After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 28.2

“Oh, I just wanted to say that even though it’s a holiday, the crew is still sending out lunch boxes, so I’ve been forced into the role of a delivery person.” Zhao Xixi pulled two boxes out of the bag and handed them to Cheng Siyu.

After closing the door, Cheng Siyu set the boxes on the table. Only then did she notice that Ji Yun had put on the pajamas Cheng Siyu had taken off earlier that morning.

Cheng Siyu looked away, feeling uncomfortable. In her memory, Ji Yun had a cleanliness obsession; she would wash her hands multiple times after shaking hands with someone she didn’t like. Even with Cheng Siyu, she used to insist they both be scrubbed clean before getting into bed.

“Siyu, I’ve broken things off with my dad. From now on, I can only rely on you.”

Ji Yun’s words pulled Cheng Siyu back from her thoughts. Cheng Siyu simply replied, “I’m here.”

If this were the past, Cheng Siyu would have been happy for an entire day. Now, it all felt too late. She was no longer just an accessory.

“Oh right, do you know what my cousin gave me as a gift? A music box.”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Siyu’s movements froze. Her gaze instantly turned ice-cold.

So the music box was a gift from Ji Yan. No wonder Ji Yun had reacted so strongly back then just because Cheng Siyu touched it—she was afraid Cheng Siyu would “defile” her pure feelings.

It was then that Cheng Siyu remembered she still hadn’t given Ji Yun her birthday present.

After some thought, she pulled a bag out from under the table. She had found it in a bookstore a while ago: a vinyl record released by Ji Yun’s mother in her early years.

Cheng Siyu handed it to Ji Yun. She didn’t expect Ji Yun to treasure it much, as in her previous life, everything she gave Ji Yun eventually ended up in the trash.

“Thank you!” The moment she saw it, Ji Yun ignored her physical aches and gave Cheng Siyu a big hug from behind.

Cheng Siyu gave a light, mirthless laugh and pulled Ji Yun’s hands from her waist.

“Let’s eat.”

“Okay.”

After lunch, Ji Yun said she was going back to her room to fiddle with the music box from Ji Yan. Cheng Siyu finally had some time to rest.

However, after last night, her room was completely filled with the scent of Ji Yun. In her previous life, she had been obsessively infatuated with this scent; now, she only wanted to stay away from it.

Only after changing the bedsheets did Cheng Siyu feel comfortable enough to lie down. Everything was happening so fast. A voice in her heart told her to let go of Ji Yun and herself, but she knew clearly that she couldn’t do it. Moreover, having taken this step, there was no turning back.

With these thoughts, Cheng Siyu gradually drifted off to sleep.

When she woke up, the sky outside was dark. There were a few simple messages on her phone, but one from her stepmother was particularly conspicuous. Her stepmother usually didn’t message her directly; anything was usually relayed through Cheng Wuxing. Receiving a voice message now felt like an ill omen.

“Siyu, you aren’t a child anymore. I have a relative whose colleague has a son. He’s good-looking, has a house and a car, and he’s an honest person. I thought I’d try to set you two up.”

Listening to the message, Cheng Siyu remained silent for a long time before replying, “Auntie, you don’t need to worry about this. I already have a partner.”

In her previous life, she had come out prematurely just because she couldn’t stand her stepmother constantly trying to set her up, which led to the breakdown of her relationship with Cheng Wuxing. Now she understood: in her stepmother’s eyes, as long as she was married off, she was an outsider, and the Cheng family fortune would belong entirely to her own precious daughter.

Before long, another voice message arrived: “Really? Since when? Where is he from? Why didn’t you tell us?”

Cheng Siyu didn’t reply. She turned over, wanting to go back to sleep, but the events of the past few days kept swirling in her mind, making sleep impossible.

Just then, there was a knock at her door. She got up to open it and found Jiang Shizi standing there with a bottle of red wine.

“Can’t sleep. Want a drink?”

Jiang Shizi invited her. Cheng Siyu hesitated before declining, “I don’t drink.”

“Then don’t drink. Let’s just talk. Right now, you’re the only one willing to speak to me.”

A bitter smile played on Jiang Shizi’s lips. Cheng Siyu didn’t refuse further and let her in.

“Why aren’t you afraid of me?” Jiang Shizi asked after sitting down. She knew her reputation in the industry was already ruined; Cheng Siyu must have heard the rumors.

“What is there to fear?” Cheng Siyu brought over two wine glasses. She didn’t drink wine, so she poured herself half a glass of juice. “I’m not the type of person you like, and you aren’t the type I like. So why should I be afraid you’ll dump me?”

“What if I did like you?” Jiang Shizi countered. Cheng Siyu knew she was joking and replied, “Then I’d give it a try. You’re beautiful anyway, so I wouldn’t be losing out.”

“You’re really special,” Jiang Shizi remarked. At first, she only thought Cheng Siyu bore a resemblance to Qi Yan, but after getting to know her, she realized they had completely different personalities. Instead, Cheng Siyu was very much like herself.

“Everyone is unique,” Cheng Siyu replied.

