Abducted by the White Moonlight of a "Tormented Protagonist" Novel - Chapter 41

Chapter 41

The atmosphere in the office was strangely quiet for a moment, but Shen Shiyi was still looking at her with those sincere eyes.

Her eyes were filled with earnest hope.

“Didn’t you ever consider if I mind?” Song Zhiqi said quietly.

“Mm… do you mind?” Shen Shiyi asked sincerely.

Song Zhiqi nodded hard. “Yes, I do!”

What the heck was “using her as a prototype”? Did she want her to get her a girlfriend, too?!

“Then I’ll pay you to write a custom story?” Shen Shiyi stroked her chin and said thoughtfully.

Did she really think she was a writer?

“How much?” Song Zhiqi asked.

“Name your price!” Shen Shiyi said cheerfully.

Song Zhiqi thought about it and asked for an outrageous price. “Ten thousand per thousand words!”

“Alright.” Shen Shiyi agreed without blinking. “But since it’s a custom story, it must be written according to what I specify.”

Song Zhiqi immediately got up and pretended to dust off her chair, motioning for Shen Shiyi to sit down properly. She then took out a new pen and paper, stood next to her, and said fawningly, “Please, tell me your requests. I will make sure to write them down.”

Looking at her sycophantic actions, Shen Shiyi was both annoyed and amused. “I don’t really like the plot you wrote down before. I want a pure love story. One of the characters will be based on me, and the other one…”

She deliberately paused here.

Song Zhiqi was writing at the time. When she heard her stop, she looked at her with a questioning gaze. Thinking about what she just said, her face turned red belatedly. She forced herself to stay calm and said, “The other one what?”

Shen Shiyi put away all her teasing and asked seriously, “The other one, do you know who should be the prototype?”

Song Zhiqi’s hand holding the pen tightened. She felt her ears getting hotter and hotter. Her voice unconsciously became much softer. “I, I think I do.”

Shen Shiyi nodded with satisfaction. “It’s good that you know.”

“Cough!” Song Zhiqi coughed lightly, suppressing her pounding heart. She said as if she was casual, “But that’s a different price, you know.”

Before, she was only charging for the writing. If she had to write herself into the story, then the acting fee and the mental damage fee during the writing process would be charged separately!

Shen Shiyi was both annoyed and helpless when she heard her words. Why was this person so obsessed with money?

“Fine, a different price.”

Song Zhiqi was immediately relieved. She felt that her side hustle was getting more and more diverse. Not only did she have to draw, but she also had to write on the side.

But when she thought of the main business, the expression on Song Zhiqi’s face became much more serious. “Do we have people protecting us?”

When she heard this question, Shen Shiyi also put away her playful demeanor. She frowned and asked, “Why are you suddenly asking this?”

Song Zhiqi couldn’t tell the truth, so she had to make up an excuse. “It’s not that I’ve offended too many people. I just want to know if our safety is guaranteed!”

Shen Shiyi was speechless. The number of people she came into contact with every day was limited, but she still said, “Yes, we have bodyguards.”

Most of them were hidden and hard to spot.

“How many? Do you want to consider adding more?” Song Zhiqi asked tentatively.

Seeing that Song Zhiqi was so concerned about the bodyguards, Shen Shiyi’s eyes sank a little. “I will consider adding more.”

Hearing her say that, Song Zhiqi breathed a sigh of relief. Since she said that, she would most likely listen and act on it.

Shen Shiyi went back to her seat. In Song Zhiqi’s eyes, she was working seriously, but in reality, she was thinking about the content Song Zhiqi had written in her notebook earlier.

Was that really the content of the novel she wanted to write?

Shen Shiyi pursed her lips and looked up at Song Zhiqi, her eyes softening.

…

A manor in the suburbs.

Several wealthy ladies, who looked like they were dripping with jewels, sat together and chatted. On the table in front of them were cups of hot tea with a wisp of white steam. They were discussing which family had a new bag and which family’s necklace was prettier.

Wen Jinhe did not participate in the discussion. She sat alone on the other side, sipping her tea and looking at the scenery in the distance. Her expression was calm.

