The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Changes to Take the Black Moonlight Script - Chapter 40

The Shang Residence.

Shang Shidai rushed home in a hurry.

A girl driving a children’s electric car in the yard called out to her, “Auntie!”

Without even turning her head, Shang Shidai dashed straight into her room.

Noticing the door was left open, Shang Shixing walked over and asked, “What’s going on? Why are you in such a hurry? Lingchu called you, but you didn’t even hear her.”

Dressed in professional attire, Shang Shidai had clearly just returned from outside.

Shang Shidai replied, “Eldest Sister, wait a moment before talking to me.”

With that, she opened her laptop and pulled up a video hidden in the hard drive, watching it quietly.

Before Shang Shixing could approach, she heard the audio from the video, and her expression instantly grew complicated.

This was footage from Xiaoqian’s wedding.

She had thought Shidai hated Wei Yixian so much that she would have deleted all these videos.

Yet, after all these years, they were still preserved.

Placing a hand on Shang Shidai’s shoulder, she asked, “Why are you suddenly watching this?”

Only when her gaze fell on the screen did Shang Shixing realize she had overthought it.

Shang Shidai had not forgiven Wei Yixian or rather, she had not forgiven herself.

That was why both Wei Yixian and herself in the video were pixelated.

After watching for just a short while, Shang Shidai snapped the laptop shut.

She turned to Shang Shixing and asked, “Eldest Sister, do you think there could be two people in this world who look exactly the same?”

Shang Shixing replied, “Exactly the same? Impossible. But identical twins can be very similar.”

“What if one is nearly thirty, and the other is just over twenty?”

“Since when did you start studying biology?”

Shang Shidai wanted to tell Shang Shixing about today’s encounter and discovery.

But the words lingered on the tip of her tongue, and she hesitated.

Her eldest sister might appear gentle and kind at home, but she never showed mercy to those who tried to harm their family.

If she found out Wei Yixian had a Caged Canary who bore a striking resemblance to Shang Qiguan, she would undoubtedly take action against them.

Wei Yixian had the Wei Corporation backing her, so Shang Shixing’s retaliation might not affect her much.

But that Caged Canary would likely be sacrificed as a pawn, thrown out to take the blame.

Though the girl wasn’t entirely innocent, what if she genuinely just happened to have a face similar to Shang Qiguan’s?

There was a documentary abroad about unrelated people who looked remarkably alike, claiming that everyone has at least seven doppelgängers in the world.

Shang Shidai had observed “Shang Shiyu” for too short a time to confirm whether that face was a 100% match to Shang Qiguan’s at 21.

Maybe it was better to get to the bottom of things first before telling Eldest Sister?

Once she made up her mind, the tangled thoughts in her head naturally straightened out.

She said, “Oh, it’s nothing. Just a sudden burst of inspiration.”

With that, she hurried off to her studio to tinker with her paintings.

Shang Shixing: “…”

Her intuition told her something was off.

But ever since her younger sister had taken up art, her thought processes had become increasingly unconventional she claimed it was a common trait among artists.

Concerned, the family had forced her to undergo tests, which revealed she had tendencies toward anxiety disorder.

After psychological intervention, her condition was well-controlled.

Since then, she had regular annual check-ups, and no signs of mental illness had been detected.

She really was just wired differently.

Suddenly, Shang Shidai ran back, leaning against the doorframe to ask, “Sis, do you think it’s possible that Mom and the others secretly had a love child behind our backs?”

Shang Shixing: “What’s gotten into you?”

“Ugh, it’s just that I have a friend whose parents always had a good relationship, but she recently met a girl who looks just like her. Turns out, the girl is her illegitimate half-sister! She was so upset she came to vent to me. It got me thinking since Mom and the others are often apart due to work, could they also be having affairs and producing secret love children?”

Shang Shixing frowned. Why was she dragging someone else’s drama into their family?

She corrected, “First, Mom and the others never legally married, so at worst, it would be cheating, not an affair. Second, they’re too busy with work to have time for secret love children. And third, it seems you haven’t spent enough time in the library, do you need Mom to drag you back there to sort books? How do you even have time for these wild thoughts?”

Shang Shidai retorted confidently, “This is called artistic imagination, you just don’t get it, sis!”

Shang Shixing tapped her forehead. “Art can be imaginative, but not delusional. Got it?”

With that, she walked away.

–

Despite everything that had happened today, and even though her secret identity was on the verge of exposure, Shang Shiqian remained unshaken.

