My Ex’s White Moonlight Omega Has a Crush on Me - Chapter 22

Chao Wan woke up again, the next day nearing noon.

The sun outside the window emitted a gentle warmth, and through the fabric curtains, everything outside appeared hazy and indistinct.

Her body felt somewhat sore and weak. She pushed aside the covers and rubbed her eyes.

Surveying her surroundings, the decor was entirely unfamiliar, nothing like the small bedroom in her uncle’s house.

Glancing down, she noticed a soft fur shawl beside the pillow, seemingly clutched in her arms all night, now wrinkled.

A chill instantly ran down her spine.

Where was this…?

Without bothering to put on slippers, Chao Wan scrambled out of bed, her bare feet meeting the smooth floor as she rushed toward the door.

The layout remained exactly as it had been on the night Ji Tanyue brought her here.

She was in that cold, once-locked villa.

Her heart raced wildly, a mist clouding her eyes as she desperately twisted the doorknob.

Unexpectedly, the door wasn’t locked and opened easily.

Chao Wan stood frozen in the doorway.

After a moment’s thought, she took a few steps forward and peered downstairs from where she stood.

No one was there, but the long dining table was still laden with food, covered with exquisite carved domes.

Ji Tanyue was absent, and there was no one else.

It seemed she was alone in this house.

The tiled floor of the hallway was cold, the chill rising from her feet gradually spreading through her body, even slowing her heartbeat.

It seemed she had been locked away again.

Scenes from the previous night flashed before her eyes: the humiliating drinking in the private room, the intimate entanglement in the cramped backseat of the car, and the lingering cool, rich floral scent in the air.

Dazed, Chao Wan walked back to her room and entered the bathroom, facing the mirror.

Large marks and bite impressions on her neck had yet to fade.

None of it had been a dream.

Ji Tanyue had brought her back here.

Moreover, she was certain Ji Tanyue wouldn’t let her find the keys easily again. When she had stepped out earlier, the gray-and-white-toned bedroom had been tightly shut.

The cage door was locked, and there was no escape.

Suddenly, that elusive, icy voice echoed in her mind once more.

[Task issued now: Enter the cage.]

It was the “Wanwan, Not Like Her” system.

Chao Wan held her breath and waited quietly.

But after that, there were no further prompts.

“……?”

Utterly bewildered, she bit her lip in frustration.

Was it glitching?

Yet, it seemed… she was already in the cage.

Every minute and second trapped in this villa should count toward completing the task.

Her heart filled with confusion and a hint of despondency, Chao Wan sat on the bed.

After a dazed moment, she remembered to check her phone for messages.

Surprisingly, the female agent who had taken her to the drinking party the previous night had sent over a dozen messages. Opening them, she found most were apologies, phrased humbly and cautiously.

The latest message was a scanned document.

It was a statement announcing Chao Wan’s early termination of her contract with her current agency.

[Miss Chao, you are now a free agent.]

Chao Wan pressed her lips together, never expecting the situation to unfold this way.

[Why?] she typed.

She had intended to ask about the breach of contract penalty, but as soon as she sent the message, a red exclamation mark abruptly appeared in the chat window.

She had been deleted by the agent.

It was as if the agent was desperate to sever ties with her, avoiding her at all costs.

Chao Wan stared blankly for a while before exiting the interface.

Could it be… Ji Tanyue’s doing?

She scrolled through her message list again and, sure enough, there was a message from “y.”

[Woke up and went to eat.] Just a simple sentence.

Chao Wan scrolled up further.

Only then did she realize that Ji Tanyue had actually sent her another message before that drinking dinner.

No wonder the woman had been able to find the hotel and rescue her from that wretched situation.

Chao Wan lowered her head, her thoughts unclear.

Contradictory emotions nearly overwhelmed her entirely.

She had been rescued too many times, so as payment, she was once again confined here by Ji Tanyue, wasn’t she?

The discomfort from the hangover slowly crept in, and her stomach felt uneasy.

Chao Wan had no choice but to slip on her slippers and go downstairs for breakfast.

Everything was exactly the same as that day: the meal was steaming with warmth, and a phone was placed nearby to contact the housekeeper.

