I Am Her Secret Beauty - Chapter 36

“Butler Mu, are you really not going to eat? This is super delicious.”

Xiao Ji gazed at Mu Xi with hopeful eyes, wishing to see her smile.

Mu Xi forced a slight curve of her lips and took the box from her hands. She had been distracted earlier and hadn’t heard what was inside. “Thank you, then.”

Though she accepted the gift, Xiao Ji still lingered in front of her. “Still feeling down?”

“…Is it that obvious?”

“Super obvious.” Xiao Ji covered her mouth to stifle a giggle and pointed behind Mu Xi. “Everyone noticed, which is why they sent me to bring you something tasty.”

Mu Xi turned to look in the direction she pointed and indeed saw two people peeking from behind a wall.

She was genuinely touched by everyone’s kindness, but…

“Thank you all.” Since she’d been found out, Mu Xi couldn’t keep up the act any longer. Her lips drooped abruptly. “Please let me be alone for a while.”

Xiao Ji had no choice but to pull the two onlookers away, leaving the break room to Mu Xi.

Mu Xi checked her memo. The next task was scheduled in six minutes, meaning she had six more minutes to wallow.

She opened her chat with Nan Xi again. Earlier that morning, she had sent the confirmed hotel location, and the last message was a mischievous smirk from Nan Xi.

Mu Xi knew exactly what that smirk meant.

Nan Xi thought it was an invitation for the two of them.

…How vulgar. How did things end up like this?

The six minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Before Mu Xi could sink too deeply into her sorrow, she tucked her phone away, stood up, and left the break room, heading toward the laundry room.

She wished today could be busier, preferably enough to drown her in work. But today just happened to be unusually light, even the troublemaker Nan Nan hadn’t stirred up any chaos for her. Mu Xi had far too many six-minute intervals to indulge in shallow misery.

…

When Mu Xi met Du Sha at the hotel lobby, the woman who had stood out among all the interviewees, her low spirits were unmistakable, making the quiet woman before her uneasy.

Du Sha couldn’t help but adjust the silk scarf at her chest again. Seeing Mu Xi’s deeply troubled expression, she asked, “Is my outfit… inappropriate? Should I go to a nearby store and change?”

Mu Xi glanced at her briefly.

A trench coat and trousers were perfectly suitable for autumn, paired with a scarf at the collar, nothing inappropriate at all. If anything, it was too appropriate.

“No need.”

“Then what is it that you’re dissatisfied with?” Du Sha pressed.

“I’m not dissatisfied.” Mu Xi was usually gentle with everyone, but now she found Du Sha too noisy. Unwilling to listen to her self-doubt any longer, she strode ahead toward the elevator.

Du Sha hurried after her.

She found this Miss Mu rather difficult to get along with. Her attitude carried a hint of resentment, somewhat like her supervisor at work.

The two stepped into the elevator. It was Du Sha’s first time in such a high-end hotel. Before coming, she had secretly looked up the prices on her phone, and the numbers had shocked her. What’s more, it required certain credentials just to stay here. Who in their right mind would be eager to throw money at this place?

Not only had Miss Mu breezed through the hotel’s verification process, but she had also never once mentioned asking Du Sha to cover the room fee. Apart from her icy demeanor, everything had been arranged flawlessly, Du Sha only needed to show up in person.

If the person she was to serve was even remotely decent-looking, then this would be an incredible stroke of luck.

“Remember to be polite when you meet her later,” Mu Xi suddenly spoke to Du Sha. “Don’t say too much, she doesn’t like overly enthusiastic people.”

“Understood.”

“You must be considerate, gentle, and meticulous, absolutely must. Follow her instructions, no matter what she says, just comply.” Mu Xi paused. “She might… dismiss you in a very unpleasant manner. Don’t take it to heart.”

“I got it.”

Du Sha found this person a bit strange.

From her words, it was clear that Miss Mu knew the person she was about to serve very well. So, if there was a need, why didn’t Miss Mu step in herself? Why bring in a stranger like her?

And her attitude, why did she act like a lovelorn tragic heroine? It was downright bizarre to behave like this in front of her.

Du Sha decided to stay silent and not provoke her unnecessarily.

The suite Mu Xi had booked was on the top floor. She informed Du Sha that the client had already arrived, and today, all Du Sha needed to do was undergo the final interview with her.

Only after stepping out of the elevator did Du Sha realize how few rooms there were on the spacious top floor. The prices for ordinary rooms she had found online were already shockingly high, so this place…

She glanced nervously at Mu Xi, who finally gave her a reassuring look before leading her to a door.

Mu Xi knocked twice.

A voice soon called from inside, “Who is it?”

Judging by the woman’s voice, she was still quite young which didn’t align with Du Sha’s expectations.

She had assumed the client would be at least in her fifties.

Mu Xi pressed close to the door crack. “Young Miss, it’s me.”

Young Miss?

Standing behind Mu Xi, Du Sha watched as the door quickly swung open. The person inside peeked out halfway, but Mu Xi blocked her view, so she couldn’t make out their appearance.

However, the person inside sounded utterly delighted, telling Mu Xi, “Come in quickly!” before darting back inside, leaving the door wide open for the two of them.

The two outside exchanged a silent glance before stepping into the room one after the other.

This time, Du Sha finally got a clear look: a strikingly beautiful woman was flopping around on the bed, limbs flailing excitedly in the air. From her appearance, she was perfectly healthy with no disabilities.

In other words, her client was incredibly wealthy, beautiful, healthy, and held a prestigious status.

So why would she need someone as unknown as her… to perform the marking?

…Though Du Sha hadn’t encountered many Omegas, she was certain that this one whether through looks or status, could easily summon any number of Alphas willing to go through fire and water for her with just a crook of her finger. There was no need for such an elaborate, secretive hiring process.

