The White Moonlight I Chased, the Divorce I Never Expected - Chapter 49

Chapter 49
I Was the One Who Couldn’t Wait

Before their business trip to X Country, Chi Yi had spent two days back home.

During that time, she sat down with Chi Zhong again, earnestly and thoroughly reiterating her request that he not believe in the various rumors surrounding Wen Ranqing. She also apologized sincerely, admitting her past recklessness and childishness.

With rare idle time together, Chi Yi wanted to gently prepare her father — whose heart condition had never fully improved — for the fact that she and Wen Ranqing were seeing each other again.

In short, out of every three sentences, two were about Wen Ranqing.

What she didn’t know was that Chi Zhong, despite claiming to stay out of young people’s affairs, couldn’t help but worry — especially as the only parent involved in their lives.

If he hadn’t watched them grow up with his own eyes, and understood their emotions more clearly than anyone, he wouldn’t have been able to tolerate the idea of his daughter staying in contact with her ex-wife post-divorce — let alone lacking clear boundaries.

But this person… was Wen Ranqing.

Both women recognized the caller ID flashing across the screen.

Wen Ranqing pursed her lips, lowered her voice, and gave Chi Yi a particularly well-behaved, thoughtful look:

“I’ll go back to the bedroom. Let me know when you’re done.”

Her relationship with Chi Zhong had always been good.

But in that moment, she instinctively chose to stand entirely on Chi Yi’s side. She didn’t want to put her in a difficult position right from the start.

That decision — made in mere seconds — caused a tightness in Chi Yi’s chest.

She was never one to hide who she liked. And she would never want the person she loved to hide it either.

The thought of sneaking around like they were in some secret relationship was instantly rejected.

She had brought Wen Ranqing abroad with her partly out of selfishness — to spend more time together — but even more so, she wanted this time to serve as a transition period for their relationship.

Chi Yi reached out and caught her hand.

Her gaze was still gentle, but now there was something unmistakably firm in it:

“I already told Dad we’re abroad together. Just stay here, okay?”

“The food’s getting cold,” she added casually.

But whether it was the first sentence or the second, both made it clear: Chi Yi truly didn’t want her to avoid this.

When it came to the matter of their relationship, she was much more open and direct than Wen Ranqing had imagined.

A smile bloomed in Wen Ranqing’s eyes, followed by a flicker of inevitable concern — but she soon found reassurance in Chi Yi’s clear, unwavering gaze.

The phone hadn’t rung long.

There hadn’t been enough time for many things to be said — but Wen Ranqing obediently sat across from Chi Yi, quietly eating her food in small, delicate bites.

“Dad,” Chi Yi greeted calmly.

“Mm. Are you settling in okay?”

Earlier that day, a former colleague had visited Chi Zhong and brought up the topic of children — praising Chi Yi’s talent and character, and urging him to consider her future more seriously.

They were mid-conversation when the morning call came, and Chi Zhong hadn’t even had time to properly ask how his daughter was doing — he only managed to say a few words before she hung up.

“Yesterday was your birthday. I didn’t wish you a happy one — that was my fault. Let me make it up to you today.”

Before Chi Yi could respond, just those few simple words of concern and affection made her heart stir.

Chi Zhong’s expression was unexpectedly good today — gentle, like back when he had to play both father and mother during her childhood. Her eyes softened at the memory:

“It’s not so different from being back home.”

“I don’t blame you, Dad. You don’t have to say that.”

Chi Zhong smiled warmly.

He had never tried to mold Chi Yi into any particular type of person, and aside from how she handled matters involving Wen Ranqing, she had indeed become someone he was deeply proud of.

“Old Yuan told me you’ve been doing well. Seeing you follow your dreams with such conviction — it makes me really happy.”

Chi Zhong never held back in praising his daughter.

Chi Yi always appeared confident and cheerful — never one to hesitate or retreat in the face of challenges. That, in part, was thanks to how she’d been raised.

Then he asked:

“What about Ranqing?”

“Let Dad see her.”

Although Chi Zhong always worried about Chi Yi, his concern for Wen Ranqing was no less. For all those years when Chi Yi hadn’t officially brought her home, he had already considered Wen Ranqing as a daughter.

Just as Chi Yi said, the food was light and appetizing. Wen Ranqing quietly listened to their conversation, occasionally pushing the dishes she found most suited to Chi Yi’s taste closer to her. Out of the six dishes, only two remained in front of her.

They weren’t large portions. Wen Ranqing finished her share quickly. As she lifted her head, she caught Chi Yi’s silent questioning look. She smiled and nodded, her eyes gesturing toward the food in front of Chi Yi — a gentle reminder for her to eat.

“What? Afraid I’ll eat all of Ranqing’s food?”

“Ranqing’s more likable than you in my book — give her the phone.”

The deep, serious tone saying such teasing words — Chi Yi could tell he was joking. Those few casual lines eased the tension in her heart without her even realizing.

