I Am Her Secret Beauty - Chapter 66

Caught.

She wouldn’t act recklessly.

Mu Xi, having her thoughts exposed, found it hard to speak and could only repeat one sentence frantically in her mind:

Why did you have to chase me here?

Why did you have to chase me?

Nan Xi knew that Mu Xi cared deeply about Bai Ran. After that incident, she had mentioned her several times. It was truly strange, but the fact that two people with different perspectives could empathize with Bai Ran in the same way might prove something.

Fortunately, Bai Ran had just appeared at the wrong time. Nan Lian’s focus wasn’t on her at the moment, so nothing should happen.

Nan Xi even dared to speak up and plead for her: “For the sake of your past relationship, sister, please let her go.”

Nan Lian didn’t respond.

While the two on the sofa were silently grumbling, a burly man in a black suit and black sunglasses walked in from the doorway and whispered something into Nan Lian’s ear.

They didn’t have time to dwell on why bodyguards could come and go freely in their room as if it were an open space, because after hearing his words, Nan Lian’s expression shifted drastically, turning from playful to icy cold.

That kind of look seemed like she was ready to take action.

Mu Xi and Nan Xi exchanged glances, both rising to follow her. No bodyguard stopped them.

…

Bai Ran’s hands were tightly bound to the back of the chair. Her eyes were tightly shut, making it hard to tell whether her expression was one of regret or remorse. She pressed her lips into a thin line, looking completely unwilling to cooperate.

Such a refusal to cooperate was undoubtedly a dangerous sign for her.

But Nan Xi no longer dared to speak, let alone plead for her. She stared wide-eyed at Mu Xi, trying to find some reassurance in the other’s gaze.

Mu Xi was also unsettled, unable to believe what she had just heard.

Bai Ran, Nan Lian’s former lover, was related by blood to Nan Lian’s white moonlight?

…Taking a step back, considering Nan Lian’s habit of seeking substitutes.

The likelihood of two very similar people being related by blood was indeed quite high.

But for Nan Lian to actually stumble upon such a coincidence, at this point after so many stories had unfolded…

Perhaps this world really was a book.

And Nan Lian’s storyline was the most melodramatic part…

As they watched Nan Lian step closer to Bai Ran, Mu Xi and Nan Xi held their breaths, hoping to hear more of the story before being kicked out.

“Su Wen is your cousin?”

Nan Lian gave Bai Ran no leeway. Along with the question came the muzzle of a gun pressed against her temple, dark and terrifying.

When she was downstairs, Mu Xi had only caught a fleeting glimpse. Now she could see Bai Ran clearly.

She had grown much thinner since their last meeting, so much so that her cheekbones appeared sharp, and her complexion had turned sallow. Bai Ran didn’t open her eyes. Even knowing a gun was pointed at her head, she showed no trace of fear.

“Don’t ask anymore. If you want to kill me, just pull the trigger. I’ve wanted to die for months now. I’m not afraid of death at all.”

She wasn’t wrong. That night, she had indeed aimed a small knife at herself and stabbed down. If Mu Xi hadn’t reached out to stop her, she wouldn’t have lived to sit in Nan Lian’s living room today, with a gun pointed at her vital spot.

Threatening someone unafraid of death with death was meaningless.

Realizing this, Nan Lian lowered the gun. A bodyguard, understanding the situation, brought over a chair for Nan Lian to sit opposite Bai Ran.

Bai Ran still kept her eyes closed, unwilling to meet her gaze.

If they weren’t currently on someone else’s turf, Mu Xi might have whispered to Nan Xi: If Bai Ran truly no longer cared about Nan Lian, she wouldn’t have risked sneaking to the hotel just to glance in this direction.

This person still cared, but refused to show even a hint of submission in front of Nan Lian.

Their conversation confirmed this.

Nan Lian asked in confusion, “She was your cousin. Investigating her death would benefit you too, so why are you unwilling to speak?”

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to speak, I’m unwilling to speak to you.” Bai Ran opened her eyes, her gaze toward Nan Lian indifferent, yet her pupils seemed bottomless. “You caused my sister’s death, and you ruined me. I hate you.”

