Best Actress A and Her White Moonlight - Chapter 7

Gu Chenxing instinctively shook her head in refusal. She hadn’t touched an instrument in a long time and had grown rusty long ago.

“I want to hear it.” This time, Lin Wanchun did not back down. Her gaze was torch-like, staring directly into Gu Chenxing’s hesitant eyes. “You studied music for eight years; are you afraid to play now?”

“How did you know—” Gu Chenxing cut herself off mid-sentence. Her gaze shifted, not daring to meet Lin Wanchun’s eyes, as she mumbled under her breath, “How could she even tell you that?”

Lin Wanchun remained silent, continuing to watch Gu Chenxing with a calm expression.

That clear gaze seemed to possess a certain magic, and Gu Chenxing eventually surrendered: “Fine, fine. But let’s get one thing straight first.”

She spoke as she walked toward the balcony where the instruments were kept, her quiet mumbling soft and waxy, sounding almost like she was acting spoiled. “If I play badly, you’re not allowed to laugh.”

She leaned over to plug in the electronic keyboard and sat down to test the keys. Crisp, solitary notes popped out from beneath her fingertips.

For Gu Chenxing, this was a strange yet familiar experience. Under that steady gaze, she clumsily hit several wrong notes at first. But as she played on, her fingers became increasingly adept, like a ballet dancer under a spotlight—steps becoming compact, posture becoming light.

Soon, her shyness and timidity were cast aside. She became completely immersed, her face glowing with a confidence and joy she hadn’t even noticed herself.

Fluid notes flowed from her fingertips like a river, as gentle as moonlight breaking through the dark of night, emitting a cool, clear radiance.

Lin Wanchun listened quietly. From a professional standpoint, a piece played on a low-quality keyboard with less-than-expert technique would rank near the bottom of all the melodies she remembered.

Yet she listened with extraordinary focus, her eyes never leaving the girl at the keyboard. The youthful puerility and earlier lack of confidence faded away within the music, revealing the breathtaking true nature of the “uncut jade” within.

How could she possibly laugh?

In those ten lonely years, the expensive piano hidden in the music room had been polished to a mirror shine countless times, only to gather thick layers of dust countless times again, never once being played.

Sunlight spilled in from the empty balcony, carrying the brilliance of the afternoon. it pooled across the floor, stretching Gu Chenxing’s shadow very long.

The radiance fell upon Gu Chenxing, making it hard for Lin Wanchun—looking into the light—to see her expression clearly. For a fleeting second, the silhouette bundled in a bulky cotton coat overlapped with a thin, wasted shadow from her memory.

However, the person in her memory was far from the composed girl before her. Her spine had been ramrod straight, but her head hung low, her fingers striking the keys with a vengeful force, over and over, venting heavy, anxious, chaotic noise.

She had been raging, venting like a trapped beast howling in an iron cage. But in the end, she hadn’t been able to find a way out of her dead end, and could only use the music as a substitute for her final mournful cry.

The performance of Für Elise reached its smooth conclusion. Slender fingers lifted from the black and white keys, and the living room fell into a sudden, dead silence.

Floating dust in the air became visible in the sunlight, drifting aimlessly without landing.

Lin Wanchun snapped out of her trance and began to clap slowly and softly. She said, “It was beautiful.”

Her expression was sincere, her eyes pure, devoid of any exaggerated flattery. Gu Chenxing became visibly bashful; she knew exactly how much skill she actually possessed.

The soothing music had shortened the distance between them, and Gu Chenxing finally opened the floodgates of conversation. The question she had hesitated to ask finally broke through: “Why did you come back?”

Lin Wanchun thought for a moment, beginning the story of this fantastical journey from the start: “On December 7, 3220, at the 75th Academy Awards in Country M, I won Best Actress. At the moment I stepped onto the stage to give my speech, I returned to the school gate.”

Gu Chenxing’s eyes went wide, her mouth forming a perfect “O.” Her finger trembled slightly as she pointed at Lin Wanchun, her voice thick with shock: “Oscar Best Actress? Then doesn’t that make you…”

A global film star?!

Gu Chenxing felt the daze of a dream. It wasn’t that she doubted Lin Wanchun’s identity—judging purely by aura and appearance, she didn’t think Lin Wanchun was lying—she was simply doubting herself.

How could an ordinary person like her have the honor of knowing a global superstar, a figure who should only exist on a screen?

Was the future her… really that capable?

“Mhm.” Lin Wanchun nodded slightly, her tone as flat as if she were stating that the weather was nice today, without a hint of bragging. She tapped her temple lightly, weaving a flawess lie. “I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but I have a vague understanding that the method of returning is likely related to you.”

“Coincidentally, you… I mean the future you, told me about how difficult your past life was.” Lin Wanchun’s lips twitched as she let out a cold smile. “So, I’ve come to be your savior.”

The joking words left Gu Chenxing speechless for a moment. She pouted, rebutting unclearly, “I don’t need a savior. Can’t I take care of myself?”

Lin Wanchun gave her a half-smile. “Is that so?”