It was one of the wealthy ladies who had organized this gathering. After being invited several times, she couldn’t refuse anymore, so she came.

Although the wealthy ladies seemed to be discussing luxury brands and only cared about these things, if you really believed in this facade, you wouldn’t know who sold you out one day.

A woman who was exuding a sense of luxury sat down next to Shen’s mother and chuckled. “Why didn’t you go over and chat with them?”

Wen Jinhe looked over and showed a faint smile on her face. “No, it’s nice to just sit here and look at the scenery.”

She was not a talkative person. She felt that it was a burden to chat with them about luxury goods and other things. Fortunately, she didn’t need to force herself to chat. Even if she sat alone and looked at the scenery, no one would dare to say anything.

The person sitting next to her was Fu Wen’s mother, Mrs. Fu. Her well-maintained face made her look much younger than her age. At this moment, she came over to talk to Wen Jinhe, and Wen Jinhe had probably already guessed her intention.

“It’s better to chat with others. Otherwise, you’ll look like a loner,” Mrs. Fu said, looking at the group of people who were chatting. She chuckled, “Otherwise, no one will dare to invite you again next time.”

Wen Jinhe took a sip of her tea and smiled without saying anything. She had no interest in these gatherings. Whether it was before or after she got married, she didn’t need to take the initiative to maintain relationships or get any first-hand information. It had always been others who came to her.

Mrs. Fu looked at her elegant and calm demeanor. She couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. How many people present were not jealous of Wen Jinhe?

She had a good background. Her family members were all in politics. She was cherished and grew up being protected. Even her brothers had to give way to her. Later, she married a man who was also devoted to her and respected her. She had never heard of him messing around. They only had one daughter, and they poured all their efforts into raising her.

It could be said that everyone envied her good fortune. She was loved by her parents and her husband. Her daughter was also excellent and obedient. Unlike them, they all had some unspeakable bitterness.

“What do you think about the marriage alliance we proposed last time?” Mrs. Fu suppressed her inappropriate thoughts. Although they were not as lucky as Wen Jinhe, they had things that many people didn’t.

She knew it.

A hint of realization appeared in Wen Jinhe’s eyes. She had guessed that she came because of this.

Her expression remained unchanged, and a faint smile was on her lips. “My husband and I don’t interfere with our children’s marriage. It’s completely up to her to choose who she wants to be with.”

Mrs. Fu frowned. “Marriage is a big deal. It’s better for the parents to decide. After all, they are still young. How can they know what’s best for them?”

Now, the only families that were a good match for them in the entire Xinjiang City were the Shen and Gu families. Although compared to Gu Shiyu of the Gu family, her son could control her better as she was devoted to him, she still had an older brother. What’s more, the Gu Group was now managed by her brother, and she had no part in it.

But Shen Shiyi was different.

Shen Shiyi was the only child of the Shen family. It could almost be said that unless there was an accident, the Shen Group would be handed over to Shen Shiyi in the future. In addition, with the resources from Shen Shiyi’s mother’s family, Shen Shiyi would have much more than Gu Shiyu. The Fu family would also gain a lot more by marrying into the Shen family.

If Fu Wen and Shen Shiyi had a child in the future, wouldn’t everything from the Shen family become theirs naturally?

It could only be said that the Fu family’s plan was very good, but unfortunately, the Shen family saw right through it and would not fall for it.

Wen Jinhe smiled. “Our family is very democratic. My husband and I were in a free love relationship. Our parents didn’t stop us at the time. So now that it’s our turn to be parents, we should also respect our child’s choice.”

Mrs. Fu’s face sank a little. She was in a free love relationship, and the person she fell in love with happened to be the heir of the Shen family. If she had fallen in love with a man from a rural area, would her family still support her free love relationship?

Although Mrs. Fu was complaining in her heart, she couldn’t say it out loud. She nodded and agreed, “You’re right. The times have changed. Arranged marriages like in our time are no longer popular.”

What she was thinking was to go back and tell Fu Wen to quickly win over Shen Shiyi. After all, Shen Shiyi was a hot commodity, and he was definitely not the only one eyeing her. He couldn’t let anyone else get to her first.

