After Rebirth, I Became My Ex's "White Moonlight" - Chapter 48

Cheng Siyu looked at the two of them and chose to remain silent, eventually spacing out as she watched clips of Jiang Shizi’s past television performances playing on the screen.

True or False had already passed the final editing and review process and was about to be broadcast. When that time came, there would likely be another “bloody storm” of conflict among the fans.

Regarding Jiang Shizi and Qi Yan, she felt mostly that things simply hadn’t gone the way heaven intended.

Shen Moxu and Ji Yun chatted for a short while before Ji Yun received a phone call. Seeing the expression on Ji Yun’s face, Cheng Siyu roughly knew who was calling. Watching Ji Yun walk toward the balcony, she actually felt her entire body relax.

“Siyu, about you and your family… why haven’t I heard you mention them before?”

Only when they were alone did Shen Moxu ask cautiously. In her past memories of spending time with Cheng Siyu, she had never heard her bring up her family.

“It’s nothing, just things from the past.”

Cheng Siyu did not want to respond, answering only with a faint tone. She didn’t like talking about her family. In her previous life, Cheng Wuxing’s words from a young age had made her feel that her mother was a source of shame.

Furthermore, after she had once opened her heart to Ji Yun during a moment of drunkenness, it wasn’t long before the vulnerability she had exposed became a shortcut for Ji Yun to hurt her with words.

During one of their arguments, Ji Yun had even torn the only photo she had of herself and her mother into shreds. Only because she knew how much Siyu cared about it.

“Did the doctor say when you can be discharged?” Shen Moxu touched the scar on Cheng Siyu’s face gently with the tip of her finger, her heart aching for her.

“In about half a month. It’s nothing serious,” Cheng Siyu replied, holding her hand. Having gone so long without this feeling of being cared for, she felt somewhat unable to adapt to it.

As the two were talking, Ji Yun, having finished her call, walked in from the balcony. Her face looked troubled.

“Siyu, something has come up. I have to go back for a bit.”

“Go ahead.” Cheng Siyu had never expected to hold a priority position in Ji Yun’s heart; the fact that she had come to see her at all at this moment was already beyond her expectations.

“Mhm, I’ll come to see you again tomorrow.” After saying this, Ji Yun planted a kiss on Cheng Siyu’s forehead and then said goodbye to Shen Moxu.

“The two of you have been together for so long, yet you’re still so reluctant to part,” Shen Moxu said, watching Ji Yun as she looked back at Cheng Siyu three times for every step she took. Then, reflecting on herself, she sighed, “I feel like my Goddess and I have entered a plateau phase.”

“What’s wrong with you two?” Cheng Siyu asked.

“I don’t know how to describe it. I just feel like she’s being weird. Lately, she’s always out very late, and she doesn’t have any filming or programs.”

As Shen Moxu’s words reached Cheng Siyu’s ears, they sounded hauntingly familiar, because in her previous life, Ji Yun had started out exactly like that.

“You should pay more attention. Be careful that your Goddess doesn’t sleep with you and then turn around and run off with someone else,” Cheng Siyu reminded her, pretending to joke.

“She wouldn’t. She’s not that kind of person.” Shen Moxu’s gaze was resolute, and for a split second, it reminded Cheng Siyu of her past self. When a series of evidence of Ji Yun’s infidelity had been laid out before her, she had also firmly believed that Ji Yun wouldn’t do such a thing.

Back then, she still harbored a sliver of hope; she felt that since she had given up so much for Ji Yun, Ji Yun surely wouldn’t fail her. The final ending, however, was that she even lost her life in the process.

But her memory also told her that Shen Moxu was different from her; before she died, she had seen a report that Shen Moxu had won a Best Actress award.

“Trust yourself. If anything happens, you can find me anytime,” Cheng Siyu said, repeating the same words the Shen Moxu of her previous life had once said to her.

“Okay.” Shen Moxu gave her trademark smile, then changed the subject. “From now on, I am your family. Come on, call me Mom.”

Unsurprisingly, she was pummeled by Cheng Siyu, who was lying in the hospital bed.

Two weeks was neither long nor short. Very quickly, the day of Cheng Siyu’s discharge arrived. The dormitory was still on break and wouldn’t allow students back to stay, so she could only settle into a hotel for the time being.

Cheng Wuxing was still in the detention center. Her stepmother and Cheng Hanyi hadn’t come to find her again, likely busy spinning in circles dealing with Cheng Wuxing’s affairs.

Looking at the high-rise buildings standing outside the hotel window, Cheng Siyu felt only a sense of liberation.

She thought it was time to rent an apartment outside. Although her acting fees and various advertisement incomes were quite substantial, she was still at a stage where she hesitated at the soaring housing prices in A City.

The next few days were the promotional period for True or False, along with several commercial advertisements. Having just recovered, Cheng Siyu threw herself headfirst into work once again.

Tonight was the celebratory gala for True or False, which various business moguls and celebrities would attend.

“Should the two of us be avoiding each other?”

In the dressing room before entering the venue, Cheng Siyu teased Jiang Shizi. Their CP (Couple Pairing) was currently ranked number one on the Super Topic charts. The war between CP fans, solo fans, and Qi Yan’s fans had never ceased.

Ji Yun had her own private VIP dressing room, so she wasn’t with them.

“We shouldn’t. This is our last time appearing as a pair; shouldn’t we be a bit more professional?”

In the entertainment industry, CPs—especially same-sex CPs—are usually quickly uncoupled by their companies once the show ends and the promotion is over. Otherwise, it easily leads to negative news and makes it difficult to “refine” the fan base into solo supporters.

“Let’s go.”

