So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 11

“You and Shi Jinlan are lovers written into the system, destined to fall in love.”

The sun was gentle and warm, hanging over the sea as its bright light fell upon the sand, making one feel comfortable as it baked them.

The wind was filtered, neither cold nor heavy as it teased the hair on the side of Chi Qian’s face, allowing her to have a rare good sleep.

“…”

Her eyelids, shrouded in shadow, twitched, and Chi Qian opened her eyes.

A shadow was blocking her face, so the sunlight wasn’t the least bit glaring. It woke her gently, leaving her still a bit drowsy with sleep.

The environment on this island was really nice. She’d gone on spring outings with friends before and had never fallen asleep so quickly.

Or perhaps it was because the business with Shi Jinlan yesterday had dragged on until midnight, leaving her physically exhausted, so she fell asleep the moment she lay down.

Ah, Shi Jinlan.

An important name inserted itself into Chi Qian’s sluggish mind, and she immediately looked up.

To her surprise, however, there was no need to search around; Shi Jinlan was right beside her.

Chi Qian didn’t know how long she had slept. Shi Jinlan was still looking at her phone.

The dappled light and shadows made her figure indistinct. Dust motes danced in the sunlight before being swallowed by black flames, making Shi Jinlan appear even more untouched by the mortal world.

Chi Qian’s glance lingered for a long time.

The light outlined Shi Jinlan’s side profile. Her long hair was tucked behind her ear, her jawline was sharp, and her nose was straight. Her eyelashes, tinged with golden light, were cast downward, appearing exceptionally distinct amidst the blackness coiling around her.

She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt that Shi Jinlan was a bit closer to her than before she had fallen asleep.

“You’re awake?” Shi Jinlan looked at the figure sitting up beside her, her gaze calmly turning to Chi Qian.

Chi Qian came back to her senses. “Did I sleep for a long time?”

“Your clothes just dried,” Shi Jinlan answered indirectly.

Then it hadn’t been that long.

Chi Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. Seeing that Shi Jinlan hadn’t developed any bad mood from her falling asleep, she went on to exclaim, “The sun is so nice today. It feels so good.”

“Mm,” Shi Jinlan said, looking at Chi Qian’s smiling eyes and nodding enigmatically.

Then she cleared the search history in the browser and handed the phone back to Chi Qian. “Let’s go back.”

“Okay.” Chi Qian pretended not to notice Shi Jinlan’s wariness toward her and reached out to pat Thirteen’s rear. “Lazy cat, wake up, we’re going home.”

“Meow!” Thirteen was very unhappy about being patted on the butt and cried out in protest at Chi Qian.

“It feels great. Want to give it a pet?” Chi Qian deliberately ignored Thirteen’s protest and gloatingly extended an invitation to Shi Jinlan.

Shi Jinlan wasn’t interested in animals. “No, thanks.”

“What a shame,” Chi Qian said, a little disappointed.

She had originally wanted to use this to see if Thirteen would be suppressed by Shi Jinlan’s villainous aura.

“Let’s go then.” Saying this, Chi Qian got up nimbly from the ground, holding the seagull in one arm and calling for Thirteen with the other hand.

Sunlight scattered across the beach, stretching their shadows diagonally.

One person, one cat, and one bird.

Watching this scene from behind, Shi Jinlan inexplicably felt as though Chi Qian was hauling her entire family along.

The wheelchair rolled a distance over the gravel, and then Shi Jinlan frowned again.

So what role was she playing in all this?

---

Because of the addition of a seagull, Chi Qian had to run up and down the stairs at the entrance of the Chi residence three times, which truly gave her the feeling of passing my family’s gate three times without entering¹.

Shi Jinlan seemed to be a bit of a germaphobe. Despite having been in the sun for a good while, the first thing she did upon returning home was to go inside and change her clothes.

Chi Qian watched her leave from the courtyard, placed the seagull on an empty table in the yard, and let out a long sigh. “Phew.”

But Chi Qian’s relief didn’t last long.

Chi Qingyan had seen his granddaughter, who had been missing for a while, through the window of the clinic and came out with a stern face. “Where did you run off to this time? And you took Miss Shen with you.”

“The house was too messy, so I took Miss Shen to the beach to get some sun. And look, Grandpa, I even saved a seagull!” Chi Qian said, trying to be endearing as she pointed to the seagull on the table.

