I Am Her Secret Beauty - Chapter 55

Nan Lian’s office was not in the same location as Nan Zhiya’s. Mu Xi had been here before, but now it seemed even brighter and more spacious than she remembered.

The modern design, dominated by clean lines and a white color scheme, perfectly reflected the owner’s personality.

In the spacious room stood an office desk almost as large as a bed. Nan Lian sat behind it, wearing frameless glasses as she worked, her attention fixed on the computer screen.

Nan Lian’s secretary had escorted Mu Xi and Nan Xi into the office and thoughtfully served them tea to make their wait more comfortable.

Nan Lian was a workaholic or rather, everyone in the Nan family was a workaholic, as was well known.

Mu Xi and Nan Xi, as guests, remained silent, quietly seated on the sofa opposite Nan Lian’s desk, communicating mainly through text messages.

“Why do you want to go to Z City?”

“Take a guess.”

“To look for clues about my memory loss? At the Home Economics University?”

“If you already guessed, why ask?”

Mu Xi pursed her lips, a faint ripple of unease stirring in her heart.

The feeling that Nan Xi was gradually delving into her past made Mu Xi feel a peculiar itch somewhere deep inside.

That life before she met Nan Xi was completely different: more naive, more inexperienced…

She was even a little afraid that her former teachers at the Home Economics University might still remember some embarrassing moments from her past.

Unaware of Mu Xi’s inner turmoil, Nan Xi swung her legs and continued texting: “If we go with Sister, we’ll have someone to rely on. After all, neither of us has much experience in society, but Sister really knows her stuff.”

Nan Lian certainly knew her stuff.

At some point, the highly capable Nan Lian had stopped working and silently approached the two engrossed in their phones on the sofa. She startled them by asking abruptly:

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

The two quickly flipped their phones over on their laps, as if caught red-handed. Nan Lian smiled faintly at their reaction but refrained from making any embarrassing comments.

She sat down on the sofa as well, pouring herself a cup of tea as if taking a brief break from work.

While Mu Xi was mentally organizing her words, she felt Nan Xi pinch her thigh and lean in to whisper in her ear, “Don’t say anything for now.”

Alright.

“Here’s the thing,” Nan Xi straightened up, adopting a serious expression. “Sister, aren’t you going to Z City? We’d like to go with you.”

Nan Lian raised an eyebrow in surprise and rejected the idea without a second thought: “No.”

Nan Xi had expected reluctance but not such an outright refusal.

Fortunately, persistence was one of Nan Xi’s strong suits. She tried reasoning with her sister, appealing to both logic and emotion:

“Sister, don’t dismiss it so quickly. We’re not going for fun, we have serious matters to attend to.”

“I have serious matters to attend to as well.”

Nan Lian remained unmoved. “Precisely because it’s serious, it’s not convenient to bring you along. If you have business there, go on your own. Is that why you came to see me?”

This was no child’s play, Nan Lian knew it well. The reason she hadn’t set off yet was that she hadn’t fully prepared. This trip was likely to involve bloodshed. With Nan Xi’s frail health and innocent nature, how could she possibly let her tag along?

…After all, it wasn’t something honorable or worth witnessing in the first place.

Nan Xi shifted forward on the sofa, quietly grasping Mu Xi’s hand to draw strength from her. “Aren’t you going to ask how we ended up together?”

Nan Lian glanced at Nan Xi with amusement, then turned her gaze to Mu Xi.

“Two fine young people, full of vigor and in the prime of their youth, naturally drawn to each other, what is there to ask?” Nan Lian said. “Though the story of a young lady and a butler isn’t common, I was young once too, Nan Xi. I understand you, and I won’t stand in your way. You can rest assured.”

She leaned back leisurely on the sofa, sipping her tea as if ready to see them off at any moment.

Such lovely young people, it was nice to chat with them occasionally.

Nan Xi had expected her to say that.

“But you should still ask. After hearing the answer, you’ll understand us even better,” she insisted.

“Very well.” Nan Lian humored Nan Xi, her posture unchanged, yet she obliged by asking, “Then tell me, how did the two of you get together?”

“We’ve been together for a long time,” Nan Xi said.

“Oh? How long?”

“Five years ago, back in university.”

The cup in Nan Lian’s hand suddenly cracked, warm tea seeping through the fissures and quickly soaking her clothes, leaving dark stains.

Yet she seemed completely unaware, her expression turning stern, mirroring Nan Zhiya’s demeanor perfectly.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Everyone knew that during her university years, Nan Xi had only been involved with one person, the very one who had hurt her deeply, a despicable scoundrel who had abandoned her lover.

At the time, Nan Lian and Nan Zhiya shared the same stance. If not for Nan Xi threatening to take her own life to stop them from investigating Mu Xi’s identity, they would have hunted that scoundrel to the ends of the earth to make her pay for harming Nan Xi.

Nan Xi tightened her grip on Mu Xi’s hand, this time not to draw strength but to offer comfort.

“That’s right, sister. Mu Xi was my lover back then.”

Nan Lian’s gaze slowly shifted to Mu Xi.

