"Like the Moon in the Sky" - Chapter 3

Zhu Jinyue transferred to Xingnan No. 1 High School in her second year of high school.

That summer, her grandmother had passed away, and she had been completely devastated. Coincidentally, her parents were moving to Xingnan to develop a new company. Thinking a change of environment might help her, they brought her along.

By the first week of school, she was still in a terrible state—spacing out in class, sleeping between lessons, and barely remembering any of her classmates.

Her deskmate at the time was a girl named Qu Wei. She was petite with large eyes and short hair, and she was incredibly enthusiastic. Perhaps worried that Zhu Jinyue would feel lonely as a transfer student, she constantly invited her to join everything—bathroom breaks between classes, meals after school, or trips off-campus to buy bubble tea.

Zhu Jinyue refused countless times, but Qu Wei never seemed discouraged.

By the second week, on a Tuesday or thereabouts, Zhu Jinyue finally felt too guilty to refuse again and agreed to go buy bubble tea with her.

Probably to be considerate of her mood, Qu Wei didn’t invite anyone else. It was just the two of them, walking slowly toward the school gate.

Halfway there, perhaps because Zhu Jinyue was walking too slowly or maybe just to make conversation, Qu Wei said, “Let’s walk faster. Maybe we’ll even run into a handsome guy at the shop.”

Zhu Jinyue wasn’t particularly interested, but since she’d already agreed to come out, she didn’t want to leave Qu Wei hanging. So, she casually asked, “What handsome guy?”

“Shen Qinghuai,” Qu Wei said.

It was a completely unfamiliar name.

Qu Wei didn’t explain who he was at all, as if she assumed Zhu Jinyue would know.

Some male celebrity?

Zhu Jinyue had no clue. “Who’s Shen Qinghuai?”

“It’s been over a week since school started, and you still don’t know who Shen Qinghuai is?” Qu Wei was briefly speechless. “He’s, our classmate! The school heartthrob, an academic god, super handsome—he sits at the very back of your row.”

Zhu Jinyue had been in a daze since school started and had no impression of anyone in class.

“I don’t know him. You’re the only one I know.”

Qu Wei cheered up again and continued introducing Shen Qinghuai, “Well, you’ll get to see him at the bubble tea shop. He works there. He’s the undisputed top student in our grade—amazingly smart.”

Zhu Jinyue wasn’t interested in the “top student” title, but she was slightly puzzled by one part, “Why is he working at a bubble tea shop?”

Qu Wei fell silent for a moment. “…Well, it’s not exactly a secret anyway. Lots of people at school know. Shen Qinghuai’s parents were in a car accident when he was in middle school. His father died on the spot, and his mother survived, but her health was ruined. All their savings and the accident compensation money went into hospital bills. He works part-time whenever he’s free.”

Having just lost a loved one herself, Zhu Jinyue also fell silent for a moment before softly replying, “And he still manages to be the top student in the grade?”

“Yeah,” Qu Wei said. “Impressive, right? I really admire him.”

As they spoke, the two had already left the school grounds.

After walking a little further, Qu Wei suddenly tugged excitedly at her sleeve and pointed ahead. “Look, that’s Shen Qinghuai!”

Zhu Jinyue followed her gaze.

She didn’t even need to look carefully—amid the crowd, the tall, lean boy stood out like a crane among chickens, strikingly noticeable at first glance.

He wasn’t wearing his school uniform but a plain black T-shirt with no prints or visible branding. The collar was slightly worn, but the shirt was neatly pressed without a single wrinkle, giving off a clean and refreshing vibe.

A girl stood in front of him, seemingly saying something to him. He replied gently, and then the girl ran off with reddened eyes.

Zhu Jinyue didn’t understand what had just happened.

Beside her, Qu Wei shook her head as if this were a common sight and sighed. “Sigh… another one.”

“Another what?” Zhu Jinyue asked.

“Another girl confessing to Shen Qinghuai and getting rejected,” Qu Wei explained. “Shen Qinghuai seems friendly and easygoing, but he’s actually really hard to chase. From freshman year until now, no girl has ever succeeded.”

She paused.

“Besides, he doesn’t have time for dating… Anyway, let’s not talk about this. It’s too sunny—let’s hurry and get bubble tea. Too bad Shen Qinghuai seems to be getting off work early today.”

Zhu Jinyue said, “At least you got to see him.”

“It’s not like I really needed to see him,” Qu Wei clarified. “He’s in the same class as me—I see him every day. The main thing is that when Shen Qinghuai is working, he always gives our classmates extra toppings… Ugh, my extra tapioca pearls just flew away.”

Zhu Jinyue couldn’t help but laugh. For some reason, her eyes unconsciously lingered on the figure ahead once more.

The tall, lean boy strode through the crowd like an unyielding bamboo pole standing firm through wind and rain.

…

The alarm clock rang repeatedly. Zhu Jinyue reached out a hand to turn it off and burrowed completely back under the soft blankets.

