The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Changes to Take the Black Moonlight Script - Chapter 58

Wei Yixian had just stepped out of the shower when the doorbell rang.

Guessing it was Shang Shiqian outside, she curled her lips slightly and opened the door.

However, what greeted her was a panda plushie with sunglasses perched on its head, a chubby neck adorned with a beaded necklace, and a ruler strapped to its back.

The person holding the panda plushie said, “Wei Yixian, I’ve come to apologize. Don’t be mad at me, okay?”

Wei Yixian suppressed a smile and replied expressionlessly, “Wouldn’t me being mad at you be exactly what you want?”

Shang Shiqian moved the panda plushie aside, revealing her clear eyes. “Huh?”

“You don’t want me to like you, right? So why are you here trying to coax me? Aren’t you afraid that if I forgive you, I’ll end up liking you even more?”

Shang Shiqian realized she was being confessed to by Wei Yixian again.

Suppressing the flutter in her chest, she said, “But I never thought of making you angry, sad, or disappointed as a way to kill your feelings for me. Because if you’re mad at me, it’ll only affect your mood and health. That’s just not worth it.”

Wei Yixian: “…”

Now she understood why Shang Shiqian was so impossible to stay angry at.

“Then how do you plan to make me stop liking you?”

Shang Shiqian pondered for a moment before answering uncertainly, “Maybe wait until you develop feelings for someone else or realize you don’t actually like me that much?”

Wei Yixian hadn’t been angry before, but hearing such ridiculous words, she was genuinely amused and exasperated.

Crossing her arms, she asked, “Weren’t you here to apologize with a bramble? Where’s the bramble?”

“It’s in your garden. I didn’t dare cut it, I was afraid the gardener would come after me tomorrow morning.”

“Perfect. Let her deal with you for me.”

Shang Shiqian earnestly offered the ruler strapped to the panda’s back. “Can I apologize with this instead?”

Wei Yixian pulled out the ruler from the panda’s back, then suddenly thought of something, her expression flickering briefly.

Playing with the ruler, she asked nonchalantly, “Did you go to the basement?”

Shang Shiqian admitted, “Yeah.”

Wei Yixian: “…”

So, Shang Shiqian had seen the row of dolls?

Judging by the smile in Shang Shiqian’s eyes, she had clearly noticed Wei Yixian’s habit of arranging the dolls.

Wei Yixian’s pride took a hit. “Hand.”

Even though she had braced herself for a smack on the palm, Shang Shiqian still flinched slightly as she extended her hand.

Wei Yixian raised the ruler, but just before it landed, she glanced at Shang Shiqian.

Shang Shiqian’s attention was entirely focused on her own palm.

Wei Yixian’s lips curled, and in the blink of an eye, she leaned in and kissed Shang Shiqian’s lips.

Shang Shiqian froze for a second, her dazed eyes wide whether from shock or savoring the kiss was unclear.

Wei Yixian said, “I’m not one to give up easily. The more you don’t want me to like you, the more I’ll insist on it.”

Shang Shiqian: “…”

Without waiting for a reaction, Wei Yixian placed the ruler on the nearby cabinet and said, “Alright, I forgive you. Go back and sleep.”

She moved to close the door.

But Shang Shiqian suddenly pressed a hand against it.

She asked, “Don’t you want the plushie?”

Wei Yixian’s gaze lingered on the panda for a couple of seconds before she reached for it.

Instead, Shang Shiqian pulled it behind her back and took half a step forward, instantly putting them in a position where Wei Yixian was embracing her.

“Wei Yixian, I’ve figured it out.”

Shang Shiqian’s voice sounded by her ear.

Wei Yixian tilted her head slightly in confusion. “Hmm?”

Shang Shiqian whispered, “You don’t actually like the stuffed toys you just like the person who’s catching them for you.”

Her voice was hushed, as if afraid a third person might overhear, yet spoken with such confident certainty.

Wei Yixian froze momentarily before letting out a soft, helpless laugh. “You already know I like you, don’t you?”

“Hearing you say it with your own words is different.”

Wei Yixian had always been reserved. Even when admitting her feelings for Shang Shiqian, it was only after being questioned first, a simple acknowledgment in response.

Because of this, Shang Shiqian had never truly grasped just how deep Wei Yixian’s affection for her ran.

But when she saw the empty claw machine and the neatly lined-up plushies, she sought out Pu Feifei and learned that this was Wei Yixian’s “masterpiece,” painstakingly assembled the night Shang Shiqian had decided to move out.

In other words, while she had slept soundly without a care in the world, someone had lain awake, restless because of her.

In all her years, the only thing that had ever kept Shang Shiqian up at night was Go.

Putting herself in Wei Yixian’s shoes, she realized, if it weren’t something truly important, someone like Wei Yixian would never have gone to such lengths.

