I Revealed My True Identity After Confessing My Love - Chapter 21

The color drained from Du Xiran’s face at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Ye Nanning wanted to say something more, but Du Xiran simply waved her hand and buried her head in the other direction, turning her back to her. “Get out, I want to sleep.”

“Oh, okay.” Before leaving, Ye Nanning took one last look at her, pulling the slipping shawl back up to cover her shoulders before quietly exiting.

The Afternoon Meeting

During the afternoon meeting, the colleagues all noticed that Du Xiran was in a foul mood. This was especially evident when she called on Ye Nanning, her tone was so icy that it reminded them of the fear of being under Du Xiran’s thumb when they first joined the team.

“Ye Nanning, you report first.”

Ye Nanning glanced at her colleagues, visualizing them all as steamed buns to calm her nerves. She then lowered her head, looking at her notebook, and focused intently on reporting her work progress.

The scene looked exactly like a well-behaved child being called on by a teacher.

Xu Huan: I feel pity for her.

“Xu Huan, your turn,” Du Xiran said.

Xu Huan: I feel pity for myself.

The “Death Wish” Conversation

After the meeting ended, a few of them huddled around their workstations, whispering. Xu Huan asked curiously, “What’s up with Princess Du? How did she wake up from a nap with such a temper?”

Ye Nanning thought about it and forced herself to say, “It might… be because of me.”

The others immediately swarmed around. “Tell us, what happened?”

Being watched by so many people made Ye Nanning nervous. She whispered, “I told her she sleeps with her mouth open and is prone to drooling.”

A moment later, a burst of laughter erupted. Other employees couldn’t help but look over.

“Gee, Ye Nanning gets along quite well with her colleagues,” a girl from A-University noted.

Hu Hanqiao overheard this, glanced over, and curled her lip in disdain. When she turned back and saw Yan Zhenghao staring at Ye Nanning, she became even angrier.

“Little Ye, you’re practically dancing on Princess Du’s landmines,” a female colleague whispered to her.

Ye Nanning: “?”

“Don’t let the fact that Director Du stays busy all day without makeup or brushing her hair fool you. She’s actually quite ‘closet vain’ (munsno). She hates it most when people say she’s ugly.”

The group stifled their laughter. Ye Nanning had a sudden realization: “Is this the self-awareness of a beauty?”

The group: “…”

Xu Huan said solemnly, “I didn’t expect you, with such a cold and abstinent face, to steal my job as the ‘Rainbow Fart’ (flattery) expert?”

Another female colleague laughed. “Exactly. Director Du isn’t even here, dial it back.”

Ye Nanning said sincerely, “It’s not flattery. Director Du is truly good-looking. Director Du is the most beautiful.”

“Excellent. A true actor must stand firm in their beliefs. I hope you maintain this at all times,” Xu Huan said, giving a thumbs up. But as she looked up, her face instantly lost its color. “Oh my god! What wind blew Princess Du herself over here?”

The group was startled and looked up in unison. They saw Du Xiran standing by their workstations at some unknown point, looking at them frostily with eyes full of murderous intent.

She looked exactly like a homeroom teacher peeking through the back door of a classroom.

“If I didn’t come, how would I hear such a wonderful conversation?” Du Xiran said with a fake smile.

Xu Huan quickly added, “We were joking! Everyone knows you’re the flower of this floor…no, definitely the flower of the whole company! Clients are clamoring to work with you after all, working with a beauty makes everyone’s mood better, hehe.”

“Get back to work, you flattery expert,” Du Xiran huffed. Then, she looked at Ye Nanning.

Ye Nanning straightened her back, waiting for a scolding.

Instead, Du Xiran asked her, “What would you like to drink?”

After a long pause, Ye Nanning let out a faint sound: “Huh?”

Du Xiran leaned down, pinched her ear, and whispered, “What do you want to drink? My treat. Can you hear me now?”

Ye Nanning felt completely numb. She wished she were entirely deaf right then.

“Coffee or milk tea?” Du Xiran asked, straightening back up.

