The Cannon Fodder Ex-Wife Returns as the Black Moonlight - Chapter 11

The street vendor dropped Shang Shiqian and the other girl off under a tree in a quiet alley. He even pulled out two small stools and smiled warmly. “It’s cool here. Take your time.”

The girl saw him turning to leave and quickly asked, “Hey, boss, where are you going?”

“I’m just going to pick up the rest of my tables and chairs.”

“What about these two stools?”

The vendor was already driving off on his tricycle, his laughter drifting back on the breeze. “Leave them there. I’ll come back for them. Whether you stay or leave after eating, it’s up to you.”

Shang Shiqian blinked.

The girl blinked, too.

They exchanged a look and burst out laughing.

“After chasing down a hotpot cart together, I think we’ve built some camaraderie. Let’s be friends,” the girl said. “I’m Chen Yixun, a student at Dongcheng University.”

“Yixun with an E?” Shang Shiqian asked.

Chen Yixun caught her drift immediately and laughed. “It’s ‘Yixun’ as in ‘medal number one,’ not the letter.”

Shang Shiqian smiled. “I’m Shang Shi…yu. Shang as in Shang Yang, Shi as in ‘timing,’ and Yu as in ‘not catching it.’”

Chen Yixun’s interest spiked. “You’re from the Shang family?”

“Why is that your first assumption?”

“You’re right near their estate, and you’re using the ‘Shi’ generation name. Isn’t that too much of a coincidence?” She paused, then reconsidered. “Wait, I don’t think anyone in the Shang family has that name.”

Shang Shiqian grinned. “You seem to know a lot about the Shang family.”

That unlocked Chen Yixun’s enthusiasm.

“Who in Dongcheng doesn’t? I mean, it might sound silly, but I’m an orphan. I was lucky enough to receive funding from the Fenghuang Education Foundation, which helped me finish high school and make it into college. Thanks to their scholarships, I’m doing alright now. As for Fenghuang Corporation, it is ranked among the top 500 companies in the world. That speaks for itself, doesn’t it?”

Shang Shiqian nodded gently.

Fenghuang Corporation was founded by her grandmother, Shang Yufeng, and grandaunt, Shang Yuhuang. It had started out as a small shipyard, eventually expanding into aviation, logistics, energy, education, and other fields.

Her grandmother had always placed more importance on education and scientific research, so she passed the company to her sister early on and personally donated one billion yuan to co-establish the Fenghuang Education Foundation with the Ministry of Education.

Chen Yixun went on, “But the one I admire most is Madam Shang Yufeng. She not only invested her efforts into the nation’s education system but also raised two incredible daughters. The eldest, Shang Yunyu, is an expert in aerospace manufacturing technology and a consulting professor at Jiaoda University. The younger one, Shang Yunpei, is even more impressive. She holds the distinguished title of academician at the national engineering academy.”

She listed off the achievements of the Shang family like a memorized script.

Shang Shiqian didn’t interrupt. Her understanding of her own family was outdated. After eight years, everyone else had moved forward. She no longer dared to claim she knew them better than others.

“And Shang Yunyu’s eldest daughter was known to everyone as Eldest Miss Shang. Her name was Shang Shixing”

Before she could finish, a voice interrupted, “Wait, why is Shang Shixing considered the eldest miss? Isn’t the CEO of Fenghuang Corporation supposed to be the real one?”

Shang Shiqian turned to see several young people lounging under the same tree. Judging by their casual outfits, they were likely tourists.

Chen Yixun didn’t mind being overheard. She replied naturally, “Madam Shang Yufeng and Madam Shang Yuhuang live separately. To distinguish their descendants, Fenghuang Corporation calls them princesses.”

Shang Shiqian cringed inwardly, her toes curling inside her shoes.

Just yesterday, she had mocked Wei Yixian’s domineering CEO title. Now it turned out her own family was tossing around words like princess and heiress.

One of the tourists nodded. “Got it. Please go on.”

“Where was I?”

“The Eldest Miss.”

“Right,” Chen Yixun continued. “She was top of her class at the University of Aviation. Instead of entering research, she went into commercial aviation. Two years ago, she took over as chairperson of the Fenghuang Education Foundation.”

Another tourist cut in. “Is she married?”

Shang Shiqian glanced sideways. Why did they seem more interested in her sister’s personal life than her career?

She had her reasons for caring, but they were clearly just being nosy.

