The White Moonlight of Three Male Leads - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Yi Xiang Sui

“Yi Xiang Sui… ha… no more kissing!”
Song Yuyan pushed Yi Xiang Sui’s head away, gasping for air like he was finally free.

He didn’t even know how things had gotten to this point. Sure, they were curious about kissing, but who would’ve thought curiosity would spiral so wildly? The way they stared into each other’s eyes, sparks practically flying—it was completely out of control.

Sure, Yi Xiang Sui was good-looking, but that didn’t mean you could just keep kissing without end!

Yi Xiang Sui nuzzled against Song Yuyan’s neck, making him burst into laughter.

“Get off me!”

Yi Xiang Sui obediently straightened up and sat beside him, acting like a well-behaved boy.

“What school are you applying to?” Song Yuyan asked, even though he already knew the answer. Sure enough, Yi Xiang Sui was leaning toward an arts college. Song Yuyan said he wanted to go to a business school to study business management.

“But if I go to the same school as you, we can be together every day,” Yi Xiang Sui said. His heart was full of stars and moonlight; external things never mattered much to him.

Their shoulders leaned together intimately. Yi Xiang Sui cherished these little sweet moments—they made him feel like he was floating on clouds.

But he still felt it wasn’t enough. His face scrunched up pitifully as he said, “I want to be at the same school as you. That way, I can see you every day. I can bring you breakfast—I know all your favorites and what you hate eating.”

“You have your own life,” Song Yuyan said, turning his head to look at Yi Xiang Sui seriously. “I don’t want you to change for me. I don’t want you to regret it in the future.”

But as soon as he turned his head, he accidentally kissed the side of Yi Xiang Sui’s face!

The serious, earnest atmosphere instantly shattered.

Song Yuyan avoided eye contact, trying hard not to look at Yi Xiang Sui.

Yi Xiang Sui, however, smiled softly, his eyes glowing.

His pouty expression disappeared. Realizing his “expression management” had failed, Yi Xiang Sui put on a sorrowful face and said, “I won’t regret it.”

Song Yuyan pushed aside the little accident just now.

Of course, when two people were doing well, everything was wonderful—but when things went bad, the knives they stabbed each other with hurt more than any enemy’s.

He looked into Yi Xiang Sui’s eyes, the light in his own never dimming or retreating.

“You said you wanted to apply to a music school, didn’t you? I don’t want to be a burden to anyone. I don’t want to be the reason anyone changes their choice.” Song Yuyan held his gaze. “Do you understand?”

Yi Xiang Sui thought for a moment. “I understand.”

System: “Wait a second—what exactly does the male lead understand? Weren’t you avoiding going to the same school as Yi Xiang Sui because you need to pursue the second male lead?”

Song Yuyan: “That is one reason. But even if Feng Chengling didn’t exist, I still wouldn’t choose Business U, and I still wouldn’t let Yi Xiang Sui go to Business U because of me.”

Even though the road ahead was uncertain, they should each live their own lives. They both deserved a better future.

He had his own goals. Conquering the male leads was just a means of survival and a way to earn a generous reward—not his purpose in life.

This was only a small step. There were still many roads ahead of him, and he would walk them all—firmly, steadily, step by step.

…

Noticing that Song Yuyan kept looking at him—lightly, distantly—Yi Xiang Sui suddenly felt uneasy, like he couldn’t hold on to him.

He reached out, cupped Song Yuyan’s face gently, and kissed his cheek. Then, unable to resist, he lightly kissed Song Yuyan’s lips.

Their lips touched briefly before parting.

The gentle motion touched Song Yuyan more deeply than usual.

So much that he didn’t dare meet the cherished light in Yi Xiang Sui’s eyes.

He buried his face in Yi Xiang Sui’s shoulder, closing his eyes. Yi Xiang Sui’s faint soap scent gradually filled his nose, enveloping his breath.

Then he heard Yi Xiang Sui tentatively ask, “Can I come see you?”

“Mm.” Song Yuyan nodded, nudging closer to him again.

His soft black hair brushed against Yi Xiang Sui’s neck, tickling him slightly. The affectionate movement made his heart itch too.

Thankfully, before his body could tremble from the sensation, Song Yuyan shifted back a bit.

The small space between them did little to cool the heat that still lingered in the air from being so close moments before.

Song Yuyan smiled teasingly. “If I told you not to come find me, would you listen?”

He dragged out the last word, his eyes full of mischief as he looked at Yi Xiang Sui.

Yi Xiang Sui knew he’d been caught. There was no way he’d listen.

“I would… secretly come see you,” he said, lowering his head. His lashes trembled as he looked down, voice soft—like he didn’t want anyone to hear the embarrassment in his words.

But that embarrassment couldn’t hide at all.

…

System: “Host! Be rational! Stay rational!”

Song Yuyan let out a sarcastic smile but didn’t reply. Who falls in love and stays rational? Not turning into a total lovesick fool already took every ounce of his self-control.

“System: Host, it’s time to plan Yi Xiang Sui’s exit.”

That reminder brought Song Yuyan’s logic back online.

