Always Chasing My White Moonlight Omega - Chapter 61

Ruan Yang found Ruan Qingyu beneath a brightly lit billboard at a corner not far from the restaurant.

Her mother had always been like this every time they had a disagreement and she stormed off, she would stand somewhere conspicuous, waiting for Ruan Yang to find her.

Sighing softly, Ruan Yang walked over, stopped in front of Ruan Qingyu, and pulled out a pack of tissues to wipe the tears streaming down her mother’s face.

Seeing her, Ruan Qingyu, who had been silently weeping, seemed to find an outlet for all her pent-up emotions. Her eyes reddened as she burst into sobs, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Ruan Yang lowered her gaze, wrapped her arms around Ruan Qingyu, and gently patted her back.

“Don’t cry,” she murmured softly.

The tissue in her hand was already soaked with her mother’s tears. Suddenly, Ruan Yang remembered that throughout her twenty years of growing up, scenes like this had been all too common.

From a very young age, it had always been Ruan Yang taking care of her mother. While other families worried about their children, in their case, it seemed Ruan Qingyu was the one who never quite managed to be dependable.

And it was still the same now.

Realizing this, Ruan Qingyu cried even harder.

Ruan Yang simply held her quietly. She didn’t know how much time had passed, but it was only when the sun began to dip westward that Ruan Qingyu’s emotions finally settled.

She released Ruan Yang and glanced back in the direction they had come from.

Xu Rongjiang hadn’t come after her.

All this time, not even a single notification had sounded from the phone in her pocket proof that he hadn’t even sent her a single message.

The cement path they had walked earlier was bathed in a faint, golden glow from the setting sun. Ruan Qingyu pressed her fingers against her already swollen eyelids, her voice hoarse as she spoke, as if finally resigning herself. “Yangyang, at my age, still chasing after true love was I wrong?”

“You weren’t wrong,” Ruan Yang shook her head. “It’s never wrong to pursue true love, no matter what age.”

The one who was wrong was Xu Rongjiang.

From the moment she learned that Xu Rongjiang had always regarded her mother as a substitute, an indescribable, overwhelming fury had taken root deep within her.

“Yes, I wasn’t wrong.”

Ruan Qingyu wiped away the fresh tears welling in her eyes. She closed them briefly, and when she opened them again, it was as if she had made a momentous decision. She dug her right hand fiercely into her left arm, almost forcing the words out. “Yangyang, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry for hitting you that day.”

Ruan Yang’s pupils contracted slightly she could almost guess what her mother would say next.

“You were right,” Ruan Qingyu let out a bitter laugh, recalling the past few years she had spent caring for Xu Rongjiang without any formal recognition, staying by his side while enduring the gossip and scorn behind her back. “I should have left a long time ago.”

“Is it serious this time?” Ruan Yang asked softly.

“It’s real,” Ruan Qingyu replied with another strained laugh, her tone filled with bitterness. “Don’t worry, Yangyang. Your mother won’t humiliate herself by being someone else’s stand-in anymore.”

She had allowed herself to be degraded for so many years, she couldn’t sink any lower.

Ruan Yang studied her mother’s face intently for a long while, scrutinizing her carefully before finally nodding. “Then I’ll arrange for someone to help you collect your things from the Xu family in a few days. For now, stay at a hotel. I’ll find you a place to live.”

Ruan Qingyu still wanted to say something, but Ruan Yang interrupted her: “From now on, it’ll just be the two of us living well together. I can support you now you can do whatever you want. There are so many people in the world, and you can take your time finding the kind of person you want.”

Just don’t look back anymore.

Her daughter’s resolute words struck Ruan Qingyu’s eardrums one by one, and it was only at that moment that she truly realized Ruan Yang had grown into someone capable of protecting her, in ways she hadn’t even noticed.

And she herself had contributed nothing to that process.

Tears streamed down her face again, and she could only nod. “Mm.”

Ruan Yang still had work that evening. She booked a hotel for Ruan Qingyu, called a taxi, and sent her off.

Throughout the process, Ruan Qingyu tightly held Ruan Yang’s hand. As she got into the taxi, she kept glancing back at Ruan Yang. When Ruan Yang asked if she should accompany her to the hotel, Ruan Qingyu immediately wanted to nod, but then, as if thinking of something, she shook her head instead.

“No need. Let Mom be alone for a while. When I arrived earlier, I heard from your crew that you still have work tonight. You should go back and focus on that. Mom will be fine.”

With that, Ruan Qingyu closed the car door and waved at Ruan Yang through the window.

Ruan Yang nodded, and Ruan Qingyu left in the taxi.

Once the car disappeared from sight, Ruan Yang turned around and immediately spotted the red sports car parked not far away. She walked straight over, opened the door, and got in.

Xu Zhiyi was sitting in the driver’s seat, a hint of coldness in the corners of her eyes. When she saw Ruan Yang get in, the chill faded slightly, though a trace of it remained.

She spoke calmly, “Let’s head back to the set.”

With that, she drove off toward the crew’s location along a quiet, seldom-used path.

The drive wasn’t long. As soon as the car started moving, Ruan Yang took out her phone and sent a message to Shi Fangxuan, thanking her for her help.

Shi Fangxuan didn’t reply, but Ruan Yang didn’t mind and put her phone back in her pocket.

Xu Zhiyi kept her eyes on the road, but she guessed Ruan Yang was messaging Shi Fangxuan.

“Is Aunt Ruan doing okay?”

This was the first time Ruan Yang had heard Xu Zhiyi refer to Ruan Qingyu that way. She couldn’t help glancing at Xu Zhiyi through the rearview mirror before nodding. “Yeah, she’s okay.”

