"Like the Moon in the Sky" - Chapter 8
On the morning of the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Zhu Yuanshan and Zhu Jingsen flew abroad together.
Kong Si was also leaving the next day, so that evening she asked Zhu Qinghao to bring Xu Xing home for dinner.
After dinner, the four of them just happened to make up a table for mahjong.
Zhu Jinyue, for some reason, started losing from the very first round.
Feeling somewhat unconvinced, she dragged her mom, sister, and brother-in-law to keep playing with her until 2 a.m., but still managed to win only a few rounds.
If Kong Si weren’t flying abroad the next day, Zhu Jinyue would probably have kept them playing all night.
Having slept too late, Zhu Jinyue got up the next day to see her mom off, then returned to her third-floor room and crashed back into bed, not waking up until 4 p.m.
On the eighth day of the new year, most companies had already returned to normal operations. Zhu Qinghao and Xu Xing had both gone back to work, and the villa that had been lively and bustling the night before was now empty and silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Zhu Jinyue hadn’t slept well and was in a low mood, feeling too lethargic to move. Remembering she had to attend an auction that evening, she called her styling team to her home to do her makeup and styling.
She almost fell asleep again during the process.
The harsh winter wasn’t over yet, and Pingcheng’s temperature remained freezing cold.
Zhu Jinyue didn’t need clothes to elevate her status, so she naturally didn’t sacrifice warmth for style by wearing a gown.
The stylist chose a beige vicuña wool coat for her. Her hair was left down as she requested, blown into soft, voluminous black curls that cascaded over her shoulders.
As the styling was nearly finished, Zhu Jinyue received a message from Shen Qinghuai.
Shen Qinghuai: 【When are you heading out?】
“?”
Why was this guy suddenly popping up to message her?
Zhu Jinyue yawned, blinked, and after a moment’s delay remembered that Fu Zhiwang had mentioned he’d ask Shen Qinghuai to look after her for tonight.
She glanced at the time on her phone.
It wasn’t even 6:30 yet.
The auction was set to begin at 8 p.m., and it would take about an hour to get from home to the venue.
Since there was no one left at home to keep her company anyway—
Zhu Jinyue thought for a moment: 【I’ll be leaving soon】
Shen Qinghuai: 【I’m still at the office. I should arrive around 7:30, probably around the same time as you】
Zhu Jinyue couldn’t hold back another yawn. Through teary eyes, she sent him a little “ok” emoji.
There was no further reply from the other end.
Zhu Jinyue didn’t mind. She put her phone away and stood up for the stylist to make final adjustments.
The Yuan family’s auction was invitation-only, not open to the public. The guests were all wealthy or influential—otherwise, they couldn’t afford the items on offer.
The roads were unusually clear, and Zhu Jinyue arrived earlier than expected.
Before 7:20, she had already reached the venue.
She handed her invitation to the hostess at the entrance, and another staff member in uniform guided her inside.
The venue was arranged like an art exhibition, with paintings hung staggered on both walls. The artists’ names were unfamiliar, but the curator had excellent taste—the layout was clever, and the paintings were all above average, with some even being outstanding.
A staff member nearby explained that these were all newly discovered artists supported by the Yuan family.
Zhu Jinyue was still in a low mood and didn’t want someone chattering in her ear for the moment, so she asked the staff member to leave her to browse on her own.
As she moved from painting to painting, Zhu Jinyue vaguely felt she had forgotten something quite important. But perhaps because she hadn’t gotten enough sleep, her mind wasn’t clear, and she couldn’t recall what it was.
As she paused again to admire a painting, an unfamiliar male voice suddenly sounded behind her.
“Do you like this painting?”
Zhu Jinyue turned around.
Behind her stood a guy over 1.8 meters tall, dressed in a black formal suit but sporting a head of white hair that clashed dramatically with his outfit. He had a baby face and looked younger than her, probably in his early twenties.
When she turned, he smiled at her, revealing a pointed little canine tooth.
Zhu Jinyue nodded, “It’s alright.”
“I quite like it too,” the white-haired young master said with a smile. “This painting has a bit of a Vermeer style.”
Zhu Jinyue: “…”
Did he mean Vermeer?
But it was unclear whether he misspoke out of nervousness or simply didn’t know the name.
Someone nearby coughed heavily.
Zhu Jinyue followed the sound and saw a guy about the same age as the white-haired one, dressed in a flashy white suit, standing not far away and signaling to the white-haired guy with his eyes.
When she looked over, the one in the white suit immediately covered his face and turned away, as if too embarrassed to be seen.
Zhu Jinyue’s gaze returned to the white-haired guy.
It seems the answer is the latter.
But no one said you have to know who Vermeer is.
