So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 74

I’m Not Going to Be the White Moonlight

Hooking the Collar

The cicadas shrieked, clamoring about the sweltering summer heat. Even when the wind rolled in, it couldn’t sweep away the oppressive stuffiness in the air.

The servants at the manor had all changed into uniforms made of lighter fabric, showing significantly more skin. This was a natural consequence of the temperature, and no one would say a word about it. In fact, wearing a scarf or a high-collared shirt at a time like this would have been seen as strange.

Chi Qian stared at her reflection in the mirror, at the gleaming collar around her neck. Even a collared shirt would have struggled to hide it, let alone the spaghetti-strap nightgown she was wearing.

Instinctively, Chi Qian wanted to find a way to take the thing off, but the small silver lock on the side was no mere decoration.

Her hand traced the ring, finding a golden gemstone embedded right at the center of her throat. A bright silver loop dangled below it, looking like an ornament, but also like a place to hook a chain.

The thought flashed through her mind, and the hand touching the loop felt as if it had been burned.

It wasn’t that she thought Shi Jinlan was incapable of such a thing. It was the blatant, public declaration of it that made her cheeks burn. A current seemed to pass through the searing heat, traveling down the spine where the collar rested and spreading to every corner of her body.

“I’m coming in.”

Just as Chi Qian was lost in her thoughts, Shi Jinlan, who had been pausing at the door for a moment, pushed it open.

A breeze from the hallway surged in, lifting Chi Qian’s long hair. She didn’t even have time to move her hand from the collar before Shi Jinlan walked in.

With a gesture like that, it was impossible not to notice the collar.

Shi Jinlan’s gaze fell on Chi Qian’s hand, which was resting on the collar she had put on her. The corners of her eyes curved, and she walked toward her with a smile.

Chi Qian was still sitting on the bed, and Shi Jinlan propped a leg against the bedside. Her movements were unhurried, like a cat that had taken human form, her eyes filled with an appreciation steeped in desire.

This was an appreciation Chi Qian couldn’t handle. That presence, which had once pierced through her, now settled around her—cool and clean, yet as scorching as fire.

She was pinned by Shi Jinlan’s stare, her body tensing. She swallowed carefully, her throat moving against the collar, terrified that any wrong move would mar the perfection of the scene in Shi Jinlan’s eyes.

Of course, Shi Jinlan saw her reaction. Her eyes swept down Chi Qian’s neck until, just as Chi Qian was about to run out of breath, she said, “It’s beautiful.”

Such a compliment undoubtedly pleased Chi Qian.

She instinctively wanted to be modest and say something like, “It’s alright,” but her mind, at this inopportune moment, was spinning. She suddenly realized the significance of the collar. Lowering her eyes, she uttered a single word to Shi Jinlan: “It’s awkward.”

“Let me see.”

It was hard to tell if Shi Jinlan had misunderstood her or was doing it on purpose. As she spoke, she reached out, her fingers slipping nimbly and lightly inside Chi Qian’s collar.

Although she used almost no force, Chi Qian found herself unable to resist the motion of her hooking the collar. She just watched as her entire body was pulled forward, following the line of Shi Jinlan’s outstretched arm.

A cascade of black, as smooth as satin, filled her vision—Shi Jinlan’s hair.

Shi Jinlan probably didn’t know how beautiful she looked with her hair down. The golden sunlight sprinkled over it, and a gentle breeze carried the sound of cicadas into the room, a sound that seemed to match the beating of Chi Qian’s heart.

Fragrance always lingered most easily in hair. That clean scent brushed past Chi Qian’s nose, spreading through the air like ripples and making her throat go dry.

Just then, Shi Jinlan’s fingers brushed over the edge of the collar, the warmth of her fingertips grazing Chi Qian’s neck. She seemed to be genuinely inspecting how well the collar suited her, but her focused expression only made the moment feel more debased and suggestive. It was as if, in this picture, any sense of seduction was just Chi Qian letting her imagination run wild.¹

“Mm, it is a bit rough. This is the third version Chloe made.”

The assessment seemed to be over. Shi Jinlan slowly withdrew her fingers from Chi Qian’s neck, the very picture of an upright gentleman.²

If, that is, she hadn’t discreetly curled the fingers that had just touched Chi Qian’s neck into her palm.

“We were in a hurry this time. The new one is still being made; it’ll take a little longer. The French are like that,” Shi Jinlan said conversationally, with no intention of removing the collar Chi Qian found so awkward. “Ah Qian, I’m never letting you get away again.”

Chi Qian watched a smile bloom on Shi Jinlan’s face as she gazed back, her eyes as deep as a pool.

