After The Cannon Fodder Died, She Became The Female Lead’s White Moonlight (GL) - Chapter 22

There weren’t many people at the exhibition. Che Gulai wasn’t very interested in the butterfly specimens and watched them with a lack of enthusiasm.

Shen Sijin, however, was very interested and kept introducing various butterflies to her.

Che Gulai’s attitude was cold, and she barely responded, saying “Mhm” at most. Even so, Shen Sijin’s enthusiasm didn’t wane.

“This is called Limenitis coelestis (Blue Duke), isn’t the color very refreshing?” Shen Sijin rushed to explain when she saw Che Gulai looking at this particular butterfly for a few extra seconds.

This butterfly was a clear green color, faint and small, looking fresh and delicate.

“You know a lot about this?” Che Gulai asked casually.

“Mhm. I love butterflies. I love everything about them,” Shen Sijin smiled brightly. “Butterflies are creatures that are reborn from pain, beautiful and free.”

Che Gulai twitched her mouth, offering no comment on her naive, childish thoughts.

“But my favorite is still the Blue Morpho.” Shen Sijin pulled her and pointed to a blue butterfly on the wall.

Che Gulai looked up. The butterfly’s color was deep, a profound blue. Its wings shimmered with a hint of fluorescence. It was a very magnificent butterfly.

“That…” Shen Sijin asked tentatively, “Do you like this kind of—”

Before she could finish, a child’s piercing scream suddenly rang out, cutting through the silence of the exhibition hall.

The scream was sharp and loud. Shen Sijin’s heart instantly began to pound wildly. She couldn’t finish her sentence, and her face went instantly pale.

Her heart was beating too fast, as if it would break through her ribs. Shen Sijin felt awful. She covered her chest, breathing deeply with a pale face.

Che Gulai was puzzled that Shen Sijin had only spoken half a sentence. She swept a glance at Shen Sijin with the corner of her eye and noticed her abnormality.

Che Gulai frowned. “You…”

“I’m fine…” Shen Sijin forced a smile. Just as she spoke, the child started screaming again, accompanied by an irritating wail.

Shen Sijin’s heart couldn’t handle the sudden stimulus. Her heart, which had just calmed down, began to race again.

Che Gulai was extremely annoyed by the child’s crying. She glanced again at Shen Sijin’s pale face and walked toward the child.

Her high heels clicked “tap-tap-tap” on the smooth floor.

The child was fiercely pulling on his mother’s clothes and crying. The mother looked young and was helpless against the child’s tantrum.

“Child.” Che Gulai was beautiful. When she didn’t smile, her long phoenix eyes drooped slightly, lending her a snow-and-ice coldness.

She bent down slightly, speaking coldly, word for word. “If you keep crying, a bad person will come and throw you out.”

The child, who had been pampered since childhood and surrounded by doting adults, was momentarily stunned when faced with such a sharp adult.

The child buried his face in his mother’s arms, his voice becoming much quieter, sulking softly, and quietly complaining, “Mommy, this grown-up was mean to me, boo hoo…”

The young woman gently comforted her child while apologizing sincerely to Che Gulai. “I’m so sorry. Did we disturb you?”

Che Gulai stood up, unwilling to talk more. She acknowledged her with an “Mhm” and walked away.

Shen Sijin’s heart rate had slowly returned to normal. Seeing Che Gulai walk toward her, she was about to call her name when Che Gulai walked past her, briefly tapping her shoulder. “Go over there.”

Shen Sijin touched the spot where she had been touched. She felt a butterfly fluttering happily within her bones.

She hurried after her. “Thank you for what you did just now.”

“Are you that useless?” Che Gulai scoffed. “You can be scared by this?”

Shen Sijin awkwardly pinched her earlobe. “I have a weak constitution.”

Che Gulai gave a cold laugh. “Sickly thing.”

Shen Sijin wasn’t angry. “I’ll take good care of my health in the future.”

What does your health have to do with me?

Che Gulai thought coldly to herself.

The two continued browsing. Shen Sijin nervously fumbled with her bag, hesitating. She couldn’t find a good opportunity to give the gift to Che Gulai.

She wanted to speak up several times but was pushed back by her own shyness.

