After the Early-Deceased White Moonlight of a Wealthy Family Returns (GL) - Chapter 1

“Little girl, Luoshui Town is just up ahead. Where is the guesthouse you booked? Let me see if it’s on the way. If it is, I can drop you off right there.” The simple-looking auntie on the wobbling electric tricycle pickup truck shouted over her shoulder to ask.

Shen You’an quickly replied, “Auntie, I can get off at the town entrance, thank you.”

The auntie flashed a smile: “It’s nothing to thank me for! Helping others is a pleasure! But you, little girl, don’t go hiking in the mountains alone again. The temple on the mountaintop was torn down a long time ago. There’s no one in the mountains, and it hasn’t been developed. It’s only you young outsiders going there to hike and trek.”

“Ai, I really don’t know what’s so fun about hiking all day. Look at you, you went hiking, got lost, and if I hadn’t passed by, who knows what serious trouble you might have run into!”

“Auntie, you’re right. I’ve learned my lesson this time. I won’t dare to do it again,” Shen You’an answered obediently.

At the entrance to the town, Shen You’an thanked her again. Once the vehicle stopped, she nimbly jumped out of the back. After waving goodbye to the kindhearted auntie, Shen You’an surveyed her surroundings.

Luoshui Town was exactly as she remembered it. She walked down the street as usual, looking left and right at the shops. She casually walked into a shop that had an electronic clock displayed and looked up. Shen You’an froze.

This was not the year she remembered.

“Hello, what are you looking to buy? We have everything here, feel free to browse. This hand-woven little wooden backpack is especially nice, it really suits you, miss.”

Shen You’an blinked, and tears instantly fell. She said tearfully and pitifully to the shop attendant: “Sister, I’m traveling and got separated from my friends, and my bag was stolen. Could I possibly borrow your phone to make a call? I’ll only use it for a moment and give it right back.”

After confirming that the ancient Luoshui Town was identical to her memory, Shen You’an was 80% sure that she had traveled back to the past world.

Yes, traveled back.

Shen You’an remembered clearly that just before the heavy rain started, she was carrying out a clean-up mission. She had thoroughly eliminated the contaminants in Zone N31. Half of her brain could feel her body losing control and mutating, and the other half was enjoying the pleasure of the bloodlust.

Monster.

This word was enough to describe her existence.

When did it start? Shen You’an couldn’t remember anymore. One second she was walking on Jiuying Mountain, the next second she was in the apocalypse. She thought she was going to die, to be swallowed by an ugly, gigantic rat, but then sharp blades emerged from her fingertips. She once thanked fate for this gift, only to later realize that everything had already been secretly priced.

During the days of constantly getting stronger just to survive, her perception of time gradually blurred, and her human consciousness slowly dissipated. Sometimes, Shen You’an even doubted that the past memories appearing in her mind were merely her own fantasy.

Perhaps she had never had a family, never had friends. All she could obtain were the shreds of flesh and blood left on her claws, and the little bit of inhibitor and nutrient fluid she received while being locked in a cage.

The slaughter on the rainy night left her covered in blood. To prevent her from completely losing control, the base took mandatory measures against her.

The muzzle of the gun, which should have been aimed at the enemy, was pointed at her. Shen You’an curled up, retreating step by step, seemingly falling into an abyss.

And then, Shen You’an regained consciousness, opened her eyes, and found herself standing in a forest. It was green all around, interspersed with the red and yellow tones of autumn.

The air was fresh, the sky was clear blue, and sunlight filtered through the leaves. There was no sign of danger around. Shen You’an was confused about where she was when she was picked up by the passing auntie and driven down the mountain.

So, the world in her memory truly existed, which meant that the beautiful memories that had supported her through the painful times of the apocalypse were also real. Although ten years had passed, Shen You’an could still recall her family’s contact number.

She took the attendant’s phone, carefully inputting the number, afraid of making a single mistake.

As she pressed the dial button, Shen You’an thought of many things. On one hand, she hoped that another version of herself existed in this world, who could accompany her family and friends during the ten years she was gone. On the other hand, she was afraid of some accident, afraid that the voice on the other end of the phone would bring bad news.

After much thought, as the continuous beeping rang, Shen You’an’s heart was also suspended by the urgent busy signal, caught in her throat.

The moment the call connected, Shen You’an’s breathing nearly stopped.

She asked cautiously, “Hello?”

A female voice answered from the other end: “Hello, who is this?”

The voice was so unfamiliar that Shen You’an began to suspect her memory of her mother’s voice might be incorrect.

“Mom, it’s You’an,” she managed to say with great effort.

The female voice on the phone paused for a moment, then sneered: “You’an? Hilarious. I’m also the Love Guard, okay? I’m serious, are phone scams now starting by calling people ‘Mom’? Sister, I’m a pure-blood lesbian. I don’t have a fetish for being a mother, so I’m not falling for this.”

Before Shen You’an could say anything else, the other party hung up.

Shen You’an: “…”

The shop attendant: “Did you manage to contact your friend?”

Shen You’an forced a smile: “Yes, thank you, sister. She’s coming right away. I’ll wait for her at the door.”

Walking out of the shop, Shen You’an’s smile vanished completely. Her brow furrowed, and her heart sank deeper.

It was the correct number.

