Stealing ML’s White Moonlight C28

Chapter 28

Fortunately, You Changqing was on Shen Lihuan’s side. She waved her hand and said, “Lihuan is always considerate, how could she possibly make me angry? Thank you, Auntie Gu, for worrying about me.”

As for how Lihuan made her feel better after upsetting her, that was not something she could discuss with Auntie. After all, it was just a little fun between the two of them.

“I really like the way Changqing talks.”

The more Gu Qinglan looked at You Changqing, the more she liked her. She pulled her aside to chat, completely leaving Shen Lihuan out.

Shen Lihuan looked helpless on the surface, but deep down, she was happy that her mother and Changqing got along well. Her best friend being liked by her mother was the best outcome.

Not long after, Mrs. Yang Yingzhi returned. Seeing Gu Qinglan, she greeted her warmly, “Qinglan, what a coincidence that you’re here for the parent-teacher meeting too. My husband is a complete workaholic—there was no way I could drag him here, so I had to come instead.”

She and Gu Qinglan had met at many banquets, and since their daughters were close friends, they had long put aside any past grievances between the You family and the Shen family. With their families now working together, their relationship had grown even closer.

So, it was natural for her to address Gu Qinglan in a familiar tone.

“Yes, my husband had a contract to negotiate today, so I had to come,” Gu Qinglan said with a smile, waving at Yang Yingzhi. “Yingzhi, come sit with me. Let’s chat and let the kids talk among themselves.”

“Alright.” Yang Yingzhi sat down gracefully, and the two began discussing the usual topics among women—clothing and jewelry.

The meeting started soon, with students filing into the auditorium in an orderly manner.

Ming High’s auditorium was famously spacious and comfortable, capable of seating three thousand people.

Principal Cheng and several school leaders began the opening speech. “Respected parents, teachers, and dear students, good afternoon. First of all…”

Hearing this familiar opening line for the first time in over ten years, Shen Lihuan smiled slightly.

Sitting to her left, You Changqing turned to her and asked in a low voice, “What are you smiling about?”

“Well, actually, I wasn’t smiling. But when you look at me, I just feel like smiling.”

“Why?” You Changqing frowned slightly, her delicate brows knitting together.

“Because I just want to smile when I see you.”

It was such a simple question, yet she somehow managed to tease her again.

You Changqing complained inwardly but still couldn’t stop her heart from racing.

“I’m ignoring you.” Always flirting—if you have the guts, make a move already!

Shen Lihuan, unaware of You Changqing’s internal monologue, saw her turn back to look at the stage seriously and stop paying attention to her. Scratching her cheek, she shifted her focus to the school leaders’ speeches.

As one of the top high schools in the capital, Ming High was renowned for its open learning environment and highly efficient academic system.

Every year, 60% of its students were admitted to top universities, and its overall college admission rate was 100%.

It could be said that as long as a student attended Ming High, one foot was already in the door of university.

Moreover, Ming High was not a school that favored wealth or connections. Many parents had tried waving money around to get their children enrolled, but Ming High had the guts to reject them outright.

Shen Lihuan was able to enter Ming High partly because the Shen family was different from other families—they had privileges that others did not, and sending a Shen family member to Ming High was not considered an insult to the school. More importantly, she had outstanding grades. During her high school entrance exam, she was the top scorer of her cohort.

Speaking of grades, in the recent monthly exam, Shen Lihuan ranked third in the entire grade. She scored full marks in Mathematics, English, and Physics; 99 in Chemistry; 97 in Biology; 95 in Chinese; 93 in Geography; and 88, the lowest, in History. Her total score was 772.

The first-place student was You Changqing. She had full marks in Mathematics, Physics, Biology, and Geography; 98 in English; 96 in Chinese; 95 in History; and 92 in Chemistry, with a total score of 781.

The second place was a boy from Class Four. He had full marks in Chemistry, Biology, and English; 98 in Mathematics; 97 in Physics; 96 in Geography; 95 in History; and 94 in Chinese, with a total score of 780—just one point behind You Changqing, proving his excellence.

Shen Lihuan wasn’t fixated on rankings—getting third place was good enough for her. However, You Changqing was a little unhappy. She had tutored Lihuan so much, yet she only scored 88 in History…

For the first few days after the results came out, You Changqing looked at Shen Lihuan with eyes full of frustration.

“This excellent performance in the monthly exam is not just thanks to our teachers, but also due to our students’ diligent studying and the support of their parents.”

