The White Moonlight Clings to His Secret Identity - Chapter 3

“I, I only care about money after marriage. Love means nothing to me!”

The man’s appearance far exceeded Yun Xiaoyan’s expectations. His mind went blank, and he completely forgot the speech he’d prepared, blurted out this classic line instead.

Though he’d spoken rashly, Yun Xiaoyan looked at the man opposite him with wide, deer-like eyes, hoping he’d scoff, flip the table, and storm out like a typical CEO from a romance novel.

Ideally, he’d even toss a five-million-dollar check on his way out.

But things didn’t go as planned. Hearing his words, Ji Chenlin merely raised an eyebrow, offered no retort, and took a seat opposite him.

The light in Yun Xiaoyan’s eyes dimmed slightly. He half-heartedly extended his hand and said, “Hello, I’m Yun Xiaoyan.”

Ji Chenlin ignored Yun Xiaoyan’s attempt to turn the blind date into a business meeting. He lightly clasped the young man’s pale, jade-like hand, then quickly withdrew his touch. “Ji Chenlin,” he said.

Perhaps because it was still early spring, the man’s fingertips felt like frost-covered ice, leaving a stark, icy imprint on Yun Xiaoyan’s delicate, warm skin.

Yun Xiaoyan snatched his hand back as if he’d been electrocuted, rubbing his palm under the table where he’d been touched, his ears burning involuntarily.

Once everyone had arrived, the dishes they’d ordered were served one by one. The man, strictly adhering to the ancestral teaching of “no talking at the table,” remained silent throughout, making it impossible to tell if this was a blind date or just a meal.

Determined to sabotage the date, Yun Xiaoyan clenched his pale fists and decided to go all out.

“Did you know?” he whispered, as if sharing the world’s most guarded secret. “I’m really spoiled. I don’t have a career and I love spending money. Oh, and my stomach has been bad since I was a kid. My friends all call me a ‘born soft-rice saint.'”

The young man’s soft, dark hair fell neatly across his forehead, his bright eyes reflecting the restaurant’s amber lighting. His pale pink lips moved as he confessed his flaws to the stranger across from him.

Ji Chenlin glanced up at him at the sound of his voice, then simply uttered a noncommittal “Mm” without pausing his meal.

Yun Xiaoyan ran a hand through his hair in frustration, completely unable to read the man’s mind.

For a moment, he even hallucinated his early days with “Rainforest.” Back then, he had been just as calm and detached, keeping people at a distance, his voice deep and measured as he spoke word by word.

“Rainforest” rarely used his microphone, so Yun Xiaoyan couldn’t recall his exact voice, but he imagined it was as deep and husky as Ji Chenlin’s.

As he thought about it, Yun Xiaoyan, who kept hitting dead ends on his dates, couldn’t help but recall his ex-boyfriend, who, despite his cold demeanor, had been utterly devoted to him.

If it had been “Rainforest,” he would have gently but earnestly reassured him that he was the best, not just respond with a noncommittal “mm” like someone else, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Since Ji Chenlin clearly wasn’t interested, the bored teenager once again opened WeChat and scrolled to his special contacts.

Seeing the unfamiliar all-black profile picture, Yun Xiaoyan double-checked in disbelief to make sure he hadn’t made a mistake.

Staring at the contact name he could never be wrong about, Yun Xiaoyan reluctantly realized that “Rainforest” had changed. His profile picture was now a solid black square, and his name had been replaced with a simple, blunt, and inscrutable period.

Yun Xiaoyan thought dejectedly, Rainforest must have followed my “will” and forgotten me, starting a new life and a new relationship, right?

Perhaps he’s even sitting at a blind date table like me, telling his new flame, “Baby, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” after every single thing she says.

But it was his fault, after all. He lied to her, faked his death, and broke up with her. No matter how many people she’s with now, he has no right to complain.

But still…

As if struck by an idea, Yun Xiaoyan tapped into the settings menu, changing Rainforest’s permissions to “Chat Only” and renaming his contact to “Ex-Boyfriend.”

To be absolutely safe, to be absolutely safe!

He only had one WeChat account. What if he posted something on his Moments later and Rainforest asked why he suddenly came back from the dead?

The young man buried his head in his phone like a little white rabbit pulling up a carrot, his fingers tapping furiously against the screen. Only then did Ji Chenlin speak up, “What’s wrong?”

