So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 84

I’m Not Going to Be the White Moonlight

Wife is the best.

The summer sun was scorching. The villa’s main door was ajar, and a stuffy, heavy wind slipped through the gap between the frame and the door, bringing a haze of heat.

Shi Jinlan gripped Chi Qian’s wrist tightly, her voice, deliberately suppressed, biting at Chi Qian’s ear.

            

In the daylight, Chi Qian saw a pair of dark, heavy eyes staring straight at her, like an evil dragon coiled in its lair. After a long moment, it finally blinked at her.

Chi Qian felt like a treasure hunter who had stumbled into a cave and woken the evil dragon from its slumber without any preparation.

And so, it threw a question at her, one even more life-threatening than “Was it this golden axe or this silver axe​¹ that you dropped?” The breath mingling between them was a chaotic heat, as if a wrong answer would cause the flames from its nostrils to incinerate her.

            

But for Chi Qian, this question wasn’t that difficult.

She knew the answer Shi Jinlan wanted, and she knew she could give it.

After the plundering kiss Shi Jinlan had just given her, Chi Qian took a light breath and answered, “You.”

            

“You what?”

But Shi Jinlan wasn’t satisfied with such a simple word. The hand pinching Chi Qian’s chin slowly caressed her face.

Moist lips pressed warmly against the corner of her mouth, kissing her gently, coaxing her, insisting that Chi Qian give her a precise answer.

            

The light summer wind spread the warmth. Chi Qian’s nose was pressed against Shi Jinlan’s, and that clean fragrance was pushed toward the tip of her tongue, as pure and crisp as dew. It dissolved between her teeth and the root of her tongue, then drew out a subtle hint of sweetness.

Just like Shi Jinlan herself.

How could Chi Qian withstand such a tease? In a gap between kisses, she swallowed and said a complete sentence: “You’re more important than Yuan Ming.”

            

At this, Shi Jinlan’s suspended heart finally settled.

No one noticed the smile that lifted the corner of her mouth. The jealousy came and went quickly, replaced by pride.

Her breath fell upon Chi Qian’s nose, and after a brief pause, she delved deeper into Chi Qian’s mouth without warning.

            

Chi Qian was caught completely off guard.

She thought that by giving Shi Jinlan the answer, she would be let go. Who knew this person would instead intensify her efforts, sweeping through and occupying her mouth.

Wet sounds. Like lake water pushed ashore by the wind, wet sounds lingered in the entryway.

            

After being pressed against the screen wall​² and kissed for a long while, Chi Qian could feel Shi Jinlan relax.

It was hard to believe, but she had to: Shi Jinlan had calmed down because of her, and just now, she had lost control because of the possibility that she wasn’t Chi Qian’s first choice.

How could this person care about me so much? Am I really that important to her?

            

The feeling of being cherished was like a melting glacier, flooding over Chi Qian’s heart and spreading through her limbs.

She took the initiative to wrap her hand around the one loosely holding her wrist, weaving her fingers through Shi Jinlan’s and clasping her hand in her own palm.

The crisp, clean fragrance gradually became tinged with another scent. Shi Jinlan’s tongue retreated, only to be met by Chi Qian’s, which pried her teeth apart.

            

Then, a hand reached out and wrapped around her tilted waist. With just a slight exertion of force, she fell into Chi Qian’s embrace.

Shi Jinlan’s heart immediately began to race.

One of her hands still held the collar around Chi Qian’s neck, but her waist was now held firmly in Chi Qian’s grasp.

            

Water submerged their lips, and even their teeth felt as if they were softening.

At this moment, it was hard to say if the initiative in this kiss was still in Shi Jinlan’s hands.

The rising sun cast its scorching rays into the entryway. Shi Jinlan was like the most fragile of ice sculptures, completely routed by Chi Qian’s kiss, unable to withstand a single blow.​³

            

The chirping of birds outside sounded near and far, creating the illusion that they were outdoors.

Shi Jinlan’s hand, gripping Chi Qian’s collar, tightened continuously, but her legs had gone weak at some point, making the gesture less of a warning and more like a spoiled complaint.

After Chi Qian had reversed their roles​⁴ and taken what she wanted for a while, Shi Jinlan finally got a breath of relieving oxygen.

