So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 57

I’m Not Going to Be the White Moonlight

“Miss Chi, our boss invites you.”

A mission prompt like this was a bolt from the blue¹ for Chi Qian, who only wanted to lie flat².

She couldn’t believe her eyes. From the bottom of her heart, she resisted this mission—an inexplicable and overwhelming resistance.

The sharp alcohol slid down her throat, making her suck in a long breath.

In an instant, Chi Qian’s mood to drink was gone, and her desire to chat with Song Tang vanished with it. A complete mess, she ran back home with strides like a meteor³.

“Peng!”⁴

“Thirteen!”

The sound of the door opening rang out at the same time as Chi Qian’s voice. Thirteen, who had been secretly sleeping on Chi Qian’s bed, shot up like a cat.

It thought Chi Qian had come to catch it, and its little ball-heart filled with guilt. “Host… why are you back so early today?”

But Chi Qian completely ignored Thirteen for having played the dove in the magpie’s nest⁵ while she was away. She shoved her mission prompt at it and demanded, “Is your System bugging out again?! Why did you shove a mission on me that I never even accepted?!”

“Huh?” Thirteen hadn’t expected Chi Qian to be there to bust it, and it immediately relaxed a little.

But it wasn’t long before its heart was in its throat again.

It couldn’t delete the mission that had suddenly appeared for Chi Qian. What’s more, it didn’t have the operational authority to do so.

“Host, please don’t worry just yet. I’ll go check for you if there was really a mistake.” This was the first time Thirteen had ever encountered something like this, and it had a bad feeling in its core.

“Go on, then.” Chi Qian didn’t know any of this. Compared to Thirteen’s bad premonition, she was still holding onto a sliver of hope, certain that the System had made an error.

She had left Song Tang’s bar in such a hurry that he still owed her a fried egg.

Chi Qian walked quickly to the kitchen, deciding to make up for that fried egg herself. While she was at it, she’d cook a portion of Snail Rice Noodles⁶ to go with it, to soothe her frightened soul.

For a foodie, was there anything that brought happiness more easily than eating a favorite food?

There isn’t, Chi Qian thought.

“Tsssss.”⁷

The sound of frying oil spread from the kitchen to the living room. The egg, mixed with the hot oil, gave off a crispy, fragrant aroma. A golden-brown edge surrounded the pure white, with a beautiful, sun-like yolk in the center. Just by looking at it, Chi Qian could imagine how delicious it would be soaking in the Snail Rice Noodle broth.

“Um, Host…”

Just as Chi Qian was lost in her imagination, Thirteen returned. The little ball flickered slowly in the fragrant air, as if exercising caution.

Chi Qian was busy dishing out the cooked Snail Rice Noodles from another pot and didn’t notice Thirteen’s tone at all. “You’re back. So, when can this mission of mine be canceled?”

Thirteen said, “The mission system says there was no mistake. This mission is for you, Host.”

“TSSSSSS—!!!!”

The spatula pressed down on the egg, letting out a sharp screech. The egg, which was about to be fried to perfection, was instantly ruined. Chi Qian looked at Thirteen in disbelief. “You… say that again!”

Thirteen hurriedly explained, “It’s like this, Host. Because all the task-takers have failed for the past two months, the System thinks that perhaps if you, the White Moonlight⁸, go, you’ll be better able to control Shi Jinlan’s emotions and thus prevent the destruction of the small world⁹.”

Chi Qian’s expression was hard to control. “Do they know I’m already dead?”

“So the System will prepare a new identity for you,” Thirteen stated.

Chi Qian smiled. “So I’m going to be my own substitute¹⁰, is that it?”

Steeling itself, Thirteen replied, “Yes, that’s right.”

“Ha, haha.” Hearing Thirteen’s explanation, Chi Qian couldn’t help but laugh. Her laughter was sudden, but the expression on her face barely changed.

Unlike her usual loss of control or questioning, this time she did nothing. She just quietly finished plating her Snail Rice Noodles, sat down on the living room sofa, and took a huge slurp.

