My 'White Moonlight' First Love Came Back, but I Don't Love her Anymore - Chapter 2

On the large bed, two bodies were locked in a desperate, sweat-drenched embrace. It took a long time for the movement to finally cease.

Yan Jiuqing pulled away from Xia He, got out of bed, and took a card from her bag, tossing it onto Xia He’s face. “Your hands are too short.”

Xia He let out a frustrated laugh. “You’re complaining about my hands being short? Zhou Wanyan has long hands; why don’t you go find her?” She stared intently at Yan Jiuqing’s face. Noticing the shift in her expression, Xia He quickly changed her tone to a playful smile. “The wild flowers are always more fragrant than the ones at home, President Yan. I’ll find a way to make my fingers longer tomorrow.”

Yan Jiuqing rolled her eyes and walked into the bathroom.

When Yan Jiuqing emerged, Xia He, maintaining her role as a professional companion, stepped forward to blow-dry her benefactor’s hair. Yan Jiuqing sat before her, enjoying the service.

“President Yan,” Xia He said, “I knew you were the best to me. Otherwise, why would you have changed your mind again?”

Yan Jiuqing closed her eyes, her face etched with exhaustion. “Talk less.”

Xia He stopped trying to make conversation. Since they established their arrangement last year, they always slept in separate rooms after finishing their business. Xia He found her employer baffling; she kept a starlet on the side but still played the part of a devoted lover, kicking her out of the room every time they were done.

As Yan Jiuqing lay in bed, she couldn’t escape the image of Zhou Wanyan confronting her in her dreams. Wanyan was questioning her about the cheating and the lingering connection with her ex-girlfriend.

She was terrified of losing Wanyan. She had resolved to be better, but Wanyan’s persistent questioning today had left her feeling suffocated. A delayed sense of guilt flooded her body, keeping her awake long into the night.

The next morning, the sun shone brightly.

Zhou Wanyan had sat on the sofa all night, racking her brain but failing to understand why this relationship had drifted so far from their initial expectations. The sound of the door opening broke the silence, and Yan Jiuqing appeared, carrying breakfast from Wanyan’s favorite shop.

As if nothing had happened the night before, Yan Jiuqing knelt in front of Wanyan. She cupped Wanyan’s cheeks with both hands, looking at her with a gaze full of heartache. Her voice trembled slightly. “Yanyan, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? I’ll take you to the hospital right now.”

She reached for Wanyan’s clothes, but Wanyan grabbed her sleeve and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Don’t go.”

Yan Jiuqing sat sideways on Wanyan’s lap, cradling her head. Her palm moved over the back of Wanyan’s head like a gentle breeze. “I’m not going anywhere. Yanyan, I’ll never leave you again.”

“Jiuqing,” Wanyan said, “this is our sixth year together. I really don’t want it to end like this. We agreed to get married in our seventh year. You… you’ll still marry me, right?”

Hearing this, tears finally escaped Yan Jiuqing’s eyes, blurring her vision. Guilt and remorse wove into a suffocating net around her heart. The tears on her cheeks were the only visible sign of her self-reproach.

“I will. I definitely will. The medical technology for having children is mature now; we can have a child together, okay?”

Wanyan lowered her gaze, her long lashes hiding the emotion in her eyes. “Okay. Whatever you want.”

“Yanyan, the things I said yesterday were said in anger. They don’t count. You said you wanted to come to work with me; let’s start that today, shall we?”

“I just remembered I promised Director Lin Qi to write the theme song for her new drama, The Radiance of Time. I’ll probably have to stay home for a few days. Once I finish the song, I’ll go to work with you.”

“Alright, whatever Yanyan says.”

“Also, I didn’t mean to stalk you…”

Yan Jiuqing placed her forefinger over Wanyan’s lips, stopping her words. She coaxed her gently, “Yanyan, let’s not mention that again. Let’s not let the past affect our relationship. I love you the most, and I will only ever marry you.”

Their breaths mingled as she leaned in to kiss Wanyan. However, Wanyan instinctively turned her head slightly, and the kiss landed on her cheek.

Wanyan felt as if she were sitting on a bed of needles, a flash of panic in her eyes. Why had she felt an instinctive urge to resist? Looking at the hurt in Yan Jiuqing’s expression, a heavy, stifling feeling filled her chest. “Jiuqing, I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

“I’ve already eaten,” Yan Jiuqing replied. “I’ll feed you, Yanyan.”

Wanyan forced a small smile. “No need, Jiuqing. I’m not a child anymore. You should go take care of things at the office.”

Ignoring the second half of the sentence, Yan Jiuqing got off Wanyan’s lap and began opening the breakfast. “Yanyan, hurry and try this while it’s hot. I waited in line for a long time to get this. I remember this was your favorite when we were in school.”

Wanyan took the “rolled cake” and chewed mechanically.

“Is it good, Yanyan?”

“It’s good.”

Yan Jiuqing smiled sweetly, leaning her head on Wanyan’s shoulder. “I’m just glad you like it.”

As time ticked by, Wanyan felt as if every second were a year. The cake in her mouth tasted increasingly bitter and hard to swallow. Yan Jiuqing had tried, but the truth was, Wanyan had never eaten a rolled cake before; this was her very first time.

