So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 27

“I want her.”

A spring breeze suddenly arose, blowing the tree branches into a flurry of movement.

Sunlight and green leaves intertwined, the shifting shadows stirring up ripples like water waves. It was in a mountain cave, yet it also seemed like it was at the bottom of the sea.

Chi Qian smiled at Shi Jinlan, the upturned corners of her eyes brushed with a faint layer of pink.

Her hair was messy. A streak of porcelain-like pinkish-white extended from her jaw to her neck, disappearing into the empty space of her clothes at her chest.

This person was so immaculately pale, yet for no reason, she gave off an enchanting and bewitching feeling.

Shi Jinlan was assailed by the heat radiating from her body, her heart thumping wildly, about to lose its rhythm.

Does this person even know what she is saying?

Does she know who she is talking to?

Why would she so easily tell me that she cared about my joys, angers, sorrows, and happiness¹.

Not far away, the wind clamored, urging the grass shoots to emerge from the spring soil.

Shi Jinlan prided herself on her calmness, which had never been broken even by the most extreme emergencies. Yet, it was precisely this pebble, so small it couldn’t be smaller, that had chiseled an opening in her world of a thousand li² of frozen ice.

Sunlight streamed into the cave, laying brightly upon Shi Jinlan’s body.

The sweltering heat was unpleasant.

“Ngh.”

Shi Jinlan’s gaze grew deeper, but she was suddenly struck heavily by something, making her shoulder sink.

That scorching hot forehead burned against her thin clothing. Shi Jinlan turned her head and saw that Chi Qian, with no one to talk to her anymore, could no longer hold on, closed her eyes, and fell asleep again.

Shi Jinlan had never seen such a disobedient patient. She had clearly told her not to sleep, yet she had fallen asleep just like that.

She raised her hand, intending to wake her up ruthlessly.

But at that moment, Chi Qian’s face, which had slumped down, rolled a bit on her shoulder. She was now resting on her side, her long lashes lowered, her flushed little face squished together, looking plump and fleshy.

Shi Jinlan was very thin, with not much flesh on her shoulders.

But Chi Qian was pillowed there very peacefully, her hot breath exhaling and inhaling evenly. Her lips were slightly parted, revealing a layer of moisture.

The shadows of the trees were like water, spreading shimmering ripples in the cave.

Shi Jinlan just looked at Chi Qian’s lips like that, the fingers that had just fed her medicine lightly rubbing together.

She didn’t know why, but it seemed like she had touched this kind of warm, soft sensation in her memories before.

But it probably wasn’t with her fingers.

Then what was it?

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The moon rose over the treetops. The mountain stream at night was filled with tranquility.

The chirping of insects and the flowing river echoed each other. The world was silent and peaceful.

Chi Qian had slept for a while and woke up groggily to the sound of chirping insects.

Her head was still a bit foggy. She had forgotten how she had fallen asleep and only felt that even though she had slept, it wasn’t as serious as Thirteen had said.

She didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.

She even felt that after sleeping, her spirits were much better than during the day.

Tch, what health warning? It’s not accurate at all.

Just as Chi Qian was smugly about to complain to Thirteen, she suddenly felt something was wrong.

Her arm wasn’t at her side. Instead, it seemed to be resting on something. The night wind was pleasantly cool, but her arm didn’t feel it.

In the dimness, Chi Qian opened her eyes.

Moonlight filtered through the hanging tree shadows into the cave, brightly illuminating the face of Shi Jinlan, who was leaning against her.

To die young!³ She was actually sleeping right next to Shi Jinlan.

Her own head was resting against Shi Jinlan’s shoulder. Her slender collarbones held a handful of moonlight, making them clearly visible.

Chi Qian’s breath hitched, afraid of waking Shi Jinlan.

But Shi Jinlan seemed to be sleeping more soundly than her. Her peaceful, sleeping eyes were lightly closed, her thick, dense eyelashes like a fine brush, softly spreading a layer of gentleness and calm over her face, showing no sign of waking.

Amidst the chirping of insects, the fire burned silently.

The deep black was mixed with leaping golden light, as if draping a layer of the starry sky over Shi Jinlan’s body.

Chi Qian thought that Shi Jinlan was worthy of having the stars and moon as her accompaniment.

Her thoughts scattered. Chi Qian’s gaze silently moved downwards.

Then she discovered in horror that her arm was not resting on something else, but on Shi Jinlan. In fact, her posture wasn’t just “resting on,” but “encircling.”

