Chapter 30: The Returned White Moonlight (30)

Chapter 30: The Return of the White Moonlight (Part 30)

Yun Jinqiu sat in the hospital room, gazing at the ceiling, a profound melancholy settling in his heart.

Shang Wenyi lay on the hospital bed. Aside from a pale complexion, he appeared merely to be sleeping.

Yun Jinqiu cast a glance at him, a cold scoff escaping his lips. Those people were truly trusting. Weren't they afraid he might pull out Shang Wenyi's oxygen tube? Though, Shang Wenyi wasn't even wearing one.

Yun Jinqiu had initially believed the tasks in this world would be relatively straightforward, but the plot relentlessly escalated in difficulty. What a wretched fate...

With a complex expression, Yun Jinqiu approached Shang Wenyi.

Regardless, he hoped Shang Wenyi would awaken soon. Only then would Bai Jiangli release him.

As if he had heard Yun Jinqiu's silent plea, Shang Wenyi slowly stirred amidst a blur of white light.

Yun Jinqiu stood on the balcony, his back to Shang Wenyi, letting the breeze wash over him. He seemed agitated, his patience clearly wearing thin.

Shang Wenyi lay quietly on the bed, observing him without a word, until Yun Jinqiu noticed his awakening.

Yun Jinqiu hadn't anticipated Shang Wenyi waking so quickly. For a moment, he was stunned, unsure of what to say.

Shang Wenyi's gaze, calm yet intense, rested on Yun Jinqiu, his expression both focused and enigmatic. He had thought this was a dream, but it felt more real than he had imagined. Or perhaps he had ascended to heaven—how else could he see Yun Jinqiu again?

It wasn't until Yun Jinqiu asked, "Are you alright? Should I call a doctor for you?" that Shang Wenyi finally reacted.

So it wasn't a dream. He took a deep breath, lowered his gaze, and after a prolonged silence, looked blankly at Yun Jinqiu, asking softly, "You... who are you?"

His voice was hoarse, but Yun Jinqiu distinctly heard every word.

Yun Jinqiu was taken aback. Had Shang Wenyi lost his memory?

"What did you say?" Yun Jinqiu asked.

"Who... are you?" Shang Wenyi repeated.

Yun Jinqiu's expression was one of disbelief as he stared at Shang Wenyi for a while. Shang Wenyi's expression remained bewildered and lost.

Had he truly lost his memory? Yun Jinqiu found it inconceivable.

"Are you... my family?" Shang Wenyi asked again.

"No," Yun Jinqiu shook his head.

"Then who are you?" Shang Wenyi asked nervously.

"I..." Yun Jinqiu paused. "I'm here visiting someone at the hospital. It seems I've entered the wrong room."

With that, Yun Jinqiu offered a polite bow and, opening the door, exited the room.

He didn't see the yearning eyes fixed on him from the hospital bed. After Yun Jinqiu left, Shang Wenyi wearily closed his eyes.

The bodyguard stationed outside the door glanced at Yun Jinqiu. "What is it, Young Master Yun? Are you hungry or thirsty this time?"

Yun Jinqiu snorted coldly. "Your young master has woken up."

"What? Young Master Shang is awake?" The bodyguard looked into the room and immediately called Bai Jiangli.

"Madam Bai, Young Master Shang is awake!"

Bai Jiangli promptly replied, "Good, I'll be right there."

Yun Jinqiu glanced at the bodyguard. "Can I leave now?"

The bodyguard hesitated upon hearing this, but Bai Jiangli, who had overheard Yun Jinqiu's question through the phone, said, "Let Yun Jinqiu go."

Bai Jiangli had only wished for Shang Wenyi to awaken sooner. Now that he was awake, her method had proven effective. It was clear that Shang Wenyi cared most about Yun Jinqiu.

Bai Jiangli couldn't help but sigh. "You may go," she told the bodyguard.

Yun Jinqiu nodded slightly and departed without a backward glance.

The bodyguard watched Yun Jinqiu's retreating figure, a sense of melancholy in his heart.

