Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
To be honest, this was the first time Ming Yao had ever been stood up by a man in her life.
The men who used to pursue her would never stand her up, in fact they wouldn’t dare even be a second late.
Of course, Ming Yao broke her promise to attend the concert first, so she wouldn’t mind if Qi Xu returned the favor.
What bothered her was the reason why Qi Xu broke his promise.
They had agreed in the car the night before last that they would go to the concert together today. She never saw him mention that he had something to do the next day, and that it was a big trip abroad.
Why did it happen so suddenly?
As luck would have it, Jin Tang posted on Weibo yesterday about the accident.
It’s no wonder Ming Yao connected everything; in fact, she knew her identity from the very beginning and what she meant to Qi Xu.
So now, she understood why Qi Xu would disregard everything and go abroad after seeing his Bai Yueguang[1]‘s Weibo post.
She just couldn’t quite put my finger on what that feeling of unease was.
So back in her dorm, Ming Yao pulled out her diary.
It was time to update the Stand-In Observation Diary.
May 18th, sunny.
I made plans to go to a concert with him today, but he didn’t show up.
I understand. Compared to the injury of one’s beloved, what’s listening to music with a stand-in?
When I learned that he couldn’t come, I didn’t think much of it, but when I found out that he was probably going to see his “white moonlight” (a term of endearment for someone he’d never seen before), I was actually a little disappointed.
This feeling is so real; I think I’m starting to understand Lin Yunyun…
But I’m not Lin Yunyun. I can tolerate scumb*gs in the drama, but I will never be a pushover in real life!
So I decided that when he comes back and pretends to coax me, I’ll be very cold.
After finishing writing, Ming Yao read it again and could still strongly feel that emptiness.
She was really not that important.
Ming Yao gradually grasped the essence of humility from the feelings of humility, pain, despair, and intertwined love and hate described by Director Song.
As for the rest, we’ll take it slow.
….
Even several days after the concert, Qi Xu did not contact Ming Yao, and Ming Yao, being quite principled, did not ask him a single question.
During this time, Ming Yao found a nice house near the film and television base. The film and television base was in a remote suburb, and the surrounding area consisted of old houses, but fortunately it was clean and tidy.
Today was Ming Yao’s moving day. Jian Ning was busy, so Guan Xingdi specially came back to school to help her.
The two girls had finished packing their luggage in the dormitory and were preparing to move it downstairs when Ming Yao’s phone rang.
She picked up her phone as usual, and was about to answer when she saw the name on the screen and withdrew her hand.
Oh, so this man finally remembered me?
I thought he went to France and successfully won back his white moonlight, so he would no longer need her as a substitute.
It seems it didn’t work.
Ming Yao still remembered the vow she made in her diary to be ruthless.
So she coldly hung up the phone.
Guan Xingdi asked curiously, “What? Who is it?”
Ming Yao: “A liar.”
After saying that, Ming Yao felt that she wasn’t exactly a good person either.
If Qi Xu was a male conman, then she was a female conwoman.
The two of them got together after lying to each other.
Ming Yao didn’t have much stuff, just two suitcases, so the two girls carried them relatively easily.
Pushing her suitcase to the back gate of the campus, Ming Yao took out her phone to book a ride. Just as she opened the app, Qi Xu called again.
Ming Yao hesitated for a moment, her hand hovering on the edge of answering the phone.
She wasn’t that kind of heartless girl, but the thought of being stood up by him and left out for so many days made her angry.
Especially after projecting her own image onto Lin Yunyun, she felt even more disgusted with her own scumb*g boyfriend.
Ming Yao quickly suppressed her soft heart and coldly hung up the phone again.
The call had just ended when another call came in.
Ming Yao thought it was still Qi Xu, but when she looked, it turned out to be Ji Muyang.
She paused for a moment, then answered, “Senior Brother Ji?”
“Ming Yao, I just saw you at school gate. Where are you going with those suitcases?”
Ming Yao subconsciously turned around and replied, “I’m moving. I’m the only one left in the dorm. So I’m moving out today.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a Mercedes-Benz RV pulled up in front of Ming Yao. The door opened, and a young girl cautiously stepped out.
“Sister Yao, Brother Muyang wants you to get in the car. We’ll take you there.”
Ming Yao hesitated for a moment, then politely declined, “No need, my friend and I—”
Ming Yao wanted to ask Guan Xingdi for help, but for the first time, Guan Xingdi was already being very attentive in carrying her two suitcases to the car.
Ming Yao: “?”
After Guan Xingdi finished carrying the load, she ran over, rubbed her hands together, and winked at Ming Yao, “Go for it! I’ll lead the way!”
Ming Yao: “…”
In any case, neither of her two best friends did anything that looked like people.