Chi Qingyan looked at Chi Qian, then at the unconscious seagull. Seeing that Chi Qian’s bandaging technique was decent, his expression softened. “You still should have finished the work at hand before going out.”

“You haven’t ground the herbs for today, have you?” Chi Qingyan reminded Chi Qian of her duties, his hands behind his back.

Being a doctor was a busy profession. Chi Qingyan was famous in all the surrounding villages, and people came to see him not just from the island, but from other places as well.

Because of this, Chi Qingyan saw patients almost every day, and tasks like dispensing, grinding, and organizing the storeroom were all done by Chi Qian.

Hearing Chi Qingyan’s reminder, Chi Qian let out a little “Ah.”

Her work today had been interrupted by a patient who suddenly came in, and then she had gone to the beach with Shi Jinlan, completely forgetting about the tasks she had left unfinished.

Sticking to the principle of loving the work you do, Chi Qian headed for the pharmacy. “I’ll go right now!”

Sunlight streamed into the room, and the thick, slightly bitter aroma of herbs filled the air.

Chi Qian sat on a long, flat bench, huffing and puffing as she rolled the medicine grinder. Having had a nap, she was now full of energy, and her thoughts were active.

Looking at the piles of herbs in the room, she couldn’t help but think of the poison in Shi Jinlan’s body. 【If we can’t find the antidote, what happens if Shi Jinlan dies?】

Thirteen licked its fur lazily, unconcerned. 【She won’t die.】

【She is the protagonist of this world. Before she walks toward her predetermined death, the world will not let her die. If someone wants to kill her, someone will definitely be able to save her. If she wants to jump off a cliff to end her life, a tree branch will definitely be there to break her fall. Chi Qingyan will definitely find the antidote in the future. Her poison will definitely be cured.】

【That sounds a bit like a protagonist halo².】 Chi Qian mused.

【That is indeed a protagonist halo.】

For once, Thirteen agreed with Chi Qian’s thought, then added, 【But Shi Jinlan’s protagonist halo only exists on the island.】

Hearing this, Chi Qian felt a sense of discomfort in her heart, feeling it was unfair to Shi Jinlan. 【You systems are really something. You give someone hope, only to destroy them later. Did Shi Jinlan flip your system’s table in a past life or something?】

【It is fate.】 Thirteen said, all serious.

【What about me?】 Chi Qian asked. 【What is my fate?】

【What if I die before Shi Jinlan falls in love with me?】

【You won’t.】 Thirteen was certain.

It raised its tail and walked unhurriedly to Chi Qian’s side. 【You and Shi Jinlan are lovers written into the system, destined to fall in love.】

Thump…

Thump…

Slowly, Chi Qian heard two heavy beats from her chest.

It seemed to be this body’s heart fluttering at Thirteen’s words.

The medicine grinder rolled to the top, then slowly rolled back down.

Chi Qian’s hand, holding the wooden handle, tightened for a long moment.

She thought that if she were truly in love with Shi Jinlan, she too would be moved by that sentence.

It was their destiny. Their names were written in the main text, and nothing that happened would ever change it.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t.

She wasn’t the original owner of this body.

She didn’t even know where the body’s original owner was now.

She was just an unlucky task-doer, a vegetable chicken³ who’d been grabbed to fight the boss before even leaving the starter village.

Chi Qian sighed internally, then suddenly felt that Thirteen’s statement was a bit strange.

She looked thoughtfully at the cat squatting beside her, her expression puzzled. 【Shouldn’t you be saying that if I die, the mission will fail?】

【Actu—】

“Creak—”

Just as Thirteen was about to speak, the pharmacy door was pushed open from the outside.

Chi Qingyan walked in with a prescription slip in his hand and placed it in front of Chi Qian. “This is for Auntie Zhou’s Xingjie⁴. You can brew it with Miss Shen’s tomorrow morning.”

This Xingjie was the man whose finger was severed today, the brother of the man who had tried to get handsy with Shi Jinlan.

Hearing Chi Qingyan’s instructions, Chi Qian became vigilant. “He’s staying here?”

Chi Qingyan nodded. “He needs to be observed for two days.”

“Then who’s taking care of him?” Chi Qian pressed.

“Your Auntie Zhou, of course,” Chi Qingyan replied. “His brother left after seeing he was okay.”

