So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 2

It’s Not Out of the Question

The surface of the sea rose and fell in endless waves, churning and crashing together.

The whole world was being thrown into chaos by the storm, but beneath the water, it was quiet.

The sea surface sealed away the sound, leaving only silence in Chi Qian’s ears.

Her wide-open eyes crashed right into Shi Jinlan’s face. That clean, fair face was submerged in the shimmering water, and the shifting light made her seem to drift closer and then farther from Chi Qian, present yet remote.

But the resistance between their lips was real.

The sensation of a tongue brushing past teeth was damper than the seawater. The tension in Chi Qian’s throat suddenly eased, and a small string of bubbles escaped through the imperfect seal of their lips.

The sea enveloped every inch of her skin, trading its salty, damp chill for her oxygen.

Chi Qian didn’t know if Shi Jinlan had woken up or if this was just an instinctual reaction, but as she passed oxygen into her mouth, Shi Jinlan’s soft lips gently brushed against hers.

This feels so weird.

The seawater was flowing, and Chi Qian felt like she was flowing with it.

Does this count as kissing someone?

A completely inappropriate question popped into Chi Qian’s head. She had been single since her mother’s womb¹ for over twenty years and had never once wondered what it would feel like to kiss someone.

In the past, Chi Qian had heard a friend say that kissing was something that could make you feel so happy you’d run out of air.

She now felt that was only half true—she wasn’t feeling the happiness, but she was definitely about to run out of air!

Once enough oxygen had been transferred to Shi Jinlan, Thirteen released its control.

Fueled by a surge of anger at the system, Chi Qian wrapped an arm around Shi Jinlan and kicked powerfully toward the surface. The waves had finally calmed down, pushing her and delivering her to the shore.

“I’m gonna die…” After dragging Shi Jinlan to a safe spot on the shore, Chi Qian felt completely exhausted.

The cold wind cut like a knife through her throat as she gasped for air. Heedless of everything, she collapsed onto the sand.

【You completed the mission well.】Thirteen spoke unhurriedly, walking over to Chi Qian with its tail held high.

“Well, your grandpa².” Chi Qian panted, cursing through gritted teeth. 【How can you control my body!】

【This is an emergency measure for critical situations. If Shi Jinlan dies, the entire world will collapse.】Thirteen was unconcerned, calmly licking its paws. Its fur had gotten wet helping Chi Qian drag Shi Jinlan ashore.

【I’m your Host.】 With some of her rationality returning, Chi Qian expressed her dissatisfaction in her mind.

【Apologies, but the world’s protagonist outranks the mission executor.】Thirteen informed her coldly, pausing its grooming to look at her. 【Besides, if the Host is this uncooperative about just passing some air, how will the subsequent missions proceed?】

Thirteen’s words immediately put Chi Qian on high alert. 【Subsequent? What subsequent?】

【To know and love each other, to become true wives.】Thirteen said it as if it were nothing, letting out a yawn into the wind.

【W-Wives…】Chi Qian stammered. Staring at the calm cat before her, she shot upright. 【You didn’t say anything about this when you bonded with me!】

【The Host did not ask.】Thirteen stated placidly.

Chi Qian stared at Thirteen, speechless for a moment, before deciding to just let it rot³. “I can’t do it.”

She’d been single since the mother’s womb for twenty years; winning someone over was already hard enough, and after that she had to do it with Shi Jinlan…

The word “love” hadn’t even fully formed in her mind before Chi Qian’s face began to burn.

She struggled to sit up and argue forcefully on the basis of reason with Thirteen, trying to get out of this. 【I think that last part can be completely omitted. Have you ever heard of Plato? I don’t think that’s necessary for the final result!】

Thirteen disagreed. 【Only by truly possessing something will one long for it day and night after it is lost. Only when enough of that resentment and bitterness has accumulated can it trigger Shi Jinlan’s blackening in one fell swoop.】

【And the Host wouldn’t want to fail the mission and be thrown into the Destruction Zone, right?】

Hearing this, Chi Qian opened her mouth, but in the end, she could only bite her lip in frustration.

—Damn it, why does this stupid system actually make some sense?

—Also, was that last sentence a threat?!

On the shore, waves crashed violently onto the beach before receding just as suddenly.

Chi Qian stared at Thirteen for a long while before speaking in a half-compromising tone. 【Well, in that case, shouldn’t you give me a golden finger⁴ or something?】

【I’m a total newbie here with zero experience. If you don’t give me some kind of starter pack, how am I supposed to complete the mission smoothly?】

【An application can be made, but the Host currently has insufficient points.】Thirteen stated.

Chi Qian looked at this system, with its cute cat face and stuffy, old-fashioned attitude, and felt her anger rise.

