Chapter 3, Clause "Asymmetrical Makeup"
03
So tall...
Meng Yao stared at him for a long time, and her neck gradually became sore.
At 164 cm, she wasn't short, but she still had to look up at Fang Huaixu: this guy must be at least 190 cm tall.
Under the cold streetlights, the air seemed to freeze. Meng Yao struggled to process the information before finally snapping out of it and politely bowing back: "I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you... Hello, I'm Meng Yao."
She glanced again at the imposing, excessively handsome man in front of her, and the thought of becoming husband and wife with him in name only made it all feel like a dream.
Fang Huaixu nodded slightly. He had handsome features, and a small mole under his right eye was particularly alluring. His cool gaze seemed to pause for a moment when it lingered on her face.
However, he quickly regained his composure. His deep eyes showed no impatience at her delayed response, and his tone was calm and even: "No need to be so polite. There are some details regarding the marriage that I need to discuss with you in person. It's not convenient here; shall we talk in the car?"
He turned to the side and gestured to the understated Mulsanne.
Meng Yao replied instinctively, "I drove here."
Fang Huaixu nodded to receive the message and gestured to the bodyguard beside him: "He'll drive it back for you, I'll give you a ride."
Meng Yao didn't think much of it until she led the group to her white women's electric scooter, where the four of them looked at each other awkwardly.
The tall, burly bodyguard that Fang Huaixu pointed to gave an awkward, dry laugh first: "Miss Meng, your car... is an electric scooter?"
Meng Yao's face flushed: "If it's inconvenient, I'll ride it myself."
"It's nothing," Fang Huaixu waved his hand, turned to the bodyguard and ordered again, "Help Miss Meng ride her car back."
The bodyguard paused for a moment, clearly still confused about the task, but quickly regained his professional demeanor and replied in a deep voice, "Yes, Mr. Fang."
He stepped forward, took the slightly cute key from Meng Yao's hand, and walked resolutely toward the electric scooter.
Meng Yao watched as the dark-skinned, burly bodyguard awkwardly tried to adjust to the height of the electric scooter, the scene looking bizarrely like a black bear trying to ride a lamb, leaving her both amused and exasperated.
"Is it convenient now?" Fang Huaixu's voice drew her attention back. He looked in her direction, waiting for her answer, his eyes fixed on her face without any hesitation.
Feeling guilty under that gaze, Meng Yao stopped refusing, nodded, and got into the car without looking back.
Fang Huaixu hesitated, then turned to the other side without saying a word to get on the bus.
Meng Yao got into the car first. The interior was spacious, with dark red Nappa leather upholstery that was soft and comfortable. The exquisite wood trim had a warm luster, and everything silently spoke of luxury and class.
The air was filled with a cool, light woody scent, a completely different world from the live-streaming room she had just left and the hospital filled with disinfectant.
Fang Huaixu got into the car from the other side and closed the door. In the cramped space, his presence became even stronger. Meng Yao had never been in such close contact with a man before, and she instantly became nervous.
As if telepathically connected with him, the driver silently started the car and smoothly drove off from the side of the road.
"Where are you from?" Fang Huaixu's voice broke the silence in the car. He didn't turn his gaze, his profile was sharp and defined.
Meng Yao was still immersed in the huge change of identity and the shock of the environment. She only heard the first half of the sentence and blurted out without thinking: "X Road, X District, Hangzhou City". That was her mother's hometown and her original place of origin.
The car froze for a moment.
Soon, she heard a very soft chuckle beside her. When she turned to look at Fang Huaixu, a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips: "I mean, I'm going to take you back first. If you're going to drive from Beijing to Hangzhou, my car might not be on the way."
Meng Yao instantly realized what was happening, her face flushing bright red. She felt so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground. "Sorry, I thought you were asking about my place of origin..." she quickly corrected herself. "I live at the university, so you can send me to A University."
“University A?” Fang Huaixu repeated, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry. “It’s a very good school. Do you work there?” He guessed that perhaps she was an administrative staff member or a teaching assistant? The Lin family didn’t seem to have mentioned that she had a formal job.
Meng Yao lowered her eyelashes: "No, I'm a student, a senior."
The car fell silent again.
He finally noticed the lingering naiveté of a student in her, and remained silent for a while.
Unexpectedly, the Lin family's alternative solution was to arrange a marriage between a girl who had not yet graduated.
"Your family," he frowned slightly. This wasn't something he should be commenting on, so he carefully chose his words, trying to make his tone as neutral as possible: "When they agreed to the marriage, did they know you were still in school?"
"I know," Meng Yao looked up at him nervously, trying to ask the question that had been troubling her the most: "But isn't this just a marriage of convenience? Do we still have to consider education...? Isn't it enough that I'm a daughter of the Lin family?"
She hesitated before asking, "Do you have any other requirements for this marriage?"
