Stealing ML’s White Moonlight C19

Chapter 19

After buying the books, it was already lunchtime. Shen Lihuan did not plan to go home for lunch. She placed the books in the car and told the driver, who was responsible for picking them up, to return first. They would call him back once they were done having fun.

The driver knew her decisive nature, so after reminding her a few times out of concern, he turned the car around and left.

Shen Lihuan held You Changqing’s hand and entered a Chinese restaurant with an elegant ambiance. She was not particularly fond of Western food, and You Changqing was not picky, so she followed Shen Lihuan’s preference.

They found a table by the window and sat down. Under the warm greetings of the smiling waiter, they ordered their meals. You Changqing’s taste was as mild as her personality, while Shen Lihuan had a sweet tooth. As a result, they both thoughtfully chose dishes suited to each other’s preferences.

Seeing this interaction, the waiter assumed the two were a couple. Given their outstanding looks and refined temperaments, he couldn’t help but admire them. “You two have such a great relationship. It’s rare to see such a considerate couple.”

Hearing this, a faint blush spread across You Changqing’s usually cool and composed face, even coloring her fair earlobes.

Shen Lihuan had always known that Changqing was beautiful—her noble and elegant demeanor, her ethereal and refined presence, everything about her was captivating. But at this moment, she realized that Changqing was at her most stunning when she was shy.

Truly: “Her blushing cheeks rival the peach blossoms in spring, and her delicate brows resemble the fresh green willow leaves.”

Shen Lihuan had initially planned to clarify that they were not a couple. However, upon seeing such a mesmerizing sight, the words got stuck in her throat. She could only stare in awe at the shy beauty before her.

It wasn’t until You Changqing cast her a sidelong glance with eyes like autumn waters that she snapped out of it. Rubbing her upturned nose, Shen Lihuan finally averted her gaze from You Changqing’s face.

How strange—why did she always get lost in Changqing’s beauty? Was this how all people obsessed with good looks behaved?

Unable to find an answer, Shen Lihuan eventually set the thought aside when the dishes arrived. She focused on picking food for You Changqing and didn’t notice the slight hint of regret in her friend’s eyes.

After their meal, following the directions on her phone, Shen Lihuan and You Changqing arrived at the largest traditional Chinese medicine market in the capital, a place selling medicinal herbs and seeds.

Shen Lihuan had carefully considered this decision.

To quickly amass a significant amount of initial capital, she had several options: buying lottery tickets, investing in stocks, finding valuable antiques, gambling on raw jade stones, or inheriting a massive fortune…

Buying lottery tickets was unrealistic since she lacked the ability to predict the future—eliminated.

Investing in stocks—she had some knowledge but wasn’t an expert. Moreover, the original book didn’t specify this world’s economic structure. However, the novel did mention a few small companies that would eventually go public. She could buy stocks in advance and wait for their value to rise, but that required time.

Finding valuable antiques—although she came from a scholarly family, her appraisal skills weren’t even a tenth of her grandfather’s—eliminated.

Gambling on jade—her abilities allowed her to sense the energy inside raw jade stones—this was feasible.

Inheriting a massive fortune—eliminated at first glance; completely unrealistic.

After considering all these options, she settled on stocks and jade gambling. However, the cost of developing medicine was astronomical. Stock trading and jade gambling alone wouldn’t be enough. So, she turned her attention to medicinal herbs.

Throughout history, the easiest money to make was from women. And what did women care about most? Beauty.

She knew several ancient formulas for skincare, beauty enhancement, and weight loss. Whether sold as pills or skincare products, as long as they were effective, there was no shortage of customers.

That was why she came to the traditional Chinese medicine market to buy herbs and seeds. With her wood-based ability, she could even grow snow lotuses from the Tianshan Mountains in her backyard.

As Shen Lihuan skillfully selected herbs and seeds, compared prices, and haggled with shop owners, You Changqing watched from beside her. Shen Lihuan showed none of the typical aristocratic indifference toward money. Instead, she was composed and pragmatic, deepening You Changqing’s understanding of her.

Once their shopping was done, the driver arrived. Shen Lihuan brought You Changqing back to her new home and introduced her to her beloved pet, Little Green.

Little Green was very fond of his owner’s friend. He raised his body, slithered to You Changqing’s side, and affectionately rubbed his head against her hand, his bright little eyes gazing up at her.

You Changqing had originally been a little afraid of snakes. However, seeing Little Green’s adorable behavior and receiving an encouraging look from Shen Lihuan, she mustered the courage to stroke the snake’s head. Little Green happily rolled around and even performed a little trick—twisting himself into a bow shape. You Changqing couldn’t help but laugh.

At this time, Shen Jiashu and Gu Qinglan had not yet returned from work. Shen Lihuan carried a bag of seeds and went to the backyard garden with You Changqing and Little Green to start planting.

She had set aside a plot of land roughly 100 square meters in size. The day before, she had instructed the servants to till the soil. Shovels, watering cans, and other tools were already prepared—everything was set for planting.

