I Am Her Secret Beauty - Chapter 8

Although Mu Xi had long suspected that the “farm stay” mentioned by the Nan family wouldn’t involve much actual farming, when the sports car carrying Mu Xi and the Nan siblings arrived at a discreetly luxurious mountain villa halfway up the hillside and was immediately greeted by a courteous elderly man at the entrance,

Mu Xi still felt a little off.

She knew she absolutely shouldn’t be getting competitive in front of her employers, but when she saw the elderly butler approaching the villa gate with several young attendants in tow, she couldn’t help but remark dryly:

“Young Master, so I’m not the only butler after all.”

To think… someone else was trying to steal her brick-carrying duties.

What was this faint sourness in her chest? She knew full well this elderly butler couldn’t possibly carry as much as she could.

“Huh? Oh, right, I guess our family does have more than one butler,” Nan Nan replied obliviously, chuckling good-naturedly. “But we hardly come here more than a few times a year, so we still see you way more often, Butler Mu.”

As he spoke, the elderly butler stepped forward and opened the car door for Nan Xi, gracefully raising a hand to shield her head as she stepped out.

Nan Xi smiled at him and descended from the sports car, lifting the hem of her skirt.

Meanwhile, Nan Nan and Mu Xi, who had been driving, also got out.

Mu Xi took in the unfamiliar villa. Tucked away in a secluded spot surrounded by untouched wilderness, the scenery was picturesque, the air fresh, clearly a vacation retreat for the Nan family, though it bore no resemblance to the rustic farm stay she had imagined.

So, after retirement, would she be relegated to managing a vacation villa? Not a bad deal…

Assuming she could survive this crisis in her relationship with Nan Xi and retire peacefully, that is.

Mu Xi solemnly shook hands with the elderly butler. “Hello, pleased to meet you. I’m Mu Xi, the head butler of the main residence.”

The butler, though gray-haired, was spry and alert. He returned the handshake earnestly. “A pleasure, Butler Mu. I’m Vincent, in charge of the Nan family’s vacation villa.”

Two fellow butlers, both victims of Nan Zhiya’s relentless demands, exchanged a look of mutual understanding.

Vincent, being older, could no longer handle everything himself, leaving most of the menial tasks to the attendants. His role now mainly involved guiding the Nan siblings through the villa and explaining the room arrangements.

When Nan Nan asked if there were any farmland nearby, Vincent’s wrinkled face showed confusion.

“Apologies, did you say farmland?”

“The fields around here were cleared three years ago, on the family head’s orders.”

Nan Xi immediately burst into merciless laughter at Nan Nan’s expense, while Mu Xi rubbed her temples and searched for leisure activities within a five-kilometer radius. But the place was too remote, aside from two restaurants of questionable hygiene standards, there was nothing.

Vincent came to the rescue. “If the Young Master and Young Miss are interested, the cellar has some excellent aged red wines. You could also try winemaking or grape-growing on the back hill.”

Nan Nan was both satisfied and intrigued, so the attendants brought in the luggage and delivered it to their respective rooms.

Knowing in advance that the villa was fully equipped, Nan Xi and Nan Nan had only packed small suitcases, while Mu Xi hadn’t even bothered with one, just a backpack with a change of clothes.

Here, Mu Xi finally didn’t have to stay in the butler’s quarters. Instead, she was assigned a guest room on the second floor, just like the siblings.

She was just hanging clothes in the wardrobe when two sharp knocks sounded at the open door.

Nan Xi leaned against the doorframe with a rather displeased expression, raising a hand. “Butler Mu, come to my room for a moment.”

Mu Xi had no choice but to set the clothes down on the bed and follow Nan Xi to her guest room immediately.

Once inside, Nan Xi took only a single step forward before refusing to go any further. Pointing at a corner, she turned her head away, unwilling to look.

“There, there’s a very big spider.”

Mu Xi followed the direction of her finger and indeed saw a spider the size of a fingertip dangling mid-air, still descending as if about to land on Nan Xi’s bed.

She was well-versed in the housekeeping standards of the Nan family, even unused guest rooms had to be cleaned daily. However, this mountain villa was situated in a peculiar location, nestled halfway up the slope with dense woods right outside the windows. When the windows were opened for ventilation, it was easy for insects to crawl in.

“Also… are there snakes in this room?”

Nan Xi followed up with this question, her face growing even paler.

“No, Miss. Please don’t worry. I’ll inspect the room for you shortly.”

While reassuring Nan Xi, Mu Xi moved toward the spider in the corner. With a quick, deft pinch, she caught the terrifying creature between her fingers.

She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, wrapped the spider in it, and then circled around Nan Xi’s bed, intending to toss the spider out the window before securing it shut.

But before she could even make it past the bed, Nan Xi let out another startled cry.

“Miss!” Mu Xi immediately rushed to her side. “What’s wrong?”

Nan Xi staggered back as if frightened, her slender frame swaying twice before collapsing like a drifting willow leaf, soft whimpers of pain escaping her lips.

Mu Xi couldn’t possibly let her fall. She swiftly extended her spider-free hand and caught Nan Xi by the waist, preventing a minor accident.

A few strands of soft hair brushed against Mu Xi’s face, and the warm, pliant body in her arms felt almost weightless, the contact barely registering beyond a faint tickle.

