Tired from crying, Mu Lian gently closed her burning eyelids. Her two slender arms wrapped around her curled-up knees, wet tear tracks still clinging to her face.
Thus resting against the edge of the bed, head tilted to the side, Mu Lian fell into a deep sleep.
Her teardrop stained, feather like eyelashes fluttered gently over her eyelids, casting two beautiful shadows. Her breathing gradually grew steady and long, while her neat, delicate nose rose and fell softly with each breath.
Before long, Mu Lian transitioned from a light sleep into a deep slumber, and soon began to dream.
The dream, too, was set on a rainy night.
A rainy night six years ago that perfectly overlapped with Mu Lian’s memories.
The night was already late, and threads of rain blew sideways into the window. Raindrops struck the glass pane, making a crisp patter-patter sound.
Inside the bedroom, Mu Lian sat cross-legged on a soft tatami mat. An open laptop rested on her thighs, its faint screen glow illuminating a face filled with exhaustion.
Mu Lian frowned as she stared at the screen, her long, slender fingers tapping continuously on the keyboard. The clatter of keys intertwined with the sound of the rain, creating a strangely hypnotic ambiance.
Five minutes later, the proposal was finally revised—this was already the third version.
Mu Lian let out a massive yawn, snapped the laptop shut, and casually set it down on the tatami mat. Just as she withdrew her hands, her stomach suddenly rumbled twice.
There were only a few cans of soda in the fridge—not even a single egg.
There was a 24-hour convenience store downstairs, about a hundred meters east after leaving the apartment complex. Mu Lian planned to head down to buy a few bags of instant noodles and some snacks to treat herself properly.
Zipping up her hooded sweatshirt, she habitually pulled the hood over her head and slipped her phone into her pocket.
She grabbed an umbrella and walked out the door.
The convenience store was very close. At this hour, the rest of the shops in the street had long closed their doors and turned away customers, though a few shopkeepers remained inside with heads down, taking inventory.
The moment she stepped outside, the rain suddenly picked up.
Mu Lian walked through the rain holding her umbrella. Dense raindrops slammed against the transparent canopy, splashing water onto the canvas of her sneakers.
She quickened her pace, wanting to buy her food and return home quickly. Although she loved rainy days, the old residential complex was not particularly safe, especially at such a late hour.
It was eleven o’clock at night. Inside the convenience store, there were only a handful of scattered customers. A cashier stood behind the counter playing a casual match-three game on their phone to pass the time.
On one side of the stairs by the convenience store entrance sat a tall, slender woman in a white dress.
The woman’s head was lowered, her smooth black hair veiling most of her face. Her white dress was somewhat dirty, stained with patches of mud. Furthermore, her left arm was injured, though fortunately, the bleeding had stopped. A few dark red streaks of blood wound outwards like a blooming spider lily—spellbindingly captivating and dangerously alluring.
The spider lily is a flower of the underworld.
Two days ago, the woman had just escaped from “hell.” But even after escaping, she found herself pushed to absolute desperation.
There were only two paths left before her: one was to become a beggar living on handouts; the other was to work in night venues accompanying men, becoming a plaything for the wealthy.
She would choose neither—even if it meant freezing or starving to death.
It was early May in Beijing, and early summer had arrived. The average daytime temperature hovered around twenty degrees Celsius—not cold enough to freeze someone, but enough to starve them. Having gone without food for two full days, the woman’s eyes were practically glowing with hunger.
When a girl carrying a large bag of snacks passed by her, her attention was instantly drawn to the bag.
She wished she could just snatch it away!
The rain stopped.
Mu Lian bought a large, heavy bag of snacks.
Stepping out of the convenience store, she noticed the woman sitting on the steps once again. The woman remained in the exact same posture, motionless like a statue.
Mu Lian paused for a second. After hesitating briefly, she decided to walk away.
She silently warned herself not to let her sympathy overflow, and above all, not to stick her nose into other people’s business.
Yet as soon as Mu Lian walked away, the woman in the white dress immediately trailed behind her, maintaining a distance of just over a meter. They walked one after the other into the complex, stopping finally at the entrance of the stairwell.
“Who are you? Why are you following me?!” Mu Lian turned around abruptly, looking at the unfamiliar woman with guard raised.
The woman slowly lifted her head. Looking at Mu Lian with a pleading expression, she spoke in a raspy voice: “I’m very hungry… Could you give me something to eat?”
