Always Chasing My White Moonlight Omega - Chapter 64

After wrapping up work for the day, Ruan Yang returned to her hotel room and looked up the price of the camera lens set online. She intended to transfer the amount, based on the official website’s price, to Qu Shanshan.

But soon, she realized she didn’t have Qu Shanshan’s WeChat. She dug out Qu Shanshan’s phone number and searched using it, quickly finding an account.

She sent a friend request, and the other party accepted almost immediately.

A message followed: [Senior Ruan Yang?!!]

It was accompanied by a cheering sticker.

Seeing that sticker, Ruan Yang knew she hadn’t added the wrong person.

She sent Qu Shanshan the official price plus a little extra, along with a thank-you message, framing it as compensation for helping her make the purchase.

In an instant, the gift had been reframed as a favor Qu Shanshan had done for her.

She had indeed been eyeing that lens set for a long time, but it had been out of stock, making it impossible to buy.

Qu Shanshan seemed unsure how to respond. After a long pause, she replied with only a “You’re welcome.”

She didn’t accept the transfer.

Ruan Yang said, “Please don’t send gifts like this again.” Qu Shanshan replied quickly, asking, [Why?]

There was no sticker this time, but Ruan Yang seemed to sense something in those three words. After a moment’s thought, she replied, [I haven’t done anything to deserve your thanks or gifts.]

Though unsure if she was overthinking it, she added, [I can’t accept such an expensive gift from you.]

She didn’t know why Qu Shanshan had suddenly sent it, but there was no denying that the gift had struck a chord with her.

Still, she couldn’t accept the lens set as a gift. In her view, she and Qu Shanshan weren’t close enough for such an expensive present.

This time, Qu Shanshan didn’t reply.

Ruan Yang busied herself with work and didn’t check her phone again. It wasn’t until the next afternoon that she remembered the matter and saw Qu Shanshan still hadn’t accepted the transfer.

Just then, the assistant director approached, holding a cup of milk tea, which he placed beside her.

“What’s this?” Ruan Yang frowned, noticing the assistant director’s meaningful smile.

“Shanshan asked me to give this to you.” The assistant director, more than a decade older than Ruan Yang, spoke with a paternal tone. “Director, I think Shanshan’s a good match for you. Are you two getting together?”

“No,” Ruan Yang replied coldly, not even glancing at the milk tea. “Why would you think that?”

“It’s not just me, Director,” the assistant director said suggestively. “We all think you and Shanshan would make a great couple.”

Qu Shanshan was filming in the neighboring crew. Despite belonging to another production, she frequently visited their set and often brought them snacks.

In just a few days, she had become familiar with the entire crew and built a good rapport with everyone.

Though they didn’t know much about her background, the fact that she, a college student yet to graduate had landed the female lead role in Director Wu Jun’s film so soon after entering the industry suggested her connections ran deeper than they imagined.

Moreover, it’s said that one of her short films this year was nominated for an industry-leading award. Director Wu Jun also seems to treat her well showing her some favor, offering small gestures of help, and sending Ruan Yang gifts. Building a good relationship with her certainly can’t hurt.

Being young, the girl wears her feelings for their director on her sleeve. Whenever she comes around, her eyes are practically glued to him.

Thinking of this, the assistant director couldn’t help but speak up for her again: “You know, this Shanshan may be young, but she’s genuinely thoughtful toward you. I often see her asking people in our crew about your preferences. Someone even spotted her going to Zhiyi to ask about you recently. You really should treat her a little better.”

“Zhiyi?” Ruan Yang abruptly looked up, a flicker of emotion in her eyes, and repeated, “She went to Zhiyi too?”

“That’s right,” the assistant director, thinking he had swayed Ruan Yang, lowered his voice and spoke candidly, “Director, I know you worked hard to get into Runying and become our director. We can all see your talent. But in this industry, does talent alone guarantee success? You know better than any of us what kind of background Qu Shanshan has. If you seize this opportunity, your future, tsk, who knows how many years of struggle you could skip.”

Ruan Yang had no patience for such talk and had no need for the so-called “opportunity” the assistant director mentioned. Lost in thought, she recalled the set of lenses she received yesterday and the strange look Xu Zhiyi gave when she saw them.

In that instant, it felt as though a tangled knot in her mind suddenly came undone.

She let out a quiet laugh, picked up the milk tea, stood, and placed it back into the assistant director’s hands.

“I don’t want it. You have it.”

With that, she walked away.

By evening, as they were wrapping up, Xu Zhiyi was about to leave when she opened the door and found Qu Shanshan standing outside, looking somewhat aggrieved.

“Zhiyi-jie,” Qu Shanshan pouted, clearly upset.

At the sight of her, Xu Zhiyi’s first instinct was to shut the door.

Whenever Qu Shanshan appeared, Xu Zhiyi couldn’t help but feel irritated. No matter how hard she tried to suppress the feeling, it was useless.

But in the end, she didn’t close the door.

She forced a smile and said, “What’s wrong? Come in and talk.”

She stepped aside to let Qu Shanshan enter.

As soon as she came in, Qu Shanshan slumped into a chair by the table, resting her head dejectedly on her arms.

Seeing her like this, Xu Zhiyi felt a slight lift in her mood. She sat down nearby and, though she already guessed it was about Ruan Yang, softly asked, “What happened? Did someone bully you?”

“Zhiyi-jie,” Qu Shanshan mumbled, her ears drooping as she looked at Xu Zhiyi with a mix of sadness and frustration. The memory of Ruan Yang transferring money to her made her voice sound defeated. “I’ve been trying so hard for days, but Senior Ruan Yang doesn’t seem to have any idea what I’m doing.”

It was as if her senior couldn’t tell she was trying to pursue her.

