After Marrying the Aloof Beauty, I Totally Fell for Her - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: And You’re Still Smiling?

A thick, pungent liquid splattered across her face and body like a slap—not too heavy, but definitely humiliating. An Ning tightly shut her eyes, refusing to move an inch.

She had no idea what crazier thing that lunatic might do next. But all she could think about was that she absolutely couldn’t let him destroy the painting.

In the darkness behind her eyelids, she could feel the liquid slowly trickling down her face, the sticky layer clinging to her skin. As it met the air, it began to harden and pull uncomfortably, causing her skin to sting.

Was it… paint?

Before she could dwell on the thought, someone rushed up and yanked her to the side.

She had just opened her mouth when a sharp voice shouted—

“Don’t move!”

It was Mu Yan. The woman’s voice, usually as crisp and clear as a stream over stones, was now hoarse and low—obviously, she was furious.

An Ning immediately froze. The painting was important, yes, but when Mu Yan was angry, her orders became absolute law.

“You piece of trash! Get the hell out of the art world! It’s because of people like you that this industry is rotting! Let go of me! You brainless accomplices!”

An Ning could hear a man shouting angrily, clothes being tugged and torn—it sounded like the crowd had finally swarmed to restrain him.

Everyone here, after all, had come because they appreciated art. Though they’d been stunned at first, now that they had regained their senses, they couldn’t possibly let this lunatic continue his rampage.

She even heard the dull thuds of fists and the man’s painful grunts. Probably a diehard fan of Iron Tree had taken the chance to land a few blows.

But she wasn’t paying attention to any of that anymore. A pair of soft hands cupped her face. A damp tissue brushed gently across her eyes as Mu Yan’s trembling voice said, “Don’t open your eyes, don’t open your mouth. It’s paint—if it gets in your eyes…”

The anger in her voice had vanished, replaced with a terrible shakiness. Even though An Ning couldn’t see her face, she could imagine that usually calm and collected expression now twisted with fear.

An Ning wanted to say it was fine, but was afraid Mu Yan would get angrier if she spoke, so she simply raised her hand, tugged on the woman’s sleeve, and made an “OK” gesture to signal she was alright.

Smack!

Her outstretched hand was slapped away without mercy, followed by a choked scolding: “I said don’t move!”

Okay, okay…

An Ning obediently relaxed her body, letting Mu Yan wipe the paint from her eyes and mouth.

Now that she was calmer, she realized she’d been too reckless. It was fortunate the man had only thrown paint. If it had been some kind of corrosive liquid, she might not have walked away at all.

And Wildfire—a painting of such value—was surely protected by high-grade shatterproof glass. That would’ve been much sturdier than her flesh.

Still, she didn’t really regret it. She didn’t think it was wrong to protect a painting that had been inspired by her. Besides, Mu Yan was no longer acting reserved—her breath was hot against An Ning’s paint-covered skin. Even through the layer of paint, the scent of Mu Yan’s perfume was unmistakable. They must be very close right now.

Actually, this wasn’t bad at all.

She couldn’t help the slight upward tug of her lips, which was immediately met by Mu Yan’s exasperated voice.

“What are you smiling about? You’re happy about this?!”

Alright, alright…

An Ning immediately suppressed the smile, doing her best to look serious. She had no idea what Mu Yan would do if she knew An Ning still had the mood to entertain ridiculous thoughts at a time like this. Probably slap her straight across the face.

“What happened here?!”

The sound of hurried footsteps approached—security had finally arrived.

The crowd began speaking all at once, explaining what had happened. Only An Ning and Mu Yan seemed entirely detached from the scene—Mu Yan continued wiping her face, while An Ning dared not move under her intense stare.

“Good heavens, what happened here?”

Even the security guards were stunned. Every piece in this gallery was incredibly valuable, and Iron Tree’s works were particularly renowned. If something really had happened, the guards responsible for security checks would be held accountable.

One guard immediately ordered his colleagues to restrain the struggling man while he inspected the painting. Red paint from a fallen bucket had stained a wide swath of the floor, looking quite frightening, but the painting itself had been spared. Only a few flecks of paint dotted the protective glass.

“Why are you still staring?” a cold female voice snapped before he could feel relieved. “Is the painting more important than a person?”

Startled, he turned to see a girl covered in red like a living statue sitting quietly against the wall. A slender woman knelt before her, wiping her face.

The woman glared fiercely at him, her words laced with gunpowder: “What are you standing there for? Waiting for the paint to dry? Get some hot water, call a doctor!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Her commanding aura was overwhelming, and her tone was so forceful that the guard instinctively straightened up and bolted for the restroom, simultaneously calling the university hospital to request an emergency visit.

