I Am Her Secret Beauty and Strong Alpha (GL) - Chapter 18

Nan Xi set an alarm for herself, and three hours later, when it went off, she left the lab to check her phone.

As expected, Mu Xi had replied to her text message:

“Thank you, Little Miss, I slept well and had lunch.”

“I apologize for not considering your lunchtime needs in advance. Starting tomorrow, I will have the kitchen prepare a bento box for you.”

What was that all about?

Sending her a photo of the bread was just sharing, not complaining that it wasn’t delicious.

When she was studying abroad, she often ate bread when she didn’t have time to cook.

And the tone was so formal.

She could practically picture Mu Xi saying those words, bowing slightly, full of respect and humility. It must be a bad habit learned from some domestic science university.

Nan Xi felt a little annoyed and typed on the screen for a long time, but in the end, she felt there was nothing to say to Mu Xi’s reply, so she simply stuffed her phone back into her pocket and walked back to the lab with a sullen face.

Before she could continue her experiment, Tong An’an came to her side.

“Nan Xi, I heard your alarm. Is something the matter?”

“I saw that you didn’t rest much during your lunch break. If you need to leave early, just go. I’ll tell Professor Yu for you.”

Nan Xi shook her head, indicating that she didn’t need to leave early.

In fact, she even worked overtime.

She stayed until the last person walked past her, their eyes full of respect as they lightened their steps beside her before quickly leaving.

Nan Xi wouldn’t leave until she had finished recording all the data in her hand.

When she finally organized everything, packed up, and prepared to go home to find Mu Xi—

She opened the car door, only to find that the person in the driver’s seat wasn’t Mu Xi at all, but a driver she had never seen before.

Nan Xi tried her best to sound polite, “Excuse me, where is Butler Mu?”

“Uh, hello, Little Miss.” Little did she know that her “Excuse me” sounded particularly sarcastic, and having previously heard that this Miss Nan Xi wasn’t very easy to talk to, the driver was a little flustered. “Butler Mu is still entertaining Madam Lin with the Eldest Miss. They were chatting so enthusiastically that they lost track of time, so they asked me to pick you up…”

The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became.

He hadn’t done anything wrong. He hoped they wouldn’t take it out on him and deduct his salary!

“…I see.” Nan Xi rubbed her temples tiredly and looked out the car window. “Please drive. Let’s go home.”

The driver quickly agreed, started the car, and headed back, not daring to say another word.

Throughout the journey, although Nan Xi didn’t speak, her mind was constantly racing.

This driver was driving very fast, unlike Mu Xi, who drove very smoothly for safety.

And if it were Mu Xi, she would have guessed that Nan Xi hadn’t had dinner and might have brought some snacks for her to eat on the way, or suggested grabbing a bite to eat outside before going home.

Then Nan Xi would have pondered for a while, perhaps making excuses that eating in the car would make it dirty or that outside food wasn’t healthy, but in the end, she would most likely agree to Mu Xi’s suggestion.

…But Mu Xi hadn’t come to pick her up at all. All these assumptions were invalid.

Clearly, Mu Xi hadn’t done anything wrong. Of course, she couldn’t just leave her sister and Madam Lin unattended, but Nan Xi was inexplicably unhappy.

She was even unhappy with her current unhappiness.

Nan Xi’s face was stern, her brow furrowed, and the lines of her profile revealed her coldness and dissatisfaction, like a rain-laden gloom.

That look in the eyes of the driver who was secretly glancing at her seemed extremely terrifying, and he couldn’t help but slightly increase his speed, hoping to get Nan Xi home sooner and finish work quickly.

…

…Why didn’t she send a message beforehand to tell her that the person picking her up wasn’t her?

Nan Xi couldn’t explain the motivation and logic behind her behavior, perhaps because they were inherently illogical.

When she got home, she saw her sister and Madam Lin in the living room. After greeting them, she went upstairs to her room, even saying she didn’t want to eat dinner when her sister asked.

Nan Lian stopped and looked thoughtfully at her sister going upstairs, then glanced slightly at Mu Xi.

Madam Lin was sitting opposite her, still talking, while Mu Xi stood behind Madam Lin.

Receiving Nan Lian’s signal, Mu Xi nodded understandingly and quickly and silently left from behind Madam Lin, called Rose to replace her there, and then went upstairs herself.

Madam Lin still hadn’t noticed anything amiss, let alone realized that the person standing behind her was no longer the butler. She was enthusiastically talking about a new ready-to-wear collection from a certain luxury brand this season, interjecting her own opinions on fashion and trends.

But regarding the things around her, she couldn’t possibly have as detailed an understanding as she did of the fashion world.

Nan Xi locked herself in her room and read the literature related to today’s experiment.

Only about five minutes later, Nan Xi’s door was knocked on. After Nan Xi gave permission, Mu Xi’s voice sounded from outside:

“Little Miss, would you like something to eat? A snack or some fruit? Or a drink? I can bring it up for you.”

“No, thank you.”

This time, it really wasn’t some unspeakable temper tantrum. After mealtime, Nan Xi no longer wanted to eat anything, in short, she was past being hungry.

There was no more sound from outside. Mu Xi must have stood silently in front of the door for a while.

