Always Chasing My White Moonlight Omega - Chapter 14

A teasing voice rang out, and Ruan Yang halted in her tracks, suddenly realizing that from the moment they held hands until they descended the stairs, this person had been playing her all along.

Xu Zhiyi wasn’t drunk at all.

How could someone who had spent years navigating the entertainment industry get drunk from just one glass of wine?

Ruan Yang turned back and glanced down at the hand gripping her wrist, then followed it upward until her eyes met Xu Zhiyi’s.

Just then, a cool evening breeze rustled through the tops of the plane trees, sending a few leaves fluttering down. A small one landed on Xu Zhiyi’s shoulder.

Those fox-like eyes were perfectly clear. Ruan Yang stared at the leaf for a few silent seconds before suddenly letting out a self-deprecating laugh.

“Didn’t you not want anyone to know about our relationship? I was just doing as you said.”

Because she was being obedient, she was supposed to leave her here alone?

Xu Zhiyi keenly sensed that Ruan Yang seemed angry.

No, not angry more like wrestling with herself.

Xu Zhiyi wanted to ask what was wrong, but knowing Ruan Yang’s personality, even if she asked, she wouldn’t get an answer. So she dismissed the thought.

She cut straight to the point. “Before dinner, you saw me talking to someone in the hallway outside the restroom?”

Ruan Yang guessed that Xu Zhiyi didn’t specify who it was because she was trying to protect the other person.

Only if you cared would you want to cover for them.

“I heard,” Ruan Yang replied, her voice growing colder.

As they spoke, the leaf on Xu Zhiyi’s shoulder swayed precariously, as if it might fall at any moment.

“What exactly did you hear?” Xu Zhiyi pressed.

The question that had plagued Ruan Yang all night finally rose to her throat again.

She knew that if she asked, Xu Zhiyi might pick up on something.

But if she didn’t, she’d be trapped once more in that strange, inescapable cycle.

“I heard her say she still can’t let you go,” Ruan Yang said, her own heartbeat pounding loudly in the quiet night. “She wants to get back together with you.”

Xu Zhiyi knew Ruan Yang hadn’t lingered long before leaving, but she hadn’t expected her to catch the most crucial part in that brief moment.

“She did say that,” Xu Zhiyi admitted, neither denying nor confirming. “Then you must have figured out who it was. Ruan Yang, just pretend you didn’t hear anything tonight, understand?”

With that, Xu Zhiyi stood up. Qu Lingxuan’s notoriously obsessive fans were well-known in the industry, and she didn’t want Ruan Yang getting dragged into it.

Instead of an explanation, Ruan Yang was met with this dismissive remark meant to shield the other person. A fire suddenly ignited in her chest.

Her hands clenched into fists, her voice trembling faintly.

“That woman wants to get back together with you… Did you agree?”

Though turmoil raged inside her, from Xu Zhiyi’s perspective, Ruan Yang remained as composed as ever, asking the question with the same detached expression.

Assuming it was just curiosity, Xu Zhiyi was about to say no when a sudden itch prickled her neck.

She looked down and plucked the plane tree leaf that had fallen onto her shoulder earlier.

Twirling the stem between her fingers, the faint breeze it created brushed against her face, and Xu Zhiyi abruptly felt a wave of weariness.

It made this summer feel hotter than any before.

Why did she feel the need to explain these things to Ruan Yang?

Her fingers, which had been pinching the leaf, loosened their grip. The leaf drifted from Xu Zhiyi’s hand, spun midair, and landed at Ruan Yang’s feet.

The words that had been on the tip of her tongue took a turn and became, “…Who knows?”

Xu Zhiyi let out a light laugh. “It’s not like you don’t know my fickleness is practically legendary in the industry. Who’s to say I won’t have a change of heart someday?”

As the last syllable of her words faded, a glaring yellow beam of light appeared at the end of the cement road, eventually stopping not far from them.

The car Ruan Yang had called had finally arrived.

Xu Zhiyi noticed it too. Amid the driver’s loud honking, she casually waved her hand and turned to walk toward the vehicle.

“I can be with whoever I want. But none of that concerns you. Go on, I need to find my assistant now.”

As Xu Zhiyi brushed past Ruan Yang, Ruan Yang happened to lower her gaze to the sycamore leaf Xu Zhiyi had discarded.

On this sweltering summer night, she shivered inexplicably.

Ruan Yang thought, she was just like that fallen leaf on Xu Zhiyi’s shoulder.

Fragile, lonely, adrift.

If she couldn’t find her way into Xu Zhiyi’s heart, she would turn to dust in the soil.

Never to blossom.

–

Ruan Yang didn’t return to the hotel alone. In the end, she accompanied Xu Zhiyi in the car she had called to find her assistant.

