I Am Her Secret Beauty - Chapter 48

Mu Xi and Tong An’an walked together in silence until the first intersection, where they parted ways. Under the dim streetlights in a remote corner of A University, Mu Xi lowered her head and continued forward. Before long, she encountered Nan Xi, who had gotten out of her car to look for her.

Nan Xi was slightly out of breath. As soon as she spotted Mu Xi, she jogged over, stopping in front of her and bending over to catch her breath.

Mu Xi smiled. “By the way, your campus is really beautiful.”

“A University? That was once your university too,” Nan Xi muttered softly, unsure if Mu Xi had heard her. She straightened up and took Mu Xi’s hand. “What did you talk about with senior for so long? You weren’t badmouthing me, were you? Let’s go home, I’m starving.”

She held Mu Xi’s hand, but Mu Xi glanced down and tugged her gently, pulling Nan Xi into her embrace and wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

“If you’re really hungry, we could have dinner out first,” Mu Xi suggested.

“…”

Nan Xi was stunned. Even in public, Mu Xi was usually very mindful of propriety between them, and the most intimate gesture she would accept was holding hands. She hadn’t expected Mu Xi to hug her like this.

“No… The food at restaurants isn’t as good as home-cooked meals.”

A faint smile crept onto Nan Xi’s lips as she leaned into Mu Xi’s arm, and they walked forward together.

A University was a rather lovely place. There was a time when Nan Xi and Mu Xi had walked side by side like this along the most secluded paths of the campus, just like other couples, perhaps stopping to share a kiss before continuing on, blushing and hand in hand.

Nan Xi didn’t ask Mu Xi what she and Tong An’an had talked about, but when they reached the dimmest corner under the streetlights, she hesitantly whispered a request for a kiss.

Mu Xi heard every word clearly but pretended not to understand. “What did you say? I didn’t quite catch that.”

“I mean… kiss me…”

“What?” Mu Xi leaned down deliberately, as if straining to hear Nan Xi’s words.

She didn’t ask why Nan Xi suddenly wanted this, just as she wasn’t surprised by the uncharacteristic shyness of the usually bold and straightforward Nan Xi.

Something seemed to have seeped into their hearts along with the cool autumn breeze, quiet and unnoticed.

But in the end, Nan Xi was still that bold woman. After being teased twice by Mu Xi, she couldn’t take it anymore and threw caution to the wind. Closing her eyes, she blurted out:

“I said, kiss me-”

She firmly grasped Mu Xi’s shoulders, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips to Mu Xi’s.

A faint, sweet fragrance wafted over, and Mu Xi’s heart melted. She grinned foolishly, tightened her arm around Nan Xi’s waist, and lowered her head to kiss her slowly, quickly turning passive into active, kissing until Nan Xi’s face flushed red.

Right there, on campus, in the grove where couples loved to linger.

After who knows how long, a weak and trembling Nan Xi nestled in Mu Xi’s arms, panting, the blush on her cheeks lingering.

Her voice was still soft. “I once fantasized about having you mark me here.”

Nan Xi’s tone was flat, but Mu Xi’s fingers around her waist suddenly tightened for a moment. The pressure pierced through the thin fabric of her clothes, stinging Nan Xi’s skin slightly.

But she only found it amusing. “Can you hear clearly now?”

Mu Xi reverted to his upright butler demeanor. “Maintaining good public order requires everyone’s cooperation. It’s best not to…”

“Why are you in such a hurry? I was only saying I used to think that way, but not anymore.” Nan Xi stepped out of Mu Xi’s embrace, straightened up, and smoothed her clothes. “I’ve grown up now. You must be relieved.”

“…Mm.”

Why did he feel a hint of regret?

After her small wish was fulfilled, Nan Xi didn’t cause any more trouble. She quietly returned to the car with Mu Xi and they drove back to the Nan residence.

Meanwhile, in the small grove where they had previously stopped, someone was intently reviewing the photos they had just taken, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

Zhao Liang selected the clearest photos that showed both faces clearly and sent them out, then decisively dialed the number on the other end.

“Good evening.”

“You weren’t wrong to trust me. I told you long ago that Nan Xi must have a lover, and now I’m giving you the evidence… I hope you’ll provide the agreed-upon reward and not go back on your word.”

…

When they returned home, Nan Zhiya and Guan Yan were sitting together on the sofa. Noticing their arrival, Nan Zhiya glanced over and asked, “Did you eat out?”

It was later than Nan Xi’s usual return time from work.

Though she had been clamoring for the chef’s sweet and sour pork ribs on the way back, Nan Xi now nodded. “Yes, we’ve had dinner.”

Mu Xi didn’t know if she was actually starving, but she watched silently as she went upstairs to her room without another word.

After withdrawing her gaze, Mu Xi greeted the two masters on the sofa and returned to her duties, beginning to check the completion status of each task.

Today felt a little different.

Mu Xi swiftly finished all her daily tasks, then slipped into the kitchen unnoticed and asked the chef to let her use the station for a while.

The chef agreed without asking why. Everyone knew Butler Mu was in a relationship, and it was highly likely with one of the Nan family’s servants. As long as it didn’t interfere with work, it was only natural to use the convenience to create some small romantic gestures for her partner.

Half an hour later, Mu Xi first confirmed that Nan Zhiya and Guan Yan were no longer in the living room. Then, stealthily, she carried a plate of sweet and sour pork ribs and a bowl of rice back to her butler’s room, concealing them in a container before sneaking upstairs to lightly knock on Nan Xi’s door.

