“Moonlight Allure” - Chapter 6

Xiao Nianru’s gaze sharpened, a flicker of hope rising within her.

After all these years, is there finally someone else from the same place?

At that thought, her eyes softened. Jiang Xueyin’s heart surged with joy. Did Niannian remember what happened back then?

“I’m Jiang Xueyin, I.” She opened her mouth to confess, but she felt a sudden, suffocating pressure in her throat. The words she wanted to say were stuck, as if an invisible force was gagging her.

“What is it?” Seeing Jiang Xueyin’s face pale and her expression twist in distress, Xiao Nianru’s brow furrowed with concern. She handed her a thermos. “Take your time. Don’t rush. Have some water first.”

Jiang Xueyin took the cup cautiously, took a sip, and tried again. But she found that every time she attempted to explain she was a “transmigrator,” the words died in her throat. She could say her name, but anything that exposed her true identity was strictly forbidden by the world’s logic.

Without a definitive answer, the light in Xiao Nianru’s eyes dimmed. “I’m sorry. I, I must have misunderstood.”

Jiang Xueyin lowered her lashes in disappointment, biting her lip. She screwed the cap back onto the thermos and handed it back. She understood now; Xiao Nianru had noticed the difference between her and the original “scumbag

Alpha,” but she hadn’t recognized her as the girl from her past. The memories Jiang Xueyin cherished so deeply were, to the other woman, merely a trivial act of kindness long forgotten.

“Why are you apologizing?” Jiang Xueyin’s head drooped, her wavy dark hair veiling half her face. Her voice was thick with unspoken grief. “It’s not your fault.”

If only I hadn’t been so immersed in my own world back then. If only I had told her my name. If only the streetlights had been a little brighter, would she have remembered me?

She looked up, watching Xiao Nianru’s gentle profile. Now, she was so close that she could see the curve of her thick lashes. Lost in thought, she unconsciously leaned closer. To anyone looking through the car window, it would have looked like an intimate moment.

The warmth of her breath brushed against Xiao Nianru’s cheek. Xiao Nianru’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively pulled away.

Realizing what she’d done, Jiang Xueyin scrambled back, a flash of hurt in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“I understand you probably need time to adjust,” Xiao Nianru said, her gaze as gentle as ever, yet her words carried a new, clinical distance. “Moving forward, let’s not meet again until the day we finalize the papers.”

“Okay.” Jiang Xueyin felt a lump in her throat but forced a neutral expression.

“I’ll take you to your hotel.”

“Thank you,” Jiang Xueyin said dejectedly. “I’ll send you the location. Sorry for troubling you again.”

“It’s fine.” Xiao Nianru gripped the steering wheel. Her suspicion hadn’t faded. She asked tentatively, “Did you forget how to drive?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Xueyin admitted, looking at her expectantly. “Would you mind teaching me sometime?”

“Sorry, I’m going to be very busy.” Xiao Nianru declined politely, but her mind was now certain: something was definitely “wrong” with this Jiang Xueyin.

Jiang Xueyin stood at the hotel entrance, watching Xiao Nianru’s car vanish into the distance. Just then, her phone rang. She answered it as she walked toward her room. It was her Omega mother, Song Zhia.

“Hello?” Jiang Xueyin softened her voice as she stepped into the elevator.

“Are you at the point where you won’t even call me ‘Mom’ anymore?” the voice on the other end asked, sounding hurt.

Jiang Xueyin stared at her reflection in the elevator doors. She simply hadn’t adjusted to the idea of being this woman’s daughter yet. After a long silence, she took a breath. “I’m sorry. Is something wrong, Mom?”

“The internet says you’re getting a divorce. Is it true? Are you okay?” The maternal concern was unmistakable.

Since Li Han and Xu Wei already knew, Jiang Xueyin decided it was time to tell her parents. “Yes. We just signed the agreement today.”

She walked into her room and closed the door with a firm thud.

“Are you unhappy?” Song Zhia asked after a pause. “Come home. I’ll make that pickled fish you love.”

“Tomorrow. It’s too late tonight.” Jiang Xueyin paused. “Have you two eaten?”

In her memories, whenever Song Zhia called, her Alpha father, Jiang Tingshuo, was always present, listening in silence. They had supposedly doted on their youngest daughter but had been vehemently against her marriage to Xiao Nianru. The original host had run away and renounced her inheritance to be with her.

“We’ve eaten,” Song Zhia’s voice brightened at the concern. Then, she paused, likely prompted by her husband. “Why, why the divorce? Did she mistreat you?”

Jiang Xueyin sighed as she ordered room service on her other phone. “No. I’ll explain when I get home. It’s complicated.” She added firmly, “The reason for the divorce is me. Don’t make things hard for her, she’s a good person.”

A cold snort echoed from the background of the call.

“Fine. We’ll wait for you tomorrow,” Song Zhia said warmly.

Hanging up, Jiang Xueyin felt a sense of vertigo. In her real life, her father was a man of few words and her mother was overbearing; they fought every single day. One would use verbal abuse, the other would throw things. This new, protective family environment felt alien to her.

The next morning, Jiang Xueyin arrived at the family estate. The gates opened via facial recognition. The walk from the gate to the house was long, flanked by lush gardens, a garage, and storage buildings.

At the entrance to the inner courtyard, she stopped. The architecture was stunning—white walls, grey tiles, and wooden doors in a classic Suzhou style, complete with pavilions, flowing water, and bamboo groves.

A maid sweeping the courtyard looked up and smiled. “Young Miss is back? The Master and Madam are waiting for you in the dining room.”

“Thank you.” Jiang Xueyin took a deep breath.

If Xiao Nianru could sense a difference after three years, what about her own parents? If they realize I’m an imposter, what will happen to me?

With a racing heart, she walked through the villa to the dining room. She stopped at the threshold.

“Dad, Mom, I’m back.”