When her grandmother was still alive, she used to say that if you threw her into a vegetable market, she might not be able to tell lettuce from romaine.
The things she knows and has seen, others may not have encountered, but what others know and have seen, she might not be familiar with either.
“Worldliness” encompasses every facet of the world.
“It does have a bit of his style.”
The little white-haired guy’s eyes instantly lit up, “Right? If you like this painting, I can have someone take it down for you.”
Take it down and give it to her?
This white-haired young master spoke with the tone of a host. Could he be from the Yuan family?
The eldest son of the Yuan family should be nearly thirty—the age doesn’t match. The second son… according to Fu Zhiwang, he was in the same grade as her, so he should be around her age. Even if he looks young, Fu Zhiwang also said he’s socially anxious.
“Who are you?”
The little white-haired guy, “I’m Lu Qingyuan. Today’s auction is hosted by my uncle’s family. These paintings are also from my uncle’s gallery. Should I have someone take it down for you now?”
His eyes sparkled, his intentions almost written on his face.
Zhu Jinyue shook her head and declined, “Thank you, but that’s not necessary.”
The little white-haired guy—Lu Qingyuan—had noticed her the moment she walked in. From head to toe, down to each curled eyelash, she perfectly matched his preferences. He had secretly watched her for several minutes before finally mustering the courage to approach her.
Lu Qingyuan’s shoulders slumped slightly, but he wasn’t ready to give up just yet, “Don’t you like it? How about looking at some other paintings? Oh, by the way, did you come alone, or are you here with someone? What’s your name?”
He fired off a series of questions in one breath.
Before Zhu Jinyue could answer, another male voice sounded behind her.
This time, the voice and tone were familiar.
—It was Shen Qinghuai.
“Lu Qingyuan.”
Zhu Jinyue turned slightly.
The man was wearing a light camel vicuña wool coat today, with a beige knitted sweater underneath. There wasn’t a single visible logo on him, yet he exuded an indescribable sense of refined elegance.
Shen Qinghuai’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before shifting to Lu Qingyuan.
“Your cousin is looking for you urgently.”
Lu Qingyuan was taken aback, “Huh? Which cousin?”
Shen Qinghuai, “What do you think?”
Lu Qingyuan, “…”
His second cousin is socially anxious and avoids people whenever possible.
So, it must be the eldest cousin.
The eldest cousin rarely seeks him out unless it’s something important.
Lu Qingyuan’s mind was torn.
He hesitated between the adorable, love-at-first-sight girl and his stern-faced eldest cousin. In the end, the terrifying authority of the eldest cousin won out—for now.
Besides, there would be plenty of opportunities to chat up the girl later.
But if he missed seeing his eldest cousin now, there might not be a “later.”
Lu Qingyuan glanced reluctantly at Zhu Jinyue. “I need to go find my cousin first. Please keep looking around. If you see any painting you like, remember it and let me know. I’ll have someone bring it to you later.”
With that, he dashed off.
He moved incredibly fast.
The formal suit seemed quite restrictive on him. In comparison, Zhu Jinyue felt that casual sportswear might suit him better.
“Jinyue.”
Shen Qinghuai’s voice sounded again.
Zhu Jinyue turned back to him.
“How long have you been here?” Shen Qinghuai looked down at her, his voice seeming slightly lower than before.
Zhu Jinyue, “Not long, just a few minutes.”
Shen Qinghuai nodded and asked gently, “Would you like to continue looking at the paintings, or shall I take you to your seat now?”
Zhu Jinyue wasn’t really in the mood tonight and was starting to feel drowsy again.
“Let’s go to the seats.”
The Yuan family had arranged for her seat to be in the first row.
As soon as Zhu Jinyue took her seat, she noticed Shen Qinghuai sitting down in the seat to her left.
Huh?
“Is your seat next to mine?” Zhu Jinyue asked him.
Shen Qinghuai smiled, “I had a friend help me swap it.”
Zhu Jinyue, “You really don’t have to listen to Fu Zhiwang. I probably won’t need any help. You should just enjoy yourself.”
“Swapping seats was just a small favor. If you need help, it’s convenient. If you don’t, that’s even better,” the man replied in his usual gentle tone.
It wasn’t bad to have someone familiar sitting next to her. At least if she got bored later, she’d have someone to chat with.
Zhu Jinyue didn’t say anything more. She was about to look through the evening’s auction catalogue when the hem of her coat slipped down uncontrollably, lightly brushing against the man’s coat beside her.
The white and camel hues of the same fabric collided, and at a glance, they almost looked like matching pieces.
In that instant, Zhu Jinyue suddenly remembered what she had been forgetting all day—completely unrelated, yet it popped into her mind.
