Always Chasing My White Moonlight Omega - Chapter 58

Jiang Jiang had no idea why the atmosphere between the two had suddenly turned so strange.

She thought Xu Zhiyi was genuinely curious about the man across the street and hurriedly shared some of the speculations she’d seen in the comments.

“Probably some big shot outside the industry. No one in the comments could guess his identity, but judging by his demeanor, he seems to carry an air of nobility. So a lot of people are guessing he’s some influential figure outside the entertainment world. Some even speculated if he might be Shi Fangxuan’s husband that she’s been married all these years but has been maintaining a single, no-romance persona.”

At this, Xu Zhiyi let out another laugh.

For some reason, Jiang Jiang suddenly felt too afraid to speak after hearing that laugh.

She glanced up at Xu Zhiyi’s expression and only then realized that, despite the smile on her face, her eyes were as cold as ice.

It was rare to see Xu Zhiyi this angry. Jiang Jiang tightened her grip on her phone, unsure of what had happened, and felt a surge of fear.

But Xu Zhiyi said nothing. She turned and walked straight toward the roadside.

Ruan Yang quickly stepped forward to stop her. “Are you going to find Shi Fangxuan?”

The grip on her wrist forced Xu Zhiyi to halt. She stood beside the tall flower bed near the hotel entrance and turned around.

Ruan Yang saw the tightly clenched fist at her side.

Truthfully, she had no right to stop Xu Zhiyi from doing anything. But she was terrified that Xu Zhiyi, in this state of extreme irrationality, might do something she’d later regret. In a low voice, she said, “Calm down, Zhiyi. Maybe Shi Fangxuan just had a meal with Uncle Xu?”

“How am I supposed to calm down?” Xu Zhiyi stood rooted to the spot, her tone heavy with suppressed emotions. “Just a meal? Have you ever seen him act so attentive toward anyone before?”

In that instant, countless fragmented memories flooded her mind, the daily bouquet of roses, the endless stream of messages and calls. The source of it all suddenly became crystal clear to Xu Zhiyi.

The thought of Shi Fangxuan laughing and chatting with her all this time while secretly scheming with her father behind her back filled her with overwhelming fury.

Even the corners of her eyes reddened with anger.

She let out a bitter laugh and said, “He wasn’t even this attentive to your mother, was he?”

Ruan Yang frowned, but before she could begin to recall, the ringtone from her pocket interrupted her thoughts.

She pulled out her phone, it was a call from Ruan Qingyu.

Xu Zhiyi also glanced down at the caller ID on Ruan Yang’s phone. Each word that left her lips seemed to take immense effort, icy enough to send chills down one’s spine: “You should go back and deal with your mother first. Don’t worry about me.”

With that, she forcefully shook off Ruan Yang’s grip and turned toward the car parked by the roadside.

The evening wind lifted her long hair, the tips brushing past Ruan Yang’s nose, sharp and stinging.

Ruan Yang wanted to chase after her, but the incessantly ringing phone in her hand felt like an anchor, rooting her in place.

She turned to Jiang Jiang, who stood frozen in shock, too afraid to utter a word. “Go keep an eye on Zhiyi. Whatever she does, send me a message!”

From the conversation between the two, Jiang Jiang had already pieced together some clues. Now, watching Xu Zhiyi’s furious retreating figure, she felt a pang of concern and quickly nodded in agreement. “Don’t worry, I’ll message you later.”

She hurried to catch up with Xu Zhiyi and climbed into her van.

As the vehicle disappeared from sight, Ruan Yang answered the phone, saying she’d be back soon, then hung up and headed to the roadside to hail a cab.

About twenty minutes later, Ruan Yang finally arrived at the Xu family home.

Even before stepping inside, she could hear Ruan Qingyu’s sobs from the courtyard. Her footsteps faltered for a second, but she continued forward.

The moment she entered the house, her phone buzzed with a notification. The screen lit up, it was a message from Jiang Jiang, saying Xu Zhiyi had the driver circle the highway before finally returning to the hotel.

