After the Early-Deceased White Moonlight of a Wealthy Family Returns (GL) - Chapter 21

“A-jie, I’m going out today.”

On Friday morning, Shen You’an spoke to Su Wu while having breakfast.

Over the past few days, her life had settled into a routine. Living at Su Wu’s house, she had a housekeeper who arranged three meals a day. She would wake up early to eat with Su Wu, see her off at the door, and then stay home reading, surfing the web, pondering future plans, and chatting about gossip with Meng Dongdong. Meanwhile, she was secretly carrying out her grand plan to earn money.

After repeatedly confirming that Shen You’an wanted to go to the boxing ring, Meng Dongdong began agonizing over how to keep her alive and unscathed. She had realized that this new friend of hers had “eyes bigger than her stomach”—she was thinner than Dongdong herself, yet she wanted to box? She must be truly insane. Seeing that Shen You’an had made up her mind and wouldn’t be swayed by any amount of persuasion, Meng Dongdong had no choice but to prepare behind the scenes.

After much picking and choosing, she scheduled a match for Shen You’an on Friday night.

Su Wu took a sip of the freshly squeezed black bean and date soy milk provided by the housekeeper, set down her cup, wiped the corner of her mouth, and asked: “With Dongdong?”

Shen You’an nodded.

“Be safe,” Su Wu said, picking up her phone. “I WeChatted you two thousand yuan. Going out with friends always costs money; tell me if it’s not enough.”

Shen You’an said okay.

“By the way, this is for you.”

Su Wu stood up and took a box out of the bag she had brought back the previous night.

“A watch.” When Shen You’an looked over in confusion, she explained, “The children’s watch was always meant to be an emergency measure; it’s no longer appropriate to wear it. I chose a new model for you. It’s also blue.”

Shen You’an opened it. The watch was much more exquisite and stylish than the children’s version.

“Thank you, A-jie.”

Su Wu smiled, told her to continue eating, and headed to the entryway to slip into her high heels.

After saying goodbye and stepping out the door, Su Wu stood in the elevator and opened her phone.

Data from the new watch was transmitted instantly.

In a daze, Su Wu remembered that rainy night.

Shen You’an’s watch alarm had been abnormal. She was extremely worried, so while handling business the next day, she invited the product department of the manufacturer over to discuss the issue.

“We’ve never seen these kinds of values before,” the staff member said. “CEO Su, this is very strange.”

Su Wu knew it was strange.

She had people from her own company modify the children’s watch program and integrate it with her own brand of watches. Such things take time, but lured by a massive bonus, the Special Projects Department spent a week toiling away to complete the testing before delivering the watch to Su Wu’s hands.

The watch now worn on Shen You’an’s wrist could more accurately detect changes in her physiological data.

This is wrong, Su Wu knew.

But what did it matter?

In her life, she had done very few things that could be called “correct” from the very beginning.

“Xiao An, please reconsider.” After school on Friday, Meng Dongdong met up with Shen You’an. As soon as they met, Dongdong urged her, “There’s really no need to earn this money. I’m telling you, I’ve been observing the stars lately and found that meteors have been crashing down all over the globe! What does that mean? Xiao An, the Apocalypse is coming! The Universe is warning us! We can skip this! Let’s do something else!”

Shen You’an was amused by her nonsense. “Dongdong, you don’t need to worry, I know what I’m doing. …Also, what’s this about meteors?”

“I don’t know,” Dongdong admitted, knowing nothing about astronomy. “Maybe a giant bird is pooping on Earth.”

Shen You’an suppressed her related thoughts, thinking she was just being paranoid (PTSD). Meteors were common; she shouldn’t be so jumpy.

Back to the main topic.

“Dongdong, how are we getting to the boxing ring?”

Seeing her friend’s eager look, the scolding words in Meng Dongdong’s heart almost burst out.

Know what you’re doing?!

I don’t think you have a clue!

Looking at Shen You’an’s small frame, Dongdong doubted she could even carry two buckets of water. This wasn’t going to earn money; it was going to find a beating!

“Fine,” Dongdong sighed. “Since you’ve decided, I’ll sound like a nag if I keep talking. Look, the person picking us up is here.”

A bright red Ferrari pulled up, and a woman with blue-grey hair stepped out, looking down as she lit a cigarette.

“Aunt Lan!” Meng Dongdong waved, her little face turning pink.