“Academic performance is indeed important for students, as it serves as a benchmark for their learning and a stepping stone to university. However, grades will never be the most important thing for students.”

Principal Cheng’s tone was passionate. “More important than grades are students’ character and health. Health doesn’t only mean physical health but also mental health.”

“Sometimes, a healthy mind is even more crucial than a healthy body. Physical issues can be improved through exercise, but if someone has poor mental health, they might harm themselves or others. In severe cases, they may develop antisocial tendencies, causing irreversible damage to society.”

After a long speech, Principal Cheng played several news clips for the students and parents, showing cases of students breaking down under academic pressure, some even resorting to self-harm or suicide.

The shocking footage made many parents feel a chill in their hearts. To be honest, most of them only showed concern for their children by asking about their grades. If they heard their child didn’t perform well, they would immediately suspect they hadn’t studied hard enough. Otherwise, how could other students in the same class achieve top scores while their own child was struggling at the bottom?

Some parents with shorter tempers would even scold or hit their children. On weekends, they would enroll them in tutoring classes, and some even forced them to learn piano, painting, calligraphy, and more. If their children complained, they would get furious—when they were young, they hadn’t even had the chance to learn these things, so how dare their children complain about having opportunities?

Wasn’t this just being ungrateful?

But now, they saw children in the video crying, saying that they had really tried their best to study, but their grades just wouldn’t improve. This time, they had failed their exams again, and their parents would surely scold or hit them. They couldn’t bear such a hopeless life anymore, so they chose to jump from the 20th floor of a building…

Even if the child’s parents regret and grieve as much as they want, they can never bring the child back.

There was also a child who failed her college entrance exam due to a fever and could only attend a third-tier university. When she wanted to repeat the exam, her family mocked her coldly, saying she wasn’t meant to go to college and would only waste money. In despair, she slit her wrists and committed suicide, and her promising youth ended at just eighteen years old…

So many children have already been pushed to the brink—do they really want to do the same to their own children?

All the parents fell silent.

After the parent-teacher meeting ended, Gu Qinglan quietly asked Shen Lihuan, “Lihuan, do you think Mom is an open-minded person? Have your dad and I ever pressured you over the years?”

Her daughter wasn’t the type to complain. If she and Jiashu had unconsciously pressured their daughter, she probably wouldn’t have voiced it. That was exactly what she was afraid of.

Shen Lihuan hooked her arm around her mother’s and said, “Mom, are you joking? I don’t even know what pressure is.”

Gu Qinglan’s worried expression eased, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m serious here, and you’re just playing around.”

But she had to admit, her daughter’s reaction reassured her. Shen Lihuan wasn’t one to complain, but she also wouldn’t bother lying.

Shen Lihuan still had Principal Cheng’s words echoing in her ears.

“I’m glad parents care about their children’s grades, but the way you show that concern needs to be strategic. If a child doesn’t perform well, you can’t just scold or beat them outright. You can express your disappointment and let them know you’re unhappy with the results, but then analyze with them why they didn’t do well this time. Finally, tell them, ‘I hope you won’t make the same mistake again.’ That way, their self-esteem is protected, and your concern is still conveyed.”

“Then there are parents who are overly protective, treating their children like flowers in a greenhouse. The moment they face a setback, they can’t handle it, feel like their life is hopeless, and lose all direction. These parents need to reflect and learn to let go, allowing their children to face this world—where cruelty and warmth coexist—on their own. I believe, in the future, your children will be grateful to you.”

Shen Lihuan wasn’t sure how many parents would truly take the principal’s words to heart.

On the way home with her mother, she saw a boy wiping away tears. He cried, “My classmates all say I’m a mama’s boy, that all I do is study and that I have no fun at all. I’m already seventeen, but I still don’t know how to do laundry. Even when I want to play basketball, you think I’ll get hurt. If this keeps up, even girls will start thinking I’m not manly enough!”

His burly, bear-like father stood helplessly beside him, finally stammering, “Alright, alright! Dad will let you play basketball with your classmates, have Mom teach you how to do laundry, and even let you go out with friends. Happy now? The world is full of bad people, you know—I was just afraid you’d get hurt.”

The boy thought for a moment, feeling the compromise was acceptable. Still wary, he warned, “You better mean it! If you’re lying, I’ll run away from home!”

“No, no, no! My little ancestor, I swear I won’t lie to you, or I’ll gain fifty pounds!”

“Hmph, I’ll believe you just this once.”

