I Revealed My True Identity After Confessing My Love - Chapter 30

After work, the team members all piled into cars driven by President Du and another colleague to head to the gathering spot.

The restaurant was chosen by Du Xiran, but Ye Nanning knew that this was another establishment Du had shared with her fans under the persona “Grandpa Under the Tree.”

It seems President Du really takes the time to seriously taste the food she shares!

That’s great, that’s probably the happiest thing for any content creator.

They were having hotpot this time perfect for a group gathering, as everyone could find something they liked in the pot.

Ye Nanning saw Du Xiran go to prepare her dipping sauce and quietly followed suit. While adding ingredients to her own bowl, she silently observed Du Xiran’s movements.

You can generally tell a person’s taste profile from their hotpot sauce. According to Ye Nanning’s observations, President Du’s bowl contained a small amount of green onion, ginger, and garlic, a few drops of sesame oil, a bit of soy sauce, and a tiny trace of chili paste.

From this, she deduced that President Du liked flavor but wasn’t a fan of heavy seasoning. This balanced palate meant she’d likely be interested in all kinds of food, but also quite picky even a slight imbalance in saltiness or blandness would make her find the food unpalatable.

In short: she was high-maintenance.

Ye Nanning made a mental note of this, then realized President Du had stopped moving. Confused, she looked up and saw Du Xiran staring at her intently.

Blushing slightly, Ye Nanning asked nervously, “President Du, what are you looking at?”

“I’m looking at your sauce…” Du Xiran pointed at her bowl, looking flabbergasted.

Ye Nanning looked down. Oh no! While she was busy spying on President Du, she had unintentionally filled more than half her bowl with bird’s eye chilies!

“You can eat spice that well?” Du Xiran asked in surprise.

Ye Nanning: “…” Actually, I can’t.

But what could she do now?

If she said she couldn’t handle the spice, Du Xiran would surely ask why she put so much in. How could she explain that it was because she was busy peeking at her?

Ye Nanning cleared her throat. “A person… always needs to seek a little excitement.”

Du Xiran was stunned, then said with admiration, “Well, that’s certainly exciting enough.”

Ye Nanning had no choice but to pretend to be calm as she finished her sauce. When she brought it back to the table, her colleagues had the same dazed expressions as Du Xiran.

“Xiao Ye, I didn’t see that coming! Such heavy tastes?” Old Wang laughed.

“Xiao Ye looks so fair and delicate, I thought she wouldn’t be able to handle spice at all,” Chen Shuimin said.

Xu Huan wagged a finger. “NO, some people are actually the fairer they are, the more spice they can handle. Just look at the girls from C-City.”

Ye Nanning had a bitterness she couldn’t voice. She was about to dip her chopsticks into the clear broth, but Du Xiran asked curiously, “You made all that spicy sauce just to eat the clear broth? Why not just eat from the spicy red oil side?”

Ye Nanning gave a forced smile, moving her chopsticks toward the spicy side. “Thanks for reminding me. I was actually going to pick from the red oil pot anyway.”

What else could she do? She had to eat the spice while crying inside. She ate slowly, but the heat still got to her, causing two bright red patches to rise on her cheeks.

“Pass me a tissue,” Du Xiran said, reaching out.

As Ye Nanning handed her the tissues, Du Xiran paused and smiled. “Your face is all flushed; it looks quite pretty.”

Ye Nanning was stunned.

The others looked over and laughed.

Xu Huan said, “True. Xiao Ye is usually so cool and composed; seeing her blush suddenly creates a strong ‘moe’ gap. It really is pretty.”

Old Wang: “Truly beautiful.”

Chen Shuimin: “Our team’s average looks have really improved by more than just a bit.”

The colleagues praised her one after another, making Ye Nanning’s face even redder though everyone assumed it was just from the hotpot.

By the time they finished, Ye Nanning felt hot all over, her face was glowing, her lips were slightly swollen, and she smelled entirely of hotpot as she walked out of the store.

