The Bright Moon Hangs High

*Splash, splash—*

It was the first time Lin Meng had ever helped anyone bathe. But tonight, she paid no attention to Yun Huaizhu's body—all she saw was her helplessness and fragility.

Right now, the woman before her was simply too grief-stricken to look after herself, unable even to wash her own body.

Yun Huaizhu lay in the bathtub, the hot water gradually warming her body again. She could feel Lin Meng's soft fingertips slowly massaging her scalp, the water at just the right temperature sliding through her hair.

Suddenly she recalled the first time she and Lin Meng had been at a hotel together. “Mengmeng-jie, do you remember? The first time we met, when I differentiated, you took me to a hotel and looked after me just like this.”

You always show up when I'm at my most helpless, my most fragile.

At that, Lin Meng's hands paused mid-motion. Then she rinsed the foam from Yun Huaizhu's hair. “Because we're friends. You're such a good person—anyone would choose to help you.”

Yun Huaizhu shook her head at Lin Meng's naivety. “No, they wouldn't. No one but you would ever help me. A fallen noble young miss suddenly differentiates into an S-rank omega—most of the people circling her are thinking about how to obtain her, not how to help her or buy her suppressants. Back then, I had no way to protect myself. If I had really differentiated in Su Yutang's villa, the consequences would have been beyond even my imagination.”

Lin Meng was about to wrap Yun Huaizhu's black, silky hair in a drying cap when her hands paused again.

In truth, the scene Yun Huaizhu feared had already happened once in the novel.

For Yun Huaizhu, it had truly been a despairing consequence.

Lately, Lin Meng had been wondering—had she been somewhat wrong? Because she'd grown up without a family, she loved seeing perfect endings. She had always thought that no matter how difficult the journey in a novel was, no matter how unbearable, as long as the two people ended up together in the end, wasn't that enough?

Every novel and TV drama she had ever seen was like that.

But only now did she realize: the world she was in was real.

Su Yutang and Yun Huaizhu were both real people. Even everyone she had met in this world was just like the people in her original world.

Everyone had their own feelings.

They weren't merely appendages to the novel's plot. Beyond those fixed story beats, everyone had walked their own paths.

Forget it.

As long as everyone in this world lived well, that was enough.

Lin Meng wrapped Yun Huaizhu's wet hair up. “Zhuzhu, you've already been amazing. You've worked so hard. You're just too tired right now. Get a good sleep. We'll deal with everything tomorrow; as long as you're alive and well, everything can be overcome.”

At that, Yun Huaizhu turned to look at Lin Meng. “Aren't you curious whether what those people online are saying is true?”

Seeing Yun Huaizhu bring up what had blown up online tonight, all on her own, Lin Meng deliberately sidestepped it—she didn't want to touch the deepest wound in Yun Huaizhu's heart. “They're just a bunch of gossips. This is your private matter; what does it have to do with anyone else?”

Besides, Mama Yun had already passed away. Using the dead to make an issue was far too disrespectful—truly a pack of unscrupulous media.

Yun Huaizhu nodded. “It's true that my private matters have nothing to do with strangers. But they do have to do with you, because you are the person I trust most, the one closest to me. So I want to tell you the secret I've buried in my heart for so many years.”

Hearing this, Lin Meng couldn't help but wonder: how could she possibly deserve such high regard from Yun Huaizhu?

But Yun Huaizhu was at her most heartbroken right now; she couldn't let her down.

Lin Meng was silent for a moment, then raised her head to look at Yun Huaizhu. “If Zhuzhu wants to tell me, I'll listen carefully.”

Yun Huaizhu's eyes, gradually recovering their tenderness, blinked at Lin Meng. “The story of my origins begins before I was born. Back then, my mother had just inherited the family business. She was still somewhat inexperienced in business dealings and social affairs. Although she was a low-grade omega, her professional abilities were outstanding. In less than a year, she had everyone in the family bowing to her.”

Hearing this, Lin Meng met Yun Huaizhu's gaze. “Auntie really was remarkable. Zhuzhu is just as remarkable as she was.”