Yun Xiaoyan froze.

Oh no, he thought, in my anger, I forgot I was sitting across from a volatile, capricious, and downright terrifying demon.

If Ji Chenlin finds out I’m looking up my ex on WeChat during our blind date, the date is dead. And the Yun Family might be next.

“Um,” Yun Xiaoyan said, his mind racing. He blinked his long, thick lashes at the man. “Should we… add each other on WeChat?”

“No need,” Ji Chenlin replied without hesitation.

Yun Xiaoyan’s eyes lit up, his earlier frustration vanishing like smoke.

Could it be that my earlier “CEO red flag” remarks actually impressed him? Did he never intend to marry me, which is why he’s been treating me like air all this time?

Before Yun Xiaoyan could celebrate for even two seconds, Ji Chenlin continued, “If you need anything, contact the family butler for minor matters. For urgent issues, call me directly.”

Yun Xiaoyan: “?”

“Are you full? Go pack your bags. We’ll get our marriage certificate at the civil affairs bureau tomorrow morning and you can move into my place in the afternoon.”

Yun Xiaoyan’s face paled in horror. “???”

“How is this possible? It doesn’t make sense! After everything you told him, he still wants to marry you? Or was it really a shotgun wedding?”

An Xiujie paced back and forth in the room, racking his brain. Finally, he concluded, “He’s just really hungry.”

Yun Xiaoyan: “……”

An Xiujie sized Yun Xiaoyan up, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Could he be a lecher? Yes, that’s it! You do have a certain allure.”

Yun Xiaoyan, at his wit’s end, slammed the copy of The Domineering CEO’s Fierce Love he was holding onto An Xiujie’s head.

The impact seemed to jolt him into a sudden realization. Clutching his head, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind. “I’ve got it! Our formula was correct, we just applied the wrong conditions!”

Seeing Yun Xiaoyan’s skeptical expression, An Xiujie explained, “Ji Chenlin isn’t the type of CEO who falls for hardworking, kind-hearted damsels in distress. He’s the type who’s cold and career-driven.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Hmm, think of it like the difference between the male leads in a melodramatic romance novel and a chuunibyou Long Aotian novel.” An Xiujie snapped his fingers. “Don’t worry, it’s not too late. Emergency Plan B is activated!”

“The more he rejects something, the more you should give it to him. He only cares about his career, not love? Then you’ll cling to him, pester him, and refuse to let go until he agrees to a relationship.”

“Will that work?” Yun Xiaoyan was skeptical of his advisor’s plan. “I just told him this morning I only want money, not love. Won’t I look like a hypocrite if I change my mind tomorrow?”

“You can’t divorce him yourself, so the goal now is to make him hate you so much that he’ll be the one to initiate the divorce. Don’t worry, being inconsistent actually works in your favor.”

Yun Xiaoyan was persuaded. “How do I… cling to him?”

An Xiujie froze, then realized the delicate, porcelain-like youth before him had been doted on his entire life. A casual blink or finger twitch could make even the most rugged alpha fall at his slender, pale calves. He’d never known the pain of pursuing someone.

“The three magic weapons for chasing someone—acting cute, playing weak, and physical entanglement.”

An Xiujie pointed to the gaudy-covered novels on his bookshelf. “I’ll lend you some research materials. Study them day and night, and scaring Ji Chenlin away will be just around the corner.”

The naive Yun Xiaoyan nodded vigorously.

The next morning, a gentle breeze carried the scent of spring as Yun Xiaoyan, dressed in his favorite snow-white shirt and a down jacket, sat in the back of his driver’s car. He nervously imagined the scene of getting married and registering his marriage with Ji Chenlin.

Meanwhile, Ji Chenlin was already waiting for him at the entrance.

The man stood tall, his perfect inverted triangle physique accentuated by a fitted black suit that outlined his sharp, defined muscles. At the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, he cut a striking figure, drawing the attention of passersby.

Yun Xiaoyan swallowed hard, pushed open the car door, and stepped out. He waved a small hand at the man.

“Did you bring the luggage?” Ji Chenlin asked, walking toward him.

Yun Xiaoyan froze.

He’d assumed that after getting married in the morning, they would go home to rest and move in the afternoon. But now that he thought about it, how could someone as busy as Ji Chenlin, who practically earned money by the second, have the word “rest” in his vocabulary? It was clear he’d left the luggage in the car and planned to move in right after the ceremony.