She still hadn’t found a chance when Che Gulai suggested leaving.

“It’s still early. Why don’t we walk around a bit more?” Shen Sijin tried to persuade her without thinking.

Are you kidding? She still had things to say and hadn’t given her the gift.

Che Gulai faced her, staring straight at her.

Her gaze was calm and unwavering, yet it made people increasingly nervous.

Shen Sijin felt embarrassed under her scrutiny and looked away nervously.

“Fine.” Che Gulai instantly saw through her intentions. She was curious about what Shen Sijin ultimately wanted to do.

The two walked aimlessly. They passed a busy street, and a few male students ran past. Shen Sijin was deep in thought and was accidentally bumped, causing her bag to fall to the ground.

Shen Sijin inwardly cursed her luck and quickly picked it up.

“Sorry, Sis!” The boy apologized while running and looking back.

The small interruption was insignificant, and the two didn’t pay it any mind, continuing forward.

Unknowingly, the two walked to the seaside. Many people were feeding the seagulls here. The sun was bright, and the sea surface glittered.

“Sister, buy a balloon,” a little girl stopped Che Gulai, staring at her with wide eyes.

Che Gulai didn’t want to buy one, but she happened to see a rabbit balloon. It was pure white with red eyes, looking innocent and cute.

Very much like a certain someone.

To get rid of the little girl, she bought one.

“Here,” Che Gulai handed the balloon to Shen Sijin.

Shen Sijin was still busy mentally rehearsing how to confess her feelings to Che Gulai when a pair of pale, slender hands suddenly appeared in front of her.

“Is this for me?” Shen Sijin asked unsurely.

“Is there a third person here?”

Shen Sijin accepted it, pursing her lips into a smile. “Thank you.”

The rabbit balloon temporarily distracted Shen Sijin. Since Che Gulai had bought it for her, even a simple balloon made her happy.

She was always easily pleased.

There were too many seagulls on the beach. Shen Sijin walked toward a clear area, afraid the birds might pop the balloon. A seagull suddenly landed on Shen Sijin’s hand.

Startled, Shen Sijin’s hand released its grip, and the balloon floated away.

“Oh no, my balloon.” Shen Sijin stepped forward, reaching out a hand in a futile attempt to catch the balloon string.

But the balloon was flying further and further away, slowly becoming an indistinct tiny dot.

Shen Sijin was crestfallen, like a child who had lost a toy. She watched the balloon’s receding shadow sadly.

Che Gulai frowned. “Why the expression? It’s just a balloon.”

Shen Sijin shook her head. “Che Gulai, you don’t understand.”

Che Gulai twitched her mouth, thinking she really didn’t understand. It was just a child’s balloon. If it flew away, it flew away. Why be so sad?

Che Gulai naturally didn’t understand. Shen Sijin had never received much. She cherished everything she was given.

She was sad that the first thing Che Gulai had given her was now gone. This was the first thing Che Gulai had proactively bought for her. Although it was just a balloon for children, the significance of a “first time” was different.

The sky was darkening, and the seaside was bathed in the warm, yellow glow of the sunset.

Shen Sijin felt it was time. If she delayed any longer, Che Gulai would probably leave.

She led Che Gulai to a less crowded spot, the end of the seaside boardwalk. From here, they could see the endless ocean and jagged rocks.

The wind was strong, blowing Shen Sijin’s fringe across her face, slightly obscuring her nervous eyes.

Che Gulai’s gaze was fixed on the horizon. Her long hair fluttered in the wind. She slowly turned her attention to Shen Sijin, her hands in her pockets.

“Shen Sijin, what do you want to say to me?” Che Gulai didn’t want to beat around the bush and asked directly.

“Ah.” Shen Sijin was caught off guard, blank for a few seconds, then nervously reached for her bag.

“I want to say…” Every cell in Shen Sijin’s body was tense. Her face was flushed, either from the sunset or from shyness. Her pale cheeks were deeply tinted red.

“Che Gulai, do you hate me?”

Che Gulai was silent for a second, then lied against her true feelings. “No.”

“I don’t hate you either,” Shen Sijin immediately followed up. “I’ve been… thinking about you a lot these past few days.”

