Chapter 6

Was she talking about the kind of contractual lover she meant?

Before Mu Wanyan could even ask, Xie Yin laughed and waved a hand, clearly telling her not to jump to the wrong conclusion.

“Don’t misunderstand; we’re all proper people here.”

Xie Yin leaned closer to Mu Wanyan and deliberately lowered her voice, looking mysteriously confidential. “This one’s a temporary actress I specially found. She’s professional.”

As she spoke, she held her phone up in front of Mu Wanyan. The screen showed a company profile. It listed Chairman Zhao of Hengyao Group, forty-one years old, recently returned from overseas. In the photo, the short-haired woman looked shrewd and capable.

Xie Yin sighed, her tone full of helplessness. “This Chairman Zhao has a weird quirk. It would be one thing if she herself had a same-sex lover, but she just has to like watching other same-sex couples being intimate. If the other side isn’t a pair, she won’t even agree to meet. Can you believe that?”

Mu Wanyan immediately understood the reason. Su Xingwei was determined to expand into the overseas market, and Hengyao Group was the most critical part of that plan. The cooperation was vital to Xingsheng Group; they had no choice but to accommodate such an absurd demand.

“But you also know how picky your Chairwoman Su is.”

Xie Yin glanced at the person across from them and poured out her grievances to Mu Wanyan. “I’ve found three people already; each one was better than the last, but she rejected every single one. If this deal really falls through, you can’t blame me.”

Mu Wanyan handed the phone back to Xie Yin and couldn’t help saying, “This partner’s taste is way too outrageous.”

Xie Yin spread her hands helplessly. “Tell me about it. But when you negotiate business, you have to cater to what the other side likes. If they have this kind of preference, you have to go along with it to get twice the result with half the effort.”

For a moment, Mu Wanyan was at a loss for words. She had seen all kinds of clients; there had been worse absurdities than this. She had just never imagined Su Xingwei would personally cooperate and play along in such a performance.

At that moment, Su Xingwei and the female actress beside her were still keeping a subtle distance between them. The actress opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something more. But Su Xingwei had already turned her head, making it clear she didn’t want to discuss it further. Not long after, Su Xingwei said a few quiet words to the actress, and the woman’s expression turned awkward at once. She politely bowed, then got up and left.

Xie Yin looked speechless and shook her head. “That’s already the third one. I specially picked a print model; her looks and figure are both top-notch. If even that doesn’t catch her eye, I really am out of options.”

As she spoke, she suddenly turned and fixed her gaze on Mu Wanyan, her eyes bright. Almost at the same time, Su Xingwei also looked over at Mu Wanyan.

Being stared at by two pairs of eyes at once made Mu Wanyan intensely uncomfortable. She asked awkwardly, “W-what is it?”

Xie Yin clapped her hands hard, the gloom on her face vanishing in an instant as she beamed.

“Isn’t there an ideal candidate right here?”

She pointed at Mu Wanyan, unable to hide her excitement. “She knows everything about the situation, and besides..."

She deliberately drew out the end of the sentence, shooting a meaningful glance at Su Xingwei. “You don’t hate her.”

Mu Wanyan didn’t react at first, still looking blank.

Su Xingwei didn’t answer right away either. Resting one hand against her chin, she looked Mu Wanyan up and down, her gaze calm and sharp, as though she were assessing a piece of merchandise waiting to be valued.

Mu Wanyan was far too familiar with that look. Su Xingwei looked at her opponents at the negotiating table like that; outwardly calm and unreadable, but in her heart she had long since calculated everything to the last detail.

Mu Wanyan hurriedly averted her eyes. “My acting isn’t good. I’m probably not qualified.”

“It’s part of an assistant’s job to ease her superior’s worries.”

The corner of Su Xingwei’s lips curved slightly, a trace of interest flickering in her eyes as if she had found something amusing.

Mu Wanyan was left with nothing to say in refusal.

Xie Yin had already stood up, looking relieved. “At last, this problem’s solved. I don’t have to suffer anymore.”

She strode toward the door, then suddenly stopped and looked back with a meaningful smile. “You two practice hard. Chairman Zhao’s taste is vicious; don’t botch the act.”

As her words fell, the door was gently pulled shut, and the living room returned to silence.

Mu Wanyan was still a little dazed. She couldn’t figure out how this job as a contractual lover had somehow landed on her head.

While she was still out of it, Su Xingwei’s voice came from behind her.

“Sit over here.”

Su Xingwei patted the seat beside her, her expression casual, but her tone carried a hint of amusement.

“Why are you hiding so far away? Am I going to eat you?”

That wasn’t what she was worried about. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hide her true self and would give herself away, arousing suspicion.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Mu Wanyan still sat down beside Su Xingwei, deliberately leaving a little distance between them.

The living room fell quiet. Mu Wanyan didn’t know how to ease the awkwardness, so she could only pretend to drink water.

“The dinner engagement is set for tomorrow night.”

Su Xingwei broke the silence first. “You still have one day to practice.”

Mu Wanyan unconsciously pressed her fingers into the edge of the sofa and swallowed. “How do we practice?”

Su Xingwei looked very calm. “We’ll start with holding hands.”

After a pause, she added, “It’s just acting. Besides, we’re both girls; what’s there to be afraid of?”

Just acting.

Mu Wanyan silently repeated the words to herself, then moved closer to Su Xingwei and took her hand first.

“Like this? Is it okay?”

Su Xingwei turned her hand over and clasped it back. For some reason, the two of them somehow ended up interlacing their fingers.

Feeling the warmth in each other’s palms, Mu Wanyan froze in place. Letting go felt wrong; keeping hold of her hand felt wrong too. Before long, her palm began to sweat.