The White Moonlight of Three Male Leads - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The Thing That Trembled and Beat in His Chest, It Felt So…

 

Since Song Yuyan and Feng Chengling started dating, they had been spending even more time together.

 

Realizing this surprised Song Yuyan—after all, much of that time should’ve been when Feng Chengling was working part-time.

 

Song Yuyan looked at him with interest. “Ling-ge, don’t you have to work anymore?”

 

His eyes were beautiful, like a vortex—clear and captivating. Feng Chengling found himself staring too long, as if he might get pulled in.

 

Feng Chengling averted his gaze. “Not anymore.”

 

Those jobs were never necessary to begin with—he only took them because he was torn inside, wanting an excuse to be near Song Yuyan.

 

Now that he had the person, there was no need to suffer needlessly.

 

Well… maybe it wasn’t suffering after all. Looking back on those frantic days of grabbing gigs, he didn’t feel pain—just amusement.

 

Song Yuyan laughed at Feng Chengling’s shifting expressions.

 

Someone usually so serious and reserved had just said one sentence, and suddenly his face softened—as if he remembered something nice.

 

Song Yuyan’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued.

 

He reached up and touched Feng Chengling’s face but found no clues. Still, he thought, a handsome person really does have the upper hand—no matter what expression he makes, it works.

 

When he’s serious, he commands attention. When he softens, he radiates warmth.

 

Song Yuyan felt a bit envious. His own looks leaned toward the “pure and innocent” type. No matter what expression he made—or even if he made none at all—he always came off as pure and harmless.

 

Song Yuyan: “System, when you chose to bind with me, was it because of my face?”

 

System: “My host is the White Moonlight incarnate! Too bad you refused the “sickly” debuff. Otherwise, you’d be the perfect tragic beauty.”

 

Maybe the “sickly” debuff was the system’s obsession? Perhaps in its view, only with that attribute could a White Moonlight truly be complete?

 

Now that he was familiar with the system, if he could confirm the debuff was safe, he might even try it—as a thank-you for the system’s recent help in increasing his advance quota.

 

Otherwise, he’d be the one crying and begging for part-time work, not teasing Feng Chengling about it.

 

Thinking about it that way… the system was kind of cute.

 

The two of them were practically glued together. And no matter how much time they spent like this, it never felt like enough.

 

Before he knew it, the break had ended.

 

A new semester began, and familiar faces returned to campus.

 

Song Yuyan reunited with his dormmates—Boss, No. 2, and No. 4. All three brought him local specialty snacks from home.

 

Their dorm’s bond really was something special.

 

Moved, Song Yuyan asked, “Did you guys coordinate this? You’re so in sync.”

 

“I’m the only one who didn’t prepare anything,” he said, rubbing his chin. “That won’t do! I’ll treat you all to dinner tonight—let’s go eat instant noodles!”

 

Yang Yinghan gave him a thumbs up. “Third Bro, you really know how to save money!”

 

Of course, Song Yuyan wasn’t actually going to treat them to instant noodles. It was their first dorm dinner of the semester after all. He was at least halfway to being a rich guy now.

 

He chose a well-known hand-pulled noodle shop and ordered a few fitting side dishes.

 

“Been ages since I had these,” Li Min sighed.

 

“Yeah, food tastes different when someone else is paying,” Yang Yinghan said, already eager to dig in.

 

“So good,” said Zhang Lun, the Boss—short and to the point. He knew how to use words efficiently.

 

The aroma of the noodles whetted Song Yuyan’s appetite too.

 

If this place turned out to be good, he could come often. If eating alone ever felt too dull, he could bring his dormmates—and when their faces bored him, he’d bring Feng Chengling.

 

Feng Chengling…

 

Now that school had started, there was no way he’d be able to keep their relationship a secret from his dormmates, right?

 

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized—so what? Apart from the people involved, who really cares whether you’re dating a man or a woman?