And when she thought deeper hadn’t Wei Yixian inexplicably bought that claw machine right after Shang Shiqian had won a plushie for Chen Yixun?

Wei Yixian asked, “And then?”

“Before, I told you not to like me. That was too thoughtless of me. I didn’t consider your feelings at all.”

“Because when I realized just how much I liked you, I found it impossible to stop.”

“Whenever I stepped away from the Go board, I’d think about what I should teach you that evening, wonder if you were facing any troubles.”

“Even at all those banquets you kept getting invited to, if you got drunk, would you end up sitting on someone else’s lap and kissing them?”

At this, Wei Yixian pressed her lips together slightly, her expression serious as she replied, “I wouldn’t.”

Not just anyone was worth the effort of feigning drunkenness over and over again, scheming for chances to get close.

Shang Shiqian beamed and continued, “Putting myself in your position, if I could stop liking you just because you asked me to, how genuine could my feelings really be?”

“So my earlier request was nothing short of trampling all over your sincerity.”

Wei Yixian watched her silently for a long moment before finally responding with a faint, wry smile, “Good that you realize it.”

Then, taking half a step back, she lifted her chin slightly and said, “Let’s go.”

“Huh?” Shang Shiqian blinked in confusion.

“The plushie.”

Shang Shiqian pulled out the panda stuffed toy.

Wei Yixian shook her head. “Not that one.”

She reached out, pressing a fingertip against the first button of Shang Shiqian’s pajama top. “This one.”

The button sat a few centimeters above her heart, yet Shang Shiqian felt as though Wei Yixian’s touch had landed directly on it.

A strange warmth spread from her chest.

Unbidden, a saying came to mind, Those who seldom give their heart, once moved, can no longer hold back. ①

–

After deliberately setting aside her weekend to spend time with family, Shang Shixing immediately resumed work mode once the two-day break ended.

Once she cleared the backlog of tasks that had piled up, she summoned the deputy secretary-general for an update on the organization and progress of the summer social practice activities.

The Phoenix Education Foundation maintained partnerships with over a hundred universities not just East City University and naturally, the summer program wasn’t limited to students from a single institution.

Each university might send one or two hundred participants, meaning the total number across all schools easily reached tens of thousands.

Therefore, the higher-ups are paying close attention to these activities to ensure nothing goes wrong.

After finishing her work report, the deputy secretary-general was about to leave but remembered something and turned back.

Shang Shixing asked, “Is there something else, Sister Mo?”

Since the deputy secretary-general was older than Shang Shixing, she privately addressed her as “Sister Mo.”

Sister Mo said, “There’s something I think you should be aware of. These past couple of days, private chat groups among the foundation’s employees have been spreading rumors that East City University is haunted.”

Shang Shixing’s first reaction was, what does East City University being haunted have to do with me?

But she didn’t interrupt Sister Mo rashly.

Sister Mo continued, “And the ghost in question is none other than your younger sister, Shiqian.”

Shang Shixing’s expression darkened.

Sister Mo knew this topic would anger her.

She said, “I’ve already issued a notice forbidding them from fabricating or spreading these stories. But according to the employees who heard these rumors, they originated from East City University. So I wondered if someone might be stirring up trouble to target us? Because the rumored haunted location is none other than the Treasure Pavilion, how could that be a coincidence?”

Sister Mo’s suspicions weren’t unfounded.

For years, envious eyes had been fixed on the Phoenix Education Foundation.

Due to the Shang family’s status, these parties didn’t dare act openly, but they lurked in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to tarnish the foundation’s reputation so they could intervene.

Without evidence, Shang Shixing wouldn’t jump to conclusions.

She said, “It’s also possible that someone is just bored and using Xiaoqian as entertainment.”

Of course, compared to Sister Mo’s conspiracy theory, what she found even more intolerable was this kind of disrespect toward the deceased.

After confirming the rumors indeed came from East City University, Shang Shixing had her assistant handle the matter.

The university’s administration was unaware of the rumors after all, bored students were common, and every school had its share of inexplicable ghost stories, which they never took seriously.

However, upon learning that the subject of the rumors was the murdered daughter of the Shang family, the university took it seriously. They banned related posts under the pretext of superstition and disrupting campus order.

They also contacted students who had posted about it on platforms like Ledou and Soubo for clout, demanding they delete the posts.

The original source of the rumors couldn’t be traced, but someone mentioned Yi Jing as the person involved, so the university reached out to him.

After clarifying the situation, they immediately instructed all academic advisors to post a debunking announcement in their respective class group chats.

Fortunately, with final exams approaching, most students were too busy to pay attention to such obviously fake rumors.

When Yi Jing, the person involved, came forward and explained that he had simply had a fever-induced nightmare, which others overheard and embellished before spreading, the whole incident was exposed as a big misunderstanding. Gradually, people lost interest in discussing it.