Wen Jinhe didn’t say anything else. She just smiled faintly, as if she didn’t know what they were thinking. She glanced at the time, thinking of leaving at an appropriate time.

She wondered if Shenyi and them had made up yet. If the Fu family found out that her daughter liked women in the future, she wondered if it would make them so angry that they would die.

Thinking this, the smile on Wen Jinhe’s lips deepened.

Why was she a little excited for some reason?

…

In the evening, Shen Shiyi received an invitation. She glanced at the address and didn’t really want to go.

She didn’t know if she had been influenced by Song Zhiqi recently. She had been going to bed early and getting up early. How could she have the time for nightlife? So, after living with Song Zhiqi, she had never been to a bar again.

But seeing the group being so persistent, Shen Shiyi thought about it and decided to go. After all, she didn’t see them much when she was abroad. Now that she was back in the country, she had only seen them twice. It was a bit unreasonable.

“Little Cicada, do you want to come with me somewhere tonight?” Shen Shiyi asked, playing with Song Zhiqi’s hair. Half of her body was leaning on her in a lazy manner, as if she had no bones.

Song Zhiqi didn’t want her to lean on her at first, but she couldn’t shake her off. She gradually let her do whatever she wanted, as she wasn’t losing any flesh anyway.

“Where to?”

“Mm… a bar?” Shen Shiyi said cautiously, a little unsure if Song Zhiqi would want to go to a bar.

After all, her face looked too innocent!

Song Zhiqi blinked. Just when Shen Shiyi thought she was going to refuse, she said earnestly, “When are we leaving?”

It had been a while since she had been to a bar. She wasn’t a good drinker. Before, if no one was with her, she wouldn’t have dared to go to a bar alone.

Shen Shiyi: “…Get ready. We’ll leave now.”

Her innocent-looking face was really misleading.

“Oh, can you get up from me now?” Song Zhiqi said.

Shen Shiyi straightened up with a little regret and went to change into some clothes that were suitable for going out.

But when she saw Song Zhiqi come out after changing, her expression froze for a second, then darkened. She gritted her teeth and asked, “What are you doing?”

Song Zhiqi was wearing a spicy girl’s tight vest, a miniskirt, and a leather jacket. In such a short time, she had even put on a sparkly nightclub makeup. She turned around in front of her with a very high-spirited look.

“How do I look? This outfit is not bad, right?”

It was a good thing she had bought this outfit when she was shopping before. It came in handy now.

It was very good. It had a strong contrast on Song Zhiqi, a kind of sexy that was also innocent, making her look extremely eye-catching.

But didn’t she think she was dressed a little too openly?

“Aren’t you cold?” Shen Shiyi hinted for her to go back and change.

“Not at all!” Song Zhiqi raised her leg and shook it. “I’m also wearing boots. It won’t be cold once we get into the bar. Oh right, wait for me for a bit.”

Saying that, she rushed back again and braided her originally loose hair into several braids, which made her look a lot neater.

When Song Zhiqi came out, Shen Shiyi’s face was a little numb as she looked at the even spicier-looking Song Zhiqi.

Did her little cicada turn into a little chili pepper?

Although she was a little unhappy about Song Zhiqi dressing like this to go out, she didn’t actually stop her. She could only suppress the possessiveness in her heart. She didn’t want to make too many demands on her and make her feel suffocated and pressured by her requests.

Shen Shiyi’s outfit was very simple: a smokey blue turtleneck shirt, a charcoal gray suit jacket, and wide-leg suit pants that made her legs look long and well-proportioned. She also wore a dark brown lapel coat, which made her look both casual and powerful.

She and Song Zhiqi stood together as if they were from two different seasons.

“Are you sure you don’t want to bring a jacket?” Shen Shiyi reminded her. The weather outside was getting colder, especially at night.

“Let’s go, let’s go. Stop talking so much. I’m still young!” Song Zhiqi pulled her and walked out. She couldn’t wait to feel the atmosphere of the bar. She felt that she had been too repressed recently, and it was a good time to release some of it.

