I’m the Moonlight White That the Former Movie Queen Secretly Loved 1

Chapter 1: 001

The weather in Ningcheng was gloomy. It was three o’clock on a weekday afternoon at the sales office of Jinbiao Mingting, a landmark residential complex in the heart of the city.

After seeing off the last client, the manager glanced at the sky, heavy with dark clouds. Seeing that the office was empty, he decided to let everyone go home early.

It wasn’t that their management was lax. Jinbiao Mingting was one of Ningcheng’s most luxurious residential communities. The units had been handed over a year ago, and only a handful remained. Coupled with the bad weather, it was unlikely any more clients would come to view properties.

So, he decided to go with the flow and let his colleagues leave early to relax.

However, when the notice was sent out, the young assistant at the reception desk misheard and thought they were having a team-building event that afternoon.

She promptly set out fruit platters, coffee, and drinks, then connected the large advertising screen in the sales hall to the television to play a movie.

The movie channel was broadcasting an interview.

Just as Qi Sijia entered the sales office, pulling her cap down low, the graceful and charming face of Meng Jiang appeared on the large screen.

Meng Jiang had excellent posture, an elegance honed by years of deportment classes. Her long, slender legs were pressed together, tilted at a perfect forty-five-degree angle under the studio lights, revealing their beautiful curves.

Seated like that, even an ordinary person would be praised for their poise, let alone the person on screen: Triple Crown Best Actress, Meng Jiang.

She looked much more mature than she had a few years ago, her emotions no longer showing on the surface. No matter how sharp the host’s questions were, she handled them with ease, her answers both elegant and official, leaving no room for criticism.

During the interview, a faint smile touched her lips. Her phoenix eyes were captivating, a single beauty mark gracing one corner. If she were to truly smile, she would be a natural-born stunner.

Although, outside of her acting, no one had ever seen Meng Jiang’s smile reach her eyes.

But that did nothing to detract from her striking, 360-degree, flawless beauty.

Most of the young women in the sales office were fans of Meng Jiang. During the interview, the host, following the script, asked the routine question about her love life.

Assuming she wouldn’t answer, the host had even prepared a way to move on.

But Meng Jiang, who usually projected an “I’m thriving on my own” image, broke character. In a slightly husky voice, she slowly looked up at the camera and said, “How should I put this? Although I hate to admit it, when I was filming 20-Year-Old First Love back in 2019, I did picture my first love’s face.”

The host was visibly stunned. “And then?”

“And then?” Meng Jiang’s lips curved, as if she found the question amusing. A soft chuckle escaped her before she slowly said, “I dumped Miss Q.”

The last syllable was drawn out, hinting at a sigh, or perhaps a sense of unresolved feelings.

The host was in shock.

Who would have thought that at the peak of her career, Meng Jiang would not only openly admit to a first love, but reveal that it was with a woman?

Not that such a statement would have a major impact on Meng Jiang. After all, she was a powerhouse actress who didn’t rely on her looks; her talent was even more astonishing than her face. She had just been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar and had swept the three major domestic film awards. Renowned international directors had called her talent a gift from the heavens.

All told, her career-focused fans far outnumbered those who were just fans of her looks, so even a bombshell about her love life would have little effect on her career.

Still, with such a huge story breaking, the host was momentarily unsure of Meng Jiang’s intentions.

The interview was live. The host’s expression was complicated; she took a deep breath, unable to hide her nervousness and caution.

Meng Jiang, in contrast, remained as poised and regal as a prize peony, completely unfazed by the sensation her words would cause. When she mentioned “Miss Q,” her expression was as casual as if she were discussing the weather.

“I’m sorry, I was so surprised I forgot my lines. Who could be so lucky?” the host asked, recovering and striking while the iron was hot.

Meng Jiang tapped her fingers idly on her knee. Hearing the question, she looked up and said to the host in a playful tone, “Isn’t it unfortunate? After having a first love like me, it would be difficult for anyone to find a better girlfriend.”

The implication was clear: I am the queen.

With that stunning face, she delivered a line that was impossible to refute.

Qi Sijia frowned. She agreed completely. It was indeed extremely unfortunate.

To be publicly turned into an anecdote by your ex… for the rest of her life, no matter who “Miss Q” was, her situation would be less dignified than the breakup itself.