She refused to believe it couldn’t get her a golden finger. Her eyes darted, and a plan rose to her heart. She said deliberately, 【Is it that I don’t have enough points, or that you don’t have enough ability? I’ve seen other systems in book transmigration stories give their Hosts golden fingers right from the start. They can see the mission target’s affection level, even when it goes up by just 0.01.】

At this, Chi Qian turned to look at Thirteen with a playful glint in her eyes. 【Thirteen, don’t tell me you can’t swing it?】

As it turns out, no one can withstand that kind of provocation, not even a system.

In the sea breeze, the cat’s yellow-and-black ears twitched. With a cold expression, Thirteen informed Chi Qian, 【I will apply for a function that allows the Host to see the target’s emotions. It is far more useful than seeing affection levels.】

【Really?】Chi Qian deliberately maintained her skeptical attitude, hoping to wheedle an even bigger golden finger out of Thirteen.

But before the words “I don’t believe you” could leave her lips, a dampness suddenly pressed against her.

It was Shi Jinlan.

Chi Qian had been exhausted after dragging her ashore and didn’t have the strength to keep any distance between them.

They were so close that the slightest movement became intimate. Chi Qian had no idea what kind of scene was playing out in Shi Jinlan’s mind, but she was struggling blindly, her sea-soaked body seeming to press itself into Chi Qian’s arms.

After all the tossing and turning in the sea, the thin white shirt clung to Shi Jinlan’s body. There was no need to look through the open collar to see a stretch of pale collarbone rising and falling with each breath.

Chi Qian had never seen such a sight before, and her gaze froze.

“Ngh…”

As she struggled, Shi Jinlan made a sound as her head came to rest on Chi Qian’s shoulder.

A chill lingered from the receding storm. The spring wind was sharp, and the surrounding air was bitingly cold; only their breath was still warm.

The warmth brushed past the shell of her ear and went straight for her heart.

Thump! Thump!

The fierce sea wind swept over the shore, stealing the night’s warmth. Chi Qian felt her cheeks burning even hotter than before.

She turned her head toward Shi Jinlan, almost woodenly, her expression dazed.

In the moonlight, Shi Jinlan’s sea-drenched eyelashes were pressed down, trembling slightly. Stubborn yet frail, wretched yet pitiful, she inspired a boundless sense of compassion and patience.

Actually, what Thirteen said just now… it’s not out of the question.

Chi Qian’s heart stirred.

Before she could sort out her own thoughts, Thirteen spoke first. 【Has the Host had a change of heart?】

“You’re so annoying.” Her thoughts having been exposed, Chi Qian shot Thirteen a look.

Then, without looking at the cat, she gathered Shi Jinlan up, hoisted her onto her back with a bit of effort, and said softly, 【Give me the golden finger. I’ll follow the original plot.】

The storm seemed to have passed, and the island was enveloped in a damp, dark silence.

Carrying Shi Jinlan, Chi Qian followed a small path along the coast up toward the embankment. The deserted path pressed the two of them close together.

She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but as she carried Shi Jinlan through the weeds and bushes, Chi Qian felt that the other woman carried a faint fragrance.

The scent had been washed very, very faint by the seawater. It melted into the cold night air, clinging to her damp clothes.

【…Shi Jinlan leaned on Chi Qian’s back, and the moon was silent.

Chi Qian had fallen in love with Shi Jinlan at first sight.

Plot Point 1 complete. Mission Supervisor: Thirteen]】

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It was still a long way from the coast to the populated village.

The wind howled behind them as if demanding Chi Qian return Shi Jinlan, but Chi Qian didn’t stop, hurrying to carry Shi Jinlan back home.

That’s right, home.

Chi Qian’s grandfather, Chi Qingyan⁵, was a famous old traditional Chinese doctor⁶ known throughout the ten li⁷ and eight villages for his miraculous hands that bring back the spring⁸ and for bringing the dead back to life. The islanders all respectfully called him Old Divine Doctor.

To ensure he could provide timely aid, the gate to Chi Qian’s family courtyard was never locked, even at night.

The storm had just passed, and the courtyard was a mess. Chi Qian, carrying Shi Jinlan, had just rounded a woven basket that had been blown in front of the door when Chi Qingyan suddenly appeared before her.

The old man was over seventy, but his voice was still full of vigor. “Going out during a storm! Do you have a death wish?!”

“Grandpa, it was—it was to save a life!” Chi Qian didn’t have time to explain, or rather, to spin a lie. She quickly shifted Shi Jinlan on her back toward Chi Qingyan. “I, I found someone on the shore!”

