Part Three: The Little Moon of X City
“Some people disappear from the world.
Others disappear only from sight.”
The next morning…
X City looked no different from usual.
Cars flowed through the streets.
Office workers hurried to work.
Students rushed toward their universities.
The city continued moving as if nothing had happened.
Yet…
Within the oldest families of X City…
One photograph quietly passed from hand to hand.
No one dared post it online.
No one dared announce it publicly.
Instead…
Every person who received it asked the same question.
“…Is it really her?”
…
Inside the Wang residence…
An elderly woman slowly adjusted her glasses.
She enlarged the photograph.
A girl.
Holding strawberry ice cream.
Smiling brightly.
The old woman’s fingers gently traced the girl’s face on the screen.
“…”
“…Little Yue’er…”
Her grandson looked surprised.
“Grandmother?”
The old woman smiled sadly.
“You were still too young.”
“But…”
“When Miss Yu was alive…”
“She often visited charity events with her grandfather.”
“She smiled at everyone.”
“No matter how uncomfortable she was…”
“She never let anyone worry.”
The old woman looked at the photograph again.
“…It’s exactly the same smile.”
…
Across the city…
Inside another old family residence…
A middle-aged man quietly put down his phone.
His wife noticed immediately.
“What happened?”
He remained silent.
Then slowly handed her the screen.
She froze.
Her lips trembled.
“…”
“…No…”
“…This…”
Tears quietly gathered in her eyes.
“I attended her funeral…”
“I watched them bury that child…”
“How…”
No one answered.
Because no one knew.
…
At the headquarters of the Gu Group…
Several executives had just finished a meeting.
As they walked toward the elevators…
One of them lowered his voice.
“Did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“Someone saw Miss Yu yesterday.”
The other executive frowned.
“…Impossible.”
“I thought so too.”
“But…”
“They say Young Master Gu was with her.”
Silence.
The elevator doors slowly opened.
No one spoke again.
Because everyone understood.
There were some names in X City…
That people simply did not joke about.
Yu Mingyue…
Was one of them.
…
Meanwhile…
The Lu residence remained as peaceful as ever.
Yu Mingyue sat in the garden.
A book rested on her lap.
She wasn’t reading.
Instead…
She was watching a butterfly flutter from flower to flower.
Xiao Bai floated beside her.
“Host.”
“…Hm?”
“You have been staring at that butterfly for six minutes.”
“I know.”
“…Why?”
Yu Mingyue smiled softly.
“I’ve never noticed how beautiful butterflies are.”
Xiao Bai looked at the butterfly.
Then at Yu Mingyue.
“…Humans are strange.”
“…Why?”
“You ignored butterflies for eighteen years.”
Yu Mingyue gently shook her head.
“…No.”
“I was too busy trying to stay alive.”
Silence.
The little system lowered his head.
“…I’m sorry.”
Yu Mingyue reached out.
Her fingertip gently poked his tiny forehead.
“What are you apologizing for?”
“I made you remember.”
She smiled.
“Then I’ll remind you of something too.”
“What?”
“I’m alive now.”
The words were simple.
Yet…
They carried more weight than anyone else could understand.
Xiao Bai’s eyes curved into happy crescents.
“…Yes.”
“You’re alive.”
…
Not far away…
Lu Yanxi stood on the balcony.
A cup of coffee rested in his hand.
His phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
One message.
From an old family friend.
“Yanxi…
is it really Yue’er?”
He stared at the message for several seconds.
Then slowly typed back.
“Yes.”
After thinking for a moment…
He added another sentence.
“Please don’t disturb her.”
He pressed send.
To him…
It didn’t matter whether the entire city knew.
As long as they didn’t interrupt the peaceful life Yu Mingyue had only just regained.
…
Within an hour…
That single reply quietly spread among the oldest families.
No dramatic announcements.
No newspaper headlines.
Just one sentence.
Young Master Lu had confirmed it.
The impossible…
Had become reality.
The little moon that had disappeared from X City eight years ago…
Had quietly returned.
And this time…
She shone more brightly than ever.