Not only had she already promised the director to ensure Xu Zhiyi’s safe return, but she also couldn’t bring herself to let Xu Zhiyi go alone.

Xu Zhiyi’s assistant was waiting at the airport entrance. Ruan Yang watched as Xu Zhiyi got out of the car and walked over to her assistant, Jiang Jiang.

Jiang Jiang seemed utterly shocked that it was Ruan Yang who had brought Xu Zhiyi there.

Her eyes widened, and just as she was about to approach Ruan Yang to say something, Xu Zhiyi pulled her away, striding briskly into the airport.

Ruan Yang kept her gaze fixed out the window. Xu Zhiyi never looked back.

She finally withdrew her gaze, gave the driver the address of the hotel she was staying at in the film studio, and left the airport.

Jiang Jiang watched as Ruan Yang’s car drove away. When she snapped out of it and looked up at Xu Zhiyi, she saw that Xu Zhiyi was also staring through the glass doors at the distant car.

“Zhiyi-jie…” Jiang Jiang began, “Why was that pretty assistant the one who brought you here?”

In her memory, her Zhiyi-jie wasn’t the type to let just anyone escort her especially someone she wasn’t close to.

“The director arranged it. It would’ve been awkward to refuse.” Xu Zhiyi averted her eyes, swiftly changing the subject. She led Jiang Jiang inside, walking so quickly it almost seemed like she was running from something.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Xu Zhiyi asked, “Did you finish what I asked you to do?”

Jiang Jiang hurried to keep up with Xu Zhiyi, the question making her forget about Ruan Yang for the moment. Her expression grew serious. “Well… sort of.”

Xu Zhiyi frowned slightly at Jiang Jiang’s hesitant tone. “What do you mean, ‘sort of’?”

“Because, because…” Jiang Jiang struggled to find the words. “Because the things you asked me to investigate about Zheng Tang just as I was about to have someone post them online, I found out someone else had already beaten us to it. And they did it even cleaner, even filtering the discussion threads.”

“Just now, Zheng Tang’s history as a habitual cheater has been trending for two hours. There’s already widespread negative backlash against him online. I’ve mobilized the fan club and the marketing accounts under Sister Liang’s control to push more content. Once netizens realize this is Zheng Tang’s usual tactic, they’ll believe you’re innocent, Sister Zhiyi.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhiyi paused. “The trending topic hasn’t been taken down?”

“It was taken down, but some mysterious big shot loaded with money and tech helped us push it back up under different keywords. And it just so happened to coincide with peak browsing hours tonight. Bored netizens swarmed in. If someone hadn’t been paying to suppress it, the topic would’ve exploded by now.” Jiang Jiang couldn’t help but gloat at the thought of Zheng Tang’s current grim expression.

But Xu Zhiyi wasn’t celebrating.

Someone had helped her, yet she had no idea who. That uncertainty unsettled her.

Thinking back to their recent meeting, she wondered, could it be Qu Lingxuan?

No, probably not.

If it were Qu Lingxuan, she would’ve already come to claim credit. Besides, after so many years in the entertainment industry, Qu had mastered the art of PR spin, she didn’t seem like the type to resort to such blunt methods.

Then who?

Xu Zhiyi fell silent, exchanging a glance with Jiang Jiang. The latter slowly caught on from the gravity in Xu Zhiyi’s eyes.

Both knew this couldn’t have been the company’s doing.

Xunguang Entertainment refused to let Xu Zhiyi terminate her contract but wouldn’t willingly hand their cash cow to another agency. Right now, they were only scheming to push her to the brink certainly not lifting a finger to help.

Zheng Tang’s ex-girlfriend’s sudden exposé was an unexpected twist, but the company had seized the opportunity to use it against Xu Zhiyi.

They were eager to let Zheng Tang drain her dry and drag her reputation through the mud.

“Never mind who helped for now,” Xu Zhiyi said, settling into her plane seat. “Remember the video I sent you? It’s time. After we land, release it.”

By the time they landed, it would be late at night still a high-traffic period online, with PR teams less vigilant. The perfect moment to catch the opposition off guard.

Jiang Jiang nodded firmly. “Don’t worry, Sister Zhiyi. Mission guaranteed!”

“Mm.” With her instructions given, Xu Zhiyi pulled out her phone to switch to airplane mode, just as Zheng Tang’s call came through.

She glanced at it, then dismissed and blocked him without a second thought.

Now he’s scared.

But it’s too late.

Xu Zhiyi could never tolerate Zheng Tang climbing up by stepping on her, let alone him dragging her so-called father into this mess.

Leaning back, she closed her eyes, but the image of Ruan Yang shielding her from that slap flashed in her mind.

Her heartbeat stuttered.

She opened her eyes again, her gaze turning icy.

The slap Zheng Tang owed her, she’d repay it a hundredfold.

Support