I Am the White Moonlight that the Former Movie Queen Secretly Loves - Chapter 25

Meng Jiang’s car was an extended luxury van, somewhat bulky. Combined with the icy roads and poor conditions, Qi Sijia maintained a steady speed of 50 km/h throughout the journey, ensuring an almost bump-free ride.

It wasn’t until the car exited the private club’s street that Qi Sijia realized she didn’t know the destination.

She glanced at Meng Jiang through the rearview mirror.

After a brief hesitation, she asked calmly, “Where do you live?”

For a long while, Meng Jiang didn’t respond.

Through the mirror, Qi Sijia saw Meng Jiang with her legs slightly bent, the white shawl she had taken off earlier draped over them. One hand propped her chin as she leaned her head against the fogged-up window. The car’s heater was on full blast, and her long, seaweed-like hair cascaded down. Seemingly feeling warm, she absentmindedly tucked a stray strand behind her ear.

Qi Sijia’s gaze lingered on the lashes resting against Meng Jiang’s nose bridge. After a moment’s thought, she reached over to adjust the air vent, redirecting the airflow away from Meng Jiang’s face.

As the light turned green, Qi Sijia hesitated whether to wake Meng Jiang. The line of cars behind honked impatiently, leaving no time for deliberation. Instinctively, she signaled and turned onto the most familiar route home.

The car entered Yong’an Road.

In the shadows, Meng Jiang opened her eyes, fully awake, and turned her chin-propped gaze toward Qi Sijia.

Her stomach ached faintly, but the sight of Qi Sijia driving made the discomfort bearable.

The woman in the driver’s seat was wholly focused, her fair hands resting on the black steering wheel—a stark contrast of white against black. A small red mole shifted as she turned the wheel.

Meng Jiang found herself unsettled by those hands and let her eyes drift upward instead.

Five years ago, Qi Sijia hadn’t worn glasses. Back then, whenever someone looked at her, she’d arch a brow and meet their gaze politely. Few had the chance to see her profile.

In truth, Qi Sijia’s side profile was even more striking than her full face—sharp and resolute.

The driver’s seat, usually adjusted for the chauffeur, hadn’t been reset. Qi Sijia sat bolt upright, her white shirt tucked into jeans, outlining a straight, slender back, a narrow waist, and the curve of her hips.

For someone who spent her days typing at home, there wasn’t an ounce of excess fat around her waist. The fabric clung to the only softness—firm and full.

The sight left Meng Jiang even more unsettled. Her fingers instinctively reached for her cigarettes, but she stopped herself as they brushed against her bag.

Amid the flickering lights and shadows, Meng Jiang nearly laughed. No matter how many years passed, Qi Sijia’s meticulously buttoned-up shirt—fastened to the top—still evoked an undeniable restlessness in her.

Her gaze took root, lingering there.

Minutes later, Qi Sijia caught her feigned slumber.

Meng Jiang pretended not to notice, casually pulling the car pillow from behind her back and hugging it against her stomach.

When she looked up again, the earlier turbulence in her eyes had faded.

“Where do you live?” Meng Jiang tossed Qi Sijia’s question back at her.

Qi Sijia didn’t answer immediately. She pulled up to a crosswalk and turned to look at Meng Jiang.

Her gaze was just as it had been on the night they’d been closest—direct, transparent, and clear as glass.

As if trying to scrutinize every fragile expression on her face, Meng Jiang found it hard to withstand the cold, dark gaze fixed upon her.

After a moment, Qi Sijia spoke calmly, “The old district. Where do you live?”

“Oh.” Through the rearview mirror, Meng Jiang stared straight at her, flashing a fox-like smile. “I’m going the same way as you.”

Qi Sijia: …

A deliberate coincidence couldn’t be brushed off with such a lofty excuse as “going the same way.”

Meng Jiang’s behavior was becoming increasingly unpredictable. Just a day ago in the game, she had kept her distance, maintaining the aloofness expected of an ex-girlfriend who wanted nothing to do with her.

The anticipation was unbearable.

Qi Sijia issued a warning.

“If you keep talking like this—”

Before she could finish, Meng Jiang’s phone buzzed.

The calls came one after another, urgent and relentless.

Meng Jiang finally swiped to answer. It was Chen Cheng on the line.

“Jiangjiang, where are you right now?” Chen Cheng sounded frantic, her words rapid, as if a single second’s delay would lead to greater trouble.

“In the car.”

“Then listen to me—turn around immediately. Don’t go home.”

Meng Jiang glanced at Qi Sijia, then checked the rearview mirror for any trailing paparazzi. Her privacy had always been well-protected; even her usual fleet of vans had backups. There was no reason for the paparazzi to be onto her.

“Am I being followed?”

