“Moonlight Allure” - Chapter 3

Xiao Nianru looked visibly relieved. “Go ahead. As long as it is within my power, I will grant it.”

“Can we add each other on WeChat?” Jiang Xueyin’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. She flashed a brilliant smile and placed her phone on the table, displaying her QR code.

Xiao Nianru froze for a moment. “I haven’t deleted your contact.”

“I know. But I want us both to have a brand-new life after the divorce. So, I got a new SIM card and a new account. From now on, reach me through this one.” Jiang Xueyin rested her chin in her hands, her gaze full of hope. “Is that okay?”

“That’s your only condition?” Xiao Nianru’s eyes were filled with astonishment.

“Then let me add one more!” Jiang Xueyin tapped her fingers rhythmically against the tabletop. “If I message you, please don’t ignore me, okay? You don’t have to reply instantly. Even if it takes three days and you just send a sticker, that’s enough.”

She just needed to know that Xiao Nianru still existed.

Xiao Nianru knit her brows in thought. The request wasn’t difficult, but it was a clear attempt to keep their ties from being completely severed.

“Am I asking for too much?” Jiang Xueyin lowered her gaze, her long lashes casting a shadow that masked her expression. “It’s okay. You don’t have to reply. Just let me see your Moments. My ‘likes’ won’t bother you, right?”

“No.” Xiao Nianru’s expression was unreadable as she scanned the code and sent a friend request.

A small smile played on Jiang Xueyin’s lips as she bowed her head to accept.

Her very first friend.

“Then that’s settled for the agreement, Attorney Xu.” Jiang Xueyin turned to the lawyer with a bright smile. “Thank you for your help.”

Attorney Xu nodded, jotting down notes. “One more thing, I’ll need an address to mail the finalized documents. Where are you both staying currently?”

After they both provided addresses, Jiang Xueyin naturally giving the villa’s location, Xiao Nianru corrected herself: “Just use the address she gave.”

“Understood.” Attorney Xu made the note. “They should arrive in about three days.”

“Thank you,” the two women said in perfect unison.

Attorney Xu raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that it was rare to see a couple so eager to give the other person everything during a divorce. They’ll probably end up remarried, he mused.

The three of them rose and left the room. Outside the firm, Xiao Nianru put on her face mask and stood beside Jiang Xueyin.

“Do you want to head back with me?” Jiang Xueyin asked tentatively.

“Sorry, I have things to take care of.” Xiao Nianru checked her phone, her voice gentle but firm. “I can’t drop you off. Can you make it back on your own?”

“Okay.” Jiang Xueyin lowered her head, looking dejected as she walked away alone.

Xiao Nianru watched her figure recede, feeling a sense of daze. Why does the Affection Rating only ever go up? Is the system truly malfunctioning?

Jiang Xueyin didn’t go back to the villa. Instead, she wandered aimlessly through a nearby mall. When her legs grew heavy, she found a place to sit, staring blankly at the profile picture of her only contact on WeChat.

Suddenly, a child tripped nearby, and the drink in his hand splashed all over Jiang Xueyin’s canvas shoes. She immediately felt the scalding heat through the fabric. As she frantically wiped it away with tissues, the child’s shrill crying pierced the air.

The sound triggered a sharp ringing in her ears, the memory of her parents’ piercing screams during their fights. Her breathing became ragged, like a drowning person gasping for air. Her phone was the only driftwood she had to hold onto.

“What’s wrong with you? My child fell and you won’t even apologize!” A female Beta screamed, pointing a finger at Jiang Xueyin.

Jiang Xueyin gripped her phone, suppressing her internal distress. She replied coldly, “He fell on his own and ruined my shoes. Since you’re the parent, you can pay for them. These cost thirty thousand.”

She had no idea how much the shoes cost, but she threw out a number to intimidate the woman.

“Bullsh*t!” The woman shrieked.

Jiang Xueyin let out a sharp, cold laugh. “Fine. I’ll call the police then, and we can check the surveillance footage together.”

The woman’s face paled. She tried to pull her child away, but Jiang Xueyin wasn’t feeling particularly magnanimous. She grabbed the child’s hand. “Apologize.”

