I Am Her Secret Beauty - Chapter 62

The two people lying under the covers were now fully awake.

Nan Xi’s eyes rolled around in the darkness. “Who did she say she was looking for?”

“I don’t know.”

“Should I go check on her?” she asked humbly, seeking Mu Xi’s opinion.

Mu Xi immediately tightened her embrace, as if afraid Nan Xi would run off to knock on Nan Lian’s door. “Better not. Let’s wait until this passes.”

“Great, I was thinking the same.” Nan Xi snuggled deeper into her arms. “Can you still sleep? I probably can’t. Do we have any nighttime activities?”

“?”

Mu Xi instantly went on high alert. Even as Nan Xi nestled obediently in her arms, she looked like a little wolf with gleaming eyes, not to be underestimated.

“You’re still sick, and you’re talking like this?” she immediately vetoed the idea. “Aren’t you afraid you’ll cough your lungs out?”

“Mu Xi seems quite confident in herself.”

Nan Xi began to laugh. “But you’ve really misunderstood me this time. I just wanted to chat and share our feelings.”

Mu Xi was skeptical of her words.

After all, she had too much of a track record.

However, they had already exhausted themselves earlier that afternoon, and Nan Xi wasn’t in her heat cycle. She probably really didn’t have the energy to cause trouble.

So, Mu Xi gently rested her chin on Nan Xi’s head. The fluffy hair felt soft against her chin, making her heart soften as well. “Then what do you want to talk about?”

Nan Xi hadn’t managed to borrow Nan Lian’s medical team, but she was still haunted by the terrifying sight of Mu Xi earlier that day. She had no choice but to call Dr. Anna for a consultation and described Mu Xi’s condition at the time.

Dr. Anna advised Nan Xi to avoid mentioning anything that might hurt Mu Xi in front of her, to prevent triggering her.

Even if Dr. Anna hadn’t said so, Nan Xi wouldn’t have dared to speak carelessly in front of Mu Xi again.

She was more frightened than she let on. When she saw Mu Xi clutching her head in pain, nearly fainting, Nan Xi was so scared she almost burst into tears and said they should stop searching, they didn’t need to find the so-called truth anymore, as long as Mu Xi stayed by her side.

But that wouldn’t do. She couldn’t make that decision for Mu Xi. Fortunately, Mu Xi had recovered in time…

Nan Xi blinked silently a couple of times. “Can you say a few sweet things to me? I want to hear them.”

This was a sudden whim. Perhaps the feeling of almost losing Mu Xi today had been too intense, and Nan Xi suddenly wanted to confirm that Mu Xi would always be there, always love her.

She needed emotional comfort, and it was best if Mu Xi didn’t detect her intentions. This idea had come at just the right time.

“Have I… have I been treating Nan Xi poorly all this time?”

Mu Xi caught on quickly, but she didn’t quite grasp what “sweet things” meant. Her first reaction was to reflect on whether her usual words weren’t “sweet enough,” which had led Nan Xi to make such a request.

“No, I mean, like how other people in love would say a bunch of cheesy sweet nothings, expressing their affection in abstract ways.” Nan Xi muttered under her breath, “Although it seems like someone never even confessed, we should be considered together now, right? Otherwise, it would be too frivolous.”

Once Nan Xi explained it this way, Mu Xi understood.

She felt deeply apologetic toward Nan Xi. Perhaps even now, she wasn’t fully prepared to take that step. In truth, it was Nan Xi who had been driving their relationship forward all along.

In the eyes of others, they already seemed like an inseparable couple, but only they themselves knew that they hadn’t even confessed their feelings yet…

Overwhelmed by guilt, Mu Xi only thought about fulfilling Nan Xi’s wishes, forgetting to question why Nan Xi hadn’t confessed to her either.

When it came to matters she cared about, Mu Xi was always serious and never hesitated to ask for guidance: “I understand what you mean, but I’m not quite sure how to say it… Nan Xi, could you teach me?”

Nan Xi perked up.

She sat up on the bed, ready to guide Mu Xi earnestly: “First of all, your way of addressing me is completely wrong. Who calls their girlfriend by their full name?”

She pursed her lips, clearly having held back her dissatisfaction for a while.

Finally seizing the opportunity, Nan Xi openly made her demands: “Wife, baby, darling, honey, sweetheart… pick one.”

Mu Xi mulled over the options, trying to discern the differences between them.

But there were no real differences. All these so-called terms of endearment sounded pretty much the same, and none felt particularly fitting for Nan Xi.

“I still think calling you by your name is better.”

Seeing Nan Xi about to get upset, Mu Xi also sat up, pulling the blanket over Nan Xi’s shoulders:

“It’s like this… I’ve heard many people, including those on TV, use the terms you mentioned to call their loved ones. But when too many people use these terms, it becomes impossible to distinguish which one is you among them.”

Mu Xi continued seriously, “The name ‘Nan Xi’ is different. First, perhaps because of my previous profession, I rarely had the chance to call anyone by their full name. Using your full name actually reflects the closeness of our relationship. Second, the last character of our names has the same pronunciation, so calling you ‘Nan Xi’ makes me feel like we are two sides of the same coin. Lastly, and most importantly… Nan Xi is one of a kind, a gift like no other in the world, and she is my beloved.”

