My 'White Moonlight' First Love Came Back, but I Don't Love her Anymore - Chapter 1

Night at Shangxitang was a spectacle of vibrant, multicolored lights. On the dance floor, bodies swayed with abandon, seemingly shutting out every worldly worry. The scent of perfume mingled with the heavy aroma of alcohol in the air, while soft laughter and whispered conversations interwove into a restless hum. Under the dim, hazy lights, the constraints of time were easily forgotten.

In the VIP booth area, Zhou Wanyan leaned against the soft, delicate fabric of the sofa. Her gaze was fixed on a woman center stage, dancing fervently in a form-fitting, fiery red miniskirt.

“No way, Zhou Wanyan. You’ve been staring at that girl since the moment we walked in. Aren’t you afraid your girlfriend will find out?”

“She is my girlfriend.”

“What?”

Gao Yao looked at Zhou Wanyan in utter disbelief. She would rather believe she had misheard than accept that Wanyan was telling the truth. She had seen photos of Wanyan’s girlfriend on her phone before; she looked like the quintessential “good girl” type. How could she be this provocative?

Gao Yao couldn’t help but sigh. “I never would have guessed you liked this type.”

Zhou Wanyan withdrew her gaze. Her fingertips traced the rim of her glass slowly, as if she were burdened by endless thoughts. She then drained the glass in one gulp, the faint burn of the alcohol spreading down her throat and into her stomach.

She didn’t know what had happened to Yan Jiuqing lately. It was as if she had become a completely different person. Every night, she came here to drink, deliberately trying to keep it a secret. Worried, Wanyan followed her every day, watching over her in silence.

Gao Yao suddenly burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Who else has your level of patience?”

“Your girlfriend is dancing on stage in a skirt that short. Aren’t you afraid someone’s going to ‘steal your home’ in a couple of days? Besides, look at the way the people below the stage are looking at her. They look like they want to devour her.”

Zhou Wanyan asked quietly, “Then what do you think I should do?”

Gao Yao thought for a moment. “First of all, it’s fine if she wants to drink, but why hide it from you? You need to figure that out. Secondly, can you actually accept her acting like this?”

Wanyan’s brow furrowed, and her clear eyes, usually as calm as water, were tinged with sorrow. “I can’t.”

Gao Yao looked at her with a “tough love” expression. “Then go and ask her. You clearly haven’t had enough experience in relationships. Look at Luo Yuening; she’s already had several rumored girlfriends.”

Luo Yuening?

It had been a long time since she had heard that name.

“How has she been lately?” Wanyan asked.

“Her? She’s doing great,” Gao Yao replied. Then, as if remembering something, she added, “Weren’t you two inseparable in high school? You even went to the same university. Logically, you should know more than I do. How is it that I, someone who just returned to the country, know more than you?”

Wanyan gazed into the distance, her pupils shimmering with a faint, ghostly light. Even now, those words echoed in her ears: “I never want to be friends with Zhou Wanyan ever again.”

“Hey, why are you spacing out? Yan Jiuqing is coming down from the stage.”

Wanyan’s thoughts snapped back to reality. She followed Gao Yao’s gaze and saw Yan Jiuqing stepping off the stage, walking straight toward the booth next to theirs.

“Sister Yan, come quickly! This glass is for you, you have to drink the whole thing!”

“I’m not drinking today. Don’t call me out anymore in the future,” Yan Jiuqing said as she put on her coat, grabbed her bag, and prepared to leave.

“What’s wrong? Did your partner say something to you, Sister Yan?”

“No, it’s just that I don’t want to be depressed anymore. I want to make things right with Zhou Wanyan.”

“Sister Yan, are you really in love with Zhou Wanyan?”

Yan Jiuqing replied without a hint of hesitation, her tone carrying a trace of sweetness. “I am.”

As the words left her mouth, the phone in her hand vibrated. She looked down at the screen. [I miss you. Let’s meet.]

Inside the Car

“Is there really a need to be in such a hurry?” Gao Yao asked.

Zhou Wanyan smiled. “You wouldn’t understand the feeling.” She had heard the conviction in Yan Jiuqing’s voice.

Gao Yao curled her lip. “Driver, please go a bit faster. By the way, what have you been busy with lately?”

“Writing the theme song for a TV drama,” Wanyan replied.

Gao Yao raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Why haven’t you moved to the front of the camera? You have such great looks; you should learn to use them. That way, you’d stop being the type whose ‘songs are famous but the person isn’t.'”

Wanyan looked at the changing scenery outside, her voice soft. “My ambitions aren’t that high. Receiving some copyright royalties every year is enough for me.”

“In that regard, you’re not nearly as ambitious as Luo Yuening,” Gao Yao remarked.

Wanyan’s brow twitched. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned her today.”

Gao Yao sighed silently. She truly felt a sense of sorrow for Luo Yuening.

Zhou Wanyan returned to the apartment she shared with Yan Jiuqing. After washing up, she sat on the sofa waiting for her. Yan Jiuqing once said she was afraid of the dark, so every day since they moved in together, Wanyan would leave a light on for her.

She waited and waited, flipping through book after book, but the person she longed for did not return. Fearing Yan Jiuqing might be in danger, she dialed the top contact in her phone.

“The number you have dialed is powered off—”

Powered off?

Wanyan grabbed her coat from the rack, intending to head out. Just then, the sound of the fingerprint lock echoed from the door.

“Yanyan, where are you going?” Yan Jiuqing stood at the door, looking bewildered.