Halfway there, he realized—the girl must be the brave visitor everyone had been talking about. And that fierce woman… was with her.

Talk about domineering, he thought. The way she spoke, you’d think that ridiculously expensive painting was worth nothing at all.

An Ning shivered at the tone Mu Yan had just used on the security guard.

She’s actually been quite gentle with me…

Soon, the sound of boots running and water splashing reached her ears.

“Hot water, ma’am,” the guard reported respectfully.

Mu Yan didn’t respond, but moments later An Ning felt warm moisture cover her face. The drying, caked-on paint began to soften, easing the pull on her skin.

After a while, Mu Yan tilted her face this way and that, checking her eyes.

“Okay. Try opening your eyes slowly.”

An Ning blinked, her vision going from blurry to clear—and the first thing she saw was Mu Yan’s beautiful face, mere inches away. Her usually cold black eyes were tinged red, looking fragile. She was clearly far more shaken than she let on.

An Ning suddenly felt guilty. She gripped Mu Yan’s soft hand, wanting to comfort her but not daring to speak lest she ingest more paint. So she gently squeezed Mu Yan’s hand, trying to convey reassurance through her gaze.

“The doctor’s here!” someone announced.

A female doctor in a white coat arrived with a medical kit and gasped at the sight of An Ning. “Whoa—what a mess! You look like a red terracotta warrior!”

Everyone: “……”

Really? Is now the time for jokes?

Mu Yan shot the doctor a sharp glare. An Ning quickly rubbed the back of Mu Yan’s hand to calm her down, afraid the woman might verbally eviscerate the doctor on the spot.

Fortunately, Mu Yan decided it wasn’t worth the energy. She exhaled deeply and said in a flat voice, “Please treat her while the paint is still soft.”

“Of course, of course,” the doctor replied quickly, pulling out various ointments. “Don’t worry, I’m a professional. I won’t let your sister be disfigured.”

As she spoke, she expertly applied a cooling, oily liquid to the paint-covered skin.

The relief was immediate. The previously irritated skin felt soothed—but the liquid’s strong smell made An Ning feel like she’d been dunked in a vat of disinfectant. She wrinkled her nose.

Mu Yan, watching her closely, noticed the expression and frowned too. But there wasn’t much she could do. She simply squeezed An Ning’s hand and said, “Hang in there.”

An Ning wanted to insist she wasn’t that fragile, but the caring look in Mu Yan’s eyes made her heart warm. She inched closer and murmured a soft “mm.”

The doctor chuckled. “You two don’t seem like sisters—you look more like a couple. My daughters fight every day. If only they got along like you two, I’d sleep easier.”

An Ning thought: If your daughters were like us, you’d never sleep again.

With the crisis mostly under control, Mu Yan’s intimidating aura eased, and the crowd began to relax, murmuring among themselves about what had just happened.

“Excuse me,” a neatly dressed middle-aged man approached. He had the refined air of a successful professional and spoke respectfully to Mu Yan, “Chairman Liu would like to speak with you.”

“Dean Chen?” one of the guards gasped. His face went pale. This was Chen Feng, the vice president of Yun City University and the dean of the art academy—a major figure. It was said the entire exhibition was hosted here thanks to his efforts.

The guard had assumed this would be a simple case—an insane man causing a scene, no damage done. The police would take him away, and that would be the end of it. But now even Dean Chen was involved. This couldn’t possibly end quietly.

He glanced nervously at Mu Yan. She had scolded him earlier like she was disciplining a grandchild. Now Dean Chen was speaking to her so respectfully. Just who was she?

“What do you want me for? After an incident like this, don’t you know what you’re supposed to do?”

The woman didn’t even look at Chen Feng as she continued tending to An Ning. Her tone with him was no better than it had been with the guard.

Just who IS this woman? the guard thought, horrified.

“Yes, it’s our fault,” Chen Feng said humbly. “We’ll strengthen our security to ensure this never happens again. But Chairman Liu would still like to apologize in person…” He glanced around and then added pointedly, “Especially since your friend was injured due to our negligence.”

“Good. You should know,” Mu Yan snapped, still focused on An Ning’s face, not sparing Chen Feng a glance. “I don’t have time.”

“Mu laoshi…” An Ning could tell from Chen Feng’s expression that he was practically begging. She recognized him too—he was one of the vice principals who always sat onstage during assemblies. Having him come personally was already a great show of sincerity.

She figured it wouldn’t be good for Mu Yan to offend someone so prominent in the art world over her. “I’m fine now. Why don’t you go with Dean Chen and check things out?”

