The White Moonlight Clings to His Secret Identity - Chapter 1

Ding.

The elevator stopped on the first floor. Yun Xiaoyan frowned slightly, clutching his phone as he stepped inside and casually pressed a button for a floor.

The elevator doors slowly closed, compressing the opulent first-floor lobby into a narrow rectangle until it was completely sealed off behind the steel door. At that moment, a message from Rainforest arrived.

Rainforest: Are you free to log in tonight?

Yun Xiaoyan’s fair fingers paused over the keyboard for two seconds before he carefully typed his reply.

Cloud: No, I’m a bit tired lately and want to get to bed early.

The signal was weak inside the elevator. Yun Xiaoyan stared at the spinning loading symbol next to the green chat bubble, a faint light flickering in his beautiful eyes, a light that clearly hid his sadness.

Ding.

The elevator finally reached the eighth floor with a heavy thud. Several messages from Rainforest flashed on the screen.

Rainforest: Okay.

Rainforest: Get some rest, baby.

Seeing the term of endearment in the last message, Yun Xiaoyan’s clear, pale eyes brightened slightly.

“Rainforest” was his boyfriend of over six months.

When they first met, he was like all the aloof, cool male gods—silent, reserved, and his every word and punctuation mark exuded a rigid formality that kept people at a distance.

This slightly embarrassing, intimate term of endearment was a “perk” Yun Xiaoyan had won after they started dating, using his ENFP personality to wear him down, cajole him, and even trick him into accepting it.

It was just another ordinary ranked match. Yun Xiaoyan, as usual, was typing away, happily teasing his boyfriend and urging him to call him by a pet name he liked. He promised to reciprocate with an even more endearing one.

He knew his boyfriend’s personality well and hadn’t really expected anything. Even if he were rejected, it wouldn’t hurt.

But to his surprise, “Rainforest,” who had always remained silent about such things, suddenly had the microphone icon next to his avatar flash.

Then, he heard his boyfriend’s deep, magnetic voice—a sound that buzzed against his eardrums like a muffled drum and clinked like ice cubes in a glass. The overly intimate pet name scraped against the softest part of Yun Xiaoyan’s heart.

He froze in place.

It wasn’t until the support player, unable to stand it any longer, opened their mic and asked if he was planning to play “Red Light, Green Light” in their 5v5 competitive game that he snapped out of his daze.

He rubbed his burning ears, typed and deleted on the keyboard several times before finally managing to blurt out, “Sorry… I, uh, lagged.”

He heard “Rainforest,” who hadn’t muted his mic, let out a low chuckle. The sound crackled through the headphones like electricity, making his ears tingle inexplicably.

Later, “Rainforest” would occasionally use that pet name for him, not often, but each time was enough to make Yun Xiaoyan’s ears flush and his lips curl upward.

But his smile quickly faded.

After exiting the elevator and opening his door with his fingerprint, he found his relatives gathered in the living room, anxiously awaiting him.

Yun Xiaoyan puffed out his fair cheeks, looking endearingly fierce.

This was the source of his discomfort and anxiety about his online boyfriend—

The immense external pressure might prevent them from lasting.

“Xiaoyan’s finally back!” A relative hurried to his feet, ushering the young man to the center of the group.

“Xiaoyan, look, it’s not that your aunt is forcing you. The Yun Family really needs this alliance,” a woman said. “As the Yun Family’s primary heir, you can’t just think about yourself.”

Yun Xiaoyan lowered his head, tucking the lower half of his fair face into his collar, and remained silent.

His online boyfriend came from a poor family, with nothing to his name. The daily life he shared with Yun Xiaoyan was filled with gray, bleak scenes of the underclass; he was likely a manual laborer.

If he were to reveal his boyfriend’s existence, Yun Xiaoyan knew without even thinking, it would invite nothing but disdain and opposition.

“Do you know who the Ji Family’s eldest young master is?”

…Yes, I do.

Ji Chenlin, the legendary Ji Family eldest young master, said to be ruthlessly cold and world-weary, with overwhelming power. According to his relatives, he’s practically a demon king in the business world. If we refuse the marriage alliance and displease him, the entire Yun Family will be ruined.

“Xiao Yan, even if your aunt begs you, please just go on a blind date. It’s not certain Ji Chenlin will even take a liking to you, so the marriage alliance isn’t a sure thing.”

“But…” The bright white fluorescent light from above cast a shadow beneath his long, thick lashes, which fluttered like butterfly wings. He looked inexplicably obedient, even a little pitiful, stirring compassion in the observer.

“Oh, what do you know about the pros and cons?” a heavily made-up woman interrupted. “Do you realize how rare this opportunity is? So many people are fighting to marry into the Ji Family!”

Yun Xiaoyan remained unfazed. He pouted slightly and said, “You haven’t even met him, yet you already think he’s so wonderful?”

The middle-aged woman was left speechless.

The eldest young master of the Ji Family was indeed a mysterious figure, rarely seen in social circles and with very little information about him online. Rumor had it that he was reclusive and temperamental, and it was unlikely he would react favorably to a marriage arranged by his family. If Yun Xiaoyan were to marry him, who knew how much she would have to endure?

