After the Early-Deceased White Moonlight of a Wealthy Family Returns (GL) - Chapter 49

A vibration came from her wrist—it was the usual wake-up alarm.

Shen You’an opened her eyes bleary-eyed, lying in bed as her mind gradually sharpened. The fragments of her dream piece by piece came together. Her face uncontrollably began to burn.

“You’an? Are you awake?” Su Wu’s voice sounded from outside the door.

Shen You’an instinctively replied, “A-jie! I’m awake!”

Su Wu: “Good. I’ll have the staff prepare to depart. They’ll arrive in about forty minutes. It’s just enough time for us to have breakfast.”

Shen You’an: “Mhm!”

Pricking up her ears and activating her heightened senses to confirm Su Wu was no longer at the door, Shen You’an let out two frantic “ah-ah”s, pulled the quilt over her face, and rolled back and forth on the bed several times.

How did this happen!

How could this happen!

How could she have that kind of dream!

Shen You’an was going crazy.

“Xiao An, are you okay?” Su Wu’s voice sounded again.

Shen You’an’s body, which was squirming frantically under the quilt, froze. She replied stiltedly, “Fine, I… I’m quite fine.”

Listening to her voice, Su Wu felt something was off.

“Truly?” She knocked twice on the door. “If anything is wrong, you must tell A-jie.”

Shen You’an panicked: “Nothing’s wrong! Nothing at all!”

She hurriedly threw off the quilt, took two steps in one to jump to the door, and yanked it open with a thud to stand before Su Wu. “A-jie, I’m really okay.”

Seeing the girl’s appearance, she indeed looked fine—her face was flushed, her hair was a mess, and perhaps due to static electricity, her dark hair was frizzy. Combined with her obsidian-like pupils, she looked exactly like a small beast that had just woken up in its den.

Su Wu reached out to tidy her hair and pulled up the collar that was messily drooping over her shoulder. “Go get dressed; don’t catch a cold.”

Shen You’an nodded repeatedly and emphasized to Su Wu once more, “A-jie, I’m really fine.”

Su Wu: “Okay.”

Her eyes swept over the watch on the girl’s wrist. Data doesn’t lie.

After Shen You’an changed her clothes, the housekeeper had prepared breakfast as usual. The soy milk was different from before; the housekeeper noted specifically: “Ms. Su, has your health been a bit poor lately? Xiao An specifically asked me yesterday to make a blood-replenishing meal for you today. I even changed the soy milk recipe—red dates, Chinese yam, black rice, peanuts, red beans… it’s for health maintenance.”

Su Wu looked at Shen You’an.

Shen You’an gave her a sheepish smile, then her gaze froze. In the next instant, she looked away and simply buried her head in her breakfast.

Su Wu frowned. After dismissing the housekeeper, she asked Shen You’an: “Did the symptoms recur last night?”

Shen You’an: “Huh?”

Su Wu spoke frankly: “Your watch can monitor data; didn’t I tell you before? Through the data, I can roughly judge your physical condition. From the indicators… both just now and currently, your situation is a bit unstable.”

Increased heart rate, hormone secretion. Su Wu reasonably voiced her concern: “Are you hungry again?”

Shen You’an: “P-perhaps.”

She didn’t dare look at Su Wu; the moment she did, her gaze would instinctively fall on Su Wu’s lips. It was all because Su Wu mentioned feeding her blood by mouth yesterday, causing her to actually dream of that scene. She had held the woman’s face with both hands, leaned in, and pried open her teeth with her tongue to carefully pass the blood into her mouth. What those red lips felt like, Shen You’an couldn’t remember upon waking. But just looking at Su Wu, she felt they should be very soft.

Was she hungry? Shen You’an wasn’t sure. In the dream, she had indeed done other things too. Like drinking blood. It was just that Su Wu’s reaction while being fed upon was a bit… special. Shen You’an had never seen Su Wu like that—the woman had seemed like a puddle of melting spring snow.

Shen You’an’s mind was in a mess, repeatedly loathing herself.

“Your heart rate is accelerating again,” Su Wu observed.

Shen You’an: “…” That damn watch! Does she have no secrets left!

