So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 81

I’m Not Going to Be the White Moonlight

“Ah Lan is still a little more amazing.”

A dim light fell from the small lamp in the bathroom as water vapor rose and drifted along the path of the light.

Here, the scorching heat of midsummer was tinged with humidity, so heavy and oppressive it felt like a downpour was imminent.

Shi Jinlan soaked languidly in the bathtub, her tilted-back head bathed in the light from above, her cool eyes tinged with a watery sheen.

She wasn’t shy, or rather, she wasn’t shy around Chi Qian.

The bath bomb she had just tossed in hadn’t fully dissolved yet. Ripples spread across the clear water, wrinkling the pale canvas of her skin, yet revealing everything.

Chi Qian’s throat bobbed. Taking the opportunity to tidy the bedsheets, she moved a little closer to Shi Jinlan.

The steam separated the bathroom into another world. Chi Qian stepped on the water that had splashed onto the floor, the mild chill quickly swallowed by the warmth.

Just as Chi Qian’s shadow fell over Shi Jinlan’s shoulder, the woman turned her head.

Her eyes were still filled with a cool indifference, yet a deep red colored their corners, the desire not yet faded. It seemed like a casual glance, but it snapped the thread of Chi Qian’s control.

“What are you looking at—mmph…”

Shi Jinlan was about to speak when Chi Qian leaned over and kissed her.

She let out a soft, muffled sound, like a kitten’s paw scratching one’s ear, making Chi Qian’s heart skip a few more beats.

The still water was like a layer of fabric clinging to her body, yet it was far easier to part than a dress.

Chi Qian reached out and wrapped an arm around Shi Jinlan’s waist, pulling her into an embrace without a hint of hesitation. The warm water clung to their damp skin. It wasn’t a particularly comfortable feeling, being so drenched, but it bound them together in seamless intimacy.

With a shared, heated breath, Chi Qian easily slipped into Shi Jinlan’s mouth.

The tip of her tongue traced past teeth, then met hers again. Having just been thoroughly kissed by this woman, Shi Jinlan could no longer withstand such heated provocation. Soaking in the water, her legs went completely soft.

Her water-slicked skin was like a bolt of fine silk, and Chi Qian’s fingertips, wet as they were, had no fear of snagging the fabric.

She inhaled the shuddering breaths Shi Jinlan exhaled against the tip of her nose and mischievously began to tease her back. First, she brushed her fingers over her spine, then lingered at her waist, following the dip of its curve downward.

Further down…

“Ah Qian!” Shi Jinlan cried out, suddenly gripping Chi Qian’s arm.

The inner walls of the tub were polished smooth, offering no foothold. Her hand could no longer grasp the collar around Chi Qian’s neck. No matter how she tried to flee, she could only cling to Chi Qian.

Under the play of light and shadow, Shi Jinlan’s expression was still one of cool arrogance, but her kiss-softened lips and the red at the corners of her eyes added a touch of enchantment to her pale face.

Droplets of water clung to her eyelashes, stirring a feeling of pity in one’s heart.

But the red marks on her neck made one want to eat the marrow and know its taste¹.

“I carried you over here. Shouldn’t Ah Lan reward me?” Chi Qian coaxed, her fingers still. Like a gentleman², she lowered herself to kiss Shi Jinlan’s lips.

Shi Jinlan didn’t think the reward Chi Qian wanted was as simple as a single kiss, but as her teeth were parted, she was dazedly pulled in. The occasional swallow was filled with a warm, lingering fragrance that made her tense body slowly relax.

But Chi Qian was really no gentleman.

She was a little woman³.

As the sun set, Chi Qian wasn’t the only one in the bathroom who had eaten the marrow and known its taste.

Since the afternoon, Shi Jinlan’s restraint had been worn down to almost nothing. The moment Chi Qian’s index finger brushed past her lightly closed lips, the softest, most delicate skin on her body was caressed by a cool warmth. Her pupils dilated uncontrollably, but she didn’t stop her.

The water in the tub was stirred into waves, splashing against the smooth sides with a series of soft sounds.

The acoustics in the bathroom were excellent. The sound of the water created layers of ripples, amplifying even the faintest noise several times over.

After hearing a sound accidentally escape her, Shi Jinlan bit her lip hard.

The red on her pale face deepened. Amidst the rising sound of splashing water, her clear eyes were veiled in a layer of mist, seemingly out of focus, unable to find a single point to fix on.