Fang Huaixu was speechless at her words. He looked at the girl in front of him. She seemed to have completely accepted the essence of this transaction, even more so than he had, which made him suddenly feel that his question was somewhat superfluous: Yes, whether she was a student or not was completely unimportant to him or the Lin family.
Less than a few seconds later, he spoke again with a businesslike calm: "You're right, this is indeed just a business marriage. I was just being nosy."
Meng Yao's breath hitched as she watched him readjust his posture, meet her gaze, and speak clearly and directly: "Now that we have reached a foundation for cooperation, I've come here to clarify a few points before the wedding to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings later on."
"First of all, this marriage stems from the business cooperation needs of our families and does not involve personal feelings. Therefore, I must make it clear in advance that I cannot be responsible for you emotionally or in terms of companionship in the conventional sense of a husband. I hope you can understand and accept this."
Meng Yao listened quietly, her heart not stirred much, but rather she breathed a sigh of relief: this was exactly the kind of relationship she wanted, one that didn't interfere with each other, with clear boundaries, which was the best possible scenario.
But she didn't show it on her face; she simply nodded quietly.
Fang Huaixu noticed her unusually calm demeanor. Considering their future interactions, he decided to continue, speaking steadily: "Secondly, regarding the timeframe. This marriage will continue until the new anti-cancer drug jointly developed by me and the Lin family is successfully approved for market launch. If both parties have no objections at that time, we can amicably negotiate a divorce. Of course, this is only an estimate based on the current project progress; the specific timing is uncertain. The core principle is that the marriage can only be dissolved after our basic cooperative goals are achieved."
"During this period, as my wife in name, you may make any reasonable requests to me or my assistant regarding any material or social needs, including details such as accommodation, living expenses, social attire, and means of transportation. I will ensure that you receive a commensurate standard of living and the necessary respect."
A slight tremor appeared in Meng Yao's eyes. Fang Huaixu thought she hadn't understood, so he paused for a moment before making a concluding statement: "Simply put, Miss Meng, apart from love, I can offer you all the treatment that a wife should receive."
He finished speaking and waited quietly for her reaction.
Girls at this age may still have some fantasies about marriage, and at least they wouldn't want to waste their time and energy on a marriage that ends without a happy ending during the best years of their lives.
He anticipated that she might be disappointed, try to bargain, or show unease and hesitation.
On the contrary, Meng Yao was actually touched by the fact that the marriage was not as troublesome as she had expected, and was even so good that she wondered if there were other bigger pitfalls hidden inside.
She remained silent for a while because she felt that Mr. Fang's gaze kept drifting towards her face, intentionally or unintentionally. After thinking that it might be her imagination, she answered clearly, "Okay, I understand. Do you have any other requests?"
Her reaction was so decisive that it surprised Fang Huaixu, who had prepared a whole speech.
All the explanations he had prepared seemed to have become useless in an instant. For a moment, he couldn't tell if she truly understood and accepted this cold transaction model, or if she was just being polite.
Fang Huaixu continued to stare at her face. The topic of marriage was over, and his attention once again uncontrollably fell on her face. After hesitating for a long time, he changed the subject he originally wanted to say: "...Don't be so polite. You can address me more casually. You can also make any requests now."
Meng Yao nodded: "Yes, I have no other requests."
The car had stopped at the gate of University A. It was late at night, and the ancient campus was quiet, with only a few streetlights still on.
"We've arrived." Fang Huaixu couldn't think of any more topics to discuss.
"Thank you for bringing me back," Meng Yao said softly, her fingers resting on the doorknob. Remembering Fang Huaixu's earlier request, she hesitated for a moment before changing to a more familiar form of address: "Mr. Fang, I'll head back now."
"etc."
Meng Yao paused, and Fang Huaixu unexpectedly called her back again: "There's one more thing."
Meng Yao tilted her head to look at him. His expression was somewhat blurred in the dim light inside the car, but his sharp eyes remained unchanged: "Since we have reached a consensus on the marriage, you may have to move out of the school dormitory from the start of the marriage. We need to live together, at least in public, to maintain the appearance of a loving couple. This is one of the basic obligations of the marriage agreement, and it is also a key link to gain the trust of the outside world and ensure the effectiveness of the cooperation."
Meng Yao's pupils dilated slightly: So soon they're living together?
She hadn't thought about this at all, or rather, she deliberately avoided it, not wanting to face the huge changes brought about by the identity of "Mrs. Fang" intruding into her real life too early.
"I don't need to suspend my studies, right?" she asked with difficulty, her anxiety exceeding anything she had ever imagined.
Although she had already anticipated the future when she agreed to the marriage, the so-called marriage alliance was just a nicer way of saying selling herself. She had fallen to the point of selling herself, and yet she imagined changing her future through hard work, which was simply wishful thinking.
But people always need hope to survive.