Cheng Siyu understood what she meant and signaled with her eyes.

“Weren’t you hospitalized before? Can your body handle this?”

Seeing the bruises still faintly visible on Cheng Siyu’s arm, Jiang Shizi only then remembered the news from a few days ago.

“I’m fine. Do I look like I’m having trouble?”

Cheng Siyu was not used to showing her vulnerable side in front of others because, growing up, acting weak had never been of any use to her. Aside from that one time she cried before the media—that had been for a specific purpose.

“You look like you’ve lost a lot of weight.” Jiang Shizi walked to her side, and the two of them walked down the red carpet together into the venue.

Looking at the dense crowds of fans surrounding them and the flashes of cameras constantly illuminating her, a sense of what one would call achievement surged in Cheng Siyu’s heart for the first time.

The appearance of the two on the red carpet caused no small stir among the fans. The most conspicuous person in the crowd was a fan carrying a speaker on their shoulder; they were adjusting the volume while playing the song “Substitute.”

For a moment, Cheng Siyu couldn’t tell if it was being played for her or for Jiang Shizi, but she was still moved to a smile by the comical scene.

After entering the venue, while the two were chatting about the various antics of the fans, Ji Yun somehow appeared and took hold of Cheng Siyu’s hand.

“She and I are the official pair. Your official pair is over there.”

The two looked in the direction Ji Yun was pointing and immediately saw Qi Yan sitting in a corner of a table, holding a wine glass and drinking.

Seeing Qi Yan, Jiang Shizi’s gaze darkened. She replied, “She isn’t mine,” and then walked away in the opposite direction.

“Tell me, what is so good about her? Why can’t Sister Yan let go even now?”

Ji Yun spoke to Cheng Siyu while watching Jiang Shizi’s receding back.

“How can one easily forget the person they met in their youth?”

Although Ji Yun had hurt her so badly, she felt worthless in her previous life, Cheng Siyu still couldn’t deny that it was Ji Yun who had brought a bit of hope to her dull, lightless life.

So even when Ji Yun cheated, stayed out all night, and was constantly involved in scandals in her previous life, Cheng Siyu could still rely on that shred of hope to continue maintaining their relationship until the day she died.

“I won’t forget you either. We won’t be like them.” Ji Yun looked at her, her eyes showing a depth of affection they had never held before. Cheng Siyu only gave a stark smile. “Mhm, I won’t either.”

In truth, were they really any better than Jiang Shizi and Qi Yan? Oh, right—at least they were “truly” in love, and no one was a substitute.

When Cheng Siyu shifted her gaze, Ji Yun was looking at the wound on her hand. Siyu instinctively wanted to pull her hand back, but she was held even tighter. After a long pause, Ji Yun spoke again.

“Spend the next New Year with me.”

The expression in her eyes was too real, making it difficult for Cheng Siyu to distinguish truth from fiction. But she still looked at her and said, “We’ll talk about it next year.”

Cheng Siyu had once thought that many, many future Spring Festivals would be spent with Ji Yun, but reality had taught her a lesson. Hearing her say these things now, she found herself no longer looking forward to it.

“Okay. Where have you been staying lately?” Ji Yun remembered something and pressed.

“A hotel. The dorm won’t let people in for a few more days.” Cheng Siyu didn’t bother hiding it and answered truthfully.

Hearing this answer, Ji Yun wasn’t surprised. She squeezed Cheng Siyu’s hand and said, “Okay, then send me the address. I’ll go find you tonight.”

“Find me for what? To help me pay the room fee?” Cheng Siyu teased her rarely.

“To help you with chores, to be your nanny,” Ji Yun said. Then she reached for Cheng Siyu’s waist, accidentally touching the location of her wound. Siyu gasped in pain and instinctively dodged.

“The wounds on your body haven’t fully healed yet, have they?”

Cheng Siyu’s expression quickly returned to normal, even though the touch just now had caused her to break out in a cold sweat from the pain. She maintained her tone. “They’re almost healed. The doctor said they were just superficial injuries.”

“Does it still hurt this badly?” Ji Yun keenly sensed that her complexion was off and cautiously helped her sit down.

Cheng Siyu’s voice remained steady as she said softly, “A little.”

The doctor had said she needed about a month to fully recover and suggested she rest quietly after being discharged, preferably staying in bed. But she was never someone who could be waited on. She had gone to film an advertisement the second day after being discharged, causing the wounds to flare up repeatedly, though it wasn’t as painful as when she was first hospitalized.

“You certainly don’t look like it’s just ‘a little.'” Ji Yun went to a nearby spot to get a paper cup, poured some warm water, and handed it to Cheng Siyu.

After drinking it, Cheng Siyu’s face gradually cleared. Looking at the panicked look in Ji Yun’s eyes, her expression was indifferent. “You don’t have to be this concerned about me.” It was already too late.

“You are my girlfriend! We’re in a relationship where we sleep in the same bed—am I supposed to go care about someone else instead? Don’t start getting jealous when that happens.”

Whether she was jealous or not, hadn’t Ji Yun already done it? Cheng Siyu thought as she looked at her reflection in the water.

Ji Yun’s voice sounded somewhat agitated, attracting the attention of many people. She hurriedly sat down next to Cheng Siyu, and the gazes of those people finally withdrew.

“I always feel like you’re guarding against me like I’m a bad person. Are you afraid I’ll do something to betray you?”

I’m afraid of falling for you again, Cheng Siyu thought, but she didn’t say it. She only replied calmly:

“No. You’re just being overly sensitive.”

The Ji Yun of her previous life would never have worried about this, because Cheng Siyu had made her sole focus. Now, everything was already different.