The White Moonlight is So Scheming - Chapter 17

“I…” Her almond-shaped eyes, misted with tears, shone startlingly bright.

Shen Juexia wanted to lash out again, but she was afraid the person before her might simply abandon her. In the end, she could only mutter a muffled explanation, “I didn’t mean to make things difficult for you. It’s just that whenever I’m upset, I can’t eat…”

She picked up her chopsticks again.

Ji Zhijie’s voice was cool and clear. “Shen Juexia, are you misunderstanding something?”

“What?” Shen Juexia looked up.

With slender, pale fingers gripping the chopsticks, Ji Zhijie served herself some food as she spoke. “We’re just desk mates. You don’t have the right to decide who I eat with or who I talk to.”

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head.

Even though it was warm April, Shen Juexia felt chilled to the bone. Her nails dug sharply into her palms, the pain helping her maintain her fragile composure. “I’m sorry.”

Hearing Shen Juexia’s apology,

Ji Zhijie’s fingers paused. She had expected the young mistress to cry, to throw a tantrum and storm off—but she never imagined Shen Juexia would calmly apologize like this.

Deliberately ignoring the fleeting pang of guilt in her chest, Ji Zhijie said coldly, “Enough. Just eat.”

“Mm.” Shen Juexia responded softly.

The crab roe steamed rice cakes from the second-floor cafeteria were usually Shen Juexia’s favorite, but for some reason, today they tasted bitter.

Her head hung low,

her gaze fixed on her knees.

She had indeed been too presumptuous. Ji Zhijie might resemble her sister, but she wasn’t her sister. There was no reason for Ji Zhijie to tolerate her outbursts.

She had thought that once the chattering little sparrow quieted down, her mind would finally find some peace. But strangely, her thoughts only grew more tangled. Undoing the top button of her collar, Ji Zhijie casually remarked, “She was just asking if I wanted to join the club activity this afternoon.”

Liu Yurou knew a bit about her family situation.

That was why, upon learning about the generous prize money for the arts festival, she had specifically come to share the news.

Her voice tinged with a slight nasal tone, Shen Juexia shook her head lightly, forcing a smile. “It’s fine. You don’t need to explain these things to me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

Putting down her chopsticks, Ji Zhijie stood up. “I’m done.”

Looking up at Ji Zhijie’s tall, graceful figure,

Shen Juexia’s vision blurred slightly. Despite their similar appearances, they were entirely different people. “Are you heading back to—”

Meeting Shen Juexia’s slightly lost gaze, Ji Zhijie frowned, tightened her grip on her tray, and sat back down. “It’s too early to go back. The classroom will be noisy anyway. Take your time. I’ll wait for you.”

Why had she suddenly decided to stay?

Silently withdrawing her gaze from Ji Zhijie, Shen Juexia stopped trying to make sense of things she couldn’t understand and focused on finishing her lunch.

Her brows were nearly knitted into a knot.

Stealing glances at the quietly eating Shen Juexia, Ji Zhijie felt something was off. Why did she keep softening toward this inexplicable young mistress?

No further arguments arose.

The two walked back to the classroom in silence.

The clock neared one in the afternoon, with most students in the classroom already resting their heads on their desks for a quiet nap.

Turning gently, Liu Yurou whispered, “Hey genius, what’s the plan? Are you going to the club session this afternoon?”

Although the school provided financial aid, after covering rent and daily expenses, there wasn’t much left.

The medical costs for leukemia treatment weren’t cheap, and Ji Zhijie couldn’t afford to live off the lump sum she received upon transferring schools. She wouldn’t let any money-making opportunity slip by.

Without hesitation, Ji Zhijie nodded firmly, “I’m going, and I’ll participate in the arts festival competition too.”

With her arms crossed and head resting sideways on the desk, Shen Juexia appeared to be asleep but in reality, she’d been eavesdropping on their conversation the whole time.

…

“If I walk, would you run”

“If I stop, would you—”

The slightly raspy singing voice coming from the speakers marked the student-submitted naptime music, signaling the approaching end of lunch break.

Stretching her neck, Liu Yurou stood up with a yawn and patted her deskmate’s chair back. “Zhao Han, I’m going to the restroom,” she said.

Zhao Han nodded, lifting the chair slightly as she squinted her eyes.

Seeing Liu Yurou leave, Shen Juexia immediately rose from her seat and quietly followed behind.

After washing her hands, Liu Yurou fixed her hair in the mirror.

Just as she stepped out of the restroom, she encountered Shen Juexia waiting in the hallway.

Turning around, Shen Juexia spoke up: “There’s something I want to ask you.”

Afternoon sunlight filtered through the gaps between leaves, casting dappled beams across Shen Juexia’s face.

Her smooth long hair fluttered lightly with the turn of her head, and her dark, moist pupils appeared even clearer under the play of light and shadow.

Spotting Shen Juexia, Liu Yurou initially wanted to walk away.

But for some reason, she found herself stopping against her better judgment. Pinching her own wrist awkwardly, she asked, “What do you want to know?”

Her voice softened three degrees when making requests. With shimmering almond-shaped eyes, Shen Juexia bit her lip and asked, “What’s this about the drama club you mentioned to Ji Zhijie? And the arts festival competition, I want to know about that too.”

Under Shen Juexia’s steady gaze, Liu Yurou’s heartbeat inexplicably quickened.

She pinched the webbing between her thumb and index finger hard, eyeing Shen Juexia suspiciously. “Why are you asking? Planning some underhanded tricks?”

Blinking innocently, Shen Juexia looked both wronged and angry. “Why would I play tricks? I just want to be friends with Ji Zhijie, to make her stop disliking me so much.”

“You think she dislikes you?” Liu Yurou raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know… probably?” Shen Juexia’s head drooped dejectedly at this.

After a moment’s hesitation, Liu Yurou decided to share what she knew. “Unlike you, most classmates joined clubs in freshman year for credits. I joined the drama club first, and Ji Zhijie enrolled after transferring to Shengde.”

Tilting her head, Shen Juexia asked earnestly, “What about the arts festival?”

“You’re just like a new transfer student,” Liu Yurou remarked with a pout before continuing, “Shengde High holds an arts festival every year, and this time the first prize comes with a 300,000-yuan reward!”

Though not fond of studying, Shen Juexia was sharp enough to catch the key point. “Is Ji Zhijie in need of money?”

“Of course she is, she—” Liu Yurou suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

“What about her? Come on, tell me!” Taking a step forward and gripping Liu Yurou’s arm, Shen Juexia’s tone grew slightly urgent.

“It’s not my place to share someone else’s private matters. If the top student grows closer to you, she’ll probably tell you herself.” Freeing her arm, Liu Yurou remained unmoved. “Alright, I need to get back to class.”

“Come on! Just tell me~”

Following closely behind Liu Yurou, Shen Juexia pleaded softly.

As the two entered the classroom, arms still tangled together, Ji Zhijie’s gaze subtly flickered over their intertwined limbs, a shadow passing through her eyes.

How amusing.

In the blink of an eye, she’s already latched onto someone else.