So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 65

I’m Not Going to Be the White Moonlight

“How does Ah Qian plan to repay me?”

Sunlight layered with tree shadows spilled into the room. The summer heatwaves rippled against the glass.

Inside, the central air conditioning hummed at a low frequency. The cool breeze stirred the hem of a skirt, diminishing the restlessness in the sunlight.

The zipper slid smoothly up her waistline, tracing fluid curves without a single unnecessary embellishment.

Chi Qian stood before the mirror looking at herself, her almond-shaped eyes filled with fighting spirit.

Today, she was going back to the company to attend the investigation team’s meeting.

Whether the investigation team had been bought off or how the inquiry was proceeding didn’t matter; she couldn’t show weakness. In any case, soldiers come, generals block; water comes, earth covers¹. She wouldn’t fall into the trap of self-justification. Instead, she would crush the very idea of making her a scapegoat.

Spirits high, Chi Qian adjusted the collar of her blazer and pushed open the door to go downstairs.

There was just one thing giving her a headache, a feeling of dying before the victory is won².

Shi Jinlan’s manor was located in the suburbs. While the scenery was unique and it was an excellent, secluded residence…

Chi Qian’s company was in the city center!

She looked at her navigation app as she went downstairs, wondering how she should get there.

Taking a taxi was fastest, but it would cost a hundred yuan. The nearest bus stop was quite a distance away, and in Chi Qian’s experience, buses in places like this ran every half hour or even hourly. If she missed one, she’d be stuck waiting dryly.

Maybe she should just take a taxi.

She had just received this month’s salary, so money wasn’t too tight. She could afford a round trip.

“Miss Chi, the car is ready. Do you wish to depart now?”

Just as Chi Qian made up her mind to grit her teeth and hail a ride, Mrs. Housekeeper materialized out of nowhere.

She had been like this these past few days, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, exactly like those omnipotent mysterious butlers in certain anime.

Chi Qian heard Mrs. Housekeeper’s words and froze for a moment, pointing at herself in surprise. “Huh? Me? Prepared for me?”

“Yes.” Mrs. Housekeeper nodded. “Miss ordered it last night, saying to have a car ready for Miss Chi today as you had a need to go out.”

It turned out it wasn’t Mrs. Housekeeper who was omnipotent, but her master.

Chi Qian hadn’t expected Shi Jinlan to be so considerate. She had just mentioned it in passing the day before yesterday, and she had actually remembered.

She didn’t know how to describe her current mood. It was sweet, as if someone had sprinkled a handful of popping candy into her heart. “Well then, thank you.”

“You are too polite.” Mrs. Housekeeper inclined her head, handing a brown paper bag to Chi Qian. The aroma of food wafted out. “Miss Chi, this is the breakfast prepared for you. A beef sandwich; it won’t leave an odor in your mouth, so you can eat it on the way.”

Chi Qian retracted her earlier thought. Mrs. Housekeeper was omnipotent.

Looking at the thoughtfully packed breakfast, she felt less like an employee of this home and more like its master. She took it with some embarrassment. “You are too thoughtful.”

Mrs. Housekeeper smiled. “It is my duty.”

She checked her watch and reminded Chi Qian, “It is getting late. It takes two hours to get to the city center from here. Miss Chi, do not be late.”

“Oh, right.” Chi Qian had been so happy she forgot the time. Reminded, she started walking outside.

The cicadas chirped endlessly in the summer heatwave, and the scent of the beef sandwich wafted out with her movements.

Surrounded by the aroma, Chi Qian’s steps were light. She liked to think positively: if she was unlucky in the morning, the bad luck was out of the way; if she was lucky in the morning, then today was a lucky day.

Therefore, later at the company, the investigation team would definitely handle things impartially.

Justice and fairness would surely prevail in this world!

Just as she was thinking this, a low-profile black Volkswagen came into Chi Qian’s view.

She was mentally praising Shi Jinlan for being considerate enough not to send that luxury car from last time, when the bodyguard who had brought her here before walked over and opened the door for her.

Chi Qian paused, glancing to the side.

She realized that behind this unassuming black Volkswagen, a bodyguard car was parked.

Although that car wasn’t exaggerated either…

But driving two cars together? It would be hard not to attract attention!

Chi Qian’s face twitched slightly. She felt Shi Jinlan didn’t need to go this far.

