng Yao's plate, he took the initiative to steer the conversation: "Yao Yao did a great job with today's live stream. After Yueyue told me about it, I immediately asked her to cooperate with you to post a video. I've been a bit negligent these past few years. Thank you for your hard work."
Chen Xiang echoed this sentiment, raising a glass in agreement, and added dryly, "That's right, a family should definitely support each other. We neglected to take care of you before, and we're really sorry. Xiao Meng, let me toast you."
Lin Yue had never seen her parents so obsequious before, and finally couldn't help but speak coldly: "Of course we should support each other, right? After all, our status is different now; we are the distinguished Mrs. Fang."
"Lin Yue!" Chen Xiang whispered a rebuke.
Lin Yue's sourness was practically written all over her face; she was so angry that she couldn't speak as she ate her meal alone.
"...It's alright, it's customary for elders to offer toasts, I'll toast you instead."
Meng Yao simply smiled in response, sat down, ate her food in small bites without getting angry, and occasionally replied with a word or two.
After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere remained fragilely harmonious thanks to Lin Tianhai's efforts and Meng Yao's compromises.
When Lin Tianhai felt the time was right, he stood up, cleared his throat, and put on a more serious expression, his gaze falling on Meng Yao.
“Yaoyao,” he began, deliberately drawing out the heaviness in his voice, “Actually, this meal is not only to celebrate your successful live stream, but also to take this opportunity to apologize to you and Huai Xu.”
They've arrived.
Meng Yao understood perfectly, watching Lin Tianhai act out a fatherly and filial piety act: "At the wedding, Xiaoyue and her friends were still immature, and we, as parents, didn't discipline them well. You've suffered all these years. When we went back, we talked to her properly, and she knew you needed more recognition for your live streams, so she immediately posted a video..."
He slowly stood up, holding his wine glass: "I hope you and Huai Xu won't take it to heart. Let's not dwell on what happened before... Our two families will still have dealings in the future, and we can cooperate for mutual benefit."
She took the blame for Lin Yue for three years and was controlled by the Lin family for three whole years. The only punishment she received was a lesson from Lin Yue. Now she is expected to be grateful and forgive everything from the past.
Meng Yao sighed helplessly to herself. She really wanted to just flip the table and kick everyone out of the room.
But her current attitude represents Fang Huaixu. She has received too many benefits from Fang Huaixu recently, and Fang Huaixu now needs to continue cooperating with the Lin family, which is why he called her in as a peacemaker.
Never mind, let's take it one step at a time.
She took a deep breath, a smile returning to her face, and was about to get up when the person beside her, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke.
"Uncle Lin."
Fang Huaixu's calm and unwavering voice rang out as he calmly put down his chopsticks and looked indifferently at Lin Tianhai: "There are some things she can't say directly, and I think I should take this opportunity to make things clear."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange penetrating power: "Dignity is mutual. Although this is a business marriage, Meng Yao is now my wife, and everything about her is closely related to me. She can choose to be tolerant because of her family, but I cannot tolerate anyone, in any form, doing anything to slander her or embarrass her."
His gaze remained fixed on Lin Tianhai, his tone growing even colder: "So tonight I gave her the decision. But so far, she doesn't seem any happier, so I don't think your apology is sincere enough."
Meng Yao's eyes widened, completely taken aback by Fang Huaixu's sudden action.
She watched as Fang Huaixu stood up and reached out his hand to her, waiting. After hesitating for half a second, she tentatively placed her hand on his and was gently helped up by his strength.
"The collaboration has already begun. As partners, you don't need to apologize to me. I will not be biased because of this and will proceed fairly until the project ends."
He raised his eyes, his gaze icy: "But due to personal grievances, my wife has not chosen to forgive me, and I do not wish for any further contact beyond our cooperation. Please leave her life with your superfluous emotions."
Lin Tianhai's face instantly turned extremely ugly. He looked at Meng Yao with shock, surprise, and unspeakable bitterness, then at Fang Huaixu. He clearly did not realize that the relationship between the two could develop from a marriage alliance to this point.
