I Am Her Secret Beauty - Chapter 43

Nan Xi walked ahead with light, brisk steps, the click-clack of her heels echoing on the ground, mingling with the sway of her hair as it danced in the air.

Mu Xi followed behind her, somewhat puzzled by her buoyant mood.

When Nan Xi had burst into laughter earlier, Mu Xi had been genuinely worried for her. If Nan Zhiya were to get angry, it wouldn’t be a good situation for anyone.

Once they were in the car, Mu Xi couldn’t resist voicing her concern, but Nan Xi seemed equally perplexed by her worry.

“What if, for example, Madam were to cut your allowance…” Mu Xi tried to illustrate the potential consequences of provoking Nan Zhiya. “After all, with Du Sha around now, you’re spending an extra 200,000 every month.”

Nan Xi made an effort to understand her point. “So, you’re worried I might run out of money?”

Mu Xi quickly noticed another suppressed smile tugging at the corner of Nan Xi’s lips, and she began to feel a little embarrassed, though she still couldn’t grasp the reason for Nan Xi’s amusement.

Perhaps it was because Mu Xi herself didn’t have much money. From her perspective, Nan Xi didn’t earn much working for Yu Yacheng, so…

“Mom does give me an allowance every month, but that’s not my main source of income.” Sensing Mu Xi’s discomfort, Nan Xi kindly patted her back to reassure her and offered an explanation. “Since I turned eighteen, I’ve had a small share in the company. The annual dividends alone are more than enough for me to spend freely, enough to support you too, Butler Mu.”

“Support me…?”

Nan Xi smiled. “Yes, so if Butler Mu ever decides she doesn’t want to work hard anymore, she’ll have to put in the effort to please me. A lifetime of luxury might just depend on it.”

With that, she playfully reached out and lifted Mu Xi’s chin with her finger. Mindful that Mu Xi was driving, she only made the lightest contact, but it was enough to make Mu Xi feel thoroughly teased.

Since meeting Nan Xi, such experiences had never been in short supply.

“…”

Mu Xi decided it was best not to discuss money matters with the daughter of a capitalist. She stepped on the gas and focused on driving, determined to rely on her own efforts to catch up with the wealth accumulated by generations of others.

Still, if she were ever kicked out by Nan Zhiya, she might just consider becoming Nan Xi’s kept woman.

As she drove, Nan Xi sat leisurely beside her, watching the scenery through the windshield and occasionally stealing glances at Mu Xi.

Mu Xi knew she was being watched. Every time she felt that gaze on her, her cheeks would flush, and a warmth would spread through her heart.

She understood why Nan Xi enjoyed looking at her. When serving meals to the Nan family, Mu Xi would often sneak glances at Nan Xi when no one was paying attention.

Her gaze couldn’t be too obvious. If someone happened to look up, she would immediately avert her eyes and stand properly, as if nothing had happened and she cared about nothing at all.

Only she knew that, in that dining room, her attention was fixed on one person. Even while eating, she couldn’t resist watching her.

Nan Xi was beautiful, and watching her always brought Mu Xi a sense of peace. She loved looking at her.

Sometimes, though, she wasn’t the only one who knew.

If Nan Xi happened to look up at that moment, the two would exchange a discreet, knowing smile, perhaps just the slightest curve at the corners of their lips, but it was undeniably a smile.

…

Suddenly, Nan Xi spoke:

“I think it’s good that Dad finally understands this kind of plan won’t work. He can’t always indulge in these whims. Seeing him put in his place by my sister this time, I’m quite pleased about it.”

Mu Xi was startled, her thoughts pulled back from memory to reality, realizing Nan Xi was explaining why she had been so happy earlier.

But still…

Whims…?

Guan Yan always acted childish and naive in front of the Nan family. Everyone indulged and pampered him. Even after pulling such an outrageous stunt this time, no one had spoken a harsh word to him. Nan Lian treated him with polite respect, and even Nan Xi used words like “whims” to describe him.

But Mu Xi could never forget what Guan Yan had told her a few months ago. Since then, she could no longer see him through the same lens as the rest of the Nan family.

…If anything, treating a man nearing fifty like a child was absurd in itself.

Especially one who had tried to comprehensively monitor his own daughter.

Mu Xi had kept her promise to Guan Yan, never breathing a word of that matter to anyone, not even to Nan Xi.

She had wavered, but then remembered he was Nan Xi’s father. If Nan Xi were to find out, she would surely be deeply hurt and disappointed.

This time, Mu Xi thought, she should still offer a reminder.

“Well, Mr. Guan is indeed a bit childish at times,” Mu Xi said tactfully. “Perhaps Mrs. Nan has sheltered him too well, leading everyone to believe he doesn’t understand the harsh realities of the world… But it’s possible he actually has his own ideas.”

Unexpectedly, after Mu Xi finished speaking, there was no response from Nan Xi for a long while.

Waiting at a red light, Mu Xi turned to observe Nan Xi’s reaction and found her staring back with shock and disbelief, leaning back slightly as if trying to scrutinize Mu Xi thoroughly.

Perplexed, Nan Xi studied Mu Xi for a good while without speaking, her gaze a mix of strangeness and pity, making Mu Xi unconsciously raise a hand to touch her chin.