She had already signed the contract; she wouldn’t run away. There was no need for this…

Eyeing the bodyguard holding the door, Chi Qian hesitated.

She knew Shi Jinlan’s orders—even if she tried to negotiate, he wouldn’t withdraw. She decided not to waste time and sat in the car, feeling a bit like a broken pot being smashed.

Besides, with a formation like this, she looked like someone not to be messed with.

The one worrying shouldn’t be her, but Dog Wang and his crew.

That’s right.

This time she would assume the tiger’s might as a fox³!

She wanted to let them see just what kind of iron plate⁴ they had kicked this time!

Chi Qian slipped into a moment of fantasy as the door closed and the car started.

Greenery rippled past, houses appearing faintly within it. It really was like a place of confinement where one could call to heaven and earth with no answer.

The black box was orange.

And a dark room wasn’t necessarily pitch black without light.

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The greenery of the distant suburbs gave way to high-rise buildings, and the heat gathered with the urban heat island effect.

The city center was always bustling. Even the cicadas sounded sharper here, completely lacking the leisure of the manor.

The familiar office building slowly came into Chi Qian’s view. She looked at the company sign hanging high on the roof and took a light breath.

It was work hours, so not many people were entering or leaving the building, and the elevator wasn’t crowded.

The bodyguard seemed to notice Chi Qian’s hesitation and didn’t follow her into the elevator.

But when Chi Qian walked into the elevator, she hesitated.

Her memory was like a loading image. After deliberately searching her mind, she recalled her office location and selected the corresponding floor.

It had been a long time since she returned to the company; Chi Qian was a bit nervous.

She was worried whether her currently somewhat messy memory could handle what was coming next, but the elevator gave her no buffer and opened its doors.

Her team’s office area was just a left turn from the elevator lobby. As soon as Chi Qian walked over, she saw a potbellied man standing at the door. Seeing her, he gave a skin-deep smile. “Yo, you’re here.”

This was the man Chi Qian had nicknamed “Dog Wang.”

Chi Qian, who had just been worried about not fitting into the company rhythm, skillfully rolled her eyes at him. “Didn’t you ask me to come?”

“What are you acting so high and mighty for?” He hadn’t expected Chi Qian to be in such good shape. He glanced out the window at the Volkswagen driving away downstairs and teased, “Climbed up another high branch, huh? Coming with quite the airs.”

Hearing this, Chi Qian felt a physiological wave of revulsion.

The exact same fabricated smut rumors from the original world had been moved here intact. She listened to his sarcastic remarks and smiled along with his words. “That’s right. Someone you can’t afford to offend.”

“Yo, someone I can’t afford to offend.” He sneered immediately, laughing at Chi Qian’s overconfidence as she put on airs in front of him. “Stop pretending, don’t I know you—”

“Me what?”

Chi Qian had been waiting for this exact sentence and cut him off instantly.

Since she wasn’t going to stay in this company anyway, tearing off the mask was all too easy for her. “I actually didn’t sleep with any client, no one is keeping me as a mistress, and it’s basically just you spreading rumors about me in private.”

Chi Qian’s voice was loud. Colleagues in the office area looked over.

Boring work lives thrived on gossip, especially watching Dog Wang getting told off.

Dog Wang hadn’t expected the tables to turn; he had planned to ridicule Chi Qian while everyone watched the show.

Seeing more and more gazes gathering around, he declared strictly to Chi Qian, “Chi Qian! I’m telling you, you need evidence for your words. Slandering me like this, I can report you to higher-ups.”

“Then go report it. You report, I report. Do you think I don’t have a mouth?” Chi Qian crossed her arms, acting indifferent.

She didn’t know how she had tolerated it back then. For such a long time, she hadn’t found a single chance to retort, just letting him spread rumors about her.

“You!” Dog Wang hadn’t expected Chi Qian to be tougher than before. He was so angry he couldn’t speak, only cursing dryly, “You’re just a dead duck with a hard beak! Just you wait!”

“Fine, I’ll wa—”

Ding-dong.

The sound of the elevator arriving interrupted Chi Qian. The gazes concentrated on the two of them shifted to the elevator entrance.

Everyone was inexplicably curious about who would appear at this moment. Unexpectedly, when the doors opened, a group of people in police uniforms walked out.

