I Revealed My True Identity After Confessing My Love - Chapter 39

The surrounding people were startled by the commotion and turned to look. Ye Nanning was so flustered that she immediately shut off the machine and scrambled down.

Du Xiran steadied herself by gripping the handrails and stood upright, continuing to run. She looked down at Ye from her height and whispered, “What are you doing? I’m fine. Get back on yours. Don’t stand here staring at me, it’s embarrassing.”

Ye Nanning looked around and realized they had indeed become the center of attention. She awkwardly returned to her treadmill, but she didn’t dare sneak another peek at Du Xiran.

Ten minutes later, Du Xiran took her around to the various machines, explaining the purpose and exercise method for each one in detail.

“Exhale, inhale…” Du Xiran stood behind her, placing her fingers against Ye’s back. “Focus on your breathing. Exhale when you apply force…”

Ye Nanning felt a tingling sensation spread across her back. Her entire focus was on those fingers, the gentle touch was something she wished would never end.

When they reached the weightlifting area, Du Xiran handed her two small dumbbells, primarily to teach her the form for strengthening the neck and shoulder muscles.

“Don’t lift your hands too high, keep them parallel to your shoulders.” Du Xiran grasped her arms to adjust the height.

Being handled like this for so long caused Ye Nanning’s breathing to falter. She stared straight ahead, trying to stay composed. However, when Du Xiran leaned over to pick up the water bottle in front of her, Ye Nanning accidentally caught a glimpse of her cleavage. The dumbbells slipped right out of her hands and thudded onto the floor fortunately, the floor was carpeted.

“What’s wrong? You can’t even hold 2kg steady?” Du Xiran looked up at her.

Ye Nanning covered her mouth and nose, looking up at the ceiling with burning cheeks. She suddenly stood up. “I… I need to go to the restroom.”

Du Xiran watched her go, puzzled. She put the dropped dumbbells back in their place and picked up another pair to continue her own workout.

It was quite a while before Ye Nanning returned. Her face was dripping with water, clearly having just washed it. Du Xiran asked curiously, “Is it that hot in here?”

Ye Nanning nodded guiltily.

“Then take a break,” Du Xiran said.

Ye Nanning sat down nearby and watched her exercise with rapt attention.

Du Xiran was patient, explaining the movements while she worked out, pointing out details to avoid injuries. Ye Nanning nodded repeatedly, her gaze fixed intently on her.

After a long while, Du Xiran put down the dumbbells and sat beside her. She looked around and muttered, “Where’s my towel?”

“Here.” Ye Nanning picked up a dry towel from beside her. Looking at Du’s sweat drenched face, she instinctively reached out to wipe the perspiration from Du’s forehead.

Du Xiran froze, blinking blankly. The towel blocked half of her vision, leaving her only able to see Ye Nanning’s eyes and nose. They were the eyes of a rare beauty, the kind anyone would admire.

“Ye Nanning,” Du Xiran called out.

Ye Nanning immediately pulled her hand back, thinking she had overstepped and made Du angry. She hurriedly stuffed the towel into Du’s hands and looked at her obediently, waiting for a lecture.

But Du Xiran didn’t say anything more. She wiped her face, took a drink of water, and turned to see Ye Nanning looking at her expectantly. “What?”

“You called my name just now…” Ye Nanning prompted.

“So? Am I not allowed to call your name?” Du Xiran asked.

“You are.” Seeing that Du wasn’t going to elaborate, Ye Nanning breathed a secret sigh of relief. It seemed Du Xiran wasn’t going to hold it against her.

Feeling cheerful, she picked up her water bottle. She was about to open it but remembered Du had bought it for her, so she felt she shouldn’t drink it too casually and gripped it tightly instead.

“Don’t you want to know why I called you?” Du Xiran looked at her sideways, a hint of a smile appearing in her eyes.

Ye Nanning swallowed hard and stared at her. Then she heard Du say: “It’s nothing major. I just wanted to compliment you. You’re really beautiful.”

Thump….

The water bottle hit the floor again. Ye Nanning scrambled to pick it up, her face flushed. “R-really?”

“Don’t give me that. I don’t believe no one has ever told you that before.” Du Xiran arched an eyebrow, looking at her with a smile. “Are you waiting for me to keep complimenting you?”

Ye Nanning nodded. “I like hearing you praise me.”

Du Xiran laughed out loud. “You’re so honest?”