            

Her head hung low on Chi Qian’s shoulder as she panted. Her fingers caressed the collar she had put on her, and the corners of her reddened eyes lowered quietly, as if she were pondering something.

Who between the two of them was the master?​⁵

Before Shi Jinlan could figure out this simple question, a third person’s name reached her ears: “I wasn’t the one who told Yuan Ming. She recognized the bracelet on my hand.”

            

Chi Qian felt it was necessary to explain what had just happened to Shi Jinlan.

She knew Shi Jinlan wasn’t someone who would be completely controlled by her emotions. Once the jealousy passed, she would calm down again.

And things were just as Chi Qian predicted.

            

Leaning on Chi Qian’s shoulder, Shi Jinlan’s breath, which had just barely steadied, hitched.

It was unclear if she was displeased that Chi Qian had mentioned Yuan Ming or if she was sensitive because the bracelet had been brought up, but her gaze, in a place Chi Qian couldn’t see, turned heavy.

Although Shi Jinlan really didn’t want to hear Yuan Ming’s name again so soon, she suppressed her annoyance and extracted the key phrase from Chi Qian’s words. “How would she recognize your bracelet?”

            

“Yuan Ming told me this bracelet was originally mine,” Chi Qian answered, gently stroking Shi Jinlan’s back.

“When I was abandoned at Grandpa’s door, I was wearing a bracelet. Later, when I grew up, Grandpa melted the bracelet I’d worn since I was little with some ancestral silver and had a new one made for me.”

Chi Qian didn’t know why, but when telling this story, she should have said “the original owner,” yet from beginning to end, she kept using “I.”

            

“So it was originally your thing.”

And that’s what Shi Jinlan said, too.

She caressed Chi Qian’s wrist, touching the bracelet cautiously as if afraid she would trigger the electric current again and hurt Chi Qian.

            

Hearing this, Chi Qian also lowered her gaze to the bracelet on her wrist. The clear silver light flashed across her vision, and as if reminded of something, she said in a low voice, “It should be said that it belonged to the other me.”

There was almost no difference in Chi Qian’s voice when she was thinking or feeling down, but Shi Jinlan clearly sensed the change in her mood.

“Silly cub.” Shi Jinlan tapped Chi Qian on the head, then took her hand and led her to the living room.

            

The spacious sofa was big enough for three or four people, but Shi Jinlan wrapped an arm around Chi Qian’s waist and very naturally had her sit in her lap.

Light kisses, like a dragonfly dipping in water,​⁶ trailed down from Chi Qian’s ear.

And just like that, Chi Qian was held in Shi Jinlan’s arms, listening to her say, “You are you.”

            

It was hard to tell if it was the kiss or those words that sent a jolt through her, but Chi Qian’s heart skipped a beat.

Her uncertainty was once again caught securely by the person behind her. Shi Jinlan was like her anchor; no matter how big the waves were from now on, her lonely boat would not be afraid.

“Mm.”

            

Sunlight streamed in through the window. Chi Qian gently squeezed Shi Jinlan’s hand.

She nodded at Shi Jinlan but didn’t dare turn her head to look, afraid this person would see her inexplicably reddened eyes.

So pathetic. How can I be moved so easily?

            

Held in Shi Jinlan’s embrace, Chi Qian’s bare feet rested on the soft sofa.

She greedily and carefully inhaled the warm, soft fragrance coming from behind her. It was as if this little house was her entire world, and she was terrified that in the next moment, the system would notice her rebellion and take everything back.

Song Tang had once told Chi Qian that people are always most fearful when they are closest to happiness.

            

Only later did Chi Qian understand that people are also at their happiest only when they are infinitely close to happiness.

“Do you want to go back and see?” Shi Jinlan tightened her arm around Chi Qian’s waist slightly, asking as she rested her head on her shoulder.

Chi Qian felt that Shi Jinlan was like the roundworm in her stomach.​⁷ She would prepare a fishing rod for her and even take the initiative to ask about the very thing she was struggling with.

            

“But I don’t know how I’d explain it if I went back,” Chi Qian said, a little troubled.

Chi Qian properly collected her emotions, then turned around and opened her mouth to speak to Shi Jinlan.

