So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 20

Don’t Be Alone

The sunlight was veiled in mist, making the room look like a piece of softened butter.

Shi Jinlan saw every change in Chi Qian’s expression. She watched as the woman’s face lit up with happiness, to the point where even her voice was filled with an irrepressible excitement.

Pretending to be a couple with me makes her this excited?

Even if it’s fake, she’s still happy?

Shi Jinlan was calm, but her brain, which had always been occupied by rationality, branched off on a whim as if guided by ghosts and gods.¹

She thought that since Chi Qian was so happy, she might as well grant her wish this one time.

As the words fell, Chi Qian couldn’t help but feel that Shi Jinlan’s gaze was a bit strange when she spoke.

It can’t be that she agreed to my request too easily, can it?

Ah Qian, listen to yourself.

Why are you complaining that the mission is too easy?

Chi Qian mentally slapped herself, then picked up the canvas bag she used for disguise. While stuffing things inside, she said, “Then let’s go as soon as I’m done packing.”

As she was packing, Chi Qian’s gaze landed on two hats in the entryway. “I think you could wear a straw hat to cover up a bit.”

Saying that, Chi Qian took the hat down.

Before Shi Jinlan could react, a soft warmth brushed past the side of her face.

A figure blocked her line of sight. Shi Jinlan’s gaze was dark and sinister as she stared at Chi Qian, who was standing in front of her, tying a bow.

The smile on this person’s face was obvious. A halo of light clung to the window’s edge, flashing into her pupils, changing frame by frame, her eyes filled with a rather rare happiness.

Well, she’s happy.

“With this on, no one will recognize you!”

Chi Qian thought she was extremely clever and was feeling quite pleased with herself.

But when she looked up, she saw the flames on Shi Jinlan’s body flickering restlessly.

They brightened and dimmed, as countless pitch-black tentacles climbed and grew, as if wanting to devour all the surrounding heat and light.

…She seemed to have made Shi Jinlan unhappy.

Up until a few minutes ago, Chi Qian felt she had been treading on eggshells around Shi Jinlan, terrified of making a single misstep.

But now, her taut nerves were preoccupied with that man, and she had forgotten that Shi Jinlan was an existence even more terrifying than him.

How did she end up playing a game of dress-up dolls with Shi Jinlan?

And casting Shi Jinlan as her doll, at that.

Steeling herself, Chi Qian once again reached her hands toward Shi Jinlan. “Um… if you don’t like it, I’ll help you take it off.”

But before her hand could touch the bow, it was seized.

A hand that was two shades paler than her own gripped her wrist tightly. Shi Jinlan was expressionless, her cold gaze making it seem like she was about to snap off the hands of the culprit in the very next second.

Yes, Shi Jinlan had just been angry.

She didn’t like being told what to do, and she especially didn’t like being manipulated.

But she had never seen someone slide to their knees so quickly.²

Clearly, she was the one who was so audacious just a moment ago, and now she was the one who was timid and fearful.

But compared to her current trembling and shrinking appearance, Shi Jinlan preferred the audacious version of this person from before.

Unrestrained enough, her true nature exposed enough, and…

Free enough.

“Did I say I didn’t like it?” Shi Jinlan asked nonchalantly, still holding Chi Qian’s hand.

“Huh?” Chi Qian was stunned.

But her flames were clearly showing that!

Useless system, this golden finger isn’t reliable at all!

Not giving Chi Qian any time to process, Shi Jinlan moved her wheelchair. “It’s getting late.”

“Oh, oh, oh.” Chi Qian hurriedly scampered after her.

Anyway, as long as she’s not mad at me, it’s fine.

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Shi Jinlan’s wheelchair was left in the care of Aunti Zhou. Chi Qian scanned a shared bicycle at the back door and took Shi Jinlan the long way home.

Along the way, Chi Qian kept thinking about what to do next.

Shi Jinlan’s uncle’s men definitely wouldn’t just ask the Zhou family. Grandpa was a doctor, so he would certainly be questioned.

He might even do more than just ask around; he might take the opportunity to sneak into the house and check when no one was home.

How to keep Shi Jinlan from being discovered was a very grim problem.

Could it be that in the original novel, Shi Jinlan wasn’t found by her uncle’s men this time because she was hidden very well?

Chi Qian felt this had to be the right answer and strongly agreed with it in her heart.

But just as she was nodding to herself, she suddenly felt the bike jolt with her.

Something’s not right…

Gripping the handlebars, Chi Qian felt the bike was a little out of control.

“Miss Shen, I think something’s wrong.”

The more it was like this, the more careful and vigilant Chi Qian became.

She was about to stop the bike to check what was wrong with it.

But before Chi Qian could get a reply from Shi Jinlan, the bike decided it wouldn’t cooperate.

She squeezed the brakes, but they seemed to be stuck, refusing to depress no matter how hard she tried.

Very suddenly, the bike went out of control.

Chi Qian could see clearly now. Although the path ahead was narrow, there were no obstacles, yet her bike acted as if it had hit something, charging straight down a slope overgrown with grass and trees.

It all happened too suddenly. Chi Qian was thrown off.

Perhaps it was a blessing from having had a preview in the dream where she saw Shi Jinlan’s past, but Chi Qian subconsciously threw her arms around a tree.

But Shi Jinlan was not so lucky.

She didn’t have legs that could support her. The toppled bike pressed down on her, and her whole body rolled uncontrollably downward.

The rough hillside was covered in pebbles that continuously ground against her body in pain.

Only her legs felt nothing at all.

Shi Jinlan felt as if her body had been split in two. A dark despair, along with the tumbling heaven and earth, came blanketing the sky and covering the earth to envelop her.

She was still going to die.

After struggling to live for so long, was death still the end?

An unwillingness and hatred even more ferocious than the day she jumped off the cliff swelled in Shi Jinlan’s chest.

She was startled to discover that she had actually developed a trace of attachment to this world.

But what was there to be attached to?

Everyone in this world wanted her dead, no one would save her——

Just as Shi Jinlan thought she was about to fall into a place of death, a pair of hands grabbed her.

In an instant, heaven and earth stopped tumbling.

Just like that day in the sea, when they had tightly held onto her as she continuously sank.

“Don’t go die alone,” Chi Qian said through gritted teeth, one arm wrapped around the tree, the other holding onto Shi Jinlan.

The blue veins on her hand, which was covered in bloody scratches, bulged as she held on for dear life.

Clutching the hand that, in that dream, she had never been able to grasp.

【[Shielding activated, Plot 2 successfully triggered.]】

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The author has something to say:

Lanlan: I’m in love.

Qianqian: I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die!!!

Weakly telling everyone, this book will go VIP on Wednesday, so no update tomorrow, but you can come chat on my Weibo after 9 tomorrow OvO

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