I Could Never Fall In Love With A Villain - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: She is Song Jinxun’s Fiancée

In the end, Mu Yin was practically kicked out of the study.

Tsk, someone’s grumpy.

Unfortunately, she had been a bit too impulsively bold and failed to get any useful information out of Mu Xuan. However, she could confirm one thing: Mu Xuan knew something, but not everything. Otherwise, the storm would have already hit, and she wouldn’t be standing here unscathed.

As for Mu Yin, though she detested the Mu family, she wasn’t about to spill the truth easily. Her plan was still in motion; the longer she stalled, the better it was for her. The Mu family was annoying, but it was a big tree with good shade—why not use their resources while she could?

…

Pants Dropped to the Side: Boss, the new package will be sent out today. Since there aren’t many classes lately, everyone worked overtime to finish it.

Mu Yin replied with an “OK.”

“Pants Dropped to the Side” was one of the interns recommended by Professor Xu and the team leader she had promoted. With him around, she didn’t have to manage every student individually, saving her time and energy.

Thanks to a polished plan, her prior experience, and cutting-edge technology, her demo was completed smoothly and in record time.

Mu Yin’s finger slid down her message list. She scrolled almost to the bottom before finding Pei Che’s chat box. She hesitated for a moment, then sent a message with feigned casualness: Did you find the purchase record for the clothes? How much was it?

After about ten minutes, she received Pei Che’s reply: Not yet.

Does he have chronic procrastination? Mu Yin frowned and typed: How about you just give me a number? I’ll pay whatever it is.

Pei Che: That wouldn’t be right. Pei Che: If I ask for too much and realize it later, I’ll feel guilty, and it’ll be bad for my reputation. Pei Che: If I ask for too little, then I’m at a loss.

Mu Yin: …

So tedious and troublesome.

Just then, her screen lit up again. Pei Che: Is Miss Mu in a hurry? Do you want to clear our ties as quickly as possible?

At least you’re self-aware.

If this had happened before, Mu Yin would have answered “Yes” without hesitation and pressured him to hurry up so she could complete her “Block & Delete” routine. But things were different now. She actually needed a favor from her arch-nemesis.

Rewind to last week: her first demo was out. She had sent it to Professor Xu, who was now her official consultant. He was incredibly enthusiastic and quickly provided feedback.

Professor Xu’s technical note: The results are good, but we need more professional talent. My son is quite skilled in this area, but he’s away on vacation. I’ll introduce you when he returns.

Then, he hit a crucial point: Without a professional psychological assessment, it’s hard to judge if the demo truly has a healing effect.

In the end, it couldn’t just be theory. Mu Yin had tried to reach out to the other expert, Professor Wu, but Professor Xu was right—the man was too old-fashioned to accept AI integration.

So, Mu Yin had to slink back to Pei Che. She made no effort to hide her calculating nature, but she definitely couldn’t let him know that.

Mu Yin composed herself and sent a cute emoji. Mu Yin: How could that be? We have many opportunities to cooperate in the future! I was just worried you were in a rush, Professor Pei~

A minute later. Pei Che: I’m not in a rush.

Seeing that he didn’t reject the idea of “cooperation,” Mu Yin pushed forward. Mu Yin: By the way, my demo is ready. Thanks for your previous help! If you have time, could you try it out and give us some feedback?

Pei Che: Okay. I’ll try it later.

…

After sending the demo, Mu Yin went downstairs for dinner. Her father, Mu Jiarong, had returned from his business trip, so the meal was lavish. However, the dining room was as oppressive as ever.

After finishing his soup, Mu Jiarong suddenly said, “Mrs. Song is being sent abroad next week. Mu Yin, find time to visit the Song house.”

Before Mu Yin could respond, Lin Ying piped up, “That woman is mentally ill, and quite severely… why send Mu Yin? It’s bad luck.”

“Stupid,” Mu Jiarong snapped. Lin Ying immediately apologized with a forced smile.

