Moonlight Allure - Chapter 26

Just as Jiang Xueyin lowered her head to smooth out the hem of her dress, her mind racing with unease, Jiang Tingshuo suddenly whipped around from the front seat. “You still have the heart to worry about your dress?”

She looked up. Jiang Tingshuo’s expression was darker and more severe than she had ever seen it. Her hand, clutching her skirt, froze in mid-air.

Then came the barrage of criticism: “What on earth were you thinking? Going to a place like that? And causing such a massive scene? Can’t you just behave for once? Dealing with the Sheng family is hard enough, and now the Lis and the Lins are ready to come for our throats! Jiang Xueyin, you really outdid yourself. Do you have any idea how many powerful elites were on that ship? How dare you?”

“What?” Jiang Xueyin dazed for a moment, her face full of confusion. “But I only did what was right. Those people, shouldn’t they be in prison for what they did?”

When she had sent Song Siyuan to prison previously, her father hadn’t reacted like this at all.

Outside, the bodyguards had already closed the car doors, leaving only the three of them inside. Jiang Jue sat on the other side in stony silence, his lips pressed thin, his expression unreadable in profile.

Jiang Tingshuo let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Prison, ha! Do you have any idea how deeply the Lin family is entwined with the military district? Lin Shan has an Omega sister married to the General Secretary of the Military Alliance! Lin Shan didn’t seize power just because of her business acumen, it’s because she has her brother-in-law’s backing!”

In the world of this novel, while national borders existed, they were largely symbolic. The highest jurisdiction belonged to the Military Alliance.

The female lead, Ruan Mingyue, had climbed her way up step by step to become a captain of the criminal investigation team through sheer grit, while the other lead, Qiao Wanyi, was a forensic doctor whose mother held her own ground within the military. It had taken the combined efforts of many to root out the “termite” in the police department and that termite was the very same General Secretary who was in league with the families.

Jiang Xueyin’s chaotic thoughts suddenly snapped into place. The timeline of the original novel became clear: the police mole, the General Secretary, and Lin Shan—it was all connected.

“Even if Lin Shan stays in prison, she’ll treat it like a five-star hotel! You think you’re upholding justice? Ridiculous! Those people being auctioned, what does their life or death have to do with you? Who gave you the right to play the savior?” Jiang Tingshuo’s eyes burned with an irrepressible fury.

Jiang Xueyin snapped back to reality, her eyes widening as she stared at him in disbelief. She opened her mouth, but her thoughts were a tangled mess. She couldn’t understand why the father who had seemed strict yet kind was now so chillingly indifferent, as if the people being sold weren’t human beings at all.

“Dad, it’s my fault. I thought Xiao Xue was just going out for fun; I didn’t expect her to cause such a disaster. I should take half the responsibility,” Jiang Jue said with a bow of his head.

“Yes, you gave her the invitation. You’ll handle the fallout,” Jiang Tingshuo barked. “Apologize to whoever needs an apology, suppress whatever needs to be suppressed. In short, this must not blow up!”

Jiang Xueyin looked at the two of them. They were sitting so close, yet their hearts felt worlds apart. At this moment, she finally understood what that “void” she felt when she first “came home” was. It was the fragility of their affection.

In the capital’s Four Great Families, interests came first. Affection only existed on the condition that it didn’t damage the bottom line. She could feel their protectiveness toward the “original” Jiang Xueyin, but she was never that person.

She was just a Beta who was as ordinary as could be. She couldn’t adopt the Jiang family perspective or look at human lives as mere assets.

In their eyes, she had originally been an ant just like those “auction items”—something to be walked around when they were in a good mood, and crushed without thought when they weren’t.

Jiang Xueyin’s expression dimmed instantly. The joy of having saved someone vanished, replaced by a bone-deep chill.

Jiang Tingshuo glared at her. “You stay at home and reflect. You aren’t allowed to go anywhere!”

Jiang Xueyin didn’t reply. She watched the scenery blur past the window and caught a glimpse of Xiao Nianru helping Xiao Qingyu into a car. A small, forced smile touched her lips.

At least I managed to do one thing right. Xiao Nianru would be happy, wouldn’t she?

Back at the house, the family sat through a dinner of superficial peace. No one mentioned the cruise. Afterward, Jiang Xueyin retreated to her room and messaged Xiao Nianru.

Jiang Xueyin: Did you get home safely?

Xiao Nianru: Yes. Thank you for today.

Jiang Xueyin: Can we meet tomorrow? To talk about your sister.

Xiao Nianru: Okay.

Jiang Xueyin clutched her phone to her chest, a small smile playing on her lips. Then, a knock sounded at the door. She composed herself and opened it to find her mother, Song Zhiya.

“Mom, is something wrong?” It was rare for Song Zhiya to visit her at night.

Song Zhiya sighed heavily. “A little.”

“Come in, then.” Jiang Xueyin invited her in and poured her a glass of warm water.

Song Zhiya sat on the sofa, took the glass, and sighed again. “Xiao Xue, you’re twenty-four. You’re not a child anymore. You need to think clearly and stop being so willful. Your father is beyond furious. Go and apologize to him.”

“Apologize?” Jiang Xueyin felt like a field of dry grass catching fire. Her eyes flashed with anger. “For what? What exactly did I do wrong?”

Even if she had remembered the novel’s timeline from the start, she would have saved those people without hesitation. She couldn’t stand by and watch people die. Even if the rest of the world saw her as a madwoman who betrayed her family and her class, she would still choose to save them.

“We supported you when you didn’t want to work for the company, when you wanted to study directing and open a studio. But as a child of the Jiang family, shouldn’t you consider us as well?” Song Zhiya’s tone was level.

Jiang Xueyin’s gaze flickered with deep disappointment. “So, morality doesn’t matter, but interests do. Is that it?”

“It’s not quite like that,” Song Zhiya said, choosing her words carefully. “You have a kind heart, and that makes me happy. But there are some things you just shouldn’t get involved in. There’s too much of it in the world; you can’t fix it all.”

“Meaning you want me to be a cold-blooded bystander? I can’t do that.” Jiang Xueyin closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

“Xiao Xue.” Song Zhiya sounded helpless.

Jiang Xueyin’s lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes to look at her mother. “I am not in the wrong.”

Song Zhiya sighed, gave up on persuading her, and left the room.

The next day, Jiang Xueyin realized that “reflecting at home” actually meant house arrest.

She had an appointment to keep, so she had dressed up carefully in a light blue mermaid skirt, a lavender-scented patch on her neck, and a high-quality pearl necklace. She grabbed her bag, ready to leave.

But she was stopped by Jiang Tingshuo, who was sitting on the sofa. “Where do you think you’re going? Didn’t I tell you to reflect at home?”

His gaze carried the overwhelming pressure of someone used to being in power, and the coldness in his eyes was like a turbulent tide.