Did her mother change her number? Or did something happen to her mother? Or, perhaps, this was not the world she had been in before. A more crazy possibility was that everything she thought was real was, in fact, just a fleeting fantasy.

People go crazy after staying too long in the apocalypse, Shen You’an thought. Maybe she had already gone mad at some point, and she just didn’t know it. Does a lunatic know they are a lunatic?

She crouched under the eaves of a small pavilion in the ancient town, contemplating what to do next, when a figure both familiar and unfamiliar entered her view.

She quickly stood up and hurried to chase after it.

Logically, there shouldn’t be many people in Luoshui Ancient Town this season. In Shen You’an’s potentially fabricated memory, besides the art students scattered around sketching, there were only local people walking in twos or threes.

Today was different. Shen You’an saw posters everywhere; it turned out there was a film festival in the ancient town, and enthusiasts were walking back and forth on the flagstone road. Shen You’an was the most hurried one among them.

She stumbled and pushed through the crowd, running forward. Seeing the woman about to disappear, she grabbed onto her like a life raft and shouted, “Sister Su!”

The back turned with no reaction.

Shen You’an gritted her teeth and yelled again, “Su Wu!”

The figure turned its head for a look. Shen You’an’s heart leaped with joy, only to see the person withdraw her gaze without any emotion. The beautiful eyes were left empty, devoid of feeling.

Shen You’an instantly lost all strength and stood there helplessly.

Did she recognize the wrong person? Or did the other person forget her? Or, perhaps, there was never any trace of her existence in this world?

The weather in the mountains changes like a child’s face, suddenly shifting. Luoshui Ancient Town, being near the mountains, was also affected. The rain poured down from the sky. Vendors setting up stalls by the street cursed and quickly packed up their goods. Pedestrians rushed to huddle under the eaves. Influencers with maximum professionalism immediately directed their photographers to shoot dramatic scenes in the rain, while artsy tourists opened their arms and tilted their heads back to feel the rain.

Shen You’an was an anomaly; she stood frozen in place, suddenly unable to find a direction to go. She lowered her head and curled into a ball. Her eyes fixed on the small puddle that was accumulating in front of her, her wretched face reflected in the water’s surface.

Shen You’an gritted her teeth and buried her face in her arms.

Tap, tap.

Amidst the pattering rain, high heels splashed through the water. Shen You’an noticed the sound and slightly raised her head. The first thing that appeared in her vision were the edges of a sharply tailored, date-red suit pant leg. The comfortable fabric was stained with a few specks of mud.

The rain was blocked; an umbrella had been opened over her.

The woman had her other hand in her pocket. A certain obscure emotion flashed in her eyes as she looked over. Her butterfly-wing-like eyelashes fluttered briefly, and her condescending gaze carried a sense of scrutiny.

“Shen You’an?”

Someone was calling her name.

Shen You’an’s nose stung, but the corners of her mouth curved into a smile. Her previously dimmed eyes immediately shone brightly: “Sister Su, you still remember me?”

Su Wu’s breathing subtly hitched. She meticulously traced the face before her with her gaze, then answered nonchalantly, “Yes, I remember.”

A person accompanying Su Wu quickly ran over and asked anxiously, “CEO Su, CEO Su, what happened? Hey, who is this?”

Su Wu’s abnormally tight grip on the umbrella handle relaxed considerably.

She didn’t answer. The other person, being clever, spoke up: “CEO Su, the weather is bad today. If you have something to attend to, please go ahead and be busy, or catch up with your friend. When the rain stops, if you have time, we will contact you again. How does that sound?”

Su Wu: “That works.”

She looked down at the girl: “Can you stand up?”

Shen You’an nodded vigorously like a pounding garlic mortar, then stood up with sudden force. The speed was too fast, the force too strong, and her blood flow couldn’t keep up with the rhythm. Her mind instantly spun, and her eyes blurred. The woman’s arm immediately grabbed hers. Shen You’an recovered and looked, seeing a soft and slender hand.

Shen You’an subconsciously said, “Sister Su, your hand is so cold.”

Su Wu immediately pulled her hand back, glanced at Shen You’an, and said, “Keep up.”

Shen You’an walked behind Su Wu, pouting, thinking, so many years have passed, why has this woman become even colder?

“Get closer. Standing so far away, do you really want to get rained on?” Su Wu spoke abruptly from the front.

Shen You’an muttered, “The umbrella is only so big.”

She saw how quickly Su Wu pulled her hand back just now, assuming she disliked physical contact. She was too embarrassed to cheekily squeeze in next to the person, so she could only follow closely behind.

Despite saying that, Shen You’an quickened her pace, hurried to the woman’s side, and carefully maintained a distance under the one umbrella.

She was so preoccupied with maintaining the boundary that she didn’t notice the silent black umbrella had long been tilted imperceptibly towards her side.

Outside of the two, the younger-looking person accompanying them, seeing them walk away, said indignantly, “Secretary, we agreed to talk about the project today. Did you just let her go? Why were you so polite to her?”

Slap.

The Secretary slapped the newcomer’s head: “You shut up! Do you know who that is? You only grow in appetite, not in brains, all day long. Don’t you know that the phone you use, the games you play, and the cars you drive are all made by her company!”

The newcomer froze, then widened his eyes in astonishment after recovering: “…My goodness, Secretary, why didn’t you tell me earlier! I… I should have asked for an autograph!”