I Am Her Secret Beauty - Chapter 61

Nan Xi’s eyes blazed with intense fury, a stark contrast to the biting cold wind of the Northern Kingdom.

She shared her suspicions with Mu Xi, the source of her anger, that someone had meticulously crafted a scheme targeting Mu Xi, nearly destroying her life.

Yet, Mu Xi couldn’t fully resonate with her.

After hearing Nan Xi’s theory, Mu Xi showed a mix of shock and fear, but her reaction didn’t align with Nan Xi’s direction.

“You’re saying… memory erasure? And not just one person?” Mu Xi subtly gripped her sleeve, “It sounds like something out of a movie… Sorry, I’m not sure how far technology has advanced. Can something like that really be done?”

Nan Xi lowered her head: “Many things possible in the lab haven’t been revealed to the public. It’s the same for us, and for medicine too. Do you remember the S.Life project by the Wu family? If not for legal and ethical constraints, it would have been highly sought after long ago.”

Mu Xi still remembered Wu Quan, that woman who pursued so-called human evolution.

But these unfamiliar concepts felt too distant to Mu Xi. Her mind spun, still unable to fully believe Nan Xi’s speculations.

In daily life, Nan Xi rarely mentioned her research. This was the first time Mu Xi so strongly felt that the person beside her was involved in scientific work.

Beyond that, she had other reasons to find the whole thing far-fetched.

“I don’t understand, if all this is possible, why would it be used on me?” Mu Xi’s mind swarmed with chaotic thoughts, making her head throb painfully, “I’m just an ordinary person. Aside from having a higher level, I have no power or influence. Why would anyone go to such lengths to target me?”

She clutched her head, where the pain was intensifying. Something felt like a seed trying to burst through soil, pounding against her skull, each impact worsening the agony.

Mu Xi closed her eyes, struggling to calm herself and quiet the storm inside her skull.

By the time Nan Xi noticed her deteriorating state, Mu Xi was already pale, beads of sweat forming on her forehead in the cold wind.

Nan Xi quickly embraced her, holding her tightly while stroking her scalp as gently as possible: “It’s okay, it’s okay. Mu Xi, don’t get worked up. There’s no evidence to support what I said, it’s all just speculation.”

Mu Xi trembled in Nan Xi’s arms, her breathing shaky, her entire body tense.

Nan Xi couldn’t feel her skin directly, but if she could, she suspected Mu Xi was sweating all over, clearly in distress.

Nan Xi pressed her lips together, regretting having shared unverified theories and causing Mu Xi such distress. Dr. Anna had said Mu Xi needed quiet rest, her damaged brain couldn’t handle too much strain yet.

“Can you speak? If it’s too much, just squeeze me, and I’ll call an ambulance.”

Nan Xi cupped Mu Xi’s face, staring intently into her unfocused eyes: “Look at me, please let me know how you’re doing, I’m begging you.”

Mu Xi made some sounds through her teeth, likely trying to speak, but Nan Xi couldn’t make them out.

She leaned down, pressing her ear close to Mu Xi’s lips, trying to catch what she was saying.

Before she could decipher the words, Mu Xi struggled slightly, placed a hand on Nan Xi’s shoulder, and her gaze gradually began to focus.

“It hurts so much.” Mu Xi was still panting, her words strained, but at least she could speak now. “I’ve never felt pain like this before.”

“What did you just say?”

“Just now… I asked if you were cold.” Mu Xi smiled apologetically and raised her other hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead. “I might need a bit more time to recover. You’re not strong, you should go inside first…”

Nan Xi covered her mouth to stop her from speaking. “I’m not cold, I’ll stay here with you. Don’t say another word.”

Mu Xi was in such a terrible state, like the last withered leaf on a branch in late autumn, ready to fall at any moment. Even in this condition, she was still trying to send Nan Xi away. There was no way Nan Xi would listen to her.

It wasn’t warm here at all. Nan Xi, accustomed to central heating and chauffeur-driven cars, would never have lingered in such a place under normal circumstances. But today was different.

Unable to speak, Mu Xi could only regulate her breathing, her warm breath brushing against Nan Xi’s palm.

Once the pain in her head subsided to a bearable level, Mu Xi immediately got up and led Nan Xi away.

It had been her oversight, she shouldn’t have let Nan Xi go out wearing only two thin layers when they rested at the hotel at noon.

“Where are you rushing off to? Does your head not hurt anymore?” Nan Xi, being pulled along, asked in confusion.

Her eyes were already red, and tears had been falling like broken pearls without either of them noticing. Now, she only felt a chill on her chin, unaware that she needed to wipe her tears away.

Mu Xi led her into the heated gymnasium. “One of us being sick is enough. I can’t let you catch a cold too.”

“…”

Nan Xi decided not to argue with her and insisted on asking, “Does your head still hurt?”

“Much better.” Mu Xi didn’t dare lie and say she was fully recovered, quickly changing the subject. “Actually, what you said made sense. It’s probably because my tolerance is too low that I…”

She finally turned to look at Nan Xi and saw her swollen, tear-streaked eyes. Her breath hitched. “You’ve been crying?”

Nan Xi didn’t answer her question. “No, no, no. Drawing conclusions without evidence is unreasonable. I take back everything I said earlier, and you have to forget it all too.”

Moreover, she would never bring it up again lightly. If she had known it would cause Mu Xi so much pain, she would have sewn her own mouth shut rather than say a word.

