The Moon Shines on Me (GL) - Chapter 1

Jinghai City.

“Welcome aboard Bus 128. The doors are closing and we’re starting to move. Please sit tight. The next stop is…”

“Screech—”

“Bang—”

The bus, which had just started moving, suddenly stopped again. Everyone on the bus turned to look at the sound.

Under everyone’s gaze, a beautiful young woman, in her early twenties, suddenly jumped onto the bus through the doors that were slowly opening outwards. She carried a Chanel bag and wore the latest Armani skirt. The skirt’s silky fabric shimmered and flowed, accentuating her excellent figure.

Her outfit, composed of expensive designer brands, and a Piaget 18k gold diamond watch on her pale, slender wrist, made her look glamorous and utterly out of place on the narrow, crowded public bus. She seemed more like a refined young lady dressed up for a blind date.

But why would a young lady of her status condescend to take the bus? Was she slumming it?

Shen Yuan only glanced up before lowering her head. She used two fingers to tear open the transparent plastic bag, took a bite of the soft, white bean paste bun, and slowly chewed.

“Huh? Where’s my phone?” The woman rummaged through her bag a few times, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“Driver, I’m so sorry, I left my phone in my car.”

“My car just broke down, and the driver has already called for a tow. Could I possibly pay the bus fare when I get to my company?”

“Or, if you give me your WeChat, I can transfer the money to you then.”

The voice that reached their ears was soft and pleasant, giving a sense of refinement, much like her face.

However, the bus driver didn’t seem to be buying it. He looked at the woman and complained, “Why are you riding the bus if you don’t have money? Seeing how stylish you’re dressed, I thought you were some kind of rich young lady and stopped for you. How is it that you don’t even have two yuan…”

The woman’s face froze, but she still politely apologized:

“I’m sorry, driver—”

“Clang—”

“Clang—”

Shen Yuan tossed two coins into the box, then silently turned and returned to her window seat. She was going to a job interview today. After paying this month’s rent, she only had 102 yuan left to her name. Those two coins were originally reserved for her fare back home.

“Thank you. Please give me your WeChat; I’ll pay you back once I get my phone.”

Shen Yuan suddenly caught a pleasant scent of perfume. The next second, a figure settled down in the seat beside her.

“No need,” Shen Yuan said.

Shen Yuan tidied up the plastic bag and put it in her cloth tote, then pulled out a cup of soy milk and drank it slowly.

“You helped me. How about I treat you to a meal?”

Shen Yuan finally looked up and studied her carefully. The woman next to her had fair, delicate skin, very light-colored pupils, a deep, high bridge nose, and slightly thin lips, making her look like she might be of mixed heritage. Every single strand of her hair exuded sophistication, seemingly having nothing to do with someone who couldn’t afford a two-yuan bus fare.

Gu Shiwei was also openly scrutinizing Shen Yuan. The woman who paid her fare had a gentle appearance and a detached demeanor. Her dark, beautiful hair was tied up, revealing a section of her delicate neck. Below that was a white blouse, buttoned all the way to the top, and a pair of black trousers with excellent drape—a very formal outfit.

Her pupils were very dark, but her skin was so pale it was almost transparent. Gu Shiwei stared at the corner of Shen Yuan’s mouth as she bit the straw for a few moments before suddenly averting her gaze.

“Want to exchange… WeChat?”

Shen Yuan looked at her strangely and refused.

Shen Yuan was prone to motion sickness. After finishing her breakfast, she placed her hands neatly on her lap, leaned back, and closed her eyes against the window pane to rest.

Her stomach felt a bit uncomfortable.

Shen Yuan’s eyelashes trembled, and she reached out to cover her stomach.

The person beside her seemed to notice. Shen Yuan could feel a burning gaze on her face, but she ignored it.

When they reached the stop, Shen Yuan stepped past the woman and got off the bus. She squinted at the towering office building in front of her.

The two characters at the very top—Zhaoyang —was the name of the company, the gaming company that Shen Yuan was here to interview at today.

“Are you an employee of this company too?”

The woman dressed in luxury goods suddenly appeared in front of her. Shen Yuan, still squinting at the building, replied, “No, I’m here for an interview. Are you?”

“No, I’m an intern. Today’s my first day of work.” Gu Shiwei smoothed the skirt that had gotten wrinkled on the bus, then smiled and said, “Thank you, by the way. So many people on the bus were looking at me strangely, and only you paid my fare.”

“You’re welcome.”

There was a time when Shen Yuan was so poor she couldn’t even afford the bus. She helped the woman in front of her purely because she was reminded of her own past embarrassment.

Shen Yuan nodded to her and walked around her towards the building entrance.

The interview was on the eighteenth floor. Shen Yuan pressed the elevator button, and Gu Shiwei followed right behind. When she stepped in and saw the eighteenth floor light up, she raised an elegant eyebrow. “You’re going to the eighteenth floor too?”

Shen Yuan: “Yes.”

“Ding—”

As Shen Yuan walked out, she pulled her résumés from her cloth tote. She was interviewing for two positions today: Concept Artist Assistant and CEO Assistant. Shen Yuan stared at the two stacks of A4 paper for a while, then walked towards the CEO Assistant interview room at the end of the corridor first.

Gu Shiwei, who followed her out, watched Shen Yuan’s slender back for a few moments, then turned and went in the opposite direction.

The two interviews took up the entire morning. The HR told Shen Yuan to go home and wait for news. She would be notified via email within three days whether she had passed the interview.