Yun Huaizhu let out a bitter laugh. “Yes. But it was precisely because she was too outstanding, too prominent, that she attracted the attention of people who wanted to scheme against her.”

Lin Meng's expression suddenly turned puzzled and tense.

Yun Huaizhu continued, “Those people thought: what right does a low-grade omega have to inherit the family business and drag those high-and-mighty people down? It's simply too unfair. Some people are like that—they think their high position is all their own merit, but in the end they discover they're completely useless, not even comparable to a low-grade omega. So they became jealous and wanted to drag down the person who had stepped over them.”

As she spoke, her expression slowly twisted, and the air around her grew cold. “So they set a trap. They found a nobody who happened to be an S-rank alpha to scheme against my mother. At first, that person seemed normal—she was just like one of my mother's many suitors, sending flowers every day, staging chance encounters, even memorizing my mother's schedule and showing up on her business trips and at her hotels. To put it nicely, she was like a sasaeng fan; but I think she was more like a fly, everywhere at once.”

Hearing this, Lin Meng felt as though something had gripped her heart tightly. Her expression gradually turned flustered.

Seeing Lin Meng's expression, Yun Huaizhu suddenly reached out a still-dripping hand and stroked her temple. “Don't worry, Mengmeng-jie. You used to follow me around because you liked me too much—that doesn't count as a sasaeng fan. I like it when Mengmeng-jie follows me.”

It would be best if you always followed me just like this.

Only then did Lin Meng relax.

But wait—she hadn't said anything just now, had she? How did Yun Huaizhu know what she was thinking?

Yun Huaizhu's gentle expression suddenly shattered as she continued the story. “Finally, on that day, that alpha, with the help of other powerful families, schemed against my mother. She drugged her.” She even let out a cold, choked laugh. “My mother was a low-grade omega; she simply couldn't resist the pheromones of such an elite alpha. And because of that one night, my mother became pregnant.”

Hearing this, a dull ache suddenly rose in Lin Meng's heart.

She had never imagined Yun Huaizhu's origins were so fraught with hardship.

Tears glistened at the corners of Yun Huaizhu's eyes. “She wanted to abort the child conceived by force. But then she thought: she would eventually have to marry into another family anyway. Although she was the head of the Yun family, her identity as a low-grade omega was still there. Even the impoverished fallen families of Jing City at the time, relying on their status, wanted to extract benefits from her before agreeing to a marriage alliance. Those wealthy families of equal standing to the Yun family would never choose my mother for a marriage alliance.”

Lin Meng couldn't hold back her tears either, because she could see that Yun Huaizhu's personality was exactly like Mama Yun's. Someone with Mama Yun's fierce self-respect would never tolerate such humiliation.

How painful it must be for the high-hanging bright moon to be despised by everyone.

As Yun Huaizhu spoke, a strange glint flickered faintly in her eyes. “To be with an alpha she didn't love, to be entangled with her for a lifetime, constantly needing her comfort—that would be more painful than death. So my mother made a bold decision. She kept me, and used the best lawyers to send the alpha who forced and drugged her to prison. Later, including the families involved in the scheme, my mother settled accounts with them one by one—bankruptcy for the bankrupt, a leap from a building for those who jumped. My mother repaid every ounce of pain she had suffered a thousandfold, a hundredfold. So in this world, I have only one mother: Yun Jinyu. As for everyone else, they are merely insignificant passersby.”

But by then, Yun Jinyu had already been permanently marked by that S-rank alpha. During her pregnancy, without that alpha's comfort, she was extremely unwell; during childbirth, she nearly stepped through the gates of hell.

Everyone advised her: things had already come to this point, so why not just take that person in as a live-in husband?

Her mother refused without leaving the slightest room for discussion.

No one understood her. After giving birth and recovering for a year, she went to have the S-rank alpha's mark removed.

Because of this, her already low-grade omega gland became defective. From then on, her immunity steadily declined; every month brought a constant stream of major and minor illnesses. Yet Yun Jinyu, bearing her sickly body, actually made the Yun family thrive more and more.

No one understood why Yun Jinyu inflicted so much suffering on herself. Only Yun Huaizhu understood her mother's pride—Yun Jinyu would never compromise for anything or anyone. She was forever strong and aloof, and even bearing the greatest pain, she would walk on with unwavering resolve.

