16: Chapter 16 You Are My Moonlight: The Substitute Male Supporting Character 15

When Meng Zhu returned home, Su Qingxue had not yet arrived.

But this was normal; it had only just turned dark. For some, the nightlife was just beginning.

Meng Zhu brewed himself a cup of tea.

White Dragon Well tea.

Its fragrance was light and elegant, clearing the head and eyes, dispelling irritation, easing the knots in his heart, and calming his mood—it was perfect for him at this moment.

Sitting on the rattan chair on the balcony, Meng Zhu sipped his tea while admiring the night view of the sky.

After a while, with his heart as still as water, he began to think carefully.

Company plans, movie plots, romantic life—he analyzed and planned them one by one.

Until his brows relaxed and he felt confident.

When he came to his senses, the moon was already high in the sky.

It was the first time Su Qingxue hadn't returned this late.

Was she too engrossed in chatting with her best friends?

Or perhaps, since Gu Qingyan was about to return to the country, she got carried away and had a few too many?

"The white moonlight?"

Meng Zhu murmured softly.

He thought of the documents Gu Qingyang had given him.

A secret crush from his student days, the most beautiful memory of youth.

Perhaps because the current atmosphere was too quiet and melancholic, the barrage comments also became sparse.

Meng Zhu might not have fallen in love with Su Qingxue yet, but he certainly had a favorable impression of her. Was this gentleman-like green bamboo also feeling sad?

Before the barrage could ponder further, they heard Meng Zhu's murmur once again the next moment.

Just then, the moon emerged from the clouds, and moonlight poured onto the balcony like water.

Meng Zhu couldn't help but look up, staring blankly at the bright moon.

He remembered a passage he had read somewhere in his previous life, before he transmigrated.

He subconsciously spoke it aloud.

"The things one cannot obtain in youth will ultimately trap one for a lifetime. The fleeting scenes of twilight will awaken one in an instant. Eventually, one will resolve the confusion of a lifetime through a single event or object. Looking up, the moon in the sky is still the moon of yesteryear, but the person under the moon is no longer the person with the heart of yesteryear!"

After reciting this, he drank the remaining tea in one gulp and got up to wash up.

[I'm uncultured, what does this mean?]

[Where is The Analyst? Bring him up.]

[Does this need analysis? Simply put, things you couldn't get in your youth easily become obsessions, but you will eventually let go because your state of mind is no longer the same as it was back then.]

[Got it, so the white moonlight is nothing to fear.]

[Pretty much. Only a dead white moonlight is invincible. Otherwise, you'll realize one day that an obsession is just an obsession.]

[People chase their white moonlight; they are really just missing their former selves.]

[But everyone, it might be different from what you think. I've been on Su Qingxue's side this whole time. Uh, things might not be exactly as you think.]

[What's different?]

[Uh, I mean, is there a possibility that Su Qingxue has already fallen in love with Meng Zhu?]

[What the heck?]

The barrage exploded instantly, flashing and scrolling non-stop.

Meng Zhu also paused slightly, subconsciously slowing down his movements to wash up.

Just then, his phone rang.

It was Su Qingxue.

"Hello, what's wrong?"

Meng Zhu's tone was devoid of any emotion.

"Qingxue's husband? Uh, I'm Su Qingxue's best friend, He Jingjing. We are at Yuequan Bar. She's had too much to drink; can you come pick her up?"

"Okay!"

Meng Zhu replied and hung up the phone.

On the way there, he continued to watch the barrage, wanting to know exactly what was going on.

Time rewinds to when Meng Zhu passed by Su Qingxue's private room.

Among the three best friends, He Jingjing was the most gossipy and the boldest in her actions.

"Qingxue, why aren't you saying anything? How are you planning to handle that substitute husband? Brother Gu Qingyan is coming back soon, but the agreement between you and your husband hasn't expired yet."

"Exactly, Qingxue. If the real deal runs into the substitute, it's going to be hard to clean up."

The best friends were teasing her, but they were also genuinely concerned, not wanting her to cause a misunderstanding with Gu Qingyan by worrying about the substitute's feelings.

Siding with friends over logic is human nature.

Who would have thought that Su Qingxue would blurt out something unexpected.

"He is not a substitute!"

The voice wasn't loud, but the friends heard it clearly.

"Wait, sister, what do you mean he's not a substitute?"

When they got married, all the friends knew that guy, Meng Zhu, was a substitute.

Su Qingxue pursed her lips and took a sip of red wine.

"They are different!"

This was the second sentence, and He Jingjing understood.

She felt like the sky was falling.

Today's gathering was initiated by He Jingjing; she had intended to ask for Su Qingxue's opinion on how to arrange a surprise for Gu Qingyan's airport pickup.

A long time ago, she had encouraged Su Qingxue to be direct, and even the fact that Gu Qingyan knew Su Qingxue had a crush on him was revealed by He Jingjing.

It was like shipping a couple; she was full of anticipation that Gu Qingyan would return to the country and end up with Su Qingxue.

What did this mean now?

Did she ship the wrong couple?

"Wait, wait, wait, Qingxue, what do you mean? You don't want to be a scumbag, do you? One at home and one outside? That's not something you should do!"

"Yeah, Qingxue, having one foot on two boats isn't good. If you're not careful, the boat will capsize."

The other friends on the side were also persuading her.

"I'm not!"

Su Qingxue answered firmly.

He Jingjing finally caught on.

She widened her eyes and exclaimed in disbelief:

"So you fell in love with that substitute? Oh no, you fell in love with Meng Zhu?"

The wine glass in Su Qingxue's hand stopped swirling; she didn't nod, but she didn't deny it either.

Silence was an attitude, and it was also an answer.

"Holy cow!"

The friends looked at each other, and He Jingjing scratched her head.

"No, why? When did this happen?"

He Jingjing couldn't figure it out. Could a substitute actually ascend to the main position? Was it love growing over time?

Su Qingxue put down her wine glass. This time when she spoke, she looked at He Jingjing, her eyes filled with both confusion and determination.

"I don't know, but I am sure that I have indeed fallen in love with him."

He Jingjing fell silent. If there was a real reason.

Like when she thought he was impressive, or moments of care and warmth, or even times he played the hero to save her or had her back, etc.

Then He Jingjing would have something to say.

Like, sister, that's not love; it's habit, admiration, appreciation, being moved, or the suspension bridge effect.

But Su Qingxue's answer was that there was no reason.

It was too real, so real that it couldn't be refuted.

Because falling in love with someone doesn't actually need a reason.

Love arises from nowhere, yet it runs deep.

"Fine, as long as you're happy, we all support you. Then just turn the fake into reality. I wish you happiness."

After a silence, He Jingjing picked up her wine glass and said this.

However, what she got in return wasn't Su Qingxue clinking glasses, but her visibly palpable disappointment.

"But he doesn't like me!"

"Huh?"

He Jingjing was stunned.

The two friends looked at He Jingjing, and she understood what they meant.

She walked over and held Su Qingxue's face.

"Why do you say that?"

In front of her best friend, Su Qingxue didn't hide anything, or perhaps she also needed to confide in someone.

She spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube.

"For over two years of marriage, he has always treated me with polite respect. We live under the same roof, and he hasn't crossed the line even once."

"I can clearly feel that we are more intimate outside than we are at home."

"He seems to have his own company and career, but he has never told me about it."

"He also has a vacation villa. My parents know about it, but I'm the only one who doesn't, and he has never invited me there."

"He hasn't even taken me to meet his friends."

"He doesn't treat me like a wife. For over two years, he has only been fulfilling the contract."

"He doesn't like me at all."