Mu Lian froze, her heart instantly racing as it beat frantically like a drum.
She was stunned into silence by the woman’s face, a single phrase instantly popping into her mind: an ethereal, celestial beauty.
Wearing a white dress, the woman looked pure and refined. The mud stains on her dress did not detract from her beauty; instead, they made her appear as pure and immaculate as jade.
Mu Lian hastily looked away, leaning her umbrella against the wall. Digging through her bag, she pulled out a slice of chocolate crepe cake and handed it to the stranger, followed by a bag of potato chips…
The woman looked down at her arms full of snacks and offered her heartfelt gratitude: “Thank you.”
Mu Lian: “You’re welcome~”
“What happened to your arm?”
The stranger: “It’s just a minor injury. It’s fine.”
Mu Lian: “Have you treated it?”
The stranger: “No.”
Mu Lian: “Come home with me. I’ll help you treat the wound.”
The stranger: “…Alright.”
The old, dilapidated building had no elevator. The walls of the stairwell were covered in various flyer advertisements, and the unstable voltage caused the hallway lights to flicker constantly.
Mu Lian lived on the fourth floor.
Walking in front, Mu Lian held the much lighter bag of snacks in one hand and the transparent umbrella in the other, water dripping from the tip of the umbrella all along the way.
Behind her, the woman in the white dress followed silently.
Although the rented apartment was tiny and old, Mu Lian kept it clean, tidy, and cozy.
Mu Lian: “My place is very small, please don’t mind it.”
The stranger: “May I use the bathroom?”
Mu Lian: “Of course.”
The stranger offered a gentle smile and whispered a “thank you” to Mu Lian.
Mu Lian blinked her bright, clear almond eyes, tearing her gaze away from the woman’s face and pretending to look elsewhere casually.
“Um… I’ll go get the first-aid kit!”
The woman looked gorgeous whether she smiled or not. Indeed, a beautiful person looks stunning no matter what. Besides, she was entirely makeup-free, with a bit of dirt still on her face.
Mu Lian could only hope this stranger was completely straight and only liked men. Otherwise, Mu Lian truly feared she might do something inappropriate. Of course, as a law-abiding citizen, Mu Lian would never do anything against the law.
By the time Mu Lian returned with the household first-aid kit, the stranger had just walked out of the bathroom.
The woman had tied her long, raven-black hair into a low ponytail tight against her scalp. A few glistening drops of water hung on her overly pale face, with one large drop rolling down to her chin, hanging by a thread.
Mu Lian was dazed by the sight, standing frozen in place until the woman walked slowly over to her.
Stopping a step away, the woman did not speak first. Instead, she looked at Mu Lian with melancholy, deep eyes.
“I… I’ll help you dress your wound.”
“Thank you.”
Mu Lian thought it was just a minor injury that required simple cleaning and disinfection at home. Unexpectedly, the wound was already inflamed and required proper medical attention at a hospital.
Mu Lian’s heart inexplicably tightened. She asked anxiously, “How did it get so severe?”
The stranger lowered her dark eyelashes slightly, remaining silent. “…”
Mu Lian: “I’ll take you to the hospital!”
The stranger suddenly raised her eyelids, looking at Mu Lian with a trace of confusion, and asked back: “Right now?”
Mu Lian nodded: “Yes, right now.”
The stranger: “You have to work tomorrow, right?”
Mu Lian: “…”
The stranger: “I can go to the hospital by myself tomorrow.”
Mu Lian: “That works too.”
The stranger: “However…”
Mu Lian: “However what?”
The stranger: “I don’t have any money.”
Mu Lian: “I’ll give you some.”
The stranger: “I don’t have a phone either.”
Mu Lian: “That’s easy. I happen to have a spare phone.”
The stranger: “Thank you.”
Mu Lian: “You’re welcome.”
The stranger: “How should I address you?”
Mu Lian: “My name is Mu Lian. Everyone calls me Lianlian.”
The stranger: “Can I call you A-Lian?”
Mu Lian: “Of course~”
“No need to use formal titles with me.”
The stranger: “A-Lian, it’s nice to meet you.”
“My name is Qin Ni.”
Mu Lian: “Qin – Ni.”
Slowing her pace, Mu Lian repeated the name “Qin Ni” to herself. What she never expected was that in the near future, this name would become the vermilion mole upon her heart.
She was the vermilion mole, and she was the white moonlight too.