She handed the phone to Wen Ranqing but hadn’t yet taken a bite of her own meal when she saw Wen Ranqing glance at her with an apologetic expression.

Under the warm lighting, Wen Ranqing’s delicate features looked especially soft, her gaze so gentle — as though even a joke from a parent might make her feel she’d caused Chi Yi to suffer.

Chi Yi’s heart skipped a beat. She immediately shook her head.

“Same for me,” she mouthed silently.

Her lips moved gently, clearly forming the words: “You’re more cherished here too…”

Chi Yi had once said that with her, it was okay to be greedy. And she’d shown that same gentleness in how she acted.

To be cherished — that was the first time Chi Yi had ever expressed her feelings so directly.

Wen Ranqing took a moment to process it, her face flushing, heart racing. It wasn’t until Chi Zhong called her name that she tilted the camera toward herself.

Seeing her in good spirits, Chi Zhong smiled kindly:

“Thank you for taking care of our Chi Yi.”

“You must be busy with work too. The climate abroad is different from home — take care of your health…”

The familiar, warm tone caught Chi Yi off guard. She’d expected her father to be more stern. But instead, his attitude was far more gentle than she’d anticipated.

She looked up at Wen Ranqing, surprised by how close they seemed — far more than she had realized.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

“It’s Xiao Yi who’s taken care of me.”

Wen Ranqing hadn’t planned to say that, unsure if the timing was right — but her words came out naturally.

She didn’t want Chi Zhong to get the wrong impression of Chi Yi.

Chi Yi was so thoughtful and attentive. When they were together, she barely had to lift a finger — Chi Yi took care of everything.

Wen Ranqing’s face didn’t change much as she remembered all this, but her ears flushed red. She didn’t even notice Chi Yi looking at her as her heart fluttered in quiet embarrassment.

Chi Zhong had known the Wen family for years — both sides had always treated each other’s children well. So seeing them this close now wasn’t really that surprising.

Chi Yi couldn’t think of much else to say — she lowered her head and focused on eating.

Though she ate at her usual pace, there was a tension under the surface. The atmosphere appeared harmonious, but Chi Yi was still unsure of her father’s true feelings.

Especially after hearing a stray mention of “matchmaking” during his call that morning…

Once they’d chatted long enough, Chi Zhong’s expression turned more serious. He asked Wen Ranqing to hand the phone back to Chi Yi — there was something he wanted to say to her alone.

Chi Yi took the phone without much of a reaction.

She told Wen Ranqing to keep eating, then pulled something from her pocket — a cat-shaped charm she’d originally planned to give her.

She stood and spoke gently:

“I wanted to be the one to tell him. If I can… I’d like to handle it myself, okay?”

Wen Ranqing had said they’d face things together, and that was more than enough for Chi Yi to feel comforted.

After all, she was the one who had proposed the contract marriage… then unilaterally divorced her. Now, with the possibility of her father pushing her toward matchmaking, she wasn’t going to make the same mistake of hiding things from him again.

Besides, she couldn’t wait anymore.

Even so, Chi Yi still looked to confirm Wen Ranqing’s feelings once more.

She handed Wen Ranqing the matching charm she’d been quietly observing for a while. Wen Ranqing didn’t have time to take it in fully — her hand tightened around it.

To say she wasn’t worried would be a lie.

But Chi Yi’s decision wasn’t something she could — or wanted to — oppose. The girl’s expression was firm, and although Wen Ranqing was briefly tense, she quickly relaxed and nodded, trusting her completely.

In the emergency stairwell, Chi Yi turned and shut the door behind her. The heavy door swung quickly, catching the back of her hand and leaving a red mark.

She put on her headphones and held the phone in front of her. Her expression didn’t change.

Once he saw she was ready, Chi Zhong took a sip of tea. His tone revealed little:

“You didn’t explain things clearly this morning. What’s going on with you and Ranqing? Living together?”

“Dad.” Her voice caught slightly in her throat. Out of view, the veins on her hand holding the phone were faintly raised.

Two seconds passed. Then again:

“Dad…”

“First, about this: I have someone I like. So I won’t be going on any blind dates.”

Chi Zhong paused. He realized she must have overheard the conversation with his old colleague. He didn’t tease her this time:

“That was your Uncle He and Aunt Lan’s idea.”

“Mm.” Chi Yi nodded, anticipating his doubts. Her tone grew more serious:

“The person I like hasn’t changed, Dad.”

Chi Zhong’s expression remained calm — not angry or upset.

Chi Yi continued:

“You never asked why we divorced, and I never told you. I used to think our situation couldn’t be summed up in a few sentences. But now I know — a big part of it was because we didn’t communicate.”

She still had her doubts about when Wen Ranqing had truly fallen for her. But one thing was clear — it wasn’t after the divorce. That much, she was certain.

Seeing how composed her father remained was unexpected, and it unsettled her slightly. So she kept going:

“I’m sorry, Dad. I was too selfish…”

“That’s enough, Chi Yi.”

