I’m Not Going to Be the White Moonlight
A Disgrace to the Scholarly/Refined!1
The sun was brilliant, and the wind swept across a cloudless sky.
Thirteen still hadn’t processed what had just happened when the sun in its pupils seemed to plummet. The world turned upside down, and a crushing chaos suddenly blotted out the bright world in its eyes.
The cat’s whiskers, buried under a curtain of long hair, trembled. Thirteen struggled for a long while before finally managing to poke its head out from beneath Shi Jinlan’s cascading hair.
But once it was out, it realized it would have been better off staying buried.
The sun hadn’t fallen. The world was still as bright as ever.
The room, which had been filled with conversation just a moment ago, fell silent. The only sound was the rustle of fabric as two figures sank into the sofa.
The sudden turn of events hadn’t just thrown Thirteen’s world into chaos; Chi Qian’s position had changed, too.
The collar around her neck was hooked by Shi Jinlan’s finger. The motion was languid, unhurriedly catching Chi Qian’s falling body. A light kiss landed on her lips, like that of a connoisseur savoring their position of power.
Thirteen froze, the entire cat stunned. Its brain seemed incapable of processing such a massive amount of information. It took several seconds before it finally registered just how inappropriate the scene before its eyes was for a young cat. With a string of frantic squeals, it scrambled away, claws skidding on the slick floor as it tumbled and fled.
“Meow—!! (Host! How could you do this! Indecency in broad daylight!2 A disgrace to the scholarly/refined! A disgrace to the scholarly/refined!!)”
The cry was filled with terror. Shi Jinlan, having brushed a light kiss across Chi Qian’s lips, couldn’t help but let her own curve into a smile.
The warmth of her breath slipped into Chi Qian’s mouth, every wisp carrying Shi Jinlan’s temperature and touch, catching her completely off guard.
The moment Shi Jinlan kissed her, Chi Qian had subconsciously thrown her hands up between them.
She had intended to push the woman away, but this kiss was gentler than any before. It lacked the violent, endless taking of the past. Instead, Shi Jinlan let her acclimate, her lips brushing unhurriedly against hers, at most stealing a light peck or two before pulling away again.
Chi Qian was like a soothed rabbit. At first, she shivered, wary of her surroundings, but in no time at all, Shi Jinlan found her, held her, and lowered the hands she had placed between them.
A draft blew through the half-open window. The delicate kisses felt as ephemeral and unreal as a dream.
The faint sound of moisture traced a broken path across her lips, luring the dreamer to chase after it, to drown in it.
It would be even better if Shi Jinlan’s hand wasn’t currently hooked around the collar on my neck.
So Chi Qian thought, sitting in a posture of utter submission above Shi Jinlan.
The person who should have been beneath her had instead raised an arm, slender fingers slowly tracing the gap between the collar and her neck.
The air conditioning in the room seemed to have lost its effect. Chi Qian’s blood ignited, burning its way up her neck where she was being caressed.
And yet, Shi Jinlan’s fingertips were always coated in a thin layer of coolness. They rubbed and stroked, every inch of their movement hovering beside her wildly throbbing pulse.
Her suppressed nerves trembled, and with them, her body lost all strength to resist.
Chi Qian finally understood why Shi Jinlan hadn’t put a lock on her collar.
Because Shi Jinlan herself was the chain locked around her neck. She was an escape Chi Qian could never make.
A gentle fragrance wafted from her neck. Shi Jinlan rubbed her lips against Chi Qian’s twice more, then leaned in to whisper by her ear, “Your cat’s reactions are quite sharp.”
If hearing Shi Jinlan’s words in the bedroom had left her uncertain, Chi Qian now had no doubt.
After Shi Jinlan’s soft laughter just now, she was completely sure. When Shi Jinlan deliberately said “your cat,” she truly knew it was Thirteen.
Chi Qian melted into Shi Jinlan’s embrace, the heart pressed against her chest pounding violently. She couldn’t tell if it was beating faster before or now.
