The Moon Shines Upon Me - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: First Encounter

Jinghai City.

“Welcome aboard Bus 128. Doors closing, vehicle departing. Please hold on firmly. The next stop is…”

Screech— Clack—

The bus, which had just started moving, suddenly came to a halt. Everyone on board turned toward the sound.

Under the collective gaze of the passengers, the doors slid open to reveal a young, beautiful woman jumping onto the bus. She appeared to be in her early twenties, carrying a Chanel handbag and wearing the latest Armani dress—the fabric was silky and shimmering, accentuating her excellent figure.

Dressed in expensive designer brands and sporting a Piaget 18k gold diamond watch on her fair, slender wrist, her glamorous presence felt entirely out of place in the cramped, narrow bus. She looked more like a wealthy socialite dressed up for a high-end blind date.

But why would a young miss from a wealthy family condescend to take a bus? Was she out to “experience real life”?

Shen Yuan took only one glance before lowering her head. She used two fingers to pull open a transparent plastic bag and took a bite of a snow-white, soft red bean bun, chewing slowly.

“Huh? Where’s my phone?” The woman rummaged through her bag, her brows furrowing slightly.

“Master, I am so sorry, I think I left my phone in my car.”

“My car just broke down, and the driver already called someone to tow it away. Sir, do you think I could pay the bus fare later once I get to my company?”

“Or, if you give me your WeChat, I can transfer the money to you then.”

Her voice was melodious and pleasant—much like her face, it gave off a high-class impression.

However, the bus driver didn’t seem to buy it. He glanced at the woman and grumbled, “Why get on the bus if you don’t have money? Seeing you dressed so fashionably, I only stopped because I thought you were some rich lady. How can you not even have two yuan…”

The woman’s expression stiffened, but she remained polite and apologized:

“I’m sorry, Master—”

Clink— Clink—

After dropping two coins into the box, Shen Yuan turned around in silence and sat back in her window seat. She was heading out for an interview today. After paying this month’s rent, she only had 102 yuan left to her name. Those two coins were originally intended for her bus fare back home.

“Thank you so much. Could you give me your WeChat? I’ll pay you back once I get my phone.”

A pleasant scent of perfume suddenly reached Shen Yuan’s nose. A second later, a figure settled into the seat beside her.

“No need.”

Shen Yuan tidied up the plastic bag, placed it in her cloth tote bag, and took out a cup of soy milk to sip slowly.

“You helped me. How about I treat you to a meal instead?”

Shen Yuan finally looked up to give her a proper glance. The woman beside her had fair, delicate skin, very light-colored pupils, a deep and high bridge of the nose, and slightly thin lips. She looked mixed-race. Every strand of hair on her head exuded refinement, making her look like someone who had absolutely no business being unable to afford two yuan.

Gu Shiwei was also openly observing Shen Yuan. The woman who had paid for her was gentle in appearance but aloof in temperament. Her raven-black hair was tied up, revealing a slender, delicate neck. Below that was a white shirt buttoned to the very top, paired with black trousers that draped well—a very formal look.

Her pupils were very dark, but her skin was so white it was almost transparent. Gu Shiwei stared at her lips and teeth as they bit down on the straw for a few moments before suddenly looking away.

“Can I add your… WeChat?”

Shen Yuan gave her a strange look and declined.

Shen Yuan suffered from slight motion sickness. After finishing her breakfast, she placed her hands neatly on her lap, leaned back against the glass, and closed her eyes to rest.

Her stomach felt a bit uncomfortable.

Shen Yuan’s eyelashes fluttered as she reached out to cover her stomach.

The person beside her seemed to notice; Shen Yuan could feel a burning gaze on her face, but she ignored it.

When they reached the stop, Shen Yuan moved past the woman and got off the bus. She squinted at the towering office building before her.

The two characters at the very top—Zhaoyang—was the name of the company, the game studio where Shen Yuan was interviewing today.

“You’re an employee here too?”

The luxury-clad woman from earlier suddenly appeared before her. Shen Yuan squinted at her: “No, I’m here for an interview. Are you?”

“Not exactly. I’m an intern; today is my first day of work.” Gu Shiwei smoothed out the hem of her dress that had been wrinkled on the bus and said with a smile, “Thank you for earlier. So many people on the bus were looking at me strangely, but only you paid for me.”

“You’re welcome.”

In Shen Yuan’s poorest times, she couldn’t even afford the bus. Helping this woman earlier was entirely because she was suddenly reminded of her own past hardships.

Shen Yuan nodded at her, walked around her, and headed into the building.

The interview location was on the 18th floor. Shen Yuan pressed the elevator button, and Gu Shiwei followed closely behind. Seeing the 18th floor light up, the woman’s elegant eyebrows arched: “You’re going to the 18th floor too?”

Shen Yuan: “Mm.”

Ding—

As Shen Yuan walked out, she took her resumes out of her cloth bag. She was interviewing for two positions today: Original Artist Assistant and CEO Assistant. Shen Yuan stared at the two stacks of A4 paper for a moment, then walked toward the CEO Assistant interview room at the end of the hall.