Guan Xingdi ran off, leaving Liu Mingyao in an awkward predicament. But since her luggage was already on the bus, she couldn’t very well drag it off again.
They just said they’d take her there; they didn’t say they were going to do anything to her.
Left with no other choice, Ming Yao reluctantly got into the car with Ji Muyang’s assistant.
The RV started and drove away.
Unbeknownst to anyone, less than a hundred meters behind, a black Bentley slowly followed.
….
The apartment Ming Yao had found was near the film and television base. Although the community was not new, it was quiet and the environment was nice.
After dropping Ming Yao off at the apartment complex, Ji Muyang didn’t leave immediately. Instead he helped carry her luggage into the house.
He wasn’t wearing a mask, and someone recognized him in the stairwell, which made Ming Yao quite embarrassed.
“Senior Brother Ji, you can go ahead and do your work. I’m all set here.”
Ji Muyang joked, “What, aren’t you going to treat me to a meal?”
Ming Yao was stunned for a moment, then quickly picked up her keys and phone. “Sorry, I was so busy I forgot. Come on, lunch is on me.”
“Maybe next time,” Ji Muyang said with a smile, stopping her. “I have filming this afternoon, and I have to go there soon.”
After Ji Muyang finished speaking, he turned and walked out. Ming Yao followed him, saying, “Senior brother, let me see you off.”
The house was on the first floor, and you could go outside as soon as you stepped out the door.
Feeling genuinely embarrassed, Ming Yao handed Ji Muyang a bottle of water she had bought but hadn’t drunk from yet, saying, “Senior brother, instead of eating, why don’t you have some water?”
Ji Muyang did not refuse, he took it and opened it, saying while drinking, “Don’t always call me senior brother, just call me Muyang.”
Ming Yao opened her mouth, but couldn’t utter a sound.
Ji Muyang noticed her discomfort and smiled, “Alright, go back now.”
“Okay, goodbye.”
Ji Muyang’s RV quickly drove away from the community, and Ming Yao also turned around to go home. In the instant she turned to the side, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar black figure out of the corner of her eye.
He had a very strong presence; just by standing there, he exuded an undeniable sense of pressure.
Ming Yao was stunned for a few seconds, initially doubtful, then incredulous.
Qi Xu’s car?
Am I seeing things, or…?
No, she wasn’t seeing things.
Because that man got off the car.
Ming Yao’s mind went completely blank. What the hell? Where did he come from? Wasn’t he abroad? When did he come back?
Qi Xu walked over, approaching step by step.
Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, Ming Yao felt inexplicably guilty and subconsciously took a step back.
Qi Xu walked up to her, his face expressionless and his tone indifferent.
“Why didn’t you answer the phone?”
His tone instantly ignited Ming Yao’s initial guilt.
What kind of attitude is that? It’s ridiculous. Don’t you know why I’m not answering the phone?
Although she knew she was only playing a stand-in and shouldn’t have any “unrealistic” thoughts, Ming Yao just didn’t want to feel as stifled both on and off screen.
So she replied coldly, “Just because you call me doesn’t mean I have to answer. Who says that?”
One sentence left the man speechless.
To be honest, Qi Xu was very unhappy right now.
After returning, he immediately went to the school to find Ming Yao. He called her but she didn’t answer. However, he saw her get into Ji Muyang’s car and followed her all the way. And he had even witnessed an intimate scene of her delivering water to him.
Knowing that Ming Yao might be upset about his broken promise, Qi Xu tried his best to suppress his emotions and patiently explained: “A serious accident occurred on the opening day of a hotel in Paris that our company had, so I flew there urgently to handle it. It was not an intentional breach of contract.”
Ming Yao didn’t know whether Qi Xu was telling the truth or not, and she had no interest in verifying it.
“It doesn’t matter, the concert is over anyway.”
Ming Yao spoke with barbs and resisted at every turn.
Qi Xu was not usually a good-tempered person. He had been busy with work for several days in a row and was already very tired from sitting on a plane for more than ten hours. And when he came back, he was met with a cold face by Ming Yao.
His phone vibrated again in his inner pocket at this time, adding fuel to the fire. He grew irritated, took a deep breath, and tried to control himself.
“I have something to do, I’ll be going now.”
Then he turned around, got into the car, closed the door, and left.
He left in a very cold and decisive manner.
It’s much colder than what Ming Yao painstakingly created.
Ming Yao: “…”
When Lin Yunyun was unhappy and threw a tantrum, Gu Yuan would at least pretend to coax her.
What kind of scumb*g was Qi Xu?
He was leaving already?
If you’re not even willing to do a perfunctory job, why are you looking for a substitute? You might as well hire a nanny.
