After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 47

“Is Xiao yu going to bring home a tall, rich, and handsome man?” other relatives chimed in one after another.

“Right, right, right. By then, she’ll be the star of our family.”

The flattering words reached Cheng Siyu’s ears. She glanced sideways and spotted her stepmother in the crowd; seeing that face, distorted with rage yet forced into a smiling mask, brought a flicker of pleasure to her heart.

“No, his family background is quite ordinary.”

Hearing Cheng Siyu’s words, the stepmother’s face returned to normal in an instant.

“Is that so? It’s fine. Young people can have everything if they work hard, right? Besides, doesn’t Xiao yu make money from acting? If all else fails, you can just support him.”

The stepmother’s words, inside and out, hinted that Siyu would never meet a good match. Hearing this, the relatives chimed in as well:

“Xiao yu has grown up; she can make money now.”

Cheng Siyu listened in silence. It wasn’t until noon, when the relatives gradually dispersed, that the home revealed its original form.

“Let me ask you, what is going on between you and that Jiang Shizi?”

At the dinner table, before taking more than a few bites, Cheng Wuxing assumed the air of the master of the house and questioned Cheng Siyu. “Are you really as the gossip paparazzi say, involved in something unclear with a woman?”

“What era is it now? Dad, you still…” Cheng Hanyi interrupted dissatisfiedly, only to be cut off by Cheng Wuxing.

“None of your business. I’m asking your sister.”

“Yes, I am a lesbian.” Cheng Siyu chose to admit it frankly, shocking both her stepmother and Cheng Hanyi.

In truth, even if Cheng Wuxing hadn’t asked today, she would have told them openly; she had already planned everything in her mind.

“Xiao yu, didn’t you say you had a boyfriend?”

“I lied.”

“What did you say?”

In the next second, Cheng Wuxing smashed his rice bowl. Shards of broken porcelain splashed onto Cheng Siyu’s face. She did not flinch, even as a bloody gash was sliced into the face that the media hailed as “the masterpiece of Nüwa.”

“It’s Lunar New Year…” The stepmother looked at Cheng Wuxing, her eyes showing a hint of dissatisfaction, but she was interrupted by Cheng Siyu’s words.

“I said I am a lesbian. I like women. The gossip reporters were right.”

Cheng Siyu stood up as well. Blood slid down her pale cheek, creating a sense of tragic, battered beauty. She was no stranger to this scene; it was like this in her previous life, and it had been like this countless times before—the rest of the family eating harmoniously while she was driven away to work.

“You think your wings have grown strong, don’t you? Don’t think that just because you earn a bit of scrap money and show your face in public, you can ride over your old man’s head.”

Cheng Wuxing had received a closed and rigid education since childhood. In his eyes, being gay was something only “lunatics on drugs” did. Moreover, Cheng Siyu’s act of talking back was, in his eyes, a challenge to his authority.

He had spent his life bowing and scraping to others; now, he valued his status as the head of the household more than life itself.

“I didn’t. I am just saying I like women.”

The next second, Cheng Wuxing’s fist slammed into Cheng Siyu’s face. The force sent her crashing to the ground, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. Yet, she was smiling. She knew she had achieved her goal.

“Dad! What are you doing? Is this necessary?”

Cheng Hanyi hurried down to help Cheng Siyu up, but Cheng Wuxing, intending to kick Siyu, ended up knocking Hanyi down as well.

Seeing this, the stepmother hurried over to stop him, but at that moment, Cheng Siyu continued:

“You spent all the money my mother left behind, didn’t you?”

Lin Shuyu had left her a lot of money. This was something a police officer had quietly told her years ago before handing her over to her father.

Unfortunately, until now, aside from that photo and the necklace, Cheng Siyu had not seen a single piece of her mother’s property.

“You spend her money while calling her a psychopath. Aren’t you afraid she’ll come looking for you in the middle of the night?”

“You’re rebelling, aren’t you?!”

His secret exposed, Cheng Wuxing kicked Cheng Siyu again, followed by a rain of fists falling upon her.

Bloody bruises soon appeared all over Cheng Siyu’s body, but she could no longer feel the pain. It was the same in her previous life; back then, she had been joyful that after this beating, she could sever ties with this family.

In this life, however, her pleasure came from tearing the mask of her father’s pretense in front of everyone.

At some point, Cheng Siyu lost consciousness. She heard Cheng Hanyi calling for an ambulance.

By the time she woke up again, she was already in the hospital, with two uniformed police officers sitting before her.

In her previous life, Cheng Siyu had chosen to endure in silence. In this life, she wept bitterly before the media and the police, saying only that her father had suddenly exploded in a rage and beaten her to the ground.

Soon, Cheng Wuxing was taken away by the police for intentional injury. Upon hearing about Cheng Siyu’s experiences over the years, fans and netizens began to denounce Cheng Wuxing.

The mask of kindness he had worn in front of everyone was torn away. Labels like “Phoenix Man,” “Gigolo,” and “Domestic Abuser” were pinned on him. No matter how much he explained that it was an accident or a one-time occurrence, no one believed him; instead, they viewed him as an unrepentant villain.

Cheng Siyu’s ordeal also garnered her immense sympathy from netizens. Only then did everyone realize that the usually indifferent Cheng Siyu had such a story behind her, and they spontaneously began to seek justice for her.

