I Am Her Secret Beauty and Strong Alpha (GL) - Chapter 7

As Mu Xi was pouring wine for Nan Zhiya, she suddenly became the center of attention.

She held the base of the red wine bottle with one hand and grasped the body with the other, letting the deep red liquid slowly flow into the glass, stopping precisely at the perfect baseline slightly below the center.

At the exact moment the wine touched the line, something Nan Xi said made Mu Xi’s hand tremble, and the wine went past the line, ruining the perfection.

Fortunately, no one noticed the detail.

After hearing Nan Xi’s words, Nan Zhiya and Nan Nan both looked at Mu Xi in surprise.

Mu Xi stood rigidly, unsure of what to say, when both of them unexpectedly smiled, thinking Nan Xi’s suggestion was a good one.

“Not bad. At least if you’re going out with the housekeeper instead of your brother, I won’t have to worry about your safety,” Nan Zhiya said.

“Yeah, the housekeeper is definitely more reliable than I am,” Nan Nan admitted without hesitation.

Mu Xi had never expected that her usual dedication to work and the reliable image she had built would make her so trusted.

She was genuinely touched. For the first time, she felt that all her hard work hadn’t been in vain, and she even wanted to go back to the construction site to haul bricks for a couple more days.

Mu Xi set down the wine bottle and solemnly declared, “I will take good care of the young miss.”

After dinner, as the servants began clearing the table, Nan Zhiya called Mu Xi into the study and asked her to close the door behind her.

Mu Xi silently shut the door, walking straight over the soft velvet carpet to stand in front of Nan Zhiya’s desk.

She knew that Nan Zhiya cared deeply for Nan Xi and would not ignore matters concerning her.

Sure enough, once Mu Xi stood in place, Nan Zhiya asked, “What about Nan Xi?”

“Well, Madam,” Mu Xi carefully chose her words, “Dr. Anna and Dr. Zhang came to the house this afternoon to do a check-up for the young miss. Physically, she’s fine, but Dr. Zhang told me privately that her family should spend more time with her.”

Nan Zhiya listened attentively, her expression growing serious.

She trusted Mu Xi—and even more so, her own judgment. When she had selected Mu Xi, the least experienced among many applicants, she had never regretted it.

Mu Xi was young and lacked relevant work history, but her capabilities were outstanding. She had won first place in the national housekeeping skills competition and the bodyguard competition during school. She also held a chef certification and a psychological counselor license. After graduation, she had worked as a consultant and a housekeeper, with excellent reviews from her previous employers who were willing to write her recommendations.

She was an SSS-level alpha. Nan Zhiya had never seen an SSS alpha working in domestic service, so she immediately hired Mu Xi, recognizing her high value for the cost.

—A housekeeper strong enough to protect the entire family meant fewer bodyguards were needed.

Of course, most importantly, when Nan Zhiya met Mu Xi in person, her sharp eyes saw through to her mature, steady, detail-oriented, and dependable personality—an honest, hard-working ox, exactly what a capitalist loves best.

Only someone like that could make a savvy businesswoman like Nan Zhiya willingly offer a salary higher than any similar position in the industry to bring her into the Nan family.

…

Nan Zhiya believed Mu Xi was telling the truth. And after Nan Xi had spent five years abroad alone, the lack of family companionship was indeed real.

But learning that her beloved youngest daughter might have psychological issues filled Nan Zhiya with guilt and remorse.

“I understand.” Nan Zhiya rubbed her brow, looking as if she had aged twenty years in an instant. “…I’ve been too busy with work, but I’ll make time to be with her more. I’ll also talk to her father and her siblings.”

Mu Xi nodded, feeling comforted.

“Then Madam, I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait,” Nan Zhiya called her back. When Mu Xi turned around, she added, “Didn’t Nan Xi say she wanted to go out with you earlier? Make time to take her out more often.”

Mu Xi hesitated, “Madam, I can only manage once a week at most…”

“From now on, your top work priority is Nan Xi.”

“I understand.”

Nan Zhiya noticed Mu Xi’s momentary hesitation and quickly caught on. With her hands clasped on the desk, she sharply asked, “How is your relationship with the young miss?”

Mu Xi fell silent.

Their relationship… From her perspective, it wasn’t bad—she was used to being bossed around. But from Nan Xi’s point of view…

Hmm…

“She slapped me last night.”

After some thought, Mu Xi decided to be honest with Nan Zhiya, though she only mentioned this one detail that best illustrated Nan Xi’s attitude toward her.

It wasn’t to complain—Nan Zhiya wouldn’t blame Nan Xi for it anyway.

She knew her place. She was just a tool.

As expected, Nan Zhiya laughed pleasantly upon hearing that, completely unconcerned for Mu Xi’s wellbeing.

She glanced at Mu Xi’s face. “That’s just her personality. Don’t take it to heart.”

“I won’t. The young miss was just upset. I may have done something wrong too.”