She even had the leisure to flip through the original novel.

But while most people skimmed ten lines at a glance, she read a hundred.

She skipped straight past the romantic entanglements and push-and-pull between Wei Yixian and her white moonlight, focusing only on the parts related to the Shang family.

By bedtime, she had finished the novel.

The good news was that the Shang family wasn’t some villainous final boss, they barely had any screen time, serving more as background characters.

The bad news was that Shang Xiaowu was, as she suspected, a malicious supporting character.

According to the plot, Shang Xiaowu felt immense guilt for facilitating her marriage to Wei Yixian, which ultimately led to her harm.

As the saying goes, the heavier the guilt, the harder it is to let go.

Unable to cope, Shang Xiaowu redirected her resentment toward Wei Yixian.

She couldn’t help but sneer and provoke Wei Yixian at every encounter.

If that were all, Shang Xiaowu would’ve been nothing more than a clown, unworthy of Wei Yixian’s attention.

But the appearance of the white moonlight pushed Shang Xiaowu over the edge.

She became obsessively convinced that Wei Yixian could be with anyone except the white moonlight.

Because if Wei Yixian rekindled things with her, it would confirm the rumors that the Shang and Wei families had torn the lovers apart for the sake of an arranged marriage.

What would people think of Shang Shiqian then?

A lawful wife, reduced to nothing by the phrase “the one who isn’t loved is the real homewrecker.”

Thus, Shang Xiaowu became an obstacle in Wei Yixian and the white moonlight’s path to reconciliation.

But her schemes backfired, only deepening their bond.

After overcoming countless trials, their love grew even stronger.

As for Shang Xiaowu’s fate?

She fell in with the wrong crowd, suffered emotional and creative setbacks, and under bad influence, got involved with drugs.

When exposed, she became public enemy number one, a disgraced pariah, dragging the Shang family’s reputation down with her.

In the end, the family shipped her abroad, where she vanished without a trace.

Shang Shiqian: “…”

From the current timeline, Shang Xiaowu hadn’t yet encountered the person who would break her heart, nor had she gotten involved with that substance.

But the fact that she could be persuaded by others indicated she deeply trusted that friend likely someone she’d known for a long time.

Shang Shiqian was about to email her elder sister to advise nipping any potential issues in the bud.

Suddenly, the alarm speaker chimed.

Shang Shiqian turned it off, puzzled. Wei Yixian usually arrived for class around this time, why hadn’t she shown up yet?

After waiting several minutes with no sign of her, Shang Shiqian grew concerned. Had Shang Xiaowu’s words upset Wei Yixian?

Unable to shake her worry, she decided to check.

At the stairwell, she heard noises from the basement.

Descending, she discovered two newly installed claw machines in the entertainment lounge filled with authentic plush toys, price tags still attached.

Wei Yixian wore a nightgown, her usually loose hair pinned up with a shark clip, revealing her slender, pale neck.

She intermittently swigged from a bottle of strong whiskey in her left hand while mechanically operating the joystick with her right pressing the button, watching the claw fail, then repeating the process.

The machines were the source of the noise.

[What’s wrong with her? Did she drink mushroom-infused liquor from Yunnan?] Finding no one else to consult, Shang Shiqian prodded the system.

The Black Moonlight System eagerly urged: [Clearly she’s drunk! Host, this is the perfect opportunity to make your move, go for it!]

Shang Shiqian: …

Shouldn’t have asked Little Black System, its advice always circled back to romance tactics.

She noticed Wei Yixian’s movements pause briefly before the woman tilted her head to look over.

As the system claimed, behind her glasses Wei Yixian’s gaze was hazy with intoxication, her cheeks flushed from alcohol undeniably drunk.

“Shang Shiqian,” Wei Yixian called.

Shang Shiqian’s heartbeat skipped.

But having been “mistakenly” addressed by a drunken Wei Yixian before, she quickly regained composure.

“I’m Shang Shiyu.”

She was growing accustomed to this fabricated identity.

Wei Yixian gave an indifferent “Oh.”

“No class today?” Shang Shiqian approached, naturally reaching for the whiskey bottle.

“Don’t want to.” Wei Yixian tightened her grip, frowning slightly at the attempted confiscation.

“You’ll never win anything operating it one-handed like that,” Shang Shiqian said.

Though terrible at claw games herself, that didn’t stop her from bluffing.