Mu Xi had been observing the two of them, and the sudden surge of hostility and resentment from Nan Lian felt almost tangible, as if it could materialize into sharp blades to slit her throat.

…At least Nan Xi’s family truly loved her.

“But please don’t jump to conclusions, sister. There were circumstances back then, Mu Xi didn’t leave intentionally.”

Nan Xi quickly spoke these words, hoping to temper Nan Lian’s anger.

She still trusted Nan Lian. Among the Nan family, she was the only one Nan Xi dared to confide in. They shared similar experiences, and Nan Lian would understand and support them.

Nan Lian’s gaze remained fixed on Mu Xi, scrutinizing her inch by inch, though her words were directed at Nan Xi. “Of course there were circumstances. I’m rather curious now.”

“You’re not angry anymore? But you still look furious.”

Nan Lian shot Mu Xi a sharp glare before finally turning to Nan Xi, a hint of helplessness in her eyes. “First, I have to ask you, are you absolutely certain Mu Xi is the same person from five years ago?”

Both women across from her were utterly bewildered.

They hadn’t expected Nan Lian to react this way.

“Of course I’m certain,” Nan Xi said resolutely. “I couldn’t possibly mistake her. They’re the same person, it’s just that Mu Xi has lost her memories now.”

Nan Lian showed no expression as she finally placed the cracked cup in her hand on the coffee table, taking a tissue to wipe her blouse.

Of course, the tissue couldn’t actually clean anything. Compared to the intended purpose, this action was more about the process itself, a means for Nan Lian to organize her thoughts.

“Because from what I understand, your lover from five years ago should be dead.”

Her tone remained calm, but her words struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, especially shocking Mu Xi.

Because this aligned exactly with what Mu Xi had previously thought.

She suddenly felt the person beside her stiffen. When she glanced over, she saw Nan Xi’s face had turned pale. “What do you mean?”

“Nan Xi, if you didn’t understand five years ago, you should understand now.” Nan Lian continued wiping her clothes with her head lowered, her voice steady. “Did you really think that just because I promised not to investigate her, I wouldn’t? Now you know what kind of people they are, don’t you? They’re experts at underhanded tricks and schemes. They don’t need to tell you, by the time you find out, they’ve already finished.”

“Them,” of course, referred to Nan Zhiya and Guan Yan.

Nan Lian was right. Mu Xi could imagine Nan Zhiya’s controlling nature back then, along with Guan Yan’s sinister intentions.

If they had secretly investigated her behind Nan Xi’s back at that time, it would be completely reasonable.

But why, after having investigated her, did they still hire her as the butler when she, with the same name and appearance, applied to the Nan family?

From Nan Zhiya’s reaction, it seemed she was truly meeting Mu Xi for the first time, and keeping an enemy close was definitely not her style.

“You… you’re saying that Mother investigated me, investigated Mu Xi, and found that she was dead?”

Nan Lian tossed the damp tissue aside. “Exactly.”

“That’s impossible!” Nan Xi abruptly stood up from the sofa, releasing Mu Xi’s hand and digging her nails deep into her palm. “First, Mu Xi isn’t dead at all, she’s alive and well, sitting right in front of you. Second, this makes no sense. If Mother investigated us, she would never have hired Mu Xi as the butler.”

Nan Lian nodded approvingly.

“You’re absolutely right. That’s why I asked you if you’re certain the person sitting beside you is the same one from five years ago.”

She curled her lips into a smile. “Or is she just a scammer playing with your emotions, pretending to be your old lover, actually just trying to get something from you?”

Nan Xi’s chest heaved violently a few times, leaving her momentarily speechless.

Mu Xi sensed that she needed to say something now.

She tried to remain calm, communicating with Nan Lian as rationally and professionally as before. “Miss, although I don’t know what exactly happened five years ago, I absolutely haven’t deceived Nan Xi. I’m willing to bear any consequences.”

“But I don’t care at all what consequences you might face.” Nan Lian didn’t even look at her, the smile still hanging on her lips but her eyes exceptionally cold. “I only care about my sister. Five years ago, she was deeply hurt by this matter, and now she’s in this state again. If you really are that person, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Sis! She’s forgotten!”

Nan Lian was utterly calm, so much so that it seemed almost unfeeling: “Then, how could she forget? Why would she forget? It seems that the feelings you hold so deeply meant nothing to her. Forgetting isn’t an easy thing, Nan Xi.”

Nan Xi looked at her sister in confusion, unable to understand why she would say such a thing.

Natural disasters and human misfortunes, such unavoidable and powerless events, how could they be twisted into a matter of personal will?

It wasn’t until she noticed Nan Lian’s eyes that she understood.

Though her expression remained placid, her eyelashes trembled uncontrollably. She wasn’t as composed as she appeared.

She probably wasn’t targeting Mu Xi at all, but rather speaking about herself.

Nan Xi knew, Nan Lian had always been trapped in the shadow of that incident and that person, and now she was unconsciously projecting her obsession onto them.

Nan Lian went to City Z to save herself, and so did she.