“Ah Lan, are you… able to hear something?” Chi Qian’s lips parted. She couldn’t tell if it was from guilt or the lingering flush of passion, but the hand resting against Shi Jinlan’s side was slick with a thin layer of sweat.
Shi Jinlan, by comparison, was far more composed.
The sunlight cast Chi Qian’s shadow across her face, leaving her eyes half in light, half in shadow.
The hand toying with the collar gently stroked Chi Qian’s neck. With a soft exhale, she answered in a slow, deliberate tone, “For example, the suggestion that you should also take a dip in the water?”
Chi Qian never expected Shi Jinlan to be able to repeat Thirteen’s earlier words so clearly. She was stunned, and a little embarrassed. Her oxygen-deprived brain even began to doubt this world. “You—you’ve been able to hear him this whole time?!”
Her reddish almond eyes, which a second ago were hazy and bewildered, were now wide and round, as panicked as the little rabbit, Emergency Food, had been when she’d held it in her hands.
Back then, Shi Jinlan had felt a huge hole open up in her heart, as if she’d been completely hollowed out.
She seemed to have had a massive fight with Chi Qingyan but had been unable to take anything with her. In the end, lost and distracted, she had brought back that rabbit, which had somehow managed to escape its cage.
The memory flashed through Shi Jinlan’s eyes. She raised a hand to brush aside the long strands of hair that had fallen across Chi Qian’s face. “Not the whole time,” she replied.
Shi Jinlan’s answer was lazy. As she spoke, she wrapped an arm around Chi Qian’s waist and sat up.
She kept Chi Qian seated on her lap. A woman who normally disliked physical contact was now being utterly intimate with her, holding her body steady. The hand that had been caressing her neck slid down her shoulder to play with her fingers.
One by one, she folded the slender fingers over Chi Qian’s palm, as if counting time.
When she folded over the fifth finger, it was as if time had arrived at the present. “Probably since the beginning of the year.”
The beginning of the year. That translated to the time when the top three on the leaderboard had joined the mission to conquer the evil dragon.
Chi Qian quickly did the math in her head and couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for those three masters.
But more than that, she felt a sense of relief.
My Shi Jinlan is really something else.
As expected of the great villain that even the System can’t handle.
Just as she thought this, she heard Shi Jinlan let out a derisive laugh next to her ear. “You people from the System are truly useless.”
She was utterly contemptuous of those who came to challenge her. They had clearly already been marked for annexation by her, yet they still chose to put up a stubborn resistance from a cornered position,3 so full of themselves.
It had taken her almost no effort to deal with them. But for something so worthy of showing off, her enthusiasm was faint. “But I don’t have any interest in destroying the world.”
“Then what are you interested in…?”
As Chi Qian listened, her curiosity slipped out. But the moment the words left her mouth, she realized the answer.
It was too late to take it back.
Her lips, still glistening from the kiss, were pressed together, deepening their rosy hue.
Seeing this, the smile in Shi Jinlan’s eyes grew wider. It was a smile that came from the bottom of her heart, a sign of a good mood she had never felt before.
The person who had only existed in her memory had finally stepped out into reality. This expression… it was still the same cautious yet recklessly crashing sideways and bumping straight4 fool.
In all these years, Shi Jinlan had never been in as good a mood as she had been in the few days since Chi Qian’s return.
She still held Chi Qian in her arms, as if she were clutching a human-shaped hugging pillow.
And because she was so fond of this hugging pillow, she held it very tightly, as if terrified someone might snatch it away.
This young lady of the Shi family, known for being as swift and decisive as thunder5 in the business world, was now being childish beyond measure.
Her nose was pressed against Chi Qian’s neck, inhaling her scent. The warmth of her body, pressed against the leather, lingered for a long time, spreading and settling, leaving her as drowsy and sated as a cat.
“As long as you’re obedient, I’ll let your cat stay here with you. I have things to deal with these next few days, so I can’t be with you every day. Don’t go anywhere, you understand?”
