The Cannon Fodder Roles I Play All Become White Moonlights [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 17.2

The Ling family also received an invitation. Ling Qin attended the banquet with Ling Yuanbai. When Mr. Lu introduced Fang Mo, Ling Qin appeared more natural and composed than Fang Mo, smiling warmly and saying, “Truly, the younger generation shows great promise. Yuanbai, both you and President Fang are students of Jing University. You should seize opportunities to interact more and learn from President Fang.”

Ling Yuanbai nodded obediently, showing no signs of anything unusual, while Fang Mo remained expressionless as always.

Only the uninformed Lu Yaoqing asked with concern, “Why didn’t I see Aunt Yao?”

Ling Qin smiled kindly and replied, “Your Aunt Yao wasn’t feeling well today, so I let her rest at home. She misses you a lot, feel free to visit the Ling family when you have time.”

Later, in the restroom, Fang Mo and Ling Yuanbai unexpectedly crossed paths. Standing side by side at the sink, they noticed a slight resemblance in their reflections in the mirror.

As he washed his hands, Ling Yuanbai asked leisurely, “Why didn’t you bring Junior Su with you?”

Fang Mo remained silent. Ling Yuanbai continued, “I see Mr. Lu is treating you like family. Yaoqing is his only daughter, so he does need a son-in-law who can marry into the family. There’s something you might not know, Yaoqing, she…”

“Vice President Ling, I already have a girlfriend I plan to marry, and my girlfriend is good friends with Lu Yaoqing,” Fang Mo interrupted coldly.

Ling Yuanbai mulled over the word “marry,” his eyes instantly turning cold, though a smile remained on his face. “You might not know this, but I actually met Junior Su before you did. The reason she became your girlfriend was because she was trying to spite me.”

Fang Mo replied indifferently, “Then I should thank you, Vice President Ling. When Qingmeng and I get married, we’ll be sure to send you an invitation.”

“You’re still in the early stages of your career. You shouldn’t let Junior Su suffer with you. Besides, you know her, she cares more about money than men.” Ling Yuanbai had no desire to hear any more about Fang Mo marrying Su Qingmeng. However, Fang Mo remained unfazed, and his words failed to provoke any reaction.

Fang Mo calmly replied, “I know she likes money, so I’ll make sure she never lacks it.”

Ling Yuanbai saw in Fang Mo’s icy exterior a pair of eyes nearly as morbid as his own. He lowered his gaze, wondering: if he were Fang Mo, would he let Su Qingmeng go? No, he wouldn’t.

So, he said to Fang Mo, “The Ling family won’t let you off.” Don’t even think about coexisting peacefully with Ling Qin, eliminate this threat as soon as possible.

Fang Mo said nothing more and left directly.

Failing to suppress Fang Mo in one strike left Ling Qin in a foul mood. After returning home, he summoned Ling Yuanbai to his study. Striking him twice on the back with a belt, he then asked, “What do you know?”

Ling Yuanbai curled his lips slightly before replying, “I know that Fang Mo is my half-brother, born just three days after me.”

Ling Qin narrowed his eyes, as if weighing the truth of his words. “When did you find out?”

“A while ago, when you were after Shen Ting’s project.” Shen Ting was Fang Mo’s mentor and Shen Yue’s father. Tracing the connection from Shen Ting to Fang Mo, Ling Yuanbai’s explanation held no obvious flaws. Slowly, Ling Qin put away the belt.

Ling Yuanbai stood up, only to hear Ling Qin ask, “I heard you’ve been spending time with a girl lately, Fang Mo’s girlfriend, isn’t she?”

He paused, a flicker of ferocity in his eyes, but his expression remained calm. “I was planning to use her to get the core code from Fang Mo.”

“What do you think would happen if I used her against Fang Mo?” Ling Qin stared at him for a long time, as if searching for any sign of deception.

But Ling Yuanbai’s face remained impassive. He even calmly analyzed, “Fang Mo is highly guarded and difficult to deal with. I tried targeting him through his girlfriend before and failed. I don’t think he’s the type to sacrifice his career for a woman. Still, Fang Mo is capable, and he is your son.”

Ling Qin sneered, “I don’t acknowledge him as my son. Back then, I thought Fang Tinglan had gotten rid of him. I never expected she’d raise him. You’d better watch your tongue in front of your mother, don’t mention anything about a half-brother again.”

Father and son exchanged glances, each harboring suspicions and concealing their true thoughts. Neither spoke a word of truth.

Ling Yuanbai left the study and stopped outside Yao Jia’s room.

She gave him a bleak smile, grabbed a handful of antidepressants, and swallowed them as if her life depended on it. She had many questions, especially after seeing Fang Mo’s face up close, a terrifying thought had taken root in her mind. But she couldn’t ask or investigate. Every word she spoke was monitored by Ling Qin; one misstep could bring ruin to those around her.

Standing at the door, Ling Yuanbai watched as her eyes grew increasingly dull and her expression more numb. Softly, he said, “Goodnight, Mom.”

He turned and sent a message to Su Qingmeng: 【Let’s meet up.】

When Su Qingmeng received the message, Fang Mo was sitting right beside her. The notification popped up clearly on her screen, impossible to hide, and Fang Mo saw it plainly.

