The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Changes to Take the Black Moonlight Script - Chapter 8

[Heartbreak Points 2%↑]

The sudden “good news” nearly made Shang Shiqian slip into the bathtub while she was soaking.

She was shocked: [What happened? Why did the Heartbreak Points suddenly increase?]

She had merely taken a bath at Wei Yixian’s house, could the butterfly effect really be this strong?

Had the system’s words truly come to pass that simply stepping into this place would indirectly deepen the misunderstanding between the female lead and her white moonlight?

The system gloated: [The female lead just rejected the white moonlight’s invitation!]

Shang Shiqian: [Huh? Shouldn’t it have been Wei Yixian inviting the white moonlight for a confrontation?]

Had she misread the plot?

[That doesn’t matter. As long as the process is angsty, it’s fine.]

Shang Shiqian: …

[You shouldn’t be called the Black Moonlight System. You should be called the Angst System.]

[‘Black Moonlight’ is just like this not city at all.]

Shang Shiqian pondered. Could it really be as the system said that as long as she was alive, even if she did nothing, she would still create obstacles between Wei Yixian and the white moonlight?

She was beginning to understand why she was cannon fodder, if she didn’t exit the story, how could Wei Yixian reconcile with the white moonlight without facing moral condemnation?

But… couldn’t the author just have them divorce?!

There was no love between her and Wei Yixian. If Wei Yixian wanted a divorce, she certainly wouldn’t cling on. Then Wei Yixian could be with the white moonlight without any moral issues!

Originally, Shang Shiqian had no interest in the romantic entanglements between Wei Yixian and the white moonlight. But if she wanted to understand why the author had arranged her death, perhaps the only way was to find answers in the original novel.

Just as she was about to flip through the original story, a maid gently inquired outside the door, “Madam, you’ve been in the bath for over forty minutes. May I confirm that you’re alright?”

Shang Shiqian was startled to realize she had spent so much time bathing!

She ended her soak, changed into clean, comfortable clothes, and went downstairs with her hair still damp.

Her gaze swept across the living room, but Wei Yixian was nowhere in sight. Just as she was about to ask someone, she saw Wei Yixian descending the stairs, stripped of all makeup and accessories.

Under the light, her unpainted lips appeared somewhat pale, and her complexion showed signs of suboptimal health. What remained unchanged were her flawless features and the sharp, hawk-like gaze.

Suddenly, a face devoid of cosmetics yet strikingly beautiful leaped out from her memories, overlapping with the Wei Yixian before her.

For the first time, Shang Shiqian felt the visceral impact of eight years passing by.

Wei Yixian merely glanced at Shang Shiqian before taking her seat at the head of the dining table.

She wasn’t in the mood to deal with Shang Shiqian right now.

It wasn’t because of that phone call, but because she had overheard “Shang Shiyu” talking to the system and realized she might be under surveillance.

This was her privately purchased home. Every staff member working here had undergone rigorous background checks and was only retained after being deemed trustworthy.

Thus, both security and privacy were guaranteed here.

Yet, the system could monitor her phone calls and their content?!

Had they not only planted a tracker on her but also bugged her phone?

The moment this realization struck, she immediately switched to a private phone, had her original personal phone sent for inspection, and ordered a thorough security sweep.

However, what slightly puzzled her was how “Shang Shiyu” knew she had originally planned to seek out Yin Zaishui?

Upon learning that Yin Zaishui had returned to the country and was assisting the Zhou family, Wei Yixian had intended to try persuasion before resorting to force, advising Yin Zaishui not to get involved.

But before she could approach Yin Zaishui, she first encountered “Shang Shiyu.”

With her plans disrupted, she also suspected that Yin Zaishui was not only involved in the Zhou family’s acquisition case but also connected to the group that had sent “Shang Shiyu” to approach her.

So she abandoned the idea of actively seeking out Yin Zaishui.