 

It was his business, after all.

 

This world was much more open-minded about relationships—whether same-s3x or not—unlike the one he’d come from, where prejudice was rampant.

 

Before arriving here, he’d always liked men, but due to his environment, he kept that part of himself hidden, even though he craved affection.

 

He’d joke around with everyone but always kept his distance.

 

There had always been a wall in his heart, separating him from others completely.

 

But since coming here, and interacting with the people in this world, he no longer had to hide who he was.

 

Maybe it was because of the system that this world seemed so real… and yet somehow not quite.

 

Whatever. As long as every decision he made brought him joy, that was enough.

 

“Hey, Third, you’re not seriously about to cry over a bowl of noodles, are you?” Li Min suddenly asked.

 

Song Yuyan looked up to find everyone staring at him after that outburst, all with hesitant expressions.

 

He laughed and said lightly, “Nah, just the steam got to me. I was getting a little sentimental. Wonder if all of us can find someone this semester.”

 

“Shift!”

 

“You really know how to hit me where it hurts!”

 

“Getting a partner, huh? If we couldn’t do it last year, I refuse to believe we can’t this year!”

 

Everyone declared their determination in their own way. When no one pressed him further, Song Yuyan let out a quiet sigh of relief.

 

Find love, huh? These guys… if only they knew—he was the first one among them who already had.

 

He wanted to tell them. But to keep a secret from friends who actually could keep one… meant those friends were worth treasuring.

 

He bit his tongue and pushed down his desire to share.

 

They’d just gotten back to school. Let them settle in for a few days first.

 

After dinner, they returned to the dorm. It was bedtime, but none of them could sleep, so they chatted aimlessly for a while.

 

Seeing his roommates winding down, picking up their phones to ease into sleep, Song Yuyan suddenly said, “If I were in a relationship…”

 

Would they support him?

 

Everyone froze for a second before howling like wolves.

 

Boss: “Introduce them to us!”

 

No. 2: “Introduce them to us!”

 

No. 4: “Introduce them to us!”

 

They said it three times for emphasis. Song Yuyan clapped his hands over his ears—any desire to share completely extinguished. He simply replied with a mysterious “Ah” and added, “You’d better keep that same energy when your turn comes.”

 

“No problem,” they said.

 

Grinning to himself, Song Yuyan pulled the blanket over his head, turned to face the wall, and closed his eyes—his body language the universal sign of “I’m done talking.”

 

Sure enough, the room fell silent. No one asked for deeper explanation.

 

There—we’ve planted the seed. Can’t say I didn’t warn you later.

 

Song Yuyan grinned mischievously.

 

He was really looking forward to it.

 

With that mood, he and Feng Chengling were full of energy every time they met on campus.

 

Emotions are contagious.

 

Happiness, sadness, anxiety, disappointment… every feeling could be sensed by others.

 

Feng Chengling, already someone with keen senses and a sharp eye, found himself even more uplifted just by seeing how happy Song Yuyan was around him.

 

Was this what it felt like to love someone?

 

Maybe Wang Yangming’s “heart philosophy” wasn’t wrong. His mood colored everything he saw—sky, earth, clouds, and all the things around him took on new meaning.

 

It was like flowers of joy had been planted in his heart. They’d broken through the soil and grown strong, wrapping themselves around his whole chest—tight, dense, leaving no space for air.

 

Song Yuyan stopped walking. His hand was still entwined with Feng Chengling’s, tucked inside his coat pocket.

 

“Ling-ge, you’re squeezing too hard,” he said.

 

Feng Chengling lowered his gaze. “Sorry, I didn’t notice.”

 

He loosened his grip, his voice filled with concern. “Did I hurt you?”

 

Before Song Yuyan could reply, Feng Chengling had already pulled their hands from the pocket and held them gently in his palms, softly rubbing them.

 

It was a delicate massage, almost like a caress.

 

His brows lowered. “Like this? Does it feel better?”

