I Could Never Fall In Love With A Villain - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Has Their Relationship Become This Good Already?

Inside the hospital, where the thick scent of disinfectant lingered, Mu Yin finished the paperwork and turned to look for Song Xingyao.

She had to admit, Mu Xuan was a real troublemaker. She thought the surprises were over, but then Mu Xuan appeared out of nowhere and managed to get himself injured. She truly wanted to facepalm. Who would have thought he’d be so persistent, chasing her all the way from the office to the apartment complex? Since he found her so precisely, he had clearly discovered her real estate purchase.

Though Mu Xuan sometimes seemed a bit slow, he wasn’t necessarily easy to fool.

Lost in thought, Mu Yin finally spotted Song Xingyao. She had only taken two steps toward him when she saw two police officers approach him. They exchanged a few words, and the two young officers were all smiles, even raising their fists to playfully bump his chest.

They seemed as close as old friends.

Mu Yin raised an eyebrow in curiosity. As she drew closer, their conversation drifted into earshot.

“Are you really going to give up? You worked so hard back in school… are you really okay with this?” The officer on the left spoke with a tone of regret.

The one on the right laughed. “His current situation is the ultimate life dream, okay? Who’d want to be a cop when you have a massive inheritance waiting for you?”

Oh ho. It sounded like she had stumbled upon some major tea. Mu Yin immediately slowed her pace, unsure if she should keep listening.

But a second later, Song Xingyao’s sharp gaze swept over and caught her red-handed. Noticing his look, the two officers also turned around, their eyes filling with surprise.

Coming face-to-face, Mu Yin realized they looked familiar. The officer on the left blurted out, “Hey, isn’t this—”

“Yeah,” Song Xingyao cut him off with a sigh, admitting it with obvious reluctance. “It’s her. You’ve met before.”

It turned out these two were among the friends Song Xingyao had been drinking with at the bar previously. This gave Mu Yin even more to think about. For now, she asked nothing and simply nodded with a polite smile.

Fortunately, the awkwardness didn’t last. The officers began asking for details regarding today’s incident.

“What is your relationship with Peng Ku?”

Mu Yin answered honestly, “An intern recommended by a friend.”

Song Xingyao huffed. “Wasn’t he a ‘friend’s younger brother’?”

“Close enough,” Mu Yin retorted. Then she added, “To protect personal privacy, could this Mr. Song please step back a bit?”

“…” Song Xingyao gave her a disgruntled look but turned and walked a few paces away.

Mu Yin gave a full account of the day’s events. The officer on the right asked while taking notes, “Do you know Wei Wenbin?”

“Wei Wenbin?”

“The man who kidnapped Peng Ku today.”

Mu Yin shook her head but added, “Based on his behavior, it’s possible he suffers from schizophrenia. You shouldn’t easily believe anything he says.”

She was mainly worried that Wei Wenbin’s auditory hallucinations and nonsensical rambling might stir up trouble. Luckily, the police had anticipated this.

“Yes, Peng Ku mentioned that as well. We’ll follow protocol and take him for a psychiatric evaluation.”

After a few more words, the officers said their goodbyes. As Mu Yin prepared to return to the ward to check on Mu Xuan, Song Xingyao drifted back over.

“Chat?”

They definitely needed to chat. Right now, both sides held each other’s little secrets.

…

They walked through the hospital corridors to a convenience store, bought two cups of instant noodles, and sat at a small table by the entrance. As night fell and a cool breeze blew, the smell of the noodles helped Mu Yin’s tension slowly dissolve.

She had just received a message from Peng Ku. He wasn’t injured, just badly shaken, and was safely home. She hadn’t pressed him for details yet; it was better to wait until he had calmed down.

“You can eat now. The noodles get gross if they soak too long.” Song Xingyao had already started; he was eating the cheap noodles with genuine gusto.

In the moonlight, his profile was the same, but the haughty arrogance of a young master had vanished, replaced by something much more approachable.

“I’ll go first,” Mu Yin said while eating. “Let’s pretend nothing happened today. Neither of us asks questions about the other.”

Song Xingyao took a sip of the soup and looked at her sideways. “You think that’s possible?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Mu Yin said calmly. “If you really wanted to hide things, I would never have found out. The reason I sensed something off is because you were careless enough to let me see.”

Song Xingyao laughed. “I only let a little slip because you’re my ‘sister-in-law’.”

This guy was really addicted to the role-play. He put on that frivolous front again, making it impossible to tell if he was joking or serious.

“I won’t tell Song Jinxun, and you have to help me keep things from Mu Xuan.”

Song Xingyao feigned shock. “Ah, which thing? Our secret?”

Mu Yin gave him a flat look. Seeing she wasn’t in the mood for games, Song Xingyao dropped the act. “So, are we in a ‘transactional’ relationship now?”

“…” Mu Yin was speechless. “Look, if you aren’t afraid of the Song family finding out you weren’t actually studying abroad, then I’m not worried about what you might spill. If you really want to compete with Song Jinxun, you should be more nervous than me.”