“No,” Chen Cheng said. “The private club reunion you attended tonight—there are paparazzi staking out the place.”

Meng Jiang thought for a moment and quickly guessed the target. “Fu Chuchu?”

Chen Cheng briefly explained the situation.

Fu Chuchu had been tailed for a month by paparazzi Ge Yarui after publicly criticizing them on social media a month prior. This had enraged Ge Yarui’s team, prompting them to spend a month tracking Fu Chuchu.

They had dug up plenty of dirt, but the most explosive was the front-facing photos they had just captured of Fu Chuchu and her wealthy girlfriend entering the private club together.

The headline “Top Triple-Threat Female Star’s Romance Exposed” had instantly trended.

Even on vacation, Chen Cheng habitually scrolled through trending topics and had spotted Ge Yarui’s exposé. In the paparazzi’s photos of Fu Chuchu, Meng Jiang’s home address had appeared.

This implied that Meng Jiang and Fu Chuchu likely lived in the same place.

Given the entertainment industry’s sharp instincts, once Fu Chuchu’s scandal broke, her home address would easily be exposed through the photos. It was predictable what kind of media and fan frenzy would besiege the upscale neighborhood near the championship center tonight and tomorrow.

If Meng Jiang drove back now, she would almost certainly be caught in the crossfire.

“You can’t go home right now.”

“Then where should I go?”

“Find a hotel and stay there for now,” Chen Cheng said. “Is the driver with you? Hand the phone to him.”

Meng Jiang glanced at Qi Sijia and passed her the phone.

Before Qi Sijia could react, the voice on the other end launched into urgent instructions: “Old Li, to ensure no paparazzi are tailing us, take the car around the overpass twice before heading to the hotel. And remember—use your ID to check her in.”

Qi Sijia: …

Before she could respond, Meng Jiang blinked at her.

Then, she brought the phone to her ear and instructed Chen Cheng to have someone destroy all the surveillance footage from the bar that night.

After a few brief orders, the call ended.

Seeing this, although Qi Sijia still didn’t fully grasp the situation, she understood that the class reunion had attracted paparazzi.

Not wanting to get involved in any trouble, Qi Sijia quickly turned the steering wheel and drove toward the overpass.

“Are we being followed?”

Meng Jiang replied, “We’re fine, but Fu Chuchu’s side got tailed.”

With this interruption, the tense atmosphere in the car dissipated.

–

For the rest of the journey, Meng Jiang was unusually quiet.

Qi Sijia didn’t turn on the music, and the car circled the overpass twice before exiting.

After descending the overpass, the old city district was five kilometers to the left, while the new city district lay to the right.

Qi Sijia asked Meng Jiang where she wanted to go.

Slumped weakly against the window, the howling wind providing some relief from her stomach pain, Meng Jiang managed to summon a shred of rationality.

Following her heart’s desire, she said, “Would it be possible for you to take me in for the night?”

Qi Sijia neither agreed nor refused.

After a long deliberation, she finally uttered bluntly, “Don’t joke around.”

Meng Jiang lifted her gaze, peering steadily through the flickering streetlights. Far from being offended, she curled her lips into a smile, exuding an irresistible, assertive charm. “Who says I haven’t thought this through seriously?”

She counted off reasons on her fingers to justify staying at Qi Sijia’s place.

“Look, I didn’t bring my ID.”

Qi Sijia frowned. “You can book a room with an electronic ID.”

Meng Jiang said, “If I stay alone, I can’t guarantee I won’t run into trouble.”

“Like what?” Qi Sijia wasn’t buying it.

“Like—a power outage at the hotel.”

“If the power’s out, just sleep.”

“My phone dies.”

“You don’t need your phone to sleep.”

After several rounds of this back-and-forth, Qi Sijia’s tone remained unyielding, showing no trace of nostalgia.

Meng Jiang lowered her eyes and gave up. “Fine then…”

“Orange Express Hotel, please.”

Qi Sijia nearly laughed in exasperation.

Orange Express Hotel was located in the old city district, nestled among the rundown tenement buildings awaiting demolition. Compared to the five-star hotels Meng Jiang occasionally deigned to stay in, this was a budget option at least two tiers lower.

No matter how you looked at it, her choice of such a place was either suspiciously deliberate or outright calculated.

Qi Sijia pulled the car to a stop.

Meng Jiang raised an eyebrow, as if reading her thoughts, and explained with an innocent expression, “It’s close by. I just want to rest.”

It seemed impossible to win an argument with her. Qi Sijia scoffed lightly and mercilessly called her out. “There are better hotels at the same distance.”

Meng Jiang arched a brow, as if finally provoked by Qi Sijia’s relentless coldness all evening. Refusing to back down, she narrowed her eyes. “You sure know a lot. But tonight, I want to stay there.”

