The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Changes to Take the Black Moonlight Script - Chapter 31

After dinner, Shang Shiqian was about to head to the basement to study chess manuals when she noticed Wei Yixian watching the news.

Not wanting to compete for the projector, she was just about to leave when a voice from the speakers froze her in place.

“On May 31st, ahead of Children’s Day, Shang Shixing, Chairwoman of the Phoenix Education Foundation, launched the ‘Warm Hearts’ charity event series at the Qingxi District Children’s Welfare Home…”

Shang Shiqian stared fixedly at the woman on the screen.

She wore no makeup, dressed in a Phoenix Foundation logo T-shirt and a pair of jeans worth just over a hundred yuan.

Even though there were many foundation staff and welfare home officials accompanying her, she wasn’t standing among them, being surrounded. Instead, she was right there with the children, playing games and blending in seamlessly.

No one would guess that such a down-to-earth woman was a billionaire.

In contrast, the welfare home officials seemed more like they were just going through the motions.

Shang Shiqian’s eyes grew warm.

Even her eldest sister bore the marks of time on her face.

The news segment lasted only a minute, and her sister wasn’t on screen the entire time. Before Shang Shiqian knew it, her sister had disappeared from view.

A sense of loss settled in her heart.

Wei Yixian glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, then calmly turned off the projector and asked, “Studying chess manuals?”

Shang Shiqian snapped out of her thoughts and nodded.

Wei Yixian stood up and left, giving her the space.

Shang Shiqian turned the projector back on and spent a while figuring out how to replay the segment.

By the time Wei Yixian returned with a glass of wine, the projector was no longer showing the news replay but chess manuals instead.

At ten o’clock, after washing up and preparing for bed, Shang Shiqian heard a knock at her door.

Opening it, she found Wei Yixian standing outside.

“Wei Yixian, what’s up?”

Wei Yixian’s face was dark. “Did you forget something?”

Shang Shiqian: …Huh?

“Ah, right, I still have to teach you.” Shang Shiqian muttered guiltily, “I thought you didn’t want lessons anymore.”

Yesterday, after Wei Yixian returned, she had stayed on the third floor without coming down. Shang Shiqian had waited for a long time.

She had considered calling to ask, but then remembered Wei Yixian’s firm declaration: “I decide the lesson schedule.”

As the teacher, Shang Shiqian had to accommodate her student’s schedule, so she dismissed the thought.

If Wei Yixian wanted lessons, she would come find her. Since she hadn’t, that must mean she didn’t want them!

Shang Shiqian assumed today would be the same.

Wei Yixian sneered. “I’ve never seen someone so unenthusiastic about making money.”

Shang Shiqian replied lazily, “Can’t blame me for that. I have no worries about food or clothes here—no real motivation to earn.”

“Starting tomorrow, your living expenses will be charged per use.”

Shang Shiqian wasn’t intimidated at all. “Go ahead. Professor Weng said my monthly salary as a coach is five thousand. If my students achieve good results, there are bonuses too!”

Wei Yixian’s expression was indescribable.

“She pays you five thousand a month. I pay you five thousand an hour. And you choose her over me?”

“That’s not a conflict. You work during the day, so I’ll coach students at the school then and teach you at night.”

“You’re trying to have it both ways.”

“I call it being proactive about making money.”

The boomerang had ultimately struck Wei Yixian. She walked into the room with a dark expression: “Class time.”

Shang Shiqian was surprised: “Here in my room?”

“The Go set is in your room. If not here, then where?”

Shang Shiqian: “…”

So why did Sister Pu place the Go board in her room?

Hmm… probably for convenience so she could play anytime!

Shang Shiqian said: “Fine, this is your territory anyway. You call the shots.”

As they played, Shang Shiqian suddenly remembered something and hurriedly told Wei Yixian: “Call off the bodyguards you assigned me.”

“They’re not performing well?” Wei Yixian was already considering firing them and hiring new faces.

“Not that they’re bad, I just don’t like having people follow me around. It’s too conspicuous! Besides, I don’t understand why you assigned me bodyguards in the first place.”

Does Wei Yixian treat every guest with such importance?

Wei Yixian said: “Since you’re staying here, I’m responsible for your safety.”

Shang Shiqian was amused: “What danger could I possibly be in?”

Wei Yixian pressed her lips together, her knuckles turning white as she held a Go piece.

After a long pause, she raised her deep eyes to look at Shang Shiqian, her tone much lower: “Sometimes the danger doesn’t come from yourself, but from others like me.”

