Xia Liuyue's expression was serene, completely in control of the situation.
Her full, red lips curved into a smile, and every word she spoke was a bombshell.
It made Meng Xiang's expression instantly freeze, like a kitten whose fur had bristled, every hair standing on end from the shock.
His breathing even slowed for several beats.
His voice grew a bit hoarse.
He asked softly:
"What do you want?"
Xia Liuyue: "Cooperate with me. For this month, I will be Yan Hechuan's girlfriend."
Meng Xiang shook his head vigorously. "No, I can't do that. I'm sorry, Senior Sister."
Xia Liuyue: "How much did she give you? I'll double it."
Meng Xiang: "It's not about the money."
Xia Liuyue raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? So a swindler has professional ethics."
"Then I'll tell Tang Yinyao about your little secret first. I wonder if you, this Peking University junior, will still be able to keep your place in the professional circle?"
Meng Xiang took a deep breath, his face showing embarrassment and conflict.
"Relax, Yan Hechuan is blind. He won't be able to tell the difference between me and Tang Yinyao. I just want to sleep with him, no other purpose."
"One month later, when Tang Yinyao returns from abroad, I'll be gone."
"No one will notice anything. Everything will go back to normal, and your 'Peking University student status' can remain intact."
Xia Liuyue patted his shoulder, her face wearing a 'just relax' expression.
Meng Xiang fell into thought.
After a long moment, he finally repeated the habits and preferences about Yan Hechuan that Tang Yinyao had just told him.
"He refuses any contact or closeness with other women."
Xia Liuyue nodded. "Right. And I'm not another woman. I'm his fiancée, Tang Yinyao."
Meng Xiang added, "But your voices are different..."
Before he could finish, he watched as the woman before him smiled and changed her tone of voice.
"Is it like this, Junior?"
Meng Xiang's pupils instantly dilated. The voice wasn't a hundred percent identical, but it was seventy to eighty percent similar.
At a normal social distance, nothing unusual would be detected.
But he still looked troubled.
Xia Liuyue spoke again:
"My name is Xia Liuyue. You might not know me, but I have another identity."
"I am the arranged marriage wife of Tang Yinyao's good brother, Du Jiashu."
"Tang Yinyao cuckolded me. I plan to cuckold her back. Now, can that tiny shred of conscience of yours be extinguished?"
Meng Xiang had a good memory.
He recalled the incoming call Tang Yinyao had just received; the caller ID showed Du Jiashu.
He couldn't help but look at Xia Liuyue with a trace of pity in his eyes.
"Don't. Don't look at me like that."
"I don't need anyone's pity."
"Now, open the door. Let's go home."
Meeting her commanding gaze, Meng Xiang beeped in the door code.
The villa's front door was pushed open forcefully, the hinges emitting a faint creak.
Outdoor light streamed into the living room. Yan Hechuan, who they thought would still be napping, was sitting on a beige fabric sofa.
A light blue cotton housecoat draped over his broad shoulders, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
At 189 cm tall, his long legs were casually crossed.
"Yinyao? You're here?"
He suddenly looked up, his voice carrying a hint of hoarseness.
A pair of phoenix eyes that should have been sharp were now veiled with a thin haze due to their unfocused gaze.
The outer corners of his eyes tilted up slightly, his eyelashes casting small shadows beneath them.
It seemed the sharp edges about him had softened considerably.
Meng Xiang was just about to speak up to stop her.
Then he heard Xia Liuyue already responding with a laugh, using that different voice.
"Yes, and I brought my junior, Meng Xiang. Remember I told you? He'll be taking care of you during this time."
Yan Hechuan's brows and eyes relaxed, lessening the sense of distance somewhat.
"I remember."
Xia Liuyue patted Meng Xiang's shoulder, signaling him to speak.
Meng Xiang now understood what it meant to be like the mute who ate bitter herbs—unable to voice his suffering.
He forced out a smile and said:
"Brother Yan, hello. I'm Meng Xiang."
Yan Hechuan gave a slight nod. "I'll be troubling you during this time. Your room is also on the first floor, next to mine."
Actually, his master bedroom was originally on the second floor, but after losing his sight, going up and down stairs became inconvenient.
So he had simply moved to an empty room on the first floor.
Meng Xiang nodded obediently. "Okay, okay."
"Beep beep—"
Just as everything was proceeding smoothly, the screen of Yan Hechuan's phone on the sofa suddenly lit up a few times.
Probably a new message.
His right hand was already feeling its way closer, about to pick up the phone.
Xia Liuyue was faster. She snatched the phone from the sofa first and said softly:
"Hechuan, your eyes can't see right now. Let me read it for you."
Yan Hechuan nodded slightly.
Xia Liuyue swiped to unlock the phone. Since the other party was blind and couldn't see, she pointed the phone at his face for facial recognition unlock.
The unread WeChat message was a voice note from Tang Yinyao.
She first converted it to text to check.
"Hechuan, my junior Meng Xiang should have arrived by now. He'll take care of you during this period."
"The academic conference takes a month. I tried to leave early, but my advisor wouldn't allow it. I'm sorry."
After reading, she silently deleted the voice message.
Using Tang Yinyao's brisk and cheerful tone, she said:
"Oh, it's a promotional text message, about getting a data plan card. Shall I delete it for you?"
Yan Hechuan frowned slightly but didn't doubt her, nodding. "Okay."
Seizing the moment he responded, a mischievous smile curled at the corner of Xia Liuyue's lips. Then she raised the phone high.
Meng Xiang, standing to the side, immediately widened his eyes, understanding what she intended to do.
He was just about to rush forward to stop her.
But it was already too late.
The phone plummeted from a height with a crisp shattering sound, completely smashed to pieces.
As Xia Liuyue walked over, she even "accidentally" stepped on the SIM card a few times. Then, in Tang Yinyao's voice tinged with annoyance/remorse, she said:
"Oh no! Hechuan, why am I always so clumsy!"
"I was just about to hand you your phone, didn't have a good grip, and dropped it! It's broken!"
"How annoying, how annoying! I'm in such a bad mood now."
Her imitation was perfect.
This was exactly how Tang Yinyao usually talked.
Meng Xiang was utterly dumbfounded on the side. Seriously, sis, you can even pull a move like that?!
Yan Hechuan's emotions were very stable.
Even upon hearing the phone shatter, he replied calmly:
"It's fine. I can't use a phone in my blind state anyway."
"And I've already handed over company affairs in advance. If there's a real emergency, my assistant will come find me at home."
"Yinyao, don't you have to go to the airport tomorrow? Now that Meng Xiang is here, you can rest assured. Go back early to pack."
Xia Liuyue smiled and walked closer to the sofa, sitting down right beside him.
She intimately linked her arm with his.
Yan Hechuan's body stiffened slightly, but he didn't resist.
He and Tang Yinyao were already engaged; they had linked arms during their engagement banquet. He could accept this level of contact.
"Ugh! Don't even mention that! It's so frustrating!"
"My advisor originally said that spot was reserved for me. Who knew some connected person would suddenly show up? Plus, I was thinking I could stay and spend more time with you."
"So, I'm not going abroad tomorrow."
"How about it? Are you happy?"
