I Am the White Moonlight that the Former Movie Queen Secretly Loves - Chapter 14

At 6:15 the next morning, the alarm blared for a long time before Qi Sijia finally got out of bed.

Having slept poorly the night before, she groggily brushed her teeth and washed her face.

She didn’t even have time to tie her hair up before rushing out the door.

By late autumn, Ningcheng grew colder with each passing day.

Wearing a gas mask, Qi Sijia didn’t feel the chill much—except for her neck. Despite the high-collared sweater, a stretch of skin remained exposed.

In her hurry, she had forgotten a scarf.

So she gathered her long, silky hair and draped it over her neck like a makeshift scarf, tucking every bit of bare skin beneath the strands.

Just as she finished this makeshift protection, she reached the first floor.

Coincidentally, in the dimly lit hallway before dawn, Gui Xiaolian was already there, as if she had been waiting by the door.

With a snap, the first-floor apartment door swung open in front of Qi Sijia.

A second later, Gui Xiaolian thrust a yellowed rectangular metal lunchbox toward her.

Qi Sijia didn’t take it. Instead, she tugged her cap lower and looked up hesitantly.

“My mom told me to give this to you. It’s aiqing dumplings, glutinous rice qingtuan, and pork with celery filling. The pork is fresh tenderloin cut this morning by Uncle Mo from the butcher’s stall, and the celery was brought from Aunt Fang’s hometown on the second floor.”

“At lunch, just microwave it for three minutes. It’ll taste way better than the instant noodles you had yesterday.”

Qi Sijia was about to say she had already packed lunch.

But perhaps still awkward about yesterday’s incident, Gui Xiaolian mumbled something and snapped the door shut again.

Through the rusted door frame, Qi Sijia heard violent coughing inside, followed by Gui Xiaolian’s startled cry: “Mom!”

“I told you I’d give it to her! Why did you get up?”

“Sweetheart, we can’t be unreasonable. Miss Qi and her grandmother… cough cough… have been nothing but kind to us all these years. They’re our benefactors. I’ve told you so many times—even if we’re too poor to repay them, we can’t take their kindness for granted or exploit their goodwill. You must speak to her properly.”

“She’s already gone.”

“Fine, fine, fine!”

“Alright, I give up. I’ll apologize to her myself when I go to work later, okay?”

Another fit of coughing followed, so harsh it sounded like her lungs might tear apart.

Qi Sijia’s hand, raised to knock, paused mid-air. She transferred the metal lunchbox Gui Xiaolian had handed her to her right hand. In the dim hallway, the contrast was stark—her right hand held a three-tiered, insulated luxury lunchbox, its brand-new beige lid adorned with a cute cartoon cat.

Far more refined and elegant than the yellowed single-tiered metal box in her left hand.

Inside the former was the meal Qi Sijia had prepared herself the day before. Being socially anxious, she had grown accustomed to cooking her own meals over the years, never comfortable eating in crowded places.

This was the first time she was carrying a box of qingtuan dumplings made by someone else.

She stood frozen outside the door for several seconds but ultimately didn’t return it. Instead, she walked out of the building with both lunchboxes in hand.

–

7:00 AM, duty room.

The moment Qi Sijia reached the door, she was startled by the lively chatter inside.

“How is this fair? She got a raise on her first day!”

“She’s just a newbie!”

“Do you think the penthouse owner has a thing for her?”

“My daughter told me girls can like girls these days—even the marriage laws are changing. You think she’s caught the penthouse owner’s eye?”

“No wonder…”

“…”

Gui Xiaolian arrived one minute earlier than Qi Sijia.

“Aunties, you can’t say that. Before Miss Qi came, none of us wanted to clean Building 8. She worked hard, did the job well, and earned the trust of the residents there. Getting a raise is what she deserves.”

“If we all do our jobs seriously, good opportunities like this will come to us too.”

…

Gui Xiaolian’s words were diplomatic. Seeing the aunties around her nod awkwardly, she waved at Qi Sijia. “Miss Qi—you got a raise.”

Whether it was a raise or not, Qi Sijia didn’t feel much about it.

But the envious, jealous glares from the aunties around her prickled like needles against her back.

Qi Sijia thanked Gui Xiaolian for stepping in, then walked briskly into the changing room under the weight of those resentful stares, her face expressionless. She changed into her work uniform.

By the time she came out, Manager Cai had just returned from a meeting. With a complicated look in her eyes, she called Qi Sijia over.

“I’m telling you—you got a raise. The owner of the penthouse allocated a separate salary just for you.”

“Do you know how much it is?”

Even the cleaning supervisor didn’t know, so Qi Sijia naturally had no idea. She wasn’t interested in this, but kindness never came without reason.

What was the penthouse owner’s intention?

“Does she like you?” Manager Cai suddenly leaned in and asked.

Qi Sijia took a step back and replied flatly, “I don’t know.”