Yet, against her will, her consciousness slowly sharpened. A few seconds later, she gradually realized she had been dreaming about her “first encounter” with Shen Qinghuai.

Zhu Jinyue hadn’t expected to see Shen Qinghuai again.

After recognizing him last night, her mind had been a whirlwind of emotions. She sat dumbfounded in the car, staring at him for a moment. The familiarity forged during their year as classmates had long been washed away by the river of time. In the end, all she managed to ask was, “Since you still recognized me, why didn’t you say something earlier?”

Shen Qinghuai had smiled again and said, “I was curious if you’d still recognize me.”

When Zhu Jinyue got out of the car, she didn’t ask for his contact information.

Shen Qinghuai didn’t ask for hers either.

Zhu Jinyue slowly sat up, hugging the quilt around her.

Perhaps influenced by the dream, Shen Qinghuai’s figure lingered in her mind.

The lean young boy from ten years ago, wearing a faded T-shirt.

The composed and dignified man from last night, dressed in a vicuña wool coat worth hundreds of thousands.

Though they seemed like polar opposites, Zhu Jinyue didn’t find it contradictory.

For someone as resilient and disciplined as him, it would have been more surprising if he hadn’t achieved world-class success.

Zhu Jinyue reached for her phone and checked the time.

11:00 AM.

She had made plans to have lunch with her senior, Ming Chan.

Unlike at the villa, where there was help, there was no housekeeper at her apartment, and she couldn’t cook for herself. She decided to skip breakfast and head to the restaurant early instead.

By the time she finished freshening up and went downstairs, her driver was already waiting.

Zhu Jinyue and Ming Chan had chosen a Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant located on the 33rd floor of the Ruiqi Hotel.

Upon arriving at the Ruiqi and stepping inside, Zhu Jinyue hadn’t walked far when she spotted a man and a woman not too far ahead of her.

The man was tall and broad-shouldered—Zhu Jinyue recognized him as her brother-in-law, Xu Xing.

The woman walking closely beside Xu Xing was petite, clearly not her 171cm tall sister, Zhu Qinghao.

Nor was she any of his assistants or secretaries.

And this is a hotel.

A wave of anger immediately surged in Zhu Jinyue’s heart.

Zhu Qinghao and Xu Xing had known each other since middle school; they were practically childhood sweethearts. This man stole my sister away from me. Showing up at a hotel with another woman—even if it’s just for a meal without anyone else accompanying them- it’s unacceptable.

If a divorce were to happen someday, it should be because her sister chose to leave him first.

Zhu Jinyue forced down her anger, planning to first see which floor Xu Xing was heading to before deciding what to do next.

Just then, Xu Xing seemed to glance back.

A tall man happened to be passing by. Before Zhu Jinyue could figure out his intention, she quickly ducked behind him.

A familiar, clean scent, similar to the one in the Bentley last night, instantly filled her senses.

Zhu Jinyue froze for a moment, then immediately looked up. The man she was using as a shield turned around and glanced down at her.

Her eyes instantly met a pair of deep, penetrating ones.

Shen Qinghuai?

Why is it him?

Someone she hadn’t seen in ten years, and now she’d run into him several times in just two days.

The man was dressed in a black peaked lapel suit today, looking much more formal than in his casual attire from the night before. His French cufflinks were understated and minimalist, pure black without any gemstones—the luxury quietly embedded in the fabric and tailoring.

When their eyes met, he raised an eyebrow slightly and asked gently, “What are you doing here? Here for a meal?”

Zhu Jinyue had no time for small talk. Seeing that he was an acquaintance, she saw no need to stand on ceremony. She could use him as cover to take a photo for evidence. Quickly, she said, “Block me for a second. I need to take a picture of someone.”

Shen Qinghuai didn’t ask what she wanted to photograph. His attitude was hard to read—whether it was indulgent or simply indifferent—but he replied softly, “Alright.”

Before recognizing him the previous night, Zhu Jinyue had treated him as an ordinary stranger and hadn’t looked at him closely. By the time she realized who he was, they were already in the car.

Now, she noticed that Shen Qinghuai seemed even taller than she remembered. At 1.65 meters herself, her eyes barely reached past his shoulders.

He must be around 1.9 meters now.

Although there was no physical contact, the proximity was a bit close. Zhu Jinyue was surrounded by the not-quite-familiar scent of the man, feeling slightly uneasy.

But her mind was preoccupied with her brother-in-law’s situation, leaving no room for overthinking.

Zhu Jinyue rose slightly on her toes, holding up her phone. Using Shen Qinghuai as cover, she quickly snapped a photo of Xu Xing and the unfamiliar woman before they entered the elevator.

Seeing the two about to turn toward her as they stepped into the elevator, Zhu Jinyue quickly ducked down again and whispered to the man shielding her, “Can you turn around and check if the doors of Elevator 1 have closed?”

