The White Moonlight is So Scheming - Chapter 24

She couldn’t stay in that room any longer.

Just the slightest recollection of Ji Zhijie’s earlier actions made Shen Juexia’s heart feel like a tangled mess of thread clawed apart by a stray cat, chaotic and impossible to sort out.

Her steps as she left were nearly frantic.

It wasn’t until she stepped out of the building and the evening breeze dispersed the lingering thoughts in her mind that Shen Juexia finally realized just how absurd her current behavior was.

Pulling her phone from her bag, she opened the chat with Ji Zhijie.

Her fingertips moved slightly as she pressed her lips together and sent the message: “My family suddenly called and urged me to come home. I didn’t even have time to say anything to you, sorry about that.”

Ji Zhijie glanced at the message, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly. Her amber-colored pupils shimmered with complex emotions as her palm clenched and loosened repeatedly. In the end, she simply replied: “Alright, be careful on your way back.”

Gripping her phone tightly, Shen Juexia stepped outside, where the sun dominated the sky without restraint.

The scorching heat poured mercilessly onto the ground, sending surface temperatures soaring.

The second-period bell had already rung when the two of them entered the classroom one after the other through the back door.

Hearing the noise from the back, Liu Yurou immediately turned her head to look. When she saw it was them, she averted her gaze again.

Wait, that wasn’t right!

She turned back once more, her eyes landing on the pink backpack in Ji Zhijie’s hand. A teasing glint flashed in Liu Yurou’s eyes.

Ji Zhijie subtly avoided her gaze.

Placing Shen Juexia’s backpack on her desk, Ji Zhijie silently walked to the inner seat and sat down steadily.

Liu Yurou wasn’t about to let such a golden opportunity slip by. While the teacher wasn’t paying attention, she nudged Ji Zhijie’s desk with the back of her chair and whispered with a smirk, “Not close, huh? Is that how it is?”

Before Ji Zhijie could react, Shen Juexia, sitting beside her, chimed in first. “What do you mean, ‘not close’?”

Liu Yurou’s shoulders trembled as she struggled to hold back her laughter.

Barely suppressing her amusement, she deliberately knocked her textbook to the floor. As she bent to pick it up, she winked at Shen Juexia. “Ask your deskmate, she knows.”

Tilting her head, Shen Juexia lightly poked Ji Zhijie’s elbow with her index finger and whispered, “What’s Yurou talking about? Is there some gossip?”

Ji Zhijie’s fingers paused.

The sharp tip of her pen tore through the test paper, but her expression remained unchanged. “Focus on class. Don’t listen to her nonsense.”

“Mean.” Shen Juexia pouted and rolled her eyes.

Dragging her chair away, she scooted further to the side and didn’t speak to Ji Zhijie for the rest of the class.

She hadn’t been able to clearly hear the girl’s sleep-talking only that she had been calling out for her “sister.”

A faint smile tugged at Shen Tinghan’s lips. Her gaze flickered as she caught sight of the girl’s hand dangling off the edge of the bed, her fingers pausing slightly.

Passing by Shen Juexia without a word, Ji Zhijie merely curled her lips in silence.

Shen Juexia’s temper flared instantly.

Biting the tip of her tongue, she mustered all her strength and sprinted after her. “Ji Zhijie, what’s so great about—”

Before she could finish, Ji Zhijie cut her off. “We’re not in a race. You can just run slowly.”

The sharp retort Shen Juexia had prepared lodged in her throat, unspoken.

She had thought Ji Zhijie would take the chance to play dumb.

But she hadn’t expected her to be so soft. She must be afraid of losing face if Shen Juexia outran her by too much!

Pursing her lips, Shen Juexia stopped pushing herself to run faster and slowed her pace, adjusting her breathing to match Ji Jiejie’s rhythm.

Her ponytail swayed from side to side with each step.

The morning light refracted into delicate glimmers at the ends of her hair, and the breeze occasionally loosened a few strands from behind her ears. Yet, Ji Jiejie remained completely unfazed.

Her gaze fixed on Ji Jiejie, Shen Juexia couldn’t help but entertain a subtle thought. Sometimes, Ji Jiejie and her sister weren’t actually that alike.

Slowing down until she was walking side by side with Shen Juexia, Ji Jiejie asked casually, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Juexia’s eyes lingered on Ji Jiejie’s face for a brief moment before she shook her head. “It’s nothing, I’m just a little tired.”

“Then let’s walk for a bit.”

Ji Jiejie slowed her steps, transitioning from a jog to a stroll.

Turning her head slightly to look at Shen Juexia beside her, she noticed the girl’s fair cheeks flushed pink from exertion, tiny beads of sweat trickling down her temples, and her hair slightly disheveled.

Brushing away the strands sticking to her face, Shen Juexia asked uncertainly, “We can just walk now?”

“Of course,” Ji Jiejie replied offhandedly.

Shen Juexia’s mouth fell open in bewilderment.

Then, frustration bubbled up inside her. “Then why didn’t you tell me that from the start?!”

Pausing mid-step, Ji Jiejie looked ahead, the ice in her eyes melting away as a hint of amusement colored her voice. “Because you didn’t ask?”

Ji Jiejie was stating the truth, but to Shen Juexia, who was already seeing stars, it felt like adding fuel to the fire. Swinging her arm in irritation, she snapped, “Ji Jiejie! You definitely did that on purpose!”

“Do you have any proof?”

The little rabbit froze, stunned by her audacity. “Ji Jiejie! You’re dead!!!”

________________________________________

A dazzling diamond.

Reflecting the pure moonlight.

“I was cooking noodles earlier and forgot to check my phone.” Attached was a decent-looking photo of tomato and egg noodles.

