After Marrying the Aloof Beauty, I Totally Fell for Her - Chapter 47
Chapter 47: Behave Yourself
That night, An Ning slept soundly. The next morning, she was woken up by the faint sound of firecrackers and children playing outside.
“Mmm…” she mumbled groggily and opened her eyes, only to find herself face-to-face with the peacefully sleeping face of the woman in her arms.
Although the morning sunlight couldn’t penetrate the curtains, it was enough to brighten the once-dark bedroom.
At some point, Mu Yan had curled back into her arms. With her ears buried under the blanket, she was shielded from the outside noise and slept soundly. The half of her face that was visible looked serene and relaxed. Her usually sharp eyes were hidden beneath her lids, giving her a rare softness and obedience in the dim light.
Seeing such a starkly different version of her teacher the moment she woke up, An Ning almost thought she was still dreaming. It wasn’t until her eyes wandered around the room that she remembered—
Oh right. She’d slept with Teacher Mu last night.
She’d kissed Teacher Mu.
And Teacher Mu had even coaxed her to sleep.
Fully awake now, An Ning carefully pulled her hand back from around Mu Yan’s waist. Without moving her body, she awkwardly reached behind her to grab the phone on the nightstand.
The lock screen was a photo she’d taken of Mu Yan at Mount Yunding. The screen clearly showed the time: 8:30 AM.
No wonder the neighborhood kids were already outside playing.
An Ning was usually an early riser. By this time on a normal day, she would’ve already finished her morning run, helped her parents with breakfast, and sat down to eat.
But today, she had slept in—with no complaints from her parents.
No doubt, this was thanks to Teacher Mu.
The corners of An Ning’s lips lifted in a soft smile. She tossed the phone aside and gazed tenderly at the woman in her arms.
Nestled under the warm blanket, Mu Yan’s complexion was rosier than during the day, making her look even more gentle and easy to bully.
An Ning’s gaze landed on the woman’s smooth forehead, and a familiar itch tickled at her heart again.
A morning kiss…
She wasn’t usually the sentimental type, but in this moment, she suddenly understood all those beautiful poems about waking up beside the one you love.
Waking up with someone you like in your arms—what a wonderful feeling. It was like the whole world was nestled safely in your embrace, filling you with a simple, quiet joy.
If she just gave a little kiss, surely Mu Yan wouldn’t wake up?
Justifying it to herself, An Ning crept closer and gently pressed her lips to the woman’s forehead.
There wasn’t anything particularly special about it—just the warmth of her skin, slightly hot from sleep, and a soft, ticklish sensation.
But An Ning couldn’t bring herself to pull away. Though she didn’t dare to lick, she gently rubbed her lips against it, slowly and fondly.
“Mmm…” Mu Yan’s previously relaxed brows suddenly furrowed. She abruptly raised her hand and gave An Ning a light smack on the lips.
An Ning: “…”
She quickly pulled back and pretended nothing had happened—just in time to see the woman slowly open her eyes.
Still drowsy, her usually sharp gaze was misty and laced with moisture, making her look unexpectedly alluring.
An Ning’s heart pounded wildly.
Was this how Teacher Mu looked last night too?
“What are you doing so early in the morning?” Mu Yan’s voice was hoarse and lazy, tinged with annoyance. Clearly, she hadn’t been fooled by An Ning’s terrible acting.
“Hahaha, it was just… a morning kiss,” An Ning laughed sheepishly, her eyes reluctant to leave Mu Yan’s face.
“Pfft.” Mu Yan probably didn’t want to start the new year arguing about how one should properly give a morning kiss. She rubbed her temples, then asked, “What time is it?”
“Eight-thirty,” An Ning replied.
Immediately, she saw Mu Yan’s previously half-closed eyes fly wide open. In a flash, she sat up in bed.
Startled by her sudden movement, An Ning quickly followed, asking, “What’s wrong?”