I miscalculated, Shi Jinlan thought. This place is even more deadly.

The rising steam was trapped in the small space, accumulating more and more.

Their warm breaths grew hotter as their noses brushed against each other, constantly drawing the moisture from each other’s mouths.

“!”

Holding her breath, Shi Jinlan’s body suddenly tensed, the long fingers gripping Chi Qian’s arm trembling uncontrollably.

Chi Qian’s patient caresses came to a halt. She stroked Shi Jinlan’s raised neck, as if wanting her to relax and rest her head on her other hand.

Her fingers, submerged in the water, were trailed by shimmering silver threads⁴.

Chi Qian looked at her fingers, which had been pushed out, their tips slightly pale. She couldn’t help but lower her head, brushing against Shi Jinlan’s hair to press a kiss to her forehead. “Ah Lan, you were being too modest.”

“Ah Lan is still a little more amazing.”

Shi Jinlan’s heart was beating in a completely chaotic rhythm. Seizing the hard-won chance to breathe, she leaned against Chi Qian’s arm. Her eyes held a hint of indignation at being offended by a subordinate⁵, but the red at their corners undermined her expression, diluting any sense of fierceness and making it seem like she was pouting.

But it didn’t matter. The night was still long.

Whatever expression Shi Jinlan was making, Chi Qian could take her time figuring it out.

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The next day, the weather was nice.

A cool breeze swept across the water’s surface, dispelling the oppressive heat of midsummer.

When Chi Qian woke up, the first thing she felt was a slight soreness in her hand.

You clean up your own mess. Last night, she had carried Shi Jinlan out of the tub, refilled it, and then carried her back to the bedroom. All that fussing had gone on until midnight, and her wrist was seriously overtaxed.

Chi Qian was starting to understand why Shi Jinlan had told her to be the one to do it from now on.

She kind of wanted to lie flat⁶ and let Shi Jinlan do the work, too.

No, not “kind of.” Next time, Shi Jinlan had to be the one!

As a salted fish⁷ who just wanted to lie flat, Chi Qian silently made up her mind.

Then, she suddenly felt something stuck to her forehead.

She paused, her round eyes glancing upward.

A square shadow rested right between her eyebrows. When the wind blew, the sticky note fluttered up and down on her forehead.

Confused, Chi Qian reached up and peeled it off, revealing a line of elegant, powerful handwriting:

[Something came up at the company. See you tonight.]

It was signed “Ah Lan.”

Right after the name, there was a little smiley face.

The smiley face was drawn as simply as could be—two circles and a checkmark-like mouth. Just like its creator.

Childish.

Holding the sticky note with one hand, Chi Qian couldn’t help but smile.

Light shone through the thin paper, making it seem as if Shi Jinlan’s words were floating in her world, inseparable from her.

“Meow~ (Host, are you awake?)”

As if sensing that the person in the room was awake, Thirteen squatted obediently at the door and used its paw to nudge the lock open.

Hearing the sound, Chi Qian immediately hid the sticky note under her pillow like a treasure. Then she sat up and said to the calico cat at the door, “Well, if it isn’t our Lord Thirteen, who now follows Miss Shi? Welcome.”

“Meow~ (Host~)” Thirteen didn’t even need to hear Chi Qian’s words to know she hadn’t forgiven it. It drew out its meow in a wheedling tone and jumped onto her bed.

This time, Thirteen was the one fawning⁸, but Chi Qian just gave a cool huff. “Traitor cat!”

“I’m doing this for your own good, Host. Shi Jinlan really is a very reliable ally.” Thirteen turned on its side, rubbing its little head against Chi Qian’s folded arm.

“I just hope that one day, Host can take off this bracelet.” As it spoke, Thirteen carefully lifted a paw and hooked it around the bracelet on Chi Qian’s wrist.

After spending so many days together, Chi Qian had long since come to see Thirteen as a friend. She knew it wasn’t wrong for it to have told Shi Jinlan.

She was just mad that this cat, which had never let her touch it before, was so fawning toward Shi Jinlan!

She just wanted to pretend to be angry to see if Thirteen would try to fawn over her, too.

Now that her wish was fulfilled, she had no reason to hold a grudge against it. She glanced at her bracelet and said, “I hope so, too.”

This bracelet was no longer just about whether she could get her memories back.

