So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 7

Very Good at Serving People

Chi Qian had been around the block in the professional world, so of course she knew what Shi Jinlan’s gesture meant.

She had been secretly watching the flames on Shi Jinlan’s body out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that they were far calmer than last night, she was certain Shi Jinlan wasn’t furious.

As long as she wasn’t furious, it’s fine.

It’s just rubbing her hand, right? Her mother used to praise her massages, saying she was very good at serving people.

With that thought, Chi Qian straightened up, full of confidence, and took Shi Jinlan’s hand, which had gone numb from being used as her pillow.

The woman’s fingers were very long, her slender, jade-like joints resting clearly defined in Chi Qian’s palm.

Although only a day had passed, the wounds on her hand hadn’t fully healed. Reddish-brown scabs clung to her fair skin, looking fragile and delicate, surrounded by a faint pink blush.

Chi Qian was a total face-con; when she surfed the internet, her favorite thing to do was look at beautiful women.

She had seen many pretty ladies’ hands, and Shi Jinlan’s were her favorite type: delicate skin traced with blue veins, translucent as the white of a spring onion, looking as if it would break with a puff of breath¹.

What a case of a dream shining into reality².

Chi Qian suddenly felt that this mission wasn’t so hellish after all. Such a fine assignment could truly be encountered but not sought³.

The early morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, draping the room in a layer of leisurely warmth.

Shi Jinlan lowered her eyes to look at Chi Qian, a flicker of interest in her gaze.

In truth, she hadn’t expected Chi Qian’s massage to do much of anything.

She knew her hand wasn’t that numb. Rather than a massage, she would have preferred to just wait a little while.

But the moment Chi Qian’s hands pressed against her palm, Shi Jinlan had a slight change of heart.

Ever since she woke up yesterday, her fingers had been subtly acting up, every inch of her wounds reminding her of the betrayal she had suffered, leaving her gloomy and irritable with no way to relieve it.

But Chi Qian’s movements were gentle, the pressure neither too light nor too heavy, and the warmth that spread from her touch was rather comfortable.

Under this person’s touch, blood began to flow smoothly through her perennially cold fingers, and even the lingering, stagnant pain was kneaded away.

How strange.

Both this person and the feelings she gives me.

Over the years, Shi Jinlan had long since learned to control her emotions. No one could tell what lay beneath her calm and restrained expression.

She watched Chi Qian, who was sitting by the bed, with a profound gaze. Her expression slowly grew sated, like a cat being comfortably served by a two-legged beast⁴.

“Did you learn this from your grandfather?” Shi Jinlan asked.

At the sound of her voice, Chi Qian habitually looked up.

She saw that Shi Jinlan was now leaning against the headboard in a much more relaxed posture than before. Her slender back rested against it, her eyes were slightly lowered with a slight arch to her brows, and a lock of long hair trailed down her neck to rest on her shoulder, unable to hide her fair, pink-tinged collarbones. Her lazy, bewitching appearance was like that of a country-ruining female demon consort⁵, but even more, she resembled a bingjiao⁶, gloomy, and vicious major villain from a novel.

No, what do I mean, ‘resembled’?

She clearly is one, okay!

As this scene unfolded before her, Chi Qian secretly thought that she felt like a gift some dog’s leg⁷ had just presented to Shi Jinlan to serve her.

…Though in a way, she really was a gift from the system to Shi Jinlan.

Chi Qian looked at the hand she was so carefully tending to and forced a bitter smile.

If it weren’t to stay alive, who would want to be this gift!

I still have a huge mess to clean up in my original world, you know? Does she think she’s the only one who needs revenge?

Indignation swelled in Chi Qian’s heart, and her voice carried the pride and stubbornness from her original world. “No, no one taught me. I learned all of this myself.”

Hearing Chi Qian’s reply, Shi Jinlan raised her gaze slightly.

This was the first time she had seen any emotion other than fear on this person’s face. What, is she unhappy about having to rub my hand?

Shi Jinlan wasn’t one to care about others’ feelings. In the past, this topic would have ended here.

But after a pause, she glanced at Chi Qian, who was sitting up even straighter than before, and spoke again. “You’re good at this.”

The black flames were faint. As Shi Jinlan’s voice sounded, they brushed across Chi Qian’s palm, leaving a rare touch of warmth.

It’s praise.

Chi Qian’s movements paused for a second. The resentment she’d just been feeling was instantly smoothed over by a sense of accomplishment.