Shen Qinghuai still didn’t ask why. He glanced back and told her, “They’re closed.”

Zhu Jinyue let out a sigh of relief and straightened up.

“Thanks! I’ve got things to do, so I’ll head off now.”

As she spoke, Zhu Jinyue walked toward the elevators.

From her quick glance earlier, she remembered that there weren’t many people waiting for that elevator. Besides Xu Xing and the unfamiliar woman, there was only another couple. Elevator 1 was reserved for VIP guests and wouldn’t stop on many floors, so she could roughly guess their destination.

But before she could take more than a few steps, she heard that gentle male voice behind her.

“Jinyue.”

Zhu Jinyue’s footsteps faltered.

Her friends usually called her Yueyue or Yuebao, but back when they were close, he was the only one who liked to call her by her full name like this.

That habit had carried over even after ten years.

Hearing him say it now, Zhu Jinyue was momentarily lost in the illusion that they were still back in high school.

“Is there something else?” she asked, turning to look at him.

Shen Qinghuai said gently, “Were you just taking a picture of your brother-in-law?”

The elevators here moved incredibly fast. In the brief moment Shen Qinghuai had distracted her, Zhu Jinyue turned back to see the floor display already showing 34.

She had no idea if it had stopped anywhere in between.

Now it would be hard to tell.

Her brother-in-law was suspected of cheating, and her plan had been disrupted by him. Instantly irritated, she continued walking forward, hoping to salvage the situation, and said, “That’s none of your business.”

“If that’s the case—” Shen Qinghuai’s voice came from behind her, “I know where he’s going.”

Huh?

Zhu Jinyue immediately stopped.

When she turned around, Shen Qinghuai was still standing in the same spot, as if he had known she would stop or was waiting for her next move.

Since she had already missed the elevator stops, Zhu Jinyue had no choice but to take a few steps back toward him.

“You know where he’s going?” she asked, tilting her head up to look at him.

Shen Qinghuai hummed softly. “Not angry anymore?”

Zhu Jinyue: “…”

She wasn’t angry—just a bit anxious.

“Who’s angry?” she refused to admit it and quickly changed the subject. “How do you know where my brother-in-law is going?”

In her rush to chase after Xu Xing and the woman earlier, she hadn’t had time to think it through. Now, she found it strange, “And how did you know I was taking a picture of my brother-in-law? Do you know him?”

Shen Qinghuai smiled. “Would you like me to slowly explain the answers to all these questions, or would you rather know your brother-in-law’s destination today and his relationship with the woman beside him?”

The Ruiqi was a five-star luxury hotel.

With its high ceilings and bright lighting, the environment was completely different from the dim interior of the car the night before.

Zhu Jinyue could clearly see that the man’s eyes were a light brown. His appearance hadn’t changed much since high school, but his eyes seemed deeper now. Though he was smiling, his gaze was like an unfathomable deep pool.

It felt like he could see right through people even more easily than before.

After ten years apart, Zhu Jinyue had almost forgotten how clever he was. She didn’t waste time with more questions and simply said, “Then tell me. Or if you want something in exchange, that’s fine too.”

Shen Qinghuai took out his phone and said softly, “How about giving me your contact info?”

Zhu Jinyue was puzzled. “What kind of condition is that?”

“It’s not a condition,” Shen Qinghuai smiled. “Your brother-in-law and I have plans to have lunch today, so the woman next to him likely isn’t what you’re suspecting. As for what their relationship actually is, I don’t know yet either. I’ll ask him about it later. But if you give me your contact info, I can let you know the answer.”

Hearing that Xu Xing had plans with him, Zhu Jinyue felt mostly relieved.

But Zhu Qinghao was her only sister, so it was best to be absolutely certain about Xu Xing’s relationship with that unfamiliar woman.

However—

Zhu Jinyue asked him, “You’re having lunch with my brother-in-law? Are you discussing business?”

Shen Qinghuai nodded.

Zhu Jinyue looked at him suspiciously. “If you’re about to collaborate, how do I know you won’t lie to protect him?”

“Don’t trust me, huh? What should we do then—” Shen Qinghuai paused, seemingly unbothered, his eyes still smiling. “Should I livestream the whole thing for you?”

The man’s facial features were sharp and defined, but his gentle demeanour and smiling eyes softened the edges of those angles.

It made her feel as if not trusting him would be somehow unreasonable.

Zhu Jinyue also thought that if he wanted to cover for Xu Xing, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths—he could have just not called out to her earlier.

“A livestream won’t be necessary. I took a photo anyway, so if you lie to me, I’ll find out eventually.”

“Then—” Shen Qinghuai paused.

His gaze lingered on her face, just as it had the night before.

For some reason, Zhu Jinyue felt like those eyes held emotions she couldn’t quite decipher.

Before she could overthink it, Shen Qinghuai continued unhurriedly.

“How about exchanging contact info?”