Stealing ML’s White Moonlight C21

Chapter 21

“Mom, Dad, this Gu Qingrong is so hostile toward Mom. Could she have had something to do with the car accident before?”

Shen Lihuan’s eyes darkened as she spoke solemnly.

Before, she hadn’t known about Gu Qingrong’s connection to their family, so she couldn’t tell her parents that she already knew the mastermind behind it was this woman. She had planned to investigate on her own. But now that she knew these past events, her suspicions about Gu Qingrong were justified.

Whether Gu Qingrong truly liked her father or simply wanted to take away the man her mother loved, it was only natural that she would hold a grudge after failing to get him.

Shen Jiashu’s expression immediately tensed. He had previously directed his suspicions toward his competitors in Lan City, never considering that someone far away in the Imperial Capital might target their family. Now, with his daughter’s reminder, he realized that for someone who wanted to kill their entire family, distance would never be an obstacle.

At that thought, he could no longer sit still. He swiftly but gracefully wiped his thin lips with a napkin, stood up, and kissed Gu Qinglan on the cheek. “I need to head to the company for something. You and Lihuan take your time eating.”

Gu Qinglan returned his kiss and reminded him worriedly, “Be careful, don’t make me worry.”

Shen Lihuan knew her father was going to investigate Gu Qingrong now, and she felt relieved. Now that her parents were on guard, it wouldn’t be so easy for Gu Qingrong to harm her family in the future.

“I will,” Shen Jiashu promised seriously before striding out the door.

Gu Qinglan closed her eyes and rubbed her aching temples. “Gu Qingrong is truly relentless.”

If the car accident was indeed orchestrated by Gu Qingrong, she wouldn’t be surprised at all. She had long witnessed Gu Qingrong’s cruelty. She just hadn’t expected that after all these years, Gu Qingrong’s methods had only grown more ruthless.

After breakfast, Gu Qinglan left for work, while Shen Lihuan stayed home, busying herself with preparing various ancient beauty and skincare formulas, such as Hongyan Powder, Yingji Powder, and Taorong Dew.

Hongyan Powder, as its name suggests, removes facial melanin, making the skin fair and rosy.

Yingji Powder eliminates facial pigmentation spots, leaving the skin as smooth and delicate as a freshly peeled egg.

Taorong Dew clears acne and acne scars, shrinks pores, and smooths the skin.

These three ointments were incredibly popular in the post-apocalyptic world, often selling out. It just went to show that no matter the era, a woman’s desire for beauty remained unchanged.

Just as Shen Lihuan was deeply engrossed in her medicine-making, a series of rapid tapping sounds came from the window. She paused her actions, walked over, and pulled open the curtains. At this hour, it was likely that Xiao Lu had returned.

Sure enough, it was Xiao Lu, the little creature eagerly tapping on the window with its tail. Its movements seemed frantic, as if it had something urgent to tell Shen Lihuan.

The moment Shen Lihuan opened the window, Xiao Lu darted inside, landed on her shoulder, and cried out anxiously, “Master, come quickly! Xiao Mei is going to die!”

Hearing this, Shen Lihuan didn’t even have time to ask who Xiao Mei was. She scooped up Xiao Lu and dashed downstairs. The servants saw her rushing out like the wind, and before they could even speak, she had already disappeared.

Xiao Lu was extremely anxious as it led the way. Shen Lihuan followed closely, making sharp turns left and right. Fortunately, the Shen family’s villa was built near the mountains and water, and only wealthy people lived in this area. At this hour, there were no pedestrians on the streets. Otherwise, seeing a young woman chasing after a snake would surely have terrified onlookers.

After running for over ten minutes, Xiao Lu finally stopped in a small alley and led Shen Lihuan to a corner where several discarded cardboard boxes lay among some old books and watermelon rinds.

“Master, Xiao Mei is inside the box! She’s badly hurt—please save her! She’s lost so much blood!”

Xiao Lu was so desperate that if it had tears, they would have already poured down like a torrential rain.

Shen Lihuan quickly crouched down and opened the box. Inside lay a small dog, covered in blood. At a glance, she could tell that one of its legs was broken, and its back had a deep, gaping wound from a sharp object like a knife. The dog’s fluffy white fur had been shaved off in several places, leaving behind numerous wounds—some already scabbed over, while others still oozed fresh blood.

Who could be so cruel as to hurt a helpless puppy like this?

The little dog struggled to open its eyes. Seeing a stranger in front of it, it let out a pitiful whimper, trembling in fear. Shen Lihuan’s heart clenched at the terror and pain in its eyes.

Noticing the dog’s fear, Xiao Lu quickly slithered to its side. “Don’t be afraid, Xiao Mei! This is my master—she’s here to save you!”

Xiao Mei recognized Xiao Lu and realized that this girl was the person Xiao Lu had gone to find for help. The fear in her eyes gradually faded. When she saw Shen Lihuan looking at her gently, she finally relaxed her tense body.

Seizing the moment, Shen Lihuan carefully touched an uninjured part of Xiao Mei’s body and channeled her ability into her. “Xiao Mei, don’t be scared. Your wounds will heal soon. Just stay still, okay?”

As soon as Shen Lihuan touched Xiaomei, its body trembled reflexively, but it endured its fear and accepted Shen Lihuan’s touch.

Very soon, Xiaomei’s bleeding stopped, and its wound gradually healed, leaving only a deep scar. However, the fur that had been scraped off would take some time to grow back, and its broken leg had been reattached but still needed time to recover. Shen Lihuan ignored the blood on Xiaomei and gently held it in her arms. “Xiaomei is such a good baby, so obedient.”