“You can do it?” Wei Yixian side-eyed her.

Shang Shiqian feigned confidence: “I successfully grabbed one just recently.”

Wei Yixian released the bottle: “Then teach me.”

Shang Shiqian set the alcohol aside before returning.

After twenty failed attempts, Wei Yixian leveled a skeptical look: “That ‘one success’ wasn’t your only win, was it?”

(And you gave that one away!)

Shang Shiqian sweated: For a drunk, your logic is painfully sharp.

Abandoning her earlier resolution to “never waste time on claw machines again,” she insisted: “If I did it once, I can do it again.”

Wei Yixian offered no comment, stepping back to yield the controls.

After several more attempts, the previously loose claw finally stopped springing open and steadily dropped the plush toy it had grabbed into the prize chute.

“Here.”

Shang Shiqian handed the plush toy to Wei Yixian.

The latter got what she wanted, but her heart remained unsatisfied.

Shang Shiqian glanced at the time unbeknownst to her, they had already spent over half an hour here.

Since Wei Yixian had no intention of attending class, it was best to persuade her to sleep and then turn in early herself.

“Time for bed.”

As she spoke, Shang Shiqian hesitated for a mere 0.5 seconds between leaving directly and taking Wei Yixian with her.

Yet her hand had already reached out within that split second, grasping Wei Yixian’s.

Almost simultaneously, Wei Yixian’s slender fingers intertwined with Shang Shiqian’s, and she leaned in close.

Like a growing vine brushing against a trellis, instantly coiling around it, bursting with the vitality of spring.

In that fleeting moment, Shang Shiqian thought she heard the crackling of flames consuming dry wood.

“Shang Shiqian.” Wei Yixian’s breath carried the heavy scent of alcohol as soon as she spoke.

“I’m Shang Shiyu.”

Wei Yixian, drunk and sluggish, murmured, “Can’t you just be Shang Shiqian for a little while? Just for a bit.”

Shang Shiqian sighed helplessly, wrapping an arm around her waist while leaning back slightly to support Wei Yixian’s increasingly unsteady weight.

Wei Yixian, barely coherent, mumbled, “I dreamed about you the other day.”

Shang Shiqian responded, “Which day?”

“May 21st.”

Shang Shiqian froze.

Wasn’t that the day the system had resurrected her?

Wei Yixian continued, “You asked me if I felt guilty for never visiting you all these years.”

Shang Shiqian felt a chill against her neck.

At first, she thought it was the frame of Wei Yixian’s glasses until that coldness trickled down her collarbone.

Shang Shiqian parted her lips slightly, as if only that could ease the suffocating weight in her chest.

After a long pause, she said, “Then you must’ve been tricked by some wandering ghost. I’d never say something like that to you.”

“You don’t resent me? If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have died at all.”

Shang Shiqian asked, “You know Chen Baoming, don’t you?”

Wei Yixian swayed unsteadily, her body tilting sideways.

Seeing her about to collapse, Shang Shiqian quickly tightened her hold and guided her onto the sofa.

“My hand,” Shang Shiqian tried to pull free but failed.

Left with no choice, she used her other hand to carefully remove Wei Yixian’s damp glasses and set them on the table.

But Wei Yixian stubbornly tugged at her.

Stumbling, Shang Shiqian swiftly braced herself against the back of the sofa to avoid falling on top of her.

Wei Yixian shot her a displeased, almost sinister glare before freeing the hand clutching the plush toy to grab Shang Shiqian’s pajamas instead.

Shang Shiqian didn’t resist much.

Thankfully, the sofa was wide and soft enough.

Even lying sideways beside Wei Yixian, there were still several inches of space between them.

Wei Yixian treated her like a giant pillow, wrapping her arms around her waist and asking, “How did you know about Chen Baoming?”

Shang Shiqian couldn’t immediately tell whether Wei Yixian had sobered up or was still drunk.

She replied, “A lot of people know he’s the murderer.”

“But very few know I was acquainted with him.”

Shang Shiqian didn’t want to expose Xiao Luomeng and bring her trouble.

Fortunately, Wei Yixian didn’t press further.

She murmured, “Chen Baoming was my high school classmate.”

If Shang Shiqian remembered correctly, Wei Yixian attended the same international school from elementary through high school.

The annual tuition for the high school division was 400,000 yuan.

Most of the students came from elite families, and their future paths were practically predetermined upon enrollment, either studying abroad or returning home to inherit the family business.