Yet, she hadn’t expected Yin Zaishui to come to her instead.

Could Yin Zaishui truly be implicated in this?

–

Following the custom of their past few shared banquets, Shang Shiqian took a seat beside Wei Yixian.

After she sat down, both Wei Yixian at the head of the table and the maid preparing to set her tableware paused in surprise.

The maid glanced at Wei Yixian for guidance and, seeing her frown, immediately understood what to do.

With an apologetic expression, she said to Shang Shiqian, “Madam, I’m sorry, but that chair is slightly damaged and hasn’t been replaced yet. Please take this seat instead.”

Shang Shiqian looked down at the chair. “Huh? It’s not broken!”

The maid: “…”

Wei Yixian lacked the maid’s hospitality instincts. She lifted her chin and spoke bluntly, “Your seat is over there.”

Shang Shiqian suddenly understood and obediently moved to the opposite side of the table, separated from Wei Yixian by seven or eight chairs.

Seeing her compliance and the complete absence of any displeasure on her face, Wei Yixian wondered: Was this person genuinely oblivious to sarcasm, or had her acting skills reached such mastery that she could conceal her true emotions?

Naturally, Shang Shiqian noticed Wei Yixian’s less-than-welcoming attitude, but she saw no reason to take offense. After all, Wei Yixian had taken her in and provided meals, already an extraordinary act of kindness.

Both Shang Shiqian and Wei Yixian adhered to the principle of “no talking during meals or before sleep,” so the entire dinner passed without conversation. But once the meal ended, Shang Shiqian seemed to shed her restraints. She stretched lazily and beckoned to the maid, “Miss, does this household have a Go set?”

“Go?” The maid instinctively looked at Wei Yixian again.

The entire villa had only one Go board kept in Wei Yixian’s study.

However, that set was locked in a display case, treated as a precious antique.

There was no way she’d dare take it out for a guest to play with. She offered, “You can download a Go app on the tablet.”

Shang Shiqian had often played online games in her past life, so a physical board wasn’t a necessity. Delighted, she said, “That’s perfect! Thank you, miss!”

At that moment, Wei Yixian saw starlight shimmering in her eyes.

Once again, that peculiar emotion surged in Wei Yixian’s heart.

Though she believed “Shang Shiyu” was deliberately imitating Shang Shiqian, Shang Shiqian’s passion for Go wasn’t something easily replicated.

Could “Shang Shiyu” genuinely love Go as well?

Wei Yixian dismissed the thought: It wasn’t necessarily true devotion.

As the saying goes, “One can paint a tiger’s skin but not its bones.” If someone sought to imitate Shang Shiqian, they would surely train in Go first. How could an amateur possibly capture Shang Shiqian’s essence?

Not that Wei Yixian underestimated them.

Although Shang Shiqian was only an 8-dan player, she was already the top female Go player in Xia Country. Before her promotion to 8-dan, Xia Country hadn’t seen a female player reach this level in over twenty years.

Moreover, she achieved 8-dan status at the age of eighteen. Both her grandfather, the “National Champion” Lin Shizhang, and her master, “Go Sage” Yu Yifei, believed she would smoothly advance to 9-dan by age 21, becoming Xia Country’s third female 9-dan player.

If she hadn’t been murdered.

Even after eight years, only one new female 8-dan player has emerged in Xia Country’s Go circles.

So if this person’s skills could truly rival Shang Shiqian’s, Wei Yixian reasoned that unless that young female 8-dan had undergone plastic surgery, it was highly likely that Shang Shiqian had returned from the dead.

Wei Yixian went to the liquor cabinet and took out a bottle of whiskey. After three glasses, she glanced at Shang Shiqian.

The latter was sitting upright on a single sofa, her tablet lying flat on the coffee table before her.

The way she looked down at the tablet made it seem as though what lay before her wasn’t an electronic device but a Go board.