It was a restraint placed on her by the main system. There had to be something bigger behind it, something that made it guard against her so carefully that it would violate her human rights.

Thirteen still remembered Shi Jinlan’s instructions from the day before. Seeing the look on Chi Qian’s face as she stared at the bracelet, it quickly changed the subject. “Host, the weather is nice today. Should we go for a walk?”

“Go out?” Chi Qian looked out the window, a little intrigued by the sight of the willow trees swaying in the wind. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. We’ve been here for so many days and haven’t even seen what it’s like outside.”

“Exactly, exactly.” Thirteen nodded in agreement and brought Chi Qian an outfit.

The cat had pretty good taste in clothes. The neatly tailored little yellow dress perfectly accentuated Chi Qian’s long legs.

She quickly got dressed and went out with Thirteen.

As she pushed the door open, a gust of wind rushed to meet her. She looked up and saw endless waves of lush greenery in the distance.

The lake water was clear, with lotus flowers blooming on one side. The dense lotus leaves stretched to the horizon, and water birds could be seen among them. It didn’t feel like an isolated island at all.

Chi Qian crouched by the water’s edge for a while. Seeing fish swim by, her interest was piqued. “Thirteen, want to eat fish?”

Thirteen’s eyes lit up instantly. “Meow! (Yes!)”

“I’ll go see if I can make a fishing rod.” Fired up, Chi Qian went into the house to look for tools.

Unexpectedly, it was as if Shi Jinlan knew exactly what she planned to do. A full set of fishing gear was placed conspicuously right inside the storage room door.

Chi Qian didn’t know much about the price of fishing equipment, but as she touched the cool fishing rod, she had a feeling this thing wasn’t cheap.

Shi Jinlan is really generous.

Chi Qian felt she couldn’t let Shi Jinlan’s good intentions go to waste. Full of energy, she baited the hook and cast the line. “Today’s goal! A whole bucket of fish!”

With the special little stool for a fishing bro⁹ set up, Chi Qian leaned back in her chair.

The lake breeze blew over, the evaporating water vapor tempering the scorching sun. It was cool, gentle, and very comfortable.

Just sitting there, Chi Qian suddenly didn’t care so much about whether she caught a fish or not.

Thirteen was keeping watch for her anyway. She could just enjoy the breeze and this rare, salted fish lifestyle. It was simply too wonderful!

“Meow! (Host! A fish!)”

Chi Qian still had her eyes closed, lazily enjoying the breeze, when Thirteen reached out a paw and started batting at the hem of her dress.

The cat was frantic. Chi Qian felt that if it had human hands, it probably would have reeled in the rod for her.

Not wanting to disappoint Thirteen’s eager anticipation, Chi Qian grabbed the rod and swiftly reeled it in.

Ripples spread across the water, tracing the path of the line. Chi Qian reeled faster.

Suddenly, a splash erupted under the sunlight.

A flash of silver, a spray of water droplets.

A small silver carp, not very big, slapped against the water’s surface as it was hooked and pulled ashore.

Chi Qian was a little dissatisfied with her catch, but Thirteen was ecstatic.

It meowed and meowed, no longer able to speak human words, its animal instincts completely taking over as it gestured for Chi Qian to put the fish on the ground.

Chi Qian tossed the small fish to Thirteen, and the cat leaped nimbly, its sharp teeth sinking into it in one bite.

The fishy smell quickly spread on the wind. Thirteen feasted, seemingly undeterred by the strong odor.

“Look at you, acting just like a cat. Were you a cat in your past life or something?” Chi Qian looked at Thirteen with a mix of disdain and amusement, a small smile on her face.

The cat was such an enthusiastic audience that Chi Qian’s motivation soared.

As she spoke, she baited the hook again, patting her chest and boasting to Thirteen, “Just you wait, I’ll catch more for you! I guarantee you’ll eat your fill today!”

With that, Chi Qian cast the line out again.

The sun reflected off the fishing line as it flew through the air, creating a streak of white light. Suddenly, Chi Qian felt like someone was standing on the opposite shore.

She narrowed her eyes, peering into the dense green forest across the water. There, at the very end of the white line she had cast, she saw a very familiar figure.

Yuan Ming.

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The author has something to say:

Pigeon: This proves that a fishing bro can catch anything but fish.

Qianqian: I caught a fish!!

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