From the day her mother decided to keep her, she poured all her maternal love into raising her. Yun Jinyu even wanted to give her the freedom to choose, when she was older, whether she was willing to inherit the Yun family.

After the story was told, Yun Huaizhu suddenly looked up, her eyes brimming with hot tears. “She would rather suffer physical torment than spend a lifetime with someone she didn't love. But she loved me so much. Before she died, she held my hand and told me to protect myself well, to live well in this world. Am I too fragile? Have I failed her expectations?”

Seeing Yun Huaizhu's emotions surge again, Lin Meng hurried forward and embraced her, the water in the bathtub rippling faintly. The moment Lin Meng held her, scalding tears also fell into the water. “Nonsense. Zhuzhu is the strongest person I've ever met. You are your mother's pride. You've already done well enough. You're just too tired—it's because you suddenly remembered these painful experiences that you feel so exhausted.”

Yun Huaizhu pressed her wet face against Lin Meng's chest and wept silently.

...

Yun Huaizhu had soaked in the bathtub a little too long and felt a bit dizzy. After Lin Meng helped her out of the tub, she dried her off with a bath towel.

She attentively cared for the exhausted Yun Huaizhu, helping her into a bathrobe and blow-drying her hair.

When she carefully laid Yun Huaizhu's head onto the pillow, Yun Huaizhu suddenly reached out and grabbed her. “Mengmeng-jie, aren't you going to sleep with me tonight?”

The moment Yun Huaizhu grabbed her wrist, many scenes flashed through Lin Meng's mind, and the last of her defenses finally crumbled. Yun Huaizhu had asked her to sleep over plenty of times, and right now Yun Huaizhu was at her most sensitive and fragile—she should stay with her until she fell asleep.

With that thought, Lin Meng took off her half-damp clothes and lay down beside Yun Huaizhu.

Yun Huaizhu draped the golden-silk quilt over Lin Meng. In the past, when she stayed over at Lin Meng's place, Lin Meng always prepared an extra blanket for her; the two of them had never shared a quilt like this before.

She reached out both arms and held Lin Meng tightly. “Mengmeng-jie, I'm so cold... I only have you now. Will you hold me?”

Hearing this, Lin Meng turned over. She hesitated, then embraced Yun Huaizhu through her bathrobe. Tonight she was just keeping Yun Huaizhu company. She would do the same for anyone this pitiful.

Seeing Lin Meng's somewhat evasive gaze, Yun Huaizhu gradually pressed closer to her. She slowly pulled her bathrobe off and pushed it out from under the covers, then removed Lin Meng's undergarments as well.

Just like that, the two of them held each other close as they slept.

Yun Huaizhu's emotions and rationality were gradually drawn back by Lin Meng. She kept rubbing her pheromones onto Lin Meng's body; if she could, she would have filled Lin Meng's body with the scent of her pheromones.

That way, anyone coveting Lin Meng would smell her lingering pheromones the moment they got close.

This was her declaration to others—absolute sovereignty.

What had happened this time was truly too coincidental. That she had founded a new company and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony was known to all the major media, yet those people had chosen that day to hang banners beneath the World Trade Financial Building. It meant the whole thing was a premeditated setup by a mastermind targeting her.

The goal was to expose her origins—which the world would view as disgraceful—and, most importantly, to use the eye-catching headline of “murder” to stir up public opinion.

After reviewing the whole matter that night, Yun Huaizhu had actually already narrowed down a few suspects in her mind, but she had no evidence yet and couldn't make arbitrary conclusions.

Also, this matter had to be brought to an end. For the company's future direction, she still needed to hold a press conference.

...

Monday. Tang Xiaoman looked at Lin Meng's empty workstation and couldn't help but frown.

Lin Meng had been on leave for nearly a week. Everyone in her team knew Lin Meng was a workaholic; in all the time she had worked at the company, she had never missed a monthly full-attendance bonus. But this month she had taken so many days off—something that had never happened before.

