The Moon Shines on Me (GL) - Chapter 29

Gu Shiwei paused, then softly asked, “Why the sudden wish to go back to Jiangcheng?”

“A relative is ill, and I want to take a few days off to visit them.” Shen Yuan looked listless, her chin resting on Gu Shiwei’s shoulder, as if she had just woken up.

“So when are you planning to leave?”

“…Tomorrow.”

Gu Shiwei turned to look at her: “That quickly? I’ll see you off.”

“No, don’t. You’ve been busy lately, I can manage myself.” Afraid that Gu Shiwei might worry, Shen Yuan specifically added: “Someone will meet me there.”

Hearing that someone would pick her up, Gu Shiwei felt a little relieved, but the next day, she still woke up early with Shen Yuan.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you?” Gu Shiwei asked while handing Shen Yuan her breakfast.

“Really, it’s not necessary.”

Hearing Shen Yuan’s refusal again, Gu Shiwei finally didn’t insist. After eating breakfast, she went back to the room to double-check Shen Yuan’s luggage.

Shen Yuan turned her head to look at the figure moving around in the bedroom, and for some reason, suddenly felt a little reluctant to leave.

She hadn’t been in Jinghai for very long.

In the end, Gu Shiwei still walked Shen Yuan downstairs.

It wasn’t until she got into Xiao Chen’s car that Shen Yuan truly felt like she was about to leave the city.

Taking advantage of the car turning a corner, Shen Yuan lowered the window. She waved at Gu Shiwei and mouthed the words ‘Goodbye.’

Gu Shiwei stood straight at the entrance of the complex, the wind messing up her hair, but she maintained that posture, watching the direction where Shen Yuan had left, until a bone-chilling cold wind blew over, and she finally turned back to the apartment.

The Airport

At the airport, Shen Yuan dragged a small suitcase through the crowd. Before long, she spotted a familiar figure walking toward her.

After meeting Xie Tingxin, the assistant beside her stepped forward and took the suitcase from Shen Yuan, then led them to the airport’s VIP lounge.

“Did you eat breakfast?” Xie Tingxin tilted her head and asked Shen Yuan.

“I ate at home,” Shen Yuan said.

Upon hearing the word ‘home,’ the expression on Xie Tingxin’s face froze.

Shen Yuan had a home before she turned twenty; the Shen family was her home. But after leaving the Shen family, Shen Yuan didn’t have a truly meaningful home. She had lost both parents, was alone, and lacked a sense of belonging anywhere.

It wasn’t until she met Gu Shiwei that Shen Yuan finally rediscovered a feeling of home.

Xie Tingxin asked again, “Do you want some water?”

Shen Yuan shook her head.

While waiting to board the flight, Shen Yuan sent a few messages to Gu Shiwei, telling her she had arrived at the airport.

Then she clicked on Lu Qingwan’s chat box to give an update on the work progress. She would be gone for several days, and the work she had on hand would likely be put on hold again.

After sending the messages, it was time to board. Shen Yuan turned on airplane mode and followed Xie Tingxin onto the plane.

Their seats were together, but Shen Yuan had no intention of talking to Xie Tingxin, so as soon as she sat down, she closed her eyes, put on her sleep mask, and started to catch up on sleep.

Shen Yuan hadn’t slept well the night before and had gotten up early to catch the flight, so she quickly drifted off as soon as she closed her eyes.

When she woke up again, the plane was about to land. Shen Yuan took off her sleep mask and glanced to the side.

Xie Tingxin had her legs crossed, with a fashion magazine resting on her lap. She was looking down at the magazine.

“Sleep well?” Xie Tingxin suddenly turned her head, meeting Shen Yuan’s gaze.

“Very well,” Shen Yuan said and put on her headphones.

Xie Tingxin smiled and said nothing more.

After getting off the plane, they didn’t go straight to the hospital. Xie Tingxin first took Shen Yuan back to the old Shen family residence.

Stepping into this courtyard again after eight years, Shen Yuan felt a sense of being in another world.

She had lived here for twenty years and was familiar with every plant and tree.

The place was much the same as when she left; there hadn’t been many changes.

“Mingyue, you’ll still stay in your old room. Rest at home tonight, and I’ll take you to the hospital tomorrow,” Xie Tingxin said while leading Shen Yuan to the second floor.

When the door opened, Shen Yuan suddenly froze on the spot.

Not only was her room still there, but all her belongings were exactly as she had left them.

Standing in the doorway, Shen Yuan looked at the familiar bed, the familiar computer desk and chair, and in a daze, felt as if she had never left.

“Your room is cleaned by a maid every day, and everything inside is still complete. You’ll stay here tonight. If you need anything, you can come find me; I’m right next door,” Xie Tingxin said.