Chi Zhong wasn’t shocked. He knew what she was about to say — an apology, probably afraid of stressing his heart. He gently shook his head, comforting her, signaling she didn’t need to go on.

“I thought you’d pick a more meaningful day to tell me all this.”

He flipped through the photo album beside him — from the days when most photos were still printed on paper.

“When you were little, everyone thought your feelings for your ‘Sister Wen’ were just childish nonsense. So did I.”

“But even at your eighteenth birthday, you said the same thing. And sure enough, you went and married her.”

It’s normal for problems to arise in a relationship. What had bothered Chi Zhong most was how flippantly Chi Yi seemed to handle things — deciding to marry or divorce without a clear explanation, without understanding Wen Ranqing’s stance.

How could she talk about love, about responsibility, without clarity?

But back then, one of them had been forced to leave school and start working young, while the other was mired in family upheaval. After thinking about it for a few days, Chi Zhong had come to understand more.

From the day Chi Yi came home and explained the rumors about Wen Ranqing, he knew this conversation would come sooner or later.

After all, he had long seen through Wen Ranqing’s quiet devotion. And he understood his daughter’s nature well. What happened next — and how things would be handled — was up to them.

What he cared about was attitude. And from what he saw today, apart from it all feeling a bit rushed, Chi Yi’s heart was in the right place. And if that rush was because of the matchmaking talk… he couldn’t really blame her.

He picked up the old copy of the contract Wen Ranqing had once given him, crumpled it up, and tossed it into the trash.

Still, his eyes held only love for his daughter:

“I hold some responsibility for all of this too. If I’m angry at you, I’m also angry at myself.”

“I failed to raise you better. I owe your mother… and Ranqing’s parents… an apology.”

“But what I want most is for both of you to be happy. You’ve been busy with work lately, but once you’re back home, spend some real time settling things with Ranqing. That way, I can tell everyone proudly that she’s the daughter-in-law of our Chi family — properly and officially.”

—

When Chi Yi opened the door and returned, none of the food had been touched.

Wen Ranqing was sitting sideways on the windowsill, holding the little charm Chi Yi had given her, gazing out at the scenery.

“Why didn’t you eat? Aren’t you hungry? You haven’t eaten all day.”

Chi Yi hadn’t even reached her before Wen Ranqing stood and threw herself into her arms. The shawl slid off her shoulders and hit the ground, completely forgotten.

Chi Yi’s heart softened. She scooped her up and carried her back to the windowsill, then bent down to pick up the shawl and draped it around her shoulders again.

She sat beside her, voice gentle:

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry, Xiao Yi…”

Wen Ranqing couldn’t hold it in anymore. She buried herself in Chi Yi’s arms, legs folded beneath her, sitting in her lap as her voice began to tremble.

She did trust Chi Yi. But being left alone made her overthink — would Chi Yi be upset? Would the talk with Chi Zhong go poorly? What if…

What if Chi Zhong didn’t approve?

Would Xiao Yi… not want her anymore?

Even the possibility made Wen Ranqing’s heart ache.

If only she’d never let herself get close… then she could’ve stayed in her little cage of longing and desire. She wouldn’t have wanted more, wouldn’t be constantly fearing loss.

Chi Yi had already taken over every part of her. If she left — it would be like stripping away her flesh and bones. She might not survive the pain.

Wen Ranqing hated this version of herself too — and hated even more the thought of bringing negativity into Chi Yi’s life.

“Why are you apologizing?”

Chi Yi gently held her. Wen Ranqing struggled weakly, as if trying to escape, but Chi Yi furrowed her brows, catching her cheek in one hand:

“Don’t move. And don’t apologize again. Just tell me — why are you crying?”

Forced to meet her gaze, Wen Ranqing’s eyes were full of panic, her pale throat fluttering as she breathed unevenly.

She was scared that Chi Yi wouldn’t like this clingy, insecure version of her.

Chi Yi used her thumb to wipe away her tears.

Wen Ranqing didn’t answer. After a long while, she gave a soft, nasally hum like a spoiled child and pressed a kiss to the base of Chi Yi’s thumb.

This was how she deflected when she couldn’t lie — and Chi Yi had long since figured it out.

She pulled her hand back, looking like she wasn’t falling for it. Her expression turned serious:

“Hmm?”

Wen Ranqing leaned in, brushing her soft body against her like a teasing little fox, eyes gleaming.

Chi Yi could feel all of her warmth pressing close — she knew Wen Ranqing was anxious, even if she didn’t know exactly why.

Still, she had the patience to explain things again and again, so long as Wen Ranqing voiced her fears.

And it was obvious what she feared most right now.

“I shouldn’t have said anything until I’d handled it — I just made you worry.”

Chi Yi had woken up early that day. Seeing Wen Ranqing sleep so peacefully after such a long night, she couldn’t bear to make her wait anymore.

She kissed the corners of her reddened eyes and murmured hoarsely:

“I was the one who couldn’t wait.”

I want to marry you.

Support