The door opened a crack. Mu Xi coughed softly, handed the container inside, and closed the door herself.

She turned around and cautiously scanned the area, no one had seen her.

This was no place to linger. Mu Xi quickly went back downstairs to her post and resumed work as if nothing had happened.

And so, Nan Xi received her dinner.

Although she had anticipated Mu Xi would do this, the warmth of the food spreading through her palms filled her with such tangible happiness that she couldn’t suppress the smile on her lips.

With an almost reverent air, she sat down at the table, carefully arranging the pork ribs and rice from the container.

Unlike Mu Xi’s room, hers was a private space where no one would dare intrude without permission. Here, Nan Xi could arrange the dishes as she pleased and savor each bite slowly.

After taking the first tender piece of pork rib into her mouth, she chewed twice, savoring the sweet flavor as it slid down her throat.

“The chef’s skills have regressed… Could it be that some fool made this themselves, thinking I wouldn’t notice?”

Even so, Nan Xi happily ate her fill, making sure to eat as much as possible since she was quite hungry.

After finishing her meal, she took a photo of the leftover spare ribs on the plate and opened the chat window with Mu Xi: “The chef made too much.”

Mu Xi quickly replied: “I’ve already reprimanded the chef.”

Nan Xi laughed heartily while holding her phone, wondering how Mu Xi could shamelessly claim to have scolded the chef, did she enjoy scolding herself that much?

She sat quietly in her bedroom, staring at the door, waiting.

Five minutes later, the door was gently knocked on again, clearly indicating that the sneaky butler had returned, ready to smuggle the used dishes back to the kitchen.

Nan Xi walked over and opened the door.

A pale, slender hand reached in from outside, gesturing twice as if asking Nan Xi to hand over the items.

Nan Xi stared at the hand without moving.

After waiting a moment without receiving anything, the person outside grew impatient and gestured three or four more times, urging Nan Xi to quickly hand over the plate so they could take it away.

It wasn’t just air she was grasping at, it felt like she was teasing someone’s heart.

Nan Xi’s heart itched with curiosity, so she swung the door wide open and pulled the stunned Mu Xi, who was standing outside, into the room. The door seemed like a giant mouth that swallowed Mu Xi whole.

Mu Xi was abruptly dragged into the room and stood frozen at the doorway for a few seconds. “Is something wrong?”

Her first thought when Nan Xi pulled her inside was that Nan Xi needed help with something.

But upon closer inspection, Nan Xi looked relaxed and comfortable, hardly like someone in need of assistance.

Mu Xi had no time to express her feelings and hurriedly tried to leave, her guilty and anxious expression only making Nan Xi more excited.

“What are you doing?” Nan Xi blocked her way. “Mom has started working by now, and Dad has returned to his room. Shouldn’t you know that better than I do? Why are you so nervous?”

Mu Xi did indeed know the mistress’s daily schedule better than Nan Xi, but that didn’t ease her guilt.

It was hard to explain this subtle feeling, perhaps the more one wanted to keep a secret relationship hidden, the more afraid they were of it being discovered.

She said, “No. Let’s wait until the weekend. There’s no one at home on the weekend.”

“What are you thinking? Who said I brought you in to do anything?” Nan Xi pouted, feeling wronged. “I just thought you’ve been so good to me and wanted to chat with you. Is that not allowed?”

“Huh…?”

Nan Xi turned sideways, revealing the lunchbox behind her: “You made the sweet and sour spare ribs, didn’t you? Not the chef.”

“Yes.”

Mu Xi felt a bit embarrassed. Now that Nan Xi had discovered the credit was hers, she even felt a little eager to compete for favor. “How did you figure it out? Is my cooking even better than the chef’s?”

“No, the edges of the meat were a bit burnt. The chef wouldn’t make such a basic mistake.”

…

Mu Xi’s lips twitched, and she turned to leave again.

What would a capitalist’s daughter know about sweet and sour spare ribs? It’s not like it’s some high-end steak, a little crispiness from being slightly burnt makes it taste better! She got an A in her cooking class, and both her teacher and classmates praised her skills. How could someone from a chemistry background dare to criticize her?

Nan Xi swiftly blocked the door again, her tone suddenly shifting, “Just kidding! I actually love slightly charred, firm ribs… after all, I don’t like eating soft rice.”

“Well, I’m the one who likes eating soft rice.”

Mu Xi, who had always relied on her own hands to create wealth, conceded this time. She reached out and ruffled Nan Xi’s hair, tousling it into a mess before stopping. “But I really have to go now, little miss.”

“Alright then, I won’t ask for a goodbye kiss either. We’ve already kissed enough tonight…”

Nan Xi stepped away from the door, gazing reluctantly as Mu Xi bid her farewell.

Mu Xi was also reluctant to part, but her work wasn’t finished yet. Staying away for too long would only arouse suspicion.

However, before Mu Xi’s hand could even touch the doorknob, the door began to slowly open on its own.

As the light from outside seeped through the crack, a sense of impending doom slowly dawned on Mu Xi, the last time she’d felt this way was before Nan Xi returned to the country.

The two stood frozen in Nan Xi’s bedroom, looking utterly defenseless.

Outside the door, Nan Zhiya stood at the entrance, with Guan Yan behind her, casting scrutinizing glances their way.