Mysterious Beautiful Wife at Home (GL) - Chapter 07

Zhang Yuning sat in the dressing room for a full hour without moving. Her mind was filled with thoughts as she recalled every detail about Chi Nian, yet she still couldn’t figure out what had just happened.

Did the word “experienced” really hurt her? But Chi Nian was indeed skilled; it had been Zhang Yuning’s first time, and every
movement and interaction had been guided by her.

This time, Chi Nian must be angry.

Zhang Yuning wasn’t sure if an hour had truly passed before she finally stood up to wash and blow-dry her hair again. After
completing the routine, she began searching for any sign of Chi Nian.

The house was brightly lit, with every room illuminated except for the office area, which remained dark.

Assuming Chi Nian had gone to the bedroom to sleep, Zhang Yuning didn’t feel like doing much else. It was still early, and she
wasn’t sleepy, so she decided to head to the glass wall in the office area to enjoy the night view.

When she slid open the transparent door, she found Chi Nian standing there, peering through a telescope at something.

Remembering their earlier conversation during the hair dyeing, Zhang Yuning hesitated to face her and was about to turn back when
Chi Nian’s voice called out, “Come here, Xiao Zhang.”

Was she not angry? Zhang Yuning had expected tension between them, or at least for Chi Nian to give her the cold shoulder. Though
she hadn’t shown any overt anger, the shift in her aura had been unmistakable.

Chi Nian’s emotions were steady, so steady that many things passed by like a fleeting breeze, leaving no trace.

“Why are you standing in the dark?” Zhang Yuning walked over and noticed Chi Nian had changed clothes. A faint, intoxicating
fragrance surrounded her, the same scent from that night. It didn’t smell like expensive perfume or the freshness of shower gel,
but rather something innate, as if it emanated from her very being.

As she got closer, she saw Chi Nian wearing a black spaghetti-strap nightgown. Compared to the evening gown, this outfit, though
still hugging her figure, was slightly looser, with the hem reaching only mid-thigh. At the moment, she was bent over the
telescope, its lens pointed straight at the night sky.

As dusk deepened, Bayin Road shone even brighter, as if gathering all the radiance of Liuli City. Every high-rise building blazed
with lights; glowing rooftop signs, linear and spotlit facades. Each competing to outshine the others like dazzling garments
beneath the night sky.

“Come look,” Chi Nian straightened up and turned to Zhang Yuning, her bright eyes reflecting countless lights. She seemed to be in
a good mood.

“At what?”

“The moon.”

Zhang Yuning glanced up at the sky, where the moon was shrouded in gloomy clouds, as if veiled by gauze, its light struggling to
break free. She lowered her gaze to the telescope’s lens, where the magnified moon appeared to be moving or rather, the clouds were
drifting.

“It’s not the fifteenth yet, so there’s not much to see.”

“Just wait a little longer,” Chi Nian said patiently, standing beside her. Zhang Yuning tilted her head to glance at her and found
Chi Nian gazing into the distance. Though the moonlight was faint, it still shimmered in her eyes.

Zhang Yuning didn’t know what Chi Nian wanted her to wait for, so she kept her focus on the moon in the lens. The clouds seemed to
be pushed by the wind, moving slowly but noticeably.

Today might have been a full moon. As the clouds shifted, the rounded edge gradually revealed itself, its glow beginning to shine
through, while a few nearby stars became faintly visible.

“This telescope is really good, perfect for moon-watching.” Zhang Yuning felt as if the moon were right before her eyes, closer
than ever before. Her mood unexpectedly brightened, and she couldn’t help but marvel, “So the greatest beauty here isn’t the city’s
bustling lights after all.”

Unfortunately, all this so-called prosperity and dazzling lights were man-made. Their superficial glamour only proved how fickle
this world truly was.

Zhang Yuning felt that Chi Nian hadn’t called her here just to admire the night view.

“Did you bring me here just to look at the moon?” Zhang Yuning straightened up and turned her gaze away from the window, looking at
Chi Nian instead. Her eyes were like windows, reflecting the depths of her soul. When she had gazed at the moon earlier, her
expression had flickered like a dying flame before dimming into something deep and melancholic, as if she were trapped in an
inescapable emotion.

Chi Nian lingered in her own thoughts for a moment, pressing her lips together slightly before collecting herself. “I lost my moon
once,” she said.

“Your moon?” Zhang Yuning didn’t understand what she meant and instinctively glanced up at the night sky. The clouds had parted,
revealing a full moon hanging high above, so close it almost seemed within reach.

Perhaps “moon” was just a metaphor or maybe she was referring to a person.

Chi Nian didn’t answer. Instead, she looked at Zhang Yuning, and in that instant, the sorrow in her eyes shifted. Once she focused,
they brimmed with a tenderness so profound it seemed to spill over, as if all the grief and memories buried in her heart were about
to pour out. That look was heartbreaking, stirring an impulse in Zhang Yuning to pull her into an embrace.

But she didn’t. Restraint was always an option though she wondered if such emotions could even be faked.

Just as Zhang Yuning was still trying to decipher Chi Nian’s thoughts, she heard her say, “Xiao Zhang, it’s time to get to work.”

Her moods shifted effortlessly, and Zhang Yuning found herself being led along by them.

“I didn’t know I had any use beyond protecting you.”

“Aren’t you good with IT?”

“Just a novice, really.”

“No need to be modest, and don’t try to lighten your workload.” Chi Nian began showing her capitalist side. So “bodyguard” was just
a formal title. She clearly hadn’t hired Zhang Yuning for her combat skills.

Was this finally the moment Zhang Yuning had been waiting for?

“Just tell me what to do.”

