The Moon Shines on Me (GL) - Chapter 9

Gu Shiwei: “You’re an employee of Zhaoyang. As the boss, I have a duty to care about your health. For the time being, you’ll stay at my place and quit your part-time job. You can leave when you’ve fully recovered.”

Shen Yuan: “Huh?”

Gu Shiwei ignored the bewildered Shen Yuan, walked out the door, and returned with a large bag, which she placed by the bed.

“These are toiletries and clothes I bought for you. They’ve been washed and dried. Use them first, and tell me if you need anything else.”

Without waiting for Shen Yuan’s reply, Gu Shiwei quickly walked out, as if afraid Shen Yuan would refuse her kindness.

Shen Yuan sat on the bed, hugging the blanket, staring blankly at Gu Shiwei’s retreating figure until she completely disappeared. Only then did Shen Yuan blink, her dark eyes shifting to the bag by the bed.

Shen Yuan’s gaze moved from the bag to the steaming cup of water on the bedside table.

At this moment, a long-lost feeling of being cared for enveloped her heart.

It had been a long time since Shen Yuan had been looked after so meticulously. Ever since she left the Shen family, she had been forced to become independent. Minor illnesses went untreated, and for major ones, she couldn’t afford care. No one had ever prepared so many daily necessities for her.

Shen Yuan sat on the bed for a few minutes, then shook off the questions in her mind, got out of bed, and went to wash up. The master bedroom had a separated wet and dry bathroom. After brushing her teeth, Shen Yuan also took a shower. She changed out of her dirty clothes and put on the new clothes Gu Shiwei had bought her.

A loose, burgundy hoodie, a pair of white cotton lounge pants, and… a set of innerwear that fit her.

Shen Yuan’s ears turned red. It took her a long time to emerge from the bathroom.

As soon as she stepped out, she smelled a rich aroma. Shen Yuan left the bedroom and followed the scent. A moment later, she saw Gu Shiwei, who appeared to be cooking noodles.

“The noodles will be ready soon, have a seat for two minutes.”

Gu Shiwei glanced at Shen Yuan after covering the pot. When she saw the outfit Shen Yuan was wearing, her eyes suddenly curved into a smile. The clothes really did suit Shen Yuan—her own taste was excellent.

The noodles were ready shortly. Gu Shiwei placed the bowl in front of Shen Yuan and poured her a glass of hot water.

“Thank you,” Shen Yuan looked up at her. “Aren’t you eating?”

Gu Shiwei smiled down at her, “Miss Shen, I’ve already eaten.”

Shen Yuan: “Oh.”

Shen Yuan was truly hungry. She lowered her head and put a mouthful of noodles into her mouth. The flavor was excellent. The bowl contained noodles, vegetables, and a fried egg, looking and tasting very good.

Shen Yuan swallowed the bite of noodles, looking at Gu Shiwei with a puzzled expression, “How do you… cook noodles?”

Gu Shiwei: “I wasn’t used to foreign food when I was studying abroad, so I specifically learned some simple cooking techniques. I often cooked for myself overseas. How is it? Is it good?”

Shen Yuan answered honestly, “It’s quite good.”

“Then finish it, don’t leave any leftovers.”

Gu Shiwei hadn’t cooked much, slightly less than a single serving.

Shen Yuan had vomited up everything she ate yesterday, so her stomach was empty. In a few minutes, she had eaten the noodles and drunk the soup completely.

“That’s great. With a healthy diet, your stomach issues will heal faster.”

Gu Shiwei gave a thumbs-up without hesitation, praising Shen Yuan for eating obediently.

Shen Yuan’s ears felt a little hot from the praise. She deliberately changed the subject: “How long do I have to stay here?”

Gu Shiwei stroked her chin, contemplating for a moment.

She looked into Shen Yuan’s eyes and suddenly said, “A month, perhaps. I need to examine whether your physical condition can truly handle the workload at Zhaoyang.”

Shen Yuan was a little hesitant. A month from now was exactly when her probationary period ended, and Gu Shiwei’s examination related to whether she could successfully become a permanent employee. However, since Shen Yuan had never lived and shared meals with anyone before, staying here for a month might make her slightly uncomfortable and require some time to adjust.