Today was the day “Willow Shades Blossom Anew” launched its second New Year gacha pool.
The first one had opened on New Year’s Eve.
This was the Year of the Tiger, and the first limited-time event gacha featured a little tiger.
The second pool, today, was for pandas.
Zhu Jinyue had already seen the PV—the panda was round and roly-poly, super adorable.
But it wasn’t entirely unrelated.
The game was from his company, and he was the one who had recommended it to her.
Zhu Jinyue withdrew her hand from the catalogue, picked up her phone, and logged into the game.
She had forgotten to turn down the volume, so as soon as she entered the game, the now-familiar BGM instantly blared out. She quickly muted her phone, but the person beside her had clearly already heard it.
Zhu Jinyue heard his voice beside her, seemingly tinged with obvious amusement, “You really are playing it?”
Busy diving into the gacha draws, Zhu Jinyue didn’t look up. “Just giving the boss some face.”
Shen Qinghuai chuckled softly but didn’t disturb her further as she played.
“Willow Shades Blossom Anew” had a 100-draw points system.
Zhu Jinyue knew her luck was terrible and didn’t expect to get anything early. She drew until she hit the 100-point, and sure enough, a golden leaf representing a rare animal appeared.
She skipped the animation and tapped the leaf.
A pink-and-white rabbit rolled out.
It was cute.
But she already had countless ones.
Wasn’t this the limited-time panda pool?
A bug?
Even though the boss was right beside her, he couldn’t fix a bug on the spot. Eager to get the panda, Zhu Jinyue didn’t bring it up immediately and continued drawing.
On the 200th draw, a black kitten appeared.
On the 300th, a red fox.
…
By the time she finished 500 draws, there was still no sign of a panda. Zhu Jinyue finally couldn’t help but turn her head toward the man beside her, who seemed to be reading tech news, “Is your game bugged?”
Shen Qinghuai looked up and asked gently, “What’s wrong?”
Zhu Jinyue handed her phone over, showing him her drawing history. “Isn’t this the panda pool?”
Shen Qinghuai leaned slightly closer.
Zhu Jinyue caught a scent—woody, yet crisp like snow, with a faint hint of aggression)—lingering around her.
She felt momentarily dazed.
After ten years, this person had indeed changed quite a bit from before.
“Did you get the tiger within the first 100 draws in the last event pool?” Shen Qinghuai suddenly asked.
Zhu Jinyue snapped back to attention. “Yes.”
On New Year’s Eve, she had been unusually lucky.
Shen Qinghuai laughed softly, “No wonder.”
“No wonder what?” Zhu Jinyue asked, puzzled.
Shen Qinghuai turned to look at her, his voice very soft. “You never liked reading rules-related things before.”
Zhu Jinyue, “…”
She didn’t like it then, and she still doesn’t now.
To this day, she hasn’t read a single game guide. She has no patience for it, and anyway, she can always spend her way through any difficulty!
Shen Qinghuai explained to her leisurely, “The points rule for limited-time event pools is that 100 draws guarantee a rare animal, but it doesn’t guarantee the new animal from the limited-time event.”
Zhu Jinyue, the epitome of bad luck who always relied on pity draws, was speechless for a few seconds. Finally, she couldn’t help but fix her gaze on the man beside her and enunciated word by word:
“Shady businessman.”
The “shady businessman” himself wasn’t offended. Instead, he smiled and held out his hand to her. “Want me to try for you?”
Thinking about her terrible luck from the previous night, Zhu Jinyue eventually handed her phone over to him.
The phone, encased in a pink case, landed in the man’s broad palm, held loosely by him.
The very small, light-colored mole at the base of his right index finger flashed before her eyes, and Zhu Jinyue’s gaze immediately shifted back to her screen.
Shen Qinghuai tapped into the gacha pool.
As soon as he started drawing, Zhu Jinyue saw golden light flash twice—two golden leaves appeared.
“?!”
Zhu Jinyue, “Quick, skip the animation.”
Shen Qinghuai skipped the animation as she asked and tapped the first golden leaf.
A round, roly-poly panda tumbled out.
He tapped the second one.
Another panda.
Zhu Jinyue: “…”
She hadn’t seen a single panda in 500 draws, yet this guy got a double on his first 10-draw. Even though he was drawing for her, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.
Why is the gap between people so huge?
Zhu Jinyue frowned, her expression sour. “Your luck is just too good. Or does the game recognize you as the boss?”
“Good luck means being able to effortlessly and easily obtain what you want.” Shen Qinghuai paused, his gaze lingering gently on her face for a moment. “It seems I’ve never had that talent.”
Listen to what he’s saying—is that even human?
Zhu Jinyue immediately snatched her phone back from his hand.
“Don’t talk to me for a while.”