Wanyan breathed a silent sigh of relief. “I called you and it said your phone was off. I was worried, so I was going to go look for you.”

Yan Jiuqing stepped into her slippers and threw herself into Wanyan’s arms, her voice soft. “My phone ran out of battery. I was working overtime at the company, and a driver brought me home. Don’t worry about me.”

The light in Wanyan’s eyes dimmed slightly. “Your company has been quite busy lately.”

Yan Jiuqing huddled in Wanyan’s embrace. “Yes, a top artist is threatening to terminate their contract. But once this period is over, I can spend more time with you.”

“Then I’ll go to work with you tomorrow,” Wanyan offered.

Yan Jiuqing pulled back, acting considerate. “No need, Yanyan. You should stay home and focus on your songwriting. I can handle the company side; everything should be resolved by tomorrow.”

Wanyan looked down at Yan Jiuqing, her words caught in her throat. Sensing the shift in Wanyan’s mood, Yan Jiuqing didn’t want her to overthink. She hooked her arms around Wanyan’s neck, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed her.

Wanyan didn’t pull away. Instead, when their lips parted, she asked, “You’ve been going to Shangxitang every night these past few days, haven’t you?”

The sudden confrontation caught Yan Jiuqing completely off guard. Her mind raced to find a perfect excuse, but faced with Wanyan’s certain tone, she couldn’t find a seamless lie.

She feigned a look of hurt. “Are you stalking me?”

Wanyan’s voice was as steady as a flowing stream, yet it carried an underlying force. “Shouldn’t you explain why you lied about working overtime when you were actually at Shangxitang?”

Yan Jiuqing simply said, “The pressure at the company is too much. What’s wrong with going to Shangxitang with friends to relax? I lied to you because I didn’t want you to worry. Yanyan, you don’t trust me…” As she spoke, her eyes began to mist over.

Remaining rational, Wanyan said gently, “Jiuqing, it’s not that I don’t trust you. I understand you’re under pressure. But as your girlfriend, I can help you carry that burden. You don’t have to face everything alone.”

“What could you possibly help me with?”

The moment the words left Yan Jiuqing’s mouth, both of them froze. Yan Jiuqing realized her mistake and wanted to take it back, but after meeting Wanyan’s suddenly cold gaze, she abandoned the idea for the moment. She knew Wanyan was angry, but she also knew Wanyan was soft-hearted. After things cooled down for a few days, a little acting cute would earn her forgiveness.

The feeling of being dismissed by a lover was like a bitter candy melting in the mouth; the bitterness on the tongue spread to the heart.

Wanyan said coldly, “Yan Jiuqing, you never would have said something like that before.”

“Am I not telling the truth?” Yan Jiuqing retorted. “Without Huasheng, how many of your songs would even sell?”

Yan Jiuqing had completely forgotten that the company she founded, Huasheng, was built on the success of Zhou Wanyan’s music. All of Wanyan’s hard work was dismissed in an instant.

Wanyan’s eyes reddened. She couldn’t believe those words had come from Yan Jiuqing.

Yan Jiuqing knew she was in the wrong, so her voice softened as she reached for Wanyan’s hand. “Yanyan, I spoke without thinking. Don’t…”

Wanyan brushed her hand away. “Yan Jiuqing, you’ve gone too far!”

She turned to leave, but Yan Jiuqing wrapped her arms tightly around her waist, sobbing. “Yanyan, I said I was wrong! What more do you want from me? Stop making a scene, okay? Can’t we just be okay?”

“I’m making a scene?” Wanyan asked. “Yan Jiuqing, you should listen to what you’re saying.”

“Am I wrong?”

“Let go!”

“No.”

“I’m saying it one last time. Let go.”

“Zhou Wanyan, are you saying you’ve done nothing wrong?” Yan Jiuqing released her and stared intensely at Wanyan’s back. Her next words were a deliberate accusation. “Is there really nothing going on between you and Luo Yuening?”

“On your birthday, why did Luo Yuening hire drones across the entire city to display a pentagram over Tianping Lake?”

“The pentagram is your profile picture. Was she trying to disgust me on purpose? It’s been so many years and she still hasn’t given up. Is it because you two have already rekindled your old flame in private?”

Wanyan turned around, her eyes as cold as a frost-covered night. “Yan Jiuqing, what are you trying to say? Every time we fight these past few years, you bring her up. This is between the two of us; why do you always involve someone else?”

“Her drama happens to be titled Pentagram, and the display was the day before my birthday, which was the premiere of her new show! How many times do I have to explain this to you?”

After a brief pause, the memories in her mind became much clearer. “On my birthday, where were you?”

Yan Jiuqing’s gaze shifted, her earlier aggression vanishing.

A mocking smile touched Wanyan’s lips. “You were celebrating a friend’s birthday. A new friend. You actually forgot my birthday for someone you just met.”

“Didn’t I make it up to you later?”

Wanyan remained silent.

“Yanyan, let’s both just calm down. I’m staying out tonight,” Yan Jiuqing said.

“There are two bedrooms here. I’ll sleep in the guest room,” Wanyan replied.

Yan Jiuqing refused immediately. “No need. I’ll go to my friend’s place. Go to bed early; I’ll worry about you.”

Wanyan slowly closed her eyes. The sound of the door opening and closing was separated by only two seconds.

This was the sixth year of their relationship, and the year they argued the most. She could feel something slipping away rapidly. The love between them was being worn down by time.

She once thought Yan Jiuqing was the person who understood her best, but now…

“Qingqing, why are you so passionate tonight?”

“…”

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