After Marrying the Aloof Beauty, I Totally Fell for Her - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Comforting Mu Teacher

The woman tried hard to maintain her composure, but even someone as emotionally oblivious as An Ning could feel her pain.

Those dark eyes looked up at her—deep and glassy like polished obsidian, trembling slightly—as if searching for something, yet also trying to escape.

“…I am a little afraid of you,” An Ning had never hated her inability to lie more than she did in that moment. Right now, even a halfway decent excuse to soothe Mu Teacher would’ve been better than the truth. “But it’s not your fault, really. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Please don’t be angry.” She stammered, her voice thick with emotion, and her eyes began to burn.

She really didn’t understand—how could someone as cheerful as she was, someone who found joy in almost everything, suddenly become so timid and hesitant whenever she was around Mu Yan? And now she had even made her upset.

What she couldn’t understand even more was why seeing Mu Yan’s eyes turn red made her feel like her heart was being carved out—like the only way to stop the pain was to hand her heart over entirely.

She felt wronged… but didn’t feel she had the right to feel that way.

The sincerity in the girl’s tone, the look of guilt and grievance on her baby face—it was all so familiar. Even though she was now so much taller than Mu Yan, she didn’t seem any stronger than before.

Mu Yan’s heart slowly softened at the familiar attempts to comfort her. Reason began to take over, gently putting her irrational emotions in check.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

Of course this is my fault… you just don’t remember anything.

Seeing the woman’s gradually softening expression, An Ning finally felt a bit of relief. But she didn’t dare leave things as they were, so she asked hesitantly, “Then… are you still mad?”

Mu Yan’s voice gave nothing away. “Mad or not, I’m leaving. Heading back now.”

“No—wait…” An Ning panicked. She let go of Mu Yan’s sleeve and grabbed her wrist instead.

So thin—why is she so skinny?

Mu Yan looked over with a deep, unreadable gaze, but this time, An Ning bravely didn’t let go.

Compared to the red-rimmed eyes from earlier, this stern look actually made her feel a bit more at ease.

She thickened her skin, softened her voice, and made her attitude as earnest as she could.

An Ning pulled a ticket from her pocket and held it out carefully. “I even got your ticket ready. Come watch, please?”

Mu Yan had genuinely planned to leave. After how things had turned out, staying would only disrupt An Ning’s game. But when she saw the girl’s hopeful, anxious gaze, she couldn’t bring herself to say “No.”

She’s already scared enough of me—I shouldn’t make it worse.

She took the ticket, and An Ning’s eyes immediately lit up. Mu Yan’s mood lifted slightly too.

“You don’t want me to be angry?”

An Ning nodded so hard she looked like a dazed prairie dog.

“Then play well,” Mu Yan said bluntly, using the match as her condition to end the awkward episode. “Win, and I won’t be mad. I didn’t come all this way just to get mocked by a bunch of rude brats.”

“Okay! I’ll do my best!”
An Ning was dizzy with surprise—she hadn’t expected Mu Yan’s condition to be so simple. It almost felt like getting hit in the head by a pie falling from the sky.

In her entire athletic career, An Ning had never wanted to win a match so badly.

Even though it was just a meaningless exhibition game, making sure Mu Teacher wasn’t upset made it feel like the most important match in the world.

After walking Mu Yan into the venue, An Ning hurried back to the rest area just in time for player introductions. Chen Ying used the opportunity while walking in together to lean over and ask, “Are you okay?”

She had originally hoped Mu Yan’s appearance would help clear up rumors, but she hadn’t expected things to escalate that far.

From the way they’d chased out one after the other, it clearly hadn’t been nothing.

“I’m fine,” An Ning didn’t even look at her. Her eyes were fixed on the two opponents walking in ahead. “Let’s talk later—I need to focus.”

Chen Ying: “…”

Was that a lover’s quarrel… or did someone just get turbocharged?

As the match began, something felt off about both teams.