Who in their right mind wouldn’t hold a tablet in their hands when using it? At the very least, they’d use a stand.

But for a moment, Wei Yixian seemed to see the Shang Shiqian of nine years ago.

An image flashed before her eyes:

On the day of their wedding photoshoot, everyone was in a hurry, she was rushing to finish the shoot and return to work, the makeup team was scrambling to touch up her makeup, and the photography crew was flustered by her last-minute changes to the shooting schedule…

Amidst all this bustle, Shang Shiqian stood out as distinctly out of place. There she sat on a folding chair, holding a Go stone jar, with a board covered entirely in black stones before her.

She appeared to be playing randomly, but Wei Yixian knew she was engaged in a match just that her opponent wasn’t physically present but existed in her mind.

Curious to see how absorbed she could get, Wei Yixian didn’t interrupt and waited a full twenty minutes.

When the game ended, Shang Shiqian exhaled in relief, stretched, and suddenly noticed Wei Yixian’s gaze. “Are we done?” she asked.

Wei Yixian laughed in exasperation and nodded. “Yes, we’re done.”

Shang Shiqian nodded too. “Then it’s my turn now.”

Wei Yixian found herself both annoyed and amused, all her irritation vanishing in that instant.

She called out to Shang Shiqian and asked gently, “Have you ever seen a solo wedding photo before?”

Finally realizing her mistake, Shang Shiqian looked apologetic. “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.”

On the sofa, Shang Shiqian stretched.

All the images receded like the tide, and Wei Yixian snapped back to reality, her expression unreadable.

Thinking she must have had too much to drink, she set down her glass and headed upstairs.

She should have probed “Shang Shiyu” further, but she was too tired today to waste energy on an impostor.

Shang Shiqian noticed a familiar gaze lingering on her for a long time. When she turned to look, she only caught a glimpse of clothing disappearing around the stairwell corner.

She recognized it as Wei Yixian’s attire.

Was Wei Yixian watching her play Go again?

Why sneak glances? Why not just watch openly?

There was no need to worry about distracting her—as a professional player, her concentration was excellent.

Remembering her hair was still damp, Shang Shiqian prepared to return to the guest room. A maid asked, “Finished playing?”

Shang Shiqian shook her head. “The new account’s rating is too low. It’s hard to find suitable opponents.”

Moreover, her purpose today wasn’t to find an opponent but to see if the rules of Go had changed over the past eight years.

Sure enough, starting last year, the Go Association had begun discussing reforms to the competition rules. However, it was still in the discussion phase with no substantial progress yet.

A few major Go tournaments, though, had already changed their formats.

Thinking of tournaments, Shang Shiqian picked up her tablet again to check the opening ceremony of today’s Weijia League.

Two minutes later, she was stunned: “The Weida Cup is gone?!”

Oh, no—the Weida Cup wasn’t gone. It was just that the Weijia League’s title sponsor had changed, and the opening ceremony had been moved to the end of the month instead of today.

Shang Shiqian set down the tablet and scratched her head.

“Why did it change?”

From the moment she first encountered Go until her death, throughout her over-a-decade-long professional career, the “Weida Cup” had never been absent. In her mind, the “Weida Cup” was synonymous with the “Weijia League.”

Why, the moment she opened her eyes after waking up, had the “Weida Cup” become the “Huashang Cup”?

Deep down, Shang Shiqian understood that different title sponsors meant different league names.

But after her rebirth, not only could she not return to her family, but even the only person she knew, Wei Yixian, had changed. It was impossible to say she wasn’t feeling lost.

The only thing that could comfort her was Go, with its unchanging rules.

Yet now, even the familiar title of the Go tournament had changed!

After a long while, she poked at the system, a mix of helplessness and a hint of grievance in her voice: [This world feels so unfamiliar.]

Current Wei Yixian: “Liar, sit over there.”

Future Wei Yixian: “Darling, why aren’t you sitting next to me?”

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