Whether it was “caused my sister’s death” or “ruined me” that struck a chord, Nan Lian didn’t get angry at Bai Ran but fell into silence instead.

Nan Xi clicked her tongue.

So, this girl came all the way here just to spite her sister? Hard to tell whether she was foolish or just fiercely determined.

“I did ruin you,” Nan Lian suddenly said. “I’ve ruined many people… just last night, I caused another death. But I want to clarify whether your cousin died because of me. I always believed she did, but now I’m starting to think otherwise. Even if knowing I caused one less death doesn’t lessen my guilt, I still want to know.”

Bai Ran looked at her, the person she had once longed for day and night was now sitting right in front of her, in the equal position she had always dreamed of.

The same space, the same height. Even with her hands tied and Nan Lian’s free, this was as close to equality as someone as lofty as Nan Lian could offer.

Was she finally repenting to her?

Though it was likely just a trick to extract the truth from her, Bai Ran was willing to accept it.

Abandoning her was an act of “harm,” not something “for her own good.” Nan Lian had to admit that.

Nan Xi and Mu Xi noticed Bai Ran’s demeanor visibly softening, and the change was clearly triggered by just a few words from Nan Lian.

The dynamics between these two had always defied conventional understanding, but even so, this shift in attitude was remarkably swift.

“Have you finally admitted you were wrong?” Bai Ran’s voice softened as she gazed at Nan Lian.

Mu Xi was afraid her next words would be forgiveness.

Fortunately, Nan Lian remained silent this time, denying Bai Ran the chance to forgive her instantly.

Otherwise, Mu Xi might not have been able to stop herself from saying something she shouldn’t.

Seeing Nan Lian’s lack of response, Bai Ran curved her lips slightly. “A-Lian, all I ever wanted was a fair word from you.”

“I should thank Sister Su Wen. It’s because of this face, so similar to hers, that I had the chance to get close to you. What I’m doing now is unfair to her, but I hate you so much that I’m willing to use even her as leverage to get back at you.”

Nan Lian only asked, “Did you know about my relationship with Su Wen from the start? Is that why you approached me?”

“No,” Bai Ran shook her head. “I only found out after discovering Sister Su Wen’s photo at your place that I had unknowingly become my own cousin’s substitute.”

Nan Lian also recalled the scene of her first meeting with Bai Ran.

During that period, she had been too busy… too busy to use new people to numb her nerves.

During a rare moment of speeding down the road, she suddenly received a call from her assistant, who claimed to have found a girl strikingly similar to Su Wen.

Nan Lian had intended to refuse, but her assistant insisted over the phone, saying this girl was the closest match to Su Wen they had ever found.

So, Nan Lian turned the car around and met her boastful assistant and the timid Bai Ran in the break room downstairs.

She truly bore a sixty percent resemblance to Su Wen, especially in that timidity, identical to Su Wen, who had also come from a small town and a poor background.

For a moment, Nan Lian felt as if she were daydreaming, transported back to the time she first met Su Wen. Only this time, she had glimpsed a hazy vision of the future and knew exactly how to avoid repeating past mistakes.

They were that alike.

Without any background check or unnecessary pleasantries, Nan Lian immediately fell for the girl who didn’t dare to look her in the eye.

She “fell” so quickly.

…

Nan Xi couldn’t take it anymore. She pulled Mu Xi to her feet and walked out through the group of burly men guarding the door, returning to her own room at the other end of the hallway.

As soon as the door closed, she couldn’t help but cover her face and let out a scream. “I’m sorry, I just can’t watch anymore.”

“She’ll talk. She’ll tell Nan Lian everything she wants to know,” Mu Xi said helplessly, finally able to stretch her limbs freely instead of being cramped in a corner of Nan Lian’s room, forced to witness their tortured romance. “We don’t necessarily have to watch the whole process. Since the outcome is already clear…”

Some people talk endlessly about revenge, but in the end, all they do is hurt themselves.

Yet, to outsiders, that pitiful demeanor was enough to evoke sympathy, while Bai Ran’s eyes held room for only one person.

Mu Xi didn’t want to judge others based on her own beliefs.

Nan Xi tried to focus on her research again, but the image of Bai Ran tied up in a chair kept intruding into her thoughts, unsettling her.

