There was no moonlight anymore

Lan Fei shot her a glare.

"What nonsense are you talking about? We're perfectly healthy. Mu Mu, about what happened tonight-are you okay?"

Liu Muyan froze. Had she shown that she was doing badly over what had happened tonight? Although she had just seen Chu Yanqing, she really did not feel all that good.

She changed her shoes, sat down on the sofa, and replied,

"Mom, I wanted to talk to you both about tonight too. I'm just afraid you won't agree once you hear it."

Lan Fei and Father Liu's hearts tightened. This did not sound like good news. Was their daughter going to ask them to forgive Chu Yannan? Was she still speaking up for that brat even now?

Lan Fei asked nervously,

"What do you want to talk about?"

Liu Muyan pulled a cushion over, rested it against her cheek, and said softly,

"Mom, Dad, I don't want to get engaged to Chu Yannan. I don't like him at all."

She had already prepared for them to ask her why, or perhaps urge her to think it over again. But when she looked up, she saw Father Liu and Lan Fei looking at her excitedly as they asked,

"Do you mean it?"

Liu Muyan nodded. "Of course I do. Do you disagree?"

"Of course we agree! I've been fed up with that Chu Yannan boy for ages. If we hadn't thought you liked him, why would we have agreed?"

Father Liu hurried to say this, afraid that even a moment's hesitation would make Liu Muyan change her mind again. Then Lan Fei added from beside him,

"Don't worry about anything else. Just follow your heart. All these years, we've wondered whether we were being too hasty, too. But after the way Yannan behaved today, we really would be holding you both back if we kept trying to match you up.

"It's fine if you don't end up with Yannan. All I want is for you to be happy and joyful."

At those words, Liu Muyan truly felt as though her eyes were about to pee. She got up and hugged Lan Fei, then hugged Father Liu before explaining,

"I never liked Chu Yannan in the first place. He's too childish. It's just that we grew up together, so there's some affection between us, more or less. I didn't say anything before because I was worried about both families losing face.

"I thought you'd figure it out with time, but who knew you'd bring up an engagement today? I don't want to marry Chu Yannan.

"That egomaniac. He's so full of himself. I clearly don't like him, but he made it sound like I wouldn't marry anyone but him. It makes me so angry."

The two of them could not help laughing at her muttered complaints. Although Chu Yannan was not a good match, they had watched him grow up. He was not bad at heart; he was just too blunt.

"Yes, yes, you're right to scold him. I've wanted to give that boy a piece of my mind for ages. My daughter is wonderful. If he can't appreciate you, he's blind."

Father Liu joined in the complaints.

The family laughed together, but Liu Muyan still had a private wish of her own. After returning to her room, she sent Chu Yanqing a message.

She asked why he had suddenly come back and when he was leaving.

But he might still have been busy, since he did not reply to her message. Deflated, she lay on the bed and sought out those fake friends of hers for some amusement.

Shen Zhiyi developed a fever in the latter half of the night. She staggered out of bed and hugged the trash can, vomiting endlessly. Dizziness came with wave after wave of nausea.

Her ears began ringing, and she felt as though she were in a vacuum. She collapsed onto the floor, drained of all strength, and threw up everything she had eaten.

By the end, all that came up was bitter fluid. Her face scrunched up tightly. She had been vomiting for so long that her stomach could barely take it. Tears were forced from the corners of her eyes.

Her gasps gradually grew audible, her breathing faint. Had the light been on, her impossibly pale face would have been visible. Her legs were weak and her hands trembled; all she could do was sit on the floor.

Her eyes, ears, and forehead radiated heat, yet her body was cold. She sat on the floor hugging herself, trembling all over.

Cold. Her teeth chattered. Wind surged toward her from every direction, and she hugged herself tightly. Around her, there was only moonlight streaming through the window.

She opened her eyes and looked at that moonlight.

After the rain, the moonlight was even brighter and clearer. She could not help reaching for it. It shone on her palm, making her wrist look incomparably slender and fragile.

"Moonlight, moonlight." She gazed at it in a trance. Even as she shivered all over from the cold, she wanted to disregard everything and walk toward the windowsill to chase the moonlight.

Would she see Dad? Could she go and be reunited with them? Why had they left her all alone?

If Shen Kangnan had been the one saved back then, would she not be in so much pain? Would she no longer have to fear Mother Fang's accusations?

It was her fault. She was a coward. She had no courage to keep living. Why was she still alive? She was the one who should have died.

She staggered to her feet and walked unsteadily toward the little balcony.

The guest room had stood unused for years. Chi Ye liked balconies because he could stand on one and look into the distance, which helped him think.

So he had placed particular emphasis on the importance of balconies in the villa's plans.

There was only an armchair and a small coffee table on the balcony. Compared with the large balcony off the master bedroom, it was clearly only meant for a guest's private use.

Chi Ye had never imagined anyone would come to stay in his house. Usually, he would not even let the Housekeeper stay overnight. Only because of the old gentleman and Madam Ye had he reluctantly allowed the Housekeeper to stay.

Chi Ye was not sleeping very soundly. He kept feeling that he had forgotten something. He turned over in his sleep, then, a while later, abruptly sat up.

The doctor seemed to have said that Shen Zhiyi might develop a fever during the night. He had forgotten to check on her.

Waking suddenly in the middle of the night made him scratch his hair irritably. Suppressing his agitation, he fetched a thermometer and headed toward the guest room.

Another wave of sorrow welled up in his heart, coming out of nowhere. But it soon disappeared, leaving only an elusive feeling that made Chi Ye's heart ache slightly.

He rubbed his chest and murmured,

"How strange. Is something wrong with my heart? I'll have to get it checked at the hospital tomorrow."

Shen Zhiyi's door was only loosely closed. He seemed to have left it that way because he had intended to check on her later, but he had forgotten as he got busy.

The room was dark. He quietly pushed the door open and went inside. The sight before him nearly made his hair stand on end, and he almost shouted, "A ghost!" But when he looked closely, it was Shen Zhiyi.

She stood there with her hair hanging loose, her hand outstretched as though grasping for something.

She was unsteady on her feet, yet she struggled to remain standing, her back to Chi Ye. She was a full-grown person, yet Chi Ye felt as though she were about to disappear.

Her back, her entire body, seemed to be held upright by a single breath. Her outstretched hand trembled, yet she desperately wanted to catch the moonlight.

In that instant, Chi Ye's heart slammed heavily to the ground. Emotions surged, and he ran toward Shen Zhiyi with almost stumbling steps.

He saw that she wanted to walk toward the balcony. She wanted to chase the moonlight. She was thinking terrible thoughts again.

"Shen Zhiyi, there's no moonlight anymore. There's no moonlight anymore." His throat was painfully dry. He stood in front of her and cautiously spread his arms, trying to block the moonlight and stop her from moving forward.