Transmigrated as the Short-Lived White Moonlight, I Ended Up Happily Ever After With the Female Lead - Chapter 39

Here, Ji Yan’an and Song Yi walked upstairs together and sat down in the private room. It must be said that the Star Drunken Restaurant was indeed a first-class establishment. Even the flower vases and ancient paintings displayed in the rooms were genuine artifacts. Although they were recent and not comparable to rare treasures, the fact that they were casually displayed as decorations made Song Yi admire the manager’s business acumen.

Seeing that Huo Xiuyuan would take a while to come up, Ji Yan’an pulled Song Yi closer to her and conspiratorially planned: “Song Yi, should I tell him directly that I’m not interested in him later, or should I hint it tactfully?”

“Tell him directly. I can’t stand him bothering you,” Song Yi said, sitting upright as if discussing a very serious matter. But Ji Yan’an couldn’t help but want to laugh. She reached out and pinched Song Yi’s not-very-fleshy cheek, asking very intimately, “Oh? Is Song Yi jealous again? If you get jealous over this, what will you do if your future husband takes a concubine?”

Ji Yan’an tilted her small head and asked Song Yi this question lightheartedly. Song Yi was stunned by her pinch and also by her question. When this question was thrown out, Song Yi’s first reaction wasn’t to remove Ji Yan’an’s hand, but to seriously consider… what would happen to herself when Ji Yan’an married.

The result of the consideration was that Song Yi didn’t know. She recalled Ji Yan’an saying that she didn’t want to get married yet… This sentence was like a reassurance pill that calmed Song Yi down. She expressionlessly took away Ji Yan’an’s restless hand. “There won’t be a husband.” After taking Ji Yan’an’s hand away, Song Yi added this sentence. For some reason, Ji Yan’an actually breathed a sigh of relief, and only after realizing it did, she hastily try to persuade her.

“Why! Is it because you haven’t met anyone you like yet? Then take your time finding someone, don’t say you won’t so early!” Ji Yan’an advised earnestly, but the other person calmly picked up her teacup and drank. Only after half a cup of tea had entered her stomach did she say, “I have someone I like.”

Ji Yan’an’s eyes widened, her jaw almost dropping in shock. She looked incredulously at the ethereal, fairy-like woman in front of her. She… already had someone she liked?

Ji Yan’an felt a subtle sense of loss.

Song Yi looked at Ji Yan’an’s expression and felt an impulse to tease her. She continued, “Mm, she’s a very good person. She’s a bit silly too, always willing to offend others for my sake…”

The sentence stopped abruptly there. Ji Yan’an was both disappointed and unwilling to give up, tugging at Song Yi’s sleeve, wanting her to say more. But the clueless Huo Xiuyuan came up, followed by waiters filing in with dishes.

There were vegetables and meat, plate after plate placed on the large round table, emitting an enticing aroma. Yet, Ji Yan’an was in no mood. She rested her right hand on her chin, holding her chopsticks in her left hand, and listlessly poked the meat in her bowl without putting it into her mouth.

Song Yi only glanced at the dishes a few times and didn’t eat, instead quietly sipping her tea.

Huo Xiuyuan sat across from Ji Yan’an. Seeing that neither of them was interested in the table full of food, he thought they were shy. He took a bite of food first, savoring the flavor. “Eat, we can consider ourselves family…” Before he could finish, Song Yi shot him a murderous look. “Who’s family with you?”

Ji Yan’an also crossed her arms, unhappy. She was annoyed by Huo Xiuyuan’s buzzing in her ear, so she spoke directly and bluntly: “I don’t like you, and it’s impossible for us to rekindle any childhood connection. You’d better go back where you came from as soon as possible.”

Huo Xiuyuan didn’t react, but Song Yi laughed. She, rarely, took the initiative to move closer to Ji Yan’an: “Unhappy?”

Ji Yan’an couldn’t exactly pinpoint why, but ever since she heard Song Yi say she had someone she liked, she suddenly felt a surge of unprovoked anger. She, who usually loved to eat so much, suddenly felt that all the dishes on the table were bland.