“Wait, you were crying?” Mu Xi didn’t process what Nan Xi had said, her attention entirely on Nan Xi’s startling tears. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Mu Xi kept apologizing, her words sincere and filled with guilt, as if she could control her headaches at will and was at fault for them.

The kinder Mu Xi was, the harder it was for Nan Xi to hold back. Her nose tingled, and tears welled up again, contrary to Mu Xi’s apologies.

“Wah…”

Nan Xi started crying again, drawing sidelong glances from passing students. Mu Xi flusteredly rummaged through her pockets for a handkerchief to wipe her tears, regretting that since she no longer wore a butler’s uniform, handkerchiefs weren’t as easy to find.

“You looked like… you were about to die just now. I was really scared,” Nan Xi sobbed, her voice filled with grievance. “I’ve never seen you like that before. In my heart, you’ve always been so strong, you didn’t even flinch when a knife cut your hand.”

Nan Xi was likely referring to the time Mu Xi had snatched the knife from Bai Ran’s hand.

Her words made Mu Xi blush, because in reality, she had been in a lot of pain back then. She never expected that in Nan Xi’s eyes, she hadn’t even furrowed her brows.

Mu Xi didn’t want to recall whether she had actually frowned behind Nan Xi’s back. It was better to let Nan Xi keep thinking that way…

“What would I do if you died? I’ve just started getting used to having you back in my life.” The more Nan Xi spoke, the more aggrieved she felt. “Everyone says widowed omegas whose alphas have died are the most pitiful. Would I have to rely on suppressants for every heat cycle from now on? Oh my god, I don’t want that. I don’t want to have no one to take me to and from work, no one lying beside me to sleep with me.”

All her thoughts condensed into one sentence: “Mu Xi, you absolutely cannot die.”

Mu Xi didn’t want to die either.

“I’ll… try my best,” she gave Nan Xi a reassuring promise.

“I don’t want ‘try my best.’ I want you to say you’ll never die.” Nan Xi began to act unreasonably.

“Nan Xi, you’re a scientist. How can you say something so superstitious…”

“Science often leads to superstition in the end. Just let me be superstitious for now. Please, say it.”

“…I’ll live a long life.”

Nan Xi sighed. “Fine, that’ll do.”

The two of them stayed in the Home Economics University gym until Mu Xi’s headache completely subsided before leaving.

Before they left, Mu Xi insisted that Nan Xi wear her jacket, refusing to go otherwise.

Nan Xi quickly gave in, slipping Mu Xi’s jacket over her own clothes. The jacket still carried Mu Xi’s warmth, making her feel as if she were being held in Mu Xi’s embrace at all times.

The driver had been waiting for them at the school gate all afternoon but showed no sign of complaint, dutifully driving them back to their hotel.

Having gotten chilled on the sports field, the first thing Nan Xi did upon returning was soak in a bathtub filled with hot water to warm up. Midway, she used a little trick to lure Mu Xi into the tub as well, and they played in the water together. By the time both were warm and stepped out of the bathroom, it was already past eight o’clock.

Only then did Nan Xi lazily call Nan Lian.

Her original intention was to borrow the medical team Nan Lian had brought along, because Mu Xi’s headache had been so severe earlier that Nan Xi couldn’t easily set her mind at ease.

But even at this hour, Nan Lian’s phone still couldn’t be reached.

They were staying on the same floor of the same hotel. Nan Xi tried knocking on Nan Lian’s door, but there was no answer.

Recalling Nan Lian’s stern demeanor before their departure, Nan Xi felt she might have underestimated the complexity of what Nan Lian had to handle.

A chartered flight with a full entourage of bodyguards, a medical team, and a technical team…

Su Wen was from City Z.

“I was worried about the wrong person. It’s my sister’s side where people might end up dead,” Nan Xi muttered to herself as she collapsed onto the bed. “I can’t even imagine what kind of chaos she’ll unleash in City Z. Is this what they call ‘toppling a kingdom for a lover’?”

Mu Xi, who had been secretly searching for ways to alleviate headaches caused by brain injuries, closed her phone and sat beside Nan Xi. “You don’t need to worry too much about her. Before we boarded, I saw her security team, all of them are at least A-grade alphas on average, and they probably brought a lot of real firepower with them.”

“I’m not worried about her.”

Nan Xi looked at her. “I’m worried about the people who’ll oppose her. Someone who’s been suppressing themselves for a long time can be terrifying when they finally explode, especially since my sister is already… well.”

The unspoken words were likely the last shred of dignity Nan Lian had left.

Mu Xi began to reflect on whether she had ever offended Nan Lian.

Probably not. The only point of conflict between them was Nan Xi, so that was a relief.

Half an hour later, Nan Xi started coughing.

Even a hot bath couldn’t keep the cold at bay, Nan Xi had caught a chill after all, likely from being out on the sports field. Mu Xi had no choice but to ask the hotel staff for cold medicine and accompany her to bed early.

They went to sleep quite early and were irritated when they were woken up, the commotion outside was just too loud.

They couldn’t tell whether something had crashed to the floor or slammed into the wall. They didn’t yet imagine that “something” could be a person, as they hadn’t witnessed such brutal scenes before.

It was the first time Mu Xi realized that even in a hotel of this standard, in a room of this caliber, such a ruckus could erupt outside.

After a few loud bangs, a voice both of them knew well, furious and aggressive, rang out:

“Find them! Tear this place apart if you have to, but find them!”

It was Nan Lian.