Song Xingyao held up his hands. “Fine, fine. I admit I’m nervous. So the deal is struck?” He paused, unable to suppress his curiosity. “You judged that I never went abroad based on just those two sentences?”

“No, I guessed,” Mu Yin said. “I didn’t expect you’d let the cat out of the bag so easily.”

“…”

Song Xingyao decided to try for a comeback. “And you? All those computers and equipment in that living room… are you running a secret workshop?”

Mu Yin’s eyes gave him the answer: None of your business.

He persisted. “You’re going to marry my brother. No matter who gets the inheritance, he’ll be incredibly wealthy. Even so, you’re sneaking around to make money behind the Mu family’s back?”

“First of all, your brother’s money is his business.”

He smiled. “And second?”

“Second… none of your business.” She actually said it out loud this time.

She spoke with cold mockery, but Song Xingyao couldn’t help but want to laugh. He couldn’t quite explain why—perhaps because they had both dropped their masks and were being somewhat honest with each other.

“It’s true it’s none of my business, but I care about you. After all, you are my brother’s… fiancée.” He leaned forward slightly, his “peach blossom” eyes filled with amusement.

“If you’re that curious, I could tell you.” Mu Yin wiped the corner of her mouth with a tissue and looked him in the eye with a charming smile. “But you’ll have to trade something for it.”

“What?” He raised an eyebrow. “My secrets?”

“What would I do with your secrets?” Mu Yin looked at him with utter disdain. “I want money.”

“…” Song Xingyao’s lip twitched, momentarily stunned by her bluntness. “Is life at the Mu house that hard?”

Mu Yin lied through her teeth. “Very hard. I usually only get leftovers to eat. So, if you want to be a philanthropist and give me five million, ten million, or a hundred million, you’ll be my boss and I’ll hand over all my secrets.”

Song Xingyao laughed in spite of himself. “You sure don’t ask for much.”

“Of course. My secrets are worth that much.”

Satiated, she let out a satisfied stretch, looking relaxed and free. Song Xingyao’s lips curved upward. Just as he was about to speak, a furious voice erupted from behind them.

“Mu Yin!”

Both turned in surprise to see Mu Xuan standing a short distance away, leaning on a crutch. His expression was thunderous. Every step he took on his injured leg clearly pained him, but he limped forward regardless, his gaze dark as it fixed on Mu Yin before shifting to Song Xingyao.

“What are you doing here?”

Mu Yin: “Eating instant noodles.” Song Xingyao: “Chatting.”

Their voices rang out simultaneously. Mu Xuan’s face darkened further. “Get over here.”

Before Mu Yin could respond, Song Xingyao spoke up with a smile. “Mu Xuan, what’s with the attitude? I’m not some toxic waste, and I haven’t dyed my hair yellow. What are you worried about?”

Mu Xuan said coldly, “She is Song Jinxun’s fiancée—your brother’s fiancée. Don’t you know you should keep your distance?”

“Wow, I didn’t realize you were so considerate of my brother. But…” He smiled, intentionally twisting the meaning. “I also know Mu Yin is my brother’s fiancée, not Mu Xuan’s. Why are you so angry? Are you really being angry on my brother’s behalf?”

Mu Xuan seemed to freeze for a moment, his expression flickering through several emotions. Before he could find the right point to explode, Mu Yin threw a bottle of water at Song Xingyao. “Shut up. Stop spewing nonsense here.”

“Fine, fine, my mistake.” Song Xingyao wasn’t annoyed at being hit; he caught the water with a good-natured air, his eyes crinkling into a smile as usual.

Mu Xuan: “…” For some reason, the fire in his chest burned even hotter.

Mu Yin felt a slight pang of guilt looking at Mu Xuan. “Brother~ Why did you leave the ward? You’re injured; you should be resting.”

Mu Xuan sneered. “Heh, you actually remember I’m injured?”

“Who left me alone in the ward?”

“Ignoring my messages… turns out you were out here with another man—’chatting’.”

Mu Yin tried to smooth things over. “I was finishing your paperwork.”

“Oh. And you just vanished after the paperwork was done?”

“Ahem. Brother, you must be hungry. Let’s go back to the ward and I’ll order you a deluxe delivery.”

Seeing her relatively sincere attitude, Mu Xuan reluctantly suppressed his sarcasm. He didn’t turn back immediately, but glanced at the table behind them. “What were you eating just now? Instant noodles…?”

His disgust was overflowing. Mu Yin, exhausted from the day’s drama, didn’t want to argue. She reached out, pressed her hand against his back, and forced him to turn around.

“Let’s go, let’s go. Back to the ward.”

“Enough! I can do it myself!” Mu Xuan immediately brushed her off and limped back on his crutches.

Left behind, Song Xingyao watched the siblings’ retreating figures and chuckled softly. That little heartless girl—once her brother showed up, she didn’t give him a single glance back.

However… has their relationship become this good already?