I Am Her Secret Beauty - Chapter 37

Du Sha sat cautiously on the edge of the bed beside Nan Xi.

She asked, “Um… when should we begin?”

Nan Xi took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“Sorry, give me a moment. You can do your own thing for now.”

“Oh, okay.”

Du Sha pulled out her phone, feeling somewhat relieved.

She wasn’t ready either, especially after witnessing such a dramatic scene.

She didn’t mind sitting beside Nan Xi. After all, they’d soon be doing something far more intimate. But Nan Xi minded. The dip in the mattress where Du Sha sat made Nan Xi feel as though a part of her heart had hollowed out. So, she stood up and walked into the other bedroom of the suite.

Only when she was alone could Nan Xi think clearly.

Mu Xi had gone too far.

Today, Nan Xi had even entrusted her tasks to Tong An’an, asked Professor Yu for early leave, and come here to make herself look beautiful, her heart brimming with joy as she waited for Mu Xi.

And then Mu Xi showed up with a stranger, claiming this was some alpha who could “solve Nan Xi’s heat cycle troubles.”

Nan Xi had been so furious she wanted to bite Mu Xi’s arm right then. But that would’ve been undignified. She had to remain poised, elegant, she could never let herself lose face in front of Mu Xi.

So, what if it was an alpha? As if she hadn’t seen plenty before.

So, what if it was sex? Fine, let’s do it.

Rage had completely clouded Nan Xi’s mind. If she had remembered her rule of waiting two hours before making any decisions, she might have noticed the disappointment in Mu Xi’s eyes. When she told Du Sha to stay and Mu Xi to leave, the implication was obvious.

Mu Xi left. Mu Xi always listened to her, even in humiliating moments like this, obediently closing the door behind her as if willingly admitting defeat without a hint of resistance.

Nan Xi hated her retreating back. She hated seeing her walk away the most.

But perhaps because she hated Mu Xi so much, once Mu Xi was gone, Nan Xi’s anger began to dissipate along with her. She started to think, what had her words and actions actually achieved?

Hurtful words and impulsive actions wounded both of them.

It wasn’t just Mu Xi. Nan Xi wanted to ask herself: What were they even doing?

…

She needed to calm down.

Irritated, Nan Xi yanked off the bracelet she’d deliberately worn and flung it aside, then splashed cold water on her face. As her physical temperature dropped, her mental turmoil seemed to unravel. She began recalling the details of the past few days.

She’d gone out with her parents once. No rides, always busy, leaving and returning in casual clothes, entering her mother’s study, insisting on keeping her distance.

Mu Xi had been avoiding eye contact, as if afraid Nan Xi would detect some unspeakable emotion hidden within.

… She hadn’t wanted this.

If she had, she wouldn’t have been avoiding Nan Xi these past few days. She should’ve been as open and straightforward as usual.

Nan Xi suddenly lifted her head, ignoring the water dripping down her cheeks and hair, and rushed out of the bedroom to find Du Sha in the other room.

Du Sha was startled by her drenched appearance, but before she could speak, Nan Xi stood by the door and asked:

“How much did she pay you to come here?”

“Huh.” Du Sha hadn’t expected Nan Xi to be unaware of her own compensation. Had these two even communicated at all? After some thought, she decided there was no need to hide it. “A lot. Miss Mu said my work would be done once a month, with a payment of 200,000 each time.”

Mu Xi couldn’t afford that much.

Her mother had been frequently summoning her for talks, undoubtedly applying significant pressure and likely adding this as leverage. Moreover, 200,000 was the exact figure her mother most often promised as a benefit to others.

“I see.” Nan Xi wiped her face, a faint smile finally breaking through her pallid expression. “You can keep that 200,000 as usual, but you won’t have to do anything. Consider it hush money from me.”

Du Sha’s jaw dropped.

First, she got paid 200,000 a month just for marking a stunning beauty. Now, something even better had fallen into her lap, getting paid just for breathing!

“…But, Miss Nan, the agreement Miss Mu gave me already includes a confidentiality clause. I won’t go around blabbing.”

Nan Xi shook her head with a smile. “That’s unrelated to her agreement with you. This is a new clause between us. What you need to keep secret is that you didn’t do anything with me.”

“Keep it from Miss Mu…?”

Nan Xi walked past her, picking up her bag and phone from the bedside. “No, I’ll tell her myself.”

Then what kind of secret was that…?

Du Sha watched as Nan Xi gathered her things, ready to leave, not just the room, but likely the entire hotel.

Du Sha quickly called out, “Miss Nan, I should leave too, I-”

“You’ll stay here.”

“Please spend the night here alone. I’ll take my leave now.”

Nan Xi’s figure gracefully vanished from sight, like a wisp of lingering smoke. Du Sha had a feeling that wisp was probably drifting straight toward Miss Mu.

She wasn’t wrong.

What was all that about not losing face in front of Mu Xi? That was her woman. Why bother with pride? She had to be the one to go and make amends.

…

Nan Xi left through the hotel’s back entrance and hailed a taxi back to the Nan residence.

