I Turned Out To Be The Paranoid Villain’s White Moonlight - Chapter 4

As soon as the words fell, Zhan Yao froze for several seconds.

The post she had made last night had only been meant to anger Xu Yingxi. There had been no deeper meaning behind it. She had not expected anyone else to see it.

But seeing it was one thing. She certainly had not expected someone to personally come looking for her because of it.

Zhan Yao paused and instinctively raised an eyebrow, sensing that something was not quite right. “May I ask your surname?”

“My surname is Yu,” the woman before her replied.

“My full name is Yu Wanqiao.”

“…”

Well, damn.

Zhan Yao fell silent once again. Her memories returned to the night she had first transmigrated here. As it turned out, she had already met both of the most important characters in the entire novel that very night.

What were the odds?

Perhaps she should go buy a lottery ticket right now.

Since the woman had already introduced herself, it would be rude not to return the courtesy. Zhan Yao had already eaten more than half of the watermelon in her hand. At last, she set it aside and prepared to speak to her properly.

“Zhan Yao.”

Her voice did not waver in the slightest.

Afraid that its host did not understand the seriousness of the situation, the system hurriedly reminded her in a weak voice before Yu Wanqiao could respond.

“Um, just so you know, this woman is the greatest villain in the entire novel.”

“A-Aren’t you afraid?”

“Afraid of what?” Zhan Yao asked.

“She’s terrifying.” Merely thinking about it made the system shudder. “Yu Wanqiao is completely insane. Be careful she doesn’t cause trouble for you.”

“She isn’t having an episode right now,” Zhan Yao said.

She clearly remembered how Yu Wanqiao had been described in the novel. There were only two principles behind how she dealt with people and problems: directness and brutality.

If she truly wanted to cause Zhan Yao trouble, why would she have waited until now?

Besides, Yu Wanqiao was endlessly busy. Something this trivial was nothing more than a minor disturbance to someone like her, hardly worth paying attention to.

“Even if she does go crazy, it doesn’t matter.” Zhan Yao lowered her gaze and glanced at the high heels on Yu Wanqiao’s feet. “I can run faster than she can.”

“…”

The system had to admit that its admiration for its host had risen yet again.

Before it could say anything else, Yu Wanqiao spoke. The corners of her beautiful lips curved upward, and her hair fluttered gently in the night breeze.

“Hello, Miss Zhan.”

Unlike their encounter at the bar, she greeted Zhan Yao very politely this time.

To be honest, had she not introduced herself, Zhan Yao truly would not have connected her to the Yu Wanqiao from the novel.

As the villain, nearly every word describing violence and cruelty in the novel had been used on her, making Yu Wanqiao sound like some terrifying monster. Yet now that Zhan Yao had actually met her, she realized the impression she gave was nowhere near as exaggerated as the book had suggested.

At least, she appeared perfectly normal right now.

Perhaps her mental state truly had been poor that night. Remembering how she had swung her handbag at Yu Wanqiao with all her strength, Zhan Yao unexpectedly felt a trace of guilt. Even the gaze she directed at Yu Wanqiao unconsciously carried a little sympathy.

“Miss Yu, what did you mean by what you just said?”

It was not appropriate to leave her standing there forever. Zhan Yao glanced around, intending to invite her to find somewhere to sit, but before she could speak again, Yu Wanqiao quickly continued.

“I imagine your time is valuable, Miss Zhan. Since that’s the case, I won’t beat around the bush. I may as well be direct.”

She said, “I came here to propose to you.”

Zhan Yao stopped looking for a chair.

Her eyes widened as she raised her head and stared at the woman before her again.

She repeatedly examined Yu Wanqiao’s expression and confirmed that she appeared normal at this moment and was not speaking nonsense.

Even so, she was still stunned. The corner of her mouth even twitched instinctively.

Yu Wanqiao had truly broadened her horizons today.

“…What did you say?”

Twenty minutes later, the two of them appeared inside a nearby café.

The café had a rather upscale, refined atmosphere and primarily catered to wealthy young women, providing them with a venue for tea parties. The desserts and drinks inside were expensive, with even the cheapest items costing at least three digits.

However, Zhan Yao was no stranger to such places. After all, she had once been a wealthy young heiress herself and had regularly visited establishments like this.

The only reason she had agreed to come with Yu Wanqiao was because she wanted to hear exactly what the woman was thinking.

There was also another reason.

Yu Wanqiao was far better suited to a place like this. Such a beautiful and luxurious woman looked far too conspicuous on a university campus filled with students.

“Would you like something to drink?” Yu Wanqiao asked as their eyes met.

Zhan Yao looked over the menu and discovered that some of the desserts were surprisingly identical to those in her original world. Out of habit, she ordered what she had often eaten before. Even her coffee was prepared according to her old preferences.

Before long, the coffee and desserts were served.

Zhan Yao lifted the coffee and took a sip. At last, she released her first satisfied sigh in three days.

Yu Wanqiao watched her, the corners of her lips rising almost imperceptibly.

