The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Changes to Take the Black Moonlight Script - Chapter 41

Wei Yixian’s face was inches away, their breaths entangled, the heat between their bodies rising steadily.

“You… you’re awake?” Shang Shiqian felt her heart tighten under Wei Yixian’s intense gaze, completely forgetting about the system’s voice.

Wei Yixian’s eyes were bloodshot.

To Shang Shiqian, this was a classic sign of a hangover.

She also noticed Wei Yixian’s hand tremble slightly and couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Do you have a headache?”

Wei Yixian closed her eyes, burying her face in the crook of Shang Shiqian’s neck, and let out a soft “Mm.”

“I’ll have someone make you honey water.”

As Shang Shiqian tried to get up, Wei Yixian tightened her arms, preventing her from moving.

“No need,” Wei Yixian said.

Shang Shiqian paused, then offered, “Then let me massage your head for you.”

Wei Yixian didn’t respond, so Shang Shiqian took it as silent consent and began gently massaging her scalp.

Strands of hair slipped through her fingers as her fingertips worked soothing circles, easing the irritation brought on by the headache.

After a long while, Wei Yixian finally opened her eyes again. She silently watched Shang Shiqian until she was noticed.

Wei Yixian’s voice was hoarse. “Weren’t you going to school?”

Shang Shiqian was surprised. “Didn’t you say yesterday?”

“Go if you want,” Wei Yixian interrupted.

After a pause, she added, “But take the bodyguards with you.”

Shang Shiqian hesitated. “Do you still remember who I am?”

“…Shang Shiyu.” Wei Yixian released her grip and sat up from the couch, her tone indifferent. “What happened last night, I don’t want a third person to know.”

Hearing this, Shang Shiqian understood that the “substitute game” was over.

“Got it.” Shang Shiqian had no intention of telling anyone anyway, so she agreed readily.

Perhaps because she had just gained another six months of life, Shang Shiqian was in high spirits. Even her retreating figure as she went upstairs to freshen up carried a hint of cheerfulness.

Wei Yixian’s gaze followed her until she disappeared around the staircase corner.

‘Six months…’

The color gradually drained from Wei Yixian’s face, making the veins on her forehead stand out grotesquely against her pallor.

Her usually straight spine hunched slightly forward, as if weighed down.

–

The first thing Shang Shidai did after waking up was rush to Tianhao Garden.

“I’m here to see Wei Yixian!”

The property management contacted the duty office of Villa No. 9 to relay the visitor’s request.

Two minutes later, the gates of Tianhao Garden opened, and Shang Shidai drove in triumphantly, heading straight for Villa No. 9.

The villa’s front door was also wide open. Shang Shidai barged in without hesitation, shamelessly parking her car right at the entrance.

Wei Yixian, sitting in the living room sipping honey water, didn’t even glance at Shang Shidai as she said, “There are shoe covers in the entryway. Please put them on before coming in.”

Shang Shidai cursed inwardly but silently took off her shoes and padded barefoot into the room.

“Where’s your Caged Canary?”

“If you want a canary, go to the pet market. I don’t have one here.”

Shang Shidai: “…”

She sneered. “Now you’re denying she’s your Caged Canary?”

Suddenly, a terrifying thought struck her had Wei Yixian discovered her scheme and, fearing retaliation from the Shang family, disposed of Shang Shiyu last night?

She stormed up to Wei Yixian. “Where’s Shang Shiyu? What did you do to her?”

Wei Yixian’s headache was already pounding, and Shang Shidai’s shrill voice only made it worse.

“What do you want with her?”

Wei Yixian set down her water glass and leaned back against the sofa, regretfully thinking that perhaps she should have let Shang Shiqian massage her a bit longer.

Even if it was useless, it would have been psychologically comforting.

Shang Shidai was at a loss for words.

She hadn’t even considered why she had come to find Shang Shiyu in the first place.

Was it to uncover the truth?

But could anything that came out of their mouths really be considered the truth?

She bit her fingernail and said, “What’s it to you? I’m looking for her, not you!”

Wei Yixian replied, “Shang Five, do I need to remind you that resembling someone else isn’t a crime? I know you suspect that I made her get plastic surgery to look like Shang Shiqian, that I humiliated her, humiliated your Shang family… Isn’t your friend’s family in the plastic surgery business? Why don’t you ask her whether I ever sent anyone for surgery?”