Shen Shiyi was pulled out by her helplessly. When they got out of the elevator, she saw Song Zhiqi shrinking her neck a little.

“…Didn’t you say you were still young?” She couldn’t handle it so quickly?

But saying that, she still took off her coat and put it on Song Zhiqi.

Song Zhiqi held her coat and said stubbornly, “I am young!” After being stubborn, she still said with concern, “You gave me your coat. Are you cold?”

“No.” That coat was an optional one anyway. One of the reasons she wore it was to be prepared for unexpected needs.

Sure enough, it came in handy before they even left the parking lot.

Song Zhiqi chuckled. She just put on the coat and especially tucked it around her legs.

Shen Shiyi sighed in her heart, feeling both helpless and amused.

When they arrived at the bar entrance, Song Zhiqi took off the coat and gave it back to Shen Shiyi, worried that it would affect her performance later.

Shen Shiyi: “…”

As soon as they entered the bar, the sound waves rolled over them, carrying a restless energy that made Song Zhiqi’s eyes light up.

Sometimes, when she was under a lot of pressure, she would want to vent it in this kind of way.

However, Shen Shiyi, who was beside her, was like an old monk in meditation. She didn’t show much emotion towards this environment. Instead, her slightly furrowed brows showed that she might even find it a little noisy.

“Shiyi! Over here!”

Someone immediately noticed them. They leaned out of the booth and waved at them.

Shen Shiyi led Song Zhiqi over. Many people present couldn’t help but laugh when they saw Song Zhiqi next to her.

“Shen Shiyi, you’re not fun enough. Look at the person next to you. You’re at a bar, but you’re dressed like you’re going to a meeting.” Someone teased.

The moment Song Zhiqi saw that group of people, she felt a little social anxiety.

Shen Shiyi didn’t tell her that there would be so many people!

Shen Shiyi gave that person a glare, telling him to speak properly. She then introduced her. “This is Song Zhiqi. You can just call her Zhiqi from now on.”

“No problem. Your friend is our friend. Zhiqi, come and play with us!” Someone immediately spoke up and waved at Song Zhiqi.

There were not many people present who were uninformed. They all knew about Shen Shiyi’s special relationship with her little assistant. So, no one dared to treat her as an assistant. Instead, they showed her friendliness.

Song Zhiqi looked at Shen Shiyi.

Shen Shiyi was helpless. She told her to go play if she wanted to. With so many people, she didn’t bother to introduce everyone to Song Zhiqi one by one. She figured that after they played for a while, they would all know who everyone was.

Song Zhiqi immediately left Shen Shiyi and went to play with them. Her small braids swayed behind her, making her look especially lively.

The music at this booth was not too loud. Everyone could hear what the other was saying if they spoke a little louder. In a short while, Shen Shiyi heard Song Zhiqi’s laughter as she got along with the others.

Shen Shiyi: “…”

She had never seen her laugh this happily when she was with her.

She smiled helplessly, walked to a corner, sat down, and looked at Zhou Sui, who was quietly drinking. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Drinking to drown your sorrows?”

Zhou Sui clearly had something on her mind.

Zhou Sui looked at her, then looked past the crowd at Song Zhiqi, who was playing games with others. A hint of confusion appeared in her eyes.

Didn’t Gu Shiyu say that Song Zhiqi went to see Fu Wen? Why did Shen Shiyi’s relationship with her still look so harmonious?

“Why did you bring her here?” Zhou Sui didn’t answer her question. Instead, she asked her a question back.

Shen Shiyi poured herself a glass of wine and said casually, “It’s not good to be cooped up at home all the time.”

What’s more, if she left her alone at home and went out to play, she would have no idea how much trouble she would cause if she found out.

Zhou Sui observed Shen Shiyi’s expression. It seemed that as soon as Song Zhiqi was mentioned, her entire being softened, carrying a unique tenderness towards Song Zhiqi that diluted the sense of aloofness on her body.

The relationship between these two was definitely not that simple. She didn’t believe that Shen Shiyi was the type of person who would be nice to someone so casually.