“Let’s go, second round!” Xu Huan shouted. “Karaoke! We haven’t sung in ages!”

The others chimed in and then looked at the silent Ye Nanning.

Ye Nanning paused, then took the initiative to open Du Xiran’s car door and sit in the passenger seat, looking back at them.

They burst out laughing. Xu Huan joked, “Xiao Ye has learned to strike first! I want to ride in Princess Du’s car too!”

KTV was busy at this hour, and there were no rooms available when they arrived. The group stood around listlessly, debating whether to find another place or just go home.

Ye Nanning secretly sent a message to a certain club and then said, “There’s a place nearby that has an empty room.”

Xu Huan asked, “Is it far?”

“Not far, a ten-minute walk.”

“Let’s go then. Treat it as a walk,” Du Xiran said.

However, ten minutes later, they were standing in front of a high-end private club. Luxury cars were parked at the entrance, and the interior decoration looked like a palace.

“No way, Xiao Ye, is this the KTV you meant? Do you know where this is? This is a high-end club for the wealthy! I’ve only seen it on the news!” Xu Huan said in disbelief.

Not to mention the colleagues even Du Xiran, who earned a high salary, looked hesitant. “Let’s skip it and find another place. I’m still carrying a heavy mortgage.”

As everyone prepared to leave, Ye Nanning said, “I have a friend who is a manager here. He can give us the employee discount!”

Everyone froze, looking at her with half-belief.

“Really, I promise. It won’t cost much,” Ye Nanning said sincerely.

The group looked at each other eagerly and finally turned to Du Xiran for the final call. Du Xiran asked, “Are you sure we can get the discount?”

“Yes, I come here often. It’s always the discount price.”

Looking at her expectant subordinates, Du Xiran gritted her teeth. “Then let’s give it a try.”

“Hooray!” Everyone walked in, looking around like tourists.

A manager in a sharp suit approached them. Before he could speak, Ye Nanning pulled him aside and whispered, “Right now, you are my friend.”

The manager looked at her with pleasant surprise. “Miss Ye, I can be?”

“In a moment, tell my colleagues we are friends and you’re giving us a discount. Quote them a cheap price; I’ll transfer the difference to you later.”

The manager was sharp and caught on immediately. “Rest assured, leave it to me.”

When they returned to the group, Ye Nanning said, “I’ve settled it with him, but since it’s an internal discount, we can’t get an official receipt.”

“Then thank your friend for us,” Du Xiran said.

“No need to be polite! Since you are friends of Miss Ye… I mean, Xiao Ye, then you are my friends too. This little matter is on me!” The manager very smoothly led them to a private room.

On the way, they passed a snooker hall, bowling alleys, card rooms, and a bar area with hundreds of types of alcohol. Everyone was dazzled.

The private room was massive and exquisitely decorated. Everyone took their seats, and soon, fruit platters and snacks were brought in.

“This is amazing! Can we play pool and bowling out there for free too?” Xu Huan asked curiously.

Ye Nanning nodded.

“Ahhh! Incredible! I’m going to sing a few songs and then go play!”

Everyone scrambled to pick songs, and some already couldn’t resist going out to play the other games.

Ye Nanning kept a quiet eye on Du Xiran, seeing her sitting in her seat, sipping a drink and watching the others pick songs.

After a moment, Du Xiran turned her head. “Aren’t you going to pick a song?”

Ye Nanning asked back, “What about you?”

“I like listening to others sing,” Du Xiran said calmly.

“Me too.”

A few female colleagues grabbed the microphones and started singing, making the atmosphere lively. Ye Nanning noticed that although Du Xiran wasn’t singing, she wasn’t just playing on her phone. Instead, she held a tambourine, quietly setting the mood for the others, listening intently and smiling when she heard a good song.

How can someone be this gentle!

Ye Nanning felt like she was falling for her even harder.

After a while, the group got tired of singing and wanted to check out the other leisure activities outside.

