Chapter 57 - 56: Shi Changying Is a God-Level White Moonlight
Chapter 57: Chapter 56: Shi Changying Is a God-Level White Moonlight
Too much time had passed. So much time that she had died once and been reborn in a new lifetime. So much time that Jiuzhou had completely changed, leaving only the sun and moon unchanged.
When she was little, she would often hear the people in the theatrical troupe say that the dead would drink Meng Po Soup to wash away their past. Only after completely forgetting their former joys and sorrows could they embrace their next life.
But she didn’t. She retained the memories of her previous life. Having arrived in this world four hundred years later, she had already lived for over two decades, yet she could still vividly feel the phantom pain of a sharp blade piercing her flesh.
Qingyuan’s body suddenly shivered. She bent over, coughing painfully.
"What’s wrong? Is your chest hurting again?" her manager immediately asked, growing tense and incredibly apologetic. "It’s my fault, my fault. I brought up a painful memory."
"Don’t blame yourself, it’s just a somatic response," Qingyuan said mildly. "It’s an old ailment. Nothing to worry about."
Her manager knew she had an innate fear of water and reassured her, "A Yuan, although you have a scene on the lake tomorrow, you won’t be going into the water. Don’t worry."
Qingyuan nodded.
The executive van started up. Outside the window, the night sky and the earth blurred into one as the scenery sped by.
Seeing her quietly look at the passing scenery, her manager still couldn’t hold back her curiosity. "So, how did you two meet?"
Qingyuan snapped out of her daze. "She saved my life."
Her manager nodded in understanding. "No wonder you care about her so deeply."
"No, to be exact, she did more than just save my life." Qingyuan watched the streetlights dance across her palm, her expression serene. "She showed me that I could have a life of my own. That I wasn’t just a flower growing in the mud, destined only to be ground into dust."
Her manager was stunned. "A Yuan, you..."
"She told me my name meant a kite soaring toward the heavens," Qingyuan smiled. "She was the only one who ever said that. At the time, I was just a lowly performer that anyone could trample on."
"What performer? Are you living in ancient times?" her manager frowned. "You’re a major star now! Who would dare call you that?"
Qingyuan didn’t bother explaining that this had happened in her past life. After all, no one would believe her. Who would believe that inside this young body resided a soul from four hundred years ago?
Qingyuan yawned and turned her head. "Let’s hurry back to the hotel. It’s time for bed, and I need to take good care of my face."
"You’ve been working non-stop, A Yuan. You definitely need a good rest. Once this drama wraps up, I’ll give you a long vacation." Her manager then instructed the driver to speed up a little, provided it was safe.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder about this savior who was no longer in this world. That person must hold an untouchable, god-tier status in Qingyuan’s heart!
***
A gentle evening breeze blew as the clock hands pointed to eleven-thirty.
Shi Changying lay on her stomach in bed, glued to the drama playing on her phone. After doing practice problems for so long, she needed to relax.
Even in her past life, she had loved watching theatrical plays. Once Qingyuan learned of this hobby, she had gathered various folk tales and personally adapted them for the stage. Modern television shows and ancient plays were quite different, but they still shared some similarities. For instance, angst-filled romances had remained an enduring classic since ancient times. She absolutely loved watching them.
DING.
A new message popped up on her screen.
Shaoyuan had finished grading her workbook for the day. They were still middle school physics problems, but her accuracy had already skyrocketed.
She thought proudly, "I truly am brilliant."
Shi Changying sent Shaoyuan a text as her way of saying thanks: "I suppose all my doting on you wasn’t in vain."
[Good Samaritan (I Can Take His Place)]: Did you forget to say something, Miss?
[Only I am the first]: ?
[Good Samaritan (I Can Take His Place)]: What are you supposed to say before going to bed?
Shi Changying recalled what Ming Chengli had recently told her, so she replied:
[Only I am the first]: Good night.
[Good Samaritan (I Can Take His Place)]: Incorrect.
[Only I am the first]: ?
[Good Samaritan (I Can Take His Place)]: You should say, "Another day of loving me has come to an end."
Shi Changying stared at the screen, deep in thought. She reasoned that since the highly emotionally intelligent way to say "good morning" was "Another day of loving me has begun," then naturally, "good night" would be "Another day of loving me has come to an end." That made perfect sense.
She thought, "I have mastered this."
[Only I am the first]: Another day of loving me has come to an end.
Seeing her reply, Shaoyuan, who had just finished drawing up a set of test papers, raised an eyebrow. She managed to exceed his expectations every single time. If it had been anyone else, they likely wouldn’t have responded with such calm composure. It seemed that only English and physics could make her feel even a hint of defeat.
Typing with one hand, Shaoyuan casually replied:
[Mhm. We will continue on Monday.]
He did have a bit of a wicked streak in him—he wanted to see the little kitten bare her fangs.
***
Early the next morning, Shi Changying was still fast asleep when KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK sounded at her bedroom door.
"Changying! Yingying!" Xu Shuangqiao shouted loudly from the hallway. "Wake up! The sun is already high in the sky!"
Ten seconds later, Shi Changying dragged herself out of bed. She scratched her head, quickly washed up, changed her clothes, and opened the door.
"We agreed to meet at nine, and it’s already ten!" Xu Shuangqiao complained. "You completely slept through breakfast. Good thing I saved some food for you."
The Xu Family had very strict household rules. Breakfast was served exclusively between six and nine in the morning, with no exceptions for latecomers.
Shi Changying stretched lazily. "Thanks, Qiaoqiao. I lost track of time watching an angsty romance drama last night and went to bed a little late."
"Shh! Don’t let Grandpa and Grandma hear that you stayed up late watching TV!" Xu Shuangqiao whispered nervously. "Or else they’ll lecture you for slacking off."
Shi Changying took the breakfast bag from her hands and began her grand mission of eating.
After taking a few steps down the hall, Xu Shuangqiao suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute, how can you just call me Qiaoqiao?"
"Hm? What else would I call you?"
"Call me your older sister."
"No thanks."
Xu Shuangqiao hung her head in dejection. "Does being the older sister give me absolutely no authority?"
Shi Changying reached out and patted her head. "Be a good girl, Qiaoqiao."
Xu Shuangqiao gloomily brushed her hand away. "Good thing the film set isn’t far from here. If I missed watching Teacher Lu film his scenes, I would’ve regretted it for the rest of my life!"
Shi Changying ignored her and continued eating.
Twenty minutes later, their car pulled up to the base camp for the "Dragon Flying Phoenix" production crew. Xu Shuangqiao hopped out of the car, flashed a staff ID badge, and led Shi Changying onto the set.
"Xu Shuangqiao?" a voice suddenly rang out, laced with sheer disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
Xu Shuangqiao turned around and rolled her eyes. "Meng Miaoyan, if you can be here, why can’t I?"
"I’m here because I’m literally an actor for this production," Meng Miaoyan sneered. "What about you? Don’t tell me you actually consider yourself a big-shot director now."
"Oh my god, you’re an actor?" Xu Shuangqiao asked, feigning shock. "Don’t tell me the Meng Family just threw money at the production to buy you a role."
Enraged, Meng Miaoyan snapped, "Xu Shuangqiao, you—"
Before she could finish her sentence, cheers erupted across the set.
"Teacher Lu is here!"