After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 43

The next day, Cheng Siyu woke up and looked at Ji Yun sleeping beside her. She simply threw on some clothes and walked to the balcony, gazing at the snowy landscape and exhaling a weary sigh of turbid air.

At that moment, the phone in her hand rang. It was a call from Ji Wanli’s assistant.

“Miss Cheng, the weather has turned cold. Please remember to remind the Young Mistress to wear more clothes.”

Perhaps because the Ji Corporation had entered its busy season, the person calling Cheng Siyu had been replaced by a woman whose voice sounded very much like a customer service representative.

“Are you a robot?” Cheng Siyu couldn’t help but ask, listening to the mechanized voice on the other end.

“Miss Cheng, I am not a robot,” the voice replied again.

With no other choice, Cheng Siyu simply replied, “Mm, I understand.”

“Thank you, Miss Cheng. Please take care of yourself as well,” the standard female voice said.

“I know, I know.” Cheng Siyu let out a yawn, her remaining sleepiness dissipated by the gust of cold wind.

When she returned to the bedroom, the sound of her opening and closing the balcony glass door woke Ji Yun up. However, since Ji Yun’s pajamas were just a thin short-sleeved shirt and shorts, she could only curl deeper into the covers.

Then, her voice drifted out from under the duvet, “Morning.”

“Morning.”

Mischievously, Cheng Siyu placed her freezing cold hands into the warm bed, happening to touch Ji Yun’s burning hot feet.

“It’s cold! What are you doing?”

“Nothing, I just want to sleep a bit longer too.” After saying this, Cheng Siyu took off her coat and slipped into the bed. Although Ji Yun felt helpless, she still turned over to hug her.

It was rare for Cheng Siyu to enjoy this long-lost warmth. She desperately wished that the current version of herself knew nothing and had experienced nothing, but memories of the past surfaced in her mind time and again, repeatedly provoking her.

She felt like a fish stranded on the shore, suffocated by the pressure of her memories.

“Ji Yun.”

Ji Yun was dazed and about to fall back asleep when she heard Cheng Siyu’s voice. She responded, “Mm?”

“Do you really love me? Is it because I am Cheng Siyu, or is it because…”

Ji Yun fell asleep before she could hear the last part. When she woke up later and asked Cheng Siyu about it again, Cheng Siyu simply claimed she had been dreaming.

By the time the two woke up again, it was already noon. Cheng Siyu scrolled through her phone, looking at a long list of takeout guides Zhao Xixi had prepared for her.

“I wonder how Sister Yan is doing?” Ji Yun suddenly spoke up.

It was only then that Cheng Siyu remembered Jiang Shizi had also been discharged from the hospital the previous night after her injuries were examined. She tapped into her chat history with Jiang Shizi.

“Morning, have you eaten yet?”

After typing that line, Cheng Siyu switched the screen back to the takeout screenshots sent by Zhao Xixi.

At that moment, Ji Yun happened to receive a reply from Qi Yan.

“Sister Yan said she’s still at the police station. She should be able to take her mother back this afternoon.”

After saying this, Ji Yun reached out and poked Cheng Siyu’s cheek. “Fortunately, your face is fine. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let that old woman off easily either.”

“Mm.”

Cheng Siyu stopped Ji Yun’s hand, which was getting addicted to the poking, and picked up her phone to ask her what she wanted to eat.

“I’ll eat whatever you eat. Actually, I don’t like Sister Yan’s mother either. Every time I went to her house when I was little, she would say I didn’t know the rules.”

After speaking, Ji Yun lay down and began talking about the past. Cheng Siyu listened quietly while ordering takeout through the app.

“Then what about Ji Yan?”

Cheng Siyu suddenly asked this just as Ji Yun mentioned knowing Qi Yan since childhood.

Immediately after asking, she realized she had lost her composure. There was always a subconscious feeling in her heart; she didn’t understand why Ji Yun could like Ji Yan but use her as a body double.

“Hmm? My cousin? A long time ago, her mother got a divorce, changed her surname, and moved into our house. When I was young, my mother and her mother were both very busy, so we played together.”

Ji Yun explained simply, but Cheng Siyu listened intently. The moment she heard “played together,” she almost blurted out, “Then when did you fall in love with her?”

But in the end, logic prevailed. She merely replied, “I see.”

“Xiaoyu, can you tell me about your sister?” Ji Yun suddenly turned her head and asked.

Hearing the name “Xiaoyu,” Cheng Siyu froze for a moment before giving a brief explanation. “I lived with my mom since I was little. After she died, I found out I had a father and a sister. Our relationship isn’t particularly good or bad. I actually quite envy her.”

Then, recalling something, Cheng Siyu feigned anger. “You’re younger than me, why are you calling me Xiaoyu?”

She remembered that in her past life, the first time Ji Yun met Cheng Hanyi, she thought Cheng Siyu was cheating because the two sisters didn’t look alike at all. It was only after a long explanation that Ji Yun reluctantly believed her.

But that was a very, very long time ago.

“I’m going to call you that anyway. Calling you ‘Sister Siyu’ makes me sound like everyone else.”

Cheng Siyu remembered that in her previous life, she had learned from people around Ji Yun that Ji Yun had a nickname. She had happily thought that she finally had a unique way to address Ji Yun that set her apart from others.

However, the very first time Ji Yun heard it, her face turned cold. “That name is only for the person closest to me to call me,” she had said, and strictly demanded that Cheng Siyu use her full name.

At that time, Cheng Siyu had thought to herself, “So I’m still not the person closest to you.”

Later, she heard Ji Yan using that nickname for Ji Yun over the phone without any restraint, and Ji Yun had responded with a wide smile.

