After Marrying the Aloof Beauty, I Totally Fell for Her - Chapter 44

Chapter 44:  Why Does She Keep Teasing Me?

“Hiss…” An Ning gave a soft cry and immediately retracted her hand, which had just been pinched by the woman.

Unlike the playful scolding from before, this time Mu Yan had actually used some force.

Though it wasn’t swollen, a distinct red mark had already appeared on the back of An Ning’s hand.

Clearly, she was really angry this time.

An Ning rubbed the mark, feeling a bit guilty, and glanced over—only to see the woman still sitting up straight, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

Noticing her gaze, the woman shot her a fierce glare.

But those misty eyes really didn’t have much intimidation—rather than anger, it looked more like a pout.

If only she hadn’t looked—now that she had, An Ning’s heart started itching again.

Logically speaking, with Teacher Mu  in this state, she really should rein herself in.

But while one voice in her head was yelling for her to stop, another was screaming that even if her hand got pinched until it swelled, she still wanted to touch her one more time.

Teacher Mu , with her repressed emotions and hesitant allure… was simply irresistible.

Mu Yan had never expected An Ning to be so bold—when the girl’s hand touched her just now, she had been completely stunned.

Her fingers were slender and well-defined, and even though her hand was relaxed, it had a strong presence. The warmth of her palm seeped through the thin sweater fabric, along with the gentle caress that bordered on a stroke.

That tingling, burning sensation rose from where the girl had touched her and surged all the way to her heart, turning into waves of flutters. Even in the warm room, she felt like trembling.

It was a physical, instinctive reaction. If she hadn’t forcibly put a stop to it, she might’ve collapsed weakly into An Ning’s arms the next second.

What was she doing getting turned on like this? Her aunt and uncle were right there.

She cursed inwardly—though she wasn’t sure whether she was scolding An Ning for her boldness, or herself for having this kind of reaction despite everything.

She looked at An Ning, who was grinning foolishly, head slightly lowered, eyes tilted upward in a pleading way.

All fake!

The moment she saw that face, Mu Yan got even more pissed. She knew this brat was taking advantage of the fact that she’d go easy on her—so she was getting more and more shameless, wasn’t she?

” Yanyan, why don’t you sleep with Ningning tonight?”

Just as Mu Yan’s mental notebook was frantically logging grievances, Liu Jiajing’s voice suddenly broke in.

The two who had been struggling froze at the same time and turned toward the adults.

Liu Jiajing was smiling warmly, while An Yajun, though deliberately looking away, had a twitching mouth that betrayed his amusement.

Crap!

An Ning’s heart sank. She had been too caught up indulging her little desires and forgotten the main task.

Since it was New Year’s, of course they were staying over—and their home was small, with only two bedrooms.

No guest room. That meant  Teacher Mu  would have to… share with her.

That had been her plan for the past couple of days.

Of course, she didn’t expect anything to happen—she just wanted to spend more time close to Mu Yan.

But now? She’d probably shot herself in the foot.

An Ning watched as Mu Yan’s already flushed face turned even redder because of her mom’s teasing suggestion.

With a cold laugh and a glance at An Ning, Mu Yan replied gently, “It’s okay, I’ll just stay upstairs.”

Nooo!

An Ning immediately grabbed her hand, just short of begging aloud, “I swear I won’t do it again!”

Mu Yan gave her a sharp glare, and she quickly retracted her hand, miserable and full of regrets over her lust-fueled lapse in judgment.

“Oh, but that’s so inconvenient. And it’s freezing up there without heating,” her mom added, just as An Ning was at a loss. “Besides, you two always used to sleep together—you’re not going to start avoiding her now, are you?”

Mom, oh my dearest mom.

At that moment, An Ning really wanted to burst into song: There’s no one like mother in this world.

“…” Faced with Liu Jiajing’s insistence, Mu Yan was at a loss.

What do you mean “used to always sleep together”? They were childhood friends! That just sounds weird now!

“It’s settled, then. I’ll go find an extra quilt for you,” Liu Jiajing declared, chopping down all of Mu Yan’s possible excuses before she could even utter them.

Just as An Ning was about to break into a grin, she heard the second half of the sentence.

Find another quilt? Why?

Aren’t we going to sleep under the same blanket?

Her smile froze, and her brain whirled. She stammered, “I—I think we don’t have any spare quilts at home, right? Hiss—”

Before she could finish, a sharp pain shot through the back of her hand again.

She instinctively turned her head and met Mu Yan’s glare, a mix of embarrassment, frustration, and a how can you be so stupid kind of look.

What did I say wrong again?

She turned to look at her parents and saw her mom’s face full of smug satisfaction, while her dad had that same half-worried, half-amused look as when Teacher Mu  had tricked her at the dinner table.

Ugh… busted.

After all, what kind of normal friends would react that strongly about having separate blankets?

“Oh, right! I totally forgot. We sent all the spare quilts for cleaning before the New Year,” her mom said with a theatrical smack to her forehead, then turned to Mu Yan again. “So you’ll just have to make do, Yanyan. Her bed and quilt are both big—you won’t feel cramped.”

“Okay.” At this point, what else could Mu Yan say? She was afraid that if she kept refusing, Auntie would just spell everything out and make it even more embarrassing.