Shen You’an looked over. The woman had a scar over her right eye and a fierce gaze; she clearly wasn’t someone to mess with.

Meng Dongdong introduced her in a whisper: “This is Ji Lan, a daughter of the Ji family. The Ji family just ‘went clean’ a few years ago. Aunt Lan manages many of the Ji family’s businesses like this. It was her nephew in the group chat who mentioned the boxing ring, and then I asked her for help.

“Aunt Lan is actually very nice, Xiao An. Don’t be afraid, she just looks a bit scary.”

Shen You’an thought to herself: I’m not afraid, but why is your face so red?

Meng Dongdong led her, huffing and puffing, to the other side of the road.

“This is the friend who wants to box?” Ji Lan, holding a cigarette with her red-painted nails, leaned against the car and looked over with a clear sense of scrutiny.

“Yes, yes,” Dongdong’s voice was soft and breathy. “Auntie, sorry for the trouble today.”

“How old?” Ji Lan stared at Shen You’an.

“Eighteen,” Shen You’an replied.

“Do the parents know?”

Shen You’an shook her head.

Meng Dongdong quickly added for her: “Xiao An only thought of boxing to save money for a gift for her family.”

Ji Lan gave a snort. “Kid, don’t treat the ring like a joke, or your medical bills will be more expensive than the gift.”

“Auntie!”

Ji Lan stubbed out her cigarette and tossed it into the car’s trash bin. “Fine, get in.”

Meng Dongdong was exceptionally well-behaved after getting in the car, sitting beside Shen You’an without saying a word. Ji Lan, however, spoke up: “I’ve prepared the masks you kids wanted. As for the clothes—” she glanced in the rearview mirror, “just wear your tracksuits.”

Meng Dongdong nodded obediently.

Since she didn’t talk, Shen You’an didn’t talk either. The car drove toward the Lingang District, crossed the sea bridge, and arrived at a bustling area.

Ji Lan led the way, swiping a card to enter through the back door of the staff area.

Meng Dongdong told Shen You’an: “This place has very strict management. The people who come to watch the fights are either rich or powerful; you have to have an invitation. These areas around us are the stands, and there are private boxes above.”

Shen You’an followed Dongdong’s finger and looked. On the boxing ring, two men wearing only boxing trunks were fighting intensely. Many people below were shouting and cheering. On the other side, many people were gathered in a crowd.

“What are they doing there?” Shen You’an asked.

“Oh, betting on the fights,” Dongdong said, knowing at least this much. “The ticket sales don’t make much; this is where the real money is.”

Shen You’an’s eyes lit up. “Can we place bets too?”

“Sure,” Dongdong said. “Who do you want to bet on? I’ll go place it for you.”

Shen You’an: “Two hundred yuan, on me. Is that okay?”

Meng Dongdong: “…”

Meng Dongdong: “…………”

She tried to persuade her nicely: “Sister, if you lose later, you’ll only earn 500 total. Are you sure you want to throw 200 of that away?”

Shen You’an said: “I will win.”

Meng Dongdong raised her hand and felt Shen You’an’s forehead.

Mhm, no fever.

Turns out the sickness is deep inside the brain.

She patted Shen You’an’s shoulder. “Fine, I’ll place it for you.” It might be good for Xiao An to suffer a small loss so she learns a lesson and won’t come back next time.

Meng Dongdong hadn’t actually been here many times; she wasn’t interested in places filled with violence and hormones. However, to look cool in front of her new friend, she acted very experienced.

Scanning the venue, Meng Dongdong couldn’t hold her composure.

“Why is that old fogey here?”

Shen You’an: “Who?”

Meng Dongdong pointed him out. In a private box on the third floor, a man stood before a glass door, holding a glass of red wine.

“Shen Run,” Dongdong said with utter disdain. “Oh, he’s Shen Zhirou’s uncle.”

Hearing this, Shen You’an instinctively shifted a few steps behind Meng Dongdong, standing in a blind spot. “Do you hate him too?”

“Of course,” Dongdong said without hesitation. “I hate everyone in the Shen family.”

Shen You’an: “…”

Shen You’an: “Why?”

Meng Dongdong looked over strangely. “You’re staying with Sister Su Wu, don’t you know? She hates the Shen family. “

Shen You’an was certain that at this moment, her expression had lost control.

