July 23rd had quietly arrived. Murphy originally had a work commitment today, but she had Mo Xiaojuan cancel it. After returning home at noon, she stayed in her room picking out clothes, spending hours choosing an outfit and then hesitating over what makeup to apply.
Not wearing makeup was definitely out of the question. Her bare face was beautiful, but it lacked luster. Heavy makeup would be too flashy, and Murphy worried Yang Yi wouldn’t like it—that guy was so rigid! He’d even once told her to remove her makeup before getting close to Xixi... (though that was in the past). But light makeup was even harder to nail. Should she draw eyeliner? Apply eyeshadow? Wear colored contacts? Use highlighter? What shade of lipstick? Add lip gloss? The indecision dragged on until the sky turned dark!
Not only that, but Murphy couldn’t make up her mind and called Mo Xiaojuan over for advice. Mo Xiaojuan, fed up with being force-fed their romance, looked listless. After over an hour of fussing, she finally said helplessly, "Sis, you’re going to a concert, not sneaking off to a secluded spot for a date. In the end, you’ll still have to wear a coat, mask, sunglasses, and a hat, right? What’s the point of dressing up and doing your makeup so nicely now?"
Murphy pouted and fell silent.
It wasn’t until Yang Yi drove up to the building with Xixi that Murphy, flustered after receiving his call, finished the last touches of her makeup, grabbed her bag, and headed downstairs.
"And this bag!" Mo Xiaojuan, frustrated at her cousin’s forgetfulness, called out and handed her the bag with her disguise gear.
When Murphy reached the ground floor, Yang Yi had already parked in the usual spot. Instead of going to the back seat, she opened the passenger door and sat down.
"Hey, that’s Xixi’s spot," the little girl grumbled, feeling left out as she sat alone in her car seat in the back.
Murphy didn’t respond. She bit her pale pink lower lip lightly, pretending not to care as she fastened her seatbelt, but inside, she was hoping Yang Yi would give her a compliment—preferably a glowing five-star review!
But Yang Yi just glanced at her and turned away, leaving Murphy suddenly deflated.
Little did she know, Yang Yi had been mesmerized through the window just moments ago!
Today, Murphy wore a blue ink-print linen maxi dress—a sleeveless, waist-cinching style that perfectly suited her tall, slender figure. Paired with a thin white cardigan, it covered her delicate shoulders but revealed her slim arms and narrow waist. Without her slightly mature, center-parted long curls, her figure alone would make people think she was a lively seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl! No one would guess she was thirty and a mother of one!
Of course, beauty isn’t just about looks and figure—it’s also about aura. The blue ink print wasn’t chaotic but elegant and refined. As Murphy approached, she looked striking from afar and ethereal up close.
When Murphy got into the car, Yang Yi felt like he couldn’t breathe just from that one glance. Her naturally stunning face, with a touch of light makeup today, seemed like a celestial maiden descending to earth. Her radiant glow from her mood made her so beautiful that Yang Yi dared not look too long.
Having lived two lives, Yang Yi swore Murphy was the most beautiful and ethereal woman he had ever seen!
If he kept staring, he feared he’d offend her.
But... women’s thoughts were nothing like he imagined!
"Aren’t you going to disguise yourself today? Just walking in like this?" Yang Yi gestured, covering his mouth with his hand like a mask.
Murphy turned away in a huff. "No, I don’t want to, I won’t!"
Xixi sat alone in the back, surrounded by her mom’s two bags. She looked from her dad to her mom, then pouted and raised her voice, "You’re both ignoring me! I’m going to get mad!"
"No, how could we ignore you?"
"Right, we’ll talk to you once we’re done!"
At their daughter’s words, Murphy forgot her sulking, and both of them quickly comforted her.
"I can still see you from the front!" Murphy adjusted the rearview mirror to catch her daughter’s eyes and winked at her. (Note 1)
Xixi, delighted by this new game, forgot her earlier frustration and winked back. The little girl didn’t know how to "wink with one eye," and her exaggerated expressions made Yang Yi and Murphy chuckle softly.
Murphy’s earlier pique faded, and she said to Yang Yi, "I still need to disguise myself. Otherwise, how could I dare go to such a crowded place? I’ll put on the mask and stuff in the car later!"
As Yang Yi was about to start the car, he had an idea. "Actually, you don’t have to wear a coat and mask in this heat!"
Murphy looked at him doubtfully.
"Where’s your makeup bag?" Yang Yi reached out to her. "Let me change your look. I guarantee even your fans won’t recognize you!"
Murphy stared at him skeptically. "You know how to do makeup?"
Yang Yi smiled faintly. "Of course. Back in the military, you know I was in the special forces, right? We often had to carry out special missions, and disguise techniques were part of our training."
That was, of course, a lie... Yang Yi was taking advantage of Murphy’s trust!
Special forces did have more skills than regular soldiers, and they were indeed formidable, but the old Yang Yi had never learned disguise—he only knew how to apply camouflage paint.
Disguise was something Yang Yi had learned in his past life’s assassin organization, which he couldn’t explain.
Murphy was hesitant but eventually handed over the makeup pouch from the back seat.
Girls are naturally curious about makeup, and Xixi was no exception. She watched with wide eyes, silent and intrigued.
"Lean closer!" Yang Yi rummaged through Murphy’s makeup bag and found a few tools.
Murphy was still a bit nervous, but seeing Yang Yi hold the eyebrow pencil correctly, she steeled herself, leaned toward him, tilted her face up, and closed her eyes tightly.
"Don’t be tense. Relax a little," Yang Yi said softly, gently cupping her chin with his left hand.
Inside, his heart was racing, especially as he looked at her glossy, pink lips, fighting the urge to lean in and kiss her.
Murphy kept her eyes closed, letting out a vague "mm" through her nose, but she didn’t relax at all. Instead, the faint blush on her cheeks grew more pronounced.
"If he kisses me, should I push him away?"
(Note 1: This violates traffic laws—don’t imitate her...)