I Am Her Secret Beauty - Chapter 40

In the middle of the night, Mu Xi groggily opened her eyes and saw a slender figure standing by the window. The side facing away from her was bathed in moonlight, appearing translucent, while the back turned toward her had perfect contours, with slightly wavy long hair cascading like a black waterfall pouring from the edge of the world into an abyss.

Mu Xi gazed at her in confusion, wondering if she was dreaming or if she had already died, thus granted a glimpse of a deity’s true form.

Then she saw the deity turn her head, revealing Nan Xi’s face.

Nan Xi found her dazed and astonished expression amusing. “What’s with that look?”

“Ah…” Mu Xi was too embarrassed to explain her earlier train of thought, so she simply rolled over in bed to brush it off. “Why are you standing by the window in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”

Nan Xi replied succinctly, “My back aches too much to sleep.”

Mu Xi closed her eyes and said nothing more.

“Alright, I won’t tease you.” Nan Xi returned to her side, pulling the blanket over both of them. “I was thinking about my sister.”

Thinking about Nan Lian now was undoubtedly because Nan Zhiya had mentioned wanting to talk to her earlier that day.

Mu Xi knew there was a rift between them, but she hadn’t realized how deep it was until Nan Zhiya specifically asked to speak with Nan Lian.

“Will they reconcile?”

Nan Xi tilted her head. “Do you care that much?”

“Yes. As the Nan family’s housekeeper, harmonious relationships among the family members make my work easier. After all, I’ll be working here for a long time.” Mu Xi spoke earnestly.

Nan Xi chuckled softly.

It was a good thing that Mu Xi considered herself part of the Nan family.

“I hope they can reconcile too. Although I don’t know exactly what happened back then… you understand, Mother probably wouldn’t do anything too harsh to my sister.” Nan Xi’s tone was equally sincere, but her words stung Mu Xi deeply. “She’s only harsh toward subordinates like you.”

“…”

Mu Xi began recalling all the ways Nan Zhiya had been “harsh” to her. Those regrettable memories made her retreat under the covers in frustration.

“Alright.” Nan Xi laughed as she tugged at the blanket over Mu Xi’s head. “If you don’t want to keep being her subordinate, then become part of the family.”

What?

Become part of Nan Zhiya’s family…?

For a moment, Mu Xi was stunned, but she soon emerged from under the blanket and stared at Nan Xi. “You’re being quite indirect. Are we discussing the future? Are you proposing to me?”

Her tone was serious, and she didn’t think there was anything funny about it.

Yet Nan Xi burst into uncontrollable laughter, pounding the bed with her hand. Her genuinely amused expression left Mu Xi feeling rather hurt.

Mu Xi regretted making that joke.

“Housekeeper Mu! We’re still in a secret affair, and you’re already thinking about marriage?”

Tears welled in the corners of Nan Xi’s eyes as her face bloomed like a flower. “Then hurry up and confess your feelings to me, so we can discuss what comes next.”

“…”

But until Nan Xi admitted she was serious about their relationship, Mu Xi had no intention of making such a confession.

Defeated, she snatched the corner of the blanket back from Nan Xi and buried herself under it once more. “You must be dreaming. Go back to sleep.”

Seeing that Mu Xi was genuinely displeased, Nan Xi stopped teasing her, obediently tucked herself under the covers, wrapped her arms around Mu Xi’s waist, and closed her eyes.

“Alright, darling.”

…

While Nan Xi could stay out without anyone keeping tabs on her, Mu Xi had to report on time to oversee the household duties. So, Nan Xi woke up early with her, planning to slip back to the Nan residence while everyone was still asleep.

Holding each other in bed, since they were already awake, they began whispering to each other. Their conversation was trivial and hardly worth remembering, but it was a cozy and pleasant time.

As dawn broke, they started washing up and changing clothes. Once ready, they headed back to the Nan residence together.

Naturally, Mu Xi couldn’t wear her butler uniform outside. The night before, Nan Xi had picked out an outfit for her, another dress tucked away at the bottom of Mu Xi’s wardrobe. The light purple shade surprisingly suited Mu Xi quite well.

If not for their difference in size, Nan Xi would have preferred to lend Mu Xi her own clothes. But Mu Xi had said Nan Xi’s clothes were too expensive and she didn’t dare wear them.

Only after working hard to rise into the middle class did Mu Xi realize that the path upward was even longer and more challenging…

“You look beautiful.”

Nan Xi gazed at Mu Xi and the purple dress she wore. Mu Xi seemed a bit flustered under Nan Xi’s intense gaze, which only made her appear even more adorable in Nan Xi’s eyes. “Butler Mu, has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?”

Mu Xi answered honestly, “Yes, quite a few, actually. When I was recruiting alphas for you, several people dropped hints. I just hadn’t had the chance to tell you before.”

“…Try mentioning that recruitment one more time?”

Nan Xi let out a cold laugh, and Mu Xi promptly shut her mouth and began tying up her hair.

Even though Nan Xi was the one who forbade bringing up the recruitment, she couldn’t let it go and pestered Mu Xi for details. “How many people gave you hints? Did Du Sha hint at anything?”

Mu Xi had already finished tying her hair, revealing her fair neck, so pristine that Nan Xi felt an urge to bite it.