Coincidentally, Nan Zhiya and Guan Yan were out on a date today, and Nan Lian was away on a business trip, leaving only Nan Nan at home. That blockhead Nan Nan slept like a log, even an earthquake wouldn’t wake him. What could he possibly accomplish?

Wasn’t this heaven’s will? Today, Nan Xi was destined to sneak around with Mu Xi at home, and no one could stop her.

Nan Xi took the garden path, avoiding most of the routes the servants might use, and entered the Nan residence through a side door.

Along the way, she only ran into Xiao Li, who accepted a bribe and promised not to mention her return tonight.

After successfully slipping back home, Nan Xi didn’t immediately seek out Mu Xi. Instead, she returned to her room, opened her bag, and took out its contents.

She had originally prepared these “goodies” for a rendezvous with Mu Xi at the hotel. Now, it seemed they’d still be used on Mu Xi, just in a different setting.

Passing Nan Nan’s room, she found his door tightly shut with no sound inside. As expected, still the same old blockhead.

Nan Xi patiently waited for the night to deepen.

When the servants had left and Nan Nan was sound asleep, Nan Xi seized her moment. Just like last time, she draped a coat over herself and stealthily made her way downstairs, knocking on the door of Mu Xi’s quarters.

Mu Xi, of course, wasn’t asleep. She was lying alone in bed, letting melancholy consume her.

So, when the knock came, she didn’t react immediately. It took a few seconds before her eyes mechanically shifted, and she uttered a flat, indifferent:

“Who is it?”

No answer came from outside, yet the door opened on its own.

The moment she heard the door move, an idea flashed through Mu Xi’s mind, one so absurd it made her feel delusional, so ridiculous that even when her senses screamed the correct answer, she refused to believe it.

Nan Xi was supposed to be with Du Sha. How could she possibly be here?

And yet…

Mu Xi’s downcast eyes gradually widened, her entire being lighting up with vitality. She saw the impossible figure leaning against the doorframe, a coat dropped carelessly on the floor.

“You…”

“Why didn’t you turn on the lights?” Nan Xi complained, reaching for the switch. With a click, the pitch-black room flooded with brightness. “What’s the point of me wearing this if it’s too dark to see?”

“No… weren’t you with Du Sha? You… how are you here?”

Mu Xi stumbled over her words, half-convinced she’d lost her mind and was hallucinating. But if this was her hallucination, her subconscious was far more shameless than she’d ever imagined.

Of course, she saw what Nan Xi was wearing. In fact, even before the lights came on, she’d already pieced it together.

It was something Mu Xi was certain would never normally appear in Nan Xi’s wardrobe, something she must have bought for a very specific purpose.

She hesitated to even call it “clothing,” because clothes were meant to cover the body. What Nan Xi wore now, a delicate web of black lace, did anything but. Mu Xi could see every breathtaking curve beneath.

The reason for Nan Xi’s sudden appearance needed no explanation.

“Wait! don’t come closer. Let’s sort this out properly. Where’s Du Sha right now?”

Mu Xi’s face burned crimson. This time, she wasn’t in her rut; she wouldn’t be so easily swayed by temptation.

She clung to rationality, determined to understand the situation before deciding what to do next. Acting recklessly, letting things happen without reason, that wasn’t right. Everything had to have a clear cause and effect before,

“What are you? Stay there. Just… just explain first-” Mu Xi raised a hand to stop her, but the woman, light and sly as a fox, had already slipped close, trying to pull her out from under the covers.

Nan Xi paid no heed. With effortless grace, she caught Mu Xi’s wrist and tucked it against her chest, nuzzling into it.

Then, without warning, she opened her mouth and bit down hard on the arm.

“…”

Mu Xi fell silent, staring dumbfounded at her own reddened face and the deep teeth marks left behind.

Nan Xi closed her mouth. “Should’ve done that sooner. That’s your punishment for pushing me toward someone else. Dare to do it again?”

“I-”

“Do you dare?”

“…I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Nan Xi smiled, satisfied. This was her Mu Xi, even when she messed up, she always apologized properly, and she’d never repeat the same mistake.

Only for someone like this would Nan Xi patiently teach her, over and over, until they’d navigated past every possible misstep.

“Good. Now, let’s begin.”

Having said that, Nan Xi wrapped herself around Mu Xi, her body as supple as a water snake. She buried her face in the crook of Mu Xi’s neck, peeled off the gland patch there, and then greedily kissed the gland that emitted the scent she adored.

The bittersweet aroma of oranges, distinct from other cloyingly sweet fruits because of that hint of bitterness never grew tiresome. It was simply addictive.

“Wait a moment.”

Mu Xi’s voice had weakened, but she stubbornly pushed Nan Xi away a little. “You’re so clear-headed right now… Your heat hasn’t started yet, has it? If it hasn’t, then there’s no need-”

“What are you talking about?”

A flush had also risen on Nan Xi’s face as she tilted her head to look at her.

“I’ve been in heat since the moment I walked in. Getting feverish just from seeing you, isn’t that the simplest thing of all?”