Ye Nanning nodded again. “Because Director Du is also very beautiful, so I take what you say to heart.”

Caught off guard by the sudden compliment, Du Xiran felt a bit flattered, but she had to maintain her professional demeanor. She stood up with her towel and water bottle. “Let’s go. I’m heading back.”

Ye Nanning followed her to the locker room and noticed she was carrying clothes, seemingly intending to shower.

“I’m going to rinse off quickly. When are you leaving?” Du Xiran asked.

“I… I’ll wait for you,” Ye Nanning said.

“Alright. Do you want to take a shower too?”

Ye Nanning shook her head. She wasn’t comfortable showering in public, which was one of the reasons she had preferred renting an apartment off-campus.

After changing, she sat on a bench to wait, directly facing the shower stalls.

The sound of running water began. Ye Nanning looked up and saw a short, plump silhouette in the stall directly opposite her.

Ye Nanning: ? Did Director Du change shape?

A moment later, she realized she was looking at the wrong person. Director Du must be in one of the other stalls. Her eyes swept across the area and immediately locked onto a tall silhouette at the far end. The door was frosted glass, revealing a blurry, curvaceous figure with her head tilted back under the water.

Ye Nanning’s throat tightened. She covered her face with both hands, thinking despondently: Ye Nanning, you are terrible! Stop looking, your blood pressure is going to explode!

Despite the thought, she peeked through a small gap in her fingers, telling herself it was just one last look. After a few more seconds of staring, she covered her face again in self-loathing.

Du Xiran finished her shower quickly, having just done a quick rinse to wash off the sweat. She packed her things into her gym bag and went to find Ye Nanning. Noticing the girl’s face was bright red, she reached out to touch her forehead.

Unexpectedly, Ye Nanning jerked back as if afraid of the touch.

Du Xiran explained, “I just wanted to see if you have a fever.”

Ye Nanning shook her head violently. “I don’t.”

Du Xiran: “Then why is your face so red?”

Ye Nanning: “It’s… it’s the steam.”

Du Xiran glanced back at the showers. Indeed, quite a bit of steam was drifting out, so she didn’t suspect anything further and walked toward the exit. “Let’s head back then.”

The gym wasn’t far from their complex, about a 20-minute walk. As they walked one after the other, Du Xiran couldn’t help but look back. “Why are you so slow? Were those long legs grown for nothing?”

Suppressing her chaotic thoughts, Ye Nanning jogged to catch up. She looked at the bag in Du’s hand and snatched it away. “I’ll carry it for you.”

Du Xiran studied her for a moment. She felt Ye Nanning was being a bit of a “teacher’s pet” tonight. While she was usually obedient, tonight was an anomaly.

“Did you get your paycheck? Is that why you’re in such a good mood?” Du Xiran guessed playfully.

“Huh?”

“Wiping my sweat, carrying my bag… are you trying to suck up to your boss after getting paid?” Du Xiran teased.

Ye Nanning: “It’s not that.”

It’s not sucking up, I’m actually trying to pursue you.

Du Xiran naturally knew she wasn’t just sucking up. For some reason, even though they had known each other for less than two months, she had developed a great deal of trust in this intern, believing she wasn’t the type for empty flattery.

“Then why are you performing so well tonight?” Du Xiran asked with a smile.

“Because today’s… Director Du is very good-looking,” Ye Nanning took the opportunity to compliment her again.

Du Xiran: “…” Are you sure you aren’t a flatterer?

Regardless, being complimented was always pleasant. Du Xiran looked around with a smile and saw someone selling roasted chestnuts by the road. The air was filled with a sweet aroma. She walked over and asked Ye Nanning, “Want some?”

Ye Nanning wasn’t actually hungry, but looking at Du’s profile made her crave them. “Yes.”

“Two bags, please,” Du Xiran told the vendor.

Soon, the warm, sweet chestnuts were in their hands. Since Ye Nanning was carrying the bag in one hand and her own chestnuts in the other, she couldn’t eat.

Seeing this, Du Xiran took Ye’s bag back into her own hand, peeled a chestnut, and held it to Ye’s lips. “Taste this and see if it’s good. Du Heruo loves these things in the winter.”

Ye Nanning stared at the chestnut in Du’s hand and took it into her mouth. “It’s delicious. So sweet.”

Du Xiran peeled one for herself. “Sweet? I think it’s just okay, not as good as the ones from the place I usually go to.”