Meng Yao was completely stunned and subconsciously looked at Fang Huaixu.
Fang Huaixu also tilted his head slightly closer, and when he was even closer to her, he suddenly lowered his voice and asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Aren't you going to say your lines?"
What?
What lines?
Meng Yao was completely bewildered. Fang Huaixu glanced at her amusing reaction out of the corner of his eye, a hint of amusement creeping into his eyes. He lowered his voice even further: "Didn't you say before that you'd make sure I had the chance to say those words again? You seemed so excited before, are you just shy now...?"
Meng Yao's pupils suddenly dilated, and the familiar conversation immediately reminded her of the joke she had made in the elevator before, and her cheeks instantly turned bright red.
That was just a casual remark, why does he still remember it?!
Her heart pounded wildly out of control, her ears burned as if they were about to drip, and she tried to explain herself but was too shocked to speak when she saw that Fang Huaixu had no intention of leaving.
According to the story she had previously told, this delicate little white flower should now be limply falling into the arms of the domineering CEO.
Seriously? So many people? They're really letting her act?
Lin Tianhai, not knowing why the two were still standing there, assumed there was still a chance and quickly tried to walk over to them to build rapport: "Yaoyao, Dad didn't explain things clearly tonight. Why don't we go home tonight and have a proper talk..."
"No, no, no!" Meng Yao refused quickly, wanting to run away as fast as she could.
Fang Huaixu frowned, showing no intention of moving, and said in a strange, mournful tone, "Did you lie to me before? I was still looking forward to it, and I even gave you a special speech this time."
Meng Yao's vision went black; for the first time, she couldn't see a trace of gentlemanly elegance on Fang Huaixu's face: Lin Yue was absolutely right.
He's a wolf in sheep's clothing! She should have realized it sooner; he's wicked.
Having no choice but to select one of the two on the spot, Meng Yao would choose Fang Huaixu and Lin Tianhai without hesitation.
Okay then.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she turned her head without hesitation, closed her eyes, and stiffly bumped into Fang Huaixu's arm.
Fang Huaixu staggered slightly, feeling a pang of unease: the force was nothing like the gentle blow she had described; it felt more like being hit by a fast-moving baseball.
However, the moment Fang Huaixu looked down and saw that flushed face, his resentment inexplicably vanished, and a hidden smile reappeared on his face: what a novel scene that nothing can buy.
"Mr. Fang..."
Meng Yao was already in despair, feeling like she was about to die of embarrassment from what she was about to say. She gritted her teeth and spat out the remaining words: "President Fang, you're so handsome... Can we go back now?"
The sound was so faint that only two people could hear it.
The other three, though deaf, were not blind, and stared blankly as the two inexplicably stuck together in a position that resembled a hug but wasn't quite one.
“...We have such a good relationship,” Fang Huaixu explained.
Great, we've brought up her careless remarks again.
Fang Huaixu only managed to utter this brief and hasty sentence before he couldn't think of anything else to say, fearing he might burst out laughing at any moment.
Meng Yao was furious and, in a fit of rage, stomped on his foot.
Fang Huaixu wasn't annoyed at all, and he didn't know why he felt like laughing when he saw her embarrassed; perhaps it was because it was such a rare sight.
Although he couldn't hide the smile in his eyes, he knew when to stop, and gestured to the Lin family while he was ahead, saying, "We're leaving now."
After saying that, the two ignored the attempts to stop them and strode away from the restaurant.
Overwhelmed with embarrassment and shock, Meng Yao moved as fast as a bull charging headlong into the ground, pushing against Fang Huaixu.
As she left the restaurant, feeling embarrassed and annoyed, wondering how to explain the awkward situation, a burst of hearty laughter suddenly erupted beside her.
It is the preface to the Fanghuai.
His laughter was light and cheerful; standing under the flashing neon lights, his shoulders shook as he laughed—a carefree laugh that Meng Yao had never seen before.
They look incredibly vibrant.
...If the reason for her laughter wasn't because she had just teased her, Meng Yao really wanted to say that.
"Fanghuai Preface!"