But the Chen Baoming in her memory.

As if sensing her confusion, Wei Yixian continued, “His mother was a teacher at the school, so after he transferred from a public school, he qualified for half-price tuition. But precisely because his mother worked there, he became a target for some students isolated, bullied.”

Wei Yixian felt a discomfort in her stomach, as if something was lodged in her throat, forcing her to pause.

When she spoke again, her voice was much lower. “That day, I just happened to pass by and gave him an umbrella.”

On that rainy day, her car had driven past the bus stop near the school, where she spotted Chen Baoming waiting.

The rain was heavy, and the small bus shelter offered little protection from the downpour.

A few teenagers stood under the shelter, laughing and occasionally pointing at Chen Baoming, who had been forced to the edge.

Chen Baoming occasionally glanced at one of the boys, who was holding an extra umbrella, its ribs broken, its fabric tattered like a rag.

That umbrella had clearly belonged to Chen Baoming.

Wei Yixian recognized him because his mother was the geography teacher for her class.

Out of respect for the teacher, she had the driver stop and handed over a spare umbrella from the car.

After that, she never paid attention to Chen Baoming again.

Not until Shang Shiqian’s incident, when the police investigation revealed that he had once attended the same school as Wei Yixian.

Only then did she dredge up this memory from the depths of her mind.

They had been two parallel lines that should never have crossed.

If not for that umbrella she had given him, none of what followed would have happened.

Shang Shiqian smiled and said, “Helping the weak is never wrong. The one who did wrong was him. Even if Shang Shiqian resents anyone, it should be him. You can’t blame the father of hybrid rice just because the murderer grew up eating it, right?”

Wei Yixian: “…”

She tightened her arms.

Shang Shiqian was pressed too close, her entire face burning from the heat of Wei Yixian’s breath.

“Uh, a little tight.”

Wei Yixian suddenly released her, voice low. “Trash can.”

Shang Shiqian: ?

She quickly jumped up from the couch and pulled over a nearby bin.

Wei Yixian rolled over and vomited violently into it.

Early the next morning.

Sunlight filtered through multiple reflections into the basement-level living room.

A beam of light fell across Shang Shiqian’s face.

She opened her eyes, only to be blinded by the glare and forced to raise a hand to block it.

The brightness jolted her foggy mind into sharp clarity.

She saw Wei Yixian curled against her, arms wrapped around her waist, fast asleep and the memories of last night surfaced.

With a resigned thought, she mused, “We actually fell asleep here.”

Noticing the blanket draped over her waist, the cleaned-up bottles, cups, and tissues, and the plush toy that had been lying on the floor now sitting properly on the couch, she figured the maid must have come by.

After organizing her thoughts, Shang Shiqian’s gaze fell on the half of Wei Yixian’s face that was visible.

Perhaps because he had rinsed his mouth last night and most of the alcohol had already metabolized, the smell of liquor on Wei Yixian had faded considerably.

Shang Shiqian faintly caught a scent she had never noticed before floral yet infused with the sweetness of citrus.

Before she could pinpoint the source of the fragrance, the system’s voice nearly blew the top of her head off:

【 Rawr, Rawr rawr rawr, Host, we’ve struck it rich!】

Shang Shiqian was about to tell it to quiet down so as not to wake Wei Yixian, but then she remembered the system only bothered her and couldn’t disturb him.

Shang Shiqian asked: 【So, did the Love Points increase again?】

【Hehe, Host would never guess how much the Love Points have risen!】

【Past 20%?】

【You’re seriously underestimating the effect of ‘sharing a bed’!】

Shang Shiqian froze: 【Sharing a bed, does that mean what I think it means?】

【You slept in the same place last night, so of course it counts as sharing a bed!】

Shang Shiqian: …

The system happily announced the answer: 【Love Points at 32%, you’ve earned another half a year of life!】

Before Shang Shiqian could even feel happy, she suddenly sensed movement in her arms.

She glanced down and unexpectedly met Wei Yixian’s crimson eyes.

Shang Si (suddenly realizing): No wonder you wouldn’t let me accept Chen Yixun’s umbrella, you’re afraid she’ll become the second Chen Baoming!

Wei Yixian: …

Chen Yixun: ?

In the corner,

Female secretary: So when Wei Yixian went crazy that day, calling me at 4 a.m. to buy flowers, it was because of a nightmare???

You tycoons are seriously unhinged.