“Mm.”

Shen Yuan went in and locked the door. She organized the items she had brought and began to examine this familiar yet strange room.

The bookshelf was filled with textbooks from elementary to high school. The MONET art book was still placed in the most prominent position.

Shen Yuan stood on her tiptoes and took the art book down. Eight years later, she opened it again.

She still remembered the astonishment and joy she felt when she received this art book. Time had changed, people had moved on, and she never thought she would have a day when she returned.

After flipping through the entire art book, a knock sounded at the door. Xie Tingxin called her from outside to come downstairs for dinner.

Shen Yuan put the art book away and followed her downstairs. Only the two of them were dining tonight, with six dishes and one soup—all the foods Shen Yuan used to love.

“Dad has been at the hospital with Mom for the past few days. He doesn’t know you’re back,” Xie Tingxin said while serving food.

Shen Yuan was drinking soup with her head down. Hearing Xie Tingxin’s words, she didn’t show much reaction, only saying, “Oh.”

When she finished the soup and looked up, Shen Yuan found that her bowl was already full of food.

Xie Tingxin had served it to her.

Shen Yuan looked at the dishes she once loved, but now she couldn’t bring herself to eat. After all these years, she rarely ate such complicated and expensive food anymore. During her years of work, she sometimes broke a single steamed bun into pieces, dipped it in water, and ate it for three meals. It was common for her to eat instant noodles for days while working overtime. She had long forgotten what her favorite dishes tasted like.

“What’s wrong? Is the food not to your liking?” Seeing Shen Yuan hesitate to pick up her chopsticks, Xie Tingxin asked with a smile.

Shen Yuan noticed the smile on the corner of her mouth and subtly frowned.

The old Xie Tingxin didn’t smile often, only when she was especially happy. But now, the smile on her lips seemed permanently etched there.

Shen Yuan didn’t know what she had been through all these years, or how the Shen family had shaped her this way. But she had clearly left, and the family was reunited; they should have been living a happy life.

Why had it turned out like this?

“Mingyue?” Xie Tingxin suddenly called her name.

“Hmm?”

Shen Yuan finally snapped out of her daze. She put down her chopsticks, no longer feeling any desire to eat.

“What’s wrong?” Xie Tingxin asked.

Shen Yuan was a little listless: “I’m full. You take your time.”

Shen Yuan finished speaking and went back upstairs to her room.

She took out her phone and opened WeChat, finding that Gu Shiwei had sent her messages not long ago.

Gu Shiwei asked what she had eaten, if she felt unwell on the plane, and followed up with a long stream of texts. Shen Yuan quickly scanned them, her mood brightening, and she started replying one by one.

Y: Just finished dinner. Y: No airsickness, I slept from the moment I got on until I got off. Y: Everything went smoothly. Y: Did you eat yet? …

After sending the messages, Shen Yuan turned off the screen. She leaned back and fell onto the bed, her mind starting to empty.

She was going to the hospital tomorrow, and Shen Yuan felt inexplicably nervous.

However, before her nervousness could last longer than a minute, a knock came from the door.

Shen Yuan laboriously got up from the bed. When she opened the door, she found Xie Tingxin standing outside, holding a tray. On the tray was a steaming bowl of crab roe noodles.

“May I come in?” Xie Tingxin asked with a smile.

Shen Yuan hesitated for a moment, then moved aside, allowing her to pass.

“I saw you didn’t eat much at the dinner table, and I was worried you might be hungry, so I asked the maid to cook you a bowl of noodles,” Xie Tingxin said while taking the crab roe noodles off the tray and placing them on the desk.

“I don’t want to eat,” Shen Yuan said.

Xie Tingxin was still smiling, seemingly accustomed to Shen Yuan’s little tantrums. She turned around and asked, “Are you in a bad mood?”

Shen Yuan was indeed a little upset.

“Did you find out?” Xie Tingxin asked again.

Shen Yuan was puzzled: “Find out what?”

Xie Tingxin’s lips moved, and she spoke a few words: “Three years ago, Qiuyu Group.”

Shen Yuan’s face changed.

“I was indeed involved in that matter, and this time too. I thought I was bound to succeed this time, but I still miscalculated by one move,” Xie Tingxin’s tone revealed unconcealed regret.

Shen Yuan thought she was crazy.

Even if she did it, why would she confess now? How was Shen Yuan supposed to keep pretending she didn’t know?

After reporting the incident, the police only traced it back to Mu Rui and Luoluo. They had received their corresponding punishment, but Xie Tingxin had always been in the shadows, and there was no evidence to prove her involvement. Why would she “self-destruct” in front of Shen Yuan now?

“But it’s okay, you still came back with me in the end.”

Shen Yuan: “?”