Shang Shiqian was speechless.

A strange thought occurred to her: Could it be that Wei Yixian became so sensitive because of her death?

After a while, Shang Shiqian’s expression relaxed again.

She said: “I’m just your Go teacher. Even if you have many enemies, they wouldn’t target a mere Go instructor, would they?”

She added narcissistically: “Once I move out of here, I’ll just be an ordinary person in the crowd—nothing special except for being somewhat good-looking. So you don’t need to worry about me being in danger.”

“You’re moving out?” Wei Yixian’s gaze instantly turned sharp as a blade.

Shang Shiqian said naturally: “I can’t keep taking advantage of your kindness forever. I’ll move out once I find a place to stay.”

She needed to move out before Wei Yixian rekindled things with her white moonlight—otherwise, it would be hard to explain.

Wei Yixian didn’t speak or make another move.

Her face was dark.

After a long silence, her clenched fist loosened, and a Go piece slipped from her palm, landing on the board and instantly disrupting the game.

But Shang Shiqian didn’t mind.

She remembered the game’s progression, so she reset the pieces.

Wei Yixian said in a deep voice: “I don’t think you staying here makes you shameless or clingy.”

Shang Shiqian didn’t know how to respond.

Wei Yixian asked: “If I call off the bodyguards, will you feel less burdened?”

“It’s not about that…”

Wei Yixian suddenly remembered how the system had urged Shang Shiqian to pursue her, yet Shang Shiqian had remained unmoved.

This meant Shang Shiqian never intended to change the “original plot.”

Shang Shiqian still believed she would rekindle things with Yin Zaishui.

This realization made Wei Yixian’s heart feel tightly clenched, suffocated and uneasy.

Shang Shiqian pointed at the clock: “Wei Yixian, it’s eleven. Time for bed.”

Wei Yixian abruptly stood up, glaring at her with a dark expression: “I originally planned to take you to the East City Airshow. But since you’re moving out, we’ll have fewer interactions in the future. I don’t see the need to deepen our relationship, so forget it.”

Shang Shiqian muttered to herself, what’s this East City Airshow? It’s not a Go exhibition, she wasn’t interested at all!

Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat.

“Airshow refers to…?”

“The International Aerospace Technology and Equipment Exhibition.” Wei Yixian glanced at her sideways: “You know about it?”

How could Shang Shiqian not know!

Although she was only interested in Go, she was quite familiar with industries related to her family.

The Phoenix Group’s business involved the aviation sector, and her mother was an expert in aviation manufacturing materials, holding numerous patents while serving as a director of an aviation materials manufacturing company.

But her mother had transferred all her shares to her eldest sister long ago, so the eldest sister became the company’s director in their mother’s stead.

However, the eldest sister also made external investments, having purchased substantial shares in East City Airlines, making her a shareholder of that civil aviation company.

Since it was industry-related, the Shang family members were highly likely to attend the airshow!

Shang Shiqian hurriedly asked Wei Yixian: “When does this airshow start?”

“From the 7th to the 9th this month. The first two days are only open to industry representatives, media, and professional visitors. It’s free for the general public on the third day.”

“Professional visitors?”

“People like procurement officers who usually need to apply for visitor passes in advance by submitting information.”

Shang Shiqian: …

If the Shang family were to attend this exhibition, they would only appear as industry representatives or opening ceremony guests.

To see them, she could only try her luck by entering as a professional visitor during the first two days.

But where would she get the credentials to apply for a visitor pass?!

After much deliberation, she could only rely on WeiYixian.

Shang Shiqian quickly grabbed Wei Yixian’s hand, fawning: “On second thought, I’m not in such a hurry to move. That airshow thing actually sounds quite interesting.”

Wei Yixian looked at her with an amused smile: “I thought your brain only contained Go. You’re actually interested in an exhibition completely unrelated to Go?”

Shang Shiqian declared righteously: “Our country’s aerospace technology has developed so magnificently! How could I miss the chance to witness it and feel the greatness of our motherland!”

Wei Yixian shook off her hand: “If you’re so interested, you can go by yourself on the 9th.”

Shang Shiqian muttered to her face: “You never planned to take me anyway, did you? You don’t seem like someone who’d be interested in airshows either.”

Wei Yixian laughed in exasperation: “The Wei Group has business in aircraft engines. I’m not interested in airshows, but I am interested in making money.”

Shang Shiqian suddenly understood why Wei Yixian would attend that exhibition.