Chi Qian let out a long “Oh” at his words, her tense expression instantly relaxing.

Sunlight shone into the cramped pharmacy, illuminating the small space.

Chi Qingyan, watching from the side, suddenly squinted, looking as if he saw right through Chi Qian. “Worried about Miss Shen?”

“Yeah.” Chi Qian didn’t think there was anything to hide, nor did she shy away from it. “His brother was harassing Miss Shen today.”

“You gave him a pretty good beating,” Chi Qingyan chuckled.

“I was just seeing injustice on the road and helping out!” Chi Qian said.

“Really?” Chi Qingyan asked in return.

Chi Qian now sensed there was a hidden meaning in Chi Qingyan’s words and blinked at him. “What else would there be?”

“Miss Shen is very beautiful,” Chi Qingyan stated.

“Mhm,” Chi Qian nodded.

Chi Qingyan: “You like Miss Shen?”

“Mhm… Huh?!”

Chi Qian was about to nod, then froze.

A breeze rushed in through the doorway, making Chi Qingyan’s little mustache tremble and revealing a clear smile at the corners of his upturned mouth.

He had known for a long time that Chi Qian liked girls.

But the original owner didn’t know, and Chi Qian didn’t know either.

She looked at Chi Qingyan in disbelief, explaining in a fluster, “I… I don’t…”

But after several attempts, the words “dislike Miss Shen” simply wouldn’t come out of her mouth.

She felt as if some mysterious force was blocking her throat, preventing her from clarifying, leaving the sentence stuck halfway.

Watching Chi Qian’s reaction, Chi Qingyan sighed deeply. “I have no opinion about you liking girls, but Qianqian, Miss Shen is no ordinary person. You should know that, right?”

After struggling against the system for a good while, Chi Qian finally gave up and resigned herself to answering Chi Qingyan’s question first. “I’d have to be pretty dumb to say I don’t.”

“She was poisoned and drifted here from the sea. The people who want to harm her disregard the law and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. The things Miss Shen has experienced are beyond our imagination, and her world is not one we can imagine.”

Just saying these things was shocking enough.

“That’s right.” Chi Qingyan nodded and glanced at the seagull Chi Qian had settled in the yard. “Miss Shen is like that seagull you picked up today. After you heal her, she will definitely leave.”

Chi Qingyan’s voice was both stern and gentle as he stood a little closer to Chi Qian. “It is only because she was injured and landed here that you two crossed paths. Can you understand that?”

“I understand,” Chi Qian nodded.

How could she not understand?

She knew Shi Jinlan’s background and her future better than anyone.

And it was this understanding that weighed heavily on her heart.

Chi Qian’s gaze fell silently. The sea breeze wound through her hair, smelling almost the same as it did by the shore.

The image of Shi Jinlan in her wheelchair remained in her mind. Sunlight fell on her thin frame, but the golden color couldn’t erase the paleness of her skin. It was a kind of decadent beauty.

Chi Qian felt that ever since Shi Jinlan arrived, her heart had been strapped to a roller coaster.

Up and down, one moment afraid, the next feeling indignant and heartbroken for what she had gone through.

Her mission was to help her heal her legs and guide her through the lowest point in her life.

But couldn’t she, as a person, also do something for her?

“If it were Yuan Ming, I would be very much at ease,” Chi Qingyan confessed his thoughts to Chi Qian.

But Chi Qian looked up and gave Chi Qingyan a faint smile.

Her voice was very soft, tinged with a bit of regret, yet also a bit of resolve. “But Yuan Ming isn’t Miss Shen.”

This was her reason for being in this world.

Hearing this, Chi Qingyan shook his head helplessly at his granddaughter. “Silly girl.”

He turned to leave, but just as his foot crossed the threshold, he turned back and gave an order regarding the herbs Chi Qian was grinding. “Grind another portion of these.”

The half-open door obscured the scene behind the house; half a wheel that had been visible just a moment ago had now retreated out of sight.

Chi Qingyan left after speaking, not noticing that Shi Jinlan had just come out of the adjacent washroom.

Her slender hands rested on the wheelchair, still covered in scabbed-over wounds.

Thanks to Chi Qian’s massage that morning, they didn’t hurt as much.

---

The author has something to say:

Lanlan: I get it!

Qianqian: No, you don’t.

…

Also: Who is Yuan Ming?

---

---