So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 13

How About I Sunbathe With You?

Shi Jinlan’s parents died in a plane crash, so she was raised from a young age by her grandfather.

The Old Master was strict with everyone. He demanded she solve all her problems herself, and the protection he offered was harsh and conditional, exchanged for her flawless completion of the tasks he assigned her.

But this time…

Shi Jinlan looked up. Chi Qian was standing right in front of her.

Her slender frame couldn’t possibly block those two men, yet she still insisted on standing before her, making a solemn promise.

Shi Jinlan didn’t believe for a second that Chi Qian could keep her safe if these policemen were Shi Cheng’s men.

Yet her heart was inexplicably moved by the gesture.

Why?

Was it because of her overconfidence?

Shi Jinlan’s brow furrowed. Her gaze slid past Chi Qian’s shoulder to watch the two policemen approach.

The wariness in her eyes was stretched to the absolute limit, dark and sinister, like a venomous snake lying in wait in the darkness.

The two policemen’s hearts suddenly tightened. Just as they were about to step into the main hall, they heard a voice from the doorway stop them. “You’ve got the wrong place, Comrades Officers!”

Auntie Zhou¹ had just arrived to see the police bypass the sickroom and walk straight into the main hall. She hurried over to correct them. “It’s not this young lady, it’s my son!”

“Not her?” The police were also taken aback.

They had entered and immediately seen Shi Jinlan in the main hall covered in injuries, assuming she was the party involved.

For some reason, upon realizing Shi Jinlan was not the person in question, both men breathed a sigh of relief in unison.

They looked at Auntie Zhou almost identically and said, “Then, ma’am, where is your son?”

“This way, this way.” Auntie Zhou was deeply respectful as she pointed the two officers toward the sickroom.

It was a false alarm.

Chi Qian, who had been shielding Shi Jinlan, let out a long sigh of relief, her entire being radiated the relief of having survived a calamity².

Although she had confidently promised Shi Jinlan she would protect her, if those two policemen had really been part of the group trying to harm Shi Jinlan, she truly wouldn’t have known what to do.

Calming down to think it through, Shi Jinlan had jumped off a cliff, but with neither seen alive nor found as a corpse³, the Shi family would surely not rest easy.

Those people would definitely search everywhere for Shi Jinlan; they had to see her with their own eyes, dead or alive. Today was a false alarm, but what if one day the real thing came?

Chi Qian’s expression grew solemn, and she inevitably caught sight of Shi Jinlan in her peripheral vision.

And the flames on her body.

Their pitch-black color devoured the surrounding air, flaring violently up and down.

Chi Qian couldn’t help but swallow. Facing the wariness radiating from Shi Jinlan, she said soothingly, “It’s okay now, don’t be afraid.”

Afraid?

Shi Jinlan heard a very strange word and looked at Chi Qian with an expression that was not quite a smile.

She felt that compared to comforting her, the person who had just spoken was perhaps in greater need of comfort herself.

To dare speak of protecting her with so little courage.

She might as well hide behind her and be protected instead.

The morning at this house was quiet. Chi Qingyan was not home. Shi Jinlan watched the police taking notes in the sickroom and reminded Chi Qian, “Aren’t you going to go take a look?”

Chi Qian paused, then realized: no matter what, the police had come to their home, so she ought to go see what was happening.

“I’ll go, then,” Chi Qian said, walking toward the door.

The whole affair was simple. Zhou Xingjie’s⁴ finger had been accidentally severed due to improper operation of some machinery. His family filed an insurance claim, but the insurance company refused to pay. Zhou Xingjie’s younger brother, Zhou Xingjun⁵, went to argue with the insurance company. When their discussion yielded no results, Zhou Xingjun threw a punch, and the other party immediately called the police.

After understanding the cause of the incident, the police were somewhat helpless.

They could mediate the assault, but they could do nothing about the insurance company’s refusal to pay the claim.

“Your best bet is to file an appeal or a complaint with the General Administration of Financial Supervision,” one officer advised Auntie Zhou as they walked out of the sickroom. “Even if you’re filing a lawsuit, you can’t hit people. Otherwise, you’ll be in the wrong even when you’re in the right. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Auntie Zhou nodded repeatedly, her face a mask of worry as she saw the police off.

Auntie Zhou had a very good reputation in the village. She was warm-hearted, helpful, and never kept score. Once, Old Master Chi had been on a house call at night, fallen into a ditch, and broken a bone. It was Auntie Zhou who carried him back, never even mentioning that her own wrists and knees were scraped raw.

