Always Chasing My White Moonlight Omega - Chapter 24

As soon as the director left, Xu Zhiyi dropped the smile from her lips.

She turned her head, intending to ask Qu Lingxuan why she had come over, but as she did, a figure hiding behind a pillar not far away suddenly came into view.

Xu Zhiyi recognized who it was almost instantly.

She had initially planned to leave with Qu Lingxuan right away, but in that moment, something made her hesitate. Xu Zhiyi turned back to Qu Lingxuan and flashed another smile. “Want to grab a meal together? That restaurant from last time?”

Qu Lingxuan quickly realized it was the same place where she and Xu Zhiyi had met before.

Though the memory of being rejected by Xu Zhiyi last time still stung a little, Qu Lingxuan wasn’t about to pass up an invitation from her.

“Let’s go then. It feels like it’s been ages since we last ate together.”

Xu Zhiyi nodded. “Let’s go.”

The two headed toward the exit, but just as they descended the stairs, a figure rushed up to them.

Qu Lingxuan was momentarily stunned by the sudden appearance of this person, who was staring intently at Xu Zhiyi.

Before she could ask who this was, the young and pretty girl spoke directly to Xu Zhiyi: “Xu Zhiyi, I won’t let you go.”

Qu Lingxuan followed the girl’s gaze to Xu Zhiyi and noticed a flicker of emotion in her eyes.

With just that one look, Qu Lingxuan could tell this girl had an unusual relationship with Xu Zhiyi.

Xu Zhiyi let out a soft laugh and suddenly linked arms with Qu Lingxuan. Her tone was indifferent. “…And why shouldn’t I go? What does it have to do with you?”

For a brief moment, Xu Zhiyi thought she must have been mistaken.

She actually saw something akin to panic in Ruan Yang’s eyes.

Her fingertips trembled slightly, and Xu Zhiyi instinctively tried to pull her hand back. But the moment she moved, Qu Lingxuan grasped her fingers.

“Zhiyi, who is this?” Qu Lingxuan had caught every subtle shift in Xu Zhiyi’s expression. In their line of work, reading people’s emotions was second nature.

She smiled warmly at Ruan Yang. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Ruan Yang’s gaze fell on their intertwined hands. At those words, she lifted her head and locked eyes with Qu Lingxuan.

Both saw hostility in the other’s stare.

Xu Zhiyi didn’t try to pull her hand away again. She lowered her gaze. “There’s nothing to introduce. You’ll know soon enough in a few days.”

With that, she tugged Qu Lingxuan past Ruan Yang.

The scent of roses washed over them, and Ruan Yang’s heartbeat quickened. As Xu Zhiyi brushed past her, she grabbed her wrist.

Ruan Yang’s palm was warm, almost scorching, like a fire that burned straight into Xu Zhiyi’s heart.

Xu Zhiyi didn’t turn around. She stood there, her left hand held by Qu Lingxuan, her right wrist gripped by Ruan Yang.

It seemed she couldn’t break free from either.

She hated this feeling of being trapped.

Still summer, Xu Zhiyi thought for a moment before suddenly calling out, “Ruan Yang.”

Ruan Yang.

Qu Lingxuan repeated the name silently in her mind.

She watched as Xu Zhiyi flashed a teasing smile, then pushed her away and turned back to face Ruan Yang.

Under the golden light of the setting sun at five or six in the evening, Xu Zhiyi curled her lips and said, “You’re so persistent. Could it be, you like me?”

No one could see Ruan Yang’s expression at least, Qu Lingxuan couldn’t.

She could only see the side of Xu Zhiyi’s face.

This thorny version of Xu Zhiyi was something Qu Lingxuan had never seen before.

Yet beneath those sharp edges seemed to hide the most genuine Xu Zhiyi. She even felt that Xu Zhiyi was nervous about the answer the other person might give to her question.

After a long silence without receiving a response, Xu Zhiyi seemed to exhale in relief.

She struggled again, and this time, she finally freed her wrist from Ruan Yang’s grip.

“Remember your place. You have no right to interfere with me.”

A lingering warmth still clung to her wrist, but Xu Zhiyi turned away without hesitation and left.

Qu Lingxuan followed silently.

As they turned the corner, Qu Lingxuan glanced back at the girl named “Ruan Yang.”

She was also looking in their direction.

The sunset cast its light from behind her, leaving most of her face in shadow.

Her expression was unreadable.

Qu Lingxuan averted her gaze and followed Xu Zhiyi to the same restaurant they had visited last time.

Xu Zhiyi had reserved a private room. Qu Lingxuan had hoped to talk more, but Xu Zhiyi seemed distracted, responding only intermittently.

“Zhiyi,” Qu Lingxuan set down her glass and called her name.