Just then, the light turned green. Awkwardly, Mu Xi started driving again and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“You don’t actually think my dad is some childish person, do you?”

Nan Xi asked incredulously. “This isn’t some cheesy novel, why would my mom fall for a naive, simple-minded guy?”

Though she felt a bit like she was being treated as a fool, at least Mu Xi now understood Nan Xi’s true thoughts and relaxed.

“That’s a relief… I was just about to bring this up. I’ve always felt Mr. Guan is anything but simple. If our… relationship is to last long-term, perhaps the one we should be most wary of isn’t Mrs. Nan, but Mr. Guan.”

Mu Xi spoke earnestly, discussing “this kind of relationship” in a tone as if analyzing a strategy, which greatly amused Nan Xi.

She giggled:

“Of course he’s not simple. Back when I was in middle school, some Omega tried to get close to Mom, and Dad made sure they suffered badly. If I remember correctly, half of City A probably knew that Omega’s name.”

Mu Xi pursed her lips, her expression complicated, and chose to remain silent.

She could only hope her own name wouldn’t end up spreading throughout the city in the future.

The car slowly came to a stop in the parking lot of University A. Nan Xi, sitting beside him, stretched regretfully and muttered under her breath, “Why did we arrive so quickly?” before grabbing her bag and getting out of the car.

Mu Xi watched her as she walked away, expecting her to gradually disappear from her sight. Instead, she saw her circle around from the passenger side and tap on her car window.

Mu Xi rolled down the window. “Is there something else?”

“You’ve become so perfunctory,” Nan Xi said, narrowing her eyes, her tone tinged with a hint of grievance. “Before, you would always get out to greet me and even shield my head with your hand. Now you just sit in the car and don’t even come to receive me.”

Whenever Nan Xi pretended to be pitiful, Mu Xi would immediately feel apologetic, regardless of whether her distress was genuine.

But this time, as Mu Xi reflected, she realized that what she said was true. Perhaps because their relationship had lasted so long, she had unconsciously developed a “long-married couple” mentality, often overlooking many small details.

Given that, it was only natural for Nan Xi to feel wronged. She shouldn’t have become so careless.

Mu Xi, quick to admit her mistakes, suggested sheepishly, “Then, would you like to get back in the car so I can come and receive you properly? I’m sorry. From now on, I’ll make sure to greet you every time you get out.”

Nan Xi paused at her words, her pitiful expression nearly breaking.

She forced a strained smile and said patiently, “Oh, but if I do that, I’ll be late for work.”

Mu Xi grew flustered, her beautiful eyes looking up at her through the car window with a hint of panic, as if afraid she might get angry.

Seeing her like this, Nan Xi couldn’t bear to tease her any further and decided to cut to the chase generously.

“Alright then, to make up for my emotional distress, you should kiss me.”

Mu Xi: “?”

She belatedly realized that Nan Xi had been scheming from the start. Still… she quickly glanced around, and seeing no one nearby, prepared to step out of the car.

Nan Xi laughed at the sight. “Why go to all that trouble?”

She leaned down. The car window, which Mu Xi had just opened, now became a bridge between them. Mu Xi tilted her face up to meet her lips, expecting only a brief, light touch. To her surprise, Nan Xi persisted, insistently seeking to deepen the kiss, as if she no longer cared about being late for work.

Their eyes, now very close, met. While their lips and tongues tangled, their gazes remained pure, as if they had just discovered each other, and they both broke into laughter.

Nan Xi pressed on, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before leaning in to kiss Mu Xi once more.

…

It was a long while before Nan Xi straightened up, breathing in small, soft gasps. Her body had grown weak, and Mu Xi had reached out with both arms to steady her, almost like an embrace through the window.

An omega’s body could indeed be troublesome at times like now, when a few kisses left her feeling weak. Without a reliable alpha to lend support, it would be easy to end up in an awkward situation.

Fortunately, Mu Xi was always willing to support her, whether in bed or here in front of the car, allowing Nan Xi to freely do as she pleased.

Having gotten what she wanted, Nan Xi finally felt at ease and prepared to head to work.

She stood there adjusting her clothes while Mu Xi watched from inside the car, unable to resist reaching out to fix her slightly crooked collar.

Two minutes later, Nan Xi finished tidying up and received Mu Xi’s nod of approval before they reluctantly parted ways.

Mu Xi drove out of the parking lot, while Nan Xi walked alone toward the laboratory building.

She hadn’t gone far when she ran into someone she knew.

A figure approached Nan Xi, a junior from her research group, surnamed Zhao, if she remembered correctly. Usually, they only exchanged nods, but today the junior was unusually enthusiastic, stepping closer and asking:

“Senior, was that your girlfriend in the parking lot?”

So, she had been seen.

The kiss had indeed lasted a bit too long, but Nan Xi disliked others prying too much into her private life. Her tone was less than polite as she replied, “I don’t know.”

“Hehe.” Xiao Zhao gave an awkward laugh but persisted, “It’s okay, Senior. Someone as beautiful as you having a girlfriend is totally normal, right?”

“Thank you, but I’d rather not answer that. Sorry.”

Nan Xi frowned and quickened her pace, eager to reach the lab as soon as possible.

The other girl seemed to say something else from behind, but Nan Xi felt she had made herself clear enough. Ignoring the remarks, she gradually widened the distance between them.