After Marrying the Aloof Beauty, I Totally Fell for Her - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: I Really Want to Bully Her

MY: I’m here.

On the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, An Ning received a message from Mu Yan.

“Mom, I’m going to pick up Miss Mu!” An Ning set down the knife she was using to chop stuffing, washed her hands, put on her coat, and rushed out.

“This kid, she’s exactly the same as when she was little,” Liu Jiajing muttered with a mysterious look as she picked vegetables, nudging An Yajun beside her. “Tell me, do you think something’s really going on between her and Yanyan?”

An Yajun helplessly placed the cleaned vegetables into a basket and chuckled, “Why are you even worrying about this?”

“Tch.” Liu Jiajing looked displeased. “I care about them, okay? Anyway, I’m definitely going to test the waters today.”

An Yajun sighed. “Yanyan finally came to spend New Year’s with us—don’t make her uncomfortable.”

Liu Jiajing snorted and smiled. “Who said I’d test Yanyan? You know her temper—if she doesn’t want to say something, no one can make her. But our daughter is such a fool. Just wait—she’ll give herself away.”

An Yajun couldn’t help laughing. “What kind of parent talks about their own daughter like that?”

There was no convenient parking in the residential compound, so Mu Yan left her car at a paid parking lot nearby. When An Ning ran over, she saw the woman carrying several obviously expensive gift boxes.

“Teacher Mu, why are you bringing all this?” An Ning asked uncomfortably. To her, Mu Yan bringing gifts for a New Year visit felt a bit too formal, given their relationship.

“They’re not for you. Why are you upset?” Mu Yan glanced at her expression and sneered. “They’re for your parents. I haven’t visited them in a while.”

“Oh, this is for you,” An Ning said after thinking for a moment. It made sense—her older cousin always brought things when visiting for New Year. She just hadn’t expected Mu Yan to be so considerate of these social customs—she always felt like this woman was separated from human society by a pane of invisible glass.

With that thought, her mood lifted. She pulled a bright red scarf from her coat pocket and wrapped it around Mu Yan’s pale neck without asking.

“What is this?” Mu Yan asked as the soft scarf brushed her chin, carrying a faint scent of laundry detergent. She looked down at the bright red scarf around her neck, which didn’t match her gray coat.

“My mom made it. Everyone in the family has one. When she heard you were coming, she stayed up late to knit this one just for you. Look,” An Ning said as she adjusted the scarf and flipped over the inner side to show the embroidery, “your name is stitched here.”

Inside the scarf were neatly embroidered characters: Yanyan, wishing you health and happiness.

Mu Yan stared at the words in silence for a moment, then gave a small smile. “Your mom is really thoughtful.”

“It’s nothing. She actually kept saying she wished she had more time so she could embroider a little dragon on it—it would’ve looked even better.” An Ning finished adjusting the scarf and stepped back to take a good look.

Even though it was New Year’s, Teacher Mu was still dressed so plainly, so the bright red scarf stood out starkly.

But still—that old saying rang true: good-looking people look good in anything.

Red was a hard color to pull off, but Mu Yan’s pale complexion made the scarf stand out even more, turning her into a delicate porcelain beauty. It also softened her normally cold and aloof aura, making her look much more approachable.

The more An Ning looked, the more she liked what she saw—and without thinking, she leaned in closer.

“What are you doing?” Mu Yan stepped back just as An Ning took a step forward, as if she’d been prepared for it, keeping a safe distance between them.

An Ning immediately looked a bit hurt. It’s New Year’s—can’t I even sneak a kiss?

“I just think you look really pretty in that scarf,” she pouted, looking at Mu Yan with big puppy eyes.

“…Keep it together,” the woman said, avoiding her gaze as she bent down to lift a box. “Your parents don’t know about us yet, right?”

Teacher Mu is worried they’ll find out? An Ning figured as much—after all, she was much thinner-skinned than herself.

An Ning held back a laugh and picked up the rest of the boxes. “I think they probably already know…”

Mu Yan shot her a cold look. “What did you say?”

“Nothing,” An Ning immediately feigned innocence. “Got it.”

When they reached the front door, An Ning stepped up to open it.

“Yanyan!” As soon as the door opened and the warmth from inside rushed out, An Ning was yanked inside by her mom—who had clearly been waiting.

Then, without hesitation, she was pushed aside.

Liu Jiajing immediately pounced on Mu Yan like a passionate demoness from Journey to the West, took the gifts from her hands, passed them to her husband, then grabbed Mu Yan’s hands and examined them closely. “You’ve lost weight again? Your hands are freezing—come inside and warm up!”

Her normally reserved father took the gift boxes and, while not as enthusiastic, still greeted her politely. “Come in, come in.”

And the usually cold and aloof Teacher Mu? In front of her parents, she actually looked shy and well-mannered, like a top student awkwardly meeting the teacher’s family. “Hello, Uncle, Auntie,” she greeted quietly.

An Ning silently put down the gifts, suddenly feeling like a third wheel.

Mu Yan had already been ushered onto the sofa by her parents. Surrounded by two middle-aged people fussing over her, she looked like a child, only able to softly refuse the fruit and candy being offered to her.

“Auntie, I’m not thirsty.”

“Uncle, I’ll eat in a bit.”

“Yes, the roads weren’t too bad.”

A whole weak, polite, and helpless act.

An Ning found it heartwarming—but also a little funny.

Teacher Mu, look at you now.

She sat on the couch nearby, smiling as she peeled an orange and watched the rare scene.

Her parents ignored her, but Mu Yan noticed her smug expression.

In between replying to her parents, she shot An Ning a sharp glare that clearly said: Just you wait.