Biting the tip of her chopsticks, Shen Juexia found Ji Jiejie utterly baffling. Why would she suddenly send a picture of her dinner?

She couldn’t decipher her intentions.

After a few seconds of thought, Shen Juexia picked up her phone and snapped a quick photo of her own meal, sending it to Ji Jiejie. “I’m eating too.”

The noodles had already started to clump together.

Yet the girl sitting at the dining table hadn’t touched her food, as if waiting for something.

The screen at the corner of the table suddenly lit up.

A glimmer flashed in Ji Jiejie’s eyes, but she deliberately waited two minutes before replying slowly, “Your dinner looks very lavish.”

“Tch…”

Why was Ji Jiejie responding again?

Just as she picked up her bowl to start eating, Shen Juexia wrinkled her nose and reluctantly reopened the chat. “It’s alright, definitely not as good as the noodles you made~”

A table full of delicacies.

And they couldn’t compare to a simple bowl of noodles she’d thrown together?

She really was…

Raising an eyebrow, a mix of indescribable shyness and satisfaction flickering in her eyes, Ji Jiejie pressed her lips together and typed out: “Then next time you come over, I’ll cook for you.”

Aunt Liu’s cooking was practically five-star chef quality. Who would want to eat her noodles?

This was just politeness…

Did Ji Jiejie not understand the concept of polite small talk?

Though she was internally griping, Shen Juexia still fawningly sent a sticker of a little rabbit making a heart gesture. “Sure! I’m super looking forward to it!”

After seeing Shen Juexia’s reply, Ji Zhijie tried hard to suppress the corners of her lips, but an irrepressible smile escaped from her eyes.

She set her phone aside and picked up her chopsticks.

Although the noodles in her bowl had clumped together and lost their shape, she still ate them with relish.

Holding Shen Juexia’s wrist in her palm—

Her usually steady heartbeat was now uncontrollably accelerating.

Holding her breath under the faint, hazy glow of the night, she personally slipped the ring onto her girl’s finger.

Every movement was filled with nervousness and sweetness.

By the third lap, Shen Juexia reached out and brushed against Ji Zhijie’s fingertips, then seized her hand.

Gripping her wrist tightly, Shen Juexia gritted her teeth and said in a fierce tone, “Caught you. Now you’re in for it.”

Suppressing the obvious amusement in her eyes, Ji Zhijie deliberately feigned distress, lowering her gaze to look at the young lady before her and frowning as she asked, “What do you want to do?”

What to do…

It wasn’t like she could tie Ji Zhijie up.

Raising her eyes to meet Ji Zhijie’s amber gaze, Shen Juexia pressed her cherry lips together, unsure how to “punish” the “culprit” before her.

Glancing around, Ji Zhijie’s eyes landed on Shen Juexia’s pink backpack. “Later, I can carry your bag back to the classroom for you.”

A spark of light flashed in Shen Juexia’s almond-shaped eyes, her long lashes fluttering slightly. She thought the suggestion was good but not enough.

Raising her wrist and staring at Shen Juexia’s fingers wrapped around it, Ji Zhijie asked knowingly, “Not satisfied? What else do you want?”

I want you to leave S City.

Of course, Shen Juexia only dared to think that in her heart.

Clearing her throat, the clever little rabbit decided to prioritize the bigger picture and stick to her original plan. “From now on, for any school event, you have to team up with me and stay by my side.”

The mask on Ji Zhijie’s face cracked.

Her pupils constricted slightly, and the tips of her fair ears flushed with shame. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to pull her wrist free.

“What, you don’t agree?” Shen Juexia narrowed her eyes cautiously, tightening her grip. “If you don’t agree, I won’t let go!”

“Let go first.”

“No! Not unless you promise me.”

Afraid Ji Zhijie might escape, Shen Juexia rose on her tiptoes, leaning closer to shrink the distance between them again. “And you have to swear it.”

Her arm burned with Shen Juexia’s body heat.

Her heartbeat was now completely out of control. Ji Zhijie stiffly turned her head away and said slowly, “I swear. I’ll always be with you from now on.”

“Not be with me, you have to team up with me for every school event.” Thinking Ji Zhijie was trying to weasel out of it, Shen Juexia huffed, catching her loophole, and sternly corrected her wording.

The haze in Ji Zhijie’s phoenix eyes cleared slightly. She lifted her chin and raised a brow. “Fine. I, Ji Zhijie, swear that for every school event, I’ll team up with Shen Juexia.”

Satisfied, Shen Juexia “magnanimously” released her hold. “Let’s go. Two more laps left.”

Raising a hand, Ji Zhijie touched the bridge of her nose.

Without a word, she discreetly glanced toward the office building before quietly following behind Shen Juexia, stepping silently on her shadow.

Afraid she might suddenly wake up—
Yet longing to see her surprised, delighted smile.

The plan had concluded perfectly.

Her gaze burned intensely as she stared at her creation.

Bowing her head, the moonlight illuminated the curve of her neck. Gently lifting the girl’s hand, Shen Tinghan pressed a solemn kiss onto the ring.

Soon.

Xiao Xia would become her wife.

A tingling itch crawled up her throat, an uncontrollable desire threatening to spill over. Biting the tip of her tongue, she struggled to suppress the sound of her ragged breaths.

Ah…

From now on, Xiao Xia would belong to her alone.

–

The sun was pushed off the horizon by the moon.

The last remnants of the sunset were swallowed whole by the encroaching night.

“Knock, knock.” A soft rap at the door, followed by Xu Qing’s gentle reminder: “Xiao… Juexia, dinner is ready.”

Having changed into more comfortable loungewear, Shen Juexia opened the door. “Alright, let’s eat.”

“Beep, beep.”

No sooner had she taken her seat at the table than Shen Juexia received a new message from Ji Zhijie, accompanied by a photo.