Shi Jinlan’s voice was gentle, her soft lips brushing against Chi Qian’s neck.
The collar vibrated along with her words, the faint sensation scratching a circle around her skin, sending a sudden jolt of electricity down her spine.
Shi Jinlan’s words sounded like a negotiation, but they didn’t leave Chi Qian much room to negotiate.
She had brought her to this place precisely to make sure she wouldn’t think of escaping.
But Chi Qian didn’t want to escape.
How strange.
Even though Shi Jinlan had put a collar on her that reeked of imprisonment, Chi Qian didn’t feel that much resistance to it.
The midsummer temperature soared, and a thin layer of sweat dewed their shoulders where they touched.
Chi Qian loved freedom, yet she obediently let Shi Jinlan hold her tightly in her arms.
It doesn’t matter where I stay, she thought, giving a small nod. It was the answer Shi Jinlan wanted. “I understand.”
Shi Jinlan’s gaze, which had been fixed on Chi Qian’s eyes, softened into a faint smile.
As if to reward Chi Qian, or perhaps to store up some warmth for the busy days ahead, she hooked her finger in the collar and repeatedly kissed the corners of her lips.
Chi Qian couldn’t escape. As they breathed, the tip of a tongue probed past her teeth, their breaths mingling into a warm, searing heat.
The sunlight was unabashed, shining directly on her back. When Shi Jinlan’s hand brushed over it, it was sticky with sweat, dampening her fingers.
Trapped in Shi Jinlan’s embrace, Chi Qian had nowhere to put her arms.
Her fingertips merely hooked the thin fabric of her clothes, and at some point, they lifted a layer of her blouse.
The hem of her skirt was pushed aside by an encroaching leg, a knee pressing gently. The one whose collar was being held slowly began to seize a bit of control, her breath filling with Shi Jinlan’s fragrance.
After this little interlude, Shi Jinlan held Chi Qian and squeezed onto the sofa for a short nap.
The peaceful afternoon sun flooded the living room. Shi Jinlan’s head rested in the crook of Chi Qian’s neck.
She inhaled the light fragrance from Chi Qian’s hair, calm and greedy, gazing with restraint until the moment her phone rang, pulling her restless, burgeoning thoughts back to reality.
The plan was in motion. Her subordinates were already moving.
These were all people who had been beaten into submission by Shi Jinlan and brought under her command. Now, they were actually excited about this plan.
Shi Jinlan frowned slightly, surprised that time had passed even faster than she’d expected. She pulled her hand back from under Chi Qian’s waist.
Chi Qian, still asleep, was clearly disturbed by the movement. Her peaceful brow furrowed, and then her eyes fluttered open. Seeing Shi Jinlan already standing, she mumbled, “You… going to leave?”
“Something came up at the company,” Shi Jinlan said coolly. She reached out and rubbed Chi Qian’s little face, which was red from being pressed against her. “A certain cat is getting impatient. I won’t disturb your chat.”
Chi Qian was momentarily dazed, then turned her head to look at the second-floor staircase. A little golden cat head was peeking out from a corner, poking its head out and looking around.
“Then be safe on the road.” Chi Qian still remembered her duties as the Special Assistant for Private Life and walked Shi Jinlan to the door.
Only after seeing Shi Jinlan leave did Thirteen finally dare to walk on tiptoe down the stairs.
【Host, how did your progress with Shi Jinlan get so fast while I was gone!】
Hearing Thirteen’s mock-astonished teasing, Chi Qian turned to look at the cat who had been wailing in chaos just moments ago. In retaliation, she delivered a piece of devastating news: 【Shi Jinlan knows you’re my system.】
【What?】
Thirteen was just about to leap onto the table in front of Chi Qian, but its short little legs, now half the length they were in its calico cat days, simply couldn’t make it.
The moment it pushed off, it slammed headfirst into the table without a shred of suspense. A golden sticky rice ball6 was now lying on its back on the carpet.