Yun Jinqiu left and returned to the U.S. with Chloe. His life abroad was relatively peaceful, divided between filming and managing his company. Those back in the country also resumed their normal lives. Yun Jinqiu never again inquired about Shang Wenyi, and others wisely refrained from mentioning him in his presence.

Meng Qianfan abandoned the mission to romance Yun Jinqiu. His system recognized the impossibility of the task and made an exception, allowing him to choose between staying in this world or returning to his original one. After some deliberation, Meng Qianfan decided to stay. After all, he had nothing in his original world, whereas here, he at least had a career. Over the years, he had been studying psychology, ensuring he could survive even without the system.

After the system departed, Meng Qianfan felt a weight lift from his shoulders and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Yun Jinqiu's team continued to expand, but the core members remained constant: Chloe, Fang Rui, and himself. The three were jokingly referred to by collaborators as the "Iron Triangle." However, the other two members didn't always get along. Yun Jinqiu sometimes acted as a mediator between them, but other times he couldn't be bothered, as it was a futile effort. Whenever those two were together, their conversations became passive-aggressive, truly childish.

The tension between Chloe and Fang Rui wasn't merely due to disagreements. Both were aware of the other's romantic feelings toward Yun Jinqiu, leading to a quiet competition. As long as no one addressed the issue directly, the three could continue their ambiguous dynamic.

Tang Fei also became busier over the years, as he was preparing to inherit his family's business. During a moment when they were getting along best, Tang Fei carefully broached the subject with Yun Jinqiu.

His question was both cautious and direct. Although he disliked Shang Wenyi, Shang Wenyi's actions toward Yun Jinqiu made Tang Fei see a reflection of himself. He didn't want to hide his feelings any longer, fearing it would drive him mad.

"Do you think there's any chance for the two of us to be together?" Tang Fei asked hesitantly.

"What?" Yun Jinqiu didn't quite understand.

After a moment of silence, Tang Fei continued, "My mother has been urging me to get married lately, but I haven't met anyone I like. I was thinking... if it's possible, maybe we could make a life together?"

This time, Yun Jinqiu understood. He looked deeply at Tang Fei, a slight frown appearing between his eyebrows.

"Let's not. You'll find someone you truly love eventually."

Tang Fei was stunned. He took a deep breath and instinctively reached for a cigarette. But remembering Yun Jinqiu was beside him, he thought better of it.

"I understand," Tang Fei said with a nod and a smile.

He believed he would eventually meet someone he loved. But when? A year, two years, five years, ten years, or perhaps never? Tang Fei didn't know. All he felt was an emptiness within.

Yun Jinqiu was speechless.

He often saw people online say that there's no such thing as pure friendship between men and women. But now, it seemed even friendships between men couldn't remain purely platonic?

If he couldn't stand the smell of cigarettes, Yun Jinqiu would have lit up himself.

After Tang Fei left, Yun Jinqiu lay back on the sofa, questioning everything.

Fang Rui walked over with two cups of black tea.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Yun Jinqiu looked up at the sound and sighed, "You and Chloe are the best—always so innocent," he exclaimed.

Fang Rui’s hand trembled slightly as he held the cup of black tea.

But, Young Master, I’m afraid... we might have disappointed you as well.

Another winter arrived, and Yun Jinqiu went skiing with Chloe. On the slopes, a young man wearing a helmet skied a circle around Yun Jinqiu. His skiing skills were exceptional; as he passed by, he kept the snow disturbance to a minimum.

Yun Jinqiu watched him and suddenly thought the young man looked familiar. The young man stopped in front of Yun Jinqiu and excitedly took off his helmet.

"Yun... Yun Jinqiu?" Yu Wanqiu couldn’t believe his eyes. "Is it really you?"

Yun Jinqiu was also surprised to see Yu Wanqiu. Yu Wanqiu had changed drastically, looking nothing like the fragile person he once was.

Holding his helmet, Yu Wanqiu smiled shyly.

"Long time no see," he said. It had been about ten years and eight months, hadn’t it? Yu Wanqiu’s smile faded slightly.