Their gazes locked in midair, sparks flying between them.

Qi Sijia smirked humorlessly and suddenly slammed on the accelerator, speeding up.

A few minutes later, the car pulled into a roadside parking spot.

“We’re here.”

Qi Sijia said, “Earlier, you mentioned wanting to ask me something. Go ahead.”

“Never mind. I don’t feel like asking anymore.”

Qi Sijia was speechless: …

For the first time, she realized this woman had pegged her as someone easy to manipulate—as if the world revolved around whatever Miss Meng wanted.

No matter how skilled Meng Jiang was at navigating social dynamics, alternating between soft and hard tactics, gradually inching toward her goal—

But Qi Sijia had broken up with her, and there was absolutely no chance of reconciliation. She didn’t even want to probe Jiang Meng’s current intentions for approaching her. After all, no matter how far-fetched the reasons, they needed boundaries after the breakup.

Just as she was about to speak,

Jiang Meng said, “Because I’m feeling a bit nauseous right now.”

Qi Sijia pressed her lips together and glanced at Jiang Meng in the rearview mirror. Jiang Meng had rolled down the window at some point, resting one arm on the sill. A bright streetlight cast its glow beside the car. Under the light, Qi Sijia noticed Jiang Meng’s long legs curled up, her lashes lowered, and her lips frighteningly pale.

“Did I drive too fast?”

Jiang Meng shook her head. “Stomachache.”

She had no appetite all day, and on top of that, she drank on an empty stomach at night.

…

“Will Metoclopramide work?”

Jiang Meng blinked and shook her head earnestly. “Your cooking would.”

She wasn’t lying. Jiang Meng’s pickiness about food was something only Qi Sijia remembered vividly.

So, after all this circling tonight—first claiming to have something to discuss but saying nothing in the car, then choosing a hotel near Qi Sijia’s place—

It was all just a ploy to get inside her home.

“I see…” Qi Sijia shot her a glance, finally revealing a trace of irritation at being manipulated. “Is this fun, Jiang Meng? What reason do you think I have to bring you home?”

Struck speechless, Jiang Meng lowered her eyes and stayed silent.

The next second, the car door slammed shut with a bang.

Jiang Meng clicked her tongue, thinking to herself that she hadn’t been treated like this before.

Truly, a fallen phoenix is less than a chicken—no trace of human kindness left.

Stepping out of the car, she forced herself to walk a few steps before swaying, her head spinning. Staggering unsteadily, she braced one arm against a lamppost to steady herself.

Just as she was about to continue toward the hotel,

The car door suddenly opened again. Qi Sijia’s lips pressed into a straight line as she strode over in a few steps.

She raised an umbrella, sheltering Jiang Meng beneath it.

“Jiang Meng.”

Jiang Meng ignored her.

Qi Sijia called her name again.

Frowning, she said, “My cooking isn’t good.”

At this, Jiang Meng turned around, supporting herself with effort. Her expression suddenly brightened, a smirk tugging at her lips. “What I eat doesn’t matter, as long as it’s clean.”

“Tonight, you’ll stay at…”

Qi Sijia saw the gloom in Jiang Meng’s eyes instantly light up.

She paused mid-step, her silhouette stretching long under the streetlight. After walking a few paces, she turned back.

In a tone that wasn’t exactly pleasant, she said, “My place.”

Jiang Meng smiled brilliantly. “Sure.”

–

The tenement building was less than two hundred meters from the Orange Express Hotel.

The place was truly run-down.

Jiang Meng’s nude high heels made no sound as they touched the ground.

Graceful and poised, she followed Qi Sijia through twists and turns.

Walking down the corridor, which clashed starkly with her refined aura, Qi Sijia slowed her pace and glanced back at Jiang Meng. “You okay?”

Her gaze landed on Jiang Meng’s hand, pressed against her stomach.

“Mm.”

The hallway was thick with dust, the air heavy with grime. Jiang Meng squinted, unable to bear it. The dim lighting, cobwebs everywhere, and layers of dust on the stair railings made her skin crawl.

“It’s so filthy. Don’t you hire cleaners?” Unable to find a clean spot to rest her eyes, she focused on Qi Sijia’s profile. The ever-resourceful Miss Jiang, who had schemed her way inside, finally couldn’t hold back her germaphobia.

Seeing the composure vanish from her eyes, Qi Sijia curved her lips slightly. “We do.”

“If this is the state of their work, I suggest filing a complaint.”

Qi Sijia hummed in agreement.

Suddenly stopping in his tracks as if struck by a thought, he eyed Meng Jiang suspiciously for a moment before his gaze settled on the hand she had pressed against her stomach. Without warning, he asked, “What did you just say?”