So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 17

It seems… I’m lying in Shi Jinlan’s arms

The wind swept across the lawn, and the thick, soft green grass rose and fell like ocean waves. Burgeoning life bore the sunlight in a field of warmth and harmony.

Chi Qian stood in this wind, feeling as if she too was being blown about.

No, that wasn’t right. She was being blown away by the wind.

Chi Qian looked at the reference points in her peripheral vision running forward, then lowered her head to see that she was, to her astonishment, semi-floating in the air.

Her hands were transparent; she could see the lush green grass below right through them.

The sound of the green grass being stepped on drifted over. A butterfly flapped its wings, flying past at a leisurely pace.

Just as Chi Qian was marveling at her current state, a little girl ran into the spring scenery.

She had hair that was neither long nor short, jet-black and glossy like freshly ground ink.

A butterfly circled her hand, and she chased after it, the bow on her head bobbing up and down, as light and nimble as a butterfly itself.

“Young Miss, slow down, be careful not to fall,” a woman dressed as a servant¹ called out as she chased after her.

The little girl declared with confidence, looking back at the woman, “I won’t!”

Her slightly chubby little face was wreathed in a smile. The sunlight fell upon her pitch-black pupils, bright and cunning, full of unrestrained spirit.

As if guided by ghosts and gods², Chi Qian’s gaze came to rest on this little girl, and she followed her joyfully skipping back for a long time.

The panic from suddenly turning transparent was thrown to the back of her mind by this person’s happiness. Chi Qian felt she could watch the spectacle of this little girl chasing a butterfly for an entire day.

For some reason, though, Chi Qian felt as if she had seen this little girl somewhere before.

But she couldn’t recall where.

Perhaps all cute children in the world share some similarities?

Just as Chi Qian was thinking this, a shadow fell over her.

Her perspective suddenly shifted—it was now low to the ground, and as the little girl looked up, it rose with her.

The brilliant golden sun still illuminated the world, only it was now blocked by an elderly man.

This man was not particularly tall, but his aged figure easily enveloped the little girl’s small body. A sense of oppression was in every inch of his expression, which was crisscrossed with ravines.

“Xiao Lan, what are you doing?” the man asked.

Chi Qian was stunned to hear this name.

This little girl was actually Shi Jinlan!

Shi Jinlan actually had a side like this?!

“You are the heir of the Shi family. Your conduct must be proper. What is this you are doing?”

While Chi Qian was still immersed in the contrast between the young and adult Shi Jinlan, the man spoke again.

His reprimand was completely different from Chi Qingyan’s. It was cold and stern, devoid of emotion, the perfect picture of a high and mighty elder.

Little Shi Jinlan immediately lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Grandpa.”

“Don’t say sorry to me. The only one you’ve let down is yourself,” Old Master Shi remained stern. “It’s time to go practice the piano. Don’t waste time on meaningless things.”

“I understand,” little Shi Jinlan nodded.

The servant who had been anxiously reminding her to be careful just moments ago came over and draped a coat over her. Her steps became light and slow as she walked toward the enormous house in the distance.

She reined in her previously unrestrained steps, reined in the brilliant smile on her face, and even more so, reined in her unrestrained spirit.

The wind and clouds seemed to change in a single night³. Chi Qian watched as the light in the scene was devoured.

The world darkened. All around was pitch-black, with only a tall, slender, and unripe figure⁴.

The young girl’s posture was ramrod straight. The hem of her pure white dress was like a white waterfall, fluttering in the darkness.

Those long arms, like white jade, raised a violin. The bowstring trembled lightly, as if weeping, as if complaining⁵, seeming to possess a power that could pierce a person’s heart.

“Miss Shi’s violin playing is truly excellent.”

“Uncle Zhou is coming next week. Don’t lose face.”

“Xiao Lan is truly not bad, very much like you when you were young.”

“Don’t think you’ve done well enough. It’s still not enough. Start over.”

“This case was handled beautifully. This is the bracelet your maternal grandmother passed down to your mother. Now, it’s yours.”

“Don’t be a useless person.”

…

Chi Qian stood in the center of these voices, watching Shi Jinlan’s shadow, watching so many people surround her.

Applause, folded arms.

Flattery, criticism.

It was suffocating.

The summer cicadas’ chirping was twisted into the melodious music; the bowstring wrapped around its body, grinding it to dust.

The child became a young girl, the young girl became a woman. The moon hung outside the window as it always had. Chi Qian never saw a smile on Shi Jinlan’s face again, and she gradually became the person Chi Qian was familiar with.

No respite, no holidays.

He demanded that she be perfect, that she not make a single mistake, like a human-shaped machine.

Chi Qian had never seen such a cold family environment, so full of calculated interests that even the affection between a grandparent and grandchild had to be measured by value.

Only the servant Auntie⁶, who had grown up alongside Shi Jinlan, would bring her a glass of water and watch her with a pained heart in the early hours of the morning.

Perhaps this was one of the few sources of warmth in her world.

“…!”