At least she wasn’t as desperate as before.

After learning that Xu Rongjiang had treated her mother as a substitute, Ruan Yang admitted that, in her overwhelming anger, she might have made a rather extreme decision.

She had asked Shi Fangxuan to join them for a meal, knowing that Shi Fangxuan wouldn’t even need to say much Xu Rongjiang would feel compelled to prove his sincerity and reveal many of his true thoughts.

And she had wanted her mother to hear those words.

Those words had hurt Ruan Qingyu, but for now, the outcome seemed positive they had given Ruan Qingyu the resolve to leave Xu Rongjiang.

No matter how much Ruan Yang said, it wouldn’t have made a difference. Only by hearing it herself could Ruan Qingyu truly understand.

There was no denying that this move had hurt her mother, but Ruan Yang didn’t regret it. After so many years, Xu Rongjiang had never married Ruan Qingyu. Even without Shi Fangxuan, there would have been someone else eventually.

Xu Zhiyi understood her father’s nature even better than Ruan Yang. She said coldly, “As long as she’s okay.”

“And what about you?” Ruan Yang could tell Xu Zhiyi was in a low mood, likely due to her earlier conversation with Xu Rongjiang. She pressed further, “So what are you planning to do next?”

The mere thought of Xu Rongjiang’s demeanor made Xu Zhiyi frown in disgust. But she kept her thoughts to herself, pursing her lips as she replied, “I’m not sure yet. I’ll just take things one step at a time.”

Ruan Yang didn’t ask any more questions.

Leaning against the car window, she thought about Ruan Qingyu’s timid nature. Worried that Ruan Qingyu might change her mind overnight, Ruan Yang decided to arrange for someone to go to the Xu family tomorrow and pack up all of Ruan Qingyu’s belongings.

The thought of finally cutting all ties with the Xu family made Ruan Yang exhale softly in relief.

When they arrived at the film set, the two got out of the car and walked inside. As soon as they entered, a production assistant rushed over, stopping in front of Ruan Yang. “Director Ruan! You’re finally back!”

Seeing the assistant panting heavily, Ruan Yang paused and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“A girl showed up this afternoon saying she wanted to see you. She’s been waiting here for ages. I told her you were away on business, but she insisted on staying no matter what. Since she came with the director from the neighboring set, I didn’t dare to send her away, so I let her wait in the lounge. She said she wouldn’t leave until she saw you.”

“Someone’s looking for me?” Ruan Yang exchanged a glance with Xu Zhiyi before turning back to the assistant. “Alright, I understand. Thanks for your hard work. You can go ahead with your tasks, I’ll head to the lounge now.”

After the assistant left, noticing that Xu Zhiyi was still in low spirits, Ruan Yang suggested she return to her private dressing room while she went alone to see who the visitor was.

“I’ll come with you,” Xu Zhiyi said, fiddling with her car keys, which had a chibi-style keychain of herself dangling from them. “My scenes aren’t until tonight anyway, so I’m free right now.”

So the two walked toward the lounge together. When they were about ten meters away, Xu Zhiyi heard faint laughter. Recognizing whose voice it was, her lips tightened unconsciously.

She slowed her pace, watching as Ruan Yang pushed open the lounge door. The two people inside, who had been chatting, stopped at the sound and turned to look toward the entrance.

Cheng Jamu and Qu Shanshan seemed to be getting along well, both wearing bright smiles. As soon as Qu Shanshan spotted Ruan Yang, her smile widened even more. She quickly left Cheng Jamu’s side, rushed over, and linked arms with Ruan Yang.

“Senior!” She bent slightly, looking up at Ruan Yang with a beaming smile. The high ponytail at the back of her head swung with the movement, tracing a graceful arc. Her voice was sugary sweet. “Where have you been? You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting! What have you been up to instead of filming?”

Then, she noticed Xu Zhiyi standing beside Ruan Yang and greeted her cheerfully, “Good afternoon, Sister Zhiyi.”

Hearing Qu Shanshan’s coquettish tone toward Ruan Yang, the gloom on Xu Zhiyi’s face deepened further.

Her eyes fixed intently on Qu Shanshan’s arm linked with Ruan Yang’s, she offered a strained, tight-lipped smile and nodded.

Qu Shanshan only glanced at her before turning her gaze back to Ruan Yang’s face. Sensing that Ruan Yang wanted to pull her hand away, Qu Shanshan held on even tighter, pouting coquettishly, “Don’t you miss me, Senior? After all, we’ve acted together before. I’ve sent you so many messages, why haven’t you replied to even one?”

Ruan Yang instinctively glanced at Xu Zhiyi, only to meet her eyes, which held an ambiguous, unreadable smile.

Lowering her gaze, Ruan Yang was about to ask Qu Shanshan to let go when Qu Shanshan spoke again, “Senior, I came here to share some good news with you!”

“What good news?” Ruan Yang asked.

At this, Qu Shanshan released Ruan Yang’s arm, glanced at Xu Zhiyi, and then took hold of Ruan Yang’s wrist instead, pulling her into a corner of the lounge.

Xu Zhiyi’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly as she watched the two of them standing in the corner. Qu Shanshan, glowing with excitement, rose onto her tiptoes and leaned close to Ruan Yang’s ear, whispering a few words.

That alone might not have been a problem.

Xu Zhiyi initially thought nothing of it, but the next moment, she saw Ruan Yang turn her head and look back at Qu Shanshan.

A faint smile even appeared at the corner of Ruan Yang’s lips.

Snap. The chibi keychain in Xu Zhiyi’s hand broke in two.

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