The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Returns as the Black Moonlight - Chapter 10

When Shang Shiqian returned to the newly renovated gates of the Shang residence, a sleek red Phantom was slowly pulling out.

She ignored the tourists snapping photos as if it were a local landmark. Her gaze was fixed entirely on the car.

Through the windshield, she caught sight of the woman in the driver’s seat. One look was all it took. It was her eldest sister, Shang Shixing.

They had seen each other just two days ago, yet in this moment, an inexplicable weight pressed down on her chest. It felt like her chest had been filled with heavy, suffocating cotton, thick enough to choke back every breath.

As the car merged onto the main road, Shang Shiqian noticed a child safety seat in the back. A little girl sat there, maybe five or six years old. But the car was already disappearing around the corner before she could get a proper look at the child’s face.

Was that her sister’s daughter?

She tapped the system. “Hey, is that my niece?”

“No idea,” the system replied breezily.

She let out a sigh. “You call this self-service? You can’t find anything. This isn’t just power-saving mode. It feels like you’ve shut down entirely.”

Then a thought struck her. She leaned in, coaxing, “Hey, System, can you store the original novel locally? Like, upload it into your memory so I can access character info or plot points even when you’re offline?”

That morning, while waiting for the bus, she had skimmed through the original novel. Several chapters in, her name still hadn’t come up. Her entire existence was only briefly mentioned when someone spotted Wei Yixian on a date with her white moonlight. A passerby had whispered some gossip about her being Wei Yixian’s ex-wife.

Seriously? I’m just a gossip footnote?

After that, the narrative shifted to a series of flashbacks, detailing how Wei Yixian and her white moonlight had met and fallen in love.

She and Wei Yixian had barely interacted before marriage, so she knew she wouldn’t appear in any of those youthful memories. She had planned to skip the entire school arc.

But when she skimmed the final chapter of that section, she noticed something odd. Once the white moonlight went abroad, Wei Yixian’s flashbacks ended abruptly. The narrative jumped straight to their reunion.

She immediately lost interest and mentally shoved the novel into a dusty corner.

If she could access the information through the system, there was no need to waste her time flipping through the book.

“Noted! This feature will roll out with the next upgrade,” the system chirped.

She asked, “When will that be?”

“When enough energy is collected, of course.”

So it’s baiting me to do missions again.

Wei Yixian had just taken a call from her bodyguard. The moment she heard that Shang Shiqian had gone to the Shang estate again and nearly ran into Shang Shixing, her expression turned ice-cold.

“Find a way to get her out of there without raising suspicion,” she ordered.

That fraud had no concept of danger. Did she think she could waltz into the Shang family’s world just because she had stolen Shang Shiqian’s face?

Did she really believe that if she looked like Shang Shiqian, the family would treat her as a stand-in? That they would pour all their longing for the real Shang Shiqian into her instead?

Delusional.

All she would do was provoke them.

To the Shang family, Shang Shiqian was a scar that would never heal. Their deepest wound. Their most untouchable nerve. Parading around in her image and trying to scam people would only invite retaliation.

If Wei Yixian hadn’t known this woman was targeting her specifically, she would’ve handed her over to the Shang family yesterday.

When the secretary knocked and entered, she immediately sensed trouble. Miss Wei’s face was like a thundercloud.

She paused at the threshold, uncertain whether to proceed or quietly retreat.

Wei Yixian glanced at her with a look that asked, What is it?

The secretary straightened her shoulders and said, “Miss Wei, the front desk just called. Miss Yin Zaishui from Zhouran Corporation said she has an appointment with you now, but it’s not listed in your schedule…”

Wei Yixian glanced at her watch. Her tone was light. “She scheduled it privately last night. I forgot to tell you.”

She had intended to notify her secretary, but Shang Shiqian’s exchange with the system had distracted her.

The secretary put on a professional smile. “She’s already here. Should I bring her to a meeting room or send her in?”

“Let her come up.”

Moments later, the elevator chimed open. The first thing the secretary noticed was the bold red suit.