Mu Yan had already thrown off the blanket and put on her shoes, her tone anxious: “It’s already this late—why didn’t you wake me up?”
An Ning said, “Uh, I just woke up too…”
Mu Yan gave her a look full of disappointment, like she couldn’t believe she was being so useless. “Then hurry up and get up!”
Trying not to laugh, An Ning climbed out of bed.
Even she could tell that Mu Yan was embarrassed—clearly worried that her parents would misunderstand what had happened between them last night and think that’s why they slept in.
Her relationship with Mu Yan was basically an unspoken secret between two generations at this point.
Honestly, she didn’t think Mu Yan had any reason to be embarrassed. Her parents adored Teacher Mu—so much so that even their own daughter had to take a backseat.
But that didn’t stop her from thinking that this bashful side of Teacher Mu was absolutely adorable.
Mu Yan had just reached for her clothes on the shelf when she saw An Ning sitting cross-legged on the bed, grinning at her. Her round eyes curved like crescent moons, radiating innocence.
But this sweet, obedient-looking girl was the same one who had ignored her pleas for mercy last night and kissed her to tears.
Mu Yan quietly pulled her hand back and said in a low voice, “…You change first.”
Though embarrassing, she really didn’t have the guts to change clothes in front of An Ning right now.
This girl looked tame but was actually a fierce little wolf. And Mu Yan couldn’t bring herself to use any of her usual tactics to deal with her.
Right now, she was definitely the one in the weaker position. If An Ning lost control again, she could forget about going out to see Uncle and Auntie today.
“Ah, okay.” An Ning had actually been ready to watch Teacher Mu change.
She’d told herself she absolutely wouldn’t touch—if Mu Yan didn’t allow her to watch, she’d… try her best not to.
But now that Mu Yan had offered to let her change first, she felt a little disappointed… and a little wronged.
Am I really that scary?
Looks like last night’s kiss left a deep psychological scar on her.
Guess I’d better behave for a while.
She jumped off the bed, went over to the shelf, and lifted her shirt to start changing.
Before Mu Yan could react, her eyes had already caught sight of the girl’s slender waist and abs.
The outline of the muscles moved subtly with An Ning’s breathing, and it was… tempting. Like she wanted to reach out and touch.
“What are you doing?!” Mu Yan panicked and hurriedly grabbed the hem of An Ning’s shirt, pulling it back down.
“Changing, obviously,” An Ning blinked, startled by the sudden gesture. When she looked up, all she saw was Mu Yan’s stubbornly averted profile—her ears and neck completely flushed red.
“…Change later,” the woman said after a deep breath. Then she quickly turned and darted back to the bed, burying her head under the blanket. Her muffled voice came from within, “You change now.”
Well then.
An Ning fought back a grin as she changed her clothes.
At least Teacher Mu was fair—not letting her watch and not watching her either.
Although, she wouldn’t have minded being seen. She’d even wanted to ask whether Mu Yan liked what she saw.
But considering her current reputation in Mu Yan’s heart, she decided to hold back—for now. There would be opportunities later.
After changing, An Ning said to the lump in bed, “Teacher Mu, I’m heading out. You can change now.”
The lump moved slightly and gave a soft “Mm.”
Smiling, An Ning opened the bedroom door and stepped out—only to see her parents sitting on the couch, each with a handful of sunflower seeds and a cup of tea, staring in the direction of her room with gleeful, gossip-hungry expressions.
An Ning: “…”
You two eating seeds this early—don’t you get heaty?
Good thing I came out first. If Mu Yan saw this, she’d probably die of embarrassment.
Seeing her appear, her mom smiled and put down her seeds. “Awake?”
“Yeah,” An Ning nodded. “Slept in a bit today.”
“Tsk, what are you talking about,” her mom rolled her eyes at her. “I was just thinking you got up too early.”
An Ning couldn’t help laughing. “Don’t say that in front of Teacher Mu.”
Her mom walked over, glanced at the still-closed bedroom door, and asked softly, “Where’s Yan Yan?”