The conflict in Shen Yuan’s eyes was too obvious. Gu Shiwei couldn’t help but break the silence: “Shen Yuan, are you unwilling to accept my examination?”

Shen Yuan suddenly looked up: “No, I’m just afraid of bothering you.”

Gu Shiwei breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled and said, “It’s fine, my adaptability is strong, I’m not easily bothered.”

“Then I…” Shen Yuan gripped her chopsticks tighter. “Can I sleep in the second bedroom?”

Gu Shiwei suddenly lifted her gaze: “You don’t want to sleep in my bed?”

How was Shen Yuan supposed to answer that? Answering ‘yes’ would imply she was wary of Gu Shiwei, and answering ‘no’ was almost worse than not answering.

“I just returned to the country not long ago, and the second bedroom hasn’t been tidied up yet. Last night was an emergency, so I brought you to my room first,” Gu Shiwei sighed and continued, “But since you want to sleep in the second bedroom, you can. I’ll go make the bed for you.”

Gu Shiwei replaced all the sheets and duvet covers in both the master and second bedrooms with new ones. She moved Shen Yuan’s belongings into the second bedroom and moved her own back to the master bedroom.

By the time all this was done, it was noon. Gu Shiwei and Shen Yuan were both exhausted and slumped on the sofa, unwilling to move. Gu Shiwei called the maid directly and asked her to come over and cook for them.

The maid’s cooking was excellent. She made four dishes and a soup for lunch, all nutritious meals. The chicken soup was even enhanced with expensive tonics. After eating, Shen Yuan was cajoled and persuaded by Gu Shiwei into drinking two bowls of chicken soup. Afterwards, she collapsed onto the sofa, unwilling to budge.

“Get up, let’s go for a walk downstairs to help with digestion.”

Ten minutes later, Gu Shiwei pulled Shen Yuan up from the sofa by her wrist.

Shen Yuan’s wrist was very slender; Gu Shiwei could completely circle it with one hand. But she felt something was off with the texture of the skin beneath her hand. Gu Shiwei lowered her gaze. The sleeve of Shen Yuan’s burgundy hoodie had slipped down, revealing a white, slender section of her wrist, but on the inside of the wrist were several shocking scars.

They looked like… traces of repeated self-harm.

Shen Yuan actually self-harmed? Was that why she reacted so intensely that night on her way home from her part-time job, knocking over the milk tea when Gu Shiwei touched her wrist?

She didn’t want anyone else to know this secret?

Realizing this, Gu Shiwei instantly retracted her gaze. She pretended nothing was wrong, put her arm around Shen Yuan’s shoulder, and led her out of the apartment.

Yunjin Courtyard was a high-end complex with excellent greenery and complete basic recreational facilities. After the walk, Shen Yuan followed Gu Shiwei for two slow laps around the complex and, predictably, was completely exhausted.

Shen Yuan’s breathing quickened, and her face was paper-white, as if she might faint any second.

Gu Shiwei couldn’t bear to see her like this. She sighed, half-supported Shen Yuan, and found a nearby bench to sit on.

“You can’t sit right after exercising, stand for a bit first.” Gu Shiwei frowned at Shen Yuan and said, “Your stamina is too poor. You’ll exercise with me every day from now on.”

Shen Yuan’s stamina wasn’t inherently this bad. When she first left the Shen family in her third year of university, she could work four part-time jobs while studying.

Later, Shen Yuan graduated and entered a large corporation. The work pressure was immense, and Shen Yuan was up late every day with no time to exercise. Her health eventually broke down completely. In those three years, Shen Yuan’s body totally collapsed.

After leaving the corporation, Shen Yuan endured two more years of odd jobs with her frail body to pay off her debts. The day after the debts were paid, she was diagnosed with depression. At the time, she had no money, no ambition, and no hope. She had collapsed and thought about ending her life many times in her rented room.

But fate was contrary, and she ultimately survived, broken but alive.