Mu Jiarong said coldly, “She is Song Jinxun’s biological mother. Visiting her is a way to show Jinxun that you care about him.”

Lin Ying muttered under her breath, “Jinxun probably doesn’t even like her, it might be a waste of time.”

“If he truly hated her, she’d have been sent away long ago. He wouldn’t have kept her at home this long,” Mu Jiarong glared at her. “But if you go, avoid Old Mr. Song. He never liked her; don’t leave a bad impression on him.”

This was the Mu family. Even “caring” was born from interest and calculated for maximum benefit. Mu Yin ate quietly without arguing. Mu Xuan seemed unusually distracted today and didn’t even drop his usual snide remarks.

…

Before bed, Mu Yin dried her hair and received a message from Pei Che. He sent a document. She opened it and found several thousand words of feedback.

Did he write a thesis?

But one can never have too much feedback. Mu Yin straightened her posture and read it carefully, taking detailed notes. Pei Che mentioned one key thing: A real-world test is needed.

Mu Yin had already thought of this and had a plan. Mu Yin: Do you have time tomorrow? Pei Che (replying quickly): Mhm. Mu Yin: Want to go to the Song house together? Pei Che: ? Mu Yin: Mrs. Song has Munchausen Syndrome. Is it feasible to let her test the product? Pei Che: Did the Songs agree? Mu Yin: We’ll be sneaky about it. Mu Yin: She’s being sent abroad soon. You can use that as an angle—as a psychology expert, you’re worried about her mental state during the flight. A comprehensive psychological check-up before she leaves is very necessary.

Pei Che: …Do I need to thank you for preparing my excuses for me? Mu Yin: You’re welcome~ Pei Che: And what about you? Mu Yin: Mine is easy. I’m Song Jinxun’s fiancée; it’s only natural for me to visit his mother. Pei Che: Oh.

What does “Oh” mean? Mu Yin was puzzled. Did you agree? A long while later, Pei Che sent another one-word reply: Mhm.

He sounded reluctant. Mu Yin understood. Tomorrow was likely his day off—making someone work on their day off was practically inhumane. Even if he was her nemesis, she didn’t want to owe him too much.

Mu Yin: Professor Pei, name your price! I’ll pay you! Pei Che: I’m helping Professor Xu. I don’t need a salary.

Look at that, Mu Yin thought. The protagonist being selfless. She could never do that… no wonder she was the villainess.

Mu Yin: Then let me treat you to a meal? This time, the reply was instant. Pei Che: Deal.

…

The next morning, Mu Yin received a message from Pei Che: Should I pick you up?

Mu Yin was confused. Aren’t male leads in these novels usually cold CEOs? Why is Pei Che such a “Good Samaritan”? If this kept up, she’d feel bad viewing him as the enemy.

Mu Yin: No no no, let’s just meet there. The three “no’s” made her desire for distance very clear. Pei Che: Oh.

She estimated Pei Che had already arrived, so she finally headed out. In the car, she messaged Song Jinxun. He guessed she was being pushed by the Mu family to visit, so he didn’t object.

When she arrived at the Song villa, the staff greeted her warmly. Though they remembered her as a difficult young lady, they were hospitable to the future mistress of the house.

“Miss Mu is here! Please, come in. Mr. Song has a meeting, but he’ll be back soon.”

Mu Yin changed into the slippers provided and walked into the living room. She immediately saw a figure on the sofa. Hearing the noise, Pei Che looked up.

She thought he had been there for a while, but he looked like he had just arrived too. Slowpoke.

Mu Yin feigned surprise. “What a coincidence, Professor Pei is here too.”

“Quite a coincidence,” he said, his gaze dropping. “Miss Mu must visit the Song house often.”

His eyes were on her slippers. While other guests were given standard slippers, Mu Yin was wearing a pair of cute rabbit slippers—obviously prepared specifically for her by the Song family.

It made sense. She wasn’t just any guest. She was the one who would eventually move in.

She was Song Jinxun’s fiancée.