After Marrying the Aloof Beauty, I Totally Fell for Her - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: She Really Likes Me

Mu Yan looked surprisingly refreshed. Those black eyes, usually tired and indifferent, were now clear and calm as they gazed over.

It was like having a bucket of cold water dumped over her head.

An Ning shivered and instinctively looked down.

Her arm was still wrapped around the woman’s shoulder.

Like she’d touched fire, she yanked her hand back and rolled straight off the sofa.

The soft carpet cushioned the fall, so it didn’t hurt, but she wished it had knocked her out.

Because this time, unlike the last time she got drunk, she hadn’t forgotten what happened.

At least she very clearly remembered how—last night in the car—she cried, threw a tantrum, even tried to jump out just to force Teacher Mu to say she liked her.

The hangover headache was nothing compared to the panic twisting inside her now. An Ning sat on the floor, stunned and at a complete loss.

Freed from An Ning’s grasp, the woman on the sofa slowly sat up, lazily fixing her sleep-mussed hair. Her tone was unreadable.

“Since you’re awake, let’s talk about what happened yesterday.”

“I’m sorry, Teacher Mu, I… I didn’t mean to. I’m really sorry.”
An Ning didn’t even dare look at her. All she could do was mumble out an apology.

She had done those things—she couldn’t even blame it on alcohol. If she’d had a clear conscience, she wouldn’t have acted like that, drunk or not.

Before she could finish, she suddenly felt a cool touch beneath her chin. Following the gentle pressure, she obediently looked up—right into Mu Yan’s face, just inches away.

The woman’s skin was flawlessly pale, making the faint pink hickey on her neck stand out vividly.

An Ning: “……”

That soft candy in her dream… couldn’t have been…

Her brain crashed, totally fried by the thought.

Her memory after getting out of the car was hazy—just scattered fragments:

Mu Yan’s flushed face, the sweet, sticky breath she exhaled, and those indulgent, tear-bright eyes.

Why were all her memories those kinds of scenes?!

Forcing herself to look away, she met Mu Yan’s gaze again.

Those black eyes were as calm as a still lake, reflecting her dumbfounded face. There was no anger, no scolding, but also none of the tenderness from the night before.

Mu Yan, like a doctor examining a head injury, tilted An Ning’s chin this way and that, making her look left and right.

An Ning, having completely lost the will to resist, let herself be moved like a doll.

By the time the woman—who may have been checking her out of concern or revenge—was done, An Ning had finally regained the ability to speak.

Though what she said wasn’t anything new:

“I’m sorry!”

“You don’t seem all that drunk to me. Is that really all you can say?” Mu Yan chuckled. “Isn’t this the part where you should say, ‘Then kiss me back’?”

Her tone in the second half imitated the slurred speech of a drunk person.

That—had she really said that last night too?!

An Ning’s mouth dropped open. It took her a while to choke out:
“Uh, then… kiss me back?”

The woman raised an eyebrow, her smile deepening. “Getting bold, aren’t you? Where do you want me to kiss you?”

An Ning: “Ki—no! That’s not what I meant!”

She was trying to apologize—so why was the conversation going in such a strange direction?

Teacher Mu was acting oddly too. An Ning had assumed that, at best, she’d get yelled at—or at worst, slapped.

But it seemed… Mu Yan wasn’t angry.

Not only was she not angry, she seemed even more relaxed than usual.

Why?

She hesitantly looked up at the woman and cautiously asked,
“You’re… not mad?”

Mu Yan’s smile didn’t fade as she sat cross-legged on the sofa, looking down at her.
“Then tell me, what should I do? Cry and say you’ve ruined an innocent woman? Or throw you out and leave you to fend for yourself?”

An Ning: “……”

Honestly… that did sound like something Teacher Mu would say.

At a loss for words, An Ning stayed quiet while the woman continued on.

“I’m not so petty as to hold a grudge against a drunk little jealous brat. After all—” she delivered the final blow with a smile, “I like this version of you even more than the old one.”

Ahhh, stop talking!!

An Ning screamed internally, her face burning. She looked down and stammered,
“I’m sorry, I just… just…”

She couldn’t even finish the sentence—because finishing it meant confessing that she liked Mu Yan. But now that she was sober, that confession felt like iron sunk to the bottom of the sea—impossible to bring back up.

“…You were just joking?”
Seeing the increasingly conflicted look on An Ning’s face, Mu Yan gave her an out.

“Y-yeah…”
An Ning didn’t quite agree with that answer, but right now, it was the only exit.

“Really?”
The woman hooked her finger under An Ning’s chin again, forcing her to meet her eyes, now completely devoid of a smile.

“I wasn’t joking.”

With that, she released her, stood up from the sofa, and lightly nudged the still-dazed girl with her foot.

“Pack your things. We’re heading back.”

An Ning nodded blankly, “…Okay.”

This thing she thought would be earth-shattering—Mu Yan had just brushed it aside.

Even when An Ning had finished washing up and returned to her room to pack, she was still agonizing over Mu Yan’s last words.

“I wasn’t joking.”

She must’ve meant—“I like this version of you even more.”

So that means… Teacher Mu… likes her?!

The click of the suitcase latch echoed crisply, and her heart pounded wildly at the thought.

An Ning suddenly jumped up and dashed out of the bedroom.

Bang bang bang!

Without worrying about politeness, she pounded hard on Mu Yan’s bedroom door.

“What is it?”
Mu Yan didn’t seem surprised by her arrival.

“Teacher Mu…”
As soon as she saw the woman’s calm eyes, her racing thoughts began to settle down.

Do you like me?

No, that’s not how to ask.

Before asking that, she should at least state her own feelings.

She should say:

“Teacher Mu, I like you.”

A look of determined resolve appeared on the girl’s face.