Xu Zhiyi looked up, blinking. “Hmm?”

“…” Qu Lingxuan studied her for a long moment. She parted her lips as if to say something, but in the end, she shook her head. “Never mind.”

They finished their meal quickly. After paying the bill, Xu Zhiyi led Qu Lingxuan to the back entrance where they had waited for a car last time.

Night had fallen, and Xu Zhiyi’s gaze inevitably drifted toward the same plane tree from before.

The ground was covered with its leaves.

She walked over, picked one up, and twirled it between her fingers.

Qu Lingxuan checked a message from her assistant, the car would take a while longer to arrive. She glanced at Xu Zhiyi and stepped closer.

“Zhiyi,” she began, “about what I said to you last time.”

“Lingxuan-jie,” Xu Zhiyi interrupted with a light laugh, “I believe I made myself clear last time.”

Qu Lingxuan observed the distant smile on Xu Zhiyi’s face but decided to press on. “Hear me out, Zhiyi.”

“I’m thirty now. After so many years in the entertainment industry, I’ll be honest, I’m tired. I’ve filmed enough dramas, won a few awards here and there. One day, after a long shoot, I returned to my cold, empty home and suddenly felt the urge to settle down.”

“In all my years in this industry, I’ve met all kinds of people and had a few girlfriends. But when this thought crossed my mind, the first person I thought of was you.”

“Won’t you really give us another try, Zhiyi?” Qu Lingxuan took a step closer. “I like you. I don’t need you to leave the industry or give up your career. I can even offer you more resources. All I ask is for you to marry me, so that when I come home, the lights are on. That’s all I need.”

Truthfully, if Xu Zhiyi weren’t Xu Zhiyi, she might have been moved by such words.

But she was Xu Zhiyi.

She spun the ginkgo leaf stem between her fingers a few more times.

In her mind, she replayed the scene of how she and Qu Lingxuan had met a year ago.

At that time, she was still just a budding actress who had gained some fame. By chance, she landed a role in a film and had the fortune of working with Qu Lingxuan, who had just won the Best Actress award.

Half a month into filming, Qu Lingxuan expressed her affection for her, and Xu Zhiyi didn’t refuse.

The two of them dated like this for two months.

Two months later, when the film wrapped up, Xu Zhiyi broke up with Qu Lingxuan.

Looking back now, Xu Zhiyi couldn’t quite remember the details of their time together. The only thing that stuck in her mind was the look of shock on Qu Lingxuan’s face when they parted ways.

She had never intended to marry Qu Lingxuan. Back then, she had only been with her out of boredom, looking for something to pass the time.

In truth, Xu Zhiyi had always struggled to grasp the definition of the word “love.”

“Lingxuan-jie, do you really like me?” Xu Zhiyi’s expression grew more serious. “Or is it just that you’re used to being adored, and you’re infatuated with that slight masochistic thrill of unrequited affection?”

It was nothing more than unwillingness, yet she insisted on masking it with the lofty term “love.”

Qu Lingxuan hurriedly explained, “Of course I like you, Zhiyi. If I didn’t, why would I still be unable to forget you after all this time?”

So, was love defined as being unable to forget someone even after a long time?

Xu Zhiyi placed the leaf in her hand onto the nearby tree planter.

“But—”

She was about to say more when Qu Lingxuan raised a hand to stop her.

“Don’t say anything more, Zhiyi,” Qu Lingxuan said. “I remember everything you told me last time. I was ready to give up, but after I went back, I thought about it again. Rather than spending the rest of my life with someone I don’t love, I’d rather fight once more for the person I do.”

“Just think about it, Zhiyi. No one could be more suited for you than me. I’ll come back here in a couple of days, you don’t have to give me an answer right away.” With that, she turned and walked toward the car waiting for her.

Xu Zhiyi stood beneath the tree, gazing up at the falling leaves.

Her phone rang, it was Auntie Chen calling.

“Hello, Miss?” Auntie Chen’s voice was urgent.

“What’s wrong, Auntie Chen?” Xu Zhiyi’s tone was always gentle when speaking to her.

“Miss, tomorrow is Saturday. Are you coming home? The master is throwing a birthday banquet for Miss Ruan Yang. I just checked the guest list and realized your name isn’t on it!”

Xu Zhiyi gripped her phone and couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.

Her dear father couldn’t even be bothered to inform her of the news, nor did he want her to attend the banquet.

Now that he had a new daughter, he no longer needed the old one.

“Miss, are you coming back tomorrow? If you return for the banquet, I’ll find a way to add your name to the list.”

Under Auntie Chen’s eager anticipation, Xu Zhiyi’s voice gradually softened, chilling in the summer night.

“I’m not going,” she said.

Not only would she not go.

Ruan Yang wouldn’t be going either.

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