Rumors could distort the truth, and Qi Sijia wasn’t one to believe everything she heard. But thinking about yesterday’s fruit and the way that woman had studied her for so long…

Qi Sijia suddenly wasn’t so sure.

For caution’s sake, she thought it best to ask the penthouse owner directly the next time they met—just in case there was some intention behind it…

Right now, she did need to develop a new social relationship—to “fight poison with poison.” If it seemed suitable, she could give it a try.

–

Cleaning work was monotonous and repetitive, confined to a fixed area—just one building, back and forth.

Sweeping, mopping, watering—like gears turning in a machine.

Once she got used to it, the novelty wore off quickly.

While watering the plants in the green space that morning, Qi Sijia ran into Gui Xiaolian again.

The latter stood not far from Qi Sijia, hesitating for a long time before finally shuffling over awkwardly. “I’m sorry about yesterday…”

Qi Sijia could guess what she wanted to say. Remembering how Gui Xiaolian had helped her earlier, she lowered her eyes and replied, “It’s fine.”

Gui Xiaolian had a knack for making herself happy. Even though she’d had some complaints about Qi Sijia the day before, now that she realized Qi Sijia was easygoing, she immediately categorized her as a good sister who matched her temperament.

She chatted with Qi Sijia in the garden for a while, handing her buckets of water while chattering nonstop.

Qi Sijia worked quietly, listening attentively.

Perhaps it was the first time Gui Xiaolian had met someone who listened so quietly and seriously. From family gossip to entertainment news, she couldn’t stop talking.

“Hey, did you see the hot search last night?”

Qi Sijia shook her head. Recently, Meng Jiang’s mention of her first love, “Miss Q,” had thrust Qi Sijia into the spotlight.

But Meng Jiang was a woman of her word. Since she’d promised to remove all speculation about Miss Q’s real-life identity, she would follow through.

Qi Sijia had enough confidence in her first love to know she wouldn’t end up on the hot search. She wasn’t interested and finished trimming the last flower branch.

Gui Xiaolian, waiting behind her, grew impatient. “You really don’t want to know?”

Qi Sijia said, “I don’t use Weibo much.”

After her initial surprise, Gui Xiaolian quickly accepted it. After all, Qi Sijia didn’t even bother to show up when collecting rent—what else could she possibly care about?

With that thought, she patiently spread her hands and said, “Alright, fine, you don’t use Weibo. But surely you’ve heard of the award-winning actress Meng Jiang?”

Qi Sijia lowered her gaze, masking the flicker of surprise in her eyes. Casually, she asked, “What about her?”

Gui Xiaolian mysteriously pulled out her phone, opened Weibo, and handed it to Qi Sijia.

“Netizens have uncovered Meng Jiang’s secret account.”

“Here, look at this. Honestly, fandom fans are always bragging about their idols being top-tier, but after this whole ‘first love scandal’ blew up, I realized the real queen of the charts is still Meng Jiang—no one can top her. Even an account she’s never posted from can trend for days.”

Meng Jiang’s name was now a sensitive topic for Qi Sijia. She instinctively leaned in to look, and her entire body stiffened.

The question on her lips—How do you know this is really Meng Jiang?—died in her throat. The profile picture was one Qi Sijia had seen just days ago: it was the same as Meng Jiang’s WeChat avatar.

There was no doubt—this Weibo account almost certainly belonged to Meng Jiang.

“White background, red lips—tch, that Q-shaped luxury lipstick smeared on her lips.” Gui Xiaolian wore a knowing, almost smug smile as she nudged Qi Sijia’s arm. “Back when Meng Jiang first debuted, she endorsed this brand. Never thought much of it, but look—there’s a Q in this picture. The Q from ‘Ms. Q,’ Meng Jiang’s first love.”

At this, Gui Xiaolian let out a cryptic giggle.

Qi Sijia glanced at it, then averted her gaze.

What’s there to overanalyze? Though she—the actual Ms. Q—was seeing this photo for the first time, she had initially misread it too. But that night, Meng Jiang had made it abundantly clear, with actions rather than words, that Qi Sijia shouldn’t read into it.

This was just the brand’s logo.

As some of Meng Jiang’s more rational fans had pointed out, the fact that she could openly mention “Ms. Q” five years later meant she had long since moved on from that first love. Besides, the part where she mentioned Qi Sijia to the media happened when she was drunk.

The person in question clearly didn’t care.

“Hey, how are you not even a little curious?”

Gui Xiaolian was unimpressed by Qi Sijia’s indifference and chattered on, undeterred.

It was getting noisy. Qi Sijia set aside what she was doing and humored her. “Alright, then. What useful info did you dig up from Meng Jiang’s secret account?”

Meeting Qi Sijia’s obscured gaze behind her protective glasses, Gui Xiaolian hesitated, then awkwardly admitted, “Well… it looks like there aren’t any posts. No likes or follows either.”

Qi Sijia replied flatly, “Then let’s not talk about her.”

Gui Xiaolian wasn’t ready to give up. Muttering, she said, “You’re seriously not curious at all.”