Shen Yuan didn’t sit idle during these three days of waiting. She found a part-time job as a bubble tea shaker, paying 12 yuan an hour. Working ten hours a day, she could earn 120 yuan.

After three days, excluding food expenses, Shen Yuan had earned 300 yuan in total. Adding the 100 yuan she had left before, Shen Yuan now had 400 yuan in her pocket.

Her rent was 1,000 yuan a month, and with utilities and internet, it came to about 1,200 yuan. If she didn’t pass the interview, next month’s rent would be tight, and she would have to look for other work.

It was already eleven o’clock at night when Shen Yuan returned to her rented room, dragging her exhausted body after her shift. Her roommate, Fu Yao, was a night-owl online novelist, and this was exactly the time she would emerge from her room for food.

Seeing Shen Yuan return, Fu Yao quickly put down the instant noodles floating with chili oil. She scurried over and asked, “Yuan Yuan, any news from the interview yet?”

“Haven’t checked my email. Just got back from my part-time job.”

Shen Yuan took out her phone and clicked into WeChat. There was a small red dot in her mailbox. Shen Yuan’s pale, slender index finger hovered over the screen, hesitant to press it.

“You must have passed! Hurry up and open it!” Fu Yao seemed more anxious than Shen Yuan. Although she didn’t want to go out and work herself, she knew Shen Yuan’s situation, and Shen Yuan really needed this job.

“Dear Ms. Shen Yuan, your interview for the Concept Artist Assistant position has been successful. Please come to Zhaoyang Gaming Company tomorrow (Wednesday) to complete the onboarding process…”

“Yay! You passed the interview! Concept Artist Assistant! That’s awesome!”

Fu Yao was so happy she immediately ordered a cake to celebrate.

Although she and Shen Yuan had only known each other for a little over a week, for some reason, Shen Yuan always emitted an attractive, almost ‘small animal’ like charm. Fu Yao instinctively felt an urge to take care of Shen Yuan.

“You’re too thin. Now that you’ve found a job, you don’t need to work so hard,” Fu Yao sat back down, picked up her bowl of chili oil instant noodles, and slurped a few bites. After a moment, she suddenly added, “Yuan Yuan, how about you quit those part-time jobs? I just feel like you’re so refined; those jobs where you have to be out in public don’t really suit you.”

Shen Yuan was slightly taken aback.

“We’ll see after I’m settled in at work.” The probationary period for the Concept Artist Assistant was one month. Shen Yuan still needed those part-time jobs before she was formally hired. However, since she now had a job, Shen Yuan could cut her daily part-time hours down to four.

“Okay. You go take a shower first. We’ll eat the cake together when it arrives.”

Fu Yao didn’t actually make much money from writing online novels. After paying her rent each month, the remaining money was barely enough for food. It had been a long time since she had cake. She hadn’t even bought one for her birthday this year. Now that there was such great news, she could happily get a piece of cake too.

Shen Yuan hummed in response and went back to her room. After finding her pajamas, she transferred 100 yuan to Fu Yao on WeChat. Fu Yao, outside the door, saw the transfer and shouted, “I’m treating you! We’re eating it together! Don’t transfer me money!”

Shen Yuan came out holding her pajamas. She went ahead and clicked “Receive” for Fu Yao’s transfer without question, then went into the bathroom, shutting out Fu Yao’s grumbling.

The hot water washed away some of her exhaustion. Shen Yuan let out a sigh of relief, the heavy stone on her heart finally settling down.

Shen Yuan had graduated six years ago from the Design School of Jinghai Academy of Fine Arts with a bachelor’s degree. She joined a major company in the south through campus recruitment, where she worked as a Concept Artist for three years before resigning for personal reasons. Originally, she had intended to interview for the CEO Assistant position this time, but for the sake of security, she had simultaneously interviewed for the Concept Artist Assistant role.

In the end, she passed the Concept Artist Assistant interview.

Although Shen Yuan wanted the CEO Assistant position more than the Concept Artist Assistant role, at least the result was good, even if it wasn’t her ideal outcome.

Shen Yuan had a one-year employment gap. If it weren’t for her graduation from the Jinghai Academy of Fine Arts, she, a non-graduate student, non-recent graduate, might not have been able to get into Zhaoyang as a Concept Artist Assistant.

Zhaoyang is a subsidiary of the Qingfeng Group responsible for its gaming business, primarily involved in the operations and planning of the MMO game, Ask the Sword in the Jianghu (Wèn Jiàn Jiānghú).

Shen Yuan had played this game for a while during high school and university, but later, due to certain circumstances, she had permanently gone AFK (Away From Keyboard).

Shen Yuan came to Jinghai this time with the intention of making a complete farewell to the past and starting a new chapter in her life.

When Shen Yuan came out of the shower, Fu Yao had already collected the cake and was currently sticking candles onto it, one by one.

“Come quickly and make a wish. Just wish for… getting rich quickly. It’ll definitely come true.”

Fu Yao lit the candles and then click turned off the light. In the darkness, the candles emitted an orange-red glow. Shen Yuan walked over, knelt down, and silently made a wish in her heart.

Shen Yuan: “I’ve made my wish.”

The light was click flipped back on.

Under the fluorescent light, Fu Yao first neatly cut a slice of cake for Shen Yuan, and then cut one for herself.

“Thank you, Fu Yao.”

“Heh heh.”