The pitch-black scene was suddenly illuminated, and Chi Qian squeezed her eyes shut in extreme discomfort.

When she adjusted, she found that she seemed to have entered Shi Jinlan’s home. That Auntie, whom she had just acknowledged, took a packet of whi|te|pow|der from her pocket.

Fuck.

Chi Qian instantly realized it was a packet of poison.

Was there anyone reliable around Shi Jinlan at all!

“Don’t.”

Chi Qian watched as the Auntie finished preparing the poisoned soup and placed it in front of Shi Jinlan. She urgently reached out to grab Shi Jinlan’s hand.

But she was merely a bystander in this story.

Even if she knew the ending of this story better than anyone.

A sense of powerlessness spread from Chi Qian’s hand. Her eyes were filled with anxiety, but she couldn’t stop a single thing.

She could only watch helplessly as Shi Jinlan drank that bowl of soup.

The sound of the wind suddenly grew sharp, howling as it battered the windows, blowing down this magnificent manor.

The fierce wind whipped people’s long hair into a mess. The scene in Chi Qian’s vision suddenly changed. To keep from being blown away, this transparent a piao⁷ of hers hugged a tree tightly. In her side view was Shi Jinlan, forced to the edge of a cliff.

A dense, surging crowd⁸ had blocked the only exit so that not even a drop of water could trickle through⁹. The Auntie who had cared for Shi Jinlan since she was a child stood right behind the man in the lead, watching with wide eyes as Shi Jinlan went to her death.

“Xiao Lan, stop running. As long as you come to Uncle’s side, Uncle will give you anything,” Shi Cheng said, extending a hand toward Shi Jinlan.

Pah, what a high-sounding, pompous dog of a man¹⁰!

Chi Qian spat at the man and looked worriedly at Shi Jinlan.

Her escape had left her in a sorry state. Her cold face was smudged with dust, but beneath her messy long hair, her pair of eyes were still bright.

They were filled with hatred, with unwillingness, but not a trace of despair.

“Heh.”

Amidst the howling wind, Chi Qian suddenly heard a very soft laugh.

Her heart inexplicably tightened. When she looked at Shi Jinlan again, she saw her turn and jump.

Such decisiveness, permeated with contempt and disdain.

“SHI JINLAN! DON’T!”

Chi Qian screamed, subconsciously trying to grab Shi Jinlan.

This was too dangerous. She would lose her legs because of this; she would have to hold a cane for the rest of her life.

The wind knocked over Chi Qian, who had let go of the tree she was hugging tightly, but Shi Jinlan fell far faster than she did.

And she couldn’t grab her at all.

Why…

WHY!

【Host, Host.】

Amidst her unwillingness, Chi Qian heard an urgent call.

She suddenly couldn’t tell if this was reality or a dream. 【Thirteen?】

【Host, you’ve finally responded to me! I thought you were going to sleep forever.】 Thirteen was on the verge of tears.

This was the first time Chi Qian had heard such an emotional fluctuation from Thirteen, and she was a little touched.

The sound of the wind around her faded, and Chi Qian’s memories gradually returned. 【What… what happened to me? I think I remember suddenly fainting?】

【Correct.】 Thirteen nodded. 【The main system administered a punishment to the Host.】

【What?】 Chi Qian couldn’t believe her ears.

【Because the Host told Shi Jinlan about matters from the original world, there was a risk of causing the protagonist to awaken.】

She knew her willpower wasn’t that fragile!

Chi Qian was instantly snapped out of her touched state, her whole person like a pufferfish that had puffed itself up with air¹¹. 【I only asked one damn question!】

【And what kind of bullshit punishment is fainting after a nosebleed! Do you have any idea what the occasion was! A hot spring! There was only one, no, two layers of cloth between me and Shi Jinlan! This piece of shit system made me get a nosebleed at a time like that! How am I supposed to explain myself!!】

Thirteen was quiet as a chicken¹². Chi Qian had a meltdown, feeling like she could just die.

Maybe it would be better to just let her keep sleeping.

Don’t wake up. She didn’t want to face reality, and she especially didn’t want to face Shi Jinlan.

“You’re awake?”

Just as Chi Qian was about to let it rot¹³, a cool and clear voice seeped into her ears.

It was Shi Jinlan.

That person had been in her entire dream; it was impossible for Chi Qian not to recognize her voice.

This was the cruelty of reality. Playing dead wouldn’t work; she had to wake up sooner or later.

Hardening her scalp¹⁴, Chi Qian opened her eyes.

Her vision was immediately filled with a lovely figure.

Shi Jinlan was wearing a bathrobe, her skin jade-like and radiant.

Her semi-damp long hair cascaded over her shoulders, exuding a faint, fragrant scent that was both cool and gentle.

Chi Qian stared blankly for a long time, then suddenly realized that from her current angle, it seems… she was lying in Shi Jinlan’s arms.

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The author has something to say:

Present-day Qianqian: Wants to play dead

Future Qianqian: Plays dead with righteous indignation (Wifey is so nice to lie on, hehe)

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