Shen Shiyi’s attitude towards Song Zhiqi was more like she was treating… someone she liked?

When this thought popped up, Zhou Sui’s mind, which had been a little numbed by the alcohol, suddenly sobered up. She frowned slightly and the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to be the case.

Shen Shiyi saw her get distracted and then frown. She didn’t mind that she didn’t want to say more. They were all adults. There was no need to ask too many questions.

However, Zhou Sui, who had already realized that Shen Shiyi liked Song Zhiqi, was in a fierce internal struggle.

If Shen Shiyi liked Song Zhiqi, did she know about Song Zhiqi going to see Fu Wen?

What was Song Zhiqi thinking? How could she be so intimate with Shen Shiyi on one hand and get entangled with Fu Wen on the other?

“Shiyi, do you know about Song Zhiqi and Fu Wen?” Zhou Sui hesitated but still decided to ask. Shen Shiyi was one of her few friends, and she didn’t want her friend to get hurt.

Shen Shiyi’s drinking motion paused slightly, then immediately returned to normal. She said in a very calm tone, “Yes.”

Zhou Sui was stunned. She couldn’t understand what Shen Shiyi was thinking. Since she knew, then why was she doing all this?

“You don’t have to worry about this. Things might not be what you think they are,” Shen Shiyi poured her a glass of wine and smiled nonchalantly.

Zhou Sui fell silent. Although she was still a little worried, she didn’t interfere too much. She believed that since Shen Shiyi was doing this, there must be a reason for it.

She took a sip of her wine. As the cold liquid went down her throat, Zhou Sui’s eyebrows slightly furrowed. She couldn’t help but think of a certain willful young lady again.

Ever since the two of them parted ways unhappily that day, Gu Shiyu had never contacted her again. This was the first time this had happened since they had known each other.

Gu Shiyu didn’t contact her, and she was not a proactive person. These days, they really hadn’t said a single word to each other.

“Ting Sheng! Over here!”

The crowd suddenly became noisy again. Then, they saw Gu Tingsheng, wearing a long coat, walking quickly towards them. In the dim light, the lenses on his nose occasionally reflected the colorful lights. A smile was on his face. Even in this environment, his gentle nature could be seen.

Zhou Sui looked up and saw Gu Tingsheng like this. She suddenly remembered what Gu Shiyu had said about wanting her to be her sister-in-law. The expression on her face immediately became complex.

“Tingsheng, why do you and Shiyi look like you’re wearing couple’s clothes today? Is this telepathy?” Someone joked.

After he said that, many people’s eyes fell on Gu Tingsheng. When they looked closely, it really did seem a little like it.

Gu Tingsheng was slightly stunned when he heard that. His eyes found Shen Shiyi, who was sitting in the corner, and he chuckled. “Don’t talk nonsense. Shiyi’s outfit is much more tasteful than mine.”

After he said that, he ignored what the others thought and walked to Shen Shiyi’s side. He chuckled softly. “I didn’t expect you to come.”

“I came because I was bored,” Shen Shiyi responded casually.

Gu Tingsheng didn’t mind her cold attitude. Instead, he leaned over and said to Zhou Sui on Shen Shiyi’s other side, “President Zhou, I didn’t expect to see you here today.”

Although he and Zhou Sui were both Shen Shiyi’s friends, they weren’t very familiar with each other. Before, they just nodded at each other.

Zhou Sui: “President Gu, it’s good to see you again.”

She was being polite, but she was thinking about whether she should find an opportunity to ask him about Gu Shiyu’s situation.

After all, she was the one who made her angry…

On the other side, Song Zhiqi had naturally heard the person teasing Gu Tingsheng and Shen Shiyi. Now, seeing the two of them sitting so close and chatting, a feeling in her heart made her uncomfortable.

She said something to the others and then got up and walked in front of Shen Shiyi. She glanced at their similar coats and said to Shen Shiyi, “I’m cold!”

Looking at her expression, Shen Shiyi quickly understood the reason for her actions. The corners of her lips slightly curled up, and she found her looking even more adorable when she was acting so ruffled.

“Then come and take it off yourself?”