Even though she got pinched again, An Ning was absolutely delighted.

She got what she wanted in the end—what’s a little shame in front of her parents and Teacher Mu ?

She happily watched the Spring Festival Gala, but her heart had already flown straight to the bedroom.

Around ten, the two adults—whether genuinely sleepy or just giving them space—yawned and went to bed.

“Hehe, Teacher Mu .” As soon as An Ning saw her parents’ bedroom door close, she went limp and leaned on the woman like jelly.

“I’m going to wash up.” Mu Yan stood up stiffly, not sparing the girl a glance as she picked up her backpack from the couch and headed to the bathroom.

Fine, go then. An Ning sat back awkwardly, still grinning like a fool.

You can run, but you can’t hide. You’re still going to sleep next to me tonight.

Even though she had said she’d go upstairs, Mu Yan’s preparation clearly showed she had anticipated staying over. When she emerged from the bathroom, she had already changed into pajamas—the same V-neck silk sleepwear An Ning had seen before, with loose matching pants that revealed her slender calves as she walked.

Her long hair was loosely draped down, and with the post-shower glow, she looked dewy and fresh—even her collarbones had a luminous sheen.

“What are you staring at?” Catching An Ning’s dumbfounded look, Mu Yan twisted open the door to her room and walked in.

Judging by how familiar she was with the layout, she really had visited An Ning’s place a lot before.

An Ning turned off the TV and quickly followed.

The room’s layout hadn’t changed much—most of the furniture was still the same. Only the posters had changed from cartoon characters to badminton players, and the child’s writing desk had been replaced with a larger one.

But it still sat in the same spot.

Mu Yan sat down at the desk, looking at the blank white wall. She recalled how she used to sit here doing homework, and little An Ning, not yet in school, would pull up a tiny stool beside her and quietly play with toys without disturbing her.

There wasn’t much on the desk, so she immediately noticed the small blue notebook placed right in the center.

It looked like it had been set out deliberately for her.

Opening it, she found pages yellowed with age—and a chubby little cartoon cat licking its paw, drawn with care.

After all these years, it had once again reunited with its creator.

“Teacher Mu…” A warm, strong hand gently covered hers as she held the notebook.

Mu Yan turned slightly and met the girl’s calm eyes.

Time seemed to slip backward, back to one long-ago afternoon when she had just finished her homework and was packing up her things, and the little girl tugged her hand and said—

“Mu-jiejie, play with me.”

Only now, An Ning didn’t have to look up at her anymore. Even bending over, her shadow was enough to envelop her whole.

Her heart slowly softened as she closed the notebook and handed it back with a smile. “You really kept it all this time.”

An Ning looked at her seriously. “Something this important—of course I would.”

Mu Yan found herself increasingly unable to handle this girl—whether she was being direct or shameless.

“Teacher Mu, can you tell me about the past? Even just stories about this notebook.” Seeing her gentle expression, An Ning felt a sudden pang of emotion.

She’d never heard Teacher Mu  talk about their past.

“This one, huh…” The woman’s eyes narrowed slightly, her visible half-smile laced with gentle nostalgia. “When you first started kindergarten, you clung to the table crying and refused to go. I told you, if you went to school like a good girl, I’d draw a little cat for you every day.”

An Ning: “Huh?”

She had always thought this sketchbook had some profound, touching backstory—but it was just a way to coax a stubborn little kid?

Seeing her blank expression, Mu Yan let out an unkind laugh. “I still remember how you sobbed, hugging the table leg like your life depended on it, wailing that you’d rather herd sheep than go to school.”

“Teacher Mu, stop—” Even with her thick skin, An Ning couldn’t take it. She covered her face for a long moment, then looked at her with puppy-dog eyes. “Was I really that naughty?”

Gone was the smug look from earlier—now her wide eyes were soft and endearing, like a doe’s.

Mu Yan couldn’t help pinching her cheek with a smile. “Actually, you were pretty well-behaved.”

“Really?” Her eyes lit up instantly, and she lunged forward in excitement, almost toppling onto the woman in the chair.

Mu Yan quickly swatted her away.

“Teacher Mu…” An Ning sat back, bewildered, rubbing her face and giving her a wounded look.

“Go shower,” Mu Yan said, her voice softening a little under the girl’s gaze.

“Oh. Okay.” An Ning took her pajamas and left, still confused.

After the door shut, Mu Yan raised her hand to her chest and let out a long breath.

Her heart was still pounding wildly.

Just now, she had genuinely thought An Ning was going to press her down in the chair.

And then what?

Her face gradually flushed again.

And of course, it wouldn’t be to talk about whether she had behaved or not.

She knew her own desires—and they weren’t anything unusual.

At least, not when it came to An Ning. She wasn’t nearly as aloof and cold as others said.

But she hadn’t expected those urges to surface so frequently, in such tiny, trivial moments.

It had to be An Ning’s fault.

Always teasing her—why does she keep teasing me like this?!

Mu Yan looked at the bed, its light pink floral blanket soft and inviting, and for a moment, she regretted agreeing to stay.

She had a feeling…
Tonight was going to be hard to get through.