She had long since forgotten what that nickname was, but the way Ji Yun looked at Ji Yan—a gaze so different from the one she gave Cheng Siyu—was deeply etched in her memory.

So, only she was allowed to use that name.

Remembering it now, Cheng Siyu still felt a bit of bitterness, but her heart had long since gone numb. She should have realized long ago that she was just a substitute, shouldn’t she? Why did she have to die once to understand it so clearly?

“Xiaoyu, what are you thinking about?”

Ji Yun’s voice brought Cheng Siyu back to reality. Looking at the person before her who had the same face but a completely different gaze, she couldn’t help but reach out to touch her face.

“Nothing, just missing my mom a little.”

Feeling the delicate texture of Ji Yun’s skin, Cheng Siyu pulled her hand back abruptly as if she had been electrocuted.

“Your mom must have been a very good person too, right? Was she as gentle as my mom?”

Hearing this, Cheng Siyu gave a forced nod and answered with some difficulty, “I suppose so.”

Though her mother’s bouts of mania had sometimes terrified her, when she was normal, she would still buy candy for her and hold her hand, saying, “Our Xiaoyu is the best child in the world.”

But it had been too long. Adding the time she had been alive since coming here, nearly twenty-five years had passed. She had already forgotten the warmth of those large hands and the tone in which those words were spoken.

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of you on her behalf from now on.”

Cheng Siyu looked at Ji Yun. It was the same promise; her tone was just as firm as it had been in the previous life—so firm that Cheng Siyu almost wanted to believe her again.

“Mm, thank you,” she replied with a sudden smile. The look in her eyes as she gazed at Ji Yun held many emotions, but trust was not one of them.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. The voice of a hotel staff member came through:

“Hello, your delivery is here.”

Ji Yun got off the bed to open the door, while Cheng Siyu received a reply from Jiang Shizi. However, it wasn’t Jiang Shizi who replied, but Xi You.

“Don’t bother asking her. She’s passed out drunk again.”

Cheng Siyu hesitated for a few seconds before messaging back, “Do you want anything to eat then?”

“Instead of that greasy food, I’d rather eat the refreshing and delicious you.”

Xi You’s tone was as direct as ever. Cheng Siyu didn’t reply; instead, she turned off the screen and set her phone aside.

“Siyu! How did you know I like pizza from this place?” Ji Yun walked in carrying a bag with a half-and-half pizza and placed it on the table.

Hearing Ji Yun’s words, Cheng Siyu didn’t answer. She was easy to please and wasn’t picky about anything. Later, after being with Ji Yun, she had always accommodated Ji Yun’s tastes, and they had never changed.

“Eat up.”

Cheng Siyu got off the bed, put on her slippers, and walked unhurriedly over to Ji Yun’s side.

By now, Ji Yun had already opened the takeout bag, but then the knocking sounded again.

Both were a bit surprised. Cheng Siyu went to the door and saw Li Enyu. She was alone, looking helpless and abandoned in the empty hallway.

“Why are you here by yourself? Where is your assistant sister?”

Seeing it was her, Cheng Siyu knelt down to ask.

“I… the assistant sister had something to do and went back. She said Mama would come find me today, but I haven’t seen her. I’m scared.”

Li Enyu fidgeted with her fingers, speaking cautiously. Cheng Siyu’s heart softened, and she asked patiently, “Didn’t the assistant sister leave you a number or a phone?”

“Mama says kids my age shouldn’t have phones. I remember her number, but I just asked the lobby sister to call and no one answered.”

“She must be on a plane then and can’t answer. Come inside first.” Cheng Siyu patted her head, took her small hand, and led her into the room, then closed the door.

“Huh? Wait?”

Ji Yun turned around only to see Cheng Siyu leading a little girl who looked about fifty or sixty percent like her.

“She’s here for filming. Her mother should arrive later; let her stay here for a while.”

Cheng Siyu explained briefly. She then asked Li Enyu for the phone number and tried calling from her own phone, but it still showed that it was out of the service area.

“How did you know I lived here?”

“I saw you when we were filming.”

Seemingly having finally found a sense of security, Li Enyu fell asleep directly in the chair. Cheng Siyu draped her own coat over her.

“You’re not even this good to me.”

Ji Yun watched the gentle Cheng Siyu and spoke up with dissatisfaction. Cheng Siyu simply responded:

“How old are you? Haven’t you been weaned yet?”

“Mm.” Ji Yun wrapped her arms around Cheng Siyu’s waist.

After a while, Cheng Siyu’s phone call went through; it was Li Enyu’s mother.

She arrived flustered at Cheng Siyu’s room to take the sleeping Li Enyu away, her words filled with gratitude.

“It’s fine. Just try not to leave a child alone next time.”

Cheng Siyu recalled the image of her childhood when she was kicked out by her mother, her face turning bright red in the snow while she dared not move a single step away from home. Her heart felt a slight pang of pain.

Only after the mother and daughter had left done Cheng Siyu pick up the now cold pizza and take small bites.

“Siyu, I have to be apart from you again.”

At this time, Ji Yun had also packed her things. Qi Yan was going to take her mother and Ji Yun back.

“It’s not like we’ll never see each other again.”

Cheng Siyu offered some comfort. Ji Yun, however, looked her up and down before reluctantly walking out.

Watching her receding back, Cheng Siyu simply took a cigarette from the drawer and lit it.

She tried to discern if the reluctance in Ji Yun’s eyes was real or just an act, but in the end, until the cigarette burned out, she found no answer.

“Ji Yun, if only the current you were always you, and I was always the old me.”

Cheng Siyu looked at the light snow falling outside the window and murmured.

But now, she would no longer allow herself to fall again.