Mysterious Beautiful Wife at Home (GL) - Chapter 13

If she were truly Chi Nian, it would be normal for her to be traumatized after being harmed multiple times. But if she wasn’t Chi Nian, where did this sense of dependence come from? Zhang Yuning could sense Chi Nian’s desperate need to cling to someone.

Her subtle unease always surfaced at certain moments like in the elevator, like now.

“It’s fine, it wasn’t anyone suspicious.” Zhang Yuning didn’t know where to put her hands, letting Chi Nian hold her without moving.

Sure enough, Chi Nian calmly let go. She returned to her usual self, silently pushing the shopping cart and continuing to pick out items as if nothing had happened.

She refused to let Zhang Yuning push the cart, insisting on doing it herself. After browsing the instant food section, they moved to the fresh produce area. With a cart full of groceries, Zhang Yuning paid at the checkout, eager to leave as soon as possible.

They had arrived early, so the supermarket wasn’t too crowded. But after that scare, who knew if something else might go wrong? Clearly, Chi Nian had no intention of staying longer. Was she really just going to leave such a high-end apartment like Dian vacant?

What a waste. Zhang Yuning didn’t resist. Once Chi Nian made up her mind, it was nearly impossible to change it.

She gave up.

To make up for the two breakfasts Chi Nian had prepared for her, Zhang Yuning finally decided to cook. She hadn’t paid attention to what they’d bought at the supermarket, but when she checked the shopping bags, she found ingredients she was good at cooking.

“What do you want to eat?” Though Zhang Yuning lived alone, she had picked up various skills over time—coffee art, baking, even self-taught cooking. When she had free time, she liked to experiment.

She could cook, though she’d never gone too deep into it. Come to think of it, it had been three months since she last cooked. Who knew if she’d mess up this time?

“What do you feel like having?” She didn’t know Chi Nian’s lunch preferences, only that her breakfasts and dinners were always light.

“Something spicy.”

Zhang Yuning was surprised. She had assumed Chi Nian was health-conscious and rarely ate heavy flavors.

“Sichuan-style is fine. Just make whatever you can, but there has to be soup.”

Sichuan cuisine happened to be Zhang Yuning’s favorite. She had no idea what ingredients Chi Nian had bought, she hadn’t paid attention at all. “Let me see what we have,” she said.

“You didn’t notice what I bought?”

“No, I was too busy watching our surroundings.”

“Worried about me?” This seemed to be the second time Chi Nian had asked this. Zhang Yuning thought for a moment. Should she stick with her previous answer? It was the safest one. “You’re the boss, I’m the bodyguard. Of course, I’d be concerned about your safety.”

“Is that all?”

“You’re acting weird. We have a three-month agreement, protecting you is my job. What else do you want?” Zhang Yuning couldn’t understand it. Where did Chi Nian’s “longing” and “expectations” come from? What did she want to hear? What answer was she waiting for?

Wasn’t this kind of question completely pointless?

“Fine.” Chi Nian’s reply was curt. She picked up her tablet and went to her usual spot on the balcony, her expression unreadable. If she was angry, her face showed no sign of it. If she wasn’t, she still seemed sullen.

Strangely, Zhang Yuning felt restless. She kept thinking about the dream she’d had last night. For the first time, her dreams had a protagonist. Because of Chi Nian’s behavior, she was starting to feel neurotic and overly sensitive.

No, this can’t go on any longer. Maybe I should sneak a peek into her bag to see what’s inside? Perhaps that would lead to a breakthrough, maybe all the secrets would reveal themselves naturally.

With this thought in mind, Zhang Yuning was multitasking. Cooking while pondering when she might get the chance to open Chi Nian’s mysterious bag. It wasn’t that she wanted to steal anything, but perhaps Chi Nian’s identity should be exposed to make further progress?

If they kept interacting like this with no meaningful developments, her plan of playing along would be for nothing.

Three dishes and a soup, all classic Sichuan flavors exactly what she loved. It was strange. Why did Chi Nian buy ingredients that perfectly matched the limited dishes she knew how to cook? Had Chi Nian investigated her, or was it something else? It was as if she could read her mind, knowing everything about her.

That was downright terrifying.

Lost in these thoughts, Zhang Yuning remained unusually quiet. Chi Nian, whether due to their earlier conversation or some other reason, also stayed silent during the meal.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Zhang Yuning finally asked, “Do you need me to do anything else today?”

“Nothing. You can go out if you want.”

She was actually giving her freedom but was this a test?

“What about you?”

“I have some documents to review.”

The sudden leniency left Zhang Yuning unsure whether she should take the opportunity to leave, at least to meet with Third Miss. Surely Chi Nian couldn’t still be tracking her, right? But would Chi Nian really stay put here?

“Then…”

“Wherever you go, be back within two hours.”

“Alright. You… won’t run off, will you?”

Chi Nian looked up, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Worried about me?” Her eyes held a glimmer of something knowing the answer but asking anyway.

Here we go again.

