Becoming the Male Lead’s White Moonlight [Quick Transmigration] - v1c32

 

Chapter 32

Note: Early chapter release. Thank you, Nix, for the Ko-Fi!

Qin Chaomu soon found himself back at the police station, but this time all the evidence was incontrovertible; there was no room for denial.

Even worse, Chen Yanyan had died on the spot. The situation had escalated to becoming a crime scene. Despite Qin Chaomu being underage, the police wouldn't show leniency. Given Mr. Huo's interference, it felt as though Qin Chaomu's life was completely ruined.

Upon hearing the news, Qin Yi nearly had a heart attack and almost ended up in a hospital. He had been under high pressure from the Huo family. The last thing he needed was this mother-and-son duo stirring up such trouble!

To no one's surprise, the incident caused the Qin corporation's stock to plummet drastically. The Qin family was facing an unprecedented reputation crisis. Mr. Huo saw this as an opportunity to tighten the screws and proposed that unless Qin Yi transferred his shares to his beloved grandson, the Huo family would completely wash their hands off any aid.

However, all these matters were momentarily irrelevant to Qin Zhaoyang. After this incident, no one could destabilize his status as the heir apparent. The students at the Zhong school realized they have misunderstood Qin Zhaoyang for a long-time, castigating themselves for offending the real young master. At this point, they abhorred Qin Chao Mu.

Today was the day the monthly exam results were released. So, as soon as Qin Zhaoyang stepped into school, he saw the score ranking. Subconsciously, he looked at the top of the list for his name, only to find he ranked second. The name above him was...

Ah Rong!

Even though he had no idea how Ah Rong managed such a high score, Qin Zhaoyang couldn't help but feel a wave of joy. Perhaps it was a sign from the heavens that he and Ah Rong are destined to be in the same class.

During this period, Ah Rong's studied indifference had been tormenting Qin Zhaoyang to the point of madness. Now, he felt utterly out of control and hastily made his way towards Class 8.

He yearned to see her. He missed her terribly.

However, when he reached Class 8, reality dealt him a staggering blow.

"Oh, you're asking about Ling Rong? He hasn't come to school today either. I wonder if it's because of that incident. But the class teacher mentioned that Ling Rong is planning to study abroad, planning to finish university overseas," Wang Huijuan recounted what she had unintentionally overheard in the office, spilling everything to Qin Zhaoyang.

Study abroad!

The news exploded in his mind like a bomb, shattering his heart into pieces.

Ah Rong was about to leave him. He would no longer be able to see the person who could make his heart skip a beat. This was the first thought that rushed into Qin Zhaoyang's head.

His second thought was, to hell with restraint. His most beloved was about to leave him, and he hadn't even managed to confess his feelings. If he didn't tell Ling Rong his thoughts, he'd regret it for the rest of his life.

He had to find him!

Ignoring the shout from the school's gatekeeper, Qin Zhaoyang dashed out of the school and hailed a taxi, frequently urging the driver to speed up en route. For the first time, he reached Ling Rong’s house in record time.

Having run across the city, Qin Zhaoyang was covered in sweat, his clenched fists sticky and clammy.

He knocked at the front door of Ling family's house.

When Ling Rong's mother opened the door and saw Qin Zhaoyang, she looked surprised for a moment. She remembered that not long ago, this boy and her precious daughter were good friends. She couldn't figure out why he had suddenly become distant, even causing her daughter to be unhappy for a long time.

However, when dealing with younger people, Ling Rong's mother knew better than to make her feelings of disappointment apparent. With a gentle smile, she asked, "What brings you here?"

"Auntie, there might have been some misunderstandings between Ah Rong and me. May I see him?"

Leading him to a closed door on the second floor of the house, Ling Rong's mother said, "Rongrong is inside. You can speak to her yourself." After leaving him there, she went downstairs to prepare some snacks.

Only after Ling Rong's mother had left did Qin Zhaoyang try to knock on the door, but there was no response.

[Host, the male lead is knocking at the door. Won't you let him in?]

[Why should I let him in that easily? I didn't earn my top ranking for nothing. Humph. Time to show him who's boss.] Now aware of her feelings for Qin Zhaoyang, Ling Rong was all the more annoyed at his previously intentional act of distancing himself from her.

[It’s just because you have low emotional intelligence and failed to notice…] The system lightly muttered. If it hadn’t been for Ling Rong's mother noticing her daughter's unusual mood and giving a thorough analysis, Ling Rong, who was always slower to pick up on things, might never have recognized her feelings.

In addition, when had Ling Rong ever been so dedicated to anyone else, constantly giving Qin Zhaoyang advice and helping him deal with his stepmother and stepbrother for the sake of a mission? The system was the first to not believe if anyone claimed this wasn't love.

[Mute!] Seemingly embarrassed and angry in a typically girlish way, Ling Rong vehemently silenced the system in a low growl.

However, Qin Zhaoyang misunderstood this as Ling Rong not wanting to see him again, which intensified the sourness in his heart. But since he was here, he couldn't just give up and leave.