“I haven’t had those, but I think these are great,” Ye Nanning said.

Du Xiran smiled. “That’s because you haven’t had the better ones. Next time I buy from that shop, I’ll bring a bag for you to try.”

“Thank you, Director Du. You’re so kind.” Ye Nanning’s eyes crinkled into a smile.

Du Xiran couldn’t help but look at her more. “Sometimes I really envy you. You’re so pretty; even a simple smile is incredibly striking.”

Ye Nanning was secretly delighted and widened her smile. “Really?”

Du Xiran nodded and continued peeling chestnuts, but then she heard Ye Nanning say, “But I’ve seen someone even more beautiful. That person is truly loved by everyone, men, women, young, and old.”

Based on Ye Nanning’s behavior tonight, Du Xiran asked, “You’re not talking about me, are you?”

“No.”

“Then who?” Du Xiran became curious. “Do you have a photo? Let me see.”

“I do, wait a moment.” Ye Nanning reached into her bag and felt around for a bit. “Found it.”

“You actually carry her photo around with you?” Du Xiran popped a chestnut into her mouth. When she looked up, she saw her own reflection with puffed out cheeks.

“?”

Du Xiran looked up to see Ye Nanning holding a small pink mirror in front of her, asking with a smile, “See? Isn’t this person stunning?”

Du Xiran blinked, the person in the mirror blinked back. Du Xiran smiled, the person in the mirror smiled back brilliantly.

“Ye Nanning, you really…” Du Xiran leaned her head on her hand and laughed. “Who taught you these things? You’re so cheeky.”

Watching her laugh, Ye Nanning also relaxed. Her face was bright with a smile, she hadn’t laughed this wholeheartedly in a long time.

As they laughed together on the road, Du Xiran asked, “Why have you been complimenting me so much today?”

“You really are a closet flirt,” Ye Nanning blurted out.

Du Xiran’s smile faltered. “What did you say?”

“…”

Ye Nanning’s expression froze. Oh no, I was so relaxed I said what I was thinking!

“You misheard. I said, you really are someone who knows how to smile,” Ye Nanning tried to cover it up. “What I meant was, you look so good when you smile.”

Du Xiran eyed her suspiciously, then suddenly hooked her arm around Ye’s neck.

“Oof.” Ye Nanning’s head was tucked under Du’s arm, forcing her to walk hunched over. When she tried to stand up, Du Xiran playfully pressed down on the back of her head.

“Quite the mouth on you. Do you really think I’m deaf?” Du Xiran punished her lightly, but Ye Nanning stopped resisting and let herself be held.

Du Xiran let go and looked at the strangely silent Ye Nanning. “What? Did I upset you by touching you?”

Ye Nanning shook her head, but her heart was racing.

In the brief struggle, her cheek had accidentally brushed against Director Du’s chest. It was incredibly embarrassing.

Thinking about it, she crouched down right where she stood, scolding herself in her head, feeling both flustered and shy.

“Hey, are you actually mad?” Seeing her crouching like a mushroom by the roadside, Du Xiran nudged her heel. “Did I hurt you? I’ll apologize, okay?”

Ye Nanning stood up shyly. “You don’t need to apologize, Director Du. I… I liked it.”

Du Xiran’s eyebrow shot up. “You liked it? Are you a masochist?”

Dirty images flashed through Ye Nanning’s mind, making her blood race and her ears turn bright red.

“I mean, I like the feeling of you treating me like a friend and messing around,” Ye Nanning stammered.

Du Xiran nodded. “Alright then.”

Ye Nanning blinked and pushed her luck, looking at Du and opening her mouth. “Director Du, I want another chestnut.”

Du Xiran continued to hand-feed her the whole way back, much to Ye Nanning’s absolute delight.

When they arrived back at the complex and reached their respective doors in the hallway:

“Wait, take this bag of chestnuts back and snack on them. You seemed to really like them.” Du Xiran stopped her and handed over the unopened bag.

Ye Nanning looked down at it, remembered her “mission,” and didn’t forget to compliment her as she took it: “Director Du, your hands are so beautiful.”

Du Xiran rolled her eyes, went inside, and closed her door. She looked at her own hands and muttered, “Are they… they do look pretty good.”

The “closet flirt” Director Du smiled proudly, then took out her phone and started searching:

Why does an employee suddenly start frequently complimenting their boss’s looks?