Ming Yao looked at Bentley’s departing figure with a wronged expression and said defiantly, “Fine, go then. If you’re so capable, don’t show me your face again. Go find your white moonlight.”
After saying that, she went home and closed the door.
….
Qi Xu turned off his constantly vibrating phone as soon as he got in the car.
This was the fifth phone call he had received from home since he got off the plane.
Qi Hengyuan had been asking Qi Xu to go back. But he went to the film academy first, and during the hour or so he was delayed, his family kept calling him, one after another, as if they were urging him to be reborn, which annoyed Qi Xu to no end.
Half an hour later, the car stopped at the Qi family villa in the suburbs.
Qi Xu rarely came back here. He only came over for a meal during holidays, and he left right after eating, never staying overnight.
Qi Hengyuan and Zheng Rong were both in the study.
Qi Xu keenly sensed that the atmosphere was tense. Not knowing what had happened, he asked in a flat tone, “Is something the matter?”
Before Qi Hengyuan could speak, Zheng Rong spoke first, “A Yan cancelled his flight and said he won’t be coming back for the time being.”
Qi Xu remained expressionless. “Is that so?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t know.” Zheng Rong’s tone was unfriendly. “He clearly scheduled to return to China next week, so why is he suddenly not coming back?”
Qi Xu finally understood why the two of them had called him back in such a hurry.
He chuckled softly. “So you think it’s because I called him that he wouldn’t come back?”
Zheng Rong was about to speak again when Qi Hengyuan interrupted her, then looked at Qi Xu and asked, “Did you see A Yan in Paris?”
Zheng Rong bluntly made her judgment: “Why did A Yan change his mind and refuse to come back as soon as you went to Paris? What exactly did you say or do to him?”
Qi Xu, too lazy to waste time on such trivial matters, told Zheng Rong:
“Whether your son comes back or not is neither of my interest nor my concern; what I really care about is your hand—”
Qi Xu’s gaze and tone turned cold at the same time, and he said slowly and deliberately, “Stop going to Zhou Yishen.”
Zheng Rong’s expression changed slightly, but she remained calm. “Me? Heh, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“It’s okay if you don’t understand verbally, as long as you understand in your heart.” Qi Xu didn’t want to get involved with her any further and got up to leave. He stopped again in front of the study door, as if reminding her or warning her.
“If there’s a next time, don’t say I’m disrespectful to my elders.”
At eight o’clock in the evening, Qi Xu’s car sped along the ring road. The night in Beijing was beautiful, with skyscrapers gleaming with lights, exuding an air of decadent desire.
The higher one stands, the lonelier one often feels inside.
Qi Xu drove around for a while, then parked the car by the bustling riverside. He got out, leaned against the car, and smoked a cigarette.
Over the years, Qi Xu has been unwilling to step into this house at all.
Three years after his mother’s death, Qi Hengyuan married Zheng Rong, his stepmother, on the grounds that Qi Xu could not live without a mother’s love. At first, Zheng Rong did indeed act like a good mother, but less than two years later, his younger brother Qi Yan was born.
The story that followed was just like any other wealthy family tale: as his younger brother Qi Yan grew up, Zheng Rong’s ambition grew bigger and bigger, and the struggle for the title of the “crown prince” of the SG Group had been turbulent for years.
The river breeze was cool, and Qi Xu’s accumulated fatigue and emotions gradually calmed down.
Along with this cooling down, his suppressed restlessness towards Ming Yao also subsided.
It was not hard to understand. The girl was shy. He went abroad on a business trip without saying a word, and only remembered to tell her he wasn’t going right before the concert. It was normal for her to be unhappy and throw a tantrum.
He really shouldn’t have argued with her.
Thinking back to the way Ming Yao mistakenly called him brother in the hotel, that face already had every reason to be loved and forgiven.
Qi Xu suddenly chuckled softly, took out his phone, and called Ming Yao.
Three seconds after dialling—
The number you dialled is temporarily unavailable.
Qi Xu didn’t think much of it and sent Ming Yao a WeChat message: [Are you asleep?]
The dialog box quickly displayed a line of text—
[The “Whoever speaks first is a dog” now accepts friend requests. Please add the other person as a friend first.]
Qi Xu frowned.
Did this woman delete him?
And this newly changed name…
Did she plan this all along to insult him?
The author has something to say:
Xiao Ming: I’ll scold you if I want to, why do I have to pick a day?!
Qi Gou: …
N months later.
Qi Gou: If I’m going to experience episode six, why do I need to pick a day?
Xiao Ming: …
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron and access advance chapters on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents • Next
[1] Bai Yueguang (白月光), which literally translates to “white moonlight,” is a popular Chinese cultural expression that describes an unforgettable first love, an idealized crush, or someone deeply cherished in one’s heart who remains out of reach