“President Du, do you want to play bowling?” Xu Huan asked.

“You guys go ahead; I’ll stay here,” Du Xiran declined.

“Then Xiao Ye is coming with us.” Without a word, Xu Huan pulled Ye Nanning up, and several colleagues dragged her out to play.

Ye Nanning watched them play bowling half-heartedly. Seeing them having a blast and ignoring her, she slipped back to the private room.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she pushed the door open, she heard Du Xiran’s voice completely off-key:

“Ya-la-suo….that…is…the…Qinghai-Tibet Pla….Holy crap!” Du Xiran saw the person at the door and jumped. “Why didn’t you make a sound when you came back!”

Ye Nanning: “…”

Ye Nanning was helpless. If she had known that the reason President Du hadn’t sung or gone out was because she wanted to sing secretly by herself, she would have stayed outside to listen on the sly.

Du Xiran’s face turned bright red. She awkwardly placed the microphone on the table and sat down with a stern expression.

Ye Nanning picked up the microphone and presented it to her. “President Du, please continue.”

Du Xiran turned her head away, not wanting to embarrass herself further.

“If you don’t sing, I will.” Ye Nanning cleared her throat and gripped the microphone to continue the song: “I see mountain after mountain, mountain after mountain range…”

Just as she was singing with great effort, the accompaniment suddenly stopped. Ye Nanning looked at Du Xiran in confusion, seeing that she had pressed pause. “Did I sing poorly?”

Du Xiran withdrew her hand. “Yes. Your effort to sing off-key on purpose is quite exhausting to watch.”

Ye Nanning: “…”

Ye Nanning stared at her, afraid she was angry. She was about to lie and praise her singing when the other woman suddenly laughed.

“How embarrassing, to be caught by you.” Du Xiran laughed, resting her forehead in her hand. “You’re not allowed to tell anyone, do you hear me?”

“Okay.” Ye Nanning breathed a sigh of relief, feeling strangely happy.

She had learned another little secret of President Du. It turns out the omnipotent boss’s singing could stray from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau all the way to the “Eighteen Bends of the Mountain Road.” Even if she really wanted to sing, she had to wait for everyone to leave to practice alone.

She’s just too cute!

“Sing a song properly for me,” Du Xiran commanded. “If you go off-key on purpose again, I’ll sentence you for the crime of mocking your superior.”

Ye Nanning had no choice but to pick a song and sing seriously.

The title “Secret” appeared on the screen. Although Du Xiran couldn’t sing well, she loved listening to music. She was tired of her other subordinates’ voices, but since Ye Nanning had never shown off her vocals, she was curious.

Soon, Ye Nanning began, singing softly.

The pitch of this song wasn’t very high, so her voice wasn’t strained. It was clear, cool, and steady just like her but the singing was filled with emotion, which was rare.

Du Xiran had heard too many people in KTV who just shouted without putting any heart into the lyrics.

It sounds beautiful.

Du Xiran was quickly drawn in by the song, watching the lyrics roll across the screen:

“When will I be able to Enter your heart? I really want to tell you That I am thinking of you. Perhaps someone has already entered your heart, Perhaps you have never accepted true love and sincere feelings. Forget the past, Don’t doubt anymore. I feel like I can hear your heartbeat, your voice. I don’t want to only see you and be near you in dreams, I can wait slowly…”

Du Xiran was mesmerized. From the lingering lyrics, she got a strange delusion could this young kid be secretly in love with someone?

At that moment, Ye Nanning turned her head.

Their eyes met. Du Xiran rested her chin on her hand, looking at her. Amidst the swirling lights, she curled the corners of her mouth in an encouraging smile.

Ye Nanning’s heart raced. She quickly turned back, pressing a hand to her chest, missing the beat of the song entirely.

“Ye Nanning, you went off-key.” Du Xiran’s voice came from behind like a little devil. “You are mocking your superior. You’re dead.”

Ye Nanning: “…”