Seeing Auntie Zhou’s face now etched with sorrow, Chi Qian desperately wanted to help her—

She might not be able to come up with any ideas herself, but she was currently keeping watch over a master who could move the blade with room to spare⁶ in the world of business!

Wouldn’t this sort of thing be incredibly simple for Shi Jinlan?

“Miss Shen⁷.”

A face as gentle as a spring breeze entered Shi Jinlan’s line of sight, smiling.

Although Shi Jinlan hadn’t gone to the sickroom, she could generally deduce the gist of the matter.

She glanced unhurriedly at Chi Qian, looked away after half a second, and went back to adjusting her phone, having no intention of getting involved.

There was no particular reason, other than that Shi Jinlan felt the matter was meaningless to her.

She didn’t do wasted work, much less things that were meaningless.

“Her son just harassed me yesterday. Do you think I should help her?” Shi Jinlan asked directly.

That one sentence completely shut Chi Qian down.

She was just saying how smart Shi Jinlan was.

See? Without her even having to open her mouth, Shi Jinlan already knew what she was going to say.

Chi Qian forced a bitter smile.

Forget it. She’d better go see if she could help Auntie Zhou herself.

“Auntie Zhou, do you have the insurance contract? Let me see it,” Chi Qian said.

“Alright.” Auntie Zhou was treating a dead horse like a live one⁸. Chi Qian had gone to school away from home; she was more educated than her.

Under the sun, two shadows stood starkly in the courtyard.

Shi Jinlan watched Chi Qian flip through the contract, one furrow after another appearing between her brows. After just two pages, a sigh escaped.

In Shi Jinlan’s experience, the first two pages of a contract rarely contained any useful information.

At this rate, she would be exhausted long before she ever found a loophole in the insurance policy.

Why?

This matter clearly didn’t involve any of her own interests, so why was she putting in so much effort?

The sun slowly climbed higher in the sky, its rays beating straight down. The light reflecting off the white paper was a bit glaring.

Shi Jinlan frowned slightly. The person standing in the yard scratched her head, and her figure overlapped with the one that had shielded her just moments ago.

“Give it to me.”

The wheels rolled over the concrete ground without a sound.

Chi Qian saw a hand suddenly extend into her field of vision and instinctively tightened her grip.

She turned to look at Shi Jinlan’s cool eyes. The once-black flames were now touched by the sunlight, their edges glowing with a brilliant gold, as if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Chi Qian froze for a moment, but then she understood what was happening and quickly handed over the contract. “Here.”

Shi Jinlan gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. Taking the contract, she didn’t go page by page but expertly flipped to the numbered clauses in the middle section.

The bright, warm sunlight cascaded down, draping Shi Jinlan in a faint golden glow.

Watching from the side, Chi Qian felt that this golden light was a protagonist’s aura. Shi Jinlan didn’t have to say a word; just sitting there gave off an indescribable sense of reliability.

Auntie Zhou, watching from the side, had the same feeling.

Even though she had never heard of any of Shi Jinlan’s impressive accomplishments, she inexplicably felt that she was a person of consequence.

Chi Qian leaned close to Auntie Zhou’s ear and whispered, “With her help, we’re saved.”

Her voice carried a hint of joy and even a bit of pride, as if the honor were her own.

Shi Jinlan was someone who could use one mind for two things⁹. Her ears registered Chi Qian’s words, but her expression remained impassive.

She wasn’t helping; she was repaying Chi Qian’s favor from just now.

That was all.

The pages turned silently. In just a few moments, Shi Jinlan had picked out an error from the convoluted clauses. She held out a hand toward Chi Qian. “Pen.”

Chi Qian froze again, then she and Auntie Zhou frantically fumbled through their pockets, producing an old ballpoint pen. “Here.”

Shi Jinlan’s brow twitched as she looked at the proffered pen.

But she didn’t make a fuss. She uncapped it with one hand and began to write something on the contract.

The taut paper rustled as black ink formed dense lines of text, a row of vigorous yet elegant characters appearing on the page.

Shi Jinlan pointed to a clause in the contract and said to Auntie Zhou, “Take this clause and tell them what I wrote. Even if they don’t agree to negotiate, the appeal process will go through quickly.”

“Really?” Having just been rejected today, Auntie Zhou found it hard to believe things could be as easy as Shi Jinlan said.