Xu Zhiyi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“Yeah,” Qu Shanshan sighed. “Is what I’m doing really that subtle? Or should I be even more obvious about it?”

After thinking about Ruan Yang’s reactions, Xu Zhiyi believed that Ruan Yang wasn’t so clueless about emotions that she couldn’t discern Qu Shanshan’s intentions.

Xu Zhiyi’s mood improved slightly. She poured herself a glass of water and remained silent.

But before her good mood could last long, Qu Shanshan suddenly looked up, her eyes even more determined than before. “I’ve made up my mind, Sister Zhiyi!”

Xu Zhiyi’s grip on the cup tightened. She had a feeling that what Qu Shanshan was about to say next would not be something she wanted to hear.

Sure enough, the next moment, Qu Shanshan slapped the table and pumped her fist to psych herself up. “I’m going to confess to Senior directly.”

If she continued tiptoeing around like this, no matter how much time passed, Senior probably still wouldn’t notice. It would be better to take the initiative maybe that would increase her chances a little.

Because Xu Zhiyi had previously told her about Ruan Yang’s hobbies, and the gifts she gave were indeed quite liked by Senior, Qu Shanshan subconsciously placed Xu Zhiyi on the same side as herself.

She looked pitifully at Xu Zhiyi. “Sister Zhiyi, could you tell me what Senior Ruan Yang usually likes to eat?”

To be honest, Xu Zhiyi didn’t want to answer this question.

But as she followed Qu Shanshan’s line of thought, she was surprised to realize that Ruan Yang’s preferences in food were almost as elusive as her usual interests there was simply nothing discernible.

Whenever they ate together, Ruan Yang would just eat whatever Xu Zhiyi ate.

It seemed like she wasn’t picky, but also like she didn’t particularly enjoy anything.

It was at this moment that Xu Zhiyi suddenly woke up to the fact that her understanding of Ruan Yang wasn’t much greater than Qu Shanshan’s.

“I plan to confess to Senior in a few days,” Qu Shanshan suddenly declared. “I can’t wait any longer. I want to pursue Senior openly and honestly.”

She was never afraid of hitting a wall.

Being unable to express her feelings to the one she loved was an unbearable, heart-wrenching experience for her. On many nights in the film studio, she would gaze out the window at the bright city lights, pretending she was looking into Ruan Yang’s eyes.

She had to tell Ruan Yang all of this.

Perhaps sensing some of Qu Shanshan’s determination, the insincere smile on Xu Zhiyi’s lips grew even stiffer and slowly faded away.

Only when the smile had completely vanished did she turn her head and begin to scrutinize Qu Shanshan seriously.

Because Qu Shanshan was younger, she possessed greater mental strength and courage more fearless in the face of failure.

It seemed like someone like her would be a better match for Ruan Yang.

In contrast, because of her own unspeakable past with Ruan Yang, Xu Zhiyi’s feelings had been shrouded in darkness from the very beginning.

But Xu Zhiyi was not destined to be so noble. The petty thoughts in her heart grew increasingly intense. One part of her urged herself not to speak, not to help Qu Shanshan.

Another part whispered, “Just tell her. Let her confess to Ruan Yang. That way, she’ll fail, she’ll retreat, and she’ll learn not to be so sincere with people.”

But after struggling for a long time, she finally lowered her head gently and let out a silent sigh.

In the end, she still told the truth.

“I’m not entirely sure what Ruan Yang likes to eat either, but she often eats spicy food with me, and it seems she doesn’t dislike it.”

“Spicy?” Qu Shanshan’s eyes lit up, clearly delighted. “Okay, I’ll remember that. Thank you, Sister Zhiyi!”

As she expressed her gratitude, she happened to catch Xu Zhiyi’s slightly lowered gaze.

Under the light, it carried a hint of loneliness, inexplicably evoking a deep sense of pity.

Qu Shanshan couldn’t help but stare for a few seconds. She thought, Sister Zhiyi’s eyes are so expressive, while Senior Ruan Yang always seems so aloof.

The two of them really don’t seem like sisters.

“Mhm.” Xu Zhiyi lifted her head and nodded expressionlessly.

Qu Shanshan, however, assumed Xu Zhiyi was tired. Glancing at the time, she realized it was indeed a bit late. She quickly stood up. “Then I’ll trouble you, Sister Zhiyi. I’ll go back and think about what to do. I won’t disturb your rest any longer.”

With that, Qu Shanshan hurried toward the door. She left so quickly that she didn’t notice how, after she turned away, Xu Zhiyi tightly closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling faintly.

It was unclear how much time had passed when Jiang Jiang came to the lounge looking for her. “Sister Zhiyi? It’s time to go. We should head back now.”

There was no response for a long while.

Jiang Jiang pushed the door open and immediately spotted Xu Zhiyi sitting at the table, lost in thought as she stared ahead.

“Sister Zhiyi?” she called again.

“Jiang Jiang,” Xu Zhiyi spoke softly, “tell me, if there’s something you’re absolutely certain of, but someone else suddenly sets their sights on it too, what should I do?”

“Huh?” Jiang Jiang was a bit confused. She mulled over the question again, unable to fathom that her Sister Zhiyi would ask something like this. She replied, “In my impression, Sister Zhiyi has always been able to get whatever she wants.”

That’s right her Sister Zhiyi had always been that confident.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you ask a question like this, Sister Zhiyi,” Jiang Jiang murmured by the door, “It’s just not like you.”

After hearing Jiang Jiang’s words, Xu Zhiyi fell silent for a long time. The uncertainty on her face finally gave way to a faint smile.

“You’re right,” she said, raising her hand to touch her earlobe the very spot Ruan Yang had pinched a few days earlier.

She pressed it gently a couple of times.

“What I want,” she declared, “should be mine.”

Hesitating like this that wasn’t her at all.

Support