Still, she refused to back down, her voice sharp with defiance. “Yun Xiaoyan, we all still hold shares in the Yun Family’s businesses. If we sell them all at once… hmph, do you think your family could still live such a leisurely life?”

Her words were clearly a threat.

A relative who played the “good cop” rushed to intervene, trying to placate the young man and ease the tension.

“Alright, alright, let’s all compromise. Xiaoyan, just go have a simple meal with Ji Chenlin to save face. If it works out, it works out. If not, so be it.”

“Exactly. Someone at the pinnacle of power like him must hate being rejected and losing face. If he decides to deliberately sabotage our family’s businesses, we’ll be in real trouble.”

“I heard Ji Chenlin has a terrible temper. Someone rejected his invitation before, and not long after, their family was completely destroyed, they never recovered!” someone added with a pointed tone.

The incessant chatter of relatives filled the air. Yun Xiaoyan frowned, lowering his head to look at his phone, which buzzed with a notification.

Mom: Xiaoyan, what dessert do you want? I’ll grab it on my way home.

Mom: Your dad and I went shopping today and bought a ton of goodies! [Image]

He clicked on the image. The picture showed various jewelry and luxury shopping bags, along with the hand of a middle-aged man carrying a bag.

Yun Xiaoyan was born to his parents late in life. They doted on him endlessly, giving him everything he wanted and sparing him any hardship or burden. As Mother Yun put it, “Our precious child was born to enjoy life, not to suffer.”

When his parents were home, they would entertain these relatives for him. But even so, his privacy was inevitably invaded, and his time was wasted.

The calm surface of Yun Xiaoyan’s heart began to ripple.

As the sole heir to the Yun Family’s power, he enjoyed a life of wealth, but this also meant certain rights were inevitably withheld from him.

If Rainforest hadn’t lied to him, if his parents were truly dead and his family was truly poor—their future relationship would inevitably face immense challenges. The other person might even be humiliated by his own relatives.

Yun Xiaoyan couldn’t imagine Rainforest, that proud and aloof man, being mocked and having his spirit crushed.

Beyond the family disparity, the challenges of meeting in person and the difficulties of long-distance relationships were all fatal flaws in online relationships. To this day, they hadn’t even scratched the surface of how to resolve these issues.

To put it bluntly, he and Rainforest actually had no future together.

Perhaps withdrawing before getting too deeply involved was the best solution for both of them, and for his parents as well.

Yun Xiaoyan gritted his teeth, his fingernails digging into the pale, delicate skin of his palm.

“If I agree to go on the blind date, can you promise to stop harassing our family and stop making demands on my parents?”

“Of course! We’re all family. We’re just looking out for the Yun Family’s best interests, aren’t we?” The fake relatives eagerly agreed.

“I need to think about it. I’ll give you my answer about the blind date in a few days.”

He quickly “escorted” these so-called relatives out before his parents returned, then sat alone on the sofa, his head throbbing.

An online connection… Could his relationship with Rainforest truly be nothing more than a doomed fate?

Yun Xiaoyan’s beautiful eyes darkened.

Since they hadn’t heard from their precious son, Father and Mother Yun bought a variety of treats that all the neighborhood kids loved—tiramisu, strawberry milk, and more.

Yun Xiaoyan, eating his favorite snacks, wrestled with whether to tell his parents and relatives about the Ji family’s visit. In the end, he simply told them he’d thought it over and decided to try dating the Ji family’s young master, who held immense power.

Father and Mother Yun were surprised, but after confirming he wasn’t being threatened, they continued to support his decision as always.

That night, Yun Xiaoyan lay on his side in bed. After much hesitation, he opened the chat window with “Rainforest.”

“Rainforest’s” profile picture was simple yet striking: a tropical rainforest. Dense foliage blocked the sunlight, casting the entire image in a somber hue. In the center, a winding, muddy path meandered through the dim forest, irresistibly drawing the viewer’s eye to explore further.

Reality was similar. The man’s mystery made Yun Xiaoyan want to understand him better, and the more he learned, the more he liked him.

But perhaps it was time to let go, for both their sakes.

Yun Xiaoyan typed, unsure of what to say.

Cloud: Are you there?

The reply came almost instantly.

Rainforest: Yeah.

Cloud: I didn’t play games with you today. Are you mad?

Rainforest: No.

Rainforest: Live your life well. Come online when you have time. Don’t force it.

The two exchanged a few more meaningless pleasantries. “Rainforest” was naturally reserved, while Yun Xiaoyan didn’t know what to say on the eve of their breakup.

The boy ran a hand through his soft, fine hair and, steeling himself, typed heavily on his phone.

Cloud: Do you really like me?

The moment he sent it, Yun Xiaoyan regretted it. But the other person had clearly seen it, and retracting the message now would only make him look suspicious.

“Rainforest” paused briefly, and then “typing…” began to flash persistently above the chat window, but no message appeared.

Those one or two minutes felt longer than a century, and Yun Xiaoyan couldn’t stand it any longer.

Cloud: Never mind, don’t say anything. I know.

This time, the reply came instantly:

Rainforest: Mm.

Yun Xiaoyan stared at the single, nonchalant word and period, then tossed his phone onto the bed and buried his face in his hands.

He didn’t know the truth, but he was terrified of hearing either answer.

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