“Pfft!” Seeing Thirteen’s adorable and comical appearance, Chi Qian couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Hearing her, Thirteen immediately struggled, rolling on the ground to get back on its feet. To save face, it declared: 【I was just too shocked by the news! It’s not because my legs are short.】
“I never said your legs were short.”
Chi Qian immediately put on an expression that said, whoever’s guilty is the one who reacts. She scooped Thirteen up onto the table. “You should just change back into a calico cat. I’m more used to seeing you like that. Shi Jinlan already knows anyway, so there’s no need to hide it.”
Thirteen hadn’t expected Shi Jinlan to know about that, too. The little face of the golden sticky rice ball showed immense shock: 【Did Host confess everything to Shi Jinlan yesterday?】
“How could I?” Chi Qian rubbed her lower back and collapsed onto the sofa like a salted fish.7 “I don’t know what happened either. She just… knows.”
So many things could happen in three years.
And Shi Jinlan’s life hadn’t been as much smooth wind and smooth water8 as the outside world claimed.
Chi Qian didn’t know why she thought this without any evidence, but she could just feel it.
Every time Shi Jinlan leaned against her, she would fall into a deep sleep, a sleep so profound it was completely different from the vigilant, gloomy person she presented during the day.
Sometimes, she wanted to reach out and touch her face, or say “You’ve worked hard,” or even “Welcome home.”
But…
In what capacity could she say those words?
【So it really was Shi Jinlan who pushed me out last time.】 Thirteen’s shocked voice broke through Chi Qian’s thoughts.
This matter was clearly beyond the cognitive scope of a little cat. It looked up at the world around it, unable to tell if it felt more fear or more confusion: 【But why hasn’t the world been destroyed yet?】
A character’s awakening would disrupt the world’s balance.
No one would willingly be a character in a book, controlled by another power. It would cause their worldview to collapse, to spiral out of control. And the System had a precedent for this; the last protagonist who awakened had nearly crashed the entire system.
“Maybe because she doesn’t want to,” Chi Qian said faintly, then added with conviction, “She still likes this world.”
Thirteen, however, was unconvinced. It proposed: 【Host, I think for safety’s sake, we should return to the System Space first.】
【Shi Jinlan’s awakening is a very serious matter. We need to report it to Lord Main System. Don’t worry, even though Shi Jinlan has set up restrictions here, I’ll risk my life to send you back.】
With danger so close, Thirteen’s first priority was to protect the lives of its Host and itself.
It was actually quite timid, but in dangerous times like these—just like when it knew Chi Qian had to die by jumping off that cliff—it would seize any chance it had to protect its Host.
It seemed to be an instinct it couldn’t defy.
But could a bionic electronic system have the same kind of instinct an animal has for its owner?
【How are you going to send me back?】
In the surrounding silence, Chi Qian posed the question to Thirteen in her mind.
Her voice was a little heavy, the question sounding more like an accusation: 【By making me disappear from here, or by making me die in front of Shi Jinlan again?】
【Don’t worry, it definitely won’t be as painful as last time. She has you imprisoned now; your life and safety are under serious threat. I can apply to the System for it.】 Thirteen argued from the perspective of Chi Qian’s safety, bringing up a new reason.
But it still wasn’t enough to persuade Chi Qian.
“What if I say I don’t want to go?”
Her gaze fell upon the pale golden cat sitting before her, her eyes filled with a blatant favoritism. “Thirteen, you need to understand one thing. It’s only called being imprisoned if I’m unwilling to be here, unwilling to let her put this collar on me.”
“But right now, I am willing to be here.”
The sunlit window was like a giant mirror, reflecting her lonely figure.
And just a moment ago, another person’s figure had been there, too.
The wind occasionally rushed in, lifting Chi Qian’s hair.
She smiled faintly and said, “Thirteen, I feel like I’ve lost something very important. Are you willing to help me get it back?”
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