The child burst into fresh wails of terror.

“He’s just a kid, it wasn’t on purpose! Why are you being so petty?” the mother yelled.

“Apologize or pay. Pick one,” Jiang Xueyin said, staring the child down.

“S-sorry,” the child stammered out.

Only then did Jiang Xueyin let go. The mother scooped up the child and fled.

Closing her eyes to catch her breath, Jiang Xueyin took a photo of her tea-stained shoes and sent it to Xiao Nianru: [Niannian, I’m so unlucky. Someone spilled milk tea on me, and then they tried to bully me.]

A moment later, Xiao Nianru replied: [Do you need Sister Li to go over and handle it for you?]

Li Han was a Beta and Xiao Nianru’s manager. She had always despised the original Alpha, looking at her like a pig that had made off with the finest cabbage. Because she had been with Xiao Nianru since they were nobodies, she was fiercely protective and occasionally cleaned up the Alpha’s messes.

Jiang Xueyin quickly replied: [No need to trouble her! It’s a small thing, I’ve already handled it. Are you busy, Niannian? Sorry for the interruption.]

Xiao Nianru didn’t reply again.

Jiang Xueyin cleaned up the spill on the floor herself before finding a bowl of noodles in the basement food court. Just as she finished eating, the original host’s phone rang. It was her brother, Jiang Jue.

She hesitated, recalling their relationship before answering. “Brother? What is it?”

“What did you do to Song Siyuan?” Jiang Jue asked, his tone laced with confusion. “His mother came to our house crying, saying you cost him his job. Weren’t you two on good terms? Did something happen?”

Jiang Xueyin’s voice turned icy. “He was disrespectful to Nianru. We had an argument, and he ran away when he couldn’t win. He brought it on himself; don’t pin this on me.”

She hadn’t even settled the score with Song Siyuan yet, and here he was, playing the victim. She wouldn’t let anyone who had hurt Xiao Nianru off the hook.

“Are things okay with your Omega?” Jiang Jue asked tentatively. “I saw some entertainment news online saying you were getting a divorce.”

Jiang Xueyin thought for a second. “Everything is fine. The news is fake.”

“That’s good,” Jiang Jue sighed with relief.

“Anything else?” Jiang Xueyin wiped her fingers, her voice flat.

There was a pause on the other end. “No.”

“I’m hanging up then.” She ended the call and tucked the old phone away, her expression grave.

In the original host’s memories, she had supposedly given up her inheritance for love. Yet, her brother sounded terrified of her getting a divorce. Jiang Xueyin had a gut feeling that this “brother” of hers wasn’t as simple as he seemed.

When she finally taxied back to the villa, the house was buzzing with activity. Auntie Zhao was cleaning, and Auntie Zhang was in the kitchen tossing out spoiled vegetables.

“Miss Jiang, what would you like for dinner?” Auntie Zhang asked. “I’m heading out to buy some fresh groceries.”

“Whatever you think is best,” Jiang Xueyin replied. She hesitated, then asked, “Is Nianru coming back tonight?”

Auntie Zhang looked puzzled. “Miss Xiao? She didn’t say anything to me.”

Due to the nature of her work, Xiao Nianru traveled frequently. She usually notified Jiang Xueyin before returning, who would then pass the word to Auntie Zhang.

“Has she told you anything about her future plans?” Jiang Xueyin asked, tracing the embossed pattern on her phone case. Her mind was already churning with possibilities.

Auntie Zhang answered honestly, “Miss Xiao rarely contacts me directly. If there’s something I need to know, her manager usually tells me.”

Jiang Xueyin hummed in response. “I don’t think anyone will be living in this villa much longer. I’ll ask her what she has planned for you both.” It was yet another excuse to talk to Xiao Nianru.

“Oh.” Auntie Zhang’s disappointment was palpable. This employer paid well above the market rate, but she didn’t dare pry. She remembered meeting the manager, Li Han, who had explicitly warned her: Don’t say what shouldn’t be said, and don’t look at what shouldn’t be seen.