He hadn’t forgotten that his role was to be the tragic white moonlight—destined to “die” early. The system had promised he wouldn’t actually die, but the main character would think he was dead.

Song Yuyan: “I’m just exiting from the male lead’s memory, right? Can I still contact my other friends?”

System: “It’s best not to! If you keep in touch with others, Yi Xiang Sui might find out you’re alive. According to our calculations, there’s a 100% chance he’ll interfere with your other missions if he does.”

Song Yuyan’s eyes flickered.

The system had said too much.

In other words, once he completed all three missions—or even just two—as long as he wasn’t in debt, he could see Yi Xiang Sui again.

But people change. Some people just meet at the wrong time. Song Yuyan still believed he shouldn’t expect anything from anyone.

People change.

He’d walked this path alone for so many years, always moving forward. He had no reason to expect someone to stand still and wait for him.

And even if someone did wait for him… he had already moved on. That person would be waiting for the boy in their memory, not who he’d grown into.

System: “Host, are you feeling sad?”

Maybe that emotion was sadness—like in a noisy conversation, one voice suddenly disappears.

Song Yuyan shook his head.

“No. I just realized… maybe a white moonlight who’s dead is the real white moonlight.”

Memories always make someone more beautiful. But he wouldn’t live inside anyone’s memory.

…

The next day.

After getting ready and heading out, Song Yuyan saw Yi Xiang Sui waiting by the wall outside, having no idea how long he’d been there.

Yi Xiang Sui leaned lazily against the wall, eyes unfocused—until he heard the door open. He turned his head, and in that instant, his eyes lit up, a smile blooming at his lips.

“Where are we going today?” he asked as he walked over.

“Don’t really feel like going out.” Song Yuyan’s voice was low.

But even that low mood looked cute in Yi Xiang Sui’s eyes. He leaned closer and said, “Then come read the comic I drew!”

“Good idea. I’d love that,” Song Yuyan replied, eyes lifting slightly as he looked at Yi Xiang Sui.

He didn’t know whether he loved the idea—or the person who came up with it.

Yi Xiang Sui used to blush easily whenever Song Yuyan teased him. But now, he was more composed—though his heart still pounded uncontrollably.

Pulling Song Yuyan by the hand, Yi Xiang Sui led him upstairs. “I’ll heat up the food for you too.”

It wasn’t Song Yuyan’s first meal at Yi Xiang Sui’s place. Their families lived just upstairs and downstairs from each other, and Song Yuyan was already familiar with Yi Xiang Sui’s whole family.

As soon as he entered, he bent over to change into slippers. He had his own pair here, and Yi Xiang Sui had his own at Song Yuyan’s place too. They’d bought them during a Sunday grocery run.

Yi Xiang Sui always talked about taking him out to exercise—but he never skimped on the effort.

Sometimes they went to the supermarket, sometimes they rode bikes around the city, sometimes they hiked mountains or visited parks…

Now, thinking back, it was all so picturesque.

The memories made him want to laugh. He could just keep laughing and laughing.

Song Yuyan quickly pulled himself out of the memory when Yi Xiang Sui placed a bowl of wontons in front of him.

“My grandma made these. I cooked them. See if you like them.”

Song Yuyan raised a brow, tried one with his chopsticks, and found the filling delicious—exactly his favorite.

He gave a thumbs-up. “Thumbs-up for your grandma! I’ve got to learn how to make these from her one day.”

Yi Xiang Sui hummed. “No need to learn from her.”

If he could learn to make them himself, cook them himself, wouldn’t that make Song Yuyan even happier?

After a satisfying meal, Yi Xiang Sui practically pushed him into his room.

His room was very “him”—filled with musical instruments, a desk scattered with pens and stationery, and some abstract paintings hanging on the wall.

Seeing the room, Song Yuyan wasn’t sure whether he felt relieved or disappointed—probably more relieved than anything.

But he realized too soon that he’d relaxed too early.

Yi Xiang Sui walked over with his sketchbook and handed it to him. “Take a look.”

Song Yuyan opened it with curiosity.

“Meeting you gave my life new meaning.”

That line written on a blank page of the comic made him a little uncomfortable.

“It’s not going to be all sappy like this, is it?” he teased.

Yi Xiang Sui shook his head and pointed to another line. “Left, Right, Forward, Back—that’s the title of this comic.”

“Easy to remember,” Song Yuyan commented, flipping to the first page.

The comic followed the story of two teenage boys.

They didn’t look like him and Yi Xiang Sui, but it was clear that they were them.

The theme was love—two boys sitting one behind the other in class. No major events happened, just everyday scenes.

Sometimes, one boy looked forward and saw the other studying hard.

Sometimes, the one in front turned around and caught the other smiling at him.

Sometimes, they were warming up for gym—one looked left, the other right, and their eyes met in the middle.

Sometimes, in the same building, one boy pushed open a door and looked sideways or forward, catching sight of the other boy who looked up with his hands in his pockets.

Sometimes, they walked down the road under a streetlamp, leaving long shadows behind them. One boy walked ahead with a backpack, and the other ran up and grabbed his backpack strap.

One looked back. The other looked forward.

And their eyes locked.