Tang Xiaoman was genuinely worried about Lin Meng, so she sent her a message: [Mengmeng, why have you been on leave for so long? Did something big happen at home? I'm not saying anything about your leave—I'm just a bit worried about you. Are you okay?]

After sending the message, she waited anxiously for Lin Meng's reply.

Finally, near the end of the morning shift, Lin Meng replied: [Yeah, almost done handling it. I should be back at work tomorrow. Xiaoman, thanks for your concern. It's nothing major, don't worry about me.]

Nothing major, yet she took so many days off. Lin Meng was putting on a brave face to comfort her in return, wasn't she?

Tang Xiaoman let out a helpless sigh upon seeing the message: [Okay, got it.]

After Lin Meng finished messaging Tang Xiaoman, Yun Huaizhu came downstairs. She wore a pure white silk nightgown. Though her complexion was still somewhat pale, she looked much better than she had the past few days.

Seeing her, Lin Meng hurried forward. “Zhuzhu, are you really okay now?”

Seeing Lin Meng, the gloom on Yun Huaizhu's face immediately softened. Her footsteps quickened, and she came to stand before Lin Meng, cupping her face. “Of course. With Mengmeng-jie keeping me company these past few days, I'm already much better. If Mengmeng-jie agreed to move in and live with me, I'd be even happier.”

Hearing this, Lin Meng hurriedly averted her gaze. “I... I'm relieved to see you're doing better. As for moving in together, we can... talk about that next time...”

After she stammered through that sentence, Yun Huaizhu gently leaned her face close. Lin Meng's pity for Yun Huaizhu had peaked these past days, so when Yun Huaizhu suddenly drew near, she didn't dodge.

Yun Huaizhu gazed tenderly at her bewildered eyes and placed a kiss at the corner of her lips.

Lin Meng had long guessed Yun Huaizhu would do this, but she didn't know why she hadn't dodged. Perhaps she felt Yun Huaizhu had been heartbroken enough these days, and she couldn't keep letting her be sad.

Lin Meng didn't know how to make many dishes. Yun Huaizhu had noodles at home, so she made her a bowl of fried-egg noodles. Now the steaming bowl sat on the table. After Yun Huaizhu's light kiss, Lin Meng, flustered like a fawn, gently struggled out of Yun Huaizhu's embrace. “Um... Zhuzhu, I made you a bowl of noodles. Eat first.”

Hearing this, a flicker of pleasant surprise flashed in Yun Huaizhu's eyes. “So Mengmeng-jie can cook too? Then I simply must try it.”

With that, she happily sat down at the long white marble dining table and picked up the bowl of noodles. There were greens in it, and ham that Lin Meng had dug out of the fridge. She had pan-fried the ham, then sprinkled on some shrimp and chopped scallions. Though it was just an ordinary bowl of noodles, it made Yun Huaizhu's appetite surge.

After one bite, Yun Huaizhu looked up in surprise at Lin Meng sitting across from her. “Mengmeng-jie, it's really delicious. What other surprises do you have that I don't know about?”

Lin Meng lowered her head, a bit shy from the praise. “Not at all... it's just an ordinary bowl of noodles. The ingredients all came from Zhuzhu's fridge. If you like it, next time you come to my place, I'll make it for you again.”

Did that mean she could now enter that rental apartment whenever she wanted?

Yun Huaizhu nodded and continued eating with her head down.

At three o'clock this afternoon, she would hold a press conference at the Yun Corporation building to clarify the events of the past few days.

These past days she had been working to minimize the impact on her new company. Through behind-the-scenes maneuvering, some of the extremely negative comments targeting the company had vanished from the internet. Many people had shifted their attention to her, and to the question of “whether the Yun family really committed murder.”

Yun Huaizhu thought this might be a good opportunity—she could use this press conference to promote her tech company for free. After all, the chips developed by her R&D department had significantly better performance than the 7.80 version on the market, and the price was about the same as the previous version.

Although she was currently mired in negative news, a company's success or failure was absolutely not determined by one person's private secrets.

Since Lin Meng had finally cooked for her once, Yun Huaizhu—whose appetite had been poor lately—even drank the remaining soup in her bowl.