Only this time, there were a few additional white contract papers beside it.

Chao Wan had little appetite. After tasting a few spoonfuls of porridge, she set down the bowl and turned her attention to the contract beside her.

The Party B was herself, while the Party A was… Sijin Media.

The name was unfamiliar.

In fact, before her rebirth, aside from having some understanding of Qin Siyu’s company, Chao Wan didn’t know much about other talent agencies in the industry.

She searched online and, as if seeing something, slightly parted her lips.

She hadn’t found any information about the company, but she did spot her own name in a few recently posted marketing articles.

“Chao Wan,”

“Sijin.”

“Is Sijin adding fresh talent? Possibly the understated beauty seen dining with Ji Tanyue the other day.”

Reading further, sure enough, Sijin was indeed Ji Tanyue’s current agency.

Chao Wan put down her phone, feeling at a loss.

No wonder the female agent earlier had been so evasive.

But why did Ji Tanyue want to sign her? And why so blatantly leave the contract here for her to see…

Chao Wan was almost certain that, just like her relationship with Qin Siyu in her previous life, Ji Tanyue was offering her a sweet deal to lure her obediently into the cage.

She bit her lip tightly, wanting to message Ji Tanyue and ask for clarification.

But as she opened the chat window, she felt a wave of timidity.

Chao Wan hesitantly turned off the screen and, at a glance, noticed the phone on the table meant for contacting the housekeeper. Biting her lip, she picked it up and dialed the only unfamiliar number in the contacts list.

After two rings, the call was quickly answered.

“Miss Chao, hello,” a calm female voice said. “How may I assist you?”

“Hello, when will Ji… Ji Tanyue return?” Chao Wan carefully chose her words. “And about the contract…”

Although she had never met the person on the other end, she had to take a chance.

The reply came swiftly, with no extra words: “Ms. Ji is expected to arrive around 10 p.m. She will personally explain the contract matters to you.”

All the questions in Chao Wan’s heart were stifled. After a long pause, she asked, “Can I go home?”

She didn’t want to stay alone in this vast, empty villa.

Silence from the other end.

Chao Wan waited for a long time, so long that she thought the call had been disconnected.

But the call duration was still ticking.

Biting her lip, she asked again, but the housekeeper on the other end still didn’t respond.

It seemed the answer was no.

Feeling dejected, Chao Wan softly said “thank you” and hung up.

After finishing her meal, she sat stiffly on the living room sofa, not even daring to look around.

She had been here once before and knew very well that the place was filled with surveillance cameras.

Thinking of the surveillance footage Ji Tanyue had sent her before, Chao Wan felt a wave of panic. She lowered her head, using her hair to cover her face.

She could no longer guess what Ji Tanyue would say to her when she returned in the evening, nor could she imagine how things would unfold next.

Moreover, she had no clue whatsoever about the “Caged” mission the system had just mentioned.

All she could do was take one step at a time.

…

Ji Tanyue did not return at 10 p.m. as the butler had said.

She arrived early.

She was two or three hours ahead of schedule, carrying a bag from which a tantalizing aroma wafted slowly.

It was dinner.

Chao Wan didn’t have much of an appetite.

Her appetite had always been small, and the anxiety of waiting all day had left her unable to eat. She hadn’t even touched much of her lunch and had long passed the point of hunger.

The desperate desire to leave this place had emboldened her considerably. Chao Wan walked slowly to the entrance, watching as the woman bent down to change her shoes with an exceptionally graceful and unhurried motion.

“Ms. Ji,” she called softly.

Ji Tanyue straightened up, her eyes reflecting Chao Wan’s slightly flustered expression.

Soon, she noticed the contract on the table that had been moved, as well as the largely untouched meal.

Chao Wan pursed her lips, suppressing her nervousness, and whispered, “I…”

“Let’s eat first,” Ji Tanyue said, stepping past her.

For some reason, her voice sounded somewhat cold.

Chao Wan’s heart inexplicably tightened.

She turned to watch the woman’s retreating figure, catching a trace of somberness in her demeanor.

Was Ji Tanyue upset that she hadn’t eaten properly and hadn’t obeyed?