Even if Ah Rong thought he was disgusting and was scared of him, he didn’t want to just let her go without saying anything.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Zhaoyang gathered up all his courage: "Ah Rong, can you hear me out? I didn’t mean to distant myself from you…”

There was no response from inside.

"I like you, Ah Rong, I like you." Finally letting these words out, Qin Zhaoyang felt as though he had put down a heavy burden. Once he started, the rest wasn't so hard.

"Do you remember the question I asked you last time? I was just scared that you would distance yourself from me, so I forced myself not to come close to you..."

But as soon as he finished his sentence, the sound of a dropped cup echoed from the side. Qin Zhaoyang snapped back to his senses to find Ling Rong's mother with a surprised look on her face.

"Auntie, I…" Qin Zhaoyangr felt flustered. He was so anxious that he had forgotten Ling Rong's parents were here.

"Come downstairs and talk about it. Rongong, come out too." Ling Rong's mother called a servant to clean up the mess, then said to the two children.

After everyone had gathered, the room fell into silence. Sitting on the sofa were Ling's parents, whose expressions were unreadable, while Qin Zhaoyang and Ling Rong stood to the side.

The longer the silence, the more tormented Qin Zhaoyang felt. Under the shocked gaze of Ling's parents, he suddenly knelt down before them.

"What are you doing! Get up now!" Ling Rong's mother was quite frightened and quickly went to help him stand up.

However, Qin Zhaoyang stubbornly remained stationary, with a solemn and serious expression on his face that was unlike ever before. "Uncle, Auntie, I'm sorry, I can't lie to you. I really like Ah Rong. You might think I'm sick for liking the same sex, but my feelings for him are genuine."

"I came here today to confess my feelings to Ah Rong in person. If he's willing to accept me, I'm willing to offer up my shares in Huo's company as assurance, guaranteeing that I will love and care for him forever. If he can't accept me, rest assured Uncle and Auntie, I will not disturb Ah Rong's normal life. He will marry, have children, and have a happy family."

The last few sentences were akin to stabbing his own heart. He cared deeply about her, but letting go was so much harder than expected!

"Hold on a minute…" Ling Rong's mother suddenly realized something was amiss. "While I don't really encourage early romance, my Rongrong is a girl!"

The mention of same-sex couples and having a wife and children certainly didn't mesh with her darling daughter.

Qin Zhaoyang abruptly froze on the spot, his black pupils blankly staring at Ling Rong's mother. Had he misunderstood something?!

"Your name is Qin Zhaoyang, right? I've often heard Rong talking about you." Ling Rong's mother finally caught on, and almost collapsed laughing into her husband's arms. "Could it be you've been treating Rongrong as a boy all this time? No wonder the interaction between you two, who were once very close, suddenly became distant."

After a long while digesting the words, Qin Zhaoyang unbelievably looked at the love of his life next to him, “Ah Rong… you, you really are a girl?”

Ling Rong hmphed and didn’t respond, but Ling Rong's mother couldn’t stop laughing: “Indeed, she is. Would you like to see Rong’s birth certificate as evidence? She just went through a rebellious phase and dressed like a boy, accidentally causing this misunderstanding.”

“No... there’s no need.” Qin Zhaoyang awkwardly refused, thinking carefully, Ah Rong had indeed never clearly stated that she was a boy. It seemed that everyone had simply assumed so.

Thinking about his heartfelt struggles during this time, Qin Zhaoyang suddenly felt wronged. But he blamed himself for not clarifying earlier, he didn’t blame Ling Rong at all.

"Ah Rong, I thought you were scared of me and that's why I had to keep my distance. No matter if you are a boy or a girl, I have only ever liked you. It's okay if you don't like me. But can you not go abroad? I don’t want to lose sight of you.”

Bitterness and relief filled Qin Zhaoyang’s heart at the same time. He no longer cared about the presence of adults and was eager to express his feelings.

"Really?" Ling Rong finally gave him a glance.

"Really!"

"You're not mad at me for beating you by one rank in the exam?"

Qin Zhaoyang vigorously shook his head, not caring about a mere first place. Even if she wanted him to be last, he was more than willing.

"Will you distance yourself from me in the future?"

Qin Zhaoyang shook his head harder. If he really could be together with Ah Rong now, he would cherish her in his heart and never ignore her.

"Then in the future, you do the homework, you sweep, and you buy the food." Ling Rong gave her orders without any hesitation.

"You agree, right?" Qin Zhaoyang's eyes sparkled amazingly.

Ling Rong slightly raised her delicate chin, her lips curled into a smirk, "I won't go abroad, depending on your performance."

Fired up, Qin Zhaoyang stood up and took Ling Rong's right hand, holding it tenderly in his palm, reluctant to loosen his grip.

"Cough cough." Unexpectedly getting a taste of their sweet talk, Ling Rong's mother interrupted them and tried to maintain dignity, "I am not an old-fashioned parent. You can be together, but I hope that you take this relationship seriously and not give up on it lightly. And soon it will be time for your college entrance exams, you should not let this affect your studies."

"Oh yes," Ling Rong's mother recalled another thing and quickly added, "I am not old enough to be a grandmother yet, so don’t make me feel old."

