I Am Her Secret Beauty - Chapter 47

Mu Xi smiled wryly, “Isn’t that what I’m doing right now?”

Nan Xi brightened up again, giggling as she hugged Mu Xi, showering her with kisses and nibbles until Mu Xi’s suit jacket was thoroughly disheveled. Only then did she settle down, retreating to the side to sit properly.

With an air of restraint, she said, “Alright, Butler Mu, let’s head home now.”

The butler awkwardly straightened her jacket. Nan Xi had grown clever, now she only left marks in hidden places beneath the clothing. But the consequence was that Mu Xi had to spend considerable time tidying her jacket each time.

As she adjusted her clothes, Mu Xi replied, “Not yet. Have you forgotten? You left your lunchbox behind. Do you remember where you put it? I’ll go retrieve it.”

Nan Xi pouted, thinking it was just a lunchbox and not worth the fuss, but Mu Xi insisted on fetching it. She couldn’t understand what made that lunchbox so special.

She told Mu Xi that she had probably left the lunchbox on a bench near the laboratory building.

Mu Xi instructed Nan Xi to wait in the car, then stepped out alone to search for the forsaken lunchbox.

The task was completed smoothly. Thanks to Nan Xi’s precise directions, Mu Xi quickly found the lunchbox abandoned on the bench.

Several small containers lay scattered across the bench, their leftover contents long since cooled. Mu Xi could almost picture Nan Xi angrily tossing the lunchbox aside before storming off to confront some troublemaker. She wondered if Nan Xi had worked herself into a near-faint with rage that day.

Mu Xi sighed helplessly, bending down to gather the containers and neatly arrange them back into the larger lunchbox. She carefully placed the chopsticks back in their proper position.

On the first day Nan Xi brought her lunch to work, the food inside hadn’t been prepared by the Nan family’s chef, it was made by Mu Xi herself.

It wasn’t that Mu Xi had excessive confidence in her cooking skills… but the fact that Nan Xi hadn’t noticed the difference made Mu Xi secretly proud for a long time, inwardly marveling at her own culinary prowess.

Afterward, every day when Nan Xi brought the lunchbox home, Mu Xi would analyze her eating habits and appetite based on the state of the leftovers. From this, she could deduce Nan Xi’s physical health and mood, allowing her to communicate with the chef to refine Nan Xi’s meal plans.

Nan Xi remained unaware of all this, and for Mu Xi, it was more than just part of her duties.

Mu Xi quickly finished packing the lunchbox and prepared to head back.

Before she could turn around, she heard someone hesitantly calling out to her from behind.

She knew it was directed at her because the person said:

“Um, excuse me, are you Nan Xi’s…?”

Mu Xi turned around and bowed politely. “Yes, that’s correct.”

When she looked up, she recognized the face, it was Nan Xi’s senior, whom she had seen a few times before, often walking alongside Nan Xi. They seemed to be on good terms.

Most importantly, this senior appeared to have known Nan Xi since their university days. The first time they met, she had pointed out that “Mu Xi” had once hurt Nan Xi.

Mu Xi couldn’t help but regard Tong An’an with respect. “Is there something I can help you with?”

Her politeness made Tong An’an slightly uneasy. As a mere research student, she felt she was being treated with the same deference as Nan Zhiya.

Tong An’an waved her hands repeatedly, emphasizing, “You don’t need to use formal language with me. I’m not someone important.”

Then she tentatively asked, “Um, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Sure.”

Mu Xi agreed immediately. After asking Tong An’an to wait a moment, she took out her phone from her pocket, lowered her head, and sent a message to Nan Xi, informing her that she was speaking with her senior and might return a little later.

Three minutes later, Nan Xi replied with a “No,” but by then, Mu Xi had already followed Tong An’an to a quiet, secluded spot, and her phone had long been put back in her pocket.

“Reporting to Nan Xi, huh?” Tong An’an’s tone was still probing. Truthfully, she was a little afraid of Mu Xi, partly because of what happened five years ago, partly because Mu Xi was tall and imposing, and partly because her features were sharp and striking. Even though her demeanor was gentle and polite, it still made the quail-like Tong An’an feel nervous.

“Yes, I told Miss Nan Xi that I might be back later.”

Mu Xi could read the emotions in Tong An’an’s eyes. After considering various ways to hint that she was approachable, she ultimately decided to be direct:

“What did Miss Tong want to say to me? Please don’t worry. If it’s related to Miss Nan Xi, I’ll listen with an open mind.”

“Okay.” Tong An’an secretly clenched her fists to psych herself up. “Actually, you haven’t had any plastic surgery, right? You really are Mu Xi herself, aren’t you?”

Finally, she’d asked it!

Back then, the whole “master-servant cosplay” excuse was just to save face for Nan Xi and avoid making her seem like a hopeless romantic…

But in reality, Tong An’an had long suspected that the person who had now become Nan Xi’s butler was none other than Mu Xi, the scumbag alpha from back then.

Mu Xi’s words confirmed it: “Yes.”

The moment her suspicion was confirmed, Tong An’an couldn’t help but sigh.

Immediately after sighing, she regretted it, afraid that Mu Xi might think she was being sarcastic and slap her. She cautiously lifted her eyelids to glance at Mu Xi, who remained as gentle as ever, though with a hint of helplessness on her face. Only then did Tong An’an dare to look up again.