Dog Wang crossed his arms, smiling at Chi Qian. “See, the police came directly to arrest you.”

Chi Qian’s heart tightened, momentarily led astray by him.

Watching the police walk closer and closer, a beam of sunlight inexplicably shone into her vision.

The sound of waves crashing against the coast rang in her ears. In her memory, it seemed she had encountered something like this before. Her heart had been just as afraid then, but with a single stride, she had turned back without hesitation to shield someone.

Who was it?

Why did she have such courage?

Chi Qian was still dazed when a black figure passed her, walking straight to Dog Wang. “Hello, please come with us.”

Hearing the police say this, Dog Wang still didn’t realize the severity of the situation. He pointed at Chi Qian. “Did you guys make a mistake? I’m not Chi Qian, I’m Wang Xin.”

“That’s correct. The person we are looking for is Wang Xin,” the officer said. “You are suspected of illegally stealing corporate secrets. You need to come with us.”

Hearing the words he had once used to frame Chi Qian now pinned on his own head, Wang Xin panicked instantly. “Impossible! How could you trace it to me!”

Chi Qian recovered from her confusion, keenly picking up the loophole in his words. “Are you sure you wiped your traces clean?”

Facing Chi Qian’s skepticism, Wang Xin blurted out, “Do I need you to—”

But he braked immediately, realizing his mistake.

This man had weak nerves and zero vigilance.

The officer glanced at him indifferently. Then, flanking him on both sides, they escorted Wang Xin into the middle. “Let’s go, Mr. Wang.”

“I knew it was impossible for Qianqian to do something like that.”

“I heard the team leader next door was taken away too.”

“Huh? Could it be he was behind it?”

“Must be.”

…

This melodramatic farce ended in a way Chi Qian had never dared to imagine.

The office melon-eating⁵ crowd put down their work, gathered together, and started discussing.

“And his uncle, the partner who just got promoted, was taken away too. Look, there are pictures, it’s the truth!”

“That’s not the version I heard. I heard he was fired by the Board of Directors.”

“No, wait, the Board of Directors made a move?!”

“Those old men? Aren’t they always ‘Buddhist’⁶ and retiring?”

“I don’t know, but today’s stance isn’t Buddhist at all. It’s a thunderous momentum, cleaning up the workplace root and branch.”

…

Chi Qian stood at the door listening to everyone’s discussion. Somehow, the more she listened, the more familiar the description sounded.

Such ruthless, root-and-branch thunderous methods… she knew exactly one person like that.

【Host, what is wrong with you!】

Before the name “Shi Jinlan” could appear in Chi Qian’s head, Thirteen’s voice squeezed into that space.

【What’s wrong with me?】 Chi Qian didn’t understand.

She had just won a rare victory and regained her innocence.

Could the System be unhappy about this too?

Naturally, the System didn’t care about such a thing. What they cared about was: 【Weren’t you supposed to stop Shi Jinlan from destroying the world? Why did Shi Jinlan swallow another company so quickly!】

Thirteen’s voice sounded like it had a headache. Chi Qian’s eyes filled with surprise. 【What?】

Connecting it with Shi Jinlan’s thoughtful preparation this morning, she reacted belatedly: 【Don’t tell me… it’s my company?】

【Zzzt yes zzzt… doomed zzzt, zzzt Lan is coming…】

The sound of the elevator running approached the floor Chi Qian was on. Thirteen’s voice became intermittent again, the signal extremely unstable.

Chi Qian anticipated something. Like a wind-up puppet, she turned slowly and stiffly toward the elevator lobby.

The silver-white doors slowly opened. Inside the spacious commercial elevator stood a group of people, neither too many nor too few.

Chi Qian looked at the people in suits and leather shoes inside, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

As several investigation team members exited, the woman standing at the very back appeared before everyone’s eyes.

Her long hair was pinned low, fully revealing her face in the light. Her eyes were slightly closed, her thick, dense eyelashes catching the cheap elevator light. Her pitch-black pupils remained unstained by a single speck of dust, calmly radiating a distant nobility.

“Holy crap, so beautiful.”

“Who is that? The new manager?”

“Goddess.”

“Is she setting up a new project team? Can we transfer over?”

…

The discussions of her colleagues rose and fell in Chi Qian’s ears. She didn’t think about turning and running this time.