Fang Mo said nothing, only stared straight at Su Qingmeng, his dark eyes unsettlingly intense. Su Qingmeng couldn’t help but laugh. “A Mo, you’d be great in a horror movie. If you don’t want me to meet Senior Ling, just say so, no need to stare at me like that.”

She covered his eyes with her hand, and he gently took her hand, bringing it to his lips to press a reverent kiss on the back of it. “I don’t want you to see him.”

“Then I won’t,” Su Qingmeng said casually. She sent Ling Yuanbai a reply: [I won’t see you.]

[I helped you. Won’t you even thank me?] Ling Yuanbai sent the message but quickly withdrew it.

Su Qingmeng pretended not to see it and didn’t send any further messages.

Fang Mo was satisfied. He got up to make her a late-night snack. Su Qingmeng mumbled that it was too late, but Fang Mo’s cooking was simply too good. In the end, she couldn’t resist. After finishing the snack, Fang Mo washed the dishes before taking out his laptop to start working. Su Qingmeng noticed that he hadn’t just brought his laptop but also a folding bed, clearly intending to stay the night.

She stared straight at him, and he actually smiled back, softening his voice as he said, “Qingmeng, let me stay for two nights, okay?”

His phoenix eyes curved into a smile, so captivating that Su Qingmeng couldn’t help but be swayed by his charm. She lightly tapped his brow and ultimately let him stay.

Despite being busy, Fang Mo was as diligent as a house-elf. No matter how late he worked at night, he always tidied the room meticulously. He would wake up early to prepare breakfast for her, call her to get up, wait for her to finish eating, clean up, and then escort her to school.

What he had initially called “staying for two nights” turned into a long-term arrangement. In truth, he had already bought a house near the school, but he wanted to redecorate it to match the layout of her current place as a surprise, so he hadn’t told her yet.

By the time summer vacation arrived, they could move into their own home. Thinking about this, a smile graced Fang Mo’s usually cold face.

Shen Yue, seeing Fang Mo’s frequent smiles, exclaimed in disbelief, never having imagined that this was how Fang Mo would behave in a relationship.

One day, Su Qingmeng woke up a little earlier than usual. She leaned against the kitchen doorframe, watching the tall, aloof young man meticulously prepare breakfast for her while wearing an apron.

“A Mo,” she called softly, “if one day I’m no longer by your side, promise me you won’t pursue Yaoqing, okay?”

She felt guilty for disrupting his relationship with Lu Yaoqing, but there were some things she needed to confirm.

Fang Mo suddenly turned to look at her, his eyes dark and intense. If not for a ray of morning light streaming through the window, softening his gaze with a touch of warmth, she might have felt unnerved by his stare.

“Do you even need to think about it?” she asked, masking her unease with a smile.

“I won’t,” Fang Mo replied, lowering his gaze to focus on his task. He would never let her leave his side, nor would he ever pursue her best friend.

At school, Su Qingmeng went to the classroom as usual and sat next to Lu Yaoqing, quietly handing her a handmade bracelet. The bracelet was intricately woven, with a small golden lucky bead embedded in the center.

Lu Yaoqing loved it immediately and put it on right away, then asked with a hint of playful jealousy, “Did you buy this for your man and just happened to get one for me too?”

“No, I made this myself, just for you,” Su Qingmeng said affectionately, gently tapping Lu Yaoqing’s nose.

Overjoyed, Lu Yaoqing immediately posted a picture on her social media to show off.

At noon, instead of having lunch with Lu Yaoqing, Su Qingmeng arranged to meet Ling Yuanbai alone at a private restaurant he owned.

Ling Yuanbai wasn’t sure if Su Qingmeng was doing it on purpose, this private restaurant happened to be his usual spot for meeting Fang Tinglan discreetly. Yet he didn’t refuse and arrived even earlier than Su Qingmeng.

As always, Su Qingmeng arrived exactly on time. She sat across from Ling Yuanbai and said with a cheerful smile, “It’s really hard to get a reservation at this restaurant, Senior Ling. I had to wait for days to get a slot. Next time, I’ll have to ask for your help again.”

Ling Yuanbai stared at her smiling face for a long moment before replying with a faint smile of his own, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t see me?”

“You also said that since you helped me, I should thank you in person,” Su Qingmeng replied calmly. “Besides, you’ve helped me so much, it’s only right that I repay you. Do you happen to have that ruby necklace with you?”

He took out the necklace that had always been by his side, playing with it between his fingers. “Su Qingmeng, what are you trying to do with all this back and forth?”

Su Qingmeng approached him, took his hand, and the unique fragrance of her presence enveloped him. His heart raced violently as the necklace slipped into her hand. With swift movements, she fastened it around her neck.

She was wearing a pure white V-neck sweater that day. The ruby rested against her snow-like skin, creating a striking contrast.

Su Qingmeng had a preference for clean, pristine white, but Ling Yuanbai felt that a bewitching red suited her best. Of course, the bright red down jacket Fang Mo had given her was an exception.

“I’d like to ask Senior Ling a question, can this listening device play audio and record?” Su Qingmeng tapped the ruby.

Ling Yuanbai abruptly looked up and saw a cunning glimmer shining in her peach-blossom eyes. She was happy to let him see the calculation in her gaze, yet his heartbeat only quickened.

He clenched his fists, not denying her question, and simply asked, “What do you want to do?”