At last, she said the confession that had been interrupted by fireworks.

On the other side of the door, Mu Yan still wasn’t surprised. Her smile was faint.

“Was that… a confession?”

An Ning: “Ah? Um, yes!”

She had expected either a cold rejection or joyful acceptance.

But Mu Yan’s reaction was something completely different—neither one nor the other.

It left her feeling more and more uneasy.

Then Mu Yan’s next words completely stunned her.

“So…”
The woman looked at her as if she were a teacher posing a tough question.
“What is it exactly that you like about me?”

An Ning: “……”

The unexpected question caught her completely off guard. Her mind went blank. She couldn’t come up with anything appropriate.

I like that you’re nice to me.
But lots of people had treated her kindly.

I like that you’re beautiful.
That sounded way too shallow.

Silence stretched between them. Finally, Mu Yan let out a soft sigh.

“There are many kinds of ‘like.’ The kind between family, lovers, or even just pure physical attraction. Until you figure out which kind it is, I can’t accept your confession.”

Today’s Teacher Mu was especially candid—like she’d already prepared this answer and had just been waiting for her to ask.

So… I’ve been rejected?

An Ning lowered her head, heart heavy.

It wasn’t the rejection that hurt—it was the realization that she barely knew anything about Mu Yan.

Not just because of her lost memories—but because she had always passively accepted the woman’s kindness, never once trying to truly understand her.

What Teacher Mu liked, what she disliked—she had no clue.

She didn’t even know the story behind that utility knife from the beginning.

To confess based on nothing but her indulgence was naive—rejection was the only natural outcome.

“…I understand. I’m sorry, I was being presumptuous.”
Choking back tears, she didn’t want Mu Yan to think she was childish.

Crying was for kids.

Since Teacher Mu had given her a question, then she’d find the answer.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, trying not to cry—

Mu Yan’s voice rang out again.

“Before that, why don’t you try figuring it out for yourself?”

“…Huh?”
Even in her sadness, An Ning blinked in confusion.

“Try figuring out what exactly it is that you like about me.”
Mu Yan’s pale face finally showed a hint of blush. Before An Ning could ask again, she slammed the door shut.

Leaving An Ning completely bewildered.

“Try figuring it out”… What does that mean?

An Ning yanked out a dozen strands of hair but still couldn’t make sense of Mu Yan’s twisted logic.

Finally, she privately messaged the most quick-witted person in the dorm—Huang Lu.

I’m Not Jealous: Huang-san, um, I have this friend…

She vaguely explained the confession and asked:

I’m Not Jealous: My friend wants to know what the last sentence meant.

Huang-san Has Arrived: I’ve got one question first—this “friend”… it’s definitely you, right?

I’m Not Jealous: …No.

Huang-san: Mouth still stiff, huh? Fine, fine. Anyway, sounds like a probation period to me.

I’m Not Jealous: Probation period?

Huang-san: Her confession target probably thinks she hasn’t figured herself out yet, so she handed the choice over. If your friend realizes it is real love, she can go official. If not, then they part ways. Taken to the extreme, it could even mean “test whether you’re compatible in bed.”

I’m Not Jealous: Isn’t that a bit too extreme?

Huang-san: Same general idea. Honestly, seems like her crush really likes her. Evil grin.jpg

An Ning: “……”

She silently closed her phone and rubbed her burning cheeks.

So… Teacher Mu didn’t reject her?

Not only did she not reject her—she gave her power.

The power to withdraw at any time.

An Ning wanted to run back right then and tell Mu Yan:
She didn’t need to test anything. She really liked her—and that wouldn’t change.

But remembering that question, she held herself back.

This outcome was already great. Truthfully, she didn’t yet have the confidence to prove her love.

But the door had been opened—now it was just up to her to walk through it.

Then she thought of what Huang Lu said:

She really does like me.

The girl slowly covered her face, leaving only her flushed red ears exposed.

Meanwhile, sitting on the floor inside the room, leaning against the door, Mu Yan was trying to calm her shame.

She didn’t know whether An Ning had understood her words—but that was all she could bring herself to say.

Any clearer, and she’d feel shameless.

Only God knew how excited she was when she realized An Ning liked her.

If the girl hadn’t passed out drunk, she might’ve dragged her into confessing and accepted it on the spot.

Thank goodness for that glass of wine—it gave An Ning the courage to be bold, and gave her time to think.

The outcome now was more or less the same. She’d set the bait and gotten the result she wanted.

The only difference was that in the long, dark night, her reason had prevailed.

An Ning might not fully understand what adult love meant—and Mu Yan couldn’t take advantage of her.

Especially since their past still stood between them.

If An Ning ever remembered, she didn’t know if the girl would regret confessing today.

At the very least, she had to leave some room.

That way, if it didn’t work out—it wouldn’t end too badly.

Because she knew—once she truly had An Ning—she would never be able to let her go.

And that wouldn’t be fair.

So she gave her the choice.

The car stopped at the entrance of the porcelain factory neighborhood. An Ning turned to say goodbye to Mu Yan.

The woman didn’t look at her, just nodded.

An Ning suddenly felt it was unfair.

After all, she’d been given the “try it out” privilege.

She’d been bubbling with excitement about it the whole ride back—yet Miss Mu was acting so indifferent.

As if nothing had happened.

Just as Mu Yan noticed the sudden quiet and turned her head in confusion, she felt something soft press against her cheek, carrying the fruity sweetness of the girl beside her.

She froze, eyes wide, and turned in disbelief.

The little sneak had already darted out of the car, dragging her suitcase. Seeing Mu Yan’s shocked look, she stuck out her tongue, blushing, and muttered:

“I just wanted to test if your face was kissable.”

Mu Yan: “……”