After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 3

Amidst laughter and cheerful voices, Cheng Siyu and the others soon made their way back to the evening party.

However, the moment they returned, they suddenly realized that everyone sitting on the ground playing Truth or Dare had turned their heads to stare at them, including Ji Yun and her circle of friends.

In the next instant, the atmosphere seemed to freeze. Ji Yun, looking as if she had been waiting for a long time, stood up and walked to Cheng Siyu’s side. She spoke slowly, “Can I kiss you?”

Her voice possessed a bewitching magnetism. Cheng Siyu failed to react for a moment and remained silent. Yet, in the next second, her eyes welled up with tears, and the corners of her eyes turned a faint red.

“Woo-hoo!” The people around them finally reacted and began to jeer and cheer.

This had originally been a “dare” given to Ji Yun by the group; she was told to pick someone from those returning to the party and say something flirtatious. They had originally hoped to see some gossip between her and the senior students, but they hadn’t expected her to choose Cheng Siyu.

“I’m sorry!”

Cheng Siyu pushed Ji Yun away, sat back down next to Shen Moxu, and buried her face in Shen’s shoulder.

Seeing this, the onlookers simply assumed she was shy. They went back to drawing cards and opening beers to continue the game. After a moment of astonishment, Ji Yun also returned to her seat, though her gaze would drift toward Cheng Siyu intentionally or unintentionally.

Only Shen Moxu noticed that Cheng Siyu was sobbing quietly. She pulled out a tissue and handed it to her.

“What’s wrong? You’re acting like you’ve been violated.”

“It’s nothing. You guys keep playing. I’m feeling a bit unwell, so I’m heading back first.”

After saying this, Cheng Siyu took the tissue, wiped her eyes haphazardly, and stood up to leave.

She had thought she could remain indifferent to anything that person did, but as soon as that person drew even a step closer, her internal defenses collapsed instantly.

The next day happened to be the weekend, and since Cheng Siyu had no classes for the following few days, she decided to go home and take a look.

Early in the morning, she packed a few clothes, informed her roommates, and headed out.

Calling it her “home” was a stretch; in reality, it was just a place where she stayed. Her mother had committed suicide due to illness several years ago, and her father, who had long since divorced and started his own family, was indifferent toward her, maintaining a relationship that offered only material assistance.

However, she had stopped taking that man’s money since high school and rarely went home. This was not only because she felt like a stranger there, but also because her stepmother was the type to be polite on the surface while whispering behind her back.

Therefore, except for the Spring Festival, she basically never returned. Even when she did, she would only sleep for one night and leave the next day.

Today, she simply wanted to escape the environment containing Ji Yun. She would visit first and then stay in a hotel later.

In her previous life, by the time Cheng Siyu passed away, she hadn’t been home for two or three years. she would claim she was busy with work schedules, but in reality, she spent every Spring Festival alone watching television. Ji Yun was busy participating in various activities and sometimes didn’t even come home.

“Dad, I’m… coming home today to pick up some things.”

On the bus, the long-unused title escaped Cheng Siyu’s lips. She tried her best to make her voice sound calm.

“Xiao… Xiao Yu? Okay, just go on back. I’m not home, but I’ll let your aunt know,” the middle-aged man on the other end of the line paused before answering.

“Okay.” Cheng Siyu hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief, staring out the window. The man’s tone reminded her of the time right after her mother passed away; when he had rushed over after receiving the call, the look of undisguised resentment in his eyes the moment he saw her.

If her mother hadn’t left her enough property, she might have been sent to an orphanage by now.

Yet, at a time like this, her first thought was still to go home and see. Cheng Siyu didn’t know if she should condemn herself for it.

“These are her things. The funeral will be held in three days at the Yueyue Cemetery, in the same place as her mother.”

Ji Yun looked at the somber, red-eyed Shen Moxu in front of her, feeling that Shen seemed much more mature than before. But at this moment, she had no heart to ask questions. She looked at the pile of items related to Cheng Siyu, still unable to accept the reality.

“Cheng Siyu… is she really dead?”

“Otherwise? Did you think this was a TV drama where she got into a car accident and lost her memory? Or that she plans to return with a new identity to seek revenge?”

Shen Moxu nearly lost control of her emotions, her hand stopping mid-air. She still couldn’t forget the last time she met Cheng Siyu; it was because Ji Yun had a business competition with her, and Cheng had come to beg her not to make things difficult for Ji Yun. Their already crumbling friendship had completely collapsed at that moment.

Looking at her expression, whatever doubts Ji Yun had previously held now vanished completely. Although she had a mountain of explanations to give, they seemed useless now. She picked up the box filled with Cheng Siyu’s belongings and walked out in silence.

As the sound of the door closing echoed, Shen Moxu finally broke down. Looking at the funerary photo of Cheng Siyu beside her, she wept uncontrollably.

“Why were you so foolish? To lose your life for one person—was it worth it? Didn’t we say we’d travel the world together when we grew old? How could you leave before you even got old…”

Ji Yun brought the box of things home without a word, placed it on the table, and sat in a chair, staring at the box in silence for a long time.

A few minutes later, the phone she had placed on the table rang.

“Hello.”

“Sis, there’s a gathering at Juye tonight, you coming?” It was her cousin, Ji Jue.

“I’m going.” Ji Yun’s voice was devoid of emotion. Ji Jue keenly sensed something was wrong, but assuming she was just in a bad mood, he didn’t say more.