 

Song Yuyan gave a soft hum in response.

 

It did feel better. As he looked at Feng Chengling, his chest filled with affection and warmth—love was taking root even in the barren places of his heart.

 

“Ling-ge,” he whispered.

 

Feng Chengling let out a low hum in reply. His Adam’s apple moved; something trembled in his chest, beating wildly—as if it no longer belonged to him.

 

But if it didn’t belong to him… who else could it belong to?

 

Feng Chengling lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to the back of Song Yuyan’s hand.

 

His lips were cool. Song Yuyan’s hand was warm.

 

That brief contact passed some of the warmth to his lips.

 

After a long moment, Feng Chengling straightened up and stopped the kiss.

 

He restrained himself from reaching up to touch his lips.

 

His voice was husky. “How about now? Does it feel better?”

 

“You’re such a weirdo!” Song Yuyan finally reacted. He reached out his long, slender finger and poked Feng Chengling’s lips.

 

He had only meant to touch them briefly… but Feng Chengling’s lips were so soft, it was like they had some kind of magic.

 

Song Yuyan’s finger remained there after touching him; he didn’t immediately pull away.

 

“Do you think your lips are magical or something?” Just as he finished speaking, Song Yuyan suddenly let out a yelp.

 

His expressions were always vivid, and once again, Feng Chengling found his eyes drawn to him.

 

Following Song Yuyan’s line of sight, Feng Chengling spotted a few familiar-looking guys.

 

Lowering his gaze, he thought for a moment—those guys seemed to be Song Yuyan’s dormmates?

 

“They’re my roommates,” Song Yuyan said, staring unblinkingly at Zhang Lun and the others. He didn’t know how long they had been standing there watching.

 

He couldn’t make out their expressions, but he could imagine the shock on their faces.

 

Song Yuyan turned away, unwilling to face the situation.

 

He had no problem introducing Feng Chengling to his roommates, but being caught in the act of having his hand kissed by Feng Chengling? That was just… humiliating.

 

This spot was usually deserted—how did this happen?

 

It was as if the phrase “social death” had been coined just for him.

 

In this world, freedom of thought and technological advancement far surpassed that of his previous world.

 

As a native of this world, whether it was Feng Chengling or Zhang Lun and the others, none of them reacted as dramatically as Song Yuyan did.

 

Zhang Lun and the others were far enough away that they didn’t see Song Yuyan’s embarrassment, but Feng Chengling did. His heart rose and fell with the shifting expressions on Song Yuyan’s face.

 

Feng Chengling tried to sound casual. “If you don’t want your roommates to see me, I can explain things to them.”

 

“Explain what?” Song Yuyan froze for a second, brain lagging behind.

 

Feng Chengling lowered his eyes, hiding whatever emotion flashed through them.

 

In a low voice, he said, “I can tell them… we’re just friends.”

 

Only then did Song Yuyan realize what Feng Chengling was worried about.

 

He wanted to laugh. Just a moment ago, he’d been dying of embarrassment, but seeing usually composed Feng Chengling wear such an expressive, uncertain look was kind of funny.

 

He stretched out his hand—long and fair fingers like green onion tips, glittering like crushed diamonds under the sun.

 

Just like him in this moment—bright and dazzling.

 

Feng Chengling blinked.

 

Seeing him dazed, Song Yuyan boldly reached out, grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward Zhang Lun and the others, who were still frozen in place like statues.

 

As if the more dazed they were, the braver Song Yuyan became.

 

He strode forward with a kind of fearless energy.

 

By the time they reached the group, he felt unstoppable.

 

Zhang Lun and the others were silent, their eyes flicking between Feng Chengling and Song Yuyan.

 

It was Zhang Lun, their leader, who finally spoke. “That just now… was that a hand-kiss greeting?”

 

The two of them looked so striking together—it was a visual treat. But still, it was a bit sudden.