Jiang Xueyin sat on the sofa and opened her chat with Xiao Nianru. She typed out: [After the divorce, what do you plan to do with the house we lived in? And what about Auntie Zhang and Auntie Zhao?]

Privately, she hoped Xiao Nianru would just sell the place and make a clean break from the “scumbag Alpha’s” shadow.

After a moment, her phone vibrated. Xiao Nianru replied: [Li Han will head over to handle it.]

Jiang Xueyin’s head drooped. It seemed the only time she would see Xiao Nianru in person would be the day they signed the final papers.

Xiao Nianru was currently in the middle of a commercial shoot. She stared at her phone screen, slightly dazed. She felt that Jiang Xueyin had changed, not just the Affection Rating, but her fundamental behavior. The old Jiang Xueyin never cared about the domestic staff, let alone their future employment.

And then there was the way she had treated her own cousin.

“Do you regret it?” Li Han walked over, seeing her staring blankly at the screen. Xiao Nianru had told her about the divorce just a few hours ago.

“No,” Xiao Nianru said softly. “But there’s something I need to trouble you with.”

“Sure, name it.”

By evening, Jiang Xueyin met Li Han at the villa. She looked behind the manager, her eyes dimming when she saw no one else followed.

“Disappointed to see me?” Li Han raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms as she sized up Jiang Xueyin.

“I knew you were coming,” Jiang Xueyin said quietly.

“Where are Zhang and Zhao?” Li Han asked, glancing around.

“Auntie Zhang is cooking; Auntie Zhao is upstairs cleaning.”

“Good.” Li Han called them both down to the living room. They appeared startled and anxious; Li Han never showed up unless something major was happening.

“No one will likely be living in this villa anymore, but it still needs to be cleaned and maintained,” Li Han said, placing two contracts on the table. “Look these over. If you can accept the terms, you can stay on.”

Jiang Xueyin looked up sharply. Xiao Nianru isn’t selling the villa?

“The conditions aren’t as generous as before, but the workload is significantly lighter. If things change again, I’ll let you know in advance. Take your time to consider it,” Li Han told the staff.

Auntie Zhao smiled immediately. “I have no problem with this. These terms are still excellent.”

Auntie Zhang hesitated. “Are Miss Jiang and Miss Xiao moving somewhere else together?”

“They’re getting divorced,” Li Han stated flatly.

Jiang Xueyin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The news was out; soon, everyone would know. The thought of her legal bond with Xiao Nianru dissolving sent a sharp, agonizing spasm through her heart.

“I see.” Auntie Zhang murmured. “Will anyone ever come back? If someone returns, I can still cook.” To her, this was still a dream job.

“Likely not. Think about it and give me an answer tomorrow.” Li Han turned to leave.

“How is Niannian?” Jiang Xueyin called out.

“How do you think?” Li Han scoffed. “Did you expect her to be in a trance or breaking down in tears over you? She’s a rational woman. You’d be doing her a favor by not bothering her again.”

“I’m sorry,” Jiang Xueyin said earnestly. “For all the trouble I caused you both in the past.”

Li Han blinked, caught off guard. Jiang Xueyin’s attitude toward her had always been dismissive or hostile. Now, she felt like a different person entirely.

She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Whatever. Since you’re divorcing anyway, just make sure you cooperate with the PR team when the time comes. Got it?”

“I understand,” Jiang Xueyin nodded. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”

Li Han gave her a look of pure bewilderment. “Sorry, I’m busy.”

Jiang Xueyin watched her go. She remembered from the novel that Li Han was genuinely devoted to Xiao Nianru. She only targeted those who were bad for her star. If I treat Niannian well, Jiang Xueyin thought, perhaps Li Han will eventually tolerate me too.

The next day, the divorce papers arrived. Jiang Xueyin messaged Xiao Nianru immediately to let her know both copies were in hand.

Xiao Nianru replied: [Wait for me. I’ll be there in an hour.]

Jiang Xueyin sat on the sofa, waiting in the heavy silence of the villa.

An hour passed. Two. There was still no sign of Xiao Nianru at the door. A flicker of worry appeared in Jiang Xueyin’s eyes. Something is wrong. She’s never late like this.