As she walked out the door, Ji Yun suddenly noticed that half the shoes on the shoe rack were gone. Moreover, there was no one left to arrange the remaining ones neatly; they lay there in a scattered mess.

She felt as if a piece of her heart had suddenly gone missing.

“Xiao Yu is back! Oh dear, child, why didn’t you say so earlier? I didn’t buy any special groceries today.”

As soon as she opened the door, Cheng Siyu saw the fawning and somewhat hypocritical face of her stepmother and heard her feigned tone of surprise.

“It’s fine, I just came to get something. I won’t be eating here; I’m heading back to school tonight,” Cheng Siyu replied with a casual lie and walked into the house.

Everything around her seemed unchanged, except for her room. It seemed to have become a storage space for miscellaneous items; the bed was covered with various boxes, and a thick layer of dust had accumulated on the desk.

“Xiao Yi, come out quickly! Your sister is back.”

“Sister!”

As soon as the stepmother spoke, Cheng Siyu’s half-sister, Cheng Hanyi, ran out from another room.

She was seven years younger than Cheng Siyu and had just started middle school; her eyes were still full of innocence. Looking at her face, Cheng Siyu couldn’t help but recall the last time she saw her in her previous life.

It was in the afternoon when Cheng Hanyi had come to her company to tell her that the old man was sick and missed her dearly. At that time, the youthfulness had faded from her face, and she looked much more mature than she did now.

“Sister, since you’re back, I need to buy a curtain for my room. My mom’s taste is too poor, so I can only ask you to help me choose.”

Cheng Hanyi held no malice toward Cheng Siyu; instead, she was quite affectionate. This was one of the few things Cheng Siyu wanted to thank her stepmother for—at least she hadn’t let the relationship between the two sisters become hostile, and they acted like normal siblings instead.

“How can you talk about your mother like that?”

“Blehh, what you choose really doesn’t look good anyway.”

However, watching the mother and daughter bicker, Cheng Siyu couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain in her heart.

“Sister! Quick, look—which is better, this pink one or the purple one?”

Cheng Siyu took Cheng Hanyi’s phone. The moment she saw the two curtains, her subconscious thought was that Ji Yun hated pink. In that instant, she instinctively pinched her own finger, feeling that she was truly beyond hope.

“The purple one. The purple one looks a bit better,” Cheng Siyu answered anyway.

“Hehe, sister thinks the same as me! Oh, right!” Cheng Hanyi seemed to suddenly remember something and rushed into her room, bringing out a tablet.

“Sister, is this person from your school?”

Cheng Siyu looked at the screen; it was the video from the school anniversary. As she watched, she saw Ji Yun playing the piano under the gaze of the crowd. The familiar melody entered her ears once more, and Cheng Siyu dazed for a moment.

“She’s so pretty. I wonder if I’ll see her on TV in the future. Oh, right, sister, if you see her, can you help me get an autographed photo?”

“No,” Cheng Siyu refused instinctively. She didn’t want anything to do with Ji Yun anymore. “She’s a big star at school; I don’t have any chance to see her.”

“Oh, okay,” Cheng Hanyi pouted.

After some searching, Cheng Siyu finally found what she was looking for: the last photo her mother had given her before she passed away. She had always kept it in a frame, but in her previous life, it had been torn to pieces by Ji Yun during an argument.

This time, Cheng Siyu picked it up carefully, placed it in a protective bag, and then put it in her backpack.

“Auntie, I’m leaving.”

“Okay, remember to stay for dinner next time you come back.”

After Cheng Siyu walked out the door, she could faintly hear a few voices behind her:

“Mom, why didn’t you ask sister to stay for dinner tonight?”

“Eat, eat, eat—all you think about is eating every day. Have you finished your homework?”

“Sis, you’re here! I managed to get the newly arrived fine wine today; I reserved ten bottles.”

Ji Jue saw Ji Yun from a distance and ran through the crowd to her side.

“Mm.”

“What’s up with you? Did you have another fight with that person at home? If you ask me, keeping her around is just a hindrance; she gets in the way of your career. Why not just find someone else?”

“You talk too much.”

Ji Yun naturally knew Ji Jue was talking about Cheng Siyu. Previously, whenever she stayed out late partying, Cheng Siyu would always send her messages and call her. Ji Yun was used to the routine of blacklisting her and turning off the phone, then explaining the next day. She knew in her heart that Cheng Siyu wouldn’t leave.

“Alright, alright, I’ll shut up. I called a few girls for you based on your usual standards; I guarantee you’ll be happy.”

An hour later, Ji Jue was already passed out drunk, accompanied by several hostesses, while Ji Yun stared at the screen in the private booth, drinking silently.

At this moment, she wanted to admit—yet didn’t want to admit—that she seemed unable to forget Cheng Siyu. She treated these reactions as temporary and poured herself another glass of wine.

But the wine did not bring intoxication; instead, Cheng Siyu’s face began to appear around her.

“I’m so scared, don’t go, okay?” That was when she had a fever, and Ji Yun had turned and left because of company matters.

“Can you stay and keep me company tonight?” That was on Cheng Siyu’s birthday, when she had abandoned her because of a phone call from another lover.

“I love you so much.” That was when Ji Yun took her on their first date, at the moment the Ferris wheel reached the very top.