Su Wu: “If you feel uncomfortable, you can take off the watch.”

Shen You’an waved her hands. “No, no. Didn’t we agree on this before? The watch serves as a reminder; if the values show any signs, A-jie can be prepared.”

Su Wu: “No need to remind me. I remember what I promised you. If the data is too strange, I will definitely prioritize my own safety, okay?”

Shen You’an gave a giggle. “That’s what I meant.”

“The research team will be here soon. In a bit, as we discussed yesterday, you’ll go into the room and draw the blood yourself.” Su Wu paused. “If you need help, I can do it.”

“It’s fine, A-jie! It’s just a few tubes of blood; I can handle it myself!”

Well. It wasn’t just a few tubes. Shen You’an stared at the entire box of empty tubes before her and fell silent for a moment. She felt she should also eat more pig liver and wood ear mushrooms to replenish her own qi and blood.

After spending twenty minutes finishing the task and saying goodbye to the staff, Su Wu asked Shen You’an about her plans for the day.

“The person who started the fire on the cruise has been found. I’m going to see them,” Su Wu said. “What about you? You can come along if you want.”

Shen You’an: “I really want to stay with A-jie, but Shen Yanchen contacted me. He asked to meet at noon to chat.”

Su Wu understood: “Be careful.”

Shen You’an chuckled: “A-jie, you should say that to the other person instead.”

The Meng Family Ancestral House

“Holy crap!” A thunderous shout came from Meng Xi’s room. “Shen Huaijin, why are you here?”

Shen Huaijin was kicked off the bed and fell onto the carpet, bleary-eyed as she opened her eyes. “What’s wrong…”

Meng Xi: “Sister, wake up. Haven’t you noticed something is wrong?”

Shen Huaijin rubbed her eyes and yawned. “What’s wrong?”

Meng Xi: “Why are you at my house?”

Shen Huaijin: “…”

Shen Huaijin: “Good question.”

She looked around. “It’s been a long time since I was here. Did you redecorate?”

Meng Xi: “I don’t remember a thing. Do you have any memory?”

Shen Huaijin rubbed her aching temples. “A little, I guess.” Memories of being drunk surfaced, and Shen Huaijin’s expression turned grim.

Meng Xi: “And?”

Shen Huaijin: “I’m doomed.”

Meng Xi: “Holy crap, buddy, don’t scare me!”

Shen Huaijin: “I was actually that embarrassing in front of my sister!”

Meng Xi: “…” Damn it, woman! Finish your sentences! Do you know you almost scared me to death!

Shen Huaijin: “What did you think I was going to say?”

Meng Xi sneered: “I thought the two of us had a momentary lapse in judgment and messed up after drinking.”

Shen Huaijin was in disbelief: “Just how much of a lapse would that have to be?”

Meng Xi said sarcastically: “Exactly.”

Shen Huaijin stood up and asked, “Do you have any clothes? Let me borrow some; yesterday’s set reeks.”

Meng Xi: “You’re still borrowing? The school uniform I lent you in high school never came back.”

Shen Huaijin: “As the shield for every time you went out with your girlfriends, what’s wrong with me wearing one of your shirts?”

Meng Xi climbed out of bed. “Fine, fine, fine.”

Shen Huaijin followed her to the closet. “Not this color, it’s too bright. And this pattern—hideous.”

Meng Xi turned her head to look at her with a smile: “Believe it or not, if you say one more word, I’ll make you go naked.”

Shen Huaijin raised her hand and made a zipping motion over her lips. Meng Xi found a set of sporty hoodies and pants for her. Shen Huaijin pulled them on immediately.

Meng Xi didn’t mind. She picked out her own clothes and said casually, “What do you plan to do next?”

Shen Huaijin’s movement to tie her pants paused. “Taking it one step at a time.”

“Shen Huaijin.”

“Hm?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Shen Huaijin didn’t speak, remaining silent as her breathing slowed. Meng Xi’s fingertips brushed across the clothes hangers; her words were like a dragonfly skimming the water, each syllable rippling across Shen Huaijin’s heart.

“You know Su Wu; she was always a lunatic. You’re different. You’re a normal person. If I were you, I would have made the same choice.”

