Stealing My Ex's White Moonlight - Chapter 24

Lin Wanqing’s heavy robes and swaying headdress left her drenched in sweat after just a few steps. A sheen of perspiration glistened on her forehead, blurring her makeup and smudging her black eyeliner.

Her face looked disheveled and grimy.

The night was as dark as ink, the moonlight cold and clear, and the streetlights cast a warm, yellow glow on the sparsely populated streets.

The black-clad figure quickened its pace. Lin Wanqing wanted to call out, but the silence of the surroundings, punctuated only by occasional passersby, made her hesitate. Gritting her teeth, she lifted her skirt and chased after the figure.

Her soft-soled cloth shoes hampered her speed, and the heavy skirt kept slipping down.

As she watched the figure round the street corner, panic surged through her. Her grip loosened, and she nearly tripped over her horse-face skirt.

After a hasty adjustment, she stumbled again, only to be steadied by a pair of firm hands.

Lin Wanqing looked up, her eyes welling with tears.

“Why are you running so fast?”

Lin Wanqing stared intently at her, as if afraid she might bolt. “I thought…”

I thought you were angry.

Shi Mi gazed back at her. Lin Wanqing bit her lip and explained, “I’m not close to Lin Huanhuan. Her grandma brought her to our house once, years ago. She called me ‘Cousin,’ but we’re not really cousins. We’re practically strangers.”

“Her grandma knew my grandpa, I think. I’m not really sure, but we’re distantly related,” she stammered, her voice flustered and anxious as she tried to explain.

Shi Mi’s turbulent emotions suddenly calmed. Looking at Wanqing’s dirty little face and sweat-drenched forehead, a wave of guilt washed over her.

She wiped the sweat from Wanqing’s forehead with the back of her hand.

“I don’t know why she acted like that today. Maybe I spoiled her too much in the past. I never really disciplined her, and she probably got a bit entitled. Anyway, this won’t happen again.”

Wanqing raised her hand. “I promise you.”

Her eyes shone with earnest sincerity as she held her hand to her ear, as if afraid Shi Mi wouldn’t believe her.

Touched by Wanqing’s care and concern for her feelings, Shi Mi’s heart softened. She took Wanqing’s hand and wrapped her arm around her waist. “I just have a bit of a headache.”

Wanqing’s eyes filled with concern as she cupped Shi Mi’s face, turning it this way and that. “How did you suddenly get a headache? Should we see a doctor? Or should I ask Sister Zhimei to bring some medicine over?”

Shi Mi gazed at Wanqing’s anxious face, her heart warming. She rested her chin on Wanqing’s shoulder. “Just a headache. My wife has so many admirers. Yesterday it was Yang Xiaoyan, today Lin Huanhuan. Who knows who’ll pop up tomorrow?”

Wanqing’s cheeks flushed slightly at the word “wife.” “Who’s your wife? Stop calling me that!”

“Looks like I need to work harder. There’s too much competition. If I’m not careful, someone will steal my wife away. Then who will I cry to?” Shi Mi grumbled softly. “I finally found the perfect wife!”

Wanqing playfully punched her. “Stop calling me that! You’re taking advantage of me!”

“I called you ‘wife’ twice. I’ll take the loss if you call me ‘wife’ four times in return. Deal?”

“You’re such a cheat,” Wanqing scolded lightly, her heart brimming with sweetness. She wrapped her arms around Shi Mi, holding her tightly, as if only this could keep her from slipping away.

She hummed softly, “They wouldn’t even glance at me when they stood right in front of me. I don’t care about them. None of them can compare to you!”

Not even a single one of your fingers can compare to them.

Shi Mi chuckled. “What’s so special about me?”

Like a student being called on to answer their best subject, Wanqing’s voice brightened. “You’re different from them.”

Shi Mi pressed further, “How am I different?”

The question slipped through Wanqing’s mind, instantly conjuring countless answers, each the perfect response.

She looks different. Her smile is different.

Standing in a crowd, she seemed to glow, instantly catching Wanqing’s eye.

It was as if everyone else had lost their color, fading into gray, while Wanqing alone remained vibrant and alive.

Seeing her hesitation, Shi Mi pressed again, her voice rising with a single syllable, “Hmm?”

Lin Wanqing squirmed for a moment. “Oh, you’re just… different, okay?”

“Oh, I get it now.”

“What do you get?” Lin Wanqing asked, puzzled.

“My shoulder-massaging and leg-kneading skills are top-notch. Plus, I can run errands for coffee and stuff. Of course I’m different from everyone else.”

Lin Wanqing stomped her foot. “No, that’s not it!”

Shi Mi chuckled at her flustered reaction. “You’re different too.”

Lin Wanqing mimicked her tone. “How am I different?”

Her voice sounded casual, but she was brimming with anticipation, desperate to flip to the back of the book and check the correct answer.

Under the soft lamplight, their shadows overlapped.

A gentle breeze stirred.

Shi Mi drew out the last syllable of her sentence, teasing, “Want to know?”

“Fine, if you won’t tell me, then forget it.”

Aiya, why does that annoyed little expression look so delightful and adorable?

Shi Mi chuckled softly, took Wanqing’s hand, and placed it over her heart. “It’s different here.”

Wanqing’s fingers, adorned with simple finger sheaths, trembled slightly. Under the moonlight, her black robes made her fingers appear even more luminous.

She clearly felt the rhythmic thumping beneath her palm, like a young deer leaping lightly across the morning hills—so graceful, so beautiful.

A joyful smile curved her lips, like fireworks blooming in the night sky—radiant, dazzling, breathtaking.

Shi Mi’s gaze softened, but she couldn’t resist teasing her. “Isn’t it soft and comfortable?”

Lin Wanqing: ……

The beautiful atmosphere shattered instantly. Wanqing yanked her hand away and playfully punched Shi Mi. “Can you stop being such a pervert!”

Shi Mi gripped her wrist, pulled her into a hug, and held her still. “You’re the one taking advantage! How can you call me a pervert? Where’s the logic in that?”

Lin Wanqing rolled her eyes, too annoyed to speak.

She knew deep down that she was fiercely proud. Whether it was Yang Xiaoyan or Lin Huanhuan, she had only tolerated them for her own sake.

Even Song Wei could have managed without her help.

It was Lin Wanqing who had given her the opportunity to get close.

Thinking of this, Lin Wanqing murmured, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

Lin Wanqing grew irritated again. “Ugh, you’re so annoying! Just… thank you!”

“A verbal thank you lacks sincerity.”

Lin Wanqing instinctively followed her lead. “Then what do you want?”

Shi Mi chuckled softly. “How about wearing a sexy nightgown for me?”

Lin Wanqing’s face flushed crimson. “Pervert!”

Shi Mi added, “I prefer black.”

“You bastard! Don’t say another word!”

“But you wanted to thank me? Are you already backing out? Just as I thought—capitalists exploit their underlings mercilessly.”

Flustered and furious, Lin Wanqing kicked her. “I’m going back. Carry me!”