Fortunately, Meng Dongdong was scatterbrained and didn’t look deeply into the meaning behind this change. She explained: “My parents told me about this. Ever since Sister Su took power and founded Glimmer, it’s impossible for the Shen family to get a piece of any project connected to Glimmer. I heard my parents chatting at the dinner table; they said Su Wu might look cold-hearted, but she’s actually ambitious and ruthless. From the looks of it, she plans to swallow the Shen family sooner or later.”

In the second half, Meng Dongdong deliberately imitated her parents’ tone, making it vivid and lifelike, hoping to amuse her new friend. But looking sideways, Xiao An’s expression was very strange.

As if she were frozen by something.

“Xiao An?” Meng Dongdong thought she was scared by the deafening shouts in the arena. “Maybe we should just forget it…”

Shen You’an lowered her head. “No, let’s go.”

Shen You’an went to the locker room to prepare. Meng Dongdong ran to Ji Lan and asked: “Auntie, the person fighting her…”

Ji Lan looked down at her. “As you requested, I’ve given the instructions. It’ll be quick; she’ll get out of there fast.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

“Don’t mention it.” Ji Lan raised her hand and tilted Meng Dongdong’s chin up. “But you, at this age, why wear such heavy makeup?”

Meng Dongdong quickly swatted Ji Lan’s hand away. “Just… just did it for fun.”

Ji Lan: “It’s ugly. Doesn’t suit you.”

Meng Dongdong froze. She wanted to say something, but saw a sexy, mature beauty walk over and hug Ji Lan, trying to kiss her. Ji Lan pushed her away: “Don’t play around, there’s a kid here.”

Meng Dongdong lowered her head, saying sensibly: “Auntie, you guys stay busy.”

She jogged to Shen You’an’s locker room. Just as the door opened, a person wearing a blue and white tracksuit walked out, holding a plush mask in her hands.

Shen You’an frowned. “Who bullied you?”

Meng Dongdong shook her head. “Sand got in my eye.”

Shen You’an pursed her lips, thinking: We’re indoors, where would sand come from?

Meng Dongdong rubbed her eyes and said with a smile, “Xiao An, put on the mask quickly, you’re on soon.”

Shen You’an grabbed her wrist. “The makeup is smearing from the rubbing.”

Meng Dongdong pouted. “It’s ugly anyway.”

Shen You’an: “A little.”

Meng Dongdong glared. “Hey!”

Shen You’an laughed. “You’re cute; this makeup doesn’t match you.”

“Why does everyone say that?” Dongdong grew unhappy. “I don’t want to be cute. I want to be mature, beautiful, and sexy.”

“Cute is also very good,” Shen You’an said. “And since you worked so hard on it, it’s fine as long as you like it yourself. Or, after I finish the match, I’ll redo it for you. As for sexy, you don’t only have to be mature to be sexy.”

“Xiao An, you know how to do makeup!”

Shen You’an said, “Moderately.” Just a common skill for an art student.

She used to love dressing up before she died; now that she was living again, she wasn’t particularly keen on it.

Meng Dongdong cupped Shen You’an’s hands. “You fight well, promise me you’ll fight well. These hands and this face—nothing can happen to them.”

Shen You’an smiled and shook her head, putting on the mask.

Five minutes later, on the boxing ring, all the spectators saw a plush rabbit appear. Its ears were white with pink insides, looking like a stuffed doll. Under the mask, the fighter wore a plain, simple tracksuit, covered up so tightly that no one could recognize her.

The headgear was cute, the gloves were also cute—pink, with a cat-paw design.

“Ehh—”

“A new fighter? Never heard of them.”

“That frame is a bit too thin. Whose skinny dog ran out? Hurry back and lock the door tight!”

“A girl?!”

“LVX 01… what is this? The fighter’s name?!”

Amidst the boiling noise, the plush school-rabbit walked onto the ring. Opposite her, a lean, muscular man also stepped up. The two stood on opposite diagonals.

Meng Dongdong gripped her sleeves in the box.

Ji Lan patted her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, everything is arranged.”

Meng Dongdong clasped her hands, praying to the heavens that nothing major would happen, or she would likely be skinned alive by her sister and Sister Su Wu.

Amidst the spreading tension and mockery, no one knew that beneath the adorable rabbit head, the girl’s apricot eyes were flashing with a cold, silent crimson. Her full black pupils were bit by bit constricting into the shape only found in predatory animals.

With a sudden blink…

Amidst the clamor of ten thousand people, her vertical blood-red pupils announced the beginning of the hunt.