Gu Chenxing immediately remembered the pathetic state she was in last night, crying like a dog in Lin Wanchun’s arms. She pursed her lips and decisively changed the subject: “Then, how did you and I meet?”

An ordinary girl from a small town didn’t seem to have any connection to a glamorous big star.

“We were in the same entertainment company,” Lin Wanchun lied with a straight face. “You and I were artists from the same period.”

Gu Chenxing hadn’t expected such an answer. Her heart skipped a beat, and a possibility she only dared to think about in dreams surfaced in her mind.

Her heart pounded uncontrollably. Her hands, resting on her knees, twisted together in nerves. She swallowed hard, her voice parched: “Lin Wanchun, then did she… did the future me achieve her dream?”

She hung her head, staring fixedly at the black and white keys, her back stiff like a student being called out by a teacher for a lecture.

A long time passed—or perhaps it only felt that way because her heart was so anxious. The silence stretched her anticipation and panic until she felt it becoming difficult to breathe.

What was the future her like?

Hope and longing inevitably bloomed in her heart. Finally, she heard Lin Wanchun’s monotone counter-question: “What is your dream?”

“You don’t know?!” Gu Chenxing cried out almost instinctively, her upper body leaning forward. After seeing Lin Wanchun shake her head, disappointment swept over her like a tidal wave, nearly drowning her instantly.

She stared at Lin Wanchun’s flawless face, her heart unwilling to give up, as she questioned her with reckless abandon: “Aren’t you future me’s best friend? Did I not even tell you that? I want to be a singer! A superstar in the music world!”

Lin Wanchun had a moment of realization. She thought for a bit and said, “The thirty-three-year-old you has already become a Diva. Many people love you, and many people are jealous of you. Every one of your songs is rated as a gold hit.”

“Whoa! Really?” Her “dead” heart instantly came back to life. Gu Chenxing jumped up from her stool and ran to Lin Wanchun in a few steps. She half-squatted on the floor, her eyes sparkling, desperate for a more definitive answer. “I became a Diva? My songs are gold hits?!”

Before Lin Wanchun could answer, she began to deny it again with a lack of confidence: “You’re not lying to me, are you? I haven’t practiced vocal music in so long. I’m preparing for academic exams now—”

“It’s true.” Lin Wanchun looked into those dark eyes, her tone certain and brooking no argument. “One year, to satisfy your fans’ wishes, you held six consecutive concert tours.”

“By the third show, you developed a high fever from exhaustion. In your daze, you complained that you were going to quit the industry after finishing the tour.” Lin Wanchun’s expression changed subtly. The mature, gentle aura faded, and in a blink, she presented a childish complaint.

Her appearance now was eighty percent similar to the current Gu Chenxing, and even her tone changed, vividly mimicking Gu Chenxing’s speaking habits: “If I’d known singing would be this hard, I shouldn’t have entered this industry in the first place~ How can so many people like me?”

The irritating tone paired with the “humble-brag” words would usually max out anyone’s resentment. Gu Chenxing thought to herself that this “successful brat” look was indeed her style.

She couldn’t help but grin foolishly, happening to catch Lin Wanchun’s amused gaze. Belatedly, she felt embarrassed. A flush took over her cheeks, and the burning heat made her press her cold hands to her face to cool down.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to restrain her excessive smile, it was just…

It was just that the moment she thought of the future Lin Wanchun described, she couldn’t control her joy. Her future… was actually that beautiful.

Gu Chenxing, with her head down trying to cool her face, failed to notice a flash of darkness in Lin Wanchun’s clear eyes.

That beautiful, brilliant future did not belong to Gu Chenxing. Those playful, high-spirited words had never crossed Gu Chenxing’s lips.

Seventeen years later, the name Gu Chenxing had long since vanished.

She had once appeared in the entertainment industry, like a night-blooming cereus—flashing briefly, attracting countless eyes, and becoming wildly popular for a time.

Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last. The senior sister who brought her into the industry cried like a willow in front of the cameras, claiming she had been sexually harassed by Gu Chenxing.

The manager she trusted implicitly released ambiguous evidence accusing her of plagiarism. Even more extreme fans sneaked backstage at an event and secretly switched the water she was drinking.

That cup of water, handed to her by a younger junior she had no guard against, ultimately destroyed her voice and completely destroyed her future.

The entertainment industry is the most fickle of places. No matter how many honors or fans one had in the past, if one isn’t active in the public eye for a long time, they gradually disappear—to say nothing of the Gu Chenxing of that time, who was mired in scandals and ordered into “hibernation” by her company.

She vanished from the public eye very quickly, only mentioned occasionally in “nostalgia” posts.

No one even knew… that she had already died amidst that massive crusade and the joint slander of those she trusted.

Lin Wanchun cupped Gu Chenxing’s face with both hands. She looked deeply at the person before her, as if trying to carve this innocent, lively appearance into her heart.

She thought: It’s okay. This time, I won’t let Gu Chenxing experience any of it again.

Those dreams that Gu Chenxing saw as unreachable—she would help her make every single one of them a reality.