"Long time no see." Yun Jinqiu nodded slightly.

In the spectator stands, Yu Wanqiu and Yun Jinqiu sat facing each other. A waiter brought them two cups of hot milk tea.

Yun Jinqiu stirred the foam in his cup. "How have you been all these years?"

Yu Wanqiu nodded. "Not bad. I spent the first few years looking for you everywhere, but eventually, I gave up when I couldn’t find you."

"Searching for me? Why?" Yun Jinqiu asked.

Yu Wanqiu smiled. "I still owe you money, remember?"

"...Money?" Yun Jinqiu recalled. "That amount was nothing to me."

"I know," Yu Wanqiu looked down. "But it was that money that helped me get through, so I’ve always kept it in mind. Now, I can finally repay you."

Yun Jinqiu drank a sip of milk tea.

"I remember two years ago, your brother asked me for my phone number."

Yu Wanqiu was stunned. "Yes, he did give me the number. But I was too afraid to call you at first. By the time I worked up the nerve to dial it, the number was already out of service."

Yun Jinqiu was silent for a long moment. He had almost forgotten—two years ago, to avoid complications, he changed his number as soon as he returned to M country.

Yu Wanqiu didn’t take the phone number incident to heart.

"Over the years, I’ve traveled around and seen much scenery I’d never seen before. I even learned how to ski." At this, Yu Wanqiu smiled without any hesitation. "I’m much better at skiing now than I used to be."

Yun Jinqiu nodded. "I just saw that."

Yu Wanqiu sighed softly.

"And you? How have you been?"

Yun Jinqiu replied, "Pretty good."

"I heard you’ve settled in M country?" Yu Wanqiu asked.

"Yes," Yun Jinqiu nodded.

Yu Wanqiu thought of Shang Wenyi, his feelings complicated. He was aware of the kidnapping incident from ten years ago. Over the years, his disgust for Shang Wenyi had reached its peak, yet that man continued to live well. The world could be so unfair at times.

"Can I visit you at your company?"

Yun Jinqiu lifted his eyes slightly. "Of course."

Yu Wanqiu let out a long sigh of relief. He was in M country on a business trip and had come skiing on the off chance, never expecting to actually run across Yun Jinqiu. He felt they were fated.

Chloe had only went to the lounge to change clothes, but when he came out, Yun Jinqiu was gone. Scanning the area, he spotted Yun Jinqiu sitting in the spectator stands, talking to a stranger. Frowning, he quickened his pace and walked over.

"Qiu, who is this?" Chloe stood behind Yun Jinqiu, looking down at Yu Wanqiu coldly.

That look reminded Yu Wanqiu of a North American gray wolf—fierce, menacing, and filled with lethal intent.

Yu Wanqiu’s heart jumped. This protective stance reminded him of Shang Wenyi. Back then, Shang Wenyi was the same way...

Yun Jinqiu looked up at Chloe and he said, "This is Yu Wanqiu."

"Oh." I don't know him. Chloe nodded slightly and said expressionlessly, "Hello."

Chloe cleared his throat and asked Yun Jinqiu, "Are we still skiing? Jolson just notified me that you have a commercial shoot this afternoon."

"Commercial?" Yun Jinqiu thought for a moment. "I believe there is."

"Shall we head back then?" Chloe asked.

"Okay."

Yu Wanqiu looked blankly at the milk tea in his cup, and cautiously remained silent.

Yun Jinqiu stood up and bid farewell to Yu Wanqiu. "Let’s catch up another time when we have the chance."

"Okay," Yu Wanqiu managed a weak smile.

Chloe followed Yun Jinqiu, turning back to glare at Yu Wanqiu once more.

Yu Wanqiu: "..." As expected, he never stood a chance from the beginning.

Chloe drove Yun Jinqiu away from the ski resort. He was driving with clear irritation, starting off quickly, making Yun Jinqiu frown.

"What’s wrong with you?" Yun Jinqiu asked.

Chloe didn’t know what was wrong with himself either.