Because then she added, “Then, if you would like something to eat later, please be sure to tell me.”

Nan Xi responded and continued reading the literature.

Mu Xi’s footsteps sounded ten seconds later; she had left.

After finishing the literature, Nan Xi threw herself onto the bed, feeling angry.

No pounding on the bed, no wailing, Nan Xi just quietly buried her face in the quilt, closed her eyes, and thought:

—Just because Mu Xi didn’t pick her up, she was having such a big reaction? She didn’t even want to eat dinner?

This was too pathetic.

Nan Xi strictly reflected on all her unusual behavior.

And then continued to be pathetic.

The specific manifestation was sitting up clumsily from the quilt and looking at the next piece of literature.

She was the kind of person who liked to numb herself with work the most. Back then, when Mu Xi suddenly disappeared, Nan Xi was so grief-stricken that she couldn’t control herself and almost followed her, but she managed to pull herself together by studying.

Directly pursuing a doctorate wasn’t her original plan, but she had studied so intensely in those years that she obtained the degree.

If she were still with Mu Xi, and they were both leisurely studying, then Nan Xi might have needed another three years to add the “Dr.” prefix to her name.

…

Nan Xi rubbed her slightly sore eyes and glanced at her phone to check the time, realizing it was time for her to shower and sleep.

Not only that, but she also saw a message from Mu Xi:

“Little Miss, still not wanting dinner?”

Heh.

Nan Xi couldn’t help but sneer. Wasn’t she very fond of sending messages? Why hadn’t she ever sent one before Nan Xi sent her one?

She replied with a “no” and then got up to go to the bathroom to wash up.

The next morning, Nan Xi saw Mu Xi in the garden.

She glanced sideways at Mu Xi, “Did you sleep well last night?”

“Thank you for your concern, Little Miss. It was alright,” Mu Xi said with a slight smile.

Nan Xi looked at her.

But she didn’t say anything more, just got into the back seat.

A beautiful food box was already waiting for her there, which should be the bento box Mu Xi had mentioned yesterday.

Mu Xi’s voice also sounded at the right time, explaining to Nan Xi, “Lunch has been prepared for you today, with beef and fish, as well as three kinds of vegetables, plus a dessert of cherries. I have already asked the chef to write out recipes for you, aiming for no repetition in the dishes within a month.”

“…” Nan Xi didn’t know what to say for a moment.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke, “Why is it so troublesome? If I particularly like a dish, doesn’t that mean I can only eat it once a month?”

Mu Xi immediately took out her phone and opened the notepad, “Please tell me the name of this dish, and I will ask the chef to increase its frequency.”

“…”, Nan Xi didn’t want to talk anymore.

What was going on? Why had the human warmth in Mu Xi suddenly decreased so much? Had her not eating dinner last night scared her?

The current Mu Xi was practically like a robot programmed with butler duties, and Nan Xi didn’t like it.

She didn’t speak again the whole way until they entered the campus. Mu Xi parked the car in the A University parking lot and said goodbye to her.

Nan Xi had calmed down a bit and was about to say goodbye as well when she heard Mu Xi say:

“When you have decided, please be sure to tell me your favorite dish.”

“…”

Nan Xi picked up her bag and the food box, pulled open the car door with a cold face, and walked out without even looking back.

If she had looked back.

She would have seen Mu Xi sitting in the car, looking confused and troubled, like a malfunctioning robot staring at her retreating figure.

Unfortunately, Nan Xi didn’t see it.

The next three days were like this.

There was very little communication between the two of them other than butler duties. If Mu Xi was too busy to spare time, she would ask other drivers to pick up and drop off Nan Xi. Nan Xi also tacitly agreed to this arrangement.

They both coincidentally felt that this was actually the most appropriate way for a butler and a young lady to interact—so polite, so distant.

Previously, for whatever reason, a vague, indescribable atmosphere had always enveloped them, and repeated teasing often made both of them (mainly Mu Xi) unsure of their true roles.

“Little Miss, are you satisfied with today’s dishes?”

Nan Xi would turn her head, recall what she had eaten at noon, and strictly criticize, “Next time, I don’t want this chef to cook for me anymore. The pork was not handled properly.”

“I understand. I apologize for not satisfying you.”

Mu Xi would say this, sincerely apologizing to Nan Xi, hoping for the Little Miss’s forgiveness.

Until.

On the evening of the third day, before Mu Xi started the car to drive back to the Nan residence.

Nan Xi asked that question.

The timing was exceptionally crucial because if she hadn’t asked before Mu Xi pressed the accelerator, Mu Xi might have pressed it too hard. That would have posed a threat to both of their personal safety.

The butler’s personal safety wasn’t that important; the main thing was that the Little Miss would be in danger.

That question was:

“Butler Mu, did you know that I secretly kissed you that day?”

Finally, she had asked. No matter what, Nan Xi felt relieved.

However, the atmosphere inside the car instantly dropped to freezing point. The superficial peace and uneventful relationship that the two of them (mainly Mu Xi) had tried so hard to maintain for the past three days were instantly shattered. The air pressure suddenly increased, and the butler fell silent.

Nan Xi had asked.

She had actually asked.