I Am Her Secret Beauty and Strong Alpha (GL) - Chapter 8

Although she had long known that the so-called “farm stay” the Nan family spoke of likely lacked any real technical substance, when the sports car carrying Mu Xi and the Nan siblings arrived at a discreet yet luxurious villa halfway up the mountain—and an elegant elderly man came to greet them at the entrance—

Mu Xi still felt a little out of sorts.

She knew perfectly well that she shouldn’t, under any circumstances, show jealousy in front of her employer, but when the elderly butler led several young attendants to the villa gates to welcome them, she couldn’t help blurting out dryly:

“Second Young Master, so I’m not the only butler, huh?”

Someone was actually here to snatch her brick-carrying job.

What was this faint sense of sourness? She clearly knew this old butler couldn’t possibly carry bricks as well as she could.

“Eh? You’re right, it seems we do have more than one butler,” Nan Nan replied with clueless cheer, not at all catching Mu Xi’s implication. “But we only come here once or twice a year. Most of the time, we still see you more often, Butler Mu.”

As he spoke, the old butler stepped forward and opened the car door on Nan Xi’s side, elegantly reaching out a hand to shield her head.

Nan Xi gave him a polite smile, lifted her skirt slightly, and stepped out of the car.

Meanwhile, Nan Nan and Mu Xi also exited the vehicle.

Mu Xi took in the unfamiliar villa, noting its hidden location surrounded by untouched mountains. The scenery was beautiful, the air fresh. It was likely used by the Nan family as a vacation home—but it had nothing in common with the “farm stay” image she had imagined.

Would she be sent to manage this place as a retirement gig someday? That didn’t sound so bad…

Assuming she could survive this current crisis with Nan Xi and keep her job long enough to retire.

Mu Xi solemnly shook hands with the old butler. “Nice to meet you. I’m Mu Xi, the house butler of the main residence.”

The old butler, hair white but spirit sharp, responded with equal gravity, “Pleasure to meet you, Butler Mu. I’m Vincent, responsible for the Nan family’s vacation estate.”

Two butlers, both overworked by Nan Zhiya, exchanged a look filled with mutual sympathy.

Vincent was older and no longer able to handle everything personally, so most tasks fell to the staff under him. His current role was mostly to accompany the siblings around the estate and explain the layout.

When Nan Nan asked whether there were any farmlands nearby, a puzzled look spread across Vincent’s wrinkled face.

“Apologies. You mean farmland?”

“The farmland here was leveled three years ago—per the master’s instructions.”

Nan Xi immediately let out a merciless laugh at her brother, while Mu Xi sighed and began searching for recreational facilities within a five-kilometer radius. But the area was so remote that aside from two questionable-looking restaurants, there was nothing.

Vincent, trying to smooth things over, added, “If the Second Young Master and Young Miss are interested, we still have some excellent aged wine in the cellar. You can also make wine or grow grapes in the back mountain.”

Nan Nan, very pleased and intrigued, nodded. Their luggage was then brought in and sent to their respective rooms.

Since they already knew the villa was fully stocked, both siblings had only brought small suitcases. Mu Xi hadn’t even brought a suitcase—just a backpack with a change of clothes.

Here, for once, Mu Xi didn’t have to stay in the servants’ quarters. She was given a guest room on the second floor, alongside the siblings.

As she was hanging her clothes in the wardrobe, a soft knock came at her open door.

Nan Xi stood there, looking a bit pale. She raised her hand.

“Butler Mu, come to my room for a moment.”

Mu Xi placed her clothes on the bed and immediately followed Nan Xi into her guest room.

Upon entering, Nan Xi only stepped forward once before freezing, pointing to a corner and turning her head away:

“There’s a big spider over there.”

Mu Xi followed her gaze and indeed spotted a spider, about the size of a fingertip, hanging mid-air and slowly descending toward Nan Xi’s bed.

She was familiar with Nan family housekeeping standards—guest rooms had to be cleaned daily even when unoccupied. But this mountain villa’s location meant that insects could easily enter through the windows when opened for ventilation.

“Are there… snakes too?” Nan Xi’s face turned even paler as she asked.

“There won’t be, Young Miss. Please don’t worry—I’ll inspect the room for you right away.”

Mu Xi comforted her while approaching the spider, deftly pinching it between two fingers.

She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wrapped the spider, preparing to toss it out the window and shut it.

But just as she circled the bed, Nan Xi cried out again.

“Young Miss!” Mu Xi rushed to her. “What is it?”

Nan Xi staggered a few steps as if terrified, her slim figure swaying like a drifting willow leaf before collapsing to the floor with a few soft whimpers of pain.