On one accidental occasion, her depression came under control. It took Shen Yuan a year to slowly emerge from the darkness. The doctor advised her to interact more with people and try living in a new environment. She thought of Jinghai, the city where she had attended university for four years and where her favorite gaming company was located. It was the place in the world she wanted to be the most.

“Shen Yuan? Are you listening to me?” Gu Shiwei lifted a hand and pressed the back of Shen Yuan’s neck, pulling her entire upper body closer.

Gu Shiwei’s forceful movement instantly pulled Shen Yuan out of those painful memories. The painful and humiliating images shattered before her eyes, finally revealing Gu Shiwei’s magnified face.

Shen Yuan suddenly seemed to awaken from a dream. She gritted her teeth, as if having made a decision: “Okay, as long as you don’t mind the trouble I cause.”

Gu Shiwei promised: “I definitely won’t mind.”

They rested against each other on the community bench for ten minutes.

Ten minutes later, they returned to the apartment. Shen Yuan didn’t usually have a habit of taking a nap, but today she was so tired and sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open.

“Go take a nap, get some rest.”

Gu Shiwei helped Shen Yuan into the second bedroom, pulled back the soft blanket for her, and turned on the constant temperature air conditioning.

Shen Yuan was so exhausted she fell asleep immediately. She slept until six in the evening. When she woke up, it was dark outside, and the air conditioning was gently blowing on her face.

Shen Yuan closed her eyes and turned over. Her hand, reaching under the pillow, felt something hard. Shen Yuan opened her eyes to look; it was her phone.

Shen Yuan turned on her phone and saw over a dozen unread messages on WeChat.

Shen Yuan first sent a message to the sister at the milk tea shop, telling her she was sick and couldn’t work her part-time job this month. The milk tea shop sister said it was fine and to just let her know in advance whenever she felt like coming back.

Lu Qingwan had also sent Shen Yuan messages—five in total from last night until now. After replying to each, Shen Yuan clicked on Fu Yao’s message interface. Shen Yuan stared at the messages Fu Yao sent her in a daze. Five minutes later, Shen Yuan directly told Fu Yao that she was staying at a colleague’s place for the time being and would return to her rental apartment in a month.

Fu Yao saw that she was fine but had suddenly disappeared. Shen Yuan checked the time, realizing that Fu Yao was likely rushing to update her work for the day and didn’t have time to worry about her.

After replying to all the messages, Shen Yuan put down her phone and walked out. The living room light was on, but it was quiet, with only the faint sound of mouse clicks and keyboard taps.

“You’re awake. What do you want for dinner?”

Gu Shiwei had moved her office setup to the living room, so she saw Shen Yuan the moment she came out of the room.

Shen Yuan yawned expressionlessly. She looked at Gu Shiwei and, two beats later, said, “Anything is fine.”

“Alright.” Gu Shiwei stopped typing, picked up the phone next to her, unlocked the screen, and then noticed Shen Yuan coming toward her in her peripheral vision.

Shen Yuan sat across from Gu Shiwei, her hands neatly placed on her knees. She looked up, blinking, and watched Gu Shiwei make a phone call.

Gu Shiwei looked at the still-dazed Shen Yuan, who had just woken up. She suddenly felt that Shen Yuan looked a lot like a little kitten that had just woken up—slow to react, disoriented, endearingly cute, and tugging at her heartstrings.

Gu Shiwei made a phone call under Shen Yuan’s watchful gaze. Fifteen minutes later, the maid arrived to cook dinner.

Shen Yuan was well-rested and in a good mood, so she even took the initiative to greet the maid when she came in.

Seeing her like this, the corner of Gu Shiwei’s mouth curled up into a smile, and she typed much faster on her keyboard.

Gu Shiwei finished her work just before dinner. When she washed her hands and sat down at the table, Shen Yuan had already served her a bowl of corn and pork rib soup. Gu Shiwei first picked up the bowl and took a sip. It seemed a little sweeter than usual.

Gu Shiwei praised, “Auntie Wang’s cooking is getting better and better. The soup today is delicious.”

Auntie Wang was beaming with smiles from Gu Shiwei’s praise. Shen Yuan also slightly curved her lips in the cheerful atmosphere.