The reason supernatural events attract widespread attention is their mysterious and unknown nature, which stimulates the senses and curiosity.

Once the unknown is demystified, people quickly lose interest.

Soon, Shang Shiqian noticed that the number of students entering and leaving the Treasure Pavilion at night gradually increased.

Though “increased” wasn’t quite accurate it had simply returned to the level before the haunting rumors began.

Shang Shiqian assumed that the students’ fear of failing their exams had outweighed their fear of the female ghost, prompting them to return and seize every opportunity to review.

–

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was early July.

Friday.

At East City University, where exam week had finally ended, students were already packing their bags and leaving campus even before the official holiday announcement.

The university’s official holiday break would begin the following Monday.

Except for those who had to stay behind to handle various tasks or participate in activities, most students with no exams or commitments over the weekend were eager to head home.

Chen Yixun had no home to return to, but she could apply to stay on campus until she left for her summer social practice activities.

“…The gathering is scheduled for July 10. The school gave us a week off to go home.”

In the university cafeteria, Chen Yixun was chatting with Shang Shiqian.

With exams over, East City University had lost two-thirds of its student population.

All of Chen Yixun’s roommates had left, leaving her alone in the dorm.

Fortunately, Shang Shiqian would also remain at East City University until the students departed for the National College Go Championship.

Chen Yixun occasionally joined her for meals.

Though their time together was limited to half an hour, she no longer felt the same loneliness as before.

Shang Shiqian asked, “How do you plan to spend this week?”

“Same as usual, part-time work.” Chen Yixun perked up. “Now that schools are gradually letting out, more people are looking for local guides. I’ve already booked three or four days’ worth of tours.”

Shang Shiqian frowned. “Is it safe?”

“I only take bookings from young women, and the itineraries are all planned by me. The drivers I hire are ones I’ve worked with many times, completely reliable.”

After a moment’s thought, Shang Shiqian said, “Send me the driver’s license plate number and phone number.”

Once she had the driver’s details from Chen Yixun, Shang Shiqian asked Shang Xiaowu to verify the driver’s background.

While Wei Yixian could have done it faster, involving her would only lead to silent jealousy.

Shang Xiaowu sent a sticker of a snarling golden retriever and replied, “You’re getting way too comfortable bossing me around!”

Shang Shiqian responded with a pleading cat GIF: “Dinner on me tonight?”

“Can’t. I’m celebrating a friend’s birthday tonight.”

It was her close friend of eight years, who had supported her through the darkest period after losing her family.

Since Shang Shiyu wasn’t the real Shang Qiguan, Shang Xiaowu wouldn’t ditch her friend for her.

“How about late-night snacks then?”

Shang Xiaowu immediately sent a voice message: “Don’t you have tutoring with Wei Yixian tonight?”

Shang Shiqian wondered was it really that surprising?

“She’s working overtime tonight.”

“Sweet! Then let’s meet at 9 p.m.!”

The Shang family didn’t have a strict curfew, but staying out overnight or leaving late required informing the household.

If the destination was sketchy, Shang Yu Feng would likely object.

Shang Xiaowu deliberately chose a spot close to home.

Evening.

In a small villa downtown.

After a lively birthday dinner, someone suggested, “After-party?”

The guest of honor, Zhao Duxing, smiled. “I’ve booked a private room at Earl’s. We can head over anytime.”

Earl’s was a high-end business KTV in East City, costing around 800 yuan per hour. With drinks and service fees, the per-person expense easily ran into thousands.

Most people here couldn’t bear to spend that kind of money, but with Zhao Duxing footing the bill, everyone’s enthusiasm soared and they all eagerly agreed.

Shang Xiaowu said, “You guys go ahead and have fun. I’ve got plans for late-night snacks with someone.”

Zhao Duxing was taken aback. “Why not bring them along to join us?”

The others chimed in, “Yeah, that’s right.”

Shang Xiaowu shook her head. “She doesn’t usually come to places like this.” She hesitated slightly as she spoke, realizing she didn’t actually know Shang Shiyu that well.

But from what she’d observed these past days, Shang Shiyu only shuttled between “school and Tianhao Garden” without going anywhere else.

She guessed someone like that probably wouldn’t be interested in nightclubs or KTVs.

“Who is this person?” Zhao Duxing asked with a teasing grin.

“I’m not sure either. Maybe a friend, maybe an enemy.”

“Why so poetic all of a sudden?”

Shang Xiaowu stood up, retrieved her bag from the corner of the sofa, and prepared to leave. “Have fun, guys.”

Once outside, she rummaged through her bag for car keys when she suddenly spotted a packet of Popping Candy inside.

“How did candy get in my bag?”

Assuming Shang Lingchu had hidden it there to avoid her elder sister finding out about her sweet tooth, she thought for a moment before tucking it back inside.

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