Mu Xi couldn’t let her fall. She immediately reached out—with the spider-free hand—and caught Nan Xi around the waist, preventing a small disaster.

Strands of soft hair brushed against Mu Xi’s face. The warmth of Nan Xi’s body felt soft as jelly, and where they touched, it almost tickled.

Nan Xi’s eyes were slightly wet. Looking up from Mu Xi’s loose embrace, her usually distant voice took on a hint of grievance:

“Butler Mu, you hurt me.”

Her voice was low and gentle—normally soothing, but now it sounded like a clap of thunder in the sky.

Mu Xi jumped, immediately pulling her arm away. “Was I too rough? Young Miss, where does it hurt?”

Nan Xi glanced at the handkerchief in Mu Xi’s hand covering the spider and took a step back, reaching to lift her skirt:

“My waist. It really hurts. I might’ve scraped it or something.”

Seeing Nan Xi about to lift her skirt, Mu Xi turned her head away as if fleeing, a flush of shame and panic rising on her face.

“Young Miss, you—”

She didn’t finish, but her determination was clear: she would never offend or disrespect Miss Nan Xi with her gaze.

“Oh,” Nan Xi finally seemed to realize the implications, and her tone turned mild. “Then I’ll unzip the back. Could you check if it’s bleeding?”

This was getting out of hand.

Sure, Mu Xi had strong arms, but she’d taken strength control training. How could one light catch cause bleeding?

Mu Xi turned back just in time to see Nan Xi unzip her dress all the way down the back.

Before her was Nan Xi’s bare white back—not bony, just delicate. Her skin was smooth and flawless, like fine white jade, generously displayed to Mu Xi without a trace of hesitation.

“…Well? Is there bl00d?”

Mu Xi finally lowered her gaze—down to the most elegant curve of Nan Xi’s waist.

Her neck seemed stiff, though she didn’t realize it.

“…No, Young Miss. Just a bit red.”

She really was fragile. Though it hadn’t broken the skin like Nan Xi feared, Mu Xi’s light grasp had left a faint mark on her waist.

Faint though it was, Nan Xi’s skin was so pale that the mark looked rather pitiful.

“That’s good.”

Nan Xi zipped herself back up, now calmer, and looked again at the spider in Mu Xi’s hand. “Please get rid of it quickly, Butler Mu.”

Mu Xi walked to the window and tossed away the spider that had lingered an extra three minutes.

Then she returned. “Young Miss, what happened just now?”

“There was another spider in the room,” Nan Xi said calmly. “I saw it and panicked. Please make sure to search the whole room carefully—I don’t want a single bug left.”

So that sudden breakdown was because of another spider.

Mu Xi asked Nan Xi to wait in the hallway, then began a thorough sweep—searching everywhere from the bed to the bathroom corners.

She did find a few small insects, but as for the second spider Nan Xi mentioned, there was no sign of it.

Even after double-checking, nothing.

Apologetically, she returned to Nan Xi.

Nan Xi, understanding, said, “It’s alright, thank you. Maybe it went out the window. If I see it again, I’ll let you know.”

Mu Xi nodded and was about to leave the room—

Until Nan Xi stopped her with one sentence.

“I think I mentioned before—you remind me of someone I used to know.”

Mu Xi immediately recalled the night they first met—Nan Xi’s pain, her breakdown, and the slap that now threatened her entire career.

She turned around, eyes flickering. “Yes, I remember.”

“I’m more and more convinced you’re alike,” Nan Xi said, her eyes fixed on Mu Xi’s averted gaze, searching for a hint of truth. “Equally competent. Equally strong-willed.”

Competent, Mu Xi could understand.

But strong-willed?

She racked her brain—had anything in the past two days shown “strong will” worthy of such praise?

Before she could think further, Nan Xi added, almost mockingly, “Of course, maybe I’m just too hopeful. After all, you’re not her.”

…

Mu Xi was clever, and that hint was enough for her to start understanding what Nan Xi truly meant.

But she didn’t know what to say or do that could possibly comfort this young woman wounded so deeply by lost love.

Perhaps nothing she said would help—anything now might only make things worse.

“Why can’t you be her?”

Mu Xi’s lips moved slightly, wanting to speak, but in the end, she remained silent.

She looked into Nan Xi’s eyes—eyes that stared back at her, dark and unreadable. She couldn’t tell what emotion lay behind them, only that Nan Xi was watching her—and wasn’t happy.

She only heard Nan Xi say:

“Go back.”

Mu Xi turned and left, returned to her room, and resumed hanging her shirts, suits, and trousers.

She wasn’t sure why, but something told her—

There probably wouldn’t be another spider in Nan Xi’s room.