The warmth of the touch seemed to linger on her ear. Ye Nanning secretly pinched her own hand, forcing herself to stay calm. “Anything is fine.”

“Coffee then.” Du Xiran looked at the others.

• Xu Huan: “I’ll have a latte.”
• Female Colleague: “Caramel Macchiato.”
• Male Colleague: “I’ll have a latte too.”

Du Xiran gave a slight smile and returned to her office.

The Bitter “Gift”

Half an hour later, the team looked at the solitary cup of coffee in front of Ye Nanning and shed tears of both repentance and envy.

Ye Nanning looked at the coffee in trepidation. According to social etiquette, should she be polite and ask if others wanted a sip?

But… Du Xiran had ordered this specifically for her! Out of all the colleagues, she was the only one who got one!

In her mind, this was basically a gift.

“I have to say, Princess Du is really… quite childish in some ways,” Xu Huan whispered. “She’s doing this on purpose to spite us.”

The other colleagues nodded vigorously.

Fearing they would hold a grudge against Du Xiran, Ye Nanning blurted out, “I’ll treat you all. Order whatever you want.”

The group looked at her and laughed. Xu Huan asked, “Do you really think we’re still upset?”

Ye Nanning: Aren’t you?

“Relax, it’s just a small thing. Just wait, once she’s in a better mood, she might order for everyone and leave you out next time,” Xu Huan giggled.

Ye Nanning: !!! (Should she want Director Du to be in a good mood or not?)

With a conflicted heart, Ye Nanning picked up the cup and took a sip.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

“What’s wrong?” Xu Huan handed her some tissues. “Don’t spray it out.”

Ye Nanning quickly wiped her mouth, looking tragically at the label on the cup.

Disaster. Because she had said “anything,” the Director had simply ordered her an Americano. It was very awakening, but very bitter. Because she was so nervous earlier, she hadn’t dared to specify her usual preferences for fear of being a bother.

Now she was in trouble. She was a total sweet-tooth, she usually ordered Capuccinos.

Overtime and Unexpected Care

“Tell me more about President Chen’s situation,” Xu Huan said. “Do you have any materials?”

“Yes.” Ye Nanning hadn’t originally been in charge of this acquisition project, but because she had gone on the business trip with Du Xiran, she had inadvertently taken on some work. She did her best to cooperate with Xu Huan to create valuation models for the target companies.

Ye Nanning quickly immersed herself in work. The afternoon flew by, and after clocking-out time, more than half the people had left.

Yan Zhenghao walked over and asked, “Ye Nanning, how was the business trip?”

Ye Nanning’s eyes stayed fixed on the computer screen. “I’m looking at data, I don’t have time to chat.”

Sensing the surrounding gossip, Yan Zhenghao felt awkward and turned around, only to run into a beautiful woman. He nodded in greeting: “Director Du.”

Du Xiran approached, sizing him up meaningfully. He had an LV bag, a Gucci belt, was decent-looking, came from a prestigious school, and had a good job exactly the type young girls liked.

She glanced back at the unresponsive Ye Nanning, who had a face like a “keep out” sign. For some reason, Du Xiran frowned almost imperceptibly.

At that moment, Ye Nanning looked up, a spark of life in her eyes. “Director Du, are you leaving?”

“Yes, and you should too.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t ‘huh’ me. You didn’t rest well on the trip. Go home and get some proper sleep today,” Du Xiran commanded.

“It’s fine. I didn’t work as hard as you, I’m not that tired,” Ye Nanning said.

Du Xiran didn’t push further; ambition was a good thing. Before leaving, she glanced at the almost untouched coffee on the desk. “Why haven’t you drunk it?”

Ye Nanning hurriedly grabbed the cup and took a massive gulp, drinking half the cup in one go. She didn’t dare swallow immediately, her cheeks puffed out as she gave a strained smile.

Du Xiran: “…”

After a great effort to swallow the liquid, Ye Nanning’s usually calm face finally underwent a massive change, wrinkling into a “bitter gourd” expression. “It’s… it’s delicious.”

Seeing this, Du Xiran replied, “Is it? I don’t believe you.”