Thirteen had never seen Chi Qian so calm when faced with a problem, and its nervousness turned into fear. “Ho-Host, please don’t be like this, I’m scared…”

“You’re scared? I’m the one who should be scared!” Chi Qian bit off the noodle hanging from her lips, her calm eyes finally showing a flash of anger. “Does your System have any sense of reason?! I already completed the mission, and now you want me to go again! And you just forced it on me without even discussing it!”

“Making me go back to that world, how am I supposed to go back?! I’m already dead there! Am I supposed to jump out of my grave? Besides, I was turned to ash, so how could I even jump?!”

Chi Qian found the System’s actions to be completely unimaginable, even willing to destroy the plot’s logic just to stop Shi Jinlan. “Or should I just run up to Shi Jinlan and tell her, ‘Honey, surprise! I’m not dead, I’ve undergone an Impure World Reincarnation¹¹!'”

After saying all that, Chi Qian was just venting her emotions.

She didn’t know why she was so resistant to this mission. Just now, while eating the noodles, the anger in her heart grew with every bite, and all she could think about was escaping. But according to her past personality, she would never think of running away from something that had already happened.

Since it’s already happened, just deal with it. That’s the way to solve problems. Breaking down and running away isn’t just inadvisable, it’s completely useless.

And yet, she still broke down. She’d even gotten incredibly angry at the innocent Thirteen.

Could it be that deep down, she doesn’t want to go to this world?

Why?

This world was the first mission she ever completed, and she was even praised by the Main God for doing a beautiful job. The fact that Shi Jinlan had now blackened to such a terrifying degree was partly her achievement; she should be proud. And they had spent so much time together before. She should want to go back and see her Miss Evil Dragon.

But why was it that whenever Shi Jinlan was mentioned, her feelings were so faint? When she talked about their time together, it was always a case of better than nothing¹².

Logically, that shouldn’t be right.

She had never been such an indifferent person. Why was it that Shi Jinlan had feelings for her strong enough to make her blacken, but she had none for Shi Jinlan?

“Hiss—” A sharp pain shot through Chi Qian’s temple, making her grimace involuntarily.

Her resistance to going to Shi Jinlan’s world grew even stronger. Chi Qian picked up the chopsticks she had just placed on her bowl and started slurping her Snail Rice Noodles again. “I don’t care, I’m not going! I’m just gonna sit right here! Let’s see what the System can do to me!”

Chi Qian’s attitude was firm. The legs were on her body, after all. As long as she didn’t go to the mission portal, the System couldn’t do anything to her.

She refused to be some White Moonlight. She wanted to be a salted fish¹³ lying flat!

“!!”

The moment she finished her defiant protest, a white light flashed before Chi Qian’s eyes.

The bowl of Snail Rice Noodles in her hand suddenly felt lighter. The blue-toned white environment of her apartment was replaced by a flat, monotonous, pure white light. It was quiet all around. The bright lights reflected off a corridor paved with white porcelain tiles.

Chi Qian’s gaze followed the path of the light. The surrounding atmosphere was silent and solemn, except for the faint smell of Snail Rice Noodles wafting through the air.

【Host, it seems we’ve been teleported by the System.】

Thirteen’s voice sounded with difficulty in Chi Qian’s mind, its lively tone having reverted to its previous flat, mechanical voice.

Chi Qian blurted out, “Fuck.”¹⁴

She stared at the completely unfamiliar environment. The long, deserted corridor was dark and eerie, and a cold wind blew from somewhere, making her uncomfortable. 【What the hell is this place?】

【One moment, Host. I’m checking.】 Chi Qian wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt that Thirteen was acting more professional than before.

But there wasn’t much time for Thirteen to investigate.

As Chi Qian was walking down the empty corridor, the sound of an elevator arriving cut through the silence.

“Ding-dong!”

Chi Qian’s steps came to a halt. She looked up at the elevator doors at the end of the corridor. After a one-second pause, the silver doors slowly slid open. A mass of black was evenly distributed inside, the sense of oppression magnified more than once in the cramped space.