Since things had reached this point, Tong An’an grew a bit bolder. Adopting a senior’s tone, she earnestly advised Mu Xi:

“Let’s not dwell on the past. I don’t know how you two ended up together again, but this time, make it work, okay? Don’t make Nan Xi sad anymore.”

…

Mu Xi couldn’t remember how many times she had solemnly declared this.

But she persisted: “Miss Tong, if I told you that I’m not… the person who hurt Miss Nan Xi five years ago, would you believe me?”

Tong An’an didn’t hesitate: “No.”

Mu Xi’s smile stiffened for a moment before she resigned herself to it.

Trying to make everyone believe that there could be two people in the world with the same name, appearance, and age… Well, even she wouldn’t believe it if she didn’t know she had transmigrated into a book. Under normal circumstances, she’d probably think it was pure fantasy too.

After rejecting Mu Xi’s claim, Tong An’an thought it over and felt that Mu Xi’s words sounded like an attempt to shirk responsibility.

But she had admitted she was Mu Xi.

Yet she claimed she wasn’t the Mu Xi who had hurt Nan Xi.

Hmm…

“Did you lose your memory?”

Tong An’an asked suspiciously.

Right, she’d lost her memory, Nan Xi had said the same thing.

It seemed like the best explanation for her current state, if one ignored the whole transmigration and other fantastical elements.

Mu Xi nodded emphatically: “That seems to be the case.”

“Well, you… sure know how to lose your memory.”

“I know I was deeply unfair to the young lady before…” Mu Xi spoke these words, yet no matter how many times she said them, she still felt the awkwardness of taking blame on behalf of someone else. “But the young lady refuses to discuss the past with me. Perhaps you could tell me the details of what happened back then?”

This was true.

Since she refused to acknowledge being the original Mu Xi, Nan Xi wouldn’t share anything about the events from five years ago with her, no matter how Mu Xi tried to probe or pressure her with both soft and hard approaches.

Though Nan Xi appeared delicate and fragile, she displayed astonishing willpower at times that seemed at odds with her physical demeanor. She remained tight-lipped regardless of how Mu Xi pressed her, as if determined not to relent until Mu Xi admitted her identity.

But Mu Xi had no choice.

While she could easily brush off Tong An’an with vague answers, she couldn’t do the same with Nan Xi.

Things were either true or not, there was no room for ambiguity.

Running into Tong An’an today made Mu Xi realize this was also an opportunity to learn about the past through other people close to Nan Xi.

“Well, I was out of town during that period, so I only heard bits and pieces. Those who actually experienced those events are now scattered around the world, and we’ve basically lost contact.”

Recalling that time, Tong An’an only had fragmented information from others. “They just told me you vanished without a trace. Even Nan Xi couldn’t find you, so everyone thought you… might have passed away. Sorry, but that’s really how it was.”

Mu Xi knew that Nan Xi had always kept her lover’s identity completely secret. She hadn’t asked Nan Zhiya for help in the search, relying solely on her own limited resources to look for her missing partner.

How much pressure had she been under? How had she lost hope to the point of considering suicide…

Mu Xi didn’t dare imagine.

She took a deep breath, the cold air flowing through her nostrils into her throat like a painkiller, slightly calming her tangled thoughts and giving her the strength to continue questioning.

“Vanished without a trace?”

Tong An’an nodded firmly. “Yes, without leaving any message. You disappeared suddenly. Nan Xi asked everyone back then, everyone who might have had contact with you. I’m absolutely certain of that.”

Imagining the proud Nan Xi reduced to desperately asking around for news of Mu Xi made even Tong An’an sigh with sympathy.

The impression Mu Xi gave her tonight was of genuine sincerity, both in honestly admitting her memory loss and sincerely wanting to understand what Nan Xi had gone through.

Personally, Tong An’an didn’t want to believe the person before her was truly a scoundrel.

“Actually… Mu Xi, maybe everyone is right.” She rubbed her chin and murmured, “Since you’ve lost your memory now, doesn’t that prove something must have happened back then that forced you to leave Nan Xi’s side?”

“Your amnesia is the best evidence of your innocence.”

Tong An’an nodded to herself, then shook her head. “So, it’s really not easy for destined people to reunite like this… it’s just a pity about those five years…”

“…Thank you, Miss Tong.”

Mu Xi’s heart was filled with mixed emotions too complex to put into words.

Tong An’an was now completely unafraid of Mu Xi. This was no longer the ambitious Mu Xi who had once studied military strategy aspiring to become a high-ranking officer. The person standing before her was undoubtedly a courteous, humble, and gentle butler.

She even stood on her tiptoes like an elder and patted her shoulder. “Since we’ve finally reunited, let’s not dwell too much on the past. Focus on the present and the future. I think Nan Xi avoids mentioning it for the same reason.”

Yes, Nan Xi did think that way, and Mu Xi knew it.

…She was right.

“I understand.”

Tong An’an had witnessed a pair of estranged lovers reunite after being separated. Though it had little to do with her, she couldn’t help but feel moved. Gazing up at the moon, it seemed to be smiling at her, as if some divine presence was watching over their story.

She felt relieved. At least today, she had confirmed Mu Xi’s character and sincerity, so there was nothing more to say.

“That’s great! It’s quite late now, so let’s not keep Nan Xi waiting. Shall we head back?”

Mu Xi agreed.