“What?” Chi Qingyan’s gaze paused. By the faint light spilling from the house, he finally made out the dark shape on Chi Qian’s back.

It wasn’t some large object, but a person on the verge of death.

Both of their clothes were soaked, as if they had just survived a deadly escape.

Chi Qingyan commanded decisively, “To the sick ward!”

“Okay!” Chi Qian nodded and briskly carried Shi Jinlan toward the east room.

For the convenience of observing patients, Chi Qingyan had converted the family’s east room into a sick ward.

The ward was much warmer than outside. The moment Chi Qian stepped inside, the warm air rushed to embrace her.

Several rows of lights in the room were kept on all night, filling the entire space with a bright yet gentle glow that gave one the reassuring feeling that the ordeal was over.

Chi Qian let out a long sigh of relief. Gazing at Shi Jinlan’s sleeping face, she whispered to her, “We’re safe now.”

They were like allies who had traveled a long road together, having endured countless hardships and now looking utterly wretched.

Fortunately, the ending wasn’t bad.

“…Ngh.” Shi Jinlan’s brow, however, was tightly furrowed, and the sound that escaped her sealed lips didn’t seem like a response to Chi Qian.

Water dripped from her sea-soaked clothes onto the floor beside the bed, quickly forming a small puddle.

Shi Jinlan was drenched from head to toe. The more expensive the fabric, the more fragile it was; her clothes were torn to shreds.

It was only then that Chi Qian realized Shi Jinlan’s injuries were far more severe than she had imagined.

The sea was full of undercurrents, and the closer one got to land, the more numerous the reefs.

The constant washing of the seawater had made the wounds less obvious. Now, under the incandescent light, crimson seeped from the gashes, one after another, like torn silk brocade.

She carefully supported Shi Jinlan’s neck to brush the hair from her face. As the dark strands slipped through her fingers, they left behind a trail of scarlet.

The storm had been merciless, smashing a gash on her smooth forehead. It was a gruesome mess of flesh and blood, shocking to behold.

Chi Qian felt as if a reef had slammed into her own heart.

She found some clothes and carefully lifted Shi Jinlan’s body, guiding her thin, slender arms into the soft fabric.

Her gaze swept over Shi Jinlan’s wrist, landing on a pair of distinctly defined hands.

Each of Shi Jinlan’s fingernails was trimmed into a perfect round shape, with a coat of pale pink protective polish reflecting the light. At a glance, they looked exquisite, but they had been battered during the ordeal, leaving them shattered like broken walls and ruined fences⁹.

When the delicate, fair knuckles were juxtaposed with the crimson wounds, a jarring sense of conflict—between being nurtured in honor and living in comfort and having endured great suffering—permeated every inch of Shi Jinlan’s skin.

At this moment, she was not the poised, dignified, and unmoved by the eight winds¹⁰ villain from the novel, but a pale, frail patient whose shallow, uneven breaths were the only proof she was still alive.

Chi Qian’s feelings were complicated; she didn’t know if she felt more indignation or more heartache.

“All done?” Chi Qingyan had arrived at the door of the sick ward, carrying his medicine box.

“Done.” Chi Qian snapped out of her thoughts and moved aside to make room for him next to Shi Jinlan.

Chi Qingyan walked over and sat down.

The grandfather and granddaughter had a decent unspoken understanding—

The moment his hand rested on Shi Jinlan’s wrist, Chi Qingyan looked up in dissatisfaction and chided the shadow standing beside him, “What are you still dawdling here for?”

“Don’t I need to be your assistant?” Chi Qian retorted.

“As if I could afford you,” Chi Qingyan huffed at her. “You changed her clothes, but what about your own?”

Chi Qian had been so busy with Shi Jinlan that, seeing the puddle on the floor, she only now remembered that she was just as soaked.

But she was still worried and wanted to see Shi Jinlan out of danger.

Before she could open her mouth, however, Chi Qingyan shot her down. “This child will be fine. Go change your clothes, quick. You’ll catch a cold running around in this weather.”

【Shi Jinlan will be fine. It would be better for the Host to go rest.】At the same time, Thirteen’s voice sounded in her ear.

【Data indicates that if you remain in this state for another fifteen minutes, you will definitely have a fever tomorrow.】

Chi Qian glanced at the cat squatting by the door, half-doubting, when Chi Qingyan’s voice came again. “If you don’t go back now, and I find you with a cold tomorrow, I’ll brew the bitterest medicine for you.”

Hearing this, a visceral fear of Chi Qingyan’s medicinal brews made her shiver. “No, Grandpa, don’t! I’m going right now! You should save your medicine for someone who needs it more!”

Watching Chi Qian’s retreating back, Chi Qingyan stroked his beard and smiled. “You little rascal.”