Mu Yan glanced at her face—most of the paint had been removed—and then at the waiting Chen Feng. Finally, she stood and said, “Listen to the doctor. I’ll be back soon.”

“Mm-hmm.” An Ning chuckled helplessly. “You always say I treat you like a kid, but aren’t you the one babying me right now?”

“You are a kid.” Mu Yan gave her a sharp look and followed Chen Feng.

An Ning stared dazedly at her retreating figure.

“Hey, hey, stop staring. She’s already gone. You two aren’t seriously a couple, are you?” the chatty doctor waved a hand in front of her. “Close your eyes—I need to apply another layer.”

An Ning sighed and obediently shut her eyes.

Mu Yan had much gentler hands.

“…Take him away,” Mu Yan ordered calmly, without sparing Zhao Guangxu another glance.

The police immediately understood her meaning. One officer re-fastened the handcuffs on the man, while another pushed the back of the chair to urge him to his feet. Zhao Guangxu lowered his head like a deflated balloon, no longer showing a trace of the crazed arrogance from before.

Just as he was being escorted out the door, he suddenly turned back to look at Mu Yan. His throat moved as if he wanted to speak, but in the end, he said nothing—only letting out a barely audible sigh.

Mu Yan didn’t look at him either. She remained standing there, gently tapping her fingertips on the teacup as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than irrelevant background noise.

After the police took Zhao Guangxu away, Chen Feng and Liu Wei exchanged glances, both silently letting out a breath of relief. But that only confirmed for them even more clearly—this woman’s methods and presence were far beyond what an ordinary person could match. Forget about splashed paint—if half the gallery had collapsed today, she’d probably still be standing in the rubble, sipping tea while calmly handling the aftermath.

“I won’t be involved in the rest of this,” Mu Yan said, standing up with a tone that brooked no argument. “Handle the follow-up however you see fit.”

“Of course! Don’t worry!” Liu Wei nodded quickly. “We’ll make sure to give you and your… sister a satisfactory resolution.”

Mu Yan didn’t look back. She turned and left the meeting room.

Outside the gallery, An Ning had just finished a second round of cleaning. The red paint on her face had mostly been removed, and though her skin was slightly flushed from repeated wiping, she was otherwise unharmed.

“All done, young lady,” the doctor said, putting away the ointment and clapping her hands as she stood up. “You’ve got good skin—it recovers quickly. Just don’t go putting anything else on it when you get back, and it should clear up in a few days.”

“Thank you,” An Ning replied sweetly, nodding her head.

The doctor smiled and waved, then turned to leave. But after only a few steps, she saw the imposing woman walking toward them. Instinctively, she quickened her pace and left the area without a word.

“You’re back,” An Ning said, looking up and giving Mu Yan a cheerful smile. “So? Were they fuming mad?”

“Oh, they were mad all right,” Mu Yan replied calmly, sitting down beside her, her voice carrying a chill. “But more than that, they’re afraid of me.”

“As they should be,” An Ning chuckled, but after a moment of thought, she hesitated. “Did you… go talk to that man just now?”

Mu Yan gave a simple “Mm” in response, but didn’t elaborate.

An Ning quietly reached out and took her hand, speaking softly, “He didn’t upset you, did he?”

“Me? Upset by him?” Mu Yan gave a cold snort, raising an eyebrow. “I was the one who went there to upset him.”

An Ning was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking from the effort.

“And you’re still laughing!” Mu Yan turned to glare at her. “You had paint all over your face just now and still found the energy to smile. And now you’re sitting here like nothing happened.”

“Well, that’s because I knew you’d come,” An Ning said, still smiling brightly. “As long as you’re here, I’m not scared at all.”

“Silly girl,” Mu Yan murmured.

Then she stood up and gently draped her coat over An Ning’s shoulders. “It’s windy out here. Go back to school and get some rest. Leave everything else to me.”

“Okay,” An Ning held the coat tightly and nodded obediently.

But then she mumbled under her breath, “You called me silly just now… but weren’t you the one nearly losing it from anger earlier?”

Mu Yan didn’t respond. She simply reached over and tapped her lightly on the head. “Quiet.”

The two of them walked away from the gallery, one in front of the other, leaving behind the still-smeared paint and the lingering noise of the crowd. But to them, the worst storm of the day had already passed peacefully.

No one noticed that in the far corner of the gallery, in front of a surveillance monitor, a young man in black slowly removed his earphones. He stared silently in the direction they’d left, eyes deep and unreadable. Then, the corner of his lips lifted into a subtle, intriguing smile—

“So, it’s her, huh…”