I Am the White Moonlight that the Former Movie Queen Secretly Loves - Chapter 10
At Jinbiao Mingting, property management handled cleaning services.
SA stood outside the property management office early in the morning, holding a high-end knockoff bag, waiting for Qi Sijia.
“You’re here early. What brings you to our neck of the woods?”
At 6:30 a.m., Xiao Su from the property management team walked toward her, carrying a takeout bowl of noodles in one hand and a soy milk in the other.
SA waved dismissively. “Here with a client.”
“Oh.”
Their relationship was lukewarm at best—SA had always been the type to treat people differently based on their status.
Xiao Su wasn’t interested in getting chummy either and was about to make an excuse to leave when SA’s so-called client arrived.
“Ms. Qi, over here!” SA’s face lit up with an eager smile, a stark contrast to her earlier indifference toward Xiao Su. Her eyes locked onto the woman who hadn’t even stepped out of the car yet, as if she were gazing at a gleaming gold coin—completely transformed.
The textbook definition of a social climber.
Xiao Su scoffed inwardly, curious to see just how wealthy this client was that had SA waiting at the crack of dawn.
Following SA’s line of sight, her eyes landed on a bright yellow Wuling Hongguang electric car, styled like a little duck. The compact body made the interior seem cramped.
The owner, who was likely too tall for the car, first extended a slender leg, her black sneakers touching the ground. Then, she maneuvered her way out, revealing a glimpse of an incredibly flexible, narrow waist.
After shifting most of her body out, she leisurely pulled her other leg from the tight driver’s seat.
“My god, it’s all legs at first glance.”
The woman had her back turned, but by Xiao Su’s estimate, she stood at least 1.73 meters tall. But height wasn’t the most striking thing—Xiao Su had a keen eye for fashion and often studied women’s outfits.
Her criteria for a walking clothes hanger? Long legs, a slender waist, and well-proportioned bone structure.
The woman in the distance checked every box.
She wore a dark gray wool coat that reached just above her knees. Her long legs were casually paired with light blue high-waisted wide-leg pants and black sneakers. Her profile was half-buried in a blue-and-white scarf, obscuring her expression.
She exuded a cool, restrained, almost ascetic vibe.
Xiao Su’s eyes widened in admiration, eagerly waiting for the woman to turn around.
But after a minute, the woman simply retrieved a travel-sized backpack from the back seat, slung it over her shoulder, and turned her head.
Xiao Su let out a disappointed sigh. The long-legged beauty was wearing a black face mask, with the blue-and-white scarf wrapped tightly around her face. On her head sat a standard janitor’s cap.
The ordinary orange hat did nothing to diminish her aura.
Xiao Su, who prided herself on noticing details, didn’t immediately connect the hat to the woman’s profession.
Elbowing SA, Xiao Su perked up, her drowsiness gone. “She’s really not a friend of yours? I’d love to see what she looks like. With legs like that, her face can’t be bad. Have you seen it?”
“No.” SA hadn’t even met Qi Sijia herself. Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, she plastered on a smile and whispered, “Client.”
“What kind of client?”
Most of the properties at Jinbiao Mingting had already been sold, and many sales consultants had branched out into side gigs, juggling multiple roles.
SA had her fair share of side hustles too—recently, she’d even dabbled in headhunting. Xiao Su had dealt with her before.
But then it occurred to her—if this were just about helping someone find a job, SA wouldn’t have bothered waiting outside at this ungodly hour.
Locking eyes with SA, Xiao Su probed, “Wait, is she a homeowner? She drives a duckmobile?”
SA thought, What’s so hard to believe about that?
There were even more unbelievable things to come. It occurred to me that Qi Sijia’s job application would require Xiao Su’s assistance later.
SA threw Xiao Su a meaningful glance.
“Both,” SA said. “But today, I brought her here to report for duty with you.”
The straw in Xiao Su’s mouth clattered to the ground, and her voice involuntarily rose an octave: “What? I haven’t heard about any new colleagues joining our property management team recently.”
“Not property management.”
Qi Sijia had already walked about five meters away. SA paused, put on a smile, and stepped forward to greet her while explaining to Xiao Su: “Cleaning staff.”
“Her, joining as cleaning staff.”
Xiao Su: “…”
–
“In our line of work, attentive service and cleanliness come first.”
When Xiao Su led Qi Sijia to the cleaning staff’s locker room to find the supervisor, the supervisor—an auntie—was standing among the crowd, dressed in the standard cleaning uniform, speaking animatedly with spit flying.
The reason was that they had once again received a complaint from the penthouse duplex owner in Building 8.
“The penthouse owner has repeatedly pointed out that our cleaning work is inadequate. After so many days, not only has our service quality shown no improvement, but we’ve also given them grounds for complaint. Yesterday, the complaint call went straight to headquarters. The company’s executives had to apologize to the owner—don’t you feel ashamed?”
There were over twenty aunties in the cleaning room, averaging around fifty or sixty years old. At the moment, they hung their heads dejectedly, not daring to make a sound.
The supervisor, wearing a red armband, vented her frustration before asking, “So, who’s willing to clean Building 8 today?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the aunties, who had been silent with their heads down, didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, afraid they’d be chosen.
Xiao Su stepped out to take a call and returned shortly, briefly telling Qi Sijia that she had something urgent and needed to leave early.
Qi Sijia nodded, politely declining Xiao Su’s offer of special treatment.
If possible, she wished not even the wind would disturb her—let alone any preferential treatment.
Xiao Su felt a bit awkward and didn’t press further.
Knocking on the door, she interrupted the supervisor’s speech: “Sister Yang.”
“Oh my, Miss Su! What brings you here?”
In most residential complexes, cleaning staff were at the bottom of the hierarchy, while property management acted as their direct superiors.
