The White Moonlight I Chased, the Divorce I Never Expected (GL) - Chapter 22.1

The motion-sensor light above the door flickered on, casting a soft halo around the two of them.
It wasn’t too close, nor too distant — just enough to envelop them together in its warm glow.
The occasional chirp of cicadas broke the heavy summer silence, but couldn’t dispel the thick, stifling air.

Wen Ranqing’s ears and cheeks were flushed red, her breath unsteady.
Her face burned with heat as she stared at Chi Yi’s lips even softer than she had imagined, stirring something deep within her soul.

Her heart thumped wildly, faster and faster.
She desperately wanted to close the distance to kiss her back without hesitation.

But she couldn’t.

Chi Yi was drunk.
She herself was sober.
And she didn’t want Chi Yi waking up tomorrow morning, full of regret.

It took her a long moment — and a metallic taste of bl00d spreading across her tongue from biting her lip before Wen Ranqing finally restrained herself.
But the heat flooding her face did not subside.

She lifted a hand, gently smoothing Chi Yi’s hair, coaxing her softly,
“Come on. Go back to sleep. You have to get up early tomorrow.”

Her peach-blossom eyes still carried a trace of lingering passion,
and a soft red flush colored her radiant face.
Her voice was low and tender, her gaze focused entirely on Chi Yi — like a single rose blooming quietly in her own garden, offered solely for Chi Yi’s admiration.

Chi Yi suddenly didn’t want to let go.
But Wen Ranqing’s gown was sleek and fitted not a single edge to cling to.

She nodded reluctantly, her eyelids drooping heavily from exhaustion.

“This is for you,” Wen Ranqing said, placing a jewelry box into Chi Yi’s hand.

It wasn’t small — Chi Yi’s palm could just barely support its base.

Biting her lip again, brushing against the spot where she’d accidentally broken the skin earlier,
Wen Ranqing forced herself not to think inappropriate thoughts.

Her throat was dry as she said, “Go inside. I’m leaving. Be careful — don’t bump into anything.”

There were still a few things she had meant to bring in from the car.
But at this point, her heart was so tangled and chaotic that even staying one more second felt like unbearable torture.

Without daring to look back, she turned and left — vanishing under Chi Yi’s dazed, unmoving gaze.

Considering she needed to pick up Chi Yi and Tan Jin for graduation, Song Yan didn’t drive her flashy pink sports car today.
She chose a comfortable SUV instead.

While waiting at a red light, she handed a bottle of honey water to Tan Jin, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

Glancing at the rearview mirror, she noticed Chi Yi slumped in the backseat — looking like she had no interest in speaking to anyone.

“What’s with you?” Song Yan asked.
“You’ve been out of it all morning.”

Chi Yi leaned back into her seat, staring blankly out the window at the passing scenery.
When Song Yan pressed her, Chi Yi raised a hand to rub her forehead.

All of last night’s memories — vivid, detailed, relentless, replayed themselves in her mind like a projector on a loop.

Her heart was a mess.

Wen Ranqing…
She let her do whatever she wanted — just like that?

The car moved forward again.
Song Yan, seeing Chi Yi’s silence, felt the heavy, inexplicable tension in the air.
She frowned in confusion.

“Feeling sentimental about graduation?”

Chi Yi: “No.”

“Anxious about becoming an unemployed drifter?”

Chi Yi: “…”

Song Yan exaggerated dramatically: “Your house got robbed?”

Chi Yi let out a long sigh.
She knew Song Yan was trying to cheer her up with these ridiculous comments,
but the frustration in her chest wasn’t so easily dispelled.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the north gate of Beihang University.

Song Yan pulled over, set the parking brake, and turned around, more serious now.

“If you don’t tell me what’s wrong, you’re not getting out of this car.”

“It’s nothing,” Chi Yi muttered, unbuckling her seatbelt.
“I just… got a little drunk last night.”

Song Yan was half-convinced but also thought that since only one night had passed, nothing serious could have happened to Chi Yi. Besides, when she left, Chi Yi was already asleep. She nodded and then noticed a white paper bag without any logo on the other seat.

“You’re leaving this behind?”

Chi Yi turned back to retrieve it.

Tan Jin also got out of the car. Just then, Song Yan remembered something she had forgotten to mention the day before. “I’ll go with you to pick up Uncle Chi. It’s on the third, right? I didn’t get that wrong, did I?”