 

Surely they weren’t actually dating? Maybe it really was just a formal hand-kiss?

 

“Yeah, a hand-kiss isn’t a big deal. I’ve heard some people even do cheek kisses,” Li Min chimed in.

 

So… maybe Third Bro wasn’t actually in a relationship?

 

Song Yuyan cleared his throat and said with certainty, “It’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

 

Li Min and the others said nothing.

 

Realizing he wasn’t being clear enough, Song Yuyan continued, “Let me introduce you—this is my boyfriend, Feng Chengling.”

 

Feng Chengling’s expression softened noticeably. He greeted them all in turn.

 

They were all students from the same university, and shared plenty of common interests. It didn’t take long before they all warmed up to each other.

 

They even arranged to have a meal together. After a few drinks, they grew even closer.

 

Li Min and Zhang Lun clinked glasses, tears welling up in their hearts.

 

“Our roommate’s dating… and it’s a guy. So even if our dorms had a mixer, I can’t count on him to help me get a girlfriend, boohoo…”

 

“Same here. I don’t think I’ll find love in college. But who needs it anyway? Isn’t gaming just as good? Do we really need to date to live?”

 

Hearing this, Yang Yinghan mumbled, “I mean… does it really have to be about gender?”

 

Zhang Lun and Li Min both looked up sharply and stared at him.

 

“Fourth, you’re acting weird.”

 

“Yeah, Fourth, you’ve got something going on.”

 

Still, whatever Fourth’s situation was, no one really minded. After all, love was freedom—who to date, or whether to date at all, was their own choice.

 

It wasn’t their place to judge, and honestly, none of them were that curious either.

 

They had a lively time, and as the gathering came to an end, Song Yuyan and Feng Chengling stood up.

 

In the past, Song Yuyan would’ve always stuck with his roommates. But now? He was in the honeymoon phase with his boyfriend, of course he’d be with him.

 

“I’m walking back with Ling-ge,” Song Yuyan said. “You guys go ahead and take a cab.”

 

See? Always calculating for convenience.

 

His roommates gave him teasing looks. “Go ahead, don’t mind us.”

 

Song Yuyan chuckled, his eyes full of laughter.

 

Once he and Feng Chengling left the private room—

 

Zhang Lun and the others couldn’t help but wear mournful, envious expressions.

 

“Being in love is so nice.”

 

“Yeah, I want to be in love too.”

 

“Who doesn’t…”

…

A gentle breeze brushed against their cheeks, like a soft hand…

 

Song Yuyan walked along the road, his face glowing with happiness. He kicked at pebbles on the sidewalk with deliberate cheer, carefree and brimming with joy.

 

“You’re that happy?” Feng Chengling asked.

 

“Yeah, just happy,” Song Yuyan replied.

 

Now that everything was out in the open, it wasn’t nearly as difficult as he had feared. That mountain on his heart—majestic, unshakable—had suddenly crumbled.

 

He could stand tall again. The air around him felt light and free.

 

He had never been this open before. Being in a relationship that was recognized and accepted—it felt amazing.

 

Seeing the joy on his face, like he’d won the greatest prize, Feng Chengling lowered his voice and said casually, “Then… how about I introduce you to some of my friends?”

 

He gazed steadily at Song Yuyan.

 

“Sure,” Song Yuyan replied, making an ‘OK’ gesture with his hand. His head tilted slightly, dressed in pale clothes, his features pure and innocent yet full of vitality.

 

Feng Chengling looked at him deeply.

 

Smiling from the corners of his eyes to his lips, he squeezed Song Yuyan’s hand even tighter.

 

Song Yuyan always knew Feng Chengling had strong follow-through.

 

A few days later, once he had some free time, Feng Chengling brought up meeting his friends.

 

“Do I need to prepare anything?” Song Yuyan asked.

 

Feng Chengling shook his head. “Just show up, say a few words. That’s enough.”