Maybe Shi Jinlan isn’t as hard to get close to as she seems. The flames on her body can become peaceful because of me, too.

Even if it’s only for a moment.

Knock, knock.

“Qianqian, is Miss Shen awake?”

Just as Chi Qian was setting off celebratory fireworks in her head, Chi Qingyan’s knock came from the side of the room.

Chi Qian immediately let go of Shi Jinlan’s hand and got up cheerfully to open the door. “She’s awake, she’s awake.”

The warmth against her palm vanished in a flash. Shi Jinlan’s hand, resting by her side, suddenly felt empty.

She looked down at her hand with a heavy gaze, then looked up toward the door just as Chi Qingyan walked in.

“How are you feeling, Miss Shen?” Chi Qingyan asked.

“The feeling from last night is gone. I think the poison in my body has been temporarily suppressed,” Shi Jinlan replied.

“It won’t act up for a short while,” Chi Qingyan nodded. “But this poison specifically targets areas of poor circulation in the body. It’s extremely stubborn. Right now, it has settled in your legs. I think that in addition to acupuncture and medicine, you’ll need supplementary massages in the future.”

As he said this, Chi Qingyan and Shi Jinlan looked over at the clueless Chi Qian in unspoken agreement.

Chi Qian was still out of the loop. She mulled over Chi Qingyan’s last sentence, and then her eyes slowly widened. “Me?!”

“You.” Chi Qingyan had made up his mind. “Bedtime is a dangerous period. Every night before you sleep, you will massage Miss Shen’s legs for thirty minutes.”

The logic was laid out right in front of her; Chi Qian couldn’t refuse.

And from the perspective of her mission, this was a great opportunity to improve her relationship with Shi Jinlan.

After all, just by rubbing the hand she’d made numb, she had earned her approval. If her massages could also help with her legs, wouldn’t her favorability score shoot straight up?

Without needing Thirteen to pop up and remind her, Chi Qian knew this was an excellent opportunity.

She agreed at once, patting her chest in assurance. “I promise to complete the mission!”

It was one phrase with a double meaning. Hearing herself, Chi Qian couldn’t help but smile at her own cleverness.

But her joy was so overwhelming that her undisguised expression fell right into Shi Jinlan’s line of sight.

The sunlight shone down, casting a thin layer of golden light on Chi Qian’s upturned head.

Shi Jinlan couldn’t understand why she looked so bright and radiant as she made her solemn promise to Chi Qingyan.

What is she so happy about?

Happy that she gets to massage my legs?

This wasn’t a great job; for Chi Qian, it even fell into the category of eating up effort and not currying favor⁸.

A thirty-minute massage might be fine for one day, but for ten days, a month, or even half a year…

At this thought, Shi Jinlan’s open hand clenched into a fist.

I’ve been steeped in cold water for so long, I’ve almost forgotten what a normal temperature feels like.

I am a person of no value. It won’t be long before this person gives up on massaging me.

She definitely will.

“In addition, Miss Shen, you should also get more sun.”

As Shi Jinlan’s thoughts deepened, Chi Qingyan’s voice interrupted her firm conviction.

Chi Qingyan said, “The yin and cold energy in your body is too heavy, so many medicines can’t be used on you. If this continues, it will be detrimental to your treatment.”

Hearing Chi Qingyan’s instructions, Shi Jinlan replied with a soft, “Okay.”

But the bright outdoor light pierced through the gap in the curtains, landing beside the bed, so golden and brilliant it was glaring.

Shi Jinlan narrowed her eyes slightly. She did not like the sun.

She had never been a person who lived in the sunlight.

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Shi Jinlan was an obedient patient. Despite her dislike for it, she went into the courtyard to sunbathe as Chi Qingyan had requested.

The island seemed to have its own flow of time. Sunlight spilled into the courtyard, and the sound of waves washing over the reefs was soothing and drawn out.

Accustomed to having every day packed with various matters, Shi Jinlan felt a sense of guilt for being so idle, as if she were being too lazy.

But even if she wanted to find something to do, what could she do?

Shi Jinlan lowered her head to read the book she had been flipping through last night, her expression impassive.

A page was turned by the wind, leaving behind a trace of loneliness.

Clink.

A faint sound of something being set down reached Shi Jinlan’s ears.