Taking the postgraduate entrance exam is her last lifeline, the only glimmer of hope in her bleak life, and she really doesn't want to give up.
Fang Huaixu was somewhat surprised by her focus, and replied mechanically, "No need."
She breathed a sigh of relief, but no longer wanted to stay in that strange and oppressive environment.
From that sharp look in his eyes just now, she was finally certain that Fang Huaixu had been staring at her face the whole time he got on the bus.
This scrutinizing gaze displeased Meng Yao considerably.
She is actually a very proud person, but her grandmother is more important to her than her pride.
Her impression of Fang Huaixu plummeted to its lowest point at this moment, but she didn't move her head and reached out to push the door open again. It was the only resistance she could do now. Her voice was icy: "If there's nothing else, I'll go back first. The wedding date has been set. Just have President Lin let me know."
"Wait a little longer." After thinking it over, Fang Huaixu still felt that he couldn't turn a blind eye.
But the voice that came from behind again had successfully extinguished Meng Yao's already dwindling patience.
She closed her eyes in despair. After a long day at work, she still had to endure Fang Huaixu's scrutiny. How many more demands did this man have? How long was he going to keep asking her questions?
She took a deep breath, maintaining her composure as she slowly turned around, forcing a smile, and stated clearly and directly: "Mr. Fang, you've been staring at my face the whole time, which makes me a little uncomfortable. Since you said you could provide me with the respect I deserve, and as you can see, my dormitory curfew is almost up. If you have any requests that can't be clearly stated at once, could we perhaps arrange for a lawyer to be present another day to draft out the detailed terms?"
Her words were sharp, and although she spoke with a smile, there was no trace of a smile in her eyes, making her completely different from the gentle and calm person she had been just moments before.
Fang Huaixu was surprised, his pupils constricted slightly, and his gaze remained unconsciously fixed on her face.
Thinking about what she had just said, he quickly frowned, looked away, and sat silently in place as if he hadn't seen her.
Meng Yao waited for a long time, but he still didn't speak, and a nameless anger flared up in her heart.
Just as he was about to turn around and leave, Fang Huaixu let out a long breath and took out a portable wet wipe in an unopened, exquisitely packaged black box from the inside pocket of his suit.
His hand paused in mid-air for an extremely brief moment before the unopened wet wipe was placed on the car seat and then gently pushed to Meng Yao's side by two slender, white fingers.
He withdrew his hand without looking at her, pretending not to see her, his tone so flat that it revealed no emotion: "I'm sorry, Miss Meng, I really shouldn't have changed the subject and wasted time. What I originally wanted to say was that your blush today... the color is a bit asymmetrical."
Meng Yao was startled and subconsciously touched her face. She quickly pulled out a mirror to check and realized that she had pressed her lipstick down while sleeping at the company, and there was a bright red stain on her left cheek.
A wave of immense embarrassment and shame washed over her instantly. Her cheeks burned almost the same color as her lipstick. She snatched the pack of wet wipes almost without a word, pulled one out, and vigorously wiped her lips and cheeks, wishing she could rub her entire face off.
She actually had such a serious conversation with Fang Huaixu for so long with that face on her face, and even got angry because of Fang Huaixu's gaze?
The cold, wet wipe touched her skin, and her heart screamed inwardly, unable to calm down at all; she felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
"I don't know much about makeup... I just think this design is very novel."
Fang Huaixu's words at this moment seemed more like he was trying to help her out of a predicament, especially since his gaze was being politely glanced at the other window: "If it was an accident, it didn't affect you at all. You still look beautiful tonight, Miss Meng."
But Meng Yao didn't listen to a word she said.
She had no time to appreciate his kindness anymore; she wished she could disappear into the ground. After wiping herself clean, she quickly grabbed a wet wipe, her earlier arrogance completely gone. She pushed open the door and whispered, "Okay, thank you. I'm sorry for my rudeness tonight. Next time, you can contact Mr. Lin first, then me. I'm going back now. Call me if you need anything. Curfew is important; my counselor wants to have tea with me to chat. Mr. Fang, goodbye..."
After saying that, she ran quickly to the school gate without looking back. She spoke so fast that it took Fang Huaixu a long time to figure out what she had said in that long and complicated sentence.
He was leaning against the car window, his gaze fixed on her slender figure as she drove away.
When she came to her senses, she had already rushed to the door, swiped her card, entered, and disappeared into the night.
Thinking of her composure during their negotiations and her astonishingly fast speech as she left, he inexplicably felt a stirring of emotion within him and couldn't help but let out a soft laugh: She really is a very lovely girl.
The driver in the front seat didn't dare to make a move without permission, and after a long while asked, "Mr. Fang, shall we go back now?"
He slowly withdrew his gaze, regaining his usual indifference.
"Okay, let's go back."
A note from the author:
Bonus chapter: [Lop-eared Rabbit Head]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
