I Am the White Moonlight that the Former Movie Queen Secretly Loves - Chapter 36

Meng Jiang called to say she would take Jiang Ru to an afternoon cocktail party and would swing by to pick Qi Sijia up afterward.

Qi Sijia didn’t particularly care about being picked up but agreed anyway.

Taking advantage of the free time, she packed her luggage neatly.

Then she opened her laptop, logged into her YouTube account, and checked the latest updates.

She also sent a quick greeting to her advisor on Chat.

Her advisor immediately video-called her back—coincidentally, he was discussing a script with some senior classmates at the time.

After that call, news of Qi Sijia’s upcoming trip to Chicago quickly spread.

“Jia, when are you arriving?” Her senior classmate Sam emailed, offering to pick her up.

Qi Sijia politely declined. She was going for medical treatment and wasn’t sure if she’d have time to meet anyone. Besides, given her current psychological state, she wasn’t in the right condition for public gatherings.

The last email was from Mike—an informed consent form for hypnotherapy intervention.

After downloading and printing the document, Qi Sijia needed to sign it, scan it, and fax it back.

Mike was extremely curious about why Qi Sijia had suddenly agreed to hypnotherapy. Due to her traumatic experience with electroshock therapy in a disciplinary facility five years ago, she had resisted any form of psychological intervention for the past half-decade.

Seeing Mike’s humorous inquiry, Qi Sijia casually replied, “See you.”

She’d explain in person.

–

The dinner reservation was at Jingfangzhai, a discreet private restaurant in Ningcheng.

Meng Jiang had already instructed her driver to secure a good table. The owner was well-acquainted with both Meng Jiang and Qi Sijia—they used to frequent the place during their university days.

“Oh my god, good thing I stayed at the shop today!”

“It’s been five years since I last saw you two, hasn’t it?” The owner brought over a bottle of white wine. “This one’s on me—I’m just too happy today.”

Meng Jiang laughed. “You’re too generous.”

“Of course! Having the famous actress Meng Jiang dine here brings honor to my humble establishment. This place only managed to stay afloat because I kept bragging to everyone that it was the restaurant the award-winning actress frequented.”

Qi Sijia watched the two exchange pleasantries. The owner handed her the menu. “Jiajia, you order. Meng Jiang’s such a pain—she’d nitpick everything. You’re the reliable one.”

Qi Sijia nodded. Just then, a server knocked on the door and called the owner away.

A pot of Biluochun tea sat on the table. Meng Jiang smiled. “This place hasn’t changed a bit.”

“The owner’s gotten fatter,” Qi Sijia remarked. When their eyes met, they shared a quiet laugh.

Without any barbs, their interactions carried an unspoken understanding—a comfortable distance that put them both at ease.

Qi Sijia actually enjoyed conversations like this. “What would you like to eat?”

“The owner told you to order, yet you’re still asking me? If I take charge, I’ll just annoy everyone.” In front of Qi Sijia, Meng Jiang dropped all pretenses, her speech even slipping into a Beicheng accent.

Just as Qi Sijia was about to respond—

The private room door creaked open. Somehow, Ge Yaru had found her way inside.

Meng Jiang’s expression darkened instantly. Though her lips still curved into a smile, there wasn’t a trace of warmth in her eyes.

“Did you get the wrong room, or are you illegally stalking someone?”

Ge Yaru’s pupils shrank the moment she recognized Meng Jiang.

“So that’s how it is,” she murmured, as if everything suddenly made sense.

After staking out Qi Sijia’s apartment for several days, Ge Yarui finally managed to track her here. The paparazzi’s investigative skills were impressive, adept at tailing targets, so it wasn’t surprising they could sneak in unnoticed.

She quickly explained her purpose for coming.

Ge Yarui apologized to Meng Jiang: “I didn’t realize it was you. If I had known, I would never have allowed my team to spread that photo.”

Whether it was sheer shock or desperation clouding her judgment, the words slipped out thoughtlessly, and she immediately regretted them.

Sure enough, Meng Jiang responded with a faint, mocking smile: “So, if it weren’t me, you would’ve dared to do it?”

The photo incident involved Ningcheng’s wealthy heiress Ye Qianqian. Ge Yarui wasn’t reckless—having survived in the industry for years, she knew exactly who to cross and who to avoid.

The photo had actually been leaked by one of her subordinates, A-Jin.

“No, no, no,” Ge Yarui hastily clarified, turning her gaze to Qi Sijia. “When I approached you at the hospital last time, I wanted to tell you that I wasn’t the one who released the photo. The moment I realized it was you in the picture, my first instinct was to order my team to destroy it.”

Qi Sijia remained silent, sipping from her teacup. Sensing Meng Jiang’s eyes on her, she glanced sideways. In that exchanged look, they both silently acknowledged they had underestimated Ge Yarui’s ability to bend with the wind.

But this time, Ge Yarui’s attitude was genuinely remorseful.

With dozens of employees relying on her, and paparazzi teams already despised in the entertainment industry, Ge Yarui had made plenty of enemies over the years. If she fell, everyone would gladly push her further.

At worst, she could declare bankruptcy and jump off a building—but what would happen to those who had followed her?

After laying out the whole story, Ge Yarui added, “I instructed A-Jin to destroy the photo, but two separate parties intervened, backing him and urging him to leak it immediately.”

“How were there two parties?” Qi Sijia interrupted.

Investigations had revealed that Ye Qianqian’s illegitimate half-brother was involved, but according to Ge Yarui, there was another player?

Qi Sijia set down her teacup. “Go on.”

“One was the younger brother of the Ye family’s second daughter, and the other was the second daughter of the Qi family. They each made a deal with A-Jin separately.”