In the posture of hugging a doll, she was encircling Shi Jinlan’s waist!

Chi Qian couldn’t believe her eyes, blinking them again and again.

She tried to pull her hand back but found it was pinned down by Shi Jinlan’s arm, completely unable to move.

The night was so quiet that even a person’s breathing was exceptionally clear. Afraid her movements would wake Shi Jinlan, she simply stopped moving.

Internally, she was going crazy.

【It’s over, it’s over, it’s over, it’s over. I feel like Shi Jinlan is going to hate me.】

【Not necessarily~】 Thirteen floated out faintly.

Chi Qian felt its tone was strange and couldn’t help but frown. 【What’s with that tone?】

【It was Shi Jinlan who took the initiative to lean against Host and sleep while holding Host.】

Thirteen said excitedly, even considerately playing the scene of her passing out in Chi Qian’s mind.

Under the bright sunlight, Chi Qian watched with wide eyes as she herself plunged headfirst onto Shi Jinlan’s shoulder.

Just as she was nervously wondering if Shi Jinlan would fly into a rage, her silent eyes and brows seemed to soften for a moment. Then, she laid her down on the bed, fiddled with her phone for a while, and then lay down herself.

Perhaps because Shi Jinlan had difficulty moving her legs, they were very close to each other.

Chi Qian let out a deep breath, which slightly lifted the stray hairs by Shi Jinlan’s face. A bit of spring breeze stirred Shi Jinlan’s long hair, which also fell upon Chi Qian’s body.

The midday sun was warm and gentle. Dust motes floated silently in the air.

They slept in each other’s arms, with the sky as their blanket and the earth as their bed⁴.

Such a scene was too beautiful, so beautiful that Chi Qian couldn’t believe the image in her mind was real. 【Wh-why…】

【Perhaps Shi Jinlan was afraid Host’s condition would worsen. After all, Host didn’t just fall asleep just now, you fainted from a high fever.】 Thirteen explained.

That mechanical voice was full of rationality, instantly suppressing Chi Qian’s wildly beating heart a little.

She felt a sense of sudden realization. The scene in her mind seemed to become reasonable because of this, but more than that, a sense of loss inexplicably arose from somewhere.

But what Thirteen said made sense, so what was there to feel regretful about?

She shouldn’t be like this.

Chi Qian felt like two little people were fighting in her head, you give me a punch, I give you a kick.

But the one who suffered was her, the owner.

This feeling made Chi Qian very uncomfortable.

The muddled feeling from the high fever was drawn out by it, entrenching itself in Chi Qian’s body, spreading, and expanding.

【Thirteen… I want to sleep a little more.】 Chi Qian’s voice was low.

She felt she was still a bit sleepy, or perhaps she had a desire to escape reality.

【Host can sleep now. Sleeping now won’t be as dangerous as before.】 Thirteen checked Chi Qian’s health monitor.

Having received this permission, Chi Qian felt a little more at ease.

Her eyelids began to fight⁵, heavy, and they closed again.

But at this time, Chi Qian still didn’t know that Shi Jinlan had always been someone who was best at weighing pros and cons to protect herself.

For Shi Jinlan to voluntarily step into this muddy water⁶ that could also make her sick at any moment was already a rare thing.

…

When she was in school, Chi Qian had heard her roommate say that if you think too much before bed, your dreams will be chaotic.

This time, she didn’t sleep very soundly. In her muddled dreams, she seemed to hear someone calling her “Miss.”

But what kind of Miss was she?

There were no Misses in this place, only pitiful people.

Chi Qian was in a daze. Her eyes moved, but she still didn’t open them, swallowed by the dream and sinking into a deeper sleep.

But she didn’t know, this was not her dream.

They were saved.

The night was as black as ink. Dark clouds piled up in the sky, hiding the stars.

But on the pitch-black land, starlight flickered. Long lights waved in the mountain stream dense with forests and vegetation. The sound of human footsteps and calls grew closer and closer. Emergency Rations vigilantly perked up its ears.

“Miss!” A capably dressed woman walked over holding a flashlight, shining the beam directly into the cave.

The light swept past Shi Jinlan’s eyes. She frowned slightly, then sat up unhurriedly.

In the distance, lights swayed. She saw familiar figures gradually emerge from the darkness.

Her people had arrived with Chi Qingyan and the others.