Their conversation drifted through the air.

Shen Lihuan curled her lips into a smile. It didn’t matter how many parents had truly listened—as long as even one did, the four-hour parent-teacher meeting wasn’t in vain.

…

Meanwhile, online, Qin Aocheng’s scandal was still fermenting. After all, he was only eighteen this year, yet he had been involved with so many girls before even reaching adulthood. His private life was truly outrageous.

To make matters worse, an insider exposed that Qin Aocheng already had a girlfriend outside the entertainment industry and had used her connections to enter the Robot A production crew. Netizens cursed him as a scumbag.

Using his girlfriend’s family background to climb the ranks, and he still had the audacity to cheat on her!

Ming High School was also furious that their school had produced such a disgrace. Without hesitation, they expelled Qin Aocheng and announced on their official website:

“Ming High will never tolerate morally corrupt students in our sacred school!”

As soon as this move was made, netizens cheered, praising the school for being decisive and righteous.

Of course, some troublemakers took the opportunity to smear Ming High, accusing them of being opportunistic and hypocritical. They mocked the school for once flaunting Qin Aocheng as an ‘outstanding student of Ming High’ when he was a rising star, only to kick him out now that he had fallen from grace.

But rational netizens quickly clapped back.

“Open your dog eyes and look clearly—this is Ming High, not some second-rate vocational school. The list of Ming High’s outstanding alumni would make you cry for your parents. You think Ming High cares about some lowly entertainment industry star? What a joke.”

“Agreed! A third of Ming High’s alumni are in business, and over thirty have positions in Green Nation’s top 100 enterprises. Not to mention the ones in politics, the military, and medicine—any one of them could blind your titanium-alloy dog eyes! Thinking Ming High would be proud of Qin Aocheng? That’s hilarious.”

“Hahaha! Well said, well said!”

…

Reading the comments on Skynet, Qin Aocheng was so furious that he smashed everything in his room that could be broken.

As soon as the scandal broke, Lin Ruyi had called to question him. No matter how he explained, she refused to listen and wanted to break up with him. To make things worse, her older brother even sent people to beat him up. If it weren’t for the system, he would’ve been dead by now.

“System! Who had the power to take these photos? Who’s trying to set me up? Didn’t you say you were omnipotent? How come you didn’t detect anything when I was being photographed?”

In his rage, Qin Aocheng directly questioned the system, his doubts about it laid bare.

The system’s cold voice rang out:

“Host, do not question the system’s capabilities. In fact, when you are engaging in □□, I enter a dormant state and cannot function. Unless you set me to monitor you at all times, I have no way of detecting anything during such situations.”

Qin Aocheng nearly coughed up blood. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me something this important?!”

“I did mention it to the Host, but the Host said that no one is allowed to see his woman’s body, not even me, a lifeless system.”

The system answered his question emotionlessly. In the system’s view, its bound Host was simply foolish, always thinking with his lower half. Last time, if the Host had just saved the man it told him to, he would have gained a powerful backer.

But instead, because a passing woman asked, “Hey, handsome, wanna hook up?”

The Host eagerly followed her to a hotel room, completely forgetting what the system had told him.

In reality, the man the system wanted him to save was the youngest son of a military district commander. If the Host had a life-saving favor to his name, he could have had the commander’s protection and walked unchallenged in the entertainment industry.

The more the system thought about it, the more bitter it felt—if it even had feelings.

“I—I just didn’t think of it at the time! As your Host, shouldn’t you be thinking about everything for me? Even if I don’t give you orders, can’t you act on your own initiative?”

Qin Aochen initially felt guilty, but after enjoying a period of fame and fortune, he had developed an arrogant and complacent personality. He had long forgotten that everything he had was granted by the system. Without the system, he was nothing but… a loser.

The system said nothing. It only regretted even more.

Qin Aochen irritably scratched his head. “System, hurry up and figure out a way to fix this. I don’t want to be stuck at home, unable to go out anymore.”

“Based on the system’s investigation and analysis, the people targeting you this time are from the Shen Corporation.”

Even though it regretted everything, the Host was still its Host, and the system resigned itself to investigating for him.

“Why would the Shen Corporation go after me? I have no enmity with them,” Qin Aochen said in confusion.

“This is a question the system cannot answer.”

“Damn it!” Qin Aochen grew even more agitated. “Then what solutions do you have?”