Zhang Yuning couldn’t handle the depth in Chi Nian’s gaze, one that carried untold stories and a trace of weariness. She lowered her head, rubbing her temple, refusing to answer or speak choosing escape instead.

Chi Nian didn’t press further, and silence fell between them again. The dishes on the table remained mostly untouched; Chi Nian had only sipped some soup, barely eating anything else.

“Is my cooking that bad?” Zhang Yuning couldn’t tell if she just had no appetite or if there was another reason. After all, Sichuan cuisine was what Chi Nian had specifically requested.

“I ate.”

“One bite per dish counts as eating?”

Chi Nian lifted her gaze, her expression calm as still water, almost indifferent. “What else do you want?”

She kept switching between extremes. Sometimes icy and distant, wrapped in an impenetrable chill; other times bland like plain water, devoid of flavor. And then there were moments when she was full of emotion; intense one second, detached the next, mysterious at times, and occasionally just plain annoying.

She was like the wind impossible to grasp. Her inner world was bottomless, unpredictable, forever shifting in ways no one could anticipate.

Zhang Yuning felt a surge of irritation at being dismissed like this. Fine, suit yourself. Don’t expect me to cook for you next time. All that effort just to make dishes I like, what was the point?

But wait, had Chi Nian asked for Sichuan food just so she could enjoy a proper meal? No way. Absolutely not. Since when did Chi Nian care enough to think like that?

But was it really a coincidence? And were there just too many coincidences piling up?

After lunch, dappled sunlight scattered across the floor as Chi Nian curled up on the balcony rug. She’d been busy all day, constantly checking her tablet, receiving and making calls in that unfamiliar language.

“I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be back in an hour.” Zhang Yu Ning decided to leave after all. If this was truly a test, someone would surely follow her not that she was worried, given her strong counter-surveillance skills.

But conversely, this outing could also be an opportunity to observe Chi Nian.

Zhang Yu Ning resolved not to meet with Third Miss for now, opting instead to secretly monitor Chi Nian’s activities at home. She took a different motorcycle and wandered through nearby streets, carefully checking for tails. Finding none, she parked beneath a roadside tree and pulled up the home surveillance feed on her phone. She had installed cameras on the balcony, bay window, and entrance; anywhere someone might come or go required precautions.

Chi Nian hadn’t moved from her spot on the balcony, maintaining the same seated posture as when Zhang Yu Ning left. Occasionally, she’d stare blankly out the window, always curled up with her knees drawn to her chest, her ink-black hair cascading down in a display of lazy, melancholic beauty.

Was she just being overly paranoid? Zhang Yu Ning rested her chin in her hand, scanning the surroundings until she noticed a rotating light in the kitchen of a nearby accessory store.

She parked her bike and entered the shop, heading straight for the light.

It was a magnetic levitation moon lamp. A white, lunar-shaped light hovering and rotating above a dark brown wooden base. When she pressed the switch, the white glow shifted to a warm yellow, touching something deep inside her.

It struck Zhang Yu Ning suddenly: this was exactly what their home lacked. If Chi Nian had such a lamp by her bedside, wouldn’t it satisfy her habit of gazing at the moon while falling peacefully asleep?

The lamp was designed in the shape of the moon, its surface textured with realistic craters. The exquisite craftsmanship made her purchase it without hesitation.

She didn’t know what the moon symbolized to Chi Nian whether it represented a person or an object.

But would she like it?

Zhang Yu Ning had the shop assistant carefully wrap the lamp before wandering around a bit longer. Though she hadn’t been gone an hour, she found herself growing uneasy about leaving Chi Nian alone.

Even if Chi Nian showed no signs of needing her presence, even if nothing seemed amiss, hadn’t she promised not to leave her side? She was becoming too good at convincing herself otherwise.

Carrying the lamp, Zhang Yu Ning returned home to find Chi Nian asleep on the floor, her head resting on her arms beside the bed.

Not wanting to disturb her, Zhang Yu Ning tiptoed over and adjusted the curtains to dim the room. Chi Nian didn’t stir, she must have been deeply asleep. The bag she guarded so fiercely lay nearby, no longer clutched in her hands.

This was a rare opportunity. Should she look now?

Zhang Yu Ning’s curiosity burned. Perhaps opening that bag would unravel Chi Nian’s secrets. She took a deep breath, set the moon lamp down quietly, and crouched without making a sound.

Her hands approached the bag, her right fingers pinching the zipper pull. The air grew thick with tension. Zhang Yu Ning knew she was taking a risk. If caught, there’d be no explaining this away. But without doing this, she might never truly understand Chi Nian.

She closed her eyes briefly, her right-hand trembling as she pulled the zipper. Just as the bag’s opening was about to be revealed, Zhang Yuning was ready to pry it open with both hands when the sleeping Chi Nian suddenly awoke. The moment she sensed someone touching her bag, it was almost an instinctive reaction. She turned and immediately slapped the intruder.

Zhang Yuning didn’t even have time to react, taking the heavy blow directly. The air froze instantly. She stared blankly at Chi Nian, who was also wide-eyed with shock. The two remained frozen in stunned silence.