Not many could wear that color without being overwhelmed by it. But on Yin Zaishui, it radiated confidence. Her long, wavy hair framed her face, painted with sharp Western-style makeup that made her look dazzling, assertive, and unapologetically stunning.

“Hi~” Yin Zaishui greeted with a brilliant smile.

The secretary’s heart skipped a beat. Still, she reminded herself exactly who this was. This woman was the infamous first love, often referred to as the white moonlight. Someone far beyond her reach. She quickly smoothed over her thoughts.

“Miss Yin, please follow me.”

Yin Zaishui cast a casual glance around before walking into the office.

Wei Yixian stood as she entered.

“Wei!” Yin Zaishui walked forward, extending her hand.

But Wei Yixian bypassed it completely and went to sit on the couch. “Coffee,” she told the secretary.

The secretary ducked out immediately.

Yin Zaishui retracted her hand and took the seat opposite. “You’re so cold, Wei.”

Wei Yixian replied evenly, “That’s how I treat enemies.”

She added, “Also, lose the strange tone. Speak normally.”

Yin Zaishui chuckled, catching herself before it turned into a laugh. “You used to be cuter. But fine, I brought you a birthday gift.”

From her designer handbag, she pulled out a sleek jewelry box with the logo of a world-famous luxury brand.

Wei Yixian barely looked at it. “A million-dollar trinket or a ten-billion-dollar company. Which do you think I’ll choose?”

Yin Zaishui replied, “Work is work. Personal matters are separate. I can tell the difference. I didn’t bring this because of Zhouran Corporation. We haven’t seen each other in years. I just wanted to reconnect.”

Wei Yixian had been moments away from asking her to leave, but the thought of Shang Shiyu made her pause.

She said coolly, “In business, every old feeling has a price tag. We’re not teenagers anymore. We’ve both been in this world too long to believe otherwise. If you haven’t figured that out, I’m starting to wonder if the praise people give you is all smoke and mirrors.”

Yin Zaishui hadn’t expected Wei Yixian to be so ruthless. They had parted peacefully back then. Even at recent financial summits, she hadn’t been this guarded.

Was it just because she had joined Zhouran Corporation?

Shang Shiqian was driven away.

The crowd of tourists snapping selfies outside the Shang residence, along with nearby street vendors, were all scattered by the sudden shout, “City inspectors are coming!”

It wasn’t even the actual city inspectors. Just the threat of them.

The vendors instantly stopped what they were doing. One swift pull of the handbrake, and their modified tricycles roared off like racecars.

Her lunch, still cooking on one of those carts, vanished down the street. And since she had already paid, she wasn’t about to let it go. That money had come from dumpster diving. No way was she wasting it.

Chasing alongside her, another girl clutched a basket of ingredients and shouted cleverly, “Boss, let us on! I’ll help you cook the skewers!”

To everyone’s surprise, the vendor stopped and let them hop on.

Minutes later, they sat in the back of the tricycle, staring at a boiling pot of food.

The vendor called back over the noise. “Whatever you ordered, toss it in to cook!”

Shang Shiqian blinked. What?

The girl turned to her. “Sis, is this yours?”

Shang Shiqian nodded.

The girl helped fish out her skewers and dropped them into a paper bowl. “Not sure what flavors you like. Add your own sauce.”

First it was taste-testing for pigeons, then digging through trash for spare change. Now, I’ve managed to check off a new milestone. I’m chasing down my lunch on a hotpot cart, speeding through the streets like it’s an action movie.

How did I never know life had this many absurd plot twists?

Back at Wei Corporation, inside the CEO’s office—

Yin Zaishui was preparing to leave when she extended a lunch invitation.

Wei Yixian was about to respond when her private phone rang.

“I have business to handle,” she said. “Please see yourself out.”

Yin Zaishui shrugged and exited.

Wei Yixian answered the call. Her face darkened within seconds.

“You lost her?”

Her bodyguard answered sheepishly. “There was an incident. She got taken away by a spicy skewer cart.”

———

Bodyguard: Miss Wei, your wife ran off with the spicy skewers.

Miss Wei: What?