“She’s awake. Should be coming out soon.”
Her mom waved at her dad, and he walked over too. Now both parents stood right in front of the bedroom door.
An Ning was puzzled. “Mom, what are you doing?”
Her mom gave her a disapproving look. “Did you say Happy New Year to Yan Yan this morning?”
An Ning: “…I actually didn’t.”
She’d been too busy flirting.
And so the number of people standing outside the door became three.
When Mu Yan opened the door, the first thing she saw was three smiling faces—two big and one small—all staring at her.
She instinctively took a step back, confused—until the two adults each pulled out a bright red envelope and stuffed them into her hands, beaming as if giving them to a little child.
“Yan Yan, Happy New Year!”
“Uncle, Auntie—H-Happy New Year, but I really can’t accept this. I’m already 27.” Flustered, Mu Yan tried to return the envelopes.
But An Ning’s mom cut her off. “So what if you’re 27? You still have to call me Auntie, right?”
The two adults were clearly seasoned pros at social maneuvering. They gave her no chance to refuse and quickly retreated to the kitchen with a cheerful shout, “You two get ready—dumplings are almost done. We’re eating soon!”
Mu Yan was left standing there holding the envelopes. She made eye contact with An Ning, who grinned and held out her hand. “Happy New Year, Teacher Mu. I want a red envelope too. I’m only 20—still young.”
She said it with zero shame.
“Happy New Year. Here you go.” Mu Yan shot her a sidelong glance and immediately handed her one of the envelopes.
An Ning quickly hid both hands behind her back and took a step back, shaking her head like a rattle drum. “This is from my parents. I can’t take it.”
Mu Yan chuckled at her exaggeratedly practiced refusal. “Then what do you want?”
“I want…” An Ning dashed into the room and came back holding a brand-new red notebook. “This!”
She handed it to Mu Yan. The notebook was just like the ones Mu Yan used to draw in when they were young—same size, only the color was different.
“Draw me another cat. That’ll count as my red envelope!” she said righteously, seeing Mu Yan’s confused look.
A chance to act spoiled like this didn’t come often—she had to seize it.
“Heh. Aren’t you thoughtful…” Mu Yan snorted and reached out her hand. “Where’s the pen?”
An Ning, like a devoted little maid, immediately handed it over with both hands, not forgetting to flatter, “Thank you, Teacher Mu, for bestowing your art.”
Mu Yan tapped her on the head with the pen. “You little smooth-talker.”
Standing right at the bedroom door, Mu Yan opened the notebook and began to draw. An Ning couldn’t help but peek over her shoulder. She watched as the seemingly ordinary pen in Mu Yan’s hand glided across the blank page like a twisting snake. In no time, a shape began to take form.
But it didn’t look like a cat. Round head, dark nose, floppy ears…
What kind of cat is this?
Only after Mu Yan finished drawing the features did An Ning realize—
That was no cat. It was a dog. A grinning, mischievous-looking dog with its tongue out, drooling.
Even though it was a simple line drawing, it was incredibly vivid. An Ning could even recognize the breed.
This was a golden retriever. And it was wagging its tail.
“Here.” Mu Yan capped the pen and handed her the notebook before heading off to wash up.
“Teacher Mu, that’s not a cat…” An Ning trailed behind, feeling a little wronged.
Not that she didn’t like it—but she thought Mu Yan resembled a cat and just preferred cats more.
She’d flipped through the old sketchbook so many times, carefully handling each page as if it were a treasure.
“What kind of kid complains about their red envelope?” Mu Yan raised a brow, lips curling into a mischievous smile. “Besides, I think that dog looks just like you. It’s perfect for you.”
Before An Ning could argue, the bathroom door slammed shut in her face.
Left alone, An Ning stared at the goofy grinning dog in the sketch and gently closed the notebook, placing it in the innermost, locked drawer of her desk.
She muttered to herself, “Am I really that sneaky-looking?”