On the blue team, Hong Tianjiao—their main player—still looked like she hadn’t woken up from sleepwalking. Her teammates struggled to hold the line.

Meanwhile, on the red team, the players seemed a bit too fired up.

An Ning, who usually played at a measured pace in the back, had completely changed her style. Within minutes, she’d already unleashed several jump smashes. She was like a cannon on endless overdrive, the sound of the shuttle hitting the racket loud enough to shake the arena.

The coach, who had been sipping herbal tea leisurely on the sidelines, slowly opened his eyes wider. After a moment of watching, he turned to the captain beside him and said,
“Go look into what triggered An Ning before the game. From now on, make sure to trigger her before every match.”

Meanwhile, in the front, Jing Tong wore the look of someone who had seen through the pain of love—cold, composed, soul-weary—yet played like a flawless machine, returning every shot in her zone.

“This is definitely above her usual level,” Ren Tiantian whispered to Chen Ying beside her. “She couldn’t even block that girl’s shots in the finals.”

“Well, seeing your crush’s crush looking like that…” Chen Ying subtly nodded in Mu Yan’s direction. “Knowing you’ve got no chance left—getting stronger is the logical outcome. Even in cultivation novels, you have to sever love to ascend.”

Ren Tiantian rolled her eyes. “Why not just say she practiced the Sunflower Manual and had to castrate herself? Ning Ning’s girlfriend is hot and fierce enough to put dents in rubber with her smashes.”

At that moment, An Ning’s “hot girlfriend” was sitting properly on the edge of the spectator seats, her gaze never leaving the court. Her eyes followed An Ning as she darted and leapt like a sleek hunting leopard, launching powerful smashes between agile attacks.

With each leap, the girl’s young body drew out elegant lines. Heat radiated from her in waves, becoming sweat that trickled down her face and over her collarbone.

The whistle blew to signal the end of the first set. In the roar of the crowd, An Ning straightened and turned to look in her direction. Her eyes curved with a smile as she raised a finger and gave a little shake.

First set—won.

Mu Yan felt a fire ignite deep in her chest.

Scorching. Searing. Explosive.

But she didn’t want to run from it.

Like someone freezing to death in a blizzard, she would embrace the fire before her without hesitation—even if it burned her skin.

“Senior, we can’t keep going like this!” After losing the first set by a wide margin, one of Hong Tianjiao’s teammates finally snapped, grabbing her arm and shaking her. “Get it together—we’re gonna get skunked out here!”

Jolted by the yelling and shaking, Hong Tianjiao finally snapped out of her daze—only to be hit by a flood of even more complicated emotions.

Why does someone like An Ning, that broke nobody, get a girlfriend who’s that gorgeous and rich?

Why is there always someone ready to stand up for her?

Why is it that no matter how hard I try, I still can’t beat her?

What exactly does she have that I don’t?

Hong Tianjiao clenched her jaw so hard she nearly cracked a tooth. Her eyes wandered toward the opposite bench—where she caught a glimpse of that woman again.

The one who had crushed her with a few sentences sat calmly in her seat, her gaze glued to An Ning on the court. She didn’t spare anyone else a single glance.

Yes, she was stunning. And yes, she clearly cared about An Ning. That much was obvious.

A surge of jealousy smashed through Hong Tianjiao’s mental defenses. She froze in place, unable to figure out what to do next.

“Senior! Serve the ball already!” her teammate shouted, nearly leaping over to do it herself. Why is she getting worse by the second?!

Because of Hong Tianjiao’s delay, even the opposing side was thrown off. The woman whose gaze had been glued to An Ning finally looked over, clearly annoyed—and just happened to lock eyes with her.

Then, Hong Tianjiao saw it.

The woman’s lips curved into a faint smile. That face, usually cold and sharp, instantly softened like spring wind melting winter snow, enough to make anyone’s heart skip.

If not for the blatant mockery in her eyes, Hong Tianjiao might have fallen in love with her right then and there.

Her brain automatically translated the expression into words:

“What are you looking at, idiot?”