Che Gulai’s expression was calm. She listened quietly to the rest of her words.

“I’m always thinking about you—what you’re doing, if you’re eating well, and if you’re thinking about me.” Shen Sijin’s nervous voice was shaking, and her face showed a raw shyness. “Am I very strange?”

Che Gulai parted her thin lips slightly. “What exactly do you want to say?”

“I even dreamed about you a few days ago. I dreamed… we were kissing.” Shen Sijin found it incredibly difficult to say. She was so nervous that she couldn’t help but pinch her earlobe again.

Che Gulai’s calm eyes wavered slightly, as if she had heard something incredible.

“Then someone told me that you only dream about kissing someone if you like them.”

Che Gulai seemed to know what she was about to say. She really wanted to tell her to stop but didn’t. She just listened expressionlessly as she spoke the even more absurd words.

Shen Sijin gritted her teeth and uttered the sentence she had prepared in her heart for a long time.

“I think… I like you.”

The sea wind blew fiercely, swaying Shen Sijin’s skirt like a trembling white camellia.

Her face was as red as the distant sunset. Because of her shyness, she kept her head lowered, not daring to look at the other person.

Che Gulai’s expression was as calm as ever, but her heart, like still water, felt as if a pure pebble had been thrown in, creating a ripple.

Her pupils slightly constricted, her expression odd, as if she was about to smile but wasn’t.

Che Gulai had heard many men confess to her before—some arrogant, some clumsy—but all were equally boring.

But this was the first time a woman had confessed to her.

And this woman was her sworn enemy.

Che Gulai found it completely ridiculous.

And also disgusting.

She was not a lesbian. It was impossible for her to like women. She had never once imagined a woman would confess to her in her entire life.

Shen Sijin saw her lack of response and panicked. She immediately fumbled in her bag, trying to use the gift to ease the tension between them.

“I have something for you,” Shen Sijin quickly said, searching through her bag, when her eyes caught sight of something.

Her heart sank. She opened the bag to find the Blue Morpho butterfly in the music box had collapsed and was leaning to one side. A piece of the butterfly’s wing was also broken. It was now a flawed item.

Shen Sijin was incredibly sad. She held the music box, saying mournfully, “The butterfly is broken.”

“This was the butterfly music box I was going to give you, but it’s broken.”

“Does it matter?” Che Gulai said flatly.

Shen Sijin said sadly, “I spent a long time making it. It’s my favorite butterfly. I wanted to give it to the person I like, but it’s broken. I have nothing to give you now.”

She looked so distressed, like a white rabbit with red eyes.

Che Gulai said, “Is not having anything to give so important?”

Shen Sijin hummed, her eyes red. “If I don’t have anything to give you, my liking will seem shallow. You’ll… think I’m not sincere.”

“Do you—really like me?” Che Gulai’s tone was calm. “What kind of liking?”

Shen Sijin replied shyly, “Of course, that kind of liking.”

She was too innocent, even substituting “that kind” for the word “love.”

“Do you want to be with me?” Che Gulai’s tone was aloof. It was impossible to discern her true emotions.

Shen Sijin was embarrassed for a few seconds, then nodded.

Che Gulai was indeed not a lesbian, and she didn’t like women. But what did that matter? So-called romance, wasn’t it all just trash anyway?

She clearly knew that love was a desire that made people unable to extricate themselves, whether it brought life or death, pain or pleasure—it was always double the intensity.

Shen Sijin liked her with an emotion beyond friendship. This meant that Che Gulai’s significance to her was extraordinary.

At the same time, Shen Sijin had entrusted all her emotions to her.

This was a more profound emotion.

Although Che Gulai didn’t understand this kind of liking, she wouldn’t refuse it.

With Shen Sijin liking her this much, her future revenge on her would be even more profound suffering. This was much more vicious than seeking revenge between mere friends.

If she simply refused now, all her previous feigned kindness to Shen Sijin would have been in vain.

A better opportunity to inflict pain was right in front of her. Che Gulai was utterly vengeful. How could she refuse?

“Alright,” Che Gulai curled her lips.

“Shen Sijin, let’s be together.”