Averting her gaze from the beautiful woman on the screen, Qi Sijia heard the real estate agents in the sales office snap out of their shock and begin to gossip animatedly.

“Sigh, my ship has sunk. As a couple-fan, I’m so sad today that Jiang-Jiang had a first love.”

“The first love is in the past, right? The fact that Meng Jiang can admit it so openly means they broke up a long time ago.”

“I just want to know who this chosen one is. After dating a woman as stunning as my idol, will they ever be able to stand tall again?”

…

Despite her social phobia, hearing the phrase “stand tall” made Qi Sijia uncomfortable, as if a sore spot had been poked. She couldn’t listen anymore.

Does she think her idol is some kind of goddess?

Qi Sijia scoffed and let out a deliberate cough.

The agents in the sales hall, deep in their gossip, all turned to look.

As multiple pairs of eyes landed on her, Qi Sijia pulled her cap down even lower. Her voice was magnetic and pleasant. “Are there any units for sale?”

The room fell silent for three seconds.

It was just that Qi Sijia’s attire was a bit odd.

Her baseball cap was pulled down extremely low, and she wore a black face mask. Her face was completely hidden, and she was wrapped up so tightly that at first glance, she had the figure and air of a celebrity.

But upon closer inspection, aside from her great figure with a trim waist and fine posture, her clothes were casual: a lime green sweatshirt and casual pants. Her sneakers were a new, plain black model, their quality impossible to discern. Her everyday outfit made it hard to gauge her background.

The agents at the high-end complex were quick to react. Even though they were about to leave, a customer was a customer.

The agent on duty, a woman named SA, quickly stepped out from the gossiping crowd.

After a standard three-part smile, SA led Qi Sijia to a sofa designated for clients.

“Would you like tea or coffee?”

Qi Sijia: “Coffee.”

…

A minute later.

“Miss, are you sure you don’t want to look at any other options? You’re paying in full?” SA paused, the model unit in her hand, and looked at Qi Sijia with surprise.

“Yes.”

On the small table beside her sat a pot of clivia, its yellow stamens and clustered petals filling the pot. It complemented the elegant and luxurious hall, but for one thing: it was too fragrant.

Pressing her lips together, Qi Sijia suppressed the urge to go home. She pulled her chain-strap bag over and took out a wallet.

Since she rarely went out, her bag was nearly empty. A phone, a wallet—not even lipstick for touch-ups, tissues, or an umbrella.

SA glanced over with a flicker of doubt. Surely no woman would go out so unprepared. Could she be some spoiled rich kid on a forced spending spree? But she didn’t look the part. SA, though puzzled, maintained a polite “Okay.”

This was the first time she had ever met a client who wanted to buy a property without even asking about the unit’s orientation.

Jinbiao Mingting’s prices were not cheap. Even before the project launched, the price per square meter was rumored to be on par with Beijing’s Second Ring Road. Now, a year after handover, only the less desirable remaining units were left, along with the prohibitively expensive ground-floor villas and top-floor duplexes, which weren’t a great value for the price.

Either way, they were expensive.

And yet, the woman across from her wanted to pay in full without even asking about a discount.

Still finding it hard to believe, SA held her breath and dutifully began to explain the discount options.

“I can help you apply for an internal company discount…”

Qi Sijia cut her off, wanting to get it over with. “Are there any units with good orientation?”

“The top-floor ‘king’ duplex was sold last month. The best remaining units are on the ground floor. They come with a small courtyard and a sunroom. At eighty-eight thousand yuan per square meter, the total comes to seven million, three hundred thousand. We can round it down to seven million.”

Qi Sijia nodded. “Got it.”

She then took two cards out of her wallet. Under SA’s complicated gaze, she placed them on the table. She looked at the ICBC card on the left, then at the China Construction Bank card on the right. After a few seconds, she looked up at SA, hesitating.

This is a more normal reaction, SA thought. After all, spending seven million on a house isn’t something one does so casually.

Adept at reading situations, SA offered her an out. “Is there a problem?”

Avoiding the agent’s questioning gaze, Qi Sijia swapped the card in her left hand with the one in her right, doing this two or three times as she struggled to find the right words.

To SA, this looked like she might not have enough money.