Xu Zhiyi hadn’t impulsively confronted Shi Fangxuan.

A knot of tension in Ruan Yang’s chest loosened, and she strode further into the villa.

The spacious home was eerily quiet, with only Ruan Qingyu inside. Spotting Ruan Yang, Ruan Qingyu rushed over and grabbed her shoulders.

“Yangyang, oh Yangyang, you’re finally back! Please, call your Uncle Xu for me, won’t you? I can’t reach him has something happened? I’m so worried.”

Xu Zhiyi’s earlier words flashed through Ruan Yang’s mind. She guided Ruan Qingyu to the sofa and sat her down. “You saw the news?”

She remembered her mother rarely followed entertainment gossip, so she was surprised she’d found out so quickly.

On the way back, Ruan Yang had kept tabs on the scandal involving Shi Fangxuan. So far, Xu Rongjiang’s identity hadn’t been exposed, and related news and hashtags were gradually disappearing likely due to Xu Rongjiang’s intervention.

At the question, two more tears slid down Ruan Qingyu’s cheeks. “Yes.”

Before Ruan Yang could ask how, Ruan Qingyu sniffled and patted her hand. “You’ve been directing a film recently, so I made a Weibo account to keep up with you and your crew. I don’t understand much about it, and I didn’t want to bother you with too many questions, you never tell me anything anyway. This was the only way I could know how you’ve been. I never expected to see that on the trending page.”

She wiped her eyes. “I knew right away it was your Uncle Xu.”

Something in Ruan Yang’s heart softened imperceptibly. After all, this was her mother. She sighed silently and pulled Ruan Qingyu into an embrace.

“So, what do you plan to do now?”

Her voice was gentle and patient.

“Do you believe what the video shows?”

Perhaps it had been too long since her daughter had spoken to her so tenderly, or perhaps the grief was simply too overwhelming, but Ruan Qingyu burst into tears, her sobs uncontrollable.

“I don’t believe it! I only believe in your Uncle Xu! That video must’ve been staged by those gossip reporters. Rongjiang was definitely working. I trust him. He said he loves only me that he’ll marry me!”

The stubbornness in her tone made Ruan Yang’s arms stiffen around her.

She let go, and from a distance of several dozen centimeters, her amber eyes once again carefully studied her mother.

Ruan Qingyu’s eyes were still brimming with tears, her gaze unfocused, her hair disheveled, and she kept murmuring to herself, as if trying to convince herself.

It was at this moment that Ruan Yang suddenly realized that her once beautiful and vibrant mother had abruptly aged.

Ruan Qingyu repeated over and over again, “Yes, it must be a work relationship, just an ordinary work relationship. I shouldn’t overthink it. Rongjiang only loves me, only me.”

But Ruan Yang seemed determined to force Ruan Qingyu to face the truth as she pressed on, “What if it’s true? What if Xu Rongjiang is really with another woman and doesn’t love you anymore? What if he abandons you?”

“You’re lying!” Ruan Qingyu suddenly stood up from the couch, her eyes red and glaring. “What are you saying, Yangyang? How could your Uncle Xu not love me?! He swore to me that he would only love me! It’s impossible for him to leave me for another woman. If he really does that, I’ll kill myself, I’ll die right in front of him!”

Ruan Yang’s stiffened neck suddenly drooped.

She felt a sudden weariness, and the faint trace of softness in her heart from Ruan Qingyu’s words dissipated entirely.

She shouldn’t have held onto the illusion that Ruan Qingyu would recognize Xu Rongjiang’s true nature from the video and resolve to leave him.

Amid the endless sobbing, she lifted her head, and a laugh suddenly escaped her throat.

“Ruan Qingyu, you really deserve this.”

Slap.

The sound of the slap was startlingly loud in the silent night, forcing Ruan Yang’s head to the side.

A sharp pain spread across her face. She remained in that position, staring at Ruan Qingyu’s distorted reflection on the coffee table.