Chen Yixun didn’t notice anything off. “Yes. She’s married and has two daughters.”

“Two girls?” one of the tourists exclaimed.

Their exaggerated surprise even made the usually cheerful Chen Yixun uncomfortable.

Someone murmured, “There’s a rumor in Dongcheng that the Shang family is cursed. They say they’ve only had daughters for generations, so the family name is passed down through women. They recruit sons-in-law instead of marrying the daughters off.”

The skewer vendor had just returned and overheard the conversation. He loudly added, “That’s because, according to old tales, the family heads used to secretly kill off baby boys to keep inheritance within the female line. That’s how the rumor of a curse started. Later, same-sex marriage was legalized, and with asexual reproduction tech or whatever, two women could have daughters. So no one knows whether it’s a curse or manmade.”

Whatever goodwill Chen Yixun and Shang Shiqian had for him vanished instantly.

Chen Yixun snapped, “Boss, stop spreading nonsense.”

“It’s an old story. I didn’t make it up,” he shrugged.

Shang Shiqian sighed. Official channels could control online rumors, but it was almost impossible to stop casual gossip like this from spreading offline.

She stood up.

Chen Yixun followed. “Wait up.”

After tossing their trash, Chen Yixun asked, “I still don’t know where you study. Or are you already working?”

“I was enrolled at East Xia Normal University, but I dropped out.”

She had been dead for years. There was no way her records still existed.

“Why?” For someone like Chen Yixun, who had clawed her way into college, education was a rare chance. She couldn’t understand giving that up.

Shang Shiqian gave a vague smile. “I should head back. Thanks for all the stories today.”

“Let’s add each other on WeChat,” Chen Yixun offered, pulling out her phone.

Shang Shiqian patted her pockets. “I didn’t bring my phone.”

Remembering how she had paid with cash earlier, Chen Yixun quietly put her phone away.

Then Shang Shiqian seemed to remember something. She turned and asked, “Dongcheng University has a special program for Go players, right?”

“Yeah. But we only have two high-ranking pro players. Most are either low-level or amateurs who didn’t come in through the special track. Why, do you play Go?”

“I do.” Shang Shiqian smiled. “Can outsiders visit to play?”

“Sure. We have a Go club and a dedicated room. Even students not in the club can play there.” She saw Shang Shiqian’s eyes light up and hesitated. “If you’d like, I can bring you along next time.”

“Thanks!” Shang Shiqian said brightly.

With no way to exchange contact info, Chen Yixun suggested, “I have class in the morning, but I’m free in the afternoon. Meet me at 2 p.m. by the east gate convenience store?”

“I’ll be there.”

When she returned to Tianhao Garden, Shang Shiqian borrowed a tablet and caught up on the latest Go news.

Wei Yixian didn’t come back for dinner. Shang Shiqian was curious but didn’t bother asking the tight-lipped maids.

It wasn’t until after ten, just as she was ready for bed, that she finally heard a car pulling in.

As if triggered by her return, the system suddenly powered back online. Its voice shrieked inside her mind, crawling with dark energy:

“What are you doing, Host? What did you do all day? Why has the original plot advanced?”

“Huh? What original plot advancement?”

“If you don’t chase the female lead, the storyline reverts to the original novel! That puts our mission in serious jeopardy!”

“So?”

“Don’t you care where the female lead went so late? She had a candlelit dinner with her white moonlight! She even accepted a birthday gift! I thought we dodged that event yesterday, but it still got triggered!”

“See? I told you. No matter what I do, it just brings them closer.”

“Go seduce her! Don’t tell me you don’t know how. I’ll send you a tutorial!”

What kind of hellish suggestion is that?

It really lived up to its name as the Black Moonlight System. That twisted aura practically oozed from the screen.

“I’ve sent the tutorial. Go seduce her,” it added before disappearing again, low on power.

In the underground garage, the bodyguard who had followed Shang Shiqian all day stood waiting.

As the driver pulled away, he stepped forward to report.

Wei Yixian raised her hand. “You’re off duty. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

He nodded and left.

Wei Yixian sat in the car a long while, digesting everything she had overheard between the system and Shang Shiqian.

Only when it had all settled in did she get out and head inside.

——

Wei Yixian passed in front of Shang Shiqian eight hundred times that evening.

Shang Shiqian: What are you doing?

Wei Yixian: Weren’t you going to seduce me? I’m giving you a chance.

Shang Shiqian: What?