Bringing this up only stoked Shang Shidai’s anger further. “You’re holding leverage over others deleting surgical records would be child’s play for you. You know full well I wouldn’t find anything, which is why you’re so brazen about it.”

Wei Yixian shot her a glance, her expression as if she were looking at an idiot.

“Until you have any evidence proving I orchestrated this, everything you say can be used as proof of your slander and defamation against me.” She stood up, looking down at Shang Shidai. “Do you really think I’d tolerate you recklessly tarnishing my reputation forever?”

Shang Shidai stared at her pale, bloodless face and sensed no killing intent from her.

Unfazed, she retorted, “Then just wait, I’ll go find the evidence right now!”

Wei Yixian said to the maid, “See her out.”

As Shang Shidai turned to leave, she glanced around, thinking the place didn’t feel like a love nest at all, it was too cold and lifeless.

Suddenly, she turned back. “Shang Shiyu isn’t your property. If she’s willing to see me, you have no right to stop me from meeting her.”

Wei Yixian said nothing.

Shang Shidai felt she had won this round and strode out triumphantly, slipping on her shoes as she left.

Not long after, Pu Feifei returned.

“President Wei, I’ve already taken Little Shang to East City University.”

Wei Yixian pinched the bridge of her nose and asked, “I need to arrange for someone to enter East City University. Any ideas?”

Pu Feifei immediately understood. “There’s a position in the university’s logistics and security department called ‘classroom administrator.’ There aren’t any vacancies right now, but they might need temporary workers.”

“Assign Chu Fei and the others there.”

As soon as Wei Yixian finished speaking, her body swayed, and she collapsed.

“President Wei!!!”

–

“Thank you.” Shang Shiqian took the backpack from Chen Yixun and handed her a bottle of juice in return.

Chen Yixun said, “You mentioned yesterday that you needed to store it for two days. I didn’t think you’d come today.”

Shang Shiqian had also assumed she’d have to take the day off, but Wei Yixian had changed her mind and no longer insisted she hide from the Shang family.

Was this a case of throwing caution to the wind?

Still, today Chu Fei had openly gotten into the car and come to school with her. Wasn’t that Wei Yixian’s way of making a statement?

Chen Yixun hesitated before tentatively asking, “Did something happen yesterday?”

Rumors had spread that people resembling Wei Yixian and Shang Shidai had gotten into a dispute in front of the Treasure Pavilion.

The reason it was “resembling” was because the students who posted photos and videos of the incident online had all received cease-and-desist letters from Wei Corporation’s legal team.

No one dared to treat Wei Yixian’s lawyer’s letter as a joke. They all withdrew their messages, and those who couldn’t simply disbanded their group chats.

Even if someone had saved the videos and photos, they didn’t dare to post them.

As a result, only text versions using pinyin abbreviations of names circulated on gossip forums.

But the students who had witnessed the scene were too far away to clearly see what had happened or understand the specifics of the argument.

Their dispute seemed to involve another girl who had been present.

Chen Yixun guessed that this girl might be “Shang Shiyu.”

After all, she was the only one who could make Wei Yixian appear at East City University.

Shang Shiqian smiled brightly. “Nothing happened, don’t worry.”

It wasn’t that she was being guarded or distant with Chen Yixun she genuinely didn’t think yesterday’s incident was worth fretting over.

As the saying goes, since it had come, she might as well accept it.

No matter how the Shang family decided to handle the matter once they found out, they would eventually come to her.

When the time came, she’d just deal with it as it unfolded.

Seeing her cheerful expression and relaxed demeanor, Chen Yixun believed her.

She said, “If you run into any trouble again at East City University, remember to come to me for help.”

Then she quickly added, “Of course, I hope nothing like this happens to you again.”

“Thanks for the good wishes.”

“There’s one more thing.” Chen Yixun hesitated, pointing at the black Go piece charm on Shang Shiqian’s backpack. “When I grabbed my bag yesterday, there was only one charm left here.”

Shang Shiqian froze for a moment before explaining, “Oh, my backpack only ever had this one charm.”

Chen Yixun asked, “Where’s the white piece charm?”

“In the car.”