On her hospital bed, Cheng Siyu simply closed her eyes. Her mother’s face appeared before her. If her mother had known back then that she would reclaim justice like this, would she have chosen not to leave her behind?

Even though the pain from her wounds was nearly suffocating, her heart was full of joy. She could finally make a clean break from that cold house without leaving any grounds for criticism.

The next day, headlines like Cheng Siyu Hospitalized After Beating By Father were everywhere.

During this time, her stepmother and relatives came to see her. The stepmother tried various ways to get Cheng Siyu to sign a letter of forgiveness, but Siyu refused.

On the morning of the second day of hospitalization, Cheng Hanyi came to visit. However, she did not mention the letter of forgiveness.

“Sister, we are still sisters, right?” With traces of tears at the corners of her eyes, Cheng Hanyi looked at the wounded Cheng Siyu lying in the hospital bed and wept.

“I’m saying sorry to you on behalf of Dad and my mom. I didn’t know he was like this to you. I thought we were a normal family.”

It was true; Hanyi had been shielded by love since childhood. Her mother had suffered much during her birth, resulting in her being an only child. Therefore, she was doted upon; even when the mother mistreated Cheng Siyu, she never did it in front of Hanyi.

“It’s okay,” Cheng Siyu comforted her. Cheng Hanyi didn’t need to know anything. If Siyu hadn’t broken the silence, Hanyi would have spent her whole life immersed in the illusion of a harmonious family.

“Sister, I remember when we were little, you bought me candied haws. You even teased me back then, saying I still wanted sweets even though my teeth were falling out.”

Cheng Hanyi spoke fitfully about the past. As she spoke, she couldn’t help but lean against a corner of the hospital bed and cry. Overnight, everything in their home had been turned upside down.

Her mother was at home smashing things in a frenzy, her father was in a detention center awaiting judgment, and her sister was struggling in a hospital ward. It happened so fast she hadn’t had time to react.

On the bed, Cheng Siyu gently stroked her head to soothe her. Currently, Cheng Siyu was the only one in whose presence Cheng Hanyi could show her vulnerable side.

“Sister, I’m leaving.”

As Cheng Hanyi left, she squeezed out a smile for Cheng Siyu and then closed the door. She couldn’t even bring herself to say “goodbye.”

After the door closed, Cheng Siyu simply stared at the spot where she had left, dazed for a moment.

The next person to arrive was Ji Yun. She even brought a bowl of chicken soup she had brewed herself, but since Cheng Siyu hadn’t recovered and needed to follow a strict diet, Ji Yun had to drink it herself through tears.

“This is the first time I’ve cooked. You can’t drink it, so just have a sniff.”

Cheng Siyu looked at Ji Yun, coughed twice, and then leaned in to take a light sniff. This was the first time in two lifetimes she had seen Ji Yun cook. If it were before, she would have been so happy her dreams would be sweet, but now, looking at Ji Yun, she only felt her heart had grown numb; she only wanted to escape any environment that included her.

“Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Aren’t you going home?”

After a long silence, Cheng Siyu spoke up.

“Why go home? Having a girlfriend is better than being with one.”

“Go see Ji Yan.”

At the mention of Ji Yan, Ji Yun’s body visibly stiffened. “Why see her?”

“Nothing, I just think you two have a good relationship.” Cheng Siyu turned her gaze to the television on the wall. The news was broadcasting the report of her being beaten and hospitalized.

In her previous life, she had been in this same spot, under similar circumstances, watching the tabloid news of Ji Yun entering and leaving hotels with a lover.

Even though a long time had passed, she could still recall that heart-wrenching pain.

As the two were speaking, the ward door was pushed open. Shen Moxu ran to Cheng Siyu’s side at a sprinting pace.

“Little Cheng! How did you end up like this after just a few days?”

“Cough, cough… I guess the start of the year just wasn’t lucky,” Cheng Siyu replied with a couple of coughs.

“For your sake, I rushed here specifically from the set. I didn’t bring you anything, I only brought a burning heart. You won’t despise me for it, will you?”

As she spoke, Shen Moxu grabbed Cheng Siyu’s hand, trying to press it against her own chest. It took Cheng Siyu some effort to break free. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she replied:

“I’ve felt it already.”

“Little Ji! I haven’t seen you in a long time either. How did you get even prettier?”

With Shen Moxu there, the atmosphere in the ward instantly livened up. However, when lunchtime arrived, the sight of Ji Yun and Shen Moxu each holding a bowl of chicken soup and drinking it in front of Cheng Siyu was somewhat touching.

While the two were talking and drinking soup, Cheng Siyu’s phone chimed. She picked it up; it was a message from Xi You.

“Are you okay? Do you need me to ask my friends at the hospital to take extra care of you?”

Xi You’s words were natural and didn’t make one feel uncomfortable. This sentence was followed by:

“After all, you are my dedicated female lead now.”

“No need, I’m fine. I shouldn’t delay the program filming.” Cheng Siyu typed a few words to decline her kindness. Since that night, the relationship between the two had not progressed further; instead, they maintained something akin to a friendship.

After she turned off her phone, Ji Yun and Shen Moxu were watching TV and chatting. The TV was broadcasting gossip news about Jiang Shizi appearing at a nightclub.

“It’s Jiang Shizi! I used to like her so much.”

“She isn’t a good person.” Ji Yun still held a prejudice against her, even after the matter regarding Qi Yan’s mother had escalated.