After a long silence, she tried hard to recall what her mother had looked like in the past.

But she couldn’t remember anymore.

The slap seemed to stun Ruan Qingyu as well. She gasped for breath, her chest heaving violently. As if regretting it, she reached out to touch Ruan Yang, but Ruan Yang turned her head, avoiding her fingers.

Ruan Qingyu withdrew her hand and covered her face as she cried.

“I’m sorry, Yangyang, Mom didn’t mean to. I can’t live without your Uncle Xu. If he doesn’t love me, I’ll die, Yangyang. I’ll die.”

The crying and wailing seemed endless. Ruan Yang closed her eyes and shook her head almost imperceptibly.

“I don’t blame you.”

Ruan Qingyu lowered her hands and saw her daughter’s right cheek flushed red, bearing the clear imprint of a slap.

She had done that.

Tears streamed down even more fiercely, but Ruan Qingyu bit her lower lip, suppressing her sobs.

“I’ve never blamed you, Mom.”

Ruan Yang let out a self-deprecating laugh. “It’s my fault.”

“I’ve always selfishly wanted you to leave Uncle Xu, but I ignored your feelings. Since you truly can’t live without him, I won’t force you anymore.” She stood up, went upstairs to her room, and returned shortly after, placing a bank card in front of Ruan Qingyu.

“This is my own card. The money inside is from a drama I filmed. I’ve calculated it, it’s more than enough to cover all the expenses Uncle Xu spent on me over the years in the Xu household.”

Ruan Qingyu suddenly felt a surge of panic, even forgetting to cry. “What do you mean, Yangyang. What are you going to do with this bank card?”

“Don’t you understand? Or are you always like this deceiving yourself, unwilling to face reality?” Ruan Yang looked at Ruan Qingyu calmly, not even a trace of disappointment in her eyes. “I’m leaving the Xu family, Mom. Give this card to Uncle Xu for me and thank him for taking care of me all these years. The password is your birthday.”

It was as if an invisible hand had tightened around Ruan Qingyu’s throat. She could tell her daughter was serious.

“You can’t do this, Yangyang,” Ruan Qingyu’s voice trembled. “Uncle Xu has been so good to you. You can’t do this. You can’t abandon me.”

“You abandoned me first, Mom.” Ruan Yang picked up her phone. “I won’t force you to leave with me. If you want to drown in the beautiful dream you’ve woven for yourself, I respect your decision.”

She turned and walked toward the door. “I’ll visit you when I have time.”

“Yangyang!” Watching Ruan Yang walk further away, Ruan Qingyu panicked and rushed forward to grab her.

But as she stepped forward, her knee hit the corner of the coffee table. A sharp pain shot through her, and her legs gave way, sending her tumbling onto the soft cushion beside the sofa.

She could only watch as Ruan Yang left. Even as she cried out her name, Ruan Yang didn’t look back.

Once Ruan Yang was gone, the entire villa plunged into endless silence.

Only Ruan Qingyu remained.

She sat on the floor, crying. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the bank card Ruan Yang had just given her.

Suddenly, she felt lost, unable for the first time to understand the meaning behind her own stubborn persistence.

After leaving the Xu family, Ruan Yang walked along the roadside and found a convenience store to buy two bags of ice to soothe her swollen right cheek.

As she pressed the ice to her face, she stared blankly at Xu Zhiyi’s profile picture, about to say something when Jiang Jiang’s message came through again.

[Yangyang, Zhiyi-jie suddenly left the hotel just now. I followed her and saw her take a taxi. After trailing her for a while, it seems like she’s heading toward the cemetery in the western part of the city.]

[I’m worried I won’t be able to stop her if something happens. Come quickly!]

The moment she saw the word “cemetery,” Ruan Yang thought of Xu Zhiyi’s mother, who was buried in the western cemetery.

She didn’t even have time to reply. Tossing the ice bags aside, she rushed out and hailed a taxi toward the western part of the city.

Support