Understanding her implications, Qin Zhaoyang's ears reddened at once, he softly agreed and gently traced Ling Rong's palm with his fingers, as if assuring something.

Unable to bear the couple’s affectionate display, Ling Rong's mother helplessly gestured, "Alright, alright, you guys go ahead, and don’t forget to go to school."

As soon as they returned to her room, Ling Rong pressed him against the back of the door. Their faces were extremely close, and each could feel the warmth of the other's breath.

"Do you like me?"

Tempted by the beauty that was right before his eyes, Qin Zhaoyang blushed and nodded. The overflowing emotions in his heart momentarily ran beyond his control. He brought the hand he had been holding to his lips and kissed it gently.

The light tickling sensation making her laugh, Ling Rong suddenly covered his eyes with her other hand, and said:

"Just as well, I like you too."

"I'll make it official. From now on, you are mine."

Immediately after, Qin Zhaoyang felt a soft touch on his lips. His sense of touch seemed amplified without his vision.

A mix of tender and loving emotions threatened to overflow. Leaving no more deliberate restraint, Qin Zhaoyang hugged the girl in front of him tightly, uttering his love into her ears.

He had won his whole world.

________________________

Yet another school year began, and the Capital University welcomed its new freshmen.

During the opening ceremony, a girl student representative on the stage began to speak. A crowd of first-year girls couldn't help but swoon, "Oh my! This senior is just too handsome! It was worth working so hard to get into this university! Does he have a girlfriend? I want to chase him!"

A companion next to her quickly shattered her daydream: "I've inquired. This is Senior Qin Zhaoyang from the finance department. Not only is he handsome, but he also comes from a renowned wealthy family. He is guaranteed a great future post-graduation."

"And don't even think about trying to become his girlfriend. Word is he spoils his girlfriend to the skies and can't bear to be away from her. His girlfriend seems to be named Ling Rong. She used to be the undisputed 'most popular person' in this university, but..."

"She is a female, right? Why is she being called the 'most popular person'?" the girl asked, puzzled.

"Ah, you don't know. I heard that Senior Ling Rong has an androgynous face. When she used to have short hair, lots of girls misunderstood her gender and confessed their feelings to her. As a result, Senior Qin grew jealous, and Ling Rong ended up growing her hair out to slow down the confessions."

"Look, here's a little video of them together."

The video opened by her companion must have been taken by an alumnus. In the video, it was a handsome guy and pretty girl combo. The girl’s shoelaces had come undone, and the guy was crouched down to tie them for her. There wasn't a hint of reluctance on his face; only a loving smile that could blind anyone.

The girl in the photo truly had a radiant appearance. When she smiled, it could make girls of the same gender blush. Seemingly bored, she messes her boyfriend's hair playfully and bursts into giggles, just like she's pulled a successful prank. Surprisingly, he showed no signs of anger. Instead, he firmly took her mischievous hand and kissed it over and over. Even through the video, the sweet atmosphere was palpable.

"Handsome guys are always paired with beautiful girls; awsl, this is like some fairy-tale romance!" (Note: 啊我死了or awsl =  "ah I'm dead", commonly used to describe the excitement of seeing something cute)

________________________

Ling Rong had spent eighty years with Qin Zhaoyang in this world. When he passed away peacefully at the age of ninety-six, just as he closed his eyes, Ling Rong heard the system's notification:

[World mission complete. Proceed to the next world?]

Ling Rong didn't immediately make a decision but asked: [Is it him in the next world too?]

Ling Rong couldn't manage to unconditionally care for another male lead in a new world after having a lover here.

[Yes, host. The soul in each world is truly Qin Zhaoyang. The only person you're supposed to save has always been him.] The system promptly gave an affirmative response.

Finally, Ling Rong could let go. Ling Rong made the final decision: [I understand. Let's go to the next world immediately.]

________________________

In the dormitory room 605 of the "Cheer Up, Idol" TV program's trainee dormitory building.

"How did it go, Brother Yan? What did the dorm supervisor tell you when he called you out?" A boy wearing a green uniform curiously asked as he saw Gu Ningyan enter.

The handsome young man, known as Gu Ningyan, slightly furrowed his brows, then concealed his emotions. Even when he was in front of trainees from the same company, Gu Ningyan would never wholly reveal his feelings.

"No big deal. Someone else is moving into our room later."

"How could there be another person? Aren't we the last dormitory? There should only be three of us among the 99 people assigned here." The three occupants of dormitory room 605 had already arrived. Where did this additional person suddenly come from?

"I'm not sure." Gu Ningyan shook his head.

"I just heard that the person was temporarily sent over from Shengyue Entertainment Media Company. The name seems to be..."

"Ling Rong?"

________________________

Author's Note: 

I was writing the conclusion today, so I'm a bit late. Finally, this story has come to an end, and tomorrow we will officially start a new world. Since this involves the entertainment industry, I have taken some inspiration from real TV programs and done some creative modifications to the selection format. As for the characters and stories, they are all original and not based on any real-life models. Please don't associate them with real people and events. Thank you.

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