Nan Xi’s eyes were moist as she looked up from Mu Xi’s half-open embrace, her usually distant tone now tinged with a hint of grievance.

“Butler Mu, you hurt me.”

Nan Xi’s voice was low and gentle, usually pleasant to the ear, but now it struck Mu Xi like thunder from the heavens.

Startled, Mu Xi immediately withdrew her arm, concern lacing her voice. “Was I too rough? Where does it hurt, Miss?”

Nan Xi glanced down at the handkerchief-wrapped spider in Mu Xi’s other hand and took a step back, but then reached to lift the hem of her skirt.

“My waist. It’s sore from being pressed, might even be scraped.”

As Nan Xi’s skirt began to rise, Mu Xi turned her head away as if fleeing for her life, a flush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

“Miss, you-”

She didn’t finish the sentence, but her stance was firm, she would never allow her gaze to disrespect or defile Miss Nan Xi.

“Oh.” Nan Xi seemed to suddenly remember the impropriety of their interaction and lowered her skirt with a detached tone. “Then I’ll just unzip it. Please check if it’s bleeding, Steward Mu.”

This was getting more and more absurd.

Though Mu Xi was strong, she had taken force management classes, how could a mere embrace scrape the skin or draw blood?

Mu Xi turned her gaze back to Nan Xi, only to see her place both hands behind her back and slowly pull the zipper of her dress all the way down.

Before her eyes was Nan Xi’s snow-white back, not frail, but slender, with smooth and delicate skin that showed no trace of pores, like a piece of fine jade generously displayed before Mu Xi.

“…”

“Well? Is there any blood?”

Only then did Mu Xi belatedly lower her gaze to the most elegantly curved part of Nan Xi’s waist.

Her neck felt somewhat stiff, though Mu Xi didn’t notice it.

“……No, Miss. Just a bit of redness.”

She was still too fragile, too easily marked. Though there was no broken skin or bleeding as Nan Xi had feared, Mu Xi’s light embrace had left a faint trace on her waist.

The mark was shallow, but against Nan Xi’s radiantly pale skin, it looked almost pitiful.

“That’s good.”

Nan Xi pulled the zipper back up, her expression much calmer now, and turned her attention once more to the spider in Mu Xi’s hand. “Hurry up and throw it away, Butler Mu.”

Mu Xi obeyed, walking to the window and finally disposing of the spider that had lingered three minutes too long.

Returning to Nan Xi’s side, she asked, “Miss, what happened earlier?”

“There was another spider in the room,” Nan Xi replied calmly. “Right here in this room. I saw it and got startled. Please, Butler Mu, do a thorough check for me. I don’t want a single bug left behind.”

So, Nan Xi’s sudden loss of composure earlier had been due to spotting another spider in the room.

Mu Xi asked Nan Xi to wait in the hallway while she conducted a meticulous search of the room, from the most crucial area, the bed, to the corners of the bathroom where filth was most likely to hide.

A few inconspicuous flying insects were indeed chased out by Mu Xi, but as for the other spider Nan Xi had mentioned, she found no trace of it.

After another fruitless search, Mu Xi had no choice but to report back apologetically.

Nan Xi was understanding and comforted her, “It’s alright. Thank you, Butler Mu. It might have left through the window. If I see it again, I’ll ask for your help.”

With that, Mu Xi prepared to leave Nan Xi’s room.

But just as she reached the doorway, Nan Xi’s words stopped her in her tracks.

“I think I’ve mentioned before,” Nan Xi said, “Butler Mu reminds me of someone I used to know.”

Mu Xi immediately recalled the night two days ago when she first met Nan Xi, the grief-stricken, hysterical Nan Xi, and the slap that now threatened her career.

She turned around, her gaze flickering slightly. “Yes, I remember.”

“Now, more than ever, I feel how similar you are.” Nan Xi’s eyes remained fixed on Mu Xi’s, searching for any possible trace of resemblance. “Equally outstanding in ability, equally strong in will.”

Mu Xi could understand the “outstanding in ability” part.

But “strong in will”?

Mu Xi floundered as she mentally reviewed the past two days. She couldn’t recall anything that would warrant such a description from the young miss.

Before she could dwell on it further, Nan Xi continued with a self-deprecating tone, “Of course, it might just be my own overconfidence. After all, you’re not her.”

…

Mu Xi was sharp. With this hint, she began to grasp what Nan Xi meant.

She didn’t know what to say or do to comfort this young woman who was deeply wounded by the loss of her lover.

Perhaps she didn’t need to say anything at all, anything that came from her lips now would only add insult to injury.

“Why couldn’t you have been her?”

Mu Xi’s lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to respond, but in the end, she remained silent.

The last glance she cast at Nan Xi was met with Nan Xi’s own gaze. Mu Xi couldn’t decipher the emotions hidden in those deep, unfathomable eyes, only that Nan Xi was looking at her, and she was not happy.

All she heard was Nan Xi say:

“Go back.”

Mu Xi walked out, returned to her room, and began hanging up the shirts, suits, and trousers she had brought with her again.

For some reason, Mu Xi understood that the remaining spider would likely never appear in Nan Xi’s room again.