“I, I forgot it,” Yun Xiaoyan stammered.

For some reason, even though Ji Chenlin had never raised his voice at him, Yun Xiaoyan still felt a little intimidated by him.

Fortunately, the man merely frowned and walked toward the Civil Affairs Bureau without further comment.

As soon as they entered, a staff member respectfully approached them.

Ji Chenlin nodded at the employee, who immediately bowed and began speaking softly. The man listened silently, occasionally murmuring “mm.”

Meanwhile, Yun Xiaoyan was too preoccupied to care about his own lifelong commitment.

He watched the man’s tall, upright figure and his hands tucked into his pockets. After mustering his courage repeatedly in his mind, he finally stepped forward, his feet moving in unison. Before the staff member, he lowered his head and slowly wrapped his arm around Ji Chenlin’s.

The third method of pursuing someone: physical entanglement.

Though he kept his eyes fixed on his toes, Yun Xiaoyan could still feel the man’s intense gaze suddenly fall upon the top of his head.

Every moment felt like an eternity.

Before long, the man’s icy voice drifted down: “Let go.”

The tone was unmistakably displeased and distant, as if a virtuous woman had been defiled and was about to explode into rage.

Yun Xiaoyan hesitated briefly, then, like a little white rabbit fleeing back to its burrow, quickly withdrew his hand.

Ji Chenlin smoothed the wrinkled sleeve of the young man’s shirt, pointed forward with his chin at the staff member, and said coldly, “Go on, follow him.”

Yun Xiaoyan looked up blankly at the man’s dark, bottomless eyes, trying to read his thoughts.

Hmm… I still can’t figure him out.

He nodded reluctantly and obediently followed the staff member, while Ji Chenlin walked a few steps behind, like a wolf stalking a lamb.

At the door of an inner room, Yun Xiaoyan gathered his courage and turned to ask, “You… you don’t want to marry me, do you?”

His pale fingers nervously clutched the hem of his shirt, and he mentally prepared himself to slide down the fire escape the moment the man said “yes,” hoping for a clean break and no more meetings.

The civil affairs bureau was brightly lit. The young man tilted his pretty face upward, his deer-like eyes shining with an uncontainable, innocent anticipation that made it impossible for anyone to give him a reply that would make him sad.

Ji Chenlin paused, his thin lips parting slightly as he replied coldly, “It doesn’t matter.”

Yun Xiaoyan murmured an “Oh,” his eyes drooping as he turned away.

Hearing the disappointment in the young man’s voice, the man frowned and reached out. “ID card.”

“Oh, right.” Yun Xiaoyan hurriedly pulled out his ID card and carefully placed it in the man’s palm.

Inside the Civil Affairs Bureau office, several senior staff members were hastily organizing documents.

Since Ji Chenlin was handling everything, Yun Xiaoyan simply sat down on a nearby chair, waiting for him to confirm the details before signing.

The staff members spoke to Ji Chenlin respectfully, but he remained aloof, offering little more than “Mm” or a frown.

So he’s always like this with everyone, Yun Xiaoyan thought. Never more than three words at a time.

The marriage registration process dragged on. Bored, Yun Xiaoyan swung his slender white legs back and forth on the chair before pulling out his phone and happily scrolling through it.

After opening WeChat, Yun Xiaoyan replied to messages from his parents and friends, then exchanged a few back-and-forth jabs with his “dog-headed strategist” An Xiujie. When he was finally free again, he couldn’t help but open the chat interface with his ex-boyfriend.

Rainforest, I’m getting married today.

Staring at the pitch-black profile picture, Yun Xiaoyan wanted to tap it to see if he had changed his name again, but his finger slipped.

I patted “.”.

Yun Xiaoyan: “?”

His heart pounded like a drum. In a daze, he remembered hearing somewhere that if you accidentally pat someone’s profile picture on WeChat, you could undo it by tapping it twice more.

Yun Xiaoyan hurriedly tapped the profile picture twice more.

And… he patted him again.

Yun Xiaoyan: “……”

Just as he was frantically trying to figure out how to undo it, Ji Chenlin suddenly walked out of the office without warning. Before leaving, he only said, “I’m going to take a call.”

Watching the tall, slender figure stride out like the wind, a question mark slowly formed above Yun Xiaoyan’s head: “W-what’s wrong?”

Is he not getting married anymore?

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