Nan Zhiya picked up her phone, tapped and swiped a few times.

“I’ve transferred 200,000 yuan to you. Consider it this week’s outing funds with Nan Xi. If it’s not enough, ask me. If there’s leftover, consider it your medical and mental compensation.”

!!!

Mu Xi’s heart warmed to the core. Whatever nonexistent emotional trauma she had felt was now fully soothed. The world was suddenly full of birdsong, sunshine, and hope.

“Thank you, Madam. I’ll confirm the outing schedule with the young miss right away,” she said sincerely, kneeling to Nan Zhiya in her heart.

Savvy capitalists were great at giving you a sweet date after a slap. Now that the date was given, Nan Zhiya followed up with the slap:

“Mm. But if you can’t get along well with Nan Xi, I’ll have to reconsider the position of housekeeper.”

“…Understood, Madam.”

Mu Xi walked out of the study heavy-hearted, holding her now 200,000-yuan-valued phone and returning to her quarters.

After dinner, Mu Xi had some private time—she would eat her own dinner, scroll through her phone, or take an early bath. Today, she leaned against her headboard browsing travel guides, trying hard to figure out how to win Nan Xi’s favor.

It was her personal time, and the servants’ too.

Not long after, someone knocked at Mu Xi’s door. A petite servant appeared, looking slightly embarrassed as she said:

“Housekeeper, I’d like to request leave for tomorrow.”

“Hmm?” Mu Xi put down her phone and walked over. “Xiao Li, may I ask why you need time off tomorrow?”

She blushed even more. “My fiancée is coming to A City. We haven’t seen each other in a long time. We’ve planned a date.”

The little maid looked like a lovestruck girl, eyes sparkling and cheeks pink, clearly excited for the date.

Mu Xi couldn’t bring herself to refuse someone like that.

While helping her prepare the leave note, Mu Xi suddenly thought of something:

“Xiao Li, where are you planning to go in A City?”

“Oh, of course, to that famous new Lovers’ Spring! If you kiss by the pool, you’ll be together forever!”

“…”

Oh really? Yeah, no thanks.

“Eh, housekeeper, are you thinking of going out too? It’s rare to see you take time off.”

The maid noticed Mu Xi’s hesitation and kindly offered, “If you’re single, I have the most complete A City attractions guide. I’ll send it to you!”

The maid got her leave note, and Mu Xi got the guide.

She started going through it:

Shopping mall? Too cliché. The young miss didn’t lack anything—she probably wouldn’t enjoy shopping.

Tourist spots? Too crowded. The young miss was frail, and it would be too easy to get pushed or catch something.

Amusement park? Too childish. The young miss was a PhD from abroad, a high-level talent—no way she’d like such places.

…

This rural farm experience looks pretty good.

She’d handle the “farm,” and Nan Xi could enjoy the “experience”—a perfect chance to try out something she’d never lived through before.

Mu Xi settled on the destination for their first outing, then went to knock on Nan Xi’s door full of hope.

After a while, Nan Xi finally opened the door in her pajamas, her hair half dry—clearly ready for bed:

“What is it?”

“Young miss, about the outing we discussed at dinner, I’ve drafted a plan for a rural farm experience. If you could…”

Before she finished, Nan Xi was already closing the door: “No need. I was just talking. I’m going to the lab in my free time this week.”

No way she was going to a farm. She couldn’t do any of the labor and would just end up looking pampered.

Just as her high-paying job seemed ready to slip through her fingers, Mu Xi quickly stuck her hand in the doorframe to buy herself some time: “We can discuss the location. Besides research, young miss, it’s important to get out and about…”

She didn’t dare block Nan Xi physically, so she just put her hand there—if Nan Xi insisted on closing it, her hand would be caught.

Nan Xi noticed and frowned slightly, but didn’t force the door shut.

“I haven’t decided where to go yet. I’ll tell you once I do.”

Nan Xi was being honest. For the first trip, she had to choose carefully—after all, it was her only chance to rebuild the bond between two people who once loved each other.

But to Mu Xi, it just sounded like a polite brush-off—like when people say “let’s hang out sometime” and never do.

But Mu Xi’s job couldn’t wait!

Just as one was trying to hold on and the other was hesitating, the door at the end of the hall opened. Nan Nan stepped out and saw the two of them deadlocked.

“What’s going on?”

Mu Xi explained the situation to him.

“Oh come on, the farm sounds great!” At that moment, Nan Nan looked like a godsend to Mu Xi. “How about the day after tomorrow? I can take the day off.”

“What’s so great about it? It’s hot and tiring. You won’t even do any of the work,” Nan Xi grumbled.

Standing outside the door, Mu Xi looked at Nan Nan with pleading eyes, her whole body silently begging—clearly desperate for a new place to go and new work to do.

Nan Nan scratched his head, realizing what Nan Xi meant.

“You think it’s that kind of farm? It’s not. There’s no actual labor involved.”