“You’re going to run off with someone else, how can I be happy?” Ji Yan’an just couldn’t bring herself to be angry at Song Yi, especially with Song Yi moving closer to her—it was practically a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.

Song Yi asked again, “Not hungry?”

Ji Yan’an stubbornly tossed her head, “Not hungry!”

But as she spoke, Ji Yan’an’s stomach honestly let out a growling sound. The sound wasn’t loud, but Song Yi heard it clearly, her eyes filled with amusement. She picked up a clean pair of chopsticks and selectively chose food that Huo Xiuyuan hadn’t touched. Ji Yan’an had seemed to like the braised pork dish from the start, but she hadn’t eaten any, only poking at it until it was almost ruined.

So Song Yi picked up another piece for her, placed it on a new small plate, and, seemingly in a good mood, handed it to Ji Yan’an.

“Eat, don’t starve yourself.”

Ji Yan’an took the plate with a frustrated look on her face. She rubbed her stomach, which was indeed very hungry. Despite her thousand expressions of reluctance on the outside, she felt a little bit happy inside as she put the piece of braised pork, representing Song Yi’s kindness, into her mouth.

Seeing that Ji Yan’an finally started eating, Song Yi felt somewhat relieved and continued to drink her tea.

However, disastrously, just as Ji Yan’an was about to eat another piece of braised pork, the door of the private room was harshly pushed open, startling her so much that the chopsticks in her hand shook, and the meat rolled onto the floor.

“My braised pork!” Ji Yan’an was entirely focused on her delicious piece of braised pork, looking at the floor with great heartache, not caring who the newcomer was. This peculiar focus made Song Yi shake her head helplessly. She was the first to stand up and shield Ji Yan’an, who was only focused on the braised pork. Her tall figure also made Chang Wan, the second illegitimate daughter of the Chang family who had pushed open the door, feel somewhat afraid. Her soft and weak physique was completely insufficient to pose a threat to Song Yi in terms of aura. Instead, Song Yi looked impatient: “May I ask what the young lady wants?”

The coldness in her eyes was clearly seen by Ji Yan’an. To an outsider, it looked as if Song Yi was staring at a dead person.

Chang Wan wore a dark red jacket and skirt, with only a few gold hairpins in her hair. She looked wealthy but was uncomfortably aged for a woman her age. Chang Wan had never met Song Yi and didn’t dare to flare up, but seeing Huo Xiuyuan standing there dumbfounded, she became furious.

Originally, Chang Wan wouldn’t dare to cause trouble in a setting like this, but ever since escaping the clutches of the Chang family, she had regarded Huo Xiuyuan as her everything. Even if Huo Xiuyuan wanted to take a concubine, she never said anything. But this time, it was Ji Yan’an, that childhood sweetheart.

“Why are you here?” As expected, Huo Xiuyuan looked very nervous and quickly pulled Chang Wan aside, asking in a hushed voice.

Chang Wan forcefully pulled away from Huo Xiuyuan’s hand, her eyes full of cold sarcasm as she pressed, “If I hadn’t come, would my husband have brought in a co-wife tomorrow? No, how could my husband bear to let Miss Yan’an be just a co-wife? Perhaps with a letter of divorce tomorrow, I would have to roll back to my maiden home!”

Amidst the clamor, Ji Yan’an caught her own name. She didn’t care about the braised pork anymore, stood up immediately, and erupted in anger: “What do you mean ‘bring me into the household’?! Did I agree? Madam, please mind your words!!”

Ji Yan’an was fuming. She had been annoyed by this Huo Xiuyuan for half a day, and it turned out he was a scumbag who was already married, almost as despicable as the male lead in the original book who was struck by lightning for his terrible character.

Song Yi saw the small Ji Yan’an standing with her hands on her hips between Huo Xiuyuan and Chang Wan and felt it was inappropriate. She felt that in Chang Wan’s current mood, it was entirely possible for her to lash out with a slap if she became too agitated. Although given Ji Yan’an’s status, Chang Wan would definitely suffer the consequences, Song Yi simply didn’t want Ji Yan’an to be hit.