After breakfast, Yan Jiuqing didn’t stay long. Half an hour was enough to exhaust her patience. Once she left, Wanyan finished the final touches on her work and sent the song file to Lin Qi. A moment later, Lin Qi called.

“Wanyan, I have something to discuss with you.”

“What is it?”

“The lead actress of the drama wants to sing this song herself. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course. You’re paying for the song; it doesn’t matter to me who sings it.”

“Great.”

As soon as she hung up, Gao Yao called. “Come out and have a drink!”

“Okay.”

Lin Qi let out a long sigh and turned to meet Luo Yuening’s expectant gaze. “The song is yours to sing.”

Luo Yuening’s eyes lit up instantly. The light in her seductive, fox-like eyes was more brilliant than fireworks. Seeing this, Lin Qi almost lost her breath. “My lady, is this really necessary? If you wanted to sing it, you could have just said so. Why be so cautious?”

Luo Yuening furrowed her brows, ignoring the comment. She continued to fiddle with a small sheep keychain in her hand. A little sheep, a little sheep…

“Don’t you think you’re a lot like a fox?” “Then you’re like a little sheep.” “Perfect. I’ll give you the sheep, and you give me your fox. That way, we’ll have something to remember each other by.” “To remember?” “In case you become famous one day and stop recognizing me as a friend.” “Hmph, then someone better behave themselves.” “Luo Yuening, if you pretend you don’t know me, I’ll cry at your front door every single day.”

The person from those memories had been gone for a long time, but her longing had only grown.

“By the way,” Lin Qi asked, “what do you think about the actress chosen for the second lead?”

Luo Yuening replied absentmindedly, “As long as the show can actually be broadcasted when we’re finished, I don’t care about the rest.”

Lin Qi raised an eyebrow, reminded of the frustration from their last project. They had finished the whole thing, only for it to be banned because of the male lead’s scandal. “Fine. Also, can you stop making Manager Li angry?”

Luo Yuening glanced at her with a half-smile. “She told you?”

“Yeah. She’s doing it for your own good. You have no idea how many eyes are on you right now. They’re all waiting for you to fall so they can take your place.”

“Don’t worry,” Luo Yuening said, “I won’t drink too much.”

Lin Qi’s voice rose. “You even thought about drinking too much? Do you know what you’re like when you’re drunk?” She began to mimic a drunk Luo Yuening. “Manager Li, do you have any idea how much I like Zhou Wanyan?! She’s like a block of wood; she can’t even see my hints. That Yan Jiuqing isn’t nearly as gentle as me… waaaah!”

Luo Yuening’s eyelid twitched. Her smile froze on her face. “Am I really like that?” she asked awkwardly.

Lin Qi nodded solemnly. “Yes. So you better make sure no one catches you on camera.”

Luo Yuening gave an “OK” gesture, then lapsed into a state of self-doubt.

Inside a private room at Shangxitang, the dim lighting removed the inhibitions of the day.

“Don’t you think the lights are a bit too dim?”

“Dim is good,” Gao Yao replied, laughing. “It creates a hazy atmosphere. Come on, try this bottle.”

The two clinked glasses. The faint sweetness of the drink masked the taste of the alcohol. Wanyan set her glass down and leaned back.

Gao Yao smiled slightly and asked as if in passing, “How did you and Luo Yuening actually fall out?”

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Wanyan finally opened up. “It wasn’t exactly a fallout. She just… deleted me.”

“She deleted you and you don’t call that a fallout?”

Wanyan’s mood dipped. “The point is, we never even argued.”

Gao Yao reached out to feel Wanyan’s forehead, checking for a fever. This didn’t match the information she had gathered from Luo Yuening. How could there be such a gap in their stories? “You didn’t argue? Then how did you end up like strangers who never speak?”

“It was very sudden,” Wanyan said with a hint of loneliness. “So sudden that I still don’t know why.”

Gao Yao paused, her mind racing. “That’s strange. Did you ever go looking for her?”

“I did.”

And that was when she heard those words: “I never want to be friends with Zhou Wanyan ever again.” In fact, there had been a second sentence: “She’s so annoying.”

To be deleted by a best friend for no reason, only to overhear her saying such things behind her back… Wanyan wasn’t thick-skinned enough to go back and ask for an explanation after that.

“And then?” Gao Yao pressed, eager for more.

Wanyan’s features were soft, her eyes full of a gentle melancholy that made one want to comfort her. “Then, I heard some unpleasant things, so I left.”

“You just left?!”

“I was angry at the time, so I didn’t think too much of it,” Wanyan replied. But that wasn’t the only reason.

Thinking of something, Wanyan looked down, her long lashes shadowing the dark shimmer in her eyes. Gao Yao leaned in and put an arm around her shoulder. “You two really are something else.”

A long while later, the door to the private room opened. The sound of high heels clicking against the floor followed. Gao Yao’s hand, still resting on Wanyan’s shoulder, felt as if it were about to be scorched by an intense, burning gaze.

Gao Yao met the newcomer’s eyes and reflexively pulled her hand back. The woman’s resentful gaze then fell upon Wanyan, who sat with her head down, seemingly intoxicated.

Luo Yuening spoke, her voice low. “Why has she drunk so much…?”

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