“If you don’t believe me, you can find someone else,” Shi Jinlan said without further explanation.

“That’s not what I meant.” Auntie Zhou rushed to clarify. “You’re helping our family, how could I possibly doubt you? I’ll go back this afternoon and talk to them just like you said.”

“Good.” Shi Jinlan handed the contract back. She watched as Auntie Zhou, filled with gratitude, hurried out the door, her own expression remaining placid the entire time.

Pitiable are the hearts of parents under heaven¹⁰.

The thought made Shi Jinlan frown slightly. Just then, a cautious voice sounded by her ear. “Miss Shen, I also have a question for you.”

Chi Qian rubbed her hands together, smiling as she stood beside Shi Jinlan.

Although she didn’t know what had made Shi Jinlan change her mind, seeing the flames on her body so peaceful, she inexplicably wanted to try consulting her as well—about the matter of how she had been made a substitute-crime sheep¹¹ in her original world.

Shi Jinlan slowly raised her head to look at Chi Qian, her dark, calm pupils seeming to say: Don’t you dare gain an inch and advance a foot¹².

Chi Qian swallowed.

She felt she was the most tactful person in the world and wouldn’t be so foolish as to displease Shi Jinlan. She immediately said, “Never mind, it’s not a big deal.”

With that, Chi Qian was about to drop the subject.

But before the words had even left her mouth, Shi Jinlan changed her mind again. “Speak.”

She was in a decent mood at the moment, and it was rare for this person to ask anything of her. She was actually curious to hear what she had to say.

Chi Qian was surprised, but more than that, she was delighted. She quickly said to Shi Jinlan, “It’s just, in a certain situation, how do you know who harmed you?”

This was a problem Chi Qian had encountered in her original world, and her experiences there were vastly different from her experiences in this one, so her question was vague.

However, Chi Qian felt that Shi Jinlan should be able to understand. After all, she was a powerhouse who had found a contract loophole in under ten minutes.

“It’s simple. See who the ultimate beneficiary is.”

As expected, Shi Jinlan quickly gave Chi Qian an answer.

“Whoever gains the most benefit and whose morals are least damaged is the most likely culprit.”

“Is that so.” Chi Qian was astonished.

In all the time since she was framed, she had never once thought about it from this angle.

She had been casting a wide net, resentfully feeling that she wasn’t standing in anyone’s way, so why would they frame her? In reality, the first thing she should have been looking for wasn’t the reason, but the motive.

Chi Qian felt her mind had never been so sharp, as if she could find the person who framed her in the very next second.

But just as she was eagerly about to start her deduction, Shi Jinlan’s voice cut her off. “Who is trying to harm you?”

Chi Qian’s engrossed gaze suddenly froze.

No, Shi Jinlan’s insight was just too sharp.

And more importantly, what kind of world of you cheat and I deceive¹³ exists on a remote island? Wouldn’t asking this question cause her character design to collapse¹⁴?

At this thought, a shiver went through Chi Qian, and she quickly tried to backtrack. “How could that be… My grandfather is so powerful on the island, who would dare harm me?”

“I’m just worried about you, afraid you’ll be harmed by someone without even knowing it.”

Shi Jinlan stared at the forced smile on Chi Qian’s face, her dark gaze lingering for a long time.

She hadn’t been harmed “without knowing it” at all. The person who harmed her, Shi Cheng, had stood openly on the cliff’s edge, forcing her to her death.

The moment the words fell, Chi Qian saw the flames on Shi Jinlan’s body roar to life.

Their pitch-black color instantly swallowed the surrounding light, so fierce and violent that it made one’s heart cry out that something was wrong.

—Not only had she nearly caused her character design to collapse, she had also reminded Shi Jinlan of unhappy things from her past.

What a sin…

As Shi Jinlan thought of Shi Cheng’s face, the resentment in her heart burned away at her sanity uncontrollably.

This negative emotion caused a sharp pain to flare in her legs. Shi Cheng’s poison was like a hook embedded in her bones, its barbs catching in her flesh, causing searing, bloody pain.

Shi Jinlan’s hands on the wheelchair’s armrests tightened slightly.

A gentle breeze swept past, and suddenly, a soft touch landed on her knee.

Chi Qian was crouching in front of her, raising a hand to rub her aching knee, her sincere eyes smiling brightly. “Don’t think about the past. How about I sunbathe with you?”

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The author has something to say:

You’re happy again, Lan.

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