Chapter 42: The Once Beloved Moon

“Miss, is your last name Fan, by any chance?” Jiang Yun asked cautiously.

It wasn’t that he was timid… Well, actually, he was. The woman before him looked so much like his muddle-headed ex-wife, the once-famous star, that he couldn’t help but be on edge. If she really was his ex-wife, Jiang Yun didn’t dare to speak carelessly. Even though she’d been forced to leave the industry, her fanbase was still terrifyingly large, nothing Jiang Yun could compare to. If he said anything wrong and offended her or her fans, they could easily dig up his past and unleash a torrent of online abuse, leaving Jiang Yun in tears. Only those who have become streamers or public figures truly understand how disgusting it feels to have their personal life exposed and mocked online.

“No, my name is Yang Qianqian,” the woman replied.

Thankfully, she wasn’t the person Jiang Yun knew, just a stranger who bore a striking resemblance. After speaking, she covered the key information on her ID, showing it to Jiang Yun: “See, Brother Yun, I really am eighteen.”

Jiang Yun glanced at it. Sure enough, the ID confirmed her age, and the photo matched the face of his on-mic fan. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Why didn’t you just say so from the start? You scared me! I thought I’d run into my muddle-headed ex-wife,” Jiang Yun said, a bit exasperated.

Yang Qianqian pursed her lips. “I never said I was her. You misunderstood, Brother Yun.”

“That’s not my fault. You look so much like her! This is on you!” Jiang Yun replied, feigning indignation.

Yang Qianqian was silent for a moment, then said, “So, Brother Yun, can I tell you my story now?”

“Break up!” Jiang Yun blurted out instinctively. Then, recalling Yang Qianqian’s earlier mention of the Carnival, he added, “Well… You can’t just break up right away. Go ahead and tell me, and I’ll help you figure out what’s really going on.”

“I’m not here to mess around, I’m serious. I wouldn’t spend three thousand yuan just to pull a prank. I’m not that rich,” Yang Qianqian said, her face showing a trace of grievance, as if she genuinely wasn’t here to make trouble.

“You never know…” Jiang Yun muttered under his breath.

“Can I start now?” Yang Qianqian asked.

Jiang Yun nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll know if you’re serious after I hear your story.”

“Well, it’s like this…” Yang Qianqian began her tale.

“I was a pretty child, and my relatives doted on me, but not everyone liked me. Elementary school was fine, but starting from junior high, some classmates began to ostracize me. Some even spread nasty rumors. On top of that, my family wasn’t well-off, and my parents worked away from home, so whenever I was bullied, I could only endure it.

“Over time, it took a toll on my mental health, and my grades suffered. The most vivid memory was just before my high school entrance exams, when a few girls dragged me into the bathroom and threatened me. They said if I ended up at the same school as a certain boy, they’d beat me every day.

“Under that pressure, I turned in a blank exam and didn’t even get into a regular high school.”

Jiang Yun’s expression grew serious as Yang Qianqian spoke. So far, she didn’t seem to be making it up, but given the earlier incident with the extravagant gifts, he remained skeptical. Meanwhile, the viewers in the chat were already furious—Yang Qianqian’s story reminded many of their own pasts.

“Anyone who spreads dirty rumors about girls deserves the worst—regardless of gender!”
“People who bully others at school should all rot!”
“No matter the reason, school bullying is always wrong!”
“There are always those who can’t stand others doing better than them—those people are despicable!”
“Most of us have been through something like this… When will school bullying finally disappear for good?”
“…”

Seeing the barrage of messages, Yang Qianqian smiled and continued, “My parents were upset, but since I was young, they sent me to a vocational school, hoping I could learn a skill and support myself in the future.

“It was there that I met a boy. He was kind—he didn’t make dirty jokes about me just because I was pretty, nor did he spread rumors. Whenever I faced difficulties, he would help if he could, and he’d openly compliment my looks and my singing.

“He was the first normal friend I’d had. After what I’d been through in junior high, he was like a ray of light in my dark world, giving my life new meaning. I thought I’d fallen for him.

“But he always kept a proper distance and never expressed any feelings for me, so I didn’t dare confess.”

“This went on until we graduated. We both studied nursing, and our school arranged internships at four different hospitals in different counties. To stay with him, I ignored my assigned placement and went searching for him at the other hospitals.

“I checked all four but never found him. I confessed my feelings in a text, but he never replied. I called, but he didn’t answer. Other classmates didn’t know where he’d gone, either.

“I thought he must not like me and was avoiding me. And just like that, eight years passed.

“Last year, we happened to run into each other by chance.

“We talked a lot that day. That’s when I learned that after graduation, he hadn’t followed the school’s arrangement either, but had his family place him at a different hospital. He didn’t reply to my texts because he’d changed his number, so he never knew I’d confessed.

“It felt like hope had returned to my life. We exchanged contact information, started chatting and going out regularly, and eventually got together.

“But once we were actually a couple, I realized we weren’t as compatible as I’d imagined. We argued a lot—sometimes it was his fault, sometimes mine.

“We broke up and got back together six times.

“Many times, I wondered if we’d changed so much that we really weren’t right for each other anymore.

“But I couldn’t let go. Not long after each breakup, I’d go back to him…”

“Brother Yun, what do you think I should do?”

Having finished her story, Yang Qianqian looked at Jiang Yun, hoping for a solution.

Jiang Yun glanced at the barrage of comments. Perhaps because Yang Qianqian’s story felt so genuine, no one doubted her intentions now—instead, the audience earnestly offered advice.

“In your memory, he’s the perfect first love, but even first loves can change.”
“Maybe you were right for each other once, but eight years later, you may no longer be.”
“People change, especially after so much time has passed.”
“You can’t spend your life living in memories—no matter how beautiful, they’re only in the past. If you’re not compatible now, it’s better to part ways.”
“Maybe you don’t love the person he is now, but the memory of him. Take a good look at yourself.”
“…”

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