Shang Shiqian remembered Wei Yixian hanging it on that luxury car worth tens of millions, the cheap Go charm didn’t match the car’s prestige, but no one dared to question Wei Yixian’s taste.

Chen Yixun’s brow relaxed. “I thought I’d lost it.”

“Even if you had, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. Just a charm.”

After comforting her, Shang Shiqian was about to enter the Go Room when Chen Yixun called out to her again.

“Yesterday, when I thought I’d lost your charm, I wanted to buy a new pair to replace it. But I couldn’t find anything like it on Wenming Street, so I took the liberty of buying a bracelet that’s supposed to relieve fatigue and bring good luck. I put it in the left pocket of your backpack. Even though you said I didn’t lose the charm, since I already bought it and it’s not an expensive bracelet just take it. I’m heading to the library now.”

With that, she turned and walked toward the fire exit.

Shang Shiqian pulled out a tea-colored crystal bracelet from the side pocket of her backpack.

Though she wasn’t in the habit of wearing bracelets, it was Chen Yixun’s thoughtful gesture, so she decided to keep it for now. She’d find a chance to return the favor later.

…

At noon.

As Shang Shiqian left the Go Room, the administrator reminded her, “A girl named Shang Shidai came looking for you. I told her not to disturb you while you were playing, so she asked me to let you know she’d be waiting outside for you.”

“Thank you.” Shang Shiqian stepped outside and, sure enough, saw her younger sister sitting on a stone bench under a tree, lost in thought.

She was surprised, Shang Xiaowu hadn’t told the family about her presence and had come to see her alone again?

But Shang Xiaowu was an adult now. Maybe she had her own reasons.

She called out, “Shang Xiaodai.”

Shang Shidai jolted and sprang up from the bench.

The moment she saw Shang Shiqian, if she hadn’t reminded herself that this unfamiliar woman wasn’t worthy of being her sister’s substitute, she would have almost blurted out the nickname “Shang Qiguan” again.

Shang Shidai said fiercely, “Who allowed you to call me that?”

Shang Shiqian asked with a smile, “Then should I call you Fifth Miss Shang?”

Shang Shidai imagined her sister calling her “Fifth Miss” and felt extremely uncomfortable. She said, “I have a name! I’m Shang Shidai!”

Shang Shiqian responded sincerely, “I know.”

Shang Shidai: “…”

It was downright eerie. She increasingly felt that the person standing before her was Shang Qiguan.

Not only were the face, appearance, and voice similar, but even the demeanor, mannerisms, and aura were so familiar that it filled her with nostalgia.

Shang Shiqian asked, “You’re here to figure out what exactly is going on between me and Wei Yixian, right?”

Shang Shidai acknowledged.

But inwardly, she felt a growing sense of unease.

She had come to uncover the truth, to interrogate and force out the facts, which inevitably required a more aggressive attitude.

Yet she had this overwhelming sense that being harsh with this person was like being harsh with Shang Qiguan.

How was she supposed to put on a fierce face now?

Even the prepared script in her mind was now useless.

Shang Shiqian said, “You’ve really misunderstood Wei Yixian.”

Shang Shidai stubbornly replied, “My reasoning is perfectly logical!”

“Then let me ask you the simplest question, what would she gain by having someone undergo plastic surgery to look like Shang Shiqian?”

Shang Shidai scoffed, “She’s psychologically twisted, a pervert who wants to keep a Caged Canary identical to Shang Qiguan to humiliate our family.”

Shang Shiqian thought to herself, no normal person would have such a fetish, right?

And what benefit would there be in humiliating the Shang family this way?

“Second question, do you still insist that Wei Yixian is pining for her first love?”

Shang Shidai hesitated.

Yesterday, Wei Yixian had already clearly stated that she and Yin Zaishui had no personal relationship whatsoever.

However, Shang Shidai didn’t trust Wei Yixian.

So she nodded solemnly, “That’s what everyone in the circle says.”

Influenced by the original novel’s setting, Shang Shiqian had once thought the same.

But after spending nearly a month with Wei Yixian, she felt she should free herself from the influence of the original novel and “what others say.”

What kind of person Wei Yixian was should be something she observed and discovered for herself.

Shang Shiqian said, “So in the end, it’s just hearsay. You have no evidence that she’s pining for her first love.”