Just as SA was about to offer a way to smooth things over, Qi Sijia finally formulated her words. She pressed both cards onto the table and pushed them toward SA.

Qi Sijia’s voice was lovely, like melting snow seeping into one’s heart. “I can’t remember how much is on them. Could you please try both?”

SA: “…”

Qi Sijia had been pulling all-nighters to write, and her memory wasn’t what it used to be. Plus, having not left the house in three months, she hadn’t had a chance to use her cards and wasn’t sure which one had the ten million yuan.

After a moment of silence, she placed the cards on the reader. In front of the agent, she entered the PINs and checked the balances. Over the past few years, the two cards had accumulated 20 million yuan. Not a huge amount, but more than enough to buy the house.

Qi Sijia didn’t even look up, completely unaware of how much of a flex this must have looked like to others.

The gazes on her grew more intense.

Qi Sijia’s expression turned a little cold. She glanced toward the door three times out of the corner of her eye. She couldn’t stand being in crowded places. She had a severe social anxiety disorder, so advanced she didn’t know how to define it anymore.

Staying home for three months at a time was normal for her. Coming out in person to buy a house and sign a contract was a truly groundbreaking step.

There was a reason she had come out to buy a house.

She hadn’t been in a proper relationship for five years. Every previous relationship had ended with her being dumped within a month. She had finally met her current girlfriend, and the relationship had lasted longer. Her girlfriend didn’t mind that she was a homebody and was happy with an online relationship. Despite not meeting in person or video chatting, her girlfriend never complained.

Their only argument had been yesterday, when her girlfriend wanted to come over and hold her hand, and Qi Sijia had refused.

Her girlfriend seemed a little angry.

Not knowing how to appease her, Qi Sijia had asked her readers in an author’s note yesterday how to make a relationship last.

A reader had suggested that to build a home, one must first buy a property.

The path for a same-sex couple wasn’t easy. Things had become more accepting in recent years, but it wasn’t a legally recognized marriage. It was best to buy a property to give her partner a sense of security.

Qi Sijia thought that made sense, so she had mustered the courage to go out, determined to buy a house for love.

Now that the payment was made, there was no way she could back out or give up halfway.

She forced herself to lean back on the sofa and wait for SA to process the payment.

Not wanting to stay a moment longer, Qi Sijia said coolly, her expression impassive, “Let’s sign the contract.”

With the money secured, SA swallowed hard. “Of course, of course.”

As Qi Sijia was leaving, SA took out a business card—one for her part-time job as a headhunter—and handed it to her. SA felt a bit awkward and was about to swap it for another one, but Qi Sijia was in a hurry to leave. So, she had no choice but to awkwardly stuff it into Qi Sijia’s pocket. “My contact information is on there. If you have any problems in the future, you can always find me.”

As soon as Qi Sijia left, the agents who had witnessed the three-minute home purchase began to chatter.

“She’s so generous with her money.”

SA threw up her hands. “I know, right? She just casually pulled out two cards with at least twenty million yuan on them…”

“Do you think she’s a celebrity? Meng Jiang came here last month, all bundled up, not showing her face.”

SA glanced at the signature on the housing contract—Qi Sijia. It was an ordinary name.

She shook her head. “No. Probably just some rich second-generation kid from Ningcheng who has money to burn.”

Just as Qi Sijia got the housing contract and reached the underground parking garage, her current girlfriend, Shu Ran, called.

“Are you free? I have something to tell you.”

“Mmm…” Qi Sijia replied. “Is it urgent?”

“It’s quite urgent.”

Coincidentally, Qi Sijia had a surprise for her too, but she hadn’t recovered from being around so many people. Since her girlfriend said it was urgent, Qi Sijia thought for a moment.

“Pick a place with few people. How about Huaqing Garden?”

Shu Ran thought she had misheard. She cleaned out her ear and confirmed that the address was indeed the Huaqing Garden she knew.

She gritted her teeth, thinking, Qi Sijia has been hiding her wealth quite well.

Last time, for her birthday, Qi Sijia had only given her a hundred-yuan game skin. She’d thought Qi Sijia was broke. She never expected that for a meal out, they’d be going to a high-end club like Huaqing Garden.

But no matter what, Shu Ran had already decided to break up with her.

“Fine, you decide.”