 

Song Yuyan touched his own face—was it really that simple?

 

Well, if Feng Chengling said so…

 

He looked up and smiled at him, then noticed that Feng Chengling’s grip on his hand had tightened again, and he was deliberately avoiding eye contact.

 

“I’ll tell you about them first,” Feng Chengling said, always able to find topics that kept Song Yuyan from ever getting bored.

 

“Li He, software major—huge talker, can chat nonstop. Zhang Youming, electrical engineering—quiet but secretly dramatic. Fan Yong studies computer science—always wearing headphones, obsessed with rock music…”

 

Song Yuyan’s eyes lit up. Then he frowned, catching something odd. “Wait, aren’t your friends in the same major as you?”

 

They seemed to come from all over, spanning a bunch of fields?

 

“Nope, we’re from different majors. But each of them is a top student in their field. We came together not just because we clicked, but because we shared a dream.” Feng Chengling’s face tensed slightly. Even someone as mentally mature as him felt a strange embarrassment saying the word “dream.”

 

Kids can talk about dreams—what they want to be when they grow up. But now, as adults who had already brushed against the real world, dreams seemed harder to speak aloud.

 

If it was impossible, then saying it was pointless. If it was possible but still unrealized, saying it sounded like boasting.

 

Feng Chengling looked down, then glanced at Song Yuyan. With him across the way, expressing his thoughts didn’t feel so hard after all.

 

“We’re not naive,” he said. “We’re not together just for fun. We want to make money and build something of our own.”

 

“That’s not easy,” Song Yuyan said, thinking of how he’d once charged ahead recklessly in his old world—young, passionate, and eventually bruised and beaten down.

 

But Feng Chengling was still young, brave enough to chase his dream, and that deserved encouragement.

 

Besides, he wasn’t like Song Yuyan—he was the protagonist of a novel. While Song Yuyan had just barely changed his fate, Feng Chengling’s future would only get brighter.

 

A soft smile tugged at Song Yuyan’s lips. He tilted his head and said, “It’ll be hard. But there are so many hard things in life. If you try, there’s a chance. If you don’t, there’s no chance at all.”

 

He rolled his eyes playfully.

 

Feng Chengling’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

 

His voice came out a little hoarse, eyes shining gently.

 

“Starting a business is hard, sure. But not impossible. The average lifespan of a Fortune 500 company in the US is around 40 years. In our country, because of faster development and rapid industry shifts, that cycle’s even shorter—maybe just ten years or less.

 

Many companies we used to know are gone now. As the old disappear, the new rise. Why couldn’t we be one of them?

 

Of course, we don’t have much capital, so we have to focus on low-cost, high-value service. I’ve been thinking about developing a low-cost service-based app…”

 

Song Yuyan listened with fascination. It was way more interesting than any class. After all, this was the future tech giant telling him his startup story in advance.

 

Even if Feng Chengling hadn’t succeeded yet, his ideas were well-formed. His confidence when he spoke—the way he carried himself—was like a gemstone glowing with light.

 

Watching him, Song Yuyan felt a surge of joy. “I really want to see you succeed.”

 

Feng Chengling saw those sparkling eyes and the faint blush on Song Yuyan’s cheeks. His fingers twitched.

 

He resisted for a moment… and then wrapped his arm around Song Yuyan’s waist.

 

His waist was lean, taut with strength. Feng Chengling tightened his grip, then relaxed it.

 

He lowered his head, and their lips drew close.

 

As their lips touched and deepened into a lingering kiss, Feng Chengling’s gaze darkened.

 

Soft, indistinct sounds spilled from their entwined mouths—no clear words, only the quiet, intimate echo of affection circling in the secluded alley.

 

“We will…”

 

“You’ll see it…”

 

We’ll stay together. Always.

 

Feng Chengling thought, and in the end, all thought vanished, all senses converging on the two of them—on the kiss they shared.

 

They had a long road ahead.