She stepped forward, quietly shielding Ji Yan’an behind her, and bowed to Chang Wan: “This Madam must understand, it was Young Master Huo who insisted on showing us around Songzhou, not we who intruded rudely. Moreover, the eldest daughter of the Ji family has not fallen so low as to need to marry a man like him. I wish Madam well.”

These words were extremely unpleasant, not only mocking Huo Xiuyuan but also subtly making Chang Wan feel awkward. But Song Yi didn’t care. Since this couple had ruined their enjoyment for the day, they deserved this treatment.

With that, Song Yi helped Ji Yan’an return to her seat and started calmly serving her food. The two of them actually began eating amidst this situation.

After Song Yi’s verbal attack, Ji Yan’an’s mood improved by more than a little. She had a great appetite and even smiled as she watched them argue further, clearly enjoying herself.

Huo Xiuyuan felt his face burning. Looking at Chang Wan, whose eyes were full of tears, he was filled with internal conflict. Thankfully, the rules of the Star Drunken Restaurant were strict, and no one came up to the private rooms on the second floor to watch the spectacle. However, Ji Yan’an’s gaze alone was enough to make Huo Xiuyuan feel embarrassed.

“So, it has always been you, my husband, in a one-sided love!” Chang Wan sounded overly distressed. She shouted hysterically at Huo Xiuyuan, looking both frantic and helpless.

When Chang Wan married Huo Xiuyuan, she had held expectations for him. She had finally climbed out from under the control of people like Chang Yunjie, and she thought marrying Huo Xiuyuan was the best way out. She thought she could live a good life in the future.

However, all of these hopes were lost. After mocking Huo Xiuyuan, Chang Wan knelt and wept bitterly, clutching her arms. No one stepped forward to help her. Only today did Chang Wan realize that the so-called ideal husband would abandon her utterly the moment Ji Yan’an appeared. Even if the current Ji Yan’an looked down on Huo Xiuyuan, who could guarantee that many other “Ji Yan’ans” wouldn’t appear in the future? Would she have to make a scene like this every time?

As Chang Wan cried, Ji Yan’an lost her appetite too. She put down her chopsticks and walked over to Chang Wan. Chang Wan, with her eyes lowered, saw Ji Yan’an’s gold-embroidered shoes stepping lightly, while she was miserably kneeling on the ground.

Ji Yan’an extended her fair, delicate hand. Without saying anything, it appeared in Chang Wan’s line of sight.

Chang Wan’s tears kept falling, hitting Ji Yan’an’s palm, but Ji Yan’an didn’t pull her hand away. She just quietly waited for Chang Wan to place her hand on hers.

Chang Wan hesitated for a long time. Ji Yan’an’s legs were getting stiff from squatting. Song Yi noticed her struggle and quickly walked over to support Ji Yan’an, waiting with her for Chang Wan.

Chang Wan looked up at Huo Xiuyuan, who had been standing motionlessly for a long time. She fiercely wiped away her tears, placed her hand in Ji Yan’an’s palm, and stood up. She only had one cold sentence for Huo Xiuyuan: “I don’t want to be the daughter-in-law of the Huo family anymore. With a letter of divorce tomorrow, our relationship will be severed forever. It is I, Chang Wan, the second daughter of the Chang family, who is divorcing you, Huo Xiuyuan.”

No one knew what kind of struggle Chang Wan had gone through in her heart to be able to utter such a cold, emotionless sentence. It sounded like something a female lead would say to a scumbag in a transmigration novel, but hearing it firsthand, Ji Yan’an couldn’t help but feel admiration.

Chang Wan was merely a concubine-born second daughter. If she left Huo Xiuyuan and returned to the Chang mansion, given Chang Yunjie’s nature, this would bring shame to the Chang family, and she would likely be tormented to death.

“Chang Wan! How dare you?” Huo Xiuyuan was agitated. He violently knocked over the entire table of dishes, his eyes red as he roared the question.

“I, Chang Wan, dare!”

Ji Yan’an was startled by the noise of their argument and the smashing of objects. In her panic, she once again threw herself into Song Yi’s arms.

“Young Miss Yan’an is skilled at throwing herself into embraces,” Song Yi’s voice, laced with amusement, reached her ears.