“You didn’t.”
Chi Yi paused for a moment. “I’ll go by myself.”

“You little brat, I’ve cleared my schedule for you.”

“Eh, forget it then. I won’t disturb your father-daughter reunion.”

After the car door closed, Chi Yi thought for a moment, then tapped on the driver’s side window. “Thanks, Song Yan.”

Song Yan rolled her eyes. “Tch, just get lost.”

“You’re so cheesy.”

—

Chi Yi and Tan Jin parted ways at the entrance of the auditorium.
A junior from the Student Union, who was helping maintain order at the gate, had an expression of pure idol worship when she saw Chi Yi approaching.
She hurried up to Chi Yi — it wasn’t often one could see her in person at school, and now that she was here, the girl practically had stars in her eyes.

“Senior Chi! I’m the liaison in charge. The preparation room is this way. Please follow me.”

“Thank you. Sorry for the trouble,” Chi Yi said. Because of the events from the night before, she was already feeling irritable, but seeing the junior’s delighted expression, she gave a faint smile.

At 1.76 meters tall, Chi Yi, with her usually indifferent expression, had an air of unapproachability. But with even the slightest smile, her eyes became breathtakingly beautiful. The young girl’s face instantly flushed red. She led the way, too shy to turn back and look at Chi Yi again.

They walked one behind the other.
There were several preparation rooms by the auditorium, each with a nameplate stuck on the door.
The room for the Outstanding Graduate Representative was next to the one for the Alumni Representative.
The door to the alumni room stood open; it was empty inside.

When they arrived at the door of Chi Yi’s assigned room, the junior noticed Chi Yi’s footsteps had slowed. Without thinking, she quickly explained, “We were supposed to have everyone ready at eight o’clock, but the alumni representative is running late for some reason. I hope nothing goes wrong…”

Turning around, she saw Chi Yi’s expressionless face.
The clear lines of Chi Yi’s jaw were taut, and even without doing anything, just standing there, she exuded a quiet, overwhelming pressure.

Chi Yi only paused for a second. By the time the junior finished speaking, Chi Yi had already walked up to her, saying nothing further about it.
“Thank you.”

“Um, Senior Chi, I’ll be in the event room. If you need anything, please feel free to find me.”

“Alright.”

After the door closed, the girl finally released the breath she had been holding for so long.
She stomped her feet lightly in place, overwhelmed by the thought: Senior Chi is so cool and polite!
She was still lost in the moment when another staff member called her name, pulling her back to reality.

Chi Yi sat down in a chair, gazing irritably at her reflection in the mirror.

Song Yan had woken her up in the morning and even helped her put on some light makeup.
She had already changed into her academic robe. There wasn’t much left to prepare — aside from the brooch Wen Ranqing had given her.

She vaguely remembered it was shaped like a flower.
Opening the box, she finally saw it clearly: it was a rose.

The brooch was exquisitely crafted, smooth and cool to the touch.
As her fingers brushed over it, the metallic surface briefly misted over, only to clear as she withdrew her hand.

Wen Ranqing’s pheromones carried the scent of wild roses, and now the brooch was shaped like a rose too.
Leaning back against the chair, Chi Yi tilted her head up, feeling a growing confusion over this unspoken, ambiguous gesture.

She should have rejected Wen Ranqing. If she met her today, Chi Yi felt she had to make things clear.

After a long while, there was a knock at the door.
Chi Yi tucked the brooch back into the paper bag and headed for the main hall of the auditorium.

The graduation ceremony was divided into three parts: the opening speech, the representative speeches, and the conferral of degrees.

By the time the opening speech was halfway through, Chi Yi was waiting backstage.
The auditorium could seat over a thousand people. Looking out, she saw every face glowing with youthful spirit.

Her mind was somewhat restless.
Once, she too had sat among these students, silently hoping for something.

After the host announced her name, Chi Yi stepped onto the stage amidst continuous applause.
Like every graduating senior before her, she read the official speech verbatim — but unlike the others, she commanded almost everyone’s attention.

Beihang University was a prestigious institution, known for attracting students from influential families seeking a final polish to their résumés. Yet, beyond its reputation, it was also an undisputed top-tier university.
Chi Yi had not only won national scholarships year after year but had also built connections with leading experts in her field through participation in world-class competitions.