Chi Nian walked over to the desk to retrieve something. The room was pitch black, and just as Zhang Yuning was about to turn on the
lights with a voice command, Chi Nian stopped her. “Don’t.”

“Can you see?”

“The moonlight is enough. I can see.” Chi Nian picked up two prepared sheets of paper from the desk and handed them over. “These
are decryption keys for a few websites.”

Zhang Yuning took them and, under the faint glow from the window, could just make out several long strings of passwords. The
websites listed for hacking were all high-security data networks, places that could track nearly every trace of a person’s
existence.

Where they spent money, how much they spent, which public places they visited in a week as long as there were surveillance cameras,
digital transactions, or ID registrations, anything connected to the internet could be traced.

In the age of big data and the internet, no one’s movements could truly stay hidden.

“The second sheet has the names and ID numbers I need you to look up.”

“You want me to be a hacker?” Zhang Yuning finally caught on.

Chi Nian shook her head with a smile and pointed at the decryption keys. “That’s the hacker’s job. Yours is to filter out the
useful information for me.”

So, Chi Nian was after leverage something to control others with. Given the Chi family’s current shares, it wouldn’t be hard for
her to regain control of the group. But the decryption keys she had provided weren’t something just anyone could obtain.

“It seems Miss Chi already has her own team.”

“The dark web has everything if you’re willing to pay.”

“Then why not just hire people from the dark web to do your work? Why come to me?”

“The dark web doesn’t have you.” Chi Nian’s gaze was profound.

Zhang Yuning looked up; this statement was… If interpreted as flirtation, it could easily be a trap. But perhaps it was Chi Nian
acknowledging that she had specifically chosen her?

“My abilities are limited. I hope I don’t disappoint you.”

A faint smile played at Chi Nian’s lips, but she didn’t respond. Every time Zhang Yuning tried to draw out more conversation, she
fell silent.

“Once the information is compiled, I’ll tell you who to meet. Tonight, work as late as you can. If you get tired, come inside to
sleep.” With that, Chi Nian left the work area, but she began making phone calls.

Come inside to sleep? By the time Zhang Yuning looked up, Chi Nian had already turned away, that bag still firmly in her grasp as
if welded to her hand.

Though the sliding door between the work and living areas was soundproof, faint traces of foreign languages still reached the
office. There had been reports before about Chi Nian’s exceptional linguistic talent, fluent in five languages. Now, she was
finally making her move, switching between tongues as she called different people.

Chi Shangqing must have left some resources for his daughter. If this Chi Nian was the real one, she would surely have her own
means. The fact that she could hire hackers from the dark web proved she was both bold and resourceful.

Zhang Yuning truly thrived at night, growing more alert as the hours passed, especially with black coffee or strong tea. The list
Chi Nian provided wasn’t long, she could probably finish it in one night.

But first, she needed to check on her own affairs. Zhang Yuning pulled up the clinic’s surveillance footage to see if anyone had
come looking for her these past two days. Her phone never rang, she was always the one initiating contact. Few could track her
down.

Scrubbing through the footage at quadruple speed, she paused when she spotted a woman lingering at the entrance. After confirming
the identity, she immediately dialed.

“Yuning, Third Miss wants to see you.” The voice on the other end was cool and steady, the same woman now visible on the
surveillance feed. This was always how she summoned Zhang Yuning.

“Chengjin, I’m with Chi Nian.” Zhang Yuning lowered her voice when mentioning the name.

“Chi Nian? The missing heiress of the Chi family?”

“Yes.”

“Understood. I’ll inform Third Miss.”

“Mm.”

Their exchange was terse, the entire call lasting under ten seconds. Hanging up, Zhang Yuning considered that she’d need to make
time to see Third Miss Xiao Changying soon.

The caller was Lan Chengjin, known as the Chief Steward; Xiao Changying’s most trusted right hand. To Xiao Changying, Zhang Yuning
was more like an external contractor, available when needed but otherwise left to her own devices.

The Chi family had long suppressed the Xiao conglomerate, while Xiao Enterprises marginalized the Chis in return. Their feud had
raged for years, and under Xiao Changying’s leadership, the Xiao Group’s position remained precarious.

Resuming work, Zhang Yuning gradually stopped hearing Chi Nian’s phone conversations perhaps she had gone to sleep. Time blurred as
she focused, extracting key details from ten individuals’ profiles over several hours. By the time exhaustion crept in, it was
already past midnight again.

It was already 2 a.m. If she didn’t sleep soon, she might just drop dead from exhaustion. Zhang Yuning had already pulled an all-
nighter the previous day, it was time to rest. She closed her laptop and walked to the living area of the apartment, only to freeze
in confusion.

Where was she supposed to sleep? Earlier, Chi Nian had said, “Come in and sleep.” Did that mean they were sharing a bed?

Sure, they had slept together before, but that was when neither of them was sober. Now, in their right minds and with their boss-
subordinate relationship, it wouldn’t be appropriate. Besides, Zhang Yuning was used to sleeping alone. Having someone else beside
her would only make her uncomfortable.

So, she flopped onto the sofa, hugged a pillow, and instantly dozed off.

Trained in combat and shaped by her childhood experiences, Zhang Yuning was a light sleeper who would wake at the slightest
disturbance. If someone was nearby, she’d know. Sure enough, not long after falling asleep, she sensed movement near the sofa and
snapped her eyes open only to find Chi Nian standing there.

“What are you doing?” Zhang Yuning nearly bolted upright.

Chi Nian crouched beside the sofa, her gaze soft. “Come inside to sleep.”

“Inside where? There’s only one room.” Zhang Yuning hadn’t even bothered with a blanket.

“My room.”