Two of Ningcheng’s wealthiest heirs had joined forces to amplify the scandal, offering a hefty sum. A-Jin hadn’t even consulted Ge Yarui before handing over the negatives.

No one expected things to escalate this badly.

“Can I beg you to let me go?” This plea was directed at Meng Jiang.

Ge Yarui grabbed a bottle of brandy from the nearby table and, without hesitation, downed it in one go. Truly at the end of her rope, she lowered herself completely.

Qi Sijia was certain Meng Jiang wouldn’t agree.

And indeed, Meng Jiang crossed her arms. “I don’t know you. After all these years in the industry, you must’ve heard what kind of person I am. When I say I’ll blacklist someone, I don’t take it back.”

“What if someone close to you asked for leniency?”

Meng Jiang lifted her gaze. “That depends on who.”

Not an outright refusal—so there was hope.

Ge Yarui’s mind raced, quickly grasping the key point. In her eyes, if Meng Jiang was willing to blacklist her for Qi Sijia’s sake, they must be in a serious relationship.

She had always been observant, quickly turning her pleading gaze to Qi Sijia: “Last time, I was too ashamed and angry, and I shouldn’t have said those things to you. Actually, you’re really good. If it weren’t for you pulling me up back then, I might not even have been able to continue college. Because you’re so good, I always felt like you could be infinitely kind to others. I’m sorry.”

Ge Yarui’s voice choked up slightly: “I know I was wrong. Barging in like this today is presumptuous, but I’m at my wit’s end, with nowhere else to turn. Qi Sijia, could you please put in a word for me, considering how sincerely I regret it?”

No one knew what Qi Sijia was thinking. She was busy texting Ye Qianqian on her phone.

Only after finishing the text and putting her phone away did she turn her attention to Ge Yarui.

“The Second Miss Qi you mentioned earlier,” Qi Sijia asked, “is Zheng Xin?”

Ge Yarui shook her head: “I don’t know her name. I only know that the Second Miss Qi intervened. A-Jin was shortsighted, thinking the Ye and Qi families would back him up, so he didn’t even bother to investigate. On top of that, someone paid for trending hashtags, and all the marketing accounts jumped in overnight. That’s why the scandal blew up so quickly.”

Qi Sijia’s expression remained unreadable, but she was indeed provoked by this move. Seeing Ge Yarui nod, she lifted her eyes: “Do you have proof?”

Ge Yarui hesitated before shaking her head: “They gave A-Jin a huge sum of money. There should be records of the private transaction, but A-Jin has disappeared—no one knows where he is now.”

“You can find him,” Qi Sijia paused, “and I’ll try to help you.”

The implication was clear. Ge Yarui’s eyes lit up instantly: “I can. I can.”

Qi Sijia poured Meng Jiang a cup of tea before speaking up: “Teacher Meng, would my plea make any difference?”

Meng Jiang was amused by the title, her lips curling as she joked, “Maybe you should try.”

“Well…” Qi Sijia hesitated, feeling that begging Meng Jiang outright wasn’t quite appropriate. But seeing Meng Jiang standing there with her arms crossed, waiting expectantly, Qi Sijia smiled too.

Since there was no avoiding Meng Jiang—after all, they had spent enough time together these past days to be familiar—forcing distance now would only seem affected.

Her lips curved into a faint smile, her slender eyes holding a quiet intensity as they met Meng Jiang’s. In a voice low enough for only Meng Jiang to hear, she murmured, “Please.”

Meng Jiang froze for a full three seconds, giving Qi Sijia a deep look.

Her gaze lingered on the tea leaves floating in her cup as she addressed Ge Yarui: “I’ll have Chen Cheng contact you later.”

“Miss Ge, you may leave now.”

–

Ge Yarui finished the two bottles of brandy she had brought as an apology, then staggered out the door unsteadily.

Silence settled in the room. A server knocked to ask if they were ready to order.

Qi Sijia picked up the menu.

Meng Jiang asked casually, “Do you know the Second Miss Qi?”

As if it were just an offhand question.

“We share the same surname, Qi.”

“Are you cousins fighting over inheritance?”

From Meng Jiang’s gaze, Qi Sijia caught a hint of shared sympathy, as if she had already conjured up a dramatic family feud in her mind.

Though their relationship wasn’t yet defined, and the question bordered on intrusive, today’s meal was meant for casual conversation anyway.

Qi Sijia didn’t shy away, shaking her head: “No. But you could say Zheng Xin has a one-sided grudge against me.”

“What did you do to offend the Qi family?” Meng Jiang pondered in confusion. She hadn’t remotely connected Qi Sijia to the identity of Qi Jun’s eldest daughter, especially since Qi Sijia had been genuinely poor during her university days.

“Why not consider that the Qi family offended me instead?” Qi Sijia countered.

“Then, do you need my help?” After a moment’s thought, Meng Jiang asked.

Qi Sijia set down her teacup. “You’ve already helped a great deal today. If we keep talking, this dinner might stretch till tomorrow.”

Glancing through the menu, Qi Sijia asked, “Any dietary restrictions?”

Meng Jiang had many—no heavy seasoning, no gutter oil, and nothing too greasy.

Qi Sijia ordered a few light, signature dishes tailored to Meng Jiang’s tastes before handing the menu back to her.

Gesturing for her to add more, Meng Jiang, in high spirits, smiled at the server and said, “We’ll have what she ordered. Also, add a plate of butter-baked escargot and a cheese lobster.”

Qi Sijia looked surprised. “I thought you didn’t like snails?”

“It’s been five years, and you still remember that?”

Qi Sijia chuckled without confirming or denying. “Just like how you remember Nan County. Between us, if we lay everything out, there’s only so much history. Claiming I’ve forgotten it all wouldn’t be realistic.”