Shen Huaijin curled her lip. “Are you comforting me?”

Meng Xi: “After all, I am your great-aunt.”

Shen Huaijin: “…You still remember that rank we made up for fun in elementary school?”

Meng Xi: “Can’t help it, my memory is just that good. Unlike some people who leave their brains at home when they go out and act like they’ve died all year round.”

Shen Huaijin, knowing she was in the wrong, lowered her head. “Meng Xi… I… I’m sorry…”

Meng Xi waved her hand impatiently. “Enough, enough. Don’t pull that melodrama on me. It’s been ten years, Shen Huaijin. It’s time you moved on. Now that You’an is back, there’s no need to make yourself miserable all day long.”

Shen Huaijin sighed. “I understand what you mean, but Xizi… You’an… I don’t know what she’s been through all these years. I feel she’s changed. I feel for her, but I also don’t quite know how to interact with her. She told me she doesn’t mind the situation with the Shen family, but I still have a knot in my heart…”

“See? You don’t understand a damn thing.” Meng Xi’s words were blunt but true. “Reality is reality; it doesn’t shift according to human will. Continuing to be indecisive and hesitant here won’t help your relationship with your sister. Reality itself is neutral; it has no emotional color. Whether it’s cruel or not, it simply happens—it happens to everyone equally. How you experience and view it is entirely a subjective choice.”

“I’ve wanted to tell you this for a long time! Look, in these ten years you’ve been gone, you’ve climbed so many mountains and walked so many roads, but you haven’t walked out of your own heart. Shen Huaijin, let me tell you, when facing reality, there’s only ever one way!”

“Accept reality as early as possible and take charge of the choices you’ve made! Only then will this reality seem less ‘cruel’ than you imagine, and there might even be a glimmer of hope.”

“It’s just a mirror.”

“Shen Huaijin, I know you and Old Su must have communicated privately. She definitely told you her suspicions about the Shen family. Instead of drowning in the past, look up and see what you can do next.”

Meng Xi’s sudden outburst left Shen Huaijin stunned.

Meng Xi gave a triumphant smile. “What? Shocked by my intelligence and talent?”

Shen Huaijin said, “A bit.” She added, “I only now feel that you double-majoring in Psychology and Philosophy in university wasn’t just a dream I had.”

Meng Xi: “…” Damn it! Even at a time like this, she still has to insult me!

She wanted to snap back but didn’t know what to say. Looking back, she saw Shen Huaijin holding her phone, grinning like an idiot.

“Hehe. Hehe-hehe.”

Meng Xi: “…?”

Meng Xi: “Does my ‘speech therapy’ really have this kind of effect?”

Shen Huaijin: “Hehe, Xiao An messaged me.”

Meng Xi: “What’d she say?”

Shen Huaijin shoved her phone screen in front of Meng Xi’s face like a trophy.

youan: Sister~ Morning!

youan: Not sure if you’re awake. You and Sister Meng Xi drank a bit too much yesterday. Pay attention to sobering up today, or you’ll get a headache.

youan: Forgot to say~ long time no see! Welcome back!

youan: P.S. No need to help me log into the chat anymore [Rose][Rose]

youan: Because I’m back too!

“Look, even Xiao An is braver than you,” Meng Xi insulted. “Clearly the older sister, yet you need the younger one to break the ice.”

Shen Huaijin cradled her phone, her face full of happiness. “What do you know? This is my sister’s love for me!” Her sister was simply the best!

Ding—

A message notification. Meng Xi climbed back onto the bed and rummaged under the pillow to find her phone. Two new messages: one from Shen You’an.

youan: Sister Meng Xi, sorry for the trouble yesterday. Thank you for looking after my sister.

The other was from Meng Dongdong.

Debt Collector: Meng Xi!!

Debt Collector: /knife/knife/knife

Debt Collector: It’s early morning. Can you two be quiet next door? This princess hasn’t had enough sleep yet.

“…”

“…………”

Shen Huaijin leaned over. “What is it? Who messaged you?”

Meng Xi locked the screen without hesitation, the phone going black.

“Nothing,” she said without changing her expression. “Just some unimportant scam texts.”