The Cold White Moonlight Desires Me Every Day - Chapter 37

“President Ruan can’t hold her liquor—everyone knows that. Are you trying to make a fool of yourself or deliberately cause trouble by offering her this drink?” Ni Yunshi’s voice was soft and her smile sweet, but her words cut like a blade.

Young Master Shang’s expression darkened. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

“If you didn’t know, shouldn’t you have had the sense to ask?” Ni Yunshi interrupted his excuses.

Tangzhao Group was at its zenith, and its rising stars were constantly being courted. If Young Master Shang could truly drink, why would he be the one offering the first toast?

As expected, his words earned him a chorus of eye-rolls.

Before he could retort, whispers began to circulate around them.

“With this level of incompetence, how did he even get through the door? Does he think this is a nightclub?”

“He has the Shang Family’s bl00d but none of their fortune. He can’t even gather basic intelligence.”

“His dirty secrets can’t see the light of day. No wonder they won’t acknowledge him as family.”

Each comment chipped away at the young master, reducing him from a peacock to dust.

Young Master Shang fled in disgrace.

Ruan Tang, wanting to avoid further attention, was about to pull Ni Yunshi to a quieter corner when an unwelcome shout rang out.

“Shishi!”

Turning, they saw the Shaoshang Group representative they had been discussing earlier hurrying toward them.

“Do you know him?” Ruan Tang asked, puzzled.

Ni Yunshi was even more confused. “You are…?”

“Li Huai! I’m Li Huai! Don’t you recognize me?”

The man grabbed Ni Yunshi’s hand, his eyes brimming with the joy of reunion and deep affection.

Who is Li Huai? Who is Li Huai? What does Li Huai have to do with me?

Ni Yunshi looked utterly bewildered, but Li Huai grew increasingly agitated. “Shishi! You promised you’d wait for me! You said you loved me! I went to jail to pay off your credit card debt!”

The crowd gasped at this revelation.

“Stop talking nonsense! Who are you? I’ve never even seen you before!” Ni Yunshi violently shoved the man away.

A plant!

Who’s trying to frame me? Who’s trying to smear my name? This is pure slander!

I’m 24k pure lesbian! How could a 24k lesbian possibly be flirting with men?!

“Shishi, we’ve known each other since high school! We have so many memories, so many photos!” Li Huai said, pulling out his phone and scrolling through pictures.

One by one, the images flashed across the screen, catching the sidelong glances of the onlookers.

Ni Yunshi’s face grew paler with each passing moment.

High school… I wasn’t even here during high school…

Could he be the original owner’s simp?

Ni Yunshi, Ni Yunshi! You’ve brought this disaster upon yourself, and now you’re dragging me down with you!

“Shishi, you still love me, right? You can’t not love me! I’ve done so much for you!”

Li Huai grabbed Ni Yunshi again, his expression growing increasingly deranged.

“Shishi, stay with me! My heart and soul are yours!”

“I went to prison because of you! My entire life is because of you!”

“If you don’t take responsibility for me, I’ll take you down with me right now—”

Slap!

Li Huai’s final threat was cut short by a resounding slap.

Ruan Tang, trembling violently, yanked Ni Yunshi away from him.

A tense silence hung in the air for several seconds before whispers began to ripple through the crowd.

“Didn’t Li Huai get the death penalty in the first trial?”

“Financial crimes rarely carry the death penalty. How did he…?”

“No idea. It dragged on until the third trial before things turned around. But there were rumors he did it to pay for his girlfriend’s medical treatment.”

“Could it really be Ni Yunshi? Then President Ruan’s slap was completely unjustified.”

Public opinion can drown a person, and this time, both Ni Yunshi and Ruan Tang were being dragged under.

Fueled by the crowd’s sympathy, Li Huai grew even more frantic.

But before he could lunge at Ni Yunshi again, two towering waiters suddenly seized him by the arms, one on each side.

“Who’s on duty at the entrance today? Why are they letting just anyone in?”

The question drifted over, lacking malice but sending a chill down everyone’s spines.

Turning to look, Ruan Tang saw Gu Hewan striding toward them.

As the project’s initiator, Gu Hewan naturally held the most authority in this setting.

Li Huai, who had been on the verge of a violent outburst just moments before, instantly wilted, his energy draining away.

Gu Hewan’s gaze swept the room before settling warmly on Ruan Tang. “Xiao Tang, your protective instincts remain as strong as ever.”

With a single sentence, Gu Hewan resolved Ruan Tang’s predicament.

“I apologize for losing my composure,” Ruan Tang said, bowing to the crowd.

“You weren’t the one who lost composure. Your reprimand was justified,” Gu Hewan declared, her favoritism blatant. She pointed at Li Huai. “Take him out. If he causes any more trouble, send him to the police station.”

Li Huai was immediately dragged out, and the murmurs of disapproval subsided.

Ruan Tang pulled Ni Yunshi out of the hall as well.

As soon as the heavy door of the adjacent lounge closed behind them, Ni Yunshi burst into frantic explanation.

“Tangtang, I’m completely innocent! I… Ah!”

Just as Ni Yunshi began to defend herself, Ruan Tang suddenly shoved her against the wall.

The force slammed Ni Yunshi against the cold surface. Inches away, Ruan Tang’s eyes glinted with icy intensity, her gaze like a razor-sharp blade scrutinizing every inch of Ni Yunshi’s face.

Ni Yunshi’s heart pounded like a drum.

That look… Does she suspect something?

Impossible! I’m a soul-transmigrator!

I know this story inside and out! There’s no way I could slip up!

“Ni Yunshi, do you really not know Li Huai?” Ruan Tang asked again, her eyes flashing with an unsettling light as she made one last attempt to confirm her suspicions.

“I don’t know him! I’ve never even met him! Tangtang, you know I was a virgin when you locked me in the basement the first time!” Ni Yunshi insisted, trying to prove her innocence.

What she said was true. Ruan Tang had been shocked to discover Ni Yunshi’s virginity. After all, Ni Yunshi had once had so many admirers, and three years was a long time.

Phew—

That scared me half to death! She was just jealous!

Tangtang really loves me! Her possessiveness is off the charts!

The sweeter Ni Yunshi’s inner thoughts became, the darker the light in Ruan Tang’s eyes grew.

A silence hung heavy for a full five minutes before Ruan Tang’s hand, pressed against the wall, finally slid weakly down.

“Tangtang, you have to believe me,” Ni Yunshi said, taking her hand.

The distance between them closed again, and the familiar, beautiful eyes shone with their usual fervent light.

Ni Yunshi’s warm breath brushed lightly against Ruan Tang’s nose and lips.

Those crimson lips were about to lean in, ready to caress Ruan Tang’s mouth with the same ambiguous intimacy they had shared before.

If we just let our feelings take over, this misunderstanding will surely fade away, Ni Yunshi thought.

But just as she was about to act, Ruan Tang’s icy fingertips pressed against her lower lip. “Stop pretending. You’re not her.”

The air around them seemed to vanish, leaving a suffocating, soundless void.

Ni Yunshi froze, forcing a stiff smile after a long moment. “W-what are you talking about? Tangtang, why are you suddenly saying such absurd things…?”

“I’m saying you’re not Ni Yunshi. You’re definitely not her,” Ruan Tang said, retreating two steps in defeat.

Impossible! How could she possibly have noticed?!

Ni Yunshi was too stunned to speak.

Ruan Tang finally answered her unspoken question: “Because you don’t know Li Huai, but I do.”