An Ning quickly sat up straight, coughed, and said seriously, “Dad, Mom, dinner’s not even ready yet—it’s getting late.”

Her mom looked up, annoyed. “What’s the rush? I’m just chatting with Yanyan.”

An Ning blinked rapidly at her mom in a silent plea.

Chat all you want, but Teacher Mu is going to make me pay later!

“Ningning has a point,” her dad chimed in and exchanged a glance with her mom. “We can always talk later—if we don’t start dinner, we’ll miss mealtime.”

“Fine.” After their persuasion, her mom reluctantly let go of Mu Yan’s hand, but not before reminding her, “Help yourself to anything, okay? Auntie’s making steamed perch just for you.”

“Thank you, Auntie,” Mu Yan said politely, watching her leave.

An Ning had been watching her face the entire time and had to pinch her thigh to keep from laughing.

How should she describe it? It was like watching a fierce tiger turn into a harmless little kitten—it made you want to reach out and ruffle her hair.

Once the kitchen door closed, the smile on Mu Yan’s face finally faded. She let out a quiet breath and relaxed her posture.

An Ning noticed a thin layer of sweat on Mu Yan’s smooth forehead—even this kind of situation had made the normally calm and composed Teacher Mu a little nervous.

Trying not to look too smug, An Ning pushed the tissue box toward her. “Teacher Mu, here—wipe your sweat.”

Mu Yan glared at her, eyes sharp and filled with restrained anger. “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

It sounded like a question, but it was clearly a statement. An Ning knew if she nodded, the next moment would become an exclamation—and come with a revenge she couldn’t predict.

She quickly stood and waved her hands in denial. “No way! You relax here—I’ll go help in the kitchen!”

And with that, she fled without looking back.

She wasn’t really afraid of Mu Yan’s revenge, but it was important to show the right attitude—otherwise, she’d be even more upset.

An Ning also had a certain unspeakable wish in her heart—and for that wish to come true, she couldn’t afford to be resented by Teacher Mu.

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be keeping Yanyan company?” her mom complained as soon as she stepped into the kitchen.

The woman skillfully chopped the perch’s spine in one stroke while looking at her disapprovingly.

An Ning had no choice but to smile sheepishly and close the kitchen door behind her. “Um, Teacher Mu asked me to help you.”

That finally earned her permission to stay and assist.

Meanwhile, Mu Yan looked around the living room after the door shut.

She had considered offering to help in the kitchen. Though she wasn’t good at cooking, she could still wash vegetables—but the sheer enthusiasm from the two adults had overwhelmed her, so she decided to stay put.

The small living room looked just as she remembered. Most of the furniture hadn’t changed, which made it seem old-fashioned, though the red couplets on the doors added a festive touch.

But Mu Yan found it nostalgic. She looked at the coffee table filled with fruits and candies and recalled playing here with An Ning when they were young.

An Ning had been seven years younger—her toys had felt simple to a middle schooler like Mu Yan.

Yet An Ning always let her win, afraid that she’d be upset if she lost.

Mu Yan sometimes regretted not telling her that even if she lost every time, she would still have kept playing. Because to her, this place was a rare sanctuary free from nosy outsiders and her mother’s scolding.

And with An Ning there, it had felt more like a real home than either her oppressive old house or the cold, empty new one.

After that incident… she had thought she’d never have the chance to come here again.

She unwrapped a milk candy and popped it into her mouth. The flavor was different from what she remembered—perhaps the manufacturer had changed the recipe over the years.

But that didn’t matter.

She sank deeper into the not-so-soft sofa, closed her eyes, and listened to the sounds of cooking coming from the kitchen.

This was enough.

“Ah—”
An Ning let out a muffled yelp, quickly pulling her hand back. She looked innocently at the woman beside her with a mix of grievance and playfulness in her eyes.

“What are you two whispering about over there?” Liu Jiajing glanced suspiciously at them.

“Nothing, nothing!” An Ning immediately waved her hands. “Wood Teacher said the fruit was sweet, I was just asking which one she ate.”

“Pff…” Liu Jiajing snorted and turned back to continue watching the skit on TV.

The crisis passed safely, but An Ning hadn’t expected that one little squeeze would make Wood Teacher so angry. The slap had landed firmly on the back of her hand, and it still stung.

She cast a glance at the other person beside her—Wood Yan’s expression was composed, calm as ever, only a little tightness around her lips betraying her inner tension. She sat there stiffly, not even looking at her once, eyes fixed straight ahead.

An Ning leaned over slightly, lowering her voice, and said with a chuckle, “Teacher, you’re really soft here. Just now, it felt really good.”

The woman’s fingers, resting quietly on her knees, curled slightly.

An Ning was just about to continue teasing when suddenly—

“Midnight snack time!” Liu Jiajing clapped her hands and stood up. “We’ve got glutinous rice balls in the kitchen. An Ning, come help me cook them.”

“Oh—coming!” An Ning responded instantly and practically fled the scene.

The moment she stood up, the person next to her immediately relaxed like a tightly wound spring being released.

Wood Yan took a deep breath and lowered her gaze. That girl really had no shame. Did she think no one could tell what she was up to?

But even though she was angry, there was a trace of something else—an unfamiliar itch under the skin, an unexplainable warmth in the pit of her stomach.

She closed her eyes slightly and tilted her head back against the sofa cushion.

Outside the window, fireworks bloomed in the dark sky, the sound muffled by double-glazed glass.

New Year’s Eve.
At someone else’s home.
But it felt… like her own home.

She raised her hand and gently touched the red scarf around her neck.

Still warm.