I Am the White Moonlight that the Former Movie Queen Secretly Loves - Chapter 7
After resolving her work issues, Qi Sijia’s stuffy nose felt slightly better.
She pulled open the curtains, and sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a radiant glow that seemed to dispel all gloom.
Big Orange was nibbling on its cat food, one piece at a time. It had a habit of hoarding, and as the sunlight spilled over its sparse fur, it occasionally lifted its head, letting out a few comfortable “meows” in contentment.
Just like its owner, it was in a good mood.
After getting up and finishing her cold medicine, Qi Sijia pushed open the bedroom door. The kitchen was to the left of the entrance.
This apartment in the development zone was old, its walls already showing speckled patches of mold.
The range hood in the kitchen hadn’t been replaced in years—an outdated model, worn and battered, groaning under the strain with a creaky, labored hum.
It had broken down once before, but Qi Sijia had rigged it with an extra wire, and miraculously, it had kept running for over a year.
This property was part of the inheritance left to Qi Sijia by her grandmother. Over twenty years old, it had been Qi Sijia’s home ever since her grandmother passed away, and she had never moved out in all these years.
When she was little, Qi Jun’s company was just starting up, and Wei Yunfang was busy with lawsuits.
Neither had the time to take care of Qi Sijia, so she lived with her grandmother.
The old woman had a cheerful, straightforward personality and was the well-known landlady of the neighborhood, owning an entire building’s worth of property. She was always in high spirits. The mahjong players downstairs loved inviting her to join their games—after all, she was the least concerned about winning or losing.
She often deliberately lost a few rounds to let her tenants have some fun.
But no matter which mahjong game she played, Grandma Qi always brought Qi Sijia along. In the sweltering summer heat, the clatter of tiles rose and fell in rhythm.
“Three Bamboos!”
“Ohoho, I win!”
Amid the constant laughter, young Qi Sijia would sit on the small stool her grandmother had specially prepared for her, eating popsicles. Her hair was meticulously braided into pretty pigtails by Grandma Qi, adorned with butterfly-shaped hair clips.
Grandma Qi often multitasked, turning her head back with a face full of wrinkles as she smiled and asked her granddaughter, “Jiajia, are you hungry? Should Grandma cook for you?”
“Are you cold? Let me get you another layer.”
…
Most of the warmth in her childhood came from these moments. That was why, even later when this place had long become unfit for living, and despite Qi Jun and Wei Yunfang having prepared several other properties for her, Qi Sijia still refused to move out.
The kitchen cabinets had yellowed with age. Qi Sijia had cleaned them last time, but it hadn’t made much difference. She took out a pack of noodles and some eggs.
Heating the pan, she poured in oil, then tossed in chopped scallions, fresh garlic, and chili peppers. The sizzle of stir-frying filled the air with fragrance.
From the fridge, she retrieved the leftover rib broth and poured it into the pot. Once the broth boiled over high heat, she added the egg noodles, enoki mushrooms, and a poached egg, finishing it off with a drizzle of sesame oil.
In just ten minutes, a steaming pot of rib noodle soup, garnished with scallions, was ready. Qi Sijia didn’t go out often, nor did she have high material desires. She preferred handling things herself when she could, and over the years, she had mastered all sorts of practical skills.
Her down-to-earth talents often made Ye Qianqian sigh in admiration: “Qi Sijia, why don’t you just date me?”
“We share the same sexual orientation, and we know each other inside out—no need to worry about compatibility. You’re good at everything, with those long, pretty hands that have never touched anyone else. You’re clean, beautiful, and your looks are exactly my type—cold and restrained. Plus, I know exactly how socially awkward you are, so you don’t even have to worry about me dumping you. We’re practically sisters, seeing each other all the time anyway. So, what do you say? Wanna give me a shot?”
“Not suitable.” Qi Sijia refused without hesitation.
“Why?” Ye Qianqian asked indignantly. “What era is this? You still believe in that ‘a rabbit doesn’t eat the grass near its burrow’ nonsense?”
Pressed by her relentless questioning, Qi Sijia replied calmly, “I’ve slept with someone before. My hands aren’t clean anymore. I’m afraid you’d be disappointed in bed.”
At this point, Ye Qianqian’s enthusiasm plummeted. She clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Who was it? That first love of yours I never got to meet?”
Qi Sijia neither confirmed nor denied.
Taking it as silent agreement, Ye Qianqian cursed irritably, “Damn, such a beautiful flower tainted by cow dung.”
“Did you tell your later girlfriends about this?”
Qi Sijia nodded earnestly. “Of course. Disclosing my situation is the foundation of starting a relationship. And they all said they didn’t mind.”
“Fvck,” Ye Qianqian sighed, exasperated. “Jiajia, do you know what this means? No one who truly likes you would be so magnanimous about hearing you’ve slept with someone else. Like me… pah.”
“Anyway, are you sure they weren’t just in it for the s3x and not the feelings?”
Qi Sijia: “…”
Ye Qianqian was perfect in every way, except for her habit of dissing Qi Sijia’s girlfriends in front of her.
Qi Sijia turned a blind eye to it. She wasn’t the type to be swayed by hearsay. She had social anxiety, which made finding a partner difficult, and she carried a sense of inferiority about her own flaws. Whenever someone pursued her and seemed compatible, she would list out her issues upfront, warning them of the risks. Yet, none of her ex-girlfriends ever seemed to mind.
When Qi Sijia mentioned her social anxiety, most of her exes would stare at her face in a daze and say, “So what? If you’re shy, I’ll just be the bold one.”
With such mutual honesty, how could she suspect them of having such shallow intentions?
The Art of Interpersonal Relationships stated that trust was the foundation of any relationship.
Qi Sijia repeated this to Ye Qianqian, who scoffed with a sarcastic smile, looking at her as if she were beyond saving.