But what did that have to do with her?

Wei Yixian still refused to take her!

Shang Shiqian gave Wei Yixian a resentful glance, climbed into bed and pulled up the covers: “I’m going to sleep. Turn off the lights on your way out.”

Wei Yixian: …

She walked to the doorway and called out: “Jimmy, lights off.”

Shang Shiqian was just wondering which maid had such strong curry vibes to be named Jimmy when her bedside digital clock responded: “Okay.”

Then all the lights in the room turned off with a “click.”

Darkness instantly enveloped the room, with only the hallway light spilling in to cast Wei Yixian’s elongated shadow at the doorway.

Shang Shiqian bolted upright: “Huh?!”

She called: “Jimmy~ Jimmy~”

“I’m here, master.”

“Aga~ Aga?”

Jimmy: “I didn’t catch that. Please say it again.”

Shang Shiqian held the electronic clock, studying it: “So you’re not actually an electronic clock?!”

“I’m an AI assistant. My name is Jimmy.”

Shang Shiqian let out an amazed “Wow.”

After living here for so many days, she had just discovered such high-tech features!

Wei Yixian’s voice came from the doorway: “Not just turning lights on and off—the curtains, TV, everything can be voice-controlled… Didn’t Pu Feifei and the others teach you?”

She flicked the light on with a snap: “So, you can turn this light off yourself.”

Shang Shiqian lay back down: “Jimmy, close the door.”

Jimmy: “…”

Wei Yixian expressionlessly closed the door.

Shang Shiqian gasped in amazement again, though this time it was only in her mind.

She deliberately compared it to her system: [Look, Little Black System, Jimmy can close doors way better than you.]

The Black Moonlight System couldn’t be bothered to waste energy responding to her.

Wei·Jimmy·Yixian: “…”

The next day, Shang Shiqian noticed Chu Fei wasn’t accompanying her to East City University.

She asked Pu Feifei, who was driving: “Sister Pu, where’s Chu Fei?”

Please don’t tell me Wei Yixian really fired her and cost her the job.

Pu Feifei replied, “President Wei said you don’t like being followed, so from now on, we won’t assign bodyguards to you anymore.”

Bodyguards would still be arranged, just shifted from overt protection to covert.

Shang Shiqian pressed further: “So Chu Fei didn’t lose her job, right?”

“No, President Wei has other arrangements for her work.”

Shang Shiqian sighed in relief.

–

The class bell rang. Fresh from a badminton lesson, Chen Yixun, drenched in sweat, opened her locker and took out her phone.

She first checked her chat with Shang Shiqian, no new messages.

Though expected, she still felt a pang of disappointment.

Her roommate, who had taken the same elective, nudged her shoulder: “What are you standing there spacing out for? Waiting for a message?”

“No.” Chen Yixun opened the class group chat instead. “Just checking the group updates.”

Her roommate asked, “Didn’t our homeroom teacher and the class rep go to a meeting early this morning? What was it about?”

Chen Yixun clicked on the group announcement: “Oh, it’s about the new application notice for the Phoenix Education Foundation’s financial aid.”

“That’s over four thousand yuan, right? You should apply ASAP.”

“Yeah.”

Back in her dorm, Chen Yixun opened her laptop and logged into the dedicated website to fill out the application.

She noticed that recipients of the grant could apply for the Phoenix Foundation’s summer social practice program, with potential job opportunities at the foundation after graduation.

Though only a sophomore, she knew opportunities favored the prepared she had to plan ahead.

So, she clicked into the Phoenix Education Foundation’s official website to learn more about the summer program.

The homepage’s most prominent section was the news feed, scrolling through the foundation’s latest charity events.

Suddenly, a photo caught Chen Yixun’s attention.

Clicking into the article, she found it covered an event on May 31st, attended by the foundation’s chairman, Shang Shixing.

This was the foundation’s chairman, Shang Shixing?

Why did he look so much like Shang Shiyu?

Chen Yixun paused, then typed “Shang Shiyu” into the search bar.

But there was almost no information about Shang Shiyu online.

Switching search engines yielded the same result.

Then, an idea flickered in her mind before she could fully grasp it, her fingers had already typed “Shang Shiqian” into the search bar.

General Wei: Her monthly salary is 5K! My hourly wage is 5K!

Shang Si: One main job, one side gig, the capable bear more burdens.

General Wei: You’re playing both sides!

Shang Si: ?

Support The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Changes to Take the Black Moonlight Script