Even though he had the system immediately erase the explicit photos as soon as they were uploaded online, it was too late—screenshots had already been taken, and netizens had saved them. No matter how powerful the system was, it couldn’t wipe out every copy stored in the virtual world.

Because the system’s full permissions hadn’t been unlocked yet.

And tech experts had already confirmed that the photos weren’t edited. Even if he claimed they were fake, no one would believe him.

“In this situation, your only options are: hold a press conference, admit your mistake, apologize to your fans, and say that you were just young and ignorant, promising never to do it again. Or, you could simply leave the entertainment industry and work behind the scenes—write songs for others as a ghostwriter.”

“No way! I’ve already experienced such glory. How could I be content hiding in the shadows?”

“Then I have no solutions left. Host, do as you see fit.”

After saying that, the system directly muted Qin Aochen.

“System! System! Get back here!”

No matter how much Qin Aochen screamed, the system ignored him.

With no other options, Qin Aochen finally held a press conference. Tearfully, he apologized to his fans, saying he had momentarily lost himself in the pursuit of fame and fortune, forgetting that his original dream was simply to sing for his fans. He admitted his mistakes, apologized to his girlfriend, his fans, and everyone who loved him. He swore that he would turn over a new leaf, return to his pure, original self, and never be tempted by the glitz and glamour of the world again.

It had to be said—Qin Aochen’s looks were highly deceptive. On top of that, he had only just turned eighteen. At this age, people could still be called “kids.” Aside from those with emotional purity obsessions, those who despised debauchery, and die-hard Qin Aochen haters, many people forgave him as if they were possessed by the spirit of Shi Zhile. Some even uttered the now-famous phrase:

“He’s just a kid!”

To regain his popularity, Qin Aochen wrote several deeply emotional songs—ones that could make listeners cry. The lyrics were all about a person who made a mistake, was abandoned by the whole world, and felt immense sorrow while hoping for redemption.

Even those who despised him had to admit that Qin Aochen was truly talented. Many people felt heartbroken for him.

He also repeatedly visited nursing homes and orphanages to volunteer, claiming that since he had done wrong, he would punish himself by contributing to charity. He even donated all the royalties from his new songs.

After these efforts, Qin Aochen’s scandal gradually faded from public discussion. His fans not only returned but even increased in number…

Shen Lihuan watched the outcome unfold and felt an even deeper wariness toward Qin Aochen. She had to admit—the protagonist’s halo was terrifying. Even after such a scandal, he still managed to survive unscathed.

From now on, she needed to pay even closer attention to him.

Aside from Shen Lihuan, there was someone else extremely displeased with this result—You Changhong.

“Are the people online brain-dead? How could they let that scumbag Qin strut around in public again?”

Shen Lihuan glanced at him as he chewed on a skewer of grilled lamb, angrily ranting about Qin Aochen. Worried he might choke from getting too worked up, she urged him to finish eating before talking.

It was Saturday, and Shen Lihuan had planned a barbecue outing with You Changqing, his older sister.

“This isn’t what I wanted to see either. I thought one move would be enough to throw him into the abyss, but I didn’t expect he’d manage to climb back up halfway.”

Shen Lihuan handed a freshly grilled chicken wing to You Changqing as she spoke.

“No matter what, Qin Aochen can’t affect us. If he becomes too much of an eyesore, we can just have Father take action and blacklist him completely.”

You Changqing took the chicken wing and bit into it sweetly. Truthfully, she had never even considered Qin Aochen a threat. The fact that Lihuan was willing to take action against him for her sake made her incredibly happy.

Shen Lihuan had spent ten years in the apocalypse and knew better than anyone—never underestimate anyone. Even a seemingly powerless woman could slaughter an eighth-tier ability user. Qin Aochen was the original male lead of the story, which meant he should be watched even more carefully.

She gently tucked a stray strand of You Changqing’s hair behind her ear and advised softly, “Changqing, never underestimate anyone, even a three-year-old child. Even if they don’t intend to harm you, others can still use them as a tool to do so.”

You Changqing blinked her eyes adorably. “Okay, I’ll remember.”

Shen Lihuan knew she had taken her words to heart and said, “Good girl,” before smiling and lowering her head to grill a chicken leg for her—a reward for a well-behaved child.

You Changqing sat beside her with an eager expression.

Meanwhile, You Changhong looked bitterly at the charred beef in his hands. The cold wind howled like the waters of Yi, and the beef was gone, never to return.

It was supposed to be a barbecue for three—so why did it feel like he didn’t even have a name?