A shadow fell beside her hand. Chi Qian had brought her a small table, on which she had placed a kettle, a cup, and even a plate of simple taosu⁹, worried she might get hungry while reading.

Before doing this, Chi Qian had conducted a series of behavioral logic analyses with Thirteen.

In the original novel, the original host fell in love with Shi Jinlan at first sight. Such an action wouldn’t be seen as sycophantic for the sake of the mission, but rather as being considerate toward one’s beloved.

By doing this, she was not only staying in character but also making her presence felt to Shi Jinlan. It was killing two birds with one stone.

Chi Qian still remembered the look Shi Jinlan had given her last night when she told her to go to sleep. She figured she probably didn’t like being disturbed while reading.

So after setting everything down, Chi Qian left without a word, tiptoeing away, going for a silent, tender companionship.

Shi Jinlan will definitely understand!

Her fluffy hair caught the sunlight, casting a shadow on Shi Jinlan’s book before quickly moving away.

Of course, Shi Jinlan saw every bit of Chi Qian’s caution. Such deliberateness, however, defeated the purpose of being careful, making it all the more conspicuous.

After Chi Qian left, Shi Jinlan unhurriedly picked up the water she had left out to cool for her.

A fresh chrysanthemum flower floated in the white ceramic cup, its golden petals brilliant as it drifted in her vision with the ripples of the water.

Chrysanthemum. To quell internal heat.

Unsure where the mood came from, Shi Jinlan looked at it and smiled faintly.

“Elder Chi, help, help!”

The smile on Shi Jinlan’s lips had yet to fade when the courtyard gate was suddenly thrown open.

The man in the lead was carrying another man covered in blood on his back, supported by a woman behind him. They rushed in, a whirlwind of urgency.

The group passed by Shi Jinlan, stirring up a gust of wind thick with the smell of blood.

Hearing the commotion, Chi Qingyan hurried out from the inner room, with Chi Qian following close behind.

The infirmary was instantly thrown into a flurry of activity, and Shi Jinlan now understood what Chi Qingyan meant when he said it was inconvenient for her to live there.

But no matter how thick the smell of blood in the air, other people’s affairs had nothing to do with Shi Jinlan.

She had only spared the group a brief glance when they arrived before returning her focus to the book in her hands, unhurriedly picking up where she had been interrupted.

But reality wouldn’t allow Shi Jinlan to read in peace.

A moment later, the sound of coarse footsteps came from the infirmary entrance. They crossed the threshold and stopped in front of Shi Jinlan.

A burly shadow blocked all the light falling on her book. The man looked down at Shi Jinlan and asked in a thuggish tone, “Yo, missy, reading a book?”

Shi Jinlan disliked being disturbed, and she detested the man’s tone even more. She looked up at him with cold eyes.

That one look sent a jolt of fear through the man, as if he were being crushed by something dark and sinister.

He refused to believe that this feeling came from the sickly woman before him. Besides, this woman was so beautiful; even with a blank expression, every one of her features was exquisite.

As the saying goes, it was a classic case of seeing beauty and getting ideas¹⁰. The man mustered his courage and continued to hit on Shi Jinlan. “What’s with that look? We’re all from the same village… wait, how come I’ve never seen you in the village before?”

As he spoke, his eyes roamed up and down Shi Jinlan.

He saw that she had gauze wrapped in several places and that her ankles, visible beneath her skirt, had a few scabs. He put on a concerned look. “Missy… how did you get hurt so badly? What happened? Don’t be afraid, tell your big bro. I’ll definitely help you get even!”

As he spoke, he kept leaning closer to Shi Jinlan.

This was the first time Shi Jinlan had ever encountered such shameless harassment.

She didn’t want to cause trouble, but she wasn’t the type to swallow her anger and choke back her voice¹¹. Even stranded here, Shi Jinlan would not allow such a person to offend her.

“Missy, say something. What happened? You… you’re not a mute, are you?”

The man raised his hand, intending to pat Shi Jinlan to get her to pay attention to him.

And Shi Jinlan granted his wish.

Her movement was so natural that the man had no time to react. In an instant, she had seized his wrist.

The slender arm he had dismissed now gripped his bones like a vise, and under the bright light of day, it forced him to his knees.

Until the man was kneeling on the ground.

Until his gaze was forced upward, to look up at Shi Jinlan.

Only then did Shi Jinlan look down on him and answer his question. “I’m not.”

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The author has something to say:

The little wifey-wives both have to be suspected of being mutes!

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