Shang Shidai dismissed it, “Her female secretary, Yin Lian, I think her name is was hired precisely because she’s related to her first love. Otherwise, with that secretary’s second-rate university diploma, how could she possibly land the job? Every single one of her previous secretaries was a top graduate from 985 or 211 universities.”

If Shang Shiqian hadn’t been friends with Yin Lian and occasionally chatted with her, learning about her situation, she might have believed it.

She said, “So Sister Yin has been suffering workplace bullying all this time…”

Shang Shidai: “?”

“What does this have to do with workplace bullying?”

“Just because of a surname, you assume she was exceptionally hired due to connections, denying her abilities and merits, isn’t this workplace bullying? The Wei Group must have more than one employee surnamed Yin. Do they all have ties to Wei Yixian’s first love? Or is it simply because she’s young, fresh out of society for just two years, lacking seniority and connections, making her an easy target?”

Shang Shidai was left speechless.

After a moment, she snapped, “What’s the connection between these two questions of yours? You can’t even prove Wei Yixian’s innocence.”

“Fine, let’s assume Wei Yixian truly can’t forget her first love.

In that case, shouldn’t she try to distance herself from Shang Shiqian to maintain her devoted persona?

Why would she invest so much time and money into crafting a replacement for an ex-wife she doesn’t even like?

You say she did it to spite the Shang family, but the Shangs aren’t toothless tigers. Why would Wei Yixian provoke them?

What good would it do her to ruin her devoted image and turn the Shang and Wei families against each other, just to vent her anger?”

This series of questions successfully stumped Shang Shidai.

Shang Shiqian sighed inwardly.

The Shang Xiaowu of the past, though lively, wasn’t this obsessive.

It seemed many things had happened in these eight years.

Shang Shidai felt her thoughts were more tangled than abstract art.

It took her a while to untangle the logical connection between these two matters.

She said, “Even if you make sense, it only proves she might have truly moved on from her first love. But your existence, your origins she’s still highly suspicious.”

Shang Shiqian instinctively flicked her forehead. “Suspicious? This isn’t a case you’re investigating.”

“You!” Shang Shidai was about to scold her but suddenly stopped herself.

However, when she looked at Shang Shiqian again, her gaze held a hint of doubt.

Shang Shiqian seemed oblivious.

She said, “If you think I had plastic surgery, why not suspect I deliberately altered my appearance to get close to her?”

Shang Shidai’s pupils shrank, then she fell into confusion.

Was that even a possibility?

Shang Shiqian smiled. “See? This is your bias against her.”

Shang Shidai hurriedly denied it. “Who in their right mind would get surgery to look like Shang Qiguan just to approach her? Everyone knows she’s hung up on Yin Zaishui.”

Her words abruptly cut off.

She realized her next assumption would contradict her earlier conclusion.

Shang Shidai grabbed her head in frustration.

Damn it, this is giving me a headache!

Shang Shiqian patted her head and ruffled her hair. “In conclusion, whether I had plastic surgery or not has nothing to do with Wei Yixian.”

Shang Shidai swatted her hand away. “Then who are you? Why are you with her?”

Shang Shiqian fell silent for a moment before reciting the same explanation she gave everyone else.

Half a year was still too short.

Shang Shidai found it hard to believe.

Could this replacement’s resemblance to Shang Qiguan really just be a coincidence?

Did Wei Yixian bring her to Tianhao Garden because she saw her as Shang Qiguan’s replacement?

Shang Shiqian said, “If you don’t believe me, go investigate. I’m not going anywhere. You can come find me anytime.”

And so, Shang Shidai left with a head full of questions.

Before leaving, she asked Shang Shiqian for his phone number and successfully added him as a friend.

“You won’t block me and run away, will you?” Shang Shidai asked.

Shang Shiqian replied, “If I wanted to run, I would have done it yesterday.”

Once back in the car, Shang Shidai touched her own head and exclaimed in embarrassment, “She’s clearly younger than me, how dare she pat my head?!”

Wei: So, you just brushed it off like that?

Shang Si: Yep!

Wei: …

Confirmed my wife’s incredible obliviousness is hereditary.

Gastroenteritis hit me first diarrhea, then vomiting, and all in the middle of the night. Could only manage this much.