She knew Shi Jinlan wouldn’t let her disappear again. She wouldn’t even let her leave her side. It was a wish she would not easily get.³

A mountain of questions had piled up in Chi Qian’s mind overnight.

She had forgotten everything she’d done with Shi Jinlan before.

And somehow, Shi Jinlan knew about the System’s existence.

It was as if the world had been turned upside down. She, the Mission-taker, was being controlled by a character in a book.

And yet, strangely, she didn’t feel uneasy. She didn’t even feel the panic and fear she’d felt when facing the Main System. It was as if being by Shi Jinlan’s side was the only safe place to be.

And she wanted to be by Shi Jinlan’s side.

Even if she could destroy the world at any moment, even if she was the crazy evil dragon⁴ whose name made the color of one’s face change with fear.⁵

“By the way, the Patrol Team found a cat. Want to go down and see it?”

Shi Jinlan’s voice cut through Chi Qian’s chaotic thoughts. She was still sitting on the edge of the bed. As she spoke, her hand moved to Chi Qian’s leg, stroking her ankle. “This cat is pretty interesting,” she said with amusement. “It was close to the shore but insisted on going to the middle of the lake. I felt sorry for it, so I brought it here.”

Hearing that description, Chi Qian’s heart skipped a beat.

It couldn’t be Thirteen, could it?

Shi Jinlan had blocked the signal, so she couldn’t contact Thirteen. He probably still didn’t know what had happened. That guy was nothing like an old fried dough stick;⁶ he must have been unable to reach her and had no choice but to come looking for her like this.

“Is it hurt?” That was Chi Qian’s biggest concern.

“It looks like there’s a cut on its leg. A pity no one here knows medicine,” Shi Jinlan stated plainly.

“I’ll go see!”

At that, Chi Qian forgot about everything else—whether it was Thirteen, whether her actions would give Shi Jinlan the wrong idea. She shot up from the bed with a whoosh.

The hand that had been stroking her ankle was suddenly left empty.

Shi Jinlan watched her reaction and tugged her back with a sigh. “Put on your shoes first.”

Chi Qian looked down at her bare feet, then let out a series of “Oh, oh, ohs” before hastily slipping on a pair of slippers and rushing out. The shoes, not properly on, slapped against the staircase as she clattered downstairs.

As soon as she reached the living room, she saw a small nest woven from a bamboo basket on the floor. It was lined with several soft towels, and curled up inside was a tiny kitten.

The poor thing was so small. Its golden fur was soaked through, plastered to its body. Every breath was a heavy, slow rise and fall of its tiny frame.

Looking at it, Chi Qian couldn’t help but feel pity for the little creature. She carefully lifted it out of the nest and, remembering what Shi Jinlan had said, checked its leg for a wound.

“First-aid kit.” Shi Jinlan had followed her down at some point. She held out a professional-looking medical kit to Chi Qian.

“Thanks,” Chi Qian said simply, deftly opening the box.

The contents were arranged with professional care. Without any effort, she found iodine, cotton swabs, and everything else she would need to treat a wound.

Who knew how long the little guy had been swimming in the lake? Its whole body was ice-cold. Chi Qian gently dried it off, then dipped a swab in iodine and began to apply it.

“Mrow…“

【…Ugh, it hurts…】

A faint, struggling meow echoed in the living room. At the same time, Thirteen’s weak voice sounded in Chi Qian’s mind.

After some time, it seemed the water he’d swallowed had all come out, and Thirteen’s consciousness slowly returned. He struggled to lift his small head and, facing the sun, looked at the ethereal yet real figure before him. 【Ho-Host!】

【Wuwuwu, Host, is it really you! Ahh—do you know I almost died? Why couldn’t I contact you? I’ve been looking for you for a whole day and night!】

【I really, I really had no choice, so I turned back into a cat. But why are the people around Shi Jinlan just like her!】

【Waaaah, I’m a competition-grade Golden Shaded Munchkin cat now! And a munchkin, which you humans love! Why did those patrol people keep throwing me out!】

【Wuwu, we kitties are clearly the cutest animals in the world!】

【Do you have any idea how much fear I had to overcome to get in the water to find you! Waaaah.】

…

The awakened kitten was like a chatterbox, mewing nonstop as it rested in Chi Qian’s hands.

Thirteen was completely oblivious, his eyes fixed only on his Host. He hadn’t noticed Shi Jinlan sitting nearby, watching him with a calm, unreadable expression.

The incessant meowing made Chi Qian worry. When Shi Jinlan had said she knew about the System, a thought had crossed her mind—Could Shi Jinlan also hear her mental conversations with Thirteen?

With that thought, she glanced over at Shi Jinlan. Her gaze was subtle, and Shi Jinlan didn’t seem to notice. Her dark eyes were fixed on the meowing kitten, not with annoyance, but with a kind of keen interest.