The world had truly changed. Even such a stunning Omega had to worry about her heat cycle. What a terrifying world, what a terrifying Omega.

More importantly, it was obvious that this “Young Miss” and her attendant had feelings for each other. The current situation was so melodramatic it was almost laughable, who knew how things would unfold next?

While Du Sha was still baffled, Nan Xi finally noticed the person standing behind Mu Xi.

Nan Xi immediately composed herself, sitting properly at the edge of the bed, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked at Mu Xi:

“Who is she?”

The sheets behind her were twisted into a tangled mess from her earlier movements, and the dress she wore was slightly disheveled. Nan Xi posed her question in this state, looking every bit like a young fawn lost in the jungle.

Mu Xi’s expression remained calm, showing little reaction to Nan Xi’s agitation. Her tone was neither submissive nor arrogant:

“Young Miss, this lady is named Du Sha. She is here to help alleviate the troubles of your heat cycle.”

Du Sha greeted Nan Xi from behind Mu Xi.

But no one responded to her.

The room suddenly turned icy. The woman sitting on the bed, addressed as “Young Miss,” underwent a series of emotional shifts, all directed at Mu Xi.

Confusion, anger, resentment, disappointment, all of them burned together, fueling a surge of fury as she demanded of Mu Xi:

“Is this what you’ve done? The result of all these days?”

Mu Xi remained silent.

Du Sha desperately wished she would say something to calm the Young Miss’s rage, because the atmosphere in the room was more terrifying than when all three of her bosses lost their tempers at once. The main difference was that there were no colleagues here to share the pressure.

She wasn’t entirely clear about the situation, but the one thing she was certain of was that the Young Miss looked about ready to devour Mu Xi alive.

However, the most terrifying anger was that of someone usually beautiful and fragile, because such fury often carried an impulse to shatter and destroy. More than worrying about Mu Xi’s safety, she was concerned this woman might faint from sheer rage.

Mu Xi stood rigid, as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over her from head to toe. In the endless silence, she heard Nan Xi step closer and ask again:

“Are you even human?”

If Mu Xi shifted her gaze just slightly, she would see Nan Xi staring into her eyes, trying to discern what she was truly thinking.

But she wouldn’t meet her gaze because it felt like she had already lost the right to do so.

Regarding Nan Xi’s question, Mu Xi thought, sometimes she really did feel different from everyone else she had ever met.

So, was she human? Maybe she truly wasn’t. Otherwise, how could her heart feel so numb at this moment?

The silence in the suite lasted at least ten minutes before Mu Xi heard her own voice, steady and unyielding:

“Young Miss, are you satisfied with her? If not, I will make another selection for you.”

Nan Xi’s eyes brimmed with tears.

But she held them back, refusing to let them fall. She held them back well.

Sure enough, she had almost given up. But how could she forget that this was just who Mu Xi was? Five years ago, she could disappear without a word. Now, of course, she could just bring some stranger and push her onto her.

No… push her onto someone else.

Nan Xi wiped her tears fiercely, so hard that the fabric of her sleeve scraped painfully against her skin.

She sat back down on the bed and looked at Du Sha. “What’s your name?”

Du Sha, who had been trying desperately to make herself invisible, answered softly, “Du Sha. ‘Sha’ as in gauze.”

Nan Xi laughed, a cold laugh. But Du Sha wasn’t afraid, because she knew it wasn’t directed at her.

“Come here. Let me look at you.” Nan Xi braced her hands on the bed, her upper body weak but not collapsing. “You’re an alpha? You really don’t look like one.”

“Yes, I’m an S-class alpha. Currently, I work in documentation at a media company…”

Du Sha took two steps forward and began reciting the personal introduction she had written in her resume, striving to speak fluently. As she introduced herself, Mu Xi stood silently by her side, listening attentively.

Nan Xi waited until Du Sha finished speaking before raising her hand and clapping twice. “Not bad. You’re hired.”

The motion of clapping nearly caused her to lose her balance, but her willpower held firm.

Du Sha froze in place, stunned that she had passed the final interview so effortlessly, though the process felt somewhat surreal.

Nan Xi paid her no further mind, instead lifting her head to cast a cold glance at Mu Xi. “Why are you still here? Hoping to watch?”

Mu Xi, who had been as still as a statue, finally stirred. “My apologies, Young Miss.”

She bowed deeply to Nan Xi before turning to leave, carefully closing the door behind her without a sound.

After that, she could no longer see Nan Xi’s reaction inside the room.

Standing in the hallway, her gaze grew distant.

It took her a long moment before she remembered to pull out her phone and send a message to Nan Zhiya: “Madam, the Young Miss has accepted Candidate A.”

Nan Zhiya replied quickly this time: “Well done.”

Mu Xi felt no joy at the praise.

When rationality seemed to return abruptly, her first instinct was to stride swiftly into the elevator and leave the place, only slowing her pace once she reached the first floor, as if afraid some sound might chase after her.

…She hadn’t refused.

Just as she had reported to Nan Zhiya, Nan Xi had accepted Candidate A.

Mu Xi had to admit that, though she had faithfully carried out Nan Zhiya’s instructions, a part of her had secretly hoped for the mission to fail, hoped that Nan Xi would ultimately say those words…

“I don’t want anyone else. I only want you.”

It was truly a pointless delusion, and given everything she had already done, the thought now felt especially repulsive.

Nan Xi was right, she wasn’t human.

Mu Xi got into the car alone and drove toward the Nan family estate through the deepening night. Neon lights flickered past, and the bustling traffic flowed around her, all fleeting illusions that vanished as quickly as they appeared.

She was exhausted. Once she arrived at the Nan residence and arranged dinner for the evening, she would steal a moment to return to her room and take a hot bath. She could only hope it would help.