“She used this account to vote on some random writer’s relationship advice poll—that’s definitely suspicious.”

Now it was Qi Sijia’s turn to fall silent.

As she spoke, Gui Xiaolian pulled up the Weibo post where Meng Jiang had anonymously weighed in on the writer’s love dilemma. The next second, an all-too-familiar lazy cat—one Qi Sijia had held in her arms just yesterday—appeared on the screen.

“The writer’s name is Ji Liu. Netizens have already scoured her entire online presence overnight.”

Qi Sijia narrowed her eyes. “And?”

“There’s no ‘and then’,” Gui Xiaolian’s tone drooped with dejection. “The author’s initials are J, not Q. And this writer is emotionally excessive, with countless girlfriends. According to readers, she’s almost constantly in relationships, jumping from one to the next without a break—completely different from Jiang Jiang’s world. There’s no way she could be Jiang Jiang’s first love, Miss Q.”

The implication was clear: someone like her sister, a natural-born enchantress full of charm and allure, even if she liked women, wouldn’t lower herself to fancy a female player.

Qi Sijia, whose name had just been mentioned, wasn’t feeling great. Her fingers stiffened slightly, though thankfully, the rubber gloves hid it from Gui Xiaolian’s notice.

After a moment of silence, Qi Sijia asked, “Why don’t you consider that she might be Miss Q?”

“Why would I think that? Jiang Jiang has serious emotional boundaries. She’s even posted psychological test results proving she’s monogamous and expects the same—one person for life. All her fans know this.”

In other words, Miss Q could be anyone—just not the player Ji Liu.

Hearing this, Qi Sijia didn’t correct her. A player’s first love was still a first love, after all. Who said first loves had to stay chaste for Meng Jiang?

But regardless, relieved she hadn’t been exposed, Qi Sijia relaxed and leisurely packed up her tools. Today’s watering duties were done—time to sweep the building.

The online persona “Ji Liu” had no skeletons in the closet. Let the internet dig all they wanted. Qi Sijia kept her real-life details tightly guarded—even her address was IP-masked.

She’d even used Wei Yunfang’s connections to encrypt the account. No one could trace Ji Liu back to Qi Sijia.

She exhaled deeply.

“Don’t believe rumors; don’t spread them.” Qi Sijia handed Gui Xiaolian her phone, noting her dismissive expression.

“You also think it’s ridiculous how the internet claims Meng Jiang can’t let go of Miss Q, right? They’ve already broken up—they’re from different worlds now. Meng Jiang mentioning her means she’s moved on. And for you fans, wouldn’t you rather see Meng Jiang shine solo? How many second chances do people really get?”

With that, Qi Sijia picked up her bucket and turned toward Building 8—only to collide with the penthouse resident.

It was unclear how much the woman had overheard. Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, unreadable, fixed intently on Qi Sijia’s goggled face—specifically, her animated lips.

Though Qi Sijia didn’t experience her usual social anxiety around the penthouse resident, the scrutiny still unsettled her. She averted her gaze, unsure how to address the woman.

Just as she was about to speak—

Meng Jiang’s smile hovered, half-formed, cutting her off with a sardonic, “Aren’t you tired?”

Qi Sijia blinked. “What?”

Meng Jiang’s eyes flicked to her mouth.

The implication was clear.

This was the first time someone had called Qi Sijia out for talking too much—ironically, it almost felt like praise.

Only Gui Xiaolin sensed the tension. Over the years, Meng Jiang had mastered the art of social grace, always measured, never revealing her hand.

She left no room for criticism, ensuring everyone saw only her radiant, poised elegance.

But beneath that flawless diplomacy lay a ruthlessly decisive nature—one most overlooked.

Meng Jiang’s cool glance didn’t faze Qi Sijia. She was about to ask about her paycheck.

As a result, Meng Jiang gave her a deep look, said nothing, and walked away.

The usually talkative Gui Xiaolian beside her was so frightened she didn’t dare to breathe.

Even though the woman’s face was hidden, there was an undeniable aura of elegance and dominance. Her phoenix eyes held not a trace of warmth, and when they swept over you, it sent a chill down your spine.

It wasn’t until Meng Jiang had left that Gui Xiaolian finally exhaled in relief, patting her chest as she asked, “Is she…?”

She glanced up and pointed toward Building No. 8.

Qi Sijia nodded. “The owner from the top floor of Building No. 8.”

With the confirmation, Gui Xiaolian smacked her forehead and muttered, “As expected—reputation pales in comparison to seeing her in person.”

This earned a quiet chuckle from Qi Sijia. “She’s actually quite nice.”

Gui Xiaolian: “……”

“Of course she is—she likes you. Otherwise, have you ever seen her give anyone else a raise?”

That day, Qi Sijia heard the phrase “the top-floor owner likes you” from many different people. It couldn’t help but make her wonder—perhaps the newly acquainted top-floor owner really did have feelings for her.