The one in the lead was Shi Jinlan’s special assistant. She saw Shi Jinlan’s figure and immediately ran over.

The light shone on her face. Those calm and steady eyes slowly reddened. “Miss, how are you?”

“I’m fine,” Shi Jinlan shook her head, her voice light.

She then looked at Chi Qingyan, who was striding quickly over, and said to him, “Old Sir, Chi Qian has a fever.”

“What!” The expression on Chi Qingyan’s face grew even more tense. He hurried to Chi Qian’s side, looking at the person whose complexion was abnormal from the fever. “Qianqian. Qianqian.”

But Chi Qian was already delirious from the fever.

The high temperature made her unable to distinguish between dreams and reality. She was deeply sunk in a nightmare and had no reaction to Chi Qingyan’s voice.

“Miss, are you alright?” The special assistant looked at Chi Qian’s condition and became even more nervous about Shi Jinlan.

Shi Jinlan still shook her head, reminding her, “This is not a good place. Let’s talk when we get back.”

“Right, we have to get back quickly,” Chi Qingyan said anxiously, holding the unconscious Chi Qian.

“Okay.” The special assistant nodded, got up, and waved to the few people waiting outside.

Chi Qingyan was advanced in years, so Chi Qian was taken by the bodyguard at Shi Jinlan’s side.

He urgently gave Chi Qian an injection, then, without bothering to politely thank Shi Jinlan, he took the lead and walked out with his people along the path they came from.

Shi Jinlan’s long hair was suddenly lifted by the passing night wind.

The chill dispelled the warmth that had been beside her. She watched Chi Qian’s retreating back as she was carried away, her gaze lingering on the increasingly distant light for a long time.

An indescribable feeling slowly swelled in her heart.

It was as if something had wound around her fingertips, only to withdraw without the slightest pause.

Just then, her special assistant finished making arrangements and walked over again. “Miss, let me carry you out on my back.”

Shi Jinlan impassively gathered her thoughts and nodded. “Okay.”

The newly grown green grass was crushed by footsteps, making a hoarse rustling sound.

Shi Jinlan was carried out of the cave on her special assistant’s back. Her gaze lingered, and as if driven by ghosts and gods⁷, she looked back at the cave again.

The branches and leaves swayed, stirring the moonlight at the cave entrance. Figures came and went, churning that smear of moonlight to pieces.

The people the special assistant brought were erasing the traces of anyone having stayed there. The grass bed, the flower wreath, the battered car… were all being stuffed into tattered bags.

It was as if an invisible whiteboard eraser was wiping the whiteboard again and again, erasing all traces of the past few days.

Shi Jinlan lowered her eyelashes, her gaze hidden in the darkness, obscure and unreadable.

And then, she paused.

In the distance, Emergency Rations’s cage, hidden in a pile of grass, was accidentally kicked by someone. The poor little rabbit was frightened, trembling under the sudden flash of a strong light, its dark fur all puffed up.

“Ah Ning⁸.”

Suddenly, Shi Jinlan called out to her special assistant.

That cold voice was the same as usual. Ah Ning also responded respectfully, “Miss.”

“Capture that rabbit and bring it back,” Shi Jinlan said.

“A rabbit?” Ah Ning was stunned for a moment, then followed Shi Jinlan’s gesture and looked toward the cave.

Emergency Rations’s black fur was truly hard to spot in the darkness. After trying to make it out for a long time, Ah Ning finally saw the rabbit imprisoned under the overturned car frame, thanks to the lights of the people cleaning up the traces.

She stared at the small animal cowering in the cage, not understanding Shi Jinlan’s order.

In her opinion, Shi Jinlan shouldn’t be interested in this kind of thing. Besides, “Miss, that rabbit is thin and small. If we take it back, we probably won’t be able to keep it alive. Perhaps letting it go would be better; this place might be more suitable for it…”

But Shi Jinlan insisted.

Her gaze was calm and restrained as she looked at Emergency Rations. In the shadow of the light, her eyes held an insistence that no one could resist. “I want her.”

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The author has something to say:

Pigeon: Tsk tsk tsk, which “her”~

Bunny confidently: Of course it’s me, Emergency Rations!

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The “Miss Shi” and “Miss Shen” from the previous chapter were Chi Qian misspeaking. She was muddled from the fever and couldn’t switch over, but luckily her nose was stuffed up and her voice was thick and sticky, so Lanlan hasn’t noticed any problem for now (but she will discover it one day!)

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