With her hair tied up high, Mu Xi looked entirely different from when it was down, and it was a stark contrast to her usual low butler’s bun. She seemed full of vitality, as if she had been pulled back from a mature butler to a student in her early twenties, giving Nan Xi the illusion that she, the older one, was preying on someone young.

I can’t let myself be constantly captivated by my own lover, that would mean losing the upper hand.

Nan Xi shook her head and looked at Mu Xi seriously.

“Du Sha didn’t. That was one of the reasons I ultimately chose her.”

“Hmph, at least she knows her place.” They gathered their belongings and headed out to wait for the elevator. “Otherwise, I would have fired her. She’d lose that 200,000 she gets every month for doing nothing.”

Mentioning the monthly 200,000 made Mu Xi’s heart ache.

She fell silent for a moment, then tried to advocate for herself again, “Actually, I’m the one doing all the work worth 200,000. Logically, I should be the one receiving it.”

Of course, they both knew that Nan Xi hired Du Sha only to provide cover for Mu Xi. But such light-hearted banter put them both in a cheerful mood, and they didn’t mind jokes like this at all.

In fact, they rather enjoyed them.

“But you’ve already obtained something far more precious than 200,000… and that’s me.” Nan Xi rested her forearm on Mu Xi’s exposed shoulder, gently rubbing against it. “Don’t you think so?”

The smooth sensation of skin rubbing against skin, along with the warmth of human body heat, made this morning even more comfortable.

Mu Xi cherished this intimate feeling because it stemmed purely from emotion rather than instinct, making it far more precious than the desires of the night.

Nevertheless, a deliberately calm retort was still necessary: “Young miss, I dare not presume to possess you. You belong to the entire scientific community, and of course, to the wider world beyond it.”

Nan Xi gently nudged her with an elbow as the numbers in the elevator steadily decreased. Soon, they reached the first floor.

At this hour, there were few people around, aside from the occasional hotel attendant. They could walk together relatively openly, planning to quickly separate if any passersby appeared.

In truth, it was somewhat unnecessary, but Nan Xi insisted on maintaining the secrecy of their clandestine affair, insisting they must avoid being seen.

Mu Xi respected her preference.

“I have an idea. Perhaps we could try out every five-star hotel in City A.”

“If our relationship hasn’t been exposed by then, well, of course we can.”

“What is there to expose? I don’t have the kind of family that keeps a close watch on me, and you’re just a dutiful, honest housekeeper. No one would ever guess in their wildest dreams that we’re involved.”

“You have a point… Wait a moment, it seems like someone’s ahead.”

The two figures, who had been pressed closely together, swiftly separated. By the time the passerby approached, they had assumed the demeanor of complete strangers, walking forward independently with calm and composed expressions.

Aside from the fact that two people of similar age appearing together at such an early hour made it difficult for others not to assume they were companions, their disguises were otherwise flawless.

Once the confused passerby had moved on, they pressed close together again.

“We probably weren’t discovered, right?” Nan Xi asked with utmost caution.

“Definitely not.”

Nan Xi exaggeratedly patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. If someone found out I’m having an affair with my own housekeeper, it would be troublesome, especially in a hotel.”

“Mmm…”

They left through the hotel’s back door as before, resuming their furtive behavior whenever they encountered people, only to draw close again when alone, sighing with shared sentiment.

Once they got into the car together, they burst into loud laughter.

“You’re so silly,” Nan Xi said, sitting in the passenger seat and laughing while patting Mu Xi’s hand. “You just went along with me so foolishly? Passersby probably thought we were idiots.”

“What can I do? After being a housekeeper for so long, I’ve grown accustomed to following instructions.”

The roads were nearly empty of people and vehicles, allowing Mu Xi to drive smoothly. They arrived back at the Nan residence in just two-thirds of the usual time.

The Nan family estate lay in deep silence, its masters still fast asleep.

Nan Xi refused to use the main entrance, insisting on climbing through the window into Mu Xi’s housekeeper’s quarters as they had done last time, then sneaking from there into her own room.

If her room weren’t on the second floor or if they had more tools on hand, Mu Xi had no doubt that Nan Xi would have challenged her to climb directly into her own room’s window.

Climbing into Mu Xi’s window wasn’t difficult at all; it was likely that Nan Xi had simply grown addicted to the thrill of sneaking around, reveling in the feeling of secrecy.

Mu Xi thought it was wonderful too, just like their relationship, hidden from the light, perfectly fitting.

Once inside Mu Xi’s housekeeper’s room, the first thing Mu Xi did was change out of her dress and back into her housekeeper’s uniform.

Nan Xi felt a deep sense of regret. Indeed, beautiful things were always like night-blooming cereus, appearing and vanishing in an instant. This only made her realize how precious Mu Xi was when not wearing the butler’s uniform.

…But to be honest, the butler’s uniform had its own unique charm, and Nan Xi liked that too.

They stood in front of Mu Xi’s door:

“Once we step out of this door, we’ll have to part ways, unable to see each other for at least two hours.”

“Yes.”

“Then, would you be willing to give me a farewell kiss? I would be very grateful.”

Mu Xi smiled softly and lowered her head, placing a gentle kiss on Nan Xi ‘s forehead. As their lips and skin parted, there was a lingering reluctance and mutual regret.

“Well, actually, what I had in mind was more of a French kiss… But I really like this too. Thank you.”