Chapter 1

Chapter 1

On the flight back home.

I had a dream.

In the dream, I was the untouchable white moonlight in Song Qingyan’s heart.

He was madly in love with me, yet felt he was unworthy of me. He never dared to confess, and could only watch me leave the country without having the courage to come after me.

Later, he met a girl who looked strikingly like me. Through every underhanded means at his disposal, he forced her to become my substitute, then domineeringly acted out every fantasy he had about me on her.

He enjoyed her fresh, beautiful body, yet despised her for being willing to serve as a substitute, and constantly suppressed and humiliated her.

That girl went through misunderstanding, false accusations, a miscarriage, beatings, and all kinds of suffering before finally fleeing Song Qingyan’s side, covered in wounds inside and out.

Only then did Song Qingyan snap back to his senses and realize the person he loved was the substitute.

Then he turned around and hated me, his so-called white moonlight. He resented me for being pretentious and manipulative, blaming me for causing him to misunderstand the substitute again and again.

He dragged me down from my pedestal and destroyed my family, using it as atonement to the substitute. In the end, he successfully won the beauty’s heart back.

After waking up, I sank into deep thought.

This was hard to judge.

Whoever Song Qingyan liked, he had to ruin their reputation and drive them to a mental breakdown.

Was he toxic or what?

Other people took the blame. He got the career and the beauty.

But why should he?

So, at the welcome-home banquet everyone held for me, I walked straight past Song Qingyan without looking sideways, sat down indifferently across from him, and ignored him.

The hurt in Song Qingyan’s eyes was obvious. His mouth opened and closed, but in the end, he did not say a single word.

Everyone there knew Song Qingyan liked me, so they hurried to warm up the atmosphere.

“Qingyan still can’t get a word out whenever he sees Sister Jiayu. Sister Jiayu, look at him. Hasn’t he stayed exactly the same? Just like back then.”

Song Qingyan visibly perked up. He lifted his eyes to look at me, as if waiting expectantly for what I would say.

I searched through my memories, trying to figure out why exactly he had made me his white moonlight.

Was it because I played the violin at a music festival and became famous with a single piece?

Or because I defeated him in a debate competition?

Or perhaps because I saved him in the swimming pool when his leg cramped?

If he truly developed feelings for me over such trivial things and enshrined me as the white moonlight of his heart, then that proved only one thing: Song Qingyan worshipped strength and had no pity for the weak.

When someone was stronger than him, he would worship them endlessly.

When someone was weaker than him, he would be cruel.

If that was the case, then everything he did to me and to the substitute in the dream made sense.

Once I figured that out, my expression relaxed. I smiled gently and said, “It’s been years. I’ve already forgotten what Qingyan used to be like. Come on, tell me about yourselves. What have you all been busy with these past few years? What are you doing now?”

I steered the topic away from Song Qingyan and chatted easily with everyone.

Everyone could tell I had no interest in Song Qingyan.

The hope in Song Qingyan’s eyes dimmed.

Just then, there was a sound at the door.

A girl stood timidly in the doorway. Her gaze found Song Qingyan with perfect accuracy. Her lips trembled, but she took a long time without saying anything.

I glanced over and was stunned by her beauty.

So this was the substitute. The two of us really did look like twins.

So in everyone else’s eyes, was I this pretty?