But no matter how she tried, she couldn’t say the word “system” to Shi Jinlan, a character in this small world.​⁸

            

After struggling for a few moments, Chi Qian nearly choked. Finally, she helplessly pointed to her own throat and spread her hands. “See? I can’t say it. It won’t let me.”

Shi Jinlan raised a hand and smoothed the hair that had fallen beside Chi Qian’s face. Her eyes held a mix of helplessness and doting affection. “Have you ever thought that even if you did say it, no one would believe you?”

“That’s true,” Chi Qian said, scratching her nose in embarrassment.

            

“Perhaps we can put it this way.”

Shi Jinlan quickly thought of a reasonable excuse for Chi Qian. As she spoke, she folded Chi Qian’s hand back into her own palm. “You didn’t pass away. For the past three years, I actually had you hidden away. Your treatment just recently finished, and you’ve recovered. I didn’t say anything before because I was afraid the old gentleman would get his hopes up, only for it to be empty happiness for a while.”​⁹

After speaking, Shi Jinlan leaned in to look at the person in her lap and asked in a warm voice, “What does Ah Qian think?”

            

It was indeed a good story, and with Shi Jinlan’s current power and status, she could forge the proof.

But Chi Qian still felt it wasn’t good enough. She didn’t want Shi Jinlan to risk being scolded by her grandfather just so she could go back to the island to see him. “But Grandpa will be angry with you this way.”

“Elder Chi already has quite an opinion of me. I don’t mind adding a little more,” Shi Jinlan said nonchalantly, her gaze as calm as ever as she looked at Chi Qian.

            

She seemed carefree, but there was still a hint of sadness in her mood.

Chi Qian could hear it. No one wants the important family of their lover to not accept them.

Originally.

            

Chi Qian belatedly caught the slip-up that Shi Jinlan had tried, but failed, to cover up. She turned around to ask for clarification. “Ah Lan, did something happen between you and Grandpa before?”

“It’s nothing,” Shi Jinlan said, unwilling to talk about it.

It wasn’t a pleasant matter.

            

Regarding Chi Qingyan’s impression of her, Shi Jinlan thought she could turn it around on her own without making Chi Qian worry.

With that in mind, Shi Jinlan tightened her arm around Chi Qian.

She pulled the person closer into her embrace, her eyebrows raised in a casual, lazy manner as she rested her chin on Chi Qian’s shoulder. “Ah Qian, I’ve already made such a huge sacrifice. Can’t you say something nice for me to hear?”

            

“Something nice?” Chi Qian hadn’t expected such a request.

“Yeah.” Shi Jinlan nodded, her thin lips brushing against Chi Qian’s ear as she used every trick in the book, from threats to inducements. “Otherwise, I won’t take you back to the island.”

A breeze picked up outside the window, causing the willow branches to sway past the floor-to-ceiling window, mottling the light and shadow like a painting.

            

Chi Qian turned to look at Shi Jinlan, and a pair of smiling, curved eyes entered her vision.

Her dark pupils were bewitching, and her hot, moist breath slid from her ear down her neck.

Chi Qian felt that she absolutely had to say something nice for Shi Jinlan to hear now.

            

Her heart and spirit both moved.​¹⁰ She lowered her eyelashes as if thinking very seriously for a moment, then lifted her head.

Her lips, which had just been kissed, were still moist and flushed. She gently pressed them together again, then turned with a smile and wrapped her arms around Shi Jinlan’s neck.

A shadow fell across Shi Jinlan’s vision as soft jade entered her arms.

            

Being held by Chi Qian, she didn’t notice the ambiguous cunning in the other’s smile.

Those slender fingers traced Shi Jinlan’s cheek, and then Chi Qian’s lips were leisurely by her ear.

She lifted her collared neck slightly, her red lips parted, and in the sweetest, most cloying voice in the world, she said to Shi Jinlan, “Wife is the best.”

            

Shi Jinlan’s body froze abruptly, followed by an unbalanced heartbeat.

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The author has something to say:

Pigeon:​¹¹ Youth is great. No sore back, no sore hands. You can go at it for three days and three nights, wake up from a nap, and still feel refreshed and full of energy!

            

Qianqian says with disdain: Mom, where did you read all this? It’s so old-fashioned.

Lazy Lanlan:​¹² But it’s worth a try.

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