Meng Yao spoke slowly and deliberately, rushing forward to grab his face: "How childish are you? You're doing this on purpose! You clearly saw I was embarrassed, what happened to your promise to respect me! You hypocrite!"
"Hahaha..." Fang Huaixu laughed uncontrollably: "I'm just an ordinary person. Everyone has selfish desires, right? I just want to experience the 'feel-good plot' you mentioned."
While dodging, Fang Huaixu explained, not forgetting to find an official reason for himself: "I'm experiencing... really, really happy now, hahaha..."
"Still laughing? I'll make sure you're not happy right away!"
Meng Yao didn't give him a chance to continue mocking her. Not tall enough, she simply jumped onto the steps. Fang Huaixu was afraid she would fall, so he subconsciously reached out to protect her. The moment he reached her, Meng Yao pinched his face hard.
"I was wrong, I was wrong..."
He was being grabbed by the cheek and begged for mercy, his tone still tinged with amusement: "I'm sorry, I went too far this time. I didn't mean to mock you, I just think you're very cute."
"...So childish!"
Meng Yao was also panting heavily from the ordeal. She was appeased by his sincere apology and her anger subsided. Suddenly, she realized that the two of them were now unexpectedly close, and she silently let go of his hand.
Fang Huaixu seemed to have gotten tired of laughing, and the two of them quietly adjusted themselves for a while. Meng Yao calmed down and analyzed, "Why did you suddenly start going against Lin Tianhai today? I thought you asked me to come here so that I could give you a way to make peace."
Fang Huaixu was taken aback, but quickly realized: "So you've been unhappy because you misunderstood this. There's no need to reconcile with them. If you don't want to forgive them, then don't. The reason I invited you here is so you can see them apologize to you in person."
Meng Yao was taken aback: "Isn't the cooperation okay? Wasn't the marriage arranged for work? Now that things have soured, aren't you afraid the Lin family won't cooperate anymore?"
Fang Huaixu chuckled lightly: "You seem to have misunderstood. I chose to cooperate with the Lin family because, among the current options, the resources and channels they are willing to provide can bring the greatest benefits, but that doesn't mean I can't live without them."
His tone was calm, yet carried a strong sense of confidence: "My politeness towards them stems from respect for my partners and elders, but the truth is, Tianmu has never lacked partners. The marriage alliance was a bargaining chip proposed by Lin Tianhai to secure the partnership, and for me, it was merely a choice to go with the flow. None of my decisions will be restricted by this."
Meng Yao was stunned. She had originally thought this was a transaction in which the interests of both parties were firmly intertwined, but she did not expect that it was actually Fang Huaixu's one-sided and complete control.
As far as she knew, the Lin family was already considered one of the wealthiest and most prestigious families in the capital, yet they were still being restrained by Fang Huaixu. Just how outrageous was his business development...?
Meng Yao couldn't help but recall the past and couldn't understand it even more: "So, you're using marriage to create a gimmick for a business partnership... don't you think it's a waste?"
Fang Huaixu pondered for a moment. Having spent more time with Meng Yao, his words were no longer as cold and rigid as before: "Even after we got married, quite a few people have asked me this question. Do you want to hear the official answer or the real reason?"
Meng Yao was happy to talk to him: "Let's listen to the official version first."
"That's the official answer."
Fang Huaixu thought for a moment, then held up his fingers and listed them: "It depends on who you're talking to. 'My family has been pressuring me to get married for years, but I don't want to listen to them,' 'Lin Tianhai needs marriage to dispel his suspicions and cooperate, I'm too lazy to think about it further,' 'If divorce becomes an obstacle to our future love, I'll accept it,' 'What else could it be but true love for a whirlwind marriage,' 'The project just finished recently, let's get married and have some fun'..."
Meng Yao was amused by his sudden antics, but remained curious: "Then what's the real reason for not using the official channels?"
Fang Huaixu's gaze remained calm, drifting indifferently into the distance: "The truth is, marriage is irrelevant to me; love has never been part of my plans."
Author's Note: I'm late!! Ahhh, I got carried away in ranked matches!
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