Nan Xi listened quietly to her explanation.

Her expression didn’t change much, and she simply said lightly, “Call me ‘baby’ right now. I want to hear it.”

“Baby.” Mu Xi surrendered instantly, holding her and calling her by the name repeatedly, “Baby, baby, baby…”

Nan Xi was satisfied, snuggling in Mu Xi’s embrace as she listened to her soothing words, her eyes crinkling with laughter. It was often said that an alpha’s coquettishness was especially endearing, and Nan Xi had always known it was true.

“You said you didn’t know how to flirt, but you’re clearly quite good at it, baby.” She rewarded Mu Xi with a sweet kiss on the cheek, “Lucky for you, I’m easy to please. I think it sounds nice.”

Nan Xi was the type who seemed to have high standards and strict demands but was actually easily satisfied. Mu Xi understood this once again today.

But.

“I’m not just trying to please you, Nan Xi,” Mu Xi declared solemnly. “Everything I said was sincere.”

“I know.”

“And this isn’t flirting, it’s how I truly feel.” Mu Xi felt a little disappointed. “Can you really not teach me how to say it properly?”

She felt she had failed to fulfill Nan Xi’s wishes and was now sad and aggrieved.

To help Mu Xi achieve her goal of fulfilling Nan Xi’s wishes, Nan Xi decided to demonstrate, even though she herself wasn’t particularly skilled in this area.

“Alright, then I’ll teach you this way of speaking. Listen to this first.” Nan Xi immediately adopted a profound tone, exuding a strong poetic aura. “If you were the moon, I would gladly be the stars beside you… like stars surrounding the moon, it shows how important you are in my heart. Understand?”

“Understood.”

Nan Xi then switched to a roguish demeanor: “After seeing the vast ocean, I realized I had long fallen in love with your tiny wave… There’s even a contrast here, how clever.”

“Clever.”

Nan Xi looked at Mu Xi with encouraging eyes: “Now you try it too!”

Mu Xi felt deeply inspired and sank into prolonged contemplation.

Her thinking took so long that neither of them had anticipated it would last this much. At first, Nan Xi sat quietly beside her waiting, but as time dragged on without Mu Xi speaking to her, Nan Xi began feeling sleepy again.

After yawning three times, Nan Xi had to tell Mu Xi: “I’m going to sleep first, I’m so tired.”

“Okay.” Mu Xi was still deep in thought.

After Nan Xi lay down, Mu Xi also lay down beside her to ensure Nan Xi had a better sleep experience.

Yet even though Nan Xi was right beside her, for the first time Mu Xi’s mind wasn’t focused on her or rather, not on the physical her present.

In Mu Xi’s consciousness, Nan Xi had transformed into the moon, into a tiny wave in the vast ocean. These were images Nan Xi had given her, and then Mu Xi’s own imagination took over, Nan Xi became many things in her mind, all undoubtedly beautiful, while she herself stayed by her side, no matter where they were.

She seemed to understand the meaning of sweet nothings now. Every time Nan Xi appeared in her imagination, she fell in love with her all over again, because she was simply too wonderful.

Mu Xi quickly came up with several good ideas, but each time the words reached her lips, she felt they weren’t good enough.

Specifically, they lacked uniqueness, any two people could fit into those sweet words.

That wouldn’t do. These were sweet nothings she conceived herself; they had to be the most unique, belonging solely to the two of them.

This was why Mu Xi thought for so long. To craft a line that belonged only to them, she lay awake from deep night until dawn, not feeling sleepy at all.

Beside her, Nan Xi was already fast asleep, her soft breathing making Mu Xi feel incredibly happy and more determined to bring her joy with these words.

A peculiar idea suddenly flashed into Mu Xi’s mind. At first, she found it too ordinary and quickly dismissed it.

But after careful consideration, she felt that this might be the line that fit them best, one that no one else could use.

A bright sparkle lit up Mu Xi’s eyes. She slightly raised herself, gazing intently at the sleeping Nan Xi.

She knew she had frightened Nan Xi with her headache that afternoon. Later in the bathtub, Nan Xi had clung to her unusually tightly, that abnormal intensity told Mu Xi how unsettled she had been.

That’s why Nan Xi was sleeping so deeply now, her brows slightly furrowed even in dreams.

Mu Xi’s gaze drifted downward, to where under the covers she couldn’t see, Nan Xi’s hand still held hers, never letting go.

…Could it be true? Everything Nan Xi said, all of it designed specifically for her.

Nan Xi didn’t bring it up again, and Mu Xi didn’t mention it either, but those thoughts had already taken root in their minds.

It was truly worrisome.

Mu Xi gazed at Nan Xi’s precious sleeping face, patiently waiting for her to wake up.

Even though Nan Xi slept longer than usual, it was already past eight when she finally awoke.

Opening her eyes to find someone staring intently at her, even if it was Mu Xi, still gave Nan Xi a start.

She froze, not yet speaking, when she saw Mu Xi looking at her and saying with deep affection:

“I’ve figured it out, and it was you who gave me the inspiration. Listen to this line, how does it sound?”

“I’ve addressed many different young ladies as ‘miss,’ but only when I call you that does my heart race, as if we’ve already stolen a hundred secret rendezvous.”