And in the middle of it all stood a particularly conspicuous woman.

The group walked out, with the woman surrounded in the center. But the sea of suits and leather shoes were nothing more than her shadows. Her eyes were slightly lowered, her high heels clicking against the floor. The hem of her black skirt kicked up with each step, creating an elegant yet casual arc in the air.

She walked with a hint of weary laziness in her steps, her shoulders not quite straight beneath a wool shawl. She seemed to look down on everyone, yet her gloomy aura was far colder than before.

Yes, this was Shi Jinlan.

She stood in the crowd, and Chi Qian saw her in a single glance. With one look, she knew who “Shi Jinlan” was.

Watching from a distance, Chi Qian forgot to breathe. She even forgot her current predicament. It was as if her eyes had a mind of their own, following the woman all the way.

She watched as the wind gently lifted her straight, jet-black hair. The moving air current blew over, leaving a light fragrance at the tip of her nose. The scent was clean to the extreme, with a hint of floral fragrance in its final note. It wasn’t a big flower like a peony or a rose; it must have been a small, nameless wildflower growing in the wild.

Chi Qian’s gaze was fixed on Shi Jinlan the entire time. Her lips, which had just been kissed by spice, were still an unnatural shade of red. Then her lips parted slightly, as if the scent had reminded her of something, and a deep itch started in her bones…

“…”

A sharp gust of wind blew over. Chi Qian was still hiding in the dim corridor, peeking, when Shi Jinlan looked up and caught her red-handed.

The eyes that had looked lazy from a distance instantly lost that color, becoming pitch-black and cold, with no bottom in sight. Shi Jinlan wasn’t looking; she was staring with killing intent at the person who was spying on her.

That long-lost sense of familiarity struck Chi Qian’s heart once again, and the fear was even more intense than before.

She swallowed hard and instinctively turned to run.

Thirteen, who was still looking up information, noticed Chi Qian’s action and found it absurd. 【Host, what are you running for?!】

Chi Qian was panicking. 【I don’t know either, I just feel like I have to run, or I won’t get another chance!】

Thirteen didn’t think so. 【But if you run now, how will you meet Shi Jinlan later?! This is the best opportunity!】

【The corridor is so dark, what can she see?!】 Chi Qian said dismissively, then retorted, 【Are you really telling me to jump out in front of Shi Jinlan and tell her I’m not dead, that I’ve pulled a zombie act?!】

【I don’t even know what my identity is in this world yet. You can’t expect me to sell out the System! I’m here to save the world, not destroy it.】

【Oh, right.】 For once, Chi Qian’s head was surprisingly clear. Thirteen also came to its senses and began to cooperate with her escape. 【Host, this way, this is the emergency exit.】

【Okay!】 Chi Qian nodded.

Chi Qian had never been so panicked in her life. She ran down the emergency exit to the floor below, her legs trembling.

It was just seeing her again, so why do I have this sad feeling that’s even overpowering my guilt?

“I’m gonna die.” Chi Qian didn’t know if this new body had asthma. She leaned against the stairwell wall, gasping for breath, feeling as if an asthma attack was about to start.

【If I die here, will anyone collect my body?】 Chi Qian let out a sigh of relief, her thoughts wandering.

【The cleaning staff cleans this building on a regular schedule every day. Host doesn’t need to worry.】 Thirteen analyzed with a straight face.

【Wow.】 Chi Qian exclaimed with a deadpan expression. Pushing the door open, she said, 【Have you found out my identity in this world ye—】

But her question was cut short.

As the emergency exit door was pushed open, several of the bodyguards she had just seen in the elevator hall appeared in her line of sight. They stood in a line, a dark mass blocking her path and the sunlight streaming in from a side window.

The arm Chi Qian was using to hold the door couldn’t help but tremble. Then, the man in the lead politely took the heavy door from her and gestured with his hand. “Miss Chi, our boss invites you.”

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The author has something to say:

Lanlan: Press 1¹⁵ to help me build a little black room.

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