Chapter 19 — The Untouchable White Moonlight
Wen Zhi's heart had been wound tight, but the moment the ball rolled smoothly into the pocket, all that tension snapped.
She tossed the cue aside and jumped up in pure excitement, throwing her arms around Mo Tingyan.
"It went in! We won!"
A faint smile tugged at his lips. He lifted a hand and gently patted her back, indulgent, amused, warm.
Realizing how over-the-top she was being, Wen Zhi stiffened. She hadn't let her emotions slip like this in years—not since she learned the hard way that joy was dangerous. She quickly stepped away from his embrace and turned to Huo Ze, her expression already back to its cool self.
"President Huo, we won. I hope you'll keep your word."
Huo Ze dragged his gaze away from Mo Tingyan's face and shifted it to the stunning woman in front of him.
"Don't worry," he said calmly. "I always honor my promises. Captain Mo… Jiang Airlines will keep you."
Wen Zhi finally let out the breath she'd been holding. Relief washed through her like a warm tide.
Not giving him a chance to change his mind, she grabbed Mo Tingyan's wrist, thanked Huo Ze, and hurried out of the club with him.
Back home, Wen Zhi had just opened her mouth to say she was tired when Mo Tingyan scooped her up, carried her straight into the study, and sat her on the desk.
He leaned close, breath skimming her ear, voice low and sinfully seductive.
"Zhuzhu, you saved my job today. To properly thank you… I'll have to offer myself to you."
Wen Zhi pressed a hand to his shoulder, exasperated.
"Stop fooling around. I'm tired, I just want—"
"No," he interrupted solemnly, as if discussing national affairs. "You don't have to do anything. I already said we'd unlock a new position on the pool table today. You just sit there—I'll handle the labor."
"…"
Who said anything about agreeing to that?
Before she could glare him into ashes, his lips were already on hers, catching her off guard.
Just as her whole body was heating up, her phone rang loudly.
Wen Zhi instantly sobered, palm pressing against his shoulder.
Mo Tingyan buried his face in her neck and groaned, "Who's so annoying? Interrupting our… self-study."
She ignored him and looked at the screen.
Her father.
Her expression chilled a few degrees. She answered without speaking.
Mo Tingyan caught sight of the caller ID, paused, then silently moved to sit beside her.
On the line, an irritable male voice barked,
"Wen Zhi, your aunt said you found some rich man willing to buy you four million in jewelry? Who is he?"
Wen Zhi sneered inwardly.
Of course. He only ever called when it concerned his own interests.
When she didn't respond, his voice grew colder:
"Fine, don't tell me. Listen carefully—I'm calling for two reasons. First, your sister is with the second young master of the Mo family now. Everything she does is for the Wen family's future. You'd better not cause her trouble. Second, President Jin is very satisfied with you. If this man you found is useless to the Wen family, I will never allow you to marry him. I—"
Wen Zhi hung up.
Her father's voice disappeared mid-sentence.
For a long moment she sat there, the shadows in her eyes thickening.
Mo Tingyan studied her profile, then slowly reached out to ruffle the back of her head. His smile was lazy, softening the sharp edges of the moment.
"How about we have a drink to celebrate instead?"
She looked at him. His dark eyes reflected the night—and a steadiness she hadn't expected.
"…Okay."
Her chest felt tight. Drinking sounded good.
Neither mentioned continuing what they'd been doing. They left the study together.
Mo Tingyan fetched cold beers from the fridge, and the two of them sat on the balcony at a small round table.
Wen Zhi cracked open her can first, lifted it toward the night sky, and took two long gulps. The cold liquid cleared her mind a little.
Mo Tingyan tapped his can against hers.
"I heard everything your father said. He's not worth your sadness or affection. And yes, you have every right to resent him. But don't be too discouraged. There will always be people in this world who are worth caring about—people who can make your heart feel a little lighter."
…Was there?
Wen Zhi stared at the night for a few seconds, then shook her head.
"No. There isn't."
He looked at her, hesitating before asking,
"Your mother… your other relatives…"
"They're gone." Her voice was flat. Cold. Final.
He knew.
He turned toward her fully.
"I know they're gone. I meant… even if they're not here anymore, they're still people worth caring about. They can still—"
"I don't want to talk about this." She cut him off abruptly and turned to him. "What about you? Do you have someone you care about?"
That caught him off guard.
For half a minute, they simply stared at each other.
Just when Wen Zhi thought he wouldn't answer, he finally spoke.
"…Yes. There's a girl. I owe her a lot. She's the only person in this world I truly care about."
White moonlight.
Wen Zhi froze.
This was the first time she had seen him so serious.
So even a shameless, flirtatious rogue like him… had someone carved into his heart.
For a moment, she was curious—what kind of girl could make him like this?
But then she remembered—their marriage was just a cooperative partnership. His past, his secrets… none of it had anything to do with her.
She swallowed her curiosity.
"That's good. Better to have a heart than no heart at all."
She set her empty can down, stood up, and said calmly,
"It's late. I'm tired from today. I'm going to sleep. There's work tomorrow."
She turned to leave, but Mo Tingyan reached out and caught her wrist.
He tilted his head, lips curved into a teasing smile.
"Are you jealous?"
"…"
"You're overthinking it," she said coolly. "We're just living together out of convenience. I won't interfere in your private life, nor will I pry into your secrets. I'm simply tired. That's all."
She gently pulled her hand free.
"Rest early. Good night."
She walked back to her room without looking back.
Mo Tingyan didn't stop her.
He simply watched her retreating figure, the lazy warmth in his eyes slowly darkening into something deeper… something unreadable.