Xiaomei nestled obediently in Shen Lihuan’s arms. Xiaolu’s little owner was so kind, so gentle, not only healing its wounds but also not minding its injuries at all. If only she were its owner too.

Xiaolu had no idea what its new friend was thinking. It happily leaped onto its little owner’s shoulder and rubbed against Xiaomei’s white fur. “Xiaomei, this is great! You’re okay now.”

If anything had happened to Xiaomei, it would never have forgiven itself.

Xiaomei felt guilty about its own “selfish thoughts.” Xiaolu had asked its owner to save it, yet it had entertained the idea of competing with Xiaolu for its owner’s favor. That was truly wrong. Its big, watery eyes blinked with remorse as it rubbed against Xiaolu, determined to forget those thoughts. It couldn’t let Xiaolu down.

Shen Lihuan petted Xiaolu, then Xiaomei, and said, “Xiaomei’s leg isn’t fully healed yet. Let’s go home first. I’ll put a splint on it.”

“Okay! Let’s hurry back!” Xiaolu nodded eagerly, then lowered its head and excitedly described how spacious and luxurious their home was. As Xiaomei listened, its heart filled with anticipation.

Old Chang, a servant of the Shen family, saw the young lady dash out like a whirlwind and return half an hour later… with a puppy. The corners of his mouth twitched. He had thought the young lady was rushing out for something important.

“Uncle Chang, could you make a trip to the pet store and buy some supplies for the puppy? Things like dog food, a doghouse, a brush, a dog bowl, and so on. Oh, and the puppy is a two-month-old Eskimo dog. Ask the staff how to properly take care of it.”

Old Chang was already in his forties. Shen Jiashu and Gu Qinglan called him Old Chang, while Shen Lihuan called him Uncle Chang. Just as he was about to nod in agreement, Shen Lihuan stopped him again. “Never mind, I’ll just take the puppy to the pet store myself. That way, you won’t have to repeat everything to me.”

At that, Old Chang’s eye twitched even more.

After carefully bandaging Xiaomei, Shen Lihuan finally asked how it had gotten so seriously injured.

Xiaolu lashed its tail against the carpet in anger. “It’s all because of that awful woman! She actually enjoys abusing pets! When I saw her mistreating Xiaomei, I was furious and wanted to punish her. But she wasn’t afraid of me at all and even tried to stab me with a knife. Xiaomei took the hit for me.”

Last night, after receiving a mission, Xiaolu immediately set out to find its friends. Xiaolu was carefree and had plenty of connections in the underworld—not just fellow snakes, but also cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, and more. When it told its friends about the situation, they patted their chests and promised to help.

Before long, a shepherd dog delivered some information. It had heard that in a place called Biyun Pavilion, there lived a woman named “Qingrong.” Its great-uncle’s daughter’s son’s nephew’s aunt had been sold there.

The shepherd dog offered to accompany Xiaolu to Biyun Pavilion under the guise of visiting relatives. Xiaolu gladly agreed. Together, the snake and the dog sneaked into the pavilion. After twisting and turning through the maze-like layout until they were nearly dizzy, they finally found the place.

It was a villa. The two animals slipped in through the backyard and hid outside a window just in time to see a man and a woman arguing. After the man stormed off, the woman—who had been sobbing moments ago—immediately stopped crying. The two animals were stunned.

The shepherd dog confirmed that this was the woman, Qingrong. When they saw her turn and head upstairs, Xiaolu panicked. It backed away from the window a few meters and looked up, spotting an open window on an upper floor. Quickly, it told the shepherd dog to stay put and climbed the wall, slipping inside through the window.

By chance, it had entered Qingrong’s room. Just as it slithered onto the floor, Qingrong walked in. Xiaolu hurriedly hid under the bed. Qingrong didn’t sleep for a long time, so Xiaolu couldn’t escape. It wasn’t until after 2 AM that Qingrong finally left the room. Xiaolu quickly followed.

Qingrong walked to the last room on the second floor, unlocked the door, and entered. Since the door was locked again, Xiaolu lay against it, trying to listen. Soon, the painful cries of a dog echoed from inside. “Mistress, please don’t hit me! It hurts so much! Xiaomei is bleeding!”

Xiaolu was furious—so the woman was abusing dogs! It immediately thrashed its tail against the door. The noises inside stopped abruptly, and a gentle voice called out, “Who’s there?”

Xiaolu didn’t answer and kept slapping the door. Before long, the door opened, and Xiaolu shot inside, slapping the woman’s face with its tail. Startled, the woman shrieked and covered her face with her hands.

Fearing that others might come, Xiaolu didn’t dare linger. It quickly coiled around the injured Xiaomei and tried to escape. But when the woman saw Xiaolu, she actually grabbed a knife and charged at them. Xiaomei hurriedly shielded Xiaolu with its body, taking the hit and getting slashed.

Xiaolu was utterly enraged and bit the woman’s face hard. While she screamed in pain, Xiaolu wrapped itself around Xiaomei and fled. Xiaomei’s leg was broken, so it couldn’t run fast. Thankfully, the shepherd dog was waiting outside. It carried Xiaomei on its back, and together, they escaped Biyun Pavilion.

Because the journey was long, the snake and the two dogs only reached the Shen family’s vicinity at dawn. Along the way, the shepherd dog ran into its owner, who had come looking for it. Unable to stay, it had to return home. Xiaolu had no choice but to hide Xiaomei in a cardboard box and race back home to get its little owner’s help.

Luckily, Shen Lihuan arrived just in time. Otherwise, Xiaomei would have been in grave danger.