Shen Lihuan had purchased a large variety of seeds, half common and half rare. She didn’t concern herself with climate or soil suitability—she planted them all. With her ability, she could accelerate their growth into mature herbs if she wished. If not for the need to conceal her powers, she wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of planting seeds at all.

Little Green was very enthusiastic about loosening the soil for its little owner. It didn’t care that the dirt had turned it into a filthy snake. As soon as the seeds were placed into the small pits, it instinctively transformed into a bulldozer, filling the holes back up. Not only did it do that, but fearing that the soil was too loose, it even flattened itself out and rolled back and forth over the ground in an attempt to compact it.

Shen Lihuan was thoroughly amused, and even You Changqing couldn’t help but smile brightly.

At dinnertime, Shen Jiashu surprisingly came home on time. Shen Lihuan formally introduced You Changqing to her parents, even though they obviously already knew who she was.

Regarding their daughter’s good friend, Shen Jiashu and Gu Qinglan warmly welcomed her to their home. You Changqing, who had initially felt a bit nervous, was comforted by their friendliness and gradually relaxed.

Shen Lihuan instructed the kitchen to prepare a few of You Changqing’s favorite dishes. Seeing that she was completely focused on conversing with her parents, Shen Lihuan helplessly smiled and quietly filled her bowl with food. Gu Qinglan glanced at her daughter with a smile, and Shen Lihuan hesitated for a moment before diligently picking up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs for her mother. She fawned, “Mom, you love sweet and sour pork ribs the most. Let me get you some.”

Now that was more like it. Gu Qinglan, satisfied, withdrew her gaze. The daughter she had raised was now at the age to fall in love. She was even showing affection toward a pretty girl. In a few years, she might just get to hold her granddaughter.

Shen Jiashu was also pleased with You Changqing. Whether their daughter liked girls or boys, they, as parents, would support her. You Changqing’s family background was comparable to their daughter’s, her intellect and emotional intelligence were commendable, and most importantly, she was beautiful. Their future granddaughter would surely be a little fairy.

Shen Lihuan had no idea her parents’ thoughts had already wandered toward marriage and children. Shortly after dinner, You Changqing’s mother, Yang Zhiying, called, signaling that it was time for her to go home.

Seeing You Changqing off, Shen Lihuan reminded the driver to drive carefully before shaking her phone at You Changqing and saying, “Send me a message when you get home.”

“Alright, see you on Monday,” You Changqing waved at her.

“See you on Monday,” Shen Lihuan replied gently, closing the car door and watching the vehicle drive away. Little Green, at her feet, slapped its tail against the ground reluctantly. “The pretty young lady is gone. Little Green misses her so much~”

“I miss her too!” Shen Lihuan sighed along with it. “Come on, Little Green, it’s time to go back.”

That night, after finishing her homework, Shen Lihuan lay on her bed reading, while Little Green sprawled on the couch, watching its favorite show, Animal World, on the 50-inch TV mounted on the wall.

Flipping through the pages, Shen Lihuan suddenly rolled over onto her back. Liang Yinqiu had disappeared. She had no idea where her father had taken her. Without being able to find out “Qingrong’s” identity, she felt uneasy.

In the original novel, Shen Pingting had known who “Qingrong” was and even referred to her as “Fairy Qingrong.” That meant Qingrong’s status wasn’t low—she was likely the daughter of an influential family in the imperial capital, either of a higher generation or simply older than Shen Pingting. It was even possible that Qingrong was quite famous in the capital. Otherwise, how could she have the audacity to call herself a fairy?

At that thought, Shen Lihuan suddenly sat up. She respected her parents’ privacy and never wanted to pry into their past, but given the current situation, she couldn’t afford to be so reserved.

“Little Green, come here quickly!”

“Little Master, what are your orders?” Little Green immediately abandoned the television and slithered over.

“Can you contact your snake brothers and have them find out which family in the imperial capital has a young lady named Qingrong?” As she spoke, Shen Lihuan wrote down the name “Qingrong” on a piece of paper to help Little Green remember it.

“No problem! Leave it to me!”

Excited to have a new mission, Little Green started dancing on the bed. It grabbed the piece of paper with its mouth and immediately slithered out of the window to find its group of snake informants.

With Little Green gone, Shen Lihuan left her room to find her parents. The master bedroom was two rooms away from hers—far enough that any noises from inside wouldn’t reach her.

At this hour, her parents were still awake. The door wasn’t fully closed, and light seeped through the gap. Just as Shen Lihuan was about to knock, she overheard their conversation…

“Wait, Jiashu, the door isn’t closed. Be careful, someone might come in.” That was Gu Qinglan’s unsteady voice.

“At this hour? Who would be tactless enough to knock?” That was Shen Jiashu’s breathless, seductive voice.

Shen Lihuan: “…”

Sorry, but that tactless person would be your precious daughter—me.

To avoid an awkward situation, Shen Lihuan pathetically fled. Behind her, the door shut with a resounding bang.