Gu Shiwei, coming out behind her, watched Shen Yuan’s thin, frail back for a few moments before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

The two interviews took up the entire morning. The HR representative told Shen Yuan to go home and wait for news; they would inform her via email within three days whether she had passed.

Shen Yuan didn’t stay idle during those three days. She found a part-time job shaking milk tea for twelve yuan an hour. Working ten hours a day earned her 120 yuan.

After three days, excluding food expenses, Shen Yuan had earned 300 yuan. Combined with the 100 yuan she had left before, she now had 400 yuan in her pocket.

Her rent was 1,000 yuan a month, and with water, electricity, and internet, it came to nearly 1,200 yuan. If she didn’t pass the interview, next month’s rent would be tight, and she would have to find other work.

When Shen Yuan returned to her rented room with a weary body after her shift, it was already 11:00 PM. Her roommate, Fu Yao, was a web novelist with a flipped sleep schedule; this was exactly the time she emerged from her room to forage for food.

Seeing Shen Yuan return, Fu Yao quickly put down her cup of instant noodles floating with red chili oil. She scurried over and asked, “Yuanyuan, any news from the interview?”

“I haven’t checked my email yet. I just got back from work.”

Shen Yuan took out her phone and opened WeChat. There was a small red dot on her inbox. Shen Yuan’s slender white index finger hovered over the screen, hesitating to press down.

“This must mean you passed! Open it quick!” Fu Yao seemed even more anxious than Shen Yuan. Although she didn’t want to work outside herself, she knew Shen Yuan’s situation; Shen Yuan really needed this job.

“Dear Ms. Shen Yuan, hello. You have passed the interview for the position of Original Artist Assistant. Please come to Zhaoyang Game Company tomorrow (Wednesday) to complete your onboarding…”

“Yay! You passed! Original Artist Assistant! That’s amazing!”

In her excitement, Fu Yao immediately ordered a cake online to celebrate.

Even though she had only known Shen Yuan for a little over a week, for some reason, Shen Yuan always emitted a magnetic, small-animal-like quality. Fu Yao couldn’t help but feel an instinctive urge to take care of her.

“You’re too thin. Now that you’ve found a job, you don’t have to push yourself so hard.” Fu Yao sat back on her stool and took a few slurps of her spicy noodles. After a moment, she added: “Yuanyuan, why don’t you quit those part-time jobs? I’ve always felt you’re so refined; you’re not suited for those kinds of public-facing manual jobs.”

Shen Yuan paused slightly.

“I’ll wait until my job is stable.” The probationary period for an Original Artist Assistant was one month. Before Shen Yuan became a permanent employee, those part-time jobs were still useful. However, since she had a main job now, she would have to shorten her daily part-time hours to four.

“Okay. Go take a shower first. We’ll eat together when the cake arrives.”

The money Fu Yao made from writing novels wasn’t actually much. After rent, her food budget was tight. She hadn’t eaten cake in a long time; she hadn’t even bought one for her own birthday this year. Now that such a happy event had occurred, she could happily bask in the joy and have a few bites of cake.

Shen Yuan gave a soft “mm” and went back to her room. After digging out her pajamas, she transferred 100 yuan to Fu Yao on WeChat. Outside the door, Fu Yao saw the transfer and shouted: “It’s my treat! We’re eating together! Don’t send me money, ahhh!”

Shen Yuan came out clutching her pajamas. She wordlessly hit the “Accept” button for Fu Yao, then entered the bathroom, shutting out Fu Yao’s rambling protests.

As the hot water hit her body, some of her fatigue washed away. Shen Yuan let out a breath of steam; the weight on her heart finally lifted.

Shen Yuan had graduated from the School of Design at the Jinghai Academy of Fine Arts six years ago. She had joined a large company in the south through campus recruiting. After serving as an Original Artist there for three years, she left due to certain reasons. Originally, she wanted to aim for the CEO Assistant position this time, but to play it safe, she had interviewed for the Original Artist Assistant role simultaneously.

In the end, she passed for Original Artist Assistant.

Though she wanted to fight for the CEO Assistant role more, the result was at least good—just not ideal.

Shen Yuan had a one-year employment gap. If it weren’t for her degree from the Jinghai Academy of Fine Arts, she—being neither a graduate student nor a fresh graduate—might not have been able to enter Zhaoyang at all.

Zhaoyang was a subsidiary of the Qingfeng Group responsible for gaming operations, primarily handling the MMO game Wen Jian Jiang Hu (Asking the Sword in the World).

Shen Yuan had played this game for a while during high school and college, but had gone completely AFK after some life changes.

Coming to Jinghai this time, Shen Yuan wanted to say a final goodbye to the past. She was ready to begin a new journey in life.

When Shen Yuan finished her shower, Fu Yao had already retrieved the cake. She was currently sticking candles into it one by one.

“Quick, make a wish! Wish to… get rich. It’ll definitely come true.”

After lighting the candles, Fu Yao flicked the light switch with a ‘snap.’ In the darkness, the candles emitted an orange-red glow. Shen Yuan walked over, squatted down, and made a silent wish in her heart.

Shen Yuan: “Done.”

The light snapped back on.

Under the fluorescent light, Fu Yao decisively cut a slice of cake for Shen Yuan, then one for herself.

“Thank you, Fu Yao.”

“Hehe.”

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