Just then, Lin Meng frowned and voiced the question she had been holding in her heart for days. “Zhuzhu, I saw online that people pieced together that the woman disappeared after she was released from prison...”

Hearing this, Yun Huaizhu's expression changed drastically. She suddenly looked up and stared at Lin Meng. “Why are you asking about this?”

Seeing that chilling, bone-piercing look appear again, Lin Meng hurriedly explained, “No, no, I just meant that if we could find that woman, then the claim about the Yun family committing murder would collapse on its own, wouldn't it? It's obvious those people are trying to frame you. I've heard many people who get out of prison leave their familiar cities, change their names, and go somewhere unfamiliar. Maybe...”

Just as she said this, Yun Huaizhu slammed the table heavily and stood up.

Lin Meng was so startled she flinched, and the words she still wanted to say died in her throat.

The vast living room was once again filled with a cold, icy atmosphere. Yun Huaizhu slowly walked to Lin Meng's side. Because she had eaten Lin Meng's noodles, her fingers had gradually regained the warmth a person should have.

Her warm fingertips gently stroked Lin Meng's chin. “Mengmeng-jie, I hope you won't bring this up again. This matter has nothing to do with you. I know you're worried about me, but I have my own way of handling things. I don't want these troubles dragging you into them again.”

The pressure of Yun Huaizhu's fingers pinching her chin gradually increased. Lin Meng slowly came back to her senses. “But...”

“No buts. If I can't even help myself, how could I help anyone else?”

Hearing this, a flicker of desolation suddenly crossed Lin Meng's face.

That's right... She was just the most ordinary office worker in the world. What was she doing here playing Zhuge Liang, giving Yun Huaizhu advice? Her words did nothing but add to Yun Huaizhu's frustration.

She had no ability whatsoever to help Yun Huaizhu.

At this thought, Lin Meng bit her lip hard and lowered her head. “Sorry... I can't help you. I won't bring it up again.”

Seeing her show such a sad expression, Yun Huaizhu felt as though her heart had been pricked by a needle. She hurried forward and hugged Lin Meng. “Mengmeng-jie, that's not what I meant... I just meant my matters are very complicated. I don't want you to get dragged in. I want you to be happy and joyful.”

Hearing this, Lin Meng looked up and smiled at Yun Huaizhu. “I know. I know Zhuzhu means well. No matter what happens, I'll stand by your side. You have to be well, and get better and better.”

Yun Huaizhu buried her head deeply into Lin Meng's chest again. “Mm. I'll listen to Mengmeng-jie. I will definitely become better.”

...

At three in the afternoon, the press conference officially began at the Yun Corporation building.

Yun Huaizhu wore a very formal black outfit, her hair neatly swept up. Although many reporters in the audience were harboring tricky questions, and plenty of cameras were unfriendly, years of working in entertainment had long accustomed her to such scenes.

She first bowed deeply to everyone present, then began speaking onstage. “Thank you all for attending this press conference. I believe everyone has seen the negative news about Yun Corporation online these past few days. Most of it concerns my origins and the question of whether the Yun family committed murder. Today I will answer each of these questions for you here.”

Yun Huaizhu laid out all the issues at the outset. A moment later, she paused heavily, choking up. Then, with reddened eyes and fighting back the urge to let tears fall, she spoke. “Regarding the rumors online about my origins—they are all true.”

The moment those words were spoken, the cameras below clicked incessantly, and some people in the audience even gasped aloud.

Yun Huaizhu forced herself to stay composed and continued, “It's true that my mother giving birth to me was the result of a scheme. But my mother loved me very much. She knew her time was short, yet she gave me all her love. She wanted me to have an environment where I could grow up freely. Even before she died, she was still worrying about how I, all alone, would survive in this world. I, Yun Huaizhu, have one mother and only one. As for the criminal, she has already been punished by law. To that end, I have also invited the captain of the municipal police department's criminal investigation unit to explain in detail the evidence preserved from over twenty years ago. The police will also issue a statement shortly to clear Yun Corporation's name. As for those who spread rumors and deliberately smeared my Yun Corporation online, we will not tolerate it. We will pursue this to the very end.”