Then he turned back to the unconscious Shi Jinlan on the bed, his gaze heavy. “Just where did a little doll like you come from?”

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Last night’s storm had blown all the impurities from the sky. In the morning, the sky was a cloudless, azure blue.

Looking out from Chi Qian’s courtyard, the sea was calm and gentle. Waves rolled onto the beach, their crests white, completely devoid of last night’s violence.

But chaos was brewing elsewhere.

“Old Master, it’s bad! The stone beam on the east slope got blown down and smashed our Jianbang¹¹ in the head!”

“There’s so much blood! And his wife can’t stand the sight of it! She fainted as soon as she saw it!”

“What are we gonna do…”

Accidents were common after every storm, and the Chi family home had been overrun by villagers since early morning.

The people looking for Chi Qingyan were in life-or-death situations, so their voices naturally grew louder. Drowsy and exhausted, Chi Qian heard the clamor from the courtyard and pulled a pillow over her head.

“I’ll carry it for you.”

“Qin¹², hurry up and bring your bike over…”

“Creaak—bang!“

The wind slammed a door that hadn’t been properly shut. Chi Qian sat up in bed, her hair a mess.

The anxious chatter in the courtyard had faded into the distance, but she couldn’t get back to sleep. Her head felt like it was about to explode. She had been here for a month and still hadn’t gotten used to these mornings filled with sudden emergencies.

Shi Jinlan probably can’t stand this noise either, right?

In the past, when Grandpa treated unconscious patients, one needle was all it took for them to wake up the next day. Shi Jinlan won’t be an exception, right?

The mission was officially starting today, and Chi Qian’s mind was filled with thoughts of Shi Jinlan.

She ran her hands through her hair a few times to wake herself up, then, filled with a strange sense of novelty, she walked quickly to the sick ward.

The weather is always best after a storm, as if to compensate for the ordeal Shi Jinlan had endured last night. Sunlight streamed through the window opposite the bed, landing on her in a warm and bright caress—not quite fawning, but certainly trying to please.

The old master’s wound dressing was neat. The gauze was cut to the perfect size, just enough to be hidden by her cascading hair. The sun cast a golden glow, and only now did Shi Jinlan’s face look truly clean.

Chi Qian stood by the bed, daring to sneak a peek at the target she was supposed to win over.

In her deep slumber, Shi Jinlan’s eyes were shut tight. Her long, thick eyelashes formed two raven-feather fans, resting quietly on her face. Her skin, long soaked in seawater, had already regained its fairness. Although the wounds were visible, the superior bone structure of her nose was impossible to hide.

She’s so beautiful.

Chi Qian, who used to spend her days staring at code and plaid shirts, suddenly felt as if rain had washed over the leaves, leaving her eyes feeling clean and bright.

【Ding-dong! Congratulations, Host, you have acquired the Observe Words and Watch Expressions function. This function will allow you to see changes in the target’s emotions. Please make good use of your new function~】

Just then, a warm and enthusiastic notification sound rang in Chi Qian’s head.

Chi Qian was a little surprised. She asked Thirteen in her mind, 【This is my golden finger?】

【Yes. You can try using it now. Shi Jinlan’s emotions can now be displayed in the Host’s line of sight.】Thirteen was squatting on the ground in the courtyard, looking at Chi Qian with a serious expression.

【Okay, I’ll try.】Chi Qian was full of curiosity about her new golden finger. Eager to test it out, she looked at the still-sleeping Shi Jinlan.

Chi Qingyan’s medicine was very effective; the small cracks on Shi Jinlan’s lips had mostly healed on their own, though they were still colorless.

Her thin lips were slightly parted, a pale slash catching the intense sunlight, which gave them a thin, faint pink hue, like softened flower petals.

But… this probably isn’t what the golden finger is showing, right?

Chi Qian frowned, suspecting she wasn’t looking carefully enough. She bent down, moving closer to Shi Jinlan.

The sunlight was bright. Other than the glow it cast around Shi Jinlan’s body, Chi Qian saw nothing.

【Thirteen, are you sure this function isn’t—】

Before Chi Qian could finish her complaint, a force suddenly grabbed her wrist, which was resting on the edge of the bed.

A cellar-like coldness clamped down on her wrist, pulling her down before she could react.

The overexposed light stretched to the bedside, cutting the moment into frame-by-frame shots in her eyes. The final frame was replaced by a pair of dark, sinister pupils.

She finally saw it.

A mass of pitch-black light was burning low on Shi Jinlan’s body, like a flame.

And Shi Jinlan was staring at her without blinking, her sharp gaze like a knife pressed to her chest. “What are you trying to do?”

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