A feeling rose in her heart—she didn’t know if it should be called vanity or possessiveness—pushing her to walk over in front of everyone and greet Shi Jinlan familiarly.

She wasn’t greedy.

Just a greeting would do.

To show these people drooling over her that Shi Jinlan was hers.

Just then, a hand waved in Chi Qian’s line of sight.

Ah Ning instructed Chi Qian’s project manager to call her over. “Little Chi, come here quickly.”

“What’s this for?”

“She’s innocent, we have to console her.”

“Ah, why is her luck so good? I want to ride the elevator with the beautiful sister too.”

“You were blind to her being wronged, but now you only see her glory?”

…

Everyone chattered as Chi Qian’s steps toward the elevator took her further away.

She didn’t know how she managed to walk over so calmly. she only knew that Shi Jinlan had called her under the public gaze, and she couldn’t embarrass her.

Over half the people had just exited the elevator; now, only four remained in the spacious area.

The manager actively gave up his spot, placing Chi Qian next to Shi Jinlan.

This was her first time experiencing the Demon King’s aura up close.

Shi Jinlan was completely different from how she was at home the day before. The elevator car was abnormally quiet. She stood tall and jade-like, her pitch-black shadow falling beside Chi Qian and the manager. Without words, the oppressive pressure dared no one to act rashly.

How exactly could she stand shoulder-to-shoulder with this person?

By saving the world?

However, she was currently saving the world.

“Little Chi has strong work ability and handles quite a few projects. She really is a capable subordinate.”

Perhaps feeling the silence was too heavy, the manager started praising the person Shi Jinlan had singled out, hoping to curry favor with this new Board member.

Yes, everyone guessed wrong.

Shi Jinlan wasn’t here to be a manager; she was a member of the Board of Directors, and currently the holder of the most shares.

“She was solely responsible for the numerical planning of the last project. I plan to submit it for the company’s annual classic case study,” the manager said, casting a smile of approval at Chi Qian.

“Very impressive,” Shi Jinlan evaluated faintly, not looking at the manager, but looking at Chi Qian just like him.

Chi Qian, receiving approval from superiors on both sides, nodded and smiled with embarrassment.

She truly felt she didn’t deserve it because she really couldn’t remember how she had done the project the boss was praising.

What is going on with this brain!

Chi Qian felt her brain wasn’t quite right and decided it was necessary to accept a comprehensive physical examination from Thirteen later.

She was secretly planning this when the elevator carried the group to Shi Jinlan’s exclusive office on a higher floor.

Exiting the elevator, Ah Ning signaled the manager to go with her.

And Chi Qian, without any prompt from anyone, followed Shi Jinlan to her office.

The brand-new office hadn’t been filled with files yet, but the shelves around it were packed full of decorative items used for flattery.

Shi Jinlan sat unhurriedly behind the office desk. She reached out to touch a platinum ornament on the table and said to Chi Qian, seemingly casually, “Don’t you have anything you want to ask me?”

Chi Qian had many questions in her heart, but they all turned into one incredulous sentence: “You acquired this company?”

“It’s not a difficult task.” Shi Jinlan made it sound light and breezy, and indeed it was.

She had originally thought acquiring this company would take some effort and had given Ah Ning orders to complete it today.

She hadn’t expected that as soon as Ah Ning contacted the Board yesterday, those old fellows all agreed one after another.

She didn’t know if those people were just set on retiring.

Or if her battle record over the past three years was truly terrifying enough to make them tremble at the news.

Thinking of this, a layer of comfortable laughter floated in Shi Jinlan’s eyes.

She leaned back gently against the leather chair, raised her arm, and beckoned to Chi Qian. “Come here.”

Since the door closed, the oppressive pressure on Shi Jinlan had slowly faded.

She looked up at Chi Qian now, her casual voice carrying a cool gentleness.

Chi Qian didn’t understand.

But she went over anyway.

Unexpectedly, just as she reached Shi Jinlan, she was embraced by the waist.

Chi Qian was caught off guard. Light and shadow changed rapidly in her vision, finally fully occupied by Shi Jinlan. She heard her say in her ear: “How does Ah Qian plan to repay me?”

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The author has something to say:

Today is a very, very soft and spoiled Lanlan~

Lanlan: I have other places that are very soft too~

Qianqian: I didn’t hear that (small face turns r… red)

PS: Can this barely count as a 2-in-1 chapter? QAQ

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