Her sister was the same. Whenever these matters came up, the usual cheerful Nan Lian would unconsciously be overshadowed by sorrow and distress, her words and actions no longer recognizable through the lens of the past.

Everyone was suffering terribly, and it was truly unpleasant.

What was worse, they themselves hadn’t even touched the core of the pain yet, there were plenty of hardships yet to come.

“Let’s not just sit in the room. How about we go out for a walk?” Nan Xi closed her laptop and suddenly suggested. “If we keep dwelling on these things, our minds will rust.”

“Alright.”

Mu Xi fetched Nan Xi’s thick coat from the bedroom and draped it over her shoulders, then put on an extra layer herself before they stepped out of the room.

Once in the hallway, she couldn’t help but glance toward the door a few meters away. There was nothing to see or hear anymore.

At least Bai Ran would be safe. The rest had nothing to do with her or Nan Xi.

She shook her head, wrapped an arm around Nan Xi’s waist, and walked into the elevator under the watchful eyes of several bodyguards. They descended, stepped out of the hotel, and into the street.

“Is this the end for us, then?” Mu Xi asked, referring to the search they had interrupted due to her headache.

Nan Xi waved a hand dismissively. “We’ve already been to the university. Let’s just focus on wandering around. You’ve spent so much time in City Z, after all.”

In truth, Nan Xi didn’t want Mu Xi exposed to anything that might trigger her.

Earlier that morning, she had quietly asked someone to look into the archives at H University and other minor details. The results wouldn’t come back quickly, and she wouldn’t mention them to Mu Xi lightly.

Mu Xi had no objections. Since Nan Xi said they should focus on exploring, she truly set aside all her worries for the time being.

In the biting winter of City Z, two figures bundled in thick coats walked side by side on the sidewalk. Nan Xi wore gloves, and they held hands through the fabric, transferring warmth from one to the other.

The city was small, its economy far less developed than major cities like City A. Even in such weather, thinly clad figures could still be seen trudging slowly along the streets in the cold wind.

It made one feel chilled just watching.

Mu Xi stopped in front of a tricycle selling roasted sweet potatoes, where a petite woman behind the cart smiled at her.

“Want some? Roasted sweet potatoes,” she asked Nan Xi.

Nan Xi had never eaten roasted sweet potatoes before, and she wasn’t hungry at all, but seeing the woman’s cheeks red and purple from the cold, she replied, “Yes, I’ll have some.”

Mu Xi asked the vendor to pick a suitable sweet potato for them. The woman glanced at Nan Xi and selected a small one from the varying sizes, weighing it on a handheld scale.

“The small one is for her,” Nan Xi told the woman weighing the potatoes. “I want a big one, a really big one.”

The woman chuckled and, as requested, picked out a large sweet potato to weigh, then accepted payment from Mu Xi.

She continued standing in the wind, warming herself by the tricycle and the stove roasting the sweet potatoes.

After walking a few steps, Mu Xi handed the small sweet potato to Nan Xi but didn’t let go immediately.

Sure enough, as soon as Nan Xi’s palm touched the bottom of the paper bag, she gasped and pulled her hand back.

It was too hot.

Mu Xi laughed at her.

Fortunately, the weather was cold enough, and after a short while, the sweet potato cooled down to a temperature Nan Xi could hold.

Nan Xi took the small sweet potato again, staring at its rustic appearance.

She mimicked Mu Xi, carefully pinching a small piece of skin from the top with her fingernail and peeling it back. The golden flesh of the sweet potato was revealed, and its aroma instantly filled the air, both experiences entirely new to Nan Xi.

Mu Xi teased her, “I knew the young lady of the Nan family had never eaten street-roasted sweet potatoes before.”

“I’ve eaten sweet potatoes!” Nan Xi retorted, a bit defensively. “They just didn’t look like this. If they’re this delicious, of course I’ll eat them.”

After peeling the top, Nan Xi took an eager bite, feeling the soft, sweet flesh slowly melt between her lips and teeth, sliding down her throat with little need for chewing.

Her eyes lit up, and she gave a thumbs-up:

“So delicious.”