【My life is so bitter! Waaaah, how did I run into a bunch of people who don’t appreciate cuteness! This is infuriating!】

【Stop talking.】

As Thirteen started to wail again, Chi Qian quickly sent a thought back.

【What?】 Thirteen was still basking in the joy of his rescue and didn’t register her warning at all.

The kitten’s round head tilted slightly, clearly pondering something. Then, as if realizing something, he said to Chi Qian in frustration, 【Host, how come my signal is good now, but yours is bad? How can something so strange happen?】

【Could it be…】 Thirteen’s eyes lit up. 【It needs water?!】

Perhaps an animal form affected a system’s intelligence. Thirteen looked at Chi Qian blankly and suggested, 【Host, do you want to go soak in some water too?】

“Heh.”

Unable to control herself, Shi Jinlan let out a laugh.

But that laugh, which sounded quite cheerful, made Chi Qian’s hand tremble as she bandaged Thirteen’s wound.

“Meeeoow! (Murder!)”

The bandage pressed tightly against the wound, and Thirteen let out a sharp cry.

Chi Qian had never felt so cornered. Terrified that Thirteen would say something to upset Shi Jinlan, she quickly threatened the kitten, “Stop making noise. If you keep it up, I’ll throw you out.”

The sharp pain seemed to have shocked Thirteen back to his senses. He finally noticed Chi Qian’s tension and the way her words seemed to be hinting at something…

Thinking this, Thirteen turned his round eyes toward Shi Jinlan.

The woman’s calm, unwavering eyes had been on him the whole time. On this summer day, her gaze was chilling, making the little kitten who had just been pulled from the water shrink its neck.

“Is it struggling like that because you wrapped it too tightly?” Shi Jinlan asked casually, looking at Thirteen’s reaction as she leaned closer.

“No,” Chi Qian replied. “This is just a surface wound; the bone isn’t broken. This pressure will keep it from tearing open when it moves.”

“So professional.” As Shi Jinlan spoke, she reached out and fiddled with the expert knot Chi Qian had tied on Thirteen’s leg.

That comment made Chi Qian pause.

She didn’t know how she was able to do this so professionally, as if the knowledge was embedded in her mind. This fluency was completely different from when she’d needed to load a map to go to the office, which had been full of lags and forgotten details. This was how a person acted in a field they were familiar with.

But shouldn’t this field belong to the original owner of this body?

Chi Qian stared down at her hands. In her daze, she felt a cool touch on her neck.

She didn’t know if you could call it taking advantage of a weakness, but at that moment, Shi Jinlan’s fingers slipped inside the collar around her neck. A strand of hair was caught between them, and as her fingers brushed against her skin, they seemed to tickle a nerve.

It tickled. Chi Qian’s heart began to pound.

It had only been two or three hours since morning, but the memory of that scene, dappled with light and shadow, flickered obscurely in her mind. It was an inopportune time to let her imagination run wild, and even more so to eat the marrow and know its taste.⁷

Chi Qian whipped her head around to face Shi Jinlan. “No.”

She was still holding Thirteen!

“No to what?” A flicker of confusion crossed Shi Jinlan’s eyes, quickly followed by a smile.

The sunlight fell unobstructed on her fingertips, where a strand of Chi Qian’s hair was wrapped, having slipped inside the collar. Her actions were open and honorable, as if she were merely helping Chi Qian tidy her inconveniently loose hair.

And in that moment, Chi Qian realized.

It was her own experience of eating the marrow and knowing its taste that had led her astray. The moment Shi Jinlan’s fingers brushed her neck, she had thought of kissing.

“Nothing,” Chi Qian said, desperate to hide her reaction. She began to flee in panic without choosing her path,⁸ changing the subject. “Can I keep this cat?”

“You can.” Shi Jinlan seemed to have been led away from that “no.” She nodded, but not without a condition. “But there’s a question you have to answer first.”

“Okay,” Chi Qian agreed.

Now that Shi Jinlan knew about the System, as long as she could keep Thirteen, answering any question was fine.

But the current Chi Qian didn’t know.

Sometimes, you don’t need to use your mouth to answer a question.

“Was this the ‘no’ Ah Qian was talking about?”

A soft question brushed past her ear as a warm breeze lifted her hair.

Before Chi Qian could react, Shi Jinlan used her actions to test that panicked “no.” Hooking her collar, she leaned in and kissed her.

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The author has something to say:

Thirteen (crying): I’m getting a stye,⁹ I’m getting a stye QAQ! ! !

Lanlan (lazily): Being the ‘1’¹⁰ is so tiring.

Qianqian: Auntie, I’m the ‘1’!

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