“Ji Yun is your girlfriend, right?” Jiang Shizi asked, swirling the red wine in her glass.

Cheng Siyu had expected her to notice and didn’t deny it. Instead, she asked, “You and Qi Yan didn’t break up because you grew tired of each other, did you?”

“Mm-hmm.” Jiang Shizi took a sip of the red liquid, her eyes growing slightly misty. “We were too young back then. We didn’t realize that love isn’t just about two people.”

“Isn’t it enough for two people to truly love each other? Why care about anyone else?” Cheng Siyu joined in. She had never experienced the feeling of being wholeheartedly loved by someone. Even in this life, Ji Yun’s feelings seemed to be based only on Cheng Siyu’s resemblance to Ji Yan.

“No, no, no.” Jiang Shizi shook her head as if recalling something painful. “You’re still too young. She has parents, family, and friends. Unlike me—at that time, I had nothing but money and a few fair-weather friends.”

She seemed drunk; a flush was creeping over her face. Cheng Siyu watched her in silence. She felt that the stories Jiang Shizi carried might be just as heavy as her own.

“How are poor people like us supposed to feel when you say things like that?” Cheng Siyu asked.

Jiang Shizi didn’t answer. Instead, she took out her phone and showed a picture from Qi Yan’s social media. The photo was taken at a bar. With one look, Cheng Siyu spotted the sisters, Ji Yun and Ji Yan, among the crowd. Her eyes darkened for a moment, but she quickly felt a sense of resignation.

“What, did your heart start itching because you saw them drinking?”

Cheng Siyu guessed that Jiang Shizi had seen the video of Qi Yan, spotted Ji Yun, and came to her specifically to drink.

“She posted that on purpose for me to see,” Jiang Shizi murmured. “She wants me to know she’s doing just fine without me.”

“Enough of that. My girlfriend went clubbing without saying a word to me. I’m the one who should be upset here, okay?”

“Hahaha.”

The two chatted aimlessly for a while longer before Jiang Shizi got up to leave. Her tolerance was high; despite finishing the bottle, her stride remained perfectly steady.

“It’s late, I should head back. Tomorrow will be busy.”

“Mmm. See you.”

After Jiang Shizi left, Cheng Siyu closed the door and sent a message to Ji Yun: “Are you asleep?”

“Just finished showering, about to sleep,” came the reply after a moment of silence.

Looking at the message, Cheng Siyu smiled and turned off her screen. How could she have been naive enough to think that the Ji Yun of this life wouldn’t lie to her? It was just history repeating itself, but she didn’t care anymore.

The next morning, Cheng Siyu was woken up by a phone call from Zhao Xixi.

“What is it, Xixi jie?”

“You have the nerve to ask me what’s wrong? Siyu! Go look at the trending searches yourself!” Zhao Xixi’s usual gentleness was gone.

Cheng Siyu opened Weibo and found that the top trending topic was about her and Jiang Shizi.

“Jiang Shizi Suspected of Having New Lover” “Jiang Shizi Meets Lover Secretly at Hotel Late at Night” “Did Jiang Shizi Abandon Qi Yan for Her?”

The headlines were wildly exaggerated. Cheng Siyu had thought the hotel’s privacy was good, but it seemed it only held up until someone decided otherwise.

“Xixi jie, this is a misunderstanding. She and I are just friends. We had a drink together last night and then she left. Nothing immoral happened,” Cheng Siyu explained.

“Bullshit! The issue isn’t whether I believe you—it’s whether the fans will. The paparazzi are desperate for material now that Jiang Shizi is making a comeback, and you just delivered it to them on a silver platter!”

Cheng Siyu was silent for three seconds before saying, “I’m sorry.”

“Fine. Write a clarification statement for yourself and post it on Weibo. I’ll have the PR department write one for the studio too. We’ll see if we can shift the narrative to say the whole crew was there and it wasn’t just the two of you.” Zhao Xixi’s anger had subsided significantly. She knew Cheng Siyu’s character and that she wouldn’t do anything truly outrageous. The only possibility was…

“Just remember: aside from filming, do not have any more contact with Jiang Shizi for a while.”

“I understand.”

As soon as she hung up, Cheng Siyu began drafting her statement. Halfway through, she suddenly remembered that when she and Ji Yun returned two days ago, she had seen paparazzi from the Ji Corporation. They had simply greeted her and left.

At first, she thought they didn’t recognize her. Now she realized: Ji Wanli was likely looking for news to distract from the scandal involving himself and his male assistant. He didn’t want his precious daughter to be scrutinized, so the only scapegoat left was Cheng Siyu, who happened to be drinking with Jiang Shizi.

The meeting at 7:00 PM was intentionally reported as “late at night,” and a drinking session of less than two hours was framed as staying the entire night. This seemed to be a deliberate move by Ji Wanli to drive a wedge between her and Ji Yun. Seeing that the gossip originated from a company under the Ji Corporation, Cheng Siyu’s suspicions were confirmed.

In Ji Wanli’s eyes, someone of Cheng Siyu’s status wasn’t even fit to be a maid in his house; hiring her was considered an act of charity. For him to use her as a shield after everything that had been said was truly heartless.