The supervisor’s expression shifted instantly, her sagging skin bunching up like a chrysanthemum as she approached with a shrill voice.
Qi Sijia subtly dodged, pulling her cap lower to block the line of sight.
What appeared in her field of vision was a pair of slightly scuffed flat shoes.
Xiao Su, eager to leave, greeted the supervisor and stepped aside to introduce: “This is Miss Qi.”
“She’s your new cleaning staff. Please take care of her.”
As soon as the words landed, all eyes in the cleaning room turned toward Qi Sijia. Xiao Su coughed awkwardly and added, “This is Auntie Cai.”
Qi Sijia remained expressionless, nodding at the supervisor as a form of greeting.
After Xiao Su left, the aunties’ eyes lit up. A few enthusiastic ones approached with animated expressions, but Qi Sijia immediately stepped back to avoid them.
Her demeanor was cold and restrained, especially when she wasn’t smiling—it was unmistakable.
Tall and slender, even with her face hidden, her slender legs stood out among the crowd of aunties, exuding an air of striking superiority.
The aunties stopped in their tracks and fell silent in unison.
Truth be told, Qi Sijia wasn’t feeling well at the moment. The crowd made her restless.
Her eyes half-lowered, she had no desire to speak.
It wasn’t an act of aloofness—she simply couldn’t get past the discomfort of being stared at by so many eyes.
I had assumed that starting work would mean directly heading to the assigned building for cleaning duties, but I didn’t expect there would be a meeting in the janitorial office first.
Qi Sijia frowned. Fortunately, she had prepared a gas mask-style respirator in advance, which made wearing it more bearable.
Without waiting for small talk, she turned to the supervisor and asked, “Where’s the changing room?”
She rarely spoke, and her voice carried no emotion—deep and cold, like icy snowmelt.
It almost sounded as if she were the one in charge.
The supervisor, caught off guard, pointed her to the changing room.
The awkward atmosphere didn’t last long. The job of a cleaning auntie wasn’t exactly prestigious.
The supervisor only had the authority to assign buildings.
When the discussion turned to who would take on the cleaning duties for Building No. 8, the aunties present—all old friends of the supervisor—started pushing the task onto one another. In the end, the supervisor glanced at Qi Sijia, the uncooperative and unruly newcomer, and assigned her to Building No. 8.
–
In the changing room, Qi Sijia put on her cleaning uniform and double-checked the gas mask in her bag, making sure it was properly secured.
When she stepped out, she noticed a young girl had arrived in the janitorial office.
The girl, named Gui Xiaolian, was 20 years old—a college student.
“Where’s your mom?”
“She’s sick.” Unlike Qi Sijia, the aunties in the office knew Gui Xiaolian well, and their conversation flowed naturally.
The supervisor turned a blind eye and sighed, “Your mom is too reckless. She was already seriously ill a month ago but didn’t tell me. She only took a break when you came home for vacation. Why push herself so hard? At our age, health is more important than money.”
The girl lowered her eyes.
“I heard your rental place is being demolished. Have you found a new place yet?”
“Do you have any recommendations? Even the cheapest nearby housing is too expensive for us…”
The supervisor, aware of her family’s situation, sighed and walked over, patting Gui Xiaolian’s shoulder in consolation.
–
In most residential complexes, the busiest cleaning hours were in the morning. If you weren’t quick, you wouldn’t finish the day’s work.
The supervisor didn’t drag things out. After assigning tasks, she found Qi Sijia in the corner, briefly explained the daily workflow, and left.
Qi Sijia was responsible for cleaning the entire Building No. 8 and maintaining the shared garden below—pruning and watering the plants.
During the morning rush hour when residents left for work, while all the aunties rushed into the buildings to clean, Qi Sijia carried a bucket of water to tend to the garden under her care.
In fact, this garden was right outside her new home.
The building was fully furnished, with a small European-style villa enclosed by a fence. The outer area was shared space, while the inside was her private property.
Through the gaps, she could glimpse the villa’s layout, complete with a small courtyard.
In the future, she’d plant vegetables in the yard, build a sun shelter for her cat, Big Orange, and head straight home after work to minimize unnecessary travel.
The immediate priority was to find a designer and furnish the place.
Lost in thought, she realized she’d run out of water. As she turned to refill her watering can at the faucet, she ran into Gui Xiaolian.
The girl had dimples that appeared when she smiled, her face bright with enthusiasm as she approached. “I’m covering for my mom. Are you covering for yours too?”
Qi Sijia shook her head, instinctively stepping back at the closeness. “I’m here to work.”
“As a cleaner?”
“Yeah.”
Gui Xiaolian froze in shock.
The air hung silent for three seconds before she found her voice again. “Sorry, you’re around my age, right? It’s just surprising to see someone like you in this job.”
Gui Xiaolian imagined Qi Sijia as someone forced by circumstances, much like her own mother, to take on hard labor for a living.
Feeling sympathetic, she couldn’t help but offer a few extra words of advice.
“Make sure you’re careful later…”
“The owner on the top floor has severe OCD. The last cleaning lady left because she was reported by them.”
Qi Sijia kept her gaze straight ahead, offering no response.
Receiving no acknowledgment, Gui Xiaolian coughed awkwardly and added, “Of course, the last lady might not have been diligent—cutting corners, slacking off—”
“Got it.” Qi Sijia glanced up at Gui Xiaolian and added, “Thank you.”
Meeting those cool, dark eyes behind the protective goggles, Gui Xiaolian froze for a moment, realizing this person wasn’t as unapproachable as she’d thought. She had intended to share more tips, but by the time she snapped out of it, Qi Sijia had already walked away.
Left with no choice, Gui Xiaolian picked up her bucket and rags, gathered the cleaning supplies, and headed back to Building No. 7.