Then she took out a document and gently placed it before Zhan Yao.

Yu Wanqiao had been carrying it in her hand ever since they got out of the car.

Zhan Yao lowered her gaze and looked it over. “What is this?”

“As you can see, it is an agreement. It is both the reason I came here today and my demonstration of sincerity toward you, Miss Zhan,” Yu Wanqiao said. “I know it was rude of me to suddenly propose to you, but I still hope you will carefully consider my offer.”

So Yu Wanqiao had her own plans.

What she had said earlier had not been nonsense after all.

Zhan Yao did not rush to answer. Instead, she lowered her head again and began reading the agreement carefully.

Contract marriages were quite common among wealthy families. They were generally based on mutual benefit, with both parties getting what they needed.

Most were business marriages between powerful families. The two sides joined forces and then separated once they had achieved their goals, leaving each other alone afterward.

Of course, a smaller number were arranged for all kinds of strange reasons—such as dealing with family pressure or fighting over an inheritance.

Zhan Yao did not know what Yu Wanqiao’s reason was. However, after seeing the “sincerity” Yu Wanqiao had mentioned, she decided to ask later.

The agreement set a duration of three years.

During those three years, they would live together under the same roof as lovers. When necessary, Zhan Yao would need to cooperate by putting on an act for appearances. Other than that, her freedom would not be restricted.

During this period, she could enjoy every advantage that came with being connected to the Yu family. She could also make any request of Yu Wanqiao that the woman was capable of fulfilling.

After the contract ended, Zhan Yao would even receive half of the assets under Yu Wanqiao’s name.

Half…

That was outrageous.

Even Zhan Yao, who had no shortage of confidence in herself, wanted to ask: What exactly are you after?

“Give me a reason,” Zhan Yao said after reading through the agreement once.

Unfortunately, Yu Wanqiao did not answer her question directly.

“I have my own considerations.”

Oh. A secret.

“Do you think a contract marriage is feasible?” Zhan Yao asked the system inside her mind.

“Don’t ask me. How would I know?” The system had been left speechless by this entire chain of absurd developments. Right now, it did not dare say anything and knew absolutely nothing.

“If I accept Yu Wanqiao’s proposal, will the original plot change?” Zhan Yao asked again.

The system was rather surprised that she still remembered the plot.

“Yes. If you truly accept Yu Wanqiao’s proposal, the original storyline probably won’t be able to continue. Your task will likely change too. It might become something like… helping Yu Wanqiao treat her mental illness.”

So the story could actually branch into different routes.

No matter what, Zhan Yao had to complete a task before she could return home.

Although Yu Wanqiao had some mental health issues, she was still hundreds of times better than that scumbag Xu Yingxi. Moreover, despite being the villain, she behaved far more honorably than Xu Yingxi in many respects.

Most of the people who truly suffered at Yu Wanqiao’s hands had basically brought it upon themselves. She would never stoop to doing the despicable things Xu Yingxi had done.

Yu Wanqiao might not be a good person, but she would certainly be a good business partner.

Of course, Zhan Yao was not tempted by half of her fortune.

Although, if she truly could not return to her original world, those assets would guarantee her a carefree life forever.

Still, she was not such a shallow person.

She merely wanted to help Yu Wanqiao recover from her illness.

“You’ll keep your word?” Zhan Yao slowly raised her eyes.

Yu Wanqiao nodded. “I will never go back on it.”

“Good.” As soon as she finished speaking, Zhan Yao smiled.

Her smile was both beautiful and adorable. Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly, making it obvious that she was plotting something. She looked like a sly little fox.

Yu Wanqiao held her gaze for several seconds before speaking again.

“I have a psychological disorder,” she said. “It does not flare up often, but there may be times when I cannot control myself. However, you do not need to worry. I have never harmed anyone during an episode. Even if an accident truly occurs, bodyguards will be responsible for protecting you and ensuring that you are not injured in any way.”

All right. They had reached the honesty portion of the discussion.

Zhan Yao nodded, indicating that she did not mind.

“Then I should be honest with you too. I have a bad temper and plenty of faults. I show no mercy to people I dislike, and I’m difficult to serve. If we truly live beneath the same roof, I hope you’ll be patient with me.”

Yu Wanqiao shook her head. “None of that is a problem.”

“Then here’s to a pleasant partnership.” Zhan Yao smiled and voluntarily extended her hand toward her.

Yu Wanqiao seemed to pause for several seconds before slowly reaching out and clasping it firmly.

Just like that night, her fingertips somehow still seemed to be trembling.

At the time, Zhan Yao had assumed that Yu Wanqiao was emotionally unstable and had not thought much about it. Now, however, she instinctively paused.

Then she parted her lips and looked directly into Yu Wanqiao’s eyes.

“Is there anything else you haven’t told me?”

“What?” Yu Wanqiao asked.

Zhan Yao gave a sympathetic sigh.

“For example, do you have Parkinson’s disease or something?”